College of Education Newsletter

I'm tired. I think I've said these words more over the past 11 months than any other time in my life, even when I had a three year old and was pregnant. It's not just a physical tiredness, but emotional as well. I'm tired of being cooped up, tired of being careful, tired of planning everything around COVID guidelines, and tired of being worried about friends, colleagues, and loved ones. I'm also tired of injustice. I see the data on children in Arkansas without access to the Internet to work virtually, the number of COVID deaths in the Black and Latinx community, and news related to acts of violence against each other and I feel overwhelmed. This brings a level of emotional exhaustion that is pervasive. An article in USA Today says, "Emotional exhaustion is this sense of overwhelmingness. Overwhelmed to the point where you feel like you don't have the capacity to deal anymore," said Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association. "It's physical tiredness. It's mental tiredness. It's difficulty concentrating. It's all the things that we experience when we're just at our capacity."

In order to cope with the situation the USA Today article goes on to list ideas. These include setting boundaries, resisting the urge to be a superhero, and engaging in things that refill you emotionally. I believe it's important to be intentional about finding places and spaces for joy. Like many people, I got a puppy during COVID quarantine. So to that end, enjoy some pictures of my puppy and make some room in your day to refill your spirit.

--Vicki Groves-Scott

The Office of Diversity and Community recently recognized UCA’s minority student academic achievers. Students that can be recognized are incoming freshmen who earn at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA and upperclassmen who earn at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA. The COE had four students recognized.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recently nationally recognized the math education program. An excerpt from the report states, "Section V of the program report provides strong evidence that the faculty use assessments to improve candidate performance and the program of study. Several courses are being examined for opportunities to deepen content knowledge."

Congratulations to Dr. Todd Abel (STEMteach Mathematics Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Mathematics) and the math education program!

*Photo: Dr. Todd Abel (left) - Dr. Todd Abel receiving word of NCTM national recognition (right)*

The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently completed its review of the major revision submission for the COE's MSE in Literacy with Dyslexia Endorsement program. The major revisions and name change were approved and can be implemented Fall 2021.

Congratulations to Dr. Amy Thompson (Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator in the department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education), Dr. Shoudong Feng (Associate Professor in the department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education), and Dr. Susan Perry (Assistant Professor in the department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education) for their hard work in getting this approved.

The UCA Department of Computer Science is pleased to announce computer science is now an approved option for the UCA STEMteach program. STEMteach combines the STEM education minor with the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science as a licensure pathway for students interested in teaching computer science in Arkansas at the secondary level.

The Dean's Advisory Council is a volunteer group of interested and influential friends of the UCA College of Education (COE). The primary purpose of this group is to provide general support for the College of Education. Members of the COE Dean's Advisory Council are selected by the Dean in consultation with the College’s Development Officer for their ability to contribute to the overall advancement of the College.

Each month, a member of the Dean's Advisory Council will be featured in the newsletter.

Dr. Mary Hardy Mosley was raised in Dallas,Texas, where she graduated cum laude from Hillcrest High School. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, graduating cum laude with a double major in English and Speech/Journalism. Mary received a Master of Arts Degree in English from Northwestern State University of Louisiana and her doctoral degree from the University of North Texas with a major in reading/literacy and curriculum/instruction.

Mary's employment history includes: Reading Specialist - Little Rock School District, Director of LRSD Planning, Research, and Evaluation Department, Assistant Superintendent - Vilonia School District, Curriculum and Federal Programs, Supervisor of Reading/Literacy and Director, Instructional Resource Center - Little Rock School District, Associate Professor - UCA, and Director - UCA Reading/Literacy Center. Mary also taught graduate and undergraduate courses in reading/literacy education and directed the UCA Reading Success Center.

Mary has been active in numerous professional activities and responsibilities including, editing and publishing in state and national journals and publications. She has presented often at national and state conferences, such as the International Reading Association, the Arkansas Literacy Association, and the Arkansas Speech Association. Mary served as President of the Arkansas State Reading Council of IRA, and on the Board of The Reading Professor. She continues to remain involved at UCA and active in many of these professional groups.

Dr. Amy Thompson presented several sessions at the Association of Teacher Educators 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting and Conference.

Special Session: Online teaching and learning: Tips, techniques, tools, and "truths". This was presented with Dr. Nancy Gallavan for their chapter that is in press (Thompson, A. D., Gallavan, N. (in press). Authentic Assessment. In Lori Fulton, Jon Yoshioka, Nancy P. Gallavan (Ed.), Online teaching and learning for teacher educators. Lanham, Maryland: Roman & Littlefield).

"Enhancing Interns' Motivation, Understanding and Application associated with the Lesson Evaluation Protocol". This presentation was with Dr. Stefanie Sorbet (Assistant Professor in the department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education and Dr. Nancy Gallavan.

Dr. Amy Thompson (department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education) and Dr. Donna Wake (department of Teaching and Learning) recently had an article published in the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Yearbook, Volume 42.

The article titled, Comparative Perceptions of Teacher Candidates' Reading Clinical Experiences, can be viewed by going to: https://cdn.ymaws.com/.../resmgr/yearbooks/9781883604097.pdf

Brandy Walthall (Clinical Instructor in the department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education) successfully defended her doctoral dissertation proposal, "A Scoping Review of Using Music to Teach Phonemic Awareness during 1995-2021." Congrats, Brandy!

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