About SBU

Thompson, Claudette N.

Name:
Claudette Thompson profile photo
Claudette N. Thompson, D.Ed.

Academic School:
School of Education

Academic Department:
Elementaty Education

Titles/Responsibilities:
Assistant Professor

Contact Information:
Office Pone: (716) 375-2090
E-Mail: cthompso@sbu.edu 
Website: http://sched.sbu.edu/faculty/cthompson/ 

Office Location/Hours:
Plassmann Hall, B51

Courses Taught:

 

Courses taught as teaching associate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania:

  • ELED 110. Pathways to Teaching
  • ELED 215. Child Development
  • EDUC 257. Pedagogy 1
  • EDUC 499. Multicultural/Multiethnic Education

Academic Degrees:
  • D.Ed., Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
    • Dissertation Title: Attitudes of Western Pennsylvania Teachers towards Peer Tutoring in Technology Instruction and Integration 
     
  • M.A., Adult Education and Communications Technology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
  • B.A., History with Social Sciences, University of the West Indies

Accomplishments:

Publications 

  • Thompson, C. (2011). Critical Thinking across the Curriculum: Process over Output. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 1(9), 1-7.
  • Thompson, C. (2009).  Technology Instruction and Integration:  Beyond Skills. VDM, Verlag, Saarbrucken, Germany.
  • Tidwell, M. & Thompson, C. (2008).  Infusing Multicultural Principles in Urban Teacher Preparation.  Childhood Education, Journal of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). 85(2), 86-90.
  • Thompson, C. (2008).  Peer Tutoring in Technology Instruction and Integration: One group of Teachers’ perspective. International Journal of Learning, 15(3), 235-244.
  • Thompson, C., & Bieger, G. (2006).  Technology in education: “What?” or “how?” Academic Exchange Quarterly 10(2), 121-125.

 

 

 Presentations 

  • A Tale of Two Voices: PDS Journeys of Junior Faculty: National Association for Professional Development Schools, March 9-12, 2011 New Orleans, LA (With Christine Hunt)

  • Fisher, AC., Brawdy, P. & Thompson, C. (2011), Considering Culturally-Responsive Praxis in Student Teaching: The Development of a Pilot Capstone Course. National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME). Las Vegas, NV, November 5, 2010

  • Multicultural Literature in a Balanced Literacy Program:  Pennsylvania Association of Multicultural Education, (PANAME) Conference.  March 26, 2010,  Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 

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  • Teaching for Critical Thinking Competence:  International Conference for Academic Disciplines. February 16, 2009.  University of Central Florida, Orlando.
  • Peer Tutoring in Technology Instruction and Integration:  One  Group of Teachers Perceptions.  International Learning Conference, June 4, 2008, University of Illinois, Chicago,  Ilinois.
  • The role of African American Literature in a Balanced Literacy Program.  National Association of African American Studies (NAAS).  February 14, 2008, Baton Rouge, LA.
  • The Effectiveness of Peer Tutoring in Technology Instruction:  National Educational Research  Organization (NEERO), April 27, 2006 Portsmouth, NH
  • Minimizing the Impact of the Digital Divide on Urban Families: Association of Teacher Educators, August 1, 2006, Philadelphia, PA
  • Integrating Non-fiction Science-based Literature in Early Elementary Instruction to stimulate Interest in Science:  Pennsylvania Association of College Teachers and Educators (PACTE), October 25, 2006, Harrisburg, PA.
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Teaching Philosophy:
My philosophy of education is undergirded by constructivism.  I view the students that I teach as the most important partners in the education process.  One of my primary goals for teaching is to foster the development of critical and analytical thinking in my students. I demonstrate this in my teaching by posing and inviting multi-level questions and providing opportunities for my students to read, interpret, package, and present information in ways that are beneficial to different types of learners.

I believe that learning should be meaningful. I design my instruction so that students can see the relationship between content and practice. I use field experience, which is a critical part of my teaching and coordinating function, as a springboard for students to provide fact supported evidence for the use of teaching strategies and approaches.

Students should be challenged to grow cognitively. I apply Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development to my teaching, by assigning students tasks that are difficult for them to do on their own, but which they can successfully complete with my guidance.  I motivate them to excel at these tasks by sharing with or giving up the “stage” to them. This allows students to visualize themselves both as teachers and leaders.  This approach also has the added benefit of knowledge sharing and students taking ownership for part of their learning.

Learning is continuous.  I encourage my students to use the content that I teach as a base for constructing and pursuing further knowledge.  I believe that learning has taken place when students are able to transfer information from the classroom and apply it to solving real life problems in educational and non-educational settings.

To me, being educated is more than mastering subject matter in a variety of disciplines.  I believe in teaching the whole person.  I try to reinforce the importance of being positive, ethical, respectful, and appreciative of diversity.  I try to inculcate these principles in my instruction through modeling and discussion.  Where appropriate, I use literature and the teaching of social studies to reinforce citizenship ideals.

Current Research Interests/Projects:
  • Professional development schools: Collaboration at its best
  • Culturally responsive teaching
  • Best practices in elementary instruction
  • Literature in social studies instruction

Other Interests/Community Involvement:

University Service 

  • Organizer, School of Education End of Year Social, Fall 2008
  • Member, Hiring Committee School of Education, Spring 2008
  • Honored Guest Speaker, Kappa Delta Pi, March 30, 2008
  • Member SBU Judicial Committee, 2009
  • Member St. Bonaventure Diversity Action Sub-committee

 

 Community Service 

  • Guest Speaker, Olean Branch of Zonta International, 80th Anniversary celebration, Olean Methodist Church Hall, March 19, 2009.

 

 Professional Memberships 

  • International Reading Assocation (IRA) 

  • National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME)

  • National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS)

  • Pennsylvania Association of College and Teacher Educators (PACTE)

Additional Biographical Information:
Dr. Thompson is a native of Jamaica, West Indies.