Hunter Jolley ’08 has been named one of five finalists for the state Teacher of the Year Award by State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. As a finalist, Jolley will receive a check for $10,000 and will be eligible for the grand prize of $25,000 and a new BMW to drive for one year.

Jolley, a teacher at Boiling Springs High School, will represent Spartanburg District 2 at the 50th anniversary of the South Carolina Teacher of the Year celebration on April 22 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

In 2014, Jolley was awarded the USC Upstate School of Education Alumni of the Year honor. This year, he began serving as an adjunct professor in the USC Upstate science department.

Benchmarks 2• The Learning Station

• Student of the Month

Programs, Prospects & Pathways 4

• SOE Professional Program

Graduate Programs 4• Scholarships

Sumter Campus 5

Greenville Campus 6

On the Calendar 8

VOLUME VIII, ISSUE 4 • APRIL 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1 school of education news

Upstate Graduate Named Finalist for S.C. Teacher of the Year

Hunter Jolley ‘08

Shaboom, Number Derby, Connect Four, Twister, Dominoes, Salute, Mind Reading, and Taboo may sound like integral games of a party agenda rather than teaching and learning strategies, but teacher-candidates in Dr. Susan Fernandez’s math methods class at the School of Education at the Greenville Campus demonstrated their creative instructional methodologies through interactive, enjoyable and educational mathematical games.

Each “hands-on” motivational method of amusement was also specifically correlated to mathematical objectives. There were no party poopers as teacher-candidates experienced the power of creating and playing meaningful game-like situations for the purpose of generating positive attitudes toward math, practicing and mastery of skills, and even assessing one another’s understanding of concepts through the decisions of math strategies made through play.

Mastering Motivational and Memorable Math Methodologies

Kevin Dujardin demonstrated “Four from the Floor,” a take-off of Connect Four, as he strategizes his next mathematical move.

Tillman Fennell and Amanda Richards presented “Mind Reader Math.”

Tiffany Padgett introduce “Twister Math.”

The Early Childhood Education program recently hosted “The Learning Station” with Don Monopoli. A leader in children’s educational music, Monopoli led over 150 children from several preschool classrooms in song, dance and lots of laughter.

“This was a great learning experience, not only for the children but also for the adults and us, the early childhood students,” said one ECE student.

Anticipation among ECE students was high as the children began to arrive. Once there, they participated by moving their

arms, feet, head and hips, sometimes all at once! Singing songs such as “A Ram Sam Sam,” “Tony Chestnut,” and “Boom Chicka Boom,” the children learned rhyme, rhythm and repetition.

The children were overheard saying, “I’m not tired,” and “I can do it!” Both the college and preschool students gained confidence and promoted a positive experience on our college campus through this event.

Early Childhood Education Hosts ‘The Learning Station’

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BENCHMARKS

The March “SoE Student of the Month” is Tatiana Jenkins.

Her participation in University activities and involvement within the community more than qualified her for this honor. In addition to working with the SoE’s Charles Lea Center Enrichment Program, she volunteered at the Greek Festival in Spartanburg.

She’s also assisted with various efforts throughout the Upstate to help senior adults and local college students: arranging for groups to visit the sick at nursing homes and hospitals, organizing

a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels of Greenville County, and coordinating a yard sale to help fund support for six college students through the Enoree River Baptist Church Association. Beyond her volunteer endeavors, she finds time to work at the Sunshine House in Easley.

Currently, Jenkins is student teaching at Powdersville Middle School. She also traveled to Stendal, Germany, for three weeks in April to add a broader cultural component to her student teaching experience and future lesson plans as a teacher.

The SoE Student of the Month receives a faculty parking space and an opportunity to receive a $500 scholarship.

Jenkins Named March Student of the MonthStudent of the Month

Tatiana Jenkins

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BENCHMARKS

The mission of the South Carolina State Council of the International Reading Association is to promote literacy through the improvement of reading instruction, to encourage reading as a lifetime tool for learning, and to foster the formation of the reading habit.

Membership provides you with valuable literacy opportunities that include:

For new memberships, visit: marketplace.reading.org/Memberships/IRA_NewMember.aspx

To renew your membership, visit: marketplace.reading.org/Login.aspx?RtPage=/Memberships/IRA_NewMember.aspx&CC=true

For more information, visit scira.org.

Sign Up or Renew your SCIRA Membership!

• Membership in both your local reading council and SCIRA• Exemplary Reading Awards for schools• Legislative advocacy• Literature grants for all teachers• Young Writers’ Conference• Teachers as Readers grants• SCIRA SPEAKS, our quarterly newsletter

• Florence Nelson Scholarships for undergraduate students• Mary A. Kelly Scholarships for graduate students• Recognition of Distinguished Teachers• Annual State Conference• Leadership training• International projects• SCIRA Reading Matters, our yearly journal

All students must be fully admitted to the School of Education Professional Program prior to taking any 400+ level professional program courses. In order to be considered, applicants must submit the following:• Completed application - including references and all required signatures.• Copy of passing Praxis Core scores or exemptible scores on the SAT or ACT.• Current SLED Check documentation.• Current “No Records Found” documentation from the National Sex Offenders Registry.• Current documentation for your TB Test (must be within 12 months). Health Services can provide this to students for $15.

Full Admission To SOE Professional Program Required for 400+ Level Courses

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PROGRAMS, PROSPECTS & PATHWAYS

A $500 scholarship will be available this summer in each of the Master of Education Programs in Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education: Visual Impairment. Only admitted degree-seeking students are eligible to apply for the scholarships.

Please send completed scholarship applications to Lori Kopf at lkopf@uscupstate.edu or soegradprog@uscupstate.edu.

Scholarships Available This Summer

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Student teachers Tatiana Jenkins, a middle-level English and history major, and Hillary Myers, an art education major, are in Stendal, Germany, to add a unique perspective to their student teaching experience.

Accompanied by Dr. Kela Goodman, assistant professor of Early Childhood Education, these students are will be observing and participating in the English classes at the Grundschule Am Stadtsee and at the Altmark Bilingual Schule through April 18. During this three-week program, they hope to develop new and multiple perspectives of schooling, language acquisition and teaching strategies in multilingual contexts.

In preparation for this experience, the students attended six weeks of German language classes, as well as researched the region and medieval town of Stendal.

Two Round Out Student Teaching Experience Abroad

I can now say that I’ve attended my first professional development conference. What an experience! This was the 40th annual South Carolina State Council of the International Reading Association (SCIRA) held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in February.

I and my fellow Elem-Ed classmates were joined by hundreds of other teachers and educators all focused on literacy. Here are three things that stood out to me:

1. The venue was very well arranged and the agenda made it easy to decide which sessions to attend.

2. There was a wide array of presentations from which to choose.

3. The language I heard throughout the conference was consistent with the language our teachers and professors expressed to us in our classrooms.

After careful consideration, I chose six breakout sessions that I felt would be most beneficial to me. I learned how to join historical fiction and informational text to “hook” students in reading about social studies; how to “float” key/academic vocabulary throughout content and over time in order to keep words alive; and how it takes a school-wide effort to affect real and positive change.

This conference was all about sharing good ideas, and I know my classmates and I are now better prepared teachers.

Recognizing The Value Of Professional Development Conferences

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SUMTER CAMPUS NEWS

from shawn

Service Learning Opportunities Help Bridge The Gapby vanessa henderson

January was the Science Month in schools across South Carolina, and we were invited to attend four science fairs throughout Sumter: R.E Davis Elementary, Furman Middle School, Alice Drive Elementary, and Crosswell Drive Elementary.

Each of the science fairs we attended was very interesting and different. It was amazing to

see how our students are capable of creating new projects and recreating old ones. Does a dog react differently according to the style of music it is listening to? Does a male horse eat faster than a female horse? Do plants grow faster if we sing to them every day? Does Coca-Cola™ have more gas than Pepsi™? Does the color of the light interfere in plant growth?

These are only a few of the interesting science projects we had the pleasure of seeing and judging.

Service Learning is a wonderful opportunity to assist our community, meet active teachers, principals, and, of course, students! During these events, we had the chance to experience the school environment at its best, and additionally, learning all the do’s and don’ts from active teachers who are now learning through trial and error.

There can be a significant gap between what we learn from textbooks and the everyday classroom reality. As future teachers, we can start closing this gap by observing and analyzing what we experience during service learning, clinical, and student teaching. Don’t be afraid of Service Learning. We promise you! You won’t have to teach beginner algebra to sixth-graders...yet! Instead, you will surely learn from all these young students and their wonderful teachers!

School of Education students at the Sumter Campus had an opportunity to judge local science fairs.

The Junior Early Childhood teacher candidates were able to apply what they’ve been learning about creating positive learning environments as they set up a model classroom in the “Primary Place.”

The Primary Place is a teaching classroom on the Greenville Campus where Early Childhood methods classes are taught. It offers Juniors an opportunity to engage in appropriate early childhood environment prior to going into clinical placements.

GREENVILLE CAMPUS NEWS

A ‘Primary Place’ To Teach

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School of Education faculty members Dr. Stacy Burr, Dr. Susan Fernandez, Dr. Judy Beck, Dr. Gary Bradley and Laura Kaufmann presented numerous sessions at the Association of Teacher Education (ATE) conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in February.

This year’s theme was “Advocating for the Silenced: The Educators’ Vocation.” Sessions on math, literacy and technology integration were well attended and generated engaging conversations, as well as numerous opportunities for networking.

Burr and Fernandez also serve on the Awards Committee, while Kaufmann serves as the secretary for the Special Interest Group (SIG) in Middle Level Education.

Beck, who is current president of the Southeast Regional ATE (SRATE), was the representative at the ATE delegate assembly. She was installed as an ATE Board Member at the conclusion of the conference.

SoE Faculty Members Attend National ConferenceBeck Begins Term as ATE Board Member

Early Childhood teacher candidates set up a model classroom to exhibit a positive learning environment.

Dr. Susan Fernandez, left, Dr. Stacy Burr, Dr. Judy Beck and Laura Kaufmann participated in the annual Association of Teacher Education conference.to work.

Student teachers in the School of Education at the Greenville Campus recently participated in mock job interviews and received interviewing tips and suggestions from Dr. Brodie Bricker for finding a job following graduation.

Helpful Tips for Finding a Job

Conference sessions focused on math, literacy and technology integration.

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Beginning with Clinical I, students from the School of Education are offered a variety of practical experiences in a diversity of classrooms so they can implement more from educational pedagogies through real-world practice.

USC Upstate elementary education majors at UCG have rolled up their sleeves and jumped into the elementary classroom experience with glowing comments from cooperating teachers and administrators in Greenville County.

“Having an Upstate student in my class is like having a co-teacher. She brings new ideas and strategies to add to my students’ positive learning experiences and boundless energy for activities,” stated a third grade teacher at Brook Glenn Elementary in Taylors, S.C.

Another shared these thoughts, “Keep sending USC Upstate students our way. They are competent, flexible, and professional!”

SOE Students’ Reputations Precede Them in Greenville County School District

GREENVILLE CAMPUS NEWS

Georgia Cannady utilizes a hallway bulletin board to display students’ work.

Jennifer Page introduces a lesson on metacognition through integration of a book sharing activity.

Dr. Susan Fernandez truly takes an active approach to her research projects. She recently ran in the Newberry Half-Marathon to further her examination of the diverse benefits of exercise on one’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical well-being. Her third-place finish provided her with additional findings in her exploration of how rigorous exercise can amplify academic proficiencies.

Fernandez Explores Relationship Between Exercise and Academic Proficiency

Dr. Susan Fernandez recently placed third in the Newberry Half-Marathon.

Laura Kaufman, left, Dr. Susan Fernandez, Dr. Judy Beck and Stacy Burr have been collectively nominated for the 2014-15 USC Upstate Excellence in Teaching and Advising Award. They are shown here on a field trip at the Upcountry History Museum.

Greenville Faculty Nominated for Award

Junior Early Childhood teacher candidates recently participated in a constructive “hands-on” learning experience as they toured the Primrose School to observe developmentally appropriate activities and interactions with children ages six weeks to four years.

Constructive ‘Hands-On’ Experience

CALENDAR

April 27Last Day of Classes

April 28 – May 4 Final Exams

May 5 Commencement

May 8 Grades available on SSC

School of Education800 University WaySpartanburg, SC 29303

Phone: (864) 503-5560Fax: (864) 503-5574

CONTACT US

www.uscupstate.edu/academics/education/

Volunteers are needed to help teachers at Boiling Springs Intermediate School monitor testing on April 28, 29 and 30 from 8–10 a.m.

This would be a great opportunity to observe and learn about testing procedures. If interested, contact: Tonya StoneBoiling Springs Intermediate School864-578-2884tonya.stone@spartanburg2.k12.sc.us

Volunteers Needed