Get Involved

 

We need more male teachers in K-5 classrooms

 

More than 60 percent of all marriages end in divorce. On any day, a quarter of America’s children are living in single parent homes, usually with a female head-of-household. Over two million cases of battered women are reported each year, as are another two million cases of child abuse.

 

This means that millions of young children are attending schools that are in fact a sanctuary -- a respite from a troubled home. Millions more come from homes where they are loved and nurtured by a single parent trying to play the roles of both mother and father.

 

Now, more than ever, it is critical that young children have both male and female role models in the classroom. For children who live in homes with no male role models, the quasi-father role played by responsible male teachers is a significant window into male behavior. For children from nurturing two-parent households, early experiences with teachers of both genders are an important part of role definition and early awareness of the similarities and differences between adult men and women.

 

No matter where you look, however, it’s hard to find many male elementary school teachers. There is a history of cultural forces behind this. more

 

Many science teachers don't understand nature of science, study finds

 

Many middle and high school science teachers lack understanding of evolutionary theory and the nature of science itself, according to research by Mark Bloom, instructor of biology and Dr. Molly Weinburgh, associate professor of education at TCU.

 

This hinders the teachers’ ability to decide what is proper for a science curriculum and what is not.

 

“While students may wish to have controversial topics such as stem cell research, cloning, sex education and evolution taught in their classrooms, many teachers lack the confidence needed to address them. This lack of confidence could be attributed to a deficiency in their understanding of the philosophical nature of science,” says Mark Bloom.

 

Designed to help instructors develop their content knowledge in science as well as their educational skills, the study included 23 middle and high school teachers recruited from “high-need institutions.” more

 

College of Education hosted Math Day for Stripling Middle School

 

TCU’s College of Education, through the Andrews Institute for Mathematics, Sciences & Technology Education, hosted 23 seventh-grade students from Stripling Middle School for a Math Day on Feb. 13. The Math Day activity came about as a unique opportunity when the principal discovered that some of the students needed math coaching for the upcoming TAKS tests. The activity would help enrich the students’ measuring abilities in mathematics.

 

TCU has worked with Stripling Middle School for the past two years through TCU’s Math Methods class. Through the class, TCU students have modeled a classroom and conducted observations on the Stripling campus. This relationship led to Stripling’s request for math education support from TCU.

 

TCU students came up with the lesson plans on measurement and conducted the sessions under the guidance of education professors Cynthia Williams and Molly Weinburgh. The six groups of four or five middle school students, along with a teacher from Stripling, rotated through 40-minute sessions in various Education Complex classrooms. The students were also treated to lunch before returning to their campus.more

 

 

Andrews Institute and FWISD hosts second-annual Math and Science Trail

 

TCU hosted 240 fourth grade students on campus (120 each day) for the second annual TCU and Fort Worth ISD Math and Science. Sponsored by TCU's Andrews Institute of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education and Chesapeake Energy, the Trail engaged students in exploratory learning at a series of ten stations around campus.

 

“We were able to expand the program this year from one to two days due to the generosity of Chesapeake Energy,” said Molly Weinburgh, education professor and director of the Andrews Institute of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education at TCU. “This support greatly impacted more students and we were excited to be doing the event again.”

 

“This was a win-win for us all,” Weinburgh continued. “TCU education students had the opportunity to interact with students they could be teaching and learn first-hand more about their chosen career. FWISD teachers had in-service training on campus and they were given a CD-ROM of all the math science trail materials so they can do the activities on their own campus. Children from FWISD were able to visit a college, and they had fun and interesting math and science activities and interacted in a real world environment.”

 

Developed, organized and conducted by TCU education students and faculty, the Math and Science Trail was aligned with the state's Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) test. Stations integrated geometric patterns, symmetry, plant systems, properties of water, life cycles and other math and science applications discovered on the Trail. more

 

 

Teacher shortage feeds demand for education graduates

 

As the demand for secondary math, science and bilingual elementary school teachers continues to grow, TCU education graduates are apparently hot commodities.

 

TCU students get picked up right away by area school districts, said Molly H. Weinburgh, director of the Andrews Institute of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education for the College of Education.

 

"There are principals around the Metroplex who say they would take a less-than-stellar TCU graduate over a stellar someone else," Weinburgh said.

 

Finding certified teachers in those areas is something that continues to be a struggle not just in Fort Worth, but all over, Weinburgh said.

 

However, Weinburgh said she feels TCU students are well prepared not only in their content knowledge but also in how they are taught to teach it.

 

Terry Buckner, director of recruiting initiatives for the Fort Worth Independent School District, said TCU does well at sending students to schools in the district to get firsthand experience, such as tutoring, student teaching and even substituting. more

 

Drawing Inside The Box

 

When working with very young children, it is beneficial for teachers to think “outside the box” in order to preserve and enhance a child’s natural curiosity.

 

In an effort to teach young children to control the movements of their drawing tools, they are often presented with coloring book–type pages and instructed to “stay inside the lines.” As an art teacher, it has been hard for Ranella Franklin, early childhood special education teacher at KinderFrogs School, to find any real value for coloring books, including the controlled movements’ goal.

 

Instead, she uses other activities, such as Drawing Inside the Box to achieve the same purpose, but in freer and more exploratory manner. The children actually color inside lids of boxes that have been attached to large paper, so the sides of the box lids provide a visual as well as a physical boundary that says, “stop.” more

 

Applying experience to the class

 

Dr. M. Francyne Huckaby has been an assistant professor of education at TCU since 2004, but before she arrived on campus she volunteered for the Peace Corps in Papua New Guinea on a two-year tenure. As a volunteer, Fran worked to establish primary schools in six villages in a remote area of Papua New Guinea highlands. From these experiences, she brings life to classes in the College of Education at TCU.

 

While living in Papua New Guinea, Fran learned to speak the country’s trade language, Melanesian Tok Pisin, and lived within a vibrant communal culture. Fran learned the daily activities of the Papua New Guineans by observing. Women showed her the techniques of weaving string bags (bilims) and fishing, and Fran followed along, mimicking their demonstrations. Through this method, she was exposed to the community and culture of the village people. Before schools were introduced to the country, Papua New Guinean children were taught much the same way. more

 

 

Support the College of Education: your gift makes a difference

The newly revitalized College of Education Annual Fund provides support and encourages our education students. Contributions provide alumni, friends, parents, faculty, and staff every opportunity to begin and continue their support of the College of Education. Every gift, regardless of size, makes a real difference in the lives of today’s students. Scholarships, faculty development and the advancement of technology are just a few ways Annual Fund gifts make an immediate impact on the College.

 

In addition to the College of Education Annual Fund, there are program and projects that alumni, friends, and parents may be interested in supporting:

• Alice S. Neeley Special Education Institute
• Center for Urban EducationInstitute for Mathematics, Science &Technology Education
• KinderFrogs School
• Starpoint School
• International Student Teaching & Education
• Endowed Scholarships and Professorships

To learn more or to give now, contact Michele Cole, College of Education Assistant Dean for Advancement, 817-257-5562 or m.cole@tcu.edu or visit www.advancement.tcu.edu.

 

 

Stay Connected

 

Keep in touch! Have you changed your mailing address? Have a new e-mail address? Let us know so we can stay connected with you. Visit www.alumni.tcu.edu and update your information.

Contact us – Have a question or want to give us feedback? Let us know by phone 817-257-7660, by fax 817-257-7466, or by e-mail j.bosillo@tcu.edu. Also, visit our Web site @ www.coe.tcu.edu.