The Association for Constructivist Teaching is a professional organization promoting children's construction of knowledge in all domains –intellectual, physical, social, emotional and moral.
Board of Directors
President
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC
Crookston, MN
Dr. David Kritt
College of Staten Island/CUNY
Staten, Island, NY
Dr. Seon Chun-Burbank
Member at Large
Vanguard University of Southern California
Costa Mesa, CA
Dr. Yeh Hsueh
The University of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Kara Pranikoff
New York City public schools
Bank Street College of Education
Dr. Shushan Vardanyan
University of Mississippi
Oxford, MS
Dr. Bruce Marlowe
University of South Carolina
Beaufort, SC
Dr. Sonia Yoshizawa
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
San Juan Capistrano, CA
Josh Kaplan
The Randolph School
Wappingers Falls, NY
Lifetime Board Member
ACT Advisory Board Bios
Dr. Carolyn Black began her career as a constructivist, while studying with Rheta DeVries in Houston, Texas. She attended ACT since 1997, where her work in the Child Development and Early Childhood Education was enhanced. Carolyn was a faculty member at the University of Arkansas, San Jacinto College, and the University of Houston Clear Lake before becoming the founding Principal/Superintendent at the University of Houston Charter School. In retirement, she worked in archiving the work of Rheta DeVries.
Dr. Seon Chun-Burbank has been in the field of Early Childhood Education over 20 years as a full-time faculty member and an administrator in three higher education institutions, a pre-K teacher, a consultant, and a researcher. She completed her master’s and doctorate program under the advisement of the late Dr. Rheta DeVries. Dr. Chun-Burbank is actively engaged in the professional community, presenting nationally and internationally, conducting research, co-chairing conferences, and volunteering for various professional and community-based non-profits. She has been consciously applying the principles of constructivism into teaching young children as well as adults.
Dr. Randa Dunlap is an Assistant Professor of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education at Appalachian State University and has advised, taught, and supervised preservice teachers in Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education from East Tennessee State University where she examined constructivist strategies for teachers to promote empathy with young children. She has experience teaching in Reggio Emilia-inspired, multi-age preschool classrooms and working with third-grade children in public elementary school classrooms. While working at the University of South Carolina – Aiken, she taught a series of language and literacy methods courses, and she currently teaches a variety of classes related to Child Development and Family and Child Studies. She has been actively involved with ACT since 2016.
Dr. James Foss is an educator and curriculum writer who has worked in early childhood and elementary education both nationally and internationally for over 17 years. Concern for the rights of children is the inspiration for research on teacher personal epistemology, teacher guided inquiry, and constructivist principles for learning. In 2018, he joined teacher education faculty at the University of Minnesota Crookston as an assistant professor and now resides in Grand Forks, ND, with his wife, and three children.
Dr. Yeh Hsueh teaches human development at the University of Memphis where his students come from various education majors such as music, physical, counseling, language, art, psychology and research. Before he settled in his current teaching position, he had taught preschool, elementary school, high school, and graduate school. His research interest lies in the history of developmental science in the United States and comparative preschool education. For over twenty years, he served as a Chinese content consultant for Sesame Workshop, the producer of Sesame Street. One profound educational experience that has long-lasting impact on his learning and life is his engagement with “the critical exploration in the classroom” which many consider a significant constructivist approach in education. This approach is also the main reason for him to study the US reception of Piaget’s work in psychology and education.
Dr. Seong Bock Hong is a professor of early childhood education at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where she has been teaching for over 25 years. She is a long-time board member of the Association of Constructivist Teaching and is a former president. She is also a consulting editor board for peer reviewed issue Innovations. Her study of constructivism theory began in 1991 while working as a documentarian for Reggio Inspired early childhood laboratory school at UMass, Amherst. She and her colleague, Jane Brodrick developed the Cycle of Inquiry (COI) system for use in their teaching and research projects and have presented their COI work at numerous conferences and early childhood programs. Her recent research focus has been art inquiry theory and practice among art and early childhood educators.
Josh Kaplan is the Director of Randolph School, a progressive, nature-based independent school in New York's Hudson Valley. He is passionate about constructivist education, outdoor learning, and creating joyful, child-centered environments where children learn through play, inquiry, and meaningful experiences. His work focuses on translating constructivist philosophy into school leadership, curriculum design, and organizational culture, helping schools remain deeply human in an increasingly digital world.
Dr. Sonja de Groot Kim received her PhD in Early Childhood Leadership from NYU. Her interest in constructivist theory was nourished at the Pedagogic Academy in the Netherlands. She has been a lifelong early childhood educator and teacher educator and was strongly influenced by the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education. At Kean University, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses, she infused constructivist and social-constructivist pedagogy into all her courses, including co-constructing some course syllabi with her students. As faculty liaison to the campus laboratory school on campus she collaborated with educators to develop topics of study with the children and presented at national and state conferences with them.
Dr. David Kritt has taught pre-service and in-service teachers about the relation between processes of thinking and classroom practices for over 25 years. His writing has also focused on the formative influence of technology on individuals and society, the cultural context of development, and socialization in a changing society. In the 2018 book he edited, Constructivist Education in an Age of Accountability, it is argued that current classroom practices emphasizing prescribed curricula and test performance recast the aims of school learning. The 2022 paper co-authored with Nancy Budwig for Human Development argues that this is a watershed moment for the future of constructivist education and examines defining features of constructivism. They emphasize the vital role of constructivist teaching and learning for creativity and participation in a democratic society.
Dr. James Pelech, a former ACT President, brings over 48 years of teaching to the Board. He taught at the High School Level for 30 years; in this capacity he taught all levels of mathematics, instituted an integrated curriculum unit and had an article on the graphing calculator published. At the collegiate level Dr. Pelech taught methods and assessment courses, as well as working with student teachers and Doctoral students. Dr. Pelech created a partnership with a local private school; in this capacity he co-taught with teachers and was also the Board President. He has published three books based on Constructivism, and a fourth book will be published shortly. He served in the Army Reserves for over 20 years, being activated in 1996 as a senior logistics officer supporting Operation Joint Endeavor. Presently, he is President of the Board of the Institute of Learning Centered Education and is on the Board of the Army Transportation Museum, where he is directing the creation of the Museum’s STEAM program.
Kara Pranikoff has worked for over two decades in New York City public schools. She has served as a classroom teacher; reading interventionist; instructional coach; curriculum designer; and an adjunct instructor at Bank Street College of Education. As an independent consultant Kara supports educators in deepening their practice of inquiry-based, culturally relevant teaching of social studies and writing. Kara’s book, Teaching Talk: A Practical Guide to Fostering Student Thinking and Conversation (Heinemann, 2017) shares ways to foster productive and independent student discussions in elementary and middle school classrooms.
Dr. Kelly Russell studied Piaget’s constructivist theories under the tutelage of Dr. Constance Kamii. After graduating from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in epistemology, she began teaching at Birmingham-Southern College where she has been since 2007. She teaches classes in child development, science education, and developmental math.
Dr. Beth VanMeeteren serves as Director of the Iowa Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa. VanMeeteren’s mentors include Dr. Rheta DeVries as she served as lead teacher in DeVries’ Freeburg Early Childhood Program in Waterloo, Iowa for six years. A 24-year- veteran of early childhood classroom teaching, VanMeeteren earned a doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis on early STEM Education and the role of engineering in early childhood. She has edited and authored chapters in five books on early STEM with Teachers College Press. In her role as Director, she designs and researches early STEM experiences and delivers STEMwonder professional learning in Iowa, across the USA, and now in Shanghai, China and Latin America.
Dr. Shushan Vardanyan is an assistant professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Mississippi. A former doctoral student of Dr. Constance Kamii at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she is deeply rooted in Piagetian theory and committed to constructivist approaches to teaching and learning. Her work centers on children’s play, culturally responsive teaching, and the development of autonomy in early learners. Originally from Armenia, Dr. Vardanyan has over 12 years of experience teaching young children in Dubai and the United States. Her research and practice emphasize the active role of the child in constructing knowledge through exploration, relationships, and meaningful experiences.
Dr. Sonia Yoshizawa is the Early School Assistant Director and Pedagogista at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, CA. A former student of Piagetian scholar Dr. Rheta DeVries at the University of Northern Iowa, she is deeply rooted in constructivist theory and committed to inquiry-based approaches to early learning. With over 30 years of experience, she has led early childhood programs in the United States and Japan, including directing the U.S. Embassy school in Tokyo. Dr. Yoshizawa is co-author of three books on creativity (NAEYC) and STEM (Teacher College Press) and continues to contribute to the field through teaching, research, and presentations.