New Student Organization is Launched in ESSE

Collegiate Middle Level Association (CMLA) is a professional education organization for college students preparing to become middle level teachers.  It is an affiliate of the National Middle School Association. CMLA supports legislation, standards, and recommendations that enhance the middle level concept, practices, and ideas; advances appropriate middle level teacher education; provides support and encouragement for students in middle level education; provides information about current middle level employment opportunities; and promotes collegiate participation at national, state and regional middle level conferences.

How do I join CMLA?

If you are interested in joining CMLA, we invite you to attend our monthly meetings (see 2010-11 meeting schedule below) in G-5 Aderhold.  Chapter dues are $10.  If you would like to learn more about CMLA, contact Hilary Hughes (hhu25@uga.edu) or Phillip Brown (pmbrown@uga.edu), CMLA conveners, or Kathy Thompson (kthompso@uga.edu), CMLA faculty advisor.

Maximizing Our Resources and Potential by Integrating Economics

Dr. Cheryl Fields, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, and Alex Cuenca, Social Studies Education doctoral candidate, received a 2010 Teacher Quality grant titled “Maximizing Our Resources and Potential by Integrating Economics” (MORePIES).  The grant funded a project focused on providing professional development to middle school teachers to integrate economic standards and concepts into social studies instruction. This project is a partnership between Griffin-Spalding County Schools, UGA-Athens, UGA-Griffin, and the Georgia Council of Economic Education.  The project began with a three-day summer 2010 institute held at the UGA-Griffin campus’ Student Learning Center facility.  Teachers received a refresher course on ECON and TRADE 101 and participated in demonstration lessons representing a wide-variety of pedagogical approaches such as simulations, Place-as-Text, discussion-based strategies, and cooperative learning.  During the 2010-2011 school year, Dr. Fields and Alex Cuenca will provide professional development for the teachers by facilitating their self-study and action research projects.