W VU COLLEGE OF EDUC ATION AND HUMAN SERVICES | FALL 2017
DESIGNING A NEW WAY OF LEARNING.
For the past three years, teachers from West Virginia have met during the summer to engage in the Project TESAL Workshop, which provides them with hands-on, engineering design projects to use in their classrooms.
JASPER N. DEAHL AWARDS The Jasper N. Deahl Award recognizes CEHS alumni for demonstrated leadership in their professional careers, engagement in their communities and/or loyalty to the state of West Virginia or WVU.
NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2017. Award recipients will be honored at the CEHS Alumni Dinner on May 4, 2018, at the Erickson Alumni Center. For more information, visit bit.ly/jasper-deahl-award.
CONTENTS FEATURE
DEPARTMENTS
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Project TESAL Teachers are provided with hands-on, engineering design workshops that translate into STEM lesson plans.
Letter from the Dean Matter of Fact Success Story Student Briefs In The Classroom
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Faculty Q&A In Memory Giving Back Alumni Spotlight Alumni Diary
Snapshot Project TESAL, Summer 2017 West Virginia teachers work in teams to build wind turbines and learn how to integrate engineering design in their math and science lessons.
FALL 2017
Letter from the Dean
E. Gordon Gee President, West Virginia University
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Sharon Martin Vice President, University Relations
We are pleased to share that 2017 has been another banner year for the WVU College of Education and Human Services. Among the many exciting advances that our College has made this year, we made the time to complete the critical task of rewriting our mission and values. Our mission and values will define and direct us as we move forward. And, throughout the process of establishing these core values, we came to realize that they are more than aspirational — they’re the principles that have already been shaping our research and outreach activities. Though it was difficult to simplify all that we do in service to our University, our community and our state, the collaborative process that we employed to determine our mission and values helped us to hone in on what matters most to our College. You’ll see how we embody our values in each section of this magazine. Our mission: At the WVU College of Education and Human Services, we promote knowledge and prosperity for the individuals, families and communities we serve by fostering self-determination, curiosity and active citizenship. Our values: Opportunity, Inquiry, Collaboration, Engagement and Responsibility. As always, we appreciate your continued support for our College as we engage in the important work of impacting the lives of others.
ADMINISTRATION Gypsy Denzine, PhD Dean, College of Education and Human Services Dale Niederhauser, PhD Associate Dean of Academic Affairs M Cecil Smith, PhD Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education Laura Porter, EdD Assistant Dean for Student Services and Accreditation Jeffrey Daniels, PhD Chair, Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Psychology Reagan Curtis, PhD Chair, Learning Sciences and Human Development Barbara Ludlow, EdD Chair, Special Education Sam Stack, PhD Chair, Curriculum and Instruction/ Literacy Studies Jayne Brandel, PhD Chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders
EDITORIAL STAFF Amy Lutz Director of Advancement Lindsey Kudaroski Communications Specialist Lauren Seiler Assistant Director of Development and Outreach Megan Edison Professional Technologist Kim Mocniak Program Assistant Ashley Busnuk Advancement Intern
ART DIRECTION WVU University Relations — Design Sheree Wentz, Multimedia Specialist
Gypsy Denzine Dean, College of Education and Human Services
PHOTOGRAPHY WVU University Relations — Communications M.G. Ellis, Senior Photojournalist Brian Persinger, Photojournalist
WVU College of Education and Human Services
@WVU_CEHS
EDITORIAL OFFICE
cehs.wvu.edu | 304-293-5705 | cehsnews@mail.wvu.edu
College of Education and Human Services West Virginia University 802 Allen Hall P.O. Box 6122 Morgantown, WV 26506-6122
WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer — Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran. The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities. (388550)
College of Education and Human Services Values: OPPORTUNITY We foster inclusivity by offering equitable access to academic programs and outreach services.
INQUIRY We work to create an innovative, research-based environment to investigate problems and seek solutions.
COLLABORATION We engage in respectful and ethical partnerships to develop and deliver education and human services.
ENGAGEMENT We organize and participate in a wide range of community efforts and initiatives.
RESPONSIBILITY We lead by developing solutions to societal and educational challenges.
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Matter of Fact
BRIAN PERSINGER
CEHS Holds Celebration of Scholars On April 4, 2017, CEHS held its Celebration of Scholars at the Erickson Alumni Center. The celebration included a student research poster fair, Faculty ED Talks and a keynote speaker. The event featured a keynote speech from Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of higher education policy and sociology at Temple University and the founder of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. Goldrick-Rab discussed points from her book, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid and the Betrayal of the American Dream.” The book addresses the shortfalls of the financial aid system, and in her speech, Goldrick-Rab offered her insights and
potential solutions for those shortfalls. Goldrick-Rab’s presentation was sponsored by the Ron V. Iannone and Family Keynote Speaker Endowment. Those who gave Faculty ED Talks, brief research presentations focused on relevant issues in education and human services, were Dr. Sara Anderson, Dr. Carla Brigandi, Dr. Stephanie Lorenze, Dr. Nathan M. Sorber and Dr. Jessica Troilo. The student poster fair included undergraduate and graduate students who conducted research projects, capstone projects, master's theses or dissertation research. Monetary prizes were awarded to students with outstanding presentations.
Supporting Student Diversity Dr. Karen Rambo-Hernandez, an assistant professor in the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development, has been awarded a five-year, $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to improve the classroom experiences for all students in engineering and computer science. The project, in collaboration with scholars from Colorado State University, aims to continue an initiative that fosters inclusion among engineers and computer scientists. Unlike other similar programs for first-year engineering students that focus only on keeping diverse students in
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engineering, Rambo-Hernandez’s program seeks to educate all students about the importance of diversity. In this way, Rambo-Hernandez and her team hope to encourage students from different backgrounds to stay in the field while also preparing all students to be productive team members in their future careers. Of the $2 million received, WVU will be allotted $750,000 to implement the program in its engineering and computer science courses.
Jasper N. Deahl Awards 2017 The five recipients of the 2017 Jasper N. Deahl Awards were recognized at the CEHS Alumni Dinner on May 5, 2017. The awardees were Eleanor Green, Eric Kincaid, Eric Murphy, Candace Rotruck and Richard Walls. Green earned her bachelor’s in social work and master’s in counseling from WVU. She earned her substitute teacher’s certification and was later hired as a reading interventionist, a position she has held ever since. Kincaid is a biology teacher at Morgantown High School. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees
in science education from WVU and his EdD from Walden University. Murphy is a health educator and psychotherapist. He attended WVU for his master’s degrees in community health promotion and community counseling. Rotruck earned her associate’s degree from Potomac State College and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education and special education from WVU. Walls earned his bachelor of science in math and biology education, and his master of arts in guidance and counseling from WVU. He received his doctorate in educational psychology from Pennsylvania State University.
The Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program earned dual accreditation in clinical rehabilitation counseling and clinical mental health counseling from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The program will be fully accredited for the next six years, through October 2023. Only 24 programs in higher education across the United States successfully completed this joint review process. As a result of the process, the program’s graduates will be eligible for hire in key federal programs that require graduation from a CACREP-accredited program for employment in numerous mental health clinics and substance abuse programs.
Camp Gizmo From July 8 through July 12, 2017, graduate students in speech-language pathology volunteered with Camp Gizmo, a hands-on camp where professionals, parents and students use assistive technology to help young children with significant and multiple developmental needs. The camp, housed on the campus of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind, in Romney, W.Va., assigns teams of trained professionals to young children and their families to identify and apply new strategies for solving the children’s multiple assistive technology needs. The goal is to find new ways for the children, many of whom are non-speaking, to communicate. CEHS has been involved for nearly two decades through the efforts of Clinical Assistant Professor Karen Haines, who incorporates the Camp Gizmo experience into her curriculum. All CEHS participants are involved in daily labs to discuss and implement strategies for the children.
BRIAN PERSINGER
Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Program Earns Accreditation
CEHS Welcomes New Faculty CEHS welcomed four new faculty members at the start of the fall semester (left to right). Frankie Tack, MS, AADC, CCS, NCC will serve as the addictions minor coordinator and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Psychology. She has worked and taught in the addictions field for over 20 years and is a West Virginia Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor and Certified Clinical Supervisor. Elaine Schwing will serve as a master teacher and clinical instructor for WVUteach. She holds both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WVU. Natasha Murray-Everett, PhD, advanced from the role of visiting professor to the role of assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies. She holds her doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Derek Headley, PhD, CCC-SLP, will serve as an assistant professor of speech-language pathology, splitting his time between teaching dysphagia and voice at Allen Hall and supervising master’s level clinicians in clinical practice at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. Headley earned his doctorate from Florida State University in 2013, where he specialized in adult swallowing disorders.
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OPPORTUNITY
Success Story
Mentoring the Next Generation When Pat White reflects on his WVU experience, one defining moment comes to mind. Though the former Mountaineer quarterback led his team to many victories and received countless accolades for his athletic prowess, White’s favorite memory is the day he earned his Regents Bachelor of Arts. “It was probably the best day of my college career, walking across that stage,” White said. “My parents sent me to school to get a degree. Athletics was just a way to achieve higher learning.” White began his college career in search of a traditional bachelor’s degree, but his uncertainty in selecting a major, coupled with the demands of being a Division I athlete, made this seem out of reach. White had taken enough courses to earn a degree, but they didn’t all fit within one major. According to Dr. Gregory Epps, director of the Regents Bachelor Arts program, one of the hallmarks of the program is its flexibility. “Every RBA student has a unique story,” Epps said. “We frequently attract students like Pat who want to earn a fouryear degree, but whose academic goals can’t be defined by one major. We make their goals attainable by offering a customized program of study.” Pursuing an RBA degree allowed White the freedom to combine his coursework and practical experience, thus creating a program of study that addressed his unique needs. “The RBA program gave me an opportunity to leave with a degree,” White said. “With my background, it was more about sports, management and development. The hands-on experience brought everything together for me.” After a career as an athlete in the National Football League, White returned to West Virginia to work in the insurance industry. Since then, he’s progressed to financial advising through Northwestern Mutual.
“ There’s a wealth of knowledge that we all have ... now it’s time for us to give it back. That’s our mission and our goal.” — Pat White 6
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With his two brothers, both former college athletes, White also mentors and trains young football players with promise. Their group, called Blueprint Performance, provides middle school and high school athletes with preparation and training for the demands of a college football career. Since its establishment in 2013, the organization, based in White’s hometown of Daphne, Ala., has seen numerous athletes gain access to higher education through football scholarships. “We help them develop their skills, understand the requirements and build relationships with schools,” White said. “A lot of Division II and Division III schools don’t have the resources to get to those kids, and those kids don’t have the know-how to get to those schools. We are a bridge in terms of what it takes athletically, what it takes academically and the relationships that are necessary to get there. It’s been wonderful thus far.” More specifically, White and his brothers teach their mentees the next-level athletic skills that typically aren’t introduced until players reach collegiate, and even professional, football programs. “Even at an early age, you’d be amazed by how fast kids can pick it up,” White said. Building skill is a key component of Blueprint Performance, but athletic skill is not enough to get students to college. Because of this, the program also educates participants about other requirements for college admission, including good grades and scores on college entrance exams. If a student needs an academic tutor, Blueprint Performance helps them find one. One of White’s favorite aspects of the program is when current college athletes who are Blueprint Performance graduates return to mentor the next generation of students. “It’s sort of a revolving door,” White said. “They go off and learn, and they come back and bring us more knowledge, but also experience and skill for the younger players.” Ultimately, Blueprint Performance has allowed the White brothers to stay in touch with the game of football, as well as to pass along the advice they wish they’d had as players. “There’s a wealth of knowledge that we all have,” White said. “We were able to use our gift, and now it’s time for us to give it back. That’s our mission and our goal.” As for individuals who are interested in pursuing an RBA degree, White shares this piece of advice: “It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to be. The RBA program will help you find that and will help you to be the best you.”
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OPPORTUNITY
Student Briefs
Meet Our Students Greer Bailey
Canton, Ohio Doctoral Student in Audiology For some CEHS students, choosing between the speechlanguage pathology and audiology programs can be a hard decision, but for Greer Bailey, it wasn’t. “I felt like a rare bird because I always knew that I wanted to pursue audiology, compared to others in the program who always seemed to go back and forth between the two,” Bailey said. Bailey’s younger brother was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder so he worked with an audiologist often while growing up — and that became her motivation. Now in the third year of her doctor of audiology program, WVU has become Bailey’s home away from home. The Canton, Ohio, native has studied at CEHS for seven years. Bailey hasn’t taken her time here for granted, though. She has become involved in research opportunities and clinical experiences that have allowed her to work with new technology to help clients with hearing loss. One of Bailey’s most rewarding experiences took place in the Hearing Clinic this past spring. A 45-year-old woman, who had gone deaf at the age of 10, came in looking for new options after never having any hearing aids or implants. The woman only read lips, which Bailey referred to as an “unspoken myth,” something that is rarely seen in clinics today. “I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be to have not been able to hear for 35 years of your life, and your only way of communicating is lip-reading,” Bailey said. “It was phenomenal. She didn’t ask for clarification more than once.” Last year, Bailey and Dr. Vishakha Rawool of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders received a
BRIAN PERSINGER
travel award to attend the Research Symposium of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association in Philadelphia. There, they presented their research that examined the relationship between hearing sensitivity and exercise. Attending the conference gave Bailey the opportunity to learn about trends in the field and to see things from other researchers’ perspectives. “It was a really good experience and the conference included all the upcoming information about audiology,” said Bailey. Bailey’s next steps include applying to residency programs and externships for the fourth year of her program. Some are as far away as Texas, Illinois and Georgia. “Most of them are at hospitals and are pretty fast-paced,” Bailey said. “I will be able to get information about new and upcoming technology. This allows me to get a comprehensive learning experience instead of specializing and limiting myself.” As a seasoned CEHS student, Bailey advises other students that pushing their limits will help them to find their true passion. “Make sure that you see everything,” Bailey said. “Anything that you’re interested in, just go for it. When you limit yourself, you only see what you want to see. When you’re open and broaden your horizons to new things, that’s when you find your niche.”
JENNIFER SHEPHARD
Joey Piatczyc
Kansas City, Mo. Senior in Multidisciplinary Studies Senior multidisciplinary studies major and soccer captain Joey Piatczyc has spent his time at WVU balancing the demands of being a student-athlete with his dedication to his education. “It’s very difficult, but it gets easier as you get more experienced with it,” Piatczyc said. “We also have awesome advisers who keep us on track. Soccer has helped me grow up a lot.” The challenge of juggling soccer, travel, workouts and school has taught Piatczyc to become more responsible. Sharing in these challenges with his teammates has provided him with a second family, something the Kansas City, Mo., native values while coping with a season-ending knee injury. “I could never go without playing,” Piatczyc said. “I am injured for the season, so this has been as tough as it gets for me. I always want to be a part of the team.” Soccer has also allowed Piatczyc to travel throughout the country, and recently, internationally. The team traveled to Seville, Spain, for 10 days this past May. They played against several top-notch clubs, met coaches from the 2010 World Cup, toured several Spanish stadiums and indulged in Spanish food and culture. “It was unbelievable, and getting to be in another culture was really cool for me,” Piatczyc said. On and off the field, Piatczyc has been a standout. At the beginning of his WVU career, he was named Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, he broke two school records in one game, and academically, he’s continued to make the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll and Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Piatczyc’s interest in education and human services stems from growing up in a big family. With three brothers and three sisters, Piatczyc was always surrounded by children, fueling his desire to work with and help kids. Over the summer, Piatczyc returned home to Kansas City to work in a summer school and child care center, sometimes managing a class of 25 students on his own.
“I was pretty proud of that and I really enjoyed working with them,” Piatczyc said. Other memorable experiences from Piatczyc’s WVU career include hands-on learning opportunities through organizations including Stepping Stones, Special Olympics, MountaineerThon and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Though Piatczyc hasn’t settled on his future plans, he knows that he wants to help young children in any way he can, possibly outside the United States. “I want to teach English as a second language overseas at some point,” Piatczyc said. “I think that would be a lot of fun.” Piatczyc plans to return to play soccer for WVU next season, where he will also pursue graduate studies.
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OPPORTUNITY
Student Briefs McKenzi Barnett
Princeton, W.Va. Senior in Elementary Education In the summer of 2017, McKenzi Barnett rebounded and passed basketballs to her first-grade students in the West Bronx. Though the future educator wasn’t in New York City to play basketball, she learned just as much about teaching on the basketball court as she did in her classroom. “The relationships that I could build with my students while playing basketball were unlike anything I was doing in the classroom,” Barnett said. “By rebounding the ball and passing it back to them, they could see that I cared about them, that I was taking the time to fetch the ball so they could make progress.” Barnett found herself in the Big Apple as a recipient of a teaching fellowship through the nonprofit organization Practice Makes Perfect. The organization provides a summer learning experience that’s more like summer school than day camp, all with the goal of preparing students for the school year ahead. “We had an actual curriculum that we followed, and each grade-level was given the curriculum for the next grade that
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the students would be going into,” Barnett said. “I started on second-grade curriculum with my first graders.” The city was far from her home in Princeton, W.Va., and the move from her hometown was both an eye-opening and life-changing experience. “Here, we have the PRT, and it has five stations,” Barnett said. “Going from taking the PRT to the New York City Subway was a big adjustment in itself.” The subway wasn’t the only cultural shift that Barnett faced when she settled into city life. There were language barriers as Barnett navigated diverse neighborhoods and cultures; she had to learn to live with less space while sharing a small basement apartment with a roommate and a dog. Then, there were the challenges that came with Barnett’s attempt to grasp the complexities of the New York City public school system. According to Barnett, the city’s system reflects nationwide issues in public education, and those issues were apparent in the large-scale setting of the city. “We worked with a couple of teachers who were union representatives,” Barnett said. “Seeing how power struggles between administrators and union representatives play into how the school system runs there showed me the reality that is teaching.” Despite the change in lifestyle, Barnett thrived as the sole teacher of a class of 16 students at P.S. 311. According to Barnett, the opportunity to stand alone at the head of the classroom prepared her for the road ahead. “I feel so much more confident in the classroom now and in my own abilities and knowledge of curriculum and teaching strategies,” Barnett said. “It was really just a great way to practice everything I’ve learned at CEHS.” Still, the basketball court behind the school was where Barnett learned the most. Whether she was passing the ball to her students or shooting hoops with a fellow teacher, the sport became a key to greater learning. “While playing basketball, I had these epiphanies,” Barnett said. “Such a simple thing became my favorite part of the day.”
BRIAN PERSINGER
Chelsea Latorre
Los Angeles, Calif. Doctoral Student in Counseling Psychology Chelsea Latorre has known that she wanted to pursue a career in counseling since she witnessed the effect of counseling in her family. When Latorre’s younger brother struggled with bullying in elementary school, he benefited greatly from the help of the school psychologist. After a year, Latorre’s brother transformed from a student who hated school to a student who loved school. “Watching this change unfold made me interested in being a supportive help to individuals in my community, and counseling was the perfect fit,” Latorre said. Today, Latorre is a doctoral student in CEHS’ Counseling Psychology program. A California native whose father hails from Bogotá, Colombia, Latorre knew that she wanted to enroll in a doctoral program that would allow her to experience cultures that were different from her hometown on the outskirts of Los Angeles. “I wanted to apply to programs that were located in areas with different cultures than I have been exposed to — and Appalachia appealed to me,” Latorre said. “WVU was the only school toward the East Coast that I had applied to because the program was the only one that I knew would be a good fit for me, personally and professionally.” After her program interview at CEHS, Latorre was confident that a move to Morgantown would provide her with the unique culture, research opportunities and faculty support that she desired.
“I called my mom and told her that I knew this would be the place that I was moving to next,” Latorre said. “The faculty were so supportive, the program was a good fit and the students were so welcoming and comforting.” Latorre has since become involved in the WVU community through her work with the student organization SORO, which stands for “Speak Out, Reach Out.” SORO promotes the appreciation, awareness and discussion of diversity with campus activities such as workshops, forums, presentations and other outreach initiatives. SORO stood out to me because of its focus on social justice, diversity, and outreach — all values that drove me to become a psychologist in the first place,” Latorre said. This past year, Latorre served as co-president of SORO and helped to further the organization’s reach on campus and in the community, with one of the biggest accomplishments being the opportunity for the organization to bring awareness to other regional universities. Overall, her involvement with SORO has enabled Latorre to connect with other students and advocate for causes she cares about. “As a leadership team member, I have enjoyed being a part of the passion that the members bring to the organization,” Latorre said. “Seeing the dedication that the students have to this program and how invested they are in outreach makes it an amazing organization to be a part of.” Now in her third year at CEHS, Latorre continues to thrive under the mentorship of the counseling faculty. Her time here has been enhanced by her relationships with the many scholars she’s worked with and learned from. “CEHS has some amazing faculty and staff who are dedicated and passionate about their work,” Latorre said. “I think it is important to have the kind of investment in the students that our faculty and staff do because it creates an atmosphere where I want to grow and excel.” Latorre expects to graduate with her PhD in counseling psychology in May 2020. After graduation, she hopes to work as a staff psychologist at a university counseling center and eventually open her own private counseling practice.
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In The Classroom
INQUIRY
New Assessment for Teacher Candidates Beginning in the fall of 2017, teacher candidates at West Virginia University were required to complete the edTPA, a multifaceted performance assessment that comprises the core aspects of teaching. The implementation fell in line with a new State mandate requiring all West Virginia teacher candidates to take a performance assessment as part of both program completion and program certification. Dr. Bernard Jones, program director of assessment for educator preparation at CEHS, coordinates the implementation of the edTPA in all teacher preparation programs at WVU. According to Jones, the edTPA was selected because of its compatibility with the University’s teacher education curriculum. “I think that a lot of the things that we do in our programs are aligned,” Jones said. “And I think the edTPA puts our teacher candidates in a position where they are more classroom-ready at the end of their programs.” Before the State enacted the change, CEHS students were required to take the Principles of Learning and Teaching exam, known as the PLT, to earn certification. The key difference between the two forms of assessment is that the PLT is a traditional exam that tests teacher candidates’ knowledge, whereas the edTPA focuses more on teaching in action. Because current teacher candidates had not planned to take the edTPA, CEHS faculty have stepped up to offer support to prepare them for the assessment. Dr. Heiko ter Haseborg, an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies, leads a student seminar to prepare students for the assessment.
“We, of course, want our students to do really well, so we are doing everything to help them and support them,” ter Haseborg said. The seminars walk students through each component of the edTPA, which includes three tasks for secondary education teacher candidates and four tasks for elementary education teacher candidates.
The Tasks at Hand
The three primary components of the edTPA, referred to in the assessment as tasks, encompass the major functions of the teaching profession – planning, instruction and assessment. Task 1 of the edTPA requires teacher candidates to write a context that details information about their classroom environments, including student demographics and individual student needs. Candidates then write a series of three to five lesson plans with instructional materials and assessments, accompanied by a commentary that details their thought processes in developing those lesson plans. “It’s really important, first, to know about where you are teaching and who you are teaching in order to plan successfully,” said Rachel Sager, a teacher candidate in secondary social studies. “On top of that, you have to have well-developed lesson plans. You want to be delivering content, but at the same time you want to be challenging your students in a way that allows them to understand the content.” Teacher candidates implement their lesson plans for Task 2 of the edTPA, filming themselves teaching in their studentteaching classrooms. Ultimately, the candidates create a 20-minute video that showcases their rapport with classroom students and instructional adjustments based on student responses to the lessons. Like the lesson plans, the video is accompanied by a commentary that details the adjustments the candidates made as they taught the lessons.
“ I think the edTPA puts our teacher candidates in a position where they are more classroom-ready at the end of their programs.” — Dr. Bernard Jones
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BRIAN PERSINGER
Dr. Bernard Jones walks teacher candidates through the edTPA requirements during a seminar.
“In an actual classroom where a teacher is teaching, the teacher has to know how to make immediate adjustments during instruction,” Jones said. “Many times, novice teachers struggle with that. I think the edTPA pushes teacher candidates at an early stage in their development to examine those things.” For Task 3, teacher candidates must show how they’ve assessed student learning after teaching their lesson plans. As with the first two tasks, the teachers must include a commentary that reflects on the process. “You have to have concrete ways in which you can gauge whether students are actually learning, understanding and able to apply that information,” Sager said. “In both the program and in edTPA, we’ve been taught about how to reflect successfully as an educator to determine what went well, what did not go well and why.” Candidates in elementary education have a fourth task that includes planning, instruction and assessment in mathematics. For those candidates, the first three tasks revolve around student literacy. Because secondary education students complete content-area specific versions of the edTPA, they are not required to complete a fourth task.
An Authentic Assessment
Though the edTPA requires a more extensive process than the PLT, ter Haseborg argues that the assessment is a better reflection of the work that CEHS teacher candidates complete throughout their programs. “It’s much more practical,” ter Haseborg said. “You’re actually seeing them doing the work. And it’s not anything above and beyond what we already have them doing. They’re already planning lessons and considering the contexts that they’re in, the students that they’re working with, and the standards that they need to address. They have been reflecting on their work and their lessons all throughout their program, so it actually aligns more with the work they’ve been doing for several semesters.” Though navigating the process of completing the edTPA has been a challenge for teacher candidates, many agree that that their time at CEHS has prepared them for it. “As teachers, we’re taught that we need to be providing our students with authentic forms of assessment,” Sager said. “For us, edTPA is that authentic assessment. We’re used to planning, implementing and reflecting on our lessons daily, and that’s what we’re doing. It’s just a more drawn out process.”
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INQUIRY
Faculty Q&A: Carla Brigandi Dr. Carla Brigandi is both an expert in and an advocate for helping high-ability students realize their potential. An assistant professor in the Department of Special Education, Brigandi teaches graduate-level courses in gifted education. She also facilitates professional development workshops for West Virginia teachers and presents her work nationally and internationally. Here, she provides the insights she’s gained from her years of experience working with and studying gifted students.
How did you become become interested in gifted education? I started off as a math teacher, and I had an opportunity to start a middle school program for kids who had talent in mathematics. From there, I began to realize that we don’t really acknowledge that working with high-ability students is a discipline. You have to have an understanding of pedagogies and techniques to get good work out of high-ability students and challenge them at an advanced level. My first year in, I was a passionate teacher and I cared very much about what I was doing, but I didn’t really know how to get work out of students who were so advanced. I started taking courses at the University of Connecticut in gifted education. From there, I learned how much I did not know about teaching my students at an advanced level.
What are some of your current research interests? Mostly, I’m looking at goal valuation — how we motivate and engage students to get them interested in school, create academic environments where students thrive and challenge students with projects that interest them. I study how we develop a sustainable and replicable process so that
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gifted students can have challenging experiences and look back on them with pride. I think that’s going to be good for the kids and good for society.
What does it mean to be gifted? Right now, there is no universal definition for gifted. A student could be gifted in Michigan and not gifted in Virginia. That makes it really difficult to do research on gifted students, because we don’t all agree on what a gifted student is. Having a high IQ is an important piece, but there are also other factors. You need to be creative, to be able to examine things and put them together in unique ways. I would also say that you need task commitment, that perseverance is a true demonstration of giftedness.
What is one big issue in gifted education today? There is a myth that gifted students are going to be fine without interventions. Many of them are, but what we’re not doing is measuring those who aren’t. There are current statistics that show 20 percent of high school dropouts score in the gifted range, so not all of our high-ability students are achieving. As educators, our goal is to help all kids actualize their potential. For many years, gifted kids have not been asked to actualize their potential. My own teaching experience really drove that home for me.
What do you hope that students learn from your classes? When I’m teaching educators who work with gifted children, I want them to learn that gifted education is a real discipline. There are two parts of gifted education — acceleration and enrichment. You want to move gifted students faster through curriculum at a pace that’s good for them. You also want to enrich them, to give them time to form their own opinions and grapple with critical questions. I hope that my students will go back to their schools and actually use research-based practices that meet the needs of gifted children by incorporating both acceleration and enrichment.
In Memory Dr. Patricia A. Obenauf West Virginia University Professor Emerita Dr. Patricia A. Obenauf passed away peacefully surrounded by friends on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. Obenauf joined the CEHS faculty in 1973. She was a passionate and loyal educator serving the College and her students through her roles as professor, administrator, researcher, adviser and scholar for more than 40 years. Obenauf attended Alverno College and Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. She then began her professional career by teaching elementary and secondary math and science in schools in the Midwest and throughout the Mississippi Delta. After obtaining her PhD in science education and curriculum and instruction from the University of Virginia in 1973, she began her higher education career at WVU. Obenauf retired as a professor emerita from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies. She chaired nearly 80 doctoral student committees and wrote several grants, including the West Virginia Department of Education Coordinated and Thematic Science grant for $1.2 million and the National Science Foundation NRAO Green Bank Radio Astronomy Research Experiences grant for $4 million. In October 2016, Obenauf was inducted in the WVU CEHS Hall of Fame.
Dr. Anne H. Nardi Dr. Anne H. Nardi, a former CEHS dean, passed away on Saturday, June 17, 2017. Nardi earned her BA in French from Trinity College (Washington, D.C.), in 1964, her MA in behavioral disabilities from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966 and her PhD in life-span developmental psychology from West Virginia University in 1971. She had a storied career at CEHS, including serving as chair of the Department of Educational Psychology from 1985 to 1996, as associate dean for academic affairs from 1997 to 2002, and as interim dean and dean of the College from 2002 to 2008. In 2008, Nardi returned to the faculty as a professor of educational psychology until her retirement in 2014. She briefly came out of retirement in 2015 to serve as interim chair of the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development. Outside of CEHS, Nardi was the director of the Center for Guided Design, a fellow in the International Society for Exploring Alternatives to Teaching and Learning, and a member of the board of directors for the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning. She was also an active member of the West Virginia Teacher Education Advisory Committee. Nardi’s commitment to West Virginia University was honored in 2016 when she was inducted into the Order of Vandalia, a recognition bestowed upon the most loyal servants of West Virginia University.
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COLLABORATION
TESAL is hosted by Dr. Johnna Bolyard of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies, Dr. Reagan Curtis, chair of the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development, and Dr. Darran Cairns, a former professor in the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
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For the past three years, middle school science, mathematics and special education teachers from central West Virginia have met during the summer to engage in the Project TESAL Workshop.
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Project TESAL, which stands for Teachers Engaged in STEM and Literacy, was devised by Bolyard, Curtis and Cairns in partnership with RESA III, the West Virginia Regional Education and Service Agency based in Kanawha County. Sponsored by the West Virginia Math-Science Partnership, Project TESAL provides teachers with handson workshops that demonstrate the utility of engineering design projects in math and science classrooms. “We give the teachers engineering design lessons, so they first experience the concept as learners,” Curtis said. “Then, they start developing engineering design lessons on their own that they would use with their students.” For the teachers, all from schools served by RESA III, Project TESAL is more than just a professional development workshop; it’s an opportunity to become learners in their own right.
Teachers as Students The concept of turning teachers into students, integral to Project TESAL, is what differentiates the program from traditional teacher training sessions. Rather than just writing lesson plans, the teachers experience engineering design lessons firsthand to better understand the challenges. “I thought initially that this was going to be about me writing lessons, but instead, it’s so much more about me learning,” said Maureen Miller, an eighth-grade science teacher at Hurricane Middle School in Hurricane, W.Va. “It’s a different kind of professional development.” During the program’s three-year run, the teachers have learned about the engineering design process by constructing paper roller coasters, gingerbread houses, and most recently, wind turbines. This July, the teachers huddled in groups around their wind turbines, built with inexpensive materials that they brought from home. They were provided with few instructions for completing the assignment and were given only a small motor for use in the construction process.
“ We give the teachers engineering design lessons, so they first experience the concept as learners. Then, they start developing engineering design lessons on their own that they would use with their students.” — Dr. Reagan Curtis FALL 2017
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“It’s something that you want to work on; you don’t want to stop,” said Jessica Phillips, a sixth-grade mathematics teacher at Sissonville Middle School in Sissonville, W.Va. “I kind of know how my students feel in the classroom when they’re designing things. They get excited about it.” In addition to learning as their students would, participants in Project TESAL are given the tools they need to strengthen their content-area knowledge in math and science, and more specifically, their understanding of the engineering design process. According to Curtis, the engineering design process encourages learners to identify a challenge or problem to solve. Once they’ve identified the problem, learners figure out what they might build to solve it, build that object and test it. If the first design fails, they rebuild the object and try again, repeating the process until they have a working solution. “We’re giving the teachers a model, not only of creating engineering design lessons to integrate math, science and literacy, but also using those as ways to identify contentarea gaps in their students,” Curtis said.
Bridging the Gap Beyond enhancing their mastery of the design process, Project TESAL’s participants are encouraged to collaborate on lesson plans that bridge the gap between math and science. Using engineering design principles, the teachers integrate the subjects in ways that are meaningful to students. “It’s important to help the students bridge those connections between what they do in math and how they apply it in science, between the data they collect in science and how they can analyze it in math,” Miller said. Tanesa Bowman, who has taught seventh-grade science at Horace Mann Middle School in Charleston, W.Va. for three years, has created multiple engineering design lessons that have allowed her students to see the connections in their math and science coursework. For one lesson, Bowman gave her students cornstarch, water and a golf ball. She told them to combine the cornstarch and water in a cup so the golf ball would sit on top of the mixture before sinking to the bottom. However, the mixture was not allowed to be so thick that it couldn’t be poured easily from one cup to another.
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COLLABORATION
Enthusiasm for Engineering “They got to see the engineering side of things because they had to work through trial and error,” Bowman said. “They had to be good at precise measurements and record-taking.” After completing the activity, Bowman’s students took the data to their math classes to calculate the proportion of cornstarch to water and compare with other groups. The idea was that students could have had different recipes, but the ratio of cornstarch to water might be the same for each group. Creating opportunities for cross-curricular connections benefits the students, but it benefits the teachers, too. Because the teachers who participate in Project TESAL come from different content areas, they’re able to use the workshop as a time to brainstorm ways to make the relationship between math and science seamless for their students. “It’s nice to work with people and to see how a project would be used in a science classroom versus a math classroom,” Phillips said. Regardless of the project, the engineering design assignments have been an effective means of engaging students in the learning process and making lessons memorable and meaningful. “Whenever I ask my students about some of their favorite things in their sixth-grade year, they’ll always bring up one of the design projects we did,” Phillips said. “It really does stick with them, and I think it is something that they’ll always remember.”
Data regarding student test scores in statewide science and math exams after the programs is not yet available, but the teachers report higher student engagement in classroom activities and positive responses to the independent thinking fostered by engineering design. “When I do more traditional labs, I often get carbon-copy answers,” Bowman said. “With the engineering lessons, I get so much more creativity. I get to see the kids figuring things out for themselves instead of me leading them to the answers.” Miller also claimed that her students were more likely to pursue advanced science courses in high school. “I see that, as they go to the high school, they become more involved in taking more science classes, taking harder science classes in terms of honors or AP,” Miller said. “The teachers in high school tell me that the students who have had me are always well-prepared for those classes.” Though Project TESAL concluded in the summer of 2017, the program’s impact will continue as the participating teachers implement engineering design in their math and science lessons, further engaging their students with the hope of interesting them in STEM careers. The new concepts they learned over the three-year period have changed their classrooms and changed them as teachers. “It just gives you a fresher, new perspective on teaching and gets you pumped as a teacher,” Phillips said. “This program really did take me out of my comfort zone, and I think it’s allowed me to take my students a little bit further in math and science than what I have before.”
“ When I do more traditional labs, I often get carbon-copy answers. With the engineering lessons, I get so much more creativity. I get to see the kids figuring things out for themselves instead of me leading them to the answers.” — Tanesa Bowman
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Giving Back
More Than Meets the Eye Pageant life provides unique engagement opportunities for CEHS students. Since 1953, six students from CEHS programs have been crowned as either Miss West Virginia or Miss West Virginia USA. In 2017, three CEHS students used pageants to advocate for causes that hit close to home.
ENGAGEMENT
Lauren Roush
Miss West Virginia USA 2017 Platform: Comprehensive Reproductive Health Education
Lauren Roush’s journey to becoming Miss West Virginia USA is a story that echoes that of West Virginians from all walks of life. Hers is a story of facing adversity and rising above difficult circumstances. The Mason, W.Va., native describes her hometown as a “one-stoplight community,” the kind of place where people who are born there stay for the rest of their lives. Roush’s parents are those kind of people, but their story makes them unique. Roush’s mother became pregnant with her first child, Roush’s older brother, at the age of 14; Roush’s father was 16 at the time. The couple settled down in a small home in Mason, and Lauren came along seven years later. Against all odds, her parents both pursued higher education — her mother a law degree, and her father a degree in chemical engineering. Their determination and commitment have inspired Roush, now in her final year of CEHS’ five-year teacher education program, to enter the teaching field and to advocate for higher education as the key to a better life. “My parents were working all the time, just pushing themselves with school, and they’ve always emphasized to me the importance of a good education,” Roush
said. “That’s something that I want to emphasize to my students one day — how important education really is.” At the outset of her pageant career, Roush, then 16, had no lofty ambitions to represent West Virginia on the national stage. All she wanted was to become the Miss Mason County Fair Queen. A 4-H participant, Roush grew up admiring the queen, who presided over the county fair. Interestingly, Roush never won the title. “I got first-runner-up, and then I didn’t get anything,” Roush said. “But it was through that that I fell in love with competing. If it weren’t for wanting to be Miss Mason County Fair Queen, I wouldn’t have gotten to do some of the cool things that I’ve done in my life thus far.” Roush’s road to becoming Miss West Virginia USA is not a story of overnight success. In total, she competed in 50 pageants and only won titles in three. The year before she was crowned Miss West Virginia USA, Roush placed as first-runner-up in the pageant. From then on, she made it her mission to win the title. “I can say that from the moment that I got firstrunner-up, I told myself that I wanted to live every single day like I already was Miss West Virginia USA,” Roush said. “I just made it a huge part of my identity.”
“ Iʼm actually stronger because of the way I was raised. Iʼve faced adversities and obstacles just like every other West Virginian. But it doesnʼt bring me down; it just lifts me up.” — Lauren Roush 24
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of being Miss West Virginia USA — doing things like that and knowing that I can go to schools and speak to the girls about things that are important for them to know.” When she presents to high school girls, Roush tells her parents’ story and discusses teen pregnancy. According to Roush, her personal connections to the issue, as well as her firsthand experiences in schools, led to her platform of comprehensive reproductive health education. In addition to her presentations, Roush has lobbied on behalf of WV FREE, a reproductive health, rights and justice organization. “It’s just really rewarding that you can make a difference in that way, more so than the big things people associate being Miss West Virginia with, like competing for Miss USA,” Roush said. Roush traveled to Las Vegas in May 2017 to compete for Miss USA, and though she did not win, she relished the opportunity to represent the state of West Virginia. “One of my main messages was that just because I’m from Appalachia doesn’t mean that I’m any less of a person,” Roush said. “I never knew that Appalachian culture was such a special thing until I grew up. As an adult, getting to represent the state of West Virginia and the people who that culture means so much to is really an honor.” Roush credits her upbringing for her success. “I’m actually stronger because of the way I was raised. I’ve faced adversities and obstacles just like every other West Virginian,” she said. “But it doesn’t bring me down; it just lifts me up.”
It was at this time that Roush began visiting schools to give a presentation called “To My Younger Self,” to girls and young women ranging from fifth grade to high school. In this presentation, which she continues to give, Roush provides advice that she wishes she would have heard when she was younger. “I’ve been doing it for almost two years now, and I really love it,” Roush said. “That’s probably one of the best parts
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Giving Back
Madeline Collins
Miss Tri-State Area 2017 Platform: Read, Inspire, Support, Encourage (RISE) pageant girl. I’m very clumsy, I make mistakes and I have a scar down my chest.” After winning the title of Miss Tri-State Area 2017, Collins traveled to schools and hospitals to promote her platform, RISE. The premise of the program was to conduct book drives at elementary schools and deliver the books to children’s hospitals. Along the way, Collins spoke to children in both locations about the importance of self-esteem. “The general message was to encourage children, and even teens and adults, not to be victims of circumstance, to rise above difficult times,” Collins said. For Collins, the highlights of her time as Miss Tri-State Area were the special moments she shared with children in the hospitals, a reminder not only of her past, but of the path ahead. “They saw my scar and saw that I was so much like them, but I also had a crown on my head,” Collins said. “More often than not, I would walk out of a hospital room with tears in my eyes because those children didn’t realize that it was possible, but there I was, standing beside them with a scar very similar to theirs. It was very powerful.” Collins’ role as Miss Tri-State Area also gave her the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss West Virginia in June 2017. As second-runnerup, she achieved her goal of placing in the top five contestants. In addition, she received the Tomorrow’s Promise Award and an award for her outstanding dedication to education. “Until you’ve gone and participated in a pageant, you don’t realize that it’s no joke,” Collins said. “It’s much more than just putting on makeup and a bikini.” Though Collins currently works in entertainment at Walt Disney World, her dream is to attend graduate school and ultimately become a child-life specialist. In this way, she hopes to continue her work with children in hospitals.
ENGAGEMENT
BRIAN PERSINGER
Madeline Collins was born with a congenital heart defect, causing her to spend a large portion of her youth in children’s hospitals. After what Collins describes as “three open-heart surgeries and counting,” she proudly bears the scar from those surgeries on her chest. The scar and the experiences behind it are what ultimately inspired Collins, a 2017 CEHS graduate, to enter the Miss Tri-State Area pageant in 2016. “I wanted to portray a different ideal of a pageant girl for kids in the hospital like me,” Collins said. “I’m not a
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Miss Jefferson County 2017 Platform: Cyberbullying
Lexi Openshaw had her first experience with cyberbullying when she was 13 years old. Someone took the photos and information from Openshaw’s Facebook page and posted it on a website called My Yearbook. Then, that person began writing negative things. “They made me out to be a person who was rude and conceited, somebody who I wasn’t,” Openshaw said. “I was really sad that someone would do that.” Instead of getting depressed about the situation, Openshaw decided to work to change it. Then a contestant in a teen pageant, Openshaw chose to make putting an end to cyberbullying her platform. Today, she holds the title of Miss Jefferson County and continues to educate others about preventing cyberbullying. According to Openshaw, her audiences have gotten younger as technology plays an increasing role in the lives of school-aged children. “I’ve mostly spoken to fifth graders because they’re making that tough middle-school transition, but I’ve also had to go into first-grade classrooms and speak to kids because they’re already getting introduced to the issue of cyberbullying,” Openshaw said. “In elementary schools, kids are already having to deal with it pretty badly.” Openshaw’s wealth of pageant experience has provided her with numerous opportunities, but her favorite moments have taken place during these school visits. “After I give my presentation to let the kids know what cyberbullying is and how they can stop it, I have dozens of kids raise their hands and tell me the experiences that they’ve had,” Openshaw said. “If I can help them stop it once, then I know that I’m making a difference. And that’s what matters.” At the end of her pageant career, Openshaw still sees herself in the classroom. A sophomore elementary education major, she aspires to teach either kindergarten or first grade. “My teachers were always so helpful in guiding me in the right direction, not only with schoolwork, but with
BRIAN PERSINGER
Lexi Openshaw
anything that was going on in my life,” Openshaw said. “I want to be the same way for other kids when I’m a teacher, just to help them grow.” Openshaw competed for the title of Miss West Virginia in June 2017, and she hopes to continue participating in pageants in the future. “Once I dove into pageants, I really realized that the crown, the sash is not that important at the end of the day,” she said. “It’s what you do with it during your year and the people who you get to touch.”
“ My teachers were always so helpful in guiding me in the right direction ... I want to be the same way for other kids when I'm a teacher, just to help them grow.” — Lexi Openshaw FALL 2017
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Alumni Spotlight
ENGAGEMENT
MONONGALIA COUNTY’S 2018 TEACHER OF THE YEAR Just four years into his teaching career at North Elementary School in Morgantown, W.Va., Kevin Kieffer learned that he had been selected as the school’s nominee for Monongalia County Teacher of the Year. Then, Kieffer learned that he’d won. “That was a surprise,” Kieffer said. “North Elementary just has absolutely amazing teachers, so to get the nomination from them was such an honor. And then, to find out that I got the award for the entire county was baffling.” In 2010, Kieffer earned his bachelor’s degree in education from WVU Parkersburg. After that, he moved to Morgantown and began working as a long-term substitute teacher for Monongalia County. He also enrolled in CEHS’ online master’s degree program in Instructional Design and Technology, which allowed him the flexibility to work full-time and further his education.
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Kieffer completed his master’s program in 2013 and stayed in Morgantown as a long-term substitute at North Elementary, a position that led to his current role as a fourth-grade teacher. In his classroom, Kieffer works to educate students in both academics and in important life skills. “I really push for student accountability,” Kieffer said. “I want my students to work hard because they want to work hard, not because that’s what I expect them to do. It’s definitely made a big difference because they set their own goals, and they’re looking to be successful in those.” As for Kieffer’s future plans, he’s considering pursuing his math certification and possibly his principal certification. For the time being, however, he’s happy to be where he is. “I don’t see anything changing in the near future because I absolutely love being in the classroom,” Kieffer said.
WEST VIRGINIA'S 2017 STATE TEACHER OF THE YEAR to serve our students,” Poling said. “That will move our state forward in the education field.” Growing up, Poling enjoyed many long family car rides throughout West Virginia; these experiences instilled her with pride for her home state. “My dad always talked about being a Mountaineer,” Poling said. It was during a perfect October day that Poling decided to become an official Mountaineer. She attended a major interest fair at WVU, where she learned about CEHS’ teaching program and knew it was the right fit for her; she completed the program in 2004. Poling credits the seamless, blended-learning experience in CEHS’ education program with her success as a teacher. As a student, Poling was able to mesh the educational theories, pedagogies and curriculum she was learning in class with the practical experience of her student-teaching placement. She quickly saw these theories play out in her students’ learning, an experience that she was able to apply in her own coursework. “Reading about strategies and practicing on college students is great, but you learn more while student-teaching,” Poling said. “It takes everything to the next level.” CEHS offered Poling support from her cohort and professors, as well as opportunities for growth and professional development. “I felt like nothing was off limits in the program,” Poling said. Poling will visit WVU in April 2018 to share her expertise with CEHS students.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
From paleontology to law, Toni Poling’s childhood career interests were often inspired by the books she read. When she was a senior in high school, Poling’s English teacher pointed out that she was more interested in the books’ characters than their careers. It was this love of literature that ultimately drove Poling to enter the education field. Twelve years into her teaching career at Fairmont Senior High School in Marion County, Poling is West Virginia’s 2017 State Teacher of the Year, a title that has allowed her to advocate for the teaching profession at both the state and national levels. “It’s given me the opportunity for travel and teaching on a national platform, which is amazing in itself,” Poling said. “It’s changed my life.” Over the course of the past year, Poling has met with fellow Teachers of the Year from all 50 states and U.S. territories, and attended conferences in Dallas, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Princeton, N.J. With the other teachers, Poling has discussed their role as educators, developed platforms and interacted with policymakers like Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Poling also met President Donald Trump during a White House visit and even attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. In January 2018, she’ll travel to Atlanta with Extra Yard for Teachers to attend the National College Football Championship. Poling’s nationwide experiences have been valuable, but advocating for education in West Virginia is her passion. A respresentative for all West Virginia teachers, Poling encourages up-andcoming educators to stay in the state for teaching. “I want to keep our best and brightest teachers here in the state and get them into the classroom
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Alumni Diary
ENTREPRENEURS IN EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES Working in the education and human service fields is often a selfless act. It takes passion, hard work and an exceptional amount of patience. These careers are highly personally rewarding, though they don't always offer the same financial rewards as other occupations. But what if they could? Take a look at five CEHS alumni who took their work in education and human services to the next level by becoming entrepreneurs, while continuing to stay focused on their passion for people.
RESPONSIBILITY
To learn more about these five alumni, please visit cehs.wvu.edu/entrepreneurs.
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Joanie Davis Dr. Joanie Davis is an audiologist with a passion for making a difference. After graduating with her doctorate in audiology from CEHS, Davis moved to Florida to complete her residency with Dan Gardner, M.S. Just five years later, she decided she wanted to open her own practice. In 2013, Davis purchased two of Gardner’s offices in Brooksville, Fla. and New Port Richey, Fla. Today, Davis owns three audiology practices, known collectively as Davis Family Hearing, and has found a balance between business and giving back. According to Davis, her success has been a direct result of her time at WVU and the life skills she was taught by her professors.
BRIAN PERSINGER
“ I’ve learned that if you set out to help people, everything else falls into place. If you’re not passionate about what you do, you will not be nearly as successful.”
Bobbi McClelland Bobbi McClelland is a two-time graduate and current doctoral student at CEHS. After completing her master’s program in 2013, she knew she wanted to be a director at a daycare center. Her challenge, though, was her lack of experience. With support from her professors at WVU, McClelland decided to open her own center. In 2014, Storybook Daycare opened in Star City, W.Va. Today, the center is licensed to provide care for children from six weeks to 12 years of age, and is focused on creating an environment that encourages learning and creativity for infants to school-aged children.
“ It is surreal most days because I never expected to be owning my own business at 25. There are a lot of challenges, but I absolutely love coming here every day. Though I am still figuring out what it is like to be a business owner, I really love working with kids and am glad I took the leap.”
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Mary Lou McCullough Mary Lou McCullough obtained her teaching degree in secondary education from CEHS before pursuing a master’s in counseling. After graduating, McCullough started on a path of helping others at a time of transition. With diverse career experience in higher education, military and school settings, McCullough eventually began helping others who were transitioning between jobs. Her work led her into business ownership, and she opened Career Dimensions in 1989. Today, Career Dimensions provides outplacement, relocation and career counseling services to businesses in Corning and Elmira, N.Y., and surrounding areas.
“ My background in counseling has been extremely valuable to my business. Clients who have lost their jobs often feel they have lost a large part of their existence and have self-esteem issues. I have to be able to get to the heart and soul of where they are in order to help them move forward.”
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Caroline Musselwhite Dr. Caroline Musselwhite started tutoring kids with disabilities in high school. Though she grew up with a father who was blinded during World War II, Musselwhite didn’t develop a true understanding and appreciation for individuals with multiple disabilities until college. Early in her career, Musselwhite co-authored a 30-page paper on communication for people who do not speak. This drew so much attention that she began publishing additional works to provide resources to individuals with significant disabilities and for those working with these individuals. Today, Musselwhite owns AAC Intervention, serving as an assistive technology specialist for children and adolescents with severe disabilities.
RESPONSIBILITY
“ At only 19, I was working with a student who had severe disabilities, and it was as if she were trapped in her body. This experience really got me thinking differently about disabilities and what resources were available for those individuals and the people surrounding them.”
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Lydotta Taylor Dr. Lydotta Taylor is a three-time graduate of CEHS. Taylor began her career as a classroom mathematics teacher at Morgantown High School. Three years into teaching, new opportunities allowed Taylor to transition into computer science and technology roles. These opportunities led her to work for IBM as an educational instructional specialist and then for the High-Tech Consortium in Morgantown, where her work focused on K-12 education initiatives. In 2001, Taylor found herself in a position to do more to impact education and started The EdVenture Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to driving innovation in education. Since its founding 16 years ago, the group has impacted over 20,000 students and implemented more than 5,000 workshops for students, teachers and the community.
“ I loved being a teacher and I enjoyed making a difference in my classroom day to day. But I thought — if you have the opportunity to make the impact on your classroom even bigger, you should do it.”
CUTTING-EDGE DESIGN. Advance your career with a Master of Arts in Instructional Design and Technology from the College of Education and Human Services. Learn to apply the latest instructional technologies and sound design strategies in any learning setting, including public schools, higher education institutions, and corporate and nonprofit institutions.
Offered 100% online In-state tuition available for all students 30 Credit Hours mall class sizes allow for increased S interaction with faculty and other students
Learn more at lshd.wvu.edu/idt/ma-online.
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Morgantown, WV Permit No. 34 Allen Hall, 355 Oakland Street P.O. Box 6122 Morgantown, WV 26505-6122
cehs.wvu.edu
UNRESTRICTED POSSIBILITIES. At CEHS, we produce leaders who create immediate and lasting value. Unrestricted support ensures our graduates aren't just prepared for their careers — they’re equipped to break down barriers and forge new paths. Our innovative faculty, constantly improving facilities and cuttingedge research continue to move us forward and your gift to our Annual Fund makes it possible. With your support, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
Renew your gift at cehs.wvu.edu/alumni-and-giving/ways-to-give.