Teaching

My teaching and mentoring is shaped by my research targeting systems-level change through professional development (See Research Section). My ultimate goal is to develop teacher leaders who can shape educational and community systems through teaching, advocacy and innovation. I strive to create learning environments in which critical academic content intersects and scaffolds with contextual experiences, prior knowledge, mindsets and beliefs about students with disabilities, families, schools and professional roles. Please see my full teaching self-appraisal for further reflections on my teaching and mentoring. In addition, see the range of letters from PSU masters students and KU students involved in the teacher education programs as well as former doctoral students, some of whom have gone on to faculty positions (below). These letters illustrate my capabilities in mentoring students and promoting high expectations.

Courses Taught at PSU

Term Course Title Credits Enrollment

Fall 2018 Sped 530: Families and Advocacy 3 20

Sped 523: Comp Indiv Assmnt & Curr II 3 19

Winter 2019 Sped 597: Topic: Sed Iss & Practice 3 21

Spring 2019 Sped 506: Proj: Applied Research 3 21

My teaching experiences (undergraduate, masters and doctoral) extend over 20 years, when I first taught undergraduate classes as a doctoral student. I have been awarded multiple personnel preparation grants through the U.S. DOE for both low incidence disabilities licensure and transition masters degree programs. While at KU, I fully developed the online transition masters program which has trained hundreds of students from across the country.

PSU Syllabi and Assignments

  1. SPED 530: Families and Advocacy - Syllabus , Curricular Map & Major Assignment: (1) Family Conversation Requirements, (2) Family consent form, (3) Family systems framework, (4) Mid-Term Course Feedback Results
  2. SPED 523: CIAC-II - Syllabus & Running Project - Syllabus, Course Schedule, Final Assignment: (1) Unit Co-planning form & (2) Program at a Glance.
  3. SPED 597: Issues and Practice in Special Education - Syllabus, Curricular Map, Reference list Assignment, Final Paper evaluation.

Advising and Mentoring

PSU Masters Research Projects - I worked closely with 2 small groups during the SPED 597 and 506 classes, advising and supporting students to complete their literature review in SPED 597 and the applied research project in SPED 506. For the first class, Sam Sennott and I co-taught the students and met weekly with the whole class, presenting information about the critical stages of the literature review (identifying topic, searching library databases, developing a writing outline, and completing a paper in APA). We shared presentations, online and paper resources, rubrics and multiple examples of each phase of the process. In SPED 506, I meet weekly with my 2 small groups, in a more individualized approach, sharing specific research methods, supporting their IRB application, assisting with the recruitment of participants, problem solving data collection, and outlining and editing their methods, results and discussion sections for their papers. We also held a student project presentation. I have included the final papers and presentations for my two groups:

    1. Megan Coia, Christine Doria, Shawnie Emmons, and Cassandra Grigori (June, 2019). Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Voice and Perspectives of College and Career Readiness (LINK to Paper) (LINK to Presentation)
    2. Ryan Bakes, Raina Blumenthal, Kaitlin MacIsaac, and Kimberly McFadden (June, 2019). School Placement and Academic Achievement for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: A Literature Review. (LINK to Paper) (LINK to Presentation)

Course Evaluations

PSU Course Evaluations (2018-2019)

SPED 530: Families and Advocacy

SPED 523 CIAC-II

SPED 597 Topics and Practices

SPED 506 Applied Research Project


KU Course Evaluations

2017-2018

SPED 842: Advanced Methods: Access and Inclusion in Core Academics for Students with Low Incidence Disabilities

SPED 875: Advanced Practicum: Inclusive Practices for Students with Low Incidence Disabilities


2016-2017

SPED 842: Advanced Methods: Access and Inclusion in Core Academics for Students with Low Incidence Disabilities

SPED 930: Doctoral Praxis Seminar: Scholarship and Writing (co-taught with Elizabeth Kozleski)


2015-2016

SPED 858: Transition Assessment Methods (online)

SPED 842: Advanced Methods: Access and Inclusion in Core Academics for Students with Low Incidence Disabilities

SPED 998: Doctoral Seminar: College and Career Readiness

Formative Assessment for SPED 842 (first time teaching in the revised program, and collected mid-semester content)

Candidate Reflection on Course Evaluations - I take student evaluation seriously, and am always appreciative of student constructive feedback. I was very disappointed that my evaluations from PSU but know I can learn from this feedback. I can say that I was more overwhelmed by the PSU technology than anticipated, as well as the shortened teaching framework (10 week terms vs. 15 week semesters). I believe this lead to miscalculations regarding the number of assignments possible and during my Fall classes, at mid-term, I considerably readjusted the requirements in the class. This did cause confusion among the students. As is reflected in my evaluations from the University of Kansas, I may not be the most organized instructor, but try extremely hard to keep on top of the class. I think these evaluations and letters of support from both PSU and KU teacher licensure students represent my true capabilities. I am very aware of the miscommunication I seem to have had with PSU students, and this may be attributed to my direct communication style. I also think that culturally, the Pacific Northwest has a unique communication pattern that will take some time in which to adjust. I've learned some hard lessons this year and as my KU teaching track record indicates, I am confident I will continue to grow in order to support effective learning at PSU.

Letters from PSU Students

Letters from Former Teacher Licensure Students

Letters from Doctoral Students

Peer Review of Teaching, Mentoring, and Curricular Activities

While I did not complete formal peer evaluations since arriving at PSU, I believe the letters from Dr. Sam Sennott Dr. Jennifer Kurth and Dr. Monica Simonsen represent reflections of my teaching and mentorship.

Teaching Honors and Awards

  1. 2016: Gene A. Budig Teaching Professorship in Special Education, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
  2. 2012: School of Education Outstanding Teaching Award, University of Kansas Lawrence, KS.
  3. 2009: University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) Distance Learning Community of Practice Award
  4. 2009: Program of Excellence Award and the Outstanding Program Award for Credit Programs: Transition Online Short Courses. National Association of Continuing Higher Education