Friday Memo 2/12/16

MO EDU-SAIL

At Tuesday's division faculty meeting, Susan shared with the faculty a website that we learned about at our last CEEDAR meeting. I encourage all of you to utilize the free resources at the following website http://moedu-sail.org/ From the main screen, click the Professional Development link under the Teaching and Learning Practices tab. Here is a list of some of the research-based modules that have been created:

• Effective Teaching and Learning Practices
• Visible Learning
• Collaborative Data Teams
• Data-Based Decision Making
• Common Formative Assessment
• Student-Teacher Relationships
• Engaging Student Learners
• Assessment Capable Learners
• Feedback
• Metacognition
• Reciprocal Teaching
• Differentiated Instruction
• Using Technology in Instruction

Susan Hladky sharing the website at the faculty meeting.

Egg Drop
Michael Broombaugh invited me to attend and participate in his Elementary Science Methods class egg drop. To apply the scientific method, Michael has his students create a container that will keep an egg from cracking when dropped from the 3rd floor of the Field Academic Building. I thoroughly enjoyed watching our students learn and discuss how to apply the scientific method into their future classrooms by integrating a fun hands-on activity. All but one of the containers provided enough insulation from the fall that the egg did not crack, even my container!!

Michael handing the student a fresh egg.

Container being released from the 3rd floor of the Field Academic Building.

Student-made egg containers

At the Table
Dr. Keith Marty, Superintendent of the Parkway School District, shared some remarks with a few of our former MBU Education alumni. Education Plus and CharacterEdPlus sponsored an event for a group of us to gather to discuss innovation in education and to hear Dr. Marty talk about the innovative practices going on in the Parkway School District.

simSchool Update
David Collum presented the most recent data analyzed regarding our utilization of simSchool to provide our students with a simulated experience with diverse populations of students. We continue collecting data and working with other universities to determine the value of using this product at our university.

David Collum  presenting simSchool at the faculty meeting.

Job Fair
Our Career Services Department did a great job organizing the Education Job Fair. I had an opportunity to chat with many of the administrators. Here is some feedback I received regarding our candidates:

• These applicants are better prepared than I have ever seen.
• These students really know about instructional strategies. They are able to apply the theory and practice and talk about how they implement instructional strategies in the classroom.
• Applicants are very familiar with recent theorists and researchers, such as Ruby Payne, and are able to discuss how the research applies to the classroom.
• Most candidates were dressed appropriately, a few should have dressed nicer.
• Very impressed by a student who is a junior who attended to learn about the job fair and gain experience interviewing.
• One student responded inappropriately to a question. The interviewer suggested a different response. (We will follow up with that student.)
• Excellent event, we met a lot of great candidates that we would love to hire. We will be contacting them soon.
• We wish there had been more candidates.

Dissertation Defense
Terri Parks, Assistant Superintendent of Meramec Valley R-III, presented on her dissertation, Analysis of Grading Perceptions and Practices of Elementary Teachers and Administrators. Please attend dissertation defenses if you are able. I learn so much about current research and PK-12 practice from every defense. One part of Terri's study that fascinated me was her audit of her participants' gradebooks. Sometimes teachers say one thing in a survey, but her audit of their gradebooks provided very rich data for her study. She also created a side-by-side summary of five research-based grading models. Shelton encouraged Terri to copyright this chart because he believes it will be a useful document that districts will want to utilize.

Terri Parks

Terri presenting her summary of research-based grading models.

Swivl

I met with main campus student teachers this week and recruited two of our students to use our Swivl products to aid them as they record their instruction for Task 4 of the MoPTA. This device allows the candidate to use the lapel microphone as a tracker so the base with the phone swivels to follow the student as he/she is presenting the lesson.

CACREP Accreditation Update

Jeremy Ruckstaetter, Mary Ann Conaway, and I are working on curricular proposals that will be submitted to Graduate Affairs to ensure we are meeting the CACREP standards. We are also in the process of hiring counseling CACREP accredited faculty that will help us as we move forward with this very important accreditation.

Upcoming Meetings

• Monday, 2/15      Spartan Preview Day     
• Tuesday, 2/16      Director Meeting     10:15am - 11:45am     FLD 346
• Wednesday, 2/17  Faculty & Staff Inservice Day
• Monday, 2/22       Faculty Meeting     3:00pm     Recital Hall
• Tuesday, 2/23       Division PLC Meeting     10:15am     Begin in FLD Conference Room

Closing Remarks

Remember this Sunday on Valentine's Day that God's love is unconditional, unending, and unmistakable. God loves you! When we begin to understand God's unconditional love for us, it allows us to be compassionate and loving to our students and all those to whom we come in contact. 

Have a beloved weekend!

Melanie