From fun camps to global initiatives, the people of TC make the most of summer break

The halls of TC are never quiet during the summer. They bustle with students attending summer session classes, children enjoying fun and educational camps, and thousands of educators taking part in summer institutes. So as we embark on a new academic year, I want to give you a glimpse of some of the fascinating and exciting activities that recently have engaged the people of TC here on campus and around the world.

In July and August, more than 5,000 educators from every state and 68 countries once again took part in institutes he conducted by the internationally renowned Reading and Writing Project, led by Lucy Calkins, Robinson Professor in Children's Literature. Now, with new tools and renewed inspiration, all of those attendees are back at their respective schools putting what they learned into action.    

On the 10th floor of Thorndike Hall, Andrew Gordon, professor of Movement Sciences in the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, was directing TC’s Cerebral Palsy Camp, where each summer children and young teens with CP make significant strides to improve the function of impaired limbs. Children participating in the three-week camp have shown up to 30 percent improvement in function. In addition, brain tests administered before and after the camp show new or re-established brain pathways. What a tremendous difference Professor Gordon has made in the lives of thousands of children with CP!  

We also welcomed to campus 50 high school physics, chemistry and physical science teachers from as far away as Singapore for a three-week intensive summer workshop on modeling instruction offered by STEMteachersNYC. The workshop immersed participants in a new way to teach science in line with the Next Generation Science Standards.  STEM Teachers NYC is directed by Fernand Brunschwig, adjunct professor of science education, who co-founded the group.

A summer highlight for everyone at TC is seeing the children attending the Hollingsworth Center “Science in the City” summer camp. In July, 200 campers ages 5 to 8 took part in hands-on science experiences, culminating in the colorful last-day-of-camp parade along TC Way, where the children proudly display some of their work – this year including giant pinwheels spinning in the breeze. The camp also is a terrific learning experience for the more than 35 TC students who design curricula and teach science to the children. The camp also hosts student teaching and field placements for students in our Curriculum and Teaching and Science Education programs.  

We also hosted an intensive Math Camp for elementary and middle school educators that focused on helping teachers integrate the Common Core Standards into Mathematics Instruction. The camp was led by Peter Garrity (Ed.D. ’79), Adjunct Professor of Mathematics Education.

Building on our “Legacy of Firsts,” we launched a major new program this summer: the first-of-its-kind Summer Intensive Master’s Program in General Psychology with a Spirituality Mind Body Concentration. Under the direction of Lisa Miller, director of TC’s Spirituality Mind Body Institute and an international leader in this field, the program connects the dots between research, theory, and practice to integrate ancient wisdom with modern science.   

The summer also saw yet another TC first: the launch of the Global Competence Certificate Program, under direction of William Gaudelli, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Social Studies and Education. The first-of-its-kind graduate-level certificate program in global competence education for U.S. teachers and school leaders promises to truly globalize K-12 education by helping students understand and successfully navigate our increasingly global economy and society.    

Meanwhile, this summer other faculty members were engaged in important work on the ground in locations around the world.

Helena Verdeli, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education, was in Jordan this summer working with refugees who have fled armed conflict in neighboring Syria. She is studying depression in children and adults in war-torn regions of the world and the potential of psychotherapy to ease its burden. This work is even more critical right now when so many people are suffering from the trauma of war, disease, and other conflicts.  

In Portugal this summer Christopher Emdin, Associate Professor of Science Education, embarked on his first assignment as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department. He spoke at the National Meeting of the Portuguese Math Association in Lisbon and to groups of teachers and students in Porto and Aveiro about his work using rap and hip-hop concepts to teach STEM subjects. While Professor Emdin uses hip-hop to engage New York City students, in Portugal he emphasized that teachers should look for points of entry in their own environments and cultures. Professor Emdin also was recognized this summer by the White House as a “Champion of Change.” 

Back in United States, Anna Neumann, Professor of Higher Education and Chair of the Department of Organization and Leadership, was engaging in work to strengthen teaching in liberal education coursework at non-elite, two- and four-year colleges in the New York City area that serve large numbers of minority and first-generation college students. Under the auspices of the Metropolitan Colleges Institute for Teaching Improvement (MetroCITI), which she directs, Professor Neumann convened 12 college faculty members this summer to begin a year-long exploration of teaching in the liberal education curriculum. The faculty taking part teach in the humanities, science and social sciences in institutions where many students will pursue technical or business-related coursework or workplace training, but spend one or two early years in general, liberal arts studies. MetroCITI was originally funded by

TC’s Provost’s Investment Fund and is currently supported by the Teagle Foundation. Doctoral students Liza Bolitzer, Jolie Woodson and Dianne Delima work with Professor Neumann on the project. 

Thomas Bailey, the George and Abby O’Neill Professor of Economics and Education, was at the White House this summer, where he joined U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other administration officials, to announce the launch of TC’s new Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness. The announcement was part of a White House meeting focused on best practices in college remediation. Judy Scott-Clayton, Assistant Professor of Economics and Education, and Elisabeth Barnett, Senior Research Associate at CCRC, also attended the event. The new Center’s first projects will be three major studies documenting current practices in developmental English and math education across the United States.

At the State Capitol in Albany in July, Ellen Meier, associate professor of Practice, Computing, and Education, and Director of TC’s Center for Technology and School Change, spoke at the Governor’s Smart Schools Symposium in Albany on the best uses of a proposed $2 billion bond act to enhance teaching and learning through technology. Professor Meier and TC doctoral student Rita Sanchez called for more investment in professional development for teachers on the use of education technology – certainly an investment we all can support.    

Members of the TC community have garnered numerous honors over the years. Now we can add to that list our very first knight! Samuel Abrams, research associate for the National Center for the Study of the Privatization of Education and an expert on Nordic education systems, was bestowed a knighthood by the government of Finland for his work to advance understanding of the Finnish education system in the United States. He was awarded the Insignia of Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland, at the New York City residence of Consul General Jukka Pietikainen. Abrams first came to TC in 2010 as a visiting scholar.

There are so many more examples of our faculty and students doing groundbreaking – and inspiring – work that has real-world impact and influence. I look forward to sharing those stories with you in my columns to come this year. 

Published Monday, Sep. 8, 2014