Curriculum and Instruction News
UW-Madison’s Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy were recognized in April as co-winners of the 2017 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Education, a prestigious honor that includes a $100,000 prize. The Grawemeyer Awards program pays tribute to the power of creative ideas, emphasizing the impact a single idea can have on the world. Hess and McAvoy visited Louisville last month to take part in an Awards Dinner on April 20. While in Louisville, the two also presented free lectures about their award-winning ideas and discussed controversial political issues with students during a visit to Central High School.
UW-Madison’s School of Education recognized its Spring 2017 graduates by hosting a pair of events to celebrate the accomplishments of its many talented and dedicated students. On Friday evening, May 12, the School honored its newest cohort of Ph.D. and MFA degree recipients with a reception and traditional Hooding Ceremony at the Gordon Dining and Event Center on campus. And prior to UW-Madison’s Spring 2017 Commencement Ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, May 13, the School celebrated with its newest class of master’s and bachelor’s degree graduates by hosting the annual Pre-Commencement Celebration and Breakfast at the Gordon Dining and Event Center.
UW-Madison's School of Education hosted its annual Partners in Education Banquet and Recognition Program Thursday night at the Pyle Center to celebrate and thank the many dedicated K-12 professionals who open their classrooms to School of Education students. Award winners included: Cynthia Carter, Elizabeth Mackman, Hope Mikkelson, Cathy Perry, Elizabeth Pike and Abigail Swetz. Congratulations and thank you to all who help mentor the next generation of teachers!
UW-Madison's Michael Apple was quoted in a recent article from The Capital Times about an educational philosophy called "unschooling." Apple is the School of Education's John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, and Educational Policy Studies. In the article, Apple provides some context on the topic of families who choose to home school (or unschool) to allow more autonomy for children to learn at their own pace and discover their own interests.
UW-Madison alumnus Brent Zinkel was recently named Wisconsin’s High School Teacher of the Year. Zinkel earned his undergraduate degree from UW-Madison in history in 2002 and then received his secondary teaching certification through the School of Education in the fall of 2004. Zinkel is now a history teacher at Wausau East High School. Zinkel will receive $3,000 from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation, a co-sponsor of the Wisconsin Teacher of the Year program.
The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) is hosting its first "Teacher Speakout!" event on Monday, May 15. At Teacher Speakout!, nine public school teachers from seven different rural districts around Wisconsin will share their experiences with university researchers. The teachers will lead a panel discussion about their experiences in the classroom, and then will exchange ideas about education in rural areas with the faculty, staff and students from WCER. The event will be held in the Education Building. Parts of Teachers Speakout! are open to the public, but registration is required.
The "Bucky's Classroom" program is administered through Campus and Visitor Relations, in partnership with the School of Education. Matthew Freid, an outreach specialist with the School's Education Outreach and Partnerships Office, designed the monthly college and career exploration activities with input from colleagues.
UW-Madison’s Erika Bullock was quoted in a recent report from The Atlantic headlined, “How Does Race Affect a Student's Math Education?” The report examines how a new paper explores the ways in which “whiteness” reproduces racial advantages and disadvantages. Bullock is an assistant professor of mathematics education with the School of Education’s No. 1-ranked Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
How does UW-Madison’s School of Education consistently rank among the very best in the nation? It’s due, in large part, to the talent and dedication of the School's faculty, staff and students. On Tuesday evening the School honored some of its most outstanding contributors with School of Education Faculty and Staff Distinguished Achievement Awards during a ceremony and reception in the Education Building's Wisconsin Idea Room. Congratulations to all of this year's winners -- and thanks for making the School of Education such a remarkable place.
UW-Madison School of Education Dean Diana Hess will be delivering the keynote talk at the Healthy Classrooms Foundation’s 10th annual Public Health Symposium on Monday, May 8. Hess, who holds the Karen A. Falk Distinguished Chair of Education, will be delivering a presentation titled, “Approaching Political and Social Controversy in the Classroom: The Impact on Childhood Mental Health.” The symposium runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Health Sciences Learning Center, 750 Highland Ave. It is free and open to the public, and includes a free dinner.