As part of our ongoing work to blend clinical field experiences with methods and common content (foundations), TERI is hosting a Curriculum Integration Retreat on campus this May 16-18th. On May 16 & 17, we will be offering professional development on adaptive expertise, academic language, the identity study, and other essentials in the redesign. The entire day of May 18th will be spent in work groups, program and foundation university-based faculty will be working through the process of integrating coursework (assessments and curriculum). We extend an invitation to you to join us if you wish, for some or all of it, but we need to hear from you by May 10th to make sure we have food ordered.
The May 16-18th Curriculum Integration Retreat is not an TERI event that we’re asking all district partners to attend (we are quite cognizant of the fact that it falls smack in the middle of a very busy spring) but we would love to have you drop in or stay for a while if you are interested in learning more about the work underway. Please do register, even if you think you’ll just be dropping by for a bit.
Here’s the information from my colleague, Elizabeth Finsness:
WORKING RETREAT
As a result of many hours of work from members of the CEHD and our school partners, we have much progress to share in The Teacher Education Redesign Initiative since we last gathered in January.
Please join us for as much as possible over three days of curriculum and assessment redesign discussion and development, professional learning about academic language development across all the content areas, and initial licensure program integration with common content.
Please RSVP by May 10
Retreat Schedule:
Day One: Monday, May 16th (For all CEHD, initial licensure programs and interested P-12 colleagues)
General Session: 1:30 – 4:30 PM
Location: Science Teaching and Student Services Building, East Bank
Reception: 4:30 – 6:30 PM
Location: Campus Club, Coffman Memorial Union, 4th floor
Session Details:
What’s Up with TERI? An update and overview of TERI progress in curriculum and research design
Supporting P-12 students’ academic language development in the content areas: What do our teacher candidates need to know and be able to do? This session will address:
• What is academic language?
• Why is it important for ALL teachers to be teachers of language?
• How can we prepare teachers to fulfill this role?
This session explores the linguistic demands of school and sets the stage for our work session on Tuesday.
Day Two: Tuesday, May 17th (For all CEHD, initial licensure programs and interested P-12 colleagues)
General Session: 12:30 – 4:30 PM
Location: Science Teaching and Student Services Building, East Bank
Lunch and snacks served
Session Details:
Academic Language Part II:
This second session on academic language outlines the requirements of the Teacher Performance Assessment regarding academic language. We will explore examples of written texts and discuss implications for teacher preparation. Participants will have time to work together and will leave with a lesson on academic language ready for use with teacher candidates.
Assessing Adaptive Expertise: Spotlight on the Teacher Identity Study
All licensure candidates will be required to complete five common assessments, of which the Teacher Identity Study is one. This session has four goals:
• Participants will be introduced to the Teacher Identity Study and understand how it fits within the common content and with work done in program areas.
• Participants will gain experience in the type of reflection candidates will be doing through the identity study prompts.
• Participants will contribute to developing Teacher Identity Study indicators.
• We will deepen our understanding of what teaching dispositions means.
Day Three: Wednesday, May 18th (For all CEHD, initial licensure programs and common content. Partners welcome focus will be between university course instructors)
McKnight Foundation funds literacy plan for CEHD partner school district
The McKnight Foundation has announced funding for a preK-3 reading initiative in collaboration with CEHD and the Brooklyn Center Independent School District #286. Part of a larger effort to improve early literacy, the McKnight funding will include an initial $150,000 grant to develop comprehensive strategies, with additional funding possible after the first year for implementation.
The college’s strong relationship with the district’s Earle Brown Elementary School has become a model for success and shows the positive effects of support from literacy faculty in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction’s elementary education program. “For six years, the district has partnered with the University of Minnesota to introduce the concept of a continuum that includes reading strategies, skills, and assessment tools within an elementary literacy framework,” according to the McKnight announcement. Initial licensure candidates from the college have taken literacy education courses at Earle Brown.
More recently, CEHD’s Teacher Education Redesign Initiative (TERI) has strengthened the bond with Earle Brown even more, said partnership coordinator Stacy Ernst. “The deepening relationship is an example of how the redesign of the way we ‘do’ partnerships helps all involved–districts, centers, programs–deepen, focus, and fund the work,” she said. “The college’s Educator Development and Research Center (EDRC) is working across college departments and centers to advocate for our school partners and university faculty, match interests/research needs, and coordinate new connections within the TERI Partner Network.”
Continue reading “McKnight Foundation funds literacy plan for CEHD partner school district”
Konczak meets with visiting German delegation, president of the Bundestag
Dr. Jürgen Konczak, professor of biomechanics in the School of Kinesiology, had the honor of meeting with Germany’s current President of the Bundestag, Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert, on Thursday, May 5. Prof. Dr. Lammert’s position in the German Parliament is equivalent to that of Rep. John Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The German delegation visited Minnesota last week as part of a mission to promote international relations between Germany and Minnesota.
Dr. Konczak spoke to Dr. Lammert in his role as a member of the board of the Twin Cities German Immersion School (TCGIS). They discussed the international mission of the school and its unique way of introducing German language and culture to American children. The school will receive a new teaching position next year that is fully funded through a German government grant, which was secured largely through efforts of the school’s Grants and External Relations Committee chaired by Dr. Konczak.
The German delegation was honored at a gala of the German-American Chamber of Commerce at the Windows of Minnesota in the IDS Tower in downtown Minneapolis. Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and Dr. Lammert gave the keynote addresses in front of 200 guests, who were entertained by the German Immersion School’s string ensemble. Dr. Konczak’s son, Till, plays violin in the ensemble.
In above photo, from left to right: Dr. Konczak, Prof. Dr. Lammert, Dr. Andrew Oxenham, U of M Dept. of Psychology
Social Work’s Fisher honored by graduate students
School of Social Work Assistant Professor Colleen Fisher received a 2011 Council of Graduate Students Outstanding Faculty Award this spring. The award was created by graduate students to recognize faculty members for their exceptional contributions to graduate education. The nominating letter cited Fisher’s ability to bring “to every student and to every class a special combination of drive, passion, and humor, and the willingness to make that special personal commitment to help each student succeed.” The nominators also noted her “deeply held commitment to student success both in school and beyond” and called her “the very best of the best.”
Family social science experts featured in the Star Tribune
Professors Paul Rosenblatt and William Doherty, both renowned researchers on family issues, were noted for their expertise in the Minneapolis Star Tribune recently. Rosenblatt, who is retiring after more than 42 years of teaching and research in the Department of Family Social Science, is the subject of a column by Gail Rosenblum titled “‘Retired’ hardly describes U prof who’s charting his next chapter.” Doherty is quoted extensively in a front-page story on the decline in number of married couples in the Twin Cities area.
For more than 50 years, Rosenblatt has studied all sorts of challenges facing families, including loss and grief, rural family issues, multi-racial and cultural diversity barriers, and how government and corporate policies affect families. Most recently, his book Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing created world-wide interest, including more than 170 media requests.
Continue reading “Family social science experts featured in the Star Tribune”
Social Work program approves new master’s curriculum
The School of Social Work‘s governing body on May 11 overwhelmingly approved a new curriculum for the master’s of social work program. The program will leverage the benefits of the University’s Research 1 environment and deliver curriculum that responds to community needs and student interests. It will be implemented beginning in the fall of 2012. Details will be made available in the next few months.
University of Minnesota well represented at CIES annual meeting
The University of Minnesota had a strong showing at the annual meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society in Montreal (May 1-5, 2011). With more than 40 presentations by alumni, faculty, and students in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), Minnesota had one of the largest university contingents at the conference.
Continue reading “University of Minnesota well represented at CIES annual meeting”
PhD student Sara Levy wins thesis research grant
Sara Levy, a PhD student in social studies education (curriculum and instruction), received a competitive Thesis Research Grant from the Graduate School. The grant covers costs associated with thesis research, such as domestic travel and expenses for fieldwork, postage, and photocopying.
Ngo receives William T. Grant Foundation award
Bic Ngo, assistant professor of culture and teaching in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, is one of five exceptional early-career researchers recently selected as a William T. Grant Scholar. The Scholars Program supports promising early-career researchers from diverse disciplines, who have demonstrated success in conducting high-quality research and are seeking to further develop and broaden their expertise. Ngo will receive $350,000 distributed over a five-year period for her new research study, “Innovating Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Insights from Arts Programs Serving Immigrant Youth.”
Professor, president tell how research can inform legislative reforms
President Robert Bruininks and Scott McConnell, professor of educational psychology and Fesler-Lampert Chair of Urban and Regional Affairs, describe how “Research provides good answers to legislators’ early-education questions” in a recent MinnPost article. Arguing that some of the best research on early education is produced in Minnesota, Bruininks and McConnell, director of community engagement in the Center for Early Education and Development, state that “early experiences can and do matter for children with special needs and developmental disabilities, as well as children who are ‘just a little behind’ in learning important language, motor, and cognitive skills.” Noting a wealth of Minnesota research to support their opinions, they point out that children who receive high-quality early care and education enter kindergarten with better skills and preparation.
Bruininks and McConnell appeal to legislators and people across the state to recognize the important research findings available and to work with educators to use this information in support of investments in early care and education programs that work.
OLPD graduate students win awards to further support their research
Three students from the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD) have won various awards to further support of their research.
Millicent Adjei (M.A. student, comparative and international developmental education) has received a Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Circle Award to support her master’s thesis research in Ghana.
Elizabeth Greene, (Ph.D. student, comparative and international developmental education), has received a Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Circle Award to support her doctoral research in Zambia.
Christina Kwauk, (Ph.D. student, comparative and international developmental education), has received a Graduate School Thesis Research Fellowship to support her doctoral research in Samoa and American Samoa.
Congratulations to all!
OLPD alum receives best dissertation honorable mention from CIES
Jae-Eun Jon, 2009 alum (Ph.D., comparative and international development education) from the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), has received Best Dissertation Honorable Mention from the Comparative & International Education Society (CIES) Higher Education SIG meeting in Montreal.
Her dissertation was titled The New Landscape of Korean Higher Education: Institutional and Personal Factors Influencing Intercultural Competence.” Congratulations, Jae-Eun!
OLPD graduate student receives McLean Legacy Fellowship in HRD
Robert Yawson, (Ph.D. student, work and human resource education-HRD), from the Department of Organizational, Leadership, Policy and Development (OLPD), received the Gary N. McLean Legacy Fellowship in HRD. This fellowship provides funding for HRD graduate students and is named for professor emeritus Gary McLean in recognition of his profound impact on the field of human resource development, as well as his many contributions to the HRD and Adult Education programs at the University of Minnesota over his four decade career. Congratulations Robert!
Two from college earn President’s Award for Outstanding Service
Jean Bauer, professor in the Department of Family Social Science, and Martha Thurlow, director of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) in the Institute on Community Integration, have been awarded the 2011 President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the University community.
The award is presented each year in the spring and recognizes exceptional service to the University, its schools, colleges, departments, and service units by any active or retired faculty or staff member. Recipients of this award have gone well beyond their regular duties and have demonstrated an unusual commitment to the University community.
Continue reading “Two from college earn President’s Award for Outstanding Service”
C&I students receive awards for photography contest
Out of the numerous photographic entries submitted to C&I’s 1st Annual Photo Contest, two students received awards for their outstanding images. Amy Frederick, a graduate student in the literacy education program, received the 1st place prize for her submission “Working with developing reader” and Suzan Koseoglu, a graduate student in the learning technologies program, received the 2nd place prize for her submission “LT Students getting ready for the Polar Plunge.”
The photographic entries were judged on how well the image(s) portrayed a sense of C&I student life and culture.
Congratulations to Amy and Suzan!
Sato addresses teacher preparation and retention on KARE 11 news
A KARE 11 news story on the Bush Foundation’s partnership with the University of Minnesota and 13 other educational institutions to promote statewide improvements in teacher recruitment, training, and support included comments by Misty Sato (assistant professor, curriculum and instruction), an expert on teacher development. Sato’s comments indicated that better teacher preparation can help first-year teachers be more like career teachers, which may reduce the number of teachers who leave the field within their first four years.
The College of Education and Human Development, working closely with Minnesota school-district partners, is streamlining its teacher education curriculum based on current, high-quality research that ensures effective teaching, includes intensive field experiences under supervision of expert teachers, establishes mastery of state standards for content knowledge and teaching practice, and includes a three-to five-year induction process involving the support of college faculty and staff.
Continue reading “Sato addresses teacher preparation and retention on KARE 11 news”
Science educator Barb Billington wins 2011 Philanthropic Leardrship Circle Award
Curriculum and Instruction PhD student Barbara Billington (science education) has been selected to receive a Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Circle Award for 2011. The award includes $1,500 for conference presentations and travel expenses.
Barb was selected from a large pool of highly qualified and impressive female graduate students to receive this prestigious award. The WPLC will be holding its annual awards celebration to honor Barb and other award recipients on June 15 in St Paul.
Buturian and Solheim awarded Global Program and Strategy Alliance grant
The University’s Global Program and Strategy Alliance awarded Linda Buturian (Senior Teaching Specialist, Postsecondary Teaching and Learning) and colleague Catherine Solheim (Associate Professor, Family Social Science) travel grants to fund their Mekong Initiative. Linda and Cathy will travel to northern Thailand in August and interview villagers and NGOs along the Mekong River to create digital stories about the impact of development of the Mekong on the villagers’ culture and daily living. Buturian and Solheim will also develop contacts for and plan a new integrated course and a future Learning Abroad program centered on northern Thailand. They also received CEHD International Engagement grants for the Mekong Initiative.
May is National Foster Care Month
Find resources at the Child Welfare Information Gateway site!
College in the Schools algebra students test wind turbine designs
High school algebra students enrolled in PsTL 1006 Mathematical Modeling and Prediction visited campus recently to test their wind turbine designs. About 100 students participated in this College in the Schools Field Day, organized by faculty coordinator Sue Staats (associate professor, Postsecondary Teaching and Learning), with assistance from Selcen Guzey (Stem Education Center) and Tamara Moore (Curriculum and Instruction). Participating high schools were El Colegio Charter School, St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, Le Center High School, Community of Peace Academy, and North High School of North St. Paul, whose 8-volt-producing design won them the Titanium Turbine trophy.