Abigail N. James

 Professional Resume

Abigail Norfleet James

9535 Woodberry Forest Road | Orange, VA 22960-2313 

(540) 661-9580 | ajames@rockhouseassociates.org

Academic Preparation

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

  • Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, 2001
    Area of Specialization: Learning and Cognitive Development 
    Title of Dissertation:  Educating Boys: A comparison of educational attitudes of male graduates of single-sex and coed schools. [Attended: 1997-2001]
  • M.Ed. in Counselor Education, 1973
    Area of Specialization: Adolescents [Attended: 1972-1973]

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

  • B. A. in Science Education, 1970
    Concentration in Biology and General Science [Attended: 1965-1970]
    Nursing School 1965-1967, Women’s College 1967-1970

Teaching Experience

University Level
Germanna Community College, Locust Grove, Virginia, 2002-present – Adjunct Professor

  • Courses taught: Principles of  Psychology, Lifespan Human Development, Child Psychology and Psychology of Men and Women
  • Nursing Camp: guest lecture on stress and stress management

University of Virginia, Northern Virginia Center

  • 2010 – Course taught – Gendered Education – Social Foundations of Education graduate course
  • 2007-9– Course taught - Crisis in the Classroom: Males and Education – Social Foundations of Education graduate course
  • 2004 – Language and Special Education: guest lecture on the influence of neurobiology on language development and on cognitive gender differences
  • 2001 – Introduction to Elementary Education: guest lecture on methods to incorporate laboratory-based science activities into the elementary school curriculum

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 2002

  • Health Psychology: guest lecture on the effect of stress on the cardiovascular system and methods and techniques to control that stress

Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, Virginia, 1999-2001

  • Introductory Psychology: guest lecture on the influence of neurobiology on cognitive gender differences

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 2000

  • Seminar on Gender Differences in Cognitive Ability: guest lecture on the cognitive justification for gendered educational settings
  • Introduction to Research: guest lecture on quasi-scientific research and research in the private setting

Secondary Schools
Woodberry Forest Summer Experience, 1997-2004

  • Course taught: Study skills curriculum based on individual learning styles
  • Educational Consultant
  • Supervisor of intern program

Woodberry Forest School, 1985-1997

  • Courses taught: Advanced Placement Psychology (90%+ students attained a score of 3 or better), Quantitative Physical Science, Biology
  • Mentored Psychology students in preparing independent research projects for presentation to the Virginia Junior Academy of Science

Stuart Hall School, Staunton, Virginia, 1980-1982

  • Director of Counseling Services
  • Courses taught: Biology, Human Biology, General Science, Quantitative Physical Science, Pre-Algebra

Blue Ridge School, St. George, Virginia, 1974-1975

  • Courses taught: \ General Science and Sex Education

St. Agnes School, Alexandria, Virginia, 1970-1972

  • Courses taught: General Science, Human Biology, Algebra II and Trigonometry

Publications
            Farace, E., James, A.N., and Alves, W. M. (2001). How does the fairer sex fare?  Journal of Neurosurgery, 94, 863-864.
            James, A.N. and Richards, H. (2003). Escaping stereotypes: Educational attitudes of male alumni of single-sex and coed schools.  Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 4 (2), 136-148.
            Howard, L. and James, A.N. (2003). What Principals Need to Know About Teaching…. Differentiated Instruction.  Alexandria, VA: National Association of Elementary School Principals.
            James, A. N. (2007). Teaching the Male Brain.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
            James, A. N. (2007).  Gender differences and the teaching of mathematics.  Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges, 12 (1).
            James, A.N. (2009). Teaching the Female Brain: How Girls Learn Math and Science. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 

Invited Presentations
2010 – Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color annual gathering, Washington, DC:
workshop on Boys and Self-Control
2010 – National Science Teachers Association annual meeting, Philadelphia, PA: paper
Presentation – Involving Girls in Science: Academic Strategies and Neurocognitive
Gender Differences
2010 – ProVision, Inc, Houston, TX, conference on teaching boys, keynote speaker: Teaching
            the male brain
2010 – Focus on Boys’ Education, London, Keynote speaker: The Purpose of Boys’ Schools
2009 – IBSC Hong Kong Conference, Keynote speaker: The science of teaching boys and
            Working with boys in the classroom
2009 – Council for Exceptional Children annual meeting, Seattle, WA – poster: Gender based
             learning in the classroom: is there evidence of efficacy?  Co-authors: Lori Howard,
            David Chadwell
2008    University of Wisconsin, Boys and Girls at Risk Conference – Paper presentations:  Teaching the Female Brain: Girls Excelling at Math and Science and Teaching the Male Brain
2008    International Boys’ Schools Coalition, annual meeting – Paper presentations:  Boys and risky behavior: why do they do it and what can we do to help? And Inquiring boys: using brain based strategies to develop learning skills.  Preconference workshop:  Teaching the male brain
2008 – South Carolina, Greenville, Columbia, Charleston:  Professional day training for teachers
 in state single gender schools on theory, techniques, and strategies for teaching boys. 
2008 – American Mathematical Assocation of Two Year Colleges annual meeting, Washington,
 DC – Paper presentation, Gender differences and teaching math to girls.      
2007    South African Principals’ Association annual meeting, Cape Town, South Africa –
            keynote speech – Gendered Education and Brain-based Learning
2007   International Boys’ School Coalition, annual meeting – Paper presentations:  Teaching the
 Male Brain, Wake ‘em up in Math Class, and How to Get Boys to Want to Read
2007   International Congress on Single-Sex Education, Barcelona, Spain – keynote speech –
Neurobiology and Learning Styles
2006   National Association for Single Sex Public Education, regional meetings, Columbia, SC;
Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL.
2006   Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Residential Schools Conference – Keynote
 speaker: Girls’ Tears and Boys’ Fights: Techniques in Gendered Communication.
2006   International Boys’ Schools Coalition, annual meeting – Paper presentation: Gender
 Differences and the Brain: Classroom Applications for Middle School and Studying is
 More than Just Reading a Book:  How to Help Boys Learn to Learn
2006   Western Kentucky University: Green River Educational Cooperative Secondary Schools
 Symposium – Keynote speech – Cognitive Gender Differences and the Classroom.
2006   American Educational Research Association annual meeting – Paper presentation: Same
 Sex Programs for Learning Disabled Students: Attitudes of Parents and Students
2006   Virginia Mathematics Association for Two Year Colleges – Keynote speech – How
 Gender Differences Affect the Teaching of Mathematics
2005   National Association of Single Sex Public Education annual meeting – Two paper
 presentations:  Basic Skills Class in a Single Sex Environment and Escaping Stereotypes
2005   International Boys’ Schools Coalition, annual meeting – Paper presentation:  Gende
 differences and the brain: classroom applications.
2005   American Educational Research Association annual meeting – Paper presentation: Same
 sex education programs and the learning disabled – a pilot program.
2004   International Boys’ Schools Coalition, annual meeting – Paper presentation: Disabled,
Disinterested, or Both: How to teach both in one classroom.
2004   American Educational Research Association annual meeting – Paper
presentation: A comparison of boys’ schools in the United States, England, and Australia
And with Lori Howard – Paper presentation: Teacher recruitment in private schools: Can
 summer internships help?
2003   International Boys’ Schools Coalition, annual meeting – Paper presentation:  Educating
 the Whole Classroom
2003   National Association of Independent Schools Annual Meeting – Workshop:  Exploration
 of Learning Styles: How to Reach the Whole Classroom.
2002   International Boys’ Schools Coalition, annual meeting – Paper presentation:  Escaping
 Stereotypes: Educational attitudes of male alumni of single-sex and coed schools.
2002   American Cancer Society, Virginia Chapter Annual Meeting – Presentation of data:
 Educational Sequelae of Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients.
2001   American Psychological Association Annual Convention – Poster presentation: The Lost
 Art of Educating Boys, Division 51.
1995   American Psychological Association Annual Convention – Roundtable discussion, What
 Works in Teaching Psychology, Division 2 – Teachers of Psychology in the Secondary
Schools Affiliate.
1994   American Psychological Association Annual Convention – Roundtable discussion, What
 Works in Teaching Psychology, Division 2 – Teachers of Psychology in the Secondary
 Schools Affiliate.

Awards and Honors
American Psychological Association – 2004 Teaching Tips Contest – second place

Professional Affiliations
American Psychological Association
            Member, Division 51 – Psychology of Men and Masculinity
American Educational Research Association
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Gender and Education Association
International Boys’ School Coalition
National Association for Single Sex Public Education

Professional Service
American Psychological Association – Member of the Executive Committee of Teachers of Psychology in the Secondary Schools (TOPSS) – 1994-1996
United Nations – Consultative Meeting on Research Approaches for Very Young Adolescents – 2005
National Association for Single Sex Public Education – Advisory Board – 2005 – Present

Consultant Service
Haverford School for Boys, Haverford, PA
Septima Clark Public Charter School, Washington, DC
Hannah-Pamplico Elementary Middle School, Pamplico, SC

Workshops
2010 – IBSC Academy, St. Christopher’s School, Richmond, VA – Professional training session with teachers who are new to teaching boys
2010 – St. Catherine’s School, Richmond, VA – Professional day training session with teachers on principles of teaching girls, especially in dealing with test anxiety
2009 – IBSC schools Australia – Professional day training session with teachers on principles of gendered education and parent presentation on single gender education
2009 - Woodbridge Middle School, Woodbridge, VA – Professional day training session with teachers on principles of gendered education
2009 – Randolph Macon Military Academy, Front Royal, VA – Professional day training session with teachers on principles of gendered education
2009 – American Boychoir School, Princeton, NJ – Professional day training session with teachers in boys’ middle school on principles of gendered education
2009 – Imagine Schools Southeast, Washington, DC – Professional day training session with teachers in single gender elementary school on principles of gendered education
2009 – Brother Rice Academy, Chicago, IL – Professional day training session with teachers on principles of gendered education
2009 – IBSC Academy, St. Christopher’s School, Richmond, VA – Professional training session with teachers who are new to teaching boys
2009 – Great Britain and Scotland - Professional day training session with teachers in IBSC schools on principles of gendered education and parent presentation on single gender education at boys’ schools
2009 – Mary Institute and Country Day School – St. Louis, MO - Professional day training session with teachers on principles of gendered education and parent presentation on single gender education
2009 – Kings Schools, Seattle, WA - Professional day training session with teachers on principles of gendered education and parent presentation on single gender education
2008 – Wilkinson County, GA – Professional day training session with teachers in middle school on principles of gendered education and parent presentation on single gender education
2008 – Hendley Elementary School, Washington, DC - Professional day training session with teachers in elementary school on principles of gendered education
2008 – Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools - Professional day training session with teachers on principles of gendered education
2008 – St. Bernards’ School, New York, NY, Professional day training session with teachers in middle school on principles of gendered education
2008 – Berkley Carroll, Brooklyn, NY - Professional day training session with teachers in middle school on principles of gendered education and parent presentation on single gender education
2008 – Princeton Day School, NJ - Professional day training session with teachers in elementary and middle school on principles of gendered education and parent presentation on single gender education
2007 – South African Principal’s Association – workshop on teaching maths and science to girls
2007 – Hardin County, KY – Professional day training session with teachers of both middle and high coed schools on principles of gendered education.
2006 – Lowell, IN – Professional day training session with teachers of both middle and high coed schools on principles of gendered education.
2006 – Columbia, SC – Professional day training session with teachers of 7th and 8th grade single sex classes at TWO Academies at Dent Middle School as well as interested teachers from coed classes
2006 – Wilcox County, Alabama – Workshop with teachers in elementary and middle schools on gendered education
2006 – St. Andrew’s College, Aurora, Ontario, Canada – Professional day training with teachers in a 6-12 boys’ boarding school on classroom strategies for teaching boys.
2006 – Michigan City, IN – Workshop with teachers of 7th and 8th grade single sex classes at Barker Middle School
2005 – The Fessenden School, Boston, MA – Workshop with teachers in K-9 boys’ day and residential school on classroom strategies for working with boys
2005 – Little Rock, AR – Workshop with teachers of 7th and 8th grade single sex classes at Jacksonville Middle School
2005 –Columbus, OH – Workshop with teachers of 7th and 8th grade single sex classes at Sherwood Middle School.
2005 – St. Luke’s School, Culpeper, VA – Follow up with teachers and presentation to parents
2005 – Owensboro, KY – Workshop with teachers of 9th grade single sex classes at Apollo High School
2005 – Fayette County Schools, Fayetteville, GA – Gendered education for elementary, middle, and high school
2005 – New School of Northern Virginia, Fairfax, VA – Study skills for the gifted learning disabled student in both elementary and high school
2004 - St. Luke’s School, Culpeper, VA – Gendered education for elementary school

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