Melissa Williams
Curriculum & Instruction
M.Ed. in Bilingual/Bicultural Curriculum, The University of Texas at Austin, 2012B.A. in Liberal Arts (Government & Mexican American Studies Honors), The University of Texas at Austin, 2005
Email: williams.mely@gmail.com
Melissa Rojas Williams is a first-generation college student and motherscholar. It is an honor for her to explore how pre-service Bilingual Teachers utilize childrens literature to help build childrens civic identities as they too reflect on their own civic identity, membership, and agency.
Melissa Rojas Williams is a first-generation college student and motherscholar. Melissa currently serves as an assistant instructor for both the Generalist and Bilingual Elementary Social Studies Methods, as well as the Latinx Childrens Literature Course.
It is an honor for her to explore how pre-service Bilingual Teachers utilize childrens literature to help build childrens civic identities as they too reflect on their own civic identity, membership, and agency. Having had ten years of teaching experience in a bilingual classroom, Melissa is personally invested in long-term mentoring pre-service teachers in their journey of mental health and sustainability within the teaching profession.
Melissa has presented research at the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Literacy Research Association (LRA), National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), La Cosecha, Adelante Dual Language Conference, and Texas Association for Bilingual Educators (TABE).
It is an honor for her to explore how pre-service Bilingual Teachers utilize childrens literature to help build childrens civic identities as they too reflect on their own civic identity, membership, and agency. Having had ten years of teaching experience in a bilingual classroom, Melissa is personally invested in long-term mentoring pre-service teachers in their journey of mental health and sustainability within the teaching profession.
Melissa has presented research at the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Literacy Research Association (LRA), National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), La Cosecha, Adelante Dual Language Conference, and Texas Association for Bilingual Educators (TABE).
Cinthia S Salinas (Supervisor)
Dr. Salinas is a member of the Social Studies Education program area and is an affiliate faculty member in the Bilingual/Bicultural and the Cultural Studies in Education program areas. Her focus in the social studies includes critical historical inquiry in elementary bilingual and secondary education late arrival immigrant ESL classroom settings, as well as broader understandings of citizenship. Her work also examines social studies teachers' enactment/countering of curriculum through narratives that include civic identities, agency,...
Dr. Salinas is a member of the Social Studies Education program area and is an affiliate faculty member in the Bilingual/Bicultural and the Cultural Studies in Education program areas. Her focus in the social studies includes critical historical inquiry in elementary bilingual and secondary education late arrival immigrant ESL classroom settings, as well as broader understandings of citizenship. Her work also examines social studies teachers' enactment/countering of curriculum through narratives that include civic identities, agency,...
Katherina A Payne (Committee Member)
Researches civic education, early childhood/elementary education, and teacher education to examine the role of relationships, community, and justice to make classrooms democratic and equitable spaces.
Researches civic education, early childhood/elementary education, and teacher education to examine the role of relationships, community, and justice to make classrooms democratic and equitable spaces.
Maria E Franquiz (Committee Member)
Examines ethnographic language and literacy practices in K-12 classrooms, specifically focusing on how Latinx critical race theory explains the relationship between heritage language and culture and the evolving identities of future teachers.
Examines ethnographic language and literacy practices in K-12 classrooms, specifically focusing on how Latinx critical race theory explains the relationship between heritage language and culture and the evolving identities of future teachers.
Undergraduate Student Mentor,, Intellectual Entrepreneurship Pre-Grad Internship, (2019)
Member, Graduate Student Advisory Group, (2018 - Present)
Salinas, C. & Rojas Williams, M. (2018). Crossing/erasing borders: A response to global and Immigration. Keywords in the Social Studies: Concepts and Conversations: Peter Lang Publishing Group..
Rojas Williams, M. (2012). Cómo apoyar y ayudar a su hijo a tener éxito con el autismo. Ahora Sí Austin American Statesman.
Rojas Williams, M. (2012). Recursos para las familias que se desplazan. Ahora Sí Austin American Statesman.
Salinas, C. & Rojas Williams, M. (n.d.). The narrative and our civicness: Capturing the identity, agency and membership of the Latina/o communities.. Reimagining Citizenship Education: Empowering students to become critical leaders and community role models: Information Age Publishing.
Alexander Caswell Ellis Fellowship in Education, University of Texas at Austin College of Education (2018 - 2022)
Refashioning Destiny: A Critical Examination of a State History Museum's Highlight Film, American Education Research Association (AERA), San Diego, CA (2022)
Zooming off the computer: Lecciones de COVID, National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), New York, NY (2022)
Mothers Way of Knowing: What Can We Learn From How Mothers Raise Citizens?, National Council of Social Studies (NCSS); College & University, Faculty Association (CUFA), Virtual (2021)
Dual Labors of Love: Navigating Academia and Mothering During the COVID-19 Pandemic, National Council of Social Studies (NCSS); College & University, Faculty Association (CUFA), Virtual (2021)
Motherscholars at CUFA: Engaging community, dialogue, scholarship, and advocacy, National Council of Social Studies (NCSS); College & University, Faculty Association (CUFA), Virtual (2020)
Journey Boxes: Engaging Histories of Communities of Color and Women, National Council of Social Studies (NCSS), Virtual (2020)
Its all about Collaboration: A Bilingual Critical Literacy Unit across School and University Lines, American Education Research Association AERA, (2020)
Standing Strong Against Injustice: An Integrated Biliteracy and Social Studies Unit on Taking Action, La Cosecha, Albuquerque, NM (2019)
Childrens Literature for a Change, National Council of Social Studies (NCSS), Austin, TX (2019)
Examining, Enacting, and Re-Framing Theory: Citizenship for Latinx Students and all Historically Marginalized Youth, National Council of Social Studies (NCSS); College & University, Faculty Association (CUFA), Austin, TX (2019)
A Fresh New Len: A collaborative Social Studies and Critical Literacy Unit in a Dual Language Classroom, Literacy Research Association (LRA, Tampa, FL (2019)
La lucha todavía no ha terminado The struggle has not yet ended: Critical immigration pedagogies in three teacher education classrooms., American Education Research Association (AERA), Toronto, Canada (2019)
Teaching El Movimiento: How Teachers Come to Understand History Through Critical Historical Inquiry & Multicultural Childrens Literature., American Education Research Association (AERA), Toronto, Canada (2019)
Standing Strong Against Injustices: An Integrated Biliteracy and Social Studies Unit on Taking Action, Adelante Dual Language Conference, Austin, TX (2019)
Lo construimos de nuevo": Bilingual elementary teachers rethinking el movimiento through critical historical inquiry., National Council of Social Studies (NCSS); College & University, Faculty Association (CUFA), Chicago, IL (2018)
Teaching U.S. History Through Other Histories: Using Counternarratives and Critical Lenses in Teacher Education Classrooms., National Council of Social Studies (NCSS); College & University, Faculty Association (CUFA), San Francisco, CA (2017)
Viewing the World as Scientific Poets, Adelante Dual Language Conference, Austin, TX (2014)
How Do We Make it Work! Challenges and Success of Implementing One-Way and Two Way Dual Language Programs., Texas Association for Bilingual Educators, El Paso, TX (2014)