Elizabeth (Liz) Rudrud, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) with Minneapolis Public Schools and an internship field supervisor for the Department of Educational Psychology’s school psychology program, has been named Model School Psychology Internship Field Supervisor by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The annual award recognizes field-based school psychology internship supervisors who consistently demonstrate best practices in supervision and mentoring. Rudrud is one of only nine school psychology internship field supervisors nationwide to receive the honor.
Rudrud was nominated by her colleagues in the Department of Educational Psychology’s NASP-approved school psychology program with support from her supervisor, Matthew Lau, PhD, NCSP, manager of psychological services for Minneapolis Public Schools. Two students who interned with Rudrud over the past five years also provided evaluations of her work based on NASP’s Best Practice Guidelines for Intern Field Supervision.
Elyse Farnsworth, lecturer, specialist program coordinator, and director of clinical training in the school psychology program, describes Rudrud as “a warm and welcoming supervisor who is also committed to pushing her interns to develop their skills according to the NASP practice model, the University’s program, and the intern’s personal goals.”
Congratulations to Liz Rudrud on this well-deserved honor!
Project PACT scholars Aaron Waheed, Robin Johnson, Scott Symes, Caroline Steur, Sarah Weise, Christina Skahen, and Kaytee Warren presented “Building Collaborations and Allies: Reflections from UMN Second Year DHH and ABS PACT Scholars” at the conference (with special education faculty Janet Caven and Kathy Seifert).
Associate Professor Debbie Golos and Brynn Roemen, a special education PhD student, presented “Promoting a Positive you!: Facilitating Identity Development in DHH Children.”
“It was a great opportunity for all to connect, learn, and build new collaborations for the future”,” Golos said.
We interviewed psychological foundations of education PhD student Ashley Hufnagle about her experience in the program and advice for prospective students.
In a few sentences please describe your research interests.
In an overarching way, my research fuses social psychology
and educational psychology with the ultimate goal of applying findings to
improve higher educational settings.
Questions that keep me up at night:
How can I create effective interventions that educators will actually use (and students will enjoy)?
How can we create more socially informed teaching practices and university environments that support all students?
I aim to understand the underlying psychological processes and social-structural factors that perpetuate inequalities in academic settings in order to develop data-driven interventions for students. I am particularly invested in cultivating effective and sustainable researcher-practitioner partnerships aimed at fostering student resilience, academic engagement, and well-being.
How did your path lead to the Department of Educational Psychology and the psychological foundations of education program?
Early on in my academic career, I was a bit of a “dabbler” but I think I always knew I was invested in: psychology, teaching/education, and solving problems in (their authentic) context. As an undergraduate, I was a psychology major and worked as a lab manager for two labs—one broadly focused on behavioral health and social psychology and the other tracked social-cognitive development from infancy to preschool.
Later, I worked in the non-profit sector in Ireland for a program called Parents and Kids Together (PAKT). My research interest in “resilience” began here as the program used this line of research as an underpinning for their curriculum development.
After returning to the U.S., this topic of “promoting resilience” became a key component of my undergraduate thesis.
Directly after graduation, I uprooted from Oregon and headed to North Carolina to work for the “Resilience Project,” which was conducting a four-year longitudinal study of college students at four sites in the southern U.S.. One of my primary roles on this project was to serve as a liaison between researchers and practitioners. For me, this was a perfect dose of research and application and also confirmed my hunch that graduate school was the right route for me.
Upon reflection, there appeared to be a common thread between all of these experiences and the University of Minnesota’s Department of Educational Psychology seemed like the perfect setting to bridge my past experiences and allow all of my interests to coalesce.
What is something you’ve most enjoyed about your experience?
I really enjoy being
surrounded by people (both peers and mentors) who are invested, curious, and
engaged every day! You’ll often find us tossing around ideas and chewing on
questions even when we are outside of the office. I particularly appreciate the
close relationships I have been able to cultivate with my professors—they are all
so approachable, inclusive, and have so much expertise to share! It is very
easy to pick anyone’s brain or try to strike a collaboration.
What is most exciting about your work?
I think one of the most exciting things about working in this field is that I can easily see direct connections between our research and its practical utility. This occurs on multiple levels—from applying it directly in a classroom setting, to shifting how we structure schools and programs, to informing policy, etc. Being able to harness rigorous scholarship to answer some of our most pressing questions and attempt to address thorny social problems is something that I really value. In the words of one of my academic heroes, Kurt Lewin, “Research that produces nothing but books is not enough.”
What has been most challenging parts about graduate school?
I think one of the most
challenging things about graduate school can be finding balance between your
various competing responsibilities, while also maintaining your own well-being.
It can be easy to take on too much or spread yourself thin but I’ve found being
really purposeful about structuring the amount of time I give to certain
projects to be very helpful. I also try to prioritize exercise and sleep as
well as allow myself at least 1 day a week that is completely free from
work/school. A break makes you all the more efficient later when you come back
fresh!
How has your cohort helped you along the way?
I think my cohort has provided a really important community/support network. The reality is that graduate school can be really challenging at times so it is definitely helpful to have people who personally understand the graduate school experience to share timelines and hurdles, as well as successes with! I think even when we have started to diverge in an academic sense, as everyone begins to find their distinct areas of expertise, the camaraderie has always remained.
How do you plan to use what you are learning and your degree?
Ideally, I would love to secure a faculty position as it would allow me to both continue my line of research as well as offer plenty of opportunities to teach/mentor students.
Is there any additional information you would like students considering psych foundations to know?
Prospective students are more than welcome to reach out to me via email, hufna011@umn.edu if they would like!
Michael Rodriguez, CEHD Associate Dean, Campbell Chair in Education and Human Development, and educational psychology professor, recently was featured in an MPR article which shared a new report Rodriguez and colleagues developed to address achievement gaps in Minnesota schools.
Joseph Rios, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s quantitative methods in education program, was selected to serve on the editorial board of Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation. The peer-reviewed online journal provides access to articles that can have a positive impact on assessment, research, evaluation, and teaching practice.
In back from left, Katherine Tunheim, Iris HeavyRunner PrettyPaint, Keith Ballard, Bradford Hosack, David Vick, Charlie Miller, John Hoffman, and *Randall Peterson. In front from left, Alice King Moormann, Steve Permuth, *Linda Cohen, Jean Quam, and Martha Russell. *Denotes Department of Educational Psychology alumni.
Winners of
the 2019 CEHD
Distinguished Alumni Awards were recently announced. The award honors CEHD
alumni who have excelled in their fields and contributed greatly to their
communities. Award recipients belong to a wide range of academic disciplines
and career paths, but all are individuals who have made profound impacts in the
lives of children, youth, families, schools, and organizations, and whose achievements
bring honor to the college. The awards were presented November 21
at the McNamara Alumni Center.
Linda Cohen,
MA in educational psychology, 1985; PhD educational psychology, 1986. Cohen
earned her PhD as a mid-career change. She became a licensed psychologist,
practicing for 20 years. In her previous roles, she taught at Blake School and
became the director of the middle school. She also led a major partnership with
Henry High School and TCF Bank. This spring, she completed a 12-year term on
the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, including a two year term as chair.
Penny George,
MA in educational psychology, 1972. George co-founded Sellergren-George
Consulting Psychologists, where she helped senior executives select for and
build high-performing teams. Today she is board chair of the George Family
Foundation and a leader in the national movement to transform medicine and
healthcare through the principles and practices of integrative medicine. She
also serves on the board of the foundation that supports the Penny George
Institute for Health and Healing at Allina Health in Minneapolis.
Randall Peterson, BS in agricultural education, 1986; MA in educational
psychology, 1990. Peterson is professor of organizational behavior and director
of the Leadership Institute at the London Business School. He is an
internationally known expert in leadership, team and board dynamics, and
conflict management. With a non-traditional background as a social psychologist
in a business school, he has conducted research on how chief executive officer
personality can affect organizational outcomes; leadership of diverse teams;
and board effectiveness.
Marguerite Ohrtman, director of school counseling and MA clinical training in the counseling and student personnel psychology program, recently wrote a guest blog for Intellispark. In the post, Ohrtman shared her research on kids’ social media use and thoughts on the topic as a mother herself.
Langdok, a junior from St. Michael, Minnesota, joined the Gophers in 2017 and has been an impact player ever since. This past season, the junior added two goals to bring her career point total up to 12 total points.
Off the field, she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in the special education licensure program, and she’s ready to make an impact throughout the community and in people’s lives. It’s bigger than sports to her.
In October, Professor Emeritus Thomas Skovholt presented on his book, The Resilient Practitioner: Burnout Prevention and Self-Care Strategies for Counselors, Therapists, Teachers, and Health Professionals, in a keynote and MasterClass at the National Child Protection and Social Work Conference at University College, Cork, Ireland.
CSPP students pack food at Feed My Starving Children.
CSPP student pose for a group photo after packing food at Feed My Starving Children.
Students in the Department of Educational Psychology’s counseling and student personnel psychology (CSPP) program visited Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) in Coon Rapids on Friday, November 8. The group worked together to pack enough food to feed 91 children in the coming year.
“We were proud to represent the CSPP family at Feed My Starving Children and found the experience to be extremely humbling and engaging,” said Logan Moe, graduate student representative for the program.
Marguerite Ohrtman, director of school counseling and clinical training, added, “It was an excellent opportunity for students to get to know their CSPP classmates on a more personal level while participating in something impactful!”
Imagine an energetic group of second and first graders forming a line and moving around their school’s auditorium in a caterpillar-like formation. Video sensors in the room detect their motion and display their movement as “particles” on a projection screen. They are giggling and smiling, “modeling” how particles combine as they learn about changes in states of matter.
Now, picture another group of children the same age. They also are learning about states of matter in an auditorium through play. However, this group is more singularly focused, more intent. They are competing. During their “game,” video sensors in their gym track their movement as they attempt to change states of matter inside their robot displayed on a projection screen. As the robot’s insides change from solids, to liquids, to gases, the changes cause it to move in different ways. If the group can get their robot away from the imaginary volcanic island, they win.
David DeLiema
Which scenario, modeling or the game, is a more effective way for children to learn scientific concepts? A recently published study by David DeLiema, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s psychological foundations of education program, “Roles, Rules, and Keys: How Different Play Configurations Shape Collaborative Science Inquiry,” finds that both settings are equally productive with respect to learning but that students take markedly different pathways toward learning. Published in the Journal of the Learning Sciences, a flagship journal in the field of educational research, the study compares how first and second graders use their bodies to change roles, break the rules, and sustain playfulness while learning in both the modeling (open-ended) and game (competitive) activities described above.
The plenary session, entitled “Reaping the Rewards of the IES Reading for Understanding Initiative,” featured the Reading for Understanding Report, to which Kendeou has contributed important insights.
Reading for Understanding Initiative (RFU) began in 2010 when the Institute of Education Sciences committed $120 million to establish it as a research and development network focused on improving reading comprehension for students in grades preK-12.
The plenary answered two key questions about RFU: What is its return on the investment? What are its implications for future research in reading comprehension?
Kendeou presented her insights on the impact of the initiative on the assessment of reading comprehension.
The plenary was co-chaired by David Pearson and Annemarie Palincsar.
The Center for Cognitive Studies is an interdisciplinary research center serving as the foundation for research in the cognitive sciences at the University of Minnesota. Its members represent 24 University departments and 9 colleges. The Center’s primary mission is the facilitation of interdisciplinary research and teaching in cognitive science. The Center provides its members with opportunities to share their insights on recent advances and develop interdisciplinary research collaborations.
As part of the University of Minnesota’s Community Fund Drive (CFD), the Department of Educational Psychology hosted a number of events to benefit organizations in the community. In total, the department events raised $1,291.67 which was donated to causes selected by its faculty, staff, and students.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minnesota Environmental Fund, and Open Your Hearts to the Hungry and Homeless all received funding as part of the department’s CFD events.
CFD activities included a penny war between academic programs, a traveling (dessert cart) bake sale, a chili cook-off, a silent auction, and office invasions by an inflatable pterodactyl.
Winners of the penny war (the special education program) and the chili cook-off (Lecturer Rob Henery) were given the opportunity to award the money from their events to the charitable organizations of their choice.
Donations to the department’s Community Fund Drive events, along with monetary donations from faculty and staff, resulted in a total of $15,416.27 given to the causes department members care about most. 76.71% of Department of Educational Psychology faculty and staff participated in the drive–the highest participation of any unit in the College of Education and Human Development.
Thanks to Department of Educational Psychology faculty, staff, and students for making this year’s Community Fund Drive so successful and so much fun!
We interviewed QME PhD student Jonathan Brown about his experience in the program and advice for prospective students.
What are your research interests?
I have numerous research interests! My current primary area involves how students
learn in simulation-based statistics courses, as well as how to assess such
learning.
How did your path lead to the Department of Educational Psychology and your particular major?
My path was quite unpredictable! I completed my master’s degree in Science and
Technology Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs here at the
University of Minnesota. In the middle
of that program, I became a statistics TA for public affairs statistics
courses, viewing it solely as a fun job to try.
It ended up going so well that a student and colleague of mine at the
time recommended I look at the statistics education track within the QME
program. After talking with all of the
stat ed faculty, it seemed like a perfect fit for my evolving interests!
What surprised you along the way?
I’m surprised by how much I’ve had to grow. When I entered, I didn’t try to predict or
tell myself exactly how I would need to mature and adapt, both professionally
and personally. I simply kept myself
ready for it, whatever that change would entail. I’ve
lost count of the number of memorably formative instances, whether it was learning
a specific course concept that opened my mind or completely changing my daily
life routine over the span of two years to be able to produce a lot of research
and writing, without sacrificing health.
The “Me” of five years ago probably wouldn’t recognize the “Me” of
today, and I mean that in a positive way.
What is something you’ve most enjoyed about your experience?
I’ve continually met awesome colleagues who bring fresh
perspectives and work on issues different than mine. I’ve “clicked” with so many people both
within and outside of my program. Through that, I have created numerous
“remember when?” moments that I’ll be able to share with these friends and
colleagues for decades to come. It
reaffirms that path we’re all on; it reaffirms that we’re all working toward
the same general goals, even if we pursue drastically different areas of
research and types of careers.
What is most exciting about your work?
In short, I get to see my research area in action,
weekly! Since my colleagues and I teach
the classes that pertain to our area of research, I’m lucky to be able to observe,
test, and experience the product of statistics education research live and “on
the ground” in our classrooms.
How would you describe the student experience and what does that mean to you?
If I had to put the student experience in a quippy phrase it would be “Focus, Freaks-out, Friendship”. Focus refers to crafting a strong workflow for research and teaching, whether it’s how I use my time at the office or settling in at a coffee shop for the weekend. Freaks-out capture the typical ups and downs. I remember when I found an article that I thought invalidated a key paper I was writing – I had a small meltdown. It turns out the article actually nicely complemented my paper, and everything was fine. These experiences both professionally and personally happen to all of us, which connects to the last point. Friendship or at least friendly support from colleagues and faculty can provide that solid core from which to overcome the extra difficult moments, or simply provide a network of great humans to share these years with. Without any of these three elements, I don’t think I’d be the stronger researcher, teacher, and professional that I am today.
What has been most challenging? (What challenges are you faced with? In your job, the field, etc.)
The most challenging aspect has been saying “no” to the buffet of opportunities that have arisen. In my first years, I said “yes” to basically everything professionally and socially. It was fantastic but eventually my personal resources ran out, and I had to learn how to pull back. Passing over great sounding projects and social events/happy hours has been both painful and necessary, but ultimately, I’m in a confident place of peace with how I’ve scaled down to my main priorities. Breadth over depth connected me to the opportunities of today, and now depth over breadth will ensure I finish what I started.
How have your professors helped you along the way?
With unending support.
I have never doubted their commitment to helping me to succeed, whether
it’s listening to my often unintelligible research ideas or simply checking in
with how I’m doing, personally. Sometimes
I’ve needed my professors to help my writing; other times I’ve simply wanted to
see if I share the same sci-fi movie tastes, to see if it’s worth listening to
their movie recommendations. I’ve been
very lucky to know faculty who can support both!
What would you like prospective students to know?
Lots of things. Make
allies within and outside of your program.
Know that feeling doubt and overwhelm is normal. Also, the semesters fly by fast, I mean,
really fast. It’s OK if you don’t always
know what you’re doing. I often tell
people in academia that being confused is the perfect place to start.
How has your cohort helped you along the way?
By providing a reflection of some of my own joys, struggles,
worries, and achievements along my path.
While each of us experiences our own unique challenges and successes,
there are key commonalities that bind us. When you see a colleague struggling,
you want to comfort them and validate that it’s OK to have a tough day, week,
or semester. It then simultaneously
validates some of your own struggle.
When you see a colleague succeed, you want to celebrate it, and that
moreover motivates you to succeed yourself.
What are you looking forward to with graduation?
A chance to reflect with some temporal distance from the
years that led to the graduation. There’s the common effect of not being able
to acquire perspective on an experience while you’re “in it”, living it. Only once you part from some experiences with
enough space and time are you able to take stock with what you’ve really
learned, how things really went, and what you’re going to take with you. I’m excited for these “looking back” moments,
to see which ideas, people, and decision-points really “stuck” with me the most
and had the most impact.
Also, I’m excited to start each of the 50 different TV shows
my friends, colleagues, and faculty members have recommended I watch!
How do you plan to use what you are learning/your degree?
In ways both known and unknown. If I go about my path the way I’d like, once I’m done, I know I will not be able to predict all the places my degree will take me. I would like to find a position in academia or industry that affords some combination of teaching/education and research/problem-solving aspects. I also want to be able to use my research methods training to help any number of individuals or organizations with their work. My undergrad major was astrophysics with a business minor, and my master’s degree focused on emerging technology policy with a public health minor. There are numerous issues in public affairs and social science I’d love to sink my teeth into. I’d like to continue exploring any or all of these issues and more, but now with a research methodology angle. If I keep myself open enough, I’m sure I’ll continue to meet amazing people and find motivating projects that I never knew existed. To quote Rumi, “What you seek is seeking you.”
Any additional information you would like people to know?
As with any big life endeavor, there are aspects you can
prepare for and aspects you can’t. The
trick is not in trying to control every aspect, but to know how to take a step
back and assess your reactions when conditions and events aren’t ideal.
Also, be prepared to change what you think you need to do to
succeed. For the first half of my
program, my sleep and work schedule were unsustainable. It took me years to realize that reducing my
commitments and investing in balance and self-care was the only reasonable way
I could complete my program. I’m 100%
happy with how my path has unfolded!
“It is an honor, a privilege, and an enormous responsibility to have the opportunity to serve the field in this important role,” said Professor Kendeou.
“I am joined by an outstanding and diverse team of associate editors. I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to them for agreeing to serve in this important role. I am very excited to introduce them (in alphabetical order).”
Olusola (Sola) Adesope(Washington State University) researches learning with computer-based multimedia resources, teaching and learning with concept maps and diagrams, and STEM education principles and assessments.
Daniel Ansari(University of Western Ontario, Canada) studies development of numerical and mathematical skills, using both behavioral and neuroimaging methods.
Jason Anthony(University of South Florida) specializes in the assessment of children, language and literacy acquisition, learning and developmental disabilities, family-and school-based interventions, and program evaluation and statistics.
Matthew (Matt) L. Bernacki(University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) studies motivation and metacognitive processes in learning technology, effective learning strategies in intervention and software development, and the personalization of learning.
Rebecca J. Collie(University of New South Wales, Australia) researches motivation, well-being, and social-emotional development using quantitative research methods. Her research also includes factors such as adaptability, goal setting, and interpersonal relationships.
Jill Fitzgerald(University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) studies reading and writing processes and instruction for native-English-speaking and multilingual children. Her current interests focus on text issues and children’s textual exposure to vocabulary.
Samuel Greiff(University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg) studies transversal thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and personality mainly in educational contexts. Methodologically, he focuses on computer-based assessment, educational data mining, and complex statistical models.
Young-Suk Kim(University of California, Irvine) studies development and instruction in language, cognition, and literacy acquisition, including reading comprehension, reading fluency, listening comprehension, and written composition across multiple language contexts.
Beth Kurtz-Costes(University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) studies academic motivation and social identities, including the development of children’s academic stereotypes, causal beliefs about achievement gaps, and relations between aspects of ethnic/racial and gender identities and youth’s academic motivation.
Jeanette Mancilla-Martinez(Vanderbilt University) studies student language and reading comprehension outcomes, including those of students from Spanish-speaking, low-income homes. She focuses on how language comprehension can mitigate later reading comprehension difficulties.
Matthew McCrudden(Pennsylvania State University) studies the effects of task, text, and learner variables influence on the moment-by-moment cognitive processes students use during reading and the outcomes of those processes including memory, transfer, and writing.
Kristen McMaster(University of Minnesota, Twin Cities) specializes in response to intervention of students at risk and students with disabilities, the promotion of teachers’ use of evidence-based instruction, and use of individualized interventions for struggling students.
Krista Muis(McGill University, Canada) studies how epistemic cognition and emotions influence learning and academic performance, and designs interventions to support students’ self-regulations during complex mathematics problem solving and science learning.
Erika Patall(University of Southern California) studies the determinants and development of motivation, the role of autonomy in motivation and achievement, and the application of research synthesis and meta-analytic methods.
Sarah Powell(University of Texas, Austin) is interested in the development and testing of mathematical interventions, with a special emphasis on peer tutoring, word-problem solving, mathematics writing, and the symbols and vocabulary within mathematics.
Tobias Richter(University of Würzburg, Germany) researches cognitive foundations of learning, language and text comprehension, learning from text and digital media, learning disorders, and assessment and intervention in education.
Rod Roscoe (Arizona State University) studies the intersection of learning science, computer science, and user science to inform effective and innovative uses of educational technology; specifically how they scaffold cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational learning processes.
Haley Vlach (University of Wisconsin, Madison) studies children’s thinking and learning. In particular, her work examines how basic cognitive processes (e.g., attention and memory) give rise to higher-order cognition (e.g., learning words, categories, and concepts).
The incoming editorial team will begin handling review of new manuscripts on January 1, 2020.
Amanda Sullivan, Birkmaier Education Leadership Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s school psychology program, and graduate students, Thuy Nguyen, Mollie Weeks, and Tara Kulkarni published Family Disability and Civil Rightswith the Great Lakes Equity Center. The tool is designed to assist families in understanding their rights and recourse where special education and civil rights intersect.
Professor Sullivan is a fellow of the Great Lakes Equity Center, which includes the Midwest and Plains (MAP) Equity Assistance Center and provides a hub for research, technical assistance, and resources for regional school systems to support educational equity.
Professor Sullivan is a fellow of the Great Lakes Equity Center, including the Midwest and Plains (MAP) Equity Assistance Center which provides a hub for research, technical assistance, and resources for regional school systems to support educational equity.
Professor Kristen McMaster presents at 2019 International Conference on Elementary Teacher Education
From October 24 through 25, Kristen McMaster, chair and professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, attended the 2019 International Conference on Elementary Teacher Education at Capital Normal University in Beijing, China.
Professor McMaster presented her work to improve outcomes for struggling learners by supporting teachers’ use of data-based individualization. During her trip, she met with faculty and students from China and around the world who are working to improve elementary and special education teacher preparation.
