Interdisciplinary Learning in Your Classroom


Expert Content Developer Bio

Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Ed.D.
Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs is an education consultant who works internationally with schools, districts, companies and not-for-profit groups on K-12 curriculum reform, instructional strategies to encourage critical thinking, and strategic planning. She has written books on this subject as well, including: INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM:DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION (ASCD, 1989) and MAPPING THE BIG PICTURE: INTEGRATING CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT K-12 (ASCD, 1997). She has taught high school, junior high school, and elementary school in Utah, Massachusetts, and New York. She served as an adjunct associate professor at the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC, from 1981 - 1996. She is also the President of Curriculum Designers Inc., and has consulted with numerous organizations, including: Children's Television Workshop; CBS National Sunrise Semester; Peace Corps; the International Baccalaureate; and state education departments.

Lesson Plan Developers Bios

Amy Benjamin
Amy Benjamin is an English teacher, writer, and educational consultant specializing in literacy education across the curriculum. She has taught English at the Hendrick Hudson High School, and has also been a member of the Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar. She has authored several books, including: DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: A GUIDE FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS (Eye on Education, 2002), WRITING IN THE CONTENT AREAS (Eye on Education, 1999), and AN ENGLISH TEACHER'S GUIDE TO PERFORMANCE TASKS AND RUBRICS (Eye on Education, 2000). She has also published plays and reading for young adults.

Cindy Gaston
Cindy Gaston is an educator, curriculum developer and staff developer. She has served on the faculty of the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, a Paideia magnet school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, teaching third, fifth and sixth grades. She has also worked with faculty on mapping the curriculum and developing integrated units, and has taught workshops in the southeast on mapping and curriculum writing.

Anna Chan Rekate
Anna Chan Rekate is an educator with a special interest in literature. She serves as a high school English teacher at Trevor Day School in New York City, teaching ninth grade English along with electives for Juniors and Seniors. She has also been Upper School Coordinator at the Manhattan School for Children, and has taught all subjects for the sixth and eighth grades at the City & Country School in New York City. All three schools are known for their progressive philosophies and educational practices. Rekate has a master's degree in Educational Policy from Columbia University's Teachers College and a master's degree in Leadership and Supervision from Bank Street College of Education.

Advisor/Reviewer Bios

Cyndi Kerr
Cyndi Kerr works with schools as a staff developer, using a project-based approach to model in-class uses of digital tools. She has been support manager with a team of progressive educators at the Center for Collaborative Education; she has also helped to launch the Eiffel project, a five-year initiative that integrates wide-area networking technologies into the public school curriculum in New York City. In addition, she has worked with the Institute for Learning Technologies to provide support for teachers.

Anthony Petrosino, Ph.D.
Anthony Petrosino is a professor whose research focuses on science education, with an emphasis on technology. He has been an assistant professor of Mathematics and Science Education at The University of Texas in Austin, and was a member of the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt's Learning Technology Center. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including: Otto Basser Award for Outstanding Dissertation in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University, 1998; Cognitive Studies for Educational Practice Post Doctorate Fellowship (competitive), 1998-2000; Tennessee Space Grant Fellowship (NASA), Vanderbilt University, 1991-1996; Peabody Super Student Scholarship. (competitive) 1991-1994; New Jersey Governor's Teacher Recognition Award, 1990.

Anna Chan Rekate
Anna Chan Rekate is an educator with a special interest in literature. She serves as a high school English teacher at Trevor Day School in New York City, teaching ninth grade English along with electives for Juniors and Seniors. She has also been Upper School Coordinator at the Manhattan School for Children, and has taught all subjects for the sixth and eighth grades at the City & Country School in New York City. All three schools are known for their progressive philosophies and educational practices. Rekate has a master's degree in Educational Policy from Columbia University's Teachers College and a master's degree in Leadership and Supervision from Bank Street College of Education.

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