Welcome to the College of Education

Current News - November 2007- May 2008

Congratulations to Doctor Lisa Snyder!

Lisa Snyder, EOU instructor of Education, successfully defended her dissertation on May 14th, and is now Dr. Lisa Snyder! We are eagerly awaiting the summary of her research which investigated the Read Oregon program. We are delighted that Lisa is part of our teaching team. Congratulations for a hard-earned achievement!

Dr. James Tooke named the winner of the Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics Area Recognition Award

Each year the Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) recognizes an outstanding contributor to the mathematics community of Oregon. This year the Area Recognition for Eastern Oregon recipient is Dr. James Tooke. He teaches at Eastern Oregon University’s College of Education, as a Professor of Mathematics.

Full story at: http://www.eou.edu/ua/news/tooke_octm_award.html

CUESTE students present at Student Writer's Workshop

Five La Grande CUESTE students will present at the Oregon Writing Project sponsored Student Writer's Workshop on Saturday, March 8th. The workshop begins at 8:45 in Loso Hall. Alyse Fischer, Patti Grammer, Allie Scott, Michelle Eby and Whitni McCoy will be working with local 3rd-6th grade students on a variety of writing activities. Patti and Allie will present "Through the Eyes of a Potato", encouraging students to write a creative story about the life of a potato. Michelle and Whitni will work with children on a descriptive poetry piece, while Alyse will help students create a "Writer's Block"; a 3-D cube with writing prompts on each of its 6 sides. At the end of the day, students will be invited to attend a revision session, where they can edit their work and submit it for publication. For more information about the Student Writer's Workshop, contact Nancy Knowles, at 962-3795 or nknowles@eou.edu.

Mueller, Lauritzen appointed interim deans of Colleges of Business and Education

As Les Mueller and Carol Lauritzen take on new roles as interim associate deans at Eastern Oregon University, they are presented with an opportunity to lead the College of Business and the College of Education during a critical time of transition.

Full story at: http://chinook.eou.edu/ua_story/index.cfm?ID_num=530

MTE elementary students to host integrated science/art learning centers in Hoke Lounge, March 14th, 9am-11am

On Friday, March 14th, MTE elementary students hosted 13 varied learning centers which will focus on integrating art and science. The students were responsible for designing a center that will be interactive and engaging to elementary students. Assisting students with their projects were Donna Rainboth, EOU Science Ed. instructor, Dr. Ralph Woodward, professor of Education and Kate Bushakra, Graphic Design instructor. Leslie Gram's Central Elementary School 4th graders were given the opportunity to experience the centers and interact with the MTE students. The MTE students, in turn, had the opportunity to engage with elementary students in a non-traditional classroom setting, honing their teaching techniques with unique curricular integration.

Full story at: http://www.eou.edu/ua/news/learning_center_fair.html

Family science night at La Grande Middle School

Eastern Oregon University students who are excited about science education hoped to inspire the same enthusiasm in younger students Wednesday, February 27th, during Family Science Night at La Grande Middle School. LMS students and their families were invited to explore 15 different science-learning stations from 6:30-8 p.m. in the school gymnasium. Over 200 people attended the event. The interactive learning stations had many different activities, although each one focused on the central theme of Science. At one station, students and families collected their own DNA, another station taught students how to make their own bubbling lava lamps, while still a third station featured static electricity's effects on the human body. Donna Rainboth, Science Methods instructor at EOU, coordinated the Family Science Night. Students from EOU's College of Education and members of the EOU Chemistry Club conducted hands-on activities and answered questions. A chemistry show was the grand finale to an engaging and educational evening.

Dr. Dan Mielke to assist Ontario School District in implementing PE Training with State Grant Funding

The Oregon Department of Education awarded three Oregon school districts with grants to improve the quality of PE being taught in elementary schools. Ontario School District was one such school. Grant funds will be used to provide in-service training to elementary classroom teachers, not specifically endorsed in physical education, on quality instruction of physical education, the academic content standards for physical education and the minimum number of minutes requirement using evidence-based programs.

Dr. Dan Mielke, of EOU's Physical Education program, will partner with the Ontario School District, conducting 15 days of on-going consultation and training. Dr. Mielke and other local trainers will work with the district to develop a K-5 PE curriculum map. He will also help the school district develop tools for evaluating the effectiveness of the program, measuring performance indicators.

Dr. Karyn Gomez, EOU professor of Education, presents at 2008 Texas Middle School Association Annual Conference

Dr. Karyn Gomez, of EOU's College of Education, presented the topic of " Motivation at the Middle School Level: New Theory Based on Students' Voices", to the Texas Middle School Association (TMSA) during their annual conference in Austin, Texas on Saturday, February 23rd. Dr. Gomez presented new motivation theories based on her research of middle school students' opinions on motivation, which is a critical perspective often left out of motivation research. She compared the students' system of academic motivation with goal orientation theory, the predominant theoretical framework for current research on adolescent motivation. The students' voices proved a completely different idea of what motivates middles school students. Handouts for the presentation can be found at: http://www.eou.edu/ed/documents/TMSA-Gomezpresentation.doc

EOU College of Education Faculty and Students present at annual ORA conference, February 8-9

Ray Brown and Dr. Allen Evans presented, "All the World's a Stage: A Lesson in Cross-Curricular Instruction

Brown and Evans presented the potential for cross-curricular instruction through the use of Reader's Theater to connect literacy and social studies content.

Mary Fields, along with other Oregon Forestry Ed. Program Members presented, "Books, Boots and Briars"

"Books, Boots and Briars" was a 'feet-on' journey of a collector/disperser of seeds with extensions into quality nonfiction literature to support classroom instruction. The literature shared supported dispersal, adaptations, identification of species, as well as followed the story of the plant cycle.

Dr. Karyn Gomez and EOU students, Candace Brady and Katie Bennet presented, "Mandatory Reading Practicum for Everyone"

"Mandatory Reading Practicum" was presented in a 30-minute roundtable discussion. The presenters highlighted research-based theories supporting a reading practicum for every pre-service teacher.

Drs. Karyn Gomes and Lee Ann McNerney presented, "Highlighting Diversity in Children's Picture Books"

This session provided teachers with examples of quality children's literature to increase awareness of many forms of diversity in the classroom. A copy of the handout for this presentation can be found at:

http://www.eou.edu/ed/documents/ORA-GomezMcNernepresentation.doc

Dr. Rosemary Siring and EOU (Gresham) students, Hillary Tidd, Ricky Lankford, Hope Newport, Robert Kleng, Mykele McClure, Michael Kelleher and Rebecca Holzshuh presented, "Life and Literature"

These EOU students and their professor shared diverse experiences in their lives and the value that literature contributed in their experiences. Students also presented unique ways to share the literature that can be used in any classroom.

Dr. Carol Lauritzen presented, "Why is there a 'g' in 'sign' (and other nagging spelling questions)?

This was an active participation session that showed teachers how spelling investigations and word sorts can promote effective and interesting word study in their own classrooms. A copy of the handout for this presentation can be found at:

http://www.eou.edu/ed/documents/ORA-Lauritzenpresentation.doc

College of Education professor, Dr. Allen Evans, appointed to the Notable Books for a Global Society Committee

Dr. Allen Evans, professor of Education at EOU, has been appointed to the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group's Notable Books for a Global Society committee, for a three-year term. The Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) is a professional organization of individuals who are concerned with the improvement of literacy through literature. The Notable Books for a Global Society Committee (NBGSC) solicits nominations for the award, prepares annotated lists of the winners for publication in literacy publications, orally presents the books at the annual Convention of the International Reading Association (IRA), notifies publishers when their books have won, and conducts other activities to promote this award. The NBGSC consist of nine members.

Full story at: http://chinook.eou.edu/ua_story/index.cfm?ID_num=516

EOU MTE student selected for prestigious Costa Rica study tour

Jorge Pulleiro, a Spanish and Student Leadership teacher at Grant Union High School, in John Day, Oregon has been selected to receive the Toyota International Education award. Recipients of the award will be taken on a ten day tour of Costa Rica in February, where he will serve as an ambassador of Oregon and study Costa Rican culture. Out of the 300+ applicants, only 36 awardees were chosen for the Toyota International Education award. Pulleiro will be the only educator from Oregon representing the United States in Costa Rica. Pulleiro is an MTE student through EOU's transitional teacher education program.
Full story at: http://chinook.eou.edu/ua_story/index.cfm?ID_num=441

EOU dean steps into top leadership role

A longtime academic and administrative leader at Eastern Oregon University has been selected to step into a top leadership role by president Dixie Lund. Michael Jaeger, dean of the College of Education and Business, has been named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at EOU. He will begin his new position in January 2008.
Full story at: http://chinook.eou.edu/ua_story/index.cfm?ID_num=377

College of Education faculty create cutting-edge curriculum that allows students to experience real-life science

Drs. Michael Jaeger and Carol Lauritzen of EOU's College of Education developed the progressive new curriculum called "Great Discoveries". It is designed to give teachers the tools to present basic science concepts that are appealing and engaging to their students. The target audience is students in grades four through eight - the age range researchers believe is the most critical to keep youngsters "plugged in" to science.

Full story at: http://chinook.eou.edu/ua_story/index.cfm?ID_num=347

"I appreciate that Eastern's MTE program allows for me to be a parent as well as a master's student. The time in a public classroom exceeds many other programs. The staff at EOU is exceptional. I couldn't ask for better models to guide my education and career."
Brenna H.