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Dr. Jonathan Chitiyo

Associate professor of Education
Director of Teacher Education

Dr. Jonathan Chitiyo with students

As the director of teacher education and associate professor at Pitt-Bradford, Dr. Jonathan Chitiyo believes a gratifying aspect of his job is witnessing his students grow and master the craft of being educators. Chitiyo, a native of Zimbabwe, has also served as the director of First Year Seminar since 2020.

“I spent most of my formative years in Zimbabwe,” Chitiyo said in sharing some of his background. After earning his Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies with a minor in English at Africa University in Zimbabwe, he worked as a substitute primary and middle school teacher at schools in Zimbabwe and Malawi.

“I moved to the U.S. just as I was about to start graduate school,” he recalled. This was followed by graduate work at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he received his

Master of Science in Education in curriculum and instruction in 2011. He pursued doctoral studies at Southern Illinois where he later earned his Ph.D. in special education. His research interests include the implementation of different school-based practices (i.e., school-wide positive behavior support), inclusive education, factors affecting the education of vulnerable students, and the development of special education systems in developing countries, specifically in Africa. He has published extensively in his field and his work continues to gain widespread attention.

Chitiyo said teaching is a profession that has always been in his family.

“My father is a retired teacher, so the education path was already predetermined for me,” he said. “My mother cared for students with disabilities at the school my father taught, providing them with any support they needed in their day-to-day functioning outside of school like doing laundry or sewing their clothes.

“It is often mentioned that the success of a society is usually determined by the way it treats its most vulnerable population, so for me teaching is not only a profession but contributing to making a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.”

Chitiyo said Pitt-Bradford has a terrific education program. “Most of our education courses have a field experience component that requires students to go out into classrooms and tutor students as well as observe teachers teaching. This is meant to provide students with practical experience of what is involved in the field.

“In their final semester of their senior year, the students serve as full-time student teachers in classrooms in different school districts such as Bradford, Smethport and Otto-Eldred, as well as at Olean and Salamanca schools in nearby New York state.

“With some of them you can tell that they have teaching as a calling,” Chitiyo said. “It’s really interesting to see them grow from the minute they start until the minute they graduate.”

A highlight for Chitiyo occurred this year when he was lauded by his peers for establishing strong partnerships with local schools, sharing his research with an international audience and contributing to the university community. As a result, he was bestowed the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship and Service during the Honors Convocation in April.

On a personal note, Chitiyo said he enjoys running. A typical run is anywhere from three to six miles for him

“I do like running, that’s one of the things I enjoy, especially in the summer,” he remarked, while adding he has participated in half-marathons both locally and in larger communities.

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