Professional Profile

I have enjoyed teaching the following courses at Mount Union:  Curriculum Design; Secondary, Introduction to Adolescent Education, Social Studies in the Elementary School, Assessment, Instructional Design and Evaluation in Adolescent Education, Advanced Techniques of Instructional Management, Methods in Adolescent Education, Conceptual Issues Related to Teaching Adolescents , Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Developmentally Practice for Multiage Areas, and Teaching Social Studies to Adolescents.

I am interested in creating a new leadership practice for the school house that blends a moral dimension centered around purpose, values and beliefs, (Thomas Sergiovanni), with the best of Michael Fullan, Martin Haberman, Phillip Schlechty, Roland Barth and Andy Hargreaves.  This is coupled with an investigation of the role teachers play in the formal and informal leadership structure of the school.

I bring a strong interest in and a positive practical experience with, the revision of curriculum to include methods of authentic instruction, as well as, age and content appropriate application of technology.  A large portion of my interest in this area concerns the implementation and evaluation of alternate forms of student assessment.

An ongoing research of mine is in the area of alternative forms of teacher supervision, teaching portfolios, teacher induction and the impact of standards on supervision and leadership.

I continue to investigate ways to improve instruction for children and youth in poverty from diverse cultural backgrounds.

My two methods courses now contain a significant component on brain-based teaching strategies.

I am now teaching the social studies methods for secondary education course and have incorporated a significant component dealing with teaching Advanced Placement social studies courses.  Specifically my students are learning how to teach the “data-based question”, free response question”, using arts in the study of history and using primary sources to teach history.

Students in my CE 332 classees have been researching the operationalization of the National Association for the Education of Young children(NAEYC) Standards in the three European models of education:  Montessori, Waldorf (Rudolph Steiner) and Reggio Emelia.  Physical Education majors taking this course have the added dimension of researching the role that eurhythmics/developmental movement play in the three models based on the work of noted physical educator, Muska Mosston.

I have recently presented workshops at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the National Staff Development Council on integrated models of teacher recruitment, interviewing, hiring, induction and supervision.  The work of Dr. James Stronge at William and Mary College has been very inspirational on these topics.

In May of 2007, I received specialized training in “value-added” assessment offered by the Ohio Department of Education .

On August 2, 2007, I successfully completed the Haberman Star Teacher Selection Interview Training at the Guilford County, North Carolina School District.

In June of 2008, I completed a week-long Advanced Placement Summer Institute presented  by the College Board and the Center for Professional Development at Texas Lutheran University. In July of 2009, I attended a week long Advance Placement Summer Institute presented by the American Center for History Education and the College Board at Rowan University.  In August of 2009 I attended the History Alive-Secondary workshop presented by the Teacher’s Curriculum Institute held in the Salem City School District.