Michelene Chi has tackled one of the thorniest problems in education: finding a way to get children to learn complex concepts.
Chi, a cognitive and learning science researcher, has been working for years not only on theories of how students learn science concepts and why they struggle, but also on ways to improve classroom teaching.
Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College has jumped from No. 36 to No. 13 in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of online graduate education programs.
Last fall the U.S. Department of Education awarded a grant of $2.3 million to a unique collaboration between Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and Childsplay, the Tempe, Arizona-based professional theater for young audiences.
“For each man sees himself in the Grand Canyon.”
— poet Carl Sandburg.
Feb. 26 marks the centennial of Grand Canyon National Park and the sesquicentennial of John Wesley Powell’s expedition down the Colorado River. Literally and figuratively, it’s Arizona’s biggest attraction. Naturally, it draws the attention of artists, faculty, and scientists from Arizona State University, the state’s biggest university.
On Sunday, Jan. 6, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College welcomed to the ASU campus 18 fellows of the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers. Fulbright DAI brings international primary and secondary school teachers to the U.S. to observe, pursue individual and group projects, and take courses for professional development.
This month, 46 visiting scholars from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia returned home after a year of professional development in Phoenix, Arizona.
Kristin Elwood (PhD ’18) is a postdoctoral scholar at two National Science Foundation-funded research centers at Arizona State University. Elwood graduated from ASU in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in English, which she used to teach high school English and graphic design for 12 years. But when she decided to pursue a doctoral degree, she found her focus had changed. She chose the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College PhD in Learning, Literacies and Technologies.
“We weren’t meeting all of our students’ needs,” says Erica Mitchell, executive director, academic services. Mitchell is referring to the former MLFTC retention and engagement team, which comprised a manager and a handful of retention specialists who had a wide range of duties, from housing to student engagement to retention activities to supervision of peer leaders.
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Dean Carole Basile talked with Ted Simons on PBS’ “Arizona Horizon” about how Arizona’s teacher shortage is a symptom of a larger problem.
Arizona State University President Michael Crow on Tuesday addressed 46 scholars from Saudi Arabia who spent a year at ASU as part of a teacher leadership program and will be returning to their native country next week.
Crow essentially told the cohort thank you, job well done and good luck on your next journey. Oh, and remember — learning is a lifelong pursuit.