University of Wyoming College of Education Spring 2018

Coaching Laboratory Supports New and
Seasoned Educators in Wyoming
The unpredictable nature of a classroom can
present instances that would challenge even the
most experienced educators. So, it is important
for novice educators who are just starting their
career to have a mentorship and coaching
network to support them as they continue
to grow as professional educators. Seasoned educators benefit
by sharing their advice with inexperience professionals and
improving their own methods through exposure to the novel
techniques used by the novice educators. Proposal 2017-11:
Wyoming Coaching Laboratory (WYCOLA) aims to build
this network.
The WYCOLA intensive professional development
experience will start with a two-week summer institute.
During the institute experienced, novice and pre-service
educators will have the chance to observe and coach an
Message from TEI Executive Director
Rebecca Watts, UW Trustees Education Initiative Executive Director
After its creation by the University of Wyoming Board of
Trustees in November 2014, TEI gained significant initial
funding support in the form of a five-year grant from the
Denver-based Daniels Fund. In addition, TEI has garnered
gifts from private donors to support the fulfillment of its
vision and mission.
Fueled by these resources, in early 2017
TEI hosted a series of ten town hall Meetings
throughout Wyoming to gain feedback from
stakeholders, including Wyoming school
leaders, parents, community representatives
and state elected officials. These insights have
informed the development of innovations
in educator preparation to ensure they align
with the needs of Wyoming schools and most
importantly, the needs of Wyoming students.
After gathering and analyzing this feedback, TEI launched
its innovation design stage, working with University of
Wyoming faculty members and key statewide stakeholders
to design innovative models for the initial preparation and
ongoing professional growth of Wyoming educators. TEI
innovation design was informed by consultations with national
experts and visits to innovative educator preparation programs.
The design process yielded 12 proposals which were
To stay current on
TEI progress, we invite you
to bookmark the “Progress
and Milestones” page of TEI’s
website: uwyo.edu/
trust_edu_init/news.html
instructor during a mathematics lesson during
a summer school session.
This intensive coaching institute will
benefit educators in Wyoming by providing
an avenue for new and pre-service teachers
to further develop their practice through
interaction with experienced in-service
teachers. After two years in the program,
mentor teachers would have the opportunity to become
affiliate coaches. WYCOLA would supplement salary support
for these educators in order to give the coaches release time to
provide continuing support and training to mentor teachers,
pre-service teachers, and early career teachers in their local
school districts.
The first WYCOLA Summer Institute will be held in the
summer of 2018. This experience will be offered in varying
locations throughout the state, rotating each year, with the
first session being offered in Laramie, Wyo.
reviewed by: 1) a group of national experts, 2) a TEI
Stakeholder Feedback Group of more than 80 Wyomingites,
3) the TEI Coordinating Council and 4) the TEI Governing
Board. Six proposals successfully progressed through the review
process and were recommended to the University of Wyoming
Board of Trustees for final determination.
Each of the six proposals moving forward to
the Board of Trustees gained approval for pilot
implementation supported by TEI’s private
funding sources.
The work to design and refine innovative
models that address Wyoming’s unique needs
has been an arduous task that has tapped the
imagination, expertise and energy of more than
100 individuals. TEI is grateful to each person
who has engaged in this thoughtful, challenging process.
In 2018 TEI is moving its focus to the implementation
and outcomes measurement of the six approved innovations.
Our gratitude to all our partners in this work deepens as we
carry out the plans developed in the design phase. Supported
through our private funding sources, execution of the TEI
innovation designs will leverage the time, talents and expertise
of UW faculty members, Wyoming educators, state leaders
and national experts.
Writing Fellows Increase
Academic Publications
Written by: Alli Barker
The University of Wyoming’s College of Education Academic
Writing Fellows Initiative was created with intention to
foster an environment that promotes academic writing and
to encourage faculty to write for high-quality publications.
The program was conceptualized by Interim Writing Center
Director Rick Fisher and Endowed Chairs of Literacy
Education Cynthia Brock and Victoria Gillis, during the
spring of 2017. The program was run by Brock and Wyoming
Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Literacy
Education, Leigh Hall, during the 2017-18 academic year.
“Even though writing often feels like solitary and isolating
work, the notion of writing fellows seemed like a good way
to recognize the value of a social community to help support
and advance writing,” says Fisher.
The Academic Writing Fellows Program focuses on the
promotion of academic writing and furthers collegiality
within the College of Education. The goal of the initiative is
to provide support to fellows who wish to establish a regular
habit of producing high-quality academic writing.
“Academic writing is one of the cornerstones of our work as
professors,” says Brock. “Developing a culture of high-quality
academic writing is of crucial importance for any college or
university.”
To promote high-quality academic writing, nine fellowship
members, both doctoral students and College of Education
faculty, receive mentorship from expert writers across the
country. The mentorship allows participants to improve
research work and the presentation of writing.
Along with mentorship from writing experts throughout
the nation, fellowship members meet with their colleagues to
develop a plan for writing journal articles that are submitted
to a top-tier scholarly journals. Writing fellows meet weekly in
small writing groups to support one another in their writing
by debriefing works-in-progress or providing guidance when
needed.
“Through participation in the program I have redefined
who I am as a scholarly writer,” School of Teacher Education
Associate Professor Alan Buss says. “Interactions with
phenomenal colleagues have fueled this change, as I’ve
seen how they wrestle with and overcome the same issues
I privately thought were my own, unique hang-ups.”
Pictured left to right: Gabe Swarts, assistant professor; Karen Cloud,
assistant lecturer; Dana Robertson, LRCC executive director and assistant
professor; Ana Houseal, associate professor; Kate Muir Welsh, associate
professor; Tao Han, associate professor; Toby Holmes, assistant professor;
and Alan Buss, associate professor. PHOTO COURTESY OF CYNTHIA BROCK
Another fellow, Executive Director of the Literacy
Research Center and Clinic Dana Robertson, shares the many
successes he has had within the program, “With the support
of this process over the last year, I have secured one top-tier
publication, a second under review and two more in progress
towards submission.”
At the end of the spring 2018 semester, the fellows have
experienced many successes thus far, including: two books
accepted or published, five book chapters accepted or
published, 12 grants submitted or funded, 17 Q1 journal
manuscripts submitted, published or under review and eight
practitioner articles submitted, published or under review.
The Academic Writing Fellows will continue their
program for another year further developing a college ethos
that promotes high-quality academic writing and publishing.
“The opportunity to collaborate with committed faculty
and a supportive dean was a really exciting part of this
project,” Fisher states. “I hope that it is possible to make this
opportunity a sustainable experience for others in the College
of Ed.”
The Academic Writing Fellows Initiative serves to promote
and increase in high-quality academic writing. The fellows
are determined, as Brock explains, “to continue to grow
and expand the culture of producing high-quality academic
writing in the College of Education.”
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