网曝吃瓜

BY WENDI WHEELER 鈥�06 AND REBECCA JOHN 鈥�13 MBA

“To prepare Americans for the jobs of the future … we have to out-educate the world.” 聽(whitehouse.gov)

The programs in Augsburg鈥檚 Education聽Department prepare teachers鈥攁t both the undergraduate and graduate levels鈥攖o meet our national education challenge.

The U.S. government recognizes that 鈥渢he strength of the American economy is inextricably聽linked to the strength of [our] education system,鈥� which means 鈥淎merica鈥檚 ability to聽compete begins each day, in classrooms across the nation.鈥�

Auggie teachers and education alumni are leading these classrooms, improving education聽outcomes, and shaping our future. They are igniting student interest in math and聽science, educating an increasingly diverse youth population, bringing global perspectives聽and learning into the classroom, and leveraging new technologies and teaching practices聽to enhance learning. The following are just a few examples of the ways Auggie teachers聽and education alumni are leading the advancement of education in our schools.

Cutting-edge science research for聽middle and high school students

When Dan Forseth 鈥�08 was a student at Augsburg, he spent聽many hours in the lab with associate professor of physics Ben聽Stottrup. It was Stottrup, he said, who helped him realize he聽wanted to be a teacher. 鈥淗e taught me how to make things聽work with what you have,鈥� Forseth said.

Today Forseth uses that lesson in his own classroom to聽excite students about science and to inspire the next generation聽of teachers. He teaches biology, physical science,聽and robotics at St. Paul Preparatory School, an international聽college-preparation program in St. Paul. He said he enjoys聽teaching because he loves the transformation when students聽grasp a diffi cult concept after struggling with it. 鈥淲hen they聽get it, seeing that light bulb turn on for them is very exciting.鈥�

During the summer of 2012, Forseth was one of six聽teachers who participated in a research program at Augsburg聽funded by a grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation.聽The program paired Augsburg undergraduate science education聽students studying to be secondary teachers with current聽science teachers. The teams conducted college-level research,聽which was supervised by Augsburg faculty, and developed聽curricula to adapt science projects for middle and secondary聽school classrooms.

The Augsburg education students in the program learned聽about the practical realities of teaching from their interactions聽with current teachers, Forseth said. 鈥淎nd teachers like me聽were revitalized by the opportunity to work in new labs and聽develop new and different topics for our classes.鈥�

Along with engaging in scientific research, participants聽had opportunities to expand their scientific professional聽networks through conversations and workshops with scientists聽in the workplace and college science faculty, said Tracy聽Bibelnieks, Augsburg associate professor of mathematics聽and director of the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation grant.

鈥淔eedback from last year鈥檚 participants was very positive,鈥澛爏he said. 鈥淲e are looking forward to building on that experience聽to continue developing ways that cutting-edge research聽and engaging experiences can be integrated into 9th- through聽12th-grade STEM (science, technology, engineering, and聽mathematics) classrooms.鈥�

Forseth will participate in the program again this summer,聽working with Augsburg faculty to create a website to share聽materials produced in the program with 9th- to 12th-grade聽STEM teachers across the state. 鈥淭his program provides an聽opportunity for Augsburg students pursuing secondary STEM聽licensure to learn from experienced science teachers and聽helps current teachers integrate more research and authentic聽learning experiences into their classrooms,鈥� he said.

Teaching in a diverse world

When Will Ruffin 鈥�13 MAE moved from California to North聽Dakota to attend college, he left his little brother behind. 鈥淗e聽struggled in school. I was the smart older brother who wasn鈥檛聽there for him, and that always bothered me,鈥� Ruffin said. It鈥檚聽the memory of leaving his brother that today drives Ruffin to聽make a personal connection with each of his students.

For Kassie Benjamin-Ficken 鈥�12, it鈥檚 her ability to relate聽to the experiences of first-generation and minority-culture聽students that has strengthened her connections with her students.聽鈥淎s a first generation student, I think it鈥檚 easier for me聽to explain to my students why it鈥檚 important to get an education,鈥澛爏he said.

Ruffin and Benjamin-Ficken are examples of Auggie聽teachers working in increasingly multicultural communities鈥攚here the ability to connect with students of diverse backgrounds聽is critical to student success.

Despite his passion for teaching, Ruffin didn鈥檛 begin his聽career in education. He first completed a bachelor鈥檚 and a聽master鈥檚 degree in business and began working for a retail聽company in southern Minnesota. Then one of his customers鈥攁 teacher鈥攁sked if Ruffin would volunteer at his school聽because the teacher wanted a strong, black, male role model聽to work with his students. 鈥淭here was just something about聽being with kids that hooked me,鈥� Ruffin said, 鈥渁nd I fell in聽love with teaching.鈥�

Ruffin became a substitute teacher and eventually was聽teaching full time, so he decided to attend Augsburg to pursue聽a master鈥檚 degree in education. For the past five years, he has聽been teaching fi fth grade at Riverside Central Elementary in聽Rochester, Minn.

For many students, Ruffin is the first black teacher and聽the first male teacher they have had, so he takes seriously聽his responsibility to be a role model in a community that is聽increasingly more ethnically and culturally diverse. Judging by聽the drawings and awards posted by students on his classroom聽walls, and by the former students who often stop in at Riverside聽to visit, Ruffin is making a difference in students鈥� lives.

As a student himself, Ruffin said, he was quiet and聽seldom participated in class discussions. As a teacher and聽leader, however, he鈥檚 learned that his voice is important. 鈥淚聽know I have a lot to share, and I can enrich others鈥� experiences聽through my own,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 be a leader and be聽silent. I have a perspective that too often is lost or overlooked,聽and I need to share that.鈥�

Benjamin-Ficken, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of聽Ojibwe, also embraces the opportunity to bring her cultural聽perspective into the classroom. 鈥淢y culture teaches that you聽are on this Earth to help others,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ducation is how聽I can make a difference.鈥�

At Augsburg, Benjamin-Ficken double majored in elementary聽education and math. This July, she completed her first聽year at Tatanka Academy in Minneapolis, where 13 of her 14聽first-grade students were Native American.

In working with students from minority populations,聽Benjamin-Ficken strives to instill in them the belief that聽they can鈥攁nd should鈥攅xcel in school, especially in STEM聽fields where populations of color and females are significantly聽underrepresented. For example, this past spring, Benjamin-Ficken celebrated 鈥淧i Day鈥� (which falls on March 14, or聽3/14, representing the first three digits in the mathematical聽constant, pi) with her students. A self-professed 鈥渕ath nerd,鈥澛燘enjamin-Ficken believes that these types of classroom experiences聽will help her students see math as a subject they can聽succeed in and, potentially, choose to pursue in their lives.

Augsburg鈥檚 focus on urban education and teaching in a聽multicultural classroom were an important part of her educational聽experience, Benjamin-Ficken said. 鈥淢y education聽studies at Augsburg really taught me to reflect,鈥� she said.聽鈥淭aking time to ask what went well [in class], what didn鈥檛, and聽whether you reached every student鈥攖hat鈥檚 what makes you a聽better teacher.鈥�

Since 2004, five Augsburg education graduates have received the prestigious Milken Award for Excellence聽in Teaching. This award provides public recognition and financial awards to elementary and secondary聽education professionals. Only 30 Milken Awards are given annually across the United States.

Bringing global issues and perspectives聽into the classroom

Teaching and traveling are more than passions for Kate聽Woolever 鈥�11鈥攖hey are vital to her own education as a citizen聽of the world. As a studio art and education major at Augsburg,聽Woolever combined her interests into a career that today聽allows her to continue her own education and to provide聽meaningful learning experiences for her students.

Woolever鈥檚 mother, father, and brother are teachers, so聽it鈥檚 no surprise that she also chose to become a teacher.聽鈥淭eaching is completely a part of my life,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or me聽it鈥檚 about service to others.鈥�

Woolever came to Augsburg because she wanted to聽teach in an inner city or international school, and she felt聽Augsburg鈥檚 program would best prepare her for that career. As聽a student, Woolever took advantage of opportunities to study聽abroad through the College鈥檚 Center for Global Education. She聽studied in Namibia, Thailand, and Ghana, where she completed聽her student teaching. She said she has always 鈥渢raveled聽with a purpose,鈥� using travel to learn about others by experiencing聽their lives firsthand.

After she became an art teacher at St. Paul Preparatory聽School in the Twin Cities, Woolever had another opportunity聽to travel and teach abroad. She was one of five U.S. teachers聽selected to participate in a program through World Savvy and聽the U.S. State Department. With 30 U.S. high school students,聽she studied the environmental, social, economic, and聽political impacts of climate change in Bangladesh. The group聽spent one month living with host families while participating聽with Bangladeshi students in research and service projects.

Woolever lived in the Rayer Bazar slum located on the聽edge of the capital city of Dhaka鈥攖he fastest growing city in聽the world. She interviewed and photographed climate refugees聽who had moved to the city from outlying areas because the聽flooded coastal lands are uninhabitable and the soil is too聽saline-contaminated to support crops.

鈥淭hese climate refugees now live in indescribable squalor,鈥澛燱oolever said. 鈥淭here are a thousand people per square聽kilometer living in Rayer Bazar; 100 people sharing three聽open gas flames for cooking and a single squat toilet.鈥澛燭his experience, Woolever said, made her more aware聽of the global effects of climate change and emphasized the聽importance of spreading the word. 鈥淭he guilt I felt鈥攃oming聽from my bountiful country and witnessing these people鈥檚聽atrocious living conditions鈥攃onstantly tugged at me, and I聽needed to find a way to respond.鈥�

One way Woolever responded was to turn her photos and聽stories into a traveling exhibit, which she hopes to show at聽numerous venues across the state. This past March, her work聽was displayed in Augsburg鈥檚 student art gallery in Old Main;聽the exhibit then was shown in the Pelican Rapids (Minn.)聽Library during May and June.

Because of her experiences in Rayer Bazar, Woolever also聽is committed to finding ways to incorporate real-world issues聽into her classroom. The Bangladeshi trip was a stark lesson in聽how much we consume and how wasteful we are as a culture,聽Woolever said. Education, at the very least, 鈥渋s not something聽we should take for granted.鈥�

In 2009, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation awarded Augsburg more than $400,000 in support of its聽teacher preparation programming. Augsburg was one of only four Minnesota colleges receiving these聽grant funds. Augsburg also participates in the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT) and is one of six聽private colleges in the Twin Cities working to improve teacher education through the Twin Cities Teacher聽Collaborative (TC2), made possible by major funding from the Bush Foundation.

The College also gives education majors an opportunity to engage elementary school children in the聽sciences through Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science (GEMS) and Guys in Science and Engineering聽(GISE), two summer programs held on the campus.

Flipped classrooms: Creating student focused聽learning environments

Most of the time, a noisy middle school classroom doesn鈥檛 seem like a productive learning environment. But, when聽the classroom is 鈥渇lipped,鈥� noise is a sign that students are聽engaged in the learning process and working constructively聽with each other.

Tara Martinson 鈥�09 MAE leads a lively seventh-grade聽pre-algebra class at Central Middle School in Eden Prairie,聽Minn. The reason for all the activity is that Martinson uses聽the flipped learning model of instruction. With this particular聽method, students listen to an online lecture at home and complete聽a 鈥渘ote sheet鈥濃�攁 structured note-taking guide鈥攐n the聽lesson. The next day in class, students spend the majority of聽their time in 鈥渉ands-on鈥� learning exercises, working out practice聽problems and completing small group activities. Students聽can ask each other for help and are required to check their聽work with Martinson.

Martinson, who has taught middle school math for five聽years, flipped her classes in January 2012 after learning about聽the method at the 2011 Education Technology Conference聽hosted by TIES, the St. Paul-based education technology training聽organization. During the winter break, she recorded lectures聽and set up the resources for her classes and then introduced聽the model to her students at the start of the new term.

With research support from George Mason University and sponsored by Pearson, the Flipped聽Learning Network this summer released the first comprehensive literature review on the flipped聽learning model.

With flipped learning, Martinson said her students are聽more engaged because the responsibility for learning the聽material rests with them. 鈥淏efore [flipping the class format],聽I typically would lecture for 35 minutes, and the students聽would have the last 10 minutes of class to start their assignment,鈥澛燤artinson said. 鈥淭hen, if a student got lost, they聽would just shut down. Now there is a much higher level of聽engagement and retention.鈥�

Flipped learning changes education from a teacher-centered聽classroom to a student-focused learning environment,聽said Kari Arfstrom 鈥�89, executive director of the Flipped聽Learning Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to聽providing educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources聽to successfully implement flipped learning.

鈥淲hen I went to school,鈥� Arfstrom said, 鈥渋t was the聽teacher who was imparting information to the student. Now聽the students are leading and determining what they need.鈥澛燭his model makes students more accountable because the聽teacher has an opportunity to talk with them every day,聽Arfstrom said.

With flipped learning, teacher interaction with students聽increases dramatically, said Taylor Pettis 鈥�03, 鈥�09 MAE, senior聽manager of marketing communications at Minneapolis-based聽Sophia Learning, which has worked with thousands of teachers聽to create flipped classrooms. 鈥淥ne of the teachers we聽worked with said his feet hurt after class because he鈥檚 walking聽up and down the aisles so much more.鈥�

Teachers also have a greater opportunity to provide differentiated聽instruction to each student when they use a flipped聽learning model, Pettis said. This customized, student-centered聽attention leads to improved student learning. 鈥淓ighty-five percent of teachers we work with report improved grades聽in their flipped classes.鈥�

For Martinson, the benefits go beyond improved performance聽in class. In the flipped environment, she said,聽students learn social skills, relationship building, and self-advocacy鈥攁bilities that will serve them well in high school,聽in college, and beyond.

In May, the State of Minnesota approved legislation granting聽Augsburg College nearly $400,000 over the next two years聽to launch the East African teacher preparation program.聽The new Augsburg EAST (East African Students to Teachers)聽initiative will provide scholarships, academic support,聽and service learning opportunities for East African students聽who are education majors at 聽Augsburg鈥檚 Minneapolis and聽Rochester campuses.

The number of East African students in K-12 public聽schools is growing in many communities throughout聽Minnesota. School systems are challenged to meet the聽needs of these students, many of whom are the first in their聽families to receive education in the United States.聽Augsburg鈥檚 strong relationships with the Somali and East聽African communities and its successful record of teaching聽East African education majors, in both Minneapolis and聽Rochester, make it uniquely qualified to lead this initiative.

Every year, more than 600 Auggies are enrolled in education degree聽programs at Augsburg鈥檚 Minneapolis and Rochester campuses. About 250 of those聽students are undergraduates鈥攐f all ages鈥攑ursuing bachelor鈥檚 degrees in education.聽The remaining 350 are enrolled in the College鈥檚 Master of Arts in Education program,聽which provides training for professionals to begin a career in teaching or for current聽teachers to obtain additional licenses or endorsements. Every day, these Auggie educators鈥攂oth in and outside of the classroom鈥攁re preparing our children to live and聽grow in our increasingly diverse, globally connected, and technologically sophisticated聽world. They are, literally, shaping our future potential.

 

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Online exclusive: Bringing global issues and perspectives into the classroom

Teaching and traveling are more than passions for Kate聽Woolever 鈥�11鈥攖hey are vital to her own education as a citizen聽of the world. Here Woolever reflects on a trip to聽Bangladesh where she was one of five U.S. teachers聽selected to study the environmental, social, economic, and聽political impacts of climate change.

I found it was my curiosity that brought me to this country removed from the global mainstream in so many ways. While I was there I experienced a whirlwind of emotions, making it hard to share what I saw without the imagery of photos. I often ask others to imagine the realities of such a densely populated country; a country the size of Iowa yet half of our country鈥檚 population.

Living in a slum called Rayer Bazar located in Dhaka – the fastest growing city in the world – is a challenge to describe. So crowded鈥�so crowded that nearly every park, footpath, and road median has been colonized. The mass influx of 鈥渃limate refugees鈥� is due to citizens in the outlying areas fleeing their flooded coastal lands left uninhabitable or too saline-contaminated to support crops. They brought their families and stories, searching for employment and safety.

During the days, I walked through the streets of Rayer Bazar interviewing climate refugees with the aid of a translator. The majority longed to go back to their farmlands, which sadly had been transformed into flood plains. These transplants now lived in indescribable squalor; slums of a thousand people per square kilometer. Cooking for 100 people was shared over three open gas flames along with one squat toilet for a public bathroom. Children filled the shadows yet their access to education was nonexistent. The guilt and the need-to-respond that I felt (coming from my bountiful country) constantly tugged at me.

In spite of the overwhelming poverty, Bangladesh is the home of some of the most resilient people. They watch鈥� as sea levels rise, salinity infects their coastal aquifers, and rivers consume their lands and as cyclones batter their coast with increasing intensity. All these changes have been associated with global climate changes.

I learned much from these wonderful people. Instead of giving up, many of them invested in ways to adapt. Their survival measures could become our lessons lest we ignore the necessary commitments for change. The long-term risks could bring significant degradation to our lifestyles someday soon鈥�if not the challenge to our world to survive.