Kathy Short
Kathy G. Short is Professor of Language, Reading and Culture at the University of Arizona and has worked extensively with teachers to develop curricula that actively involve students as authors and inquirers. Much of her work has centered on inquiry-based curriculum and children's dialogue about literature. She is currently the editor of Language Arts, journal of the National Council of Teachers of English, and was previously editor of The New Advocate, a journal connecting children's literature and education. Her most recent book is Stories Matter: The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children's Literature (NCTE, 2003).
Kathy teaches courses on children's literature, literature discussion, literature-based curriculum, the art of the picture book, multicultural and international issues in children's literature, influential readings, and teacher research. She organizes an annual Conference on Literature and Literacy for Children and Adolescents that features well-known authors and illustrators. The International Reading Association named her the 2000 Arbuthnot Award winner for Outstanding Educator in Children's and Adolescent Literature. The University of Arizona named her the 2000 Sarlo Family Outstanding Faculty Award winner and the College of Education gave her the 2000 Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award and the 1996 and 1992 Faculty Research Award. She also received the 2003 Extraordinary Faculty Award from the Arizona Alumni Association. Kathy has held a range of leadership positions in the National Council of Teachers of English. She was chair of the Elementary Section Steering Committee and a member of the Executive Council and Curriculum Commission.
A grant from the Spencer Foundation supported a mentoring program on academic writing and publishing for teacher researchers as part of the Language Arts journal editorship, including the development of a web site of resources and groups involved in teacher research (http://www.ed.arizona.edu/teacherresearch). Kathy's research interests primarily focus around dialogue and inquiry, particularly as they connect to curriculum and curricular frameworks. Her studies have included research on children's dialogue about literature, the role of the teacher in literature discussion, responses to literature across sign systems, intertextuality, inquiry-based curriculum, teacher study groups, and teachers' curricular thinking about reading instruction.
She is currently writing a book on her study of exemplary teachers of reading and working with international schools on inquiry-based curriculum. Her books include Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers, Learning Together through Inquiry, Literature as a Way of Knowing, Talking about Books, Creating Curriculum, and Teacher Study Groups. Most of her research and writing involves collaborations with teachers.
