| Volume
4 Issue 2 Spring 2002 |
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| This Semester's Student Teachers |
| The
PDS partnership is proud to acknowledge the accomplishments of this semester's fifteen student teachers... |
The PDS partnership is proud to acknowledge the accomplishments of this semester's fifteen student teachers as well as the mentoring and leadership of the supportive cooperating teachers, instructional resource teachers, and teaching assistants with whom they work.
Currently student teaching at Lincoln Elementary School under the supervision of IRT Cookie Miller are Kris Chiles in a 2nd-3rd grade open classroom with Shannon Stetter, Sarah Lord in 5th grade with Julie Melton, and Anjelica Valadez in 3rd grade with Cyndi Pelto. Madeleine Para and Ryan Vernosh are completing their PreK-3 certification at New Morning Pre-school. Madeline is currently teaching 3-5 year olds with Cheryl Ryan, and Ryan Vernosh is teaching in the toddler room with Sylvia Davidson. Both student teachers are also supervised by Mary Klehr. At Thoreau Elementary School, IRT Nancy Booth is currently supervising Natalie Hill in a kindergarten classroom with Dana Fuhrman, Lindsay Tomarras in 1st grade with Heather Kalscheur, Joleen Nolan in 2nd grade with Barb Williams, and Jennifer Riedel in 5th grade with Amy Marty. Three student teachers are working with supervisor Mary Wright at Cherokee Middle School: Jason Johnson in 8th grade with Jane Behrens, David Larson in 6th grade with Deb Stamler, and Sarah Patschke in 7th grade with Bridget Alcala. Three students are also working toward their secondary certification under the guidance of PDS Coordinator Barbara Smith at Memorial High school. Jason Krings is teaching with Deb Gil and R. Casado. Nick Schaumberg is teaching with Stacy Hartsfield and Signe Carney, and Theo Lesczynski is teaching with Robin Staley and Robin Grimm. In addition to the student teachers placed in the five PDS sites, twenty-one students are fulfilling math/science/social studies and literacy practicum requirements by working closely with teachers at all of the professional development schools. Five of these students are at Lincoln, five are at Midvale Elementary School, six are at Thoreau, and five have been placed at Cherokee. |
| Courses and Professional Development Opportunities Available at Pds Sites |
| Literacy courses are again being taught at two of the Madison PDS sites. |
| "One of the huge benefits of having this course meet at Midvale," explains Hammerberg, "is that real teachers can present in our class." |
| In addition to courses for pre-service teachers, several conversational spanish classes are being offered at various professional development schools throughout Madison. |
Literacy courses are again being taught at two of the Madison PDS sites. C&I 368, a course for students obtaining early childhood-middle childhood certification, is being held at Midvale Elementary School and is instructed by Professor Dawnene Hammerberg. At Lincoln Elementary School, C&I 369, a course required for middle childhood-early adolescent certification, is being taught by Amy Sosnouski. Both Hammerberg and Sosnouski feel strongly that teaching the courses in the schools is an essential part of the students' and teachers' professional development. "One of the huge benefits of having this course meet at Midvale," explains Hammerberg, "is that real teachers can present in our class. Almost weekly a different guest teacher— somebody from Midvale— comes to visit." Sosnouski concurs, remarking that for her students, developing "dynamic collegiality" with the Lincoln staff is really powerful. "The interactions between staff and pre-service teachers offer important mentoring and modeling that are not normally a part of the methods courses." As a result of their on-site experiences, the students receive excellent examples of what "balanced literacy" means in practice.
In addition to courses for pre-service teachers, several conversational spanish classes are being offered at various professional development schools throughout Madison. Maria Avina is currently teaching a beginning spanish course at Thoreau Elementary School, Sara Huse is offering a class at Cherokee Middle School, Carolyn Michaelis is teaching beginning Spanish at Midvale, and Becky Garcia is continuing to provide spanish instruction to teachers at Memorial High School. "We're trying to meet the conversational needs of the staff," says Garcia whose students attend class after school on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Also being held at Memorial High School this semester is a student teaching supervisory course organized by Memorial Professional School Development Coordinator, Barbara Smith and taught by Pat Moran from Educational Academic Services (EAS) as well as PDS liason Professor Peter Hewson from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
| Memorial High School: Meeting Professional Development Challenges |
Throughout the spring semester, Memorial faculty and staff have organized a series of informative seminars taught by members of the Memorial community... |
| In January, Geoff Holt invited staff to visit the school's Planetarium and provided an introduction to the facility as well as a presentation on the universe. |
| Officer Cindy Thiessenhusen shared information on Memorial Student Culture and school psychologist, John Cocalis presented important information on teenage suicide. |
"Outwit, Outplay, Outlast: JMM Survivor Challenges!" reads the professional development brochure designed and compiled by the Memorial Staff Development Committee. Outlining the numerous professional development opportunities available to teachers and staff at Memorial this semester, the brochure reflects the enthusiasm with which Memorial High School has embraced its status as one of the newest members of the Madison Professional Development Schools Partnership. Throughout the spring semester, Memorial faculty and staff have organized a series of informative seminars taught by members of the Memorial community and reflective of their diverse interests and areas of expertise. The sessions are held either before or after school and attendance can be translated into DPI clock hours as well as PAC credits. In January, Geoff Holt invited staff to visit the school's Planetarium and provided an introduction to the facility as well as a presentation on the universe. In February, Ruth Martin led a session entitled "Inside the Teenage Brain" and shared new research on the relationship between teenage brain development, student behavior, and academic performance. Kevin Hodgson offered three introductory sessions on using Power Point to enhance classroom instruction. University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, Brad Brown, posed the question, "Are Teenagers Really Different?" and invited Memorial staff into a discussion about intergenerational differences. Additionally in February, Officer Cindy Thiessenhusen shared information on Memorial Student Culture and school psychologist, John Cocalis presented important information on teenage suicide. In March, teachers had the opportunity to learn more about the ins and outs of the gradebook program they currently use, discuss post-high school personal and professional options, and become more informed about Memorial's growing Hmong population from guidance counselor Ying Vang and a panel of Hmong parents. Librarians Kris Brown and Kate Bugher presented a session in March ("Plagiarism and Web Sites) as did Assistant Principal Ben Radloff who talked about the legal steps, procedures, and ramifications of truancy. Also leading seminars in March were Karen Ehlert, who provided teaching strategies for improving students' learning, comprehension, and appreciation of non-fiction literature, and art teacher, Geoff Herman, whose session "Drawing— Adobe Illustrator" explored how to use the drawing program and construct a variety of images. Finally, in May, school nurse, Marge Dvorak, and John Cocalis shared strategies for coping with stress, Officer Cindy Thiessenhusen provided information about student drug use and abuse, and Gordon Perkins introduced staff to Memorial's flight simulation program. |
| Jefferson Middle School Joins Pds Partnership |
Principal Paul Bishop is pleased to announce that Jefferson Middle School will be joining the Madison Professional Development Schools Partnership beginning in the Fall of 2002. Learning coordinators Nancy Sloan and Libby Hofsteen will serve as the PDS in-school coordinators. As with Memorial High School, Professor Peter Hewson will serve as the university liason. |
| Exploring Innovative Ways to Provide Second Language Instruction at Midvale |
| In its second year at Midvale, the Spanish student-teaching program offers student-teachers a unique opportunity to provide language instruction to a diverse population of students. |
| From the minute she begins, Nicole and her students communicate entirely in Spanish. |
| "...we are teaching more and more content, incorporating Science and Social Studies themes that are based on the K-2 standards. This is the only way to teach a second language." |
| Throughout the semester, each student teacher visits five or six classrooms every day, teaching 30 minute lessons in each of the rooms three times a week. |
| "Even though the program is voluntary," explains Denise Hanson, the on-site Spanish supervisor, "we have buy in from all of the teachers. We honor their individual classroom and follow their management system." |
| Not only has the Spanish student teaching program been beneficial to the student teachers, it has also has a positive effect on the mentor teachers in whose classrooms the Spanish lessons take place. "The adults now want to learn Spanish, too," shares Denise. |
| ...two 8-week conversational Spanish classes are currently being offered to the teachers at Midvale three days a week, before and after school. |
It's 10:23 am on a Thursday morning at Midvale Elementary School, and Spanish student-teacher Nicole Weston is carrying her language cart carefully down the stairs. Expertly she navigates the three connected felt panels, managing to avoid disaster as several students race past her, heading in the opposite direction.
Promptly at 10:25 she enters Room 101 where a group of 1st graders are sitting in a circle on a rug, eagerly awaiting her arrival. From the minute she begins, Nicole and her students communicate entirely in Spanish. Today, they begin by reviewing the days of the week and talking about their feelings. "Como estas?" Nicole asks. "Estoy bien," the students reply, shyly at first but then more confidently as they listen to each other's responses. Before her 30 minute lesson is over, Nicole and her students will sing several songs, work with the numerous hand-made manipulatives velcroed to her cart, play "Simon dice" (Simon says), and learn two new expressions: "Me gusta" (I like) and "Te gustas" (You like).
In its second year at Midvale, the Spanish student-teaching program offers students like Nicole a unique opportunity to provide language instruction to a diverse population of students. Placed in fourteen of Midvale's twenty-eight classrooms last spring, this semester's teachers, including Tiffany Trummer, Kelly Atkinson, and Jessica Froelich, now regularly teach similar lessons in all twenty-five of the school's English speaking classrooms. "Even though the program is voluntary," explains Denise Hanson, the on-site Spanish supervisor, "we have buy in from all of the teachers. We honor their individual classroom and follow their management system." Additionally, she adds, the student teachers attempt to reinforce whatever curriculum is currently being taught in each of the classrooms. "We are not teaching red, blue, green or 1, 2, 3. Instead we are teaching more and more content, incorporating Science and Social Studies themes that are based on the K-2 standards. This is the only way to teach a second language." Throughout the semester, each student teacher visits five or six classrooms every day, teaching 30 minute lessons in each of the rooms three times a week. Just down the hall from Nicole in Room 102, Kelly Atkinson and her Kindergarten students are pretending to put on their winter clothes. "Me pongo la gorra," they say in unison as they pretend to put on their hats. "Me pongo las botas." On go their boots. "Me pongo los pantalones de nieve," they say giggling as they pull on their imaginary snowpants.
With a TEACH grant from the State of Wisconsin, Denise and her student teachers are also using lessons like Kelly's to produce short, 8 minute instructional videos for classroom use. As these videos develop, they hope to make them accessible to a larger audience by publishing them on the internet. Not only has the Spanish student teaching program been beneficial to the student teachers, it has also has a positive effect on the mentor teachers in whose classrooms the Spanish lessons take place. "The adults now want to learn Spanish, too," shares Denise. To meet this demand, two 8-week conversational Spanish classes are currently being offered to the teachers at Midvale three days a week, before and after school. And, to provide the teachers with an "authentic" experience, they are being taught just like the students are taught, with carts and manipulatives in tow. For Denise, Nicole, Kelly, and all of the Spanish student teachers at Midvale this semester, their student teaching has been a powerful and empowering experience. |
| Community Tours |
| To highlight the relationship between community, culture, and schooling, as the pre-service teachers toured their students' neighborhoods, they were introduced to the various local clubs and organizations that provide additional Thoreau-Cherokee student support. |
| After the tour, the pre-service teachers participated in an arts-based workshop in which they used poetry and painting to extend and process their experiences. |
| For Smith, as well as for Booth and for Wright, the community tours provide an important opportunity for pre-services teachers to consider how the teaching and learning that occurs in their classrooms is informed and can be supported by the larger community context in which it takes place. |
On April 3rd, IRT Nancy Booth and university supervisor Mary Wright led the pre-service teachers in the Thoreau/Cherokee cohort on a community tour in which they explored the diverse neighborhoods served by these two schools. To highlight the relationship between community, culture, and schooling, as the pre-service teachers toured their students' neighborhoods, they were introduced to the various local clubs and organizations that provide additional Thoreau-Cherokee student support. Throughout the tour they were able to meet and speak with representatives from the Madison Boys and Girls Club, Centro Pastoral Guadalupano, the Allied Learning Center, Joining Forces for Families, and the Neighborhood Allied Police Office. After the tour, the pre-service teachers participated in an arts-based workshop in which they used poetry and painting to extend and process their experiences. Prefaced by a mini-lesson on abstract artist Paul Klee, the cohort was encouraged to consider how to combine its thoughts, feelings, and interpretations of the experience into the kinds of complex signs and symbols used by Klee in his work.
Through the writing as well as the painting, explains Wright, "the students were able to crystallize their thoughts, feelings, and impressions concerning the community." These representations cohort members then presented to each other in narrative form during one of their weekly seminars. Pre-service teachers at Memorial High School also had the opportunity to take a community tour led by Professional Development Schools Coordinator Barb Smith. According to Smith, many of the pre-service teachers were only familiar with the neighborhoods they drove or rode through every day on their way to teach. Therefore, as they visited the numerous socio-economically, racially, and culturally diverse communities in which Memorial students live, the pre-service teachers were amazed at the size of the attendance area. They were also struck by the actual and visible diversity of the various neighborhoods. For Smith, as well as for Booth and for Wright, the community tours provide an important opportunity for pre-services teachers to consider how the teaching and learning that occurs in their classrooms is informed and can be supported by the larger community context in which it takes place. |
| Technology Curriculum Development at Lincoln |
| As a result of funding from a PK-16 Technology grant, staff from Lincoln and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are exploring ways to integrate technology into the curriculum. |
| While
the seven participating 3rd grade classes are designing Hyperstudio 'stacks' and the three 4th grade classes are building web pages, [the] 5th grade class[es] are developing PowerPoint slide shows. Working in pairs, the students busily examine and select images to transfer to the presentations they are constructing about Immigration. |
| Working together in pairs over the next seven weeks, the students also learned how to use scanners, digital cameras, the Internet, and video cameras to create and gather text and images. |
| To finish the year, the students are using the software application Paint Workshop (and for the 4th and 5th grade, Adobe Photoshop 6.0) to compose three pieces of original digital art. One of these pieces will be selected and displayed ("exhibited") in a web "Extravaganza" that will be open for public viewing. |
This semester the computer lab at Lincoln Elementary School has been an exciting and productive place. As a result of funding from a PK-16 Technology grant, staff from Lincoln and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are exploring ways to integrate technology into the curriculum. Currently in the school, fifteen teachers, supported by Tom Crawford and Michael Zambon, are having students create projects using Hyperstudio, Claris Home Page, and PowerPoint. While the seven participating 3rd grade classes are designing Hyperstudio 'stacks' and the three 4th grade classes are building web pages, Regina Simon's 5th grade class (and the four other 5th grade classes) are developing PowerPoint slide shows. Working in pairs, the students busily examine and select images to transfer to the presentations they are constructing about Immigration. "Isn't this a cool picture?" one student says, pointing to the large image of the Statue of Liberty displayed on his screen. "Look at mine," calls out another, displaying the seal of the U.S. Department of Justice that she's obtained from the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Web page. "Do you remember what all the symbols mean?" Mrs. Simon asks, moving from computer to computer as she looks at both students' graphics. "We talked about those a few days ago, remember?" Throughout the room, other students are also transferring images, writing text, and sharing their slide shows with each other. "Okay," says Michael Zambon to the entire class. "How do we go about saving our work?" Hands raise all around the room. This is a process with which the students are already very familiar. Throughout the months of January and February, the students and teachers involved in the grant became familiar with the various applications and developed the skills necessary to be successful with the software. As they learned the individual programs, the teachers decided upon a focus for the students' projects.
Working together in pairs for the next seven weeks, the students also learned how to use scanners, digital cameras, the Internet and video cameras to create and gather text and images. These elements were then complied, organized and incorporated into the students' projects, which were completed in mid-April. Once completed, the students' work was placed on the PK-16 web site and burned to a CD so copies could be archived and used to promote student work at the district office. To finish the year, the students are using the software application Paint Workshop (and for the 4th and 5th grade, Adobe Photoshop 6.0) to compose three pieces of original digital art. One of these pieces will be selected and displayed in a web "Extravaganza" that will be open for public viewing. Additionally, the students will be developing their keyboarding skills as well as reviewing the skills and software they learned throughout the semester. Responding to why she enjoyed working with technology, one Lincoln student wrote the following, expressing a unique intention but a sentiment very familiar to many of her classmates:
|
| Parents' Fundraising Efforts |
| The parents of students in the Midvale-Lincoln schools are joining together to raise funds to sustain the Spanish Student Teaching program at Midvale School. The K-2 program is currently being made possible through a TEACH grant which expires at the end of this academic year. |
The parents of students in the Midvale-Lincoln schools are joining together to raise funds to sustain the Spanish Student Teaching program at Midvale School. The K-2 program is currently being made possible through a TEACH grant which expires at the end of this academic year. For many Midvale-Lincoln parents the Spanish program has become an essential and integral part of their children's learning. According to Beth Miller who is helping to develop a parents' volunteer network, the parents feel very strongly that learning a foreign language at a young age has not only academic benefits, enhancing students' math and language development, but also provides cultural and academic support for the growing Spanish-speaking student and parent population at the two schools. "We're growing cultural ties to our community," she explains. The parents are currently seeking to fundraise in two ways: by soliciting donations at local coffee shops and by approaching local corporations who might be interested in donating the necessary resources. If successful, the parents would ultimately like to see the program expanded to Lincoln, where their children would continue to receive Spanish instruction in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. |
| PDS Graduates Check-In |
| PDS graduates have found a variety of teaching positions. Read about the schools where some of them have been teaching. |
Joel Blecha: Joel teaches third grade in New York City at P.S. 38. Kari Bass Campshure: Kari is currently teaching second grade at the Classical Charter School in Appleton, WI. Her third year in this position, Kari writes that the curriculum at her school is centered around Direct Instruction for reading, math, and spelling, as well as a Core Knowledge curriculum for literature, social studies, science and geography. In her class, Kari has a wide range of learners. She shares that her experiences in the Madison school district prepared her to address their needs as well as work successfully in a special education classroom of her own, which she did for a year in Wrightstown as a 2-3 ED/LD teacher, prior to her position in Appleton. Catherine Dobbert: Catherine is teaching sixth grade at the elementary school from which she graduated—Lake Bluff Elementary School in Shorewood, WI (a suburb of Milwaukee). Kim Feiner: After graduating in May of 2000, Kim remained in Madison to teach in the Summer Reading Academy at the new Allied Drive Center. In the Reading Academy, she had the opportunity to provide focused literacy instruction to a small class of students who were considered at-risk of losing the gains they had made the previous school year. That same summer, she was hired at Mendota Elementary School (also in Madison) to teach third grade. Kim describes the student population and the challenges she faces at Mendota as being very similar to those of Midvale, where she student-taught. The PDS program, she writes, has "helped me to think not only about my own teaching, but student learning." Sara Gramer: Sara graduated from the Midvale-Lincoln PDS cohort two years ago, and since then, she has been teaching first grade at Midvale Elementary School. Although she was initially hired at Midvale under a temporary contract, she was rehired this year and given a regular contract with the Madison school district. Marc Kornblatt: Marc was recently hired to teach fifth grade at Lincoln Elementary School. Even though it is a one year replacement position, Marc hopes that it will turn into a permanent job. Sarah Picard: Since graduating from the PDS program in January 2000, Sarah has been teaching at P.S. 126 in New York City, which is located in lower Manhattan near the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. She currently teaches second graders who come from China, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Bangladesh, and New York City in an inclusive classroom with a team member who is special education certified. In May, Sarah will be completing a masters degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also involved in the Teachers Network Policy Institute, an international fellowship sponsored by MetLife Insurance in which fellows from the New York affiliate conduct action research each year in their classrooms and meet monthly to discuss prior research with local, state, and national policy makers. Regina Simon: Regina is currently teaching fifth grade in Madison, WI, at Lincoln Elementary School. Because of her experiences in the Professional Development School, Regina writes that she is comfortable working for growth with colleagues by sharing experiences, ideas, successes, and concerns. In addition to her work with fifth graders, Regina has been able to teach a class to other teachers about Classroom Management. She was also recently invited to share and discuss her teaching portfolio with other Madison teachers enrolled in the university sponsored PDS course on student-teacher supervision. Chad Snyder: When he graduated in August, Chad initially planned to head overseas this November and teach English in Japan. However, contract changes caused him to decline the position. As a result, he is currently substitute teaching in Rochester, MN, and learning a great deal about instructional technology. He plans to continue to substitute teach for the remainder of the school year, unless a long-term opportunity becomes available. In terms of the future, he is still looking into overseas teaching programs, as well as considering other U.S. locations, such as California, where there are currently teacher shortages. Karen Vieth: Karen taught sixth grade math and science in Oregon, WI, at Oregon Middle School, and is now teaching as a member of a team in a multi-aged (6th-8th) classroom at Sennett Middle School in Madison, WI. At Sennett she teaches social studies, communications, science and math. She describes the student population at Sennett as being very similar to that of Cherokee Middle School, where she completed her PDS practicum and student teaching. "The PDS provided me with real teaching experiences in a diverse school setting," she writes, and the opportunities she had at Cherokee to become part of a school staff have helped her fit quickly into her current position. Abby Weinkauf: After teaching a K/1 classroom in Elgin, Illinois, with a very diverse population, Abby was hired by the Madison, WI, school district, and is now teaching kindergarten at Midvale Elementary School. Because she did her student teaching at Midvale, Abby felt confident returning to the school to fill a position that became available in the middle of the year. She is also pursuing a masters degree in Educational Leadership through Cardinal Stritch University. |
| Have you seen These Web sites? |
| Visit the Web sites of the participants in the Madison PDS community. |
Cherokee
School The
Cherokee cyberzine: Madison
Memorial Midvale-Lincoln
Pair Thoreau
School Madison
Metropolitan School District Madison
Teachers Incorporated (MTI) PK16
Project |
| The links in
this newsletter may be out of date. For current links, click here. |
This newsletter is for and about the Madison Professional Development School Partnership. It documents new and continuing developments of this program but does not cover the full range of the program or the experiences of individuals. Your comments, suggestions, and article submissions for this publication would be appreciated. Send your feedback and/or submissions to: or
mail to: |