VII. Collaboration. VII. COLLABORATION-- The preparing institution shall document that higher

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1 VII. Collaboration VII. COLLABORATION-- The preparing institution shall document that higher III. education ADMISSIONS faculty, public The preparing school personnel, institution and shall other document members that of the its procedure professional for admitting education applicants community into collaborate its professional to design, education deliver, programs and facilitate confirms effective that they programs have for the met preparation the course, credit of professional and grade educators point average and to or improve alternative the quality admissions of education requirements. in schools. (354.25)(354.41)(49.14(4)(ix) (354.23) (354.31) (49.14(4)(v) Liaison Among Arts and Sciences Departments and the Schools Liaison between the Education faculty and their Liberal Arts and Sciences counterparts is informally structured. Individual faculty provide liaison with their corresponding counterparts in the other Liberal Arts areas as needed. This cooperation is manifested in two ways: communication when program design and requirements are adjusted and mutual collaboration in grants and community service projects. When the lower success rates statewide on the PRAXIS II exams in Spanish were reflected in our test scores in , the Department Chair, Dr. Titone, met with the Chair of Classical and Modern Languages to review the material covered on the PRAXIS II and to study how Villanova s required courses in Spanish reflected PA Academic Standards and the PRAXIS II. During the subsequent two years, the Classical and Modern Languages Department took this information into consideration in revamping their courses and course requirements, which they did in Another area modified is Mathematics. Villanova freshmen need not declare a major until sophomore year, presenting a problem for Secondary Education majors in Mathematics who need to begin immediately on prerequisites for fulfilling courses required of our majors in that area. Dr. Durnin met with the Mathematics Department Chair and the University Registrar s office to develop a system of flagging incoming students who plan to become mathematics teachers. They are then registered for the Calculus I course their first semester, as required by the Education and Human Services Department. Other areas of collaboration involve shared core requirements, where certain Education courses, such as EDU 4290 Philosophy of Education, became accepted by the Philosophy Department as meeting the core requirement for an advanced philosophy course for Education majors. EDU 3263 Diversity and Inclusion satisfies one of the Core Requirements in diversity for Education majors. 1

2 Collaborations to Improve Area Schools Through this liaison process, some very important collaborations have been forged. For example, in 1999, Drs. Durnin and the former Chair of the Department wrote a proposal of which a part was to introduce technology through pre-service teachers to the area schools. The proposed program involved using undergraduates in a technology course to develop a lesson on technology and to demonstrate it to in-service teachers in their classrooms. The program was funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. This program is still being implemented as part of Dr. Thomas Rooney s evening course, EDU 3254 Principles and Techniques of Instruction. Dr. Durnin also works with Dr. Alain Phares of the Physics Department in offering a workshop for teachers on integrating mathematics and science in teaching. Currently the Department of Education and Human Services and the Mathematics Department of Villanova University are participating in the NSF program Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia (MSPGP) funded through LaSalle University. MSPGP is a consortium of colleges and universities that work with local school districts and diocesan and private schools to improve the instruction of mathematics and sciences. Villanova has hosted an MSPGP Conference and meeting at the Villanova Conference Center (Attachment A). Dr. Titone serves as the Principal Investigator for Villanova on the project. Part of Villanova s contribution to the Partnership is to prepare graduates with baccalaureates in the mathematics and sciences to teach through its Master s Plus Certification Program. Dr. Durnin is collaborating with the mathematics and sciences departments by developing technology and methods courses specifically for prospective teachers of mathematics and science. (Attachment B). In January 2005, Diana Campbell, lead recruiter for MSPGP, met with our Field Placement Coordinator, Christine Maurer, to discuss how MSPGP and Villanova could best work together and with area school districts. Ms. Maurer gave her access to our school district data base and suggested how she might best work with school districts. In response, Ms. Campbell invited Villanova to meet with the Philadelphia School District administration which led to our joining the Consortium to Improve Philadelphia Schools. In March 2005, DeAnna McAleer, a recruiter for the Math and Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia (MSPGP) asked Villanova to send undergraduates to participate in a panel discussion at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. We anticipate further participation in Also, under the auspices of MSPGP, Villanova mathematics and science student teachers participate in panel discussions at area high schools. This is part of a recruiting effort to enlist graduates from local high schools to attend colleges and universities in the Partnership for teacher certification in the mathematics and sciences. Dr. Durnin, in cooperation with Dr. Mark Doorley of the Philosophy Department, along with faculty in mathematics and physics, have met with teachers from 2

3 Philadelphia s J. Cooke Middle School to help improve the education of their students in mathematics and the sciences. Dr. Doorley teaches Service-Learning in Ethics, a course in which his students participate in or offer after school programs at the J. Cooke Middle School. In the spring of 2007, Dr. Titione will offer a section of EDU 4290 Philosophy of Education to sophomores in the Service Learning programs. Students will volunteer three hours per week at Cooke Middle School in Philadelphia, PA. In fall 2005, Dr. Titone and Ms. Maurer began a collaboration with Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia. They met with Assistant Principal Ms. Cooper, Coordinator of the Scholars Program, Ms. Beener, and Chair of the English Department, Ms. Sundeen, to discuss positive collaborations. On the second meeting, students in the Scholars Program brainstormed on collaborative ideas. The areas of need that emerged from this process were tutoring in mathematics, and counseling. The resulting collaboration became candidates in the Master s Plus Program doing weekly math tutoring, and Ms. Maurer, who is a certified School Counselor, holding individual and group counseling sessions weekly on site. Overbrook High School, opens their doors to field observations in return. Each spring semester, the Department hosts an open house for all undergraduate students to meet the faculty and staff and talk about professional opportunities in Education. Scholarship and Other Support Offered Area Teachers For a relatively small program (generally 70 majors, program completers per year in Education, in School Counseling), Villanova has maintained a consistently positive relationship with area public schools and has served as a beacon for parochial schools in the Philadelphia Diocese. The University values these relationships by offering a 20% discount on tuition to teachers and a 40% discount to parochial school teachers. Through the Financial Aid office, the University awards a $1,000 scholarship annually to graduating seniors from school districts that cooperate in teacher training. We offer cooperating teachers vouchers for three free graduate credits. We also invite cooperating personnel to Villanova for an annual appreciation dinner, which is attended by over 100 Villanova faculty and staff, candidates and their cooperating teachers and counselors each year. The Teacher Program Advisory Council (TEAC) The Teacher Program Advisory Council (TEAC) was formed in 1984 and has met annually or semi-annually to improve the teacher preparation program and to collaborate on issues of mutual interest. TEAC is composed of educators at all levels, public and private schools, from the tri-state area. Some changes made as a result of our collaboration follow. Implementing Recommendations of TEAC : 1. Teaching Reading Across the Curriculum Council suggested that reading problems be addressed more thoroughly in teacher training, including teaching reading across the curriculum. 3

4 Villanova Response: Dr. Schussler enhanced EDU 4245 Reading and Current Issues in Education which is required of all majors. It includes hours of field experience in a school, identifying, diagnosing, developing a plan, and working with a student on reading success. 2. Teaching Special Needs Students Council asked how Villanova prepares teachers to identify students with special needs and to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to meet those needs. Villanova Response: Drs. Fierros and Ramirez developed EDU 3263 Diversity and Inclusion, and EDU 8678 Multi-Culturalism, Gender and Inclusion in Schools (Graduate level) courses are required of all majors. Both include issues of diversity, gender and learning differences and meeting special needs. In fall 2005, Dr. Davis developed a new graduate course, CHR 8600 Special Education, for counselors and teachers. It was introduced in fall Classroom Management Council strongly recommended that classroom management be integrated into many Education courses. Villanova Response: all majors are required to take EDU 3251 Psychology of Learning and EDU 3254 Principles and Techniques of Instruction, or EDU 8618 Educational Psychology on the graduate level. These courses are taken usually the junior year and require field experiences that emphasize actual classroom teaching experience. Candidates also all are required to take EDU , a methods course, in their content area which is accompanied by 24 to 30 hours of field experience where course theory is implemented with practical classroom experience. Classroom management techniques are integrated into these courses. In addition, EDU 4292 Senior Seminar, is taken in conjunction with student teaching, and specific classroom management problems are addressed based on real student teaching situations. 4. Remuneration for Cooperating Teachers Council recommended course credit, since Act 48 requires continual teacher education. Villanova response: the Education faculty met with the Dean of the Graduate School and presented a proposal to offer compensation to cooperating teachers commensurate with that of other colleges. The awarding of three free graduate credits for cooperating teachers, a value of over $1,000, was approved and implemented beginning in fall Under Villanova s program, Cooperating Teachers in the undergraduate program serve two semesters, fall field observations and spring student teaching. Cooperating teachers in the Master s 4

5 Plus Certification are awarded $1,000 for their year-long mentorship of candidates including fall field experiences and spring student teaching. Other activities resulting from TEAC recommendations are being implemented, including Act 48 workshops for teachers, and field placements offering experiences in diversity. Dr. Titone introduced a mandatory workshop for Cooperating Teachers in January 2005, which, developed by Ms. Maurer, received excellent reviews from participants. Ms. Maurer s field placements for reflect a wide spectrum of schools ranging from the multi-cultural Upper Darby School District, to schools in lower socio-economic areas of Delaware County such as Interboro School District, and an Alternative School in Montgomery County. (Attachment C). Accessibility to schools via public transportation is limited in the suburbs and undergraduates, who may not bring cars to campus, or who may not be allowed by parents to have cars, are somewhat limited in where they can be placed. A full-time Field Placement Coordinator position was added in with one of the major goals being to place education candidates in field observations and student teaching assignments that reflect as diverse an experience as possible. Ms. Maurer, the coordinator, is working with Education faculty to formalize the placements, improve the tracking and teacher evaluation of field participants, and to reach out to a variety of districts for placements. Results in one year have been creditable, including field observations in the Master s Plus Program in Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, and moving the student teaching observations and placements from the suburban North Penn School District to Upper Darby and Springfield districts in Delaware County. The Department also works with recruiters from the Philadelphia School District to keep seniors informed about job opportunities. A recruiter is invited to present at the Senior Seminar (EDU 4292) each spring semester. Cooperating Teacher Preparation and Collaboration In Fall 2005, we introduced a workshop that brings cooperating teachers to campus for training in mentoring techniques and supervisory procedures (a complete packet of materials and a transcript of the first workshop participation is in Evidence Box #2-VI.H). The Field Placement Coordinator, Ms. Maurer, has developed an hour-long informational session for area school districts on the student teaching collaboration between colleges and schools. Teachers who are asked to volunteer to mentor a student teacher are hesitant to do so without knowing what the process entails. This presentation explains the nature of the process and the mentoring relationship and answers specific questions of inexperienced cooperating teachers. (Evidence Box #2-VI.H). 5

6 Other Professional Collaborations The Annual Case Study Contest This collaboration among TEAC members, area teachers and Villanova candidates is an annual event that has become a model activity adopted by at least three other colleges. Drs. Heitzmann and Rooney developed the concept 14 years ago, and have conducted the contest each year since. The Case Study Contest pits two mixed teams of undergraduates and graduate candidates in a contest to analyze and present solutions to realistic school scenarios. The case study problems may involve ethical decisions, classroom management or philosophical decisions. TEAC members and area volunteer teachers are involved with creating the material and serving as judges. Villanova alumni return to participate also. The contest, now in its 14 th year, serves as a thought-provoking reality show for students and a unifying activity for participants. Dr. Heitzmann has presented the Case Study Contest concept at major educational conferences, and as a result, at least three other colleges have adopted this annual activity into their education programs. The Student PSEA The Student PSEA sponsors four or five programs a year which involve collaboration with area educators. One program, for example, brought School District Human Resource directors and school administrators to campus to talk about the hiring process and to give mock interviews. Another program brought Villanova alumni to campus to talk with candidates about their experiences in the classroom. Members attend the annual PSEA-NEA conference and disseminate information upon their return. (Evidence Box #2-VII.D). Providing Support to Novice Teachers Again, because Villanova offers a small, closely-knit community of Education majors, communication is maintained on an as-needed basis with novice teachers. One such formal arrangement was initiated by Professor Heitzmann in the Social Studies area. Created by Dr. Heitzmann as an inter-generational forum, current and past social studies candidates and teachers join the Learning Community. Information of interest is relayed throughout the year regarding teaching ideas, forthcoming workshops and conferences, news of Villanova education events, helpful websites and research, and employment opportunities. In addition, each October during Homecoming, the Learning Community reunite in person to address current topics. Past forums have included topics such as changing state standards, athletic coaching and co-curricular moderating, school administration, and graduate study. 6

7 Attachments for VII. Collaboration Attachment Title A. Announcement of Villanova Conference B. Mathematics brochure C. List of Student Teacher Placements