Judson Laughter, PhD

CEHHS Director of Faculty Affairs and Professor, English Education

Biography

Judson Laughter is an associate professor of English education at the University of Tennessee. He earned a BA in English and a BA in French from Vanderbilt, graduating with honors in each subject. He then studied English literature at Keble College of Oxford University as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Upon returning to the United States, he taught English, language arts, and music at the middle and high school levels before returning to Vanderbilt’s Peabody College to pursue his doctoral degree in teaching and learning. While at Peabody, Laughter supervised student teachers in Nashville and Cambridge, England; wrote reports and protocols for NCATE accreditation; and served as the lead editorial assistant for the National Reading Conference Yearbook.

Laughter is currently the advisor for the Educational Studies English Education program and works with interns every year to complete edTPA and action research.  He also conducts the introductory doctoral seminar for TPTE. He teaches courses in English methods, sociolinguistics, trends and issues in education, and action research. When not wearing his academic hat, he enjoys crossword puzzles, cycling, and traveling. His most recent trip was a family escapade to Iceland and Denmark.

Professional Background

Research

Laughter’s research interests include multicultural teacher education and the preparation of preservice teachers for the diverse classroom through dialogue and narrative.  He focuses on culturally relevant education and critical race theory across multiple content areas and academic fields. He recently published a series of three articles on culturally relevant education and a book on critical race theory in teacher education.

Laughter is also involved in an ongoing project providing cultural competency training to local schools. This training began with full-day professional development sessions for all Knox County employees and is now expanding to work with smaller learning communities based at each school. This on-the-ground, context specific work is engaging teachers and students where they are and helping them to build better institutions that serve all students equitably.