Who We Are


SIG Officers

2023/24 AERA Constructivist Theory, Research, and Practice SIG (#25) Officers

 

SIG Chair:

Ogodo

Justina A. Ogodo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor’s School of Education. She earned her doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Alabama. Her teaching career in science education spans over two decades across K - 20 settings. Dr. Ogodo is passionate about students learning because of her strong beliefs that students have unique assets waiting to be discovered by their teachers and that every child can learn if presented with equitable learning opportunities. Her research focuses on enhancing teachers’ knowledge base and equipping them to meet students where they are and take them where they need to be. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses covering science curriculum, and teacher praxis, educating culturally competent STEM teachers to teach in urban high-need schools, especially and developing out-of-field teachers. Dr. Ogodo is a co-editor of a book and has several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She is affiliated with several professional organizations, including the American Education Research Association (AERA), the National Association of Research in Science Teaching(NARST), the School Science and Mathematics Association (SSMA), and the Mixed-Methods International Research Association (MMIRA) where she has served in various capacities. 

 

SIG Program Chair: 

  

Dr. Allee earned degrees in Elementary Education (BAE and MEd) with a concentration in Early Childhood Education from the University of Florida and Educational Leadership (EdS) from Stetson University. She came to the College of Education from the University of Central Florida, where she earned a PhD in Education (Elementary). Dr. Allee’s professional experiences include teaching primary grades at high-need schools, working in a large urban district as a coach and PD facilitator, and working for three education companies to facilitate customized PD, support large-scale district implementations and school improvement efforts, to evaluate programs, and to develop early childhood curriculum. Dr. Allee works predominantly with MAT in Elementary Education initial teacher certification candidates and Curriculum and Instruction PhD students. Currently, her primary research focuses on how poverty affects cognitive development, executive function/self-regulation as predictors of school readiness and achievement, and purposeful play as an instructional mechanism to reduce gaps in children’s outcomes across domains. Her secondary line of research focuses on preservice teacher candidates' understanding and application of socially just, culturally and linguistically responsive, and developmentally appropriate instructional practices to increase equitable outcomes for all students. Dr. Allee is the founding PI of the Collaboratory for Critical and Transformative Elementary Education and has been published in multiple journals including Early Childhood Education JournalJournal of Research in Childhood Education, and The Reading Teacher. She is also a member of multiple professional organizations such as the American Educational Research Association, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. Dr. Allee serves on editorial boards for the Journal of Research in Childhood EducationJournal of Education, and Journal of Modern Educational Research.

 

SIG Secretary/Treasurer:

He

Yuan He, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Studies at Stephen F. Austin State University. She earned a PhD in early childhood education from Nanjing Normal University and an EdD in educational leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Dr. He’s career experiences encompass early childhood teaching, conducting professional development for in-service early childhood teachers, and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at the university level. She believes in the importance of providing students with engaging, interactive, and reflective learning experiences. Her research interests include curriculum and instruction in early childhood education, early childhood teacher education, and comparative and international education. She has multiple articles published in international peer-reviewed journals. She serves as a co-PI on the National Professional Development grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the Humanities and Social Science Research grant sponsored by the China Ministry of Education. All these scholarly works are under the umbrella of early childhood education related to constructivist theory and practice. She is a member of several professional organizations, such as American Educational Research Association (AERA), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and International Literacy Association (ILA).

 

SIG Social Media Coordinator: 

Laura McNeice (PhD Student, Baylor University)

Laura McNeice


SIG Webmaster:

Stephanie Moore (PhD Student, Mercer University)

Stephanie Moore