Jeanne Higbee (professor, Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning) and Emily Goff’s chapter, “Widening Participation Through Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design”, was recently published in the UK by Libri in the book Inclusive Higher Education: An International Perspective on Access and the Challenge of Student Diversity, edited by Kath Bridges, Jenny Shaw, and Ivan Reid. The book discusses the inter-connectedness of recent trends in higher education, along with widening access, internationalization, equality, diversity and inclusive curriculum.
Leon awarded the American Board of Cardiology Award of Excellence
Dr. Arthur Leon, professor of kinesiology, was awarded the American Board of Cardiology Award of Excellence and Designation as Laureate of the American Board of Cardiology.
The American Board of Cardiology initiated this program to recognize physicians, who exhibit continuing excellence and highest ethical practice and are deserving of lifetime achievement recognition. The program promotes and supports recognition of the importance of exceptional excellence in Cardiology, and excellence of humanitarian and ethical achievement, including true empathy, compassion, and humanitarianism.
Magnusson receives Access Achievement Award from UMN Disability Services
Deanne Magnusson, lecturer in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), received a 2013 Access Achievement Award from University of Minnesota Disability Services. The award acknowledges the efforts of UMN faculty and staff who make significant contributions to improving access on campus for students, faculty, staff, and guests with disabilities.
Agreement with TFA to create first-ever alternative teacher training program under new Minnesota law
To ensure Minnesota’s P-12 students have the best-prepared classroom teachers, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and Teach for America (TFA) have agreed to create the first-ever alternative teacher training program for corps members under the Minnesota Alternative Teacher Licensure law.
Annually, a minimum of 40 TFA corps members will participate in eight weeks of localized training through the University instead of participating in one of TFA’s national five-week summer institutes. Training will include rigorous, initial preparation coursework and ongoing credit-based coursework and learning experiences during corps members’ two-year commitment to TFA.
The University retains the authority for instructional design, content and evaluation of the program, as well as the determination of candidate admission (subsequent to TFA’s rigorous recruitment and selection process), degree clearance and recommendation for licensure, according to the agreement. Once developed, the program–which is scheduled to begin in summer 2014–will be submitted for approval to the Minnesota Board of Teaching.
The program will be a new pathway to teaching, added to the University’s current, comprehensive preparation programs for individuals who choose teaching as a career.
“The core mission of the University’s teacher preparation programs is to ensure that Minnesota’s P-12 students have the best-prepared classroom teachers, regardless of their path to licensure,” said Dean Jean Quam of the University’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). “This agreement outlines a plan to create our state’s first-ever alternative teacher preparation model with high standards for quality and ongoing support for teacher candidates. Given that research is a core mission of the University, we are committed to creating effective teacher preparation programs and engaging in ongoing evaluation of new and existing models.”
Under the agreement, TFA corps members’ successful completion of the new program requirements will result in recommendation for licensure and University credits, which can be applied toward attainment of the master of education (M.Ed.) degree.
This program will be the latest innovative solution from CEHD, pioneers in developing research-based teacher preparation models for the past 100+ years.
Roisman quoted in Wall Street Journal on differential susceptibility
Glenn Roisman, professor at the Institute of Child Development, was quoted in today’s Wall Street Journal discussing differential susceptibility in the article: Nature vs. Nurture: New Science Stirs Debate: How Behavior Is Shaped; Who’s an Orchid, Who’s a Dandelion. The article discusses the research being done to understand how genes and the environment interact to affect behavior, in particular, the work some researchers have done studying a particular variation of the DRD4 gene that helps regulate the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. Some researchers say the evidence suggests that those with this variation, who they call orchids, have difficulty when they are in negative learning and home situations, but respond far better to positive improvements in these situations than those without the variation, the dandelions.
However, Roisman offers a caution, “If you’re an orchid you may be an orchid susceptible to specific environmental circumstances, such as parenting, but not peer pressure.” He goes on to say that the research must better distinguish how good or how bad outside influences need to be to have a significant effect on behavior and says that more rigorous study is needed.
Chen receives conference travel award
Yi Chou (Chris) Chen, doctoral student and member of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL), has received a competitive award that will allow him to present his research at the Biology and Control of Nausea and Vomiting 2013 Conference, held in Pittsburgh, Pa., October 3-4.
The title of his presentation is, “Postural precursors of post-bout nausea in boxers.” Professor of kinesiology and director of the APAL, Dr. Thomas A. Stoffregen, is the co-author of the presentation and Chen’s advisor.
Funding for this award was provided by the conference.
Ed Psych alum Willie Winston III recipient of Community Partners Star award
On October 10, the School of Public Health will hold its TENTH ANNUAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS CELEBRATION, at which time Willie Winston III (Ph.D. ’03) will receive the Community Partners Star award. The award recognizes individuals from the community who have gone above and beyond for their division, its students and faculty.
Davison delivered keynote address at the 2013 NIETS International Symposium
Mark L. Davison, professor in the Quantitative Methods in Education Track, Department of Educational Psychology, delivered a keynote address entitled “Policies and Practices in Large-scale Assessment in the United States” to the 2013 NIETS International Symposium in Bangkok on National Educational Testing and Assessment in ASEAN Countries.
He also delivered a pre-conference workshop entitled “Multidimensional Item Response Theory: IRTPRO.” Other speakers included the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Mr. Phongthep Thepkanjana, and Dr. Gwang-Chol Chang of UNESCO. The conference was co-hosted by Dr. Somwung Pitiyanuwat and staffed by Dr. Chayut Piromsombat, both Ph.D. alumni of the Department of Educational Psychology.
Seashore author in e-book showcasing innovation and leadership related to human technologies
Karen Seashore, Regents professor in the Department of Organizational, Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), is one of the authors of a new e-book by University of Minnesota faculty, staff and students showcasing innovation and leadership related to human technologies. Cultivating Change in the Academy: Practicing The Art of Hosting Conversations That Matter Within the University of Minnesota is the second in the Cultivating Change series, and features meaningful conversation as a force for smart action across the U. For more information, see change or download the book.
Tammy Barnes, Education Minnesota, presents “Do Teachers Need Unions?”
Join us at 7:30p this Wednesday in STSS 432B!
Education Minnesota – University of Minnesota Student Chapter serves as the only professional group for pre-service teachers on campus. As a student chapter of Education Minnesota, the organization provides a united voice for public education, leadership in education innovation, dedication to students and families and an unwavering commitment to the welfare of our members. In the past, the group has put on events such as informational panels on a variety of educational topics, participated in community and educational volunteer opportunities, and provided unique insight into the world of being a teacher.
The student chapter is organizing an event called “Do Teachers Need Unions?” which will take place on Wednesday, September 18th from 7:30-9pm in STSS 432B. This presentation will allow for students to understand why there are unions in the teaching profession and how it has changed over time. Students will be able to ask questions and engage in discussion with the guest speaker, Tammy Barnes, from Education Minnesota.
In the future, the group hopes to pursue more volunteer opportunities in the education community and allow useful networking and informational sessions for pre-service teachers throughout campus. The executive board is comprised of Jessica Suppanz (ILP – Science Education) and Shawna Zielinski (Senior, future SLC Education) as Co-Presidents, Nicki Krautkremer (Senior, Elem Ed), Secretary, Savannah Green (ILP – Social Studies Education), Treasurer, and Michelle Todd, (Senior, Special Ed) Secretary. If you are interested in becoming a teacher, consider joining Education Minnesota! Email edmn@umn.edu with any interest and questions!
Konczak publishes review in Neurology
Jürgen Konczak, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory, is coauthor of a systematic review in the journal Neurology on the frequency of ataxia in children. The review found that the worldwide prevalence of pediatric ataxia is higher than previously assumed. Childhood ataxia in Europe was estimated to be ~26/100, 000 children, and likely reflects a minimum prevalence worldwide.
Ataxia refers to uncoordinated movement due to a muscle control problem that causes an inability to coordinate movements. It leads to a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fro motion of the middle of the body (trunk) and an unsteady gait (walking style). It can also affect the limbs. People with ataxia have problems with coordination because parts of the nervous system that control movement and balance are affected. Ataxia may affect the fingers, hands, arms, legs, body, speech, and eye movements.
FSOS Shonda Craft will speak at HIV/AIDS awareness gala
Department of Family Social Science professor Shonda Craft is speaking at the Shifting Visions of Strength awareness gala, on September 19 at 6:00 pm in the TCF Bank Stadium Indoor Clubroom.
The event is focused on HIV and AIDS awareness and is presented by the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Inc, Mu Rho chapter.
For more information, please email MuRhoAKA@umn.edu
Kaler names Kane to University Strategic Planning Workgroup
President Eric Kaler has named Professor Mary Jo Kane, School of Kinesiology faculty and Director of the Tucker Center, to his University-wide Strategic Planning Workgroup. This 27-member, faculty-led workgroup will develop the vision, mission, values, goals, and strategies for the U’s next strategic plan and help set priorities. Kane and Dr. Elizabeth Lightfoot of the School of Social Work were those named representing the College of Education and Human Development.
CEHD Vision 2020 Blog features Gao
Dr. Zan Gao, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology, had his work on exergaming featured in the CEHD Vision 2020 Blog.
The feature is titled, “Yes, Video Games Can Combat Childhood Obesity,” and explains the emergence of exergaming and evidence-based benefits of exergaming. He also shares some tips for parents to best take advantage of exergaming activities for children:
1. Proper training and instruction is important
2. Set and define the learning objectives of exergaming
3. Create a routine
4. Do it together!
UMN-TC Curriculum & Instruction Department Chair Nina Asher visits TERI Partner PDS site, Roosevelt High School
The partnership between Minneapolis Roosevelt High School and UMN TERI program continues to grow and deepen as it enters its third year. Roosevelt has added seven new teachers to its staff this year, five of whom are recent graduates from UMN teacher licensure programs in Kinesiology, Second Languages and Cultures, World Languages, Science, and Social Studies.
Innovative techniques in working with teacher candidates and instructing students have crossed the partnership bridge. Math ILP Instructor, Terry Wyberg, is conducting his initial methods course at Roosevelt this fall for the second time. This year, he is collaborating with the Roosevelt math department to implement instructional techniques using the Ipad.
Roosevelt continues to be a rich site for clinical placements and the partnership continues to offer opportunity for shared efforts to improve student learning. Roosevelt is hosting ten DirecTrack to Teaching students in various classrooms such as English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Welding. Autoshop, and Band. The UMN social studies ILP has three teacher candidates placed at Roosevelt for their fall practicum. Fourteen Roosevelt staff have registered for the TERI-RHS partnership professional development action research project, focused on bettering instruction for long-term English language learners.
Finally, Roosevelt was recently noted as “Beating the Odds,” after a comparison of MCA reading test results revealed a high percentage of students were scoring at a grade level or better, despite a high number of RHS students living in poverty.
Roosevelt High School-UMN-TC Partnership Liaison, Jehanne Beaton; Terry Wyberg, CEHD Math Senior Lecturer; and Nina Asher, Department Chair of Curriculum & Instruction, CEHD recently toured RHS, met with principal Michael Bradley and visited with UMN-TC teacher candidates and graduates working on site.
C&I’s Cassie Scharber and Angel Pazurek deliver Keynote at SPCLC Event
Earlier this month, Curriculum and Instruction Assistant Professor Cassie Scharber and Angel Pazurek presented the keynote at the St. Paul Community Literacy Consortium’s (SPCLC) annual fall meeting for literacy professionals working in Adult Basic Education programs.
The title of the keynote was “Technology and the Shifting Definition of Literacy: New Directions for Education,” and it engaged literacy professionals in conversations relating to preparing adult learners with digital literacy skills. Technology integration was discussed as a means to amplify possibilities for learners to connect, collaborate, and create. Scharber and Pazurek also discussed the community and culture shift associated with teaching with technology, including opportunities, barriers, and the ontological changes in learning spaces that impact the roles of both learners and facilitators.
New book on intimate relationships reveals surprising results
How much do you really know about your partner? How much do you want them to know about you? The answers to these questions are often surprising, according to two University of Minnesota researchers who recently published a new book, Knowing and Not Knowing in Intimate Relationships.
“Many of the people we talked to revealed that they hungered to be known and yet kept secrets from their partner,” said Paul Rosenblatt, professor emeritus of family social science. “Some hid past relationships or that they had an affair, while others hid issues of money, addiction, health, or personal failures.”
Rosenblatt, and co-author Elizabeth Wieling, an associate professor of family social science at the U, based their findings on intensive interviews with 37 adults.
“This book shows that knowing and not knowing are central to couple relationships,” said Wieling. “They’re entangled in love, sexual attraction, trust, commitment, caring, empathy, decision making, conflict, and many other aspects of couple life. Often the entanglement is paradoxical. For example, a person saying she wants to be known very, very well, and yet keeping some things hidden from a partner.”
The researchers also found that many partners investigate their significant others in the early stages of a relationship — from talking to family and friends of the person they’re interested in to snooping on cell phones, going through drawers, or even talking to the partner’s minister.
“Trust is a huge issue in relationships and must be present,” said Rosenblatt. “We found that some people never recovered from a break in that trust, which had a major effect on the relationship. On the other hand, some relationships survived and even became stronger after major violations of trust.”
The researchers did find differences between men and women, as well as between age groups.
“Many young women struggled with what’s expected of them versus what they needed to be in an intimate relationship,” said Wieling. “While women wanted shared meaning and experiences with their partner to feel intimate, some men indicated that sex was the main factor for a feeling of intimacy.”
“Of the older people we interviewed, many reported that knowing everything about their partner was not of paramount importance,” added Rosenblatt. “We heard that more often among younger people, which may be a sign of the times or a sign of what goes on in earlier stages of relationships.”
Gao publishes two papers in Research Quarterly
Dr. Zan Gao, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology, recently had two research articles accepted for publication in the September issue of Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport.
Gao served as lead author in an article titled, “The impact of achievement goals on cardiorespiratory fitness: Does self-efficacy make a difference?” This research tested a model of the mediating role of self-efficacy on children’s achievement goals in relationship to cardiorespiratory fitness. In addition, he was co-author in, “Associations among motor skill competence and health-related fitness: Evidence for Seefeldt’s proficiency barrier in young adults?” The lead author David Stodden is a collaborator from University of South Carolina.
Dengel and colleagues publish in BMC Pediatrics.
Donald Dengel, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of integrative Human Physiology and colleagues recently published an article in BMC Pediatrics. The article was titled, “Relation of adiposity, television and screen time in offspring to their parents.” The research found that for both parent and offspring, adiposity (i.e., body fat) was greater with greater total screen time.
Continue reading “Dengel and colleagues publish in BMC Pediatrics.”
Renewed focus on U teen sleep studies after Sec. Duncan’s comments
Ground-breaking teens and sleep research at the University, led by Kyla Wahlstrom, director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, has received renewed attention following comments recently by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. He suggested that high schools nationwide should consider the research on teens and sleep in relation to making decisions about school start times.
Twenty years ago Wahlstrom’s research about teen sleep began changing school start times in Minnesota. Now it’s become a national movement. The timing for this renewed interest coincides with the first national conference on teens and sleep in Minneapolis, Oct. 3-4, bringing experts from around the country to discuss current findings on teens and sleep and to translate them to create better school performance, improved physical and mental health, and reduced risky choices among teens.
See Wahlstrom’s appearance on KARE 11:
Continue reading “Renewed focus on U teen sleep studies after Sec. Duncan’s comments”