=Faculty Presented at American Educational Research Association Conference=
Dr. Keely Camden, Dean of the College of Education, and Dr. Miriam Roth Douglas, Director of the academic Community Education Program involving informal educational models, attended and presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) international conference in Chicago last week. The theme of 2015 AERA conference is a call to examine the meaning of culture, language, and heritage in education research and Praxis with the aim of advancing justice. Dr. Camden and Dr. Douglas co-presented about Community Education and Democracy & Justice: “Justice and democracy reflected by an inclusive Community Education Program: Research & Praxis.” While there, they visited the Hull Settlement House, and studied the life of founder of Jane Addams.
=WLU MAED Graduate Presented at West Virginia Graduate Research Day=
Rachael Reardon, Masters of Art in Education (MAED) graduate (2014) presented in Shepherdstown, WV at the First Annual Graduate Research Day held at Shepherd University last Saturday. Rachel presented her study entitled, Are there Common Beliefs among General Education Teachers in Regard to Differentiating Instruction in Order to Meet the Needs of the Gifted Students? The presentation was accepted from several submissions across the state in various areas of graduate research. In addition to her presentation, Rachel presented a poster alongside students from WVU, Shepherd, WV State, and Fairmont. The project began from the coursework in the MAED program, which culminates with a Capstone Presentation in the final course where students present a research proposal on a topic of their choosing. Rachel Reardon is a second-grade teacher at Hooverson Heights Primary School in Brooke County West Virginia.
Rachael stated, “I chose my topic because I worked in Special Education (Learning Disabilities/Gifted Education) for three years. I found that I was often met with resistance when it came to general education teachers providing accommodations to students who were gifted…yet, teachers are more open to providing accommodations to students with disabilities. In West Virginia, Gifted Education is considered Special Education and requires the development of an IEP for identified students. I enjoyed my experience at Shepherd University. I met individuals from Morocco, Serbia, and Brazil all in the same day. I had the opportunity to listen to Master’s projects from students in various fields of study, not just Education. I hope that the conference will expand to a larger contingency of students from more state colleges/universities in the years to come. After being away from my research and project for several months, I found that I enjoyed revisiting the work I had done and presenting it to new people. It also gave me the opportunity to hone my presentation skills; I definitely felt more comfortable presenting it a second time.”
The Graduate Studies Directors from across the state met in the fall and discussed an opportunity to showcase the research conducted. Richard West, Director of Graduate Education at WLU, stated, “All of the schools involved are working toward growing and improving ‘graduate culture’ at their respective institutions. Opportunities like this allow our students to showcase their hard work and interact with students from across the state.” West was also a panelist at the conference for two sessions, Standing Up to Stand Out: The Importance of Graduate Education in Global Economy and Post Graduate Alternatives to Traditional Jobs. Plans have already begun for next year’s conference and West Liberty has been mentioned as a possible site for the event.
The MAED graduate students for the spring of 2015 will present their Capstone Presentations at the Highlands Campus on May 5th and 6th beginning at 5:30 pm. Anyone is welcome to attend the presentations. For more information on the MAED program contact Richard West at richard.west@westliberty.edu or call 304-336-8478. You may visit the website at https://westliberty.edu/education/academic-programs/master-of-arts-in-education/.
=Faculty Attended Educational Testing Service Training=
During the week of April 20-24, JoJo Ullom, Chair of Department of Professional Education, Dr. Traci Tuttle, Associate Professor of Special Education, and Nicole Davis, Instructor of Early/Special Education attended the Educational Testing Service (ETS) training for the PPAT in Princeton, New Jersey. In the 2016-17 academic year, West Virginia will begin to require a performance-based test for the initial certification of teacher candidates, and this semester, the elementary and secondary block students have had the opportunity to participate in the test project for one of the assessments being considered for implementation by the state. This week’s training session provided instructors with a more robust view of the tasks included in the performance assessment as well as the particular methods that will be used for its assessment. West Liberty’s Teacher Education Program was selected this year as one of the pilot programs for the state of WV.
=Athletic Training Faculty Aided a Injured Lady in Pirate Game=
West Liberty University Head Athletic Trainer and COE faculty member/EMT, Herb Minch, while attending a Pirate baseball game on Monday night at PNC Park, was standing next to the woman hurt by a fly-ball. Herb is pictured in the white cap and black WLU Athletic Training shirt. A foul ball ricocheted backwards into the net striking a female spectator in the back of the head in the 2nd inning of the Cubs game. Herb stayed with the woman, providing first-aid care, until paramedics arrived. The woman was safely transported to the hospital.
=Faculty and Students Participated and Presented in CONTEXT Conference=
Our faculty Dr. Keely Camden, Dr. Li-Wei Peng, and Dr. Miriam Roth Douglas, and students, Anastasia Durdines and Casey Oliver, under the leadership of Lou Karas, the Director of Center for Arts and Education, participated in the CONTEXT 2015: Tech Fluency in Teaching and Learning Conference at Carnegie Mellon University hosted by the CREATE team from Tuesday to Thursday. Lou Karas led a panel, entitled, “What is Tech Fluency?” discussing what is tech fluency and why it matters to educators and learners. This conference aims to ignite productive dialogue among formal and informal educators, administrators, community members, and organizations about the use of creative technologies and creative use of technologies in teaching and learning. The Center for Arts and Education is a satellite center of Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE lab focusing on innovative and emerging technologies. The Center imbeds the technology in professional development workshops and sessions led by Lou Karas. The Center coordinates partnership grants with the Warhol Museum, the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, the Mattress Factory, and the June Harless Center at Marshall University.
=Elementary Education Students Master Multi-sensory Approach to Teach Sound Blending=
Faculty member Theresa Kowcheck and Orton-Gillingham reading specialist, instructs senior elementary education students on a multi-sensory approach to teaching sound blending. The senior elementary education majors spend every Wednesday while in the intensive methods semester, working, teaching, and observing at Wheeling Country Day School in reading, language arts, and science. Pictured on the left is Instructor Theresa Kowcheck prompting senior student Brian Richmond on the blending technique using letter cards. Elementary education students practice intensive word structure knowledge, syllabication, and sight word techniques.
=hAPPy Friday Tools/Apps Learning=
FitStar Personal Trainer is a free personalized training app allowing users to get a wide range of customized workouts anytime, anywhere through mobile device or airplay. FitStar has its own Website inspiring people to live healthier lives. This app has been awarded App Store Editor’s Choice & Best of 2013 and 2014 App. The Wall Street Journal commented, “FitStar uses data about your body to eliminate intimidating workouts that lead to broken resolutions.” Watch a brief Tutorial Video to learn a quick how-to.