News

Undergraduate Sarah Azhar earned a selective summer internship at NASA to work in their Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. The Jet Propulsion Lab is the leading center of robotic exploration of the solar system. Azhar will be creating online training and education modules for lab staff. She will graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Literacy, Learning & Leadership in May. It goes to show the many directions that education can...

From UA News: Leah Durán grew up hearing her grandparents speak Spanish, but it wasn't until she became fluent in the language and started her teaching career that she found her passion for bilingual education. Today, that passion has led to her appointment as the 2018 Richard Ruiz Scholar/Artist in Residence.

"When I realized I wanted to be a teacher, because I spoke Spanish, someone suggested to me that I should be a bilingual...

Dean Bruce Johnson welcomed tribal community members in late March, to discuss ways of sustaining language and culture, and ensure meaningful relationships between the college and tribal nations. Highlighted were ways in which the Indigenous Teacher Education Project, the American Indian Language Development Institute, and our elementary education program...

Local alumni had a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the African elephants of Reid Park Zoo in February. Gudrun Godare and Randall Smith, pictured here, were two of many who attended the event. Alumni and college faculty and staff enjoyed socializing and learning about the elephants from Sue Tygielski (UA Class of ‘94 and ’05). Did you know, for instance, that many elephant calls are too low for human hearing ability? We loved getting the...

The Creative Arts Teen Summit effectively kicks off the Tucson Festival of Books each year. Just as some authors and illustrators arrange local school visits when they come to Tucson for the festival, some volunteer to provide workshops in illustration and creative writing to high school students here on campus the Friday before the festival. This is event is a collaboration between College of Education, Early Academic Outreach, UA Bookstores...

Educators Rising Arizona held their 2018 state leadership conference in Tucson in March. Four hundred and twenty-seven Arizona high school students interested in education careers took part in the conference. We had the pleasure of hosting them for a UA campus visit. Their visit started with an Admissions tour which terminated at Campus Rec. Before setting off on a relaxing evening to check out all that the Rec Center has to offer, the...

Professor Shirin Antia is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of College Educators – Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ACE-DHH). This award honors Dr. Antia's contributions to the field across teaching, research and service in the preparation of teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Dr. Antia's career has been dedicated to improving the life of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. As a leader in her...

Worlds of Words had an excellent turnout for guest speaker Chong Bee Vang who introduced the new exhibit, Stitching Stories: Hmong Customs and Symbols as Told Through Storycloths. Chong Bee discussed Hmong culture, traditions and storytelling. He shared his experience as a Hmong refugee emigrating from Laos to the United States. He also spoke about the detailed needlework involved in the creation of both apparel and storycloths. The intricate...

The College of Education is working with Changemaker High School on a project designed to raise awareness of cyberbullying and promote the spread of kindness online. School Counseling students, Sarah Heath Howe (far left) and Sarah Johnson (seated, second from right) meet weekly with Changemaker High School students to help them prepare for their summer trip to Japan. It will be the first time on an airplane for some of the students, like...

Worlds of Words is running a pilot program -- the Teen Reading Ambassador initiative -- that positions local teens as reading ambassadors in their own schools. Teens in the program interact with published authors of young adult literature, receive books by that author, and share their experiences with their peers to promote reading in their school communities.

"The teen ambassadors will experience a combination of book discussions and...