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ASTL NEWS
Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
A Tribute to 1
s Spotlight on
the ASTL
Celebrating
Good News
More Exciting
News about our
Faculty
2
3
4
Recent Grants 5
Student Feature 6
Ph.D Students—
Information
Upcoming
Conferences
Graduates,
2010
6
6
7
George
Mason
University
Celebrating Good News—Featuring Dr. Joan Isenberg!
Dr. Joan Isenberg has retired from her long and productive career in the College of
Education and Human Development. She most recently served as Associate Dean for
Outreach and Professional Development and Professor of Education. Prior to being Associate
Dean, Dr. Isenberg was responsible for designing and developing the early childhood
licensure and post-licensure programs and the advanced master’s degree program
that is aligned with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She has received
two distinguished faculty awards for teaching excellence and was a finalist for the
Virginia State Council of Higher Education teaching excellence award. Through her
work on course and program development, she contributed greatly to the establishment
of ASTL. The ASTL program reflects many of Joan’s knowledge of and experiences with
programs in the college over time. Dr. Isenberg’s contributions are significant and exemplary
because they reflect her work across all areas of academy in scholarship—in her
numerous books and publications; in teaching—an exemplary teacher, mentor and advisor;
and service—at all level and across all areas. Dr. Isenberg will be greatly missed!
Joan has begun the Joan Packer Isenberg Endowed Scholarship. We welcome and encourage contributions in
any amount. Here is the website: httpswww.gmufoundation.org/fndtapps/contribute/donatecyber.cfm?=b.
Joan,
Issue 2
Spring/Fall
2010
Happy Retirement!

ASTL NEWS
Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning
Issue 2
Page 2
Dr. Rebecca Fox, one of our Directors of ASTL received Mason’s 2010 Teaching Excellence
Award on April 12, 2010. This award acknowledges the significant work she has devoted
to course planning and preparation, curriculum development, and innovative teaching, advising,
and mentoring.
Congratulations, Becky!
News about our ASTL Faculty
Dr. Gary Galluzzo has been selected to be the Director of the PhD in Education.
Gary is highly regarded by his students, his colleagues, and deans of the College of Education.
Dr. Gail Ritchie—a National Board Certified Teacher and ASTL instructor, is highlighted
in this Fairfax County Public Schools video on the role of instructional coaches in the school setting.
Check it out at:: http://www.fcps.edu/plt/ic/index..htm
Dr. Steve White—Dr. White is serving as Assistant Dean overseeing the Office of Accreditation
and Program Improvement in the College of Education and Human Development .
He will be leading the accreditation process of assessment and evaluation for the College.
Dr. Rebecca Fox, professor in the College of Education and Human Development, recently
received the Chevalier des Palmes Académiques from the French government. The award
was presented by the Ambassador of France to the United States Pierre Vimont. The Palmes
Académiques is a chivalric order founded by Napoleon to honor individuals who have made major
contributions to French national education and culture

Issue 2
Page 3
Dan Reilly, ASTL Class of 2008, has gone back
to overseas teaching. After spending years teaching
in such interesting settings as Rome, Buenos Aires,
The Marianas Islands and Puerto Rico, Dan is now
teaching 5th grade in Alaska, just north of the Arctic
Circle. Says Dan, “I love the international/overseas
gig. It’s like a traveling vacation while being busy and
productive, and I get to check out the world.”
If you are interested in doing the same thing, contact
Dan at: danielreilly@verizon.net.
Bonnie Embrey, ASTL graduate in 2005,
with a Math Concentration, now is teaching high
school and is also an adjunct professor at Lord Fairfax
Community College.
Alumni Advisory Council Members:
Pete Balas Leah Muccio
Beth Buchwalter Betsy Orndoff-Sayers
Zachary Cousins Nancy Poole
John Finneman Kelly Pratte
Carrie Gilbert Amy Sheppard
KJ “Kim” An Amy Simpson
Penny Mangus Rachel Sirene
Kathy Mililler Chris Summers
ASTL NEWS
Advanced Studies in Teaching
and Learning
Celebrating Good News about
former ASTL Students!
Anne Horak, middle school advanced
academic program specialist at Fairfax
Ridge, worked with others to develop
the Food for Thought curriculum unit, which
won the National Association for Gifted
Children Curriculum Awards competition.
Anne Horak also recently received
the National Association for Gifted Children’s
Curriculum Studies Award for the Food For
Thought 8th Grade English Problem Based
Learning (PBL) curriculum unit written by a
team of educators under her direction and with
her collaboration. The purpose of the competition
was to identify different curriculum units
for heterogeneous classrooms and gifted education
programs. This award is a national competition
that recognizes exemplary curriculum as
models of excellence that can be shared with
other educators across the country.
Laurie Sullivan is the first ASTL
graduate to earn her doctorate. We can
now call her:
Dr. Laurie Sullivan, Ph.D
Erin Zimmer and Julia
Schickel gained National Board
Certification this fall.

ASTL NEWS
Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning
News about more of our
ASTL Faculty
Issue 2
Page 4
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards released a book recently entitled Accomplished Teachers: Institutional Perspectives
that explores the need for our organization and higher education institutions to work together to strengthen the linkage between the
NBPTS standards and assessment process and teacher preparation, program accreditation, and state licensure. The authors of a chapter
in this book, include Dr. Joan Isenberg, Dr. Becky Fox, Dr. Steve White, Dr. Gary Galluzzo, all faculty from the ASTL program
Kristien Zenkov, has changed his position from the Literacy Coordinator to faculty in Secondary Education. He will still be teaching
some literacy courses, as well.
Betty Sturtevant, has become our new Literacy Coordinator. Betty was the coordinator a few years ago and is returning to that position.
Linda Rikard (PE) was honored at Winthrop University, her undergraduate alma mater, on May 15 as a Distinguished Alumni in Physical
Education. She has been on the faculty at Mason for 14 years as coordinator of the Health and Physical Education Undergraduate Program
and provides oversight for the Physical Education Concentration in the M.Ed. degree. This award is in recognition of her contributions
to the discipline and her life long commitment to health and physical education. As part of the honor, Dr. Rikard was inducted in the
Physical Education Hall of Fame located in West Health , Physical Education and Wellness Center on the Winthrop campus.
Donna Sterling (Science) and Wendy Frazier received a 2010 Programs That Work award from the Virginia Mathematics and Science
coalition for the New Science Teachers’ Support Network in May
Beverly Shaklee (Gifted and IB) and doctoral student Svetlana Filiatreau gave a presentation titled “Internationalization of Higher Education
and Post-Soviet Higher Education Reforms in Ukraine” at the Library of Congress Open World Program orientation for a group of
Ukrainian education scholars, administrators and practitioners in Washington, DC in April.
Beverly Shaklee also presented a session in July titled, “Building Peace Education Through International Education” at the Alliance for
International Education in Melbourne, Australia.
Renee Sandell, (Art), initiated, planned, and directed the National Art Education Association SummerVision DC 2010 conference titled,
“The Museum Experience: Exploring Form+Theme=Context (FTC)” held in July.
Bill Brozo published “The Adolescent Literacy Inventory, Grades 6-12” an assessment tool that provides middle and high school reading
specialists and teachers with a one-on-one assessment of adolescents’ academic literacy abilities.
Bill Brozo was also a keynote speaker in July in Boone NC at the Appalachian State Summer Institute on Linking the Literacies: Teaching
and Learning in a Digital Age. Bill’s speeches were titled, “Boys to Readers: Closing the Achievement Gap with Engaging Texts and Engaging
Practices” and “Motivating Students to Read in the Content Classroom: Five Evidence-Based Principles.”
A team of four CEHD faculty won the 10th annual PW Golf Classic held on August 13th at the Bristow Manor Golf Club. The team was
made up of: Dominique Banville, Linda Rikard, Gary Galluzzo, and Martin Ford. They had a one-stroke victory over 31 teams from
throughout the university community.

Issue 2
Page 5
ASTL NEWS
Advanced Studies in Teaching
and Learning
More Exciting News about
our Faculty and Students
Recently Awarded Grants:
Dr. Ana Taoboda, one of our literacy faculty, received an Institute of Education Science
grant in Reading and Writing to develop reading comprehension and motivation practices
in the domain of history. Ana is the Principal Investigator and the first literacy faculty to
receive an IES research grand since its inception. Also, joining Ana as co-investigators
were Dr. Betty Sturtevant and Dr. Julie Kidd.
If you are interested in
Dr. Gail Ritchie was awarded pursuing a grant your from PhD, the International Reading Association to purchase
materials for a reading come intervention to an program to be implemented next year at her
school.
Information Session:
Dr. Rebecca Fox and Beverly http://gse.gmu.edu/
Shaklee were awarded a grant by the Taiwanese Government
in collaboration with programs/phd/
the Center for International Education, the American Council on
the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTL), and the ASTL program. Through this grant,
GMU will be hosting 15 Taiwanese teachers of Chinese for six weeks during July and August
in a professional development program.
Drs. Betty Sturtevant, Steve White, Beverly Shaklee, Shanon Hardy, Rachel Grant, Kristien
Zenkov, Becky Fox, and Debra Sprague, submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department
of State titled, “Turkish-Armenian Summer Teaching Institute.”
Dr. Rebecca Fox and Dr. Wendy Frazier have been awarded a grant through the U.S. Department
of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This program provides opportunities
for Russian and U.S. Secondary school teachers to learn from one another,
compare best practices, and foster inter-cultural communication. Russian teachers spent
five weeks at Mason in October for professional development, and five U.S. teachers will
travel to Vladivostok to visit the Russian teachers in May, 2011.
Dr. Julie Kidd and former ASTL student and now Ph.D student Leah Muccio submitted a
proposal titled, “ Head Start Teachers’ Knowledge, Practices, and Supports for Including
Young Children with Disabilities” to the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S.
Dept. of Health and Human Services.

New Ph.D Students
If you are interested in
pursuing your Ph.D,
come to an
Information Session:
http://gse.gmu.edu/
programs/phd/
Do You Have News?
Please Contact us
with your news!
astl@gmu.edu
Keep up with your colleagues
and your program
news….
Join our new George Mason
University Advanced Studies
in Teaching and Learning
Alumni Facebook page at:
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ASTL NEWS
Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning
News to Share
Student Feature: Julia Schickel
We have a new Alumni Advisory Council currently
made up of 16 former ASTL students. The goals of this
council are to provide research-based professional development
to teachers, to keep up-to-date on what ASTL
grads are doing and identify ways they are making a difference
in their field, to get input from the grads and make
informed decisions about the ASTL program and needs for
change, and to discuss current school-based topics. We
meet twice a year. If you have an interest in possibly serving
on this council, please email astl@gmu.edu.
Upcoming Conferences:
1) VAECE:
January 27-29, 2011
SECA 2011 Conference
http://www.vaece.org/upcomingevents.html
2 ) Fairfax Teacher Research: May, 2011
Issue 2
Page 6
Julia is in her 6th year teaching K-6 visual art in Fairfax County. Prior to that she taught preKgrade
12 at a small school in Guatemala and some substitute positions in Ohio and NC. Julia says
that her GMU graduate courses in studio art and art education have impacted her teaching in
exciting ways from studio techniques to best practices in teaching. She recently was awarded her
National Board Certification as a teacher of excellence. In 2005, Julia received a grant from the
Northern VA Audubon Society to spend a week at Audubon’s Hogg Island in Maine during the
summer studying nature from scientific and artistic perspectives with author and illustrator
Lynne Cherry. With her school’s partnership with Kennedy Center’s Changing Education
Through the Arts (CETA) program, Julia has also taken courses for integrating classroom subjects
with the arts—tableau, poetry, movement, puppetry and drama. She feels that this method of
introducing visual art to students always produces exciting results.
When asked what media she enjoys for her personal work, Julia states, “I have to admit to drawing
as my first love with printmaking and bookmaking closely behind. I have made drawings for
my church’s bulletins and for a church Race for the Cure group.” This summer Julia decided to
learn to knit, sew and embroider and has made all of her Christmas gifts this year. Julia is quite
an awesome artisan!

New Alumni
Meghan Callahan—Early Childhood
Michelle Collier—Literacy
Ellen Cormier—Gifted
Tracy Cowden—Literacy
Laura Cuorato—Literacy
LeeAnn David—Literacy
Hannah Eldredge—Early Childhood
Michelle Fischette—Literacy
Katrina Friedrich—Early Childhood
Amy Glibert—Literacy
Morgan Greenawalt—Gifted
Amy Haak—Physical Education
Sarah Herlihy (Kepchar)—Literacy
Michael Hohenwarter-History
Barbara Holland—Literacy
Megan Huftalen (Kokinda)-Individualized
Alison Kampstra—Literacy
Jennifer Lang—Literacy
Allyson Lepley—Literacy
Susan Lubic—Early Childhood
Andrew McGrath—Physical Education
Sara McNanley—Literacy
Kathryn Misiura (Kalivoda)—Literacy
ASTL NEWS
Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning
Take a look at all of our
2010 ASTL Graduates!!!
Mary Moshos—Individualized/ Foreign Lang.
Luz Moore—Literacy
Ann Navarro—Literacy
Kristen Paphitis—Literacy
Susan Pence—Literacy
Suzanne Piech—Elementary Mathematics
Andrea Ricketts—Literacy
Cathryn Robbins (Benningfield)—Foreign
Language, Spanish
Angela Sayers—Literacy
Kathleen Shankle— Literacy
Lauren Shearer—Literacy
Denise Sudler—Ed. Leadership and PE
Erin Sweeney—Physical Education
Kelly Taylor—Literacy
Rebekah Wagner—Literacy
Elizabeth Weiner—Elementary Mathematics
OOPS!!!
We are so sorry we missed these 2009
Graduates:
Anne Zuidema—Literacy
David Welsh—Teacher Leadership
Wendy Wilt—Teacher Leadership
Issue 2
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