Katie Bucher Associate Professor, Education |
Education
• B.A., University of Delaware
• M.S.Ed., University of Pennsylvania
• Ph.D., M.S., Indiana University
Teaching Interests
I teach courses in educational psychology, second language acquisition, and the social foundations of education. In my courses students engage with questions about the roles of teachers in working for a more just society and consider new possibilities for how we “do” school. As a former elementary school teacher, I am passionate about the importance of intellectually- and socially-engaged educators and am dedicated to supporting pre-service teachers in their professional development both in and out of the college classroom.
Research, Scholarship or Creative/Artistic Interests
My scholarship interests primary focus on environmental education generally, including school and community garden programs, nature play, and outdoor-based wellness programs for children, youth, and teachers. I am also involved in projects that consider the positive wellness impacts of nature-based educational programming for other (non-teacher) care-workers, including those in healthcare settings. As a second line of scholarship, I am interested in how intentional reflection on one’s teaching can improve instructional practice and have published articles on the scholarship of teaching and learning, in particular on the integration of the creative arts and experiential learning in the social sciences.