College of Education Announces New Faculty

Dr. Bethany Plett has joined the Master in Teaching (MIT) program where she will bring her vast expertise in English Language Instruction to a variety of programs in the College of Education. Dr. Plett has most recently been an online ELL instructor and a high school ELL teacher for Highline School District's Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment. She has also provided instructional coaching to science and social studies teachers to create curriculum for sheltered English immersion content area classes. Dr. Plett has co-authored several publications and has presented nationally on English language testing and ELL programs in high schools. She received her MA in TESOL at Seattle Pacific University and her Ph.D in Educational Curriculum and Instruction at Texas A&M with a focus on the Inclusion of English Language Learners in Conversation Small Schools.

The Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program welcomes Dr. Jeom Ja Yeo. Dr. Yeo received her Ph.D. at the University of Washington where she has been an instructor in the ELL endorsement and TESOL program for pre-service and in-service teachers. She has also been teaching in Seattle University's TESOL program for the past two years to which she brought her expertise in pedagogical content knowledge in EFL/ESL/ELF education. Dr. Yeo has been involved in many educational research projects. Recently she participated in a large-scale, statewide research study on Asian American and Pacific Islander student achievement gaps in Washington State. She also conducted a case study on Filipino immigrant ELL learners' school adaptation and identity construction. Her research interests are situated in the fields of second language learning and teaching with special attention to transnational identity construction and language socialization.

Dr. Amy Rose has been named the William Allen Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor, a position sponsored by the Boeing Company. Recently retired professor of Adult and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University, Dr. Rose will serve in her current role throughout the 2012-13 academic year. Dr. Rose is a nationally recognized academic who has contributed extensively to the field of adult education. She will share her expertise as a guest lecturer in classrooms as well as participate in faculty and community presentations where she will share her research. She will provide campus faculty advice on effective practices in teaching adult learners. Dr. Rose will also continue her research exploring the experience of adult refugee and immigrant learners and plans to host a national webinar during the spring term.
 
Anthony Longoria, '10 MIT, is a Pre-Doctoral Fellow working with the College of Education's new Middle College initiative. He will work closely with Dr. Charisse Cowan Pitre to establish community and Seattle University partnerships with Middle College. He will provide instructional support for the Middle College faculty and will also teach a weekly college and career readiness class to the Middle College students. A first-generation college graduate, Anthony was a Martinez Fellow and currently serves on the Martinez Foundation board. He taught for two years at Garfield High School and is an alumnus of Jesuit Volunteer Corps where he served on the Colville Indian Reservation in north central Washington. Anthony is pursuing his doctorate degree in multicultural education at the University of Washington. He studied opera at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.