CAREI Researchers Receive MWERA Award

April 1, 2014

A paper co-authored by Timothy Sheldon, Ph.D., and Elyse Farnsworth was selected by the Mid-Western Educational Research Association as the best paper presented in the Research, Evaluation, & Assessment in Schools Division (Division H) at its 2013 conference. Sheldon is a Research Associate with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), and Farnsworth is a CAREI Graduate Research Assistant. Their paper, titled “Connection, Competence, and Contribution: New Outcome Measures for Assessing Outdoor Program Impact on Urban Youth,” reports the results of an evaluation of Wilderness Inquiry’s Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures (UWCA) program.To be selected, the paper had to meet several quality indicators as well as pertain to the conference theme of “Education, Access, Marginalization, and Empowerment.”

UWCA Participants. — Students participate in the Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures program.

The primary objective of the UWCA program is to improve student academic performance through an innovative classroom/fieldwork curriculum that uses environmental educational experiences to teach science, social studies, and language arts. The ultimate goal is to inspire students to become environmental leaders. Program participants were fifth- through eighth-grade students in Minneapolis Public Schools.

Engaging Diversity to Support Intercultural Competence

March 27, 2014

Amy Lee (department chair and associate professor) Rhiannon Williams (research associate), and Cathy Wambach (associate professor) from the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning and Marta Shaw (OLPD Ph.D. candidate) presented a workshop entitled Engaging Diversity to Support Intercultural Competence at the Institute of Educational Policy at Warsaw School of Economics in Poland February 24-25, 2014. Lee, Williams, Wambach, and Shaw engaged faculty from different Polish higher education institutions in discussions around how they may support the intercultural competence development of diverse students in their undergraduate and graduate classrooms. The dialogue explored the possibilities and challenges that exist in both Polish and U.S. contexts when addressing the critical work of diversity within our classrooms.

Congratulations to Prepare2Nspire for Diversity and Globalization prize at CEHD Research Day

March 26, 2014

The Prepare2Nspire team received the prize for Diversity and Globalization for their research poster at the 2014 CEHD Research Day. Congratulations to Dr. Lesa Clarkson, Sousada Chidthachack, Forster Ntow and Beth Crotty for all of their hard work!

Each year, CEHD selects research projects through an application process to present during a lunch-time poster session. Colleagues are invited to attend and vote for the best project in three separate categories: Diversity and Globalization, Excellence in Research, and Technology and Innovation. The winning projects receive $250 from CEHD towards their research funding.

Jehangir to give keynote at Chicago Area Faculty Development Network

March 26, 2014

Rashné Jehangir, associate professor in PsTL, has been invited to give a keynote address to the Chicago Area Faculty Development Network on May 2, 2014. Her talk is titled: Unpacking the Complexity of the First-Generation College Student Experience: Implications for Campus and Classroom. The Chicago Area Faculty Network is comprised of twenty institutions of higher education both public and private in the greater Chicago area and members represents faculty across disciplines as well as Centers for Teaching and Learning from their institutions.

Asher receives 2014-15 Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award

March 26, 2014

Curriculum and Instruction professor and department chair Nina Asher is a recipient of a 2014-15 Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award (Research). The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Each year, the Fulbright Scholar Program attracts some 800 U.S. faculty and professionals to 140 countries to lecture, teach, and conduct research.

Asher will be traveling to India to research aspects of curriculum, teaching, and teacher education in relation to globalization. She will conduct her research at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai and will also give talks at other institutions, including Azim Premji University in Bangalore. Asher plans to explore – through her research with teachers and teacher educators – the effects of India’s “economic liberalization” in terms of education. At the policy level, in the last decade, India has implemented significant national-level education legislation, including the Right to Education Act (RTE). While RTE has its advocates, it has also been criticized as an unfunded mandate and has been compared to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Asher plans to interview educators regarding the significance and implications of the RTE and other policies, especially in the context of globalization and increasing privatization of education.

“As a U.S.-based scholar, I’ve been writing about postcolonialism, and more recently globalization, consumerism, and corporatization. This study, while drawing on those discourses, will be in the context of India,” says Asher. “I want to talk with in-service teachers who are also enrolled in a master’s program and also their faculty about how they are experiencing globalization and privatization in relation to education. What are their thoughts, experiences, and analyses? What is their understanding of the implications?”

Asher’s scholarship focuses on postcolonial and feminist theory, globalization, critical perspectives on multiculturalism, and Asian American studies in relation to education. When asked about her approach, Asher explains, “I look at what structures, in terms of inequities of power, are in operation here (in the U.S.). What are the structures of power in terms of inequities in play there (in India)? What are some of the similarities between here and there, and what are the differences?”

When asked about how this new research project will connect to her other scholarship, Asher says she expects comparisons will inevitably bubble up. “I fully expect the participants will ask me questions about the schools and school systems in the U.S. For instance, one parallel is that while the legacies of colonialism still come into play in India, so do the legacies of segregation come into play here.”

To learn more about Nina Asher’s research, please visit her profile page.

LT Ph.D. candidate Solen Feyissa awarded grant for thesis work in Ethiopia

March 20, 2014

Solen Feyissa, C&I Ph.D. candidate in Learning Technologies, has been awarded an International Thesis Research Travel Grant by the University of Minnesota Graduate School to support his dissertation work in Ethiopia.

Feyissa’s dissertation study, “The Role of Information Communication Technologies within Ethiopian Education,” focuses on real-life uses of existing Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for learning purposes. It examines how secondary school students in Ethiopia use ICTs for learning and how social contexts influence their ICT use in educational contexts.

“It is exciting times to be doing this research in Ethiopia because there is a great deal of change occurring there,” says Feyissa. “I am also excited about the field work involved in this project.”

The International Thesis Research Travel Grant provides travel support for University of Minnesota graduate students conducting short-term and extended research and/or field work in countries outside the United States. The grant is funded by the University of Minnesota to support the internationalization of the University through research and outreach.

To learn more about the Ph.D. in the Learning Technologies program area, visit the Learning Technologies Ph.D. program page.

SLC Faculty invited to testify on new state legislation to support English Language Learners

March 14, 2014

On March 13, members of the C&I faculty returned to the state capitol to testify at both Minnesota State House and Senate Education Committee hearings on upcoming bills to support English Language Learners (ELL) in Minnesota.

C&I’s Jill Watson testified on a bill to support English Learner Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE). Watson was accompanied by students and a parent. (In the photo accompanying this post, one student is holding the copy of the bill passed right after their testimony.)

Watson says, “When we first began sharing information with legislators about SLIFE, many had never heard of, let alone considered, the unique needs of this group. Yesterday, when I asked for a show of hands in the Senate Education committee indicating who knew what ‘SLIFE’ meant, at least half the hands went up. It was clear to all of us that students with limited formal education are now very much on their radar, and we are delighted to have played a part in bringing that about.”

C&I’s Jenna Cushing-Leubner testified on a different bill to establish bilingual and multilingual seals attached to high school diplomas. “The opportunity of this bill is to recognize, tap into, and build upon the language resources of multilingual students – students from minority language backgrounds and those learning languages through language immersion settings alike.” says Cushing-Leubner. “Minnesota’s highly linguistically and culturally diverse students are an important and powerful asset for local communities and for the state. This bill suggests suggest a commitment on the part of the state to strengthen and support this valuable and growing community of learners.”

C&I Professor Kendall King testified on a bill which seeks to improve services for English language learners in the state and to support students’ native language development and academic English.

Of the day, King reports, “U of M faculty have collaborated on many aspects of the legislation, and yesterday, our goal was to explain to a broader audience both the research behind these bills and the practical need for change.” says King. “We are very excited with the direction the state is heading in supporting multilingualism for all learners.”

Please visit our Second Languages and Cultures program area page for more information on faculty research and academic programs.

Poch wins University’s highest teaching award

March 12, 2014

Robert Poch, senior fellow in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, has been awarded the Morse-Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Award, the highest teaching honor at the University of Minnesota.

Each year since 1965, a select group of teachers have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to undergraduate education. This honor is awarded to exceptional candidates among those nominated by colleges. Those who receive the award become members of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Each winner also receives a $15,000 one-time award that reflects the University’s strong and enduring commitment to quality undergraduate and graduate education.

Poch and other 2014 recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony at the McNamara Alumni Center, April 16, 4-6 p.m. In addition, they will be introduced to the Board of Regents at their May 8-9 meeting.

The Profession and Practice of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education

March 12, 2014

Jeanne Higbee, Professor in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, had her edited book, The Profession and Practice of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education: Essays in Memory of Dr. Martha Maxwell, released in time for the annual conference of the National Association for Developmental Education (NADE). The book features essays authored by fellows of the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA) and was published by the National Center for Developmental Education. It includes a chapter by Associate Professor David Arendale on “Postsecondary Peer Cooperative Learning Programs: Increased Diversity, Sophistication, and Effectiveness,” and one by Higbee on “Creating Inclusive Learning Experiences: Integrating Developmental Education and Social Justice Education.”

Students’ grades and health improve with later high school start times

March 12, 2014

Later high school start times improve student grades and overall health, according to a new College of Education and Human Development study.

The three-year project, using data from more than 9,000 students attending eight high schools in three states, found that, when switching to a later start time:

attendance, standardized test scores and academic performance in math, English, science and social studies improved.
tardiness, substance abuse, symptoms of depression, and consumption of caffeinated drinks decreased.

In addition, the study found that there was a 70 percent drop in the number of car crashes involving teen drivers at Jackson Hole High School in Wyoming, which shifted to the latest start time of the eight schools (8:55 a.m.).

“The research confirmed what has been suspected for some time,” said Kyla Wahlstrom, Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), which conducted the study. “High schools across the country that have later start times show significant improvements in many areas. The reduction of teen car crashes may be the most important finding of all, as the well-being of teens and the safety of the general public are interrelated.”

The study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that high schools that begin as late as 8:55 a.m. have 66 percent of students obtaining eight or more hours of sleep on school nights, which is the recommended amount for high school aged students. Schools that begin at 7:30 a.m. have an average of only 34 percent of students obtaining eight or more hours of sleep on school nights.

“Even a start time of 8:35 a.m. allows 57-60 percent of students to get eight or more hours of sleep, which is an important health benefit for a majority of students,” said Wahlstrom. “Local school districts, school personnel, parents, and students need to understand the importance of sleep and to make choices using the knowledge from this and other studies.”

In the first study to examine multiple schools in various locations across the U.S., student data were collected from eight schools that moved to later start times. Over the last three years, researchers surveyed St. Louis Park High School, Mahtomedi High School, Woodbury High School, Park High School, and East Ridge High School in Minnesota; Boulder High School and Fairview High School in Colorado; and Jackson Hole High School in Wyoming. Students were individually surveyed about their daily activities, substance use and sleep habits. Researchers then examined various health factors post-change in school start time and compared them with national average data.

The study also collected comparative data about students’ academic performance, including grades, attendance, tardiness and performance on state and national standardized tests. Car crash data were also examined for the communities surrounding the participating high schools.

The full report, “Examining the Impact of Later High School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study,” includes an examination of the processes by which local school districts participating in the study made the decision to change to a later start time. Key participants in the discussions and the decision-making were interviewed.

“Our research provides evidence of clear benefits for students whose high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later,” said Wahlstrom. “More research needs to be done, but these findings are substantive and should provide more information for school districts considering a change in start time.”

See more research on teens and sleep. Also see coverage of this new study in the New York Times, HuffPost Live, Star Tribune, KSTP-TV, KARE 11-TV, and more media outlets.

Supershops complete for 2013-14

March 7, 2014

This year our training for supervisors (Supershops) was focused on developing new leadership, aligning our work with district partners’ work, and promoting the use of better tools to assure candidates’ professional development and skill growth. The Supershop series met on six Friday mornings through the fall and into the winter for a total of 18 hours of ongoing professional development and support.

The topics included an overview of job responsibilities and specific skill and knowledge building in observation and documentation of performance, mentoring, dealing with common dilemmas, supporting the edTPA, and providing career services and launching new teachers into their practice.

We drew in different expertise this year, using trainers from Minneapolis public schools (Paul Hegerle, SOEI trainer), experienced district mentors (Tiffany Moore and Marjorie Nadler), and members of our own faculty and staff who had not previously been in college-wide training roles (Barbara Billington, SciEd; Amy Jo Lundell, CI Dept, and Deb Peterson, MCRR and state edTPA steering committee).

Our added emphasis was on coaching practice to build skills around our new observation de-briefing outline, and developing practice with our new formative assessment for clinical practice.

We also spent time organizing supervision to support better (and more) co-teaching in classrooms. One traditional difficulty in the university supervisors’ role is clarifying how the supervisor can support the teaching candidate, cooperating teacher relationship. We shared materials and did simulations to help the supervisor in problem identification and supporting problem solving for the co-teaching practice.

Submitted by Bob Utke, Clinical Learning Coordinator

C&I alumna Bokamba appointed director of Sprockets

February 28, 2014

Eyenga Bokamba is a true renaissance woman. She’s a teacher and devoted youth worker, an artist and a community builder. Recently Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman appointed Bokamba to the role of director of Sprockets, a network of many different after-school and summer programs for youth in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Sprockets builds collaboration between community organizations, the City of Saint Paul, and Saint Paul Public Schools.

Bokamba was recommended for her English language arts teaching license in 1999 by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. We had the chance to ask Bokamba about her experiences at the College of Education and Human Development and how those experiences inform her work.

Tell us a little bit about you. What do you do in your free time? What are some key personality traits?

I’m a problem-solver and a collaborator. This is something that comes out in my work with Sprockets, and also in my free time, when I work as an artist.

Let me explain: I create large scale (48” x 48” is a typical size) paintings. In addition to paint brushes, I use tools like steel wool, cloth rags, sponges, spatulas, and other utensils to apply acrylics and calligrapher’s ink to canvas.

It’s an abstract form of art, so I’m not looking to capture a specific shape, but rather a mood or feeling. I really enjoy watching the forms take shape, and seeing the colors interact as the paint is applied to the canvas. Sometimes it’s the open spaces in between the color and shape that speak to me — when the painting has the right feel, then I know it’s done.

While I’m watching the colors and shapes interact and take form on paper, they help me see the interconnectedness in other areas of my life. For me, working on my art often inspires me to find collaborative solutions to challenges in my work.

What gets you excited about your work? What really motivates you?

I’m motivated by collaboration and shared vision. I love listening to other people explain their vision and get excited when we start to develop an understanding of how our shared goals intersect and are complimentary.

This is a passion that I’m excited to bring to my new position with Sprockets. I’ve been a teacher and a youth-worker. I’ve worked with non-profits and government entities. I understand the constraints and challenges, as well as the joys and fulfillment, of the work of others. I’m able to authentically use the inclusive voice when I’m talking to teachers and youth workers, and that’s incredibly helpful in building collaboration and consensus.

I look forward to finding ways to reframe constraints, so that collectively we can do even more to build the social/emotional skills of young people in Saint Paul. Sometimes the biggest insights and gains are made when we question one another — together, we develop an even stronger understanding of what we can achieve, and how to get there.

What got you interested in/passionate about teaching? What will you bring to your new position from your education background?

I entered the teaching field after working in youth service. I was hungry for the opportunity to develop a long-term connection to a community. I’m happy I found this in my 13 years of teaching in the Hopkins school district.

While I was a student at the College of Education and Human Development, a professor invited me to visit his school in Hopkins. I jumped at the chance and fell in love with the language arts department overall: the breadth and depth of the class offerings, each teacher’s unique take on teaching and learning, and the district’s passion for excellence. Upon completion of my teaching certification, I joined the staff, and found myself surrounded by teachers who were so different from one another as individuals, yet shared this fervent passion for literacy, language, and learning. It was fantastic.

Here I was, right in the middle of this wildly diverse and dedicated staff, as someone who was deeply committed to the creative process. I found a community that was very receptive and supportive of my ideas about defining the pursuit of excellence as a creative challenge for students.

For example, I found that many of my creative writing students were good at figuring out how to please teachers and get their A. But I wanted a different challenge for my students — so I challenged myself as a teacher to create learning experiences that would be interactive, complex, and facilitate collaboration and community building. By the end of the semester, students were presenting their own original work as full-bodied one-act plays to the community.

I felt that my job as a teacher was to create the conditions for student success — let them find their voice, solve complex problems, share their vision — which all link directly back to the experiences I had as a student at the U of M.

Do you have a book you would recommend to anyone?

I love to take long walks, especially after reading The Examined Life: Excursions with Contemporary Thinkers by Astra Taylor. I find myself walking and thinking and ultimately changing aspects of my life for the better.

Do you have a motto or a set of words to live by?
You can get a lot done if you don’t care if your name is attached to it. I love sharing an idea and seeing someone run with it.

Visit teach.umn.edu to learn more about teacher education at the University of Minnesota. And, visit our Student Stories section to learn more about life as a student in Curriculum and Instruction.

Cargill Foundation awards North Minneapolis charter schools 1.5 million

February 26, 2014

The Cargill Foundation awarded a 1.5 million dollar, three-year grant to three North Minneapolis charter schools including Harvest Preparatory, Best Academy and Mastery School. These three schools are recognized for their success and ongoing efforts towards closing the achievement gap for low-income students and students of color living in North Minneapolis. The grant will fund the expansion of The Harvest Network of Schools so they can provide their services to more North Minneapolis students. As a Best Academy board member, PsTL Teaching Specialist and Director of the African American Read In Ezra Hyland commented, “this type of partnership between public charter schools, the University and corporations like Cargill, is the only way we can permanently improve education in communities most in need.”

Kolb awarded Robert Schreiner Reading Fellowship

February 26, 2014

Ph.D. candidate, Chris Kolb (Literacy Education) has been awarded the Robert Schreiner Reading Fellowship. The fellowship is designed to support a Ph.D. candidate’s dissertation research in reading education. Awardees are selected based on the importance of the research, the clarity with which it is described, and the potential the work has for making a significant contribution to the field. We recently interviewed Chris to learn a little bit more about his experiences and what he’s enjoying about his research.

What is most exciting about your work/research/studies?
For my current study, I spent about three months observing teaching and learning activities in a suburban high school English classroom. One of my main goals was to examine how classroom participants adopted or challenged dominant social and institutional beliefs about what it means to read and to be a reader, particularly in the context of a curriculum based on Common Core State Standards. This kind of research is exciting because it helps us understand not only how top-down standards initiatives and other institutional policies can constrain curricula and pedagogical practices, but also how these policies might ultimately influence how students perceive themselves as learners. Ultimately, I hope that my work contributes to efforts to develop literacy standards and curricula that encourage many kinds of literate identities among youth.

What really motivates you?
I have always approached my teaching and research as forms of social justice work. I am motivated by possibilities for improving literacy education for all youth, regardless of background or social identity. When I was a K-12 student, literacy and English education opened many doors for me. My goal is to help make the same possible for all students.

What have you most enjoyed about your experience in your program?
I’ve most enjoyed the opportunity to work with kind and insightful colleagues through every stage of my program — not only in different subfields of literacy education, but also in other fields across C&I. My teaching and scholarship have benefited (and changed) so much because of collaborations with graduate students and faculty in literacy education, social studies education, language education, and culture and teaching (to name just a few). I’d encourage all new students to reach across disciplinary boundaries in our department; they’re less solid than they sometimes seem.

Do you have hobbies or activities that you do outside of work?
It can be difficult to maintain space, both physical and intellectual, outside of academic work. Academic books tend to outnumber the leisurely ones, and it’s easy to spend each day thinking about writing and research questions. However, I do enjoy reading fiction, cooking and baking, enjoying Minnesota’s many lakes, and spending time with friends and family.

Do you have a book you would recommend to anyone?
One of my favorite books is The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I’d especially recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery novels (this was one of the first).

Visit the C&I website to learn more about the Literacy Education program area or the Ph.D. track in Literacy Education.

Youth Radio’s Elisabeth Soep visits CEHD to discuss digital youth initiatives

February 25, 2014

Amid a whopper of a Minnesota winter storm, Dr. Elisabeth Soep, Senior Producer and Research Director at Youth Radio, gave an engaging, thought-provoking presentation on digital youth initiatives and civic engagement to a mixed live and online audience this past Friday at McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota campus. She drew from her work at Youth Radio and from research in a range of other youth-driven settings across the U.S. to identify five tactics young people are using to make a difference in public spheres. Following her talk, a panel of community, university, and school-based youth educators discussed their work in supporting youth voices through digital media production. An archived copy of Dr. Soep’s presentation is viewable online at http://new.livestream.com/ltmedialab/soep.

Youth Radio is an Oakland-based, youth-driven production company that serves as NPR’s official youth desk. The Youth Radio stories Dr. Soep has produced with teen reporters for public media outlets have been recognized with such honors as two Peabody Awards, three Murrow Awards, an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.

The University of Minnesota event was co-sponsored by the Emma Birkmaier Critical Literacy and Urban Education Speaker Series, the Learning Technologies Media Lab, and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction’s Speaker Series, with contributions from Culture and Teaching (C&I), the School of Social Work: Youth Studies Program, and the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. All the sponsors are part of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

To stay abreast of upcoming events like these, please visit the CEHD and C&I event pages.

SLC Faculty testify at Joint Senate/House Education Policy Committee Hearing

February 25, 2014

On February 18, C&I Faculty from the Second Languages and Cultures Education program area were invited by the chairs of the Education committees in the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives, Representative Carlos Mariani and Senator Patricia Torres Ray to the state capitol to testify to the Joint Senate/House Education Policy Committees hearing on English Language Learners. They discussed two topics:

U of M language teacher education (ESL, world languages, dual-language and immersion)
Practices and policies related to immigrant adolescents with limited formal schooling

Associate Professor Diane Tedick and Senior Lecturer Susan Ranney presented on the topic of Preparing Teachers for English Learners, while Associate Professor Martha Bigelow and Dr. Jill Watson (adjunct instructor) presented on challenges and solutions for SLIFE students (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education).

“The legislators have previously expressed interest and appreciation for the university’s innovative practices in teacher education in our post-baccalaureate licensure programs through the TERI redesign,” said Ranney. “It was an honor for University of Minnesota faculty to be invited to testify along with school superintendents and administrators.”

Other testifiers included Minnesota Department of Education, St. Paul Public Schools, the Bloomington and Willmar Public School Districts. There were approximately 20 representatives and senators in attendance and 90 people in the audience. Testifiers fielded many questions about English learners in public schools and about preparing teachers and administrators to teach English learners from a wide range of backgrounds.

Please visit our Second Languages and Cultures program area page for more information on faculty research and academic programs.

Cicchetti honored for lifetime achievements by Association for Psychological Science

February 21, 2014

Dante Cicchetti, William Harris Professor of Child Development and Psychiatry and McKnight Presidential Chair, has been selected for a 2014 James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science (APS) for his lifetime contributions to the field of applied psychological science.

Cicchetti’s accomplishments are described in an article in the February APS Observer. The article singles out Cicchetti’s research as having had far reaching impact on developmental theory as well as on science, policy, and practice in many domains of development.

Cicchetti will deliver his award address at the 26th APS Annual Convention, May 22–25, in San Francisco.

Lee, Williams, Link, and Ernst published in Higher Education Teaching and Learning (HETL) Review

February 18, 2014

The collaborative work of Amy Lee (PsTL department chair and associate professor), Rhiannon Williams (research associate and graduate program recruitment coordinator), Alison Link (PsTL M.A. alumna) and David Ernst (CEHD chief information officer) was featured in the first 2014 issue of International HETL Review. “Minding the Gaps: Mobile Technologies and Student Perceptions of Technology” focuses on the importance of understanding how the socioeconomic background of students impacts how they engage with mobile technology.

TRiO students and their non-TRiO peers were surveyed regarding perception of aspects of their education experience and how it was enhanced by use of iPads. “Study results suggest that when thinking about and addressing student engagement, access, and success we would be wise to include in the discussion mobile technologies use across all socioeconomic groups,” according to the article. Read the article.

Benegas gives moving talk at TEDxUMN event

February 18, 2014

Michelle Benegas, a doctoral candidate in C&I’s Second Languages and Cultures track, gave a TED Talk at TEDxUMN: Turning Ideas into Action Salon this past November. In Benegas’ talk, “Confessions: New Teacher of Newcomers,” she intimately describes her experiences as a teacher of new immigrants and contemplates the cost of her cultural education.

“Giving a TEDx talk is entirely different from presenting at a conference because speakers are asked to tell their personal story,” says Benegas. “Even though much of my talk focuses on my lacking knowledge as an early teacher, I am proud of my story. I am not uncomfortable about presenting my vulnerability. As a teacher educator, I see similar versions of my story in many of my teacher candidates. I hope that by being forthcoming about my growth as an educator and a person, teacher candidates will more confidently engage in the critical discourses needed to bring more equity to education for marginalized learners.”

In C&I, Benegas researches the preparation of culturally relevant teachers, and cites her early experiences as a new teacher of newcomers as her motivation. “My research seeks to examine how teacher candidates learn to bridge the theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) with the sociopolitical environments of schools. While we know that CRP is a key to closing the opportunity gap, there is a lack of understanding about what CRP looks like in practice and how teachers can learn to enact it. My research follows student teachers as they learn to teach diverse students in culturally relevant ways, within the parameters of a public school.”

Benegas also serves as the first Vice President of MinneTESOL (Minnesota Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), and in 2015, she will assume the role of president. She is a former Saint Paul Public School teacher, and the school that she references in her talk is LEAP High School in Saint Paul. It is a high school made up entirely of immigrants and refugees.

TEDxUMN: Turning Ideas into Action took place at the Whole Music Club in Coffman Union on November 16. To learn more about the SLC program area and Ph.D. track, please visit the SLC program area page. Please visit our student stories section to read more experiences in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

New research links iPads to motion sickness

February 10, 2014

Have you ever felt sick or queasy after using a mobile device for an extended period of time? New research from the University of Minnesota, published in the journal Experimental Brain Research, helps explain why that might be.

In the study, participants played video games on iPads—under controlled, experimental conditions— and experienced motion sickness almost a third of the time. The risk of motion sickness, however, was found to be greatly influenced by how the device was being used.

Half of the participants played the game in “tilt control” mode, controlling the game by manually moving the device. Those participants rarely became sick. The other half that played in “touch” mode, using fingertip contact on the screen exclusively, were nearly five times as likely to get motion sickness.

“This result is remarkable,” said lead researcher Thomas Stoffregen, director of the U of M Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology. “Given the number of mobile devices out there, our findings suggest the potential for a serious problem. However, the research also has some practical tips for how people can minimize the risk of motion sickness.” Continue reading “New research links iPads to motion sickness”

CEHD News Jeff Webb

CEHD News Jeff Webb