Radical Shifts Because It Matters: Teaching for Equity and Justice

Dr. Michele Myers

Dr. Michele Myers is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina (UofSC).She has over twenty- five years of experience in education and has served in the capacity of early childhood teacher, curriculum coordinator, and principal. Currently she teaches embedded literacy methods, reading assessment, and culturally sustaining pedagogy courses for undergraduate and master level pre-service teachers at UofSC. Her research focuses on culturally sustaining pedagogy and familial networks of support in children’s literacy development. The goal of her work is to help educators understand the importance of immersing themselves in the lives of children and their families and the importance of shifting their stance from learning about families to astance in which they learn from and with families, children, and community members to uncover the rich resources and support structures that exist in homes and communities.

Myers is the past chair of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA), a former Cultivating New Voices Scholar (CNV), president elect for Literacies and Languages for All Institute, and a Center for Expansion of Language and Thinking (CELT) board member. She has been awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award and the Black Faculty and Staff Association Community Advocacy Award by the University of South Carolina. Michele has several publications. Her most recent publication titled, Children as Informants for Kidwatching Profiles, was co-authored with Ms. Sara Suber. Michele is the mother of two brilliant, beautiful daughters, Summer and Zoya. In her quiet time, she enjoys spending time at the beach, any beach.

Navigating Collective Trauma with Our Students, Colleagues, and Communities

Dr. Penny B. Howell

Dr. Penny B. Howell is an associate professor of middle level education at the University of Louisville where she is the Professor in Residence at the University’s Signature Partnership Middle School. She is currently the Immediate Past Chair of the American Education Research Association Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group and past Chair of the Association for Middle Level Education’s Professional Preparation Advisory Committee. Dr. Howell’s research is focused on middle level teacher education, clinical teacher preparation, and trauma-informed teaching. She has over 40 publications and was the lead editor for the 11th volume of the Handbook of Research for Middle Level Education entitled, “Preparing Middle Level Educators for 21st Century Schools:Enduring Beliefs, Changing times, Evolving Practices”.

Childhood Trauma in the Classroom: Strategies to Create Supportive Environments in Physical and Virtual School Settings

Presented by Dr. Jessie Guest with the University of South Carolina

In summer 2020, as education and the work of educators was being re-envisioned, our school-university partnership worked  to launch a two-week summer institute and yearlong teacher preparation residency which included professional development surrounding childhood trauma. We will briefly review our school-university partnership work that brought us together over      the summer and then spend the majority of our session focusing on providing educators with strategies surrounding  childhood trauma in the classroom that were provided to our University residents and School District coaching teachers for how you can create supportive environments in physical and virtual settings.

Objectives for this session include:

• Discuss and Illustrate the influence of trauma on a child

• Provide skills for teachers/school counselor to use for in-the-moment support for students

• Strategies for managing reactions to students during disruptive behaviors

• Preventative Basic Communication skills to avoid communication roadblocks

• Classroom management options

One Size Does NOT Fit All: Teaching Social Justice with a Liberatory Curriculum, Even With Virtual Instruction

Presented by Marcus North, DeKalb County School District and Georgia State University

Now, more than ever, virtual learning has been a "hot topic". While this to be true, one must also not forget to address the current societal climate promoting social justice. This session will explore pedagogical best practices for virtual instruction while addressing the on-going need for inclusion of a non-oppressive liberatory curriculum. Many believe that online  instruction is a one-size fits all module because of the unlimited resources available. Yet, the complete opposite is an educator's reality. Due to the new access of online resources when engaging in virtual instruction, educators are better equipped to tend to the cultural funds of each student they encounter through an inclusive approach. This session details strategies to identify students' cultural funds, build relationships and community based on these cultural funds, and promote higher engagement with curricular content as a result of a sense of belonging, all in a virtual setting.

Learn about Sharing your PDS and School-University Partnership Work in the PDS Partners Journal

Presented by Drew Polly, UNC Charlotte; Eva Garin, Bowie State University; Dawn Nowlin, Prince George's County Schools

PDS Partners is the research-to-practice journal sponsored by the National Association for Professional Development Schools. Come hear about how to share your work and provide us with feedback about topics you would like to read  about in the journal.

Developing A Video Support for Clinical  Teacher Candidates During COVID-19 (Video no longer available)

Presented by Meredith Riddle, Ed.D. Monmouth University; Dean John Henning, Ph.D. Monmouth University

Teacher education programs are critical to increasing the teacher pipeline and effectively preparing aspiring teachers to enter the K-12 classroom. However, when COVID-19 hit, teacher education programs were severely impacted just like schools across the nation and world. At Monmouth University, we were luckily prepared for these circumstances. Despite being home clinical teacher candidates were able to utilize Edthena video tools, as well as a reflective process that allowed them t analyze their fieldwork, peer review videos, and improve their teaching. A cohort of our teacher candidates who had begun their 100-hours of clinical training had amassed a library of more than 10 videos each, each portraying them teaching and interacting with students in classrooms throughout partnership schools. The clinical teacher candidates were required to use tools such as Edthena, a video observation platform, as a part of their curriculum, their teaching performance accelerated even when the schools went dark.

Learning to Teach Elementary Science in Virtual Spaces

Presented by Aisja Jones, Killian Elementary School, SC; Zuleika Jackson-Jones, Killian Elementary School, SC; Kim Smalls, Killian Elementary School, SC; Nancy Diggs, Killian Elementary School, SC; Dr. Stephen Thompson, University of South Carolina

Our notions of authentic classroom settings have been interrupted. Given thatconcrete experiences form the core of elementary science teaching,instructional quality in science is likely to suffer from the move to virtualclassroom settings. This shift to virtual instruction also interrupts ourlongstanding efforts to immerse preservice teachers in the everyday workof elementary science teaching. During this session we will share how weare responding to the challenges associated with teaching elementary sciencein virtual spaces. We will also share how we are using virtual spaces toexpose elementary preservice teacher candidates to reform-based teachingapproaches and provide them with guided opportunities to practice them.The presentation will share key aspects of our work, and include opportunitiesto discuss the approaches with participating elementary teachers, school-based administrators, elementary preservice teachers, and universityfaculty.

Reinterpreting Rural Teacher Education  within the Context of Virtual Spaces

Presented by Amber Adgerson - University of South Carolina; Dr. Melissa A. Baker - University of South Carolina; Dr. Rachelle Curcio - University of South Carolina; Dr. Jessie Guest - University of South Carolina; Dr. George Roy - University of South Carolina; Dr. Stephen Thompson - University of South Carolina; Dr. Leigh D’Amico - University of South Carolina; Dr. Hall West - University of South Carolina 

The need for research concerning virtual STEM education has been highlighted by a noticeable shift to remote learning. The field of STEM teacher education is no different, and the necessity for research on STEM e-learning is especially pertinent for teacher educators who will guide teacher candidates challenged by high educator turnover, poverty, and limited resources within rural areas. Teacher candidates must increasingly be comfortable within traditional and virtual classroom spaces, so teacher educators serving these areas must have access to university partnerships which can inform the training of these teacher candidates. Through intentional coursework, collaboration, and support alongside rural districts, the Transition to Teaching research team at the USC has progressed towards a model which can enhance teaching effectiveness within the confines of online spaces. This presentation will showcase the culturally sustaining, proactive, equitable, and flexible coursework experiences which can lead to positive outcomes for future teachers in rural communities.

Providing a Year Long Field Experience with a Mentoring Teacher

Presented by Dr. Angela Danley, University of Central Missouri

This presentation will provide an overview of the clinical practicum at this midwestern university. Information will be discussed how the coordinator of the senior practicum made adjustments to the experience to ensure 83 seniors could have a field practicum to prepare them for the student teaching semester.

What I Wish My Administrator Knew

Presented by LeCinda Jennings, Polo Road Elementary, SC; Kenneth Brazell, Polo Road Elementary, SC

Childhood trauma can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to learn and thrive in school and beyond. However, educators remain ill prepared to understand and address its effect on children and learning. Research supports when educators change how they respond to children impacted by trauma, by adopting trauma-informed approaches, implementing the use of restorative practices, and other school and community based resources, schools can be instrumental agents in addressing the needs of children impacted by trauma. This effort can positively impact the lives of students, teachers, and the communities around them.

Connecting Families, Teachers,  Teacher Candidates,and Faculty to Create Classrooms without Walls

Presented by Mary Jane McIlwain, Auburn University; Jamie Harrison, Auburn University; Kathleen Sacco, Auburn University; Robbie Thomas, Loachapoka Middle School; Krystal Thomas, Loachapoka High School; David Virtue, Western Carolina University

Need and innovative practice prompted university faculty, teachers, and teacher candidates to design an on-line summer program that highlighted families’ funds of knowledge during the summer of 2020. Faculty collaborated with seventh     grade teachers to create a reading enrichment opportunity with seventh grade students exploring family oral histories. Additionally, faculty and teacher candidates worked with six families of children ages four through six. Teacher candidates met with families and guided them through read dialogic reading and activities related to the interests of the families.     Early results from both programs indicate increased understanding of cultural assets, thus validating and extending literacy practices occurring naturally in the homes of the families while also increasing teacher knowledge. The experience benefited all constituents in a way that begs its continued integration in our work together