Candy Beal

Bio

Dr. Beal, a member of the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences (TELS) Department, is an Associate Professor who teaches the foundations middle grades classes in the Middle School undergraduate and graduate programs. Her research focuses on development theories and how these theories are represented in middle school children. Another research focus is curriculum development as it pertains to curriculum integration. Dr. Beal works with Drs. Holcomb and Lee on social studies applications of Web 2.0 in teaching and learning practices and technology enabled curriculum integration projects for middle school teachers and students. Dr. Beal is currently working with Dr. Carol Pope on TOP2009, a multi-modal approach to teaching literature in the middle school classroom and an important example of taking theory to practice in understanding theories at work in the children in the project. She is also continuing her research into global education, with an emphasis on Russia.

Research Description

Currently much of my work is linked with that of Dr. Carol Pope and Dr. Lodge McCammon as we continue to develop and research The Outsiders Project (TOP). This project looks at middle schoolers as partners and teachers in the development of our teacher education students. The project is technology rich and also explores the power of technology in teaching early adolescents. In addition, the project looks at development theories as they are evident in the participants and how the characteristics of these theories influence teaching and learning choices. My research is linked to Dr. Lori Holcomb’s Web 2.0 work as we develop an interactive Google Earth project that weaves student choice and interactivity with Piaget’s concrete to abstract learning through James Beane’s curriculum integration approach.

Selected Scholarly Publications

• The fifth edition of the Beal, Bolick, Martorella methods social studies text, Teaching Social Studies in the Middle and Secondary Schools, has been completed and is in publication. In addition, several articles have been submitted in 2008 for publication and are currently under review.