EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA / COLLEGE OF EDUCATION / FALL 2019
BRINGING LEARNING TO LIFE
Culturally relevant teaching helps students succeed
THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION could not adequately prepare the next
generation of educators without our partnerships with schools across the state. That’s because the best way to learn is by doing. The instruction our students receive from our faculty on campus or online must be coupled with real world, hands-on teaching experiences to ensure our graduates are confident and prepared to lead their own classrooms, schools or districts after graduation. As alumni, you likely remember preparing lesson plans (and maybe even being nervous) as you taught those first lessons to eager children during your internship. At the University of South Carolina, undergraduate students spend an average of 700 hours learning and student-teaching in school settings, far exceeding the state and national average. The schools that host our students during these “clinical experiences” play a vital role in their preparation. Did you know that the College of Education partners with 73 percent of public school districts in South Carolina? We have the robust and award-winning Professional Development Schools network, which includes 23 schools in five districts across the Midlands. Most of our students take courses on-site at these schools and then immediately put that theory into practice in classrooms.
DEAN JON PEDERSEN
Dozens of schools — in rural, urban and suburban areas — host our students during their student-teaching, and our faculty work with public- and private-school partners to produce research that will be used to shape educational policy and procedures. Research topics range from the inclusion of children with disabilities in early child care programs to universal behavioral screenings for children. In this publication, we’ll highlight some of these critical school partnerships and discuss the roles they play in preparing education majors, employing our alumni, supporting outreach and professional development efforts, and furthering research. Of course, we’ll also share stories of our outstanding alumni and faculty who are working tirelessly to improve education in South Carolina and beyond. Finally, please know that your Gamecock family appreciates you. Whether you are mentoring a new teacher at your school, counseling families in your community, encouraging children to read and stay active or keeping our lawmakers informed of the obstacles you face as educators, you are playing an important role in our educational system. For that, we say thank you.
Jon Pedersen Dean | College of Education
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CONTENTS FALL 2019 Jon Pedersen / Dean
pg. 12
Kathryn McPhail / Director of Communications
STAY CONNECTED
University home page: sc.edu College of Education: sc.edu/education Facebook: @USCCollegeofeducation Twitter: @UofSCeducation Instagram: @UofSCeducation Communications and Public Affairs/ Integrated Communications Peggy Binette, Carol Ward / Editors Brinnan Martin / Designer The University of South Carolina is an equal opportunity institution. 19-11145 9/19
IN THIS ISSUE 5 / AN EDUCATOR'S LEGACY Veteran teacher felt bond with her father when she earned a doctorate at South Carolina
6 / LET'S GET MOVING Grant-funded program educates parents and provides resources for increasing children’s physical activity
8 / FROM PASSION TO PRACTICE Outreach programs, scholarships and mentoring support teacher education and careers
12 / CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING College-school partnership encourages teachers to help students see people like themselves in their lessons
14 / THE LANGUAGE OF LEARNING New center promotes the benefits of bilingual education beyond learning another language
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HONORS NEWS
CHANDA JEFFERSON S.C. Teacher of the Year
National Principal of the Year
In May, Fairfield County science teacher Chanda Jefferson was named the 2020 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. She received $25,000 and is serving a one-year residency at the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement. She is touring the state and speaking with teachers and students about ways to improve the educational system and how best to support the needs of education professionals. Jefferson earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences in 2009 at South Carolina and a master’s degree in teaching from the College of Education in 2011.
For the second year in a row, a College of Education alumnus was named National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Lucas Clamp, who earned three degrees from South Carolina, is principal of River Bluff High School in Lexington, South Carolina. Under his leadership, English and math proficiency scores rose among disadvantaged students, and the school became the first in the state to adopt a project-based learning model.
This is a huge year for education in South Carolina, with major advocacy efforts from teachers to improve conditions for the profession and our students and schools. My goal for the year is to equip teachers with the tools they need to positively advocate for the profession.
Jefferson is focusing her efforts on recruiting and retaining teachers to combat the growing teacher shortage in the state.
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LUCAS CLAMP
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I believe this generation of students has the potential to take our world into areas and sectors that we could not even dream about. That becomes their legacy — the desire to see our world improve and to do so with a caring heart and spirit and a strong work ethic.
Clamp follows alumnus Akil Ross, a former Chapin High School principal, who earned the national award in 2018.
ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT
AN EDUCATOR'S LEGACY Daughter of pioneering administrator earns doctorate and fulfills father's dream
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hen Wendy Harriford Platt — a veteran teacher, a mother and the daughter of a South Carolina icon — walked across the commencement stage to accept her doctorate in education, the only regret she had was that her father was not there to celebrate with her. Platt’s father died one month shy of seeing his daughter fulfill a dream he had for his children.
“He wanted all three of us to graduate from the University of South Carolina,” says Platt, who joined her brothers as South Carolina graduates in December. Willie Lloyd Harriford Jr.’s work is woven into the university’s history, where he served as the first African American administrator and was prominent in Columbia’s civil rights movement. In 1971, he helped establish the African American Studies program and later served as assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Platt’s mother was an educator as well. In her pursuit of lifelong learning, Platt remembered her father’s advice to never quit: “He would say, ‘No is only a no if you accept it.’” After leaving college to start a family, Platt returned and earned bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from Columbia College. In 16 years as an English teacher, she has taught at the high-school and middle-school levels in Lexington, Richland and Newberry counties. Platt says attending UofSC for her doctoral degree was a homecoming of sorts.
Dean Willie Harriford
“I grew up on the Carolina campus. I remember, as a child, playing on the Horseshoe with my brother as my dad worked in his office,” Platt says. As a teacher, Platt was disappointed to find many students did not receive the best educational experience they deserved.
Platt says she often talked to her father about her coursework and research findings on theories he and other educational leaders had discussed decades earlier.
“I saw that many of our students — especially the black students — were not excelling, “He knew that all students could learn to love despite their intelligence. I knew I needed to reading if taught in culturally appropriate find material they were interested in learning, ways. And my research in the classroom so I could help them open the door and see proved that. I saw my students improve their themselves as successful readers,” Platt says. reading levels quickly when I exposed them to literature that better represented them,” She knew earning her doctorate would she says. allow her to conduct research on ways to increase achievement among marginalized To honor her father, she requested that her students.“I chose to attend Carolina because full name, Dr. Wendy Harriford Platt, be anI was impressed with the doctoral program’s nounced at commencement. emphasis on diversity in education,” Platt “I know his spirit was there with me,” she says. “My College of Education faculty were says. “After all, he is part of Carolina forever committed to culturally relevant teaching and Carolina was part of him. Now we will practices, which I felt would help my stushare that bond.” dents achieve.”
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LET'S GET MOVING!
LET’S GET MOVING!
Grant funds physical education research aimed at families of preschoolers
“HOP TO ME,” says physical education professor Ali Brian as she
works with an excited preschooler in Swansea, South Carolina. “Now, throw this ball as hard as you can.”
Brian watches closely to see how the child moves, assessing gross motor skills that children his age should have mastered. Physical education doctoral students help Brian assess more than 200 students at the Lexington School District 4 Early Childhood Center. She’s not surprised to find that 75 percent of those children showed some form of developmental delay in gross motor skills. A decline in gross motor development nationwide corresponds to a decrease in activity, Brian says. Only 20 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds get the recommended amount of physical activity, and 15 percent of 2- to 4-year-olds are obese. That rate goes up in rural or poorer areas. “For the first time in history, children have a shorter predicted lifespan than their parents,” Brian says. “And, it’s going to take early gross motor skill intervention and a change in behavior in parents — not just children — to change that.” Educating parents is the focus of a new gross motor and physical activity intervention program called SKIPping with PALS. It’s a combination of two programs: “Successful Kinesthetic Instruction for Preschoolers” (SKIP), a program developed by Brian and her doctoral advisor at Ohio State University, and “Promoting: Academics, Learning and Success” (PALS), created by the Lexington 4 Early Childhood Center. Brian and her team began partnering with the child care center in 2015 to implement SKIP.
After just six weeks of twice-weekly motor skills interventions, about 95 percent of the children they assessed showed improvements. “We know SKIP works. We’ve seen the positive results,” Brian says. “However, we want to see sustainability. That’s why we wanted to create a program that involves parents or guardians.” SKIPping with PALS would provide parents with strategies and resources, including an activity pack, a fitness tracking watch and videos, to help their children improve gross motor skills. “It’s not enough to give kids a ball and say, ‘Go play.’ You must show them how to properly throw the ball and catch the ball if you want children to learn gross motor skills,” Brian says. In May, the program received a $565,000 grant from The Duke Endowment, which will be used to implement SKIPping with PALS at Lexington 4 Early Childhood Center and analyze its effectiveness over the course of a year. “The Duke Endowment recognizes that health extends beyond clinical care and includes the adoption of a healthy lifestyle,” says Chris Collins, associate director of Health Care for The Duke Endowment. “SKIPping with PALS offers an innovative opportunity for families with young children to improve their physical abilities that will carry forward throughout their development.” Another plus for the endowment is that the program can be replicated and shared. “We are excited that the university plans to package the intervention so that it could be replicated within child care centers, YMCAs or Head Start programs across the Carolinas,” Collins says.
Though The Duke Endowment has supported health care research at UofSC for years, this is the first award to a College of Education project. In May, the endowment gave nearly $2.4 million to the university. In addition to SKIPping with PALS, three Arnold School of Public Health projects received funding.
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FACULTY HIGHLIGHT
JUSTICE, JUSTICE YOU SHALL PURSUE
Education professor joins global effort to combat anti-Semitism and racial bias in teaching
MEIR MULLER
In the late 1930s in Vienna, a Jewish
woman named Helen Mueller watched as her family was ripped apart, sent to concentration camps, forced into hard labor and executed. Her family sold everything they had to buy her a ticket to the United States. Helen, who was pregnant with her first child at the time, paid off a Nazi soldier to sneak her husband, Fred, out of a concentration camp.
Almost 80 years later, their grandson Meir Muller is devoted to countering anti-Semitism and bias through education. As a University of South Carolina education professor and rabbi, Muller’s work is shaping school curriculum for children in Europe and, ultimately, here in South Carolina. “A deep tenet of the Jewish faith is the pursuit of justice. And that pursuit, I believe, begins with education,” Muller says. His family’s history certainly affected his decision to become a rabbi and an educator. He and his wife founded the Cutler Jewish Day School in Columbia 27 years ago. The school now serves more than 165 students of all faiths.
A deep tenet of the Jewish faith is the pursuit of justice. And that pursuit, I believe, begins with education.
While earning his master’s degree at South Carolina, Muller came to understand that the issues of anti-Semitism faced by Jewish people around the world were not unlike the racial inequities faced by minority children in the United States. He encourages his education students to continuously seek justice for the children they serve, which means tackling racial bias in their classrooms and schools. “Racial injustice impacts many people, including a majority of children in our state. And unfortunately, teachers can compound the problem if they are not trained to be selfreflective of their own racial bias,” he says. To combat anti-Semitism in Europe, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights — a division of the Organization for Security and Co-operation — launched an effort two years ago to create curriculum and materials for teachers across 57 countries in Europe, North America and Asia. The program, Turning Words into Action to Address Anti-Semitism, convened teachers and educational scholars from around
the world to develop a curriculum that will ensure school systems are educating young people against the ideas of intolerance and discrimination through critical thinking and respect for others. Because of his unique perspective as a rabbi, school leader, teacher and university professor, Muller was asked to join the curriculum development team. Last semester, he traveled to Lithuania to review and finalize the lessons and materials that will be disseminated to teachers across the world. Though the curriculum wasn't designed specifically for schools in the United States, Muller hopes to eventually bring some of the resources back to South Carolina. “If we could offer teachers a rich database of lessons plans, materials and examples, they could effectively teach lessons on topics designed to counter prejudice and promote tolerance, global citizenship and inclusiveness. I believe our jobs as educators, and humans, is to pursue justice. And what better way to do that than by changing the minds and hearts of young people,” Muller says.
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FROM PASSION TO PRACTICE
PRACTICE
from passion to
Education alumna credits outreach programs, scholarships and career support for helping fulfill her passion to teach For many of us, middle school doesn’t bring back the fondest memories. But not so for University of South Carolina alumna LeAnn Haga.
“I had some amazing teachers in middle school, and I don’t think I realized it then, but their influence sparked something inside me,” Haga says. That “something” was a desire to teach, and when she was a senior in high school, she made a decision to study education. “I was accepted to South Carolina and actually declared as a business major. But that semester, I was invited to join the Teacher Cadet program at my high school. We got to observe elementary school classes, create lesson plans and work with children. That experience made me want to become a teacher, and I had no doubt after that.” The goal of the Teacher Cadet program is to encourage high-achieving high school students, like Haga, to consider teaching as a career. Teacher cadets complete a dual-credit course that introduces them to the teaching techniques as well as critical
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issues impacting education. The program is offered in about 170 South Carolina schools, and more than 68,500 junior and seniors have participated in the program in its 32year history. Haga was one of the nearly 40 percent of Teacher Cadets who choose to study education in college after completing the program. The College of Education partners with the statewide program.
“This partnership is a win-win for students and the university,” says Derrick Hines, Teacher Cadet college coordinator. “The program is a great way to get future educators in the pipeline during our teacher shortage, and Teacher Cadets often thrive as students at South Carolina, earning scholarships and becoming leaders on campus.” That was certainly the case for Haga, who earned Teaching Fellow and Dean’s scholarships as well as a Palmetto Fellowship, and joined Pi Phi sorority where she served as an executive board member.
Like the Teacher Cadet program, Teaching Fellows is funded by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement. Teaching Fellows began in 1999 as a way to tackle the state’s growing teacher shortage, and UofSC is one of 11 Teaching Fellows institutions in the state. The Teaching Fellows program provides up to 200 education students with a $6,000 scholarship loan each year for up to four years at a participating institution, and fellows repay the loans by teaching for four years in a South Carolina public school.
“Our mission is to develop future teacherleaders and enhance their ability to directly and positively impact the students, schools and communities where they will serve,” says Hines, who also serves at the College of Education’s director of Teaching Fellows. “The program is a great recruitment tool for the profession.” Teaching Fellows participate in a variety of professional development and service opportunities in addition to the required standard education curriculum.
“My scholarships allowed me to graduate debt-free, with no student loans,” Haga “I was able to get into classrooms, observe says. “And, the Teaching Fellows program shaped and informed my teaching practice.” and work with students earlier than most
FROM PASSION TO PRACTICE
of my peers,” Haga says. “My various experiences from professional development to student-teaching gave me a toolbox I now use as a teacher to figure out what I need to do in my classroom." Haga is about to finish her first year of teaching at E.L. Wright Middle School in Columbia. “I went back to where I first fell in love with the idea of teaching — middle school. I’m teaching ELA (English Language Arts) to seventh-grade students. I love the content and the age of my students,” Haga says.
ment to instructional strategies,” says Nicole Skeen, CarolinaTIP director. “In addition, all teachers receive on-site, in-class implementation support from coaches.” About 65 education alumni are participating in the program, which began in fall 2017 in an effort to reduce the number of new teachers leaving the profession within the first five years. And, 100 percent of the teachers who participated in CarolinaTIP’s first two years returned to the classroom.
“At various times, new teachers just needed And though Haga says she felt well prea cheerleader, a counselor or a confidant. pared by the faculty at South Carolina, she Those first years can be overwhelming,” says she’s relieved to have ongoing support from her alma mater through the new Caro- Skeen says. lina Teacher Induction Program, CarolinaTIP. In Haga’s classroom, a few rowdy students started “wreaking havoc,” which disrupted “CarolinaTIP is easing the transition from her teaching and affected other students. student to professional. It’s helped me professionally and emotionally,” Haga says. CarolinaTIP is a teacher retention program that provides recent education graduates with three years of support through group workshops and one-on-one mentoring from experienced coaches. “Teachers learn how to implement best practices ranging from behavior manage-
“My CarolinaTIP coach came in and observed my class. She offered me some advice on how to deal with their behavior and outbursts. … The program really helped me change the trajectory of my year,” Haga says. “I’ve had such a unique experience, and I don’t think I would have gotten that at any other university.”
Our mission is to develop future teacher leaders and enhance their ability to directly and positively impact their students, schools and communities where they will serve.
Haga is already looking ahead to her second year of teaching and says she feels fortunate that UofSC has supported her on every step of her journey toward becoming a teacher — from career exploration in high school to career support as a young professional.
GIVE 4 GARNET SUPPORTS CAROLINATIP Thank you for helping to make the University of South Carolina’s second annual giving day a huge success! On April 10, the College of Education community came together to Give4Garnet and support new teachers across our state. More than 410 donors championed our cause, unlocking an additional $25,000 from Colonial Life and raising more than $65,000 for CarolinaTIP and other high priority programs.
EDUCATION NEWS
Caroline Leonard, an early childhood education student who is earning a special education certification
Caroline Leonard, an early childhood education student who is earning a special education certification
BEST IN THE
COUNTRY
FILLING THE VOID IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
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hile observing an elementary class, education student Kyanna Samuel, (left), recognized that specific training is needed to teach children with special needs. “There was a little boy with autism in the class who struggled to interact,” Samuel says. “That experience made me realize that I would soon be teaching students with various learning differences, and I needed more specialized training.” Committed to her goal, Samuel is participating in the College of Education’s newest special education program, which includes a series of six courses for early childhood education undergraduate students and current teachers. “Already, I am learning ways to make sure my classroom setting is inclusive and how to start intervention and to best communicate with families and other professionals,” Samuel says. The creation of the certification program is one way the college is tackling the growing teacher shortage in the state. South Carolina is in critical need of special educators, with vacancies in
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special education comprising the largest share — nearly 20 percent — of unfilled teaching positions. Last year, about 100 special education jobs went unfilled statewide. And in 2017, a law passed that requires educators to be licensed to teach special education to children ages 3-5. Until now, special education courses were only taught only at the master’s degree level at the university. Professor Kate Ascetta says the new curriculum benefits teachers and college students. The online courses allow current teachers to obtain certification while working and gives early childhood education students specialized training without adding extra time toward the completion of an undergraduate degree. “We begin with courses that touch on topics such as assessment, social and emotional development, curriculum and instructional practices and, of course, partnerships with families,” Ascetta says. “Then each course after takes a deep dive into a particular area. Students are provided with evidence-based strategies that are proven to support the growth and development of children.”
The undergraduate elementary teacher preparation program was named one of the top in the country by the National Council on Teacher Quality, a research and policy organization. In a newly released guidebook, NCTQ named 120 undergraduate programs that excel in preparing teacher candidates. Assessment criteria included: Rigorous admissions process. Emphasis on research-based approaches to teaching reading and math for elementary candidates. Content knowledge for secondary candidates. Training in classroom management strategies that work for all students. Quality student teaching experiences.
“Faculty take great pride in mentoring our students to become the teachers of tomorrow, and we believe our model enhances and strengthens their knowledge and skills for teaching children,” says Fenice Boyd, chair of the Department of Instruction and Teacher Education.
ALL 4 SOUTH CAROLINA
A growing number of communities in South Carolina are losing industries and jobs as well as facing a dire teacher shortage. Student performance lags behind the national average, especially in rural schools. Support services that could help these communities are often underutilized. A new research project at the University of South Carolina is focused on changing this trajectory.
The Accelerator for Learning and Leadership for South Carolina (ALL4SC) is one of eight new research and outreach projects that are part of a new university initiative that fuels innovations in teaching and learning across the state. The goal of ALL4SC is to improve teaching and learning through community-based schooling that integrates the academic, social and health needs of students; creative approaches to teacher recruitment, preparation and retention; leadership development among educators and administrators; better communication to increase awareness of resources and efforts. Through this initiative, the university will partner with school systems, communities, educational organizations and lawmakers to strengthen education. “This is not a standalone research center, but rather a catalyst for developing systems and more effective approaches to serving students and the educators who work with them every day,” says Dean Pedersen. ALL4SC builds on what is already working and brings together key players — from students, teachers and church leaders to researchers, business owners and lawmakers. The work will begin in Fairfield County, South Carolina. The school district’s superintendent, J.R. Green (’91 B.A., ’94 M.A. and ’00 Ph.D), said improving student
achievement isn’t the sole responsibility of schools but instead requires input and change by the entire community. “Only as a unified team can we maximize the potential of our students,” Green said. “If the students improve their academic performance, graduate and attend post-secondary education but are not able to return home to work because of a lack of job opportunities, then our community will not grow and prosper. The ALL4SC initiative is exciting because it advocates for a communitywide effort, not just a schoolhouse effort.” University researchers, who represent 12 academic and professional units, will work together with Fairfield County business and school leaders as well as community members to define the challenges they face; catalog the resources that already exist to support P-12 students; develop and use tools and processes to align people, data, evidence and money so all students can receive the support they need; and develop and launch a communications strategy to engage practitioners, policymakers and the public. “Everything that needs to be done to serve children, their families and communities is already being done somewhere,” says Barnett Berry, founding director of ALL4SC and a research professor in the College of Education. “However, no state has put all the pieces of the puzzle together; we can do this in South Carolina.”
J.R. Green
Only as a unified team can we maximize the potential of our students.
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CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING
CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING College of Education partners with area school to prepare ‘culturally competent’ teachers
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eBron James is the focus of the writing lesson in Saudah Collins’ first-grade class at Jackson Creek Elementary in Columbia.
When she asks if anyone knows the NBA star, little hands shoot in the air with excitement. But it’s not his success on the basketball court that Collins wants her students to focus on for this assignment.
She shows them a recent news article about a school in Ohio that James funded and tells them that student test scores at this school are exceeding expectations due to the students' hard work and teachers who believed in them. The faces her students see in the photos mirror their own. In another classroom, Valente Gibson’s fifth-graders are studying historical figures and events in the civil rights movement.
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As they look at images taped to the walls, Gibson encourages his students to focus on the senses — was it a humid night, what did it smell like, was it loud? The faces his students see in the photos mirror their own. Though Gibson and Collins, both University of South Carolina education alumni, are at opposite ends of their careers — he is finishing his second year of teaching and she is a veteran educator of 23 years — they agree on how students should be taught. They also believe that students must see themselves and their cultures in the books they read, the history they study and the lessons they are taught to embrace learning and succeed academically. “Teachers are better able to serve students and their families when they create learning environments where students feel safe
to be themselves, are encouraged to be curious about their world and to share their culture and home language,” Gibson says. This self-representation is fundamental to culturally relevant teaching, a strategy developed by University of Wisconsin professor, author and researcher Gloria Ladson-Billings. The strategy focuses on three tenets: cultural competence, critical consciousness and academic success. “Critical consciousness helps to build a teacher’s and a student’s capacity to identify injustice and work collectively toward equity for all people,” says Collins, who is also a doctoral student studying with South Carolina education professor Gloria Boutte through the Center for the Education and Equity of African American Students. This center also partners with schools across
CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING
Teachers are better able to serve students and their families when they create learning environments where students feel safe to be themselves, are encouraged to be curious about their world and to share their culture and home language. the state on research projects and educator development programs. Last summer, the principal of Jackson Creek Elementary, Sabina Mosso-Taylor, decided to partner with the College of Education to offer ongoing professional development in culturally relevant teaching. “Too many students are not achieving academically and behaviorally,” Mosso-Taylor says. “It is my belief — and research supports this — that teaching in culturally relevant ways helps all students succeed. This does not change the harsh realities some of our students face, but it does mean that we can and should hold high expectations while supporting and nurturing students.” South Carolina education professors Eliza Braden and Susi Long lead the monthly professional development. “Dr. Mosso-Taylor is very committed to changing the game, particularly for students of color who continue to be underserved across our state and the country,” Long says. Recognizing, and sometimes changing, personal beliefs is an important part of the program. Teachers are encouraged to acknowledge their bias and to develop lessons that are relevant and engaging to students, Braden says. This does not happen the same way in all classrooms. For example, one teacher chose
to begin this work by adding books with more diverse characters and experiences to the classroom library. Another teacher asked her students to research and write stories about “hidden” historic or present-day figures whose contributions were overlooked and misrepresented. “This way of teaching allows students to have a voice in our classroom that can lead them to further develop critical thinking skills,” Gibson says. The partnership with Jackson Creek Elementary also benefits elementary education majors and students in the college’s early childhood urban cohort, who are placed in the school for their student-teaching experiences. They study the same texts and ideas and support each other in exploring culturally relevant practices, Long says. Most of the teachers say they are already seeing the benefits of the culturally relevant teaching. Students are more engaged in lessons, they are taking more ownership in their learning and their mastery of skills is improving. But more importantly for most of the teachers, including Collins and Gibson, the students feel empowered. “As an educator, I wanted to challenge students to delve deeper in their learning,” Gibson says. “I want to inspire them to become leaders and address social injustices in this world.” E D U C AT I O N • U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H C ARO LI NA
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THE LANGUAGE OF LEARNING
LEARNING
the language of
New center promotes bilingual education in South Carolina Fourth-grader Maddie Freeman wants to be an FBI agent when she grows up.
“I like how detectives work crimes, and I see a lot of news stories that say the FBI and CIA are looking for people who speak Chinese and other languages,” she says. At 9 years old, Maddie is well on her way to becoming bilingual thanks to a Mandarin immersion program at her school, Meadow Glen Elementary in Lexington, South Carolina. “Knowing Chinese can get you a lot of jobs because a lot of places are looking for people who can speak different languages,” she says. She already is putting her skills to good use — speaking in Mandarin at restaurants, the farmer’s market and to her friends. Maddie is one of 240 students who spend half of the school day learning solely in Mandarin. The immersion program is one of 30 similar programs in South Carolina public schools.
IT’S ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST LEARNING THE LANGUAGE. 14
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“It’s about so much more than just learning the language,” says Maddie’s mother, Kimberly Freeman. “It’s about learning to navigate different practices around the world.” Research shows bilingualism enhances cognitive abilities, student achievement, career possibilities and even mental health. Students who completed at least four years of foreign language study scored more than 100 points higher on each section of the SAT than their classmates with less foreign language instruction. Employment for interpreters also is projected to grow 46 percent by 2022. More
than 1,200 international firms, representing 32 countries, are based in South Carolina.
To promote bilingual education in the state, professor Eurydice Bauer launched a new center within the College of Education called Bilingualism Matters at UofSC, a branch of an international organization headquartered at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. “The goal of our center is to get community leaders, families, researchers, policymakers and educators in conversation about bilingualism, but at the same time, make sure the conversation is based on research and not on opinion,” says Bauer, who speaks four languages and grew up in a bilingual home. Bauer is collaborating with Lexington School District 1 as well as Richland 1 and Lexington 2, which all house language immersion programs. “We are so excited about the chapter of Bilingualism Matters opening at South Carolina,” says Dawn Samples, coordinator of the World Languages and Dual Language Immersion in Lexington 1. “The center will help us provide solid, research-based professional learning so that we can better inform our parents of the benefits of becoming bilingual.” Samples says the immersion students develop problem-solving skills that help them throughout their schooling and career. “During their day, they are constantly problemsolving, grappling with meaning, having to collaborate to figure out what’s being asked of them. That struggle is part of what helps to promote that cognitive benefit,” Samples says.
A TEACHER'S PATH HOME
A TEACHER'S PATH HOME Online education program allows military spouse to complete degree while stationed abroad When Michelle Taylor walked across the commencement stage to accept her master’s degree, she culminated a journey of more than 7,300 miles and three countries. And though she didn’t step foot on campus during her two years in the Master of Education in teaching program, she felt strongly about attending graduation. “Being at commencement was so moving,” Taylor says. “That day, I joined other educators who, like me, had completed their degrees. Though I spent my time behind a computer, I was able to connect and share this moving moment with my fellow Gamecocks.” Taylor began the 100 percent online master’s degree program while her husband, Jeff,
a captain in the U.S. Army, was stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. She was teaching kindergarten at the school on base and was a busy mom to two young daughters. “Being a military spouse who had to constantly move around, the online program was flexible and convenient,” Taylor says. Taylor says though her professors were a 17hour plane ride away, she never felt isolated. “My professors were just an email away. Also, I was able to work with other teachers who allowed me to step outside my classroom and learn from them. And I was able to teach them — we helped each other grow as professionals.”
Taylor grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and taught elementary school in Fort Mill, before her husband, who is also a University of South Carolina alumnus, joined the military. “Just being able to step outside my bubble and see the world has been awesome,” she says. “In all of my classes, there was a universal theme: the value and promotion of diversity in the classroom. I was surrounded by diversity, living it each day. The program taught me how to integrate that diverse experience into my everyday teaching and showed me why it was important to do so.”
11.1.19 You are invited to join us for our annual College of Education Homecoming celebration! Mingle with alumni, faculty and friends of the college. Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and toast to our college's success on the Wardlaw courtyard.
RSVP and buy tickets by Oct. 20 online at bit.Ly/19COEHomecoming
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit #766 Columbia, SC
820 Main Street Columbia, SC 29208
I AM SOUTH CAROLINA. BETH WHITE
Clinical instructor College of Education
I am made of unwavering commitment. After teaching in public schools for more than a decade, Beth White wanted to take her passion for education to another level — by training the next generation of teachers. Now a College of Education faculty member, White still makes a difference in the classroom every day. One minute, she’s instructing undergraduates about the finer points of literacy methods; the next, she’s demonstrating those methods as she guides a room full of elementary students through a reading lesson. By developing educators who share her commitment to helping every child reach their potential, White is helping to shape our state’s future.