2013 Share Fair Recap: STEMosphere

12
June

On a bright and sunny Saturday in early May, the Morgridge Family Foundation hosted the 5th annual Share Fair at DU’s Morgridge College of Education that brought over 5,000 educators, community leaders and families to campus. This year’s Share Fair, entitled “STEMosphere”, started with an inspiring keynote address by Dr. Jane Goodall. Goodall talked about her studies of chimpanzees and the encouraging peers, educators and family members who helped her follow her passion and pursue her dreams. In applying her life story to the future of others, she has founded the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots and Shoots after-school program to provide an opportunity for learning that instills a passion for environmental conservation and empowerment for the youth across the world. Dr. Goodall’s closing remarks left the room with the hope for a better world – a place that empowers the youth of today to learn about their world, understand the problems and be inspired to find solutions, stating that: “A teacher is the one hope for [the children's] future. Give them hope. Encourage them to follow their dreams.”

After the words of encouragement from Dr. Goodall, over 1,000 K-12 educators streamed into Morgridge College of Education’s Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall to attend a variety of workshops on enhancing the teaching methods of STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math) in the classroom.

While the educators were learning ways to improve student achievement by including iPads, SMARTboards, and teaching technology into lessons that foster collaboration and hands on learning, the rest of the Share Fair attendees wandered through the STEMosphere exhibits. The exhibition hall was bustling all afternoon with science experiments, robots, and hands on activities that promote STEM education. Kids, their parents and their grandparents visited station after station, playing, learning and exploring science and technology together. The exhibits consisted of a variety of activities: from gardens, to anatomy, to robots, to dinosaurs to renewable energy.

Later, the educators would join in with the rest of the families in the exhibition hall, seeing STEM in action. Kids, adults and educators alike were encouraged by the opportunities that “STEMosphere” brought to the Denver Metro Area. A Grandfather at the Anatomy of Clay exhibit watched in awe as his granddaughter pressed clay into molds, creating skeletal and muscular models of people and animals, stated: “My granddaughter has been at this exhibit for over half an hour. She’s entranced by anatomy; she loves it.” A Mother at the STEM School Academy exhibit of underwater robots expressed: “My son just learned about the Titanic in school, so the underwater robot exhibit drew us in for quite a while.”

This year’s Share Fair taught us to expand our expectations of learning to promote personal and global transformations; showing us how technology and our brains can be used for good – to learn about problems, discover a passion and take action because of that passion. Who knows what next year has in store…

American Educational Research Association (AERA) Recap

5
June

More than 15,500 people attended the 2013 American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) Annual Meeting that was held the last weekend in April. Of those who attended, DU’s Morgridge College of Education sent a fleet of over 20 professors, administrators and students to present and discuss topics related to their work and research and attend other learning sessions.

The 2013 AERA Annual Meeting was a huge success, hitting a five-year high in attendance and showing commitment to innovation and change within the educational community. Below is just a small sampling of the activities and impact that Morgridge representatives brought to the meeting:

Ryan Evely Gildersleeve, Associate Professor of Higher Education, was a discussant at the session called “Bridging the Spatial Divide: Extending the Reach of Equity-Grounded College Access Research” that was a demonstration presenting critical race special analysis (CRSA) as a tool for higher education researchers to make a college education more accessible. Gildersleeve has written several papers and conducted research on opportunities of higher education for Latino (im)migrants, several of which were used as a basis for other informational sessions at AERA.

Kathy Green, Professor of Research Methods and Statistics, and Ian Burke, student at Morgridge College of Education, participated in a session called “Measurement Issues in Survey Research” that discussed issues in survey development, administering surveys, and interpreting the results. Green and Burke’s paper on the results of their research called, “Item Nonresponse in a Survey of Recent Teacher Education Program Graduates”, covered the session’s topic of nonresponse when it comes to measurement issues.

Morgridge College of Education Alumn, Lauren Victor, discussed her paper, “Place-Based Education as a Tool to Develop Lifelong Creativity” in the roundtable session about “Pedagogical and Curricular Possibilities”. Victor’s study explores the University of Michigan’s New England Literature Program for undergraduates that incorporates the literature and the land to support the academic objectives. Her studies show results of a greater impact on the student’s lives when looking at skills and knowledge along with character strength.

All of the participants at this year’s AERA were setting the stage to inspire the current and future educators of America. Morgridge College of Education’s 20+ participants are appreciated for their efforts and hard work towards making a positive change in the field of education.

Urban Education: Supporting English Language Learners and Educators

28
May

Dr. Richard Kitchen, the Kennedy Endowed Chair for Urban Education, has a passion for mathematics; he also has a passion for creating learning environments that support students from all backgrounds. These two passions are the power behind several research projects that have had lasting impact on diverse communities and high-needs schools across the nation.

Prior to joining MCE faculty in the fall of 2012, Kitchen was working on a NSF funded research project, called CEMELA (Center for Mathematics Education of Latinos), at the University of New Mexico. CEMELA’s focus was to support development for 30-35 grad students to improve mathematics education for Latino/as and English Language Learners (ELLs), serving high-need schools and populations. CEMELA applied a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to linguistically and culturally address diverse students and their learning needs. Kitchen also was the co-principal investigator on the HP funded High Achieving Schools Initiative that was the first research project to document the characteristics of mathematics education at high achieving secondary-level schools in the U.S. that serve low-income students.

According to the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, “the number of English Language Learners enrolled in public schools from 1997-98 school year to the 2008-09 school year increased by 51%”, creating a unique demand on educators to adapt teaching styles to fit the needs of their ELL students. The National Center for Education Statistics states that “during the 2009–2010 academic year, ELL students in cities made up an average of 14 percent of total public school enrollment, ranging from 11 percent in small cities to 18 percent in large cities.” This concentration of English Language Learners in urban areas is partnered with correlations of low-income families and high-need schools. Educators need to be prepared to offer an equal opportunity to these students, as to all others. And Richard Kitchen is doing just that.

Kitchen’s passion for equal education opportunities continues to fuel his research interests. Kitchen recently applied for several grants to increase the number of underrepresented students of color in teacher education programs and improve assessments for English Language Learners. If funded, these research efforts will engage students in the community by providing greater opportunities for students of color to have greater academic achievement and pursue higher education.

Having graduated from Denver East High School, Kitchen was a part of the Denver Public School system himself: “I am excited to get involved and establish partnerships in Denver and Aurora to better serve the ELL needs of our community.” As Kitchen secures research and funding for the Kennedy Institute, he is also helping a group of doctoral students finish out their degree through a cohort model that develops a community of learners working towards their goals. The doctoral student support model is something that Kitchen and his peers hope to continue to develop for the future of MCE.

Equity, Access and Achievement in Mathematics Education

23
May

“My tagline for my research is: Advocating and promoting equity and social justice for females of color broadly, African American females specifically, with a particular focus in mathematics education”, states Nicole Russell, PhD.

Russell’s dissertation on “Black Students and Mathematics Achievement: A Mixed-Method Analysis of In-School and Out-of-School Factors Shaping Student Success” has served as a launching pad into several other impactful research projects and leadership roles. For example, within her first year at the University of Denver, Nicole Russell led a community engagement project entitled “College Aspirations, Readiness & Empowerment (CARE)”, a program designed to empower and educate young African American Girls in the Cherry Creek School District in STEM education.

In the recently published book, The Brilliance of Black Children in Mathematics by Jacqueline Leonard and Danny B. Martin, Nicole Russell was asked to contribute a chapter to elaborate on her findings and expertise to help shine light on the current state of education and how to transform schooling for students who have historically been denied access to a quality mathematics education. “It was an honor to be invited to write a chapter in a book that was written by the leaders in my field; it is the only book of its kind” Nicole Russell states. Russell’s chapter, “Unpacking Brilliance: A New Discourse for Black Students and Successful Mathematics Achievement”, shows alternative ways to view success in mathematics by reimagining success for African American students beyond standardized testing. Along with the other contributing authors of the book, Russell hopes that professors use the book with their pre-service teachers to focus on culturally responsive instruction in mathematics, and that it supports teachers that are in the field already, teaching in diverse classrooms.

A newly received PROF Grant, funded by a collaborative enterprise between the Senate, the Faculty, and the Office of the Associate Provost for Research, is allowing Russell and her colleagues, Steve Fisher and Sylvia Hall-Ellis, to embark on a journey through time to discover a historical perspective to the mathematics and science education of African Americans. Over the next two years, the researchers will travel to 16 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Washington D.C. to visit the archives, searching for evidence that there was a point in time in US History that African Americans had a tradition of excellence in mathematics. The documents that they will be investigating will fall between 1870 – 1954 (before Brown vs. Board of Education), consisting of yearbooks, mathematics and science department records, curriculum, syllabi and catalogs. Russell and her co-principal investigators hope to accumulate compelling evidence to illustrate the story of mathematics and science education during that time period and use this research to inform contemporary conversations regarding education reform for African Americans.

Like many change agents in the Morgridge College of Education, Nicole Russell has story after story of how her research for mathematics equity and access for African Americans is creating an impact on the community. Russell explains how grateful she is that she can follow her passion, while making lasting change on the lives of others: “I don’t like the word lucky; I prefer blessed.” With a nurturing learning environment and a passion for student engagement and learning, Change Agents are made.

Student Informational Webinar

16
May

On May 15, 2013, over 60 students joined the Admissions team to get information regarding their start in the Fall at the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver. Incoming students who participated in the informational webinar learned more about the campus, housing, and transportation. Information on financial aid, important contacts, and the College’s Orientation were shared. The webinar was 20 minutes, and was followed by 40 minutes of question and answer. In case you missed it, this recording may be of interest to you.

To access the recording, simply click below!