Feature Article
Special Education Program
By Paige Pullen
The special education program earned the number four spot in the 2009 U.S. News and World Report rankings of best education schools by specialty. Faculty members in special education are building on this great news by revising programs and courses to continue to be a cutting edge program in special education.
PhD Program in Special Education
Doctoral study in special education provides students a unique opportunity to develop skills needed for success as teacher educators, researchers, and scholars in the field of education. In addition to the usual coursework, doctoral students work closely with faculty members on research projects, college teaching, support of professional organizations, and other activities that will be important parts of their subsequent professional careers. Faculty in special education have expertise in a variety of areas including learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, emotional behavioral disorders, early childhood special education, early intervention, severe disabilities, and autism. Curry graduates of the doctoral program in special education have become eminent scholars and leaders of professional organizations.
BAMT/PGMT Programs
The Master of Teaching programs have been revised to reflect the changes in licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are currently in the second year of dual endorsement programs in special education and general education. Students who enroll in special education programs now receive two areas of endorsement: Special Education (K-12) and either Elementary Education, ESL, Secondary Math, English, Science, Social Studies, or Foreign Language. The new programs prepare graduates to teach in either special education or general education settings, and provide the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of all students in their classrooms.
The Early Childhood Special Education program prepares graduates to staff and lead educational programs that serve infants, toddlers, and preschool children with mild to severe disabilities or developmental delays. Tuition support is offered for students who are interested in this program.
Online Modules
Faculty in special education are also exploring exciting new technologies to provide students with a blend of online and face-to-face coursework opportunities. Such technologies will be implemented through online modules and include podcasting, online synchronous discussions, and interactive video. We are excited to offer students these new course delivery options.
For more information about Curry’s Special Education programs visit our Web site.
October 5 & 6: Reading Days
Tuesday, October 6 @ 3pm: 15-Minute Drop in Clinic: Resume, CV or Cover Letter Critiques in the CLIC
Wednesday, October 7 @ 12noon: Brown Bag Lunch--Curriculum: CANCELED! Join us for the Tea & Technology on October 15 when Joe Garofalo will present on "Partnering with Technology Companies to Increase Innovation in Teaching" with special guest Jason Nast from SMART Technologies.
Wednesday, October 7 @ 7pm: SEEDS4Change Book Club at C'ville Coffee
Thursday, October 8 @ 12noon: Tea and Technology in the CLIC. Adding Value to Learning Environments through Online Teaching Sara Dexter of the Curry School, and Stephanie Moore of SEAS, will show how tools such as Elluminate and course management systems can not only allow teaching completely online, but add value to the learning environment by making it more learner-, knowledge-, assessment- and community-centered. UVA efforts to support teaching online will be shared, which will help faculty consider how teaching online may enhance and extend their own program offerings.
Friday, October 9 @ 9am: Faculty Council Meeting in Ruffner 200.
Saturday, October 10: Curry Homecoming Tailgate All Curry staff and faculty and their families are invited to attend Curry's Homecoming Tailgate. The tailgate will begin 2 hours before game-day kick-off (the time of the football game will be determined later). The tailgate is free; but we need you to register if you're planning to attend. Please join us!.
Tuesday, October 13 @ 11:30am: SEEDS4Change Curry Conversation in Ruffner 200. Lunch provided.
Wednesday, October 14 @ 12noon: Brown Bag Lunch--Diversity & International in Ruffner 200.
Thursday, October 15 @ 12noon: Tea and Technology in the CLIC. Joe Garofalo will present on "Partnering with Technology Companies to Increase Innovation in Teaching" with special guest Jason Nast from SMART Technologies.
Friday, October 16 @ 9am: Faculty Meeting in Ruffner 241.
SAVE THE DATES: The next TWO Education Research Lectureship Series speakers will be visitin the week of October 19. Join us on TUESDAY, October 20 at 11am for Geoffrey Borman of the University of Wisconsin--Madison. On Friday, October 23, David Reinking will be visitng from Clemson.
The Curry Calendar is up-to-date. Bookmark it and visit it often!
News at Curry
Curry Plays Active Role in the Community
October 2, 2009 — Hundreds of University of Virginia employees recently participated in the annual United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring, an event that assists many organizations throughout Charlottesville and the surrounding areas. However, the Day of Caring is but one day that U.Va reaches out to the broader community. At the Curry School of Education, students and faculty serve as resources and support for a variety of initiatives in the community. Connection to the community is a core principal for the Curry School. “The core elements of Curry’s community engagement are student learning and the application of new knowledge, faculty advancement in both scholarship and teaching, and an appreciation of each community’s culture and unique needs,” said Dean Robert Pianta. More.
Curry Professor Partners with National Geographic on K-2 Science Curriculum
September 30, 2009 — An innovative curriculum co-written by Randy Bell, an associate professor in the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, introduces modular science units, sets of easy readers, colorful wildlife and nature photography, inquiry projects and literacy skills to science learning in kindergarten through second grade. Bell worked with a six-member team of authors from the fields of science education and literacy, each invited by National Geographic to develop its first core science program. More.
Diane Whaley recommended this article for the faculty to read: "New Research Shows Benefits of School-Based Physical Activity on Academic Achievement."
Did you know?
Dan Duke and Craig Hochbein (2009 Ph.D. graduate) published an article "Failing to Learn from Failure" in Education Week
Professor Emeritus E.D. Hirsch was featured in the Boston Globe article "Old school"
Diane Hoffman had her article "Reflecting on Social Emotional Learning: A critical perspective on trends in the United States" published in the Review of Educational Research.
Sandy Lopez-Baez presented an individual paper of an on-going research project she has with Dr. Anderson, "El Instrumento de Crecimiento Personal: Una medida útil de crecimiento. (The Personal Growth Instrument: A useful measure of growth)," and participated in a panel presentation, " Presentación del Sistema de certificación de Counselors de la National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC/i) en Argentina. (A Panel Presentation of the Certification System for Counselors of the National Board for Certified Counselors International in Argentina)," at the 5th Counseling Congress of the Americas held in San Isidro, Argentina.
Announcements
Basic Self-Defense Class for Women
Thursday October 8 through November 5 on consecutive Thursdays, 6-9pm. Self-defense classes not only enhance your resistance skill, but also increase your confidence in all areas of life. Rape Aggression Defense courses te ach women a range of skills using the weapons they always have with them: their bodies. Techniques are designed for the average person, and do not require advanced physical prowess or strength to be success ful. Taught by Lisa Speidel, certified RAD instructor and Outreach Coordinator, Women’s Center Sexual & Domestic Violence Services. Class cost $40. If this is prohibitive please let us know so we can make other arrangements. Please contact Lisa at las7p@virginia.edu for more information or to register for the class.
UVA Survivor Support Network
Have you encountered students or co-workers whose academic or work performance was impacted by a history of victimization? Become an ally to survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking and child sexual abuse by training as a member of UVA's Survivor Support Network. This 2-1/2 hour workshop is offered by Sexual and Domestic Violence Services at the UVA Women's Center. During the course of this program, you will develop effective strategies to support your students and colleagues, learn about local resources, and become part of an on-grounds network that is designed to make visible the dedicated support for victims that exists at the University. We will provide you with the resources and ongoing support you will need. Please contact us to reserve a space in one of the following training sessions. Next training dates: Tuesday, October 27, 2:30-5pm, UVa Women's Center (Snacks and Beverages provided). OR Friday, November 20, 11:30-2pm, Newcomb Hall, Commonwealth Room (Please bring your lunch. Dessert and beverages will be provided). For more information or to make a reservation, email Lisa Speidel, SDVS Outreach Coordinator at las7p@virginia.edu or Michelle Wagner, SDVS Intern at mdw9r@virginia.edu.
Two Sessions Offered by the Leadership Development Center
The Leadership Development Center will be offering the seminar on “Generational Differences” again on November 5th (please see attached). It will be taught again by Peter Ronayne, Ph.D. (International Affairs and Leadership Development). Interested participants can simply log onto our website at www.virginia.edu/ldc to register online. There is no charge for parking and a continental breakfast and lunch are included with one’s registration. Please note also the leadership seminar on “Leading Through Change” which will be offered on December 15th. This will be conducted by Mark Nozaki, a CEO with over thirty years of organizational development and management experience in Exxon Mobil and other public and privatelyheld global corporations. His areas of expertise include leadership and team development, change management, leadership assessment and strategic planning. Participants for each can opt to use a PTAO number when registering on-line or can allocate, if UVa eligible, a portion of one’s yearly $2000 educational benefit for both leadership seminars.
The CLIC Announces its Innovation Collaboration Grants
Visit this page for more information on the CLIC Innovation Collaboration Grants. Thanks to generous support from the Vice President and Chief Information Officer (VPCIO), the Curry School has secured funding to support innovation in three areas: Digital Scholarship, Online & Distance Learning, and Community-Building.
All That Is In Store For the CLIC
The brainstorming for how to use the CLIC space continues! An advisory group has formed and meets every other Thursday morning at 10 am. (These meetings are open--so join us on October 15.) This advisory group is made up of Curry faculty, students, staff, and other partners from across Grounds. Specifically, their work includes creating a mission for the space while meeting the needs of Curry students and faculty. These objectives are also focusing around three goals: 1) How can we enhance digital scholarship? 2) How can we create and enhance electronic collaboration? 3) How can we build communities both interally and externally? Do YOU have ideas of how to innovatively use this space? Join us for the next Tea & Technology on Thursday at noon.
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