Educate Magazine Fall 2012

News on Innovations, Effectiveness, Collaborations, and Relevance from the College of Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Fall 2012 | Volume Two | Number Three

Edmund Clark, VP of information and technology services, and Mymique Baxter, student relations coordinator for the College of Education, discuss the success and needs of the new online tutoring program—Homework Helpers.

Offered through the COE and supported by ITS, Homework Helpers is free and available to any and all students and parents who have a telephone, computer and/or Internet connection.

Read more on page 4.

College of Education

Dr. Jean Haar Dean

Departments

Aviation Counseling & Student Personnel Educational Leadership Elementary & Early Childhood Education K–12 and Secondary Programs Military Science and Leadership Special Education The Children’s House

Centers

Center for Engaged Leadership Center for Mentoring & Induction Center for School-University Partnerships The mission of the Minnesota State University, Mankato’ s College of Education is to prepare professionals who embrace big ideas and realworld thinking to ensure student success.

The purpose of Educate is to inform education stakeholders of the ongoing work of the College of Education and its impact on the education profession. Educate is published two times per year by the College of Education and distributed to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and education supporters. The College of Education welcomes ideas for feature stories and other content consistent with the mission of the magazine. Please e-mail story ideas to col-of-education@mnsu.edu.

Educate Fall 2012 | Volume Two | Number Three College of Education Minnesota State University, Mankato 118 Armstrong Hall Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-389-5445 Fax: 507-389-2566 Designer Wendy Johnston Managing Editor/Writer Carol Jones Photographers Wes Taylor Linda Clavel Print Coordinator Doug Fenske

A member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. This document is available in alternative format to individuals with disabilities by calling the College of Education at 507-389-5445 (V), 800-627-3529 or 711(MRS/TTY).

EDUC171NE

Greetings, Education has the power to transform the lives of children, families and communities.

Our mission—to prepare professionals who embrace big ideas and real-world thinking to ensure student success— guides us as we prepare our candidates to be • Innovative: critical thinkers, data-based decisionmaker, life-long learners; • Effective: competent, reflective, 21st century educators; • Collaborative: communicators, interdisciplinary, teacher leaders; and • Relevant: student-centered, culturally responsive, versatile.

While we strive for consistency we also challenge ourselves to improve and grow. This fall through a national and state level accreditation visit, we had an opportunity to reflect on the quality of our work and closely examine our challenges. The initial feedback received from the review teams affirmed the direction and focus of our work: • To intensify our recruiting efforts for candidates who have the potential to be outstanding educators; • To transform preparation and maximize the effectiveness of our graduates, including the refinement of field experiences with supported and increased time with preK-12 students, teachers, counselors and administrators; • To elevate mentoring by combining one-to-one coaching with sophisticated performance evaluation and data analysis, resulting in even more insight on facilitating student success; and • To use research to discover new ways to foster learning and create more positive and supportive cultures in schools.

In this issue of Educate we share examples of how we fulfill our mission in ways that extend beyond classroom instruction. Our work is not limited to delivering course content and guiding candidates to degree completion; our work is about nurturing professionals committed to student success.

4 Science and Math and English, Oh My!

Heading back to school and the homework that comes with it can leave parents and students feeling overwhelmed. In an effort to help alleviate that stress, Ed Clark, VP of information and technology services, and Mymique Baxter, student relations coordinator, teamed up to develop a new online tutoring program—Homework Helpers.

6 First Approved

Teri Wallace, professor of special education, pitched the idea to redesign the former developmental cognitive disabilities (DCD) program into an academic and behavioral strategist (ABS) program.

After more than a year of collaborative efforts, the COE was the first ABS program to receive approval from the Minnesota Board of Teaching.

7 Filling the Gap

There has been a shortage of early childhood special education teachers in Minnesota since 2005.

“There have been nearly 100 variances granted in each of the last two years,” said Aaron Deris, associate professor of early childhood special education. The COE reinstated its early childhood special education licensure program to help fill that gap.

8 Unconventional

by Design

The oldest program of its type in the country, Mankato’s experiential education program offers an unconventional approach to education.

Since 1972, students have come from around the world to explore their interests and develop their passion for education through selfdesigned, project-based, independent learning.

10 Research Asks, “Are We Doing Enough?”

Recent changes in Minnesota teacher licensure requirements include a section for teacher candidates to “demonstrate cultural competency.” Elizabeth Sandell, associate professor of elementary & early childhood education, wondered if the COE’s approach to preparing candidates to be culturally competent was effective.

Best Regards,

Jean Haar

Educate is also available electronically. If you prefer to receive Educate electronically, please contact the College of Education at col-of-education@mnsu.edu

Science and Math and English, Oh, My!

Homework Helpers’ tutors can use online whiteboards

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Mymique Baxter, student relations coordinator for the COE, acts as the chief of operations for Homework Helpers. In addition to recruiting and training tutors, Baxter is responsible for marketing and promoting the program.

She has visited numerous schools and spoken to countless education professionals in an effort to get the word out.

Ed Clark, VP of information and technology services, helped select and purchase the hardware and software systems and provided training for Homework Helpers tutors. ITS also donated the space in the lower level of the library for the program that runs Sunday through Thursday, 6-10 p.m.

Heading back to school and the homework that comes with it can leave parents and students feeling scared and overwhelmed.

Most people don’t like that feeling, but Mymique Baxter, student relations coordinator for the College of Education, is not most people.

“I want to be overwhelmed,” she said. “That means the word has gotten out.” The word that Baxter and others are working to get out is that Minnesota State Mankato’s new Homework Helpers program can make a difference.

Homework Helpers is an online K-12 tutoring program available Sunday through Thursday from 6:00-10:00 p.m. Students and/or parents can email or call in for help in any subject.

“The service hours were chosen to accommodate kids who are involved in extracurricular activities,” said Baxter. “But even kids who come home directly after school don’t necessarily want to get right to work on their homework. Lots of times they need a break before they are ready to tackle it again.”

Baxter encourages people to email questions, problems, even papers ahead of time. “If they don’t get their homework problems resolved during class they can send it in early,” she said. “Then tutors can review the lessons and be prepared when students call later that evening.”

The program uses an online system called WebEx

by Cisco. WebEx allows students a range of interactions with the tutor, depending on the level of technology available to the student—from telephone to video and online whiteboards.

For students who have a computer and access to the Internet, tutors can demonstrate lessons such as math equations and grammar exercises using an online whiteboard. “It is especially helpful for visual learners,” said Baxter. However, if students only have access to a telephone, tutors can walk them through lessons over the phone.

Homework Helpers was the brainchild of Edmund Clark, VP of information and technology services. He was looking for an affordable, accessible online tutoring program for his own children.

“My son needed help in math, and it had been 30 years since I did the kind of math he was working on,” said Clark.

Clark explained his experience of searching online for resources available to help his own children. “There are several online tutoring services for purchase, and some libraries have services, but they are only open certain hours and it is kind of a hassle,” he said. “But then I was thinking, you know, we have university students here who could do this for any K-12 student across the state. Given the way technology has advanced in the

to illustrate lessons in real time.

Homework Helpers Contact Email homeworkhelpersscience@gmail.com homeworkhelpersmath@gmail.com homeworkhelpersenglish@gmail.com

5

Phone Science: 507-389-6453 Math: 507-389-6355 English: 507-389-5979

last few years, I thought it would be pretty easy to turn on a tutoring service where our students could provide this service for students and parents.”

Homework Helpers provides two tutors in each subject area (science, math, English) Sunday through Thursday. Tutors are undergraduate students with expertise in specific subject areas.

Some are education majors, others are studying math, science, English, or another area. Each receives a minimum of 10 hours of training on tutoring methods plus additional training to learn the WebEx system.

An obvious benefit to K-12 students and parents, Homework Helpers also benefits University students. “In addition to building their skills and confidence with student interactions, the experience serves as a resume booster and sets them apart from the crowd,” Baxter said.

Baxter is passionate about providing tutoring services for as many kids as possible and sees the long-range potential for Homework Helpers. “Maybe it sounds crazy, but I hope we are overwhelmed. It means the word is out and the program is working and successful. I really would like parents to call in and ask questions, to tell us ‘I want to help my student. Can you show me how?’” Homework Helpers is ready and waiting.

More Time for Study Buddies In its third year, the College of Education’s Study Buddies offers expanded Saturday hours: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. “Last year we averaged 25 kids every Saturday,” said Mymique Baxter, student relations coordinator for COE. “And parents were asking for more time with tutors.”

Study Buddies provides homework help for all ages. The College of Education recruits and trains University students to serve as tutors. In addition to helping with specific assignments, tutors also lead educational games and activities.

“Not all learning is done sitting at a desk with a tutor,” said Baxter. “It’s not only about getting the work done; it’s about understanding the concept.” Tutors make learning fun and students have the opportunity to use computers programs and white boards they typically don’t have access to at home.

The program is located in the lower level of Minnesota State Mankato’s Memorial Library and is available Saturdays when the University is in session. For more information, contact Mymique Baxter at mymique.baxter@mnsu.edu or 507-389-1215.

First

Approved In 2012, Minnesota’s Board of Teaching introduced a new special education licensure—academic and behavioral strategist (ABS). And Minnesota State Mankato proudly holds the distinction of being the first university approved to offer the licensure program at the undergraduate level.

The first cohort of ABS licensure candidates will graduate Spring Semester 2014.

6

Teri Wallace, professor and special education chair, has worked with the State’s Board of Teaching for years on various special education-related items such as certification for paraprofessionals and teaching licensures. She learned early on about the Board’s consideration of a new special education license.

Wallace recognized that the Department of Special Education at Mankato was uniquely qualified to gain the Board of Teaching’s approval. So she decided to pitch the idea to her colleagues that they work to redesign the former developmental cognitive disabilities (DCD) program into an ABS program.

“We already offered special education licensure or certificate programs in developmental cognitive disabilities, emotional behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and learning disabilities,” said Wallace. “Our faculty has the expertise that allowed us to develop the new curriculum required for the ABS licensure program.”

“The work was a group effort,” she said.

Wallace credits the COE’s network of K-12 teachers, administrators, supervisors, and a new advisory board of special education directors and teachers, along with University faculty with the practical success of designing the strategic and comprehensive program. Their efforts were successful; the University, the Minnesota State Universities system, and the Board of Teaching approved the changes in 2012.

The new ABS licensure program is cross categorical, meaning teacher candidates gain

The Board of Teaching asked Teri Wallace, professor and special education department chair, to provide comments to the Office of Administrative Hearings on the proposed rules governing special education teacher licensure. “It was an honor,” she said. “I shared research gathered during our year-long program redesign process and testified to how the new licensure would better serve K-12 students with disabilities.”

experience with a variety of disabilities. The crosscategorical designation identifies that graduates are prepared with the skills and strategies necessary to meet the needs of students with mild to moderate needs in autism spectrum disorders, developmental cognitive disabilities, emotional or behavioral disabilities, and learning disabilities.

Previously, teacher candidates graduating from the DCD program were only licensed to teach students with developmental cognitive disabilities. Consequently, schools were required to file a variance if those teachers had students with disabilities other than DCD. Meanwhile, teachers were required to return to school and obtain additional licensures.

Karen Letcher, a special education teacher with the Mankato Area Public Schools, said, “It [the new degree] is a plus because it aligns the pre-service training with what actually goes on in the field. Now, special education teachers will have access to more techniques and strategies and will graduate with broader training.”

In addition to newly designed classes, the field experience component of the ABS program begins earlier and last longer. Students get field experience from their very first semester. Experiences range from observation to student teaching. Teacher candidates work with students with all types of disabilities.

“This extended field experience is no small feat,” said Wallace, “but with the help and commitment of our partnership schools, we are confident it will benefit all stakeholders, especially special education students in our K-12 schools.”

Currently, the ABS undergraduate program is only offered at the Mankato campus. But Wallace is working to change that. “We were awarded a one-time strategic funding initiative to study the possibility of extending our ABS program to the metro area,” she said. “Our hope is to create articulation agreements with several community colleges to make it more convenient for our metro-based students who are interested in pursuing the ABS licensure.”

A result of more than a year of collaborative efforts, obtaining the first approval for the ABS undergraduate program speaks to the timely, effective, and relevant education offered by the College of Education. “It is our job to prepare educators to meet the needs of students in K-12 schools,” said Wallace. “Our new ABS licensure program will allow new special education teachers to hit the ground running.”

Aaron Deris, assistant professor and program coordinator for the early childhood special education program, works at both Minnesota State Mankato’s Edina and Mankato campuses.

His goal is to provide access to the new early childhood special education licensure graduate program to as many teachers as possible.

7

Filling the Gap According to the Minnesota Department of Education, there has been a shortage of licensed early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers in the state since 2005.

Minnesota State Mankato has stepped up to help fill the gap.

The College of Education reinstated the Early Childhood Special Education graduate program in 2012.

Housed in Edina, the program offers classes to both the metro and Mankato locations using a combination of faceto-face, TelePresence, and online courses.

Aaron Deris, special education faculty member and program coordinator, is excited about the program. “It is expected that with early intervention, challenges for kids with disabilities can be mitigated and require a lot fewer resources over the length of a child’s education,” said Deris.

“There have been nearly 100 variances granted to districts around the state in each of the last two years. There are teachers everywhere being asked to provide services that they were not trained to do,” said Deris. “We are excited to be able to fully prepare more teachers for ECSE licensure.”

In addition to a strong curriculum, Minnesota State Mankato’s small class size and long partnerships with K-12 schools makes the program unique. For more information about the Early Childhood Special Education graduate program, contact Aaron Deris at aaron.deris@mnsu.edu.

Unconventional by Design The Experiential Education Program at Minnesota State Mankato owns the title of the oldest experiential education program in the United States. It was established under the leadership of Robert Vander Wilt in 1972 as a joint venture between the University and the Minnesota Outward Bound School (currently named Voyageur Outward Bound School).

Now, in its fortieth anniversary year, the program’s draw is international and its success

widely recognized. Approximately 90 percent of the students relocate here from out of state.

Mankato graduates serve among the nation’s leaders in experiential education—as program owners and/or operators; public school and university faculty and staff; leaders in various nonprofit, for profit, or privately–operated experiential education programs; and more.

Typically, education programs from early elementary through doctoral level include a prescription for learning. Students complete a set curriculum. “In most grad programs, students enter looking very, very different. They have different experiences

and backgrounds,” said Jasper Hunt, professor of experiential education. “Upon graduation from most programs, they look remarkably similar.”

Many licensing, accreditation, and professional associations require a standardized approach to professional preparation. The experiential education program at Mankato employs a different methodology. “Graduates of the Experiential Education Program at Minnesota State Mankato all look different,” said Hunt.

“Because it is a very individualized program.”

Julie Carlson, professor of experiential education, said, “We try to adhere to the belief that students and professors are in a reciprocal learning process. Professors are facilitators of the process, not the sage on the stage,” she

8

Shortly after arriving in Mankato in 1983, Jasper Hunt, professor of experiential education, developed the University’s first outdoor adventure and challenge courses. He continues to challenge students to challenge themselves. This year, the Association for Experiential Education selected Hunt to receive the Kurt Hahn Award and present the Kurt Hahn address at the International Association for Experiential Education Conference, November 1, 2012 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Experiential Education graduate students often work as facilitators with the University’s Adventure Education Program. Installed in August 2012, the indoor climbing facility is used for classes, instructional clinics, student and community open climbing, private events, youth climbing camps, and more. More than 5,000 people have used the wall since it opened in late August.

explained. “For example, I may know volumes about a particular topic, but it is not my job to tell you as much as it is to guide you to where you need to go.”

That philosophy of guiding the learner in discovery is key. Through experiences and reflection, students gain an understanding of themselves and learn to help others do the same.

Approximately half of the graduate credits earned in the experiential education program are theory courses: philosophy of experiential education; controversial issues in experiential education; teaching methods; research problems—these classes give students a foundation in experiential education.

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” ~John Dewey, American philosopher and educational reformist

The second part of the program changes dramatically to include 16 credits in studentdesigned, project-based, independent learning.

“I always tell students first and foremost ‘Follow your passion. Pursue that’,” said Scott Wurdinger, professor of experiential education. “And so they come up with these very creative projects and field experiences.”

Within the program there are parameters and standards set for the independent study component. “When you do something a little bit different, you have to be even more careful about documentation and assessment,” said Hunt, “We are constantly questioned regarding the worth of the individualized learning experiences,” he said. “We hold our students, and they hold themselves, to a high level of accountability and assessment.

“Although the program began as an outdoor adventure program, and we still have a strong outdoor adventure component, now we also have a lot of students interested in experiential education that is not wilderness-based,” added Hunt. Various

student interests include wilderness/adventure education, church youth programs, corporate training, K-12 teachers, and more.

The increased use of project-based learning in charter schools is opening doors for graduates. “More and more the charter schools that are being authorized are showing innovation in curriculum and instruction. Many of them are integrating project-based learning and experiential education,” said Wurdinger. “It is exciting to see these types of career opportunities for our graduates.”

Whether it’s adventure education, K-12 education, or corporate training, Mankato’s experiential education faculty is committed to facilitating individualized learning for their students. That unwavering dedication has proven to be an extremely effective component of the program. And, Minnesota State Mankato’s Experiential Education Program and its graduates will continue to break new ground in unconventional and exciting ways.

Call for Innovation

“The launch of Sputnik in the 50s by the Soviet Union raised concerns in the U.S. about our education system,” said Julie Carlson, professor of experiential education. “In the early 70s, the federal government initiated a big push for innovations in the schools.”

“In 1971, a collection of progressive leaders at Mankato State College attended an educator’s course at Minnesota Outward Bound in Ely,” said Jasper Hunt, professor of experiential education. “They were captivated and decided to pursue the development of a graduate program at Mankato. Not long afterward, a pilot program funded collectively by the Wallace Foundation, MN Outward Bound, and Mankato State College was established.

“The idea was so new, they didn’t even know what to call it—humanistic education, experimental education, confluent education,” said Hunt. “They decided on experiential education and the first students were admitted to the graduate program in the fall of 1972.”

9

Research Asks,

“Are we doing enough?”

10

11

Elizabeth Sandell (right), associate professor of elementary & early childhood education, and Erika Koenig, undergraduate teacher candidate, received funding from multiple sources to conduct research on cultural competency. As part of an undergraduate research team, Koenig presented the research at several conferences including the 2012 National Undergraduate Research Conference.

This country has long been described as a melting pot, and, increasingly, classrooms in every corner of the U.S. reflect that description. The most effective teachers understand and adapt their teaching to cultural differences and have some experience living and/or working in a culture other than their own. Recent changes in Minnesota teacher licensure requirements include a section for teacher candidates to “demonstrate cultural competency.”

But cultural competency is not a new concept for Minnesota State Mankato’s College of Education. Cultural diversity curriculum and international field experience have been staples of the program for years.

Elizabeth Sandell, associate professor of elementary & early childhood education, wondered: Are we doing enough to prepare our teachers? Is what we are doing effective?

Can we do better?

Over the past year, Sandell and a team of students have been conducting research to determine the best method(s) for assessing competencies in interacting with and teaching other cultures as well as effective methods for teaching cultural competency.

“I have been teaching human relations in a multicultural society and realized that students take the course early in their teacher prep programs,” said Sandell. “I felt it might be a good place to measure and to enhance students’ cultural competency.”

She began measuring student growth in her classroom with a pre- and post-test using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). The IDI measures five core mindsets and behaviors related to cultural competency: unaware; polarization; minimization; acceptance; and adaptation. Movement along the continuum is the developmental goal.

Initially, Sandell found that students were very ethnocentric. “It is hard to be competent with another culture when we are only seeing it from our own point of view,” she said. “And I didn’t realize it until I started assessing it. This is one of the reasons I care about the research, because it helps me teach better—because I can start with students where they are. “ As a result of the first assessment and in an effort to improve student growth, Sandell made teaching changes in three areas— knowledge, experience and reflection. First, knowledge—she adopted a new textbook and designed learning experiences so students would acquire the best information possible.

Second, experience—she added a cultural partnership assignment in which her students spent at least nine hours with someone from a culture different from his or her own. And third, reflection—she led the students in classroom-based reflections and required her students to write reflection papers on their experiences.

The changes made a difference. Sandell’s analysis of the second group of students showed that, according to the pre- and post-IDI tests, every student had grown in their level of cultural competency and many advanced one full stage.

She was pleased with the progress but recognizes that the work needs to continue.

“The goal is that students will continue to grow and by the time they graduate, they will have moved down the continuum toward competency,” said Sandell.

Sandell’s research on cultural competency has many facets. In addition to improving her own instruction, Sandell led a group of undergraduate students researching the most effective method to assess cultural competency.

Erika Koenig was one of those students.

There are different ways to measure cultural competency. “The IDI is only one tool,” explained Sandell. “There are ways to assess cultural competency with

other instruments or through analysis of reflection papers.”

Koenig coded and recorded student reflection papers. This coding allowed her to see if the reflection paper assessments matched the students’ scores on the IDI. The results did not match.

“Initially, the fact that they did not match disappointed me,” said Sandell. “But then we realized that the papers were written in the middle of the semester and the IDI post-test was given at the end of the semester. Because students grew in their cultural competency during the second half of the semester, it made sense that the reflection papers didn’t match their final scores on the IDI.” “In addition,” said Koenig, “I conducted a subcategory of research related to disengagement. It had to do with how well students knew their own culture. It was interesting because we focus a lot on other cultures, but really, how well do we know our own?”

According to Koenig, it is important to understand one’s own culture so that each person can appreciate and understand other cultures. Sandell agreed, “When we

understand our own culture better, we can engage in other people’s cultures. We are not defensive. We are not offensive.”

Understanding how cultural competency is learned and finding tools for measuring cultural competency growth are only two of the outcomes measured by Sandell and her students’ research.

“We conducted this research for a number of reasons, some of which include making my instruction most effective; making a difference for students; and identifying the optimum time to take the human relations course,” said Sandell.

“Teachers encounter a whole range of students and families whose backgrounds are different from their own—different first languages, different social-economic statuses, different religions,” said Sandell. “Teachers have to be able to figure that out and be respectful of the differences and similarities to be effective teachers.”

118 Armstrong Hall, Mankato, MN 56001

The College of Education, a leader and innovator in education, is celebrating our reaccreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Since our last review, we have grown to more than 600 graduate-level students, added two doctoral degrees, established an off-campus learning site, and developed three international partnerships. Although our students and programs are diverse, we are united in our ongoing commitment to preparing professional educators who embrace big ideas. For more information about how you can join our celebration and support our students and faculty to transform their big ideas into real-world thinking, contact Stefanie Kelly at stefanie.kelly@mnsu.edu or 507-317-1264.