Faculty

Jayne Downey
Associate Professor, Curriculum & Instruction
Head, Department of Education

Contact Information
213 Reid Hall
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717-2880
Email
406.994.7426

Profile
Dr. Downey received her doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado and is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology in the Department of Education at Montana State University. Dr. Downey teaches courses in educational psychology, social foundations of education, and critical issues in education such as Mentoring. She serves as the Department Head for the Department of Education and consults with educators and community agencies on various educational issues including strategies for fostering students’ academic success.

Additional Links
Curriculum Vitae

Courses taught:
EDCI 102- In-School Experience
EDCI 208 - Educational Psychology & Human Development Of School Age Children
EDCI 209 - Educational Psychology And Adolescent Development
EDCI 469 - Public Schooling In American Society
EDCI 508 - Advanced Educational Psychology
EDCI 514 - Mentoring New Teachers
EDCI 531 - Contemporary Issues in Education
EDCI 564 - The Comprehensive Portfolio

Research and Scholarship
Dr. Downey’s academic background is in the field of Educational Psychology and her research examines the nature of learning and learners, the characteristics of effective teaching, and the contextual factors that influence the teaching and learning process.

Her program of research revolves around two complementary strands of investigation:

• exploring the factors involved in promoting academic success for at-risk children and adolescents
• and the preparation of prospective teachers to teach students from diverse backgrounds.

Dr. Downey’s scholarship also includes the development and publication of a multimedia project and a series of manuals for use by instructors of Educational Psychology designed to enhance the learning of prospective teachers.

Interests
I was born and raised on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. I worked and taught for 10 years in Canada before moving to Chicago to pursue graduate studies and teach in 3 Community Colleges. In 1998, I moved to Greeley, CO where I had the opportunity to teach and complete my doctoral degree before moving to Bozeman in 2002. It was here I met my husband Scott and together we enjoy hiking, fly fishing, backpacking, skiing, golfing, and almost any other outdoor activity. My other interests include all kinds of music (I play guitar and banjo) and a whole host of team sports (I loved playing pond hockey as a kid and varsity basketball in college).