Researcher, Content & Curriculum Developer, Educator
Greater Boston Area
- Current
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- Principal at Content, Teaching & Research (CTR)
- Past
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- R&D Consultant at Center for Applied Linguistics
- Project Director/Sr. R&D Associate at Education Development Center
- Faculty Assistant at Harvard University
- Title One Family Liaison at Healey School at Somerville Public Schools
- Representative to Healey School Council at Somerville Public Schools
- Research Associate at Education Development Center
- Postdoctoral fellow at ETS
- Consultant at Bolt Beranek & Newman, Ed Tech Group
- Teacher of Written Expression at Wolfeboro Camp School
- Teacher of English at Kingswood Regional High School
- Education
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- Harvard University Graduate School of Education
- Tufts University
- Stanford University
- Recommended
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4 people have recommended Christine - Connections
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151
connections
- Industry
- Education Management
- Websites
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Summary
Versatile analyst and creative problem solver able to integrate and reconcile diverse viewpoints and information sources.
Licensed teacher, classroom researcher, developer of teacher performance assessments and their rubrics, developer of online courses, and a freelance content and curriculum developer for business and governmental clients.
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Specialties:
qualitative/ethnographic research, focus groups and interviews (protocol development, implementation and analysis), responsive evaluation, instructional design, online course development, performance assessment, statistics, discourse analysis
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Experience
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Principal
Content, Teaching & Research (CTR)
(E-Learning industry)
August 2006 — Present (3 years 5 months)
Freelance content and curriculum developer. Design and teach writing workshops for tweens and teens, writing clubs for elementary school students. Create web content for learning resources blog. Developed intergenerational curriculum on water rights and stewardship for UUA. Offered parenting workshops for a state agency.
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R&D Consultant
Center for Applied Linguistics
(Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Research industry)
December 2007 — May 2008 (6 months)
Adapted science curricula for English-learning elementary students.
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Project Director/Sr. R&D Associate
Education Development Center
(Non-Profit; 501-1000 employees; Research industry)
July 2004 — July 2006 (2 years 1 month)
Teacher Quality: Pre-K Science. Formative qualitative evaluator of a professional development course for early childhood teachers to improve their science teaching. Developed protocols, collected data in the course, learners’ classrooms, mentoring sessions, interviews and focus groups. Analyzed qualitative data for annual report to IES.
Project Director. Led development of PBS Parents Guide to Creativity website. Coordinated in-house team, consultant and subcontractors to deliver an excellent product within a very aggressive schedule. Co-conceived activities; wrote the majority of the content.
Created 3 courses for PBS TeacherLine on effective writing instruction in PreK and Kindergarten, Grades 1-3 and Grades 4-6. Selected readings, produced classroom videos, designed activities to help learners benefit from one another’s professional experiences and varied teaching contexts. Emphasized how writing instruction builds on oral language and dovetails with reading instruction. -
Faculty Assistant
Harvard University
(Education Management industry)
September 2002 — June 2004 (1 year 10 months)
Provided administrative support to two professors, both in the History of Science Department (one of them also in the African and African-American Studies Department).
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Title One Family Liaison at Healey School
Somerville Public Schools
(Education Management industry)
September 2002 — June 2003 (10 months)
Formed family involvement teams. Helped families support their children’s academic success, particularly in reading and math.
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Representative to Healey School Council
Somerville Public Schools
(Education Management industry)
November 1998 — June 2002 (3 years 8 months)
Volunteer governance position. Sought innovative paths to school improvement. Participated in teacher hiring process. As Co-Chair (1999–2001), led the School Council to assume a more active role in writing the annual School Improvement Plan. Served another term from September 2004 to June 2006.
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Research Associate
Education Development Center
(Non-Profit; 501-1000 employees; Research industry)
October 1995 — March 1999 (3 years 6 months)
Created case materials for Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium’s teacher licensure test.
Collaborated with in-house and cross-agency colleagues to design performance assessment tasks and scoring processes for several generalist certificates offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Developed and taught data management procedures. Analyzed data for technical reports and to inform new task and systems development.
Collaborated in designing research and writing grant proposals. -
Postdoctoral fellow
ETS
(E-Learning industry)
1994 — 1995 (1 year )
Conducted fieldwork for alternative assessment projects, notably collecting data on classroom teachers’ fidelity of implementation using assessment conversations and on teachers’ learning to analyze content knowledge and reflect on teaching performance. Organized a speaker series. Initiated a discourse analysis group. Wrote research articles and presented at conferences.
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Consultant
Bolt Beranek & Newman, Ed Tech Group
(E-Learning industry)
1991 — 1994 (3 years )
Conducted basic classroom research and individual clinical interviews. Transcribed, coded and analyzed student discourse, introducing use of CLAN software. Developed typology of science talk for assessing quality of student explanations. Instituted bimonthly video analysis sessions to ensure validity and foster collaboration. Prepared progress reports, grant proposals, and research articles.
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Teacher of Written Expression
Wolfeboro Camp School
(Primary/Secondary Education industry)
June 1990 — August 1991 (1 year 3 months)
Taught mixed-grades writing classes at this summer boarding school.
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Teacher of English
Kingswood Regional High School
(Primary/Secondary Education industry)
September 1989 — June 1990 (10 months)
Taught tenth- and twelfth-grade English.
Head Coach, Girls' Track Team.
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Education
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Harvard University Graduate School of Education
EdD , Teaching, Curriculum, & Learning Environments , 1990 — 1994
Teaching Fellow (Fall 1993). Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods. Assisted doctoral students in my section in understanding, selecting and using qualitative research methods to research and write up their own diverse projects, many of which were dissertations. Topics covered included research interviewing; observation and naturalistic inquiry in classrooms and other environments; conducting and recording fieldwork, oral histories and focus groups; theoretical frameworks and other lenses; bias; data coding and analysis (including use of software); data displays and communication; discourse analysis; use of literature and archival sources; representation of and relationships with research participants.
Research Assistant (Fall 1991, Spring 1992). Reviewed literature on writing instruction for linguistic minority students, small-group discourse, and collaborative learning for Courtney Cazden and Elizabeth Cohen (Stanford).- Activities and Societies:
- Roy E. Larsen Fellowship for Academic Merit, 1990-1991.
Advanced Doctoral Grant Award, 1993-1994.
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Tufts University
MAT , Secondary English , 1988 — 1989
Earned Massachusetts Teaching Certificate # 287623 : English, grades 9-12. Renewed October, 2008.
- Activities and Societies:
- Three part-time jobs to pay the rent: Administrative Assistant, Somerville High School Vocational Technical Department; retail clerk at MIT Coop and at Filene's
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Stanford University
AB , Linguistics , 1984 — 1988
graduated with honors and distinction, received Greenberg Award for academic excellence and service to the department (Linguistics).
- Activities and Societies:
- Friends & Helpers (assisting elderly to stay in their homes)--did this for 3 years, was a co-director Senior Year, Resident Assistant at Ujamaa, sales at Tresidder Ticket Office, 4 months at Stanford-in-Tours, France
Additional Information
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Websites:
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Interests:
creativity, writing, science learning, math learning, whole human development, spirituality, racewalking, swimming, sewing, visual arts
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Groups:
Happening Publications (Advisor), Boston Children's Chorus (Parent Leadership Team), AERA, NEERO, Cambridge Sports Union, Compassionate Communication (FPUUA)
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Coworking -
Tufts University Alumni -
US Presidential Scholars -
HGSE Alumni -
Stanford University Alumni -
BBN Alumni -
Innovative Learning & Education Innovators -
Ivy League Alumni -
Cambridge Sports Union
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Honors:
US Presidential Scholar, 1984
Greenberg Award, Linguistics Dept, Stanford Univ., 1988
Roy Larsen Fellowship, Harvard, 1990-1991
Advanced Doctoral Grant, 1993-1994 (for having dissertation proposal accepted within 3 years of starting program)
Christine Theberge Rafal’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
