NeTL newsletter Spring 2014 Western New Mexico University College of Education Due to the unsuccessful search for a Dean for the College of Education during the 2012-2013 school year, Dr. Barbara Taylor was appointed Interim Dean on July 1. Dr. Taylor replaces Dr. Linda Hoy who accepted the position of Interim Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Taylor has been a faculty member in the College of Education for several years. She began as an adjunct in 1987 teaching curriculum and instruction at the graduate level, returned in 1992 to fill a slot for a faculty member on sabbatical and returned again in 2001. Prior to her appointment she taught secondary and career and technical education as well as coordinating the Alternative Licensure Program. Taylor named Interim Dean e Alpha Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, hosted “Mittens for Literacy” at the Silver City Library on Saturday, November 27 at 10:30 a.m. as part of the organization’s national community service initiative Literacy Alive!. Kappa Delta Pi members have raised funds by selling watermelon at the football games. ese funds helped to purchase yarn at the Yada Yada Yarn shop where patrons knitted mittens for the young readers. Volunteer knitters include Suzi Calhour, Mary Dearhamer, Karen Porter, Pat Bouchard, Awish Baechtle, Pam Gibson, Jacque Cusick and Becky Glenn. Young readers who attend the story time were rewarded with a pair of mittens that complements the theme of the Ukranian folk tale, illustrated by Jan Brett “e Old Man and His Mitten.” e knitters created 23 multicolored pairs of mittens. e children drew numbers and picked their favorite mittens in the order of their number. Honor Society makes mittens To ‘e’ or not to ‘e’ is the name of the research on eBooks that Dr. Ann Harvey is completing with the help of her RDG 581 practicum students. e research is being funded by a grant from the Frederick H. Leonhardt Foundation and is being administered by the local Imagination Library organization headed by Mr. Loren Nelson. e study will determine the difference in attention and retention between preschoolers and kindergarteners being read to from a book in paper format or by hearing the same title read to them in an eBook format. e Dolly Parton Imagination Library mails books to over 1,000 preschoolers in Grant County every month. If you know a preschooler who would benefit from this program, please call 575- 534-9156 to register. To ‘e’ or not to ‘e’
Transcript
NeTL newsletter
Spring 2014
Western New Mexico University
College of Education
Due to the unsuccessful search for a Dean for the College of Education during the 2012-2013 school year, Dr. Barbara Taylor was appointed Interim Dean on July 1. Dr. Taylor replaces Dr. Linda Hoy who accepted the position of Interim Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Taylor has been a faculty member in the College of Education for several years. She began as an adjunct in 1987 teaching curriculum and instruction at the graduate level, returned in 1992
to fill a slot for a faculty member on sabbatical and returned again in 2001. Prior to her appointment she taught secondary and career and technical education as well as coordinating the Alternative Licensure Program.
Taylor named Interim Dean
The Alpha Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, hosted “Mittens for Literacy” at the Silver City Library on Saturday, November 27 at 10:30 a.m. as part of the organization’s national community service initiative Literacy Alive!.
Kappa Delta Pi members have raised funds by selling watermelon at the football games. These funds helped to purchase yarn at the Yada Yada Yarn shop where patrons knitted mittens for the young readers. Volunteer knitters include Suzi Calhour, Mary Dearhamer, Karen Porter, Pat Bouchard, Awish Baechtle, Pam Gibson, Jacque Cusick and Becky Glenn.
Young readers who attend the story time were rewarded with a pair of mittens that complements the theme of the Ukranian folk tale, illustrated by Jan Brett “The Old Man and His Mitten.” The knitters created 23 multicolored pairs of mittens. The children drew numbers and picked their favorite mittens in the order of their number.
Honor Society makes mittens
To ‘e’ or not to ‘e’ is the name of the research on eBooks that Dr. Ann Harvey is completing with the help of her RDG 581 practicum students. The research is being funded by a grant from the Frederick H. Leonhardt Foundation and is being administered by the local Imagination Library organization headed by Mr. Loren Nelson.
The study will determine the difference in attention and retention between preschoolers and kindergarteners being read to from a book in paper format or by hearing the same title read to them in an eBook format.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library mails books to over 1,000 preschoolers in Grant County every month. If you know a preschooler who would benefit from this program, please call 575-534-9156 to register.
To ‘e’ or not to ‘e’
The College of Education (COE) is currently deploying a new field experience plan that increases the number of pre-service field hours and aligns the three levels of field experience closely with the unit’s assessment plan. Under the new plan, students complete 144 clock-hours of field experience, prior to the 680-hour practice teaching experience. Integral to the new plan is the inclusion of a performance-based assessment called the teaching event, which requires teaching candidates to submit lesson plans, videos of themselves teaching real students, examples of their students’ work and their own reflections on how they might improve their practice. The performance based teaching event assessment occurs at the entrance, midpoint, and exit points of the Teacher Education Program (TEP) and enables COE faculty to more accurately measure student mastery of TEP outcomes and document that teacher candidates are well-prepared for the teaching profession. Another positive change to the TEP is the adoption and deployment of the co-teaching model at the capstone level to support and strengthen the practice teaching experience.
Scope of Sequence of the TEP
The COE coursework and field experience sequence begins with 24 hours of classroom observation conducted as the student’s apply to the TEP in Education 311/511. As part of a course requirement students conduct a 24-hour Foundation Level
(observation-only) field experience by observing in eight schools at the preschool, elementary, mid and high school levels over the course of 8 to 10 weeks. The foundation-level observation experience provides
a general view of the local schools and provides the entry-level COE student opportunities to develop as professional educators. Upon admission to the program and successful completion of the New Mexico Teaching Assessment (NMTA) the COE student becomes eligible to take professional coursework and participate in the application and reinforcement levels of the TEP.
In conjunction with curriculum
and methods courses, pre-service teachers associate theory with practice by completing two 60-hour field placements. At application and reinforcement levels the COE students gain hands-on practice working with
large and small groups of students while they plan, implement and assess up to three lessons. One of the lessons that the student’s create is the teaching event, which is the basis for the COE assessment plan.
A teaching event assessment lesson is produced for each of the two 60 hour practicum experiences. The first teaching event lesson is the entrance point of the assessment plan and allows COE faculty to assess whether remediation is required as the student
This diagram depicted below describes the new field experience hours and integrated assessment plan.
Field Experience Plan To Increase Pre Service Field Hours
progresses through the remainder of the TEP. The second teaching event lesson is the midpoint of the COE assessment plan and provides another opportunity for remediation and improvement of the student’s emerging professional practice.
Successful completion of the two teaching events is an indication that the pre-service teacher is able to meet TEP outcomes and is prepared for practice teaching.
The exit point of the assessment plan occurs at the capstone level of the TEP. During practice teaching the teacher candidate produces a final expanded teaching event that includes a cohesive unit plan containing at least five lesson plans, videos of themselves teaching real students, examples of their students’ work and their own reflections on how they might improve. Completion of the teaching event showcases and documents the student’s emerging ability to plan, deliver, and assess a lesson and thereby meet TEP outcomes. TEP outcomes align with INTASC and
the state teaching competencies. They are stated in performance measures that directly align with what the students do as they progress through the TEP and complete the teaching event at the entrance, midpoint, and exit point of the program.
COE faculty members assess the teaching event at each assessment point by applying specific rubrics to assess each student’s progress toward outcomes. The rubrics are adapted from the rubrics developed for edTPA, which were tested extensively by the PACT consortium. Adoption of the edTPA rubrics provides formalized scoring criteria that has been validated and found to be reliable by outside sources. To ensure inter-rater reliability two faculty members assess each teaching event.
The COE adopted Tk20 as a data management system to manage the documentation required by the new performance-based assessment system and enable more extensive and immediate analysis of student progress and mastery of the TEP outcomes. Students are required to upload the teaching event documentation to Tk20 where the faculty members review the teaching event documentation, apply the rubrics, and provide extensive feedback to the students.
The College of Education (COE) is currently deploying a new field experience plan that increases the number of pre-service field hours and aligns the three levels of field experience closely with the unit’s assessment plan.
F ield Experience Plan To Increase Pre Service Field Hours
Management and Assessment of the Teaching Event
Sustainability in education includes a study of culture, ecology, and learning behaviors which acknowledges and respects the limited resources available. Providing an education with a focus on sustainability incorporates development of a skill set to regenerate the vitality of communities and ecosystems. Leadership of such programs integrates a network of relationships with colleagues, mentors, faculty and community leaders who consider democratic participation and economic viability.
A recent project with the San Lorenzo Elementary School is a shining example of meeting these objectives of sustainability education. The community was drawn together to create a green house where inter-generational exchanges of knowledge was evident. Grandmas and grandpas taught the little ones the value of a tomato garden and how to cultivate it with the patience to produce results. Lessons in healthy eating using the garden produce was encouraged in the classrooms.
Interdisciplinary environmental classes allowed the students to log measurements of temperature, sunlight, and moisture. Students read informational text about growing gardens. They predicted growth and checked their predictions. They reported on progress with written summaries of lab notes, which were acknowledged by parents who helped launch the program.
Sustainability In The Schools:
Keeping the Ball Rolling
The College Database - the most current and comprehensive source for U.S. college and university data - has named WNMU one of its top colleges in the state for teacher education. The new list entitled "Top Colleges in New Mexico: Shaping the Next Generation," highlights the post-secondary institutions in the state that produced the most education graduates during the 2012 school year.
Teaching is a dream of many, and many colleges in New Mexico offer the quality programs that will ensure teachers’ future success in the classroom. Educating tomorrow’s leaders is a rewarding profession, and one that requires exceptional hands-on learning from some of the most dedicated professionals in the field. These fully-accredited New Mexico campuses offer just that, while teaching students how to develop a
love of learning in children. Taking faculty qualifications and innovative research and teaching methods into account, we’ve ranked some of the top New Mexico education programs for you.
"Many colleges and universities have tremendous teacher education programs," said Doug Jones, founder of The College Database. "But which ones are producing the most young educators today? We wanted to identify the colleges making the largest impact on our students."
About The College Database
The College Database is a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to provide free information about education options both nationally and locally to students, parents and other interested parties. The
goal is accomplished by making all information and tools on the site free and easy to access. While still a relatively young company, The College Database has become a leader in providing educational information to libraries, high schools and career centers across the country.
The College Database used the following methodology to identify the top colleges shaping the next generation:
- Must be fully accredited - 4-year colleges only - Public or private, not-for-profit colleges only - No for-profit schools - U.S. colleges only - Minimum of 10 grads from education or teaching programs in 2012
WNMU Identified As Top College for Teacher Education in NM
Sixth graders from Central Elementary in Santa Clara visited the WNMU campus on Nov. 14. Most of the students had not been on campus before, so it was a new, exciting experience for them. Dr. Trini Tolar, their teacher, reported that they heard presentations from the fields of teaching, nursing, art, and math to help them make career choices. The students also visited the library and the museum. After the trip, the students wrote Thank You notes to the University President. One note said, "I really enjoyed Dr. Wulftange, I told my parents about her."
Central Elementary students visit main campus
Several students from EDUC 472/572: Elementary Methods and Curriculum I presented the unit plans that they had been working on all semester on December 9, 2013 in Deming, NM. The students in the class and Dr. Wulftange would like to thank all the cooperating teachers who helped the students in this class to prepare such successful units and sharing their excellent ideas.
The first two students presented from Deming. Jonathan Ryan Gonzales presented his integrated content unit on Ancient Civilizations using the Essential Question: How does the distant past make itself known in the present? The students he taught had academic and social gains as they progressed through their study of China, Greece and Rome. Monica Corona presented on the topic of New Mexico and integrated Social Studies, Language Arts and Fine Arts content into her integrated content unit that she taught to First Graders. Bre Compton-Boyden presented via ITV (interactive television) from Silver City. She presented her unit that covered Social Studies, Fine Arts and Language Arts for 2nd graders. Her students answered the essential question: Who are veterans and why do we celebrate them?
Her unit was taught in November and helped students better understand Veterans' Day. Kayla Montano presented via ITV from Truth or Consequences. Her Pre-K students answered the essential question: What are the prominent farming and agricultural Aspects of our community? They could tell the difference between beef and dairy cattle: One is shaped like a rectangle and the other, a triangle. The students could share this information after the unit of instruction had been taught and they had learned about Social Studies, Fine Art and Language Arts among other content areas.
Elementary Methods course students present plans in Deming
Ganna Tiurina, Lady Mustang tennis player who won the All RMAC player of the Year for 2013, is currently a work study student in the College of Education. Recently she volunteered her time to speak to the local sixth grade at Central Elementary in Santa Clara about her home country.
In a slide presentation, she introduced the flag of the Ukraine with the symbol of wheat fields. She introduced the students to the Cyrillic alphabet and showed them a traditional literature book with this script. She showed pictures of her home town of Kiev in the summer and told stories of riding the sled to school in the winter. She showed slides of the beautiful wooded countryside where she often takes camping trips with her father.
As a result of the visit, the sixth graders started a project of exchanging letters to students in the Ukraine using ePals. The first letters were presented on a poster display at the International Symposium.
Lady Mustang tennis player shares Ukraine culture
WNMU is developing academic cooperative agreements with several international universities for student and faculty exchanges and other mutual collaborations. One of the first exchanges executed was with the University of Oviedo in Asturias, Spain on the northwest coast.
Two students, Diego Frajedas and Manuel Rodriguez came to WNMU’s College of Education in August to begin their one semester exchange in the Secondary Education Program. Both young men had previous teaching experience with adults and were quite surprised about the behavior of secondary students in America, which is vastly different from secondary students in Spain.
Along with their studies, the College of Education is reaching out to provide them some cultural experiences for the semester they are here. In addition to visiting schools as part of their studies, they have been to The City of Rocks and the Cliff Dwellings.
The University of Oviedo is similar to WNMU in that it is a public institution, but that’s where the similarities end. The University is steeped in 400 years of history of providing higher education in their region of Spain to 25,000 students including many international students.
They are a driver of research in their region and provide cutting-edge services to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to the business world. True to the historical legacy that made the University of Oviedo a pioneer institution in Spain, their commitment to society offers care and support services for people with special needs and a "Solidarity Space" where voluntary work and international cooperation actions take place.
Diego and Manuel report that they are anxious to try out the new strategies and instructional practices they have learned while being students at WNMU.
Agreements developed with Spanish University
This year, the College of Education is focusing on recruitment. As part of that effort, the College of Education, in collaboration with the College of Business, hosted a barbecue cookout for high school students visiting the campus. Over 300 students from area high schools participated in the recruiting event sponsored by the admissions office. At the cookout we served 300 hamburgers, 300 hot dogs, and almost 300 amazing students. The wind blew and it rained cats and dogs, but a great time was had by all.
Can you spell the word ‘aluminum’ correctly? This was one of the words that pronouncer, Dr. Ann Harvey, WNMU Professor of Reading, asked the fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at Central Elementary to spell during the Nov. 19 school-wide English Spelling Bee. The winners of the Spelling Bee advanced to the regional context held at WNMU and then on to the state context held in Albuquerque in the Spring.
