15607 EDU Year in Review 2015

School of Education and Human Development

Year in Review

Learning and inquiry

Advancing knowledge through learning and inquiry

FIU’s Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum is the canvas where the School of Education and Human Development’s Art Education students share their fears, their hopes, their dreams and their rebirth.

Message from the Dean The past year was an exciting one for us as the College of Arts & Sciences merged with the College of Education, bringing together programs in elementary, secondary and higher education and uniting efforts in the areas of STEM education — science, technology, engineering and math. FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education is dedicated to solving the grand challenges of our time in education, environment and society, and health care through research, engagement in the community, and training the next generation of problemsolvers and educators. As you will see, students and faculty in our School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) are doing amazing things — creating and implementing solutions that improve classrooms and developing new opportunities for our communities. From South Florida and beyond, SEHD is making a lasting impact by empowering and inspiring students and the public. We have our eyes on the future and are building our programs to maximize this impact. I hope that you will be as inspired as I am by the work in SEHD and will get involved!

Michael R. Heithaus Dean, College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Message from the Director At the School of Education and Human Development, we pride ourselves on a strong tradition of preparing the next great generation of educators, counselors, recreational therapy providers, parks managers and university leaders. You’ll find our successful alumni all over South Florida, making their mark in public and private schools, or working with veterans at our local Veterans Administration Hospital, helping them achieve an improved quality of life.

I’m proud of the fact that so many of our graduates work at Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), the nation’s fourth largest school district, where our Panthers make up 35 percent of all teachers. In fact, our alumni are doing so well in the classroom that four of the last six M-DCPS Teachers of the Year and four of the last six Miami-Dade Principals of the Year are FIU alumni.

And like our FIU, we are proud of making national headlines. Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine ranked us No. 2 nationally for awarding bachelor’s degrees to students who are Hispanic and for the third consecutive year, our Creating Latino Access to a Valuable Education program was recognized by elected officials and higher education leaders from across the country as a finalist for its Examples of Excelencia.

This all shows that we are living up to our mission — creating meaningful, long-lasting opportunities for our students to become world-class professionals who can impact the lives of many.

We have accomplished so much over the past year. From the development of our partnership with the After-School All-Stars program to the graduation of our first online cohorts of our Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction and Master of Science in Special Education, you will see how our students and alumni are advancing knowledge through learning and inquiry.

For students in the School of Education and Human Development, 2015 was a year of handson learning, exploration and inspiration designed to transform their capabilities to help solve 21st century challenges.

Laura Dinehart Interim Executive Director, School of Education and Human Development

The education of

David Menasche

The FIU community is so proud that David Menasche was a Panther and one of our own. His life serves as an inspiration to the thousands of students at FIU that will follow that trail he blazed. Help us continue his legacy by getting involved and helping the next generation of teachers make a lasting impact.

To learn how you can support these efforts, contact givetocase@ fiu.edu | 305-348-4349

D

avid Menasche spent his teen years on the skate punk scene, tolerating but never really liking school. He went to college anyway, enrolling at FIU. He wanted to be a writer.

Plans changed when he encountered a classroom full of first graders during a Teachers and Writers Program in New York public schools. Sharing Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass,” he sent the children out into the schoolyard to observe the world around them. They jotted notes on Post-its. Menasche helped them to organize their observations into a poem. The students bounced with delight at their creation. For Menasche, that was it. That was the moment. He was going to be a teacher.

Upon graduation, he accepted a job as an English teacher at the newly opening Coral Reef Senior High School in 1997. From the very first day, he invested himself in his students. He listened. He was honest. He mixed Walt Whitman with Tupac Shakur into poetry lessons. He was the teacher no one expected, and the one so many of his students needed. He reached them.

In 2006, he received life-changing news — he had cancer. Not just any cancer.

Glioblastoma multiforme — the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Not going gently, he fought, enduring more than two years of chemotherapy, 30 rounds of radiation and multiple brain surgeries. He continued to teach for six more years. But when he experienced partial paralysis in his legs and arms and started to lose his vision, he made the most difficult decision of his life. He left the classroom.

Eventually, his kidneys started to fail. Instead of resigning to his fate, he hit the road.

He wanted to visit his former students to see if he made a difference in their lives. He posted his plan on Facebook and signed off with “Let me know where you are and if you’ve got a couch for the night.”

Students from 50 cities responded within 48 hours. He headed out in November 2012. Menasche hitchhiked in Alabama. He encountered a spiritual healer while visiting a student in New Orleans. And when his vision failed him, leaving him unable to read the street signs in bustling Manhattan, a stranger named Jessica stepped in to help find his rendezvous point with another former student. The student was left dumbfounded when Menasche showed up escorted by movie star Sarah Jessica Parker. In all, he traveled for 101 days to 36 cities and visited 75 former students. He even achieved a lifelong dream of seeing the Pacific Ocean with a stop in California.

The end result was a memoir exploring his quest for purpose — The Priority List: A Teacher’s Final Quest to Discover Life’s Great Lessons. The book is currently being adapted for the big screen in a film starring Steve Carell.

Menasche died in November of 2014 at the age of 41. He left behind a legacy that is still felt today. Some of his students have gone on to be teachers themselves, with the hope of reaching their students the way Menasche reached them.

In education, it takes all kinds to empower the voices, inspire the passions and ignite the talents of today’s children. Menasche was not the traditional education student at FIU. But then again, traditional is subjective. In a college where success is defined by a willingness to never stop learning, he fit right in.

Opening worlds of possibility...

One game at a time L

earning math and numerical concepts can be a challenge for young children, but one early childhood professor is pioneering a series of how-to videos showing parents how they can use fun and simple games to help their preschoolers learn.

According to Charles Bleiker, Pre-K is an extremely important time for young children. An early childhood education professor in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, Bleiker believes introducing math concepts in a fun and engaging way can lead to long-term success in math and science. This, in turn, opens up a whole new world of possibilities in emerging Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers.

Early childhood education at FIU focuses on learning and development from birth to grade 3. The goal is to address the development of the whole child including cognitive, language and social/emotional development. With family engagement being a key component, it’s easy to see why Bleiker’s games are helping children be better prepared to start school.

The games focus on teaching children four key concepts: number equating, number naming, number sequence and number writing. In “Kitty and Bear,” children race to save a toy kitty by rolling a dice and then hopping along a numbered path, learning to count as they go. There’s also bowling, where children learn number sequences, and tracing, where children learn to write numbers.

Bleiker first shared his research behind the games during a 2014 TEDxFIU talk where he showed how 4-year-olds increased their math readiness after playing the games in 15-minute intervals over the course of a few months.

His approach is successful because games are the most powerful and natural way young children can learn. The games Bleiker has created come with little or no cost and require minimal effort to do at home. Creating new tools to set children on a path for educational success is at the core of Arts, Sciences & Education’s early childhood education program.

See how you can play Professor Bleiker’s math games with your own children at home.

Scan the QR code with your mobile phone or visit go.fiu.edu/mathgames to get started.

Successful students start at home. Professor Bleiker and the researchers at FIU are working on low-cost and effective ways to help families take advantage of the crucial formative years of early childhood and improve student success.

To learn how you can support these efforts, contact givetocase@ fiu.edu | 305-348-4349

Mariela Lanz calls on her students at Poinciana Park Elementary School as they learn about different shapes.

Teachers are our future. At FIU we are committed to connecting our talented graduates with promising careers and creating a quality pipeline of educators that are making a lasting impact in our community.

Help support this important initiative, contact givetocase@fiu.edu | 305-348-4349

From students to full-time teachers...

All before they’ve graduated M

ariela Lanz has always dreamed of being a teacher.

She enrolled at FIU to study early education, with the hopes of teaching at a local elementary school someday. With graduation on the horizon, she attended a job fair where 40 principals from Miami-Dade County Public Schools came to FIU looking for the next generation of educators. There, Amrita Prakash, principal of Poinciana Park Elementary, offered Lanz, the soon-to-be-grad, a job on the spot.

Prakash often seeks out FIU graduates for her school, knowing they “come out of the blocks ready to go.”

She points out they are armed with the best strategies for success in the classroom and they know the latest technologies and techniques to reach her students.

Mariela Lanz was the first education student to receive a job offer at a Miami-Dade County Public Schools job fair at FIU.

The hands-on approach to connecting students to the job market is a marked departure from the typical information sessions the school district uses to market itself to education graduates. Gone are the step-by-step tutorials on finding teacher vacancies and how to apply for open positions. Instead, the district works with FIU education faculty to fill vacancies immediately with the upcoming crop of teachers.

Several students, like Lanz, received job offers that day. Many of them, with the signing of a contract, became temporary instructors while working to finish their degrees. Annette Moses is also among them.

She graduated in the spring and now teaches fourth graders full-time at Lillie C. Evans K-8 Center near Miami’s West Little River neighborhood.

Nationally, the United States is dealing with a mounting teacher shortage and Florida in particular is primed to be among the hardest-hit states as districts are pushed to hire more teachers in order to cope with a population that is estimated to grow weekly by the thousands. FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education is combating this trend with initiatives like the education career fair. Through internships, fellowships and partnerships like that with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FIU is creating pathways to employment.

Joyce Fine, associate professor of reading education helps students at Mirror Lake Elementary boost their reading skills.

Reading is essential to the success of any student in our community.

The inability to effectively read due to language barriers, learning disabilities and other factors can be devastating to an individual’s life. Our faculty’s research is providing teachers with the tools they need to raise the bar in reading education and ensure that reading education is a priority.

To learn how you can support these efforts, contact givetocase@ fiu.edu | 305-348-4349

Jack and Jane love to

Can you read this?

I

Thank a teacher.

t is difficult to go through an entire day without encountering somethi ng to read — a newspaper, a book, billb oards, traffic signs and text messag es, just to name a few. Yet, reading is a skill often taken for granted.

Teaching people to read is both a science and an art form, all on its own. It requires dedication. To do it well, it also requires flexibility — a willingn ess to adapt and evolve with changin g trends and the latest research.

FIU’s education faculty have long-comm itted to helping people learn to read through its Reading Education Mas ter’s Program. Designed to prepare teachers to make a difference on the academic achievement of stud ents, it was named the No. 1 teacher prep aration program in the state by the Florida Department of Education in 2015.

read

Associate Professor Joyce Fine, who leads the Reading Education Mas ter’s Program, says the 2015 ranking vali dates FIU’s efforts to develop edu cato rs who are very capable of not only teaching anyone and everyone to read , but of coaching other teachers to bec ome better at teaching reading.

Those who struggle with reading face lifelong disadvantages that are often handed down to their children. Acc ording to the United States Departm ent of Education, 55 percent of adults who read below the basic level dro p out of high school, limiting their earning potential. ProLiteracy, a non-profit group, also estimates that children born to parents with low literacy skills face a 72 percent chance of being at the low est literacy rates themselves.

Faculty members who teach in the program are active in the field and continuously review the program to incorporate the latest research and best practices in reading education.

For example, instructors use the latest methods and technology incl uding smart boards and iPads to teach comprehension and problem-solvin g tasks.

FIU students in the graduate program learn to assess and instruct all stud ents, based on their specific needs — including those who are in special education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs. Thro ugh their courses and internships in local sch ools, Arts, Sciences & Education students are helping students succeed.

Finding a balance

e family, work and school

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lifelong dream.

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Access to education for the non-traditional student is a barrier for many who dream of a degree. FIU is making these opportunities possible through our fully-online accelerated degree programs.

Support these programs today and ensure access to higher education is always there for those that need it most.

To learn how you can support these efforts, contact givetocase@ fiu.edu | 305-348-4349

Art imitates life Students ready to bring past experiences to tomorrow’s classrooms

J

esús A. Garcia cradles a paintbrush in his crippled left hand, creating strokes of red.

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at FIU plays host to the annual Master’s in Art Education Exhibition showcasing the work of tomorrow’s art educators.

With each stroke, wings begin to take shape on a self-portrait. Garcia lost his right hand and injured his left arm in a boatyard accident in 1991. The self-portrait he calls Rebirth is cast among a photo he took of the California redwoods during a family trip. He is posed triumphantly with his arms outstretched and emblazoned by the red wings. More than a show of power, it represents his ability to overcome.

In 2012, one of his twin sons suffered a traumatic brain injury that affected his mobility and his ability to speak. Two years later, his wife, Melanie, battled a ravaging cancer that ultimately claimed a leg. Rebirth offers a glimpse into how Garcia approaches life. He is a fighter. After all, no matter how hard life hits him, he “will hit back.”

His work was recently on display at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum — part of an exhibit that featured the work of nine FIU students enrolled in the Master of Art Education program. Each piece of art came from their extensively researched master’s theses, where the students used paintings and mixed media art to convey their messages and grasps of technique.

Through art education, students hone their artistic talents while also developing skills to teach their craft to others. It’s through art that Garcia finds hope and power, which he hopes to pass on to his students someday.

Today, he works as a substitute teacher at Felix Varela High School in Miami with plans to become a full-time teacher at a local high school.

For each of the paintings on display during the recent Frost Art Museum exhibit, the works reflected life, adventure and peace for the students. As teachers, they will not only help bring their students express themselves through drawing, painting, photography and more, they have the power to help students succeed in other subject areas.

Studies have shown that children who take art classes develop strong critical thinking skills, are more likely to outperform their peers on college entrance exams and become more tolerant and empathetic leading to more well-rounded individuals capable of solving the 21st century challenges facing humanity.

Jesús A. Garcia’s Rebirth stole the show at the 2015 Masters in Art Education Exhibition.

Art education is an important part of student development and learning. At FIU, our Master of Art Education Program is producing the future leaders of art education that are shaping how students express themselves through various media and techniques.

To learn how you can support these efforts, contact givetocase@ fiu.edu | 305-348-4349

FIU’s innovative Recreational Therapy Study Abroad Program provides practical experience and a new perspective on the challenges faced by millions of disabled people globally.

Our recreational therapy students are trained in the newest technologies and best practices to help those living with disabilities gain accessibility in their daily lives.

To learn how you can support these efforts, contact givetocase@ fiu.edu | 305-348-4349

Walking in their shoes

Riding in their wheels H

ere’s some food for thought: Getting around in a wheelchair can be draining — especially when traveling abroad.

To most, it might look like the person in the chair gets a break, but according to Juan Agudelo, a Recreational Therapy student, the constant vibration of the wheelchair, having to go up and down at sidewalks and having to go over curbs all take their toll.

Agudelo is one of 12 students who participated in the school’s Recreational Therapy study abroad program to Paris and Florence.

He came face-to-face with the mobility challenges confronted by people with disabilities — the people he hopes to treat one day.

Students toured Florence and Paris by wheelchair and described art to blindfolded peers during the recreational therapy study abroad course.

According to Alexis McKenney associate professor of recreational therapy, seeing the challenges faced by people with disabilities in Europe is more impactful for her students because laws there have not called for the same level of accommodations for people with disabilities that are available in the United States. The goal of the study abroad program isn’t just to help students empathize with their future patients; it’s also to help them realize more can be done to make places accessible.

It’s estimated that in 2012 approximately 56.7 million people in the United States had a disability. Of those, some 30.6 million faced mobility challenges and used a wheelchair, crutches or a walker to get around, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 8 million Americans have trouble seeing and about 2 million are blind.

Understanding this reality, the students stopped at The Louvre to enjoy some art while their classmates were blindfolded. Describing an object’s physical appearance is not very helpful for someone with congenital blindness, according to McKenney. What helped special education major Kesley Oslan connect with the sculptures was having a classmate position her body to match the pose of sculptures.

Programs like this in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education are training future recreational therapy providers to not only learn treatments, but to better help them comprehend the challenges faced by people with disabilities.

Ultimately, this intimate understanding of their world may lead to better therapies and better access for the millions of people living with disabilities worldwide. Students at the School of Education and Human Development also graduate with a better sense of what can be done to help people confronted by mobility challenges – developing a new cadre of activists who can stand up for the rights of others.

SEHD by the numbers 3,322 62

Students

Faculty

26,976 2

Alumni

Departments

5 2 3 , 6 6 1 HD nt by SE e p s s r u ho aduate undergr in teaching student ls schoo M-DCPS

20

FIU alumni have won Miami-Dade’s Teacher of the Year since 1973

29

Degree programs

9

Certificate programs

240

Grant-supported students

FIU is the largest producer of STEM degrees for Hispanics in the U.S.

35

%

of Miami-Dade County Public School teachers are FIU alumni

7 4 8 1,

dents ol stu o h c s e the Middl art in took p l academic ram choo after-s hment prog IU nric and e ed by the F ars r St offe ol Allo h c S After

FIU is ranked 17th out of 277 higher education institutions in terms of social mobility, research and service. — Washington Monthly

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Abdiel Acosta’s Inversion from Light is just one of the award-winning School of Education and Human Development student’s works that feature the mysteries of the ocean. Acosta, who is earning his Master of Science in Art Education was a first place winner at the Coconut Grove Art Festival.