Photo courtesy of Valerie Kinloch
Diversity in Direction
OSU professor researches literacy, place and opportunity in and out of the classroom
Author, advocate, college professor – for Valerie Kinloch, research meets real life in projects that engage students, teachers and the community.
Kinloch is the associate chairwoman in the Department of Teaching and Learning and director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at The Ohio State University.
“I’m primarily interested in and focused on thinking about diversity, inclusion and social justice when it comes to teaching and learning,” she says.
Recently, Kinloch designed a course on service learning offered to teachers and administrators in Columbus City Schools. The 83 teachers who took the course were required to design community engagement projects for students.
“The students took the lead to decide with whom they would work,” Kinloch says. “I’m looking at the data and asking, ‘How do we engage teachers, students and community members in the design of critical projects connected to content teachers teach?’”
Image courtesy of Valerie Kinloch
Diversity in Direction
Kinloch is passionate about creating just, equitable classroom spaces for young people, especially students of color.
“We are quick to say young people can’t learn or are at a disadvantage,” she says. “I argue that young people, especially students of color, have a lot of agency and lived experiences they should be able to draw on.”
Kinloch’s interest in literacy and place was fueled by her childhood in South Carolina.
“Growing up in Charleston, I was always fascinated by books and reading,” she says. “The connection with me thinking about literacy and place has a lot to do with my family. I remember sitting on my parents’ porch listening to them use language in different ways, telling stories of life, struggles and identity. Home, as a place, informed my sense of identity.”
Her work has taken her to the classrooms of Harlem, where she spent two years as a mentor and researcher, and Jamaica, where she is researching narratives of education.
Kinloch lives in Clintonville with her husband, Tom A’Hearn.
Jaya Pillai is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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