Paola Pilonieta

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Paola Pilonieta moved to Miami, Florida with her family when she was 6 years old. Her experiences as a multilingual learner and her parents’ acclimation to a new education system continue to inspire her research agenda. Pilonieta attended the University of Miami for her entire educational career. She received her B.A. in elementary education and French, her Master’s in Reading and Learning Disabilities, and her Ph.D. in Reading. Along the way, she taught first grade for five years in an urban Catholic school.

Pilioneta is a professor of reading and elementary education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in reading methods and is currently teaching courses for the Niner Cohort, where teacher candidates have the opportunity to enter a local classroom environment immediately after their own class to practice the skills they’re learning.

Education

Ph.D. – 2006 University of Miami Reading
M.S. – 2002 University of Miami Reading and Learning Disabilities
B.A. – 1998 University of Miami Elementary Education and French

Teaching

Teaching Foundational Literacy Skills
Applied Literacy and Practices
Essentials of Literacy Instruction
Methods for Literacy

Research Interests/Areas of Expertise

Comprehension of primary grade learners
Reading strategies for children from diverse backgrounds, particularly Multilingual Learners
Early literacy
Preservice and Inservice teacher education
Science of Reading