Teresa Coffman, Professor of Education, was selected as the 2014 Innovative Educator of the Year through the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) for her work throughout the state with the use of innovative technologies in teaching and learning. She will be presented with the award at the December 2014 Conference where she will also present on new and emerging technologies.
Clayton to Serve as an Invited Reviewer
Courtney Clayton, Assistant Professor in the College of Education, will serve as an invited reviewer for a special issue of the Educational Action Research journal to be published early next year. Educational Action Research is concerned with exploring the dialogue between research and practice in educational settings. http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=reac20#.VFvwF4fn07A
Abeel Presents Workshops in Monterrey, Mexico
Laurie B. Abeel, Associate Professor in the College of Education, presented four workshops on creative and critical thinking in Monterrey, Mexico on Oct. 16 and 17. She presented Developing Creative and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century to teachers at the American School Foundation of Monterrey (ASFM), and Developing Critical Thinking Strategies to Foster Literacy to teachers at Instituto San Roberto. She also presented Creative Problem Solving Tools to both new and experienced Team Managers who are managing teams for the Mexico Destination Imagination affiliate.
Ties to Scotland Bring Debate to U.S. (The Wall Street Journal)
Latin Alumni Win Awards
Donna Dollings ’80 and Mark Keith ’87, who majored in Latin at the University of Mary Washington, were both recipients of prestigious awards for their teaching last year.
Donna Dollings ’80 (right) holds her award.
Dollings received the Angela Lloyd Book Award from the Classical Association of Virginia. The
Mark Keith ’87 won two awards for his teaching.
James River High School teacher won the award for dedication to her students. Here is what her nominator said about her, “Her genuine compassion is obvious and she quickly puts all at ease. I have known her to tutor with great success students that others have given up on.”
Keith received the 2013 Foreign Language Association of Virginia David Cox Award for Excellence in Foreign Language Teaching for his demonstrated excellence in foreign language instruction and the 2014 Jane Harriman Hall Award for Outstanding Service to the Classical Association of Virginia.
Exploring Education
UMW grad student gives community families hands-on science education.
Educator-in-Residence Talks Leadership with Graduates
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.
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.’”
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.
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.’”
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.UMW to Host STEM Events, March 29
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be in full swing at the University of Mary Washington on Saturday, March 29 with the following events:
SeaPerch Competition
Local high school and middle school students come together to compete with SeaPerch robots or underwater remotely operated vehicles at the Anderson Center pool from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out www.seaperch.org for more information.
STEM Summit 16
UMW will host the third annual FredTech STEM 16 Summit showcasing the achievements of the region’s students, educators and businesses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the Anderson Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More information available at http://members.fredericksburgchamber.org/events/details/3rd-annual-stem-summit-3205
Calculus Tournament
Six teams from regional high schools come together to compete in a tournament sponsored by the Department of Mathematics in Monroe Hall from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call or email (540) 654-1332
(540) 654-1332 or llehman@umw.edu for more information.
Myers and COE Students Attend Teachers of Promise
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.
EdTech Brings Regional Educators to UMW
Educators from across the region came together March 14 for the Fourth Annual EdTech Conference at the University of Mary Washington to talk about ways to change learning in the digital age.
Sponsored by the College of Education, the day began with a keynote presentation by Director of Teaching and Learning at UMW Jim Groom who spoke about publishing and archiving student work, UMW blogs, digital storytelling and why K-12 educators should incorporate those tools in the classroom.
“What we do as educators – what we do in higher ed and K-12 – is share a hope. It’s a hope that what we’re doing is framing a whole world of possibility and connections. And the Web is the single greatest tool ever invented to help us build on what we do,” said Groom. “It’s a remarkable world that we live in.”
The conference also included a variety of sessions from “Animoto Movies in Your Class!” to “Expanding Your Web 2.0 Toolkit.” One session, “Frames and Share, You Can Do It!,” featured presentations from J.W. Alvey Elementary School students who created short movies and presentations.
In the afternoon, Margaret Stout, a teacher at Antietam Elementary, introduced participants to Google Glass and demonstrated how she’s using the new technology in her classroom to teach students with autism. The conference ended with a panel discussion about current issues and challenges.
Teresa Coffman, associate professor in the College of Education, and Tami Pratt-Fartro, assistant professor in the College of Education, helped to create the annual conference four years ago with the goal of forming a regional network of educators who come together to share great teaching practices. That goal has remained intact.
“I want people to build connections and community. I want them to think about their pedagogy in new and different ways and to use technology to foster learning in the classroom to engage their students to think critically and creatively,” said Coffman. “I want people to explore professional development in new and exciting ways.”
Sponsored by the College of Education, the day began with a keynote presentation by Director of Teaching and Learning at UMW Jim Groom who spoke about publishing and archiving student work, UMW blogs, digital storytelling and why K-12 educators should incorporate those tools in the classroom.
“What we do as educators – what we do in higher ed and K-12 – is share a hope. It’s a hope that what we’re doing is framing a whole world of possibility and connections. And the Web is the single greatest tool ever invented to help us build on what we do,” said Groom. “It’s a remarkable world that we live in.”
The conference also included a variety of sessions from “Animoto Movies in Your Class!” to “Expanding Your Web 2.0 Toolkit.” One session, “Frames and Share, You Can Do It!,” featured presentations from J.W. Alvey Elementary School students who created short movies and presentations.
In the afternoon, Margaret Stout, a teacher at Antietam Elementary, introduced participants to Google Glass and demonstrated how she’s using the new technology in her classroom to teach students with autism. The conference ended with a panel discussion about current issues and challenges.
Teresa Coffman, associate professor in the College of Education, and Tami Pratt-Fartro, assistant professor in the College of Education, helped to create the annual conference four years ago with the goal of forming a regional network of educators who come together to share great teaching practices. That goal has remained intact.
“I want people to build connections and community. I want them to think about their pedagogy in new and different ways and to use technology to foster learning in the classroom to engage their students to think critically and creatively,” said Coffman. “I want people to explore professional development in new and exciting ways.”