Annual Report 2009-2010 - Graduate School of Education and ...

Pat Lucas Center for Teacher Preparation EstablishedTo honor the memory of Mrs. Pat Lucas, former director of student teaching at GSEP for more than 20 years, and with thegenerous support of her husband, Dr. Bill Lucas, GSEP established the Pat Lucas Center for Teacher Preparation in 2009.Through an eventual $1 million endowment, provided through a combination of gifts and Bill’s estate commitment, the centerwill receive annual funding to unify and enrich the resources for the development of future educators through a variety ofprograms that bear Pat’s unique signature.The center is open to students and alumni, and supports stipends for student teachers who are unable to work while pursuingtheir credential due to the full-time training schedule; stipends for field supervisors who oversee and evaluate the studentteachers; professional development resources for students and their master teachers such as workshops on current topics inteaching and potential certificate and credit programs; teaching artifacts and classroom tools to enhance the student teacherexperience; regular renewal of technology hardware and software, including resources for second language learners, artsand media supplies, and special education needs; periodicals, teaching guides, lesson plan materials, and multimedia; andresources for the Teacher Portfolio required of each student as they prepare to file for state credentialing.GSEP dedicated the center on October 22 at the West Los Angeles Graduate Campus. A portrait of Pat, painted specifically forthe occasion was unveiled; and Dr. Hasty Arnold (’61, EdD ’85), alumnus of both George Pepperdine College and GSEP, formerprincipal of Santa Monica Elementary School, and founder of Arnold Educational Consulting, shared his memories of workingwith Pat. In the evening, GSEP held its annual Celebration of Excellence at the nearby Ayres Hotel in Manhattan Beach. Prior tothe dinner was a reception at which Dr. J. L. Fortson, director of student teaching and the new director of the Pat Lucas Centerfor Teacher Preparation, along with other faculty members, spoke about Pat’s love of education and the students she served.The center represents a distinctive initiative for teacher education and is a fitting tribute to a dedicated leader and dear friend.Professional DevelopmentNew Summer Institutes Provide Opportunity to Grow ExpertiseGSEP held its inaugural Summer Institutes at the Malibu campus from July 26 through 30, 2010. The program was designedfor pre-K-12 teachers and administrators interested in serving and leading in their home institutions by integrating cutting-edgeresearch, technology, and approaches developed and tested by internationally renowned educators. In addition, the forumprovided a venue for networking with some of the most forward-thinking practitioners in the arena of education. Participantsreceived invaluable instruction in a contemporary topic, allowing them to expand their expertise while at the same time join ahigh-caliber learning community focused on knowledge sharing and progression in education. Featured seminars included:Open Hearts, Open Minds: Serving Students with Special Needs in Private and Parochial SchoolsThis seminar was designed for educational leaders in private and parochial K-12 schools. Participants developed individualizedaction plans for their school on topics including special education law, educational evaluations, personal leadership, programdevelopment, student motivation, speech and language, ADHD, and student study teams. Speakers included Richard Lavoie,an administrator of residential programs for children with special needs for 30 years. He holds three degrees in specialeducation and two honorary doctorates in education, and received the 2009 Learning Disabilities Associations of America’sSamuel Kirk Award.Teacher Creativity, Technology Integration, and Digital Media Authoring for Mathematics Learning:Toward a New Paradigm in Teacher Professional DevelopmentThis seminar capitalized on the broad social development of user-generatedcontent (YouTube), and discussed new tools that allow teachers to createdigital video and animated explanations that link flexibly to student needsand to instructor strengths. Presenters shared examples of work thatother teachers have created with this approach, and demonstratedthe use of tablet computers and imaging and screen videosoftware, while addressing the underlying theory of personalizedlearning communities in mathematics.p [ 21 ]