Current Projects
Living the Work: Reflections on Action Research in Schools This edited volume, created in collaboration with High Tech High's Stacey Caillier, will share the experiences of practitioner researchers who engage in action research in their classrooms and schools. Structured as an edited volume, LTW will share suggestions, offer encouragement, and provide inspiration for colleagues engaged in the research process. Submit a proposal. Real World Literacies Book This professional text will respond to NCTE's "Literacies of Disciplines" policy research brief. Accepted for publication as part of the Principles in Practice imprint, Real World Literacies will profile high school classrooms that engage students in reading, writing, and oral language development through authentic, project-based learning experiences. Publication is expected in spring 2013. Project Based Learning at Daraja Academy Daraja Academy has partnered with USD to develop strategies for developing university readiness, career preparation, and community leadership through an applied learning model. We piloted the use of project based learning using an oral history project with form two students in 2011. Students published their collected oral narratives in Behind the Beauty: Accounts of Life in Kenya. Currently students are engaged in an interdisciplinary community health project that requires them to investigate and respond to local health needs through research and an educational initiative. Mobile Technology in Secondary Education in Kenya In July 2012, I will be leading a group of graduate students as we travel to Kenya to deliver iPads and iPods and provide training and support to teachers and students at Daraja Academy. This project will investigate possibilities for using mobile technology to enrich, extend, and transform student learning in secondary schools in East Africa. Documenting Best Practices in Kenya's Independent Schools This report describes teaching practices in affordable private schools that are part of the Kenya Independent School Association (KISA). It documents the instructional practices of KISA’s most effective teachers so that their work may serve as a model toward which others may aspire through professional development, support and assessment. Pilot study description |
On-Line Teacher Education
The Department of Learning and Teaching at SOLES is working to design an on-line master's of education program that will provide enriching learning experiences for K-12 teachers. All students will participate in a core series of classes that address educational equity, cognition and learning, and practitioner research. Specializations will include 21st Century Literacy, Universal Design for Learning and Inclusive Education, and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). All courses will prioritize applied learning that is responsive to K-12 student needs. Mobile Technology Learning Certificate Responding to the opportunities provided by the increased prevalence of smart phones and mobile devices in schools, this certificate program will support teachers and school leaders in developing the understandings and instructional strategies needed use technology as a tool to enrich, extend, and transform K-12 student learning. |