Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell

Professor of Education

Education

Ph.D., University of Illinois, Chicago, 2011
M.Ed., Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, 2004
M.F.A., Columbia College, Chicago, Illinois, 1994
B.A., Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1988

“Education helps us to pass on what we understand about God’s world to our children and their children. We live in a broken, sinful world, but God has consistently, from the Old Testament through the New, sent us teachers to help us figure out how to try to fix the brokenness.”

When Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell was little, he would lose track of time while reading books. “As a high school English teacher, I found that it was exciting to help my students discover that kind of reading again. As a scholar, I do a lot of research about how high school teachers can use graphic novels to help students visualize what they read and understand some of the more complicated concepts within academic disciplines like history, math, English, and science.”

Boerman-Cornell wants his students to learn to be excellent teachers. ”But I also want them to understand that good teaching requires them to love their students as God loves us. God is able to see the moments of grace that are in all of us.”

What drew him to Trinity:

Boerman-Cornell had taught as an adjunct in English, Communications Arts, and Education at Trinity while also teaching high school English during the day. “I was drawn to the way that Trinity allows students to take the initiative to do research with professors, to start clubs, or to begin things like a hydroponic fish farm or an anti-bullying campaign in local schools. But what I love most about teaching at Trinity is the way my students care so deeply about becoming excellent teachers and making a difference in their students’ lives.”

Research interests:

His research focuses on ways that middle school and high school teachers can use graphic novels to help students to learn how to read in the context of different academic disciplines. “Even though we think that reading is reading and all reading is the same, it turns out that historians, for example, read to discover arguments in the sources that they read and evaluate those arguments in light of the writer’s biases, historical context, and interest in the issue. Skilled readers of science focus on inquiry and evidence and use the observable results of experimentation to form hypotheses that they test. Readers of literature start with the story and the characters, then look for themes. So since there are different ways to read for different disciplines, I then try to figure out what the popular format of the graphic novel can offer to teachers interested in helping students to learn to understand reading within the disciplines.”

When he’s not teaching:

Boerman-Cornell likes to read, write, bicycle, hike, canoe, and work with his friends to create award-winning sand sculptures.

Boerman-Cornell began a blog in 2010, when former students kept emailing him for book recommendations, which is being migrated over to his website: GNclassoom.com

Courses

  • Children’s Literature
  • Narrative Writing
  • Advanced Essay Writing
  • Teaching English in Grades 6-12
  • Middle School Literacy
  • Middle School Teaching Methods
  • Interdisciplinary Inquiry: Learning Purpose, Equity, and Hope
  • Interdisciplinary Inquiry: Science and Fiction
  • Teaching Reading in the Disciplines
  • Educational Psychology
  • Graduate Classes in Young Adult Literature and Multimodal Literature

Books Published

  • Boerman-Cornell, W; Van Duinen, D.; Gritter, K.; Bian, X. (December 2022) Young Adult Literature and Spirituality: How to Unlock Deeper Understanding with Class Discussion. New York: Rowman and Littlefield.
  • Boerman-Cornell, William; Jung Kim (2020) Using Graphic Novels in the English Language Classroom. London: Bloomsbury
  • Boerman-Cornell, William; Jung Kim, Michael Manderino (2017) Graphic Novels in High School and Middle School Classrooms: A Disciplinary Literacy Approach.  New York: Rowman and Littlefield

Papers Published and/or Presented

  • Gritter, K.; Bian, X.; Boerman-Cornell, B.; Van Duinen, D. (2019) “Not Everyone’s Darling”: Censorship and Knowledge Construction in Habibi. The ALAN Review. 46(1) 91-97.
  • Boerman-Cornell, William; Dave Klanderman; Alexa Schut (2017)  Using Harry Potter to Bridge Higher Dimensionality in Mathematics and High-Interest Literature.  Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy.  60(4) 425-432.
  • Boerman-Cornell, W. (2015) Using Historical Graphic Novels in High School History Classes: potential for Contextualization, Sourcing, and Corroborating. The History Teacher. 209-224.
  • Boerman-Cornell, W. (2013) Exploring the Image/Text Wilderness: Ironic Visual Perspective and Critical Thinking in George O’Connor’s Graphic Novel Journey into Mohawk Country. In Bookbird: Journal of International Children’s Literature. 29-34.
  • Klanderman, D., Maxwell, M., Robbert, S., and Boerman-Cornell, B. (2013). Reading Assignments and Assessments: Are Your Students Reading Math Text Before Class, After Class, Both, or Neither? In Proceedings of the 19th Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences. Wheaton, IL: Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences, 1-8.

Practitioner-Level Publications

  • Boerman-Cornell, B.; Harrison, Steven; and Okuley; Neil (2021) Remodeling Questions from the Builders: Ideas for Rethinking Christian Schools.  Christian Educators Journal.  February
  • Mahtani, M.; & Boerman-Cornell, B. (2020) Christian Considerations for Choosing Books about the Holocaust.  Christian Educator’s Journal. April 2020.  (Martha Mahtani ’20 and I completed this work in conjunction with the Vandervelde Scholars Program)
  • Boerman-Cornell, Bill (2013) More than Comic Books. Educational Leadership. March. pages 73-77.

Honors and Awards

Currently serves on the Editorial Board for Reading Research Quarterly

In the Summer of 2022 Boerman-Cornell was named a Chicago Semester Scholar-in-Residence to work on a book about using graphic novels to teach STEM subjects in high school.

In April 2021, the book Boerman-Cornell co-authored with Jung Kim , Using Graphic Novels in The English Language Arts Classroom, was shortlisted for the United Kingdom Literacy Association Award.

In July 2019, an article Boerman-Cornell co-wrote with Kris Gritter, Xu Bian, and Deb Van Duinen, “Not Everyone’s Darling: Censorship and Knowledge Construction in Habibi” was awarded the ALAN Review Editor’s Award for Excellence.

In Spring 2018, the book Boerman-Cornell co-authored with Jung Kim and Michael Manderino, Graphic Novels in High School and Middle School Classrooms: A Disciplinary Literacy Approach received a Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award honorable mention.

Co-Editor: Christian Educator’s Journal from 2016-2017

June 7, 2015 Speaking Engagement: “Graphic Novels and Youth in the US: Trends in publishing and School Instruction” with Dr. William Teale, at the “Researching Young Readers: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches Conference,” Center for Young Peoples Literature and Culture, Wroclaw University, Poland

Summer 2016 Trinity Summer Research Grant awarded to work on contracted book about using graphic novels in the high school classroom, with Jung Kim and Mike Manderino.

November 2015 Awarded the Trinity Christian College Honorary Alumnus Award.

Summer 2015 Awarded the Christian Scholars Foundation Grant from Intervarsity with Dr. Deb Van Duinen of Hope College and Dr. Kris Gritter of Seattle Pacific University for work on spiritual development in and through Young Adult literature.

2015-16 VanderVelde Junior Scholar Program – Worked with Hannah Dykstra on designing and producing a graphic novel biography of the composer Shostakovich.

2013-14 VanderVelde Junior Scholar Program – Worked with Alexa Dokter on a paper about using Harry Potter to teach mathematical dimensionality. Paper was later accepted by the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literature.

2012-13 VanderVelde Junior Scholar Program – Worked with Andrew Blok on paper about how the reader transitions from the reader’s world to the world of the book. Paper was later accepted by the Christian Educators Journal.

Professional Society Memberships

International Community For Christian Teacher Education (ICCTE) (Past President)
Assembly of Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN)
International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY)
International Reading Association (ILA)
Literacy Research Association (LRA)

+ Expertise

When Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell was little, he would lose track of time while reading books. “As a high school English teacher, I found that it was exciting to help my students discover that kind of reading again. As a scholar, I do a lot of research about how high school teachers can use graphic novels to help students visualize what they read and understand some of the more complicated concepts within academic disciplines like history, math, English, and science.”

Boerman-Cornell wants his students to learn to be excellent teachers. ”But I also want them to understand that good teaching requires them to love their students as God loves us. God is able to see the moments of grace that are in all of us.”

What drew him to Trinity:

Boerman-Cornell had taught as an adjunct in English, Communications Arts, and Education at Trinity while also teaching high school English during the day. “I was drawn to the way that Trinity allows students to take the initiative to do research with professors, to start clubs, or to begin things like a hydroponic fish farm or an anti-bullying campaign in local schools. But what I love most about teaching at Trinity is the way my students care so deeply about becoming excellent teachers and making a difference in their students’ lives.”

Research interests:

His research focuses on ways that middle school and high school teachers can use graphic novels to help students to learn how to read in the context of different academic disciplines. “Even though we think that reading is reading and all reading is the same, it turns out that historians, for example, read to discover arguments in the sources that they read and evaluate those arguments in light of the writer’s biases, historical context, and interest in the issue. Skilled readers of science focus on inquiry and evidence and use the observable results of experimentation to form hypotheses that they test. Readers of literature start with the story and the characters, then look for themes. So since there are different ways to read for different disciplines, I then try to figure out what the popular format of the graphic novel can offer to teachers interested in helping students to learn to understand reading within the disciplines.”

When he’s not teaching:

Boerman-Cornell likes to read, write, bicycle, hike, canoe, and work with his friends to create award-winning sand sculptures.

+ Courses, Publications & Research

Boerman-Cornell began a blog in 2010, when former students kept emailing him for book recommendations, which is being migrated over to his website: GNclassoom.com

Courses

  • Children’s Literature
  • Narrative Writing
  • Advanced Essay Writing
  • Teaching English in Grades 6-12
  • Middle School Literacy
  • Middle School Teaching Methods
  • Interdisciplinary Inquiry: Learning Purpose, Equity, and Hope
  • Interdisciplinary Inquiry: Science and Fiction
  • Teaching Reading in the Disciplines
  • Educational Psychology
  • Graduate Classes in Young Adult Literature and Multimodal Literature

Books Published

  • Boerman-Cornell, W; Van Duinen, D.; Gritter, K.; Bian, X. (December 2022) Young Adult Literature and Spirituality: How to Unlock Deeper Understanding with Class Discussion. New York: Rowman and Littlefield.
  • Boerman-Cornell, William; Jung Kim (2020) Using Graphic Novels in the English Language Classroom. London: Bloomsbury
  • Boerman-Cornell, William; Jung Kim, Michael Manderino (2017) Graphic Novels in High School and Middle School Classrooms: A Disciplinary Literacy Approach.  New York: Rowman and Littlefield

Papers Published and/or Presented

  • Gritter, K.; Bian, X.; Boerman-Cornell, B.; Van Duinen, D. (2019) “Not Everyone’s Darling”: Censorship and Knowledge Construction in Habibi. The ALAN Review. 46(1) 91-97.
  • Boerman-Cornell, William; Dave Klanderman; Alexa Schut (2017)  Using Harry Potter to Bridge Higher Dimensionality in Mathematics and High-Interest Literature.  Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy.  60(4) 425-432.
  • Boerman-Cornell, W. (2015) Using Historical Graphic Novels in High School History Classes: potential for Contextualization, Sourcing, and Corroborating. The History Teacher. 209-224.
  • Boerman-Cornell, W. (2013) Exploring the Image/Text Wilderness: Ironic Visual Perspective and Critical Thinking in George O’Connor’s Graphic Novel Journey into Mohawk Country. In Bookbird: Journal of International Children’s Literature. 29-34.
  • Klanderman, D., Maxwell, M., Robbert, S., and Boerman-Cornell, B. (2013). Reading Assignments and Assessments: Are Your Students Reading Math Text Before Class, After Class, Both, or Neither? In Proceedings of the 19th Conference of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences. Wheaton, IL: Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences, 1-8.

Practitioner-Level Publications

  • Boerman-Cornell, B.; Harrison, Steven; and Okuley; Neil (2021) Remodeling Questions from the Builders: Ideas for Rethinking Christian Schools.  Christian Educators Journal.  February
  • Mahtani, M.; & Boerman-Cornell, B. (2020) Christian Considerations for Choosing Books about the Holocaust.  Christian Educator’s Journal. April 2020.  (Martha Mahtani ’20 and I completed this work in conjunction with the Vandervelde Scholars Program)
  • Boerman-Cornell, Bill (2013) More than Comic Books. Educational Leadership. March. pages 73-77.
+ Awards & Memberships

Honors and Awards

Currently serves on the Editorial Board for Reading Research Quarterly

In the Summer of 2022 Boerman-Cornell was named a Chicago Semester Scholar-in-Residence to work on a book about using graphic novels to teach STEM subjects in high school.

In April 2021, the book Boerman-Cornell co-authored with Jung Kim , Using Graphic Novels in The English Language Arts Classroom, was shortlisted for the United Kingdom Literacy Association Award.

In July 2019, an article Boerman-Cornell co-wrote with Kris Gritter, Xu Bian, and Deb Van Duinen, “Not Everyone’s Darling: Censorship and Knowledge Construction in Habibi” was awarded the ALAN Review Editor’s Award for Excellence.

In Spring 2018, the book Boerman-Cornell co-authored with Jung Kim and Michael Manderino, Graphic Novels in High School and Middle School Classrooms: A Disciplinary Literacy Approach received a Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award honorable mention.

Co-Editor: Christian Educator’s Journal from 2016-2017

June 7, 2015 Speaking Engagement: “Graphic Novels and Youth in the US: Trends in publishing and School Instruction” with Dr. William Teale, at the “Researching Young Readers: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches Conference,” Center for Young Peoples Literature and Culture, Wroclaw University, Poland

Summer 2016 Trinity Summer Research Grant awarded to work on contracted book about using graphic novels in the high school classroom, with Jung Kim and Mike Manderino.

November 2015 Awarded the Trinity Christian College Honorary Alumnus Award.

Summer 2015 Awarded the Christian Scholars Foundation Grant from Intervarsity with Dr. Deb Van Duinen of Hope College and Dr. Kris Gritter of Seattle Pacific University for work on spiritual development in and through Young Adult literature.

2015-16 VanderVelde Junior Scholar Program – Worked with Hannah Dykstra on designing and producing a graphic novel biography of the composer Shostakovich.

2013-14 VanderVelde Junior Scholar Program – Worked with Alexa Dokter on a paper about using Harry Potter to teach mathematical dimensionality. Paper was later accepted by the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literature.

2012-13 VanderVelde Junior Scholar Program – Worked with Andrew Blok on paper about how the reader transitions from the reader’s world to the world of the book. Paper was later accepted by the Christian Educators Journal.

Professional Society Memberships

International Community For Christian Teacher Education (ICCTE) (Past President)
Assembly of Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN)
International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY)
International Reading Association (ILA)
Literacy Research Association (LRA)