The Neag School is launching a new program designed for aspiring educators interested in teaching American Sign Language. (Photo courtesy of the American School for the Deaf)
Beginning in Fall 2021, UConn’s Neag School of Education will be offering a new program in American Sign Language (ASL) education. Recently approved by the Connecticut Board of Education, the program is designed to prepare aspiring educators interested in becoming teachers of ASL.
UConn became the first higher education institution in the state to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree in ASL when the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences introduced an ASL major earlier this year. This new ASL world language education program will likewise be the first of its kind in the state of Connecticut.
The Neag School program will focus on preparing graduates to teach ASL; those who complete the program would then be recommended for teaching certification in ASL for Grades 7 through 12.
ASL is the newest addition to the Neag School’s world languages concentrations, which also include French, German, Italian, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish.
“This program provides opportunities to develop teachers with exceptional knowledge of language, culture, and pedagogy to teach ASL, the language of the Deaf Community in the U.S.,” says Hannah Dostal, associate professor of reading education in the Neag School’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Coursework will include ASL, topics related to pedagogy and language learning, as well as cultural topics such as Deaf writers and ASL literature.
ASL Education: A Critical Teacher Shortage Area
In Connecticut, teachers specializing in world language instruction are in high demand; in fact, world languages is considered a critical teacher shortage area across the U.S. ASL is the newest addition to the Neag School’s world languages concentrations, which also include French, German, Italian, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish.
Hannah Dostal, associate professor of reading education in the Neag School’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
“This program is being developed in response to a much-needed policy allowing Connecticut middle and high schools to use ASL classes to meet world language requirements,” Dostal says. “This requirement has dramatically increased the number of high school students interested in taking ASL classes in high school and college, while creating a need for certified teachers of ASL in schools statewide.”
In addition to student interest at the high school level, interest in ASL has also been higher than ever among current UConn students, according to Ann Traynor, Neag School director of advising and certification.
The Neag School offers two pathways to achieve initial teacher certification – the five-year Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s (IB/M) program and the accelerated, 11-month Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG), both of which offer the ASL world languages concentration. Students interested in applying for IB/M with a concentration in ASL education are invited to apply by Jan. 20, 2021, for the Fall 2021 term. Applications to TCPCG are due Dec. 15. The Neag School also offers a 12-credit graduate certificate in literacy and Deaf education.
To learn more about each program, visit teachered.education.uconn.edu. Native signers, as well as Deaf and hard of hearing applicants are encouraged to apply.
Faculty Emeritus Vincent Rogers spent more than 20 years at UConn, and launched funds to support educators and classroom enrichment in Connecticut. (Shawn Kornegay/Neag School)
Vincent Rogers of Storrs, Connecticut, a longtime educator and faculty emeritus at the Neag School of Education, died Thursday, Dec. 3, at age 93. He died at home, surrounded by his loving family.
“We share our deepest condolences with the Rogers family, whose generosity over the years toward the Neag School has made a tangible and meaningful impact on schoolteachers across the state of Connecticut and, in turn, their own students,” says Neag School Dean Gladis Kersaint.
“In recent years, the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund has, for instance, given us an extraordinary opportunity to fund imaginative efforts led by local elementary and middle school teachers — from a photojournalism project focused on social justice to robotics education in the classroom,” says Kersaint.
“We share our deepest condolences with the Rogers family, whose generosity over the years toward the Neag School has made a tangible and meaningful impact on schoolteachers across the state of Connecticut and, in turn, their own students.”
— Dean Gladis Kersaint
Impacting Educators Through the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund
Rogers and his late wife, Chris, also a longtime educator, initially established a fund at the Neag School through which elementary school teachers in Mansfield, Connecticut, could apply annually for a $1,000 grant to enrich their classrooms. Over the years, eight grants were made through the original Rogers Educational Innovation Fund to local schools.
Neag School Professor Emeritus Vincent Rogers, pictured here with his wife, Chris, designating a legacy gift of $125,000 in 2017 to expand the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund in support of innovative projects carried out by teachers in Connecticut. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Rogers)
In 1997, Rogers announced a planned bequest to the Neag School, designating a legacy gift of $125,000 to expand the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund to support innovative projects carried out by Connecticut teachers. Elementary and middle school teachers across the state have applied annually for this $5,000 gift for use in the classroom.
Rogers’ additional gift has been open to elementary and middle-school teachers across the state of Connecticut to “support research and programs for the collaborative work of classroom teachers and the Neag School of Education,” and award recipients have had the freedom to use the award in any way they see fit.
Since the expansion of the fund, three educators have benefited from the Rogers Fund. This year, Jason Gilmore of Guilford, Connecticut, an art teacher at Hartford’s McDonough Middle School, was a recipient of the Rogers Fund with a project titled “The Mural of Intervention Project.”
In the proposal for his project, Gilmore outlined his hope of giving middle-school students at McDonough — a low-income, 98% free/reduced lunch school — an opportunity to take any difficult situations or feelings that may be part of their day-to-day lives and express them in the form of community murals that will be displayed throughout the school.
Gilmore says the project will offer “a chance for freedom of expression while improving the school’s climate and community. … In essence, this award will allow an artistic experience that benefits the whole school.”
In 2019, Neag School alumna and gifted and talented educator for Norwalk (Conn.) Public Schools Jessica Stargardter ’16 (ED), ’17 MA was the recipient of the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund for her project, titled “An Eye for Change: Real World Investigations through Photojournalism.” The project funding made available to Stargardter’s students various texts and technologies, including disposable film cameras that allowed them to document problems and proposed solutions in their communities.
“Students need access to resources that present multiple viewpoints and narratives to become effective, empathetic members of our global society,” she wrote in her proposal. “Students will gain access to books and technology to research social issues such as racism, sexism, climate change, food insecurity, and so on. Additionally, they will be given the skills to recognize and analyze problems within their community. This authentic learning experience will be framed around the idea of photojournalism.”
Dwight Sharpe, inaugural recipient of the Rogers Education Innovation Fund, works with middle school students as part of a science and technology project he initiated. (Caitlin Trinh/Neag School)
Dwight Sharpe, a mathematics teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Middletown, was the expanded fund’s inaugural recipient in 2018. Sharpe’s project, entitled “Accessing and Engaging in Mathematics Through Robotics and Computer Programming,” sought “to explore and determine how robotics and computer programming could be embedded into middle school instruction to improve student engagement and achievement.”
To improve all students’ mathematics performance, Sharpe had been collaborating with his grade-level colleagues and curriculum supervisor to provide more personalized instruction to students. While the school’s classroom model had long centered on students sitting at their desks while teachers lectured, Sharpe saw an opportunity to transform that with his robotics and computer programming project.
“At the end of the day, the new project was about engagement,” he says. “It was about integrating something into the classroom that hasn’t been there.”
A History of Innovation
At the University of Connecticut, Rogers spent more than two decades teaching and writing about education techniques, led the Neag School’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and served on its faculty, retiring in 1990.
Rogers was a world leader in social studies, international education, and the child-centered movement known as“open education,” and wrote the definitive book in the field.
“Vin was always a hands-on educator anddearfriend, and we miss him profoundly.”
— Neag School Professor Emeritus Gil Dyrli
“Vin chaired our department and was one of the very best department heads I ever knew,” says Neag School professor emeritus Gil Dyrli. “He led by example through conducting groundbreaking research, securing grants, publishing significant books and articles, presenting keynote addresses at major professional conferences, and sharing his innovative expertise.”
He adds: “As I traveled the country throughout my career, representing UConn and doing staff-development programs, a common envious question was, ‘Do you work with Vin Rogers?’”
During his retirement, Rogers was active with numerous projects, from becoming a competent equestrian, having begun riding at the age of 63, to teaching jazz and horse racing courses at the Mansfield Community Center near the UConn Storrs campus to continuing to perform with several local jazz groups.
“Vin was an outstanding trumpet player, and when our son was studying the instrument in high school, Vin often invited him to his home to play duets,” says Dyrli. “Our son will always remember that kindness and personal interest.”
While at UConn, Rogers concentrated on his innovative work. He connected with a fellow Neag School of Education faculty member, the late A.J. Pappanikou, whose focus was on special education and with whom he partnered to ensure that future educators were getting hands-on experience in urban school settings.
Together, they coordinated about 20 UConn students to do student teaching in New Haven, Connecticut, giving them an opportunity to view schools beyond suburbia — a rare and innovative practice at the time.
Alumna Jessica Stargardter ’16 (ED), ’17 MA, gifted and talented educator for Norwalk (Conn.) Public Schools, was named the Rogers Educational Innovation Fund recipient in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Stargardter)
“His many students have gone on to important positions at state, national, and international levels in public and private education,” says Dyrli. “His original contributions and seminal ideas continue to be worth exploring, and thanks to the internet and online resources, they are more accessible than ever.”
“Vin was always a hands-on educator anddearfriend, and we miss him profoundly,” he adds.
Through his generosity to the Neag School, Rogers has been passing that spirit of innovation to yet another generation of students, giving teachers in Connecticut the opportunity to enact innovative projects of their own in elementary and middle-school classrooms across the state.
According to Heather McDonald, assistant vice president for development at the UConn Foundation, Rogers always had a story to tell. His passion for education was only eclipsed by his love for music and playing his beloved flugelhorn.
“He shared many stories highlighting how music and jazz specifically delighted and transformed him,” says McDonald. “He was incredibly proud of his family and marveled at what a wonderful life he was afforded due to his career in education.”
“I could listen to Vin talk about the transformative experiences he had at Cornell (meeting his wife, Chris) and UConn for hours. He was a lifelong learner and loved his home in the ‘treetops’ in Storrs,” recalls McDonald.
Rogers is survived by his and Chris’ three children and their spouses, Jill and James Coffrin of Burlington, Vermont; Robin and David Smith of Mystic, Connecticut; and Evan and Jackie Rogers of Stamford, Connecticut. They are also survived by six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
“Vin was an inspiration to all who knew him as someone who lived life to its fullest and pursued his passions relentlessly,” according to his obituary.
“This year has made clear just how essential the commitment to human rights is for all of us,” says Glenn Mitoma, the director of the Dodd Human Rights Impact and an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Human Rights Institute and the Neag School of Education. (Getty Images)
Editor’s Note: The following originally appeared on UConn Today.Glenn Mitoma is the director of the Dodd Human Rights Impact and an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Human Rights Institute and the Neag School of Education. Additional insights from Mitoma have been incorporated in this version of the piece.
Today, we join the world in marking International Human Rights Day. Throughout this year, communities near and far have faced some of the most significant human rights challenges since the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
“Human Rights Day is always an important opportunity to reflect on the principles and practices of human rights, but this year has made clear just how essential the commitment to human rights is for all of us,”saysGlenn Mitoma, the director of the Dodd Human Rights Impact and an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Human Rights Institute and the Neag School of Education.
“From our classrooms to our communities, we have to find new ways to protect and support the equal dignity of each and every one of us, particularly those who have been most marginalized,” he says.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has cost the lives of some 1.5 million people worldwide and had devastating impacts on much of our social fabric. This, along with the ongoing challenges of rising authoritarianism, an ongoing struggle to end racism and discrimination, deepening economic inequality, and the intensifying climate crisis, demonstrate the need to renew our commitment to human rights and to each other. That commitment is a central part of the identity of the University of Connecticut.
“From our classrooms to our communities, we have to find new ways to protect and support the equal dignity of each and every one of us, particularly those who have been most marginalized.”
— Glenn Mitoma, Director Dodd Human Rights Impact
Twenty-five years ago, UConn established the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center to preserve and extend the human rights legacy of Connecticut Senator Thomas Dodd’s service as Executive Trial Counsel to the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. As his son Senator Christopher J. Dodd has recently written, that trial demonstrated to the world both the extent of the Nazis’ crimes and the importance of upholding human rights and the rule of law. We are honored to build on that legacy here at UConn.
Since the dedication of the Dodd Center, human rights has taken root at UConn. Our Human Rights Institute (HRI) is one of the world’s leading academic centers in human rights research, teaching, and outreach.
Faculty across the University work to understand the most pressing human rights issues of our time. Since 2010, the University has provided refuge to persecuted scholars through the Scholars at Risk Program, hosting academics and human rights defenders from Central America, the Middle East, and North Africa. UConn also houses one of the world’s top interdisciplinary journals in this field, The Journal of Human Rights, which tackles pressing issues such as the human rights impact of COVID-19.
We also see in our students their passion to make change. UConn is unique as the only American public university to offer a human rights major. Students have the opportunity to take a large number of human rights-focused courses, such as the history of human rights; international human rights law; refugee campus and humanitarianism; and human rights digital storytelling. We are also proud to see our students extend their advocacy into hands-on work through student organizations and campaigns. This combination of diverse, cutting-edge coursework with hands-on learning opportunities prepares students to be the next generation of human rights advocates, practitioners, and leaders.
As for outreach, this year we embarked on a major new effort to help translate our human rights research and teaching resources into direct impact in communities. In October, we launched Dodd Human Rights Impact as part of HRI, leveraging the former outreach and engagement programs of the Dodd Center into a new initiative focused on fostering a culture of human rights and democracy here in Connecticut and around the world. Through projects including K-12 human rights education, business and human rights, democracy and dialogues, and human rights film and digital media, Dodd Impact engages communities in the practice of human rights, and provides critical opportunities for our students and faculty members to apply human rights knowledge to real world problems.
“Launching Dodd Human Rights Impact is important because it provides a dynamic new platform to transform the University’s world-class human rights teaching and research capacity into a direct impact on the ground in communities,” says Mitoma. “Folks should care because 2020 has demonstrated to all of us that all of our lives are connected and that addressing the collective challenges that we face will require a commitment to the principles of human rights as well as the implementation of key practices of human rights.”
“The pandemic has shown all rights are interdependent and interconnected — the right to health, the right to education, the right to work, the right to vote, freedom of movement.”
“The pandemic has shown all rights are interdependent and interconnected — the right to health, the right to education, the right to work, the right to vote, freedom of movement. The struggle against racism has likewise shown that the rights of all of us are likewise interdependent and interconnected — no one is free until everyone is free,” he adds.
In the coming year, as we rebuild from COVID-19, we are committed to ensuring human rights are at the foundation of much of our work. As the world began to rebuild from the catastrophe of the Second World War, the new United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a core set of principles around which a shared future of peace, justice, and dignity could be pursued. That future is still before us. A review of either the unfolding atrocities listed by the International Crisis Group or US Holocaust Memorial Museum, or the dedicated struggles against injustice waged by the Open Society Foundations or the Equal Justice Initiative (winner of the 2019 Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights) shows this work is ongoing and far-reaching. We are proud of the deep dedication and concern our faculty, staff, and students demonstrate in taking action and raising awareness about many of these issues. Given the scope of crises, it takes many partners and many voices to make an impact
Sincerely,
Tom, Carl, and Dan
Thomas Katsouleas
President
Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Editor’s Note: The following commentary originally appeared in the Hartford Courant, written by Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate student Jia Cai.
“From what I observe, online learning is particularly difficult for science majors who rely on laboratory sessions and for education majors who carry out their ‘clinicals’ in classrooms to gain experience,” writes HESA student Jia Cai. (iStock)
Since the beginning of COVID-19, millions of students nationwide have been forced into online learning. Many of those experiences have been negative because of schools’ lack of preparation, because of some faculty not considering student needs, and because of financial stresses.
Online learning is especially affecting students majoring in sciences, education, and the fine arts; international students and students living in different time zones; students from low-income families and students with disabilities
The COVID-19 pandemic did not give institutions much time to prepare for a sudden switch to online learning, and lack of preparation had led to student dissatisfaction. A recent study of Pakistani students, published in the Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, found that the lack of face-to-face interactions with instructors, slower instructor responses to students, and the absence of traditional classroom socialization were top reasons for the dissatisfaction.
Do not let the inequity that already exists in our higher-education system continue to haunt students with disadvantages in an online environment.
From what I observe, online learning is particularly difficult for science majors who rely on laboratory sessions and for education majors who carry out their “clinicals” in classrooms to gain experience. Fine arts majors need studios and in-person instruction to create art. Faculty members who do not consider student needs also cause harm. As Christian Friedrich, co-host of a German podcast on open education, explained in a recent podcast on “Equity in Learning Design,” lots of faculty judge students’ lives by looking at their own without even being aware of this. They assume that all students are able to engage in online classes that meet at set times. However, international students and students living in different time zones are forced to get up at abnormal hours to attend lectures. Some professors should not assume that synchronous learning would be the best fit for everyone.
Students with disabilities might not be able to watch course videos without subtitles, see the color contrasts in slides, or sit in front of the screen for a long time. But turning on captions for hearing-impaired students or using colors that colorblind students can discern – such things matter for students with disabilities. There is limited training available to professors, however, in how to design lecture content to help disabled students.
Most of all, many students cannot afford or get access to reliable Wi-Fi in their homes and neighborhoods. Internet shutdowns can stop them from taking their exams. Students are expected to be able to afford stable Wi-Fi, which is unfair for those from low-income families who already struggle with housing and food insecurity during these difficult times. An episode of the podcast Teaching in Higher Ed talked about how online learning is really about access to learning spaces. Students are doing the best they can to find such spaces during this pandemic. Students used to be able to find quiet or communal spaces with free Wi-Fi and good computers, such as campus libraries, but that has been taken away on many campuses by the pandemic. Now we just presume that students have quiet spaces to study at home. Many do not.
Online learning must ensure the quality and equity of student learning. Classes cannot be taught in a way that fits solely the institution’s convenience and preferences. Do not let the inequity that already exists in our higher-education system continue to haunt students with disadvantages in an online environment.
Jia Cai is a first-year student in the Higher Education and Student Affairs master’s program at the University of Connecticut.
