Centennial Marathon Sessions

School of Education faculty, alumni and students will present more than 90 sessions on Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14. [printer-friendly format]

SESSION I   1:00 - 2:15 p.m.

Leadership Development in Higher Education
This session features different studies conducted by doctoral students and alumni of the School of Education and focuses on aspects of leadership development in higher education. Topics include the impact of mentoring on the leadership development of female presidents, leadership development needs of deans and department chairs, and the leadership challenges for Chief Information Technology Officers in higher education.
Joe Berger, Cheryl Braxton, Nancy Buffone, Kate Hudson, Lauren Way, Donna Wilson

Embracing Life: Sustaining and Supporting Caregivers, Families, and Individuals through Life-threatening Illness (B)
School of Education alumni Phil Gosselin (1994) and Firman (1994) with retired faculty member Janine Roberts (1982-2006), and alum, (1982) offer an interactive presentation on how to work with all of the people who are affected when a family member is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, including  individual presentations on the caregiver, the family and the person who is ill.  Includes exercises for participants to consider their own experiences.  Focus is on resiliency and developing new life strategies in the face of an illness that changes the lives of all who are touched by it.  The presenters bring more than 75 years of combined experience in the field of psychology as practitioners and professors.
Dorothy Firman, Phil Gosselin, Janine Roberts

Educating for Social Justice: Voices from the Field (C)
Alumni of the Social Justice Education program present their current work and describe a number of ways they educate for social justice and positive social change in formal and non-formal educational settings. Two presenters are faculty at Goddard College, a pioneer in emancipatory progressive education, and have led the way in creating a graduate program that integrates social justice and anti-oppression work in the fields of sustainability and social responsibility for organizations and communities. Another is the founder of Men’s Resources International, a grass-roots organization that began in Amherst and now works internationally to educate men about positive masculinity and working to end violence against women.
Rita Hardiman, Ann Driscoll, Steven Botkin, Felice Yeskel, Patricia Crutchfield

SDPPS Panel Discussion: Moving Forward Together  (D)
This interactive panel session will focus on the shared and unique vision of the Department of  Student Development and Pupil Personnel Services (SDPPS). Leaders from each of the four program concentrations that comprise SDPPS (School Counseling, School Psychology, Special Education, and Social Justice Education) will discuss critical aspects of their program’s mission and vision that connect to other departmental programs. Connections will be highlighted that provide a framework for collaborative actions as we move forward together to address central issues facing students, schools, the university, the Commonwealth and our nation.
Richard Lapan, Mary Lynn Boscardin, Carey Dimmitt, John Hintze, Bailey Jackson

School of Education Graduates at the SIT Graduate Institute (E)
Presenting the work of three School of Education alumni at the SIT graduate Institute on alternative models of graduate learning and peace-building programs for youth. It assesses the following: a field-based, integrated grad program combining coursework, field experience, reflection and writing into one learning experience that is connected and simultaneous in a reduce time frame; the potential of transformational learning and the role of cultural differences in graduate education; and the impact of youth peace-building programs from areas of conflict such as Cyprus, northern Ireland and the Middle East. Includes design, implementation, outcomes, participant reflections and evaluations.
John Ungerleider, Marla Solomon,  Kanthie Athukorala

Homeschoolers Who Removed a Child, or Children, from Public School: A Survey   (F-1)
Explore the reasoning of a surveyed group of homeschooling parents in eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and northeastern Connecticut regarding their decisions to homeschool, the socio-economic, academic and gross-and-fine-motor changes in their children since homeschooling began, and the parents’ perceptions about public schools. The presenter homeschools her child and hopes this presentation can help educators understand why other parents might make the same choice.
Karen Kolp

SESSION 1   1:00 - 2:15 p.m.

Parent-Child Home Program  (F-2)
Begun in 1970, the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) was designed to prevent educational disadvantage by fostering verbal interaction between potentially at-risk toddlers and their parents. PCHP played a significant role in Pittsfield, MA, preschool program’s selection as a 1992 and 1994 National Chapter 1 Recognition Program recipient. In 1998, it was recognized  as a distinguished Title 1 program by the U.S. Secretary of Education. (PCHP was featured in Parade Magazine and Education Week.) As a result of Pittsfield’s data published by The Journal of Applied Development Psychology and recently by the Center for Law and Social Policy, the Massachusetts legislature has allocated $3 million for replication of the Pittsfield model. statewide.
James Shiminski

Teacher Induction & Mentoring: Its Key Elements and Significant Value  (F-3)
Every year, the nation’s schools cope with veteran teachers who leave and new teachers who arrive to take their places. Additionally, 30% of new teachers leave the profession within their first three years of teaching. The presenter notes that schools can ill afford to lose good teachers at any time, but especially now with the pressure to increase student achievement. A proven way to improve teacher retention is through induction and mentoring. This session provides an overview of new -teacher induction and mentoring and five compelling reasons for its support.
Hal Portner

Don't Forget to Share: The Crucial Last Step in the Writing Workshop (G-1)
Drawing upon her most recent book, “Don’t Forget to Share: The Crucial Last Step in the Writing Workshop”, Mermelstein will show how to use the share session as a place where children can have lively conversations with one another about their writing. She will outline the different types of shares that can be held in the classroom, suggest times of the year in which shares might be conducted and which students might benefit  the most from them.
Leah Mermelstein

The Many Faces of Cinderella  (G-2)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But who are the beholders? How can we deal with the norms of beauty especially aimed at young readers through the vehicle of children’s literature that may exclude a significant part of the population in the United States at this point in time?
Masha Rudman

One Response to the Challenge of Contemporary Character Education  (G-3)
Contemporary educators recognize the challenge and responsibility to bring character education into schools. Yet the task seems beyond our scope. Utilizing an approach that relies on deliberation, inclusion but ultimately resolution, this session will share some of the reflections on how visioning processes, closely linked with practice, can help establish institutions committed to developing character in young people and sustain that vision through re-affirmations of professional, students and community.
Arnold Zar-Kessler

Web-based Faculty Resources: Confirming Alignment of Instruction and Program Standards (H-1)
Where faculty in licensure programs were in the past limited to paper-based materials, the Internet now provides easy access to materials that allow them and advisors to better instruct, advise, and monitor the progress of teacher preparation candidates. This presentation will look at the Web-based product developed by Evaluations Systems of Pearson, which allows for up-to-date program information, speedy review of test preparation materials, and downloadable worksheets, to name a few. In addition, this presentation will look at GACE Faculty Resources, which help faculty align curricula with test objectives and analyze test results with their students.
Homer Meade

SESSION 1   1:00 - 2:15

Mass Math & Science Initiative's AP Program  (H-2)
Massachusetts was selected as one of seven states to receive a grant from the National Math and Science Initiative which will provide up to $13.2 million over six years to help fund training and award programs for Pre-AP and AP courses and exams. Research demonstrates that students who have taken Advance Placement courses are better prepared to do college level work in math, science and engineering, and are more likely to enroll and succeed in college. The presenters will provide an overview of the Massachusetts’ program and data on the tremendous impact the program has had on students in Texas over the past 10 years.
Morton Orlov II, John Smolenski

Expert Strategies for Model-Based Teaching  (H-3)
We have observed scientists using creative non-formal reasoning strategies – thought experiments, extreme case reasoning and the development of analogical sequences known as bridging analogies- during think-aloud experiments. Previous work shows that some students spontaneously use some of these same strategies and that the strategies can be used by teachers. Here, we’ll look at the strategy of using bridging analogies and some of what goes into designing and honing such analogical sequences so they work within a curriculum.
Lynn Stephens, John Clement

SESSION II   2:30 - 3:45 p.m.

Special Education: Policy, Advocacy and Accountability  (A)
The session participants will be invited to proactively discuss issues related to policy and legislation, advocacy, resources, accountability and outcomes facing leaders of special education at the federal/state, district and building levels. Opportunity to strengthen professional networks.
Mary Lynn Boscardin,Margy Pierce, Stan Scarpati, and session participants

Massachusetts' Principal Licensure Standards Revision Project  (B)
Get a sneak peek at the new draft MA framework for professional responsibilities which includes the knowledge, skills and dispositions that individuals will need to demonstrate if they are to become licensed as school administrators in the Commonwealth. Implications for educator recruitment, preparation and supervision will be discussed. Based on the work of Department of Educational Policy, Research and Administration Program faculty and Center for Education Policy staff, Massachusetts Department of Education personnel and administrators of the Boston and Springfield Public School Districts. 
Rebecca Gajda, Matt Militello, Andy Churchill

Decision Making with Progress Monitoring Data: Considerations in Determining Instructional Effectiveness (C)
Decision-making using educational data is the foundation on which the capacity for addressing academic performance issues and reaching essential outcomes is predicated. This presentation will demonstrate a decision-making heuristic based on the dual-discrepancy approach to RTI for determining a student’s level and rate of learning in response to increasingly more intensified interventions. Attendees will learn how RTI decisions are made within a dual-discrepancy framework and how response to intervention can be determined.
John Hintze, William Matthews

School Counseling: Comprehensive Counseling Programs
 in K-12 Schools  (D)
A thematic paper session. Paper 1: Bringing psychological science to the forefront of educational policy: Collaborative efforts of the American Psychological Association’s Coalition for Psychology in the Schools and Education. Paper 2: Importance of Research in School Counseling: An historical perspective. Paper 3: The Massachusetts Comprehensive School Counseling Program Model: Development and implementation. Paper 4: Where we are across the United States: Results from a nationwide study of state policies. Paper 5: Benefits to Students: Results from Missouri and Chicago
Richard Lapan, Stephen A. Rollin, Ron Frederickson, Carey Dimmitt, Karen Harrington, Jay Carey, Ian Martin
SESSION II   2:30 - 3:45 p.m.

Liberation Theory   (E)
Eliminating oppression can increasingly happen as we create a theory which enables daily action toward liberation. It is not enough to be against oppression. It is necessary to state our intention to work for liberation. This provocative session requires participants to articulate a theory of liberation and a set of specific practices that can be enacted daily that results in the dismantling of oppression and the creation of classrooms, communities and other collective spaces characterized by equity, fairness and justice. Participants will develop a protocol for monitoring implementation of their theory of liberation through specific liberation enactment strategies.
Barbara Love, SJE graduate students

Legacy Projects in Schools and Communities  (F)
CTEP and STEP Bridges to the Future are one-year intensive master’s degree and teacher licensure programs serving rural school districts in Orange, Greenfield, and Turners Falls, Massachusetts. Prospective teachers teach for a year in the rural schools while taking courses for their graduate degree and teaching license. We will look at the community service learning course “Contemporary Issues in Education,” in which our student teachers forge community partnerships that are based on building new connections with community organizations. STEP Bridges Service Learning Centennial Demonstrations include a knitting coach from a knitting club, a cooking club’s cooking demonstration, and a premiere from a videocasting club.
Therese  Roberts, Kathy Gagne, Martha Ryan, graduate students, local teachers

Creating Educational Tools via Public Broadcasting  (G-1)
What happens when an educator gets inside WGBH-TV’s Educational productions Department? A variety of results: classroom videos created from broadcast documentaries, a new model of teacher training videos, now widely copied, and free links to the web. The presenter was associate director of Educational Productions at WGBH for 6 years where she involved UMass SOE faculty as project advisors and grad students as paid interns. She now teaches at Lesley University and helps classroom teachers learn how to use video for improving teaching and pushing forward campaigns for change.
Lynn Cadwallader

How Web 2.0 Tools are Transforming Learning & Knowledge  (G-2)
Web 2.0 media are redefining what and how and with whom we learn. Almost any piece of information can now be found online in less than a minute - perhaps intermingled with inaccurate and biased data - so what core knowledge should every students learn to prepare for 21st century work and citizenship? In Wikipedia and similar Web 2.0 information sources, “knowledge” is constructed by negotiating a consensus articulation across various points of view. So how do we help students understand the differences between facts, opinions and values, and appreciate the interrelationships among them that go beyond accuracy to create “meaning?” In an epistemology based on collective agreement, what does it mean to be an “expert’ with sufficient subject knowledge to teach a topic?
Chris Dede

Active Worlds & Synchronous Chats: A Media Comparison Study (G-3)
Presenting a media study designed to examine the affordances and constraints of online synchronous chat environments as compared to 3D virtual world environments. Participants in the study included 54 undergraduates enrolled in a child development course. They met in groups in one of three synchronous chat environments and completed a classroom design task. Content and conversational analysis of the chat data will be performed. Expected results include demonstrable differences in conversational style by chat environment which may be correlated with problem-solving approaches and solutions. Implications for teaching with synchronous chat environments vs. 3D virtual worlds will be discussed.
German Vargas, Nick Wilson, Florence Sullivan, Claire Hamilton, Alex Deschamps, Dannielle Allessio, Tony Sindelar, Yar Zhu

SESSION II   2:30 - 3:45 p.m.

My Account: A Personalized Examinee Account for the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) and the Florida Educational Leadership Examination (FELE)  (H-1)
This session will describe and demonstrate the personal account system available to examinees for the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations and the Florida Educational Leadership Examination. Addresses the Strand on Technology as it relates to online services for candidates for certification testing. Participants will leave with an understanding of how Florida responded to certification candidates’ needs for quick and direct access to programs services and personal information within a large-scale testing program for certifying educators, and how the Web can be used to provide enhanced support and direct access  for teacher certification testing candidates.
Heather Klesch

Alternative Administrative and Teacher Education Paradigms in Commonwealth Countries  (H-2)
During the past two decades, monumental socio-cultural and economic changes occurred in Australia, England and Jamaica which have impacted educational administration and teacher education. A central issue emerged concerning how respective university programs and policies prepare secondary teachers and administrators. For example, how are administrative policies from Ministries of Education related to internal university programs’ administrative and content designs? This presentation elucidates macro-level global socioeconomic, political and cultural phenomena affecting professional training of secondary teachers and administrators and explicates policies and programs which have worked and may present cross-national lessons contributing to cosmopolitanism
Beverly Lindsay

Access and Equity: Race Talk in Teacher Education  (I-1)
Attention has focused on how pre-service teachers’ developing cultural competency and understanding of social and racial justice shapes their practice vis-à-vis the expectations they have for individuals and the ways in which they interact with students, families and communities. Through engaging in self-study of their beliefs and practices and focus group research around students’ experiences, three teacher educators examine both the personal and programmatic faces of equity and access in discussions of race.  Their study addresses: What are pre-service teachers’ experiences related to race, racism and social justice in a teacher education program? What are pre-service teachers’ related perceptions of race, racism and faculty/program stance and how do these articulate with our own experience and ideas?  How do teacher identities and perspectives influence programmatic decisions and practice?
Cynthia Rosenberger, Sally Galman, Cinzia Pica

Making "Green" Multicultural: Diversity, the Environment, & Social Justice Education  (I-2)
Since the release of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” campuses across the country have embraced “going green” as the next wave of student activism. Yet Edmundson (2006) has observed a paucity of “black and brown faces in wild places.” Also noticeable is the absence of diverse faces among environmental and outdoor educators (James, 1995).  The presenter asks, What is happening to make diversity in the outdoors an educational, environment and social justice priority? He examines the history of the environmental, outdoor education and the emerging environmental justice movements.  Participants will be invited to reflect on their outdoor experiences and discuss  strategies for diversifying higher education’s outdoor and environmental initiatives on and off-campus.
James Bonilla

Education in Palestine (J-3)
The presenters are four Palestinian doctoral students at the University of Massachusetts in the Cetner for International Education (CIE). They have been granted Palestinian Faculty Development Program scholarship (PFDP), which is sponsored by UASID, OSI and AMIDEAST. The presentation is about education in Palestine and intercultural communication, and will give a brief overview of the conflict in Palestine and how it has affected the general education system.
Kefah Barham, Ayman Khalifah, Ola Khalili, Abedrabu Ilyan

SESSION II    2:30 - 3:45 p.m.

Afghanistan Higher Education Project   (J- 2)
This session focuses on the Higher Education Project (HEP) in Afghanistan, a five year activity charged with creating within the country's 16 faculties of education the capacity to prepare and support secondary school teachers.  HEP's efforts are aimed at improving the skills and knowledge of individual faculty members, rebuilding the institutional and administrative capacities of the universities and teacher training institutions, and helping the Ministry of Higher Education better support universities and their teacher training efforts. This panel discussion will address HEP's efforts at capacity building in a higher education system that has been destroyed over the course of 25 years of armed conflict and internal strife.
Joe Berger, Kimberly Parekh, Mohammad Tariq Habibyar, Ahmad Khalid Mowahed, Sayed Ahmad, Javid Mussawy, Delawar Darmal, Siddiqullah Barikzai, Sayed Yaqubi, Chman Ali Hikmat 

SESSION III   9:00 - 10:15 a.m.

Leading and Learning in Community Colleges  (A)
Features different studies conducted by doctoral students and alumni from SOE and focuses on various aspects related to leading and learning in community colleges. Includes studies that examine best practices for obtaining large federal grants, entrepreneurial leadership, promoting faculty development through the scholarship of teaching and learning and the incorporation of universal design principles, and retention in on-line courses.
Joe Berger, Debbie Bellucci, Steven Budd, Kate Douglas, R.J. McGivney, Mary Moriarty, Deb Orre

Meeting State Curriculum Standards while Meeting Students' Needs through Puppetry Arts  (B)
This workshop will teach how to weave literature and puppetry to support literacy in the classroom setting. Research suggests that both decoding and overall comprehension skills can be improved through drama and art. Participants will see projects and techniques that have been successful, not only with regular education students but also with those who are bilingual and special needs. Discussion of work done in Nairobi, Kenya.
 Elizabeth Freeman, Judith O’Hare

Using Video to Increase Language Performance (C)
Gain hands-on practice in activities that help English (and any other) language learners of all ages and skill levels to acquire and express integrated reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Participants learn how to use video to develop and elicit language with an emphasis on clarity of situation-specific communication. By learning how to supplement existing curricular tools with readily-available videos, participants will leave with ideas and activities that they can implement immediately in their classrooms with minimal preparation. These activities will increase both the level of engagement of students in learning tasks and their subsequent language performance. Teachers will also learn how to adapt these techniques for assessing performance.
Thomas Kerner, Chris Egan

Is Diversity Education Working?: Exploring Innovative Pedagogical Practices and Techniques to Teach Diversity to Undergraduates  (D)
Despite a decade of increased understanding and intentional integration of diversity coursework into the curriculum in higher education institutions, tensions regarding race, gender, religion and sexual orientation continue to run high on campuses nationwide as evidenced –on a local level- by recent incidents at UMass Amherst.  This interactive presentation explores diversity education initiatives currently employed at UMass. We will facilitate a lively discussion that explores innovative pedagogical practices and techniques. Our goal is to provoke thought about the objectives of diversity education and initiate dialog about ways to renew efforts at UMass and beyond.
Catherine Lynch, Marisa Pizii

Fulbrighters Brighten School of Education Internationally   (E)
Fulbright scholars share their international experience interactively with the audience and, together, envision inspiring roles for the School of Education in world-wide education.
Howard Peelle, Janine Roberts
SESSION III    9:00 - 10:15 a.m.

Intergroup Dialogue: The Effects on College Students (SJE Practice)   (F)
This presentation reports on cognitive, relational and behavioral effects of student participation in cross race/ethnicity and gender intergroup dialogue courses in 10 institutions of higher education.
Ximena Zuniga, Martha Stassen, Molly Keehn, Kyle Oldham

Critical Literacy and Curriculum Integration: Meeting the Needs of all Students in an Integrated English Language Arts and Social Studies Humanities Class  (G-1)
This presentation illustrates how the presenter incorporated theories of multicultural education, critical pedagogy/critical literacy, socio-cultural learning theory, integrated curriculum theory and prominent theories on middle school students and curriculum into  her work with 8th grade middle school students.
Lizette Aguilar

Rethinking Multicultural Education  (G-2)
Discusses how a recent encounter with four pre-service teachers during a qualitative study expanded the presenter’s understanding of diversity. While she expected prevailing descriptions akin to Whiteness, they offered unanticipated details associated with biracial and multicultural identity. She concludes that to be effective, teacher educators in the U.S. must have an accurate perception of students and draw upon their identities to provide them with relevant learning experiences.
Danné Davis

Documenting the Documenters (Story & Literacy Education)  (G-3)
The relationships that develop between preschool students and their “high school friends” is at the heart of Amherst Regional High School's Child Study class. The presenter is interested in the ways that this developing relationship serves to foster and encourage early literacy development. The issues of first language, cultural practices, and the impact of the media combine in unexpected ways as student put their experiences to paper. From overexposure to mature media themes to not speaking English at home, we are led to the question, what does it mean to become literate? How do a variety of societal and attitudinal issues in the home effect early literacy, and how do high school students come to examine these issues?
Dolly  Pedevillano
Interdisciplinary Scientific Research to Understand How People Learn to be Scientists  (H-1)
Over the past several years, the presenter has studied an interdisciplinary scientific research project to understand how people learn to be scientists. The presenter and his graduate students developed a model for this educational process that is described as  an apprenticeship that takes place in research groups. It considers the structure of the groups and the roles and status of students in the groups.  Here, he discusses the details of the model and its implications for the education of pre- and in-service science teachers.
Allan Feldman

The Science Behind the Art of Teaching Science  (H-2)
Over the past 40 decades, the world has experienced mega changes in technology, transportation, medicine and communications. But what changes have there been in educational pedagogy? Education research does not seem to flow from a basic understanding of what “knowledge” is, how it can be acquired by students, how it differs from intelligence, wisdom, data and information.  This presentation offers insight into these concepts and attempts to explain how each must be approached through a model-based knowledge model domain teaching theory. These differences may have critical impact when delivering education in today’s traditional classroom as well as in the world’s classrooms of the future.
Robert Reilly

SESSION III   9:00 - 10:15 a.m.

Using an Intelligent Tutoring System to Promote Math Learning Among Elementary School
Students  (H-3)
4MALITY is a web-based intelligent tutoring system designed to promote math learning among elementary school students who are preparing to take the State’s 3rd and 4th grade math MCAS test. It was developed by researchers from the School of Education and the Center for Educational Software Development and is being piloted in local classrooms and after school programs under a UMass public service grant. Participants may view and use the system, talk with system designers,  discuss issues of  technology and learning.
Robert Maloy, Sharon Edwards, Adam Waters

Teaching for Social Justice and Student Outcomes: A Conceptual Framework (I-1)
Teaching for social justice is an integrated pedagogical, ideological and curricular approach designed to increase teachers’ abilities to address educational inequities while promoting positive academic, behavioral/motivational and attitudinal students outcomes. This session outlines the conceptual foundations of teaching for social justice and synthesizes qualitative and quantitative research on how teaching for social justice impacts students’ academic, behavioral/motivational and attitudinal outcomes. Participants can expect to leave with a conceptual framework for teaching social justice, and a foundational understanding of how teaching it meets a wide range of needs of K-12 students.
Allison George

Transformative Learning and the Box of Possibilities!  (I-2)
“Learning as Transformation” is a theory first developed in the late 1970’s by Prof. Jack Mezirow at Columbia Teachers college that explains how adults come to see, make sense of and take inner control of turbulent change in their lives. Woolf  presents the “Box of Possibilities,” a graphical metaphor he developed that not only explains transformative learning theory as understood today, but helps session attendees reveal and reflect on their own taken-for-granted beliefs, attitudes, viewpoints and perspectives that control and limit their ability to address a world of ever-changing circumstances.
Burt Woolf

Testing, Testing: A Systematic Functional Analysis of High Stakes Test Preparation Materials  (J-1)
The current federal mandate of No Child Left Behind required public school districts to conduct formal assessments of the progress of all students. As a result, stakeholders have looked for ways to ensure that English Language Learners demonstrate proficiency on the high stakes tests. This session will look at research conducted on the curricula developed to prepare these students, and the fact that students may not be prepared to engage with the language in the preparation materials. Findings suggest that materials rely primarily on material and relational processes to convey meaning. Implications for language education research relate directly to improving language teaching pedagogy, especially in the area of second language writing, as the research points to a need to develop genre awareness of how informational texts function.
Joshua Schulze
Standards-Based Education vs. the Traditional Model  (J-2)
Adapted from their book “Understanding Standards-Based Education,” (Corwin Press, 2007) by Richard Zagranski, William Whigham and Patrice Dardenne, this session will examine the differences between traditional and standards-based models of education, identifying what students in each classroom model are doing, what teachers are doing, and how the physical characteristics of the classrooms may actually differ. Participants will be provided a checklist to self-evaluate their classrooms.
Bill Whigham, Richard Zagranski

Seven Easy Steps to Differentiated Instruction  (J-3)
Take the mystery our of the word “differentiation” by introducing a seven step process that can be used in all subject areas and at all levels. Referencing their book, “Understanding Standards-Based Education” the presenters will take participants through the steps, which include, 1) Start with the standard, and 2) Create the assessment for the lesson. Examples of differentiated lessons in various academic disciplines will be provided as well as a template to use in the classroom.
Bill Whigham

SESSION IV   10:30 - 11:45 a.m.

Promoting Equity in Higher Education  (A)
Features different studies by doctoral students and alumni from SOE and focuses on ways that we can improve postsecondary access for students particularly those from traditionally under-represented groups. Topics include looking at bridge programs, admissions and affirmative action in community colleges, the impact of living -learning communities on students of color, and the retention of Hispanic  students in four-year colleges.
Joe Berger, Yaniris Fernandez, Joyce Hampton, Mounira Morris, Cheryl Sheils, Kathy Sisneros and Margaret Smith

"Never Touch a Student!" What Do You Know and What Do Teachers Know About School Law (B-1)
In this interactive session, participants will compare their legal literacy with what over 1200 K-12 teachers in 17 states told us about what they know, what they want to know, and the sources of their knowledge and misinformation about school law.
David Schimmel, Matt Militello, Jake Eberwein

Rhetoric and Power of Genre: Pictures Talk   (B-2)
This study provides an understanding of the way a child with no English language learning background acquired English as her foreign language from home literacy events. The child’s inter-textual uniqueness was uncovered by analyzing her drawings, the most frequent English words she wrote and spoke, and expressions in conversations with her parents.
Wawan Gunawan

Triggering Change  (C)
Linking core elements of interdisciplinary models found in Africana Studies and Critical Literacy, this session explores social, political and educational dimensions of Hip Hop culture with a focus on black radical history, Kindergarten-College Mentorship, educational enrichment, media literacy and leadership development. It examines nation-wide initiatives that advance knowledge for productive citizenship and active engagement with students, faculty, staff and local communities. Discusses the findings of the Triggering Change: Hip Hop, Media Justice and Social Responsibility conference.
Carlos McBride, Chris Tinson

Gems Guides in the Classroom  (D)
Great Exploration in Mathematics and Science (GEMS) guides are hand-on, minds-on guides developed for middle and elementary school students. Southwick/Tolland Regional School district is a New England site for GEMS. This session, which will focus on the science guides, shares the initiative’s success in the school district and leads participants through one of the guides to show how this approach generates interest, enthusiasm and understanding in the science classroom.
Susan Pac, Beth Grady

Legacy:  What Do We Leave Behind?  (E)
As parents and grandparents, what do we want to leave behind beside money? In this lively interactive workshop, we will examine nine powerful alternatives and learn what our priorities are for giving our offspring and their offspring some life skills for making a difference in this world. The presenter honed this workshop over years of working in Values Clarification at the SOE. It became the very thing that took him to guest appearances on both Oprah and Phil Donohue television programs.
Sidney Simon

Approaching Language, Literacy & Culture Through  Researching of Teachers
And  Teacher Education  (F)
This symposium will examine critical issues in language, literacy and culture which emerged during our research of pre-service and in-service teachers in diverse settings. With the intent of engaging the audience in a conversation about different views and insights that can enrich our LLC program, we will look at topics such as enacting language ideologies in teacher training, contesting notions about culture in professional development, and the role of race and discipline in urban schools.
Laura Valdiviezo, Jennifer Johnson, Erin Goldstein, Raphael Rogers

SESSION IV   10:30 - 11:45 a.m.

Social Justice Education in K-12 Schools   (G)
The presenters introduce their latest work “Teaching to Social Justice.” This model is introduced as a focus for working with pre-service and in-service educators and educator education programs committed to enhancing educator and student excellence through social justice education.
Bailey Jackson, Allison George
Focusing on the presenter’s experiences in both the academy and in Fortune 500 corporations and how her experiences in the School of Education contributed to her success as one of the leading diversity/inclusion consultants in the country.
Judith Katz

Breaking the Silence - Addressing LGBT Issues in the Classroom  (H-1)
Homophobic name-calling, bullying and harassment are prevalent in American schools. This session summarizes recent research that examined the extent and effects of homophobia, showing how it negatively affects the whole school community not only youth who identify or are perceived to be LGBT, but also children with LGBT parents, family members or friends; allies; and silent bystanders.  Offers suggestions on how to create a safe and inclusive school climate by breaking the silence around LGBT issues. Overview of relevant laws and regulations and a list of resources for addressing LGBT issues provided.
Kirsten Helmer

Use of Plant Material as a Holistic Approach in Psychotherapy  (H-2)
The endless numbers of forms, shapes and colors of plants in nature elicit images constituting a variety of symbolic stories that enable direct expression of the inner experience in a non-verbal way. Plant material is an important imagery source for literature and art across all societies. In family therapy, the variety and familiarity of plant material allows family members to easily summon and connect with images that reveal family structure and dynamics. Sneh will explain the principles of her work and include demonstrations.
Nili Sneh

From Standards to Assessment  (H-3)
This session will provide an order of operations for teachers using the model of Standards-Based Education, showing them how to break down the standard into terms students can understand, develop a performance objective which links to the standard, and develop an assessment which measures student proficiency. Participants will be provided templates to use in this regard.
Bill Whigham, Richard Zagranski

 Culturally-Grounded Communication Practices: A Comparative Study of Chinese Greetings  (I-1)
Each culture has its own way of greeting people. This session explores the ways that Chinese people in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, and in the city of Kunming, China, greet each other and people in other communities. Data was gathered through natural observations, interviews, email and on-line surveys. Guided by Hymes’ (1974) SPEAKING model, the presenter compares the similarities and differences in the greetings used by Chinese people in the two settings. The research indicates that the changes in greetings demonstrate that greetings are culturally-grounded communication practices that change, more or less, as people move and/or as time passes. Greetings are shaped by the macro socio-cultural, political, economic and historical factors of the society.
Huihong Bao

Teachers Talk: Work with Immigrant Children and their Families  (I-2)
This research with elementary classroom teachers is guided by two questions: 1) How do teachers think about culture, in their own lives and in the life of their classroom? 2) What intercultural communication skills or tools do teachers have in their repertoire and how do they use this knowledge to include immigrant children? The study pulls from guided interviews with teachers who have 50% or more immigrant children in their classrooms. This inquiry focused on real-life context of urban classrooms and the daily life of teachers working with immigrant children.
Anne Lundberg

SESSION IV  10:30 - 11:45 a.m.

Promoting Cultural De-Centering for Future Counselors and Teachers (I-3)
Culture-centrism consists of being unaware of one’s own limited perspectives in relation to gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, social class and religion. Culture-centric teachers and counselors are likely to impose their worldviews on others. Session participants will be introduced to “Beliefs and Customs Inventory” (BCI), through which people name, then examine, key cultural beliefs and customs, and experience a brief version of cultural de-centering activity. 
Garrett McAuliffe

Beyond the Classroom: Curriculum-Based Computer-Mediated International Exchanges  (J-1)
Researchers, educators, politicians and the media have acknowledged that the lack of students’ global awareness is a problem. Recently, schools have gained technology needed to support cross-cultural exchanges by using the Internet to extend the classroom learning communities across states, countries and the world. This has given teachers opportunities to break down the isolation of the classroom, expand student experience outside the classroom, and give students and teachers authentic and collaborative learning experiences. This session reports on one example of international computer-mediated exchange – a five-year collaboration between the SOE at UMass Amherst, International researchers and Exchanges Boards, and local teachers. It focuses on  reasons to implement and benefits of on-going international collaborations.
Therese  Roberts, Kelley Brown, students from EHS

Factors That Influence Secondary Teachers' Proficiency With & Use of Educational Technology (J-2)
This study investigated teacher attributes and institutional factors which contribute to teachers’ proficiency with educational technology in a high school setting. A cross-analysis of four embedded case studies suggested that teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and approach to teaching influenced their levels of proficiency, their use of said technology, and the magnitude and scope with which it was integrated into classroom practice
Linda Tuzzio

Developing Aesthetic Inquiry: An Approach to Pre-Service Teacher Education  (J-3)
The presenter has developed an innovative approach to pedagogy through use of aesthetic education, an inquiry-based approach that challenges and empowers learners by fostering a deep engagement with the arts. Aesthetic education seeks to develop capacities such as deep noticing, questioning, identifying patterns, exhibiting empathy, and creating meaning, all of which are relevant to the professional development of pre-service teaching candidates. The presenter teaches at Bronx Community College which houses the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. This open-air, architectural landmark provides a monumental work for inquiry and aesthetic learning.  Session describes the design, implementation and assessment of this approach.
Joseph Todaro

POSTERS   Friday  2:00 - 2:45  p.m.

A Mind/Body Exploration of Adolescent Girls' Strategies & Barriers to their Success & Survival in Physical Education  (1)
Presenter will offer results of her work analyzing data from her study on the power relations present within the physical education that influenced how adolescent girls perceive and feel within their own bodies and the way these perceptions affect their enjoyment of physical education. Data were collected from critical incidents forms, focus groups, formal interviews with adolescent girls, journals, descriptive field notes of the girls’ physical education classes, and informal interviews with the physical education teacher.
Jennifer Fisette

Time and Disconnection: A Phenomenological Case Study  (2)
One way of addressing the way schools educate teachers in the use of technology in their classroom is via peer technology coaching. But how do teachers experience peer coaching? In this case study using interviews, observations and document analysis, the presenter examines and describes the experience of one teacher’s involvement in a university-sponsored peer technology coaching program called E-Teams.
John Gibney

Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment: A Study of Teacher Change  (3)
This poster presents the current findings from the NSF-funded Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment (TEFA). The purpose is to better understand the ways in which teachers learn to incorporate an innovative pedagogy that integrates question-driven instruction, formative assessment, dialogical discourse and classroom response technology into a unified pedagogical method with an intensive, sustained professional development program. Teachers and students from two schools participated in the project.
Robby Harris, Hyunju Lee, Karen St. Cyr

Learning Initiatives for Rural Education (LIRE Project) in Senegal and The Gambia  (4)
In sub-Saharan Africa, the governments of Senegal and Gambia are dedicated to implementing innovative and new education programs in order to achieve the goals of the Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals programs. On a policy level, both governments are committed to using multi-grade education as a strategy to increase access and learning outcomes. Learning Initiatives in Rural Education is a program of CIE, working alongside Sengalese and Gambian counterparts and officials, to assist the Ministries of Education to support and develop strategies to improve education in low-density rural areas.   This session provides an overview of the strategies.
Sarah Kahando, Gretchen Rossman, Ashley Clayton, Jacqueline Mossleson, Paul Frisoli, Darren Hertz, Rebecca Paulson, Ashley Clayton

Global Horizons in K-12 Schools  (5)
Displays materials used and produced during workshops by Global Horizons, whose aim is to promote awareness of the world community in Massachusetts schools K-12 through global and multicultural education curriculum resources and training to educators in western Massachusetts. Presenters will explain how such materials achieve those goals. Brief presentation of Global Horizons’ achievements and future plans.
Jacqui Mosselson

Mutual Mentoring   (6)
In 2007, as a part of the UMass Amherst’s ambitious new Mellon Mentoring Initiative which was funded by a three-year $400,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Office of Faculty Development (OFD) established two new grant programs to encourage the development of projects and resources that support early career and under-represented faculty through mentoring. This poster session describes the model and practice of Mutual Mentoring on campus. Other information on OFD  activities offered.
Lily Ladewig

POSTERS  Friday 2:00 - 2:45 p.m.

Surveying Undergraduates and the Use of Incentives  (7)
Many empirical studies rely on data obtained from surveys of undergraduates. In order to have meaningful results, a high response rate is important. The Student Assessment Research and Evaluation Office (SAREO) at UMass Amherst conducts undergraduate surveys on a variety of topics. The results of a recent Web survey experiment provide practical information for increasing survey response rates.
Raldy Laguilles, Tom Fleenor

I was, I am, I will: A role as a Kindergarten Teacher in Taiwan  (8)
Trends in Early Education in Taiwan, being a creative, reflective teacher, and how UMass School of Education influenced the presenter’s thoughts on teaching.
Yichun Tsai

Writing Resilience Stories: A Pilot Project for Volunteer Teams in New Orleans  (9)
Two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, students and teachers of the newly-opened Recovery School districts continue to deal with post traumatic stress. This pilot project offered a one-day experience for 30-50 third to fifth graders. Volunteers conducted a writing workshop where students crafted stories shifting from “Unfortunately” to “Fortunately,” and “I have, I am, I can.” Volunteers took photos, listened to students’ and teachers’ stories, and celebrated their successes. The books that they created will be available to see.
Elizabeth Waters, Sue Pellerin, Jennifer Bastien,  Sarah Hubbell

Research Evaluation Methods Program  (10)
Jenna Copella

Research Evaluation Methods Program  (11)
Nina Deng

Research Evaluation Methods Program  (12)
Yu Meng

POSTERS   Saturday  10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

Sixth-Grade Students' Tactical Understanding and Decision-Making in a TGM Volleyball Unit  (1)
The Tactical Games Model (TGM) is an instructional model in which the primary assumption is to aid students' tactical understanding of games (response selection and execution processes).  Presenter examined sixth-grade students' tactical understanding and decision-making in a TGM volleyball unit. Participants included two physical education teachers and selected students at a suburban northeastern school who were observed and interviewed before and after the unit. Videotaped play was analyzed and results were reported under 1) game concept, 2) action, condition, and goal structure, and 3) game performance. Presents concerns about teachers' facilitation, unit length, and students' prior conceptions, implications  for using action, condition, and goal concepts to enhance student tactical engagement, longer units, and teacher observation training.
Heidi Bohler
The Influence of Home Literacy Practices on Children's Literacy Development: A Focus on Immigrant Families  (2)
As more children of immigrant families enter U.S. schools, it is critical to examine the learning experiences of young bi-lingual children not only in the early grades but prior to kindergarten since it is in the family where the child’s foundation begins. This study investigated the influence of the immigrant family’s literacy practices on its children’s literacy development, examined the family’s beliefs, concerns and challenges that influence its attempt to support its children’s literacy, and to further explain and extend previous literature on how immigrant children successfully develop literacy.
Rachel Boit
POSTERS  Saturday 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

Equity and Excellence in Education  (3)
Equity and Excellence in Education (EEE), established in 1963, publishes scholarly articles related to equity, equality and social justice in K12 or postsecondary schooling. These articles focus upon social justice issues in school systems, individual schools, classrooms, and/or the social justice factors that contribute to inequality in learning for students from diverse social group backgrounds.
Maurianne Adams

"The Misfits" - An Example for Using Multicultural Adolescent Literature to Address Social Problems
in Schools  (4)
Bullying is a persistent part of American school life that negatively affects the well-being and academic achievement of many youth. Schools need to address it in a way that is relevant and meaningful to the students. Using multicultural children’s and adolescent literature as a resource helps students address personal and social problems within a culturally relevant and intellectually rich curriculum that connects to their experiences. This presentation focuses on English language arts unit based on the reading of   “The Misfits” by James Howe that tries to raise the students’ awareness of   bullying and aims to empower them to withstand bullying. Lesson plans and materials for activities provided.
Kirsten Helmer

Technology Self-Efficacy Predicts Academic Achievement in a Hybrid Undergraduate Educational Psychology Class   (5)
The relationship between technology self-efficacy and academic achievement was explored in undergraduate students in a hybrid psychology class. Students with higher technology self-efficacy had higher levels of academic achievement. The findings of this study support the integration of web-based tools in large psychology lecture classes.
Miranda Jennings

Talking at a Distance: Generational Comparison of College Student Communication  (6)
Investigates how distance-based forms of communication such as  letters, phone and electronic communication, have been used by three generations of students at one liberal arts based residential college in order to understand how students’ experiences have been shaped by the evolution of  communication forms over the past 60 years.
Catherine Manly

A Guided Imagery Program for Use in Schools  (7)
Demonstrates how guided imagery offers students an interactive approach to violence prevention while also harnessing imagination for multi-sensory learning.  Explains what it is, how it works and when to use it. Supports the use of fantasy and visualization to enrich various subject areas and promote needed right-brain strength to achieve balanced thinking skills.
JoAnn Murphy

STEMRAYS: Authentic Science Inquiry in Out of School Time Science Clubs  (8)
Do teachers and other after-school staff take on the identity of  “scientist” through their participation in authentic science activities? If they take on such an identity, how does that affect their ability to develop and implement authentic OST activities? In collaboration funded by the NSF, we looked at 18 elementary and middle schools in Franklin County and their after-school science clubs.
Kelly Pirog
Student's Perceptions of Their Participation in Computer-Mediated International Exchanges  (9)
This qualitative interview study looks at how four Western Massachusetts students perceive what they learned through participation in curriculum-based computer-mediated international exchanges. In general, students find that their perception of Central Asia has changed, and they identify the media as a factor leading to their previous misconceptions of the region. The researchers intend to use this study to inform discussions about global education and technology to expand community awareness.
Therese  Roberts, Amy Brazee

POSTERS   Saturday 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

Influences on Arts Integration  (10)
Examines the personal histories of two elementary school general education teachers and how their reflections on habitus, history and narrative of experience have influence the integration of art into their curriculum.  These narratives and their interpretations have implications for how critical reflection on past activities, in-school and after-school interests, might influence the participants’ teaching practices today.
Jana Silver

Enhancing Literacy: Homework House of Hermano Pedro, Holyoke, MA  (11)
An informational table to describe and explain the methods and lessons learned at Homework House of Hermano Pedro in Holyoke, Mass. Homework House offers free homework help for children after school. More than 100 children were served this year at the House, which is staffed by volunteer tutors from local colleges and high schools.
Margaret Tourloukis, Sister Jane Morrissey, SSJ

Strategies for Classroom Management of Students with ADD  (12)
Daydreaming. Fidgeting. Zoning out. Talking out of turn. The list of ADD-related behaviors that inhibit learning can overwhelm any educator. Having worked for the last three years with students diagnosed with ADHD and ADD in small classrooms, the presenter researched and developed a number of strategies to work with these students with attention problems, who often have a strong visual learning style.
Anthony Westcott

Research Evaluation Methods Program  (13)
Henry Yoo

Research Evaluation Methods Program  (14)
Zachary Smith

Research Evaluation Methods Program  (15)
Pauline Parker

Research Evaluation Methods Program  (16)
Jeff Patton