Breaking the Barrier of Silence

Many families in Mexico have never been able to communicate with their deaf and hard- of-hearing family members. The College of Education Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology and the UA Disability Resource Center are working on ways to break this barrier of silence. After much planning, the first steps took place last May, when a group of faculty and students traveled to Ciudad Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, to work in an elementary school for deaf children and students with other disabilities.

This May, seven faculty and staff members and 19 students in Rehabilitation and Deaf Studies will once again journey to Ciudad Los Mochis to continue this sign-language interpretation program they have named — appropriately enough — “Breaking the Barrier of Silence.” The Rotary Club of Tucson and the Rotary Club of Los Mochis Zuaque are providing homes and the cost of meals for their stay.  The travelers will be working with parents, teachers, and local professionals, including the Sinaloa Department of Education and the local university. 

For some of these families, this is the first time they will be able to communicate with their children.

If you would like more information, here’s a list of the faculty and staff going on this far-reaching (in more ways than one!) trip:

Charlene Kampfe
Associate Professor, SERSP

Susan Moore
Adjunct Assistant Professor, SERSP

Deborah Stryker
Adjunct Assistant Professor, SERSP

Nathan Van De Graaff
Adjunct Instructor, SERSP

Cindy Volk
Adjunct Assistant Professor, SERSP

Irene Topor (Topor is not going this year, but was part of the groundbreaking work last year)
Adjunct Associate Professor, SERSP

Glenda Leyva-Roark
Disability Access Consultant, Disability Resource Center

Wendy Van De Graaff
Deaf Consultant

Flowers, Buds & Pods

Spring has sprung and buds can be seen everywhere, but we are not just talking about potential flowers. Wherever you go, you’ll see that people are sprouting ear buds (miniature headphones) with white wires leading to iPods™ of varying shapes, sizes, and colors.

The College of Education is part of that phenomenon, and we have hit the 21st century running. We are beginning to podcast (yes, “podcast” can be used as a verb!) visiting lecturers and colleagues as they share their research in formal lectures or informal brown bags sessions during lunch. Podcasting is, quite simply, the process of making audio (and sometimes video) available to be played on computers or iPods™ so you can take the lecture with you as you commute, exercise, do household chores, or just sit around the garden.

The technology expands the reach of the classroom beyond its walls and outside of scheduled class hours. “We are beginning modestly and attempting to release a new podcast every other week,” said Michael McVey, our director of technology. “You can subscribe to talks using special feeds and even receive them using iTunes™ the moment they are released.” 

We are excited about the potential and have plans to podcast talks hosted by the Annual Language, Reading & Culture Colloquy, Erasmus Circle, Dean’s Graduate Advisory Council, and other departments and groups. There are even plans to have Student Services produce application instructions that will walk students through the process of applying. “But why stop there?” McVey asks. “We could even podcast a brief recruiting video for the college.” 

We have yet to realize the potential of this tool, but we are certainly off to a fine start. You can access the temporary and under-construction podcasting page from any page at www.coe.arizona.edu. Just look for the little speaker icon and the word “Podcast.”

More 21st Century Developments

By now, you probably know that students can apply online to our undergraduate and Teach for Tucson programs (in case you didn’t, check it out here). We’ve also set up a new, secure inquiry form for undergraduates. This form allows students anywhere in the country (or world, for that matter) to inquire about their areas of interest. The best part? You can submit your inquiry 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Faculty Fellows & More

Two distinguished faculty members of the University of Arizona College of Education have been named as the 2006 Erasmus Circle Fellows, one of the highest honors bestowed upon faculty in the college. In fact, this is the first time the College of Education has awarded this distinction. The College of Education Advisory Board selects Fellows from a list of nominees, awarding each Fellow a $5,000 stipend for his or her scholarly work.

Kathy Short

Kathy G. Short (Ph.D., Indiana University) is a professor in the College of Education Department of Language, Reading, and Culture and director of the International Collection of Children’s and Adolescent Literature in the college. The collection, the largest in the country, encourages the development of an international perspective through the use of children’s and adolescent literature, including a collection of international literature, a Web site with databases and an electronic journal, professional workshops for educators, and sponsorship of international distinguished scholars. Short has worked extensively with teachers to develop curricula that actively involve students as readers and inquirers. Her research has focused around dialogue and inquiry, particularly as connected to curricular frameworks, and includes studies on children’s talk about literature, the role of the teacher in discussion, responses to literature across sign systems, intertextuality, inquiry-based curriculum, teacher study groups, and teachers’ curricular thinking about reading instruction. Her courses include reader response, literature-based curriculum, the art of the picture book, multicultural and international literature, influential/seminal readings in literacy and culture, and teacher research. She organizes an annual conference on literature and literacy for children and adolescents in March that features well-known authors and illustrators. She is the editor of Language Arts, journal of the National Council of Teachers of English and co-author of many books, including Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers, Learning Together through Inquiry, Literature as a Way of Knowing, Talking about Books, Teacher Study Groups, and Stories Matter: The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children’s Literature.

Bruce Johnson

Bruce Johnson (Ph.D., University of New Mexico) is an assistant professor in the College of Education Department of Teaching and Teacher Education and is director of the Earth Education Research and Evaluation Team. He was previously an elementary and middle school teacher, outdoor school and summer camp director, and owner/director of a wilderness adventure company. Johnson’s current research includes the development and validation of classroom learning environment perception instruments and assessing the ecological understandings, perceptions, and actions of students. Johnson teaches in and coordinates graduate programs in environmental learning and science education and also teaches undergraduate elementary science methods and adolescent development and learning courses. 

 

More Accolades

Patty Anders

Language, Reading, and Culture Professor and
Department Head Patricia Anders is the 2006
recipient of the UA Graduate College
Teaching and Mentoring Award.

Charlene Kampfe

SERSP Associate Professor Charlene Kampfe
received an award while at the World Conference
of the American Counseling Association.
The award, the Presidential Service Award,
was granted by the Association for Adult
Development and Aging, a division of the
American Counseling Association.

 

And the College of Education
Awards and Recognition Committee
is happy to announce these award recipients:

Perry Gilmore	Iliana Reyes

Congratulations, Students!

The College of Education is proud to honor these winning students:

Outstanding Senior
Patricia Gonzalez
College of Education

Outstanding Senior
Alison Zagona
Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology

Outstanding Elementary Student Teacher
Brandy Splain

Outstanding Secondary Student Teacher
Ian Kidd

Outstanding Special Education Cross-Categorical Student Teacher
Vanessa Smeltzer

Con Respeto a Santa Cruz: Student Photography Exhibit

A photo from Con Respeto a Santa Cruz

Students in Adjunct Associate Professor Shari Popen’s LRC 450 class have been mentoring students at Santa Cruz Catholic School as a pilot for the mentoring component the College of Education is developing for Wildcat School. The LRC students and Santa Cruz students have grown close as they have developed pathways for academic success. To celebrate, they are celebrating with a photo exhibit, Con Respeto a Santa Cruz, in the College of Education's main floor lobby, halls, and dean’s office foyer on Thursday, April 27, noon–2 p.m. The exhibition is funded in part by The Erasmus Circle and will feature photo collage posters by the Santa Cruz students on their favorite subjects, ranging from animals to grandparents. Both the Santa Cruz students and the LRC students will host the poster exhibit, which will include punch and cookies for everyone who stops by.

Counseling Awareness Month

The month of April has been identified by the American Counseling Association as Counseling Awareness Month, a time for professional counselors to celebrate their presence in our communities and call public awareness to counseling and the role of counselors. A visit to the ACA Web site will provide effective strategies counselors can use to promote the observance. Go to www.counseling.org/Resources/ and download “Public Awareness Ideas and Strategies for Professional Counselors.” The guide is filled with strategies not only for the month of April, but for the year.

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