Katie Brubacher, PhD, MA, BEd, BA

Contact

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education - Elementary Education

Email: kbrubach@ualberta.ca

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

Elementary Education Translanguaging Emotion Newcomers with emerging print literacy Multiliteracies

About

Katie Brubacher is an assistant professor of elementary education at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education.She holds degrees in education from the University of Toronto and an undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of Waterloo. Prior to joining the faculty in 2022, she worked predominantly with multilingual children in Ontario elementary schools, and was a K–12 teacher for almost 20 years, including as a secondary teacher in England.

Research

A specialist in language and literacy education, Brubacher’s research interests include the experiences of multilingual newcomers in elementary schools, especially those who arrive in Grades 4 to 6 without having learned about print literacy in any language. Approaching research from a humanizing perspective where participants are included in the research process is of particular interest to Brubacher. Through ethnographic work, she examines how the inclusion of children’s multilingualism can support the students’ sense of belonging and well-being in schools.

Teaching

Brubacher also received English as a Second Language Specialist, Guidance certifications from the Ontario College of Teachers. She has experience in grant writing and program development, on top of her work in research and fostering literacy among students.

Courses

EDU 595 - Special Topics in Educational Theory and Practice

Content varies from term to term. Topics announced prior to registration period. The student's transcript carries title descriptive of content. May be repeated. Sections may be offered at an increased rate of fee assessment, refer to the Fees Payment Guide in the University Regulations and Information for Students section of the Calendar.

Spring Term 2025

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Featured Publications

The complexities and promise of standing beside Indigenous literacy scholars in a curriculum analysis.

Brubacher, K. & Filipke, J.

Journal of Teaching and Learning.. 2025 February; 19 (1)

2022 Pre-Conference of LLRC: Pandemic Considerations in Literacy Research & Teaching

Burkholder, C., & Brubacher, K.

Language and Literacy. 2024 June; 26 (2):76-77

Translanguaging and teacher authority.

Brubacher, K., & Harper, S.

Language and Literacy. 2024 June; 26 (2):2-16

She Shuts Her English Channel in Her Brain: Racial and Linguistic Ordering during Kindergarten Practicums

Katie Brubacher and Thursica Kovinthan Levi

Canadian Modern Language Review. 2024 April;

Plurilingual Identity Positioning of Newcomer Children with Emerging Print Literacy

Katie Brubacher

Journal of Language, Identity & Education. 2023 October; 10.1080/15348458.2023.2257793

Centering Multilingual Learners and Countering Raciolinguistic Ideologies in Teacher Education: Principles, Policies and Practices

Jeff Bale, Shakina Rajendram, Katie Brubacher, Mama Adobea Nii Owoo, Jennifer Burton, Wales Wong, Yiran Zhang, Elizabeth Jean Larson, Antoinette Gagné, Julie Kerekes

Multilingual Matters. 2023 September;

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