Beth Dykstra VanMeeteren, EdD

Director, Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education

Professor, Literacy Education

Beth VanMeeteren
Location

SEC 117A

Phone
(319) 273-2550

Directory Contact

Beth Dykstra VanMeeteren, EdD

Director, Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education

Professor, Literacy Education

As Director of the Iowa Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education, Beth leads a team in developing, piloting, and implementing inclusive early childhood educational materials and professional learning in early STEM education. The team's early STEM work has both national and international recognition as trail blazers in STEM with infants and toddlers, and STEM in preschool through 2nd grade. Their work is being published by Teachers College Press in a series of teacher's guides entitled STEM For Our Youngest Learners

Education

EdD, Curriculum & Instruction, University of Northern Iowa
MAE, Literacy Education, University of Northern Iowa
BA, Social Sciences, Northwestern College

Teaching Interests

Early Childhood Curriculum Development and Organization
Methods of Teaching Early Literacy
Language Development and Emergent Literacy
Teaching Elementary School Science
Methods and Materials in Literacy Education
Elementary Curriculum
Children's Literature
Assessment and Evaluation in Literacy
Experiences in Reading - Tutoring

Research Interests

Early STEM
Early Engineering
Integrative STEM and Literacy
Social-Emotional Development through STEM Learning

Professional Accomplishments
  • Editor of STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series - Teachers College Press
  • Co-Author of STEM Learning With Young Children: Inquiry Teaching With Ramps and Pathways - Teachers College Press
  • Advisor to FIRST LEGO League Discover
  • ​President of the Association of Constructivist Teaching International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
  • 21st Century Leadership Academy Award Member
  • Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teaching
  • Outstanding Service Award - Iowa Science Teachers Section and Iowa Academy of Science (2021)