Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Washington State University
College of Education

EduCoug

Grad student honored by the Canadian Bureau for International Education

By Kyla Emme

We’ve all gotten that participation trophy at the end of the season, or that certificate of appreciation at the end of a grueling project.

But then you have WSU graduate student Faraj Aljarih, snagging a spot as an honorable mention for the CBIE Libyan Student Excellence Award. With 2016 being the inaugural year of the annual award, the nominees set a high bar. There are around 2,500 Libyan students with the CBIE in the U.S. and Canada, there were only 200 applications accepted, and then it was narrowed down to 6 winners. These winners included medical doctors, avid volunteers, and intense researchers – all of them making contributions to their campuses, industries and communities here in the U.S./Canada and back in Libya.

Faraj was self-nominated for the award, but his idea to do so only came after some encouragement from WSU Professor, Dr. Joy Egbert. Both she and Dr. Sara Chang wrote letters of recommendation for Faraj, all the while being a solid support system for him throughout his on-going work on his Master’s thesis. His Master’s research is looking into the relationships between inclusion of culture and learner engagement in language tasks. His hopes are that his research paper will get published in a well-known academic journal in the field of teaching and learning, and that he will be able to present his research in several conferences. He graduates this spring semester, so you may end up seeing him at a conference near you soon.

But receiving this award and eventually getting published are just stepping stones for Faraj as he sees a much bigger purpose for doing all this work.

“I hope I can give more to the society. As an international student from Libya in the United States, I have a big responsibility. I have a responsibility toward my society back home in Libya as I am sponsored by the people’s money to study abroad.” Faraj said. “Also, I have a responsibility toward the society here as I was nicely welcomed and given the opportunity to accomplish my life goals. So whatever I do for the society, whether here or back home, will be small. Giving back to society is a pledge that I will do all that I can to keep.”

Animals do more than teach us responsibility

Can a new pet help a child learn responsibility? Sure! They can learn how to take a dog for a walk, for example, or make sure the cat’s food bowl gets filled every day, or make sure the goldfish tank gets cleaned out.

But, if you’re of the vein that it’ll just be dad who ends up walking the dog in the end, perhaps here’s another reason to take interest: a new book shows not only what a pet can teach us, but what the pet can teach people about other people. And, if that’s not enough, it shows how the interactions of humans and animals throughout history can shape our own actions, be it moral, ethical or otherwise.

Rud_photo02The book is called The Educational Significance of Human and Non-Human Animal Interactions: Blurring the Species Line. and it edited by our own A.G. Rud, distinguished professor in the College of Education, along with Suzanne Rice, professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Kansas.

The book contains chapters from scholars from across the country and an array of disciplines to examine the intersection of humans and animals. The topic is on the rise in education and the WSU College of Education has been involved in research on our campus

The book contains three sections exploring human animal interactions from various perspectives. One of them includes examining several K-12 educational practices in which animals play a role. That includes showing how animals serve as teachers to humans, and how animals have characteristics formerly thought to be only the domain of humans.

View more info

WSU alumni are teacher of the year finalists

By Kyla Emme

Two WSU education alumni have been chosen as regional finalists for the 2017 Washington Teacher of the Year Award. Jose Corona, a third grade teacher at Kirkwood Elementary School, completed the WSU teacher prep program in 1995. He was the regional finalist for ESD 105. Kendra Yamamoto, a preschool teacher at Martin Luther King Elementary School and teacher mentor for Vancouver Public Schools, completed her ESL endorsement at WSU Vancouver. She was the ESD 112 regional finalist.

This year, eight regional finalists had been chosen for this award, but only one has received the honorary distinction of “Teacher of the Year.” This honoree will now represent Washington as its nominee for the National Teacher of the Year Award.

All regional finalists have gotten the opportunity to share their teaching stories with legislators and educational leaders. They also have been provided with the opportunity to go around the state and share their expertise with the community and up-and-coming teachers. There are cash awards and other prizes given for their achievements also.

Kendra received a “full-ride” scholarship for her endorsement that stemmed from a grant of WSU Vancouver’s Dr. Gisela Ernst-Slavit. “TEAMS is a 1.3 million funded program by the US DOE,” Ernst-Slavit explained, “it’s designed to prepare practicing teachers and school administrators to work with ELLs in Southwest Washington.”

Since graduating from WSU, Jose has spent his 20 years of teaching at Kirkwood Elementary School. This school was no random choice, though, as he grew up in Toppenish and felt the need to go back.

A new university-high school partnership… and joke

Here’s a joke that always brings the house down:

Who do Zooplankton get their Christmas gifts from?
Santa clausi

(**sound of crickets**)

OK, that doozy aside…

Zooplankton, phytoplankton, and other nutrients, including harmful algae and invasive copepods exist in the Columbia River estuary.

The Columbia River’s 146-mile estuary is one of the largest in the nation. Only the Missouri–Mississippi system carries more water. Rapid population growth has changed land use in the Columbia estuary’s watershed in ways that may affect coastal ecosystems.

That’s where WSU Vancouver professor Tamara Nelson comes in. Believe us when we say it’s not just to save everyone from our corny jokes.

She’s joining two other WSU faculty research to lead student-conducted Columbia estuary research. Why? Because it’s critical to understand how nutrients and organisms from upstream contribute to habitat degradation, and the spread of invasive species.

The official project name is called Columbia River Estuary Science Education and Outreach: a Landscape-scale University–High School Partnership Integrating Scientific and Educational Research.

Yes, it’s a mouthful. So… CRESCENDO, for short.

The high school students gather water, plankton, and hydrographic data in the estuary, to learn about and assess relative effects of cumulative watershed drainage, and local factors such as sewage outflows (there’s gotta be a joke in there somewhere).

Nelson will join Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens and Steve Bollens, both also from the Vancouver campus. The job of the trio is to gauge what students have learned about science and stewardship; students’ ecological knowledge and outlook.

The research plan called for students at five high schools along the estuary to spend two years collecting water samples, plankton tows, and hydrographic data.

Cultural studies prof awarded Alaska Airlines travel grant

Assistant professor Johnny Lupinacci has been awarded an Alaska Airlines Travel Award.
The travel grant is given to faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students working in areas related to the university’s Imagine Tomorrow competition. As part of the airline’s three-year title sponsorship of the competition, it agreed to commit three million airline miles to WSU. The miles will be distributed over three years, with the first million starting this year.
Lupinacci is in his third year as faculty of the college’s Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education program. He researches social justice, and environmental equity.

The following are the Imagine Tomorrow research or activity categories:

  • Food, Energy and Water
  • The Boeing Aerospace Challenge
  • The NARA Biofuels Challenge
  • The McKinstry Built Environment Challenge

The travel that is award by Alaska Airlines must be for:

  • Attending external conferences, industry events or presentations.
  • Bringing an expert(s) to campus for lectures or events related to the above categories.

Diversity in the classrooms

By Paula Groves Price, Associate Dean for Diversity and International Programs

This fall has been an exciting semester for elementary education. It included our WSU students visiting classrooms in Pullman Schools, grades 1-4, and teaching lessons on tribal sovereignty, and integrated critical social justice issues in language arts and mathematics lessons. This helped realize part of my dream of giving our pre-service teachers more practical experience in multicultural lesson planning and culturally-responsive teaching.

Here’s a video we put together about our students working at Jefferson Elementary School in Pullman:

While many teacher education programs across the country require a course on diversity or multiculturalism, most do not provide opportunities for teacher candidates to put theory into practice and engage with children on many of the tough equity issues that we face as a society. The reality is that children in America’s schools need and want to have these dialogues, and they deserve to have teachers that are equipped with the knowledge and skills to facilitate lessons and conversations about difference and equity.

When novice teachers can take risks and gain experience facilitating dialogue with children on issues of race, class, gender, and justice, they are more likely enter into the teaching profession with the confidence to teach multi-culturally and from culturally-responsive frameworks. For the youth in our schools, these lessons provide opportunities to think critically, engage in conversations around difference, and recognize their power to make their school and society more equitable and just.

As a parent with a young African American child in the Pullman Schools, it excites me to see her enthusiasm for having WSU students and multi-cultural books and lesson brought into her classroom. Perhaps the greatest outcome, however, is the significant lessening of the micro-aggressions that she and many students of color experience in school. As young children learn more explicitly about diversity, they also become more committed to ensuring that their school and class are inclusive.

Schools across the country, and in the State of Washington are becoming increasingly diverse, both culturally and linguistically, but the teaching profession is not diversifying at the same rate. Part of my mission is to ensure that teachers who graduate from WSU have a strong sense of understanding of what it means to be a culturally-responsive educator, and put those ideas and lessons into practice. When teachers understand multiculturalism as simply “good teaching,” it can then be implemented with all of the state and national standards that are required of them, and not as an “add on” to be done when time permits. Their approach to teaching, developing lessons, and creating community in their classrooms is one that facilitates greater justice. Their experiences in the program with the Pullman Schools are just the beginning. I know that my child, and many children across the state, are counting on them to continue to teach multiculturally.

Large scholarship donation to help future teachers

It’s not specifically a College of Education scholarship, but the college is certainly excited at the opportunity today’s announcement brings.

As the state teaching shortage continues, the “Logan Scholarships” may help give students an additional incentive to choose teaching as their career.

Here is today’s announcement from the WSU Foundation:

WSU’s largest endowed scholarship benefits future teachers

By Trevor Durham, WSU Foundation

PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University announced today the creation of its largest endowed scholarship fund, made possible through a $16.5 million estate gift from San Francisco Bay area developer, philanthropist and alumnus Roscoe “Rock” Logan and his wife, Jane.

“Rock and Jane were committed to advancing education opportunities for young people so they can be successful in school, in their careers and in life,” said WSU Interim President Daniel Bernardo. “Their transformative investment in and care for the futures of WSU students – and in the education of our state’s youth – is both humbling and inspiring.”

Beginning in 2016, the R.H. and Jane Logan Scholarships will be awarded annually to WSU undergraduate and graduate students who plan to pursue careers in teaching, have a 3.0 or higher grade point average and demonstrate financial need. The awards are renewable for “Logan Scholars” as long as they continue to qualify according to the criteria.

For additional information about this scholarship, please visit: https://financialaid.wsu.edu/scholarships/wsu-scholarships/rh-and-jane-logan-scholarship/.

“The creation of this scholarship is a game changer,” said Bernardo. “WSU will be able to create remarkable opportunities for our students to pursue careers as educators. The ripple effect of this generous commitment will in turn benefit the next generations of students who will be taught, mentored and inspired by Logan Scholars.”

Students interested in applying for scholarships at WSU should visit http://finaid.wsu.edu/scholarships for more information.

Born in 1911 in Illinois and raised in Wapato, Wash., Rock Logan graduated in 1933 from then Washington State College with a degree in engineering and architecture. Following service in the Navy, he moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1947 to begin a 50-year partnership that ultimately became Braddock and Logan, builders and developers throughout California.

An avid football fan, Logan was a founding partner in the Oakland Raiders NFL franchise and was also a supporter of the San Francisco 49ers.

Born in September 1933 in Selma, Ala., Jane Logan attended Auburn University. She met her husband, Rock, while sailing. The couple married in 1974.

Rock and Jane were active and generous in their community. They established the Foundation for Cardiac Research at UC San Francisco; their other philanthropic interests and associations included Meals on Wheels for Alameda County, Holy Names College, Alta Bates Medical Center, Oakland’s Providence Hospital Foundation and the Art Council of California.

In addition to being a longtime member of the WSU Alumni Association, Rock also supported the Oakland and San Francisco symphony orchestras, International Host Committee of California and was a member of the Western Society of Watercolorists, Richmond Yacht Club, I00 Club, Family in San Francisco, Claremont Country Club, World Affairs Council and Commonwealth Club of California.

An Adopted Cougar at WSU, Jane served on the WSU Foundation’s Board of Governors and Board of Trustees and on the Foundation’s Northern California Leadership Advisory Council. She was active with the Oakland Children’s Hospital, the East Bay Community Foundation, the American Symphony Orchestra League and the San Antonio Youth Project. She was a member of the Bellevue Club, the Claremont Country Club and the Lakeview Club.

In addition to receiving the WSU Foundation’s Outstanding Volunteer Service Award in 2005, Jane received numerous awards for events and fundraising from the Oakland Symphony; the American Cancer League, Northern California; National Philanthropy Day and the Salvation Army. In 2008, she was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Holy Names College.

Rock Logan died in 1999 at the age of 87. Jane passed away in 2013 at the age of 79.

Through their estate, the Logans also created endowed scholarship funds at Holy Names College, the University of Oregon and Heritage University in Washington state.

 

Contact:
Trevor Durham, WSU Foundation, 509-335-2093, tdurham@wsu.edu

Family creates scholarship to honor wife and mother

By Breck Smith – College of Education intern

Many teachers give their hearts to instill in us the things they see as vital to our education, critical to our success and important to our future. Mary Alice Hall-Vaughn, a beloved educator, may no longer be alive but she will continue to positively impact others through a scholarship that has been named in her honor.

Mary Alice’s life was cut short from an aggressive form of liver cancer in May 2014. Her husband, Chuck Vaughn, always admired the passion she had for helping improve and motivate students to excel in their education. After he lost Mary Alice, it became Chuck’s mission to help continue her work by serving others. Chuck enlisted the help of his two sons, C.J. and Joe, to help him create the Mary Alice Scholarship.

Their goal is to assist students at WSU who are pursuing a degree in teaching from the College of Education. The family was able to give out the very first scholarship this year to a recipient for the 2015 fall semester.

Mary Alice devoted over four decades of her life to teaching and giving back. She began her career as a behavioral intervention specialist at the Camarillo State Hospital where she taught life skills to autistic adult residents. She would later accept a position in the Peninsula School District where she taught special education and later kindergarten. She also continued her own education by earning her National Board certification in November of 2008 and in the years that followed she dedicated her time to training and helping guide other teachers through their process of applying and obtaining this same certification. She not only impacted the kids she taught in her classroom, but also offered a helping hand to other teachers seeking to advance their careers.

“I want to bring awareness to the fact that something good can come out of such a horrific event in ones life, and that not everything surrounding a death in the family has to be sad,” said their son, Joe Vaughn. “My mother would be proud to know that we started a scholarship in her name that helps future teachers pursue their goals. It makes me feel closer to her knowing that we can preserve her memory in such a positive way that can benefit others.”

To donate to the Mary Alice Scholarship you can contact Andrea Farmer at a.farmer@wsu.edu or 509.335.4956.

News: laboratories offer more opportunities to undergraduates

VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE BRUYA-WOOD CONFERENCE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/118927064@N04/sets/72157652160779586/.

The following story was written in preparation for the event:

By Breck Smith – College of Education intern

The College of Education’s kinesiology program will host an open house on Fri., April 24 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. in the Smith and Physical Education buildings, to show off its new (and old) research and service labs.

Associate kinesiology professor Anne Cox has already seen an improvement in student learning from the new lab exposures.

Exercise Physiology Lab
The Exercise Physiology & Performance Lab is one of three kinesiology labs that have started in the last two years.

“The addition of new labs in the Kinesiology program has already had a substantial impact on students’ learning experiences at WSU. Many of our undergraduate students are now taking advantage of opportunities to assist with research or service projects that stem from the work in these various labs. In some cases, these experiences have had an impact on their intended career path as their eyes are opened to new possibilities” Cox said.

The purpose of this open house is to show the progress and potential benefits undergraduates look to obtain with the new and improved facilities.

Within the open house are lab tours which allow participants to see specific labs from 1-2 p.m. Labs that can be viewed include:

The Exercise Phys Lab, as well as the Biomechanics Lab, are both new this year as a direct result of the increased interest in the program.

The Exercise Phys Lab mission is to “improve human athletic performance, health, and quality of life through the accurate assessment of fitness levels/exercise capacities and physical activity behavior.”

The Biomechanics Lab’s main goal is to research dynamic balance to find answers on how to improve lives by reducing the amount of falls from humans, which happen every day. Both labs are expected to provide new information and research opportunities for students interested in making a difference in their communities.

Additionally participants do not want to miss The Bruya Wood Undergraduate Research Conference, which takes place from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in Physical Education Building 144. This conference provides students an opportunity to display academic research on a professional front. While gaining resume experience as they present their findings to established academics in the field.

Coug moms and students run in Mom’s Weekend 5K to fight breast cancer

By: Trevor Havard – College of Education Intern5k1

The WSU Sport Management Club’s annual Moms on the Glo 5K couldn’t be stopped by the torrential rain that fell on Saturday during Mom’s Weekend.

Despite the poor weather, approximately 70 cougar moms, students, and others gathered in their bright colors to take part in the Mom’s Weekend 5K event. This annual event raises awareness for breast cancer and the proceeds are donated to the Every Woman Can foundation, who helps women get mammograms who cannot afford them.

According to the American Cancer Society, 68 percent of uninsured women do not get mammograms, which are vital to catching breast cancer early and helping make breast cancer treatable. The Moms on the Glo 5K works to reduce this number and raised over $800 this year for Every Woman Can.

Sport Management Club Event Coordinator Chelsea Gorman was grateful to everyone who came out.5k2

“Even though it was pouring down raining everyone who came out had a great time,” she said. “It was great to see all the runners dressed up and so enthusiastic about our 5K and about helping Every Woman Can.”

Many participants who ran in the race were rewarded for their efforts. Prizes were given out to the fastest and most-spirited participants which included a laser-signed Richard Sherman Seahawks football, Seattle Sounders prize packs, WSU football tickets, and more.5k3edited

The annual 5K event will take place again on Mom’s Weekend next year and will look to help Every Woman Can even more.