Lindy Johnson

College of William and Mary, Curriculum and Instruction, Assistant Professor

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Supervisors: Donna Alvermann, TJ Kopcha, Ruth Harman, and Peter Smagorinsky
Address: Department of Curriculum and Instruction
School of Education
301 Monticello Avenue
The College of William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA

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Papers by Lindy Johnson

LINDY L. JOHNSON & ELIZABETH DEBOESER GAMING THE SYSTEM: ENGAGING STUDENTS IN THE IMAGINATIVE WORLDS OF YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE THROUGH ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

This chapter describes the experiences of one English Language Arts teacher who incorporated role... more This chapter describes the experiences of one English Language Arts teacher who incorporated role-playing games into her 6th grade classroom. During a historical fiction unit focused on the American Revolution, students read young adult novels, participated in book clubs, and created role-playing games based on the novels. Drawing on game-based learning and literacy, and a transactional theory of reading, the authors argue that role-playing games can help students inhabit literary worlds by foregrounding the aesthetic aspects of reading. A description of the roleplaying game project, including its goals, activities, and assessments, is provided. -How can role-playing game help students create immersive and imaginative literary worlds? -How do role-playing games provide students with opportunities to connect and extend their out of school literacy practices around gaming? -What role-playing activities do you already incorporate into your teaching of literature? How might you extend these activities so that students are given opportunities to experience the aesthetic aspects of reading? -What are some of your and your students' favorite games? How might you adapt aspects of these games into your teaching of reading and writing? -What do you see as the benefits and challenges of creating a participatory culture in your classroom?

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Self-Leadership and Teacher Well-Being: An Internal Family Systems Informed Approach

by Lindy Johnson and Chelsea Choi

International Journal of Teacher Leadership, 2025

Teacher well-being is essential for student success, yet burnout remains a persistent challenge, ... more Teacher well-being is essential for student success, yet burnout remains a persistent challenge, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores the use of the Internal Family Systems model as an innovative approach in supporting teacher well-being through the development of Self-Leadership. Conducted across seven schools in two school districts in the United States, this phenomenological study examines K-12 teachers' experiences after participating in P.A.U.S.E., a well-being program designed to nurture their Self-Leadership. Through qualitative analysis of focus group data, we identified three key themes: 1) the transformative impact of Self-Leadership practices on teachers and students; 2) the importance of Self-Led facilitation and collaborative practice; and 3) a longing for more collective, systemic approaches to well-being across school communities. Findings suggest that integrating IFS concepts into well-being programs can enhance teachers' ability to regulate their emotions, reduce stress, and improve teacher and student relationships. This study contributes to current understandings of teacher well-being by investigating how concepts from IFS, particularly Self-Leadership, can be effectively adapted to support both teachers and students in K-12 educational settings.

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Bilingual Youth Voices in Middle School: Performance, Storytelling, and Photography

Remixing Teaching through Music: Intertextuality and Intersubjectivity in the Recontextualized ELA Classroom

Speaking Truth to Power

English Journal, Mar 1, 2017

Navigating the Blended Learning Classroom: One Teacher’s Perspective on Designing and Delivering Blended Instruction

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Mar 5, 2017

Introduction: Remixing Teaching through Music

We—Lindy and Chris—met following a presentation that Lindy gave at the National Council of Teache... more We—Lindy and Chris—met following a presentation that Lindy gave at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) convention in 2012. As many good conversations at conferences do, ours led to an idea of future collaboration. We ultimately decided to propose a one-day workshop on the varying uses of music in the teaching of English.

Mediating the “Two-Worlds” Pitfall Through Critical, Project-Based Clinical Experiences

The New Educator, Jan 15, 2018

This article looks across two teacher education programs to review the tensions and benefits of c... more This article looks across two teacher education programs to review the tensions and benefits of critical, project-based (CPB) clinical experiences. The first study examines a project embedded within a methods course focused on secondary English language arts (ELA) preservice teachers (PSTs) engaging with youth around a shared writing activity. In the second study, PSTs partnered with local high school students to consider the relevance of writing in and out of schools. We consider how CPB clinical experiences served as mediating spaces that address the disconnect between universities, schools, and communities (Zeichner, 2010). Data analysis suggested there are numerous tensions and benefits associated with CPB clinical experiences for PSTs, teacher educators, and school-based teachers and students. We draw on the findings from this study to make recommendations for future iterations of such work.

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Gaming the System

BRILL eBooks, Feb 4, 2020

Playful Practices: Reimagining Literacy Teacher Education through Game-Based Curriculum Design

Research in the Teaching of English

The prevalence of high-stakes testing, scripted curricula, and accountability measures in schools... more The prevalence of high-stakes testing, scripted curricula, and accountability measures in schools discourages experimentation with curriculum. This article encourages curriculum design experimentation in teacher education by proposing playful practices, game-like activities for designing curriculum that draws on students’ out-of-school literacies. We explore the benefits and challenges of game-based curriculum design with preservice teachers (PSTs; N = 19) in two public university secondary English education courses and trace one PST’s take-up of the curriculum design moves through incorporation of these playful practices into her classroom. Data collection occurred across one academic year and included field and observation notes, written reflections, interview data, and artifacts. Findings show the potential for game-based curriculum design in literacy teacher education to (1) create an imaginative space between teacher and student, (2) encourage collaborative production, (3) conn...

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Editorial: Professional Development Pathways through Social Justice Frameworks

English Education

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Reimagining summer school: Science and engineering enrichment for middle school students in the wake of COVID-19

Middle School Journal

Experimenting with game-based learning in preservice teacher education

English Teaching: Practice & Critique

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the use of game-based learning for approximations ... more PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the use of game-based learning for approximations of practice within a critical, project-based (CPB) clinical experience for preservice teachers (PSTs). Within the clinical experience, secondary English Language Arts PSTs practiced modeling argumentative thinking through playing a board game,Race to the White House, with ninth-grade students.Design/methodology/approachData collection took place at a public high school in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA. A variety of data was collected including written reflections by PSTs about their experiences leading the game play, audio recordings of the small group game play and a transcript of a whole-class 30-min post-game discussion with the PSTs and classroom teacher. To analyze the data, patterns of discourse were identified.FindingsThe game-based learning activity provided an accessible structure for PSTs to model their own argumentative thinking, presented opportunities for PSTs to elicit...

Exploring How Secondary STEM Teachers and Undergraduate Mentors Adapt Digital Technologies to Promote Culturally Relevant Education during COVID-19

Education Sciences

The COVID-19 global pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to K-16 educators, including the ... more The COVID-19 global pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to K-16 educators, including the closing of educational agencies and the abrupt transition to online teaching and learning. Educators sought to adapt in-person learning activities to teach in remote and hybrid online settings. This study explores how a partnership between middle and high school teachers in an urban school district and undergraduate STEM mentors of color leveraged digital tools and collaborative pedagogies to teach science, technology, and engineering during a global pandemic. We used a qualitative multi-case study to describe three cases of teachers and undergraduate mentors. We then offer a cross-case analysis to interpret the diverse ways in which partners used technologies, pedagogy, and content to promote equitable outcomes for students, both in remote and hybrid settings. We found that the partnership and technologies led to rigorous and connected learning for students. Teachers and undergraduates ...

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Resistance, Persistence, and a Whole Lot of Wobble

Reframing the Assignment:Evolutions, Not Revolutions, in Learning to Teach Writingwith Digital Technologies

The Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 2016

Navigating the Blended Learning Classroom: One Teacher’s Perspective on Designing and Delivering Blended Instruction

Mediating the “Two-Worlds” Pitfall Through Critical, Project-Based Clinical Experiences

The New Educator, 2018

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The Implementation of an Academic and Applied Esports Program in Higher Education

Advances in Game-Based Learning, 2021

Drawing on sociocultural theories of learning, this case study describes how a small liberal arts... more Drawing on sociocultural theories of learning, this case study describes how a small liberal arts university, steeped in a tradition of innovation and discovery, developed and introduced an interdisciplinary academic and applied esports program. The study describes the importance of a multi-interdisciplinary approach to program development and building community, drawn from the voices and expertise of interdepartmental stakeholders including administration, faculty, staff, and students. The authors share the timeline of events and lessons learned in launching a successful esports program by applying an entrepreneurial mindset and accepting an appropriate level of risk.

Gaming the System

Playing with Teaching, 2020

Lindy Johnson

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