M E S S A G E
F R O M T H E D E A N
|
|
 The UA campus may have quieted down for the summer, but the College of Education is buzzing with about 35 middle-schoolers, here for Passport to High School, fondly known as P2HS. This program empowers graduating eighth-graders from low-income families to view their high school experience as the pathway to college. The program's driving philosophy is that students not only need information about college, but they also need to spend some time in the physical space. This summer, two of our 2014 Teach Arizona graduates are interning for the program and will be teaching the curriculum. This is a win-win situation: It helps us manage the program and it also gives these Teach Arizona grads experience before they begin teaching in the fall. Also new this summer for P2HS: There are 13 students from a Nogales, Arizona, charter school, Mexicayotl Charter School. If you'd like to learn more about this far-reaching program, contact our Director of Outreach Sara Chavarria. You might see some second-graders running around, too. We're collaborating with UA Bookstores and Flandrau on an American Girl Isabelle Camp in our newly renovated Worlds of Words space. Second- to sixth-graders will make movies, create sets, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the arts in Tucson. Experience Isabelle is focused on bringing the American Girl book series by Laurence Yep to life in one wonderful arts-intensive week. Now to a more serious topic: Educational reform. Always a hot issue, educational reform responds to local and national pressures to improve educational outcomes, and reform efforts cycle as similar pressures recur. Currently, reform efforts focus on teachers, even though confidence in a host of American social institutions is dropping. One of the most widespread reforms regarding teachers is the creation of state laws and regulations that require high-stakes evaluation, often using value-added models or related approaches to measuring growth in student learning. I recently discussed my paper, Reforming Again: Now Teachers, in a video for Teachers College Record. You can watch the video here. |
|
|
|
Why Nature Is Good For You
We told you about the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning's kickoff event in late March, celebrating Cooper's 50-year anniversary. UA journalism student Lauren Weinberg created this YouTube video that points out why those who are closer to nature are potentially happier. Find out why here.
|
|
|
Fall 2014 Rodel Promising Student Teachers Named
Nineteen outstanding students will be mentored by Rodel Exemplary Teachers as they begin their student teaching requirement during the fall 2014 semester. Out of the 19, eight are from the UA College of Education. See more here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
ROCKETS TO THE RESCUE: A STEM COLLABORATION
 | |
A 4-H participant proudly hoists his rocket, built as a trial of the National 4-H Science Day Experiment, Rockets to the Rescue, designed by Arizona 4-H in collaboration with multiple local partners.
(Photo by Kirk Astroth)
|
National Youth Science Day is an annual 4-H endeavor to encourage kids to develop interest in STEM fields. Since it was begun in 2008, more than five million 4-H children across the country have participated in 4-H Science Day experiments. Each year, one winning experiment design is selected from proposals submitted by 20 to 30 state 4-H organizations. The proposals are judged by members of the National 4-H Council and a review team that includes scientists and engineers. Design of this year's winning aerospace engineering experiment, called Rockets to the Rescue, was "truly a cross-campus, cross-community collaboration," said Kirk Astroth, director of Arizona 4-H Youth Development. Astroth designed the experiment along with colleagues in UA Cooperative Extension and Pima County 4-H, the UA STEM Learning Center, Flandrau Planetarium, and faculty in the UA College of Engineering, the College of Education, and College of Agriculture and Life Science's Department of Nutritional Sciences, and collaborators at Raytheon Inc. in Tucson, Northern Arizona University's Center for Science Teaching & Learning, and the Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence. Here's more.
|
THE NOT-SO-TRADITIONAL SIDE OF EDUCATION
 | |
Lindsey intern Isoken Adodo (left)
with Paul Lindsey
|
In April, eight College of Education students, seven graduate and one undergraduate, spent the afternoon sharing their internship experiences with the college's good friend Paul Lindsey. These experiences covered numerous types of activities ranging from teaching kids about chess and gardening to harvesting fruit and desert hikes. Lindsey's generous yearly contribution enables the students to experience the nontraditional side of education. The program also enables the host organizations, many of which survive solely on community donations, to get an extra hand in promoting and carrying out their programs. Many of the organizations noted that the Lindsey Internship allows them be more effective in providing services to the community. This year, one of the interns, Isoken Adodo, so impressed the host agency that she was offered a director position upon completion of the internship. After each of the interns described their experiences, the group had a conversation with Lindsey about the future of this type of educational experience, and Lindsey shared his motivation for creating and supporting the program. For more information about the Lindsey program, contact Director of Outreach Sara Chavarria.
|
|
STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE!
Our UA Cooperating Teacher Recognition Baseball Night at Hi Corbett was a smashing success. Cooperating teachers who served as mentors to our student teachers during the 2013-2014 school year and university supervisors plus their guests were invited to watch the Wildcats play Stanford on May 10. Teachers and their guests also received dinner -- a hot dog dinner, of course.
|
THANK YOU FOR BEING A TEACHER!
Our new Teacher Appreciation Week from May 3 through May 10 -- read more about it here -- culminated in an evening celebration for all graduating seniors from our teacher certification programs. The College of Education and our Alumni Council along with Tucson Values Teachers hosted the event to say "thank you for choosing a career in teaching."
We honored these soon-to-be teachers and some of our closest alumni to show our appreciation for all teachers and to recognize their tremendous contributions to our nation's children. From the looks on the faces below, it appears to be a wise career choice!
|
AWARD TIME
We just ended the spring semester and that, of course, means awards! Congratulations are in order for the recipients of these awards, which were presented during a reception in May:
College Awards
Laura Junker: Outstanding Senior
Amy Olson: Outstanding Graduate Student
Department Awards
Maurita Villareal: Outstanding Senior, Deaf Studies
Paulina Peng: Outstanding Senior, Rehabilitation
Rebecca McLaren: Outstanding Student Teacher, Cross-Categorical Special Education
Erika Aurand: Outstanding Student Teacher, CREATE Early Childhood Education
Schreen Marvin: Outstanding Student Teacher, Elementary Education
Ji-Min Jeon: Outstanding Student Teacher, Teach Arizona
Faculty Awards
Director of Outreach Sara Chavarria: Maria Urquides Laureate Award
Professor Kathy G. Short: Outstanding Faculty Teaching/Mentoring Award
Professor Jeffrey F. Milem: Erasmus Circle Fellow
Associate Professor Francesca Lopez: Erasmus Circle Fellow
|
A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
 | |
A closer look at hydroponics
|
How are people developing solutions to ecological and environmental problems?
Assistant Professor Sara Tolbert, accompanied by Associate Professor Carol Evans and two TTE graduate students, Diana Hill and Corey Knox, organized and led 24 high school biology students and two teachers from the Western Institute for Leadership Development on a community-based field trip to explore that question.
They began the morning with a tour of the Sweetwater Wetlands to learn how an ecological restoration project can contribute to public health. They studied how the wetlands provide habitat for wildlife, while the wetland ecosystem filters contaminants from wastewater, which is then used to irrigate parks and golf courses in the Tucson community.
Next, they visited the UA Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, exploring how hydroponics can be an effective approach to producing pesticide-free fruit and vegetables in an arid region, with low environmental impact.
Finally, they visited the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and toured the environmental health labs to see first-hand the type of behind-the-scenes work that environmental and public health scientists conduct. The students said they were inspired by the solutions-driven approach to some of our community's most pressing concerns.
|
|
DEAN'S OFFICE
 Advisor Sara Yerger received an Outstanding New Advisor Certificate of Merit from the National Academic Advising Association.
DISABILITY & PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL STUDIES
 Program Coordinators Pam de Steiguer (left) and Cecilia Carlon were honored as nominees for the Award for Excellence at the UA, which was hosted by Provost Andrew Comrie. The awards are sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council, Appointed Professionals Advisory Council, Shared Governance and Campus Community Advisory Committee, and President's Office. Professor of Practice L. Penny Rosenblum just returned to Tucson after a month in Australia and New Zealand. She spoke several times during a series of workshops sponsored by the Renwick Centre through the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children and presented full-day workshops on braille literacy for children with visual impairments in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. She made presentations about strategies for nondrivers and building children's social skills while in Melbourne and Sydney. Rosenblum delivered a keynote address during the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Conference in Brisbane. The conference brings together a wide cross-section of professionals from the Pacific Island countries. During her keynote, she spoke about the research being conducted through the AnimalWatch Vi Suite project at the UA.  | |
Rosenblum on the Great Ocean Road
in Victoria, Australia
|
Rosenblum met a variety of professionals working with children and adults with visual impairments. She said many of the challenges faced in the U.S. system are also faced in Australia (e.g., funding, when to introduce braille to a child losing vision, scheduling). Australians were anxious to learn about services in the U.S., especially technologies such as the iPad with a refreshable braille display, which is used by youth with visual impairments to gain access to classroom materials in the general education classroom. Her trip was not all work, as she also got to watch the Penguin Parade on Philip's Island, travel on the Great Ocean Road, feed a kangaroo, enjoy a view of the Sydney Opera House, walk over the Harbor bridge, and visit a Tasmanian devil sanctuary in Tasmania.  Assistant Professor Aisha Shamburger Rousseau was selected to participate as a Cyber Mentors' Protégé in the American Psychological Association's Cyber Mentors Program.
 Assistant Professor Michael Sulkowski was interviewed on KOLD-TV about why minorities face serious discipline more often than white students. Sulkowski pointed out that research shows "the reasons for (minorities) being expelled or suspended are usually relatively minor and related to defiant behavior as opposed to aggressive or violent behavior." Watch the interview here.
EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY  Associate Professor Francesca Lopez wrote Moderators of Language Acquisition Models and Reading Achievement for English Language Learners: The Role of Emotional Warmth and Instructional Support, published in Teachers College Record.
EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES & PRACTICE  Assistant Professor Nolan Cabrera received a Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded by the National Academy of Education. Due to the generosity of Erasmus Circle member Tom Nolan, the college now has an Erasmus Circle Award for Innovative Uses in Technology. The first recipient is graduate student Mandy Cheromiah, who is a TA for Native SOAR, a service-learning program that seeks to promote college access and success among Native American youth. The program recently received a grant award from Helios Foundation. As an extension of the grant, Cheromiah will incorporate iMovie and technology into Native SOAR's outreach efforts.  Listen to Professor Jeff Milem's interview on Michigan Public Radio about the effects and benefits of diversity in education. TEACHING, LEARNING & SOCIOCULTURAL STUDIES  Teachers in Industry graduate Brenda Dickason was selected to attend Green Boot Camp June 22-27 in San Diego. She says, "I can't believe I was actually selected. What a great opportunity to learn about ecology. I am so excited I could jump up and down and sing a happy song!" Green Boot Camp teaches middle school teachers how to turn their classrooms into fertile ground so ideas about sustainability can thrive. Here's more.
 Professor Emeritus Yetta Goodman received the Oscar Causey Award from the Literacy Research Association and is the 2014 recipient of the James R. Squire Award from the National Council of Teachers of English. The award has been bestowed just 18 times since its inception in 1967. As one of the council's most distinguished awards, the James R. Squire Award is given in recognition of outstanding service, not only to the stature and development of the council and the discipline which it represents, but also to the profession of education as a whole. This special award is reserved for an NCTE member who has had a transforming influence and has made a lasting intellectual contribution to the profession.
100Kin10 is a diverse group of nearly 200 partner organizations committed to ensuring that all students have access to high-quality STEM teaching and learning. The organization aims to meet this goal through a networked response to our country's need for 100,000 excellent STEM teachers over 10 years. Each partner makes a commitment to increase the supply of excellent STEM teachers, retain excellent STEM teachers, or build the 100Kin10 movement. Each year, 100Kin10 hosts an annual summit during which all partners come together for a day of learning, joint problem-solving, and relationship-building. Past speakers have included Secretary Arne Duncan, "Father of the Internet" Vint Cerf, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, and Statistician Nate Silver. Our Teachers in Industry student Adam Middleton, a physics teacher and science department co-chair at Campo Verde High School in Gilbert, was selected to attend the summit last month. Director of Business Development for Teachers in Industry Martha Ostheimer was interviewed about our Teachers in Industry program.  Professor Kathy Short worked with elementary school teachers at the Anglo-American School of Moscow on developing their understanding of inquiry. Here's more.
Enjoy your summer! 
Dean Ronald W. Marx |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1430 E. Second Street, Tucson, Arizona 520.621.1462
|
|
|
|
