Education Department Newletter - December 2022
Message from Dr. O'Connor
As an associate professor in Trinity’s Education Unit, I have the wonderful opportunity to work with students across our undergraduate, adult, and graduate programs. One of my favorite activities is to guide our education graduate students as they engage in research.
Throughout the fall semester, our current master’s students have been working diligently on their thesis research projects. Within the thesis process, students develop a research question that they are interested in exploring, plan the research methodology, and complete the study with the support of faculty advisors. In Spring 2023, students will collect data on their topics, analyze the results, and present their thesis projects. On April 20th, 2023 the graduate students will be presenting their research as a part of our campus-wide OPUS Celebration of Scholarship: https://www.trnty.edu/opus/
This year we have the following projects to share with you!
Britta Slager (master’s student in our Curriculum and Instruction: General program) is interested in exploring educator perceptions of grading practices with a focus on how educators approach missing and incomplete work in the grade book. She will be recruiting participants to complete her brief survey or to engage in an interview on this topic this spring. Look out for a link to participate in an upcoming newsletter.
Nicole Carella (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is conducting a study to examine the efficacy of a staff training model called Behavior Skills Training to teach paraprofessionals how to accurately take data in the classroom setting.
Katherine Johnson (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is examining the impact of a group contingency intervention for elementary students to address student noise levels in the cafeteria.
Alexis Kelley (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is seeking to extend the current research base on the behavioral intervention, the Good Behavior Game, by implementing this in a high school setting.
Sara Saleh (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is addressing the topic of college study skills as she examines the efficacy of a modified version of an intervention to improve terminology fluency entitled: Say All Fast one Minute Each Day Shuffle (SAFMEDS).
Karen O’Connor, PhD, BCBA
Associate Professor of Education
Faculty Accomplishments
Lyudmyla Ivanyuk, Assistant Professor of Education, participated in the 2022 Annual Literacy Research Association Conference during the week of November 29th. The conference theme this year was Crossing boundaries and borders: In pursuit of equity, solidarity, and social justice. On December 2, Dr. Ivanyuk, presented “Teachers and Bi/Multilinguals or Teachers as Bi/Multilinguals” at the LRA Conference with colleagues from three different universities.
She also presented “Online Inquiries Across Disciplines”, a collaborative study with five colleagues from five different universities in the US on December 2nd.
“It was a great honor and privilege to attend and present at the 2022 Literacy Research Association conference. I was able to network with people who had the same interests, to expand my knowledge, and to get insights into the latest trends. I am also grateful for the support of Trinity Christian College.” Dr. Ivanyuk
Professor Brandon Perez and alum, Alexa Nakvosas presented “Promoting Confidence in Data Collection” at the Proficio Conference 2022.
“The Proficio conference was great! We had about 20-25 people (a combination of teachers, administrators, behavior support staff, and behavior analysts) in attendance for our presentation. I first discussed the importance of data collection and choosing different data collection methods for the classroom and one of our recent Trinity graduates (Alexa Nakvosas) presented on her thesis, demonstrating an excellent applied example of data collection and data-based decision making in the classroom.” – Dr. Brandon Perez
Way to go, Dr. Ivanyuk and Dr. Perez!
Professional Development Series
The Education Unit wrapped up our final two professional development sessions of the Fall semester:
Tired Teachers in Trying Times: Ways to Address Exhaustion presented by Dr. Latonia Winston, Director of Learning & Teaching Success on November 16th
and
Creating a Collaborative Relationship with Families presented by Dr. Lyudmyla Ivanyuk, Assistant Professor of Education on December 7th.
These sessions were well received by education professionals and alumni from a variety of partnering school districts. Please stay tuned as we announce our Spring Professional Development Series session dates.
Education Commissioning & Celebration
On Friday, December 9th, the Education Unit hosted the Education Commissioning & Celebration to honor our most recent program completers. Education faculty, student supervisors, cooperating teachers, and many family members came together to celebrate the accomplishments of each our education program completers in a special ceremony and celebration.
We are so proud of these students and look forward to learning about the impact they will have within their school districts, communities, and the students they will serve. Congratulations to all on behalf of the Education unit.
Education Alumni Spotlight
Meet class of 2021 Trinity Education alum, Moira Garvey. Moira has spent the last year and a half employed at Lincoln-Way East High School as a Special Services teacher. This year she has had the opportunity of teaching a vocational class to a small self-contained group of students. Part of her curriculum is getting out and exploring the community. With that, she decided to take her students on a trip to Trinity to see what options they can pursue after they graduate high school. Leah Wideman, Assistant Director of Alumni and Family Engagement, and fellow ’21 alumnus, provided Moira and her class an amazing tour and her students enjoyed and benefitted from the experience!
“To current and future education students at Trinity, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try new things. Get as creative as you can with your lessons and seek all opportunities to provide your students with real world experiences.” – Moira Garvey
Making Connections Outside the Classroom
Illinois Assistive Technology Program (IATP) hosted a small group of Trinity Education students from Special Education 332: Assistive Technology on Thursday, December 1st. Students attended an adaptive switch making class and were provided a tour of their new Demonstration Center. This was a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience.
Chicago Semester
Student Teaching with Chicago Semester
Will you be student teaching in fall 2023 or spring 2024? Have you considered student teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) like Healy Elementary or Senn High school, or a private Christian school like Daystar Academy?
These options and many more are available through Trinity’s Chicago Semester program. If you choose to student teach in CPS you will automatically be invited to participate in professional development opportunities, attend job fairs, and be updated about job openings in the district. As a Chicago Semester student you will live in an apartment in the Gold Coast neighborhood, student teach in the city, and enjoy the experiential city learning and arts events that Chicago Semester is known for. You might even qualify to receive a City Fellows stipend!
For fall 2023 or spring 2024 student teachers, you must first complete the Trinity Application for Off-Campus Study which is due by February 1. Return it to Maria Hodapp, Director of Off-Campus Programs: maria.hodapp@trnty.edu
If you have another year or two before student teaching, just tuck this idea away for now, and keep in touch with Maria Hodapp next year, or with any questions that you have in the meantime.
To learn more, visit Chicago Semester.
Are you looking for a Full-time, Part-time, Internship, Volunteer, or Summer Job? Take a look at our systems linked below for access to job opportunities!
Mokena Junior High School – Long-Term Substitute Teacher 6th Grade ELA
Mokena Junior High has an immediate opening for a 6th grade teacher, with ELA endorsement.
If interested in learning more or applying, please visit: https://mokena159.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=387
Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School – Temporary teaching position (Math)
Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School has an immediate opening for a temporary (Math) teaching position.
To learn more or to apply, please send your resume to Sean McNichols at smcnichols@d123.org.
Fox Lake D114 – Special Education
Fox Lake D114 is looking for a December grad to start in January. It would be for a self contained classroom with 4-6 kiddos and a full time para. Most, if not all, of the students have Autism with lower functional and communication needs.
To apply, please email resume to Richard Medina at rmedina@elced.org.
Restoration Ministries – Afterschool program
Restoration Ministries is looking for education majors, who might be interested in being a lead teacher or teachers assistant in the After-school program. Some of the daily expectations are creating weekly lesson plans, leading bible lesson, creating gym activities, and engaging in extracurricular activities outside the classroom.
If interested, please submit resumes to Pam Banks at pam@restorationministries.net.
Oak Lawn Children’s Museum – Part-time Play Coordinator
Play coordinators do a lot of things at the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn. Not only do you reset exhibits, but you may have the opportunity to help implement a variety of programs from Storytime to STEM.
Must be able to work weekends and weekdays, plus some evenings. Must be able to pick up exhibit pieces and reset exhibits.
To learn more, please visit their website. To apply, send your cover letter and resume to info@cmoaklawn.org.
Calvin Christian School – Extended Care (After School) help needed
Calvin Christian School is looking for additional help in their Extended Care program. The hours would be afterschool anytime between the hours of 3-6pm, Monday-Friday (actually 2-6pm on Wednesdays). They are open to any hours and any combination of days. Pay rate would range from $12.82 – $16.82/hour depending on experience.
If interested, please contact Susan Reese at sreese@calvinschool.org.
Additional work opportunities may be found on the systems listed below.
Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.
Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.
If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.
We’d love to hear from you.
Jan 4: Adult Program Orientation
Jan 9: Spring 2023 Student Teaching Orientation
Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2022 Connections Education Event
Apr 25: Young Authors Reception
Apr 26: Young Authors Festival
May 1: Education Commissioning & Celebration (new date)