Skip to main content

Sharing Knowledge Beyond the Classroom

Kate Allman embraces the interdisciplinary nature of Duke

allman_250.jpg
Kate Allman poses in front of the Louvre in Paris during a trip to Paris. She was visiting France to conduct research examining Arabic-speaking student experiences in the United Kingdom. Photo courtesy of Kate Allman.

Name: Kate AllmanPosition: Assistant professor of the practice, Program in Education and director of the Master of Arts in Teaching ProgramYears at Duke: 5

Read More

What I do at Duke: I teach a variety of courses in the Program in Education, including one on adolescence psychology, which looks at teaching adolescents from a brain-based approach. I also teach about teaching diverse students – how can we be conscious of our own identities and support student identities in the classroom.

If I had $5 million, I would: I’ve always seen myself starting a literacy center within a community to support adults that want to learn how to read and use that to develop skills. A lot of my work within schools can feel separate from the communities in which they’re located, so I think it’s exciting to bridge partnerships between schools and communities. 

My first ever job: Working at Old Navy after school in Memphis, Tennessee. I can fold a mean shirt. I was a senior in high school and my parents told me my primary job was to do well in school, but I had a car and had to pay for gas money and I wanted to start having some more money aside from an allowance.

If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: Education and community. This fall I started the Duke-Durham Public School Parent Partnership, which is a group of employees at Duke who are committing to send their kids to Durham Public Schools and create a strong network of people investing time and resources to make Durham’s schools as best they can be. I’m also passionate about gender and education because it’s related to my work.

What I love about Duke: The interdisciplinary nature. I think most universities exist within silos, but since I’ve been working here, I’ve developed great relationships with people in biology and math and departments across campus. That’s pretty unique when I talk to colleagues at other universities. It promotes really interesting discussions and makes work more interesting and engaging.

When I’m not at work, I like to: Spend time with my family hiking around the Eno River or taking walks around our neighborhood. We also like exploring the area, like visiting Saxapahaw for their summer music series.

If I could have one superpower, it would be: To create more time in the day because time is always so limited. Stopping time would be a way to enjoy all the amazing moments that happen around us.

The best advice I ever received was: As a working mom with two kids, someone once told me to work hard, be kind and everything will sort itself out. There’s a lot on my plate, so it’s nice to have a reminder that things will sort themselves out in the end.

An interesting/memorable day at work for me: Our Program in Education has a National Science Foundation fellowship where we create collaborations with many disciplines. Last year, we got faculty from biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, math and more together. We’re all sitting around a table with this free-flowing discussion about the future of math and science education in the country. It was one of the most memorable days in my career because it’s a great example of interdisciplinary education.