College of Education Newsletter

Many of us "tough it out" in late April and early May. As the semester and year winds down, we put aside personal needs to finish strong. April and May bring an extraordinary amount of activity including graduation celebrations, awards, retirement receptions, commencements and grading..... don't forget the grading. This is why it's so important to disconnect from work for a bit. We all need time to unwind, refresh, and attend to all of those personal, family, and community needs. Often we need to reconnect with our mental health and that means we have to prioritize ourselves instead of others and work. HRGo (one of the United Kingdom's top recruiting agencies) points out that there is evidence to suggest that disconnecting from work (for appropriate periods of time) has positive effects on mental and physical health. This disconnection is beneficial because it leads to higher levels of work performance and productivity after the break. The break might be as short as a day or extend over a vacation. Disconnections can lead to lower stress levels, higher cognitive performance, increased energy levels, better sleep, feelings of connectedness with others, and positive attitudes toward work. In the College of Education, our faculty (is) are highly dedicated, so I want to remind faculty that they need to use the summer time to disconnect and reenergize yourself, even if you are teaching summer courses. Dr. Brian Slovin's book Don't Set Yourself on Fire to Keep Others Warm sends an important message about finding a good balance and comfort zone. With this in mind, let's all find time to rediscover ourselves, our mental health, our families, our friends, our connections, and our passion for the work we all do so well. As Memorial Day approaches, I'll be disconnecting to enjoy some much needed family time. Take care of yourself.

-Vicki Groves-Scott

https://www.hrgo.co.uk/blog/2022/july/why-its-important-to-disconnect-from-work#:~:text=There's%20plenty%20of%20evidence%20to,your%20job%20when%20you%20return.

Educator Signing Day was held at the State Capitol on April 14, 2023. On this day, aspiring, early, and career teachers are invited to sign a Commitment to Education certificate that demonstrates their pledge to the students of Arkansas, the teaching profession, and the future of education in the state.

*Photo info: Shelby Tindall, Dee Dee Cain, Patti Hunter, Stefanie Sorbet, and Catie Overton represented UCA’s College of Education today with our Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Secretary of Education Jacob Olivia.

On April 4, Dr. Erin Shaw (Department of Leadership Studies) and Ashley Cooksey (Technology Learning Center) attended the meeting of the House of Representatives as House Resolution 1075 was presented and adopted. HR1075, sponsored by Representative Vaught, declares April as School Library Month in the State of Arkansas. Senate Resolution 47 (SR47 sponsored by Senator Clarke Tucker) was presented and adopted at the same time in the Senate.

Dr. Erin Shaw is the program coordinator for Library Media and Information Technologies program, and Ashley Cooksey is an instructor in the program. Other school librarians in attendance include Linda Neal, LaToya Morgan, and Cassandra Barnett.

*Photo info: Ashley Cooksey (left) and Erin Shaw (right)

UCA's Master of Science in Education: Literacy/Dyslexia program was recently recognized by the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA). According to the May 18, 2023 ALTA Weekly Newsletter, each summer, ALTA Arkansas partners with the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to provide CEs to members via DESE's educational Summit. We have also had the opportunity to partner with the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) for CE opportunities for our membership on a series of Zoom lectures. In other exciting news, UCA is now offering graduate credit hours for Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) training. The ALTA Arkansas Chapter was founded in 2009 and has 175 members.

For more information about the MSE in Literacy/Dyslexia please visit https://uca.edu/else/readingprogram/. You may also contact Dr. Amy Thompson, Program Coordinator, at athompson@uca.edu.

On April 26, students in Dr. Renee Calhoon's (Department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education) class took what they had learned this semester in ELSE 4319 beyond the classroom walls by conducting a service-learning project at Pediatrics Plus in Conway. This project involved the UCA students working collaboratively to create and share literacy and social and emotional learning activities with Pre-K students at Pediatrics Plus. The UCA students reported in their reflections that this was a valuable experience because it allowed them to serve in a diverse and inclusive environment and observe many effective instructional and behavioral strategies utilized by the classroom teachers at Pediatrics Plus.

*See photo below

Students in the UCA Bear Cubs program recently completed a semester of service with students at Anne Watson Elementary School in Bigelow, AR. The program is a collaboration with Anne Watson Elementary School and the College of Education's Department of Elementary, Literacy, & Special Education, where UCA students in their final year of undergraduate studies are provided training to teach emerging readers with one-on-one instruction with the guidance of UCA Visiting Instructor Michele Pawlik.

*See photos below

Educators Rising collaborated with the Office of Diversity and Community to host a Student Loan Debt informational program called Shortchanged. Mrs. Leslie Knox, director of the UCA Financial Aid Office, and Dr. Chris Jones, 2022 Gubernatorial candidate, were the Guest Speakers.

Mrs. Knox, informed students of alternatives to taking out student loans as well as the best type of loans to take out if needed. Dr. Jones praised students for entering the field of Education and encouraged them to use their vote and voice to make a change.

*See photos below

Bethany Hill, Arch Ford Educational Cooperative, and the Cooperative's dog, Archie, visited Dr. Stefanie Sorbet's ELSE 4309 Positive Classroom Environment class. Mrs. Hill discussed the importance of engaging families through authentic communication and having difficult conversations.

*See photos below

Dr. Nykela Jackson (Department of Teaching and Learning) visited Conway Christian School on May 3 to listen to the EDUC 1300 concurrent credit students present their contemporary projects.

*See photo below

Congratulations go out to one of our MSE in Literacy/Dyslexia students. Kimber Barber-Fendley has had a journal article accepted for The Arkansas Literacy Association's Journal - The Reader. Her article, "Mitigating the Matthew Effects: A Parable Reconsidered as We Listen While Reading", will be published in June!

Rachel Lowe is pursuing a degree in secondary English education at the UCA College of Education. At the same time, she works in the Veterans Resource Center, a campus resource that aids veterans and military dependents in transitioning to college life and advises on the benefits available to them. Ready to graduate in December 2023, she is preparing for licensure for 7th through 12th grades.

https://uca.edu/news/lowe/?fbclid=IwAR2sl9lsEyehWZn4fqsfHOQBY_EIyZefnTUmyDySQijTQ5P7OkB4HRIw8ng

Dr. Amy Baldwin, Department of Student Transitions, recently published a new textbook. The book, College Success Concise, serves First Year Experience, Student Success, and College Transition courses, and can also be used as a supplementary resource in courses across the curriculum. You can view the textbook at the link below.

A high school version (additional chapter, new features) will be available this summer. It will be used for concurrent/dual credit college success courses.

https://openstax.org/details/books/college-success-concise?fbclid=IwAR2vTVrw6ho2d5ZIgoOylrZABbIef6xe3MxXYG3u1i3vJrF-bEZSHtf53yo

Ashley Cooksey, Technology Learning Center Director, received the ISTE Making It Happen Award from the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media (AAIM). ISTE, in collaboration with 60+ partner organizations like AAIM, works to identify and spotlight amazing education leaders through the Making It Happen awards program. Each year, participating organizations select educators who are making an enormous impact on their schools or communities.

Dr. Jud Copeland, Department of Leadership Studies, was honored by the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media (AAIM) with an Honorary Lifetime Membership. He was presented with a plaque at their annual awards luncheon on Tuesday, April 25, in honor of his service to the organization.

Dr. Keith Lenz, Department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education, recently had a book chapter published in Quality Instruction and Intervention: Strategies for Secondary Educators: Strategies for Secondary Educators. The book, edited by Brittany Hott, offers a summary of evidence-based instruction followed by the most up-to-date empirically validated interventions for students with, and at risk for disabilities, in grades 6–12. The chapters describe effective instruction and intervention in each of the content areas (reading, mathematics, writing, science, and social studies), and include coverage of other areas critical to meeting the needs of academically diverse groups of students both in and outside of general education classrooms. The final chapter of this textbook is entitled "Good Study Strategies" and was written by Dr. Lenz.

Congratulations to Dr. Louis Nadelson, Department of Leadership Studies Chair, for being selected as the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Contributions Award! Dr. Angela Barlow made the announcement during a Graduate Student Appreciation Week video. Dr. Nadelson will be recognized at the faculty convocation in the Fall.

Dr. Jason Trumble, Department of Teaching and Learning, and Dr. Louis Nadelson, Department of Leadership Studies, published an innovative study on preservice teachers' initial interaction in immersive virtual reality. The book chapter is a peer-reviewed work published in Bridging the XR Technology-to-Practice Gap: Methods and Strategies for Blending Extended Realities into Classroom Instruction, Volume II" and can be found at https://www.learntechlib.org/p/222293/?fbclid=IwAR11KJwJeoIGTcqtWvIh367Acp7dxlcVzsl7lEjOoCYj6Nz-0wRL4-5vtn8

Crystal Voegele, Clinical II Instructor in the Department of Teaching and Learning and current doctoral student at the University of Memphis, received the Outstanding Doctoral Higher and Adult Education Student Award on April 20, 2023. Crystal defended her dissertation proposal this semester and should finish her degree this year. We celebrate Crystal for all of her accomplishments, and we applaud the University of Memphis for recognizing her excellence.

Missed an issue? You can view past issues of the COE Newsletter by going to https://uca.edu/education/coenewsletter/.