Dr. Steffany Maher
Ph.D.
Interim Director of Secondary Education
About
Dr. Steffany Comfort Maher has been an educator for over 25 years, teaching middle and high school students English and social studies in Michigan; college students in writing, literature, and education methods courses at Western Michigan University; and pre-service and in-service teachers at Indiana University Southeast.
Currently Associate Professor of English Education at IU Southeast, Dr. Maher supervises pre-service teachers in their clinical practice and teaches courses in secondary reading methods, advanced English language arts methods, and young adult literature. She serves as Coordinator of Secondary Education and Co-Chair of the ELATE (English Language Arts Teacher Educators) Commission on the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature through NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English).
Dr. Maher has published several scholarly articles, books, and book chapters on teaching young adult literature and writing in secondary classrooms. She also disseminates her research at national, state, and local professional conferences. Her research interests include critical inquiry approaches to teaching young adult literature, critical youth studies, and teaching for social justice.
Outside of academia, Dr. Maher coaches volleyball and enjoys yoga, walking, hiking, reading, and watching many different sports, especially when her four daughters are playing volleyball, basketball, or softball. She also loves to travel, and she and her family have had the privilege of traveling to serve others in Paraguay and Puerto Rico, as well as traveling abroad to several countries. Dr. Maher looks forward to traveling abroad with her students through IU Study Abroad programs in the near future.
Teaching
- Methods of Teaching Reading and Literature
- Methods of Teaching Writing
- Advanced Methods of Teaching English Language Arts
- Young Adult Literature
Research
- critical inquiry approaches to teaching young adult literature
- critical inquiry in teacher education
- antiracist/antibias teaching
- teaching for social justice
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Major in English Education
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Master of Arts, Major in English Education
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Bachelor of Arts
Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais, IL, USA