Ilana Livstrom is a UROC Engaged Dissertation Fellow.
Illana Livstrom, a PhD student in STEM education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, was named as a Josie. R. Johnson UROC Engaged Dissertation Fellow. The fellowship is designed to support graduate students as they develop into community-engaged scholars doing research for the public good.
Livstrom was chosen for her community-engaged dissertation research that involves youth of color in work related to food, energy, and water security because minority populations have been disproportionately impacted by these issues and underrepresented in policy making. Her research explores the evolution of non-dominant youth interests, attitudes, knowledge, and career identity related to the environment, STEM, and their communities.
Mohamed El Nagdi, a recent graduate of the STEM education doctoral program, successfully defended his thesis last week, “Issues of identity and equity in STEM education: STEM teachers’ identity and gender equity in STEM education.” His research sought to understand how STEM teachers view their work and the purpose of STEM education (identity) by looking at two STEM schools in the Midwest and one in his native Egypt. He also examined gender equity and STEM integration and their implications for STEM education as a global reform initiative.
El Nagdi enrolled in the PhD in STEM education program in order to gain a deeper insight into the growing shift in thinking about STEM education. His goals were to understand the challenges to reforming and modernizing STEM education and earn professional experience along with research skills by working in different educational settings. His goal post-graduation is to become an education professor and find ways to support STEM education in Egypt to ensure its sustainability.
He found support for his goals in the program from both faculty and peers in the doctoral program. His faculty advisor, Gill Roehrig, “provided seminal support in terms of the academic and research work,” he said, adding that the support of fellow graduate students were a major resource in the program, as well.
He gained experience as a research assistant on projects led by Roehrig, such as EngrTEAMS: Engineering to Transform the Education of Analysis, Measurement, and Science in a Team-Based Targeted Mathematics-Science Partnership to apply his academic work into an applied research project. “Working on different research projects and professional development programs were very effective in creating research opportunities that matched the research agendas of different doctoral students and also help address the local and international grand challenges,” he said of his experience.
Aspiring Spanish teacher, Lilly Szecsi (’19), is earning the racial justice in urban schooling minor (RJUS) to better understand real issues facing students so she can become a better resource for all her future students.
What drove you to enroll in the racial justice in urban schooling minor program?
I primarily enrolled in order to gain new perspectives on unfamiliar topics within the realm of education that directly relate to my future profession.
Which part of the program have you found the most valuable?
I believe that the service-learning component within the “Issues in Urban Education” course has been the most valuable part of the minor for me. Having the opportunity to volunteer at various high schools around the Twin Cities has been extremely worthwhile; I have been able to put my learning into action and see some of the current challenges facing urban schooling settings firsthand. Service-learning has also given me a chance to analyze my own behaviors when working with children and recognize the ways in which I can improve on them in order to become a better resource for the students that I will eventually teach.
How has your experience with the faculty been?
My experiences with the faculty so far have been nothing but positive. All of my professors are extremely passionate about the subjects they teach, and this eagerness has made my courses much more interesting and practical. Overall, I can tell that the faculty truly cares about my success within the courses and program and are willing to do everything possible to provide me with information and opportunities that directly relate to my eventual teaching career.
What do you hope to get out of the minor? How will it help you in your career path?
My main goal is to gain additional insight and perspectives about topics relating to urban schools, such as common narratives and the role of economic issues in the context of education. Primarily, I am hoping that this minor will allow me to recognize the capacity of educators in regards to these challenges and the way in which we can address and alter the current situation through our own decisions while teaching. This minor will be applicable to my career as a Spanish teacher for years to come.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
In order to teaching in my own Spanish classroom, I am hoping to begin the master’s of education and initial teaching licensure program within C&I after graduation. I plan to teach somewhere in the Twin Cities following my completion of the program.
Any other thoughts you want to share about your experience?
I am extremely grateful for this experience and I am pleased with my decision to pursue this particular minor during my undergraduate career. I truly believe that the RJUS minor has prepared me to take on the challenges associated with becoming the knowledgeable teacher that I aspire to be.
Kristi Bergeson (former Pearson Fellow), Anna Jennerjohn (current Pearson Fellow), P. David Pearson, Professor Lori Helman, Amy Frederick (former Pearson Fellow), and Megan Van Deventer (former Pearson Fellow)
The current Pearson Family Fellowship recipient, PhD student in literacy education Anna Jennerjohn, had the opportunity to meet with several former recipients of the fellowship and alumni of the department, as well the fellowship’s namesake P. David Pearson, at the Literacy Research Association conference in Indian Wells, California.
The Pearson Family Fellowship is awarded to literacy education doctoral students who conduct reading research in collaboration with the Minnesota Center for Reading Research. Pearson is one of the leading researchers in the field of reading education and has served on the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Reading Conference, and as an advisor to the National Academy of Science and he Children’s Television Network, among others.
The group included Jennerjohn and her adviser professor Lori Helman, alumni Kristi Bergeson (’16) currently an assistant professor at Mankato State University, Amy Frederick (’13) an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and Megan Van Deventer an assistant professor at Weber State University. They discussed their current research about topics and trends in literacy education research with Pearson.
Sara Sterner, a PhD student in literacy education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction received the prestigious Children’s Literature Assembly research award. Each year, the organization gives a grant for original research addressing significant questions related to the field of children’s literature.
Sterner’s research dissertation, “A post-intentional phenomenological exploration of reading of whitely” examines how literature for young people has served as a platform that promotes whiteness and white cultural norms. She hopes her research can help disrupt this practice and promote inclusivity in children’s and adolescent literature.
“It is crucial to break down this barrier [of predominantly white literature] to promote equity-based literacy practices,” says Sterner.
Leah Shepard-Carey is received a TESOL research mini-grant for her work with emergent multilingual students.
Leah Shepard-Carey, a doctoral student in second language education and elementary education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, was one of four recipients of the 2018 TESOL research mini-grants from the TESOL International Association, which works to advance teaching English to speakers of other languages. Each year, the organization awards $2500 for applicants who are currently working on research or would like to start research projects that are aligned with the TESOL Research Agenda.
Shepard-Carey’s research seeks to explore the implementation of multilingual strategies and the surrounding classroom discourse that emerge from a teacher and researcher collaboration during reading time in an elementary school setting. Her research chips away at the larger problem of how emergent multilingual elementary students are framed as lacking skills and understanding instead of the “diversity of skills and experiences they bring to their understanding of texts.”
Shepard-Carey became interested in English language instruction after she spent several years teaching emergent multilingual students in Minnesota. Her research interests include literacy learning of these students and how teachers can support their learning effectively.
Sam Cronin with children’s author Melissa Sweet, courtesy of mscroninblog.wordpress.com
Senior elementary education major Sam Cronin was invited by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to present at the 2018 NCTE Annual Convention on November 15-18. Cronin will talk about her work using children’s literature as a teaching tool and her popular blog “Samantha Cronin’s Kid Lit Library” where she posts children’s book reviews that reflect diverse experiences and identities along with lesson plans, extension activities, and author/illustrator interviews. She will share how she uses books in her student-teaching placement in the BS in elementary education program
“Books are important tools for teaching empathy and social justice,” says Cronin. “Stories have the remarkable capacity to inspire and empower readers to share their own stories and raise their voices to create change in their communities.”
Cronin is planning to enroll in the M.Ed. and initial teaching license program in elementary education and attain her K-6 teaching license.
Meghan Phadke, PhD candidate in Culture and Teaching, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Meghan Phadke, PhD candidate in Culture and Teaching in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, shares her experience coming on board and settling in to a doctoral program that values challenging conventional thinking, educational equity, and social justice.
What interested you in the PhD program in Curriculum and Instruction?
To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have looked here if I didn’t have some family locally that pushed me to consider it. I was surprised at how well a fit it seemed to be once I looked closer. I was looking for a program that could connect my interest in larger discourses, systems, and structures to the day-to-day work of teaching. I wanted a program that explicitly located itself in equity and social justice frameworks. And I knew that I wanted a program that was embedded in a teacher-preparation institution. Maybe unsurprisingly, there aren’t that many programs out there built this way – never mind in a place that I could imagine living for at least five years. Once I visited and connected with my future advisor [Professor Nina Asher], I just knew it was the right place for me.
What did you hope to get out of your educational experience?
I hoped to find like-minded people that could push my thinking and a supportive and collaborative community with which to do my work.
Were there any surprises and challenges along the way?
I think I underestimated how difficult settling into a new location and settling back into being a student would be. This political moment – the Trump election in November of my first year, in particular – has been both surprising and challenging. There were a lot of days when I felt like this intellectual work was self-indulgent, and that I could be doing more in a classroom somewhere. And even beyond that, there were definitely a lot of days when I wasn’t quite sure this path was the right one. It helped that I have a very tight-knit cohort and we were able to support each other through these shared challenges.
What has been your experience with the faculty?
As far as the program faculty in my focus area, culture and teaching, I would say my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Faculty have been quick to respond to emails and meet one-on-one, generous with their time, and supportive of me, my thinking, and my interests.
What is your research focus?
I am thinking about citizen-making and nation-building in the context of everyday elementary school teaching and learning.
Which resources have you found through the program to help with your research?
I’m only now moving more solidly into my research, so I’m not quite sure I have the best answer to this questions. My research interests have definitely been pushed along by ongoing conversations with peers in my cohort – and certainly by the ability to meet with faculty, ask questions, and be pointed to different resources – whether they be courses, other faculty, readings, or experiences.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
I hope to continue to work with future elementary school teachers!
Junior Gretchen Glewwe is majoring in elementary education and special education with minors in both teaching English as a second language (TESL) and Asian languages and literatures. The extra courses have been worth it so she is prepared to make the biggest impact possible for students who need it the most.
The idea of pursuing elementary education has always been floating around in my mind, but I originally wanted to teach high school literature or be a computer engineer. After taking a Shakespeare course, I figured that teaching literature wasn’t for me. My section of CEHD’s First Year Inquiry had a service-learning component and I was able to regularly visit an elementary school for the entirety of my first fall semester. I felt the most alive during my first semester when I was working with the fourth graders, so I decided to take the introduction course for the elementary education major. I took CI 1001, Introduction to the Elementary School during my first spring semester and I loved it!
When did you realize you wanted to be a teacher?
My mom is a teacher and my dad works in banking. Originally, I wanted to do something that wasn’t related to either of these two fields because I thought that was the only way I could become my own person. Naturally, many of my mom’s friends are teachers, librarians, and school administrators. My mom and her friends were often able to trade stories of times when they made a difference in a student’s life. I wanted to be able to do that for someone, and so I decided to pursue teaching.
What do you hope to get out of your educational experience?
My hope in doing all of this—the double major and double minor—is that I am prepared. I want to ensure that I have done all that I possibly can to be ready for my future students. My educational experience here at the U has been dedicated to ensuring I am knowledgeable and able to advocate for my students in order to ensure their needs are met in an educational setting.
Were there any surprises and challenges along the way?
To my surprise, I added a second major! I never expected that I would fall in love with special education, but I did in CI 1001! My time here has been filled with lots of classes and a few 20+ credit semesters, but I choose this path because I know it will help me prepare for the future.
What has been your experience with the faculty?
I have been fortunate to work with many professors who have had experience as elementary school teachers, and I am grateful that they are able to bring their insight into the classroom. I have also had some graduate students teach my courses, who are still working on their own academic goals. I appreciate that they remember and understand what it means to be an undergraduate student. One of the best experiences I have had with staff is with my academic adviser, Carole Anne Broad. Every time I meet with her, I’m always bringing in some new idea about what I can do during my time here. While she supports me endlessly, Carole Anne keeps me grounded. She has been my rock from the very beginning, since the summer of my first-year orientation, and she will be my rock until the very end, as I’m finishing up my Honors thesis and graduating come Spring 2020.
Do you feel the coursework and student teaching helped you to begin teaching in your own classroom?
One thing that I love about the elementary education program here at the U is that you are able to have time in an elementary classroom. I have been in either a service-learning course or a teaching practicum for every semester that I’ve been at the U thus far. The real-world experience in schools reminds me that I am capable of teaching and dedicated to working with students. By the time I am finished here, I know that I will be ready to go out into the world and make a difference.
Any other thoughts you want to share about your experience?
I leave you with my favorite quote from the late Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
This is my first year as a Spanish teacher at Edison high school in Minneapolis.
What is your degree program?
I am finishing my M.Ed. in Second Language Education this spring and have earned a license to teach both English as a Second Language and Spanish in K-12 classrooms.
What drove you to enroll in the program?
I taught English for two years in Madrid, Spain and realized that I wanted to continue working with youth and eventually teach back home. (I am originally from the Twin Cities). I researched options and discovered that the University of Minnesota’s program was both fast (just one year) and very well regarded.
When did you realize you wanted to be a teacher?
I originally went to Spain for the adventure, with teaching simply being the path to a visa. However, as I worked with my students there, I realized this was something that I actually loved doing.
Were there any surprises and challenges along the way?
Certainly, a challenge was the intensity of the program. Although I knew it would be a busy, but I had no idea how busy it would actually be. I had four different student-teaching placements, while having one or two classes most evenings plus homework and lesson planning. It was definitely a marathon experience!
What has been your experience with the faculty?
The faculty were wonderful. They combined excellent content knowledge with also being supportive and caring. They understood the demands of our program and were willing to work with us to help us succeed. Without them it would have been much harder.
What was the most valuable part of the program that you applied to your teaching?
The most useful part of the M.Ed. program was the student teaching placements combined with observations and reflections. Trying out classroom concepts and ideas in the “real world,” and then having the opportunity to learn and grow through reflection of how things actually went in the classroom was very helpful.
Do you feel the coursework and student teaching helped you to begin teaching in your own classroom?
I think the program and student teaching taught me a great deal and I would be totally lost right now if I hadn’t had those experiences. At the same time, I feel like there is no substitute for the real thing when it comes to teaching. Every school, classroom, and group of students is unique and comes with unique challenges. The program and student teaching gave me a toolbox of techniques, theory and ideas, and now I am trying different things out in the classroom and seeing what actually works in my specific context.
What advice would you give to other teacher candidates about the program?
Take things a day at a time and be okay with not getting everything on your to-do list done, or being able to give 100 percent to everything. Make sure you have a strong support group around you for when times are hard, and prepare for a lot of personal and professional growth.
Elementary education major junior, Kayla Ryan, talks about her passion for education and how her work as a literacy mentor helps her engage with youth.
What drove you to enroll in the B.S. in elementary education program?
I’ve always known that I wanted to work with kids in whatever career I chose. I’ve always had jobs with kids. I’ve been a babysitter, a nanny, a tutor, and a camp counselor. Sometimes I find myself looking into different career options, but I can never picture myself in any other profession other than teaching.
What did you hope to get out of your educational experience?
I want to learn strategies to make learning engaging and fun for all students. I think it is so important for students to be interested in what they are learning and see the value in education. It’s very difficult to get all students involved, which is why I want to learn new and creative ways to present material. Ultimately, I believe that if a student is passionate about what they are doing, they are going to be much more successful.
What has been your experience with the faculty?
I’m so happy to be in the College of Education and Human Development. So many of my friends have huge lectures, and I feel fortunate to have such small classes and personal connections with many of my teachers and professors.
How long have you been a literacy mentor with CEHD America Reads?
My favorite part of going to work is that I get to see and talk to kids who are excited to see me. I look forward to tutoring every time because I always feel like I’m making a difference. And I’m also having a fun time as well.
Do you plan to use any skills you gained as a literacy mentor in your teaching career?
Any experience with kids that I can get will be awesome preparation for a future teaching career. Not only is it great to meet and discuss with other mentors about activity ideas, but also about handling difficult behavior and other situations.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
I would love to teach elementary school somewhere in the Twin Cities after graduation. I love the area and all of the kids that I’ve worked with, and can’t picture myself leaving.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction recently launched an undergraduate minor in learning technologies. The program, which offers all core courses online, helps students leverage digital skills to advance learning, creativity, and collaboration. As online and digital technologies become an increasingly important part of personal and professional life, an understanding of how to use them masterfully and ethically is essential to becoming a digital leader in any field.
A desire to use online spaces to advance learning and leadership capacity drove Phil Martin, a senior majoring in management information systems, to take his first course in learning technologies. “As a student studying management, teaching and learning are fundamental skills to being able to properly lead and manage teams,” he says. “As such, studying learning technologies provides a foundation for using technology to become a more effective leader.”
Taylor Intihar, a senior majoring in physiology also enrolled in a learning technologies course to advance her career. Her focus is on the medical sciences, with a particular interest in the ethical use of online technologies. “New technological advances are appearing every day in the medical field,” she said. “Knowing how to analyze and understand the risks of technology beyond patient safety is important for a well functioning team of physicians, residents, and nurses. This class [“Technology and Ethics in Society”] gave me the opportunity to explore the potential ethical implications that come with use.”
Journalism and global studies major, Udita Goel, enrolled in a learning technologies course focusing on social media and its impact on society to have a better understanding of how to use it in her future career in digital marketing and advertising. She found the discussion-based format and student-led approach to learning “unique and engaging,” along with the focus on social media. “I’ll really remember this as one of the coolest classes I’ve taken,” she enthused.
The opportunity to use the technology they are studying during the course will be appealing to students who want a more hands-on, interactive learning environment.
“Studying learning technologies while genuinely using and relying on them was a truly unique learning experience,” Martin says. “These classes are not just for those who want to become educators or educational technology developers. No matter what your career goals involve, understanding how technology and education interact will always be valuable to your career and personal growth.”
Yuriy Maskymovych is receiving the Early Career Award from MCTLC for his outstanding instruction in a world-language classroom as a first-year language teacher in Minnesota. Yuriy graduated in 2018 with his M.Ed. and earned teaching licenses in Japanese and English as a Second Language.
Walker Currie is receiving the Outstanding Student Teacher Award from MCTLC for his service and extraordinary potential in providing excellent instruction in the world language classroom as a student teacher of a world language in Minnesota. He earned his teaching license in Spanish and English as a Second Language in Spring 2018 and will graduate with his Master of Education in the Spring, 2019. He began teaching Spanish in his own classroom at Edison High School in Minneapolis this Fall.
“Every school, classroom, and group of students is unique and comes with unique challenges,” Currie says of his initial experience as a Spanish teacher. “The M.Ed/teaching license program and student teaching gave me a toolbox of techniques, theory, and ideas, and now I am trying different things out in the classroom and seeing what actually works in my specific context.”
Justin Grinage, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, was chosen as one of the Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color fellows for 2018-2020 by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
The NCTE Research Foundation’s Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color (CNV) program is designed to provide two years of support, mentoring, and networking opportunities for early career scholars of color. The program aims to work with doctoral candidates and early career postsecondary faculty of color to cultivate the ability to draw from their own cultural and linguistic perspectives as they conceptualize, plan, conduct, write, and disseminate findings from their research. The program provides socialization into the research community and interaction with established scholars whose own work can be enriched by their engagement with new ideas and perspectives.
Learn more about Justin Grinage’s research, which focuses on how racial trauma influences teaching and learning.
Jordyn Blomquist is a senior history major in the DirecTrack to Teaching program and a literacy mentor for CEHD America Reads. She plans to use her experience in both programs to help her as a teaching candidate and eventually, become a history teacher.
What do you think has been the most valuable part of the program?
America Reads has been an instrumental part of my college experience! During my first year working there I was not an education major nor was I planning on pursuing a career as a teacher, but the work I was doing with the students made me feel truly excited and fulfilled. America Reads has allowed me to be incredibly active in Minneapolis schools and community centers and I am very grateful for the opportunities that have come from my job. Through my work I have been able to watch students grow and progress academically and emotionally, and I have been able to form relationships with them and those I work with.
Has your experience as a literacy mentor helped you in your learning as a pre-service teacher?
Being a literacy mentor has helped me greatly as a pre-service teacher since I am gaining exposure in schools and education programs while in my undergraduate program. America Reads has provided really great trainings on literacy and teaching techniques and I have been able to implement them through my work in ways I could never if I was not a literacy mentor.
What drove you to enroll in the DirecTrack to Teaching program?
I was inspired to enroll in the DirecTrack to Teaching program after I began my role as a Section Leader in the First Year Experience program through the College of Liberal Arts. I had always considered teaching as a possible profession, but when I was writing my first email to my section of freshmen it hit me that I really wanted to work where I can support and teach students. I changed my major the next day to history and I began to talk with Jehanne Beaton from DirecTrack soon after. I believe DirecTrack is a great opportunity for students since it allows us to be exposed to education classes while pursuing separate majors, and introduces us to the teaching profession through volunteer work in schools.
What do you hope to accomplish as a teacher?
I hope to create an open and supportive atmosphere in my classroom where my students feel welcome and excited to learn. I always felt so comfortable in school, and I want to allow my students to also feel understood and happy to be there. I hope as a teacher I can influence my students to be kind to themselves and others.
What has been your experience with the faculty?
I have had only positive experiences with the CEHD faculty. Everyone who I have met has been so kind and welcoming, and I love talking with my instructors and supervisors at America Reads.
What strengths will bring to the classroom?
I believe I will bring compassion and dedication to my classroom. Teaching is so much more that just lecturing information, and so I want to use my compassion to empathize with my students and help them have successful school years in and out of the classroom. I will use dedication to provide the best lessons I can and ensure that each student is given the opportunities they need to thrive.
Any other thoughts you want to share about your experience?
Prior to enrolling in DirecTrack to teaching, I was not sure what exactly what I wanted to do post-graduation, but since realizing I want to become a teacher, I feel completely fulfilled. I love the work I do through America Reads, and I cannot recommend becoming a literacy mentor enough!
CEHD America Reads is hiring literacy mentors who have work-study awards. Apply today.
Lindsay Robinson is the recipient of the 2018 Dr. Frances O. Triggs Memorial Fund Assistantship given to outstanding Ph.D. students entering the literacy program with a focus on reading education. She shares her literacy education background and goals for her Ph.D. program.
I love teaching. There is nothing better than seeing a child understand something for the first time or see something in a new way. However, I began to feel that my students were being put at a disadvantage because of district-level decision making. They were constantly changing the curriculum, asking the teachers to change everything year after year, and even switching back and forth on the dual language program. Districts are under tremendous pressure to show student growth, but the losers in the situation are teachers and ultimately, students. As a teacher, my voice was never heard, even though teachers are supposed to be the experts. I decided to enroll in the program to try to address this issue.
What is your past teaching/education experience?
I attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL for my undergraduate degree in literature. I enrolled in the accelerated master’s program for my Master’s in Elementary Education. I taught for four years at a charter school in inner-city Chicago. During my time there, I taught 3rd, 7th, and 8th grades. Then, I taught 5th grade and Social Emotional Learning in West Chicago for two years. The majority of my students were Hispanic, from low-income households.
What did you hope to get out of your educational experience?
I hope to become an expert in the field of literacy to better prepare teachers for the needs of students today.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
I hope to become a professor in a teacher preparation program. I would also be interested in being a consultant for school districts to help them implement curriculum and programming with research and thoughtful planning.
Robb Virgin is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Studies Education and also the newly appointed principal of Eden Prairie High School. He plans to apply his research on student-based inquiry to his new role leading the teaching staff in Eden Prairie.
What made you decide to pursue your Ph.D. in Social Studies at the University of Minnesota?
I wanted to learn more about how to help teachers. Specifically, I want to help teachers in their instructional practices, which I believe is the biggest lever for student learning. While in my program, I took school leadership courses as my supporting program. I feel my deeper understanding of curriculum and instruction allows me to be an instructional leader.
Tell me about your dissertation research.
I’m interested in inquiry-based learning and specifically in student-generated questions and how those compare to the questions their teachers ask, or curriculum developers ask. I think getting students involved in the curriculum creation process by making them the question-askers and not strictly answerers is a way to increase their engagement and curiosity as learners.
Do you hope to apply your research and work in the doctoral program to your new job as principal of Eden Prairie High School?
Yes. The principalship has evolved to include “instructional leadership.” This is now my number one job. My coursework and research has provided me a deeper understanding of teaching and learning than the more traditional grad work for school administrators.
What do you hope to accomplish as principal?
I want to “Inspire each student.” That is the district mission statement and I believe in it. This is evidenced in a lot of different ways—grades, external assessments, attendance, graduation rates, engagement in courses, pursuit of interests, participation beyond the classroom in formal and informal ways.
I hope to do this by amplifying student voices, empowering staff, focusing on what happens in the classroom and making sure it fits our goals of collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. All of this is underwritten by strong, trusting relationships throughout our community, what I like to call “relationship-based community.”
Which courses did you teach as a graduate instructor? How have they impacted your view of teacher preparation and leadership?
Primarily (CI 5741) Introduction to Social Studies Education. I’ve taught that since I’ve been a school administrator, too. The students expose me to new ideas, and more importantly, help keep my thinking fresh by considering what is most important for new teachers to know and why.
What has been your experience with the faculty?
My advisor, J.B. Mayo has been incredibly supportive of all of my efforts—research, teaching, principal. He listens, asks questions, leverages his relationships, and flexibly responds. He has also improved my writing a lot, too.
Yi-Ju Lai, a Ph.D. candidate in Second Language Education program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, was recently selected as one of two graduate student board members of the prestigious, international journal TESOL Quarterly. The journal connects theory with practice and addresses the practical concerns in the fields of language acquisition and applied linguistics. As a board member, Lai will review manuscripts, evaluate proposals for the special issue, and participate in the editorial board meeting at the TESOL convention for a three-to-five year term.
Lai’s current dissertation project is in the field of applied linguistics. She examines the language socialization of multilingual international teaching assistants and their American students . Her advisor is Professor Kendall King, who supported her TESOL board application along with Professor Cynthia Lewis.
The updated standards describe the characteristics of effective literacy professional preparation programs, integrating research-based promising practices, professional wisdom, and feedback from various stakeholders during public comment periods. Helman served as an appointed member of the select Standards Revision Committee 2017 and was a writer on Standard 4: Diversity and Equity, as well as led the team that made recommendations for principals’ use of the literacy standards.
Last updated in 2010, the title reflects ILA’s expanded definition of literacy beyond reading. Standards 2017 promotes a broader repertoire of skills—achieved through more rigorous field work, digital learning and equity-building practices, among other key changes—ensuring that all candidates are prepared to meet the demands of 21st-century literacy instruction.
“Standards 2017 sets forth a common vision of what all literacy programs should look like—and hands institutions a road map to get there,” says ILA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post. “This is an important step toward ensuring that all literacy professional preparation programs and practicing literacy professionals provide the foundational tools needed to deliver high-quality literacy instruction.”
Although the category of specialized reading professional was introduced 20 years ago, there remained some confusion about the various roles and responsibilities. Standards 2017 delineates three roles of specialized literacy professionals—reading/literacy specialists, literacy coaches and literacy supervisors/coordinator—explaining the differences between and among the roles, clarifying expectations and enabling preparation programs to meet more specific goals.
Standards 2017 also revises guidance for the roles of principals, teacher educators and literacy partners and provides literacy-specific standards for classroom teachers for pre-K/primary, elementary/intermediate and middle/high school levels, ensuring that literacy practices are infused in all areas of the curriculum.
SciGirls code connects girls to technology to advance their skills in STEM.
Cassie Scharber, Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, will be featured in the 2018 STEM for All Video Showcase funded by the National Science Foundation. The event is being held online from May 14-21st.
The presentation, entitled “SciGirls Code: A National Connected Learning Computer Science Model“, shares details from a pilot program that uses principles of connected learning with 16 STEM outreach partners across the country to provide 160 girls and their 32 leaders with computational thinking and coding skills. Scharber is leading the research component of the program which investigates the ways in which computational learning experiences impact the development of girls’ computational thinking, interest, and attitudes toward computer science.
SciGirls Code is a collaboration between Twin Cities Public Television, the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), and the Learning Technologies Media Lab in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Now in its fourth year, the annual showcase will feature over 200 innovative projects aimed at improving STEM learning and teaching, which have been funded by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. During the weeklong, event researchers, practitioners, policy makers and members of the public are invited to view the short videos, discuss them with the presenters online, and vote for their favorites. Last year’s STEM for All Video Showcase has had over 51,000 unique visitors from over 189 countries.
