KATY LONG
College of Education
Title: Assistant Professor
Years at GCU: 6 1/2
Academic degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish, Master of Education in K-12 School Counseling, ABD in Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in K-12 Education
Faculty scholarship (publications, scholarly presentations, fellowships, etc.):
Conference presentations:
Long K., Dyer, R. (2019, March). "Advocating for Schools and Students." Presented at the Educators Rising Arizona Spring Conference, Tucson.
Long, K., Pottinger, E. (2018, February). "Loom, Zoom, and Remind! Oh My! Connecting, Sharing, and Innovating with ELs in the Classroom." Presented at the AZTESOL Central Regional Conference, Tempe.
Long, K., O’Donnell C., Pottinger, E. (2017, October). "Connecting to ESL Learners through Loom and Zoom in the Classroom." Presented at the AZTESOL State Conference, Tucson.
Griffith, A., Long, K., Palomino-Lee, N. (2016, June). "Culturally Responsive Teaching in a Digital World." Presented at the Tucson Unified School District Institute for Culturally Responsive Teaching, Tucson.
Long, K. (2015, December). "'Zooming' Towards Student Engagement." Presented at the 2015 OELAS Conference, Tucson.
Long, K., Savio, C., Damiani, M., Bergquist, E. (2015, March). "Diversity in the online setting: Engaging the adult English language learner." Presented at the 2015 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Long, K., Savio, C. (2014, October). "Using Technology for Enhancing Literacy." Presented at the OELAS Conference, Tucson.
Long, K. (2013, October). "Language Skills Development in All Content Areas." Presented at the AZ-TESOL State Conference, Tucson.
In addition to conference presentations, I have been a guest on the COE podcast, "Top of the Class," for the episode titled, "Giving Voice to Your English Learners.” I have done a professional development training for GCU’s Faculty Training and Development Department titled, “The Power is in the Discussion: Strategies for the Classroom.” I have done a poster presentation for the Spring COE Faculty Conference in 2019 titled, “Win-Win Practicum Partnerships.”
Also, I am on COE’s PSEC Committee and serve as Educators Rising GCU’s Faculty Advisor. Outside of GCU, I am a board member and member of AZTESOL. Other professional organizations in which I am a member: AATM, ASTA (state), NCTM, TESOL, NAME (National).
Notable research in your field: I am researching (dissertation) the experiences of K-8 teachers of refugee students in one school district in Phoenix.
Notable employment in your field: Sixth grade to eighth grade Spanish teacher and bilingual community liaison in Des Moines, Iowa, 2004-2007; fourth and sixth grade teacher at Cordova Elementary School in Phoenix, 2007-2013; adjunct instructor for evening ESL courses at GCU, January 2013-April 2013; full-time online instructor for COE at GCU, 2013-2015; full time ground faculty for COE, 2015-present.
What are you most passionate about in your field? “Passing it on" -- passing on effective teaching strategies, how to connect with students, the love of Christ, you name it! I love the thought of the ripple effect that happens when you're a teacher educator. I can name a few teachers and coaches I had growing up who inspired me. Now I have the opportunity to inspire the next generation of teachers who will hopefully be an inspiration to their students as well. Thinking about the number of people’s lives who I can help change through this ripple effect in education is overwhelming and makes my heart feel so full. My huge love for this community grew when I taught sixth grade in the Canyon Corridor, very close to GCU, and I decided that I would use my connections with the teachers in this school district and other surrounding districts to create partnerships that would be mutually beneficial. I now have partnerships with about 20 different K-8 teachers/schools, many of whom are my former GCU students and now teachers! I work with these teachers and schools to place my students in classrooms where they can not only complete their practicum hours but also make an impact on student learning in that school/classroom. What a blessing it is to work with GCU graduates who are now mentoring my current GCU students! Talk about “passing it on!”
What aspect of your teaching style is the most distinctive and/or memorable? If you ask this question to any of my students (both here at GCU and at Cordova, where I used to teach sixth grade), they would tell you, “The power is in the discussion!” This is a phrase that I say to them throughout the the semester because I truly believe that learning takes place through discussion. So I am constantly modeling strategies and structures these future teachers can use in their classroom to facilitate partner, group and whole class discussions. In the process of doing so, they are learning the content I am teaching them! If you ever walk in to my classroom at GCU, you will see students sitting in groups, communicating and collaborating or moving around and communicating and collaborating. The power is in the discussion!
What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? I love all things sports! My husband and I are avid GCU fans and have season tickets to the basketball games. I played college softball and still think it’s the best sport there is, and I do attend GCU softball games as well. I was there and was really excited to see them beat the No. 1-ranked team in the country last spring! My husband and I also have weekend season tickets to Arizona Diamondbacks games and enjoy playing on a co-ed softball team together.
What is something interesting about you that most people don't know? I am a pretty open book, so this is a tough one! Many people may not know that my college softball team, Central College in Pella, Iowa (NCAA Division III), won a national championship my junior year. I was the third baseman, and it still gives me chills to think about that moment. The D-III College World Series that year was played in Salem, Va. As our charter bus entered the city, we noticed a large, lit-up star on the side of the mountain. At that time, we all made a pact that if we won the national championship, we would all get star tattoos to commemorate the occasion. We won it and I kept that promise.
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Related content:
GCU Today: Faculty Focus: Brian Clark
GCU Today: Faculty Focus: Dr. Meredith Critchfield
GCU Today: Faculty Focus: Dr. Julie Nelson
