COE Receives Partnership Commendation from Georgia School Boards Association
The UGA College of Education has been recognized by the
Georgia School Boards Association for its work in the Partnership for Community
Learning Centers initiative with two Clarke County elementary schools. The Clarke County Board of Education recently presented a GSBA Partnership Commendation in recognition of the College’s support of public education in the community and its dedication to Georgia’s youth.
The two-year-old partnership, the brainchild of Education Dean Louis Castenell and Clarke County School Superintendent Lewis Holloway, is transforming the two pilot schools -- Chase Street and Gaines -- into community learning centers which operate on an extended 195-day, year-round schedule to better meet student needs.
The UGA-Clarke School initiative has resulted in a series of innovative programs. Here’s a look at just a few:
* A UGA department of language education class, part of both the undergraduate and graduate curriculum toward ESOL endorsement, met primarily at the largely Hispanic Garnett Ridge community in Athens where UGA students taught English classes to Clarke school students and their families. Children were split into age groups of 3-8 years-old and 9-12 years-old, giving UGA students a chance to interact with different age groups.
The class also incorporated a service-learning model. UGA students did a collaborative project in the community at Garnett Ridge, helping to organize a fall festival with and for residents. The festival consisted of a variety of booths with games and Latin music. Participants donated food and other items for the booths.
* Gwynn Powell, assistant professor of recreation and leisure studies, led her graduate students in an array of after-school and inter-session break programs for students in the two elementary schools.
These included:
– A line dance program titled “Dancing the Barriers Away” which aimed to increase multicultural awareness and the impact of cultural barriers. The program served to challenge expectations of the young students involved. Pre and post-tests were used to measure achievement of program goals. In addition, many children learned four or five new dances by the end of the program.
– Another initiative titled, “Recipes for Success,” introduced life skills for coping with present and future challenges. The program incorporated cooperative games, dialogue, role-play, and skits to increase awareness and skill at managing peer and family relationships. Evaluation measures were also incorporated using pre/post journal.
– A computer-based program designed to teach social and critical thinking skills called the “New Friend-Land” taught social skills to two groups of K-2nd graders at Chase Street.
– The Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP), primarily used with gifted kids, is being developed for all grades at both Chase and Gaines. In 2003, the FPSP team at Cedar Shoals will serve as assistant coaches for the elementary school programs. A unit on environmental education will be used.
– Rec and leisure studies students also supported two teachers developing a seamless science/art curriculum for trial implementation at Chase Street this spring.
Comments from both UGA and Clarke school participants were revealing:
UGA student: “I had no idea how difficult it is to keep your eyes on these children.”
2nd grader: “Is it true that we get to spend the whole day in the park?”
3rd grader: “Line dancing is cool, pretty weird but awesome.”
UGA student: “My first-hand experience with data collection put it all together.”
1st grader: “Is that him? Can we ask for an autograph? Yes, he really is a UGA football player.”
* A program aimed at improving math education, called Support and Ideas for Planning and Sharing in Mathematics Education (SIPPS), is offering alternative ways to teach and learn math at Chase Street. Methods such as co-teaching and whole staff discussions to identify teaching and learning gaps apparent in grades 3-5 were implemented, working with students with varied learning styles to ultimately improve achievement levels.
UGA graduate students are involved in all aspects of the project, according to project co-directors Dorothy White and Paola Stzjain, two mathematics education professors.
SIPPS initiatives will assist with Math Night programming, offering opportunities for parents and students to engage in math games together.
White emphasized the importance of building a math education community within the school.
“This can be accomplished in part by math faculty sharing ideas and experiences within and across grade levels, and through the ongoing development of teacher leaders,” she said.
The UGA profs are seeking additional funding through Title 2 to continue and enhance the program.
* Joanne Ratcliff, UGA associate professor in reading education and Amy Kay, a teacher at Gaines, are co-directing a reading endorsement course for professional development or university credit for Gaines School teachers. Ratcliff is seeking a Title 2 grant to support continued work at Gaines toward reading endorsement for all teachers.
* Pam Taylor, UGA art education professor and Janna Dresden, Gaines kindergarten teacher co-directed an Art Education project that was centered around a work by UGA art education professor and artist Joseph Norman titled “Target Practice” with the theme: communicating in relationships.
Students from Pre-K through 4th grade engaged in many art activities geared to learning to think before you speak exploring how words feel and how they make you feel. Students contributed their work to an art exhibition.
Norman, then visited the school and spoke to students about the power of words. The project was extended outside of school at the Lyndon House Art Center to benefit all of the partnership intersession students.
The educators are working to get more teachers involved as well as other artists.
“They did things today that I did not think they were capable of doing,” said Dresden of her Gaines students.
* Betty Bisplinghoff, professor of elementary education and Janna Dresden at Gaines are refining aspects of a longtime partnership, “ECCO” or Early Childhood Option, which is a program of study resulting in a master's degree with teaching certification. About 20 UGA students began in this track last May. They meet on a regularly with Gaines teachers to develop their instruction plans through a co-teaching model. Another component is examining professional development from different vantage points.
* A math initiative directed by Zelha Tunc Pekkan, a doctoral student in math education, working with professor Denise Mewborn and Bashi Ebron, a 4th grade teacher at Gaines, included such measures as:
– Manipulative Inventory (asking all teachers what they need)
– “Math Problem of the Week.” Students are given four days to solve it. Those who do are asked how they solved it and given the opportunity to present their work on the school TV system.
– Students from the 1st -6th grades were matched with math buddies building on a cooperative learning model that allowed for remediation, peer teaching and creative forms of student accountability. Students with mastery of specific concepts are excited to have younger students to teach.
– Teachers at all grade levels (starting with 1st grade) met to discuss teaching issues such as maximizing planning time, identifying grants for enhancing teacher quality, finding money for graduate students and substitutes to allow for professional development, and examining beliefs on how learning occurs. Five math inservice meetings were planned based on the school improvement plan.
Ebron has observed an increase in critical thinking around issues of math education.
“We are talking about math in many different ways,” she said. Mewborn has applied for Title 2 funding to provide continuing support for this work .
* Two UGA special education professors Mack and Shanna Burke are working at Chase Street on school discipline. They have met twice with teachers to identify and discuss how teachers can use core values taught in the classroom.
They ask, for example, what does the core value, “making responsible choices,” look like during a typical school day in this class?
* Melisa Cahnmann, an assistant professor in language education, and Chase Street teachers Lori Radsdale and Jen Aaron, all of whom have participated in UGA’s Xalapa, Mexico Study Abroad program are turning their experience into improved practice in their school.
The program espouses an “Ethno-national model” which de-emphasizes our American perspective while adding new/international model.
The trip incorporated visits to schools, Spanish classes, evening seminars, residing with host families, immersion into daily life of the culture – birthday celebrations, geography, restaurants, etc. Each traveler upon returning, also completed a meaningful project based on the trip.
Cahnmann said what was learned on the trip is now being used in the classroom. “For instance, a new child is put at ease with a brief welcome song in his/her native language,” she said.
In addition, those who made the trip meet with Cahnmann every Wednesday at the school for discussion geared toward continuing the learning process.
“This process keeps the teachers involved, and challenged to integrate their experience into the classroom each week. This process also prompts them to envision how to make what's invisible, visible in our schools,” she said.
* Michele Lease, assistant professor of educational psychology in the UGA School Psychology Clinic and Janet Martin, Gaines counselor are working together on Counseling Education’s Advanced Practicum in school and community services. This initiative involves delivery of mental health services in the schools.
Three advanced practicum students are developing and implementing counseling services at Gaines. “They’re meeting kids where they are,” said Lease.
Multi-disciplinary in nature, the initiative includes:
– Individual therapy (intensive intervention) including home visits, class observation, conferences with teachers and diagnostic evaluations. Eight students K-5 have been seen for a range of issues including anger management, disruptive behavior and peer relationships.
– Behavior consults with teachers in which a student’s behavior is analyzed in context.
– Delivering parent workshops on a variety of issues and doing needs assessment to find out what is most wanted and needed.
– Participating in crisis response training
– Eight-week therapy groups aimed at anger management.
“Sustainability is key,” said Lease. It requires people who are involved and are consistently there.”
The initiative may evolve into a regular practicum course.
* Deryl Bailey, assistant professor of counseling, has begun working with Chase and Gaines students. Bailey and members of his “Gentlemen on the Move” program in the Clarke County high schools are meeting with male students at Chase and Gaines to establish mentoring relationships in an effort to model appropriate behaviors and empower the younger males to strive for excellence in and outside of the classroom. Academic tutoring and the establishment of healthy relationships are at the center of this work. Counselors at Chase and Gaines have worked with Bailey to identify students to participate in the program.
* Lew Allen and Maude Glanton of the League of Professional Schools are providing leadership and assistance to Gaines and Chase in the area of Shared Governance.
* Marcus Fechheimer, professor of cell biology, and his colleagues in UGA's College of Arts and Sciences are providing classroom demonstrations and workshops at Chase and Gaines. A resource bank of more than 70 UGA Arts and Sciences faculty members have volunteered to work with the schools in this capacity and are available to all partnership school faculty.
* Joe Wisenbaker, professor of educational psychology and Kathleen deMarrais , professor of social science education, are directing the partnership evaluation. UGA graduate students Chris Brandt, Alexa Darby and Mi Young Webb are actively involved at the schools as part of the evaluation design.
For more information on the UGA-Clarke School Partnership, visit their website at:
http://www.clarke.k12.ga.us/ccsduga/
Monday, April 21, 2003
WRITER: Michael Childs, 706/542-5889, mchilds@coe.uga.edu
CONTACTS: Jenny Penney Oliver, 706/583-8145, jpo@coe.uga.edu
JoBeth Allen, 706/542-4528, jobethal@coe.uga.edu