Faculty Profile profile for zapoura

Zapoura Newton-Calvert received her MA in English from Portland State University in 2004. Since then, she has taught creative, collaborative writing and community-based learning courses at PSU, Portland Community College, and Marylhurst University. She has extensive background in developing and supporting new teaching collaborations and has also served as a mentor and facilitator for other teachers integrating community-based work into their courses. Currently, Zapoura is a faculty-in-residence for community engagement for PSU's Office of Academic Innovation and serves as a member of several PSU teams dedicated to integrating community-based learning experiences into online teaching and learning. Her own hybrid and online service learning classes partner with local schools and education organizations and embody her teaching philosophy, which focuses on the benefits of building sustainable learning partnerships among local institutions. She believes that bringing students nto the community for learning creates spaces for discussion, develops deeper learning, and encourages working for positive change. As part of her community-based teaching and mentoring, Zapoura writes an education blog that incorporates student and community writing to educate the public on educational equity in Portland.