College of Education Archives - �� Tri-Cities

Education faculty receives award for English and bilingual learning research

Maegan Murray — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 19:02:12 +0000

By C. Brandon Chapman, College of Education

Yuliya Ardasheva, a faculty member at Washington State University Tri‑Cities, has received one of two national Mid‑Career Awards from the American Educational Research Association’s Second Language Research Special Interest Group.

Ardasheva is an associate professor within the College of Education, where she focuses her research on English/Bilingual learners’ language and academic development. The awards committee were impressed with Ardasheva’s “robust and coherent research portfolio.”

It’s research that, for Ardasheva, hits close to home. She said she came to the United States at 27 years old, “not speaking a single word of English,” having already earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in her native language. She planned on earning her Ph.D. in the United States.

“I originally got interested in second language development because I have an understanding what individual students of different ages may need to build on their strengths and what they may need to capitalize on what they already know in their native languages,” she said.

This line of research began with Ardasheva’s dissertation and her first externally funded project as a postdoctoral student at the University of Louisville. Her role was to develop literacy supports at a portable planetarium for middle and high school students, all part of a Newcomer Academy in Louisville. They spoke 25 primary languages and most of them were refugees from war or conflict zones. As a result, most had interrupted schooling.

“The Academy students only had one year to gain enough English language and content knowledge to integrate the following year into regular education schools, where the majority of teachers typically have no language support preparation,” Ardasheva said.

Her focus was on developing pre- and post-instructional literacy activities aligned with the planetarium experiences. This was to improve students’ science vocabulary knowledge, learning strategy use, oral and reading comprehension. Ultimately, this would allow for building science background knowledge and science concept elaboration.

Since, Ardasheva has published 38 peer-reviewed articles and six book chapters on this and other topics and presented her work at more than 70 national and international conferences.

While the committee cited Ardasheva’s endeavors to advance the field as “evident in (her) prolific and high‑quality publications” and having made a “significant contribution,” Ardasheva herself said the teacher learning and development area of her research is still shaping up.

This work is, in part, supported by a current $2.3 million U.S. Department of Education professional development grant, as well as a recently completed Samuel H. and Patricia W. Smith Teaching and Learning Endowment Grant.

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Two �� Tri‑Cities faculty to serve on national science education board

Maegan Murray — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 20:55:22 +0000

By Katie Duncan, College of Education

Two College of Education faculty members at Washington State University Tri-Cities have been elected to serve as Association of Science Teacher Education (ASTE) board members.

Judy Morrison, �� Tri-Cities College of Education

Associate professor Judy Morrison and assistant professor Jonah Firestone both teach and research science education, aligning them well with ASTE, one of only two science education organizations in the country that focuses on research for science teaching.

It is not the first time that Morrison has served on the ASTE board.

Morrison’s service to the ASTE organization has included reviewing proposals, presenting, and presiding at annual meetings, serving on, and chairing committees, serving as a regional director for two terms, and on the ASTE board of directors for three years.

Morrison said she has actively participated since she was a doctoral student.

“Being part of the ASTE “culture” has allowed me to gain knowledge about the work our members engage in as science educators and has provided me support and new knowledge as I continue to improve my work in the preparation of science teachers,” she said.

Morrison said that she was nominated to run in the general election, then agreed to her nomination, submitted an ASTE bio, got approved by the board and ran in the election against multiple other candidates.

“The organization provides support for science teacher educators, so anyone working on teaching and getting the word out about science. I feel the organization is very worthwhile because of the breadth of what it does- support for graduate students, science methods instructors, professional developers, curriculum developers, informal science educators, science teachers, and many more,” Morrison said.

Jonah Firestone, �� Tri-Cities College of Education

Firestone also became a board member after having been involved with ASTE since beginning in graduate school. During his first ASTE conference, he was able to stand-in for an advisor on a panel.

“As someone who had never been to a conference, it was incredibly supportive,” Firestone said.

ASTE is divided into several geographic regions in order to better serve the needs of individual members and support issues that are unique to certain regions of the US and abroad. Firestone was originally elected to be the Director of the Northwest Region of ASTE (NWASTE). There are three positions on the ASTE board that are filled with these regional directors on a rotating basis.

“This allows the voices of regions to be heard by the board and concerns of the membership of ASTE to be better addressed,” he said. “All regional directors send reports and concerns to me and I promote these to the overall board.”

Firestone said that the board member term lasts for three years. On the third year, Firestone and Morrison can move to an executive board member position and after the three-year term, run again.

“ASTE is definitely my favorite organization. I want to help give back through this, to teachers and grad students,” Firestone said.

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�� Tri-Cities educators go low tech for high impact

Maegan Murray — Wed, 06 May 2020 18:44:13 +0000

By C. Brandon Chapman, College of Education

As the novel coronavirus has required a heavy reliance on technology and access to online learning, educators at Washington State University Tri-Cities are encouraging K-12 students and their families to head the other direction, with a new series of low-tech teaching tips.

Each tip is printed on a flyer that also bears the message: “The little moments that make a big impact.” The flyers are designed as a quick resource for families in their role as educators to their homebound children.

Even the delivery mechanism is low-tech: school lunches. The flyers are given to local schools that then have the option of handing them out with the school lunch program.

These teaching tips include things like how to ask better questions of your child to elicit more meaningful conversation.

“The big idea of ‘ask, don’t tell’ reminds me, every day, to ask questions about my son’s thinking,” said John Mancinelli, executive director of Educational Outreach and Partnerships at �� Tri-Cities. “During our talks, it was clear that my son was less eager to hear what I thought as much as he wanted to share his thoughts.”

John Mancinelli

One flyer, meant for grades K-3, is called “wonderings” and encourages kids and families to just take a walk around the neighborhood or local park, having the child choose 4-5 small items from the natural world, such as rocks, plants, flowers, etc. After the walk, the child can look at each item carefully and come up with things that they “wonder about” with each. They then try to come up with answers.

“Through this activity, the child and family are modeling true science: asking questions and finding answers,” said Judy Morrison, associate professor of science education.

Another flyer for grades 3-5, focuses on the moon and its path, having kids draw the moon and other objects, such as a roof or light post. The child does this every night at the same time, and after 3-4 nights of the activity, they use the following night to draw where they predict the moon will be, based on past observations. Then they see how closely they were able to predict. Once again, science modeling.

“There’s a lot more to education right now than simply logging in, seeing what online assignments are required, then doing them,” Morrison said.

It’s also a matter of equity, since currently, there is often an assumption that all students have access to the internet and the technology used to watch video lessons. �� Tri-Cities faculty said they hope to remind people that learning isn’t limited to technology.

As an example, Morrison said that many of the helpful tips and tricks for learning are based on materials and activities commonly found at home. It can also be as simple as parents finding a quiet place in the house to study or do homework.

“We know that not every child has that option; not every learning environment is the same” she said. “But we need to recognize that we often unintentionally assume that all children have those same benefits.”

Even when households have all the benefits of technology, Mancinelli said it’s not always realistic to expect that things will work smoothly. There can easily be technical and logistical issues.

“Some families have four or more people online at one time, making access to technology and the internet difficult,” he said. “Then, when you consider families that don’t have the technology or the internet, the problem is compounded. These teaching tips are meant to address the problems of the new learning environment.”

At this point, Mancinelli said there’s no way of knowing how many flyers have been distributed. It’s just too early to know. But he said that all contacts thus far have been supportive, which isn’t surprising based on current relationships.

“Our faculty are always highly engaged with the regional school districts, teachers, and the general public,” he said. “Many serve on district and parent committees and offer their professional services regularly.”

Each teaching tip flyer has photos and names of all faculty members in �� Tri-Cities’ College of Education. And for good cause.

“Our pictures remind folks that we are here and a resource,” Mancinelli said, “and since we have our names on Teaching Tips, they can connect names and faces.”

In addition to school lunches, all the tips .

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Making college dreams possible for paraeducators

Maegan Murray — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 01:00:28 +0000

A unique �� Tri-Cities program is helping paraeducators earn education degrees and begin careers as full-time teachers

By Maegan Murray, �� Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – The American Dream. It’s the phrase that Pasco High School teacher Esfeidy Guzman uses to describe the achievement of earning a bachelor’s degree in education and in starting her career as a full-time teacher.

Esfeidy Guzman, �� Tri-Cities alternate route to an education graduate, works in her classroom at Pasco High School where she teaches students that know little to no English.

She is one of several dozen former paraeducators who are now teaching in local schools as a result of a unique program offered through Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Guzman was selected by her principal to participate in the �� Tri-Cities College of Education alternate route program. The program provides funds, pathways and courses for selected paraeducators to earn their education degree in two years where they receive endorsements in either special education or English language learning. Individuals receive course credit for proven skills and classroom experience and take classes in the evenings while continuing full-time in their roles as paraeducators.

“I don’t think I would have earned my degree if it wasn’t for the alternate route program at �� Tri-Cities,” Guzman said. “I just don’t think it would have been possible for me, raising a family while working full-time. It truly is a dream come true.”

Funds to support new class of teachers

The program was just awarded its third consecutive grant by the Washington Professional Educator Standards Board to continue providing financial support for 10-12 students in a cohort per year.

Not only does the program provide individuals with a route that makes it possible to attend school while working full-time, it also helps to solve a local teacher shortage.

Judy Morrison, �� Tri-Cities academic director for the College of Education, works with one of the first cohorts of the �� Tri-Cities alternate route to an education degree program.

“The program is really doing what it is supposed to do, which is meeting the need for teachers in our local districts,” said Judy Morrison, �� Tri-Cities academic director for the College of Education. “Our districts came to us about the need for more special education and ELL teachers. To meet that need, we built this program.”

Lindsay Lightner, alternate route program coordinator, said the two-year program is incredibly rigorous. In addition to completing challenging coursework, participants work full-time in schools and must provide clear evidence that their classroom experiences warrant course credit.

“Our alumni that have been through it have said it is worth it,” Lightner said. “For a lot of them, it is personally fulfilling and they feel ready, qualified and recognized in their role as teachers after their role as paraeducators. We have also received some good feedback from the districts. It’s been a great process.”

Endorsements to support local needs

�� Tri-Cities alumna Esfeidy Guzman now teaches at Pasco High School where she works with students that speak little to no English.

Guzman said she specifically chose the endorsement of English language learning through the program because it hit close to home with her own experiences and she knew it was an area where she could make the most difference.

She grew up in Pasco, attending Pasco High School for two years before transitioning to Chiawana High School where she graduated as part of its first class. She now serves as an English language development teacher at Pasco High School where she works with students who are not fluent in English.

Guzman said she knows what it is like to grow up speaking a language other than English in the home, learning English through the school system, and then trying to navigate the school process. Through the advancement of her skills as an educator through the �� Tri-Cities program, she feels equipped and passionate about educating the next generation of Tri-Cities students.

“I wish this program would have been around for my teachers because I believe that the strategies that I was taught for ELL students would have benefited me or any number of other students,” she said. “This is a program that is made with the well-being of the community in mind.”

Passion for serving, support to do well

The desire to serve local needs is a common theme among many of the paraeducators participating in the �� Tri-Cities alternate route program. For recent �� Tri-Cities alternate route graduate Susan Payne, her love and passion for education came out of wanting to serve a population of students who may struggle with the language component of their education.

“I have worked with some very bright children who feel that they are not smart because they are struggling with a second language,” she said. “I wanted to be in a position that helps these students celebrate their achievements of developing dual languages and content areas.”

Lindsay Lightner, coordinator for the �� Tri-Cities alternate route program, works with a student in one of the first cohorts for the program.

Payne said what she enjoyed most about the program is the support of dedicated staff and faculty, especially since the program is difficult due to its time commitments and requirements.

“It’s much harder than it sounds, but the �� campus has some extremely dedicated staff to help and guide you,” she said. “Teachers are very helpful and accessible, which is vital to this program because the students are working at their schools during the day and taking class at night.”

Payne said the support of her school mentors were also invaluable.

“The alternate route program is dependent on the support the student receives from her or his work school and mentor,” she said. “With a supportive mentor and school, the alternate route student has the perspective and access to the students’ personalities, already built relationships and co-workers’ advice to help along the way.”

For more information about the �� Tri-Cities College of Education alternate route program, visit tricities.wsu.edu/education/undergraduate/alternate-route. Interested in pursuing a career in education? Visit tricities.wsu.edu/education.

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Adjunct education professor inspires love for math, earns regional Crystal Apple Award

Maegan Murray — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 00:25:57 +0000

By Maegan Murray, �� Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – As part of a class at Washington State University Tri-Cities, adjunct education professor Cathie Tate picked up two simple objects: a popsicle stick and a paper clip. She asked the future teachers sitting before her how they would describe the objects to a young child.

�� Tri-Cities education adjunct professor Cathie Tate works with students in an education course

With students describing traits such as color and material, she then asked her students: “Ok, how would you compare the two objects?”

It was a start of a lesson in showing the students how to describe mathematical concepts in a simple manner. It was also one of many lessons for the students in how to make teaching math less daunting and more fun. It is what many students describe as a talent of Tate’s.

Tate was recently recognized for her teaching accomplishments after being honored with a Crystal Apple Award by the regional Educational Service District. The award recognizes public school educators who have made a positive impact on the lives of their students.

Pasco School District Superintendent Michelle Whitney (left) says a few words about Cathie Tate, Delta High School math teacher and �� Tri-Cities adjunct education professor, before presenting her with a Crystal Apple Award.

Deisy Cardoso, a former student of Tate’s at Delta High School and now a current student majoring in education at �� Tri-Cities, said Tate is the person who inspired her to major in education with an endorsement in middle level mathematics.

“I was thrilled when presented with the opportunity to take her course here at �� Tri-Cities,” she said. “In that class, she provided me with the tools to confidently teach math to future students and encourage them to take responsibility for their learning.”

Nominator Judy Morrison, academic director of �� Tri-Cities’ College of Education, said Tate has a passion for making math an approachable subject, even encouraging a love for the subject in students – including those who were hesitant of teaching math at first.

“Many elementary teacher candidates are anxious about approaching mathematics as not only an adult learner, but as a future teacher who will be entrusted with helping pupils to understand and enjoy mathematics,” Morrison said. “Cathie uniformly takes these students from a state of anxiety about teaching math to one of excitement for the future.”

A yearning to teach

Tate has taught at �� Tri-Cities since spring 2009. She teaches math for elementary teacher courses through the �� Tri-Cities College of Education. In addition to

�� Tri-Cities education adjunct professor Cathie Tate holds up two different beverages as part of an illustration for teaching a mathematics concept to young students.

serving as an adjunct professor at �� Tri-Cities, she teaches full-time at Delta High School, educating students in the subjects of calculus and multi-variable calculus. She also presently serves as an adjunct college in the high school professor for Central Washington University and used to teach courses at Columbia Basin College.

At the K-12 level, and especially with the Pasco School District, Tate said she has worn many hats: middle and high school teacher, department chair, instructional coach and math facilitator. She was also on the planning committee for Delta High School in 2008. But what she loves most is the interaction with her students, whether that be students at the K-12 level or the college level.

“I can’t imagine not getting up each morning and going to teach,” she said. “Students, high school or college, inspire me to be a better version of myself. I want to bring my ‘A’ game to every class because that is what my students deserve. I joke with my students that the day I stop caring about bringing my ‘A’ game to class is the day I retire.”

Overcoming math stereotypes

Tate said she was inspired to go into a career teaching mathematics by an instructor she had at Columbia Basin College in the 1970s.

“She was the first female math instructor I had ever had,” she said. “In 1974 and 1975, mathematics was an unusual profession for females. She became a role model to me and encouraged me to become a math teacher.”

Tate said she was told many times that, as a female, she couldn’t do math.

“I chose to become a math teacher to change this perspective,” she said. “Along the way, I realized that our schools were filled with math anxious students and it was my job, as a high school math teacher, to eliminate that stress.”

Changing the perception of math

Tate said at the high school level, she was able to impact about 100 students in a year, but she felt that she could give even more. She said she was thrilled when she was offered the opportunity to teach mathematics for elementary school teachers at �� Tri-Cities so that she could try to make even more of a difference.

“How do I change an adult student’s perspective of mathematics?” she said. “I do this by asking them the first day of class to trust me. I explain that we will be looking at math through a different lens and that I am there to help them be successful. I inform them that they will be given more than one opportunity to succeed at a learning target. I also ask the students who have found previous math courses easy to open their minds to view math through the eyes of a struggling student.”

Tate said seeing the light in a student’s eyes when they first understand and embrace a concept is still the most rewarding part about teaching.

“It is indescribable and it still has the power to rejuvenate me as a teacher,” she said.

Preparing the world’s future educators at �� Tri-Cities

�� Tri-Cities education adjunct professor teaches students in the education program this month.

At �� Tri-Cities, Tate said she enjoys being able to interact with a new generation of teachers and hopefully inspires in them a passion for math.

“In my role at �� Tri-Cities, I am able to show adult learners that math is fun,” she said. “If future teachers can have fun in math class, this will impact the students they will someday teach.”

Tate also inspires students’ parents, of which sometimes double as current students.

Anna Arthur, a previous education student of Tate’s at �� Tri-Cities and the parent of a student of Tate’s at Delta High School, said Tate is a favorite teacher of both her son and herself.

“She has a way of teaching you with respect, which becomes mutual and deserved,” she said. “Learning how to teach math was a fun, entertaining and educational experience because Cathie knows what she is talking about and how to create an environment of learning that takes the fears away about mathematics.”

“She can effectively speak to her students about the academic topics while still reaching a level of mutual respect and friendship, but still maintaining a professional manner,” Arthur’s son Stuart said.

Tate accepted her Crystal Apple Award from ESD 123 earlier this month.

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Teachers benefit from new �� Tri-Cities course focused on computer science for K-12 classrooms

Maegan Murray — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 23:33:14 +0000

By Maegan Murray, �� Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – A group of Washington State University Tri-Cities education students and current teachers are the first to benefit from a new course focused on how to teach computer science in the K-12 classroom.

Teachers and education students in the new computer science education course offered at �� Tri-Cities.

The course, which specifically focuses on introductory levels of computational thinking, fundamentals of computers and the basics of introductory programming, will be included in an eventual series of courses as part of a proposed computer science education endorsement at �� Tri-Cities.

“Computer science is a crucial component of a student’s education, which is why it is important to offer a program that will support the preparation for our schools’ teachers in this area,” said Jonah Firestone, education professor at �� Tri-Cities. “As a result of that, we submitted an Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction grant to create a program that would eventually lead to an endorsement.”

Thanks to a second grant from OSPI, matching funds from Battelle and in-kind donations from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory this spring, the �� Tri-Cities team was able able to move forward with a first course this fall semester, Firestone said.

Developing the course

Firestone and Judy Morrison, director of the �� Tri-Cities College of Education, worked with PNNL computer science professionals to develop the course, in addition to holding summer institutes with current teachers to determine the types of material that would be incorporated.

Benjamin Stuermer, a PNNL software engineer and instructor for the course, said the course and eventual endorsement program has immense benefits for K-12 education.

“I think it’s really important that we’re doing this because teachers are currently going in radically different directions with the material they are teaching students in the area of computer science,” he said.

Stuermer said this is at no fault to teachers, as they are doing the best they can with the materials they can find. But by solidifying applicable courses and an endorsement program, teachers would be better equipped with materials that are proven to be effective at various grade levels.

Introducing new concepts

The students in the course are learning the patterns by which computer coding is formed and how to develop the mindset for eventually writing code by means of

Benjamin Stuermer (left), PNNL software engineer and �� Tri-Cities instructor, helps a student with components of a project during his computer science education course at �� Tri-Cities.

sequencing certain steps in certain orders. The teachers are using a program known as “Scratch” to develop basic computer code in a visual form. Additionally, they’re learning how to write lesson plans for the material and how to break down these technical subjects into language that a young student can understand and retain.

“I work in a STEM school, so having this course is a great resource,” said Diane Hollis, a fourth-grade teacher and master’s of education student at �� Tri-Cities. “It will allow me to incorporate more technology into my class and will be crucial to what we regard as the growth mindset for our students – ‘even if you can’t do it yet, you will be able to.’ My students will be learning a new skill that they can use for the rest of their life.”

Sumiyyah Jalalyar, an eighth-grade teacher and master’s of education student at �� Tri-Cities, said the computational ways of thinking she is learning through the course will serve as an immense benefit for her students in math and science.

“Having more teachers knowing about computer science and being knowledgeable about computational thinking serves as a resource for students,” she said. “It’s the direction that education is headed in for the future, so it’s a great opportunity for us as teachers to learn.”

Refining for the future

Teachers and students in a computer science education course at �� Tri-Cities.

Stuermer said they will continue to refine the course, making it better and better for future teachers. They will then focus on developing further courses, he said.

Firestone said he hopes to attract teachers from a variety of subjects and fields in education for future courses, in addition to those with a background in technology, mathematics and computer science.

The “Foundations of Computational Thinking” course will be offered a second time during �� Tri-Cities’ spring semester, with potential tuition assistance for course participants available from the project’s grant. For more information, contact Firestone at 509-372-7198 or jonah.firestone@wsu.edu.

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�� Tri-Cities professor partners with father to develop geography classroom technology

Maegan Murray — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 23:07:25 +0000

By Maegan Murray

RICHLAND, Wash. – A Washington State University Tri-Cities education professor has partnered with her father, a software engineer, to develop a fun and hands-on educational tool that will allow students to virtually explore geographic areas, expand their spatial awareness skills and improve overall geoliteracy.

Students at Marcus Whitman Elementary School use PuzzleMap as a classroom resource.

National Geographic defines geoliteracy as “the ability to use geographic understanding and geographic reasoning to make far-reaching decisions.” Sarah Newcomer, assistant professor of literacy education at �� Tri-Cities, said students use the skill in a range of academic fields, in addition to everyday life.

That is why she and her father, Fred Newcomer, created the program, PuzzleMap, which features moveable map elements with interactive clues and images to expand the user’s knowledge of any geographic area.

“With this project, we’re really looking at how this tool supports kids in developing their geographic literacy and spatial reasoning, as there are many kids who prefer to learn that way,” Sarah Newcomer said. “Not all kids may be successful with pencils and paper. It’s a different way of learning and approaching the material, as well as a different modality that they can learn through.”

From GIS to integrated classroom technology

Fred Newcomer spent a year developing the platform. He said he wanted to use his years of experience with geographic information systems in the public safety sector to help address global environmental concerns. The project quickly showed its value for elementary students, thanks to the advisement of his daughter.

A student uses PuzzleMap at Marcus Whitman Elementary School.

“My initial intent was to simply make something that other people might find interesting and enjoy doing,” he said. “Games like Tetris, Candy Crush and Pokemon Go have attracted many juvenile and adult players, but they don’t really offer any secondary benefit … When Sarah first saw PuzzleMap, she immediately suggested that it could be a valuable classroom tool.”

Sarah Newcomer worked with her father to create a PuzzleMap of the United States specifically for use at the elementary school level. Students use the program to complete a puzzle by placing a state in its correct spot on a blank map. The individual pieces also feature useful facts ranging from population, to climate, to key industries in each region, which the students can use as clues.

Success in the classroom

This year, Sarah Newcomer and Jonah Firestone, assistant professor of science education and assessment, partnered with two fifth-grade classes at Marcus Whitman Elementary School in Richland and a fifth-grade class at Barbara McClintock STEM Elementary School in Pasco to assess PuzzleMap’s effectiveness in the classroom.

Although data analysis is in the preliminary stages, Newcomer said an initial review of the results indicate that the program helped students retain information at a greater rate than if they hadn’t used the program – and typically by a wide margin.

“We hypothesized that the group that supplemented their regular curriculum with Puzzle map would do better, but we didn’t plan for just how well they would do,” she said. “It just goes to show that adding supplemental resources with the regular curriculum can provide a huge benefit to students.”

Excitement for learning

Most of the students participating in the study said they loved using the program. Students enjoyed exploring both states that were unfamiliar, as well as their favorite states. Other students said they enjoyed competing with themselves to improve their proficiency score.

McKenzie Munn, a fifth-grade teacher at Marcus Whitman Elementary School, speaks with a couple of her students. Her class was one of the first group to test the viability of PuzzleMap in the classroom.

“I can place all of the states on the map in 1 minute and 40 seconds,” said Divine Salazar, a fifth-grade student at Marcus Whitman. “I even got an app on my phone to study it at home, too.”

McKenzie Munn, a fifth-grade teacher at Marcus Whitman Elementary, said students were more engaged with their geographic curriculum when they completed PuzzleMap in conjunction with their given material.

“This resource is a tool that we can use to supplement everything we were already planning on teaching,” she said. “It is not a replacement and not going to change the way we do social studies, but it is just going to make it better.”

Trevor Dunstan, a technology specialist at McClintock agreed, noting the program “would be an excellent resource for working hands-on with different content areas.”

Future of PuzzleMap

Fred Newcomer said he plans to continue working with his daughter to develop more PuzzleMap content for elementary students and on adding features that will facilitate classroom use. He is currently developing a variety of PuzzleMap ideas to raise environmental awareness, promote public spaces and market regional products. The platform is also being used to highlight the complexities of legislative districting.

The program is available now for schools and other organizations to use. For more information on PuzzleMap and related technology resources, visit .

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�� Tri-Cities partners with youth program for academic camps in east Pasco community

Maegan Murray — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 21:22:23 +0000

By Maegan Murray, �� Tri-Citiies

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities has joined forces with a local youth-operated program to grow its home-based extracurricular learning opportunities in a community in east Pasco.

The organization, Ambassadors of Lakeview Achieving Success (ALAS), originated several years ago when Lakeview community youth wanted to improve their neighborhood through offering child friendly activities, leadership building opportunities and additional academic resources right in their home area.

“We started a program because there were a lot of kids running around, and it used to be a place known for drugs and alcohol,” said Brenda Yepez, ALAS mentor, resident of the Lakeview community and a �� Tri-Cities student. “We didn’t want to see that anymore, so we started offering activities for the kids, and then started doing these summer camps.”

They since have partnered with multiple �� Tri-Cities education faculty to grow their academic offerings, including building annual summer camps to offer lessons in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

�� students teach classes

“Two years ago, they (ALAS) asked if �� would be willing to help, and we came up with a plan to have our introduction to education class teach daily at the camps,” said Jonah Firestone, assistant professor of education at �� Tri-Cities. “I told my students to create all the curriculum for Monday through Friday classes every morning. It’s been a great opportunity, both for the kids in the community and for our �� students.”

This year, Firestone also partnered with associate education professor Eric Johnson, and they split the camp days into English and Spanish offerings to create an academic bilingual component for the camps. Johnson has taken his education students to work in Pasco schools and with the ALAS program for the past eight years.

“My class did the Spanish lessons on Monday and Wednesday and Jonah did the lessons on Tuesday and Thursday in English,” Johnson said of the new structure for the camps. “It worked out really well and the feedback from my students is that they really enjoyed it.”

English, Spanish classes

Firestone said by offering the instruction in both languages, it allows the students to learn the material first in many of the community youth’s native language, and then the lesson is reinforced through the English language, which provides them a greater grasps of the concepts.

Maite Cruz, president of the ALAS program and resident of the Lakeview community, said they are glad to partner with �� Tri-Cities for the camps, as it provides both parties with learning opportunities.

“Our first year of the camps was a little difficult because we didn’t have the experience on what to teach them,” she said. “But since we partnered with ��, we’ve been able to expand our academic offerings to be a true benefit to the kids in our community.”

Aligning curriculum with culture

In addition to the academic offerings for the children in the community, Firestone said the partnership has presented an opportunity to educate their �� students about the value of creating curriculum that aligns with the culture and environment of the students they’re educating.

“We wanted to get these pre-service teachers out into the community to engage in these kids’ culture and create curriculum based on where they are,” he said. “No kid has all the experiences

as other kids, but there are areas where we can introduce concepts and curriculum based on the similar experiences of these kids. They then get to see that put into practice and how

successful it makes the kids’ learning. It’s been a real benefit to my students.”

Working in Pasco schools

Johnson said �� Tri-Cities sends many of its pre-service teachers into Pasco schools to work with students as part of their educational experience.

“So for the students who have the chance with the Lakeview community in these camps or in our classes, they have a better appreciation for the resources that Lakeview offers,” he said. “They also see a lot of the students in the schools in their practicum.”

“For the students who get jobs in Kennewick or Richland, they are also more open to doing community visits because they have had that training and can apply what they’ve learned in the community to the classroom,” he said.

Media Contacts:

Jonah Firestone, assistant professor of education and director of the �� Tri-Cities VITAL lab, 509-372-7198, jonah.firestone@tricity.wsu.edu
Eric Johnson, associate professor of education, �� Tri-Cities, 509-372-7304, ejj@tricity.wsu.edu
Maegan Murray, public relations specialist, �� Tri-Cities 509-372-7333, Maegan.murray@tricity.wsu.edu

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Student works to propel resources for educators through PhD in math & science ed

Maegan Murray — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 22:58:04 +0000

By Maegan Murray

Lindsay Lightner’s teaching career and experience in education has taken her all over the country, and even across the Atlantic Ocean to the United Kingdom.

Her first teaching job right out of college was as a middle school science teacher in New York. From there, she taught writing at Penn State after receiving her master’s degree in the subject. Her efforts then led her overseas to educate future teachers at Canterbury Christ Church University before she returned to the U.S. and took a position as an academic advisor at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

In all those years in education, what fascinated her most were the possibilities for exploring teaching styles and innovative strategies in education and helping students from all backgrounds succeed in the field she has dedicated her life to.

“The more I worked with students, the more I realized the different challenges they had, which led me to more questions,” she said. “The kinds of questions I was having I could only answer through research. That is really what interested me in pursuing a PhD here at �� Tri-Cities – that research capability. I started thinking about what I could bring to the table that could potentially have a large impact on the future of education.”

Lightner is now pursuing a PhD through the mathematics and science education doctoral program at �� Tri-Cities while she works full-time as the university’s alternate route to teacher certification coordinator.

Washington currently ranks third in the nation for the concentration of STEM jobs by state, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. With this distinction comes the responsibility for preparing students who will one day fill those roles. Through the College of Education at �� Tri-Cities, students in the mathematics and science education doctoral program are researching ways to prepare both teachers and students to be successful in those fields. Both are crucial to growing the state’s local talent, and in turn, the state economy.

Blending established educational experiences with innovative research

In her current role as the alternate route to teacher certification coordinator at �� Tri-Cities, Lightner sees first-hand how the implementation of new and engaging strategies can improve the overall teaching experience, and in turn, students’ knowledge retention.

Lightner works with paraeducators who are combining their established experience in the classroom with courses at �� Tri-Cities to earn their bachelor’s degree in elementary education. At the end of the program, the new teachers will hold endorsements in English language learning, bilingual education or special education, in addition to the elementary education endorsement.

Lightner said for new teachers, teaching science and math may be intimidating as they often don’t have specific expertise in those subjects.

“The research on preservice elementary teachers indicates that many of them feel more anxious about teaching math and science than other subjects, such as reading,” she said. “Some of this could be due to their own negative experiences as learners of science or mathematics, or due to social biases.”

Lightner said through her doctoral research, she is exploring how people learn throughout their lives and how they integrate their past experiences with new learning opportunities to create new knowledge, practices or understandings for themselves.

“I’m interested in seeing how college students and new teachers make sense and learn in different environments, whether those are university classes, work situations or a free choice activity,” she said.

Through the education doctoral program, Lightner is currently conducting a survey that measures what the alternate route students think about teaching in general and also what they think about teaching science.

“A lot of the work that math and science educators do at any grade level is to inspire learners with not only the content, but also a sense of wonder and possibility about science and mathematics,” she said. “This is no different for teacher educators than for kindergarten teachers. But college students have more previous experience that we have to engage with as they learn.”

A perfect fit

In her career in higher education, Lightner said the doctoral program in mathematics and science education at �� Tri-Cities has been a perfect fit as both her coursework and her research area apply directly to her work with students who are learning to teach those subjects.

“I think they are very complimentary,” she said. “It is very exciting to have something where I’m developing real-world skills that I can put toward my job.”

Lightner said she appreciates that her course schedules are a mix of online programming and in-classroom experiences, as it allows her flexibility in her full-time work schedule. She also works with nationally-renowned education professionals whose research and academic contributions have changed the world of education for the better.

Lightner also shared from her experience as a teacher, both locally in the United States and internationally in the United Kingdom, as well as from her experience as an academic advisor, and compared these experiences with those of her fellow classmates.

“One of my classmates is a high school math teacher,” she said. “Another is a middle school science teacher in a rural school. One is a community college math instructor and then there’s me: a former teacher with experience both in the K-12 system and in higher education. It is neat to be able to draw from other people’s insights and approaches.”

Interested in the math and science education doctoral program? Visit /education/graduate/.

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Future teachers learn from friends with disabilities

Maegan Murray — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 19:26:29 +0000

By Maegan Murray

Once a month, a class of 12 education students at Washington State University Tri-Cities welcomes more than 20 clients from The Arc of Tri-Cities where all eat lunch with one another, interact socially, as well as play games and complete crafts.

The effort is part of the university’s new peer lunch club, which pairs the education students with several individuals with disabilities as a means to develop friendships, as well as to develop one another’s’ social and professional skills.

“My manager told me that �� Tri-Cities students were wanting to learn more about and get to know the people in our community at The Arc,” Arc VIP Coordinator BreAnna Vaughn said. “For my guys, this is a great way for them to make some friends and get to know people outside of their families and outside from us at The Arc. The benefit for the students at �� Tri-Cities is that they get to know people in this community and learn how they can help these individuals prosper in their future roles as teachers.”

As an organization, The Arc of Tri-Cities assists persons with developmental disabilities in choosing and realizing where and how they learn, live, work and play. The �� Tri-Cities peer lunch club provides an added opportunity for Arc clients to bond and socialize with individuals in a college setting while �� Tri-Cities students have the opportunity to get to know a group of individuals whose learning challenges may be unfamiliar to them.

“I believe it is a good experience for our students who are in education because nowadays, with current trends in inclusive education, they will have students with disabilities in their classroom,” said Yun-Ju Hsiao, an assistant professor of special education at �� Tri-Cities and co-organizer of the lunch club. “It provides our students with a good start in learning how to interact with these individuals and what strategies will work best for their learning, in addition to allowing them to make some new friends.”

Value added for all

The Arc participants said they love being able to come �� Tri-Cities as they are making new friends while participating in hands-on activities. During their last lunch club meeting, the group made paper snowflakes, which they used to decorate The Arc facility for the holiday season.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Arc client Grady Horvath said. “I’ve made lots of friends so far.”

Arc client Spencer Pidcock said his favorite parts of the experience have been bonding with his new friends over common interests such as movies, of which his favorite are from the Fast and the Furious franchise. He said also enjoys the activities they’ve completed with the �� Tri-Cities students.

“It’s been really fun,” he said. “Making the snowflakes has probably been one of my favorite activities so far.”

�� Tri-Cities students said they have enjoyed the opportunity, not only because they have been able to put some of the skills they’re learning at �� Tri-Cities to use in working with individuals with developmental disabilities, but also because they are developing close friendships.

“It is like an eye-opener because you see people with disabilities and you generally don’t know how to act with them at first,” �� Tri-Cities student Maria Admani said. “At first, it is kind of awkward, mainly because you’re putting this pressure on yourself to behave a certain way. But you start talking with them and you realize they are just like you. You have the same likes and dislikes. You don’t have to behave a specific way. They’re people like you and me.”

�� Tri-Cities student Karli Korten said they’ve developed jokes with some of The Arc clients just as they would their closest friends growing up.

“I remember I brought up the Venus Razors commercials,” she said, referencing a conversation she was having with some of The Arc clients. “I started singing ‘I’m your Venus, I’m your fire,’ and Grady finished it with ‘Your desire.’ It was just so funny. We’re developing these friendships that we never would have had otherwise.”

Korten said as the lunches continue, they sit with the same people each lunch meet-up and that both groups become more and more comfortable with one another each time.

“We ask them questions about our previous activities, or about what is coming up new in their life and you realize they have the same thoughts about life and the same anxieties,” she said.

From social to professional

�� Tri-Cities student Carrie Stewart said she will definitely use the experience in her future career as a teacher.

“I think it will help a lot,” she said. “To see individuals with disabilities in this environment, it is almost like a classroom environment. Knowing how to relate to them is a huge thing, as well as developing a personal relationship. This is a great way to allow us to learn how to build bonds, which will help us help them be successful in their own lives.”

Student Kimberlee Moon said they can also use the opportunity to improve the educational experience for all students.

“You get to know them just as you would any other kid in the classroom,” she said. “You can incorporate their interests just as you would any student. You may have to use different strategies, but those strategies you use for students with disabilities will also work for every student in the classroom.”

The post Future teachers learn from friends with disabilities appeared first on �� Tri-Cities.

College of Education Archives - ������ Tri-Cities

Education faculty receives award for English and bilingual learning research

Two ������ Tri‑Cities faculty to serve on national science education board

������ Tri-Cities educators go low tech for high impact

Making college dreams possible for paraeducators

Adjunct education professor inspires love for math, earns regional Crystal Apple Award

Teachers benefit from new ������ Tri-Cities course focused on computer science for K-12 classrooms

������ Tri-Cities professor partners with father to develop geography classroom technology

������ Tri-Cities partners with youth program for academic camps in east Pasco community

Student works to propel resources for educators through PhD in math & science ed

Future teachers learn from friends with disabilities

College of Education Archives - �� Tri-Cities

Two �� Tri‑Cities faculty to serve on national science education board

�� Tri-Cities educators go low tech for high impact

Teachers benefit from new �� Tri-Cities course focused on computer science for K-12 classrooms

�� Tri-Cities professor partners with father to develop geography classroom technology

�� Tri-Cities partners with youth program for academic camps in east Pasco community