Summer Pennell

Lecturer of Education

Program Coordinator, Secondary Education Master of Arts in Teaching

summer.pennell@uvm.edu
Summer Pennell
summer.pennell@uvm.edu

85 South Prospect St
408 Waterman
Burlington, VT 05401
United States
LinkedIn Profile
Professional Webpage
Alma mater(s)
  • Ph.D. in Education; Culture, Curriculum and Change; UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies: Folklore, University of Oregon
  • B.A. in English Literature and Interdisciplinary Visual Art, University of Washington in Seattle
Affiliated Department(s)

Department of Education

BIO

Dr. Summer Melody Pennell's teaching and research focus on social justice and equity, particularly with intersectional queer populations. Her interests include English education, critical literacies, queer theory and pedagogy, teacher education, and qualitative methods. Before joining UVM, she was a faculty member at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.

Pennell's current research projects focus on teaching queer Young Adult literature, interdisciplinary partnerships, and employing social justice methods in teacher education. She is a founding member of an international think tank, The Motherscholar Collective, who are conducting a study of the experiences of academic mothers* during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courses

  • Language Arts and Literacy Skills
  • Plng, Adptg, Dlvring Lit Instr
  • Reading in Secondary Schools

Publications

Google Scholar

Awards and Achievements

  • The Divergent Award for Excellence in Literary Advocacy, Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age, 2022
  • Academic Innovation Award for “Creating Memes to Increase Comprehension of Queer Theory,” Truman State University, 2019
  • Center for Institutional Diversity's Bertha Thomas Faculty Advocate Award, Truman State University, 2019
  • Women's Resource Center's Woman of Distinction Award, Truman State University, 2019
  • National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) Faculty of the Year, Truman State University, 2017
  • LGBTQI Advocacy Award, from the UNC-Chapel Hill LGBTQ Center, 2016
  • Prize for Best Graduate Work, from the UNC-Chapel Hill Program in Sexuality Studies, 2016
  • Emerging Diversity Scholar, National Center for Institutional Diversity, University of Michigan, 2016
  • American Educational Studies Association (AESA) Taylor & Francis Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award, 2014

Area(s) of expertise

  • Critical literacies
  • Young adult literature
  • Social justice education
  • Queer theory and pedagogy
  • Experiences of academic mothers

Bio

Dr. Summer Melody Pennell's teaching and research focus on social justice and equity, particularly with intersectional queer populations. Her interests include English education, critical literacies, queer theory and pedagogy, teacher education, and qualitative methods. Before joining UVM, she was a faculty member at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.

Pennell's current research projects focus on teaching queer Young Adult literature, interdisciplinary partnerships, and employing social justice methods in teacher education. She is a founding member of an international think tank, The Motherscholar Collective, who are conducting a study of the experiences of academic mothers* during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courses

  • Language Arts and Literacy Skills
  • Plng, Adptg, Dlvring Lit Instr
  • Reading in Secondary Schools

Publications

Google Scholar

Awards and Achievements

  • The Divergent Award for Excellence in Literary Advocacy, Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age, 2022
  • Academic Innovation Award for “Creating Memes to Increase Comprehension of Queer Theory,” Truman State University, 2019
  • Center for Institutional Diversity's Bertha Thomas Faculty Advocate Award, Truman State University, 2019
  • Women's Resource Center's Woman of Distinction Award, Truman State University, 2019
  • National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) Faculty of the Year, Truman State University, 2017
  • LGBTQI Advocacy Award, from the UNC-Chapel Hill LGBTQ Center, 2016
  • Prize for Best Graduate Work, from the UNC-Chapel Hill Program in Sexuality Studies, 2016
  • Emerging Diversity Scholar, National Center for Institutional Diversity, University of Michigan, 2016
  • American Educational Studies Association (AESA) Taylor & Francis Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award, 2014

Areas of Expertise

  • Critical literacies
  • Young adult literature
  • Social justice education
  • Queer theory and pedagogy
  • Experiences of academic mothers