TAMU-CC’s Dr. Robin D. Johnson named to Texas A&M System Chancellor’s Academy of Teacher Educators

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Over the course of a 26-year career in the field of education, Dr. Robin D. Johnson, Associate Professor and Field-Based Experience Coordinator in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, has demonstrated her deep dedication to the preparation of future teachers.

Accordingly, Johnson was named to the Texas A&M University Chancellor’s Academy of Teacher Educators. This system-level award seeks those who make noteworthy and exemplary contributions to quality, innovation, and continuous improvement in teacher preparation.

“Dr. Johnson truly demonstrates being a ‘leader of teachers’ in her role within our teacher preparation program at TAMU-CC,” said Dr. David Scott, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development. “She serves not only as a great role model for effective teaching practices but also provides remarkable passion, enthusiasm, encouragement, and support for our teacher candidates. This is a great honor for her and for our program.” 

Johnson has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy, social studies, assessment, learning processes, and lesson design. Her scholarship is centered on teacher education research involving transliteracy, transformative practice in writing instruction – as echoed in her community work with the Barrio Writers creative writing summer program at the Antonio E. Garcia Arts and Education Center, and school-university partnerships. Her work in higher education has previously earned her the Abydos Sue German Teaching Excellence Award, the ALER Literacy as a Living Legacy Award, and the TALE Leadership in Literacy Award.

World Read Aloud Day 2022 at West Oso ISD

Dr. Robin Johnson was excited to be invited to read to students in her former teacher candidate, Ms. Karla Flores’, classroom at JFK Elementary in West Oso ISD for World Read Aloud Day. TAMU-CC professor Dr. Bethanie Pletcher and teacher candidates and clinical teachers from the university also participated and are pictured here with JFK principal, Marcy Davis and WOISD administrators, Kim Moore and Dr. Chrissy Castillo.

Johnson’s career in education began shortly after graduating from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1995. She served as an elementary school teacher in the Dallas area for 11 years; she then served as Coordinator of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction for Lovejoy ISD, located north of Dallas.

Along the way, Johnson earned a Master of Education in Elementary Education from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2000. After earning her Ed.D. in Supervision, Curriculum, and Instruction at TAMU-Commerce in 2011, Johnson realized that she wanted to teach at the university level and work to prepare pre-service teachers for their careers in the classroom.

“Through my experiences in P-12 education and then during my first five years as an Assistant Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University where my main focus was on teaching, I have continued to refine my teaching philosophy at all levels. My personal mission statement as an educator is to make an impact on students’ lives in a way that brings relevance to their learning and ensures application of knowledge learned in the classroom to what is happening in their present life and in their future career,” Johnson said. “Upon my appointment to a tenure track position at TAMU-CC in August 2015, I continued my commitment to service to the education profession and in the community while also expanding my focus in the area of research and grant writing.”

As the TAMU-CC Field-Based Coordinator, Johnson has worked to establish partnerships with West Oso ISD, Tuloso-Midway ISD, and Taft ISD. At West Oso ISD, Johnson is embedded alongside teacher candidates and clinical teachers during their field-based experiences to problem-solve on-site, help students develop successful lesson plans, coach students one on one, and share research-based pedagogical practices that have been successful for Johnson throughout her teaching career.

“One of my goals as a professor is to stay abreast of innovative tools and teaching strategies being used in the classrooms where my students will be teaching in the future. Over the past two years, due to COVID-19, my field-based experience course had to be reimagined and redesigned in a virtual setting where I began integrating new technology applications, co-designing online scenario-based simulation modules, and utilizing video analysis tools to work with our school partners in meeting both their students and our university students’ needs,” Johnson said. “Even as we are reentering the schools now, I am able to help my students integrate these new technology tools in collaboration with their mentor teachers.”

Johnson has published an instructional book for teachers titled “Time to Write” (2008) about research-based writing practices in the classroom. In addition, she has served as author or co-author of more than two dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

A prolific grant writer, Johnson has served as a co-Principal Investigator (PI) on six funded grants since 2016 and as the PI for seven grants since 2013. She is in her third year as co-PI of the Texas Education Agency’s Grow Your Own grant, which provided $660,000 in funding to pair teacher candidates with multiple school districts for a quality-focused, yearlong clinical field experience. Most recently, Johnson is co-PI on a Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Track 1 grant, a $1.5 million award from the National Science Foundation.

“One of the most important things I have learned at TAMU-CC is to integrate the three areas of teaching, research, and service that I am responsible for as an Associate Professor and focus on opportunities that will align with my interests, the preparation of my teacher candidates, and the continuous improvement of my courses and coaching. My first six years at TAMU-CC have allowed me to utilize my prior experience in teaching while pushing me to continuous improvement as a researcher and academic scholar. I truly love my job as an educator at the university level. I feel that I have opportunities to work with teacher candidates who are at the beginning stages of their teaching journey as well as collaborate with in-service teachers who are in the field. I am honored to represent TAMU-CC and the TAMU system as a member of the Chancellor’s Academy of Teacher Educators and continue this important work.” Johnson said.

Award recipients to the Chancellor’s Academy of Teacher Educators will be recognized at the Chancellor’s Century Council Annual Banquet in College Station on Thursday, Feb. 24. A list of previous award recipients can be found here.