UF
College of Education

Faculty Blake Beckett

Return to Faculty Page

Blake Beckett 

Clinical Assistant Professor

Blake Beckett

Phone

352-273-4138

Email

bbeckett@coe.ufl.edu

Address

Norman Hall
P.O. Box 117048

About

Blake Beckett is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Teachers, Schools, and Society Program in the School of Teaching and Learning. In her dissertation research, she studied the intersection of Universal Design for Learning and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in her own practice as a middle school language arts teacher. After 25 years teaching K-12 in public schools, Dr. Beckett’s teaching and research in higher education continue to be focused on understanding how diverse students experience school spaces and how educators can more effectively support their success. As an experienced practitioner researcher, Dr. Beckett also focuses on supporting the development of inquiry skills and strategies in both pre-service and in-service teachers to help them improve their own practice. Additionally in this position, she supports emerging practitioner scholars in the Teachers, Schools, and Society EdD program who are working to increase educational equity in various school contexts.

Affiliations

  • School of Teaching and Learning

Research Interests

Action Research, Culturally Sustainable Pedagogy, Diverse Learners, Educational / Instructional Design, Preservice Teacher Education, Social Justice in Education, Teacher Education, Teacher Quality, Universal Design for Learning

Education

  • Wellesley College, BA, Psychology and Education
  • University of Colorado, MA, Curriculum and Instruction
  • University of Florida, EdD, Curriculum and Instruction

Activities and Honors

  • Co-chair of the Teacher Inquiry Strand of the Florida Education Research Association, FERA, Annual Conference
  • Program of the Year Committee Member, Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, CPED

Selected Publications

Articles
  • Weisberg, L., Beckett, B., Dana, N. F., Commeret, M., & Silva, R. (2024). Teacher candidates’ engagement in practitioner inquiry within an equity-centered initial teacher preparation program: Illuminating equity’s presence and pitfalls. Journal of Practitioner Research, 9(1), Article 3.
  • Beckett, B. (2021). The intersection of Universal Design for Learning and Culturally sustaining Pedagogy: A practitioner research study of a sixth-grade language arts class during the Covid-19 pandemic. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Florida].
  • Beckett, B. and Johnson, S.I. (2021). Students’ lived experiences during the pandemic: Their expressions through art and poetry. Journal of Practitioner Research. Vol.6: Issue 1, Article 3. https://doi.org/10.5038/2379-9951.[6].[1].[1200]
  • Beckett, B. (2019). The intersection of standards-based grading and Universal Design for Learning in a sixth-grade language arts classroom. Florida Journal of Educational Research, 57(2), 27-38.
  • Mundorf, J., Beckett, B., Boehm, S., Flake, C., & Miller, C. (2019). From the voices of teachers: Envisioning social justice teacher leadership through portraits of practice. International Journal of Teacher Leadership, 10(2), 1-15.
  • Beckett, B. (2000). Books and issues regarding Spanish-speaking children. The Colorado Communicator, 25(1), 58-60.
Presentations
  • Beckett, B. (2024). How Do the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy Intersect? UDL-Con, International Conference.
  • Weisberg, L., Beckett, B., Dana, N.F., Commeret, M., & Silva, R. (2024). The Presence of Equity in Practitioner Inquiries Conducted Within an Equity-Centered Teacher Preparation Program. American Education Research Association Annual Meeting.
  • Silva, R., Beckett, B., Commeret, M., & Weisberg, L. (2024). Learning to Navigate Tensions Within a Teacher Candidate Inquiry Course: Building an Inquiry Suspension Bridge. American Education Research Association Annual Meeting.
  • Beckett, B., Weisberg, L., Dana, N.F., Commeret, M., & Silva, R. (2024). Issues of Equity at Play and at Risk in Teacher Candidates’ Inquiries. Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting.
  • Silva, R., Beckett, B., & Commeret, M. (2024). Supporting Teacher Candidates: Teacher Educators Harness the Promise of Practitioner Inquiry. Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting.
  • Beckett, B. (2023). Critical Reading in an Eighth-Grade Language Arts Class. Florida Education Research Association Annual Meeting.
  • Dana, N., Beckett, B., Brown, C. and Geiger, M. (2023). Understanding Current Challenges in the Formulation and Study of an Equity-Focused Problem of Practice. CPED Convening.
  • Beckett, B. (2023). UDL Empowered: How Working at the Intersection of Universal Design for Learning and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy Empowers Learners.UDL-IRN International Summit.
  • Beckett, B. (2022). Classroom Learners in Conversation About Neuroscience, Identity, and Culture. CAST International Symposium.
  • Brown, C.A. and Beckett, B. (2022). Creating Truly Equitable Environments: The Intersection of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning. Leadership for Professional Learning International Summit.