Special Education
COE Special Education major presents research at statewide event
A student from Georgia Southern’s College of Education was selected to attend Posters at the Capitol on February 27. Caroline Ray, a senior majoring in Special Education, traveled to Atlanta to present her research poster titled, “The Use of Behavior Specific Praise in a Secondary Math Classroom.” Ray’s poster was one of 40 selected from a record number of undergraduate research submissions across the state. There was only one other education research poster selected for the event.
Ray’s poster was based on observations she and her clinical supervisor made during her placement for her student teaching experience. Using a control group and an experimental group, Caroline observed her clinical supervisor’s use of Behavior Specific Praise to increase desired behaviors in the classroom during group guided practice.
Kymberly Harris, Associate Professor of Elementary and Special Education, mentored Ray and accompanied her to the event. Ray had developed a similar research project for middle schoolers while taking Harris’ Classroom Management course. Harris says, “People often say these methods won’t work on older kids, so Caroline wanted to try it in high school.” Harris encouraged Ray to complete the research and submit a poster for Posters at the Capitol, but emphasizes that Ray was already motivated, “She didn’t need any pushing on my part.”
Ray’s poster was also selected for Georgia Southern’s Student Scholar Symposium Statesboro event on April 18.
Read more…New accelerated program debuts this fall, allows students to complete special education advanced degree in less time
Georgia Southern University special education faculty created an Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) program to assist undergraduate special education students with earning an advanced degree in special education in less time.
The team, including the College of Education’s Eric Landers, Ph.D., Cynthia Massey, Ph.D., Stephanie Devine, Ph.D., Kathryn Haughney, Ph.D., Caitlin Criss, Ph.D., and Karin Fisher, Ph.D., received approval for the new ABM to begin this fall, encouraging special education undergraduates at Georgia Southern to complete a M.Ed. in Special Education.
“Creating ABM options for prospective teachers provides a career path that results in a master’s degree and a higher salary than those without,” explained Landers. “Through this route, students will save both time and money towards a degree in this field.”
The ABM in BSEd to M.Ed. Special Education allows special education undergraduate students to take courses (up to nine credit hours) in their junior and senior years that will transfer as credit in the University’s M.Ed in Special Education program.
“Students completing this track will complete both the initial and an advanced teaching certificate in special education in fewer hours than if they had done the programs separately, and it allows them to enter the field at a higher salary,” said Landers.
All efforts from the special education team aim to help address the state and national shortage of certified teachers, specifically in special education, which has recently been named one of the three highest-need subject areas by the Georgia Department of Education.
“The void clearly impacts states’ abilities to meet the needs of students with disabilities, as research shows that students with disabilities have greater academic success when supported by teachers certified in special education,” explained Landers. “As educators of and advocates for special education, we will continue to strive to help meet the needs of students with disabilities in our state and nation in any way that we can.”
Special education college classroom takes a ‘flip’
Faculty members in the College of Education (COE) at Georgia Southern University recently published research on their efforts to analyze and reconfigure undergraduate special education classroom instruction for preservice teachers at the University.
Lead by Assistant Professor of Special Education Cynthia C. Massey, Ph.D., the research team included COE faculty members Selçuk Doğan, Ph.D., Edward A. Muhammad, Ph.D., Eric Hogan, Ph.D., and Jackie Kim, Ed.D., as well as former Heard County Schools Special Education Teacher Cindy N. Head, Ed.D. Their study, “The Effect of Flipped Instruction on Special Education Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions,” was published in the International Journal of Scholarship for Teaching and Learning.
In fall 2019, Massey taught her first special education assessment course in the traditional format at Georgia Southern with students who were juniors in their first semester of major courses. By spring 2020, she began research to explore alternatives for teaching the material.
“I decided to pursue this research project to explore a nontraditional approach to instruction,” explained Massey. “I wanted to improve the way I supported juniors in the special education program as they mastered course content and improved their pedagogical skills. I chose to use the flipped instruction model to increase the amount of time they spent applying the content learned in a supported atmosphere before implementing the strategies learned with their P-12 students. The purpose of this project was to analyze the effectiveness of this model.”
The new flipped instruction method requires both asynchronous and synchronous instruction, with students engaging in asynchronous assignments centered on the content prior to class time. During synchronous class, students met face-to-face and began with a review of difficult or confusing concepts from the content review done on their own.
“Once we completed review, we then had the remainder of the class time to engage in hands-on activities and group discussions that allowed students to demonstrate their knowledge of the concepts,” said Massey. “I aimed to increase the motivation and engagement with course content while increasing their content knowledge so they become better educators for students with disabilities.”
The use of instructional technology allowed the students to engage in conversation and instruction outside of the classroom. Programs and applications such as Perusall, Flip and Khan Academy allowed students to read, practice and discuss content for the course outside of the classroom without the necessity of costly textbooks.
To further analyze this instruction method, two additional courses were restructured to the flipped classroom method, with one instructor making the addition of administering digital badging to add a gaming element to the course.
After each course, students were surveyed about the new teaching methods. Results were definitive that students preferred the hands-on activities versus lectures and 100% of students surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the course provided a student-centered learning environment.
“As educators, it is important that we continually seek the most effective way to reach our current students,” said Massey. “This project taught me the importance of continuing to grow as an educator to best serve the students I teach. I will continue to search for ways to provide students with a learner-centered classroom environment and evaluate educational technology tools that best meet their needs.”
Since the success of the flipped classroom methodology, several other special education faculty have applied this approach to their classrooms.
‘I don’t like quitting’: Dual certification major beats Hodgkin lymphoma to walk across the commencement stage on May 10
Kimberly Dawn, or “Kimmy” as her friends know her, started her journey at Georgia Southern University because it was a place of comfort. A native of Ellabell, Georgia, Dawn grew up only 25 miles from the Statesboro Campus. When her stepmother suddenly passed away during her senior year of high school, Dawn’s decision was final. She would stay close to family and attend the university she always cared for as an almost local.
It was during her first school observations that are required of Georgia Southern’s education students that Dawn met a paraprofessional who inspired her to pursue a dual certification degree in both elementary and special education.
“I watched as she addressed students in the classroom who were struggling with techniques I had never considered,” said Dawn. “Her experience in both general and special education classroom settings gave her different strategies to utilize with all students. That’s when I knew I wanted to have that knowledge and be able to do the same.”
A member of the Chi Omega sorority on campus, Dawn’s college experience was “amazing,” even though her junior year brought a new and difficult challenge. At 21 years old, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
“I found a lump in my neck,” she explained. “It didn’t go away, and even the doctor said it was probably nothing. Then everything moved really fast from there.”
After a biopsy on her birthday in February, Dawn was faced with a decision. Treatment would need to begin the Friday before spring break. Should she medically withdraw?
“I kept thinking I was halfway through the semester, and a secretary of an organization, and I don’t like quitting,” said Dawn.
With the support of her community, including her family, sorority, education cohort and professors, Dawn made it through the semester and today, proudly can say she is in remission from cancer and graduating this week.
“My professors were so flexible and supportive during treatment,” she explained. “In the dual certification program at Georgia Southern, you grow close to your cohort and your professors, as you spend four years with them and grow with them.”
Dawn has accepted an elementary teaching position in Columbus, Georgia, where she will relocate this summer.
“I am very excited to be in my own classroom and shaping the foundation of students’ knowledge,” she said. “I cannot imagine doing anything else.”
From high-stakes fashion to a special education classroom
Former New York fashion merchandiser Celia Ayenesazan helps children with disabilities build confidence in the classroom
Long Island, New York, native Celia Ayenesazan graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology almost 30 years ago and spent more than two decades working for Federated Department Stores, Inc., one of America’s largest operators of premier retail chains including Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. But nothing brings her more joy than leading her own special education classroom.
This week, Ayenesazan walks across Georgia Southern University’s commencement stage to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), and a second chance at a fulfilling career.
At the height of her career, she sourced garments for Ann Taylor, Express and Liz Claiborne, but put her career on hold following the birth of her daughter to become a stay-at-home mom.
“I didn’t work in an office setting for eight years,” she explained. “I was away from the fast-paced fashion industry for a long time. I wasn’t sure if my skill sets had become obsolete. A friend suggested that I apply for a job at the local preschool because she saw the level of engagement I had with young children. I was hesitant, but it was the best thing I ever did as it led to a new career.”
In 2016, Ayenesazan and her family moved South to metro Atlanta to join her extended family where she secured a paraprofessional position at an elementary school.
In no time, Ayenesazan was encouraged by her peers and administrators to become certified and lead her own classroom. She chose Georgia Southern University’s fully online MAT program to become a certified teacher in special education.
“I worked as a paraprofessional in a self-contained special education classroom and ever since then I have had a connection with students with disabilities,” Ayenesazan said. “The reward of this work is immense and the impact can be seen almost every day.”
Today, Ayenesazan is in her second year at Radloff Middle School in Duluth, Georgia, a Title I school with 98% minority enrollment and 83% economically disadvantaged students.
Since joining the school, she has been awarded multiple grants and completed several DonorsChoose projects, totaling more than $55,000 in donations and grant funding to support new and innovative efforts to integrate students with disabilities into the general education population.
“Because I teach in a self-contained classroom [where students with similar disabilities are taught in one classroom], our students are often not together with the general education population,” she explained. “I want my students to gain confidence in their abilities and push them out of the nest, so to speak. Social support is so important in this process.”
That is why Ayenesazan has focused much of her grant seeking on efforts that allow students with disabilities to participate in hands-on, unique learning opportunities with students from the general population. Since Ayenesazan started at Radloff Middle, she has created an outdoor learning environment and gardening space, in addition to Tower Gardens, an aeroponic indoor growing system, to extend the learning experience by growing vegetables in the classroom, year-round. Students cultivate the vegetables and take them home to cook them. She started the first LEGO robotics team for students with disabilities that competed in a regional competition. Most recently, Ayenesazan received a $20,000 grant to create a new multi-sensory room that will be complete with alternative lighting, fiber optics, vibrating chairs, bubble tubes, bean bag chairs, swings and fidgeting activities.
“The multi-sensory room can provide a comfortable space for students with disabilities, to engage with peers in the general education and special education settings,” said Ayenesazan. “It will offer an alternative to a classroom space for students to socialize and collaborate. The ultimate goal is to offer all students an inclusive learning environment.”
In the near future, Ayenesazan plans to start a sewing club so students can learn basic sewing skills and create costumes for the school’s drama performances. She also coordinated with several teachers to establish the school’s first gardening club. Another passion she has is to teach students to acknowledge the power of their voice advocacy skills.
“I enjoy thinking out of the box and finding innovative ways to empower all students,” said Ayenesazan. “When you love what you do, you dedicate your efforts to make a difference in the lives of all students.”