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Research
and Creativity Activities Questions about newsletter? Please contact David Stoloff, email: stoloffd@easternct.edu |
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
NEWS Fourth Week of Classes
Fall 2002 Edition - best viewed at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/020920.html
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Please see the University Disclaimer. |
Welcoming Autumn
2002
At the autumnal equinox
(September 23 in 2002), the sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from
north to south; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern
Hemisphere. (http://www.infoplease.com/spot/equinox1.html)
*****
Words of Inspiration
the
collection appears at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/words.html
Contributed by Eloise Farmer
- mailto:eloise@cssaonline.net
I received this
from Bob Sampl, head science teacher at my high school.
Objection overruled, or You can always go to law
school if things don’t work out
By Taylor Mali - http://www.taylormali.com/products.cfm
He says the problem with teachers is, “What’s a kid
going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?”
He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the dinner guests
that it’s also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we’re eating, after all, and this is polite company.
“I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor,” he says.
“Be honest. What do you make?”
And I wish he hadn’t done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won’t I let you get a drink of water?
Because you’re not thirsty, you’re bored, that’s why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven’t called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, “Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you?”
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?
posted on September 17, 2002
Announcement from Dimitrios S. Pachis, Vice
President for Academic Affairs, 9/18/02
Announcements
usually on Thursdays, 12:30 - 1:45 in Webb Hall 115.
1)
2)
University
Certificate Program in Educational Technology
*****
A message from Hope Cook, Curriculum Center Librarian -
“Hi David and Education Faculty,
Just wanted to let you know that the
Curriculum Center Computer Lab, Room 145 of the Eugene Smith Library is now
open for your use!
Here are some of the
highlights added to the Computer Lab:
·6 new PC's with Internet Access and equipped with
educational and presentational software titles
·1 of the 6 PC's is setup as an instructor station. This
station includes a projector that will allow the instructor the
opportunity to project information to a screen, or if one prefers to the white
board.
·We have also retained 1 Macintosh machine that is loaded
with software and has Internet access.
·The computer lab also includes a VCR, Slide Projector, and
Overhead Projector
·Additionally, students can use this room to work on
classroom projects as we now have 2 Ellison Machines and several dies to cut
letters, borders, etc.The lab is also equipped with a sink.
·The lab can seat up to 20 people and would be ideal for
those teaching courses that contain some component of children's literature or
the use of educational software.
Thank you!
Hope”
Dr. Jeanelle Bland has
been appointed Curriculum Center Computer Lab liaison from the Education
Department.
****
Announcement from
Dean Patricia Kleine – 9/19/02
****
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Announcement
from Neil Williams, HPE Dept Chair
Please alert Ed Dept faculty and
students:
HPE 210 (3 credits) does NOT
satisfy the GER V.B. physical education requirement in any manner; nor does HPE
201(1 credit).
Thanks for your assistance in this
matter. Several EDU students have called about this in just the first two
days of the term.
Neil
****
Please consider joining Phi Delta Kappa
The UCONN Chapter of Phi Delta
Kappa will be hosting a free introductory social on Tuesday, September 24,
2002, 5:30 PM - 7 PM at Willington Pizza in Willington, CT. Please
consider this international honors society in professional education and
publisher of the Kappan journal. Please contact David Stoloff - email: stoloffd@easternct.edu for further
details.
****
A message from
Professor Ross E. Koning, PhD
Chapter President ECSU-AAUP
Biology Department - Goddard Hall
email: Koning@EasternCT.edu
http://Koning.EasternCT.edu/
Greetings ECSU-AAUP Faculty,
I am pleased to announce that our
on-line (html) version
of the 2002-2006 CSU AAUP-BOT Collective Bargaining
Agreement is on-line at the usual URL:
http://www.easternct.edu/aaup/cba.html
This version is, of course,
unofficial...but we have worked
hard to make it identical with the printed version in content,
and have hopefully corrected most of the printed version's
flaws.
We encourage you to try it
out. All internal and some external
references are linked so navigation is better than in the print
version. You can also use the find and find-again feature of
your browser to search for words in the contract...so finding
items is perhaps easier. On the down-side, the contract is now
in a single file that is sometimes slow to open if you are on a
modem connection...but we think your patience will be rewarded.
I also encourage you to
right-click (PC USERS) or click-hold-drag
(Mac USERS) on the CBA link on the home page to DOWNLOAD
the contract to your hard-drive for improved loading times. Our
home-page is:
Best wishes for the fall semester.
ross
Professor Ross E. Koning, PhD
Chapter President ECSU-AAUP
Biology Department - Goddard Hall
****
message from
Bernetta Steadman, Assistant Director, Admissions, ECSU:
I came across this website (http://www.nasbe.org/) and thought you might
be interested in the Minority Teacher Recruitment Conference/Exhibition.
It would be a good opportunity to
attract qualified minority individuals to our grad and certification
programs. Let me know what you think. Perhaps this is something you could
coordinate in conjunction with the Admissions Office if you feel it is a
worthwhile endeavor
I would suggest reading about the
exhibitor info.
****
Call for Graduating Senior Information
A request from Institutional
Research -
Please share news about the plans
of graduating seniors.
If they are going on to graduate
school, please provide the graduate's name, undergraduate major,
graduate university, location (city, state), field of study and degree program
sought, and any information
on scholarships and/or fellowships.
If they have been accepted for
employment positions, please provide the graduate's name,
undergraduate major, company, location (city, state), position, salary.
Please email the information to
David, who will compile it for the department. Thanks.
****
Take a look at the Education Department Photo Gallery at
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/photos2002.html
*****
Other Events
Congratulations
to Ann Gruenberg and others for the upcoming - Sept. 28 - CT Association for
the Education of Young Children - Fall Conference 2002 - Many Ways - One
World. Please contact Terry Surprenant at (860) 779 - 6264 for more
information.
***
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****
ECSU - ThinkQuest for Tomorrow's Teachers Projects
Faculty members and students from
Eastern Connecticut State University are participating in a US Department of
Education grant to Prepare Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology with
ThinkQuest
[ http://www.thinkquest.org] and 13
other universities throughout the US. This project's homepage may be at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/dept/pt3.html
.
Hilary Maybaum and Robert Sibley,
our ThinkQuest partners, will be visiting ECSU on Tuesday, September 24, 2002
for lunch and to visit classes. Please let David know if you would like
to join the group for lunch.
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****
Long Term Announcements
Alumni news may be found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/alumninews.html.
Planning
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Past surveys of our graduates are
available on the WWW -
an analysis of the survey of
teacher education program graduates 1996-98
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/survey9698.htm
results of the survey of teacher
education program graduates - 1996-1998 -
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/surveyresults9698.htm,
and
results of the survey of teacher education
program graduates - 1998-2000 -
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradsurvey2001.htm
survey of interests in graduate
programs -1999,
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradinterestsurvey1999.htm
survey of interests in graduate
programs - 2001
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradinterestsurvey2001.htm
Planning forms for field
experiences and student teaching for Spring 2003 are now posted at
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/dept/stinfo.doc
*****
Research and Creativity Activities -
chronicling the ongoing progress of the Education Department at
Eastern Connecticut State University
also found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/rca.html
Fifth Report
July 11, 2002
Our Graduates Speak
An analysis of survey data provided by ECSU program completers
concerning their professional preparation and Connecticut’s
Common Core of Teaching
An
Eastern Connecticut State University
Research Brief
Prepared by
Mitchell Sakofs
Director of Educational Experience
Spring 2002
Introduction
As part of an ongoing effort to
improve program quality in the Eastern Connecticut State University
Education Unit, a survey was sent to ECSU graduates who were recommended for
teaching certification
from 1999 through 2001. This survey was designed to explore two main
issues, i.e.,
· their assessment of the BEST
program and
· their assessment of the professional preparation they received at Eastern in
terms of Connecticut’s
Common Core of Teaching.
Questions concerning BEST were
modeled after a state survey designed to probe how certified teachers
assess the professional preparation they received through institutions of
higher learning; questions
concerning Connecticut’s Common Core of Teaching were taken from the Common
Core documentation
found on the Connecticut State Education Department’s website. Questions
probing our graduates’
assessment of BEST as well as the professional preparation provided by the ECSU
Education Unit were
structured to allow for responses on a 5-point Likert Scale with 5 = Strongly
Agree, 4 = Agree, 3 =
Undecided, 2 = Disagree, and 1 = Strongly Disagree. See Exhibit 1, page
4.
This report presents student
assessment data of the professional preparation provided by ECSU’s
Education Unit. An analysis of BEST data will be reported in another
document.
Procedure
Three hundred and forty surveys
were mailed to students who were recommended for teaching
certification from 1999 through 2001.
Data were analyzed using
SPSS. Data transformations from interval to categorical data were
performed so percentages in the following categories for each question could be
calculated: Negative,
Undecided and Positive. The procedure to create these
categories was as follows: if a respondent
indicated a negative response to a question, e.g., in response to a question
they scored a 1 or 2, the
variable was recoded into a Negative category. Likewise if they scored a
question 4 or 5, the variable
was recoded into a Positive category. A response of 3 was recoded as
Undecided.
Results
· 340 surveys mailed, 20 were
returned as undeliverable and 95 were returned with completed surveys.
This is a 30% response rate.
· Percent of respondents within each program were as follows: 45% Early
Childhood, 17% Elementary,
8% Middle, 12% Secondary and 18% HPE.
· Percent of respondents within each degree category offered were as follows:
76% Undergraduate, 10%
Post-baccalaureate and 14% Graduate.
· Mean scores on the 18 aspects of Connecticut’s Common Core of Teaching ranged
from a low of 3.5 to a
high of 4.2. See Exhibit 2, page 10.
· Percentages for the recoded data concerning Connecticut’s Common Core of
Teaching in the POSITIVE
category ranged from a high of 91.5% to a low of 59%. See Exhibit 3, page
17.
o The areas scoring 90% or above positive were:
§ Q21B, how students learn and develop
§ Q34B, share responsibility for student achievement
§ Q38B, demonstrate a commitment to students
o The areas scoring 80% to 89% positive were:
§ Q22B, Understand how students differ
§ Q26B, Recognize need to vary instructional methods
§ Q27B, Select learning tasks to make subject meaningful
§ Q29B, Instructional opportunities support academic, social and personal
development
§ Q30B, Use of verbal and non verbal media/foster individual and collaborative
inquiry
§ Q33B, Conduct as a professional
§ Q35B, Continually engaged in self-evaluation
o The areas scoring 70% to 79%
positive were:
§ Q24B, Understand the central concepts of the discipline I teach
§ Q25B, Know how to design and deliver instruction
§ Q28B, Establish and maintain appropriate standards of behavior
§ Q31B, Employ a variety of instructional strategies
§ Q32B, Use of various assessment techniques
§ Q36B, Seek out opportunities to grow professionally
§ Q37B, Serve as a leader in the school
o The areas scoring below 70%
positive were:
§ Q23B, Proficient in reading, writing and mathematics
Conclusions and Recommendations
This research reveals how
graduates of the ECSU teacher certification programs view the efficacy of
their professional preparation within the context of Connecticut’s Common Core
of Teaching.
For these findings to meaningfully
guide programmatic changes, it is recommended that:
1. faculty review their course
syllabi to better understand how the dimensions of the Common Core are
expressed in course content, and
2. review the data provided here to determine which elements of the Common Core
need to be more
substantively addressed in courses. While it may seem reasonable to look
to strengthen aspects of the
program that students found wanting, it may be that faculty chose to strengthen
areas of strength, as
they are deemed central and appropriate for pre-service teacher preparation.
This document may also be
downloaded from
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/graduatesspeak02.doc
as a WORD document.
Searches
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searches pending approval -
we had request an additional faculty member in Elementary Education.
Jamie Hendricks shared this link
to the Mansfield Schools employment website -
http://www.mansfieldct.org/MBOE/Employ/docs/Web%20Posting%206.02B.doc
*****
Recently acquired media - in the Chair's Office or on the Web
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Teaching Our Youngest: A
Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child-Care and Family Providers. (2002)
Early Childhood-Head Start Task Force, US Dept. of Education and US Dept. of
Health and Human Services.
America's Children: Key
National Indicators of Well-Being 2002. Federal Interagency Forum on
Child and Family Statistics.
Notes from the 2002 Creative
Advance - "Creativity Through Diversity" - Thursday, August 22, 2002,
Eastern Connecticut State University.
Evaluator's Report on the May
State On-Site Review of ECSU's Teacher Education Programs. Received May
31, 2002.
Institutional Overview and
Response to Standards, Self-examination report on Teacher Preparation
Programs at ECSU, March 2002.
Portfolio Responses for BEST
program, 2001-2002.
Precondition Report for the
Education Unit - April 2002, NCATE document
Handbooks for the Development of
Teaching Portfolios 2001-2002 - Connecticut State Department of
Education - most subjects
General Education Committee's
General Education Program Proposal
Wednesdays - A Compilation of
Short Stories written by Eastern Connecticut State University
Graduate Students
Educational Technology Resource
Documents from the Connecticut State Department of Education.
American Association of State
Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Public Policy Agenda - 2002.
The BEST Program Portfolio
Resources 2001-2002: School Year
BEST 2001-2002 Rubrics.
Faculty Handbook.
Our Reading/Language Arts room,
Webb Hall 113, has been enriched with past issues of Phi Delta Kappan, Academe,
Syllabus, Converge, Governmental Technology, Journal of Teacher Education, and
other resources. Please feel free to use and encourage your students to
use these materials.
*********
Please contact David Stoloff at (860) 465-5501, email: stoloffd@easternct.edu if you have any
questions or comments on this newsletter. Please invite others to
receive this newsletter and be added
to the Education Department e-mailing list by contacting David Stoloff.