November 1, 2023 – Dr. Katherin Garland is an Associate Professor of Education at Santa Fe College. Her work is centered on using media as culturally relevant pedagogy and supporting preservice and practicing teachers’ uses of media literacy education and critical media literacy pedagogy. To this end, her publications are focused on theory-to-practice methods for preparing students to be critical media readers. For example, as co-editor of the anthology, Stories of Sports: Critical Literacy in Media Production, Consumption, and Dissemination (2021), she and her colleagues examine whose stories are told and why, and how media is produced to educate, inform, and persuade. Likewise, as former co-chair of NCTE’s Assembly on Computers in English and a member of the Initiative for 21st Century Literacies, she provides engaging ways for practitioners to support others in analyzing, evaluating and producing culturally relevant texts such as media.
Dr. Garland uses Project Based Learning (PBL), a teaching method where students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. Students gain knowledge and skills by working over an extended period of time on an authentic and engaging challenge. PBL differs from “doing a project” in that a traditional project is a short discrete component of the class versus PBL in which the project is the means to the critical thinking and deeper connections with the material. PBL frames the curriculum.
Learn more about Dr. Garland’s work here.
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CTLE Faculty Spotlights highlight Santa Fe College instructors who implement new and innovative strategies in their classrooms. Check out each spotlight to learn more about the instructor, what they are doing in their classrooms and how to apply it to your own courses.
Are you or someone you know using innovative teaching strategies in the classroom? Email leslie.rios@sfcollege.edu.