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Headlines (Campus Updates)
Laurier announces three new Teaching Fellows
Communications, Public Affairs & Marketing
Jul 7/14
The Office of the Associate Vice-President: Teaching and Learning has announced Laurier's new Teaching Fellows. This years recipients include: Gavin Brockett, associate professor of Middle East and Islamic History and co-ordinator of the Muslim Studies Option; Deena Mandell, associate professor, Faculty of Social Work and Eileen Wood, professor of Psychology.
The Laurier Teaching Fellowship program honours faculty who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to teaching and learning and have established an exemplary record of achievement in educational leadership.
These fellowships enable the fellows to pursue an individual program of activities designed to enhance teaching quality, said Pat Rogers, associate vice-president: teaching and learning. The program also establishes a network of excellent teachers who will collaborate to promote teaching excellence and student success across the university community.
During the fellowship, Brockett will explore various challenges produced by current pressures facing higher education: to make learning more meaningful and effective, to use ever-changing technologies, to engage the international at home, and to address multi-cultural issues in globalization. His project will study the degree to which these opportunities can be brought together in a global, engaged classroom: specifically through an active-learning course that includes students in two countries, linked by video-conferencing.
Throughout her fellowship year, Mandell will focus on developing a training video for students, full- and part-time faculty, and teaching assistants to address issues that can arise between domestic and non-domestic students in the context of university group work. The video is intended as a discipline-specific project within the Faculty of Social Work, which will be transferrable to other schools of social work and related social-service and social-care programs. The model would also be adaptable to any discipline that makes use of group work for educational purposes.
Wood will pursue five directions of inquiry that together will allow her to engage in new and innovative teaching activities as well as consolidate ongoing issues that impact instruction - especially in early undergraduate years. These will include the introduction of labs as a writing/experiential learning opportunity in introductory psychology courses; participation in the development of a new online community service learning course; assessment of perceived and actual learning gains following peer instruction in academic integrity; evaluation of learning gains for chemistry students when provided with instructional supports; and examination of technology policies, including faculty and student responses to the presence and uses of technology in the classroom.
The new fellows join Mercedes Rowinsky-Geurts and Steve MacNeil, who were appointed in January, 2014.


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Tomblin's Plan
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's education reform plan introduced Monday in both houses of the West Virginia Legislature received positive reviews from the state Board of Education, the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and several legislators from both parties.
However, Tomblin's 179-page bill did not receive the same level of support from the state's two largest teacher unions. "We're disappointed," said West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee.
Lee's and West Virginia Federation of Teachers President Judy Hale's criticisms not withstanding, there are several features in this bill that would give schools the tools now lacking to put the best available teachers in the classrooms.
Seniority, now the deciding factor in hiring teachers, would not be eliminated but would become just one of several equal determining factors in the hiring process. Teachers working in a particular county would not automatically be given preference over an applicant from another county.
Teachers with seniority certainly are not necessarily unqualified for another position that opens in their county. However, in too many instances they are not as qualified as another applicant. However, this other, more qualified, applicant cannot be considered. This hurts students and is a recipe guaranteed to keep kids from reaching their potential.
This isn't the only proposal in the governor's bill; it also includes provisions to allow "Teach for America" participants to land jobs in struggling schools, and the governor's call for expanding preschool, all worthy suggestions.
Not all of the teachers unions criticisms are invalid. The state Board of Education is a bloated organization and Tomblin's bill doesn't mention any streamlining there. Some of the money now paying the countless number of assistant superintendents in the state board office could be better used in the counties, in our opinion.
However, putting the best qualified teacher in a classroom should be the top priority of every teacher in every school district in the state and is vital for the long-term success of students.
Tomblin's proposal would ensure this happens.

subset: commoncrawl


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June 27, 2012 —
ALBANY, NY — Both New York State legislative houses have approved legislation that will ban the sale and possession of ecologically altering invasive species throughout New York. The law was sponsored by Senator Betty Little (R-C-I, Queensbury).
The legislation would require the Department of Environmental Conservation, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture and Markets, to restrict the sale, purchase, possession, introduction, importation and transport of invasive species. Working in consultation with the Invasive Species Council, the state agencies would develop regulations dealing with the disposal and control of invasives, including a list of prohibited species that would be illegal to knowingly possess with the intent to sell, import, purchase or transport.
Penalties would range from a warning for a first violation to fines of not less than $250 for subsequent violations. Financial penalties would be greater for nursery growers, operators of public vessels and commercial fishing vessels.
As part of the regulatory process, the legislation directs the agencies and council to consider establishing grace periods for prohibited and regulated species so businesses can plan the management of existing stock. Public hearings are also required as the regulations are developed.


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CNJ staff
A 21-year-old man was arrested Sunday in Blanco as a result of a child solicitation sting operation by the Curry County Sheriff's Office.
David A. Archuleta of Blanco was charged with 12 counts of child solicitation by electronic device, according to a release from the sheriff's office.
According to the release:
• Archuleta contacted an Internet user he believed to be a 13-year-old girl in Clovis. The profile was being monitored by investigators from the sheriff's office.
• The conversations became sexual in nature, and Archuleta tried to teach the girl about sex by sending her pornographic videos and links to Web sites illustrating sex acts. Archuleta exposed himself via Webcam and solicited her to perform sex acts.
• Archuleta told the girl Sunday night he had sex with a 13-year-old girl who was staying with him.
The Curry County Sheriff's Office contacted San Juan County authorities.
• Archuleta is being held on a $75,000 bond at the San Juan County Detention Center.