Contact Information

Biography

My teaching career began as a substitute teacher in Beloit, Wisconsin. I joined Teach For America in 1998 and taught English at Marion Abramson High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. After receiving a Master's in Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of New Orleans in 2001, I taught pre-kindergarten at Joshua Butler Elementary in Westwego, Louisiana. In 2002, I moved to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to teach pre-kindergarten and looping for kindergarten with the same group. In 2004, I taught alternative certification courses and the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. In 2008, I received my doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Education from The Pennsylvania State University. I taught early childhood courses at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin from 2009-2015. In the summer of 2015, I have happily returned to Pennsylvania to teach PK-4 courses at Duquesne University.

The intent behind much of my research and publications has been to advance understanding of teachers' perceptions and identity. Three areas of focus are: character and moral education, classroom management, and pre-service teacher identity and dispositional development.

My research intends to:

  • Further understanding of personal identity, teacher identity, and k-12 student identity
  • Work towards informing IHE's how to help pre-service and in-service teachers work towards growth and development (in knowledge, skills, and dispositions) to meet the needs of our students, of ALL students
  • Develop teachers who believe they must use education as a means to empower students not just in the future, but to help them build their identity for today.

Education

  • Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction: Early Childhood Education, The Pennsylvania State University, 2008
  • M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction: Early Childhood Education, University of New Orleans, 2001
  • B.A., Psychology, Saint John’s University, 1996

 

School

Developing learning outcomes for knowledge, skills, dispositions has led me to the theoretical belief that identity development is the most important part of teacher preparation. This influences how individuals move from novice to expert, whether as pre-service teacher or in-service teacher. At the forefront of that identity framework is that dispositions are the greatest indicator of how successful a teacher will be. Embedded into quality dispositions is teacher intent on empowering students through socio-emotional and academic development. Great teachers know the journey is as important as the destination. The vocation and spirituality of teaching leads us to socially just and culturally invested teaching and learning. As William Butler Yeats exclaimed, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire!"

  • LTEC 201W Theories and Practices in Early Childhood Education
  • LTEC 203 Integrated Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings
  • LTEC 304 Families, Schools, and Communities
  • LTEC 401 Family and Community Collaborations
  • Meidl, C. & Meidl, T. (2015). "Emergent Literacy and Cognition." The Reading Professor. 37(1): 33-37.
  • Fasching-Varner, K., Sulentic-Dowell, M., Meidl, T., & Meidl, C. (Fall 2013). "Editorial Introduction." Networks.
  • Meidl, T. & Meidl, C. (2013). "Valuing Students' Cultural Experiences and Linguistic Abilities in the Classroom." Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education. 7(1): 1- 15.
  • Meidl, C. & Meidl, T. (29 June 2011). "Character Education in Three Schools: Catholic, Quaker, and Public." Education 3-13.
  • Meidl, T. & Meidl, C. (2011). "Curriculum Integration and Adaptation: Individualizing Pedagogy for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students." Current Issues in Education. 14(1): 1-29.
  • Clausen, R., Vilberg, J., Murray, O., Meidl, C., Rajan-Sockman, B., Sonak, B., Peck, K. (February 1, 2011). 21st Century Teaching and Learning with Technology Year 4 Evaluation. A report to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Penn State University. University Park, PA.
  • Peck, K., Clausen, R., Vilberg, J., Meidl, C., & Murray, O. (October 2, 2009). Classrooms for the future year 3 evaluation. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania State University, Classroom for the Future website.
  • Meidl, C. & Meidl, T. (2009). Did "The Beaver" question my authority?: Families and teachers helping children learn about respect. Childhood Education. 85(4): 242-244.
  • Peck, K., Clausen, R., Vilberg, J., Meidl, C., & Murray, O. (September 16, 2008). Classrooms for the future year 2 evaluation. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania State University, Classroom for the Future website.
  • Yawkey, T. & Meidl, C. (2007). Foreword. In V. Gonzalez (ed.), Minority and mainstream children's development and academic achievement (pp. xiii-xv). Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Inc.
  • Meidl C. & Meidl T. (2009). Reviewers. Through the Looking Glass: Literature for Young Children. Cengage Learning.
  • Meidl, C. & Siekierski, K. (2016, February). Transforming Identity: Becoming a Badass Early Childhood Educator. A paper presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators in Chicago, IL.
  • Meidl, C. & Messenger, M. (2015, October). Play in Curriculum and Instruction. A workshop to be facilitated at the 2015 Progressive Education Network national conference, New York, NY.
  • Meidl, C., Hintz, J., & Bach, E. (2015, August). Moral Learning Through Fables. A paper presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators in Minneapolis, MN.
  • Meidl, C. & Spude, K. (2015, February). CHAMPS: An approach to classroom management. A paper presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators in Phoenix, AR.
  • Meidl, C. & Landerman, K. (2014, November). Technology integration in elementary classrooms. A paper to be presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association. Evanston, Il.
  • Meidl, C. & Nelson, J. (2014, November). Social values explored through folklore characters. A paper to presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association. Evanston, Il.
  • Meidl, C., Hoffman, C., Khuong, H, and Vannes, C. (2013, November). Two-way bilingual program approach. A paper to be presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Mid- Western Educational Research Association. Evanston, Il.
  • Meidl, C., Marin, C., and Tauschek, E. (2013, November). Policy and procedures: Reactions to tragedy. A paper to be presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association. Evanston, Il.
  • Meidl, C., Miller, A., Zelenak, A., Marisceck, M., and Luce, A. (2013, November) Implementing Play Within the Everyday Classroom. A paper to be presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association. Evanston, Il.
  • Meidl, C., Lukens, K., Lambert, T., & Messenger, M. (2013, October). STEM equipment: a mode of combining playful learning and assessment. Progressive Education Network National Conference. Los Angeles, Ca.
  • Meidl, C., Christensen, S., McConnell, P., Sixel, K., & Zygiel, M. (2012). Presenter. Native American pedagogy. A paper to be presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Mid- Western Educational Research Association. Evanston, Il.
  • Meidl, C., LaLuzerne, M., & Toniolo, K. (2012). Presenter. PDP as self-assessment. A paper to be presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association. Evanston, Il.
  • Meidl, C., Gardner, E., Hogan, M., & Holahan, M. (2012). Presenter. Character education through children's literature. A paper to be presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association. Evanston, Il.
  • Meidl, C. (2010, May). Presenter. Teachers' beliefs about approaches to character education. Paper presented at 2010 American Educational Research Association National Meeting Denver, CO.
  • Meidl, C. & Belcher, A. (2009, November). Co-Presenter. How one pre-service teacher approaches lesson development. Paper Presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Spring Conference as part of the National Association of Educators of Young Children. Washington D.C.
  • Meidl, C. (2007, January). Presenter. Higher order thinking in the early childhood years. Poster presented at Hawaii International Conference on Education. Honolulu, HI.

Association of Child Education International

American Educational Research Association

  • Division K-Teaching and Teacher Education
  • Special Interest Groups-Classroom Management and Early Childhood Education

Association of Teacher Educators

  • Chair-Early Childhood Education SIG 
  • Classroom Management and Discipline SIG

Mid-Western Educational Research Association

  • Division-Teaching and Teacher Education
  • Mid-Western Educational Researcher Editorial Advisory Board

NAEYC and PAEYC

  • Mid-Western Educational Research Association's Dr. Jean Pierce Student Recruitment 2012 and 2013