Rate My Professor Christina Mirtes

Dr. Christina M. Mirtes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education in the Early Childhood Education program area at Eastern Michigan University, where she joined in 2016 and serves as the Graduate Program Coordinator for Early Childhood Education. She instructs undergraduate and graduate courses through face-to-face and hybrid formats. With over 20 years of classroom teaching experience in inclusive PreK-3 settings, more than a decade in higher education, Montessori certification, and experience as an early childhood educational consultant, Mirtes brings extensive practical expertise to her academic role. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Toledo in 2014, specializing in Early Childhood with a concentration in Special Education, along with an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education and a B.Ed. in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from the same university, as well as an A.M.S. Montessori Pre-Primary Credential from A.D.M.T.E.I.

Mirtes' research centers on contemporary play behaviors in formative years, with emphasis on discourse and best practices for technology integration among preschool children. Notable publications include Concepts to Go! Early Literacy Supporting Intentional Learning Experiences in Early Childhood Settings (2019, Kindle Edition), Understanding Assistive Technology in Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education Environments (2017, Michigan Division of Early Childhood), and her dissertation Contemporary Play: An Analysis of Preschool Discourse During Play Situations While Engaged Using Technology and While Using Traditional Play Materials (2014). She has been awarded a 2020-21 Faculty Research and Creative Activity Fellowship at Eastern Michigan University and a $5,000 grant from Women in Philanthropy in 2017 for the Concepts to Go early literacy project. Mirtes holds leadership roles as co-chair and lead researcher for the Michigan Department of Education's Early Childhood Endorsement Review and Revision Committee for Birth-Kindergarten certification, and serves on the Curriculum Review Committee for the Great Start Readiness program. She provides statewide leadership through the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children, advises the EMU-ECE student organization, and delivers numerous presentations at international, national, and state conferences on topics such as play-based learning and technology in early childhood settings.