M.A., Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
J.D. Suffolk University Law School
B.A. Georgetown University
Areas of Expertise:
Teacher learning; professional learning communities; professional development; teacher collaboration for instruction of English language learners.
I have taught biology, ecology, chemistry and physics in public and independent schools and served as a science and assessment consultant for schools.
Courses I Teach:
- Professional Learning Communities: Teaming in Middle Grades, Educational Research
- Reflective Practices
- Schools and Society
- Secondary Education
- Senior Seminar of Student Teaching in Secondary Schools
- Supervision of Student Teaching in Secondary Schools
My research and teaching are closely intertwined. Much of my research focuses on teacher collaborative learning. Before joining the Saint Michael’s faculty in 2004, I taught science education courses to pre-service teachers at University of California, Berkeley and professional development courses to middle and high school teachers.
I was the co-principal investigator with Saint Michael's professors Susan Jenkins and Elizabeth O'Dowd on a five-year, $900,000 grant received from the U.S. Department of Education No Child Left Behind Act. The grant is for Project CREATE (Curriculum Reform for the Education of All Teachers of English Language Learners). I have published articles in pre-service teacher learning and professional learning communities.
Life Off Campus
Outside Saint Michael's I enjoy backcountry telemark skiing, mountain biking and hiking. I also enjoy growing fruits and vegetables and raising chickens and goats on my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm - Leap Frog Farm.
James Nagle, associate professor of education, presented two papers in November 2012 at the annual conference of the Association of Middle Level Educators (AMLE) in Portland, OR. The papers were entitled "Co-teaching to enhance science literacy" and "Professional development using the Vermont policy document - Middle school is not a building." In January he co-hosted with Penny Bishop from University of Vermont and Kathleen Brinegar from Johnson State College the Vermont Middle Grades Conference - an annual showcase of middle-level teaching throughout Vermont.
James Nagle, associate professor of education, as co-director of the Vermont Middle Grades Collaborative, hosted the Fifth Annual Middle Grades Conference: Partnering in the Middle on January 14, 2012 at the Davis Center on the UVM campus. The conference showcased effective middle grades practice throughout Vermont. This year over 100 Vermont teachers and teacher educators shared their work from their classroom and schools. The Middle Grades Collaborative also sponsors the Middle Grades Institute, which is a week-long summer professional development retreat for middle level teachers and principals. The other co-director is UVM professor Penny Bishop. The Collaborative consists of faculty from UVM, Johnson State College and Saint Michael's College.