Dr. Grigsby teaches Language and Linguistics, Assessment of Language Minority Students, Methods and Materials for Teaching CLD Students, Applied Philology and World Englishes, Second Language Acquisition and Issues in Second Language Rhetoric and Composition in CUC's College of Graduate and Innovative Programs Department of Teaching, Learning & Diversity.

Among Dr. Grigsby’s areas of research interest are ESL/bilingual teacher education; Heritage language maintenance/loss; Sociolinguistics; Professional dispositions in TESOL; Race/Ethnicity in higher education. Before coming to Concordia-Chicago, she taught Spanish and English as a second language in Tennessee. She has been a member of Concordia’s faculty since 2006.

Degrees

  • PhD, Literacy, Language and English as a Second Language - University of Tennessee; Knoxville, TN
  • MAT, Secondary Education - East Tennessee State University; Johnson City, TN
  • BA, Spanish - East Tennessee State University; Johnson City, TN

Academic and Professional Highlights

Awards and Honors

  • Multilingualism in the Community Award, Multilingual Matters. Funded Project Title: Our multilingual village newsletter, 2014
  • Concordia University Chicago Faculty Research Grant. Funded Project Title: The Internationalization of the American University. $5400, 2012.
  • TESOL Professional Development Award, 2009

Prior Professional and Academic Positions

  • Editorial Advisory Board, Acta Technologica, 2011 to present.
  • TESOL Advocacy, 2012 to present

Memberships

  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
  • Illinois TESOL/Bilingual Education (IL TESOL/BE)
  • American Education Research Association (AERA)
  • National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE)
  • NAFSA: Association of INternational Educactors 

Publications:

  • "(Re)Claiming voices: Digital storytelling and second language learners" Grigsby, Y., Theard-Griggs, C., & Lilly, C.  Acta Technologica Dubnicae, 5(1), 60-67. DOI: 10.1515/atd-2015-0034, 2015.

  • "Cultural narratives in TESOL classrooms: A collaborative reflective team analysis" Ates, B., Kim, S., & Grigsby, Y. Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2015.1023277, 2015.

  • "Understanding English language learners: Incorporating our own cultural narratives in TESOL Education" Ates, B., Kim, S., & Grigsby, Y. Journal of Praxis for Multicultural Education, v9(1), 1-14, 2014.

  • "Investigating professionalism in ESOL teacher education. Investigating professional dispositions in ESL teacher education" Kim, S., Micek, T., & Grigsby, Y. In H. Öz (Ed.), Language and communication research around the globe: Exploring untested ideas (pp. 57-80). Niagara Falls, NY: Untested Ideas Research Center. (Original article appears in International Journal of TESOL and Learning, 2(3), invited to reprint.) 2014.

  • "Investigating professionalism in ESOL teacher education through critical incident analysis and evaluation" Kim, S., Micek, T., & Grigsby, Y. International Journal of TESOL and Learning, 2(3), p.170-186, 2013.

  • "Incorporating our own cultural narratives in TESOL Education: A reflective team approach by four TESOL educators" (with Kim, S., Ates, B., Lee, G.) International Journal of Education and Culture, 2(3), p. 177-194, 2013. 

  • "Addressing professional dispositions for teaching P-12 English language learners: Why, when, and how" (with Kim, S. & Micek, T.) International Journal of TESOL and Learning, 2(2), 65-80, 2013.

  • "Incorporating our own cultural narratives in TESOL Education: A reflective team approach by four TESOL Educators" Kim, S., Ates, B., Lee, G., & Grigsby, Y. In J.E. Jernigan, (Ed.), Empirical TESOL research: Letting the data speak for themselves (pp. 1-22). Niagara Falls, NY: Untested Ideas Research Center, 2013.

  • "Addressing professional dispositions for teaching P-12 English language learners: Why, when, and how" (with Kim, S., Grigsby, Y., & Micek, T.) In J. Huang, (Ed.), Empirical education research: Letting the data speak for themselves (pp. 169-190). Niagara Falls, NY: Untested Ideas Research Center. ISBN: 978-1-62520-005-1, 2013.

  • "My experience with heritage language loss in America" Discover Nikkei http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/ Retrieved from http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2011/11/29/heritage-language-loss-america/, 2011.

Presentations:

  • "Un-labeling: Honoring diversity in the classroom community through literacy-based language development and multiliteracies." Grigsby, Y., Jones, V., & Theard-Griggs, C, 40th Annual Reading Conference, River Forest, Ill., 2015. 

  • "Race and teaching: The racially-informed and culturally engaged educator." Grigsby, Y, 3rd Untested Ideas International Research E-conference, Online, 2015. 

  • "(Re)claiming voices: Digital stories and SLLs." Ames, IA. Grigsby, Y., Theard-Griggs, C., & Lilly, C. Technology for Second Language Learning Conference (TSLL), 2014.

  • "Promises and practices for English language learners in the early childhood classroom." Jones, V., & Grigsby, Y. (Invited speakers) Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Bilingual Directors Meeting, Lisle, Ill., 2014.

  • "We teach who we are: Cultural narratives as a classroom model." Ates, B., Kim, S., & Grigsby, Y.  American Educational Research Association (AERA), Philadelphia, Pa., 2014.

  • "Incorporating our own cultural narratives in TESOL education: A reflective team approach by four TESOL educators." Kim, S., Grigsby, Y., Lee, G., & Ates, B. Untested Ideas International Research Conference, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 2013.

  • "Addressing professional dispositions for teaching P-12 English language learners: Why, when, and how." Kim, S., Grigsby, Y., & Micek, T. Untested Ideas International Research Conference, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 2013.

  • "Addressing professionalism in ESOL teacher preparation: Some issues and answers." Kim, S., and Grigsby, Y. National Association for Bilingual Education, (NABE), Orlando, Fla., 2013.

  • "Instructional strategies for developing the literacy of English language learners in the early grades." Grigsby, Y. and Wellen, L. Illinois TESOL ? BE (ITBE) 38th Annual Convention, Lisle, Ill., 2012.

  • "The hafu population of Okinawa and its significance to bilingual education." Grigsby, Y. National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), Dallas, Texas, 2012.