2006-07 College of Education Profile

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Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Early Learning . . . . . . . . . . 6 Research in Teacher Ed . . 8 Environment and Natural Resources . . . . 10 College Highlights . . . . . 13 Development . . . . . . . . . . 18

College of Education Department 3374 1000 East University Avenue Laramie, WY 82071 Phone (307) 766.3145

Persons seeking admission, employment, or access to programs of the University of Wyoming shall be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or political belief.

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Dean’s overview The scholarship highlighted in this edition of the Profile reports on work advancing four targeted areas of distinction: 1) research in teacher education, 2) access to quality P-16 education, 3) importance of early learning, and 4) environment and natural resource education.

These distinction areas offer important focal points for our scholarship, our teaching and our development efforts. We are proud to report on faculty accomplishments and the national recognition that our faculty’s work is receiving.

As we reflect back on the successes of the past, we look forward to exciting new challenges for the future. College of Education faculty and staff join their UW peers in developing Academic Plan 2009-2014, providing new opportunities to engage faculty and students in scholarship that builds upon existing expertise. We also look forward to completion of the second phase of construction of our Education Annex, which will increase our capacity to provide high-quality, technology-assisted learning environments for our students.

With our Profile series we highlight milestones and successes, illustrating our commitment to promote excellence in education at all levels. I also encourage you to visit our website at http:// ed.uwyo.edu, to learn more about college and departmental activities.

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Dean Patricia McClurg

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Special Education collaborates on state grant

Special Education faculty members Martin Agran and Dorothy Jean (D.J.) Yocom are providing leadership in implementing key components of the Wyoming State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG).

Wyoming’s five-year, $2.65 million federal grant focuses on four goals: • Goal One: Increasing the number of Wyoming schools implementing the Response to Intervention (RtI) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) models.

• Goal Two: Replicating the RtI and PBIS models in Wyoming preschools.

• Goal Three: Increasing the number of special education teachers and infusing RtI and PBIS skills and knowledge into the University of Wyoming Teacher Education Program (WTEP).

• Goal Four: Promoting family and active student involvement in educational programming and decision making.

Agran played a lead role in developing this successful grant proposal. Parties involved in that process included: the Wyoming Department of Education, the Wyoming Department of Family Services, parent groups, preschools, community colleges, developmental preschools, school districts, the Wyoming Department of Health, organizations serving adjudicated youth, and the UW College of Education.

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The Wyoming Department of Education intends to “scale up” efforts to incorporate the RtI and PBIS models in local districts, learning from districts that have already taken steps to adapt their approach to identifying and assisting students who may have special needs.

“Both of those initiatives (RtI and PBIS) involve schoolwide efforts to deal with academic and behavioral needs,” Agran says. “If you can intervene early in a schoolwide process, then a number of students who would otherwise be referred to special education may not end up there.”

The grant creates new partnerships across general education, special education, and other state services.

“It’s an optimal situation, where special education and general education overlap—and have the chance to work together collaboratively,” according to Agran. “The historical difference between the two disciplines is being removed.”

Agran draws upon his expertise to support Goal Four efforts to identify ways to encourage older students (16+) to take a more active role in defining and driving their educational plans.

Yocom will support implementation of Goal One, continuing to act as a local resource for districts. She also will take a lead role in work toward Goal Three, focusing her efforts on infusing RtI and PBIS into the general education teacher development curriculum at UW.

Access

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Rios, F., & Trent, A. (2006). Multicultural teacher education: Preparing teachers for educational equity. In V. Pang (Ed.), Race, Ethnicity and Multicultural Education Series (Vol. 1): Principles and Practices in Multicultural Education (pp. 223240). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing .

Agran, M., Cavin, M., Wehmeyer, M., & Palmer, S. (2006).

Participation of students with moderate to severe disabilities in the general curriculum: The effects of the self-determined learning model of instruction. Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 31(3), 230-241.

This chapter describes elements of teacher education and shares a vision of how they might look in truly multi-cultural teacher education. It begins with consideration of the goal of educational equity itself. Given that goal, we discuss its meaning vis-à-vis pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, standards, and field experience considerations, educational research considerations, professionalization, and considerations associated with the interaction of broader social change and schooling. We end with questions that challenge us, as multi-cultural teacher educators, and to other stakeholders in and outside teacher education, of engaging in this work.

This study investigated the effects of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) on the academic skill performance of three junior high school students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The academic skills taught were aligned to the district general curriculum, and extended benchmarks were individually determined. The students were instructed to engage in a self-regulated problem-solving strategy, as well as to use one or more additional student-directed learning strategies. The results suggests that all students were able to acquire and maintain target academic skills to mastery levels. Also, all stakeholders had positive perceptions about the value of such instruction. The implications of these findings relative to the general curriculum are discussed.

Nilles, V., Alvarez, L, & Rios, F. (2006). Preparing teachers to work with second language learners. In R. Jimenez & V. Pang (Eds.), Race, Ethnicity and Multicultural Education Series (Vol. 2): Language, Literacy and Schooling (pp. 39-54). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing Group.

This chapter explicitly describes the preparation necessary for teachers to be successful in working with second language learners (SLLs). The chapter includes the following: 1) key ideas and beliefs upon which we believe this work rests; 2) knowledge and competencies necessary for teachers working with SLLs; 3) pedagogical considerations regarding SLLs; and, 4) importance of teacher education preparation specific for second language learning.

Other representative research-access: Medina-Jerez, W., Clark, D., Medina, A., & Ramirez-Marin, F. (2007). Science for ELL: Re-thinking our approach. The Science Teacher, 74(3), 52-56.

Toohey, K., Manyak, P., & Day, E. (2006). ESL learners in the early school years: Identity and mediated classroom practices.

In J. Cummins & C. Davison (Eds.), International Handbook of English Language Teaching, (pp. 545-558). Norwell, MA: Springer.

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Ellbogen Foundation enhances programming Ongoing grant support from the John P. Ellbogen Foundation has helped the already strong University of Wyoming Summer Early Childhood Leadership Institute enhance its programming and increase its accessibility for early care and education providers around the state.

The Ellbogen Foundation has committed $50,000 per year for three years, to fund both the Institute and outreach work with interested programs. The grants permit Institute planners to bring internationally known early childhood keynote speakers to Laramie to lead the three-day professional event. They also fund scholarships to support early childhood care providers and educators who may otherwise be unable to afford participation.

Faculty in the Colleges of Education and Agriculture established the Early Childhood Leadership Institute in 1999, originally as a biennial event and provide more direct follow up assistance throughout the stale. The Ellbogen grant allowed organizers to move to an annual schedule, according to early childhood education faculty member, Michelle Buchanan.

From the beginning, the Early Childhood Leadership Institute has been a different kind of conference experience.

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Founders reflected on frustrations with similar professional development events—brief encounters with new ideas, limited time to process what they learned, and no support for implementation upon return—and designed an Institute to better meet participants’ learning needs.

“The Institute was developed to allow participants time to process and apply ideas put forth by keynote speakers.

Keynote speakers spend three days with participants and listen carefully to their questions and the challenges they face everyday in the workplace. They then respond to individual participant issues and needs so that participants feel ready to implement what they learn,” Buchanan says.

Keynote speakers deliver presentations throughout the institute, tailoring content to questions that emerge in small group discussions. Participants have multiple opportunities to reflect on what they learn and discuss ways to turn their ideas into actionable progress.

Institute topics are selected to address relevant issues impacting children and families in Wyoming and the early childhood professionals who serve them.

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Following the 2004 Institute, a research assistant, jointly supervised by early childhood education and counselor education faculty, contacted participants to better understand whether the event had prepared them to implement ideas in the workplace.

“We found that they were applying what they learned at the Institute in the workplace, but that they had run into some stumbling blocks,” Buchanan says. “They needed some support in following through with what they learned.”

Follow up for the 2006 Institute included work with six programs in the state that wished to strengthen relationships with families of children that they served. These programs defined the projects and the level of assistance need from UW faculty to implement ideas. Support from faculty ranged from phone consultations and feedback on ideas to regular meetings with programs to discuss implementation.

Williams, K., & Cooney, M. (2006). Young children and social justice. Young Children, 61(2), 75-82.

This article presents a rationale and a framework for teaching children about social justice. The authors describe social justice as “all children and families have the right to expect mutual respect, fair treatment, equal access to resources and experiences, and a willingness to learn about others’ perspectives.” Curriculum activities for promoting perspective taking and conflict resolution with young children around issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and culture are presented. Activities identify key social justice concepts, materials needed, and guidelines for child participation.

Nganga, L. (2006). Engaging in multicultural curriculum Dialogues: Moving from a tourist approach to an anti-bias curriculum. Journal of Early Childhood and Family Review, 13(4), 31-43.

This research addresses multicultural curriculum issues in early childhood. The participants in this study were three educators and one administrator in a primarily caucasian early childhood setting. Field notes from classroom observations and staff curriculum meetings, interview notes and transcriptions of responses from the early childhood educators and program documents/artifacts were used to determine emergent themes that reflect a growing body of knowledge required to bring meaningful changes in early childhood multicultural curriculum. Findings of this study suggest that in order to effectively implement a culturally responsive early childhood curriculum, teachers must engage in an open dialogue, have opportunities for professional development, obtain adequate resources, be knowledgeable of child development in the cultural context, and receive administrative support.

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Baumann accepts first state-endowed Excellence Chair

James Baumann was recently named to the University of Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Chair in Literacy Education, a position created through a $70 million endowment established by the Wyoming Legislature to fund multiple senior faculty positions for “highly distinguished scholars and teachers” across various disciplines at the university.

Legislators specified that at least four faculty positions funded by the endowment must support the College of Education. The literacy position held by Baumann is the first of the four chairs to be staffed.

Baumann began his UW affiliation at the start of the fall 2007 semester after serving for 17 years on the University of Georgia faculty as professor of reading education. He also has held faculty positions at Purdue University and North Texas State University.

Baumann joins an already strong core of faculty in the literacy education program, working with them to enhance its doctoral and master’s level degree programs and to raise UW’s profile nationally.

His first months in Laramie were spent meeting peers in the college, acquainting himself with the interests and expertise areas of fellow literacy educators, and getting to know students in a course he teaches statewide via video technology.

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Another early goal is extending an invitation to colleagues across campus who are interested in literacy in its varied forms to engage in conversations about common interests and goals.

“We don’t own literacy in education,” he says. “We focus on the teaching and learning of literacy, but there are others who look at it from other perspectives.”

Baumann also recognizes the leadership role he is likely to play in reaching out to the K-12 education community in Wyoming.

“I’m really looking forward to connecting with the educators locally,” he says, “to begin to get a sense of the local and state literacy interests.”

Baumann’s own academic interests tend to be practical in nature, e.g., bringing new insights and innovations to the classroom or incorporating new approaches to teaching reading. He plans to continue grant-funded research exploring vocabulary instruction practices that best help students.

Of particular interest are those vocabulary practices that are most effective for children in the middle to upper elementary grades who find word meanings a challenge.

Baumann says he expects to apply what he has learned about vocabulary instruction in a series of prior studies to newly funded research at UW.

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Chamberlin, S. (2006). Gifted and talented teachers’ and coordinators’ perspectives of affect and mathematical problem solving in middle grade gifted programs in the United States.

Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, 15, 15-36.

Fry, S., & Bryant, C. (2006). Using distance technology to sustain teacher education for student teachers in isolated areas: The Technology Supported Induction Network. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 23(2), 63-71.

The problem under investigation was the importance of affect in mathematical problem solving for middle grade gifted students.

Participants were middle grade teachers and coordinators of gifted programs across the United States. Fifty individuals representing the 50 largest school districts in the U.S. and 50 individuals identified as experts in middle school gifted education, by state department officials, university personnel, and/or state gifted association officers, were contacted. A 15-item online survey was used to investigate definitions of mathematical problem solving, most common types of curricula, and importance of affect as it relates to problem solving. Participants (n=46), want to know more about student affect during mathematical problem solving.

It was concluded that teachers need to have an instrument that can be easily used to assess student affect while doing problem-solving tasks. The results of these instruments must be easily interpretable so curricula can be modified.

This qualitative study evaluated the Technology Supported Induction Network’s (TSIN) impact on 15 elementary education student teachers in isolated rural schools. The student teachers were 50–300 miles away from their university; thus, faculty support was difficult. The TSIN provided student teachers with professional development opportunities and virtual connections to their peers and university through distance technology, including an online discussion board and compressed video. Findings indicate that the TSIN supported reflective practice, curricular and emotional support, and connections to peers, but not connections to the university. TSIN participants also developed their technology skills and confidence. The strengths and limitations of using distance technology to support student teachers are discussed along with recommendations for improving the TSIN design.

Berube, B., & Dexter, R. (2006). Supervision, evaluation and NCLB: Maintaining a most highly qualified staff. Catalyst for Change: Journal of the National School Development Council, 34(2), 11-17.

The conflict between evaluation and supervision is longstanding and continues in schools today. The expected outcomes of supervision and evaluation are difficult for the principal charged with the responsibility of helping teachers grow professionally while also being held responsible for recommending continued employment or dismissal. Should supervision and evaluation be separated or can the two be combined to improve teaching and learning? The authors focus on supervision mostly because of the potential for teacher growth and development. While evaluation is necessary and sometimes threatening to teachers, supervision models such as classroom walk-throughs, differentiated supervision, and clinical supervision might provide more opportunities for teachers. The focus on supervision becomes even more important as the NCLB rules and regulations (such as highly qualified teacher requirements and high stakes testing) place more pressure points and accountability in the classroom and create changing conditions in schools. In addition, changing demographics among the students served by teachers is another factor increasing the importance of a credible supervisory system for teachers.

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Castañeda, C., Kambutu, J., & Rios, F. (2006). Speaking their truths: Teachers of color in diasporic contexts. The Rural Educator, 27(3), 13-23.

This study explored the question: How do teachers of color in isolated, relatively rural contexts make sense of their teaching experience as marginalized people in their profession? From an initial survey of rural school districts in Wyoming, eight teachers were selected to participate in a qualitative study using in-depth interviews, observations, and focus groups. Through participants’ stories, this study found that these teachers of color are supported and sustained because of encouragement from family and other adults, their selfidentified natural teaching abilities, the opportunity to be a role model for students of color, their potential to challenge racial-ethnic stereotypes, and their desire to bring a multicultural perspective in schooling. In contrast, participants identified two major challenges: (a) lack of support from colleagues and administrators and (b) lack of sustained contact with other teachers of color.

Other representative research-research in teacher education: Bolliger, D. (2006). Creating constructivist learning environments.

In M. Orey, V. McClendon, & R. Branch (Eds.), Educational Media and Technology Yearbook 2006 (pp. 119-126). Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Manyak, P. (2007). Character trait vocabulary: A school-wide approach. The Reading Teacher, 60(6), 574-577.

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‘Caring Community’ impacts teacher education course experience Research that studies application of the “Caring Community” to a teacher education course was featured in a 2005 issue of The Teacher Educator.

Counselor education associate professor Mary Alice Bruce and special education professor John Stellern collaborated on the qualitative study. Stellern modeled classroom behaviors that create meaningful relationships in a safe and supportive environment. Bruce conducted focus groups with representative members of the class to explore the impact of those behaviors on their experience of the class and the ways in which they used what they learned in their practicum work that semester.

The “Caring Community” is a concept commonly employed in P-12 classrooms, according to Bruce.

“Teachers, counselors and others in the school are working together to engage the students and have them feel cared for, unique and special—so that their energies can be put into their academics,” she says.

CRM in the Classroom: Field-based environmental decision making

Stellern and Bruce identified several parallels between the environment in which most K-12 teachers will work and the higher education classrooms in which they are prepared. They considered ways in which those caring behaviors are already portrayed in teacher education classrooms and in which they might be consciously

modeled.

“We talked about certain behaviors, certain underlying guidelines that we practice in our classrooms to try to create that caring,” Bruce says.

Examples of caring behavior include greeting class members to make a connection and understand the dynamics of the room, recognizing and addressing conflicts authentically, and including all members of the learning community. Introducing and reflecting upon the impact of those behaviors should have broad consequences, according to Mary Alice.

“We thought that doing that in higher education classrooms would then have a ripple effect for the students who are now going out to be teachers in the P-12 environment – they would then practice those behaviors in their classrooms,” she says. “That’s what we found.”

the mission of the University of Wyoming’s Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) in the Classroom program.

Creating field-based learning experiences, with the potential to contribute to consensus-based decision making on pressing environmental and community issues, is

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CRM in the Classroom, a grant-supported project of the UW Science and Mathematics Teaching Center, provides K12 teachers with the resources and support to initiate original projects or collaborate with existing efforts in their area. It takes an integrated approach to exploring natural resources issues with historic, scientific and economic implications.

CRM in the Classroom is based on a model used by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. The foundation of CRM is consensus-based decision making: engaging frequently disparate interests to address common concerns in ways that address everyone’s needs. Having the opportunity to learn and practice these skills is an essential part of the process for students participating in CRM in the Classroom projects.

Students learn by doing: they get into the field, explore natural phenomena, report and analyze their findings, and develop recommendations to share with others. CRM in the Classroom offers an integrated, comprehensive approach to meeting state and national curriculum standards and builds skills and capacity that students will use in the future.

“Students come to understand the whole process of investigation and experience real research,” Sylvia Parker, CRM in the Classroom coordinator, says. “It gives them the opportunity to participate in data gathering and to apply skills and knowledge that they are learning in school to a real issue.”

Connecting student projects to local resources is part of the support that Parker and other SMTC staff provide to CRM in the Classroom projects.

“Part of what we do through the CRM process is get students, local experts, and University of Wyoming faculty members hooked up so they can start working together,” Parker says.

CRM in the Classroom also provides regular opportunities for teachers to learn more about the program, explore research methods and tools, and hear from peers who have successfully developed projects with their students.

EdPARC partnership expands science learning opportunities

incorporate them into lessons that meet state content standards.

UW’s EdPARC team members are Alan Buss, associate professor of elementary and early childhood education; Lydia Dambekalns, associate professor of secondary art education; and Patricia McClurg, dean.

“We highlight ideas with teachers about the kinds of things they might do, drawing from a wide variety of disciplines,” Buss says. These workshops have also provided opportunities for researching effective professional development.

The UW research project involved gathering data from workshop participants and facilitators over a five year span as workshop formats and components were modified to identify elements of effective professional development experiences for fifth to 12th grade teachers using GIS and GPS technologies in their classrooms to enhance their

For the past decade,

three College of Education faculty members have been part of a five-state initiative to engage middle and high school teachers in professional development experiences focused on investigating complex issues in Earth System Science using geospatial technologies.

This effort, housed in the Education Public Access Resource Center (EdPARC), has led to research on effective elements of professional development.

EdPARC is one of three centers established within the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC), a NASA and NSF supported organization consisting of nine institutions of higher education in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Ed-PARC is a collaborative partnership among K-12 educators, teacher educators, and scientists to provide students with authentic learning experiences in earth system science. Its activities center on workshops that provide teachers with opportunities to explore scientific concepts through the use of new technologies and identify ways to

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classroom teaching and learning environments. The key challenge to the researchers was to learn if teachers would value the tools enough to warrant the time necessary for them and for their students to develop the skills for productive use of the technology. Seven key components were identified for designing professional development experiences that provide support structures that result in meaningful transfer to teacher-participants’ classrooms.

Introduction of technological tools such as geographic information systems (GIS) software, global positioning system (GPS), and satellite imagery to enhance instruction requires that teachers see the value in their own settings.

Providing relevant, accessible data and making connections to current curriculum are critical for making the professional development experience meaningful and desirable.

Motivating participants through incentives and increased accountability, developing skill in file management of complex data sets, setting reasonable pacing of instruction over an extended period of time interspersed with experimentation in the classroom, providing support both on site and through distance technologies, and using conceptual introductions of complex tools were also effective elements in the professional development experiences.

EdPARC work continues to look at effective professional development by examining the effects of creating buildinglevel cohorts of teachers using geospatial tools for enhancing learning.

McClurg, P., & Buss, A. (2007). Professional development: Teachers use GIS to enhance student learning. Journal of Geography, 106(2), 79-87.

This article explains a professional development experience of fifth to 12th grade teachers in using geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) technologies to enhance classroom teaching and learning environments. A key challenge faced by the developers was whether teachers would value the technology tools enough to warrant the time necessary to develop the skills for productive use of the technology. Based on five years’ experience, researchers identified seven key components and elaborated on them with examples and related processes.

Day, M., & Petrick, E. (2006). Designing Residential Wilderness Programs for Adults. Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing.

Something mysterious, unpredictable and exciting often results from time spent in settings little touched by the ubiquitous hand of human beings. These are wild places, although their size can range anywhere from the pristine lands covering most of the state of Alaska to a patch of wildflowers in a city park. Yet, while often living in rather close proximity, individuals tend to establish only slight relationships with such places. At a time when research and experience acknowledge the physical and emotional benefits from frequent encounters with wilderness, educators are challenged to continually find ways to strengthen the bond between students and their natural environment. This book is written to support these efforts. Physically and emotionally removed from everyday responsibilities, participants in adult residential education in wilderness areas are free to examine and even reevaluate their lives, their values, and their relationships.

When adult learners accept that they are part of a complex and intimately connected web of life, they are more likely to respect and preserve all remaining wilderness areas. Link residential living to wilderness, and the opportunity to contrast natural and civilized environments dramatically facilitates relationship building and self-examination. This book provides practical suggestions for successfully designing such experiences.

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Analyzing efforts to implement Wyoming’s large-scale assessment program, both in terms of meeting federal regulations and in advancing student progress, is the goal of a research project coordinated by Department of Educational Leadership faculty and graduate students.

The Proficiency Assessment for Wyoming Students (PAWS) is a centerpiece of the state’s program and a focal point of the multi-phase research project.

“The basic question is, what is the effect of this state assessment system on instruction in Wyoming,” Alan Moore, associate professor of educational leadership, says of the research team’s goal.

In phase one, research team members interviewed staff—administrators, principals and teachers—in several school districts around the state. Interview topics included the status of district and school assessment systems, district systems used to track individual student progress, the processes to support student achievement, professional development opportunities, and the scope and format of the district’s body of evidence plan.

They also administered an online survey to school administrators, which provided additional information on such topics as knowledge of assessment systems, implementation of available systems, anticipated adoption of implementation plans, and the assessment of standards not assessed by PAWS. Phase two incorporates interviews and surveys on related topics. Document analysis continues to play a central role in research design, including reviews of school improvement plans and body of evidence systems.

Early analysis of data gathered so far yielded several points of note, including: •

Teachers are implementing broad changes in three assessment focus areas (reading, writing, and mathematics), searching

Educational Leadership team researching state assessment • •

•

in particular for curricula and methods that reach all students.

District administrators, principals and teachers agree that increased state-level assessment has narrowed curriculum and that further narrowing is anticipated.

While performance on PAWS is a high-stakes outcome for district administrators and building principals, many students are not highly motivated to do well. This leads some educators to question the ultimate validity of test results.

Attention to assessment at the state and federal levels has increased focus on educator professional development.

This project represents a rare opportunity to study the evolution of a new approach to large-scale assessment.

Longitudinal analysis should be achievable at the state level, but also at levels where impacts on students and teaching are more directly affected. Profiling school district efforts to implement assessment policy in ways that both meet state and federal requirements and support student achievement offers a richer level of understanding.

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UW’s Department of Counselor Education is one of a handful of programs around the nation incorporating digital recording and analysis equipment in supervision of professionals in training.

Recording client sessions for evaluation has long been part of preparing master’s and doctoral-level counselors in the UW College of Education. But digital technology, fully implemented in spring 2006, is changing the way that process occurs and enriching the learning experience.

Grant sources funded purchase of five digital hard drives, personal computers used for observation and playback, and software and other equipment needed to set up the remote lab.

The digital lab replaces a television/VCR-based system that created a storage problem (how to sort and house hundreds of videotapes every semester) and had only limited and cumbersome playback possibilities.

“We were looking for a solution that would allow us to maintain our live observation and recording but could reduce storage space, allow supervisors to avoid shifting chairs around multiple times, and improve our ability to focus student learning,” Michael Morgan, assistant professor of counselor education and counseling lab supervisor, says of the move to digital technology.

Digital technology creates the environment for richer and more effective analysis, allowing observers and students to mark and categorize segments based on customizable criteria and create a database that can generate a range of information about students’ skills and progress.

Digital lab enhances counseling practice

Ongoing efforts to address school districts’ needs to hire highly qualified teachers, and enhance graduates’ employability, have prompted the University of Wyoming College of Education to collaborate with peers across campus to formalize 18 concurrent majors in secondary education.

Establishing concurrent majors acknowledges the college’s historic efforts to equip new teachers with both the content and pedagogy required to provide them with a firm foundation for success in the classroom.

Graduates from concurrent major programs receive one degree (from the College of Education) with major designations from

“The concept of recording and live observation is really central to what we do,” Morgan says. Students learn from seeing successes and challenges—their own and those of their peers. It enhances students’ effectiveness as counselors in training. It also helps the program fulfill its obligations to serve the lab’s clients.

Using technology similar to consumer digital recording systems (e.g., TiVo), supervisors can pause, mark, and categorize live sessions. They can then use that information during a mid-session check in with the student counselor, calling up a specific segment to make a point, and provide feedback to assist the student counselor in the remaining half of the session.

“The client gets better service, the student is able to learn quicker, and doctoral students are getting practice being supervisors,” Morgan says. “We’re really working on three different levels, all at the same time.”

Recorded sessions may also be used in practicum settings, facilitating peer feedback and providing opportunities to consider alternatives via role-playing and other instructional strategies. two colleges when they graduate: one in secondary education and one in their area.

Through spring 2007, the college offers concurrent majors in:

Colleges collaborate for concurrent secondary education degrees

• •

Agricultural education (agricultural business, agricultural communications, animal and veterinary sciences, or rangeland ecology and watershed management) Art education (K-12) (art)

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• • • • •

English Education (English) Mathematics education (mathematics) Modern language education (French, German, or Spanish) Science education (biology, chemistry, geology, earth system science, or physics) Social studies education (political science, geography, or history).

“Formalizing our concurrent majors, requiring demonstration of a robust set of knowledge and skills in content and pedagogy, and infusing multiple, quality field experiences in P-12 classrooms are hallmarks of our teacher preparation program,” Dean Pat McClurg says. “The shared commitment by faculty in many departments across campus, professional teachers in the P-12 classrooms, and College of Education faculty is impressive.”

“The issue for our graduates is really one of their ability, short term and long term, to be able to certify or license inside and outside the state of Wyoming with strong credentials in both pedagogy and subject matter,” Kay Persichitte, director of teacher education, says.

Recent changes to the College of Education’s doctoral programs have clarified the respective roles of each degree in preparing professionals for their chosen career paths.

Students admitted under the new college-wide doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) program completed their first semester in the fall. A revised doctor of education (Ed.D.) program has accepted its first group of students.

College-wide doctoral degrees have been awarded at the college level since the early 1990s, according to Michael Day, associate dean and director of graduate studies. (Graduates receive a “doctor of philosophy in education” or a “doctor of education” with specializations in specific academic areas.) However, boundaries between the two degree options blurred over the years, challenging faculty and students alike when the time came to find the right fit for the latter’s scholarly and career goals.

The Ph.D. prepares graduates for academic and research careers, while the Ed.D. emphasizes problem-focused work in a chosen career field.

Adjustments to the Ph.D. program were based on the assumption that recipients would be preparing to assume tenure track positions at a university and that their professional responsibilities would focus heavily on teaching and research. The Ph.D. track emphasizes:

“We believe that preparation of pre-service teachers should emphasize both strong content and strong content pedagogy,” Linda Hutchison, Secondary Education Department chairperson, explains.

Students develop content expertise via immersion in courses focusing on their chosen discipline. They also learn and practice classroom methods that prepare them to teach that content in appropriate and effective ways.

Valuing subject matter expertise has been a longtime priority in the Wyoming Teacher Education Program.

Defining academic programs that meet requirements for both content and education majors, within university regulations policy regarding total credit hours in undergraduate degree programs, has required close collaboration and cooperation across colleges. The College of Education worked closely with the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Agriculture to develop curricula that meet degree requirements, major requirements, and graduate preparation needs.

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Scholarly interests of new Ph.D. students would be matched with faculty expertise and research agendas, facilitating mentorship opportunities and engaging students in highimpact academic experiences throughout their programs.

Students in the Ph.D. program would be required to meet a four-semester residency component, to provide opportunities for immersion in the college community and focus on their scholarly efforts.

College Ph.D., Ed.D. degrees enhanced to better reflect purposes Focus of the college’s Ed.D. degree was sharpened to better represent another need: preparing working professionals for leadership in their chosen career fields.

Decisions about admissions are made at the departmental level, with each unit having greater latitude to tailor the program and the selection process to the varied professional requirements.

A key component of the Ed.D. is a new “professional immersion experience”—e.g., a practicum, internship, or special problems course—and the expectation that the student participate in some campus-based experiences during his-her program.

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While John P. “Jack” Ellbogen’s commitment to higher education is longstanding and well known to the University of Wyoming community, trustees of the foundation bearing his name work hard to fulfill his much broader vision: supporting high-quality teaching at all levels.

Two recent gifts from the John P. Ellbogen Foundation expand its commitment to the College of Education. The largest is a $1 million endowment to establish a Dean’s Excellence Fund, which will be matched by the state of Wyoming. Income from the Excellence Fund will provide flexible support for programs that fit the college’s mission and enhance its ability to facilitate initiatives that promote high achievement and scholarship.

The other recent major gift is a three-year commitment from the Ellbogen Foundation is funding the annual University of Wyoming Early Childhood Leadership Institute.

Foundation funds supported the 2006 institute, which focused on partnerships between families and early childhood educators, and the 2007 institute, which explored the use of filial play therapy to promote child success. Similar support will be provided for the 2008 event.

“A really important piece of that funding is for the fieldwork that follows up on the institute,” Mary Ellbogen Garland, Ellbogen Foundation president, says. “We need to have people following up with those who participate in the institute to ensure that what they learn there is implemented.”

Garland says her father’s appreciation for quality instruction at every age—and ongoing research that shows the importance of superior early childhood education and care—make support of UW’s programs in that area a good fit to the foundation’s mission.

The Ellbogen Foundation’s mission is “to create or cause change, primarily for the benefit of the people of the State of Wyoming through the support of science, education, and charity.”

“When our foundation talks about change, we talk about change on the systemic level,” Mary says. “Typically, we make bigger grants; but we like building partnerships with both private funders with similar missions and the public side of the equation, the state legislature.”

One of the most important partnerships for fulfilling the foundation’s mission, particularly its work on early childhood issues, is the UW College of Education. Continued support of the Early Childhood Leadership Institute is one project that would benefit from continuing the Ellbogen-COE partnership. But it may become part of a larger group of foundation-supported early childhood programs.

“I see the Ellbogen Foundation working in a whole variety of areas in early childhood, with the University of Wyoming,” she says, noting the importance of drawing upon UW expertise to advise and to provide quality programming.

“We will always give consideration to the College of Education in the areas that are outlined as priorities in its academic plan,” according to Garland.

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McMurry Room dedication recognizes Samuelson gift Members of the College of Education community honored benefactors Doug and Susan Samuelson during dedication of the Ellie McMurry Room in the college’s classroom annex.

The classroom was named for Susan’s mother, a longtime early childhood educator who taught at the Casper Day Care Center.

“Susan has called her mother her ‘first and best teacher,’” UW President Tom Buchanan noted at the dedication ceremony. “As we have seen many times in Susan’s and Doug’s generosity to the University of Wyoming, one of the lessons she must have taught her daughter is the importance of investing in the future of our children, our university, and our state.”

The Ellie McMurry Room features a flexible classroom arrangement, ergonomic seating, enhanced audio, multimedia projection, wireless Internet access for student laptops, pinpoint light control, and generous instructional writing surfaces. It is part of a multi-phase renovation of the Education Annex.

“When we began our renovation of the College of Education Annex, we did so with the idea of bringing together into one unified location all of the college’s offices and teaching and other instructional activities,” Buchanan said. “Previously, they had been scattered throughout

our campus. That idea is inexorable, moving toward realization.”

The second floor, where the McMurry Room is located, includes six new classrooms and a study room. When the renovation project is complete, more than 90 percent of the college’s instruction will take place in the annex.

“We are indeed fortunate that Susan and Doug share our commitment to education and our vision for providing the next generation of teachers, counselors and educational leaders with a learning environment that helps prepare them for the capacities and demands of ever-changing professional settings,” Education Dean Pat McClurg said at the event, which drew college faculty, staff, students and friends.

Doug served as a member of the College of Education Development Board. Susan received her bachelor of arts degree in elementary education, in 1974. She taught at Lebhart Elementary School for 24 years. Susan’s integrated reading into career education through the Laramie County School District 1 Federal Program.

The Samuelsons also established the Excellence Fund or Literacy Education, which supports instruction, research, professional development and special events that enhance understanding and practice of the discipline.

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Honor Roll of Donors Gifts to the College of Education, July 1, 2005-Dec. 17, 2007

$10,000 and above Delta Kappa Gamma Upsilon Chapter John P. Ellbogen Foundation Ruth R. Ellbogen Foundation Ruth Ellbogen Frank & Dorothy Gruden James and Dorothy Hook Living Trust James & Dorothy Hook Michael & Jeanne Klein Phil & Lantz The McMurry Foundation Mick & Susie McMurry Susan Anne Samuelson Trust Doug & Susie Samuelson Homer & Mildred Scott Foundation Thea Stidum Trust Thea Stidum Trish’s Foundation Ron & Linda Vosika Don & Betty Walters Wyoming Community Foundation $5,000-7,499 Robert & Carol Bress Kenneth & Margaret Hilton Richard & Jane Hilton Robert & Joan Hilton Charles & Emma Mader Donna Marburger National Philanthropic Trust Reta Tate UnumProvident Corporation Wyoming State 4-H Foundation $2,500-4,999 Daniel & Kathryn Blaney Ace Cossairt Helen Hilton John & Tori Keefauver Connie & Lydia Kercher Audrey Kleinsasser Jeanne Mattick Geraldine Pratt Nancy Shovlain $1,000-2,499 Jamie & Glennis Bunch Beverly A. Coles Revocable Trust John & Beverly Coles David H. Crum Family Trust Dave & Mary Crum Daniel Deti Theresa Duncan Todd & Kise Eads Eliza Erickson First Interstate BancSystem Tom & Babette Frazier Robert & Mary Garland Francis & Della Gregory Heisey Properties Verna Heisey

George & Debbie Lantz John Link & Kathryn Kercher-Link James & Patricia McClurg Diana Ohman Bill & Missy O’Melia Bill & Nancy Pettus Bob Piros Margaret Prine Sharon Rice Don & Judy Richards Lew & Char Roney Bob & Judy Savage Iron Mike & Anna Tichy Peg Tobin Wyoming Education Association $100-999 Bob & Judith Adams Ted Adams Bernard & Bess Alberg Jim & Andie Anderson Red & Doris Anderson Linda Anderson Robert & Mary Arambel Arch & Dianna Archuleta AT&T Foundation David & Sara Axelson Gary & Judy Babel Kirsti Babel Dick Baker Lorrie Bartow Dean Bartow Robert & Maureen Baumgartner Lee & Linda Beidleman EL & Sue Belish The Bell Living Trust Alyse Bell Jerry A. Bennett & Deborah Proctor Robert & Helen Benson Michael Bertram Bill & Sherilyn Berube Marguerite Bieber Emma Biggs Tyrone Birkeland John Bishop Bud & Barbara Bishop Lorena Bittleston Black Hills Corp Contributions Program James Black June Blake Albert & Marjorie Blakeslee Ben Blalock Boeing Gift Matching Program Bolte Construction William & Marjorie Bolte Curt & Suzan Boyd Theodore & Linda Bracht Thomas & Jill Bramlet Dan Brecht Jim & Camille Brennan Albert & Sarah Brewster Chuck & Katie Brown

Joan Brown Max & Dorothy Brown Le Roy & Joan Brummond Ed & Ginny Bryant Bob & Carla Bryant Andrew Bryson & Barbara Chatton La Vaughn Bullock Peter & Carolyn Buonomo Fredric & Joyce Butler Haim & Wanda Calderon Brad & Cheryl Calvert John & Judith Carey Matt & Lynda Carey William & Carol Carr Gerry & Natalie Carroll John & Cheryl Castleberry Fred & Beth Catchpole Brick & Laura Cegelski Theodore Chapin & Lori RussellChapin ChevronTexaco Thomas & Georgie Chivington Citigroup Robert & Mary Coakley Harold & Margaret Cochran Marie Coleman Jim & Norma Collins Jesse & Georgia Collins Gerry & Mary Combs Karen Cook Margaret Cooney Cottonwood Consulting, LLC Philip Coulter Dave & Karen Crabtree Jim & Brenda Creel Frank & Marie Cross Bliss Cummings Keith Currey Jill Curry Lisa Dabney-Rulon Martin & Huella Darling James & Dorothea Davidson David & Cheryl Davis Maron & Charlotte Davis Brian & Stella Day John & Jean Denham Eckert & Andrea DeNinno Rick & Judith Desmarais Erland & Jean Dettloff Harv & Sally Domsalla Elsie Doser Ed & Pam Downes Victoria Downs Dr. and Mrs. Lowell A. Dunlop Jerald & Christine Dunn Stephen Durkee Joel & Becky Dvorak Nancy Dziekan Jane Eastmond Lela Eicher John & Catherine Emmett Les Engelter David & Ginger Erickson

Peg Espy Lisa Esquibel Michael & Mary Evers Lee & Diane Feather First Insured Fund Rosalie Flanagan Trust Rosalie Flanagan Henriette Folkner Dave Foreman Bryan & Bobi Forry John & Mary Fraser Richard & Patricia Furlong Claude & Rosemary Garland Carol Geis Paul Genetti Ray & Eleanor Gentilini Thomas & Judy Gibbons William Gibson & Catherine Fitzpatrick Jack & Lucia Gilbert Dwight & Kathy Giorgis Lee & Dolores Golden Mike & Linda Golden Berton & Patricia Gore Leo & Brenda Gray Martha Greene Ernie & Twila Griffiths Kay Grosinger Richard Gruber Maralee Gruey Micheal & Kathaleen Hamblin Robert Hamlin Joseph & Patricia Hampton Jane Hansen Sherod Hanson Susan Hanson Terry & Joan Happel Bill & Mary Hardy Michael & Rufie Harr Clint Harris Mary Harris Phillip & Paula Harris Ken & Connie Harsha Nancy Hart Fred & Rebecca Hartmeister Mike & Sherry Hayes Jim & Peggy Lou Hearne William & Betty Heineke Kelly & Sarah Hepworth William & Audrey Hicks Robin Hill Lois Himes Marion Hitchcock Jim & Tish Hobson John W. Hockett Revocable Trust John Hockett & Helen VannHockett Paul & Colleen Hoffman John Hornbeck Hot Springs Co Farm Bureau Fed Scott & Lynda Houfek Caroline Hough Houghton Mifflin Company

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Debby House Jim & Deb House Jim Howard Lori Hull-Knopp Michael Humphrey & Rebecca Conaway Larry & Mary Hunzie Hutch & Theresa Hutchins James & Debbie Hutchinson ITT Corporation Burke & Evelyn Jackson Margie Jackson John & Sharon Jacobs David & Lorrie Jacobsen Dick & Debby Jay Jerrold & Anne Jayne Thomas & Virginia Jenkins Gloria Jennings Glenn & Mary Jensen Harold & Carole Johnson Lynn Johnson Jo Johnston Brad & Terri Jones Harley & Jean Jones Jack & Marion Jones Mojo & Denise Jones Tracy & Ann Jones Norma Jordan Roy & Pearl Jorgensen Gary Joy Fritz & Diana Juan Gus Kallas Nathan & Sheila Ker Jane Kercher Dan & Jacque Kerr Mary Kershisnik William & Mona Klein Thomas & Marianne Knapp John & Helen Knepper Bob & Nonie Knight Bob & Bev Kochmann Agnes Koenigs D.J. Kominsky Jerry & Linda Kraft Dick & Sherry Krajczar Joseph & Edith Kreuter Larry & Rose Krysl Kirk & Kim Lane Miles & Elizabeth LaRowe Chuck & Mary Larsen Reeves Larson James & Cindy Lauffenburger Rick & Carol Lechner Maggie LeMaster Arno Leskinen Robert & Joyce Linn Michie Logasa Lee Longhurst Orion & Winnie Lorenzi Daniel & Sharon Lovitt Douglas & Shirley Lowe Dale & Grayce Lucas Bill & Billie Lucas Dan & Dee Ludwig John & Emma Lynch Jay Mahylis

Tuck & Peggie Mallery Richard Maneman Martin Family Trust David & Pamela Martin Isabel Martin John & Fran Marvel Gary & Ronda Mason Mark Mathern Marj Matthews Sandra Mauchamer Bruce & Debbie Maxon Judith McBride Robert McCarthy Thomas & Janan McCreery Michael & Karen McCullough Evelyn McDaniel Ted & Sandy McNeff Robyn McPhie Mamoo & Margaret Memmelaar Rayma Miles Donald & Lois Miller Pat Miller Tuck Mills Agnes Milstead James & Cindy Mimnaugh Mi-Swaco Don & Belinda Moench David & Melanie Moore Dennis Moore Jim & LaVerta Moore Dick & Mary Mosier Barbara Mueller John Mueller Murray Family Trust Gerald & Janyce Murray Al & Lu Nauman (Ret) The Nauman Family Trust Jane Nelson Mary Nelson Barbara Neubert Sparky & Murph Newton Ken Nielsen Jim Nielson Doug & Marlene Nixon Julie Noble Brendan O’Connor Dorothy Oliveira Scott & Denise Olson Dr. Sinclair Orendorff Revocable Trust Sinclair Orendorff Allan & Betty Orler David & Kathy Orr Ed Paradis Scott & Deborah Parham Gary & Eileen Parker Michael & Michele Paul Ethel Payton Pearson Assessments & Testing Ray & Pelton Andrew & Kay Persichitte Lynn Peter Marlene Peter Alice Phillips Thomas & Jill Pletcher Charles & Kaye Pollock

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William & Kathy Pollock Joseph & Judy Price Tom & Judith Price Margaret L. Prine Revocable Trust Suzanne Quinonez Agnes Rainwater Kevin & Tracey Ray Charles & Audrey Reed Bill & Dawn Reiter Louise Reutter John Rhodes Stuart & Marty Richardson Elmer Richers Lester & Lois Richey Ruth Riney Terry & Beverly Roark Layle & Barbara Robb James & Bonnie Ross Sheila Rulli Bob & Rita Rush Larry & Mary Rush Wyoma Sampson Tuff & Arlene Samuelson Antonio Sanchez & Carmen AndrewsSanchez Ray Sanchez Wesley & Trudy Sargent Michael & Shannon Schardt Stan & Marian Scheer Sugar & Tippy Schildgen Marlon & Lois Schlup SchoolFinances.com, Inc. Kathryn Schroll Jim Schumacher Mary Schwope Howard & Cheryl Seaton Gail Senese Bud & Deb Seyler Andrew & Irene Shaffer Bob & Barbara Sharp Mike Shay & Connie Grote-Shay James Sheehan Dee Shell Kirk Shibata Red Skyles Norman Smeal Gary Smith Keith & Carolyn Smith Kerry Smith Larry & Peg Smith Orval Smith Thomas & Suzanne Smith Debbie Snell Gary & Lindy Sorenson Sotel Systems, LLC Martin & Sharon Spadinger Bob & Catherine Spicer Emma Jo Spiegelberg Sock & Karla Stackis State Farm Companies Foundation Paul & Mary Stigall Glen & Amanda Stinson David & Vickie Stiteler Stockamp & Associates Bill & Joan Stokes (Retired) Gerry & Margaret Stone

Phillip & Linda Stowers Jonathan & Wendy Surdam Mazie Sutton Patricia Sutton Shane & Bobbi Sutton Carol Swaim Paul & Carol Swenson Duane & Jan Swinton Tenet Healthcare Foundation David & Sue Terwilliger Beauford Thompson Jim & Jessie Thompson John & Patsy Thompson Jeanne Tominc Bart & Cherie Trautwein Allen & Marie Turner Theresa wiford United Way of Kitsap County David Vandenberg Bret VanRensselaer Lee & Deanna Vickers John & Suzanne Volpe Kristi Wallin Colleen Walsh Ollie & Sid Walter Jerry Wantulok Craig & Becky Ward Michael Wasser John Wasserburger Leo & Julie Wasserburger Maurice & Marilee Wear Marilyn Weaver Beulah Webb Mo & Sandy Welchlin Galen & Wendie West Daniel & Deborah McDonald White Diana Wiig Carmen & Jackie Wilcox The Carl M Williams Revocable Trust Ann Williams Carl & Lisa Williams Mark & Nina Williams Melissa Williams Rachel Williams Steve & Karen Williams Howie & Ruth Wilson Marius Wilson Tom & Vicki Wilson Bill & Flew Wilson Stan & Patty Worth (Retired) Donald & Julia Wortham Robert & Dorothy Wright Tom & Kay Wright Doris R. Wurst Trust Doris Wurst Wyoming FFA Association Deanne Wyssmann Kathy Yahr Mary Yarbrough Jubal & Denise Yennie Jim & Lillian Zancanella Larry & Marion Zimmerman Robert & Jeanne Zupan

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1000 East University Avenue Department 3374 Laramie, WY 82071

College of Education

University of Wyoming