College of Education News
Faculty News - October 2008
It has been a very productive month for the College of Education faculty. See below for a sampling of the good news that I heard while visiting with all of you!
Betsy Silva was notified that Matt Oliver, recent graduate from the Division of PE and Health, received the National AAHPERD Major of the Year Award!! What an honor for the Division and for Matt.
Michelle Hovland and Cindi Chandler were published in the most recent Kappa Delta Pi Record. The title of their article is Enhanced Teacher Preparation Coming to You Live from the Teacher Learning Center.
Faye LaDuke Pelster has had a presentation accepted for the 54th Annual IRA Convention in Minneapolis in May, 2009. She will be presenting with former colleagues from West Texas A&M. Their symposium is titled "Gazing Through the Global Window: Global and Multicultural Issues in Literacy Education."
Rich Carriveau has selected a research instrument and will be submitting an IRB proposal to study the development of confidence in teacher candidates at BHSU.
Jami Stone is gathering data in the Rapid City Area Schools for her dissertation. Her research topic is Cognitively-Guided Instruction and Native American Students.
Melanie Hurley is volunteering her time to help single parents in Rapid City balance work, life, and parenting. She is teaching a weekly course to parents and even arranging for childcare so they can attend. She has also been taking a leadership role this fall in Habitat for Humanity and CASA.
Chris Klinger received rave reviews for his Ropes Course work with the Project SELECT students this fall. The Ropes Course is being used as a strategy to develop teamwork and a sense of learning community.
Dorothy Fuller and Reva Potter were published in the English Journal. The title of their article is “Do Grammar Checkers Help?”
Carol Hess has arranged for a field trip for the Block faculty and Elementary Block students to tour Meadowlark school in Gillette, Wyoming. Meadowlark is a site used to address the needs of English Language Learners.
Rob Schurrer’s exercise science majors are beginning their work as fitness trainers with University faculty and staff.
Pat Simpson and Nancy Hall are meeting with the Lead/Deadwood superintendent to assist the district in meeting their goal of having 100% of their faculty with earned master’s degrees.
Mary Jones and her Indian Education students are working with the Rapid City Journey Museum to prepare curriculum packets for teachers.
Committee News
Accreditation Committee—Micheline Hickenbotham led the committee in finalizing action plans for the year. The primary focus this year is in the submission of the 24 program reports for SD Department of Education approval. Work sessions will be held this fall to assist program coordinators in preparing their applications. A secondary focus is to organize the writing team to work with the college in preparing the self-study for the NCATE visit in spring 2010.
Assessment Committee—Pat Simpson led the committee in examining how we will be reporting the data from the Teacher Work Sample. John Alsup has agreed to synthesize and report the achievement gain data in an aggregate form for the spring 2009 unit assessment report.
Advisory Committee—The Advisory Committee welcomed new members, Dr. Tim Creal, Superintendent of the Custer School District, and Lynn Switzer, student representative. The committee examined the most recent unit assessment reports; heard a report from Superintendent Jim Heinert of the Meade County School District; and learned about faculty research from Greg Cooch, Betsy Silva, and David Cahoon.
Recruitment and Retention Committee—Faye LaDuke-Pelster has organized the committee to represent us at Preview Days throughout the year. The committee will be unveiling a new marketing display board at the next faculty meeting. They hosted a social with the Center of Indian Studies in an effort to recruit and retain Native students in teacher education programs.
Mission and Strategic Planning Committee—The committee is examining the input from the August faculty meeting regarding professional development plans for the College. A proposal is being prepared to provide the infrastructure for ongoing support in the areas of technology, teaching, and research.