Coming Events and Activities
Workshops & Events for Students, Teachers, Alumni & SOE Faculty
Educational Theatre Club Master Class Workshop
January 21st 10:00am-6:00pm
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Johnny Saldana |
On Saturday January 21 from 10-6pm The Educational Theatre Club is pleased to announce a MasterClass workshop with Johnny Saldana. In the upcoming spring semester the Educational Theater Club will begin a semester long ethnodrama project and what better way to kick it off than with Mr. Saldana himself.
Johnny Saldana has been a Professor of Theatre at Arizona State University since 1981. He has been involved in the field of theatre education as a theatre educator, drama specialist, director, and researcher. Saldana's research methods in longitudinal inquiry, ethnodrama, and coding have been applied and cited by researchers internationally to explore many diverse topics. Mr. Saldana is the author of Longitudinal Qualitative Research: Analyzing Change Through Time; Ethnodrama: An Anthology of Reality Theatre, an edited collection of ethnographic-based plays. Saldana has published articles in such journals as Youth Theatre Journal, Stage of the Art, Teaching Theatre, Research in Drama Education, Research Studies in Music Education, Multicultural Perspectives, Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, and Qualita. Reservations are required for this event. Contact Shoba Paredes at sparedes@ccny.cuny.edu .
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Library Hour for SOE Students & Faculty
Our Library Hour this semester is every Wednesday from 5 to 6pm in NAC Room 6/207C. You do not have to make arrangements, just drop in.
During that hour, the Information Literacy Coordinator Prof. Jacqueline A. Gill will be available for faculty, staff and students to answer questions about the library and about doing research with the library resources. Should you not be able to come during that hour, Prof. Gill is also available via blog at http://soelibraryhour.wordpress.com/ .
Faculty can discuss and arrange library visits and workshops. Prof. Gill can be invited to education classes to introduce herself and provide an overview of how the library can help students meet their research needs.
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Happy 90th Anniversary to the School of Education!
Spring Dates to Save:
Monday, March 5th 5:00 pm Bortner Distinguished Speaker Series featuring Professor Arnetha Ball, President American Educational Research Association, Faculty Dining Room- 3rd floor NAC
Saturday, March 10th All day Conference In Defense of Children: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Supporting the Learning and Growth of the Whole Child
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Student and Faculty News & Notes
2010 Undergraduate Awards & Scholarship Recipients
The Jacob Holman Memorial Scholarship - Tuition for 2 semesters
Christie Sukhdeo - Secondary Science Education
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The Ticktin Memorial Award- $500.00
Ebony Muldrow - Childhood Education
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The Lillian Weber Award - $250.00
Ninad Choudhury - Biology Education
Kathleen Pyne - Cooperating Teacher
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The Bernard & Susan Mendik Education Scholarship- $1,000.00
Eberechi Kalu - Childhood Education
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The Education Alumni Group Award - $1,000.00
Anthony Heyward - Childhood Education
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The Lucy Gordon Educational Alumni Award- $1,000.00
Jennifer Ballena - Childhood Education
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The Winifred and Joseph Femiani Scholarship - $1,000.00
Kamille Campbell - Childhood Education
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Graduate Awards & Scholarship Recipients
Certificate for the Graduate Program in Early Childhood- $100.00
Eva Brooks & Ronnell Nathaniel - Early Childhood Education
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Certificate for the Educational Leadership Program- $100.00
Fay Thompson
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The Bertram Epstein Memorial Award - $500.00
Erica Tymeck - Literacy
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Life-Long Learner Award (Early Childhood Education) - $100.00
Ayana Cherry - Early Childhood Education
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The Edward W. Stitt Memorial Fund - $500.00
Heather Cotanch - Literacy
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The Professor Morton J. Hellman Award - $250.00
Constance Peroti - Mathematics Education
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The David J. Fox Memorial Award - $100.00
Susan Watson - Social Studies Education
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The Hyman Scholarship - $2,500.00
Pedro Guzman & Jacqueline Rodriguez - Bilingual Childhood Education
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The Dr. Howard Wexler Scholarship - $5,000.00
Christian Rivera - Social Studies Education
Katherine Robbins - Educational Theatre |
Sponsor a Student Award or Scholarship
We would like alumni and retired faculty to consider establishing an award or a scholarship for a School of Education student either in your name or in the name of a loved one. You can imagine how needed, important and meaningful these awards and scholarships are to our students and how much encouragement it gives them to continue their careers in education. For further information contact Elena Sturman, Executive Director of The City College Fund at 212-491-2622 or at elena@citycollegefund.org .
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Faculty Notes
Dr. Maria Castiglioni Receives The 2011
Weiss Award for Excellence in Teaching
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Prof. Maria Castiglioni receiving award from Alfred Weiss |
On Thursday, November 17th at a ceremony held during a faculty meeting of the School of Education, Maria Castiglioni received the 2011 Alfred and Miriam Weiss Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Weisses, along with five other retired faculty members joined the current faculty for the award ceremony. The selection of Dr. Castiglioni was made by a special committee comprised of Alfred and Miriam Weiss, three other retired faculty members (James Shields, Julius Rosen and Norman Shapiro), Acting Dean Doris Cintron, three Department Chairs (Gretchen Johnson, Nancy Stern and Susan Semel) and two faculty members who received the award in prior years (Catherine Franklin and Jan Valle). The award includes a $500 prize and a certificate. Award recipients are asked to address the faculty on receipt of the award.
In her remarks, Professor Gretchen Johnson, Chair of the Department of Leadership and Special Education said: " What is remarkable about Maria is that not only is she an excellent teacher but she is able to maintain this excellence whether she is teaching CCNY freshman students or graduate teacher education candidates who are close to earning their masters degrees. She is able to maintain it whether she is teaching students in special education, childhood education, secondary education, early childhood education, theater education bilingual education or TESOL. I know this because she has students from all of these majors in her child development, adolescent development, psychology of teaching and learning and research classes."
"The members of the Executive Committee who viewed Maria's file for a Certificate of Continuous Employment (CCE) found student remarks about her classes "striking". Research classes often present a formidable burden for students. Yet here students were saying … "The class has innovative and thought-provoking discussions," and "The classes are too short!" Students in Maria's graduate Child Development courses use words like "amazing," "wonderful," "creative," and "innovative" to describe her teaching. One student summed up with the statement: "I LOVE Professor Castiglioni." It is also obvious from remarks on student evaluations that Maria serves as a role model for mature students returning to school (as she herself once did) and for second language learners (as she herself was)".
"Peer observers of Maria's classes have used words such as "inquiry," "trust" and "respect" to describe her teaching and relationships with students. One colleague says she has a remarkable ability to relate to students, having successfully taught courses in adolescent psychology to students in grant-funded science education programs who several previous professors had not been able to reach".
"Maria can be tough; her courses have rigor and substance. Outside reviewers praised her reading materials for being current and excellent and even in some cases "intriguing choices". She holds students to strict deadlines, which she says she learned (from experience) that students prefer. To support them, she often breaks large assignments down into smaller parts to be submitted and graded separately. Maria wants to provide instruction that students will emulate in their own classrooms. Over time, she has learned to incorporate technology into her courses as well as aesthetic education".
In a later issue of CONNECTED, we expect to print Dr.Castiglioni's comments to the faculty on receiving the award.
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Retired Faculty Attend Weiss Award Presentation
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Left to right: Julie Rosen, Ruth Grossman, Jim Shields, Al Weiss, Miriam Weiss, Richard Hansen and Norman Shapiro |
Five retired faculty members attended the Weiss Award presentation and agreed that it was a most inspiring event. Attending were Julie Rosen, Jim Shields, Norman Shapiro, Ruth Grossman, Richard Hansen and Al Weiss (also an alumnus of City College) who was accompanied by his wife Miriam (also a CCNY graduate). The group left after the ceremony and enjoyed a Thanksgiving luncheon in the faculty dining hall where they were later joined by Gretchen Johnson, Nancy Stern and Maria Castiglioni, the Weiss Award recipient and honoree, for coffee and desert .
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Professor Richard Steinberg has published a book entitled "An inquiry into science education, where the rubber meets the road," Rotterdam, NL: Sense Publishing (2011). Professor Steinberg holds a dual appointment at City College as a Professor of Physics and Secondary Education. He spent his sabbatical year as a full time science teacher in a neighborhood high school in Harlem. His varied experiences highlight the contrast of what science education is and what it can be. The framework through which the book is written is that science education should be an active, purposeful process which promotes functional understanding and critical thinking. Science learners should be given the opportunity to build an understanding of benchmark principals of science based on their own observations and reasoning. In much the same way, this book explores benchmark principals of science education through real classroom experiences. Standard approaches to teaching and assessment are presented and alternative opportunities are described. Theories and strategies of science education emerge from analysis of classroom observations. Although the focus is on the teaching and learning of science, the subtext is implications of a failing educational system and what can be done about it. The primary intended audience is educators of all capacities, but particularly science teachers. An inquiry into science education integrates critical topics of science education in a contextualized, accessible, and easy to read narrative.
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"Mathematics in the City" Workshop in Sweden
From October 31st to November 2nd, a team of Mathematics in the City staff visited Goteborg, Sweden for a three-day workshop on early mathematics teaching and learning. A total of 400 teachers (first, second and third grades) attended the workshop and exchanged ideas on teaching early number concepts, addition and subtraction. Teachers were very engaged with the ideas presented by "Mathematics in the City" and left with the promise to form study groups in their schools and think hard about turning their classrooms into "young mathematicians' workshops".
How did this happen? A team of Goteborg educators were visiting New York City Schools and unexpectedly observed some local teachers, teaching mathematics, who work with Mathematics in the City. The enthusiasm and engagement of teachers and children learning mathematics, as well as the depth of mathematics learning that was happening in these classrooms, intrigued them and led to a request to learn more about Mathematics in the City. We hope this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration as we found that we learned from these teachers as much as they learned from us.
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Principals Panel an Outstanding Success
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Left to right: Peter Goodman, Angelo Rodriguez, Elsa Nunez, George Young, Larry Block, Qadir Dixon, Joyce Coppin
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Approximately 90 education students, alumni and School of Education faculty attended the November 10th Principals' Panel on "Interviewing Skills for a Teaching or Leadership Position"). This well received event was co-sponsored by the CCNY Education Alumni and the CCNY School of Education. The panelists included: Peter Goodman (United Federation of Teachers); Angela Rodriguez (Principal of PS 115 M); Elsa Nunez (former Principal of PS 28 M and currently the Interim Acting Superintendent of District 6 public schools); George Young (Principal of PS 46 M); Larry Block (DSSI Cluster 06 Network Leader); and Qadir Dixon (Principal of the Renaissance Leadership Academy-M). The moderator was Dr. Joyce Coppin, President of the CCNY Education Alumni.
The results of the survey of the participants included comments, such as: Excellent; Well thought out; Intellectually stimulating; Very informative; One of the best seminars; Outstanding panelists; I feel better prepared for an interview; It made me more hopeful about my career as an educator; Now I know what to expect when I start looking for a teaching position. For more on the panel go to
For further information concerning the CCNY Education Alumni and/or the November 10th Principals' Panel, please contact Dr. Bruce M. Billig (bbillig@ccny.cuny.edu), First Vice President of the Education Alumni and Director of the CCNY School of Education's Office of Field Experiences.
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Developing the Whole Child
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Prof. Beverly Falk |
On November 17, 2011, student parents at CCNY participated (at two sessions - one during club hours and one at the end of the work day) in a presentation and discussion led by Professor Beverly Falk sponsored by the campus Child Development Center on "Supporting the Development of the Whole Child."
An over-riding theme of each of the conversations was the danger to children's optimal development presented by the recent excessive pressure to emphasize academics in early learning environments. Professor Falk reported on research from across the disciplines (neuro-science, biology, medicine, psychology, education, anthropology, etc.) that emphasize the importance of supporting the development of the WHOLE CHILD (physical, social, emotional, as well as cognitive aspects of growth) to ensure optimal learning. To read more of Professor Falk's suggestions for parents and teachers click here .
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Alumni Speak at Early Childhood Conference
On Friday, November 18, several graduates of the Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education presented a workshop organized and moderated by Professor Beverly Falk at the 92nd Street Y's Wonderplay Conference in New York City. Presenters included alumnus Mercedes Orozco, a pre-K teacher at P.S. 36, colleague at PS 36, Salinas Colon, a kindergarten CCT teacher, and alumns (both of whom were student teachers with Ms. Orozco), Emma Markarian, now a pre-k teacher at P.S. 63 in the Bronx and Rosita Espinal, a kindergarten teacher at the Bronx Community Charter School. The teachers shared their documentations of long-term project-based studies they have engaged in with their students - one on birds and the other on vertebrates and invertebrates - demonstrating how core knowledge and skills across the disciplines can be infused into active, play-based experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. Their presentation also emphasized how families can be used as resources and supports for children's learning. Through the presentation, the following aspects of learning acquired through active, play-based experiences were made evident:
- To make appropriate choices among many possibilities
- To use their imaginations, improvise, think flexibly, and explore new options
- To be aware of their own real interests
- To both pose and solve problems and think critically
- To evaluate evidence
- To listen to and express ideas
- To use multiple strategies for figuring things out
- To pay attention to a project until it's done
- To use something to represent something else
- To cooperate with others and be part of a community
- To work through their feelings
- To see themselves as competent and interesting people, with useful skills and good ideas
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Ed Theatre Club Holds Fund Raising Cabaret
On November 5th, The Educational Theatre Club sponsored "Dear Diary" a cabaret performance devised and performed by candidates in the program. The cabaret performance raised money to support other Educational Theatre Club events.
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Websites of Interest
 
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The National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University breaks down the different risk factors faced by children in each state. Go to the site and find out the per cent of children with different risk factors in New York State. http://www.nccp.org/tools/risk/
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http://thirteencelebration.org/ Consider attending the Celebration of Teaching & Learning Conference in NYC in March sponsored by WNET, WLIW, WNJN and other education groups in our area. Early bird registrations are due by December 16th. Look over the program and if you are interested in attending, see if your principal will reimburse you for attending and release you for one of the two days.
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http://www.ed.gov/teaching This is the United States Department of Education (USDOE) site. It is a wonderful portal with all kinds of links to information and resources for teachers. Indispensible and should be bookmarked in your browser for regular use. Look also at www.ed.gov for a wide array of information on education.
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http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/ Kathy Schrock, from Orleans, Mass., was one of the earliest educators to create a gigantic educational portal which she continues to add to and refine. So good, it was taken over by Discovery Education. Set aside a some time to review this guide so that you will be adept at finding and using the countless resources that make up the site. Resources are also there for administrators, parents and students.
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Last issue we suggested that you check out www.youtube.com to learn about its many useful 'teaching' videos. Take for example techniques for searching on Google. Go to www.youtube.com and type in the search box "using google search". There are 523 videos on how to search with Google. Here's one of the ones the search turned up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk6vZiGiaiQ. Just an example of the resources to expand our use of the Web.
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Articles of Interest
(This section provides links to some ideas, issues and practices in current educational publications. Keeping in mind how busy our readers are, nearly all of the articles are generally no more than one to three pages long. (Hint: Using your mouse, put the cursor on any letter of the web address while holding down the Control key. Then left click your mouse to go directly to the site. This saves the steps involved in copying and pasting to your browser).
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What do students think makes a great teacher? From the College Board this report describes "the top 10 pieces of advice to teachers that emerged when a group of teens sat down to share their best learning experiences". "The student writers recommend that teachers "be pushy" when students aren't willing to push themselves the extra mile; make lessons relevant to students' lives (for instance, using high school cliques to illustrate the concept of social hierarchies in feudal Europe); be relatable, but don't act your students' age or use their slang; teach with words, sights, and sounds; be consistent and firm -- being a pushover does students a disservice in the long run; don't give up on students -- undertake the extra work that goes with believing everyone can learn what you're teaching; be patient, and explain things in many different ways, so that everyone gets it; use student time well, and don't allow yourself to be sidelined by distractions; write out objectives and grading policy to ensure students have a clear idea of what they will be learning and what's expected of them; and be a good example in terms of lifestyle habits". (Public Education Network Weekly Newsblast 11/18/11. Click here to Read more
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What has twenty years of reform achieved in Chicago? A Chicago Tribune story notes that "Twenty years of reform efforts and programs targeting low-income families in Chicago Public Schools has only widened the performance gap between white and African-American students, a troubling trend at odds with what has occurred nationally. Across the city, and spanning three eras of CPS leadership, black elementary school students have lost ground to their white, Latino and Asian classmates in testing proficiency in math and reading, according to a recent analysis by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. Even for schools so often weighed down by violence, poverty and dysfunction in their neighborhoods, news of this growing deficit was surprising to researchers considering the strides African-American students had made nationally over the same period. Click here to Read the article in the Chicago Tribune.
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Try out a few of the Khan Academy videos on your students. Take a look at Salman Kahn's explanation of the Khan Academy. It recently obtained $5 million more to carry out its work of producing video "explanations" for elements of the curriculum (Click here). After listening to the explanation go to the Khan Academy itself and ask your students to try out a video on a topic they are learning either during class and/or at home. See the various videos at www.khanacademy.org . Then drop a note to normanccny@aol.com and let us know what your students think of the videos.
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Fund for Teachers: Summer Learning Grants (reported in Public Education Network Weekly Newsblast 11/10/11) The Fund for Teachers provides funds for direct grants to teachers to support summer learning opportunities of their own design. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: teachers who work with students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12, with a minimum of three years teaching experience, full-time, spending at least 50 percent of the time in the classroom at the time grants are approved and made. Deadline: varies by state. http://www.fundforteachers.org/about-us.php
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Teachers are overpaid and their credentials are a joke. Is this a joke? Not, according to a new policy paper from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that espouses free-market principles. As reported in e-School News, teachers aren't underpaid- they are actually overpaid- and by at least 50 percent of their fair-market value. This, in turn, costs American taxpayers more than $120 billion each year in excessive labor costs". (Note: To read beyond the first page you will need to create a user name and password). Click here to Read more
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In the Best Wishes for a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season
Doris Cintron and the CONNECTED Committee: Bruce Billig, Doris Grasserbauer, Leonard Lewis, Stacia Pusey, Gareth Williams, Lisa Yu and Norman Shapiro, editor
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Send your comments on CONNECTED to connected@ccny.cuny.edu
Calendar of Events at City College
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