INTRODUCTION
Dr. Ambika G. Raj is Professor of Education at the Division of Curriculum and Instruction. Since joining the faculty at Cal State LA in 2001, Dr. Raj (also known as Ambika Gopalakrishnan), has coordinated and advised in both graduate and undergraduate programs such as the Storytelling Certificate, Master's in Education, options in Curriculum & Instruction, Creative Literacies, Early Childhood/Primary Education, and currently, the Social Change for Education, Early Childhood Studies option. From 2012 to 2023, Dr. Raj also taught and served as dissertation chair and advisor in the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership Program. Her passion and strengths lie in using Story and Drama as pedagogical strategies in a wide variety of instructional settings.
TEACHING INTERESTS
My passion is Storying in all of its contexts. I have used narrative methods and educational drama from a Critical theoretical standpoint in my praxis for over two decades now. My areas of expertise include using storying as it relates to identities in various educational settings. I have conducted workshops and worked with educators, teachers, community partners such as juvenile prisons and film productions on aspects of storying and how to use aspects of story in teaching, learning, identity, equity and multicultural contexts. Here at Cal State LA, I have collaborated with colleagues on inclusive creative methods, designed and co-teaching courses on adapting story and educational drama for differentiation; I have used storying and identity work in research contexts and pedagogy.
I have designed many innovative courses and taught at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels to an audience that ranges from Pre-K through College. I incorporate Story and Educational Drama in all my classes - that is my signature. Some of the courses that I have designed and taught are Story for Teachers, Creative and Reflective Methods of Teaching, Trends and Issues in Multicultural Literature, Early Childhood Language and Literacy, Achieving Advanced Pedagogical Strategies for Equity, Justice Oriented Assets of Schools, Families, Students and Community and so on.
RESEARCH
My research interests lie in identity and narrative methods including those that explore the performing arts and performance theories. I am intrigued by Creativity and Pedagogy; Research Identities and Pedagogy; and the interplay of how people become or see themselves as professional researchers (identity). I believe in the writing process as a form of discovery and have been one of very few faculty to encourage and support Master's thesis / project development here since 2004. I have chaired over 45 Master's level theses or projects and 14 doctoral dissertations. Further, I believe in the model of mentorship and have invited many of my graduate students to conduct research and subsequently publish academically. My most recent research includes storying as reflexive methodology, exploring the nuances of how concepts of storying transforms qualitative research methods. Other Research projects included 'pedagogical creativity during remote learning' where I interviewed over 25 teachers in various settings. creating materials for 21st century learning, exploring media and film and oral history projects.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Note student co-authors indicated with an asterisk
Raj, A. G. (2023). Revising Cultural Competence and Critical Consciousness for Early Childhood Education. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Research Anthology on Early Childhood Development and School Transition in the Digital Era (pp. 615-640). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7468-6.ch031
*Raj, A.G., & Orozco, S. (2024) (Eds) Storying Leadership for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Reconceiving research dynamics. Taylor & Francis, Routledge
*Raj A.G., & Ulanoff, S. (2022) (Eds) Storying a Reflexive Praxis for Pedagogy: Concepts, Methods, and Practices Palgrave-Macmillan
*Raj, A.G., (2022) (Ed) Creativity as Progressive Pedagogy: Examinations into Culture, Performance, and Challenges (2022) IGI-Global
Raj, A.G. (2020) Revising Cultural Competence and Critical Consciousness for Early Childhood Education in Cunningham, D. D. (Ed). Professional and Ethical Consideration for Early Childhood Leaders. (pgs. 327 to 352) IGI Global Publications
Raj, A. G., (2019) The Storying Teacher: Processes and Benefits for the Classroom and Beyond, Cognella
Raj, A.G., (2010) Multicultural Children’s Literature: A Critical Issues Approach. SAGE Publications
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
- AERA Annual Convention 2024
- Roundtable Presentation with Sharon Ulanoff: “Educational Mapping as Storying for Teacher Identities”
- AERA Annual Convention 2023
- Roundtable Presentation with Sharon Ulanoff: “Cultural Educational Journey Maps”
- Chair of 3 sessions in the Arts & Inquiry SIG, Discussant on 2 sessions
- Pediatric Anesthesiologist Annual Convention 2023
- Invited Faculty to Train Actors for Workshop on Mass Casualty Preparedness
- NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Annual Convention 2022
- Panel Presentation with 2 students and Jamie Marsh
- Chair of one session and Discussant on one
- CAEYC Annual Convention 2022
- Workshop Presentation with Socorro Orozco
- AERA Annual Convention 2020 (canceled), 2021, and 2022
- 1 session accepted for presentation in each year
- 2 to 3 sessions chaired or Discussant each year for Division G (Social Context of Education) and Arts & Inquiry SIG
- NCTE Annual Convention 2018, 2019, 2021
- Presented 1 session each year
- Chaired 1 session in 2021
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
2001 Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.) The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Areas Of Concentration: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Children’s Literature & Educational Drama
1993 Master of Performing Arts (M.A.) University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
Areas of Concentration: Theater Arts and Creative Drama
1991 Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Bangalore University, Bangalore, India
Areas of Concentration: Child Psychology, English Literature, and Economics