GLEN OAK AND HARRISON

STUDENTS VISIT BRADLEY BY DR . TERESA DRAKE

BRADLEY UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH SCIENCES

DR . JOAN L. SATTLER , DEAN

FALL 2016

BRADLEY PDS

PARTNERSHIP POST SUPPLIES FOR

BRADLEY PDS S ITES

During the week of November 28th, the Bradley PDS Partnership and Bradley’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions co-hosted fourth through sixth grade students from Harrison and Glen Oak as part of each school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. During each visit, students were treated to a presentation about Bradley’s academic programs, athletics, and student life as well as small group campus tours led by Bradley Star Students. The tours were a big hit! Our student guests asked a plethora of questions about majors, living on campus, and scholarships. To celebrate their visit, each student was given a new Bradley t-shirt. Now that our visitors have been encouraged to work hard throughout middle and high school, we hope to see some of them as Bradley students in the years to come!

During fall 2016, each of Bradley’s eight PDS sites was allotted $300 for customized supply orders. T-shirts, books, and copy paper were among the items purchased to support Bradley PDS students and teachers in both learning and teaching!

PDS News

Whittier Learning Walks 3

ETE 235 at Glen Oak 4-5

Literacy Around the World 6

Health Lessons at Trewyn 7

Wags for Mags 8-9

PDS Social-emotional Focus 10

AVID Summer Program 11

2016 IRC Conference 12

FCS Community Projects 13

Thank You Kemper! 14

Glen Oak fourth grade students sport their new Bradley t-shirts following a visit to Bradley’s campus on December 1st. Find more Glen Oak and Harrison college visit photos on pages 9 and 10.

PAGE 2

TEACHER LEADERSHIP : WHAT , WHY, AND HOW? BY DR . JANA HUNZICKER

On August 4, 2016, 18 Peoria Public Schools eighth and ninth grade students visited Bradley to learn about college options and all that Bradley University offers. Read more about their visit on page 11.

On Saturday, September 24th, 37 math, science, and elementary teachers from throughout the Peoria Area attended a day-long workshop at Bradley University titled "Teacher Leadership: What, Why, and How." Teachers from Bradley’s PDS sites who participated in the workshop were Christine Engle from Whittier, Laurie Gilbert and Rachel Medland from St. Mark, and Lori Ettinger, Belinda Daly, Amanda Liaromatis, and Ashley Johnson from Manual. The workshop, led by Dr. Jana Hunzicker, was orga-nized around three questions: 1) What is teacher leadership? 2) Why is teacher leadership necessary? and 3) How can I lead? A bonus segment on National Board Certification was presented by Amy George, National Board Certified Teacher at Dunlap CUSD 323. The work-shop was co-hosted by the Peoria County Regional Office of Education, Bradley's College of Education and Health Sciences, and Bradley's Center for STEM Education through I-STEM Math Area Partnership (MAP) and Science Area Partnership (SAP) grants.

Thirty-seven teachers from the Peoria Area, including teachers from Manual, St. Mark, and Whittier, attended a day-long teacher leadership workshop at Bradley in September.

PAGE 3 FALL 2016

Fall 2016 Bradley PDS Partnership Post Authors

The articles in this issue were written and/or edited by Thomas Payne-Brewer, Jane Cushing, Teresa Drake, Jana Hunzicker, Janet Jackson, and Bob Wolffe.

Many thanks to our fall guest authors as well!

Bradley senior nursing students Kate Wiebenga and TJ Tester showcase donated coats, hats, and gloves collected by the Bradley Nursing Student Association (BNSA). “Students were moved to care for the Trewyn community because of their exposure during their community health course this semester,” explains Dr. Kelly Schwend. “Our students truly demonstrate caring on the Hilltop!”

What does it mean to be a Big Brother or a Big

Sister? Well, it can mean many different things! One

thing that it means for me is the opportunity to have

lunch with a student every week! I am fortunate

enough to get to spend time talking with my third

grade friend each Wednesday during her lunch time.

We sit together and talk about what is going on in our

lives. She tells me what she is good at and what she

wants to be when she grows up, and I tell her how

exciting that is and that she can be anything she wants

to be! We are getting to know each other and forming

a trusting relationship. She knows she can count on me

to listen and care about her, and I know I can count on

her to put a smile on my face each week! We both

look forward to our time together, and we both know

that the Big Brother/Big Sister program DOES make a

difference! It might even be something you want to

try! For more information go to http://www.bbbs.org/

BIG BROTHER/BIG SISTER

PROGRAM AT WHITTIER BY SUSIE STEAR

CLASSROOM LEARNING WALKS AT WHITTIER BY JANE CUSHING AND PATRICK SELL

During fall 2016, Whittier Primary School focused on creating student-centered classrooms. In a student-centered classroom, students are responsible for their learning. They need to know exactly what the expectations are for each lesson every day. The Whittier staff started the year with a day-long training by the Marzano Group. During the one-day training, we spent a considerable portion of the time discussing learning targets. We learned how to write learning targets and how to make sure that each learning target’s level of activity matched the instruc-tional activity that followed. To measure our growth and determine areas of improvement, we have utilized peer observations, learning walks, and the support of Bradley professors. As a Bradley PDS site, Whittier reached out to Bradley and asked for support in providing feedback on rigor in the classroom. Ms. Jane Cushing and Dr. Bob Wolffe offered to observe classrooms and provide feedback to support the growth of our initiative this school year. We have seen growth in all of the classrooms and are excited by the number of students taking ownership of their learning.

During October, several Whittier teachers opened

their classrooms to Bradley teacher education students

looking to observe effec-tive classroom manage-

ment strategies in action. Allowing pre-service

teachers to observe highly effective veteran teachers

was very successful. A huge thanks to Bradley’s

PDS site Whittier Primary!

TEACHING AS

IMPROVISATION BY RYAN LUTKER

PAGE 4 BRADLEY PDS

ETE 235 was my first time working with such a large group of English Language Learners (ELLs), so I learned a lot about what a bilingual class-room might look like and how teaching bilingual students is similar and different than teaching a classroom of English-only speakers. What I learned the most from this experience is the adaptations that have to be made to include students who are very proficient in English as well as those students who know little to no English. While most of the students in Mr. Ortiz’s classroom had been in Glen Oak’s bilingual education program for at least one year and were approaching fluency in English, there was one student who had only recently moved to Peoria from a Spanish-speaking country. He only spoke Spanish, so we had to consider that when-ever we started a new activity. Sometimes we would have other students translate for him, which seemed to work. That experience taught us another important skill: As teachers, regard-less of the number of ELLs that are in the class-room, we must be able to improvise!”

During the fall semester, Dr. Helja Antola Crowe’s ETE 235: Methods of Teaching English Language Learners class visited Mr. Antonio Ortiz’ and Mrs. Rosa Lopez’ kindergarten and first grade classrooms at Glen Oak to learn how their planned instructional activities worked in real classrooms with real students. Near the end of the semester, ETE 235 students Ryan Lutker (p. 4) and Liana Pavese (p. 5) reflected about their experiences. Pictured above: Bradley and Glen Oak partners in Mr. Ortiz’ classroom.

In November, Belinda Daly and Lori Ettinger visited Dr. Celia Johnson's ETE 345: Guiding Learners: Creating Safe, Inclusive Learning Environments class to talk about classroom management strategies in which they have been trained and have found positive results in working with students at Manual High School. Following their presentation, some of the things Bradley’s future teachers reported learning were:

It is important to focus on how you are communicating to your students and how you are making them feel.

Effective relationships with students are the most important component of classroom management.

"Let your face light up." "A minute is an opportunity." "Have a tool box of extra stuff to do."

Try a two-minute tech check to give students a break to check their phones. Students need to be able to talk and work in groups. A classroom can't be

totally quiet. Make sure to teach HOW to learn. Admit your mistakes too.

Belinda and Lori had everyone's attention the full time they were presenting, and the ETE 345 students overwhelmingly expressed value in the presentation.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM MANUAL TEACHERS BY DR . CELIA JOHNSON

Again this fall, Bradley FCS 203: School Health Promotion students taught brief health lessons for Trewyn fourth and fifth graders on topics such as stress management, nutrition, and self-esteem. Implementing such lessons can challenge the novice health educators, but they quickly learn to adapt and have fun interacting with the kids. Erin O'Brien summed it up best when she said she felt good about being "a part of some-thing bigger than ourselves to better the lives of the students at Trewyn, our community, and our society."

SOMETHING

BIGGER THAN

OURSELVES BY DR . TERESA DRAKE

PAGE 5 FALL 2016

Over the semester I have always looked forward to our ETE 235 visits to Glen Oak. I remember that first day, wondering what to expect as we walked through the front doors and split into groups to visit the two different classrooms. Immediately, looking through the little window on the door, the children’s eyes lit up and smiles flashed across their little faces. When we walked in we introduced our-selves to the class and then broke up into groups to help them do a Venn Diagram comparing them-selves with us. I think this was a great way to start because it allowed us to introduce ourselves to a few students at a time so that they weren’t over-whelmed and neither were we. It allowed me to learn a little bit about the students in a way that they felt comfortable and welcome to converse with me. I was able to gain a little knowledge about them and the classroom dynamics just by observing their interactions with one another and the respect they have for their teacher, Mrs. Lopez. As the visits continued, I could tell the stu-dents looked forward to our visits just as much as we did. Our visits gave them something to get excited about and a way to explore different activities. I loved being able to look around the room and feel all the emotions in the room, the conver-sations from table to table, and the laughter that were being shared. I will never forget the reactions as I walked in one day with Tucker, my service dog in training.

Children were beaming and couldn’t wait to come up and visit with him. From a teacher perspective, it reminded me that special visitors like Tucker require you to able to take control and keep it so that everything is monitored and stays safe for both the students and the animal. From a student perspective, I can imagine the excitement I would have if a dog walked into my classroom at such a young age…well actually at any age. It is something new for students to be able to experience, and it’s a new learning situation and a chance for the children to ask questions. From a dog handler perspective, it showed me just how much control I need to have when working with our service dogs, and that I need to stay aware of what’s going on or what could happen if I don’t stay observant of the situation.

REFLECTIONS ON BRADLEY’S ETE 235 VISITS TO GLEN OAK BY L IANA PAVESE

Casey Kirsch and Torrie Haisma explore pumpkins and gourds with Glen Oak students on one of their visits.

Liana Pavese and Ari Lasko showing Liana’s dog Tucker, whom she is training for service , to Glen Oak kindergarten and first grade students.

PAGE 6 BRADLEY PDS

LITERACY AROUND THE WORLD BY DR . SHERRIE PARDIECK

Literacy learning was celebrated on Friday, October 28, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to noon in Westlake Hall at Bradley University. The professional development room and foyer provided an outstanding venue for the event! The Literacy Around the World event was a wonderful success as it combined literacy related learning activities, picture books, and stations created by pre-service teachers in Dr. Helja Antola Crowe’s and Dr. Juan Rios Vega’s ETE 235: Methods of Teaching English Language Learners (ELL) courses and Dr. Sherrie Pardieck’s ETE 260: Children’s Literature classes. In preparation for the event, Bradley pre-service teachers conducted research, planned instruction, and created interactive learning activities for actual students. On the day of the event, they guided 302 kindergarten through fifth grade students from St. Mark Catholic School and Whittier Primary School through the learning activities as the students visited each learning station. The learning stations included stories and activities from well-loved authors and illustrators. ELL activities included cultural learning activities and interactive games. Other activities included learning Spanish dancing and musical numbers as students arrived. After completing all of the learning activities, the children received a Bradley or an International pencil, enjoyed snacks, and carried their treats back to their classroom using bags donated by Kroger. The teachers and students enjoyed their field trip to Bradley University, and they look forward to more learning opportunities in

the future. The Literacy Around the World celebration was a wonderful event that showcased the instructional litera-cy projects that pre-service teachers created for their future teaching and learning practices. They taught their exemplary learning projects to children who were eager to come to Westlake Hall and enjoy participating in literacy activities. We wish to thank the College of

Education and Health Sciences, Dr. Dean Cantú, Ms. Maureen Kelly, and Lillian Lamoreau for their support of the literacy project. They helped to make an outstanding learning opportunity possible for the pre-service teachers and the children from St. Mark and Whittier Primary Schools.

PAGE 7 FALL 2016

Senior-level community nursing students’ classroom activities at Trewyn in the fall 2016 semester included three interactive classroom presentations to kindergarten students. Topics were going to the doctor, dental hygiene, and hand washing. Students were able to practice taking tempera-tures, giving injections, and applying band aids to their classroom dolls and stuffed animals. Students enjoyed listening to their heart sounds and learning how to keep their hearts and bodies healthy. They were able to practice teeth brushing and flossing on dental models. They also participated in a magic germ activity to demonstrate how germs are spread and how to effectively wash their hands.

HEALTH LESSONS

AT TREWYN BY DR . KELLY SCHWEND

PEORIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

START-OF-SCHOOL CONVOCATION BY DR . JANA HUNZICKER

On Monday, August 15, 2016, over 3,000 Peoria Public Schools teachers, administrators, staff, and community supporters gathered to kick off the 2016-2017 school year. In attendance at this inspiring and energy-filled event were Bradley PDS Council members Dr. Jana Hunzicker, Dr. Bob Wolffe, and Dr. Teresa Drake. Led by Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, the morning featured recognition of each school in the district, brief updates and recognition of new staff by each unit, and keynote speeches by Mayor Jim Ardis and 2016 Illinois Teacher of the Year Kim Thomas. The highlight of the event was recognition of the district’s six 2016 Those Who Excel Nominees and winners, each of whom was honored with a brief video before a member of the Peoria Public Schools Board of Education announced the winner of each award. The morning ended with a presentation titled “Chicken Wings and Love” by Matthew T. Snyder, Regional Superintendent of Schools, Macon-Piatt ROE #39. Following the event, Bradley’s newest PDS site coordinator, Dr. Teresa Drake, commented, “As someone outside of education, it was a good experience for me to see how school districts begin their school year.”

On October 5, 2016, Bradley senior-level nursing students taught Trewyn kindergarten students about healthy dental hygiene habits.

ENG 180 TUTORS

AT MANUAL BY DR . MELINDA MCBEE ORZULAK

During fall 2016, nine teacher candi-dates enrolled in Bradley’s ENG 180: Introduction to English Education course tutored high school students during a Wednesday English-Language Arts Lab at Manual Academy. During the lab, Bradley tutors worked with Manual students in Mary Newman-Evans’ ninth grade English class on reading and writing tasks related to Ball Don't Lie, a book written by New-bery Award-winning author Matt de la Peña (who will be speaking in the Peoria community and at Bradley on February 9, 2017). Thanks to the support of the Bradley PDS Partnership, who purchased nine facilitator copies of the novel, the Bradley tutors were able to model best practices during literature circles with their own copies of the novel. At the end of the collaboration, these novels will be donated to Manual.

PAGE 8 BRADLEY PDS

Part of the Bradley experience is getting involved in as many organizations and clubs as possible. Whether it is a club sport, a service organization, or a Greek house, involvement is the key to success at Bradley. Every year, students look forward to attending the Student Activities Fair during Welcome Week to seek out new opportuni-ties for involvement. However, one particular organization tends to stand out due to its wagging tails and furry faces: Wags for Mags. Wags for Mags is a Bradley organization that trains service dogs. It was named after Maggie Bertram, the daughter of two Bradley faculty and a Peoria Notre Dame High School student who passed away in a car accident in 2012. She had a love for animals, especially dogs; therefore the organization was named in her honor. Our club members include fosters, student trainers, and volunteers. Fosters act as a foster parent and are students that take care of a dog in training up until the dog is placed; the dog lives with the foster in his/her off campus house or apart-ment. Student trainers simply take a dog to class or work for the day and return them to the foster home at night. Volunteers are any Bradley students who attend our biweekly Markin Center training sessions to work with the dogs on their skills. All of our dogs are trained in the basic skills and can retrieve items like cell phones, remote controls, and keys, turn light switches on and off, open handicap-accessible doors and refrigerator doors, and remove clothing such as socks, gloves, and sweatshirts. Our dogs go with us everywhere we go. Whether it is class, work, the movie theater, or shopping, they do it all. A few of our dogs have even flown on airplanes! Wags for Mags has left an astounding impact on all who have joined the organization.

Wags for Mags stems from a larger, Peoria-based organiza-tion named Paws Giving Independence (PGI). PGI is a nonprofit group that trains and places service dogs to those in need, free of charge. Since many people can pay up to $10,000 for a service dog, PGI earns a remarkable title for doing this service for free.

People from all over the state come to PGI in search of a service dog for a wide variety of disabilities. Seven-ty-five percent of our dogs are rescued from shelters, prompting our slogan “Saving a life to change a life.” As a student trainer for Wags for Mags, it is truly a rewarding to take a dog to class because I can see the great impact it has on (continued on page 9)

WAGS FOR MAGS : SAVING A LIFE TO CHANGE A LIFE BY ASHLEY JONES , ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

(Above) Ashley Jones, Bradley teacher educa-tion major and Wags for Mags student trainer, and Legacy. (Right) An AVID Summer Program student visitor and Legacy.

I am a student

trainer for Wags

for mags, and it is

truly a rewarding

experience.

PAGE 9 FALL 2016

others. Peers and colleagues enjoy the presence of the dogs in class, and most times raises morale in my classes. Personally speaking, working with a dog on

their skills and seeing them improve helps relieve me of the stresses of school and work. The dog I am currently working with, Legacy, is a German Shepard mix that was rescued from a shelter at six months old. He was under-weight, abused, and had fleas. He came into our program one year ago, and he has come a long way since then. It’s been such a joy to see him grow into the outgoing, sweet, and lovable dog that he is. He has shown me how far a little love and compassion can go. He is now doing excellent in his training and should be placed within the next few months. The impact that this organization has already left on me is unbelievable. I joined this organization excit-ed about the fact that I would get to work with dogs every day and take them to class with me. I didn’t yet see the true purpose of our organization, which is to help those in need with an incredible service. Being a member for two and a-half years now, I have truly seen what our services do and how they help those with disabili-ties. My very first dog was placed with a man who had stability issues and is legally blind, and I am fortunate enough to see people’s progress every single day. I have gotten to see the independence given to so many individu-als who have a service dog to assist them with many different tasks. Service dogs empower people, and it has been an amazing experience to be able to be a part of that process. Every day I am thankful for the opportunity to work with such beautiful and intelligent animals that bring joy and happiness into the lives of others.

2016 CLINICAL EXPERIENCES AT BRADLEY PDS SITES

Spring 2016

Fall 2016

Educational Leadership 1 0

Family & Consumer Sciences 10 5

Nursing 4 0

Physical Therapy & Health Science 1 0

Psychology 10 9

Teacher Education 43 51

Total 69 65

SAVING A LIFE (CONT .)

Every day I am thankful for the

opportunity to work with such

beautiful and intelligent animals

that bring joy and happiness into

the lives of others.

During 2016, Bradley’s College of Educa-tion and Health Sciences continued to place significant numbers of future teachers, nurses, dieticians, and other pre-professionals at Bradley PDS sites. A special emphasis in teach-er education during fall 2016 was English Language Learner (ELL) placements at Glen Oak, Harrison, Manual, and St. Mark. Clinical field experience placements support Bradley PDS Partnership Goal 1: Support and improve student learning and achievement and Goal 2: Prepare professionals in education and health sciences. See all five Bradley PDS Partnership goals on page 14.

Harrison sixth grade students visited Bradley on November 28, 2016.

The annual Bradley PDS Partnership Stakeholder Survey, administered in May 2016, revealed that teachers and administrators at Bradley’s eight PDS sites believe that the Bradley PDS Partnership supports preparation of education professionals (78%), student learning and achievement (75%), PDS school leadership (66%), professional development (59%), students’ health and well-being (56%), families’ health and well-being (46%), and preparation of health professionals (46%). Compared to the May 2015 survey, stakeholder perceptions decreased in all areas except one, possibly due to the increased number of new teachers at most Bradley PDS sites. The survey item that showed an increase was, “The Bradley PDS Partnership supports student health and well-being.” Fifty-six percent of Bradley PDS stakeholders agreed or strongly agreed with this statement, compared to 53% in May 2015. In fact, stakeholder perceptions related to this statement achieved an all-time high in May 2016. Bradley PDS projects aimed at supporting students’ social-emotional health include the Trewyn and St. Mark health and safety fairs, STRETCH anti-bullying presentations, and COM 103 “Cool Tools” talks at Whittier. The May 2016 survey results are based on 192 surveys returned, a 41% response rate.

PAGE 10 BRADLEY PDS

PDS STAKEHOLDERS RECOGNIZE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SUPPORT BY DR . JANA HUNZICKER

November

2012 May 2013

May 2014

May 2015

May 2016

The Bradley PDS Partnership:

prepares future education professionals. 70% 80% 79% 94% 78%

prepares future health professionals. 69% 75% 79% 88% 46%

improves student learning and achievement. 60% 66% 66% 87% 75%

supports leadership in our school. 58% 66% 71% 86% 66%

supports professional development in our school. 58% 62% 60% 63% 59%

supports student health and well-being. 42% 51% 55% 53% 56%

supports students' families' health and well-being. 40% 44% 47% 51% 46%

Approximately 350 elementary, middle, and high school students from Bradley PDS sites visited Bradley’s campus during 2016 to learn about academic majors and student life on a college campus. Research shows that when community partners engage students in thinking about college early in their school careers, students are more likely they to prepare themselves academically and enroll in college when the time comes (Ng, Wolf-Wendel, & Lombardi, 2014). The Bradley PDS Partnership campus visits have influenced communi-ty change by influencing individuals to consider going to college. Below: Glen Oak fifth graders wearing their new Bradley t-shirts following their December 1, 2016 visit to Bradley.

PEORIA’S AVID SUMMER PROGRAM

STUDENTS VISIT BRADLEY BY DR . JANA HUNZICKER

PAGE 11 FALL 2016

On August 4, 2016, 18 Peoria Public Schools eighth and ninth grade students visited Bradley to learn about college options and all that Bradley University offers. The field trip to Bradley was the last in a series of four field trips, in which students enrolled in Peoria’s AVID Summer Program visited Woodruff Career and Technical Center, Midstate College, Illinois Central College, and finally Bradley. During each field trip, students toured the facilities and met with one or more campus representatives to learn about the educational programs and services offered there. During their Bradley visit, students were greeted by Associate Director of Admissions Cory Craig and three Bradley Star Students who shared their high school backgrounds, the reasons they chose Bradley, and their academic and social experiences as Bradley students. Following the welcome presentation, the student visitors were treated to campus tours, which ended in the Westlake Hall Atrium with a light snack of orange juice and granola bars and complimentary Bradley t-shirts. Next, students participated in the day’s AVID lesson in a “real” college classroom before heading over to Bradley’s Renaissance Coliseum to meet with Dr. Chris Reynolds, Athletic Director. Dr. Reynolds spoke with the visiting students about goal setting, including the importance of having a vision for the future, choosing the right support network, and taking small steps every day to move closer to goal achievement. Following the visit, Peoria’s AVID students sent a thank you note to Bradley along with their reflections about the day. A few of their reflections are shared below: I really liked our tour and the speech the guy gave at the end. I liked the dorms. They were cool. My favorite part was the different classrooms. I loved the whole tour, looking at new things, meeting a service dog,

everything! I liked your basketball courts and staff. Thank you, Bradley. I loved the tour the best because I got to see new

things. I liked the recreation center when we were at the gym and got to see

all of the sports stuff. It was so much fun at Bradley! It was a wonderful experience, and I loved

touring all the different buildings. I would definitely love to go to Bradley. Thank you for everything!

AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. Peoria’s 2016 AVID Summer Program was coordinated and taught by Amanda Liaromatis, Manual Academy, and Angela Maughan, Richwoods High School. Both teachers are Bradley alumni. Thank you to everyone who helped to make the visit a success!

Dr. Chris Reynolds, Bradley Athletic Director and graduate of Peoria Central High School, spoke to the visiting AVID students about setting goals for the future.

(L to R): Evan Sherman-Hayes, Ashley Jones, Legacy, Cory Craig, and Mitch Ruopp from Bradley’s Office of Undergraduate Admis-sions talked with the visiting AVID students about Bradley and showed them around campus.

Teaching general education public speaking in a classroom setting can be, at times, an artificial experience. There is a designated topic, a captive audience, and a mandated (and tracked) time limit. Compounding the inauthenticity is the sheer repetition of individual speeches in a single 50-minute class—sitting through 8-10 speeches in a row! No wonder people dread public speaking! The COM 103/Whittier Communication Connections Project originated in 2011 to fill the need for more authentic, collaborative, and meaningful speaking experiences. Bradley students enrolled in COM 103 : The Oral Communication Process (a general education class in public speaking and communication) work in groups to teach a 20- to 30-minute informative presentation to kindergarten through fourth graders at Whittier Primary School. Whittier was chosen for a partnership due to its close proximity to the Bradley campus. Different communication skills topics are selected each semester that reflect topics being discussed in the COM 103 classroom. Topics include, but are not limited to, anti-bullying, listening, respectful communication, freedom of speech, public speak-ing, being a good citizen, and being a good friend. Bradley students are given instruction in COM 103 on how to create effective presentations and adapt to different audiences. Originally, the project was piloted with two sections of Bradley COM 103 students, paired with second and third grade classrooms. It was so successful that in the second semester, it was expanded to four sections and all Whittier grades, including special education classrooms. Five years of student and teacher feedback about these presentations have been overwhelmingly positive. Bradley students report feeling more confident in their speaking abilities and more connected to their Peoria community. Regardless of whether they intend to become teachers, the Bradley COM 103 students seem to agree that the experience was valuable for increasing their understanding of informative speaking techniques and audience adaptation.

PAGE 12 BRADLEY PDS

COM 103/WHITTIER COMMUNICATION CONNECTIONS

PROJECT : GOING STRONG SINCE 2011 BY LAURA BRUNS

In early October I had the opportunity to attend the 2016 Illinois Reading Council Annual

Conference: "Reading: Unlocking Opportunities." Hundreds of educators, including administrators, teachers, and teacher candidates from across that state, gathered to learn from one another. Breakout sessions focused on a variety of topics including reading for pleasure in the classroom, teaching visual analysis as an introduction to

textual analysis, and engaging students with writer's workshop. One of my biggest takeaways is the im-portance of actively pursuing professional development that will enhance my teaching and provide instructional support. With all of the new challenges and questions that come with being a new teacher, it was wonderful to experience a community of educators that have the same goal in mind: To better teach and support our students. We also had the opportunity to meet Kylene Beers, Robert Probst, and Jeffrey Wilhelm, experienced teachers and authors of key texts that we read in our English teaching methods courses at Bradley. I am grate-ful that I had the opportunity to learn from these three authors and many other knowledgeable and inspiration-al teachers who have helped pave the way in education. I look forward to continuing my career with the help of IRC resources and hopefully attending another IRC conference in the future!

READING : UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITIES BY HANNAH SMITH , SECONDARY EDUCATION—ENGLISH

Karly Wagner (left) and Hannah Smith (right) with Kylene Beers and Robert Probst, authors of the book Notice and Note, at the 2016 IRC Conference in Peoria.

Sometimes, Bradley’s PDS work extends beyond the schools and into the surrounding community where students and their families live and work. Bradley students enrolled in FCS 346: Resource Management have been making a difference in the lives of Peoria families by implementing projects that impact multiple generations. Students’ course objectives are to approach an organization whose mission is to have a positive impact on individuals and families, complete a needs assessment, then design a project to fill identified needs. During spring 2016, one group of FCS 346 students worked with Crittenton Centers to help Wilma Schubert donate her 7,000+ doll collection to benefit the children at Crittenton Centers. The students assisted with the careful planning and organization of a doll auction, which raised much-needed funds for the organization. Another group educated children and their families about healthy eating and physical activity during the Being Healthy is Fun: CATCH Family Night at Glen Oak Community Learning Center. The family and consumer sciences majors worked with the Hult Health Education

Center to recruit volunteers, and were able to secure the Bradley girls’ volleyball team and Unity Point nurses to facilitate fun and educational activities for the families. A third group enhanced the Dream Center’s after school program with a series of stretching, nutrition, and stress reduction related activities. During fall 2016, Mariah Harris increased awareness of childhood mental health by designing and distributing green silicon bracelets with the slogan “H.O.P.E. Hold On Pain Ends” in exchange for donations to remind adults to be the voice of encouragement for children who struggle with childhood depression or anxiety. The donations were given to Crittenton Centers. AT OSF Children’s Hospital, Aimee Moy and Jenny Miller designed sensory activities for children to help distract, calm, and entertain them while providing the educational component of categorizing. They used containers of shaving cream in which children hunted for items such as plastic leaves and pine cones. The smiles on the children’s faces during the activity, especially when their initial reaction was a frown, was all the sum-mative project evaluation Jenny and Aimee needed. And finally, at the Peoria County Juve-nile Detention Center, Zelena Winters partnered with detained children to create simple dresses out of pillow cases and t-shirts to be sent to Africa through the Dress a Girl Around the World project by Hope 4 Women International. Bradley students and faculty, and even companies such as Hobby Lobby, contributed the materials needed to make this project a success. Bradley family and consumer sciences majors have more plans for the spring 2017 semester. Some of their projects will continue, and several new projects will be developed.

TOUCHING LIVES IN BRADLEY ’S PDS COMMUNITY BY DR . MAGDALENE SAS

PAGE 13 FALL 2016

The mission of the Bradley PDS Partnership is to promote

academic and professional development for P-12 students,

pre-professionals, practitioners, and professors.

Aimee Moy and Jenny Miller engage a patient at OSF Children’s Hospital in a sensory activity designed to distract, calm, and entertain.

Zelena Winters models a dress made for the Hope 4 Women Dress a Girl Around the World Project.

1. Support and improve student learning and achievement.

2. Prepare professionals in education and health sciences.

3. Provide lifelong learning experiences and leadership opportunities.

4. Promote best practices in teaching, learning, and leadership through professional development and action research.

5. Support the health and well-being of students, their families, and the professionals who work with them.

We’re on the web! Visit the Bradley PDS Partnership webpage at:

http://www.bradley.edu/academic/colleges/ehs/centers/kemper/

BRADLEY PDS PARTNERSHIP

2015-2017 GOALS

The Bradley PDS Partnership is funded by the William T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee and Bradley

University’s College of Education and Health Sciences.

2016-2017 PDS Site Coordinators

Dr. Teresa Drake tdrake@fsmail.bradley.edu

(Glen Oak, Harrison, Valeska Hinton, Whittier)

Dr. Bob Wolffe rjwolffe@fsmail.bradley.edu

(Manual, Roosevelt, St. Mark, Trewyn)

Contact Us

Bradley PDS Partnership 1501 W. Bradley Avenue

Westlake Hall 202A Peoria, IL 61625 309-677-3329

Dr. Jana Hunzicker William T. Kemper Fellow

jhunzicker@fsmail.bradley.edu

Sally Miller Administrative Assistant

samiller2@fsmail.bradley.edu

THANK YOU KEMPER!

To bring positive closure to the College of Education and Health Science’s long-term relationship with the William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank, Trustee, the Bradley PDS Council launched the Kemper History Project (KHP) in March 2016 to compile and document the College’s PDS initiatives, programs, and projects from 1995 to 2016. During summer 2016, 15 co-authors wrote comprehensive accounts of key events by academic year. During fall 2016, a team of five edited the chap-ters, which are currently being formatted and proofread for publication on the Bradley PDS Partnership website. In addition, a limited number of hard copies will be printed. The final outcome of the project will be a chrono-logical history of Bradley’s Kemper Project over its 22 years in existence. Thank you William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank, Trustee!

The Bradley PDS Council and KHP Editing Team (L to R): Thomas Payne-Brewer, Sally Miller, Shannon McGowan, Jane Cushing, Dr. Jana Hunzicker, Dr. Teresa Drake, and Dr. Bob Wolffe.