Krista Griffin

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Krista Griffin

Professor of Elementary Education

Elementary Education and Literacy

Office Hours

Wednesdays 11-3

Biography

Dr. Krista Griffin has been teaching in Colorado in some form or another for the past 33 years. As the director of a non -profit child care center, she worked with the youngest children and their teachers. As a primary and multi-age classroom teacher, she taught elementary aged children and worked with their parents. And now, as a professor at MSU Denver, she teaches pre-service teachers at both the graduate and undergraduate level.

Her love of literacy led her to a Masters in Reading and a Doctorate in Educational Studies with a reading cognate, both earned at the University of Northern Colorado. She's been teaching at the college level since 2005, and believes that learning should bring joy and be authentic. Her research interests, publications, and presentations focus on the areas of motivation, engagement and joy in literacy and research with younger children. She serves on national and local committees for the International Literacy Association and is excited to be a part of teaching Elementary Education students at MSU Denver.

Research Interests

    Motivation and Engagement, Literacy, Reading Comprehension, Research with Children, Intersection of Literacy and Trauma Informed Practice, Joy in Teaching, Teacher Retention

Education

EdD in Educational Studies

University of Northern Colorado

MA in Reading

University of Northern Colorado

BA in Education/Journalism

University of Northern Colorado

Published Works

    Spector, K., Chisolm, S. J., Griffin, M. K., Whitmore, F. K., Regan, A. (2023). Literature, visual-verbal journals, & literacies of well-becoming . Pedagogies: An International Journal , -27. . Horan, A. D., Griffin, M. K., Ramirez, M. (2023). Exploring Literatura Fonteriza as Luminal Spaces for Bilingual Teachers. (). IGI Global . Griffin, M. K. (2022). Phonological Awareness . Taylor & Francis Routledge, Griffin, M. K. (2019). Participatory Research Interviewing Practices With Children. (pp 55-71). Springer International Publishing . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19365-2 Nilles, L. V., Jones, E. M., Canges, L. R., Halley, F. K., Griffin, M. K. (2019, March). The Positive impact of Free and Guided Socio-Dramatic Play on Literacy Development in Young Children Acquiring a Second Language and those with Disabilities. INTED2019 Proceedings Sell, R. C., Griffin, K. (2017). Powerful social studies teaching with poetry and primary sources. The Social Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2016.1237464 Griffin, M. K., Lahman, K. M., Opitz, F. M. (2016). Shoulder to Shoulder Research with Children. Journal of Early Childhood Research/ Sage Publishing, 14(1), 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X14523747. Griffin, M. K. (2016). Listening to the Voices of Boys: Exploring the Motivation of Primary Boys to Engage in Reading . (pp 142). Information Age Publishing . http://www.infoagepub.com/products/Listening-to-the-Voices-of-Boys Lahman, K. M., Rodriguez, L. K., Moses, L., Griffin, M. K., Mendoza, M. B., Yacoub, W., . (2015). A Rose By Any Other Name Is Still a Rose? Problematizing Pseudonyms in Research. Qualitative Inquiry Sage Publications, 21(5), 445-453. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800415572391. Fiedler, M. K. (2010). Where's the Choice? . Wisconsin State Reading Association, 49(1), 33-38. .