Darlene Witte-Townsend is a former Professor of Education who recently retired from her position at Northern Vermont University, formerly Johnson State College

Born and educated in Alberta, Canada, Darlene arrived in Vermont in 1993 to become a professor of Education at Johnson State College as coordinator of the graduate program. She has published numerous essays in a variety of professional educational journals and is cited in more than a thousand publications.


Educational, Literature, and Web Publications

  • Chapters in Books

    Witte, D. L. (2013). In B. A. Marlowe & A. S. Canistrari (Eds.), Necessary Muddles: Children’s Language Learning in the Classroom: Educational foundations: An anthology of critical readings (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

    Witte-Townsend, D. L., & Hill, A. E. (2006). Toward a pedagogy of depth in everyday classrooms: Exploring relational consciousness among teachers and young children. In B.A. Marlowe & A.S. Canestrari’s (Eds.), Educational psychology: Readings for future  teachers (pp. 79–90). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.


    Witte-Townsend, D. L. (2002). Remembering the childhood loss of a mother. In M. van Manen (Ed.), Writing in the dark: Studies in interpretive inquiry (pp. 112–121.) London, ON, Canada: Althouse Press.

  • Peer-reviewed Articles in Scholarly and Professional Journals

    Witte-Townsend, D. L., & Hill, A. E. (2006). Light-ness of being in the primary classroom: Inviting conversations of depth across educational communities. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 38(3), 373-389.

    Witte-Townsend, D. L., & Whiting, A. G. (2005). Seeking best practice in reading fluency development: Children, parents and teachers tell stories of complex relations. New England Reading Association Journal (NERAJ), 41(1), 51–63.

    Witte-Townsend, D. L., with DiGiulio, E. (2004). Something from nothing: Exploring dimensions of children’s knowing through the repeated reading of favourite books. The International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 127–-142.

    Witte-Townsend, D. L., & Whiting, A. G. (2003). Lessons in sweet words: Supporting children’s language play and literacy development in the preschool years. The Journal of Early Education and Family Review, 11(1), 6–21.

    Witte-Townsend, D. L., & Whiting, A. G. (1999). Children’s language play and early literacy development: Implications for emerging mind. Early Childhood Education, 32(1), 34–39.

    Witte-Townsend, D. L., & Whiting, A. G. (1999). Lessons in sweet words: Language play in the elementary school classroom. New England Reading Association Journal (NERA), 35(1), 7–15.

    Witte, D. L., Sawada, D., & Hill, A. (1997). Dragon Soup: Children’s conversations and dramatic play. Teaching Education, 9(12).

    Hill, A., & Witte, D. L. (1996). Power, play and drama: Listening to unfinished scripts in the early childhood classroom. Early Childhood Education, 23(2), 9–15.

    Witte, D. L., & Blakey, J. (1992). The child’s view of evaluation: Voice as pattern through time. Journal of Learning About Learning, 1(1), 21–29.

    Witte, D. L., Everett-Turner, L., & Sawada, D. (1991). Metaphor as method in recovering teachers’ tacit knowledge of play: Emergence of metaphoric themes. Play & Culture, 4(1), 24–30.

    Witte, D. L. (1991). Remembering: The child’s experience of the loss of a mother. Phenomenology + Pedagogy, (9), 172–181.

  • Books, Magazines, Etc.

    Witte, Darlene L. (2024) Edges. Two Poems: This Bride’s Gown of Frost, p. 48; Toward Liminal Haze  p. 49. Unpsychology Magazine, Issue 10, 2024.


    Poetry & Performance (1) (Volume One) Paperback – June 15, 2023 by Green Mountain Writers Group (Author), Darlene Witte (Author), & 24 more

  • Web Publications

    Witte, Darlene L. (2024) Edges. Two Poems: This Bride’s Gown of Frost, p. 48; Toward Liminal Haze  p. 49. Unpsychology Magazine, Issue 10, 2024.

    Witte-Townsend retires Leisa Kelsey, May 3, 2012

    Witte, Darlene L. 2024 Amethyst Review: Among the Grammars of Loss, October 25, 2024