Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences & Human Development Emma Elliot-Groves was recently interviewed and cited for an article about Indigenous suicide by the Toronto Star. When suicidal behavior among members of the Cowichan Tribes in British Columbia increased more than 2.5 times between 2007 and 2012, Emma, who is originally from the community, was invited to find out why. By taking a narrative storytelling approach to working with community, rather than using the typical western concepts of individualism and autonomy, she was able to conduct mental health assessments “in a way that highlighted Indigenous concepts of self, and engaged Indigenous teaching and learning strategies.”
Drumming brought her ‘closer to purpose’ after years of struggling with mental health. But an approach tailored to Indigenous culture remains out of reach for others like her
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Officials should prioritize immediate issues before strategic planning, faculty say
Monday, November 8, 2021
Jennifer Lee Hoffman, associate professor in Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy and faculty member at the Center for Leadership in Athletics contributed to an article for The GW Hatchet. She states that the pandemic may have amplified any enrollment and financial challenges that a university may have been facing before the pandemic and that the pandemic has led to uncertainty over the future of higher education institutions, and a strategic plan can help address those concerns. “The concern is that colleges, universities that are really enrollment dependent are going to have to be really careful about the decisions that they make so that they maintain their fiscal viability,” she said. “So that’s where your strategic plan is really, really important.”
Schools face calls to boost environmental teaching
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Deb Morrison, Research Scientist for the College of Education, is featured in an article by the Financial Times titled “Schools face calls to boost environmental teaching.” In the article, she makes the case for integrating climate change into existing subjects, rather than developing standalone courses, given that timetables are already crowded and the pace of change is fast. She also stresses the importance of training teachers and emphasizing different pedagogical styles, rather than simply distributing materials in the classroom. “Without more thoughtful approaches, we’ll just have more stuff shoved on to teachers’ desks with no support,” Morrison says. “We have a lot of accountability measures for teachers but not much money to support them teaching better.”
2021’s Best Cities for Soccer Fans
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Jennifer Lee Hoffman, associate professor and affiliated faculty member with the Center for Leadership in Athletics is featured in a new article from WalletHub detailing the best cities for soccer fans. In a special Q&A embedded within the article, Lee Hoffman brings her expertise on athlete rights, the growth of esports, and the changing landscape governing NIL and athlete entrepreneurship to discuss the biggest issues facing U.S. soccer today and the long-term outlook for professional soccer in this country, among other topics.
Rankings: UW among best in world for education, social sciences, business and law
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
The University of Washington is among the best universities in the world for education, social sciences, business and law, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2022. The rankings show the UW moved up three spots to be No. 18 in education, placing eighth among U.S. public universities. Education includes the following disciplines: education, teacher training and academic studies in education. This year’s education ranking includes 597 universities.
Southern Colorado community works to preserve the memory of historic school desegregation case
Monday, October 11, 2021
Alumnus Dr. Gonzalo Guzmán (MEd '10, PhD '18) contributed to an article highlighting a landmark school desegregation case in southern Colorado in the early twentieth century that was recently published by Rocky Mountain PBS. Dr. Guzmán's research into the efforts of the Maestas family to integrate the white-only Alamosa elementary school from 1912-1914 was largely lost to history. The case ― Francisco Maestas et al v. Superintendent George H. Shone and the Board of Education, which came at the tail end of a long string of attempts to bargain with the school district ― became what experts believe was the first Hispanic desegregation case in the United States in which Hispanics won. Now a team of historians, community members and descendants of the Maestas family are working to ensure more Coloradans know about this important chapter of the state's history through the formation of the Maestas Case Committee. Dr. Guzmán serves as a member of the committee and previously published research about the case in The Journal of Latinos in Education. He currently serves as a visiting assistant professor of educational studies at Colgate University.
NIL, Social Media and Leveling the Playing Field
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Jennifer Lee Hoffman, associate professor in Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy and faculty member at the Center for Leadership in Athletics, is quoted in an article published in Diverse Issues in Higher Education that focuses on how collegiate athletes are already beginning to profit off their name, image and likeness since the court's ruling in June. While some scholars have speculated that profiting off name, image and likeness will make sports more equitable for all genders and races, Lee Hoffman cautions that institutions must take into consideration the ways in which equity comes into play and what young athletes need to learn to take advantage of the entrepreneurial options now available to them.
What if amateurism turned into entrepreneurialism?
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Jennifer Lee Hoffman, associate professor in Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy and faculty member at the Center for Leadership in Athletics, co-wrote an article published in the Wiley Online Library titled, "What if amateurism turned into entrepreneurialism?" Lee Hoffman and her co-author discuss the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in NCAA v. Alston, which upends the long-held practice of treating college athletes as unpaid amateurs. The ruling comes at a time when state legislation across the country is opening doors for new economic opportunities for college athletes, primarily their ability to market their name, image and likeness. The authors argue that the ruling provides an opportunity for campus leaders in athletics and in universities to think about the opportunities they provide for all students, including college athletes, to become entrepreneurs in a new economy.
The Pandemic Hurt These Students the Most
Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Dr. Ann Ishimaru, associate professor of educational foundations, leadership and policy, was quoted in an article published by The New York Times about new research tracking the impact of pandemic disruptions on student learning. Using data comparing test results from the past year with earlier years, the findings paint an alarming picture of an education system plagued by racial and socioeconomic inequities that have only gotten worse. But contrary to images conjured by phrases like "learning loss," almost all students made gains during the pandemic, just at a slower rate than normal. Additionally, the usefulness of measuring student performance during a year of upheaval and trauma has been contested. "The problem with the learning loss narrative is it is premised on a set of racialized assumptions and focused on test scores," said Dr. Ishimaru, who engages in community-based research that centers the experiences of BIPOC and immigrant families navigating educational systems. "What if we were to focus on the learning found, and then we rebuild our education systems from that learning?" she added.
Why students learn better when they move their bodies – instead of sitting still at their desks
Thursday, August 26, 2021
Katie Headrick Taylor, associate professor in Learning Sciences and Human Development, wrote about the importance of movement for students' learning outcomes in an op-ed in The Conversation. Dr. Headrick Taylor argues that current models of remote education are inefficient for learning, teaching and productivity. She points out that sitting in front of a computer screen subdues or detaches people from many of the sense-making abilities of our bodies and cites research from embodied cognition ― the study of the body's role in thinking ― that shows that the body must first be interacting with the world to activate and open up the mind for learning. Whether students remain online or return to in-person classrooms this year, Dr. Headrick Taylor believes both models of school can better incorporate the body to support learning and provides tips for how educators can encourage and sustain an active classroom culture.