Nearly 100 members of the School of Education community had degrees conferred upon them at the Commencement ceremony on the campus of the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Sunday, April 28, 2013,
The SOE contingent included 25 students who received graduate degrees, either the Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, or Master of Science, and more than 55 students who received undergraduate degrees, either the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of General Studies, or Bachelor of Science. In addition, 14 CASL undergraduates were recognized for having completed requirements for secondary school certification.
SOE Chancellor's Medallion winner, Steven Pascoe (elementary education, science studies), received special recognition at the morning commencement ceremony. He was also honored at a luncheon event following commencement.
Another member of the SOE community had a special role in the commencement eremony. Youssef Mosallam, an alumnus of the School of Education who was selected as the 2012 Alumnus of the Year, spoke on behalf of the UM-Dearborn alumni society.
Please join me in congratulating all our graduates and in wishing them great success now and in the future.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
May Conference Attracts Education, Health & Human Service Professionals
On May 2-3, 2013, hundreds of education, social service, and health professionals in the state of Michigan and surrounding areas will participate in the fourth annual transdisciplinary teaming conference hosted by Oakwood Helathcare’s Center for exceptional Families (CEF) and UM-Dearborn’s School of Education and Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC). This year’s conference theme is Making Inclusion Work in Early Childhood Education with Transdisciplinary Teaming to Support Children with Challenging Behaviors.
The theme of the conference is inspired by the accomplishments of the ECEC/CEF partnership, which began in 2006 and has grown impressively over the years, and the conference is designed to meet the needs of a broad array of professionals who might participate as members of transdisciplinary teams, including early childhood and special education teachers; early interventionists; parents; occupational, physical and speech/language therapists; social workers; psychologists; and students preparing for careers in these fields. Conference participants have opportunities to learn research-based strategies, techniques and best practices for including children with special learning needs within natural environments and general education settings.
The keynote speakers this year are Mary Louise Hemmeter and Pamela McCaskill. Dr. Hemmeter is associate professor of special education at Vanderbilt University and principal investigator at the Center on the Social & Emotional Foundations of Early Learning. Her talk is titled, “We Are All in This Together: Preventing and Addressing Challenging Behavior." Dr. McCaskill is a clinical psychologist at McCaskill Family Services. She will speak on “Unraveling the Truth about Oppositional, Defiant and Angry Children.”
Breakout sessions featured best practices in inclusive education. Among the leaders of the breakout sessions were several UM-Dearborn faculty and ECEC/CEF staff members who will present strategies for professionals working with children with and without disabilities and their families in school and non-school settings.
The conference will take place May 2-3 in the Social Science Building (SSB) on the main campus of UM-Dearborn. To learn more, or to register for the event, visit the Inclusion Conference webpage. For more information, see a related story in the UM-Dearborn reporter.
The theme of the conference is inspired by the accomplishments of the ECEC/CEF partnership, which began in 2006 and has grown impressively over the years, and the conference is designed to meet the needs of a broad array of professionals who might participate as members of transdisciplinary teams, including early childhood and special education teachers; early interventionists; parents; occupational, physical and speech/language therapists; social workers; psychologists; and students preparing for careers in these fields. Conference participants have opportunities to learn research-based strategies, techniques and best practices for including children with special learning needs within natural environments and general education settings.
The keynote speakers this year are Mary Louise Hemmeter and Pamela McCaskill. Dr. Hemmeter is associate professor of special education at Vanderbilt University and principal investigator at the Center on the Social & Emotional Foundations of Early Learning. Her talk is titled, “We Are All in This Together: Preventing and Addressing Challenging Behavior." Dr. McCaskill is a clinical psychologist at McCaskill Family Services. She will speak on “Unraveling the Truth about Oppositional, Defiant and Angry Children.”
Breakout sessions featured best practices in inclusive education. Among the leaders of the breakout sessions were several UM-Dearborn faculty and ECEC/CEF staff members who will present strategies for professionals working with children with and without disabilities and their families in school and non-school settings.
The conference will take place May 2-3 in the Social Science Building (SSB) on the main campus of UM-Dearborn. To learn more, or to register for the event, visit the Inclusion Conference webpage. For more information, see a related story in the UM-Dearborn reporter.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Innovative Writing Clinic at UM-Dearborn
Cultivating the enjoyment of writing has been the focus of the University of Michigan–Dearborn School of Education’s writing clinic. Under the leadership of SOE assistant professor Danielle DeFauw, the 6-week writing clinic has been providing writing instruction for third-grade students from Thorne Elementary and their siblings, and the clinic also provides instruction to parents so that they can better support their children’s writing at home. The writing clinic is supported by the SOE and a faculty seed grant from the university, and Dr. DeFauw hopes to replicate and expand the clinic in the future.
The children’s writing instruction is provided by UM-Dearborn students who are enrolled in a course, Exploring Writing with Children & Adolescents, offered during the Winter 2013 academic term. In the first half of the academic term, the university students (a mix of preservice and inservice teachers) learned how to provide effective writing instruction to children using high-quality children’s books as examples for teaching writing. Then in the second half of the course, they plan and deliver instruction to the children attending the clinic. While the children receive their instruction, Dr. DeFauw meets with the children’s family members to discuss how they can support their children’s writing.
Each Thursday evening, the elementary and university students work together as they read children’s literature and learn to write in ways that emulate the authors. The elementary students are learning to write in various genres including poetry, narrative, and expository. By the end of the writing clinic, students will complete one expository piece to share with their families during the writing celebration scheduled for April 18th.
Dr. DeFauw is collecting data on this model of supporting both children’s literacy development and professional training for reading teachers. She will present more details on her writing clinic project at the SOE Research Colloquium on Wednesday, April 10th.
The children’s writing instruction is provided by UM-Dearborn students who are enrolled in a course, Exploring Writing with Children & Adolescents, offered during the Winter 2013 academic term. In the first half of the academic term, the university students (a mix of preservice and inservice teachers) learned how to provide effective writing instruction to children using high-quality children’s books as examples for teaching writing. Then in the second half of the course, they plan and deliver instruction to the children attending the clinic. While the children receive their instruction, Dr. DeFauw meets with the children’s family members to discuss how they can support their children’s writing.
Each Thursday evening, the elementary and university students work together as they read children’s literature and learn to write in ways that emulate the authors. The elementary students are learning to write in various genres including poetry, narrative, and expository. By the end of the writing clinic, students will complete one expository piece to share with their families during the writing celebration scheduled for April 18th.
Dr. DeFauw is collecting data on this model of supporting both children’s literacy development and professional training for reading teachers. She will present more details on her writing clinic project at the SOE Research Colloquium on Wednesday, April 10th.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
SOE Students & Faculty Recognized at 2012 Honor Awards Ceremony
At the 31st annual Honor Scholars and Faculty Awards Ceremony on March 26, 2013, 14 SOE students were among the more 80 students from across the full spectrum of academic programs at UM-Dearborn who received recognition as Honor Scholars. In addition to the student awardees, Julie Taylor, SOE associate professor, received the Distinguished Teaching Award.
The Distinguished Teaching Award is given to faculty members whose teaching record illustrates effectiveness in the classroom and the revitalization of courses and curriculum, interaction with students outside the classroom, as mentor or advisor; professional growth as a teacher; and commitment to undergraduate and/or graduate education. This award is made annually to at most one faculty member in each of three categories (tenured, non-tenured, and lecturer), and Dr. Taylor won in the category of tenured faculty.
The Honor Scholar Award is presented to at most one student in each degree program, and it recognizes superior academic performance. Awards are made within both undergraduate and graduate programs. Faculty members within a program area choose the award winner.
The Honor Scholar Award winners in the School of Education at the undergraduate level were Maureen Fleming (Social Studies), Maggie Gearns (Mathematics Studies), Melissa Gellenbeck (Language Arts), Jacqueline Laforet (Reading), Steven Pascoe (Science Studies), Jennifer Rosecrans (Early Childhood), Jennifer Urso (Special Education), and Tracy Winkelman (Children & Families).
At the graduate level, the SOE awardees were Jonna Fessenden (M.Ed. Special Education), Hannah Greaves (MAT), Timothy Marley (MA in Education), Carissa Quinones (MA Educational Technology), Jeanette Reifenberg (MA Educational Leadership), and Tracy Rumfelt (MS Science Education),
Please join me in congratulating all of the SOE award winners. We celebrate their academic excellence and distinguished accomplishment!
The Distinguished Teaching Award is given to faculty members whose teaching record illustrates effectiveness in the classroom and the revitalization of courses and curriculum, interaction with students outside the classroom, as mentor or advisor; professional growth as a teacher; and commitment to undergraduate and/or graduate education. This award is made annually to at most one faculty member in each of three categories (tenured, non-tenured, and lecturer), and Dr. Taylor won in the category of tenured faculty.
The Honor Scholar Award is presented to at most one student in each degree program, and it recognizes superior academic performance. Awards are made within both undergraduate and graduate programs. Faculty members within a program area choose the award winner.
The Honor Scholar Award winners in the School of Education at the undergraduate level were Maureen Fleming (Social Studies), Maggie Gearns (Mathematics Studies), Melissa Gellenbeck (Language Arts), Jacqueline Laforet (Reading), Steven Pascoe (Science Studies), Jennifer Rosecrans (Early Childhood), Jennifer Urso (Special Education), and Tracy Winkelman (Children & Families).
At the graduate level, the SOE awardees were Jonna Fessenden (M.Ed. Special Education), Hannah Greaves (MAT), Timothy Marley (MA in Education), Carissa Quinones (MA Educational Technology), Jeanette Reifenberg (MA Educational Leadership), and Tracy Rumfelt (MS Science Education),
Please join me in congratulating all of the SOE award winners. We celebrate their academic excellence and distinguished accomplishment!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Local High School Students Compete in Maize & Blue High School Classic Quiz Bowl
On Saturday, March 23, while the UM basketball team was preparing to face and then soundly thrashing VCU in a NCAA Basketball Tournament game at the Palace of Auburn Hills, more than 100 area high school students came to UM-Dearborn to compete in the Maize & Blue High School Classic Quiz Bowl. This event was sponsored by UM-Dearborn’s School of Education, the SOE Alumni Affiliate, and the UM Alumni Association. The Alumni Affiliate hopes to make this an annual event
The Maize & Blue High School Classic featured eight rounds of competition. During the first seven rounds, 16 teams of students answered questions on a wide range of subjects, including history, current events, science, literature, art, music, mathematics, and even pop culture. The grand finale was a session that featured a competition between the two highest scoring teams: Olmsted Falls High School and Catholic Central High School. The final session was tied going to the 20th and final question, which was answered successfully by the winning team from Catholic Central.
Many of the competing teams were accompanied not only by their coaches but also by a contingent of parents and family members. Making it all possible was a team of 27 volunteers who served as competition moderators, room moderators, judges/scorers, and hall monitors. The volunteer group was comprised of UM- Dearborn faculty, staff, students, and alumni, including 3 SOE faculty (Stein Brunvand, Chris Burke, & Julie Taylor), 4 SOE staff (Karen Claiborne, Catherine Parkins, Reetha Perananamgam, & Joann Otlewski), and 4 members of the SOE Alumni Affiliate (Sabrina Ali, Betsy Ardisana, Donovan Rowe, & Toni Simovski).
Please join me in thanking all those who competed, those who supported the competing teams, and those from UM-Dearborn who volunteered their time to make possible this wonderful celebration of academic achievement and commitment!
The Maize & Blue High School Classic featured eight rounds of competition. During the first seven rounds, 16 teams of students answered questions on a wide range of subjects, including history, current events, science, literature, art, music, mathematics, and even pop culture. The grand finale was a session that featured a competition between the two highest scoring teams: Olmsted Falls High School and Catholic Central High School. The final session was tied going to the 20th and final question, which was answered successfully by the winning team from Catholic Central.
Many of the competing teams were accompanied not only by their coaches but also by a contingent of parents and family members. Making it all possible was a team of 27 volunteers who served as competition moderators, room moderators, judges/scorers, and hall monitors. The volunteer group was comprised of UM- Dearborn faculty, staff, students, and alumni, including 3 SOE faculty (Stein Brunvand, Chris Burke, & Julie Taylor), 4 SOE staff (Karen Claiborne, Catherine Parkins, Reetha Perananamgam, & Joann Otlewski), and 4 members of the SOE Alumni Affiliate (Sabrina Ali, Betsy Ardisana, Donovan Rowe, & Toni Simovski).
Please join me in thanking all those who competed, those who supported the competing teams, and those from UM-Dearborn who volunteered their time to make possible this wonderful celebration of academic achievement and commitment!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
ECEC Team to Attend Reggio Emilia Study Group in Italy
Later this month a team of 13 SOE faculty, staff, and students associated with the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) will travel to Italy to participate in a Reggio Emilia Study Group. The team from UM-Dearborn is led by Seong Hong, Rosalyn Saltz Collegiate Professor of Education, and includes LaShorage Shaffer (SOE assistant professor), Debbie Jones (ECEC Site Director), Lauren Stine (SOE senior, majoring in early childhood education), and 9 ECEC teachers: Daniel Camardese, Tammy Daigneau, Caryn Finkelstein, Sara Kurtjian, Kelly Lenihan, Cyndi McAuliffe, Daniel Muehlenbein, Catie Stone, and Amy Szymazck.
The week-long Reggio Emilia Study Group experience includes presentations by Reggio pedagogistas, atelierstas, and teachers; site visits to the internationally acclaimed Municipal Infant-Toddler Center and Preschool classrooms in Reggio Emilia; a visit to the Loris Malaguzzi Documentation and Research Center, and extensive interaction with other students and faculty members visiting from the U.S.
The participants from UM-Dearborn will be among the 143 participants from the United States. Participants include teams from 12 universities, with teams ranging in size from 2 to 44. Other universities sending teams to this week-long institute include Columbia College, Portland State University, the University of Colorado-Denver, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; University of Washington, and West Virginia University.
The ECEC has based its educational program on the Reggio Emilia philosophy for more than 15 years. The Reggio Emilia teaching philosophy is also an integral part of the required courses in the SOE’s early childhood education curriculum for prospective teachers. Thus, the Reggio philosophy is central to all our endeavors in the area of early childhood education at UM-Dearborn, and this trip provides an opportunity for the participants both to visit the birthplace of these foundational and influential ideas and to network with other professionals similarly engaged in Reggio-inspired pedagogy.
The Reggio Children Organization was founded in 1994 to promote and defend children’s rights and to organize pedagogical and cultural exchanges between Reggio Emilia’s municipal early childhood centers and academics from around the world. Many U. S. universities have participated in study groups and exchanges. The schools of Reggio Emilia are widely recognized as providing a seamless model of excellence in early childhood education with respect to curriculum, environment, parent involvement, and staff development.
Please join me in wishing the group a hearty Bon Voyage!
For more on the trip after the group returned from Italy, see the story in the UM-Dearborn Reporter.
The week-long Reggio Emilia Study Group experience includes presentations by Reggio pedagogistas, atelierstas, and teachers; site visits to the internationally acclaimed Municipal Infant-Toddler Center and Preschool classrooms in Reggio Emilia; a visit to the Loris Malaguzzi Documentation and Research Center, and extensive interaction with other students and faculty members visiting from the U.S.
The participants from UM-Dearborn will be among the 143 participants from the United States. Participants include teams from 12 universities, with teams ranging in size from 2 to 44. Other universities sending teams to this week-long institute include Columbia College, Portland State University, the University of Colorado-Denver, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; University of Washington, and West Virginia University.
The ECEC has based its educational program on the Reggio Emilia philosophy for more than 15 years. The Reggio Emilia teaching philosophy is also an integral part of the required courses in the SOE’s early childhood education curriculum for prospective teachers. Thus, the Reggio philosophy is central to all our endeavors in the area of early childhood education at UM-Dearborn, and this trip provides an opportunity for the participants both to visit the birthplace of these foundational and influential ideas and to network with other professionals similarly engaged in Reggio-inspired pedagogy.
The Reggio Children Organization was founded in 1994 to promote and defend children’s rights and to organize pedagogical and cultural exchanges between Reggio Emilia’s municipal early childhood centers and academics from around the world. Many U. S. universities have participated in study groups and exchanges. The schools of Reggio Emilia are widely recognized as providing a seamless model of excellence in early childhood education with respect to curriculum, environment, parent involvement, and staff development.
Please join me in wishing the group a hearty Bon Voyage!
For more on the trip after the group returned from Italy, see the story in the UM-Dearborn Reporter.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
SOE Faculty Winter/Spring 2013 Presentations at Professional Meetings
The scholarly work of University of Michigan-Dearborn School of Education faculty is once again well represented at Winter/Spring 2013 national professional meetings. Here is a summary of recent and upcoming conference presentations:
Martha A. Adler, associate professor, presented a webinar titled "Planning and Implementing Effective Professional Development" for the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Center in February.
Sara Byrd, assistant professor, and Kim Killu, associate professor, presented a paper at the 27th annual conference of the Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan in February discussing the issue of applied behavioral analysis and academic instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Dr. Byrd will also be presenting two papers at the 73rd Annual Michigan Council for Exceptional Children conference in March. The first paper, with Kim Killu, is focused on research-based instructional strategies designed to engage learners with emotional/behavioral disorders in order to promote academic learning and success. The second presentation, including co-presenters LaShorage Shaffer (assistant professor) and Tammy Morris (Center for Exceptional Families), describes a unique transdisciplinary partnership involving the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Oakwood Hospital's Center for Exceptional Families (CEF).
Danielle DeFauw, assistant professor, presented a paper at the National Council of Teachers of English Assembly of Research Conference in February. Her presentation examined the impact of art lessons on writing development among 4-5 year old students.
Susan Everett, associate professor, along with Charlotte Otto, professor, and Suria Beydoun (a former student of Everett and Otto) presented a paper at the Association for Science Teacher Educators International Conference in January discussing the investigation of middle level science teacher certification tests. Dr. Everett will present another paper at the Michigan Science Teachers Association 60th annual conference in March on using STEM activities to integrate science and engineering practices. Co-presenting with Richard Moyer (professor emeritus), Dr. Everett will attend the National Science Teachers Association national conference in April talking about “NSTA Press: Everyday Engineering.”
Joining her colleagues, Melissa Peet (Director of Integrative Learning and Knowledge Management, University of Michigan) and Yves Labissiere (Associate Professor, Portland State University), Laura Reynolds-Keefer, associate professor, attended the 2013 Association of American Colleges and Universities annual meeting in January to discuss weaving e-portfolios with peer mentoring to support underrepresented minority students’ success.
Several SOE faculty will also be presenting papers at the 2013 American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting. Laura Reynolds-Keefer will make two presentations at the conference. One presentation focuses on perceptions of poverty among educational psychology students; the other presentation, with associate professor Gail Luera, reports an examination of the success and retention of conditionally admitted university students in a particular university. At the 2013 AERA conference, Martha Adler will also present a paper, “Professional Development in Sheltered Instruction for Mainstream Secondary Teachers: University School District Collaborative,” and Dean Edward Silver will serve as discussant at a symposium, “Approaches to Analyzing Qualitative Data in Mathematics education: An In-depth View,” that includes papers authored by faculty at Vanderbilt University, University of California-Berkeley, and New York University.
Martha A. Adler, associate professor, presented a webinar titled "Planning and Implementing Effective Professional Development" for the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Center in February.
Sara Byrd, assistant professor, and Kim Killu, associate professor, presented a paper at the 27th annual conference of the Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan in February discussing the issue of applied behavioral analysis and academic instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Dr. Byrd will also be presenting two papers at the 73rd Annual Michigan Council for Exceptional Children conference in March. The first paper, with Kim Killu, is focused on research-based instructional strategies designed to engage learners with emotional/behavioral disorders in order to promote academic learning and success. The second presentation, including co-presenters LaShorage Shaffer (assistant professor) and Tammy Morris (Center for Exceptional Families), describes a unique transdisciplinary partnership involving the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Oakwood Hospital's Center for Exceptional Families (CEF).
Danielle DeFauw, assistant professor, presented a paper at the National Council of Teachers of English Assembly of Research Conference in February. Her presentation examined the impact of art lessons on writing development among 4-5 year old students.
Susan Everett, associate professor, along with Charlotte Otto, professor, and Suria Beydoun (a former student of Everett and Otto) presented a paper at the Association for Science Teacher Educators International Conference in January discussing the investigation of middle level science teacher certification tests. Dr. Everett will present another paper at the Michigan Science Teachers Association 60th annual conference in March on using STEM activities to integrate science and engineering practices. Co-presenting with Richard Moyer (professor emeritus), Dr. Everett will attend the National Science Teachers Association national conference in April talking about “NSTA Press: Everyday Engineering.”
Joining her colleagues, Melissa Peet (Director of Integrative Learning and Knowledge Management, University of Michigan) and Yves Labissiere (Associate Professor, Portland State University), Laura Reynolds-Keefer, associate professor, attended the 2013 Association of American Colleges and Universities annual meeting in January to discuss weaving e-portfolios with peer mentoring to support underrepresented minority students’ success.
Several SOE faculty will also be presenting papers at the 2013 American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting. Laura Reynolds-Keefer will make two presentations at the conference. One presentation focuses on perceptions of poverty among educational psychology students; the other presentation, with associate professor Gail Luera, reports an examination of the success and retention of conditionally admitted university students in a particular university. At the 2013 AERA conference, Martha Adler will also present a paper, “Professional Development in Sheltered Instruction for Mainstream Secondary Teachers: University School District Collaborative,” and Dean Edward Silver will serve as discussant at a symposium, “Approaches to Analyzing Qualitative Data in Mathematics education: An In-depth View,” that includes papers authored by faculty at Vanderbilt University, University of California-Berkeley, and New York University.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)