=Happy Holidays From College of Education=
As the Fall semester of 2014 is coming to a close, we look back at the tremendous work and incredible projects completed by our faculty, staff, students, donors, and community partners. With everyone’s contributions, we have reached many ambitious achievements: Faculty Excellence Award (Ms. JoJo Ullom and Dr. Li-Wei Peng), Faculty Research Grant Award (Dr. Ryan Koenig and Mr. Abu Ma’afala), Conference Presentations, New Program Planning, Classroom Space Transformation in Main Hall, Project GOLD, CREATE Satellite Network Advisory Board Meeting, Center for Autism Support and Research, Center for Community Education, Fitness and Fun Day, Parents’ Night Out, iPad Ecosystem, Instructional Technology Month, Active Eagles After-School Physical Education Program (highlighted in the National President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Award received by West Liberty University), Fitness Festival, Great American Smokeout, Community Education Guest Speaker Series, Prezi’s Canvas My Campus Contest Semi-Finalists, Field Trips, Crisis Prevention Institute Training, Handwriting Without Tear Workshop, Mock Interviews, Local School Workshops and Partnerships, etc. We hope you will continue to be an active participant in our learning community. We would like to wish you and yours the happiest of holidays and all the best in 2015. Please enjoy the Happy Holidays Greeting Video from the College of Education. Cheers!
=BLOCK – One of the Top Reasons to Choose West Liberty University=
The Teacher Education Program at West Liberty University would like to welcome prospective teacher candidates. This university was founded in 1837 as a normal school that trained future teachers, and we are proud to carry on that 175-year tradition today. Our mission is to train elementary and secondary teachers who will be effective facilitators of 21st century learning in their classrooms. All prospective teacher candidates in the Teacher Education Program complete the “BLOCK,” a name given to the block of method courses completed in a semester prior to student teaching. Caura Speece, Senior Elementary BLOCK student, reflected, “Personally, I believe that I have gained so much knowledge this semester. All of the hands-on experiences allowed me to shine as a future educator. The BLOCK was my home away from home. I love the support of my BLOCK family, and together we made the memories that will last a lifetime. I TEACH ready. This is just the start.” Please watch the Reflective Video recently created by Caura Speece for her incredible BLOCK learning experience.
=WLU M.A.E.D. Capstone Presentations=
Our graduate students presented their outstanding capstones on December 9 and 10 at the West Liberty Highlands Center from 5:30 to 9:30 PM. Mr. Richard (Rick) West, Director of Graduate Education, stated: “The Masters of Art in Education degree completes their course of study with the Capstones. The students are required to prepare a Research Proposal consisting of an Introduction, Literature Review, and Methodology. The class then prepares a Stand-Up Presentation, a Graduate Poster Presentation, and Project. The experience and work the students put into these projects position them to conduct future research, write for grant opportunities, or implement changes in their educational settings.” Bethany Dentice, graduate student, specified, “What I’ve learned throughout the M.A.E.D. program and capstone project is that learning is a life-long opportunity, which encourages the growth and development of society as a whole. Other experiences that have greatly influenced my
educational experience at WLU are the dedicated and passionate educators, administrators, and staff. The University has a lot to offer this valley and promotes a cohesive environment for an overall outstanding experience in education.” Congratulations to our graduate students for their excellent efforts to their Capstone presentations!
=Best Wishes to Our Class of Fall 2014=
There will be 40 undergraduates and 15 graduates graduating from the College of Education and participating in the December 2014 Commencement this Saturday at 11 AM. Before the commencement, our faculty and classroom teachers got together with our students for encouraging words. We wish our graduates all the best in their future endeavors. We are so proud of you and excited for your future successes!
=Fall 2014 Fitness Festival=
PE 211 students led fun 20-minute group fitness classes for the Fall 2014 Fitness Festival. Classes had taken place all this week every half hour between 12:00 and 2:00 in the Blatnik Dance Studio. Learners had opportunities to try out a yoga, kickboxing, HIIT, or Tabata class for free! Exercise improves brain functioning and decreases stress, not to mention makes everyone feel great!
=hAPPy Friday Tools/Apps Learning=
Sushi Monster is one of Scholastic’s game-based math apps — place sushi pieces near the monster and make a correct equation to feed the monster. By engaging and overcoming the challenges in Sushi Monster, students can practice, reinforce, and improve math fact fluency, with twelve levels of increasing difficulty. Sushi Monster meets the Common Core State Standard: extend fact knowledge to support strategic reasoning and computational flexibility in addition and multiplication. Watch a brief Tutorial Video to learn a quick how-to. hAPPy Friday Tools/Apps Learning will come back after the winter break. Stay turned!