|
Director's Message |
As a program, we are proud to have a rich heritage of preparing educators who serve in a variety of districts and locations across our region. We prepare teachers for our K12 schools, but now we also prepare school principals.
Important questions that are directed to us, and to all universities that prepare educators, include: "How do you know that what you are doing best prepares educators to be successful in their careers? And, especially, how do you know that your graduates make a difference in ensuring that all students learn?"
These are vital questions that are not without contention. At this point in our history, there are differing views about what constitutes the best preparation and also what counts as evidence. These contentions include everything from where do pre-service professionals best learn (the campus or the field) and what counts as evidence that they are making a difference beyond test scores?
Over the coming months, we will outline how the UW Bothell Education Program answers these essential questions.
To start, let me outline what we see as key principles for professional preparation. These include:
- Recruit and admit the best candidates. Our programs have rigorous admissions standards to ensure that candidates in our program have the necessary background, skills, and commitments to do the hard work.
- Ensure a relevant and rigorous curriculum. We actually do believe that teaching and leading are "rocket science." It is complex work that has a knowledge base that ensures our candidates are both skilled and smart. It also ensures that our educational professionals are qualified in their content areas (for teachers) and in their leadership expertise (for principals).
- Provide extensive field opportunities. Preparation isn't an either/or experience of campus or school; both are required. In our programs, we believe in extended opportunities to learn in context, in other words to learn in the field in partnership with high quality mentors.
- Provide continuous feedback. Professional learning depends on receiving regular and specific feedback on a candidate's growing knowledge, skills, and professional commitments. We take this seriously and use a variety of means (verbal, electronic, written) from multiple sources (university faculty, field supervisors, and mentors) to ensure our candidates know where they are finding success and where they need to further focus their learning.
- Maximize partnerships. We can only imagine doing our professional preparation work in substantive partnership with K12 schools and districts. This is a shared activity that we own and operate together. This helps ensure that we are meeting the needs of what our schools need.
We look forward to engaging our communities in these essential questions and characteristics of the important work that we do in preparing the next generation of teachers and principals.
Best wishes, Brad Portin Professor and Director
| |
"Consistently being held to the absolute highest standard and being pushed to think deeply, creatively, and reflectively was invaluable in preparing me for the challenges of teaching. The cohort model showed me the importance of working to develop a strong collaborative relationship with the teachers, administrators, and support staff I work with every day." Kate Vafaeezadeh
8th Grade Block Teacher
Evergreen Middle School
|
Faculty News |
Research in ProgressResearch-In-Progress seminars aim to foster interdisciplinary communication/collaboration to increase awareness of work currently being done by UW faculty. Two Education faculty will present seminars during winter quarter. Tom Bellamy, Director, The Goodlad Institute for Education Renewal:
| Tom Bellamy |
" Developing School Leaders: Imagining New Roles for Districts, Universities, and Prospective Principals." In this presentation, Tom describes the process of designing and developing new approaches to principal preparation. Working from the premise that much of the important preparation for the school principalship occurs on the job as teacher leaders take on challenging responsibilities related to improving instruction, the effort involves an iterative design-based research process involving university faculty, district administrators, and teacher leaders. While the project is ongoing, the results point toward new functions for school districts and universities in this leader-development process and new strategies for sustaining needed partnerships. Jason Naranjo, Assistant Professor: " The provision of educational services and experiences | Jason Naranjo | that promote positive post-school outcomes for urban youth with disabilities: To what extent is it happening?" In this presentation, Jason details findings from a recent study that examined the extent to which urban youth with disabilities participated in special education services while in high school that have been shown to be associated with improved postschool academic and social outcomes. Preliminary results show that youth had limited opportunities to be involved with services that might increase the likelihood of experiencing positive postschool outcomes in the areas of postsecondary education, employment, and community adjustment. Although this study is still in progress, findings suggest that urban youth with disabilities face significant barriers to receipt of educational services that have the potential to structure longterm access to valued educational, economic, and social opportunity. Implications for policy, practice, and further research will be discussed. The full schedule of Research in Progress seminars can be found here.
Rethinking Schools
Wayne Au is one of 12 editors of Rethinking Schools, a small, non-profit magazine and publishing house that was founded by teachers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin over 25 years ago. Rethinking Schools' focus has been on anti-racist and social justice classroom practices as well as critical analyses of education policy. Recent books include, Rethinking Elementary Education, Pencils Down: Rethinking High-Stakes Testing and Accountability in Public Schools, and an updated and revised edition of Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers. The all volunteer editorial board of Rethinking Schools currently consists of 12 individuals from around the U.S., all of whom have either been K-12 public school teachers or are currently in the classroom. Editors are responsible for writing articles, reviewing submissions, guiding the organization, and being involved in the book publication process. The American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Several Education faculty will be presenters and panelists at this year's AERA National Conference in San Francisco. The conference theme is "Education and Poverty: Theory, Research, Policy and Praxis" Wayne Au: Panelist: "Using Standards FOR Students: Empowering Teachers and Students in an Era of Centralized Accountability," Round table with Anthony Brown: "Your Curriculum Doesn't Count: Texts, Canons, and the Whitening of the Foundations of Curriculum Studies" Presenter on the Common Core State Standards for the Social Studies SIG Business Meeting. Presenter: Division C (Learning & Instruction) special session also on the Common Core State Standards. Dr. Au's paper is titled: The Standards Movement Rides Again!: The Social Studies Common Core, Social Justice, and the Politics of Knowledge.Pamela Bolotin Joseph: Discussant for the Paper Session titled, "Integrity, Care, & Empathy: Moral Conduct and Moral Judgment of Students and Teachers," Karen Gourd:Paper: Transformative Learning through Community-Based LearningAllison Hintz:Paper at a roundtable session: Building Communities of Listeners: Transforming Student and Teacher ListeningAbout AERA: The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a national research society, strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. AERA members are faculty, researchers, graduate students, and other distinguished professionals with rich and diverse expertise in education research. They work in a range of settings from universities and other academic institutions to research institutes, federal and state agencies, school systems, testing companies, and nonprofit organizations. Based on their research, they produce and disseminate knowledge, refine methods and measures, and stimulate translation and practical application of research results.
Presentations / Publications Robin Angotti presented "Making Kinections in Math Education" at the Community Informatics Research conference in Prato, Italy. Community Informatics is an emerging field of study which is concerned with ideas related to information technologies and focuses on the personal, social, cultural or economic development of the use of such technologies within and by communities. The theme for this year's conference was "Ideals meet Reality". Dr. Angotti presented on her work which included interdisciplinary collaboration of creating a computer program to allow students to react with mathematics in kinesthetic ways and incorporating that program in K-12 classrooms.
Robin Angotti will be a keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Technology Institute for Educators at the H.M. Michaux Jr. School of Education, North Carolina Central University, April 19-20. The title of Dr. Angotti's keynote is: "Making Kinections in STEM Education." The theme for this year's institute is: "Preparing Educators to Promote STEM Education in K-20."
In January, Karen Gourd, with Tina Y. Gourd, were co-presenters for a workshop at Highline Community College titled: Who's Talking? What's Heard? The focus of this two-hour workshop is discussion strategies to ensure all students' voices are included in classroom interactions. We link scenarios about class discussions with a theoretical framework of democratic education. We model inclusive discussion strategies throughout the workshop and present a process for instructors to use when planning and making decisions about their practices.
Jane Van Galen's article, "Learning in the Digital Age: Control or Connection?" was published in the Winter 2013 edition of Rethinking Schools.
| |
Education Program News
|
The Center for Digital Storytelling is coming to UW Bothell
The Center for Digital Storytelling will conduct an Educator Workshop, March 8-10. This is a great opportunity for faculty, students and alumni to be trained by digital storytelling "rock stars" without having to travel to one of their regional centers. The three-day Educator Workshop is designed as a professional development opportunity for K-12 classroom teachers.
Workshop facilitators support each participant in developing a digital story not more than 150 words in length. The creation of these shorter pieces provides hands-on experience with the entire digital storytelling process, including a story circle, script writing and recording, and the production process, using digital technology.
A free, public half-day workshop will run Thursday afternoon, March 7 (time TBA). This workshop will be about youth projects with digital storytelling, in and out of classrooms. For more information and to register please visit the Center for Digital Storytelling website.
Junior high students reap benefits from innovative afterschool program
Since 2010, students from Education and Society, Adolescents in School and Society, Theories of Adolescent Development, and the spring Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment courses in the Secondary and Middle Level M.Ed. program have served as mentors and tutors in the Community School Project. You can read about the Community School Project, particularly the "Hang time" portion of it in this article.
| |
Spring Quarter Highlights |
New Courses for Spring Quarter
Check out all the new courses we're offering this spring in the UW Bothell Education Program.
The following classes are offered under the course heading: Special Topics in Education.
Disability Culture in Schools and Society B EDUC 491C (5 cr) Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. with Dr. Jason Naranjo This course will examine theories, values, and assumptions about intelligence and ability as defined by the context of public schools and society.
Teaching Biology B EDUC 491D (5 cr) Mondays from 11:45 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. (plus additional sessions at Franklin Elementary School) with Dr. Carrie Tzou Explores teaching and learning principles for teaching biology to all youth. Examines how people learn, design and teach a biology lesson, and practice teaching local elementary school students.
Globalization of English: Issues in Policy and Practice B EDUC 591B (5 cr) Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. with Dr. Young-Kyung Min This course looks into the implications of the spread of English as a global language for educational policies and practices.
Critical Education Theory and Teaching for Social Justice B EDUC 591C (5 cr) Thursdays from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. with Dr. Wayne Au This course will use various "critical" frameworks such as critical pedagogy, critical race theory, critical sociology of education, critical whiteness studies, critical feminist theory, amongst others to sharply analyze the relationships between education and power in the U.S.
Principles of Inclusion: Student and Families B EDUC 591D (5 cr) Tuesdays from 5:45 to 9:45 p.m. Focuses on issues, principles, policies, practices, and legal responsibilities to students identified for Special Education and English Language Learners.
If you are a matriculated student at any of the UW campuses, please feel free to register for these courses. Some registration restrictions may apply; contact the UW Bothell Education Program for entry codes.
For all others interested in enrolling in these courses, please see the UW Bothell website for information about registering for courses as a non-matriculated student.
back to top | |
Alumni News
|
I have found my calling...
- Casey O'Roarty, M.Ed
It was my great pleasure to be a part of the 3rd Cohort of students to go through the UW Bothell Teacher Certification program. The program was both inspiring and empowering and led me to carry on the work and earn my M.Ed. in 2004. I spent 5 years in the classroom at a rural, 3 room school where I built relationships with my students and their families and grew as a teacher and a person. After having my own kids I moved into a career of working with parents. I have been teaching Parenting with Positive Discipline, a program founded by Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott, for the last 5 years. Recently, I received my advanced certificate from the Positive Discipline Association, and am now a Positive Discipline Trainer, working with future parent educators and classroom teachers. I recently started my own company, Joyful Courage, whose mission is to help grown ups create space for young people to be their best selves. It is deeply gratifying work. I credit my time in the Education Program at UW Bothell for sparking my desire to do my part in making the world a better place.
Alumni updatesDiana Boyle, Cohort 3, K-8 Teacher Certification. I am loving teaching second grade in Edmonds. Grace Hamilton, M.Ed., 2008. Relocated to Austin, Texas in 2008, and taught for two years as a secondary ELA and Theatre teacher (certified in TX) at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) before applying for a Ph.D. in Multicultural Special Education and a portfolio in Disabilities Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. I also spend time as an instructor for Special Education teacher preparation students as well as conducting research focusing on social justice issues and disabilities studies/rights within higher education programmatic designs and systems. I am finalizing my dissertation proposal and hope to wrap up the Ph.D. stint mid-2014. Mark Potoshnik, Secondary and Middle Level Teacher Certification M.Ed. I have been hired full time as a Social Studies teacher at Monroe High School after 2 years of teaching part time. In January, I took a group of students to the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC.
Would you like to see your update in our next newsletter? Please complete this brief questionnaire.
back to top | |
|
Career and Professional Development
|
2013 Conferences
|
2013 Washington Educator Career FairMarch 15Spokane Convention CenterMarch 21Tacoma Dome Exhibition HallInformationInternational Reading Association Annual ConferenceApril 19-22San AntonioInformationNSTA 2013 STEM Forum & ExpoMay 15-18, 2013St. LouisInformation
Washington State Music Teachers (WSMTA) 2013 Conference Music from the Heart of Washington June 16-20, 2013 Wenatchee
InformationWASA/AWSP Summer ConferenceOrganized by the Washington Association of School AdministratorsJune 23-25SpokaneInformation52nd Annual Northwest Mathematics ConferenceOctober 11- 12th BellevueInformation
back to top
|
|
The University of Washington is committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To inquire about disability accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services at least ten days prior to the event at 425.352.5307, TDD 425.352.5303, FAX 425.352.3581, or email [email protected].
back to top
|
|
|