CoUnivernsity of Nnorth Cearolinca Wilmtingtonions The Magazine of the Watson College of Education 2012 Edition Making a Difference Message from the Dean One year has gone by since I began my tenure as Dean – and I can tell you right away what has impressed me the most: Our college is comprised of incredibly dedicated, engaged and collaborative faculty and staff. Of course they have to deal with thorny problems and contentious issues that complicate their efforts, some caused or exacerbated by current fi nancial diffi culties. But trust me, my colleagues work so hard (and well) on behalf of Dean Teitelbaum talks with students during last year’s our students, community partners and others. Welcome Back Ice Cream Social, a new favorite tradition at WCE. Photo by Krystine Wetherill A selection of recent activities, events and We have introduced an M.A.T. program in accomplishments is included in this issue of elementary education (for students whose Connections. Clearly, we try to make a positive undergraduate major is not education); an difference not just for each other but also in the MEd degree program in higher education (for work of our students, in the understandings those seeking to work or are currently working and practices of teachers and administrators in professional staff positions at two-year and in the region, in the policies of local, state and four-year institutions); and a curriculum and (inter)national educational organizations, in the instruction specialization in our educational professional research communities of which we leadership doctoral program. We re-designed are a part, and directly in the lives of children program and certifi cation options and and families. signifi cantly increased the number of online courses. And we introduced several initiatives There have been several important changes that were intended to focus on research efforts during the last 12 months. No doubt the or community building, such as a Scholarship most prominent is our name, the Donald R. Brown Bag Series and Welcome Back Ice Watson College of Education! This change Cream Social (for faculty, staff and students). was made after a review of similar units in the UNC system and among the university’s I know this magazine is just one of many print peer institutions nationally. It also mirrors a and online publications that are clamoring for signifi cant increase in our faculty, students your attention, but I do hope you take the time and programming during the last two decades. to read it carefully. You will learn more about We sought input and approvals from various the truly inspiring work taking place in our groups, including the local alumni chapter, and college, in and out of the classroom. Finally, everyone supported the change. We hope you I ask for your continued or initial fi nancial do as well. support to the Watson College of Education, in whatever amount you can provide. There have been other changes as well. For example, we developed new mission and We greatly appreciate your interest in our value statements (see our website at www. college and welcome your feedback about uncw.edu/ed). Our two associate deans have our many activities and accomplishments. new titles and responsibilities: Carol McNulty, Please feel free to contact me if you have any Associate Dean for Academic and Student questions or comments to share. I can be Affairs, will be more involved with enhancing reached at [email protected] or the student experience in our college, and 910-962-3354. Ann Potts, Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Outreach, will provide increased Best wishes, coordination of our teacher education efforts. Kenneth Teitelbaum www.uncw.edu/ed Connections The Magazine of the Watson College of Education 2012 Edition [Features] Connecting Teachers 5 with Technology 6 Dropout Prevention Coalition Poverty Simulation: 8 An Emotional Learning Experience for WCE Students Teaching with Technology: 1 0 Introducing Robots to Children with Autism A Watson College Committee 11 Addresses Diversity Students Learn the Fun Way 12 with Innovative Digital Storytelling 1 4 Looking Back Reading Recovery Program Grant Helps Southeastern 16 Communities, Schools (Above) Deloris Rhodes leads an activity with and Students students in the Seahawk Scholar program at the Betty Stike Education Laboratory. (On the Cover) Phillip Snowden, Xavier White, Dwight Waddell, Chance Snowden and [Sections] Courtney Johnson use Apple iPads to conduct research during a literacy workshop facilitated 17 Faculty Notes by Somer Lewis and Brian Brinkley. The week- long series of workshops was conducted as 20 Razor Walker Awards part of a collaboration between the WCE Offi ce of Outreach and Men & Women United for 22 Alumni News Children and Families. 23 Class Notes Photos by Krystine Wetherill Connections 1 Connections 2012 Edition Connections is published annually by the Watson College of Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. We invite your comments and suggestions. Correspondence can be sent to: UNCW Watson College of Education Dean’s Offi ce 601 S. College Road Wilmington, NC 28403-5991 or to Kenneth Teitelbaum, Dean at [email protected]. Visit us online at www.uncw.edu/ed Kenneth Teitelbaum Dean, Watson College of Education Managing Editor William Davis Photo Editor Jamie Moncrief Graphic Designer Krysti Wetherill Contributors Joy Davis Tara Hardy Elizabeth Humphrey Sally Johnson Brooke Keller Andrea Weaver Copy Editors Marybeth K. Bianchi William Davis UNCW is committed to and will provide equal educational and employment opportunity. Questions regarding access may be directed to the Compliance Offi ce, UNCW Chancellor’s Offi ce, CESTEM Assistant Director Chris 910.962.3000, Fax 910.962.3483. 000 Gordon helps Columbus County copies of this public document were Enrichment Students understand printed at a cost of $0,000.00 or $0.00 the principles of physics using a per copy (G.S. 143-170.1). PS 108562- demonstration crafted from low-cost items that can be repeated by public school teachers in their classrooms. www.uncw.edu/ed Photo by Krystine Wetherill T connecting TEACHEERS by Sally Johnson ’14MFA with C H Christopher Gordon loves talking about and With these types of technologies, students can working with technologies for the classroom. “focus on the experiments and not worry so N much about the data,” says Gordon. They’ll The assistant director for the Watson learn by having fun and by experiencing new College of Education’s Center for Education technologies. in Science, Technology, Engineering and O Math (CESTEM) also enjoys trying out the CESTEM also plans annual events such as materials. Administrative assistant A.C. Science Olympiad, which attracts more than Hosea laughed as she remembered the day L 800 students to UNCW in early March, and she and Gordon tried out the rocket blaster the Southeastern Regional Science Fair, made from soda bottles. “That was fun.” which involves more than 150 students in early O February. These projects are “very different, Fun is exactly what these technologies offer but both very fun,” said Gordon. Quite a few public school students and their teachers students competing at these local events have G while enhancing learning. gone on to state and national competitions. Although teachers may have the skills it In addition to equipment and programs takes to educate their students, they do Y for students, CESTEM offers professional not always have the funds or resources development workshops to give educators necessary to fully prepare students for from around the state a chance to learn about college. CESTEM provides free and low- technologies and methods they can use in their cost services and technologies to teachers classrooms in conjunction with the materials and schools in seven counties, helping K-12 loaned from the center. students learn with hands-on materials like telescopes, laptops, calculators, robots and CESTEM is designed to “create a network measuring instrumentation as well as innovative between K-12 teachers and UNCW faculty. technologies such as a solar telescope and The point is for them to have the correct LEGO robots. information,” said Hosea. The Starlab, a portable planetarium that is Started in 1991 as the Science and available for use in the classroom, would Mathematics Education Center, CESTEM has normally cost $6 to $7 per student, but helped thousands of teachers and students in CESTEM provides this unique learning resource Southeastern North Carolina gain access to for a single $30 maintenance fee. technology and information in math, engineering and science. It has acquired more than $4 Along with the temporary loan items, CESTEM million in grants since its founding. More than offers long-term loan items such as the Wave 2,800 students and 314 teachers from New Tank. Thanks to a $10,000 grant for technology Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Bladen, Brunswick, awarded by Vernier Software and Technology, Columbus, Duplin, and Jones counties have the program has invested in equipment like used its technology loan program in the last heart rate monitors and a force plate. year alone. www.uncw.edu/cestem/ Connections 5 Starting Out “The problems in Wilmington are completely solvable,” according to Associate Professor Janna Robertson, Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations and Secondary Education and co- founder of the Dropout Prevention Coalition at the Watson College of Education. By Tara Midyett Hardy ’12 “The dropout issue does not start in high school,” explains Robertson. “It starts in the community and at home.” High schools in North Carolina reported 15,342 dropouts in the 2012-11 school year. Research from the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) shows that dropout rates are infl uenced by a variety of factors. Some individual factors include low achievement, poor attendance, low expectations, low commitment to school, no extracurricular participation and a lack of effort. Attendance issues accounted for 43.2 percent of all N.C. dropouts in 2010. Family factors like low socioeconomic status, low education level of parents and low educational expectations have also been identifi ed as risk factors. Robertson likes to point to a student she met named Quinita as an example of how students at risk for dropping out can be helped with the right approach. Robertson was observing her interns at a local high school when she met Quinita, a student with a bad attitude and no motivation. When asked why she was so angry, Quinita described a stressful home life and a frustratingly dull remedial math class. A lack of effort and motivation had left Quinita with a less-than-ideal Every school day, 83 academic record. What she really wanted was to attend the Mosley Performance Learning Center, a students drop out of high Wilmington school with a non-traditional approach to school in North Carolina - education. Robertson explained that with a blatantly negative enough to fi ll three school attitude, Mosley would never be interested in her buses. studying there. The two made a deal that if Quinita could turn things around in the classroom and shape up her behavior, she would get a glowing letter of recommendation to the director at Mosley, who happens to be a personal friend of Robertson’s. Not only has Quinita’s attitude improved drastically, but she has started tutoring the other kids in her class. www.uncw.edu/ed UNDERSTANDING Making A Difference THE PROBLEM The Southeastern North Carolina Dropout Prevention Coalition was established in 2011. Its goal is to raise awareness of the magnitude of the high school dropout problem in the region and collaborate on The NDPC has identifi ed programs to motivate students to succeed in school. During the summer 15 effective strategies for of 2011, Robertson began reading about dropout prevention. She worked dropout prevention: closely with Robert Smith, a professor in the Department of Instructional Technology, Foundation and Secondary Education. Together, they wrote • Systematic renewal of grants to conduct research to see what schools in the Wilmington area were goals and objectives doing to improve dropout rates. • School-community After conducting interviews at 25 different schools, they were pleasantly collaboration surprised to fi nd that many efforts were already in place to address the • Safe learning dropout issue. Career Academies in Onslow County and Freshman environments Academies in New Hanover County are just two examples of what they discovered. Many non-profi t organizations in the area also have programs • Family engagement to encourage students to stay in school. • Early childhood education The problem was that none of these organizations • Early literacy knew that the others existed. High schools in development Wilmington didn’t know what other schools down the road were doing to resolve the same issues. The • Mentoring/tutoring purpose of the coalition is to facilitate communication • Service-learning and create opportunities to increase collaboration. • Alternative schooling “I am most proud of the things we are doing in the • After-school opportunities community,” said Robertson. Janna Robertson • Professional development According to Robertson, they need to focus on what works in this region to implement the most • Active learning effective solutions to the problem. Once they are more established, the • Educational technology Dropout Prevention Coalition can serve as a model for other North Carolina institutions to start similar programs in their own areas. • Individualized instruction • Career and technical “It’s about recognizing the need,” said the Rev. Clifford Barnett, chairperson of the coalition. He encourages community members to ask, “What do I education need to know, and how can I help kids stay in school?” The Dropout Prevention Coalition has been very active in raising awareness through sponsoring multiple events this year. They helped (Facing Page) Janna Roberson and Mark Phelps, teacher recruiter/ sponsor the 24th Annual At-Risk Youth National Forum in Myrtle Beach advisor for the Watson College, in February, where several coalition members gave presentations. Other work with members of YouthBuild to local conferences included the Emerging Leaders Conference at UNCW develop strategies to help students in danger of dropping out of school. co-sponsored with the N.C. Parent Teacher Association and a Wilmington UNCW/Jamie Moncrief event titled “Working with the Black Male Student…. Strategies that Work.” A series of presentations were also held as part of the “2012 What Works: Innovative Models and Best Practices in Education” event and a Dropout Prevention Symposium at the UNCW Watson College of Education. www.uncw.edu/ed/dropout Connections 7 Poverty Simulation: An Emotional Learning Experience for WCE Students By Andrea Monroe Weaver More than 16 percent of North Carolina children ages 18 and younger live below the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that means their annual income is $22,050 or less. Overall, more than 950,000 of North Carolina’s nearly 9.7 million residents live in poverty. www.uncw.edu/ed “Educators must be prepared to understand As part of the program, campus and the issues that families in poverty face in community volunteers portray assistance order to support affected students and workers at government and non-profi t their families,” said Amy Moody, assistant agencies. The simulation routinely shows that professor in the Department of Early students often do not know about services for Childhood and Special Education. the poor, and they don’t understand the time, paperwork and effort required to qualify for The statistics are compelling, but they hold help. little meaning for students who have not experienced poverty. To increase awareness Students who have been poor during their Susan Catapano of the issues that affect poor families, Moody lives are the most successful at navigating the works with Professor Susan Catapano, simulation’s scenarios, Catapano said. chair of the Department of Educational “The people who do best are the people who Leadership, and Assistant Professors have lived it,” she said. “The students who grew Candace Thompson and Angela Housand of up in poverty will collaborate and seek help from the Department of Instructional Technology, community agencies more quickly than students Foundations and Secondary Education, who have not had that experience.” to conduct in-depth poverty simulations for about 200 education, social work and After the simulation, students refl ect on what nursing students each semester. They they learned through group discussions and also work with teachers from New Hanover written observations prepared for class. For County Schools. Angela Housand elementary education major Sarah Starzynski ’13, who participated in the April 2012 “Our mission is to prepare our students, simulation, the program provided insight in what as well as in-service teachers, to better it means to live in poverty. serve kids in poverty,” said Catapano. “This program is eye-opening and very “When my husband was a sergeant in the emotional. It makes them more aware of the military, and we had three daughters under age challenges that poor families face just trying 8 at the time, I thought I knew about budgeting to meet basic needs, like food, clothing and and sacrifi ce,” wrote Starzynski. “However, housing.” when I look back at those times – my oldest is 21 now – I realize that while times were indeed During the simulations, participants are assigned identities – such as single parents Amy Moody tight, we weren’t drastically poor. We could buy our children new clothes, shoes and bikes. We with very limited incomes, underemployed could pay for fi eld trips and buy school pictures parents or members of an undocumented and supplies. The simulation showed me that family – and they have to fi gure out how families today may be experiencing tougher to meet their pretend family’s basic needs times because the price of food, gas, clothing, without enough resources to be successful. supplies – everything – has risen so much that “The simulation program brings that they’re using any disposable income they have awareness to light,” Moody said. “Without just to survive.” it, I don’t think we would have the same Education faculty members have created a impact.” memorable learning experience by combining Candace Thompson The four faculty members introduced the the poverty simulation program – an interactive poverty simulation program in 2009. They received a educational activity – with classroom instruction and in- grant from the university to purchase a simulation kit depth refl ection. from the Missouri Association for Community Action, “Many students have never thought about the roles that which they’ve modifi ed to better represent N.C. others have in life,” Moody said. “This program gives them families living in poverty. another perspective on family values. It opens up powerful “We learn something new every time we offer the emotions, it makes them think, and it starts some important program,” Catapano said. “It offers a broad view of conversations.” Connections 9 human nature.” TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY Introducing robots to Children with Autism By Sally J. Johnson ’14MFA “Autonomous, programmable, humanoid robots” communication during social interactions among the might not sound like the best description of a new children while they play with the NAO robots. tool to help children with autism, but that’s exactly The purpose of the research will be to see if the what NAO robots are. Amy Moody and her team children can appropriately and effectively interact of researchers in UNCW’s Watson College of with the robots. Once the robot is removed from the Education have acquired six of these robots to study classroom, the hope is that the children will have how they might assist autistic children with their learned these behaviors and can generalize these studies. skills to other learning environments and social Utilizing technology and visuals when teaching situations. The ultimate goal, Moody said, “is to see children with autism has proved successful, and if robots can bridge the gap and enhance social the NAO robots have both of these aspects rolled communication and engagement.” She hypothesizes into a 28-inch human-like machine. The robots, that the robots will help improve the children’s which come equipped with a digital camera, speech engagement, attention, enthusiasm and verbal synthesis, gripping hands, speech recognition and communication skills. The NAO robot has a video WiFi, can speak, listen, express emotion, see and camera attached, and the footage will be used to follow directions. collect and later code the data. One of the more interesting things the NAO robot is The children working with the NAO robots are capable of is Tai Chi, a type of Chinese martial arts students of OASIS NC, “an inclusive, afterschool practiced for both its defense training and its health social-communication program created especially for benefi ts and known for its slow movements. Being children with autism that allows them to generalize able to practice Tai Chi requires the NAO robots to and practice the social skills they have been taught have balance and coordination. in school.” They range from kindergarten to fourth grade levels. Working with her team, Moody, an assistant professor in the Early Childhood and Special Moody is constantly looking for technologies that Education Department and director of the Assistive help students gain access to the general curriculum. Technology Demonstration and Lending Site, can The NAO robots, which can run a price tag of higher program specifi c adjustments and commands for than $15,000 each, are too expensive for most the NAO robot to enhance social engagement with families to buy for a child with autism. However, children in the study. Playing the game “Simon Says” Moody hopes with further research and funding that is one of the main aspects of Moody’s research. the technology, if effective, will be implemented in The research team will examine engagement and schools and afterschool programs like OASIS. www.uncw.edu/ed