sbrainin@hunter.cuny.edu
212 772-4773
927 West


Dr. Sema Brainin received her Ed. D. from Columbia Teachers College in 1982.  Her doctoral studies in Reuven Feuerstein's Mediated Learning theory and practice led her to decades of work in mediated inquiry in classrooms and communities on all levels. She has researched and documented her work in numerous publications and presentations.

Teaching

Dr. Brainin has, since 1992, been an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Hunter College, teaching educational theory and methodology, particularly in Social Studies Education, to graduate and undergraduate preservice teachers. She has worked as pedagogic specialist and history educator with District 4, East Harlem, NYC schools and spearheaded a Teaching American History grant for D.4's Middle School Teachers in 2001. In 2004 she was invited to join Region 9 in a second Teaching American History grant serving Manhattan and Bronx practicing High School teachers. During those years her interests expanded into the area of Geography and she brought the contributions of the NYC Center for Geographic Learning into the TAH scope of study. She subsequently designed and now teaches a course in Geography Education to Hunter Graduate Science and Math Education majors and works as a history and pedagogy consulting partner with the NYC-CGL.

Research

Dr. Brainin's special areas of teaching and research interest are: cognitive functioning and curriculum, school improvement, teacher development, and Social Studies (History and Geography) methods and materials.