EduCoug

It was nothing mind-blowing, Shawn Frazier says. But the experience was one of  his best as a WSU student.  He, along with two kinesiology program classmates and Professor Lawrence Bruya, worked until after midnight in a teaching assistants’ office tucked away in Smith Gym. They ordered pizzas and talked while working on a student journal that Shawn edited.

“One of the biggest strengths of my program is how well everyone works  together, whether for studying or group projects,” says Shawn, who was an undergraduate teaching assistant.  “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working there, specifically with Dr. Bruya. He’s an incredible mentor, prioritizing the student above all else.”

Shawn plans to be a physical therapist. The first-generation college graduate was among those singled out as highlight students at Saturday’s commencement in Pullman.  You can see WSU  President Elson S. Floyd praising him at the 40-minute point in the video of the ceremonies.

Among our other stellar graduates was Eva DiDonato, an elementary education major whose high grade point average won her the privilege of being the College of Education banner bearer.

By the way, Pullman is the only one of the four WSU campuses that has a fall-semester commencement. It’s an especially pleasant affair.  Smaller than the springtime extravaganzas, it has the extra sparkle of holiday lights and some extra Cougar crimson in poinsettia form.

You’ll find a few more photos on our college Facebook page.

Ask College of Education folks for words to describe Xyanthe Neider, and “unflappable” would likely make the list.  But the clinical assistant professor says she was caught off balance by the news she’ll be honored as WSU employee of the week at Saturday’s Apple Cup game.  “You could have knocked me over with a feather, for sure.”

Xyan was nominated by student Kyle Redmon. It seems that he and his classmates not only learn a lot in her classroom assessment methods course, but also have fun there.  “She relates really well with her students and everyone loves her” was message Kyle gave to Courtney Ioane of the Washington State ISP Sports Network. The network coordinates the award; WSECU sponsors it.

Saturday’s Cougs-vs.-Huskies will be the second time this semester that an education faculty member’s face lights up the Martin Stadium scoreboard.  Phillip Morgan won the employee of the week honor in September.

Other reasons for applause:

Cougar athlete and sport management major Andrei Lintz was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Academic Second Team.

Vancouver’s At Home At School Program has been acknowledged as a “great partner” by the the Evergreen Public Schools, as noted on Evergreen’s  Community Partnerships web page. Says Professor Gisela Ernst-Slavit, interim academic director for WSU Vancouver’s education programs: “Congratulations to Susan Finley and all those at WSU who make AHAS possible!

Sometimes EduCoug is mostly an excuse for sharing pictures.  Hence, these shots of WSU College of Education lecturer and Ph.D. alum Justin Hougham, who also plows a lot of his time into the WSU Organic Farm.

His role as the farm’s education and outreach coordinator is one reason behind the Palouse Pollinators series highlighted in the WSU Today article “Workshops harvest lessons from food.”  When he’s not on the farm or presiding over an indoor classroom, Justin might be found at the Pullman farmers’ market. Or at the University of Idaho, where he also shares his passion for wholesome food.

The other reason for the workshops is doctoral student Francene Watson — a graduate assistant, community activist and former classroom teacher. Together, they’re helping keep the college involved in the important cause of place-based education.

You can see pictures of the Palouse Pollinators field day on the College of Education’s Shutterfly site.  Also posted there:  photos from last week’s Future Teachers and Leaders of Color dinner.

You may not know …
French filmmakers were on the Palouse last weekend to interview Associate Professor Pamela Bettis, an expert on gender issues.  The crew is making an hour-long documentary on cheerleading, “which the French find fascinating,” Pam says.

Professor Joy Egbert sent along a population report from the Language and Literacy Education program:  “Ph.D. students Emma Lin and Maysoun Ali both had their babies this week!”

Retired Bellevue music teacher James Taylor just happened to see a local cable TV program. Because of that, Ingrid Morente of Wenatchee—the first person in her family to attend college—had help getting into Washington State University’s highly competitive teacher education program.

What Taylor saw in 1998 was then-Dean Judy Mitchell talking about the WSU College of Education’s efforts to recruit and mentor students of color. Taylor, a Spokane native, was a 1963 graduate of WSU. Although he was white, there were many students of color in his western Washington classrooms and choruses. He wanted them to succeed, and knew it was important for them to see faces like their own among their teachers. Inspired by the dean’s message, he contacted the college and offered to help.

He died eight months later. When his estate was settled, it included $186,766 for the establishment of the James Taylor Future Teachers of Color Endowment.

For a decade now, the endowment has been used to help minority students. Its impact will be on display Nov. 16 when Future Teachers and Leaders of Color, as it’s now known, hosts its third annual Thanksgiving dinner.  Current and prospective students in the Department of Teaching and Learning will mingle with faculty at the invitation-only evening of solidarity and conversation.

Two FTLOC student ambassadors have been busy planning the event. One is Ingrid, whose family emigrated from Guatemala to Wenatchee when she was a child.

“I’ve always worked with children – volunteering for Sunday school, doing day care,” she said.

After high school graduation, she worked three years as a para-educator at Washington Elementary School in Wenatchee. A teacher friend encouraged her to go to college so she could someday have a classroom of her own­.  She got an associate’s degree at Wenatchee Valley Community College and applied for admission to WSU.

Ingrid learned that admission required an interview in addition to paperwork and grade transfers. FTLOC members who were already enrolled in Pullman helped prepare her by conducting a mock interview. This year, she’s returning the favor for prospective students.

In recent years, the FTLOC program has recruited student ambassadors and provided them with scholarships from the James Taylor endowment. So Ingrid has helping paying her tuition. So does Margarita Vidrio, a Kennewick High School graduate who is in her second year as an ambassador.

Unlike Ingrid, whose goal is to teach elementary school, Margarita plans to be a high school math teacher. The passion for education runs in the family; she has an aunt and two cousins who are teachers in Mexico.

The two young women did not get to meet their benefactor, but their enthusiasm for education seems in keeping with his own.  One of Taylor’s former students said of him: “He worked 15 hours a day and on weekends. He never turned a kid away saying ‘You know what? I want to, but I’m too busy.’ ”

If you listen to music when you exercise, does hip-hop rock your workout better than country or classical? Do the beats per minute make any difference? Zachary Cole aims to answer those questions.

His fellow undergraduate, Lexi McCullough, has been measuring the impact that a female college student’s family has on her physical fitness.

Neither had planned to study physical education, much less to become researchers before they earned their bachelor’s degrees.  But both are winning praise for their work in PE — also known as kinesiology — at Washington State University.

Zach, a senior from Tumwater, Washington, arrived on the Pullman campus planning to become an engineer. When that field didn’t flip his switch, he tried pharmacy for awhile.  Ultimately, he says, his exercise habits led him to the WSU College of Education’s movement studies program. “I liked weight lifting, and that lead to personal training, and that led to kinesiology.”

Zach has received a $1,000 Auvil Scholars Fellowship to continue a study that also involves student researchers Richard Swihart (who started the study), Jeff Boice and recent graduate Kyle Mendes. The work they’ve done so far suggests that tempo and beat, regardless of music genre, do influence performance during exercise. They want to ramp up their research with a study involving runners who can choose what kind of music they listen to. The Auvil money will go toward such expenses as purchase of audio equipment and publication/conference costs.

Zach has created a poster reviewing the literature of research into the relationship between earphone music and running.  He presented it at October’s annual meeting of the Western Society for Kinesiology and Wellness (WSKW) in Reno. The poster’s “amazing graphic” drew lots of attention, says Professor Larry Bruya. Both Zach and Lexi are his teaching assistants, and both attended the WSKW conference, where they were courted by graduate program researchers who wanted to recruit them.

Zach does have his eye on graduate school and, possibly, an academic career. Lexi wants to be a physical therapist.

A senior from Randle, Washington, Lexi started out as a neuroscience major. When she switched to movement studies, she began researching different mood states in 37 Alpha Delta Pi sorority members. She also gathered information on the women’s family history of physical activity and fitness. She learned that not only are physically active college students happier, but those who are more active in college came from families that value fitness or are physically active.

Her paper on the subject was one of 27 (out of 100) accepted for presentation at the WSKW conference, where it won a 2010 R.D. Peavey Excellence in Writing Award. When asked by a professor at the conference why she studied women, Lexi replied: “Because I am one, and because most of the literature is about males. We know too little about females.”

So you love kids? Great, but take it from an expert: If you’re interviewing for a job at Spokane Public Schools, don’t say that’s why you chose to be a teacher.

For one thing, says Angela Brown with a laugh, there will be days in the classroom when you won’t like the little so-and-sos.

Brown is head of recruiting for the Spokane school district. A 1994 secondary education graduate of Washington State University, she calls herself a “hover mother” – someone who cares passionately about children. But emotional connection is only one hallmark of a great teacher, she says. Along with that and instructional ability, she looks for a touch of idealism.

“Social justice is at the core of what we do,” Brown says of the state’s second-largest school district. “Every teacher needs to meet every student where they’re at. The class clown, the kid who comes to school dirty … it doesn’t matter. The teacher needs to have the same high expectations and high support for them all. You need to give them all a fair chance.”

Despite the tough economy, Brown hired 100 teachers last year. Competition was stiff.  “I get 240 applicants for every elementary teaching position, but only 20-30 applicants for math, science and special education openings.” So she is on the hunt for teachers with endorsements in those areas.

She definitely wants to hear from bilingual teachers. Spokane’s growing immigrant community means students speak 55 languages. The school district needs more teachers who can successfully work with students and families who do not speak or are still learning English.

For those applicants lucky enough to get a job interview, Brown offers this additional advice:

• Do your research. For example, you might find out what the district is doing to close the achievement gap between students of color and their peers. “Some applicants haven’t even Googled the school they’re applying for,” Brown says.

• Be prepared to show that you are responsive and reflective on issues such as race, ethnicity, disability, gender and sexual orientation. “We often get a deer-in-the-headlights look when we ask how an applicant would help students of color improve in math.” The right answer, in Brown’s book: “The same way I help all students improve in math.”

• Be confident. “You may have a unique skill a teacher with 10 years of experience doesn’t have.”

• And be authentic. “We know when people are blowing smoke.”

Her junior high school students in Japan love movies and songs from the United States.  Teacher Kiyomi Yamashita wishes they would show similar enthusiasm for American-style classroom participation.

“Students here don’t hesitate to ask questions or share their thoughts,” says Kiyomi, who is finishing up a two-month visit to Washington State University.  “We Japanese think too much about what others think of us. We wear the same uniforms, eat the same lunch.  I’ve decided to encourage my students to give their opinions, even if their opinions are different. It will be my biggest challenge.”

She is in Pullman thanks to a longstanding partnership between the WSU College of Education and the Nishinomiya school system.  She’s devoted much of her time to improving her English, with the help of WSU’s Intensive American Language Center.

Kiyomi began studying English at age 13.  At 32, she is learning all the doors that mastery of the language can open.  To take that message back to her own students, she decided to make a video of two Japanese exchange students describing their experiences at WSU.  Both Takato Hara and Miki Kano told her that they hadn’t been keen on learning English when they were in junior high, but now they’re eager.  One communication tip they shared:  Simply saying “My name is … ” is a good way to start a conversation.

Kiyomi’s impressions of U.S. classrooms have been shaped by a visit to Pullman’s Lincoln Middle School, plus sitting in on a WSU course in classroom management taught by Assistant Professor Hal Jackson. “She’s been a pleasure to have in class,” says Hal. “She’s surprised by how frequently college students participate in discussion.”

Weekends have taken Kiyomi to the Nishinomiya sister city of Spokane, which she visited on her first trip to the U.S. two years ago; to Seattle, to visit a teacher friend; and to Los Angeles, where she played tourist in Beverly Hills, Hollywood and Santa Monica.

Being at WSU has also whetted her appetite for international travel. She’s met students from other countries and realized she could converse with them in English. The experience, she says, has “opened my mind.”

Kiyomi will return to Japan with memories of many kind, friendly people who laugh a lot. That could be because her ready smile prompts smiles in return, whatever language is being spoken around her.

Anna knows which local plants make good medicines. Raven Heart is a 12-year-old boy who idolizes Sky, who is educating his people on the dangers of a proposed gold mine behind their Alaskan village. Raven Heart’s mother died of cancer after being exposed to chemicals used in the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup.

This cast of characters populates a prototype video game created by Clinical Associate Professor Leslie Hall. She will discuss the game during Friday’s Academic Showcase from 1 to 4 p.m. on the first floor of the Education Addition on the Pullman campus. The showcase of researchers’ work is new on the annual homecoming weekend schedule, and much in keeping with our annual “Scholarship and Excellence” theme.

Leslie worked on the video game prototype with James Sanderville, a former WSU graduate student and enrolled Klamath tribal member.  Their goal was to inspire young residents of Nanwalik, Alaska, to take an interest in their traditional language, Sugcestun, as well as the culture and knowledge of their people, the Supiaq Alutiiq — and learn research skills along the way.

The WSU duo’s choice of this particular village was inspired by a National Science Foundation program officer who just happened to be assigned to the Arctic regions. Leslie will talk about what it took to put the game together, and its creators’ hopes for the future of the project.  There is unquestionably a need for such games.  According to the National Geographic, a language dies every 14 days.

Phillip Morgan, program coordinator for our K-12 Health and Fitness Teacher Education program, will get a big salute at the Cougs’ Saturday football game against USC.

The Martin Stadium video screen will light up with his picture during the announcement that he is the Washington State University employee of the week.   The honor is sponsored by WSECU and is inspired by nominations made to WSU Athletics.  In this case, athletics intern Josh Grubich made an especially enthusiastic nomination.  He regaled Courtney Ioane, marketing assistant for the Washington State ISP Sports Network, with tales of the professor’s skill and enthusiasm.

Or as Phillip jokes, “my students told some lies about me.”  If that’s the case, a lot of them are lining up to fib.   In the past week alone, three glowing letters have come in to his email box from former students.   They were passed along by Phillip’s proud wife, Sharon.   The enthusiasm of  Mason Skeffington ’06, who’s loving his job as a West Seattle elementary school teacher, was typical:

“Dr. Morgan, it is teachers like you who really got me excited to do what I do.  I could have done many things with my life (and still could) but I chose to teach!  Having great professors at WSU prepared me for what may lie ahead.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your guidance and I hope that all is going well with you out at Wazzu.  Good luck with your new batch of scholars. I’m sure they are just as excited to have you as I was.”

Saturday will be a good day for Phillip.  But then, a lot of them are.

“There isn’t one time I’ve had in the classroom that I’ve had a bad day,” says Phillip, whose WSU teaching career began after years as a high school teacher and coach. “When I got this job, I felt I’d arrived. I’m where I want to be.  I don’t want to move up, I don’t want to move laterally. I love to teach.”

As the role of testing in education is hotly debated, there’s no argument about one thing: Tests should be valid and meaningful.

As a graduate assistant at the WSU College of Education’s Learning & Performance Research Center (LPRC), Antonio Valdivia is gaining expertise in examining exams. The quality and reputation of the LPRC’s work is reflected in the recent  internships that sent Antonio and two of his fellow doctoral students, Chad Gotch and Mo Zhang, far from Pullman.

With the support of a Fulbright grant, Antonio interned in his home town of Monterrey, Mexico.  His main goal was to build a research network between the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon and the LPRC, which wants to begin analyzing educational and psychological tests that are administered in other cultures and languages.  Antonio raves about the value of the project to his career:  “It involves research networking and project development in  international, cross-cultural and large-scale settings — all of these in real-life situations.”

Mo interned at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey.  She was part of a team that compares electronic rating systems that are used to score students’ essays.  The challenge is to find a scoring system that can efficiently and accurately assess writing ability. “The learning experience was extraordinary,” Mo says. “It not only enhanced my knowledge and aptitude in conducting scientific research, but broadened my horizon in the field of psychometrics as well.”

Chad learned a lot about the politics that swirl around educational testing during his internship at the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment in Dover, New Hampshire.  While there, he worked on a handbook to assist Pennsylvania school districts in validating their student assessment systems. “The internship helped me to put together some disjointed pieces of knowledge I had floating around in my head, and to understand the forces driving trends in testing,” he said. “The people at the center were all brilliant, and I was able to connect with a lot of professionals at a national student assessment conference.”

The projects in which Mo and Chad participated have been submitted for presentation at national conferences next spring — hers at the National Council on Measurement in Education, his at the American Education Research Association.

More good news…

For those who didn’t see it linked from our Facebook page,  recent doctoral graduate and Clinical Assistant Professor Paul Mencke wrote a guest opinion for the Spokesman-Review newspaper: Teacher’s use of lyrics sound.

And Ph.D. alumna Jennifer Cowgill, a Pullman elementary school teacher, has won the Association of Literacy Educators & Researchers’ 2010 Dissertation Award.