Eastern Oregon University
One University Boulevard
Zabel Hall
La Grande, OR 97850
Phone: 541-962-3772
Fax: 541-962-3701
E-Mail: ed@eou.edu
Eastern Oregon University is a member of the Oregon University System
Dr. John Knudson-Martin coauthored the paper titled, "Building consensus for detracking a mathematics curriculum: The ingredients for change". This paper, coauthored by the university program leader (Dr. John Knudson-Martin), school leadership and faculty, describes the process that led to the successful change in the school’s mathematics program. It was accepted for presentation at the National Meeting of the American Educational Research Association on April 30th, 2010 in Denver.
The abstract reads: Valley Middle School, like many schools serving a diverse population of students, offered a tracked mathematics curriculum. The school’s faculty and leadership were uneasy with their tracked curriculum but did not know what changes would successfully engage more students in school mathematics. Working with the local university, the school piloted a Supported Mathematics Program (SMP) modeled after the programs offered by the Preuss School (San Diego) and the Rockville Centre School District (New York). Students in SMP have uniformly succeeded in grade level math and the program is replacing the schools lower math tracks.
The Hawaii International Conference on Education has accepted Dr. Jan Dinsmore's paper titled, "Technology Supported Learning in Higher Education: Perceptions of Rural Digital Natives". Dr. Dinsmore will present her work at the 2010 Hawaii International Conference on Education in Honolulu, to be held from January 7-10, 2010. Aloha, Dr. Dinsmore!
Candy McGilvray, EOU Placement Coordinator, received her degree in Master of Arts in Education/Early Childhood Education from the University of Phoenix in November. She previously had earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Northwest Nazarene University. Her Master's degree action research presentation was on Integrating Technology into the Classroom/Web Quests. Congratulations, Candy!
Former CUESTE student, Misty Onjukka has joined the Oregon Council of Teachers of English (OCTE) Executive Board. She has also been nominated as Oregon's Promising Young Leader and has been granted $500 to attend the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Convention in Philadelphia this month. Misty teaches Kindergarten and Music at the Grande Ronde Academy in La Grande, OR.
Imbler Kindergarten teacher Karen Tannehill, a CUESTE graduate, and College of Education professor, Dr. Ruth Davenport presented "Literacy Learning for Little Ones: Enjoying Books and Making Books" at the Eastern Oregon Early Childhood Care and Education Conference in La Grande on September 26, 2009. They presented to an audience of early childhood educators, such as Head Start teachers, administrators, assistants, and day care providers.
Dr. Jan Dinsmore, College of Education faculty for the Ontario CUESTE program, is staying involved in her local community! Dr. Dinsmore is working as a special consultant with Four Rivers Community School, a local dual-language charter school. She has run workshops for paraeducators on helping students who struggle with behavior issues, assisted in the organization of a teacher mentoring program, and is helping the school work with goal-setting in its K-7 professional development.
The Oregon Music Teachers Association annual Leadership Conference will be held at Eastern Oregon University Oct. 23-24. This is the first year for EOU to host the conference and corresponding state level Music Teachers National Association Performance Competitions. College of Education professor, Sharon Porter will be a keynote speaker for the conference! Full story at: http://www.eou.edu/mdpa/news/omta.html
Physical Activity & Health faculty member, Dr. Brian Sather has been voted to be president of the organization Western Society for Kinesiology & Wellness ( www.wksw.net ). The organization has a long-standing membership history of physical education and health professionals in the western United States and Canada. Dr. Sather will be planning the organization's annual conference for 2010 in Reno, Nevada as the president-elect. Congratulations on your presidency, Dr. Sather!
Pat Roberts, former Eastern Oregon University MTE student, was named Oregon Art Teacher of the Year by the Oregon Art Education Association. The Pilot Butte Middle School Art teacher has been with Bend-La Pine Schools for 16 years and is said to be an innovator, leader and inspiration to staff and students. Congratulations, Pat!
Friday, October 9, La Grande Middle School will be the site of the Inquiry Outside the Cube, a conference (sponsored by Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics) for math and science teachers of Grades Kindergarten through 12. EOU's Anna Cavinato and John Knudson-Martin will be presenting their specialties to the teachers, EOU's Donna Rainboth and LMS's Patty Sandoz have been very involved in coordinating the event.
The keynote speaker this year is Michael Geisen, a seventh grade teacher at Crook County Middle School. Michael was the 2008 National Teacher of the Year! All arel invited to the LMS Commons this Friday, noon to 1 pm, to hear what he has to say!
The 2009 Notable Books for a Global Society is an annual list of 25 book highlights, and celebrates diversity and multicultural writing for children and young adults. The article listing the 2009 selections, which contains reviews of all 25 titles, has been published in the Spring 2009 issue of "The Dragon Lode"--the journal of the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group/International Reading Association. Dr. Evans was a contributer to the article.
Dr. Miriam Munck and Donna Rainboth will present a science inquiry lesson at the North American Association of Environmental Educators Conference in Portland, Oregon on Friday, October 9th. Over 1,200 people are expected to attend the conference!
http://www.naaee.org/conference/2009-conference
Drs. Gomez and McNerney will present, "Diversity in 21st Century Caldecott Books: Unintended Messages and Silenced Voices", during a session of the National Teachers Hall of Fame Conference, held in Portland, Oregon on September 25, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Their session will be based on their research on diversity and the unintended messages in award winning childrens' literature. Drs. Gomez and McNerney will report the results of an analysis of 21st century Caldecott books for bias, stereotyping, and excluded perspectives. Suggestions for examining picture books for bias will be provided to help teachers make inclusive decisions regarding classroom library book selections.
Dr. Karyn Gomez, co-author of the article, "Middle school alternatively certified science teachers: resources, teacher choices, and student achievement", enjoyed national peer recognition when the article was featured in the July/August 2009 issue of The Journal of Educational Research. The article encompasses the authors' study of alternatively certified 5th-grade teachers who used textbooks and worksheets as primary teaching materials because of their limited access to trade books. However, test results indicate that alternatively certified teachers' classrooms are lower than the average passing rate of the state. The authors discuss implications, including the need for ongoing professional development related to curriculum, appropriate resources, and teaching strategies. The full article is available in The Journal of Educational Research, Volume 102, Number 6, beginning on page 403.
Drs. Karyn Gomez and Lee Ann McNerney set out to discover if 21st Century Caldecott Medal and Honor books reflect the diversity found in current American society and classrooms. They also examined 21st century Caldecott Award and Honor books for intended and unintended
messages about diversity. Their results are both surprising and fascinating. To read their discoveries, go to: http://oregonname.org/pdf/CaldecottDiversity_Gomez&McNerney.pdf
EOU professors, Donna Rainboth and Dr. Miriam Munck, were invited to present experimental design from their project, Science Discoveries, at the Mathematics Science Partnership (MSP) Program Regional Conference in San Francisco. MSP Program Regional Conferences are for the purpose of sharing exemplary funded MSP projects with organizations planning to apply for MSP grants. Science Discoveries was one of six science projects invited to the San Francisco Regional Conference. Science Discoveries utilizes curriculum developed by Dr. Michael Jaeger and Dr. Carol Lauritzen, and is a multi-year project designed to increase science content knowledge of elementary teachers and their students.
Terry Brueckner was among several Eastern Oregon University online education students who recently experienced some hands-on training with preschool-aged children at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay. Full story at: http://www.eou.edu/mdpa/news/brueckner.html
The College of Education has been granted approval by TSPC (Teacher Standards and Practices Commission) to offer recommendation for the Library Media endorsement. The teacher-librarian courses may be applied to a cognate area of the Master’s of Science (MS) degree, and consist of 18 graduate semester hours. This course of study is designed for those seeking an endorsement in Library Media. Candidates may add this endorsement to a license by completing the course of study; including 90 clock hours of practicum, and obtaining a passing score on Praxis II Library Media Specialist test.
Eastern Oregon University - One University Boulevard - La Grande, OR 97850-2899 - Phone: 541-962-3378