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Dr Amy McClure was selected to the Book Award Committee of the International Reading Association. This committee chooses the best books written by first or second time authors in various age ranges and genres of children’s literature. Publishers submit books from young authors which are then read and rated by committee members.  Currently, Dr. McClure is reading and rating over 500 books.  The winners will be announced at the IRA Annual Convention in Toronto, Canada in May.


 

  

Preparing Competent, Committed, Professional Teachers for a Diverse, Democratic Society

 
  Dr. Sam Katz Sam Katz, along with OWU Theatre professor Ed Kahn, participated in the Japan Studies Organization's Freeman Summer Institute. The three-week intensive workshop, held at Tokai University in Honolulu, HI, focused on means of integrating Japanese history and culture in the undergraduate curriculum. Dr. Katz will present research that began with the Freeman Institute at the January 2007 meeting of Japan Studies in San Diego.

Sam Katz presented "Why Kids Hate School: Child-Centered Theory and Epistemology" at the October, 2006 meeting of the Academy for Educational Studies at Missouri State University.

Sam Katz will present "Backing the Wrong Horse? Did the Life Adjustment Curriculum Derail Teacher Education in the Era of Desegregation" at the
2006 meeting of the Midwestern History of Education Society.

Sam Katz continues this year as the faculty advisor to the campus bluegrass club. All students with an interest in folk, bluegrass, Celtic, old-time, zydeco, Cajun, klezmer, or Scandinavian music are encouraged to attend. All levels of players, especially beginners, are welcome. In most cases, the club can provide instruments and basic instruction for interested students, staff, and faculty. Please contact Dr. Katz at sjkatz@owu.edu for more information.		  

Dr. Lisa Spradley is now in her fourth year of teaching in the education program at OWU.  During that time she has continued to pursue a variety of curriculum and instruction research projects.  Each one of the projects has been science-related and sponsored through the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). 

 First, Dr. Spradley was selected to design curriculum for The Ohio Resource Center for Mathematics, Science, and Reading as a part of the development of standards-based instructional units called Project AdLIT.  Project AdLIT is designed to address the unique literacy needs of adolescent learners, and promote and support effective instructional practices in Ohio’s middle and secondary schools.  The project curriculum is now on-line and available world-wide.

 Next, she served as an earth science professional development facilitator for OSCI (Ohio Science Institutes) for two Columbus area high schools.  The OSCI Institutes promote increased student achievement in science through on-going professional development in required content areas for science and special education teachers in grades 7-10.

 Dr. Spradley was also selected to design two electronic portfolio products (2004-2006) for an ODE project entitled the “COR Capstone Project.”  The final portfolio products provide a model for integrating high quality information technology in teacher education programs.  They are presented as an active part of the Open Source Portfolio System, which is available to teacher educators worldwide.

 Lastly, Dr. Spradley has just begun a new project entitled Ohio High School Program Models for Science which is aimed at preparing Ohio students for the future, both as employees and as informed citizens.  The program models provide a framework for curricular decisions at the local level.