College of Education Archives

Gift Supports New Makerspace Program

September 16, 2015 by dharter

Left to Right: UMW Professor of Education George Meadows, Interim Dean of the UMW College of Education Nina Mikhalevsky, Dominion External Affairs Manager James Beazley, and UMW Vice President for Advancement and University Relations Torre Meringolo

The University of Mary Washington received a $15,000 gift to support its “E3 Makerspace Network.” Awarded by the Dominion Foundation, the funds will help create a collaborative network with two UMW colleges, the Friends of the Rappahannock, and the England Run Branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library system.

UMW Professor of Education George Meadows says the new network will sustain and expand makerspace technology and the engineering/design process to provide creative approaches to teaching about energy and the environment as well as researching and developing technological solutions to environmental problems.

“UMW students from the College of Education and students enrolled in science disciplines within the College of Arts and Sciences can now do some exciting things with real world technology and applications,” says Meadows. “The fact that we will be collaborating with area organizations to solve problems and share solutions makes for a great teaching environment.”

Out of nearly 400 applications for the 2015-16 academic year, the Dominion Foundation awarded grants totaling $1.5 million to more than 140 schools and educational institutions in 11 states and the District of Columbia. Dominion Foundation grants are funded by shareholder dollars and support nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, promote education and encourage community vitality.

Gifts count toward the $50-million Mary Washington First Campaign, which began July 1, 2011. As of Sept. 15, 2015, Mary Washington alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and businesses have committed $41 million in gifts and pledges. The Campaign is scheduled to conclude June 30, 2016. Visit http://umw.edu/marywashingtonfirst or call 540-654-2059 for more information.

UMW Hosts Virginia Education Specialist as Educator-in-Residence

April 30, 2015 by Erika Spivey

The University of Mary Washington’s College of Education hosted Robert Fugate ’03, an assessment specialist for the Virginia Department of Education, for its 5th annual Educator-in-Residence. He presented as the keynote lecture at the College of Education’s Graduate Research Symposium on Saturday, April 25.

Fugate’s lecture recounted his experience with UMW’s Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program. With the theme of “The Writing was on the Wall,” Fugate noted that he had first become aware of the program from an announcement posted on the mailroom wall at the middle school where he was an English teacher. Traveling between Richmond and Fredericksburg for two years to complete the program, Fugate attested to how the program rejuvenated his professional spirit and afforded him countless opportunities through which he continues to be energized, challenged and fulfilled. As an assessment specialist in limited English proficiency (LEP), Fugate manages the statewide administration of the English language proficiency assessment testing program and provides technical assistance regarding LEP students’ participation in the Standards of Learning assessments. The Graduate Research Symposium featured more than 40 research projects by current students in the education program and the presentation of several awards. Local chapters of Delta Kappa Gamma recognized two graduates: Holly Perucci for the Initial Licensure Award from Beta Eta Chapter and Stephanie Kobuchi for the Educational Leadership Award from Alpha Tau chapter. The Barbara Bishop Mann (’66) Virginia Educator Award was presented to Julia Gatusso. This award recognizes a student pursuing elementary licensure with passion and demonstrated leadership, who is committed to teaching in a public elementary school in Virginia. For more information about the symposium and keynote address, contact the College of Education at (540) 654-1290.

UMW Professor Named Innovative Educator of the Year

November 21, 2014 by Cristina Pellegrino

Professor Teresa Coffman uses new technologies to teach her education graduate students.

Teresa Coffman, University of Mary Washington professor of education, was recently named the 2014 Innovative Educator of the Year by the Virginia Society for Technology and Education. The VSTE created the award as a way to give recognition to teachers who implement and encourage “innovative educational practices –especially those that champion the smart integration of technology.” “Dr. Coffman consistently demonstrates her professional commitment to and passion for innovative teaching that is grounded in compelling research,” said Mary Gendernalik-Cooper, dean of the College of Education. “She brings these qualities to bear with her students in ways that encourage them to think differently about who they are becoming as educators, and how their uses of technologies will shape transformational learning experiences for their own students.”

Coffman’s areas of expertise and scholarly research include educational theory, pedagogy, technology in instruction, and teacher preparation. She is also the author of “Using Inquiry in the Classroom: Developing Creative Thinkers and Information Literate Students” and “Engaging Students through Inquiry-oriented Learning and Technology.” Coffman’s most recent venture into technology is researching how Google glass can be utilized in the classroom. “I’m examining how we can improve upon our practice as educators and learners by using technology,” said Coffman. She explains how asking questions in class quickly escalates with the curiosity of students and the technology is so easy that students say, “OK glass, tell me how this works.” Coffman sees the future of education integrated with technology, “Teaching needs to be more transformational. We need to extend beyond the creativity into innovative thought that can help us solve real world problems.”

Gardner Presents at Conferences

June 5, 2014 by Amy Beaulieu

Roberta Gardner, assistant professor in the College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction, presented a paper, “Moving from Essence to Tentative Manifestations in Post-Intentional Phenomenology,” at the International Congress of Qualitative Research held at the University of Illinois May 21-24.

Gardner also presented research at the International Reading Association Conference May 11 in New Orleans, La. Her research presentation at IRA highlighted the socio-cultural dimensions of race, place, class, and gender as lived experience variables that inform and animate the literate lives of children. Gardner’s literacy research employing lived experience methodology is highlighted in the recently released book Crafting Phenomenological Research (Vagle, 2014).

Educator-in-Residence Talks Leadership with Graduates

April 28, 2014 by Melina Downs

Martha Abbott ’72 believes that teachers are leaders who make an impact in the world. “[Leaders] take people to a place where they couldn’t have gone without them…and that’s exactly what teachers do,” said Abbott, executive director for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. She spoke at the fourth annual Educator-in-Residence event at the University of Mary Washington on Saturday, April 26.

Martha Abbott '72, the 2014 Educator-in-Residence, shows attendees the beanie she wore as a student at UMW.

Abbott earned her B.A. in Spanish with a minor in Latin from the University of Mary Washington and spent 32 years in education before joining the nonprofit sector. She also holds a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics from Georgetown University and was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2004 by UMW. She gave graduates advice on impacting student’s lives and how to find success in a teaching career. “You need to have the fundamental attitude that all kids can learn,” said Abbott. “They have to feel that you think that they can learn.” She also urged graduates to be open to new and innovative ways to teach in the classroom and to stay out of the teacher’s lounge. “Teacher impact: it’s what we do,” said Abbott. “When someone asks, ‘what do you do?’ You can say, ‘I make a difference: I teach.’”

Laura Gomez (left) received the Barbara Bishop Mann (right) Award.

Olivia Costello received the Outstanding Master of Education Student Award.

The daylong event at the Stafford campus also featured graduate presentations that included such topics as using virtual zoo webcams to teach science, employing cameras to teach English language learners and utilizing visual arts to bolster story recall and comprehension. The day ended with a number of College of Education awards. Students Anne Roberts and Merilee Grubb received the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Virginia Scholars Awards; Laura Gomez received the Barbara Bishop Mann Award; and Olivia Costello received the Outstanding Master of Education Student Award.

COE Faculty Present at AERA Conference

April 24, 2014 by Amy Beaulieu

Janine Davis, Courtney Clayton, and John Broome, all assistant professors in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, presented their research at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association on “The Power of Educational Research for Innovation in Practice and Policy” in Philadelphia on April 6, 2014. Their study investigates the ways that action research impacts professional identity among preservice teachers.

AERA is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. AERA is the most prominent international professional organization for educational researchers, with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application. Its more than 25,000 members are educators; administrators; directors of research; persons working with testing or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies; counselors; evaluators; graduate students; and behavioral scientists.

Myers and COE Students Attend Teachers of Promise

March 24, 2014 by Nicole Myers

Pictured from left to right are Nicole Myers, Ciara Norquist, Kathleen Wallace, Karissa Herrick, Mariela DeMaio and Gabrielle Kuhn.

This weekend, Dr. Nicole Myers and five UMW students from the College of Education: Gabrielle Kuhn, Ciara Norquist, Kathleen Wallace, Karissa Herrick, and Mariela DeMaio attended the Teachers of Promise (TOP) Institute in Richmond. These students were chosen by the COE faculty as exemplary teacher candidates. The TOP Institute celebrates the decision to teach, elevates the teaching profession to the status we believe it deserves, and activates all of us to make a difference in public school education. UMW students participated in a variety of activities, including an evening Gala where they participated in a pinning ceremony, attending workshops and presentations, and connecting with mentor teachers. Three UMW students won prizes at the events which included gift cards and teaching resources. At the Gala, each Teacher of Promise connected with their mentor and received a card from a public school student providing them with advice and encouragement as they begin their upcoming first year of teaching.

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