Please join the COE Diversity Committee:
Digital Toolkit for Promoting Equity
April 23, 2018
2 – 3 pm
Hawkins Hall Room 305
Supporting Teaching With and Through Technology
Presented by Lisa Twiss, Ed.D., Educational Technology and Literacy
Category Archives: Professional Development
Restorative Practices Panel Discussion
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018
5:30 – 7:30 PM
WEST VILLAGE BALLROOMS
The Annual Special Education Alumni Seminar (SEAS) will feature a panel of experts from Norwood Elementary School who will share their experience working in areas related to implementing restorative practices for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. We highly recommend this informational session and networking opportunity for students and faculty.
Email coe@towson.edu for more information
Please join the Towson University Department of Special Education for the 7th Annual Special Education Alumni Series (SEAS) Sponsored by the College of Education, the Department of Special Education, and the EMPOWER project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition.
Dean’s Sabbatical Series: Dr. Qing Li
Computational thinking and teacher education:
What do experts say?
Dr. Qing Li
March 28, 2018
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Towson Room, Cook Library, Room 507
The proliferation of technology in our life is not only affecting the way we work and learn, but also what and how we learn. Computational thinking (CT) is recognized recently as a new basic skill that ALL students need to master so that they can become competent citizens in the 21st century. Yet, there is a dire shortage of qualified teachers who can effectively help students learn CT. To address this issue, this project investigates how teacher education can prepare our teachers to integrate CT into classrooms. Adopting the expert interview approach, this study interviewed a total of six experts across the nation, ranging from professors in tier one universities to directors in large corporations like Google. This presentation will discuss the results of this study, particularly the experts’ thoughts about how CT can be best integrated in educator preparation programs, as well as potential challenges when designing and establishing CT infused educator preparation programs.
SITE 2018 Conference
SITE 2018 in Washington, DC, March 26-30, is the 29th annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. This society represents individual teacher educators and affiliated organizations of teacher educators in all disciplines, who are interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education and faculty/staff development.
2018 National Teacher of the Year Finalist Kara Ball at Towson University: March 26, 2018
The College of Education welcomes the 2018 National Teacher of the Year finalist and Towson University College of Education alumna, Kara Ball on March 26, 2018.
Kara is an accomplished and award-winning Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Early Childhood Education and a 2008 Towson University Elementary Education/Special Education graduate. She is also recognized as one of the best science and math educators in the nation as a 2016 finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. She teaches 4th and 5th grade multi-age as well as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education to military children at DeLalio Elementary School in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Her motto is “fail your way to success” which encourages her students to take risks, persevere when challenged and view failure as a natural part of the learning process. She has helped to establish programs in her schools including Girls on the Run, STRIDE, Global Cardboard Challenge, SeaPerch Robotics, Science Olympiad, and a STEM Carnival.
We hope that you can join us for one or all of her presentations on March 26, 2018:
For Students
Top Ten Pieces of Advice for Future Teachers
Hawkins Hall 305/306
9:00 – 10:00 am
Authentic Learning Experiences in Science Education
Hawkins Hall 015
10:00 – 11:30 am
For Faculty and Students
From Towson University College of Education to Teacher of the Year Finalist:
The Story of Kara Ball
University Union, Chesapeake
2:00 – 4:00 pm
Maryland Writing Project
International Education Week 2017
Dr. Barbara Laster will be presenting at TU’s International Education Week, on November 14th, 1-2 pm, in PSY 407.
The topic will be language and literacy in Egypt, Guatemala, and Iceland.
Dean’s Sabbatical Series: Dr. Rebecca Shargel
Two brains are better than one: Paired text study in the college classroom
Dr. Rebecca Shargel
November 13, 2017
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Towson Room, Cook Library, Room 507
Dean Laurie Mullen and the College of Education faculty and staff welcome you to the Fall 2017 College of Education Dean’s Sabbatical Lecture Series. Dr. Rebecca Shargel, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Technology & Literacy, will present a lecture entitled Two brains are better than one: A study of paired text study in the college classroom. Light refreshments will be served.
About the Presentation
This research addresses the problem of first year college students refusing to participate in full group discussions. An antidote to students’ silence is a paired learning method, havruta text study, a strategy derived from Jewish academies of higher learning. This qualitative study applied and adapted this method to several sections of Towson Seminar to investigate advantages and disadvantages of reading and discussing text with the same partner for the duration of a semester. This presentation will discuss the results of this investigation, particularly how students advanced in discussing controversial texts, took on new perspectives, supported peer learning, and found their voices while arriving at a richer understanding of controversial topics.
Dissertation Defense: Andrea Parrish
Dissertation Defense
Andrea Parrish
November 14, 2017
10:00 am
Hawkins Hall, Room 110
Dissertation Title: A Delphi Study to Develop an Inventory of Competencies Needed to Facilitate Instruction in Student-Centered, One-to-One Learning Environments
Committee: William Sadera, Scot McNary, Laila Richman, David Wizer
Abstract: Today’s one-to-one, student-centered learning environments have unique qualities when compared to the traditional learning spaces of the previous decades and their characteristics hold important implications for both teacher preparation and professional development. While the current trend toward one-to-one technology integration is increasing, many studies fail to clearly articulate the ways that student-centered pedagogy can be used to harness the capacity of technologies that many districts have invested in. Through the use of the Delphi method, this study utilizes a nationwide panel of subject matter experts to develop an inventory of teaching competencies needed to facilitate student-centered instruction in these environments. The resulting inventory serves as a necessary resource for examining teacher preparation programs and for developing professional development that supports school systems in successfully implementing student-centered, one-to-one technology initiatives.
Dean’s Sabbatical Lecture Series: Dr. Xiaoming Liu
Teacher Education Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse International Students in the U.S.: Perspectives of Five Chinese Students
Dr. Xiaoming Liu
November 1, 2017
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Towson Room, Cook Library
Dean Laurie Mullen and the College of Education faculty and staff welcome you to the Fall 2017 College of Education Dean’s Sabbatical Lecture Series. Dr. Xiaoming Liu, associate professor in Elementary Education, will present a lecture titled Teacher Education Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse International Students in the U.S.: Perspectives from Five Chinese Students. Light refreshments will be served.