Education department news, Fall 2012

Seven education majors joined professors George Lipscomb and Shirley Ritter for a presentation titled “What’s Happening in Elementary Schools in New Zealand” September 29 at the South Carolina Council for the Social Studies  conference in Greenville. The students, Whitney Becker, Morgan Black, Sarah Beth Caldwell, Olivia LeCompte, Maria Morrison, Audrey Neumann and Sarah Odom, were among a group that traveled to New Zealand for three weeks as part of Furman’s May Experience 2012.

A forthcoming book from Peter Lang USA, Becoming and Being a Teacher, Confronting Traditional Norms to Create New Democratic Realities, features chapters from education professors Katie Stover, Scott Henderson and Mike Svec, and is edited by professor Paul Thomas. The book is part of the Critical Studies in Democracy and Political Literacy series.

Thomas spoke on “Poverty is Destiny: Ignoring the MLK Imperative in Corporate Education Reform” October 18 at the University of Arkansas. His visit was a follow-up to the publication of his recent book, Ignoring Poverty in the U.S.: The Corporate Takeover of Public Education.

Stover was a featured presenter during the National Council of Teachers of English 2012 Annual Convention, held in Las Vegas in November. She also participated in a panel discussion on “Children’s Voices for Social Justice in Preschool and Primary Classrooms.” She has published “Can You Hear Us? Using VoiceThread to Publish Primary Students’ Writing” in the International Reading Association Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group newsletter, and “Four Components for Promoting Literacy Engagement in Subject Matter Disciplines” in the Middle School Journal.

Lorraine DeJong presented “Using Inter-Generational Learning to Impact Pre-service Teacher Values and Behavior” at the South Carolina Association of Teacher Educators conference September 29 at Coker College in Hartsville. She also presented “Creating a Moral Community in the Early Childhood Classroom” October 5 at the Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children conference in Columbia. Junior Helen Reed, a teacher candidate and Teaching Fellow, attended the conference and served as a full-day volunteer and participant.

Shirley Ritter was part of the invited panel on Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions: How Faculty in Small Programs Embrace the Future at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children annual meeting in Grand Rapids, MI on November 8. Her presentation was “Doubling your ‘Bang for your Buck’ (or Weaving Special Education into General Education Courses).” She also presented “Changes in Teacher Preparation at One University: Both Big and Small.”

Graduate Studies

Two graduate students, Angela Weisner and Suzanna Greer, had articles accepted for publication by Reading Matters, the journal of the South Carolina State Council of the International Reading Association. Weisner is enrolled in Furman’s literacy program and is an English teacher at Easley High School. Greer, director of language development at Camperdown Academy in Greenville, is enrolled in Furman’s curriculum and instruction program.