Biography

Maria Dantas-Whitney joined the Division of Education and Leadership at Western Oregon University (WOU) in the fall of 2004. She teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in second language acquisition, educational linguistics, language teaching methods/curriculum/assessment, and cultural and linguistic diversity in education, in addition to directing graduate theses and projects. She currently serves as the Coordinator of the Bilingual Teacher Scholars Program. She also served as chair of the division from 2012-2015.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she came to the U.S. to pursue a master's degree in TESL at Northern Arizona University. Prior to moving to Oregon, she taught ESL in Colorado and North Carolina. She taught ESL and teacher education courses at Oregon State University for 14 years before joining WOU.

Maria completed her Ph.D. in Education at Oregon State University in 2003. She is the recipient of the 2004 AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award in Second Language Research and the TESOL/College Board Award for Teacher as Classroom Researcher.

Maria is currently serving as an English Language Fellow at the University of Brasilia, Brazil for the 2023-2024 year. She has also been a Fulbright scholar in Mexico (2008-2009) and in Panama (2016-2017), where she conducted ethnographic classroom-based research in primary and secondary schools, taught courses at her host institutions, and offered professional development opportunities for local teachers and educational leaders. 

Maria has directed several grant projects (sponsored by the federal and state governments), which provided professional development activities for Oregon K-12 teachers such as coursework, mentoring and guidance on classroom-based research.

Maria is a former president of Oregon TESOL and ORATE (Oregon Association for Teacher Educators), as well as past chair of TESOL's Intensive English Programs Interest Section. Currently she serves as a member of the Academic Committee of RIENN: Red de Investigación Etnográfica con Niñas, Niños y Jóvenes [Network of Ethnographic Research with Children and Youth].

Maria’ research focuses on the intersection of language, culture and education, with a particular emphasis on issues of identity and agency related to bilingualism/multilingualism and schooling. She is also interested in the development of critical cultural consciousness and critical pedagogical approaches in teacher education. Her research takes place mainly in classrooms, including her own. She utilizes qualitative methods such as ethnography, case study and collaborative action research. She has published articles in the Journal of Language, Identity & Education, Magis, Bilingual Research Journal, System, TESOL Journal, ORTESOL Journal, MEXTESOL Journal, and Perspectivas Educativas, in addition to a number of book chapters. She is co-editor of Dos momentos inesperados e interesses surpreendentes: (Re)invenção e (re)descoberta na etnografia colaborativa com crianças e jovens [Unexpected moments and surprising interests: (Re)invention and (re)discovery in collaborative ethnography with children and youth] (2021, Ed. Pedro e Joao, with Silva, Clemente, Guerrero & Milstein), Bordes, límites y fronteras: Etnografía en colaboración con niños, niñas, adolescentes y jóvenes [Borders, limits and frontiers: Ethnography in collaboration with children, adolescents, and youth] (2017, Javeriana, with Guerrero, Clemente & Milstein), TESOL voices: Insider accounts of classroom life: Secondary learners (2017, TESOL, with Rilling), Encuentros etnográficos con nin@s y adolescentes: Entre tiempos y espacios compartidos [Ethnographic encounters with children and adolescents: Between shared times and spaces] (2011, Miño y Dávila, with Milstein, Clemente, Guerrero & Higgins), Authenticity in the Language Classroom and Beyond (two volumes, 2009 and 2010, TESOL, with Rilling) and Intensive English Programs in Postsecondary Settings (2002, TESOL, with Dimmitt). She has also served as co-editor for TESOL's Classroom Practice Series, a 15-volume series of professional reference books (2008-2011, with Rilling & Savova).