Wendy Farkas

Associate Professor, Teaching & Learning Scholar

Ph.D., Oakland University
M.A., B.A., University of Michigan - Flint
wfarkas@nmu.edu

Professor Farkas earned her Ph.D. in Reading from Oakland University in 2015, after a long career teaching at the middle and secondary levels. During her last three years in public education she worked as a literacy specialist. Her research interests include critical social justice, program evaluation, disciplinary literacy, and digital literacy. Her published manuscripts include "Exploring the Professional Development of a First-Year Teacher: Literacy Specialist as Mentor" published in the Language Arts Journal of Michigan and "A Grounded Theory Inquiry into an Everyday Digital Literacy" published in the Journal of Literacy and Technology. Additionally, she was published in Reading & Writing Quarterly, "Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a School-Based Literacy Program for Adolescent Learners With Reading Difficulties: A Mixed-Methods Study." Professor Farkas has presented papers and conducted workshops at national and international conferences, including the College Reading and Learning Association conference, the National Association for Developmental Education conference, National Association for Teachers of English conference, the Literacy Research Association conference, the Michigan Reading Association conference, and the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents workshop. Her latest manuscript was accepted for presentation at the Minority Seminar 2020 “Curriculums for Social Justice” conference held at Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa, Finland. Her work in the area of critical literacy and culturally sustaining pedagogy resulted in being awarded a grant through the Diversity, Inclusion, Justice, and Equity (DIJE) branch of the Michigan Council for Teachers of English. Dr. Farkas has and will continue critical literacy and DIJE work in her initiatives working with faculty as the Teaching & Learning Scholar at NMU during the 2022-2024 academic years. She and her husband enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren.  As a family, they particularly enjoy camping, kayaking, biking, hiking, jet skiing, and fishing, especially in the Florida Keys!

Image
Wendy Farkas