Sonia Yoshizawa
Sonia Yoshizawa is the Coordinator of Research and Services at the Center of Excellence for Early Childhood Learning and Development. She also organizes ETSU's Annual Early Childhood Conference.
Born in Japan but raised in Brazil, Sonia has a unique background as an early childhood
expert, and hopes to implement and share her diverse experiences and perspectives
in her new position.
Sonia’s expertise stems from her background as a preK and Kindergarten teacher at
international schools, and as a preschool/Kindergarten school principal at the US
embassy in Tokyo. She was also a co-founder of Tokyo Association of International
Preschools (TAIP), a non-profit association for early childhood educators supporting
professional development, parent education, and networking.
In the US, she is known as a national presenter for STEM workshops developed by the
University of Northern Iowa, where she served as a Research Associate prior to coming
to TN as an Early Childhood PhD fellow. Her co-authored book, STEM Learning with Young
Children: Inquiry Teaching with Ramps and Pathways (Teacher College Press), is based
on a developmentally appropriate and research-based physical knowledge activity that
engages young children to develop engineering habits of mind. This activity has been
nationally recognized and is part of Iowa STEM Scale Up program. Sonia also co-developed
Physics of Sound module, an additional STEM workshop that incorporates both physics
and music for young children.
Sonia also co-authored the book: Nurturing Creativity: An Essential Mindset for Young
Children’s Learning (NAEYC), a book written to encourage all early childhood teachers
to discover their inner creativity and nurture children’s creativity.
As a mother of two boys and two cats, Sonia enjoys helping and connecting with people.
She is a creative problem-solver, and enjoys being involved in professional development
opportunities where she can share her past experiences as a teacher, administrator,
coordinator, and a presenter. She is looking forward to serving professionals at our
historical ETSU Annual Early Childhood Conference!