Karen F. Tardrew, Ed.D.

Dr. Karen F. Tardrew

Professor, Learning Sciences in Education
 National College of Education, National Louis University
  ktardrew@nl.edu |  www.nl.edu

Programs/Classes Taught

Dr. Tardrew teaches and has developed more than 30 graduate and undergraduate courses across the fields of learning sciences, curriculum design, educational leadership, social-emotional learning, teacher preparation, and research methodology. Her teaching is grounded in innovation, wellness, and reflective practice, and she is recognized for her expertise in both face-to-face and online environments. She currently teaches courses in the Learning Sciences in Education program. Across all levels, her courses encourage educators to explore reflection, creativity, and resilience in contemporary classrooms.

Graduate Courses Taught or Developed

• Learning Sciences:
  
  
  • LSE 500 Introduction to the Learning Sciences and Technology
  • LSE 530 Designing Learning Experiences: Cognition in Socio-Cultural Contexts
    
  • LSE 540 Social Emotional Learning in Cultural Contexts
    
  • LSE 542 Digital Tools for Teaching, Learning and Assessment
    
  • LSE 505 / LSE 555 / LSE 597 Learning Sciences Seminars (Baseline, Midpoint, End Point)
    
  • LSE 598 Integrating Professional Knowledge and Practices
    
  • LSE 595 A/B/C Strategies for Teaching in E-Learning and Remote Environments
    
    
• Teaching, Learning & Assessment (TLA):
  
  
  • TLA 578 Developing School Cultures
    
  • TLA 541 / TLA 542 Assessment in Teaching and Learning (Intro and Field Study)
    
  • TLA 543 Reflecting on Teaching, Learning and Assessment
    
  • TLA 588 Constructing Curriculum for Engaging the Whole Learner
    
  • TLA 589 Differentiating for Diverse Learners
    
  • TLA 591 Meeting Complex Challenges of Contemporary Classrooms
    
  • TLA 579 Engaging with Critical Multicultural Perspectives
    
  • TLA 594 Examining Curriculum Perspectives (Independent Study)
    
    
• Educational Research (ESR):
  
  
  • ESR 510–534 Action Research I–IV
    
  • ESR 591–592 Advanced Action Research
    
  • ESR 595 Special Topics in Research
    
    
• Foundations and Curriculum & Instruction:
  
  
  • FND 509 Educational Foundations
    
  • CIC 528 / CIC 529 Curriculum and Instruction I & II
    
  • CIC 591 / CIC 594 Field Study and Independent Study in Curriculum & Instruction
    
  • CIL 531 Cross-Cultural Education
    
  • IDS 560 / IDS 561 Integrated Curriculum I & II
    
  • EPS 527 / EPS 528 Group Theory, Human Development, and Learning
    
  • EDL 594 Independent Study in Educational Supervision
    
    

Undergraduate Courses

• ELE 200 Practicum I
  
• FND 504 History and Philosophy of Education
• ELE 390 September Field Experiences Seminar
• ELE 470 Student Teaching Supervision and Seminar
• ELE 580 / ELE 585 Practicum and Workshop in Elementary Education
• ELE 590 Student Teaching Seminar
  
  
  • CIC 514 Classroom Management

She also mentors doctoral candidates in the Strategic Educational Leadership (SEL) and Educational Leadership (Ed.L.) programs whose dissertations examine equity, resilience, educator wellness, and reflective practice.

Areas of Expertise

Visual Literacy · Educator Wellness · Reflective Practice · Learning Sciences · Curriculum Design · Social-Emotional Learning · Narrative Inquiry · Mindfulness & Holistic Education · Leadership Development · Visual Methodologies

Biography

Dr. Karen F. Tardrew is a tenured Professor at National Louis University, where she has served since 1992 with distinction as a scholar, leader, and innovator in educator development. Over more than three decades, she has advanced NLU’s mission through transformative curriculum design, academic leadership, and a sustained commitment to educator wellness and reflective practice.

She currently chairs the Learning Sciences in Education graduate programs and has previously served as Wisconsin Academic Director, Director of Teaching, Learning & Assessment (TLA), and Co-Chair of the National College of Education. In these roles she led major academic initiatives, including a full redesign of the Learning Sciences curriculum to center reflection, social-emotional well-being, and digital learning.

Dr. Tardrew’s research explores the intersections of visual literacy, educator wellness, creativity, and reflective practice. She integrates visual methodologies, narrative inquiry, metaphor work, and self-study approaches to support the personal and professional flourishing of educators. Her scholarship invites educators to use image, symbolism, and mindfulness as tools for resilience, meaning-making, and renewed purpose.

She is an internationally recognized leader, Past President and current Executive Board Member of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA). She chaired IVLA’s landmark 50th Annual Conference, delivered a keynote address at the Penetration of Visual Literacy Symposium at Nagoya University of the Arts (Japan), and in 2023 received the John L. Debes Award, IVLA’s highest honor, for global leadership in visual literacy education.

Beyond academia, Dr. Tardrew is an entrepreneur and community innovator. She founded Grasshopper Goods, Wisconsin’s first award-winning mobile artisan boutique supporting educators, and she currently leads Kuren Healing, a holistic wellness practice integrating Reiki, ritual, and reflective inquiry for educator renewal. As an internationally certified Reiki Master, she models the integration of mind, body, and spirit in professional learning and leadership.

Education

• Ed.D., Instructional and Educational Leadership – National Louis University
  
• M.Ed., Instructional and Educational Leadership – National Louis University
  
• B.S., Special Education – Indiana University

Selected Publications and Research Interests

Dr. Tardrew’s research and writing explore visual literacy, educator well-being, reflective methodologies, arts-informed pedagogy, and transformative learning. Recent works include:

• Tardrew, K. (2024). Moving through the Continuum of Online Learning in the National College of Education. In Transforming Educator Preparation for Changing Times. Information Age Publishing.
  
  
• Tardrew, K. (2023). Using Visual Art Practices to Enhance Educators’ Professional Growth. In Visual Pedagogies in Higher Education. Brill.
  
  
• Multiple visual essays in the Selected Readings of the International Visual Literacy Association.
  
  

Recent presentations include:
Visual Metaphors for Resilience · Reflective Lenses for Global Educators · Visual Literacy in Action: Empowering Educators Through Reflective Practice

Her ongoing research interests include:
Educator wellness · Visual and arts-based inquiry · Metaphor as reflection · Mindfulness and resilience · Learning sciences innovation · Narrative and self-study methods · Global perspectives on teacher renewal

Contact Information

#(608) 515-8944
ktardrew@nl.edu
www.nl.edu

Favorite Quote:
 “To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”