About
I am Assistant Professor of Teacher Learning, Research and Practice at the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder and affiliate faculty in the Department of Ethnic Studies. I engage critical race frameworks to explore how racial and cultural experiences impact the pedagogy and curricular enactment of Asian American and Latin@ pre- and in-service teachers. I also study how educators teach so-called difficult histories to young learners through children's literature and primary sources.
I am an experienced elementary teacher who taught first, second, fourth, and fifth grades in Austin, Texas for nine years and I continue to provide professional development to K-8 social studies teachers at the national, state, and local levels. As a teacher educator, I have taught early childhood and elementary social studies methods courses and courses about Asian American education and bilingualism, bilingual education, and Latinx youth. At the graduate level, I have taught introduction to qualitative research, critical race theory, and history and policy issues in teaching and teacher education. Honors include the 2017 Larry Metcalf Exemplary Dissertation Award from the National Council for the Social Studies, the 2019 Early Career Award from the Children's Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, a 2020 Teaching Innovation Award from Iowa State, the 2021 Early Career Award from the Research on the Education of Asian Pacific Americans Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Award, the 2021 Early Career Award from the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies, and the 2022 Outstanding Paper Award from the Social Studies Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.
Outside of academia, my interests include baking, art, music, documentaries, crafting, and planning elaborate themed parties for my two daughters. Follow me on Twitter at @NaseemRdz