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Department of Elementary, Middle Level and Literacy Education







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Dr. Martin J. Wasserberg

Assistant Professor

Department of Elementary, Middle Level and Literacy Education
Education Building 239
(910) 962-2917 Phone
(910) 962-2917 Fax
wasserbergm@uncw.edu


 
Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction, Florida International University
M.S., Urban Education, Florida International University
B.A., Elementary Education with Honors, Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Courses Taught
LIC 500 - Advanced Study of Theory and Pedagogy in Elementary Education
EDN 524 - Action Research for Elementary Educators
EDN 508 - Advanced Diverse Learners
EDN 300 - Elementary School Programs and Practices
EDNL 300 - Elementary School Programs and Practices Field Experiences
EDN 334 - Elementary Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction
EDN 411 - Internship K-6
EDN 595 - Special Topics: Media Representations of Teachers and Schools (A Critical Analysis)

Professional Service
American Educational Research Association
     Division G: Social Context of Education    
     Division K: Teaching and Teacher Education
     SIG: Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender
     SIG: Action Research
     SIG: Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research
Eastern Educational Research Association
North Carolina Association for Research in Education
Southeastern Association of Educational Studies
Watson School of Education Diversity Committee
Watson School of Education MAT in Elementary Education Program Development Committee

Research Interests
Racial and Gender Stereotyping
Urban Education
Youth Engagement
Achievement Gap
Equity and Social Justice
Elementary Education
Student-Teacher Relationships
 
Recent Publications
 
Wasserberg, M. J. (2012). "She has a caterpillar with her and loved all kinds of slimy things normal girls would not touch." Combating gender bias with nontraditional literature in an urban elementary classroom. Networks: An On-line Journal for Teacher Research, 14(1), 1-9. download pdf
 
Walker, B. & Wasserberg, M. J. (2011). The incredible work of the elementary school. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. purchase text
 
Rodriguez, L. F., & Wasserberg, M. J. (2010). From the classroom to the country: Engaging marginalized youth in research for educational rights. Journal of Urban Education: Focus on Enrichment, 7(1), 103-107. download pdf
 
Recent Presentations
 

Wasserberg, M. J. (2012). Project Y.E.S. (Youth engagement for success): Participatory action research as a catalyst for university-school collaboration. Paper presented at the Eastern Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Hilton Head Island, SC.

 

Wasserberg, M. J. (2012). Stereotype threat at work in an urban elementary school. Paper presented at the Eastern Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Hilton Head Island, SC.

 

Wasserberg, M. J. (2012). Participatory action research in urban schools & the value of student perspectives. Paper presented at the North Carolina Association for Research in Education Annual Meeting, Winston-Salem, NC.

 

Wasserberg, M. J. (2012). “PAR for the course”: Participatory action research as a vehicle for incorporating the voices of marginalized students in research and teacher education. Paper presented at the Southeastern Association of Educational Studies Conference, Columbia, SC.

 

Wasserberg, M. J. (2012). The left behind voices of No Child Left Behind. Paper presented at the Southeastern Association of Educational Studies Conference, Columbia, SC.

 

Wasserberg, M. J. (2011). "How you gonna breathe, man, how you gonna breathe!?" Standardized testing pressures in an urban elementary school. Paper presented at the North Carolina Association for Research in Education Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC.

Wasserberg, M. J.
(2011). Testing while Black: The effect of stereotype threat on top-performing African American students in an urban elementary school. Paper presented at the North Carolina Association for Research in Education Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC.
 
Current Research
 
Project Y.E.S. (Youth Engagement for Success):
 
This participatory action research initiative has several goals, and is first and foremost committed to exploring creative ways of boosting student engagement in “struggling” schools. Most recently, the specific objectives of the project have included the following:
 
(a) Including student perspectives (particularly the voices of traditionally marginalized students) in the research-based definition of “teacher quality.”
 
(b) Helping to facilitate collaboration between the Watson School of Education and “struggling” elementary schools.
 
(c) Facilitating a dialogue between pre-service teachers and the students they will soon be teaching (particularly students from traditionally marginalized groups).
 
I collaborated with groups of elementary school students (4th graders, 5th graders, and kindergarteners) on a biweekly basis. These meetings began as dialogues centered around the question: “What makes a great teacher?” As a result of these dialogues, students have put together presentations that they presented to my EDN 300 students:
2012 - View here.
2011 - View here.

 
Additional Information
Vita