Michelle Falter

Michelle Falter is an Associate Professor and Director of Teacher Education in the Division of Health and Human Development at St. Norbert College. With a background in high school English teaching in Wisconsin, the Dominican Republic, and Germany, she has dedicated her career to global education and teacher advocacy. Her work includes building educational partnerships in rural Kenya, training over 300 educators there. Falter holds a B.A. from St. Norbert College, an M.A. from Mt. Mary University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Her research focuses on dialogic and critical pedagogies, emphasizing emotion in literature instruction and social justice in education. Key interests include anti-racist teaching practices, young adult literature, and fostering critical engagement in secondary classrooms. She has published extensively on topics like critical empathy frameworks, technology-mediated race discussions, and graphic novels for empathy.

Award-winning educator, Falter received the 2023 Outstanding Global Engagement Award, 2020 Anti-Racist Teacher of the Year, and 2016 Nilsen-Donelson Award. Her work bridges theory and practice, advocating for student-centered approaches that honor diverse voices and lived experiences.

Her publications explore innovative teaching methods such as Flipgrid for race dialogues, Zoom in research methodologies, and Project LIT community resistance to censorship. She also emphasizes preservice teacher reflection through video analysis and digital tools like Instagram for professional voice amplification.