Dogs with a Cause

Dogs with A Cause Arrived at Cypress Springs Thursday as the College of Education TEAM Model Clinical Residents and the Louisiana Tech Baseball Team collaborated to make a difference in all 26 classrooms. This is one of two partnerships between the COE and the Louisiana Tech Athletics Program. The previous adoption was the Louisiana Tech Basketball Team and Ruston Elementary School. Both partnerships will continue to visit both Ruston grades 3-5 schools quarterly this year with future partnerships planned for 17-18. Much credit is given to Head Basketball Coach Konkol and Head Baseball Coach Burroughs for their willingness to collaborate and better understand the TEAM model full-year co-teaching experience of our elementary clinical residents. The true winners are the students that get to spend an afternoon with some of Louisiana Tech's finest students! It's a great day to be a DOG!

Thanks to Dr. Amy Vessel for leading this powerful effort and submitting the story!

Kinesiology Professor Partners with Local School for Body Walk Event

Dr. Tammy Schilling, Melvin McCann Endowed Associate Professor in Education in the COE's Department of Kinesiology,  and undergraduate Kinesiology students will bring information about nutrition, biology, and healthy living to more than 550 3rd through 5th grade students in Lincoln Parish. More than 50 of the Louisiana Tech COE Kinesiology students from four classes will be running 11 stations from 8 am to 2pm on January 14. Cypress Springs teachers and students will participate not only in the activities on the 14th, but also have opportunities to use complimentary resources and activities before and after the special event. Students will also leave with a free activity book to share with their parents, explaining many of the concepts learned during the exciting event. As noted by Dr. Schilling, " There's no better way to start off a new year than with a collaborative project focused on health and nutrition that highlights the strong partnerships involving Louisiana Tech, Lincoln Parish, and community organizations!" Coach Jay Seal at Cypress Springs Elementary and partners at the LSU Ag Center have been instrumental in making this educational experience a reality. It will no doubt be an engaging, exciting, and informative experience. To learn more about The Body Walk, you can check out the following link: http://smartbodies.org/smart-bodies/louisiana-bodywalk .

Launch of Exciting STEM Education Program

The UTeachTech STEP 1 courses began this quarter at Louisiana Tech in the Think Tank, the new technology-rich classroom located on the College of Education's Woodard Hall.  The project team is happy to report that 88 students have enrolled in the STEM education certification program! The figure is much higher than the 25 anticipated in the initial composition of the grant project proposal. Of the 88 students registered, there are 13 categories of STEM disciplines represented, including Biology, Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Cyber Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Environmental Science, and other. There are also a substantial number individuals typically underrepresented in STEM disciplines enrolled as part of the program with 57 of the 88 students in the UTeachTech STEP course being female. Students met with the UTeachTech Team and enjoyed snacks on their first day in the course.  Initial planned professional outreach activities with the UTeachTech students include collaborating with the SciTEC Center in the College of Education through its Adopt A School Partner, Cypress Springs Elementary School, to host a free STEM day in January as well as a job shadowing colleagues through another partnership with CenturyLink and redelivering STEM lessons to Ouachita Parish and Monroe City Schools.  Given the large number of female UTeach enrollees, relationships are also being forged and planning is taking place to integrate partnerships with the WiSTEM (Women Influencing STEM) group on campus, OWISE,  and other campus colleagues including Drs. Heath Tims, Allie DeLeo, Mary Colderera Moore, Jamie Newman, Marissa Orr, Bill Campbell, and Katie Evans.

As noted on the UTeachTech website, the program "pairs the University’s esteemed engineering and science programs with its outstanding teaching preparation programs, resulting in a single, interdisciplinary degree program that provides you with the knowledge needed to work in industry and the skill set to lead in the classroom."  The project is funded by a $1.45 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Math and Science Initiative.  The replication of the UTeach program at Louisiana Tech University of  the University of Texas at Austin is one of 44 funded in the nation and one of 5 funded in the last funding cycle. The collaborative endeavor spans each of the colleges at Louisiana Tech University and is led by as strong leadership team including, Co-Directors Dr. Bill Deese, Dean Don Schillinger, Associate Director, Diane Madden,  Master Teachers Mr. Chris Campbell and Mr. Glenn Larson,  Technical and Outreach Coordinator for the Project, Mr. Chris Coleman, and Co-PI and Program Lead Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent.

"It's A Wrap! The First Year of Teaching for Two COE Alumnae!"

Two 2014 College of Education alumnae had much to celebrate on their last day of school at Lincoln Parish's Cypress Springs Elementary. Not only did they successfully complete their first year of teaching, they also received plaques for coaching the 3rd and 4th grade boys to a cross country state championship during the 2014-2015. Congratulations to Elementary Cross Country Coaches, (L-R) Mrs. Mary Kate (Hays) Cortez, 3rd grade teacher, and Miss Rachel Carson, 4th grade teacher.

Blog submitted by Dr. Amy M. Vessel

Elementary Teacher Candidates Judge Social Studies Fair

Practicum teacher education candidates of Louisiana Tech University's Elementary Education program enjoyed judging the Cypress Springs Elementary Social Studies fair this morning (1/27/15). School fair coordinators were Louisiana Tech alumni, Meredith Gore and Rachel Carson. Tech's practicum coordinator is Dr. Amy Vessel. According to Dr. Vessel, "This is just one example of our growing partnership with Lincoln Parish Schools, and it was a wonderful learning experience for our teacher candidates."