author
Naomi Norsworthy
1877–1916
A pioneering psychologist and educator, she helped open doors for women in academic life and focused her work on how children learn and develop. Her career was brief, but her writing and teaching left a lasting mark on early child psychology.
1 Audiobook
How to Teach
by George D. (George Drayton) Strayer, Naomi Norsworthy
About the author
Born on September 29, 1877, Naomi Norsworthy was an American psychologist best known for her work in education and child study. Reliable biographical sources describe her as the first woman to join the faculty of Columbia University's Teachers College, a notable achievement at a time when women faced major barriers in higher education.
Her research centered on childhood development and the education of children with mental disabilities. She is also associated with The Psychology of Childhood, a book published after her death with Mary Theodora Whitley, which helped preserve and share her ideas with later readers.
Norsworthy died on December 27, 1916, at just 39 years old. Even so, she is remembered as an early scholar who combined psychological research with practical concern for children, teaching, and educational reform.