Several members of the Niagara University community collaborated to publish a new book on vignette analysis, an engaging and relevant form of professional development. “Instruction with Vignette Analysis: Powerful Professional Growth for Middle and High School Teachers,” will be published May 6, 2021, by Routledge.

Co-authored by Dr. Charles Howard Gonzalez, M.S.Ed.’06; Dr. Paul J. Vermette, recently retired member of the faculty of NU’s College of Education; Dr. Mary Ellen Bardsley, associate professor of education; and Kimberly Alexander, B.S.’15, M.S.Ed.’16, the book features a wide variety of classroom scenarios designed to help teachers improve their teaching practices.

Dr. Gonzalez is an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tenn., and was an adjunct professor in NU’s English department and College of Education. He draws on his almost 20 years of work with diverse populations of public school students, out-of-school youths, and student teachers to inform his classes on instructional methods, pedagogy, and educational foundations.

Dr. Vermette recently retired after more than 30 years on the faculty at NU. He has authored or co-authored six books and roughly 100 articles and collaborated on numerous conference presentations, most of which deal with issues of constructivism, cooperative learning, social and emotional learning, and teacher education.

Dr. Bardsley teaches a variety of courses in early childhood and literacy at NU. A former Head Start teacher, she has presented on a wide variety of topics at local, state, national, and international conferences, including NYSAEYC, NAEYC, ACEI, and the NAEYC Professional Development Institute.

Alexander is a science teacher at Lewiston-Porter Middle School. She is actively involved in the Science Teachers Association of New York State and the American Educational Research Association, and has published work and led professional development courses promoting social and emotional learning for all students.