Student Highlights
Teaching Experience for Underclassmen
A College of Education collaboration with area schools is giving freshmen and sophomores the chance to experience what it’s like to be a teacher. Students in the required core class “Integrated Physical Science (ISCI) 2002” can gain advanced experience when they sign up to participate in one of several STEM Night events happening at area elementary schools during the semester. These events feature stations with hands-on exhibits and are held during evening hours when families can participate together. During the fall 2023 semester, eleven STEM Nights were held at schools in Bulloch, Chatham and Effingham Counties.
When students sign up to help with a STEM Night event, they meet a Georgia Southern representative at the school, are assigned to a station, then spend two hours interacting with children, parents and faculty as they facilitate a STEM-related lesson. In addition to professional experience, students gain scientific understanding when they demonstrate content that relates to their own college-level science class.
Heather Scott, Ed.D., teaches ISCI 2002 along with Lacey Huffling, Ph.D. Scott enjoys watching her students participate at STEM Nights. She says, “They instantly turn into teachers when the children arrive. They understand why we think it’s important for them to have this experience.”
Current student Amira recently attended a STEM Night event and says, “I thought participating in the STEM Night was super fun and was a great experience. It allowed me to grow more as a future teacher and provided a fun experience to see how kids learn.”
Another student, Olivia, volunteered for two STEM Night events because she said participating helped broaden her perspective and better understand the experiences of the student population that she plans to work with one day.
The opportunity for students to participate in STEM Nights is made possible by the College of Education’s Center for STEM Education. The School Outreach division of the Center maintains relationships with schools in the area, and provides support and materials for STEM Night events throughout the school year. Huffling says, “It’s amazing that we have something like the Center for STEM Education. We couldn’t provide this opportunity on our own.”
Although Scott and Huffling send the newest students to STEM Nights, several professors across the College of Education utilize STEM Nights as a chance for their students to apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world setting. Students in classes with Shelli Casler-Failing, Ph.D., Montana Smithey, Ph.D., Bailey Nafziger, Ph.D. and Alesia Moldavan, Ph.D., also participate in STEM Nights.
Gulfstream expands grad assistantship
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. is expanding their graduate assistantship this fall to include a second student from Georgia Southern University’s College of Education (COE). For the past six years, the assistantship has been a unique two-year assignment to support Gulfstream’s Student Leadership Program (SLP) in Savannah. Rather than complete her term, the current grad assistant, Paige Ringer, will continue with Gulfstream in a new role. In her new role, Ringer will be part of a team that helps oversee all three of the company’s SLP sites, including the program’s newest location that is launching in East St. Louis, Illinois. With Ringer stepping into this new role, it became necessary to add additional support to the SLP site in Savannah so Amber Lewis will be starting a new graduate assistant term at this site. Both students are enrolled in the COE’s Ed.S. in School Psychology program.
Gulfstream’s SLP is a fully funded mentorship program that brings high school students through a 3-year custom leadership curriculum. The program includes partnerships with community advisors, visits to industry sites, and small group learning opportunities. The Savannah SLP is the largest program site, with more than 400 high schoolers enrolled. Currently, 150 students participate in the Appleton, Wisconsin program and 50-60 teens will start at the East St. Louis location.
Kyle Redner, Public Affairs State Director at Gulfstream, attributes the success of SLP to the contributions of COE students. He says, “We appreciate the fresh energy and creative thinking that our COE grad assistants bring to the team. The partnership with Georgia Southern contributes to the overall success of our Student Leadership Program, allowing us to further support these high school students and provide them with more opportunities.”
For more information about the Gulfstream’s SLP, visit discoverslp.com
Doctoral students awarded memorial scholarship
Georgia Southern University’s Bryan Deever Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Sequaya Chapman and Marshall Parrent during the Curriculum Studies Doctoral Program Orientation on April 22. Each student was awarded $880 toward tuition for their Ed.D. in Curriculum Studies.
Grateful for the scholarship, Chapman says, “This award means that I don’t have to worry about paying my full tuition for this upcoming fall semester and can focus on writing my dissertation.”
For two decades, the Bryan Deever Memorial Scholarship has honored the legacy of Bryan Deever, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Research from 1989 until his tragic death in 2000. Deever’s contributions included the creation of the Doctoral program in Curriculum Studies.
Honored by the recognition, Parrent says, “Dr. Deever’s work taught me that altering education for the better will indeed be a Herculean task, but a goal we must strive for regardless of the challenges ahead, and with courage and conviction.”
If you would like to contribute to the Bryan Deever Memorial Scholarship fund, please make your check payable to Georgia Southern University Foundation (for the Bryan Deever Memorial Scholarship) and send to the Foundation Office at Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8053, Statesboro, GA 30460-8053.
Students deployed as literacy tutors
This June, 62 college students provided literacy tutoring for elementary school summer learning programs in Statesboro and Savannah. The tutors worked with small groups of students for four weeks to prevent summer learning loss and improve student attitudes about reading.
The tutors were recruited from Georgia Southern University, Savannah State University, East Georgia College, Savannah Technical College and Ogeechee Technical College. They received training from Georgia Southern’s College of Education (COE) faculty before interacting with students. Then, midway through the term, they received additional training alongside classroom teachers, including instruction from national literacy expert Lester Laminack.
Alisa Leckie, Ph.D., COE assistant dean for partnerships and outreach, helped to develop the project and oversees its implementation. She says, “We have seen positive results for our partner schools and our college students. The extended time for individual interaction between tutor and child has an immense impact.”
The tutoring initiative is a project of the Regional Education Collaborative (REC), a partnership between education, government and business in the Statesboro and Savannah area. Tutors were deployed in 2021 to combat the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on area schools. In 2022, the project expanded with funding from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. This year, the project expanded again with Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools funding additional training and the project team adding additional assessments.
Social Studies Storytelling in Statesboro kicked off on May 27
Every town has a story to tell.
Georgia Southern University undergraduate elementary education students, in tandem with faculty and local public history experts, are bringing Statesboro’s history to life with a new digital walking tour, which launched on May 27.
Highlighting Statesboro’s evolution since its establishment in 1803, the digital walking tour showcases the told and untold stories of important historical sites in downtown Statesboro through the Open Tour app, featuring links to student-curated sources, written content and inquiry questions. Read the full Story here.