Education
- D.Ed., Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- M.Ed. Certification, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
- B.A., Grove City College
Work Experience
September 2000 to present, Grove City College
- Director of Elementary Student Teaching
- Associate Professor in the Education Department
- Student Teacher Supervisor
- Professor of International Courses
- Junior Advisor
- Advisor to KDP Honorary
- Middle States Accreditation Self -Study Steering Committee and Working Group Co-Chair
- Active Participant in Campus-Wide Committees
January 2008 to 2011, Crawford Central School District, Substitute Teacher.
July 1999 to July 2000, Penncrest School District, Co-Principal, Grades 4-6 in Maplewood Elementary School (Grades K-6). Served on several committees in the district including: Professional Development Committee; Teacher Evaluation Committee; Strategic Planning; Parent-Teacher Organization; Technology Committee; Support-Labor Management Committee; and School Construction Committee.
July 1985 to June 1999, General McLane School District. Experience included working in an inclusive setting (grades 1 and 2), and teaching in the gifted program (grades 1-4). Served on many committees including: Professional Development Committee, Instructional Support Team, Strategic Planning, School Crisis Committee, and several curriculum revision/textbook adoption committees. Instrumental in writing textbook for use with math manipulative materials at first grade level. Experienced cooperating teacher working with both teacher candidates and field experience students.
July 1984 to June 1986, Iroquois School District. Taught in gifted program and developed enrichment curriculum for grades 1-6.
Accolades
- First Place Recipient of the Student Teacher Supervisor Writing Contest at the National Supervision and Student Teaching Conference
- Outstanding Graduate Research Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania for Doctoral Dissertation entitled, “Alternative Assessment: Primary Literacy Teachers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices”
Selected Presentations
- “Children’s Literature to Promote Phonemic Awareness” at the Midwestern Early Childhood Institute, March 2013
- “Using Literature to Develop Early Literacy Skills” at the Early Childhood and Headstart Conference, January 2010
- “The Student Teacher Forum: Jumpstarting Juniors for the Student Teaching Experience!” at the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators Annual Meeting, October 2008.
- Presentations at the 2007, 2005, and 2003 Association for Christian Schools International Conference. Seminars included topics in Assessment (traditional and alternative), Teaching History, Teaching Social Studies, and Family Literacy
- “Alternative Assessment” at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, 2003
- “What Educators Should Know about Alternative Assessment” at the Pennsylvania Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development Annual Conference in Hershey, PA, 2001
- 2018-present Youth Mental Health First Aid Course Instructor
- 2015-2019 Juror for International Literacy Association Annual Conference Proposal Submissions
Selected Publications & Affiliations
- Culbertson, L.D. (2010). Memorable moments: Making student teaching work in an unconventional situation. [in press: National Student Teaching and Supervision].
- Culbertson, L.D., & Yan, W. (2004). Alternative assessment: Primary grade literacy teachers’ knowledge and practices. Paper Presented to the American Educational Research Association, 2003: ERIC Database.
- Culbertson, L.D., & Yan, W. (2004). Alternative assessment: Primary grade literacy teachers’ attitudes and practices. Paper Presented to the American Educational Research Association, 2003: ERIC Database.
- Culbertson, L.D. (2000). Doctoral Dissertation entitled, “Alternative Assessment: Primary Grade Literacy Teachers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices”
Memberships
- International Reading Association
- Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Phi Delta Kappa
- Phi Kappa Phi
Research & Academic Interests
- Literacy Development
- Professional Development of Teachers
- Alternative Assessment
- Youth Mental Health
Specific Courses or Specialties
- Certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor: As an awareness of youth mental health has come to the forefront, I have the unique and awesome opportunity to share knowledge in this area with student teachers and local nonprofit and volunteer groups.
- Student Teacher Supervisor: I have always loved being in the classroom. I enjoy helping the student teachers walk through their experience and guiding them through a model of supervisor evaluation to reflecting and changing in response to their own self-evaluation. If I am honest, there are times when I am observing a student teacher that I still wish I was the teacher (especially when I’m in a first grade classroom).
- Issues in Education: This is a senior-level capstone course, designated as Writing Intensive, Speaking Intensive, and Information Literacy, taken the semester opposite student teaching. I enjoy this course because I get to work with every Education Department student in all majors. My students are always challenging me and helping me to learn with them.
- Children’s Literature: This course explores various genres and children’s authors with an emphasis on using children’s literature to enhance classroom instruction. I have loved reading since I was a child. I try to bring that love home to my students and get a kick out of reading children’s books to my class and helping them to see how those books could fit into different areas of their teaching.
Advice for Students
Work hard, but also learn to take time for yourself. Incorporate a balance of content, active learning, and student choice into your instructional philosophy.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
I try to be “real” with my students, sharing joys and struggles as examples when I am teaching. My hope is that my students will better remember lesson concepts because of this approach.
Personal Interests/Hobbies
- Reading
- Running
- Traveling
- Camping
- Family time
- Active in Cochranton Community Church and the Cochranton High School Music Boosters