Meeting Common Core Standards for Math

Posted on August 5, 2014December 7, 2021 by

Megan Staples, associate professor of mathematics education, center, speaks with two teachers from Manchester High School, Cathy Mazzotta, left, and Adrianne Satin, during a workshop at the Neag School of Education. (Shawn Kornegay/UConn photo)

For three days this summer, math teachers from three Connecticut school districts have worked with UConn faculty members and graduate students to develop skills and resources to enable them to meet new teaching and assessment standards and improve their students’ learning in math. The workshop, part of a federally funded project known as Bridging Practices Among Connecticut Mathematics Educators, is led by four UConn faculty members: Megan Staples, Dorothea Anagnostopoulos, and Tutita Casa of the Neag School of Education and Fabiana Cardetti of the Department of Mathematics. Staples and Anagnostopoulos outlined the goals and rationale of the initiative for UConn Today.

Q: What are some of the new demands for math in the Common Core and accompanying assessments – in Connecticut, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium test?

A: Both the Common Core and the Smarter Balanced Assessment are placing more emphasis on students’ abilities to construct, communicate, and critique mathematical arguments, as well as setting the bar a little higher for the depth of conceptual understanding students need. An emphasis on argumentation and communicating reasoning supports both goals. It moves beyond students using mathematical procedures, algorithms, or formulas. While students need to develop skills and fluency with procedures, they also need to understand the mathematical reasoning behind when you would use these procedures and why. A focus on argumentation and reasoning also means greater emphasis on expressing ideas verbally and in written form.

Q: What is the significance of these new demands?

A: These new demands represent a fundamental shift for teachers and students and for teacher educators. Although for decades the mathematics and mathematics education communities have called for deep understanding, reasoning, and good problem-solving skills, the Common Core puts these ideas more in the fore by articulating a set of standards of mathematical practice. In addition, the new assessment system targets these important outcomes – moving beyond just multiple choice testing of smaller bits of knowledge. This emphasis – both in standards and assessment – on understanding, reasoning, and communication is very different from conventional mathematics teaching and learning in U.S. K-12 schools.

Although many teachers already emphasize some Common Core mathematical practices, teaching students to reason abstractly, share their reasoning, and formulate mathematical arguments will require teachers to deepen both their own mathematical knowledge for teaching and their ability to employ instructional practices that support students’ communication about their mathematical reasoning and understanding. When teachers engage students’ ideas so fully, it opens up a lot of uncertainty for the teacher, as she must manage multiple perspectives, misconceptions, and be able to hear the good mathematics in what students are saying, even if it is not so clearly articulated yet. Teacher educators will also need to deepen their knowledge and instructional skill to make sure that beginning teachers enter schools prepared to help their students meet the Common Core Standards.

Fabiana Cardetti, associate professor of mathematics, works with teachers from three Connecticut school districts on issues related to math instruction for Common Core. (Shawn Kornegay/UConn Photo)

Q: How does the UConn project address these challenges?

A: The Bridging Practices Among Connecticut Mathematics Educators project, or Bridging Mathematics Project, creates a professional learning community that includes multi-grade teams of mathematics teachers from the Hartford, Mansfield, and Manchester School Districts and UConn teacher education and mathematics faculty, and master’s level pre-service teachers. The teachers and faculty will work together to create curricular and instructional resources and tools that will support students in constructing, communicating, and critiquing arguments in mathematics.

The faculty and teachers have begun work on these tools in the 2014 Summer Workshop. During the workshop, teachers have explored various approaches to engaging students in mathematical argumentation, such as using a routine called the Talk Frame, as they have deepened their understanding of proportional and algebraic reasoning. Teaching routines that help shift classrooms from I-tell-and-you-do toward incorporating more student thinking, reasoning, and sorting through of challenging concepts have an important role to play.

Teachers also have developed their skills in working together with their colleagues to create tools they can use in and across their classrooms to support their students’ learning. This work is important because currently teachers do not have enough resources to implement Common Core well. Textbooks are still working to align to new standards, and teachers need materials with consistent attention to reasoning and sense making at all grade levels. One outcome of the project will be a shared repository of tools – tasks, rubrics, instructional tools – that have been developed and vetted by this group. This work will continue into the 2014-2015 school year, culminating in a final 2015 Summer Workshop.

Alvaro Lozano-Robledo, assistant professor of mathematics, works with teachers from three Connecticut school districts on issues related to math instruction for Common Core. (Shawn Kornegay/UConn Photo)

Q: What are the benefits of these techniques for how children learn math?

A: Over the decades, we’ve learned a lot about how students learn. Students learn by being able to build on their prior knowledge and figure out how new ideas fit in with and extend the old. Teaching in ways that center on student reasoning supports learning across the board. In addition, when students are asked to reason more, they generally are asked to talk more, share their thinking, and consider others’ perspectives. In doing so, they develop skills in expressing their ideas, communicating, and recognizing that there are multiple approaches to problem solving and ways of reasoning. They also learn that they can learn – that they can figure out ideas and collaborate with others to gain new knowledge. Two important goals of education are ensuring that students can learn independently and can contribute positively to our democratic society. Both are supported by pedagogies that focus on reasoning and sense making.

Q: Do you expect these techniques to mollify some of the controversy surrounding the introduction of the Common Core?

A: Primarily no. A lot of the controversy around Common Core is largely political. The controversies do not always focus on questions of what is best for children, but rather who should decide. So in that sense no. Another piece of the controversy likely comes from general anxiety about change, which is extremely reasonable given that this is a very large change and it does not seem that adequate time and resources are being devoted to supporting teachers to make this shift. In addition, teachers are under intense pressures with all the changes happening around teacher evaluation.

And this leads to the small sense in which the answer is yes. The more educators understand the goals, have opportunities to develop appropriate pedagogies, have time and resources to make the shift, including time to collaborate with colleagues, the better off, generally, their schools, their colleagues, their parents, and ultimately their students will be in approaching Common Core.

Grant Provides Summer Mentoring Opportunities for Promising High School Students

Posted on July 22, 2014December 9, 2016 by Heather Spottiswoode

The scholarship recipients gather after their first full day of working with the faculty members. Pictured include (l-r): Demi Rodriguez, Isabel Marshall, Destiny Colorado, Benjamin Vu and Brianna Collins. Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay

Five Fairfield County high school students interested in pursuing science and technology careers will have the opportunity to attend the UConn Mentor Connection program this summer, thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation.

Coming from Bridgeport, Trumbull, Shelton and New Canaan, the scholarship recipients will spend three weeks in July living at UConn’s Storrs’ campus and working closely with faculty mentors in their areas of interest.

“Mentor Connection has a remarkable record of helping high potential/low-income students pursue their dreams of matriculation to four-year colleges and universities,” said Joseph Renzulli, Ph.D., director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, which oversees the program. “We are grateful for the support provided by the Fairfield County Community Foundation, which will help change the lives of young people as they pursue their dreams and progress along their paths to higher education.”

During the program, participants take on the role of scholar and practitioner by working on real, ongoing projects at the university. They also get a taste of college life by living in dorms, eating in dining halls and getting to know other talented, motivated students from around the state and across the country.

Founded in 1996, UConn Mentor Connection accepts talented rising high school juniors and seniors and matches them with university faculty or advanced graduate students who mentor the students for three weeks as they participate on research teams.

“Our young people must be exposed to exciting, emerging careers,” said Juanita James, president and CEO of the Fairfield County Community Foundation. “UConn’s Mentor Connection program immerses students in the actual work and college life that helps them experience what their futures could be.”

Of the five 2014 scholarship recipients, Brianna Collins from Shelton High School will work in Dr. Deborah Fein’s Psychology lab on a project related to understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Destiny Colorado from Bridge Academy in Bridgeport, Isabel Marshall from New Canaan High School, and Demi Rodriguez from Central Magnet High School in Bridgeport will work with Tim Hunter on projects being developed in the Digital Media and Design Center.

Benjamin Vu from Trumbull High School will work with Dr. Robin Bogner on a project focused on developing pharmaceutics.

More than 70 students from Connecticut and six other states will participate in this summer’s program, working with mentors in 24 different areas across the university. Each year, the program strives to provide scholarship support from a variety of sources for students to attend, ensuring that no student’s financial circumstance prevents participation.

“When students complete the 18-day experience, they return to school in the fall intellectually and creatively energized by their time spent on the University of Connecticut campus,” said George Moran, guidance counselor at Central Magnet High School.

One of the program’s past participants, now a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, recently described the program’s influence as igniting a “lifelong spirit of discovery.”

The Fairfield County Community Foundation promotes the growth of community and regional philanthropy to improve the quality of life throughout Fairfield County. Individuals, families, corporations and organizations can establish charitable funds or contribute to existing funds. The Foundation also provides philanthropic advisory services and develops and leads initiatives to tackle critical community issues. It is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards for community foundations. The Foundation has awarded more than $168 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond. For more information, visit www.fccfoundation.org.

Accolades: Read About the News and Accomplishments from our Students, Alumni and Faculty/Staff

Posted on June 4, 2014February 10, 2022 by

Accolades – below are news and notes from our alumni, faculty, staff, and students. We are proud of all the amazing accomplishments by our Neag family. If you have an accolade to share, we want to hear from you! Please send any news items (and story ideas) to shawn.kornegay@uconn.edu.

Students

Jennifer Fiestas, a New London Renzulli Academy student, was one of three students to win an award from Microsoft for Best Invention for Enabling Improved Lifestyle Living or Access by the Disabled. Jennifer invented the “Zee Key” – a piano keyboard with braille notes to aid the visually impaired in learning to play the piano.

Congratulations to the following NGSA Spring 2014 Travel Awards recipients! Once again we had an impressive group of researchers!

Receiving a travel award of $175 are:

William Adams
Beomkyu Choi
Robert Huggins
Jennifer Hyde
Hayley MacDonald
Jessica Martinez
Isabel Park
Jon Rizzo
Sudha Srinivasin
Adam J Sterczala
Michael Sundeen
Nicole Timbrell
Lesley Vandermark
Yan Wei
Huihui Yu

Receiving a travel award of $100 are…

Brent Creighton
Abby Gordon
Zhao Xuelian
Colleen Munoz

UConn Collegiate Chapter of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) organized and hosted a mini-conference for music education majors in the Gentry building. The event, titled “Behind the Scenes of a Successful Program: a Professional Development Day for Aspiring Music Educators,” involved three music educators presenting on a variety of subjects important to the field of music education.

Secondary pre-service math teachers in IB/M took a field trip to the Museum of Math in NYC. Sharon Heyman, a doctoral student in Curriculum & Instruction, is teaching the secondary Math Methods class while Megan Staples is on sabbatical leave this semester.

Lasan Kromah, a master’s student in Educational Psychology: Cognition, Instruction & Learning Technology, was on the 2014 National Championship Men’s Basketball team.

Scott McCarthy was chosen to be highlighted as an early career professional on the NASP website. He defended his dissertation last month.

Aimee Mwizerwa has been awarded a Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) grant of $16,800 to support her studies leading to a Master’s degree in the TCPCG Program. The MMMF nonprofit public charity was established in 1981 to honor the late Margaret McNamara, who dedicated her life to advocating for education for underserved populations worldwide. The MMMF awards grants to support the education of women from developing countries, who are enrolled in U.S. or Canadian universities and who are committed to work for the benefit of women and children in developing countries.

Alumni

Robert A. Corbo, a lifetime resident of Norwalk died April 29. He was 87. Corbo was born June 23, 1926, he was the son of Grace Mezzo Anderson and stepson of Arvid J. Anderson. He graduated from the Norwalk High, class of 1944, and was a World War II veteran of the United States Army Air Corps. He served from 1945 to 1946 and was discharged with the rank of sergeant. He then graduated from the University of Connecticut, earning a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and a 6th Year Certificate in Business Education. He taught for four years in Colchester at Bacon Academy, six years at Middlesex Junior High in Darien, and 23 years in Greenwich as a teacher and as an administrator. He retired from the Greenwich System in 1985.

Alumni from the Higher Education Student Administration (HESA) program celebrated their inaugural reunion coupled with professional development on May 3.

Neag School of Education Alumni Awards –

The Outstanding Early Career Professional is Jennifer C. Nelson, ’09 BS special education, ’10 MA special education, Special Education Teacher in Ridgefield Public Schools.

The Outstanding Early Career Professional is Jon Welty Peachey, Ph.D., ’09 Ph.D. in sports management, Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois.

The Outstanding Kinesiology Professional is NiCole R. Keith, Ph.D., ’99 Ph.D. in exercise physiology, Research Scientist at Indiana University Center for Aging Research; Investigator in Regenstrief Institute Incorporated; and Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis.

The Outstanding Physical Therapy Professional is Michael L. Reed, PT, DPT, OCS, MTC, ’89 BS in physical therapy, Director of HSS Florida and HSS Spine & Sport, Hospital for Special Surgery, NYC.

Neag School of Education Alumni Awards –

Outstanding School Educator is Sandra M. Bidwell, ’87 MA, ’91 Sixth Year Degree, Reading Recovery Teacher and Reading and Writing Instructional Support Teacher at Staffordville Elementary School.

Outstanding School Administrator is Louis F. DeLoreto, Ph.D., ’00 Sixth Year Degree, ’12 Ph.D., Principal of Edwin O. Smith High School.

The Outstanding School Superintendent is Paul S. Freeman, Ed.D., ’09 Ed.D., Superintendent of Guilford Public Schools.

Outstanding Higher Education Professional is Sally M. Reis, Ph.D., ’81 Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, UConn.

Outstanding Professional is Felice M. Duffy, Ph.D., ’82 BA, ’85 MA, ’91 Ph.D., Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut in New Haven, CT.

Distinguished Alumni of the Year is Dr. Robert C. Pianta, ’77 BS, ’78 MA, dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia

Aaron Anderson, the director of strategic organizational initiatives for the College of Business at San Francisco State University, is a winner of the 2014 Management Innovation eXchange (MIX) Digital Freedom Challenge for his “Working in Plain View” story. He earned a BS in math from the Neag School in 1987.

Elizabeth Bumgardner is the new principal at North Windham School. She earned a 6^th Year Certificate in educational administration from the Neag School in 2012.

Lenny Carlson ’62 (ED), ’63 MS, assistant men’s basketball coach at August State University – Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Ga., was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in June 2013 in Worcester, Mass.

Craig Cooke was appointed superintendent of Windsor Public Schools. He had been serving as interim since 2009 and prior to that, he was Windsor School’s assistant superintendent for human resources. He earned a 6th Year Certificate in 2001 and a Ph.D. in 2009.

Kathryn (Scoville) Desrosiers ’01 (ED), music coordinator for Bolton (Conn.) Public Schools, was named the 2013-14 Bolton Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year. A flutist, she also teaches high school concert band, seventh- and eighth-grade concert band, advanced placement music theory, and music technology.

Angelo L. dos Santos ’70 (ED), ’73 JD, a senior judge on the Windham District Superior Court in Connecticut, received in October the Americo S. Ventura Lifetime Achievement Award from the Portuguese Bar Association of Connecticut; the Our Lady of Fatima Appreciation Award; the Outstanding Member Medal from the Portuguese Club of Hartford; official citations from the State of Connecticut Senate, the General Assembly, and the Office of the Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill; and an official statement from the Office of Connecticut Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.

David Garvey ’06 Ph.D., director of UConn’s Nonprofit Leadership Program and adjunct professor in UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, received the ACCESS Community Action Agency’s 2013 Community Service Award in recognition of his dedication to low-income families

Charles J. Hague, whobegan his career teaching in the Cheshire School System in 1956 where he worked at several elementary schools, recently passed away. Throughout his time with the school system he served as principal of both Chapman and Highland Elementary Schools before his retirement in 1992. He obtained his Master’s and 6th Year Certificate in education from the Neag School of Education.

Beth Hennessy appointed principal at Central Elementary School. Hennessy has been an elementary language arts consultant for the district at Squadron Line School and Central School for seven years. She earned a 6^th Year Certificate in curriculum and instruction in 2011.

Marshall Jenkins ’55 (ED), ’72 Ph.D. is the author of Intellectually Persecuted, published in December 2012 by Tate Publishing & Enterprises LLC. The book is available at Barnes & Noble and on amazon.com.

Michael Louis ’05 (ED), ’07 MA, a four-year letterwinner for the UConn men’s tennis team and a six-year assistant coach for the Huskies, is the UConn men’s tennis head coach. He previously served as head coach of the men’s and women’s teams at the University of Hartford.

Michael Luzietti was named principal at Latimer Lane School, Luzietti, who for the past two years has served as principal of New Hartford Elementary and Bakerville Consolidated Schools, worked for the school system as an elementary physical education teacher for 11 years, according to the release. He earned a 6^th Year Certificate in educational administration in 2009.

Maria Miranda ’70 was selected as the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce 64^th Annual Citizen of the Year. The veteran advertising executive and UConn graduate was awarded the honor for her contributions not only to the chamber’s growth, but the support she has provided to burgeoning entrepreneurs across the region.

Candace Morell was appointed principal of Mansfield Middle School starting July 1. She previously served as the assistant principal. She has a BS, MA and 6^th Year Certificate from the Neag School.

Jan M. Murphy has been hired as the next principal of West Elementary School. She earned a 6^th Year Certificate in educational psychology/gifted & talented education in 2002.

Terry A. Osborn, dean and professor of the College of Education at USF Sarasota-Manatee since 2010, was appointed to regional vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. He earned a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction in 1998.

Margaret “Maggie” (Shafran) Rosa ’64 (ED), an advisor for the Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society at the University of Vermont, received in August the 2013 Excellence in Advising Award from Mortar Board, presented annually to an advisor who has provided exceptional support to help a Mortar Board chapter achieve its goals.

Kristen (Heiligman) Shanley ’99 (ED), ’00 MA, a seventh-grade language teacher at Dodd Middle School in Cheshire, Conn., was named the 2013-14 Cheshire Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year.

Two graduates of our Ph.D. in Adult Learning Program, Tim Speicher (2010) and Jason Zigmont (2008) were co-authors, along with a third author, of an article titled “Evidence Based Concept Mapping for the Athletic Training Student” which received First Place for the 2014 Athletic Training Education Journal Outstanding Non-Research Manuscript.

Tara (Kozulko) Stritch ’01 is assistant athletic trainer for the U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Senior National Team.

Lois Greene Stone, ‘55, writer and poet, has been syndicated worldwide. Poetry and personal essays have been included in hard & softcover book anthologies. Collections of her personal items/ photos/ memorabilia are in major museums including twelve different divisions of The Smithsonian. Married since 1956 to Dr. Gerald E. Stone, MD, she became a great-grandmother in May 2014. The first of her 15 grandchildren was born on May 8^th 27 years ago, and her first great-grandchild was born on May 8^th this year.

Denise E. Wilbur ’80 MA is interim vice president for academic affairs at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. She previously served as vice president for academic affairs and professor education, chief academic officer of the Gwynedd-Valley College in Gwynedd-Valley, Pa.

Kristine Reed Woleck, who previously served as assistant principal at East Elementary School in New Canaan, will return to the school as principal. She earned a 6^th Year Certificate in educational administration in 2009.

Faculty

Tenure and Promotion

Promotion to Professor

Jennifer Bruening Educational Leadership

Michael Coyne Educational Psychology

Joseph Madaus Educational Psychology

D. Betsy McCoach Educational Psychology

Promotion to Associate Processor and Tenure

Morgaen Donaldson Educational Leadership

Natalie Olinghouse Educational Psychology

Anjana Bhat Kinesiology

Promotion to Associate Clinical Professor (non-tenure track)

Sandra Billings Curriculum & Instruction

Susan Payne Curriculum & Instruction

Promotion to Assistant Clinical Professor (non-tenure track)

Maryclaire Sullivan-Capetta Kinesiology

Tenure Track Reappointments

Tutita Casa Assistant Professor Curriculum & Instruction

Joseph Cooper Assistant Professor Educational Leadership

Lindsay DiStefano Assistant Professor Kinesiology

Hannah Dostal Assistant Professor Curriculum & Instruction

Shaun Dougherty Assistant Professor Educational Leadership

Jennifer Freeman Assistant Professor Educational Psychology

Rachael Gabriel Assistant Professor Curriculum & Instruction

Richard Gonzales Assistant Professor Educational Leadership

Justin LaFerrier Assistant Professor Kinesiology

Tamika LaSalle Assistant Professor Educational Psychology

Elaine Chuong Hee Lee Assistant Professor Kinesiology

Allison Lombardi Assistant Professor Educational Psychology

Stephanie Mazerolle Assistant Professor Kinesiology

Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead Assistant Professor Educational Psychology

Christopher Rhoads Assistant Professor Educational Psychology

Jennie Weiner Assistant Professor Educational Leadership

Megan Welsh Assistant Professor Educational Psychology

Sarah Woulfin Assistant Professor Educational Leadership

EMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARY RECOGNITION

Sally Reis Renzulli 25 years

Keith Barker 30 years

Jeffrey Crouse 30 years

Mary Anne Doyle 30 years

Joanne Roberg 30 years

Cheryl Bressette 35 years

Scott Brown was named Board of Trustee Distinguished Professor at UConn. This is the highest academic award bestowed to a faculty member.

The Institute for Teaching & Learning, First Year Experience Program & Learning Communities, and the Honors Program are pleased to announce their awardees for their excellence in teaching and advising awards. The recognition dinner was held on April 24^th at the Alumni House. The award recipients are:

Outstanding First Year Experience Teaching Awards
Jaci VanHeest, Educational Psychology & Kinesiology

2014-2015 Teaching Fellow Awards
Mary Truxaw, Curriculum & Instruction

2014-2015 – Outstanding Adjunct Awards
Jann Leppien, Educational Psychology

EDLR faculty (Morgaen L. Donaldson, Kimberly LeChasseur, Anjalé D. Welton and Casey D. Cobb) were awarded the Davis Award the best paper from EAQ for 2013. The William J. Davis Award is given annually to the authors of the most outstanding article published in Educational Administration Quarterly (EAQ) during the preceding volume year. The Davis Award was established in 1979 with contributions in honor of the late William J. Davis, former associate director of UCEA and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Neag School of Education’s Teacher Prep Program has been accepted into AACTE’s first networked improvement community (NIC). We were one of 10 member institutions selected out of 50 applications. The NIC is aimed at increasing the diversity of our nation’s teacher candidate pool by focusing on recruitment of more Black and Hispanic men into teacher preparation programs. This NIC is one of the programs AACTE has launched as part of their new initiative, The Innovation Exchange.

The Korey Stringer Institute has partnered with USA Football to support its Heads Up Football program that strives to make the game better and safer for youth and high school football players. Also, KSI has completed an agreement for a $300K donation with the NFL Foundation to support KSI’s work.

The Neag School of Education hosted a presentation on “Smarter Balance Assessment System in Connecticut” featuring the executive director of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, Dr. Joe Willhoft. The new system will replace the CT Master Test and CT Academic Performance Test.

Larry Armstrong was elected president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

The MA Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education Department has released a new research brief on the academic impact of career and technical education in Massachusetts. Authored by Shaun Dougherty, the report finds that enrolling in and attending an oversubscribed regional vocational-technical school increases the probability of on-time graduation to nearly 100 percent. That compares to a rate of roughly 60 percent for those students who just barely missed gaining admission and did not attend one of these schools. To read the report, go to http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/2014/03EdLines-CTEimpact.pdf.

Tom Goodkind conducted a workshop entitled “Today’s Mass Media, Personal Technology, and Democratic Core Values” at the 45th annual Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies (NERC) on April 8, 2014.

Elizabeth Howard co-directed a grant that resulted in Words in Motion, a cognate-based academic vocabulary curriculum for the middle school grades. Words in Motion is available for free download on the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) website. Words in Motion was developed, piloted, and implemented in Connecticut schools as part of the grant EVoCA: Enhancing Vocabulary through Cognate Awareness, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. There are three versions of the curriculum: monolingual English, cross-linguistic (primarily in English with explicit connections to Spanish) and bilingual (English/Spanish

Elaine Lee won a Mentorship Award (M Award) from the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) at UConn. The period of funding support runs April 1, 2014 – March 31, 2017, in the amount of $50,000 per year. She proposed a three-year initiative to promote STEM education from the earliest stages possible in underrepresented minorities, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and also in young female students.

Don Leu is a member of the PIRLS 2016 Reading Development Group (RDG) developing the first international assessment of 10-year olds ability to read online and learn new information. He attended meetings of this group in London this month. He also gave a seminar at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland on the assessment of online research and comprehension.

Alan Marcus has a new partnership with the Fairfield Museum. “Behind the Scenes” provides visitors to the Fairfield Museum the chance to learn about the process of putting together Creating Community: Exploring 375 Years of Our Past. Designed by Marcus, Behind the Scenes gives visitors an inside look into how history is presented, making the exhibition design process more transparent by adding a form of “footnotes.” Exhibitor visitors will find 14 “behind the scenes” footnotes. Each footnote has a QR code that visitors can scan with their phone. Marcus, along with his master’s students, designed a new exhibit “The Impact of Weather & Geography on WWII” at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History. It opened on May 5.

Natalie Olinghouse is a panel contributor to this IES practice guide.

Jim O’Neil will be releasing Men’s Gender Role Conflict: Psychological Costs, Consequences, and an Agenda for Change in October, 2014.

Linda Pescatello won a Core Interest Group (CIG) Award from the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) in the amount of $30,000. She used part of the funds to host a full-day workshop on “Thinking About Obesity: Building Science Initiatives at UConn and UConn Health.” The workshop was on April 28.

Yuhang Rong, the assistant dean at the Neag School of Education, was appointed assistant vice provost for global affairs.

Del Siegle was recognized by the Montana AGATE Board with the Friend of AGATE Award. The Montana AGATE Handbook states that the recipient should have “in some way significantly furthered AGATE goals to improve Gifted Education” and should not be a member of AGATE. The Board wholeheartedly believes that Del embodies the essence of furthering the goals of AGATE.

Susanne Wilson was chosen by AERA and Educational Researcher as an Outstanding Reviewer for 2013. She will be publicly recognized at the AERA annual meeting in April.

HESA Alumni Celebrate Inaugural Reunion, Take Part in Professional Development

Posted on June 4, 2014December 7, 2021 by

HESA Students present their assessment project posters to conference attendees. Photo credit: Cody Lewin, HESA graduate student.

Neag School Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) alumni recently reconnected with friends and colleagues and networked at the first-of-its-kind, one-day professional development conference on the UConn campus. HESA is a graduate degree partnership program with UConn’s Student Affairs and the Neag School of Education.

Titled “Celebrate HESA/Change: Are you ready?,” the event brought together 45 HESA alumni, students and faculty members who attended a variety of presentations, including:

“Attaining Cultural Competencies for Student Affairs Professionals” presented by Angela Rola, director of UConn’s Asian American Cultural Center
“Considering, or Reconsidering Your Career Path, an Exploration of Your Next Step” presented by Beth Settje and Lisa McGuire, senior assistant directors at UConn’s Center for Career Development.

A roundtable for graduating HESA students also took place, entitled “Enhancing Your Search Process and Attracting the Best: Reflections of Current Job Seekers.”

HESA Program Director Sue Saunders addressing the audience. Photo credit: Cody Lewin, HESA graduate student.

“It was not only great to see the alumni coming back, but also to get a chance to listen to subjects that we don’t typically cover in class,” said HESA Program Coordinator Sue Saunders, an extension professor within the Department of Educational Leadership at Neag School of Education.

Two lectures that particularly caught her attention were those related to social media, “Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Positive Change” and “Getting Your Thumbs Dirty: 24 Social Media Tips and Uses in Student Affairs” presented by Ed Cabellon, director of Student Affairs at Bridgewater State University.

“If you work in student affairs, social media is getting more and more important. We really need to be conversant with its practices and how we can use the social media tools to engage our students more in the learning process,” Saunders said.

The HESA Alumni Council was also formed at the reunion, with 2007 graduate Joshua Brandfon named its first president.

“I’m glad to be able to help strengthen the connection between the HESA program and its alumni in any way I can,” said Brandfon, who currently works as director of Student Affairs at the University of Miami. “Our alumni have positions at institutions across the country and can be a great resource to current students.”

“We hope that alumni will be able to share career advice, connect with each other at national conferences, and stay informed about what’s happening in Storrs,” Brandfon continued.

Adam Frank, who graduated from the program in 2009, said he had a wonderful time at the reunion: “Everyone who has gone through the program has an undeniable bond. Even if we weren’t in the program together, we shared this unique and immersive learning experience.”

He is now director of Student Involvement at SUNY Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY. “The professional development sessions provided some wonderful insights into how I can best leverage my position and experience to advance at my current institution and position myself better to move ahead in the future.”

Featuring classes taught by student affairs practitioner and full-time faculty scholars, the HESA program requires the completion of 44 credit hours. A cohort of 18-20 students is admitted into the program each year, completing core academic classes over two years of study.

“We are planning to make the reunion an annual or biannual event to provide systematic and continuing involvement for our alumni, current students and the program,” Saunders added.

Neag Alumna Using Education to Improve Teacher Training, Math Curriculum in Zambia

Posted on June 4, 2014December 7, 2021 by

Carly Buehler isn’t daunted by the idea of working with limited resources under challenging situations. The Neag alumna has been a volunteer teacher at a community school for orphans and other vulnerable, at-risk children in Lusaka, Zambia, since graduating from the Neag School’s Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s Teacher Education program in 2012. And there, she is using her education and expertise to make a real difference.

Named Chikumbuso, meaning “remembrance,” the school is a grassroots project designed to provide children with a free education, as well as to provide widows with the job skills they need to support themselves and their families.

“I fell in love with Chikumbuso when I visited there for two weeks during my senior year in high school, working on a project called ‘The Stigma of AIDS.’ I told myself I would go back again,” said Buehler, who was introduced to the school by Connecticut family friend and founder Linda Wilkinson.

The opportunity to go back to Chikumbuso came in 2009, when she spent three months as an intern there, helping classroom teachers and working with single mothers and widows. It was then she began considering how to use opportunities for independent study and her Neag education to be even more useful in Zambia.

“The most powerful thing I took away from Chikumbuso was how eager the children were to learn,” Buehler said. “As a young student, I had always taken my education for granted. But in Zambia, most children don’t have the opportunity to go to school. Throughout my studies at UConn, I always appreciated what I was learning and was always thinking about how I could use my education to improve the work being done at Chikumbuso.”

Now living in Zambia and working at Chikumbuso as a full-time volunteer, Buehler’s responsibilities include lesson planning and assessment, improving the math curriculum, teaching math classes, and holding training workshops for local teachers who don’t have access to government support.

“Carly’s commitment and enthusiasm for her work is inspirational,” said Mary Truxaw, Neag School associate mathematics professor and Buehler’s independent study advisor. “I’m proud that she has developed a strong stance as a lifelong learner, where she continues to push herself to learn more so that she can support the learning of others.”

Buehler visited UConn last December with Getrude Banda, who earned her teaching certification by working at Chikumbuso and later became the school’s principal. “It was such a rewarding experience to share my unique story with the current Neag students,” Buehler said. “There are so many unique teaching experiences around the world, and I was pleased that I could share my experience with those at UConn who may have not considered ‘untraditional’ teaching opportunities.”

Buehler’s “untraditional” teaching experience includes getting used to working in a place where it’s hard to find a printer or copy machine, power outages occur at least once a week, and bad internet connections are common.

“I’ve learned how difficult it is to create an engaging and fun lesson with very limited supplies,” Buehler said. “It is difficult, but not impossible.”

Another challenge for Buehler has been the community’s unfamiliarity with books. Reading has not always been an important part of the lives of those who attend, and live near Chikumbuso—something Buehler is working to change. Toward this end, she created a school wide reading competition and encouraged teachers to use library books in their classrooms and read aloud to students. The school only received its first books three years ago.

“Carly has clearly been touched by the Chikumbuso project,” said Thomas Levine, Neag School assistant professor in Curriculum & Instruction, who helped arrange her recent Neag visit. “She has gained invaluable experience working on curriculum, professional development for teachers, and in teaching, despite the challenges she has faced.”

“After teaching in Zambia, I feel I could walk into any school district and make the best of what supplies are available to me,” said Buehler, who plans to one day teach in the United States and provide her students with a focus on global awareness. “I’ve gained a lot of strength and confidence and know, first-hand, how important it is for children to be exposed to different cultures, traditions and family structures. It can change a student’s outlook on life, just like it did to me.”

Kinesiology Moves, College of Agriculture Renamed

Posted on June 4, 2014December 7, 2021 by

In an effort to more closely align the teaching, research and outreach programs of the Department of Kinesiology with the college in which it is based, the department was recently relocated to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, an area that has increasingly expanded its focus on human health.

As part of that shift, the Board of Trustees voted to rename the new home of kinesiology the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources.

The relocation of the kinesiology department from the Neag School of Education reflects the natural evolution of a discipline rooted in the development of physical education teachers.

“Over the past few years the research focus of many of members within the Department of Kinesiology has shifted, in particular toward the area of genetics and genomics,” said Thomas DeFranco, dean of the Neag School of Education. “Ideologically, members of the department felt a better fit for their programs and research would be aligned with College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“I want to personally wish all the members of kinesiology good luck and success during the transition period and as they move to their new home,” said Dean DeFranco.

The College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources’ goal is to connect food, people, and health in a manner that is economically viable and environmentally sustainable, according to the recommendation from the University. The academic and clinical domains related to kinesiology will strengthen the human health and athletic nutrition programs already within its new base, namely Allied Health Science and Nutritional Sciences.

Day-to-day, the Department of Kinesiology is expected to continue operating much as it has in the past. All undergraduate, graduate, and professional programming is anticipated to remain unchanged. And pre-kinesiology majors will continue to enter the program through the Academic Center for Exploratory Students.

The college last expanded its name from the College of Agriculture to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 1969.

Neag School Named Host of Educational Administration Quarterly

Posted on June 4, 2014February 17, 2023 by

For the next five years, the Neag School will provide the editorial team and serve as host institution for the Educational Administration Quarterly (EAQ) journal—an honor that recognizes UConn’s strengths as a leader in education.

“This is a great recognition,” said Educational Leadership Department Head and Professor Casey Cobb, who assumed the role of EAQ editor in November 2013. “Serving as the editorial team of EAQ will only enhance our reputation as one of the top schools of education in the country.”

Founded by the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) in 1965, EAQ is one of the most prominent journals in the field of education. Its focus is to promote the publication of rigorous and relevant scholarly articles that advance educational policy, practice and research.

To become host institution, the Neag School went through a competitive application process that began in early 2013 and included UCEA reviewing each candidate institution’s vision for the journal. Institution resources, support and editorial team quality were also considered.

Having edited five issues since taking the EAQ helm, Cobb said it has been “a true team effort.” Editorial team members include associate editors Preston Green (John and Carla Klein Professor of Urban Education), Richard Schwab (Emeritus Dean and Professor of Educational Leadership), Kimberly LeChasseur (Assistant Research Professor with the Center for Education Policy Analysis), Morgaen Donaldson (Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership), Shaun Dougherty (Assistant Professor of Educational Policy & Leadership), Rachel Gabriel (Assistant Professor of Literacy Education), Richard Gonzales (Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership), Jennie Weiner (Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership), Megan Welsh (Assistant Professor in the Measurement, Evaluation and Assessment Program), Sarah Woulfin (Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership), Anysia Mayer (Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership) and Melissa Berggren (Graduate Assistant in School Psychology).

The team holds bi-weekly editorial meetings that include discussions about the journal’s vision and direction. “EAQ is a premier school leadership journal in the field, and we want to ensure we are honoring that domain,” said Cobb. “We hold authors to high standards through our review system, and we hope the articles and research produced have a real impact on the field of K-12 education and leadership preparation for principals, superintendents and teachers.”

“Historically EAQ has been an advocate for social justice,” Cobb continued, “and we are continuing in that tradition in emphasizing educational equity.”

Cobb’s personal research interests include educational policies on school choice, accountability and education reform. He has published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Policy, Education and Urban Society, Educational Leadership, and the Peabody Journal of Education.

The newly released February 2014 issue features 11 articles, including:

From a Managerial Imperative to a Learning Imperative: Experiences of Urban, Public School Principals by Aimee LaPointe Terosky
Educator Beliefs and Cultural Knowledge: Implications for School Improvement Efforts by Sarah W. Nelson and Patricia L. Guerra
Collective Student Trust: A Social Resource for Urban Elementary Students by Curt M. Adams
Mapping the Terrain: Educational Leadership Field Experiences in K-12 Virtual Schools by Jason A. LaFrance.

The journal is published by SAGE, a leading publisher in academics and education.

“It’s a tremendous experience for our earlier career faculty members and graduate students that serve on the editorial team,” Cobb said. “They are getting a lot from the behind-the-scene picture of the scholarly review process, which in a sense also helps them in their own writing.”

Cobb said he feels a great sense of responsibility as EAQ editor: “It has enlightened me in my own work, and it’s a good challenge for me professionally to work in this capacity. I feel the responsibility to carry the mantle for this prestigious journal, as we all know the importance of gatekeepers that we are as scholars.”

Neag Professor Shares Her Transformative Fulbright Experience in Iceland

Posted on June 4, 2014December 7, 2021 by

Robin Grenier, in green, gathered with her fellow Fulbright grantees.

Neag Associate Professor of Adult Learning Robin S. Grenier took not just her expertise and enthusiasm to Iceland, but her husband and young daughter.

The three moved to Reykjavik, Iceland, for a semester as part of her receiving a Fulbright Award to teach and conduct research at the newly established Museums Studies Program at the University of Iceland. Run by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, the Fulbright program awards U.S. scholars with opportunities to lecture, teach and research with peers in 140 countries.

“We’ve been delighted to have Dr. Grenier with us as a Fulbright scholar, helping to build capacity in the Museum Studies program,” said Belinda Theriault, executive director of the Fulbright Commission in Iceland. “Students on both sides of the Atlantic reap the benefits of scholar exchanges when professors bring back new ideas, perspectives and teaching methods, collaborate on course offerings, and use their own experience to encourage students for valuable international exposure.”

Grenier gives a presentation on her Fulbright work while in Iceland. — Grenier presented on her Fulbright work while in Iceland.

Grenier taught two courses at the University of Iceland from January to May: Museums and Communities and Professional Conduct in Museums.

“I found the teaching to be both challenging and rewarding,” said Grenier. “I appreciated the challenge of designing the two courses and the chance to integrate the theories of adult learning and community development into my teaching.”

The most challenging part of the experience, however, was learning how to best interact with her students. Half of them came to class, while the other half received her lessons virtually. There were also cultural and language differences.

“The time in the classroom has definitely helped me to reevaluate how I engage students, particularly those from other countries, as well as how I engage with distance learning students,” Grenier said.

Grenier also conducted qualitative research on how Icelandic museums support and facilitate adult visitors’ learning. Additionally, she and Sigurjón Hafsteinsson, assistant professor in Folkloristics/Ethnology and Museum Studies at the University of Iceland, conducted a study designed to understand students’ learning experiences in a service-learning course to Djúpivogur, a southeastern coastal town hoping to expand and improve its cultural experiences and tourism.

“Dr. Grenier’s teaching skills and experience have introduced us to alternative ways in conducting our classes, which we will incorporate and explore further,” Hafsteinsson said. “She has strengthened the international profile of the program tremendously and opened up for our students and faculty a gateway to the thriving and rapidly growing field of museum studies in the U.S.”

Grenier and her family enjoyed celebrating Christmas in Iceland.

To keep colleagues, friends and family updated on their travels, Grenier, her husband and their 11-year-old daughter created “The Grenier Family’s Iceland Experience” blog, describing their adventures exploring the country. These have included everything from a brewery tour, a horse riding day and collecting candies and rocks to museum visits, street art photography and enjoying both Icelandic cuisines and road trips with students.

At the end of May, the family will travel to Edinburgh, Scotland, where Grenier will present a paper titled “Hell and Heaven in the Land of Fire and Ice: An autoethnographic exploration of one professor’s experience as Fulbright Scholar” at the 15th Annual International Conference of Human Resource Development Research and Practice across Europe.

“Whenever our scholars can learn about their craft from the perspective of other countries and cultures, it undoubtedly benefits our own programming back home,” said Neag School Department Head and Professor in Educational Leadership Casey Cobb . “Experiences abroad like this will directly influence the way our faculty teach and our students learn.”

Grenier hopes to make an impact in others ways, as well. Noticing a level of volunteerism far below what’s seen in the U.S., Grenier plans to go back to Iceland next summer to conduct a study on ways to develop a culture of volunteerism, focusing on recruiting and training volunteers for Iceland’s museums.

“A lot of my colleagues in Iceland have encouraged me to study this phenomenon,” said Grenier. “Through conversations with them and my own observations, I have broadened my aspirations for new research, and this study will be a natural extension of that, as volunteerism is a form of lifelong learning for adults.”

Neag School Offers Online Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Diversity Management in Sport

Posted on June 4, 2014December 7, 2021 by

The Neag School of Education is offering a new online opportunity: Online Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Diversity Management in Sport. Professionals working in sports organizations and intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic administration can take their career to the next level with this innovative new program. The curriculum is comprised of four three-credit courses, which are offered during the summer semesters. Students can complete the certificate taking two classes over two summer terms, or take individual courses at their own pace.

“This online graduate certificate can provide students with an opportunity to develop their leadership and diversity management skills with an emphasis on how to use these skills within the context of sport organizations,” said Dr. Laura Burton, faculty member for the certificate program. “We believe this program will help students to advance to the next level of their careers, whether in intercollegiate athletics, sport for development programs or other areas of the sport industry.”

UConn’s Leadership and Diversity Management in Sport Certificate program helps students develop the leadership skills needed to manage a diverse workforce in sport organizations. Students will develop diversity management practices, and work with UConn faculty with leadership and diversity management expertise, as well as recognized leaders in the field.

Leadership in Sport Organizations is offered from July 7 to August 8, 2014. This course examines multiple perspectives of leadership; the personal, interpersonal, and team-based skills required in leadership roles; and the different required in leadership roles during times of change or crisis, and in different contexts (intercollegiate, professional, sport for development, etc.).

For more information or to apply, visit http://sportmanagement.uconn.edu/ or contact Dr. Laura Burton at laura.burton@uconn.edu.

Faculty Lead Work to Implement 21st Century Skills in Classrooms

Posted on June 4, 2014February 17, 2023 by

Three Neag School of Education faculty members have received what Neag Endowed Professor Jonathan Plucker calls a $65,000 “seed grant” to develop a common language and applied understanding of the Partnership for 21^st Century Skill’s (P21) “Four Cs” of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. These four Cs represent key skills identified by educational, business, and government leaders as essential to successfully tackling rigorous coursework, career challenges, fast-changing technology and a globally competitive workforce.

The contract provides funding to support the development of research briefs and the writing of collaborative P21/UConn research proposals. “Right now, we’re in phase 1 of the project, which I like to say is planting the seeds of possibility for establishing innovative and impactful research projects,” said Educational Psychology Associate Professor Ron Beghetto, who along with Plucker and Educational Psychology Professor James C. Kaufman were awarded a competitive contract by the Washington, DC-based Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

Known as leaders in the field the creativity, Plucker, Kaufman and Beghetto were three of 17 new Neag School professors hired last year as part of UConn’s ambitious, multi-year hiring initiative to expand faculty in key research and teaching areas. Before coming to UConn, the three regularly collaborated on projects, but it was a challenge, because they taught at three different universities—Beghetto at the University of Oregon, Kaufman at California State University at San Bernardino and Plucker, a UConn alumnus, at Indiana University.

Now, however, they have the ability to share not just their own expertise in one physical location, but collaborate with the outstanding students and faculty on staff at the Neag School, Beghetto said.

Plucker, Kaufman and Beghetto will spend the rest of this year compiling and completing the research briefs, which will include executive summaries and overviews of research related to P21’s “Four Cs.”

“We’re working on helping develop a practical understanding of creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication,” Beghetto said, “so educators and policymakers are receiving a real tool—a Rosetta Stone of P21’s core concepts, that way we’re all speaking the same language and understanding the same thing.”

“Though often misunderstood, creativity is the cornerstone of P21’s Four Cs,” Beghetto said.

Most people understand that to be creative, you need to be original. But the part of the definition that tends to get left out is that the original concept also has to be task appropriate,” Kaufman added. “When someone says to you ‘Pave the driveway in a creative way,’ and you say ‘OK, I’ll use salami slices rather than stones,’ that’s not being creative, because cold cuts won’t hold up. When you’re truly being creative, the product is original and it holds up.”

“For today’s student, content knowledge is not enough. Life and work environments are evolving so quickly, that both students and teachers need to be able to think not so much out of the box, but creatively within the box,” Beghetto continued. “Creativity can thrive within constraints, and the reality of our education system is that it is constrained. The length of a school day, and the scope of work a teacher can do, is constrained. Same for students. So we’re working to help educators learn how to understand and apply P21’s Four Cs to make teaching and learning better, deeper and more effective”

By December, they’ll have made a blueprint of what is already known about P21’s Four Cs and where future research is needed. This will include identifying ways the Four Cs can be applied to core academic areas like math, science and language, as well as to emerging and increasingly important interdisciplinary ones like global awareness, financial literacy and environmental sustainability.

Because the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a collaborative that includes leaders from forward-thinking organization like Apple, Crayola, the Ford Motor Company, Intel, the National Education Association, U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Walt Disney Company, Plucker, Kaufman and Beghetto will also be using these resources, and other supports, to identify potential research partners and funders. They’ll also begin to assemble research teams to tackle projects that meet their specific interest and expertise areas, which for Plucker focuses on educational policy, for Kaufman the science and psychology of creativity as a whole, and for Beghetto how to best incorporate creativity in schools and classrooms.

Another goal is to determine how the Four Cs are best measured, something that hasn’t yet been achieved. “It’s exciting work, because it has the potential to have a large and practical impact on the learning and lives of students,” Beghetto continued. “It also puts UConn front and center, leading the way.”