Winter 2013
The Center for Digital Storytelling is coming to UW Bothell
The Center for Digital Storytelling will conduct an Educator Workshop, March 8-10. This is a great opportunity for faculty, students and alumni to be trained by digital storytelling "rock stars" without having to travel to one of their regional centers. The three-day Educator Workshop is designed as a professional development opportunity for K-12 classroom teachers.
Workshop facilitators support each participant in developing a digital story not more than 150 words in length. The creation of these shorter pieces provides hands-on experience with the entire digital storytelling process, including a story circle, script writing and recording, and the production process, using digital technology.
For more information and to register for the Educator Workshop please visit the Center for Digital Storytelling website
Free, public workshops will be held Thursday afternoon, March 7.
Please join Allison Myers of the Center for Digital Storytelling for an introduction to digital storytelling, and a discussion of a variety of methods of implementation in K-12 and University classrooms. Whether you have already experimented with digital storytelling in the classroom or are just discovering it, please join us as we showcase a few programs, share ideas and resources, and experiment with story development.
The two sessions will be held in LB1 203. You are welcome to attend one or both sessions.
- 2:30 -4:00 p.m.
- 4:45 - 6:15 p.m.
Autumn 2012
Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education
Four faculty members in the Education Program contributed to the Encyclopedia Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education: Cherry Banks, Wayne Au, Karen Gourd and Carrie Tzou.
The Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education, edited by James Banks, director of the UW Center for Multicultural Education, provides a systematic and logical way to organize and present the state of research on diversity policies, practices, and programs. It gives students, scholars, teachers, and policymakers a place where they can find answers to important questions about diversity in U.S. education, at both the K-12 and post-secondary levels. Diversity is a worldwide phenomenon, and while most of the entries in the Encyclopedia focus on the United States, it also contains entries from different nations in the world. With over 700 signed entries from A-to-Z, (4 volumes, in both print and electronic formats), the Encyclopedia covers the full spectrum of diversity issues including race, class, gender, religion, language, exceptionality, and the global dimensions of diversity as they relate to education.
Carrie Tzou was one of the distinguished panelist on the subject of: Clarifying the Meanings of Diversity and Educating Youth in the Humanities and the Sciences at the UW Center for Multicultural Education 20th Year Celebration and book launch of The Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education, held on the Seattle campus November 9.
Summer 2012
Telling our Stories as Teachers: Digital Storytelling as a Reflective Process
Katie Divito, M.Ed. student, sent her digital story to the Reading with Rover program, and they're using it for training and recruitment and have offered her a scholarship to the next level of training. Below, Katie shares her story:
Searching for your defining moment as a teacher can be a life changing experience. It is often incomprehensible to imagine that an ordinary person could change a single life yet behind the scenes, through constant selfless acts, educators change the lives of many on a daily basis. Stories as Teachers, taught by Professor Jane Van Galen and Vicki North, challenged me to reflect upon my own teaching, identifying a remarkable event that I could share with others through the creation of a digital story.
As a teacher, I am aware of the impact that I have on my students within the walls of my own classroom. Through my actions, I am able to help children develop and acquire the skills necessary to become successful adults in our society. The transformations that I have witnessed on a daily basis are true testaments to the value of teachers and have further motivated me to continue my love of working with children outside of the school building.
In December of 2011, I became aware of a program that would allow me to help children develop confidence in reading while working in collaboration with my boxer puppy Ava. Reading with Rover, is a program that has been developed to help children improve their literacy by reading aloud to qualified therapy dogs. The dogs volunteer in schools, bookstores and libraries and provide struggling readers with an opportunity to practice their oral reading fluency in front of non-biased literacy mentors. It is evident that students who participate in this program typically feel less stressed about reading aloud and therefore are able to practice essential reading skills while building confidence and self-assurance. A variety of studies have been conducted to show the positive effects that therapy dogs have on children’s reading abilities.
Through the help and guidance of Becky Bishop, Executive Director of Reading with Rover and other trainers at Puppy Manners in Woodinville, Washington I was able to embark on a journey that would allow me to make a dramatic impact in the life of a ten year girl. The memorable events that took place during this life changing experience became inspirations for my digital story.
Reading is a critical skill that students need to possess in order to become successful adults in our society. If struggling readers can be identified early and provided with an opportunity such as Reading with Rover, than their ability to survive and prosper within society can be dramatically changed. All children should be provided with the individual support necessary to become proficient readers and as you will observe in my video sometimes the simple presence of a dog is all that is required.
Education Radio Podcast
Professor Wayne Au, author of Unequal by Design: High stakes testing and the standardization of inequality, talks about how high stakes testing locks some students out of the curriculum and begins a process of devaluing - that changes how students know themselves, how teachers know students, and how society sees young people, especially young people of color.
To access podcast, click here
Spring 2012
Prof. Wayne Au has been awarded the 2012 Early Career Scholars Award by the Curriculum and Cultural Studies SIG of the American Educational Research Association. Wayne received his award at the annual meeting of AERA in Vancouver, Canada in April.
Dr. Au’s academic interests broadly encompass critical education theory and teaching for social justice. More specifically his research focuses on educational equity, high-stakes testing, curriculum theory, educational policy studies and social studies education. He is rapidly becoming a nationally recognized scholar on issues of social justice in education.
Winter 2012
"Husky Buddies" from Woodmoor Elementary School visit UW Bothell
As a culmination of a quarter together learning about mathematics, the teacher candidates from Dr. Allison Hintz's elementary math methods course welcomed their 3rd grade "Husky Buddies" from Woodmoor Elementary School to UW Bothell to go on a mathematical tour of campus. As they visited popular campus landmarks, such as the wetlands and Ancestor sculptures, they solved exciting math problems and discovered hidden treasures right here at UW Bothell! If you would like to take this mathematical tour of campus, click here!
Using video games and the Kinect to teach mathematics
Professor Rogin Angotti is using video games and off-the-shelf motion-sensing game consoles such as Kinect to involve students in mathematics.
Dr. Angotti's work is also featured in the Autumn issue of Insight (pp.8-10)
Autumn 2011
Focus on Multicultural Education
Cherry Banks' work as Chairperson of the Diversity Council at UW Bothell was featured in the latest issue of Viewpoints. The article highlights UW Bothell as one of the most diverse campuses in the state. The Diversity Council was born out of the conversation about the 21st Century Campus Initiative, which defines seven areas that faculty, staff and students wish to bolster as the University of Washington Bothell. Diversity is one of those seven pillars and under the leadership of Chancellor Kenyon Chan and Diversity Council Chair Cherry Banks, the Diversity Council has developed many important diversity intitiatives at the UW Bothell.
Wayne Au on fairness in education
Dr. Au talks about fairness in education and students of color as part of the Education Nation series. Click here for video.
Leading critical educational theorist visits UW Bothell
On October 17th, the UW Bothell Education Program hosted a lecture by Dr. Michael Apple entitled, 'Understanding and Interrupting the Current Politics of Education,' at the Northcreek Event Center. Dr. Apple's address was well received, and the audience of close to 100 included students and faculty from all three UW campuses as well K-12 educators from the region.
Spring 2011
UW Bothell Teacher Education introduces Co-Teaching
“Co-Teaching has brought great benefits to our students with two adults in the room. Both are engaged with students, asking them questions and attending to their needs”, says Dr. Jill Hudson, Principal at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle. Co-Teaching refers to the intentional model for field experiences that has been adopted by University of Washington Bothell, as well as many other teacher education programs throughout the country.
Co-Teaching means two teachers, a Cooperating Teacher (or mentor teacher) and a Teacher Candidate (a UW Bothell student teacher) work together with students, share planning, organization, delivery of instruction, assessment, and physical space. Student teaching is no longer a stand-alone, isolated experience but a sharing of the many roles of a teacher. In the early stages of the field experiences, the Cooperating Teacher usually takes the lead, and as the year progresses, the Teacher Candidate gradually takes on more leadership for planning and facilitation.
Tony Renouard, social studies teacher at Nathan Hale said that co-teaching has allowed his classes to experience more split class seminars resulting in increased participation from the quiet students. He has been able to model more teaching strategies for Nick Cantlon, his Teacher Candidate. Nick has appreciated the “going back and forth between the rhythm of observation and teaching” that they have developed.Christy Fillman, who teaches mathematics at Canyon Park Junior High in Northshore, echoed Dr.Hudson’s views, “you can’t go wrong with two teachers in the room”. She and her Teacher Candidate, Hai Evans, sometimes take students’ responses to problems and record two different ways to solve the same problem, one solution on the front board and one on the back. Hai has appreciated Christy’s presence to give immediate feedback and suggestions. They have become so comfortable working together that they now give each other feedback, calling their rhythm “an openness to move and shift”.
Dave Sage, Principal at Canyon Park, says, “The Canyon Park students have definitely benefited...through the double lenses of the Cooperating Teacher and the Teacher Candidate, the focus is more on their students”. Canyon Park Cooperating Teachers have expressed to him that they have grown professionally because co-planning requires them to be very intentional so that they can explain why they make certain decisions.
The concepts behind Co-Teaching raise questions about the benefits of solo student teaching and whether Co-Teaching prepares new teachers for the ‘real world’. Almost all institutions require some time for Teacher Candidates to be in charge of the classroom and to make crucial curriculum, classroom management, and assessment decisions. During UW Bothell’s first year using Co-Teaching, our Teacher Candidates take the lead for planning and facilitation for six weeks during their student teaching quarter, with the Cooperating Teacher supporting the planning and maintaining some connections with students. Tony Renourd summed up the goal for our Teacher Candidates, “Nick has to be at a point where I am confident he can do this alone”. Through the Co-Teaching Model, Tony knows Nick well and has witnessed his progress so that Tony predicts he will be able to recommend Nick with confidence.
At the end of Winter Quarter for the secondary program and at the conclusion of Spring Quarter for the elementary program, UW Bothell Teacher Education will ask Cooperating Teachers and Teacher Candidates for feedback that will guide development of the model next year. So far, we are finding Co-Teaching beneficial and relevant to the way people learn and teach in the 21st century.
Summer 2010
2010 UW Bothell Distinguished Alumni Recipient: Mahnaz Javid
After earning her Master's in Education at UW Bothell, Mahnaz has been improving access to education around the world. Mahnaz attributes much of her success to UW Bothell's engaging professors that helped stimulate her curiosity about how people learned and the idea of an equal education for all. It was from this passion that Mahnaz founded the Mona Foundation, a non-profit organization which consists of several projects and campaigns ranging from providing solutions to teacher shortages in India to building schools in Vietnam. Mahnaz Javid serves as an inspiration for all who hear her story of dedication to education. She shared her legacy at UW Bothell's 2010 Commencement.