Education

2003 The University of Tampa, B.S.
2007 University of South Florida, M.A.
2015 University of South Florida, Ph.D.

View CV

Courses Taught

Undergraduate:
Teaching Science in the Elementary School
Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School
Teaching Reading through Diagnostic Assessment and Instruction
Instructional Laboratory II

Graduate:
Teacher as Research Scholar
Inquiring Minds

Career Specialties

Yvonne Franco's areas of academic interest and specialization include teacher preparation in STEM and literacy, grounded in inquiry-based, pedagogical practices. In her daily work with teacher candidates, she actively cultivates an expansive, differentiated learning environment that leverages inquiry, artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and practitioner research, for the purpose of preparing teachers with this very skill set.

Professional and Community Activities

Franco's research agenda is focused on the cultivation of an inquiry stance among teacher candidates (TCs) as a pedagogical practice, as well as to approach problems of practice in the classroom and widen the angle of equitable, high-quality, responsive instruction for students across disciplines. She examines ways inquiry skills and dispositions develop among TCs and novice teachers, namely when teaching STEM, literacy and engaging in practitioner research.

Franco regularly presents at the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Association of Science Teacher Educators (ASTE) and the Florida Association for Teacher Educators' (FATE) conferences, among others. She has published numerous articles alongside novice teachers, supporting their use of inquiry skills to inform the field across disciplines, and ensuring their voice is heard from within the authentic classroom setting. She continues to extend her research by developing an expansive approach to STEM and literacy teacher preparation through a pedagogy that involves artificial intelligence, mixed reality, practitioner research and inquiry. This year, Franco co-authored a book that highlights the challenges experienced by the ELL population during the COVID-19 pandemic, inclusive of a chapter highlighting ways teacher candidates overcame inherent problems of practice when learning to teach ELLs for the first time remotely. In addition, she is currently pursuing an NSF grant titled, "Mixed Reality Adventure Gaming Immersive Advancing Spanish Science (MAGIAS)", to support ELLs' development of scientific literacy using Mixed Reality. Franco is past president of the Florida Association of Teacher Educators (FATE).

Since 2011, Franco has acted on a deep belief in the way strong connections with educational stakeholders support the professional development of teachers and teacher candidates. In partnership with elementary schools throughout Tampa Bay, she has nurtured, supervised and proudly graduated hundreds of teachers throughout her 20-year career. These experiences prepare her to support the development of UT educators, through strong University-community partnerships that include Hillsborough County Schools, Nature's Classroom and several professional organizations.

Honors and Awards

2022-2023   Presidential Recognition, Florida Association of Teacher Educators
2022-2024   Dr. W. Robert Houston Leadership Academy Scholar, Association of Teacher Educators
2020   Excellence in Undergraduate Education Award, University of South Florida
2003   Outstanding Educator Award, University of Tampa