Professor
Rodney S. Wallace Professor for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Culture and Teaching, Immigrant Education
Areas of Interest
Exploration of understandings and influences of “culture” and “difference” on immigrant students' education, and the implications for how we theorize immigrant identity, culturally relevant pedagogy, and anti-oppressive education.
Research Interests
My research and teaching interests focus on culturally relevant pedagogy, urban and multicultural education in general and immigrant education in particular.
In my research, I examine: 1) the ways in which the education of immigrant students are shaped by dynamic power relations as they play out at the intersection(s) of race, ethnicity, class and gender; and 2) the ways in which classroom and school practices may mitigate educational and social inequalities. I engage interdisciplinary conceptual frameworks, including critical, cultural and feminist theories. I have drawn on the work of Homi Bhabha, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, among others, to explicate, critique and re-imagine the lives of immigrant students, the work of urban teachers, and the role(s) of critical multicultural education.
I have worked extensively with Hmong American and Lao American students, families and communities in the Twin Cities area. In a case study with Hmong college students, I explored the social, cultural and economic negotiations among working-class, first-generation students as well as the affect of race, ethnicity, class and gender on their educational experiences. In an ethnographic study of Lao immigrant students at an urban, public high school I examined the ways in which we teach and talk about cultural difference within the contexts of “culture” and “cultural identity.” Most recently, my research projects have included an ethnographic study involving Hmong American high school students, parents, and community leaders.
By looking at how “culture” and “cultural difference” play out in the practices of schools, teachers and students, I seek to reveal the complexities of urban education and the implications for teaching immigrant students. In my research and teaching, I am committed to working toward equity and social justice.
Curriculum and Instruction
Room 350A PeikH
159 Pillsbury Dr SE
Tel: 612-625-7520
[email protected]
