Associate Professor of Education, Queens University of Charlotte, USA
Dr Dixie F. Abernathy is Associate Professor of Education at Queens University of Charlotte, serving as the Department Chair of Cato Programs and the Director of the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program in the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. School of Education. With over twenty peer-reviewed academic articles and books, and over thirty-five academic presentations, Dr Abernathy is recognized nationally and globally for her research interests, which include school violence prevention, religious pluralism in the preparation of educators, effective online course design, and student engagement in online learning. A 40-year veteran educator, Dr Abernathy has formerly served as a classroom teacher, a principal, and as Assistant Superintendent of Elementary and Secondary Schools for the ninth largest school district in North Carolina.
Preparing future teachers for their roles in classrooms is growing ever more challenging. Concerns involving safety, salaries, and overall respect for the profession have created an emerging shortage in licensed teachers in the United States as well as other countries… a challenge that has led to parental concern and political focus. Despite the barriers to recruitment, the quest to train and support the most effective teacher workforce continues, buffered by opportunities to serve a diverse student population and to close ever-widening opportunity and achievement gaps. Racial, ethnic, and language diversity makes the United States a rich mosaic of cultures, but it can often be the religious differences of students and parents that raise very unique challenges in providing a conducive learning environment and acceptance for all. Part of what makes a 21st century educator in any country effective is the ability to appreciate differences in culture and worldview. As such, the exploration of religious pluralism and the integration of such into our education curriculum, instruction and dialogue has now become a major area of focus at the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. School of Education. Preparing future teachers and future school leaders for religious differences that may be experienced in their own classrooms and schools is now part of how teacher and leader preparation may be approached. By integrating religion-centered role play and simulations into our pre-service activities, this research focused on providing teacher candidates with valuable tools through which to be prepared for religiously diverse classrooms. Through the sharing of quantitative and qualitative data, research conclusions, and real-world application, participants will leave this keynote address with increased knowledge and appropriate skills as they prepare for the exciting days ahead as classroom teachers or school leaders, effectively analyzing the impact of teacher preparation strategies and the important work moving forward.
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