TAA member Micki M. Caskey is a Professor and academic author in the education and middle grades education writing disciplines.

Her most recent publications include Literature reviews in support of the middle level education research agenda (2018), Imagine a place: Stories from middle grades educators (2017), and The encyclopedia of middle grades education (2016). She has also published 8 other academic books and two other textbooks.

What are you currently working on?
I am working on another academic book entitled Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Intersecting New Needs and New Approaches. I am also working as the co-series editor for two books series: (a) Handbook for Research in Middle Level Education, and (b) Handbook for Resources in Middle Level Education. This includes one book for the Research series (i.e., Equity & Cultural Responsiveness in the Middle Grades) and one book for the resource series (i.e., The Online Classroom: Resources for Effective Middle Level Virtual Education). In addition, I am serving as the guest editor for a special issue for Education Sciences: Middle Grades Education.

Share a recent accomplishment.
As mentioned, I have published three edited books in the past three years: (a) Literature reviews in support of the middle level education research agenda, (b) Imagine a place: Stories from middle grades educators, and (c) The encyclopedia of middle grades education (2nd ed.).

What is your favorite textbook writing tip or strategy?
My tip related to academic writing is to Customizing Your Writing Time. I suggest looking for “windows of time” in one’s own academic calendar that are not reserved for teaching, committee meetings, or advising and designate these “windows of time” for writing. For example, I recommend calendaring short windows of time (i.e., 30 minutes) for certain writing tasks (e.g., drafting transition between sections, conducting a reference scan, formatting tasks) as well as scheduling longer writing sessions (i.e., 60 minutes or more) for other types of writing (e.g., articulating a position, building an argument, advancing creative ideas).

What is your best TAA experience so far?
My best experience to date was participating in my first TAA conference–the recent one in Santa Fe. I found the presenters and attendees alike to be personable and intellectually engaging.

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