Dr. Matthew Witenstein, Teacher Education, Educational Leadership, and Policy

Name:

Dr. Matthew Witenstein

Title:

Associate Professor

Department:

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership, and Policy

Describe your research in about 200 words.

Central research dimensions of my academic career focus on immigrants in US higher education, while my comparative/international education (CIE) research focuses on higher education quality, organization and governance issues, and international educational experiences (study abroad/study away/immersion). While I study higher education (and sometimes PK-20+) globally, my regional focus in CIE research is South Asia, where I have collaborated with many dear friends and diverse stakeholders of colleges, universities, institutes, Ministry offices and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) over the years. I have shifted some of my research toward the roles and responsibilities of higher education organizations/stakeholders regarding sustainable development and global citizenship education. This exciting shift has led me into some fascinating projects that engage across the United Nations definition of youth (ages 15-24), studying not only formal learning spaces, yet also non-formal and informal ones. Another important strand of my research examines technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in South Asia, and globally. Finally, I tend to ground my work in asset-based frameworks like funds of knowledge, human-centered ones like the critical theory of love, and third space frameworks, which craft opportunities to understand ruptures in the in-between/interstitial spaces where meaning-making and challenging understandings can be unearthed.

What’s the most interesting thing you have learned from a student?

There are sooooooo many, yet the concept of ‘listening to understand’ is a core dimension I have learned from students.