Wendy Ostroff
Department Chair and Professor of Cognitive & Developmental Science
Contact
Office
Carson 44BAbout
Professor Wendy Ostroff explores how people learn, think, and develop throughout their lives.
As a cognitive and developmental psychologist, her research focuses on child development, curiosity, motivation, attention, memory, and the science of learning.
Her work connects research with real classroom experiences, helping educators understand how children learn and how teaching can encourage creativity, independence, and meaningful discovery.
As Department Chair of the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies, she brings her passion for innovative education and interdisciplinary learning to both her teaching and academic leadership.
Education
| Degree | Institution |
|---|---|
| Ph.D., Psychological Science / Developmental Psychology (2000) | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| M.S., Psychological Science / Developmental Psychology (1998) | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
Academic Interests
- Cognitive & Developmental Psychology
- Child Development & Learning
- Curiosity, Motivation & Creativity
- Language & Literacy Development
- Neuroscience & Cognition
- Metacognition & Critical Thinking
- Innovative Teaching & Learning
- Educational Equity & Social Justice
Research
Research Focus
Understanding How Children Learn
Professor Ostroff's work explores how curiosity, attention, memory, emotion, and language influence learning and development. Her research emphasizes the importance of creating educational environments that encourage exploration, imagination, meaningful dialogue, and independent thinking. Wendy connects cognitive science with innovative approaches to education that support learners of different ages and backgrounds.
Selected Publications & Presentations
Books
| Publication | Publisher & Year |
|---|---|
| Empowering Young Children: How to Nourish Deep, Transformative Learning for Social Justice | Routledge, 2022 |
| Cultivating Curiosity in K–12 Classrooms: How to Promote and Sustain Deep Learning | ASCD, 2016 |
| Understanding How Young Children Learn: Bringing the Science of Child Development to the Classroom | ASCD, 2012 |
| Child and Adolescent Development (Contributing Author) | Pearson / Allyn & Bacon, 2012 |
Academic Articles & Book Chapters
| Publication | Journal / Publisher | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Plasticity in Older Infants' Perception of Phonetic Contrasts: The Role of Selective Attention in Context (co-author) | Infancy | 2024 |
| Empowering Ideas: Philosophy Dialogue Project | Routledge | 2024 |
| Growing Prosocial Brains: How to Fine-Tune Challenging Behavior and Encourage Responsibility and Agency in Our Students | Educational Leadership | 2023 |
| The Embodied Nature of Mathematical Learning | Exchange | 2022 |
| Losing Track of Time: The Young Child's Meandering Path to Deep Learning | Exchange | 2021 |
| Teaching Young Children Remotely | Educational Leadership | 2020 |
| Empowering Children Through Dialogue and Discussion | Educational Leadership | 2020 |
| The Cognitive Science and Neuroscience of Young Children's Curiosity | Exchange | 2020 |
| The Art and Science of Transformation in the Hutchins Seminar | Education for an Engaged Citizenry | 2019 |
| Asking to Learn | Educational Leadership | 2015 |
| Don't Just Sit There: Pay Attention! | Educational Leadership | 2014 |
Creative Writing
Needing to Believe (That Life Was Worth Living) (2025)
Published in The Brussels Review: Collected Works in Contemporary Art and Literature.