Dr. Debora Basler Wisneski
- Teacher Education, Associate Professor
General Information
Biography
Dr. Wisneski is the John T. Langan Community Chair of Early Childhood Educatoin. She is co-editor of the text "Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: Re-examined, Rediscovered, Renewed" (2012) and "Reconsidering the Role of Play in Early Childhood: Towards Equity and Social Justice" (2018). She earned her undergraduate and master's degrees in curriculum and instruction from the University of Missouri-Columbia, both with an emphasis on early childhood education. She received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin.
Teaching Interests
Play, early childhood curriculum, leadership in ECE, qualitative research, storytelling and story-acting, peace education, guidance of young children, mindfulness
Research Interests
teaching and learning through play, play environments, collaborative school and classroom research
Service Summary
Wisneski is the past- president of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) and The Association for the Study of Play (TASP). She serves on the following board of directors: Educare of Omaha, Why Arts?, and the Education Rights Counsel.
Awards and Honors
John T. Langan Professorship in Early Childhood Education, Leadership - 2013
John T. Langan Community Chair in Early Childhood Education, Leadership - 2018
2020 University-wide Departmental Teaching President's Excellence Award, Teaching - 2020
Education
BS, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, Curriculum & Instruction, Early Childhood Education, 1993
Other, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, Curriculum & Instruction, Early Childhood Education, 1998
Ph D, University of Texas, Austin, TX, Curriculum & Instruction, Early Childhood Education, 2005
Scholarship/Research/Creative Activity
Selected Publications
File, Nancy, Mueller, Jennifer, Wisneski, Debora. 2012. Curriculum in Early Childhood : Reexamined, Rediscovered, Renewed., Routledge.
File, Nancy, Mueller, Jennifer, Wisneski, Debora, Stremmel, Andy . 2016. Understanding Research in Early Childhood Education: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, Routledge, 1, 198.
Wisneski, Debora. 2015. The Critical Place of Play in Education, US Play Coalition.
Service
Department, College, and University
TED Advisory, Committee Chair, 10/01/2020 - 10/31/2020
Community
Celebrating Young Children Conference , Chairperson, 01/01/2016 - 01/31/2016
Educare of Omaha, Board Member, 11/01/2013 - 11/30/2013
Education Rights Counsel, Officer, President/Elect/Past, 11/30/2017 - present
Spielbound , Board Member, 08/01/2013 - 08/31/2013
The Rose Theater, Board Member, 09/01/2015 - 09/30/2015
Media Contributions
Internet Publication, CNN Money, http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/jobs/2013/03/07/jobs-stress-pay/index.html, 03/07/2013
Newspaper, Omaha World Hearld , Omaha World-Herald – “Inside Kaneko's new 'Play' exhibit” – quotes Debora Wisneski, Associate Professor – POE in Teacher Education at UNO and the course’s instructor, as it reports on this playful exhibit., 06/02/2015
Consulting
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), New York, NY, 04/01/2012 - 09/01/2012