Teacher Education

Dyan Watson

Associate Professor

Academic Spotlight

Dyan Watson co-authors influential new book, Teaching for Black Lives.

“Teaching for Black Lives is a Handbook for all educators, students, and families who truly care about Blackness and the intersections of learning, teaching, and race.” - Dyan Watson

Dr. Dyan Watson is the social studies coordinator for the secondary program in teacher education. Watson began her professional career as a GED instructor for young mothers in Portland and then taught social studies at Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon. There she developed and taught the first African American history course, and helped create and implement a school-within-a-school program for freshmen and sophomores.

Watson primarily teaches methods classes for preservice social studies teachers and research methods classes for doctoral students. She is also an editor for Rethinking Schools.

Personal Statement

I believe in teaching that is grounded in an understanding of and respect for students’ cultural backgrounds and cultural resources. As such, my classroom is a place where both the students and the teacher learn and teach. Together, we push each other to critically assess learning and the world.

Areas of Expertise

Qualitative research methods, race and teaching, equity and social justice, teacher research.

Current Research

Dr. Watson’s primary research focus is exploring how teachers semantically encode race, and the intersections of race and teaching. Her latest project can be found at www.teachingforblacklives.org.

Publications

Watson, D., Hagopian, J., & Au, W. (Eds) (2018). Teaching for Black lives. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Ligget, T., Watson, D., & Griffin, L. (2017). Language use and racial redirect in the educational landscape of ‘just good teaching’, Teaching Education, DOI: 10.1080/10476210.2017.1306506.
Charner-Laird, M., Kirkpatrick, C. L., Szczesiul, S., Watson, D., & Gordon, P. (2016). From Collegial Support to Critical Dialogue: Including New Teachers’ Voices in Collaborative Work. Professional Educator, 40(2), 1-17.
Griffin, L., Watson, D., & Liggett, . T. (2016). “I didn’t see it as a cultural thing”: Supervisors of student teachers define and describe culturally responsive supervision. Democracy and Education.
Christensen, L. and Watson, D. Eds. (2015). Rhythm and Resistance: Teaching Poetry for Social Justice. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Watson, D. (2013). Bury the N-Word? Teaching students to think and write about controversial topics. Oregon Journal of the Social Sciences 1(2), 74-79.

Christensen, L., Hansen, M., Peterson, R., Schlessman, E., and Watson, D. (Eds) (2012). Rethinking Elementary Education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.

- Benjamin Franklin Gold winner in the Education category of the Independent Book Publishers Association
Watson, D. (2012). Message from a black mom to her son. Rethinking Schools 26 (3), 16-18.
Watson, D. (2011). What do you mean when you say urban? Rethinking Schools 26 (1), 48-50.
Watson, D. (2011). “Urban, but not too urban”: Unpacking teachers’ desires to teach urban students. Journal of Teacher Education 62(1).
Watson, D., Charner-Laird, M., Kirkpatrick, C. L., Szczesiul, S. A., & Gordon, P. (2006). Effective teaching/Effective urban teaching: Grappling with definitions, grappling with difference. Journal of Teacher Education 57(4), 395-409.

Academic Credentials

EdD Harvard University
MAT, BA Willamette University

Video

From the Newsroom

Professor explores race in the classroom

Assistant Professor of Education Dyan Watson is passionate about fully preparing teachers to enter the classroom
After Trayvon: Professor writes a “Letter from a Black Mom to Her Son”

Just before the Trayvon Martin shooting, Professor Dyan Watson wrote eloquently about the fears and hopes she has for her young black son, Caleb, many of which mirror the issues that have been raised in the national conversation about Martin’s death. Watson’s article, published in March in Rethinking Schools magazine, has generated buzz online, being featured on the Washington Post’s education blog, Answer Sheet, and on CommonDreams.org and Alternet.
Faculty book Rethinking Schools takes top honors

Professors Linda Christensen and Dyan Watson are co-editors of Rethinking Elementary Education, which was given top honors in the Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Awards.

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Contact

Dyan Watson’s office is located in room 413 of Rogers Hall.

email watson@lclark.edu

voice 503-768-6124

Dyan Watson Associate Professor

Teacher Education MAT Secondary Program (Social Studies) Lewis & Clark 0615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road MSC 14 Portland OR 97219 USA