Christie E. Kaaland
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Core Faculty, School of Education
Summary of Education and Relevant Experience
B.A., Pacific Lutheran University; M.A., Ed.D., University of Washington.
Christie Kaaland spent 29 years teaching in the Tacoma School District and has taught every grade, K-12. She taught English and drama for 17 years at the junior high and high school level, followed by 12 years as an elementary librarian. It was while working in the school library program that Kaaland first became interested in developing a school library program at Antioch, one that integrates current practical library skills and cutting-edge technology, with a focus on meeting the information needs of all students.
In her current advocacy work, Kaaland is a founding member of a national grassroots effort, Act4SL, in cooperation with school library advocate leaders from around the country working toward inclusive language that addresses equitable access to information for all children in the national legislation, Race to the Top, President Obama's educational reform.
Affiliations
Publications
Kaaland, C., "Legislator in the Library Day: A Model for Legislative Advocacy," School Library Monthly, June, 2010.
Kaaland, C., "Notes from the Bullet Train,"School Library Monthly, April, 2010.
Kaaland, C., "Saving @ Your School Library," School Library Monthly, January, 2010.
Kaaland, C., "Searching our Souls: Advocating for the School Library Program," Medium, Spring, 2007.
Kaaland, C., "L Is for Library," School Library Media Activities Monthly, April, 2001.
Kaaland, C., "Holiday Picks: Readers' Theatre." School Library Media Activities Monthly, Nov., 1998.
Kaaland, C., "'Classroom Teachers' Perceptions and Use of Creative Drama," Youth Theatre Journal, Winter, 1994.
Kaaland, C., PATHS Curriculum Bibliography, UW, 1993-95, (A literature-based, decision-making/problem-solving curriculum for students at-risk).
Grants, Awards and Recognition
- Horace Mann Award, 2008
- Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush grant for $1 million for scholarships for library students 2007
- Golden Acorn Award, Browns Point, 1999, in recognition of community service
- American Alliance of Theater and Education Research Award Semifinalist, Dissertation Entry - 1994: "Teachers' Perceptions and Uses of Drama as an Instructional Approach to Learning"
Professional Presentations and Conference Sessions
Kaaland has been an active participant in state and local organizations. Most recently her interests revolve around advocacy for school library programs in Washington state. She has presented to several sessions as state Washington Library Media Association Conferences (Advocacy Institute, Fall, 2007; Using Children's Literature to Improve Reading Fluency, Fall, 2004; and Using Dramatization to Bring Literature to Life, Fall, 2000), Tacoma's professional development training (Integrating Children's Nonfiction Literature Into the Curriculum, Summer, 2002; Latest and Greatest: Great New Literature for the Upper Elementary Classroom, Winter, 1999; Steps to Successful Research Writing, 1997) and the Washington Organization of Reading Developing (Total Literacy Immersion, Fall, 1999).
Curriculum Writing and Program Design
Kaaland's latest project has been the design, implementation, teaching and administration of Antioch University's School Library Endorsement program, a unique hybrid-model blended with the Mansfield University (Pennsylvania) online program.
Currently she is working with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to redesign Washington's School Library Endorsement Competencies.
While in Tacoma, Christie authored A Good Book is a Fine Thing, an online database for librarians and teachers, collated by genre, author, title and readability level and aligned with Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements.
Undoubtedly the largest curriculum project was the Tacoma School District's Invitations to Literacy Supplementary Literacy Program, which Kaaland worked on from 1997 to 2002. In this project, Kaaland integrated annotated bibliographies of databases of Tacoma Public Library and Tacoma School District's library materials and aligned them with the district's K-5 literacy curriculum. Each grade level includes a 120-250 page comprehensive collection of supplementary materials compiled by theme/genre and aligned with Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements to meet the needs of the diverse learning communities in Tacoma district.
Professional Interests
- Children's multicultural literature
- Preservation/advocacy for Washington's school library programs
- Readers Theatre
- Drama as an instructional approach to learning
On Teaching at Antioch
"The students at Antioch are a gift from whom I constantly receive joy, wisdom and enlightenment."
Contact Information
School of Education
206-268-4600
Christie Kaaland
206-268-4621
E-mail
