Faculty and Staff

Alice Lesnick, Ph.D.

Alice Lesnick, Ph.D., serves as Term Professor of Education and Director of the Bryn Mawr/Haverford Education Program. She teaches courses including Critical Issues in Education, Literacies and Education, Qualitative Research, Empowering Learners: Theory and Practice of Extra-Classroom Teaching, and the Senior Seminar for students completing the Minor in Educational Studies.

As a Faculty Associate of the Institute for Writing and Thinking, Alice leads professional development initiatives for teachers in the use of informal writing to foster learning. Before becoming a teacher educator, she taught pre-school, third grade, secondary English, and adults, including college freshmen, second language learners, and students returning for undergraduate study.

Alice holds a Ph.D. in Reading/Writing/Literacy and a Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Liberal Education from St. John's College, and a B.A. (cum laude) in English from Yale College.

Research

Alice's research focuses on collaboration and collaborative learning, moral education, and gender and schooling. Her academic publications include:

Cohen, J., Cook-Sather, A., & Lesnick, A. (In press). “Students as Leaders and Learners: Toward Self-Authorship and Social Change on a College Campus.” Innovations in Education and Teaching International.

Cohen, J. & Lesnick, A. (2012). Beyond ‘Open-Mindedness:’ Practices for Understanding the Myth of Meritocracy in Teacher Education Classes.”  In Gorski, P., Osei, Kofi, N., Sapp, J, & Zenkov, K.,Cultivating Social Justice Teachers: How Teacher Educators Have Helped Students Overcome Cognitive Bottlenecks and Learn Critical Social Justice Concepts, Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Lesnick, A. (2012) “360 Degrees of Pedagogy.” Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education. Issue 7, Fall.

Grobstein, P. & Lesnick, A. (2011). “Education Is Life Itself: Biological Evolution as a Model for Human Learning.” Evolution: Education and Outreach, Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp. 688-700.

Dalke, A. & Lesnick, A. (2011). “Teaching Intersections: The Surprise of Gift-Giving and -Getting in the Cultural Commons.” Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy.

Cook-Sather, A., Cohen, J., & Lesnick, A. (2010). “Students as Learners and Leaders: Towards Intellectual Community.” Innovations in Education & Teaching International.

Cook-Sather, A., Cohen, J., & Lesnick, A. (In press). “Students as Learners and Leaders: Towards Intellectual Community.” Innovations in Education & Teaching International.

Lesnick, A. (2010). “Teaching and Learning in Community: Staff-Student Learning Partnerships as Part of a College Education.” Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 3,1.

Lesnick, A., & Cook-Sather, A. (2009). “Building Civic Capacity and Responsibility through a Radically Inclusive Teaching and Learning Initiative.” Innovative Higher Education, 3, 1.

Lesnick, A. (2009). “Odd Questions, Strange Texts, and Other People: Collaborative Learning and New Knowledge Through Writing, Thinking, Talk, and Play.” In Vilardi, T. & Chang, M. (Eds.), Essential Practices, Enduring Questions: 25 Years of Writing to Learn from the Institute for Writing and Thinking. SUNY Press, Albany, NY.

Cook-Sather, A., Lesnick, A., & Cohen, J. (2009). “Learning from the Tensions: Constructing Educational Studies within a Traditional Liberal Arts Context." In Liberal Arts Education and Teacher Education: A Lasting Relationship. AILACTE.

Cohen J., Lesnick, A., & Himeles, D (2007). "Temporary Anchors, Impermanent Shelter: Can the Field of Education Model a New Approach to Academic Work?" Journal of Research Practice, Vol. 3, Issue 2.

Lesnick, A., Cohen, J., Cook-Sather, A. (2007). “Working the Tensions: Constructing Educational Studies within a Liberal Arts Context” In Bjork, C., Johnston, D.K., & Ross, H. (Eds.), Taking Teaching Seriously: How Liberal Arts Colleges Prepare Teachers to Meet Today’s Educational Challenges in School. Paradigm Publishers: Boulder, CO.

Lesnick, A. (2006). “Forms of Engagement: The Ethical Significance of Literacy Teaching.” Ethics and Education, I: 1.

Lesnick, A. (2006). Essay Book Review of Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in our Schools (National Writing Project and Carl Nagin, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2003). Journal of Teacher Education, 57: 1.

Lesnick, A. (February, 2005). “The Mirror in Motion: Redefining Reflective Practice in an Undergraduate Field Work Seminar.” Reflective Practice, 6:1, pp. 33-48.

Lesnick, A. (June, 2005). “On the Job: Performing Gender and Inequality at Work, Home, and School.” Journal of Education and Work, 18: 2, pp. 189-201.

Lesnick, A., Cesaitis, A., Jagtiani, U., & Miller, R. (2004). “Curriculum Design as Re-Writing: Online “Chat” as a Resource for Radicalizing the Teaching of a Canonical Text.” Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 6:1, pp. 35-48.

Cook-Sather, A., Lesnick, A., & Cohen, J. (2003). “’My Body Will Remember Even If My Mind Doesn't:’ Remembering the Body in Learning and Teaching.” In Multiple Intelligences and New Methods of College Teaching: Articles by Howard Gardner and 41 Educators. Jersey City, NJ: Center for the Imagination in Language Learning.