Robert Vogel, Ed.D.

Professor Emeritus
Education

I have recently retired from full-time teaching after 43 years at the university and currently serve as Professor Emeritus of Education. I am the Founding Director of Writers Matter: Voices of Teens at La Salle University in Philadelphia and Israel and founding co-Director of Leadership and Global Understanding at the University. I received my doctorate from Temple University in Educational Psychology and Organization Development. After teaching for three years for the School District of Philadelphia at the Charles Carroll School, I began my tenure at LaSalle. I have taught both undergraduate and graduate level courses, supervised student teachers in elementary, special and secondary education. In addition to teaching many special topic courses in education, I have taught travel study courses that traveled around the world as part of my role in the Leadership and Global Understanding program. Countries traveled included: Israel, Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Germany, Chile, Cuba, Morocco, Spain, Thailand, Hong Kong, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. These courses examined the respective education systems and the ways these countries were preparing their youth to be globally competitive.

As you can tell, I love to travel to new places. Since graduating high school in the mid 60’s (yes, I am an authentic baby boomer and product of the 60’s), I have travelled to many places around the world with students and my family. Some of my favorite places have been Israel, Croatia, Japan, China, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Brazil, Myanmar, Bali, South Africa and just about any place in Europe. I am still looking forward to traveling though Australia, New Zealand, North and West Africa and other places off the radar. As a biker (with pedals) I have done long distance biking in Israel, France, Austria, Croatia, Bali, Ireland and most recently in the Canadian Rockies.

In addition to my professional work, I have spent much time traveling with my wife Marlyn. She has been a chaperone on all the travel study adventures and has been part of the LGU family. We live in the Art Museum area of Philadelphia and love taking advantage of what the city has to offer. We spend much of our free time and summers in Margate, NJ close to the ocean. It’s a wonderful place for R&R and for walking on the beach and for challenging the waves in my ocean kayak.” It is also a wonderful place to spend time with my two sons, their wives and our three granddaughters.

Professionally, I have consulted with over 35 schools around the country and internationally in the areas of instructional design and strategies, assessment, instructional leadership and flexible scheduling. I have co-authored numerous articles and co-authored “Methods of Teaching: Applying Cognitive Science to Promote Student Learningthat was published by McGraw-Hill. His book has been translated into Chinese and has been adopted my many Chinese Universities.

In 2007, I co-authored Voices of Teens: Writers Matter. This book is based on student writing and lives of students at the Grover Washington Jr. Middle School in the School District of Philadelphia. The book and accompanying DVD was published by the National Middle School Association in June 2008. In 2014, to a new book published by Temple University Press in January 2014, by Drs. Yost, Vogel, and Lewinski called Empowering Young Writers: The Writers Matter Approach.

Writers Matter program is currently serving approximately 2000 children yearly, ten schools and has 40 public school teachers participating. For more information go to www.writersmatteratlasalle.com

Writers Matter has been in operation in Israel and the Palestine Territories since 2010 serving about 350 children. Writers Matter: Empowering Voices of Israeli and Palestinian Teens -Cultural Narrative Building through Writing by Drs. Vogel and Adwan was published in 2016. This book provides a rare and unique window into the lives of children ages 12 to 14 living in one of the most tense and complicated regions of the world, full of conflict and violence. The book ha been translated into Hebrew and Arabic.

I have received the Provost’s Faculty Distinguished Service Award in 2007 and the Distinguished LaSallian Educator Award in 2008 from La Salle University.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • International and Global Studies – travel study courses
  • Middle School Writing
  • Instructional Leadership Training
  • Instructional methodologies based on cognitive and social sciences
  • Experiential Education including Outward Bound and Adventure Training
  • Organizational development, group processes and group development
  • Middle School Education
  • Long range strategic planning for school districts

EDUCATION

  • Ed.D. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Division of Educational Psychology -1980. Dissertation: The Effects of Project USE Training (Outward Bound Training) on the Participants’ Self- Actualization and Self-Perception of Personal Change (Irene Casper, Advisor) (University Microfilms No. 8014421)
  • M.Ed. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Educational Technology, 1972. (Specialization -Training and Development)
  • B.S. Philadelphia University, Business Administration. 1970

TEACHING

  • The Role of the Developmentally-Oriented Teacher
  • Developing and Adjusting Instruction for Gifted, Average, and Mildly Handicapped Learners
  • Practicum I (Elementary and Special Education – summer)
  • Educational Psychology II: Learning and Development
  • General Methods and Management
  • The Professional Year: Teaching and Research Methods I
  • (Elementary Education Senior Seminar)
  • Supervision of Student Teachers
  • Travel Study courses

RESEARCH

Textbooks

Vogel, R and Adwan, S. (2016). Writers Matter: Empowering Voices of Israeli and Palestinian Teens -Cultural Narrative Building through Writing.  Germany: Hadassa Press.

Yost, D.S., Vogel, & Vogel, R. and Lewinski, K. (2014). Empowering Young Writers: The Writers Matter Approach. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Vogel, R.M and Galbraith, M., and (2007). Voices of Teens: Writers Matters. National Middle School Association (book to be published November 2007)

Feden, P.D., and Vogel, R.M. (2003) Methods of teaching: Applying cognitive science to promote student learning. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Book Chapter

Yost, D.S. & Vogel, R. (2008). Urban professional development: Working to create successful teachers and achieving students. In M.M Casky (Ed.), Middle Level Research Annual (pp. 39-48). Westerville, OH: The Middle School Association.

Refereed Journal Articles

Yost, D.S., & Vogel, R. (2012). Writing Matters to urban middle level students. Middle School Journal.

Yost, D.S., Vogel, R., & Liang, L. (2009). Embedded teacher leadership: Support for a site-based model of professional development. International Journal of Leadership in

Education , 12(4), 409-433

Yost, D.S., Vogel, R., & Rosenberg, M. (2009). The change process: The transition from teacher to instructional leader. The Middle School Journal40(3), 20-

Yost, D.S., & Vogel, R. (2007). Urban professional development: Working to create successful teachers and achieving students. Middle School Journal, 38(3), 34-40.

Yost, D.S., & Vogel, R. (2006). Successful teachers, achieving students: What works in urban professional development. National Middle School Journal.

Vogel, R. M. (2001) It’s All About Time. Article published as part of Project 2001: Flexible Scheduling and Staff Development Models for Jewish Day Schools, 111-120. Published on-line by Bar Ilan University, Israel. Lookstein Center for Jewish Education Center. Article solicited by Lookstein Center for Jewish Education.

Feden, P.D., Vogel, R.M., and Clabaugh, G.K. (1992). Preparing expert teachers: Transcending the school-as-factory. Educational Horizons, 70(3), 130-134.

Clabaugh, G.K, Feden, P.D., and Vogel, R.M. (1984). Revolutionizing teacher education: Training developmentally-oriented teachers. Phi Delta Kappan, 65(9), 615-616.

Professional Affiliations

  • Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
  • Association of Middle Level Education
  • Council for Exceptional Children (Teacher Education Division)
  • Pi Lambda Theta Honorary Society; International Alliance of Teacher Scholars
  • Association of American Colleges and Universities

Honors and Awards

Vogel, R. (October, 2010). Received Educators Activist Curriculum Award from the

Women’s Division of the American Educational Research Association (AERA)

Distinguished LaSallian Education Award -2008

Provost’s Distinguished Faculty Service Award – 2007

Inducted into Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society and Professional Association in Education, 1990

Conference Presentations (International and National ) (since 2007)

(April, 2011). Vogel, R.. Writers Matter Most. Presentation at National Catholic Schools Association. New Orleans, La.

(November, 2010). Yost, D.S., & Vogel, R. Writers Matter: Voices of Teens.

Presentation for the National Middle School Association, Baltimore, MD

  • (January, 2010) – Participated in 9-day Holocaust Education program in Israel – Invited
  • (February, 2009) Writers Matter- Voices of Teens. Archdiocese of Wilmington. Wilmington, DE.
  • (November, 2008) Writers Matter-: Voices of Teens.National Middle School Association.. Denver, Co.
  • (November, 2008) Writers Matter-: Voices of Teens.Heuther Conference. St. Louis, Mo.
  • (April, 2008) Writers Matter –Voices of Teens. Middle School Years Conference. Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.
  • (November, 2007)City Writers: Voices of Teens. National Middle School Association. Houston, Texas.
  • (November, 2007)AYP or bust: How the teacher leader model increases student achievement. . National Middle School Association. Houston, Texas.
  • (November, 2007) Voices of Teens: Writers Matter. Huether LaSallian Conference. St. Louis, Missouri
  • (October, 2007) Facing the Violence in Our Lives: Digital Storytelling as Public Action. Association for Integrative Studies. Phoenix, Arizona.

Boards

  • Board of Trustees – Akiba Hebrew Academy. Serve as co-chair of the Education Committee (1992 to present)
  • Board of Directors – Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Served as Chairperson of the Education committee for the Philadelphia region and was representative to the National Commission of Education to the ADL (1999-present).
  • Board of Directors – Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Served as Chairperson of the Education committee for the Philadelphia region and was representative to the National Commission of Education to the ADL (1999-present).
  • Currently serving on Bearing Witness committee, a Holocaust Program for Catholic School teachers (2005-present)