Ambika Gopal Raj
C&IOffice: KH A 3037
Phone: 323-343-6267
E-mail: agopala@calstatela.edu
INTRODUCTION
I joined CSULA in Fall 2001 after receiving my doctoral degree from Ohio State University. I have also worked extensively in India and in Madison WI. My passion has been to get students and teachers involved in social justice and multicultural issues through narrative and digital storytelling, through educational drama and children's literature.
TEACHING INTERESTS
Teaching through the arts and narrative practices has been my passion and interest. Currently, I coordinate the Storytelling Certificate Program and the Master's option in Creative Literacies and Literature here at CSULA. Both of these are unique programs that offer students the opportunity to build their own programs of study across disciplines. The MA option is only one of its kind on the west coast. My teaching and research experience and interests include culturally relevant and responsive pedagogical practices of teaching and learning, integrated with the arts (like storytelling, drama etc.). I also teach in the Early Childhood and the Reading/Literacy programs.
RESEARCH
My research has been in the areas of children's literature and educational drama looking at socio-cultural and multicultural perspectives including gender in reading preferences. I have presented many of these at conferences such as NCTE and AERA. I recently completed an ethnographic research on a multiage classroom. Currently, I have begun a study on bilingual/multilingual education in early childhood education.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Ulanoff, S.H., Gopalakrishnan, A., Brantley, D., Courtney, S & Rodgers, R. (2012) Examining Second Language Literacy Development in an Urban Multi-Age Classroom. In Gallavan, N.P. (Ed) Annual Edition: Multicultural Education 2011/2012 (16th Edition). Mcgraw Hill | 2012 |
| Ulanoff, S.H., Gopalakrishnan, A., Brantley, D., Courtney, S & Rodgers, R. (2010) Examining Second Language Literacy Development in an Urban Multi-Age Classroom. In Gallavan, N.P. (Ed) Annual Edition: Multicultural Education 2010/2011 (15th Edition). Mcgraw Hill | 2011 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A. (2010) Multicultural children’s literature: A critical issues approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication | 2010 |
| Ulanoff, S.H., Gopalakrishnan, A., Brantley, D., Courtney, S & Rodgers, R. (2007) Examining Second Language Literacy Development in an Urban Multi-Age Classroom International Journal of Early Childhood Education, Vol II: Japan | 2007 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A. & Ulanoff, S (2005). Resilient Divas and Incredible Escapades: What a Pilot Survey of Adolescent Girls’ Reading Preferences Revealed. SIGNAL Journal Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1, Fall 2005 | 2005 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A., Johnson, A.B., Zumhagen, P., & Sweet, E.(2004). Pathways into Gender: Encountering The House on Mango Street through Educational Drama. SIGNAL (An IRA Journal) | 2004 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A., (2004, In Press). Building Bridges of Learning: Examples of the Relevance of Storying in Early Childhood Education. Journal of the International Association of Early Child Education. | 2004 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A., & Ulanoff, S. (2003) Making Connections To Cultural Identity: Using Multicultural Children’s Literature and Storytelling to Explore Personal Narrative: Selected Proceeds from the Hawaii International Conference on Education Honolulu, January 2003. | 2003 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A. (2000), Making Learning Imaginative: Using Drama to Teach. Teacher Plus Hyderabad, India: Orient Longman Publishers. | 2000 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A and Long, T. (2000) One of a Thousand and One: Using Drama to Explore the Historical Context of The Arabian Nights’ Tales. Drama Matters Vol.4, pp. 41 – 50. | 2000 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A (1999). Connecting the Self with the Text: ‘Re-cognizing’ Literature through Drama Educational Reports: Selected papers and presentations from Children’s Literature 1999. Ohio State University, February, 2000. pp. 11 – 17. | 1999 |
| Gopalakrishnan, A (1998) “What is a home?” Connecting Curriculum and Experience through Drama. Drama Matters Vol.3, Spring 1998. pp. 23 – 32. | 1998 |
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Ph.D. Educational Studies August 2001
- Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
M.A. Theater Arts June 1993
- Central University, India
Hyderabad, India
B.A. Psychology & English June 1991
- Bangalore University, India
Bangalore, India