Rachel Lotan
Professor (Teaching) of Education, Emerita
Graduate School of Education
Bio
Dr. Lotan is Professor Emerita and the former Director of the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). Her teaching and research focus on aspects of teaching and learning in academically and linguistically diverse classrooms and topics in teacher education. Currently, she directs the Program for Complex Instruction at Stanford, where she works on the development, research and worldwide dissemination of complex instruction, a pedagogical approach to creating equitable classrooms. For ten years before starting graduate work, Dr. Lotan taught English and French in junior high and high school.
Academic Appointments
-
Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Graduate School of Education
Administrative Appointments
-
Professor (Teaching) Emerita on recall, Stanford Graduate School of Education (2014 - 2016)
-
Professor (Teaching) of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education (2006 - 2014)
-
Associate Professor (Teaching) of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education (1999 - 2006)
-
Acting Assistant Professor (Teaching), Stanford Graduate School of Education (1986 - 1987)
Honors & Awards
-
Doctor Honoris Causa, (Honorary Doctoral Degree), Faculty of Arts, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary (2022)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
-
Director, Stanford Teacher Education Program (1999 - 2014)
-
Director, Program for Complex Instruction, Center for Education research (1999 - Present)
-
Director of Theory, Practice and Strategic Planning, Programa de Educação Docente Brasil, Lemann Center, Stanford University (2016 - Present)
-
Co-Director, Program for Complex Instruction, Center for Educational Research and Senior Research Scholar (1986 - 1999)
-
Member, Editorial Board, Teacher Education Quarterly (2004 - 2006)
-
Member, Editorial Board, European Journal for Intercultural Education (1999 - Present)
-
Secretary to the association, Program Chair, Sociology of Education Association (1995 - 1995)
-
Member of the Board, Sociology of Education Association (1992 - 1995)
-
Visiting Assistant/Associate Professor, Institute for the Advancement of Social Integration in Schools, Bar-Ilan University, Israel (Summers) (1986 - 1991)
-
Research Assistant, Center for Educational Research at Stanford (1982 - 1985)
-
Junior High and High School Teacher, - (1969 - 1980)
Professional Education
-
PhD, Stanford University, Education (1985)
-
MA, Stanford University, Sociology (1983)
-
MA, Stanford University, Education (1981)
-
Secondary Education Credential, Tel Aviv University, Foreign Language Teacher (1971)
-
BA, Tel Aviv University, English Linguistics and French Language, Literature and Civilization (1970)
Research Interests
-
Equity in Education
-
Teachers and Teaching
Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Equitable teaching and learning in heterogeneous classrooms; Teaching as a profession in international contexts, Curriculum development.
2024-25 Courses
-
Independent Studies (8)
- Directed Reading
EDUC 480 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Reading in Education
EDUC 180 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Research
EDUC 490 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Research in Education
EDUC 190 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Honors Research
EDUC 140 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Master's Thesis
EDUC 185 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Practicum
EDUC 470 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Supervised Internship
EDUC 380 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
- Directed Reading
All Publications
- Designing groupwork: Strategies for heterogeneous classrooms Teachers College Press. New York, NY. 2014
- Equitable classrooms: A compelling connection between theory and practice Unequals: The power and of status and expectation in our social lives edited by Webster Jr., M., Walker, L. S. Oxford University Press. 2022: 178-199
- Complex Instruction for diverse and equitable classrooms: In loving memory of E.G. Cohen, In N. Davidson (Ed.) Pioneering Perspectives in Cooperative Learning 2021: 63-77
- The Instructional Leadership Corps: Entrusting professional learning in the hands of the profession Learning Policy Institute 2019
- Why and how we teach about climate change Climate Change across the Curriculum, Lexington Books edited by Fretz, E. 2016: 183–195
-
Managing groupwork
The SAGE Encyclopedia on Classroom Management
edited by Scarlett, W. G.
Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA. 2015
View details for DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483346243
- Supporting and understanding students’ epistemological discourse about climate change Journal of Geoscience Education 2014; 62 (3): 374-387
- From high school to medical school: The importance of community in education Medical Science Education 2014; 24: 353-356
- A balancing act: Dilemmas of implementing a high-stakes performance assessment The New Educator 2013; 9 (1): 54-76
- Complex Instruction Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education edited by Banks, J. A. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA. 2012
- Social and cultural influences on teacher education International Encyclopedia of Education edited by Peterson, P., Baker, E., McGaw, B. Oxford, Elsevier. 2010; 7: 525–531
- Studying teacher effectiveness: The challenges of developing valid measures The handbook of measurement: How social scientists generate, modify, and validate indicators and scales edited by Walford, G., Tucker, E. Sage Publications. 2010
- Developing language and mastering content in heterogeneous classrooms The teacher’s role in implementing cooperative learning in the classroom Springer. 2008: 184–200
-
Teaching teachers to build equitable classrooms
THEORY INTO PRACTICE
2006; 45 (1): 32-39
View details for Web of Science ID 000235679900005
- Commentary Mentoring teachers toward excellence: Supporting and Developing Highly Qualified Teachers edited by Shulman, J., Sato , M. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. New Jersey. 2006: 169–171
- Managing groupwork Handbook of Classroom Management: Research, Practice, and Contemporary Issues edited by Evertson, C., Weinstein , C. , Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. New Jersey. 2006: 525–539
- Teaching teachers to build equitable classrooms Theory Into Practice 2006; 45 (1): 32-39
- Keeping content at the heart of content-based instruction: Access and support for transitional English learners Content-based instruction in primary and secondary school settings 2005: 11-25
- Equity in heterogeneous classrooms Handbook of research on multicultural education 2004; 2: 736-750
- Stepping into Groupwork Teaching Cooperative Learning: The Challenge for Teacher Education edited by Cohen, E. G., Brody , C., Sapon-Shevin, M. SUNY Press, Albany. 2004: 167–182
-
Group-worthy tasks
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
2003; 60 (6): 72-75
View details for Web of Science ID 000181427900016
-
Can groups learn?
TEACHERS COLLEGE RECORD
2002; 104 (6): 1045-1068
View details for Web of Science ID 000177466600001
- Standards-based assessment of teacher candidates’ performance in clinical practice Issues in Teacher Education 2002; 11 (1): 31-47
- Beyond sheltered instruction: Rethinking conditions for academic language development TESOL Journal 2001; 10 (2&3)
- The use of evaluation criteria to improve student talk in cooperative groups Asian Pacific Journal of Education 2001; 22 (1)
-
Complex instruction: Equity in cooperative learning classrooms
THEORY INTO PRACTICE
1999; 38 (2): 80-86
View details for Web of Science ID 000080515400004
- Beyond the workshop: Evidence from complex instruction Professional Development for Cooperative Learning Issues and Approaches edited by Brody , C., Davidson, N. State University of New York Press. Albany. 1998: 122–145
- Groupwork in diverse classrooms: A casebook for educators edited by Shulman, J. H., Lotan, R. A., Whitcomb, J. A. New York: Teachers College Press. 1998
- Working for equity in heterogeneous classrooms: Sociological theory in action edited by Cohen, E. G., Lotan, R. A. New York: Teachers College Press. 1997
- Operation of Status in the Middle Grades: Recent Developments Status, Network, and Structure. Theory Development in Group Processes edited by Szmatka, J., Skvoretz , J., Berger, J. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1997: 222–240
- Creating equal status interaction in heterogeneous classrooms: Evidence from complex instruction Enhancing Education in Heterogeneous Schools: Theory and Application edited by Ben-Ari, R., Rich, Y. Ramat Gan: Bar-Ilan University Press. 1997: 249–280
- Complex Instruction in the Science Classroom: The Human Biology Curriculum in Action Cooperative Learning in Science: A Handbook for Teachers edited by Stahl , R. Menlo Park: Addison-Wesley. 1996: 331–354
-
PRODUCING EQUAL-STATUS INTERACTION IN THE HETEROGENEOUS CLASSROOM
AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL
1995; 32 (1): 99-120
View details for Web of Science ID A1995QK09700006
-
Talking and working together - Conditions for learning in complex instruction
Conference on the Social Organization of Schools
PLENUM PRESS DIV PLENUM PUBLISHING CORP. 1995: 157–174
View details for Web of Science ID A1995BD99W00008
- Poetry in Groupwork: Complex Instruction in the Language Arts Handbook for Cooperative Learning in Language Arts edited by Stahl , R. J. Addison-Wesley. Pp. 1995
- Complex Instruction: Higher Order Thinking in the Heterogeneous Classroom Handbook for Cooperative Learning Methods edited by Sharan, S. Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut. 1994: 82–96
- Complex Instruction in Detracked Social Studies Classrooms Cooperative Learning in the Social Studies Classroom edited by Stahl, R. J., VanSickle , R. L. National Council for Social Studies, Washington, D.C. . 1992
- Strategies for Detracked Middle Schools: Curricular Materials, Instructional Strategies and Access to Learning Middle School Journal 1992; 24 (1): 4-14
-
STRANGERS IN PARADISE - THE ISRAELI KIBBUTZ EXPERIENCE - MITTELBERG,D (Book Review)
CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGY-A JOURNAL OF REVIEWS
1990; 19 (1): 43-44
View details for Web of Science ID A1990CN62600030
- Treating Status Problems in the Cooperative Classroom Cooperative Learning: Research and Theory edited by Sharan , S. New York: Prager. 1990
- Teacher as Supervisor of Complex Technology Theory into Practice 1990; 24 (2): 78-84
-
CAN CLASSROOMS LEARN
SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
1989; 62 (2): 75-94
View details for Web of Science ID A1989U266500001
- Finding Out about Complex Instruction: Teaching Math and Science in Heterogeneous Classrooms Small Group Cooperative Learning in Math. A Handbook for Teachers edited by Davidson , N. Addison-Wesley. 1989
- Can Expectations for Competence Be Treated in the Classroom? Status Generalization: New Theory and and Research edited by Webster , M., Foschi , M. Stanford University Press. 1988
- Understanding the Theories: Training Teachers for Implementation of Complex Instructional Technology Ph.D. dissertation, Stanford University. 1985