SOE Honors Graduates at Reception

On December 15, 2010 the School of Education hosted a reception to honor those students who have completed their degree programs and will be graduating at the end of the fall 2010 academic term. Dean Edward Silver welcomed more than 80 students, family members, faculty, and other members of the SOE community who gathered to salute the graduates. Those in attendance constituted a cross-section of this term’s graduating class, and represented well the diversity of students and programmatic offerings in the SOE. Julie Bednark, leader of the SOE Alumni Affiliate Group, addressed the group to explain the value of staying involved as alums. Attendees also had an opportunity to hear from SOE Professor Laura Reynolds-Keefer and to view a display of samples of work completed by SOE students participating this year in the M-Portfolio initiative. Please join me in congratulating all our graduates and wishing them much success in their future as difference-makers.

SOE Student Receives Fall 2010 Chancellor’s Medallion

In recognition of her outstanding academic accomplishment, Ashley Michelle VanSteelandt (Elementary Education) has been chosen as the School of Education’s Fall 2010 recipient of the Chancellor’s Medallion. This award is an honor presented each term to one graduating senior from each academic unit at University Commencement.

Ashley came to the University of Michigan-Dearborn as a recipient of the Dean’s scholarship; she consistently achieved Dean’s List status across her undergraduate career; and she graduates this term as a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, the Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society in Education, and the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society.

In addition to her formal academic pursuits, Ashley has several other interests that garner her attention, including drawing and painting, East Indian classical dance, and creative writing. In fact, her artwork has been displayed at some local shows, and one of her short stories will soon be published.

Ms. VanSteelandt has also given generously of her time as a volunteer both on and off campus. She received the Distinguished Student Leader Scholarship from the University of Michigan-Dearborn for her volunteer work with First Step, a program that helps children who are victims of physical or emotional abuse. She has also provided volunteer contributions to several children’s programs in Southeast Michigan, such as the children’s craft and literacy program at the Plymouth Public Library in as well as the Junior Achievement Program in Detroit in which she taught lessons to third grade students at Old Redford Academy. In addition, she has worked in the Office of Admissions and Orientation and at the Early Childhood Education Center.

Please join me in congratulating Ashley Michelle VanSteelandt on being selected for this prestigious honor and in wishing her much success in her future endeavors!

SOE Alum and Graduate Student Recognized for Outstanding Service

Devon Banks, a UM-Dearborn alumnus with a degree in elementary education, and a graduate student in the School of Education in the Master of Arts of Educational Leadership (MAEL) graduate degree program working toward his K-12 School Principal Certificate, was recently recognized for his exceptional voluntary service to the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, MI. Devon, who played on the University of Michigan-Dearborn basketball team during his undergraduate years, has coached several athletic teams for the Center working with students in the evenings and on weekends. He was honored for his service to the community and its children.

Devon has taught at Doherty Elementary School in West Bloomfield, and he is currently working on his administrative internship at Sandburg Elementary School in Waterford.  Devon combines his love of athletics with his passion for education: “I enjoy coaching not only because of my love for the game of basketball, but also because it allows me to teach the young men and women to be persons with pride, dignity, respect, and accountability. I emphasize the importance of education while I coach, and it gives me great satisfaction to see many of my players change for the better, with respect to skills, habits of mind, and character.” Please join me in congratulating this exceptional young man for his dedication to the education of youngsters in Southeastern Michigan and on his being recognized for his service to the community.

Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree approved!

The School of Education (SOE) at the University of Michigan – Dearborn is pleased to announce that it has received approval from the Presidents Council, the University of Michigan Board of Regents, and the Higher Learning Commission to offer a new degree program to meet a critical need in southeastern Michigan for educational leaders who can transform education at the PK-12 and community college levels. The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree is an advanced professional program that assists veteran educators to enhance their knowledge of theory and best practice, to acquire skills in interpreting and using educational scholarship and reserach, and to understand processes of change and leadership in education settings. The Ed.S. degree is ideal for educators who seek new skills and new opportunities for leadership.

The Education Specialist degree program addresses three distinct yet overlapping areas of study that are essential characteristics for the next generation of leaders in education: engagement with the community; transformational leadership; and scholarly practice. The Ed.S. degree offers four areas of concentration: (1) educational leadership, (2) metropolitan education, (3) curriculum and practice, and (4) educational psychology/special education. Students in the educational leadership concentration can complete the program and be recommended to the Michigan Department of Education for the MDE required Central Office Administrator Certificate for educators in or aspiring to a K-12 district central office leadership position. The other concentrations are ideal for someone seeking advanced knowledge and proficiency in areas of curriculum supervision, professional development, educational evaluation, and related areas.

New students will be admitted to begin studies in Fall 2011. Further details about this exciting new degree program and how to apply will be available shortly on the SOE website http://www.soe.umd.umich.edu.

Mardigian Library Honors Professor Ray Kettel

At a luncheon in his honor on November 5, 2010, Dr. Raymond P. Kettel was named a Distinguished Faculty Friend of the Mardigian Library. Professor Kettel was recognized for his important contributions in helping to build the Juvenile Historic Literature Collection at the Mardigian Library. This collection started with a donation of more than 4,000 children’s books from the Grand Rapids Public Library, and it contains books published from the early 1800’s to the 1970’s. It is one of the finest collections of its type in the country. Professor Kettel not only helped to identify the important resources within the collection but also to pioneer innovative uses of the collection with students at UM-Dearborn preparing to be teachers. Please join me in congratulating Professor Raymond P. Kettel on being honored for his contributions to the Mardigian Library.

For more on Professor Kettel’s accomplishments and distinguished career as an educator, see an earlier blog posting (October 1, 2010).

UM-Dearborn Faculty Member Discusses “Emergent Inquiry” at National Conferences

Seong Hong, Associate Professor of Education, recently led two workshops on the topic of emergent inquiry at the Annual Conference of the Association for Constructivist Teaching in Chicago in October and at the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Anaheim in early November. Professor Hong used examples drawn from the work of teachers and students in the UM-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center to illustrate the nature of children’s learning in and through play and the complex decisions that teachers must make in guiding children’s emergent inquiry toward fruitful outcomes. In one workshop, she also illustrated how an emergent inquiry cycle could be used to model the learning processes not only of the children but also the teachers, student teachers, and researchers. The notion of emergent inquiry is closely connected with the philosophy of the Reggio Emilia schools in Italy, and which is an undergirding educational foundation for the UM-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center.

SOE Student Named Michigan Service Scholar for 2011

Renee Wendt, a student in our Elementary Education program, has been selected as a Michigan Service Scholar through the Americorps Program. Recipients of these awards must complete 300 hours of community service during a calendar year. Renee’s scholarship award will support her in completing a service-learning project in connection with her student teaching placement during the Winter 2011 term in a second-grade classroom at Daly Elementary School in the Westwood School District. SOE Professor Mary Trepanier-Street and Ms. Maureen Molloy, an SOE alumna who is a principal in the Westwood School District, facilitated the integration of Renee’s service-learning project with her student teaching placement. Please join me in congratulating Renee on being selected from among a large number of worthy applicants.