Faculty Development Grant Request
For
Attendance and Participation at:
The Association of Teacher Educators
February 13 - 17, 2010
Chicago, IL
Respectfully submitted by
Curriculum and Instruction
School of Education
University of Houston – ClearLake
1. Names and Date of Conference/Session/Workshops
The Association of Teacher Educators Annual Conference - February 13 -17, 2010
Dates of Travel and Conference Attendance Dates
The conference begins Saturday, February 13, 2010. I will leave Houston on Friday, February 12th and return Tuesday evening, February 16th.
Description:
a)Purpose of the trip
There are multiple purposes for my attendance at this conference. Working with two colleagues, we constructed and submitted two proposals for roundtable sessions, which received positive feedback and were accepted. The first session: Transformative Educator's Dialogue: Critical, Collaborative, Conversations will allow us to examine collaborative strategies used by my colleagues as we collaborate across multiple universities. In this discussion we explore our preferred research methodology, Self-study of Teacher Education as a research tool to improve our practices in teacher education. We will also analyze the dialogic process and how collective narrative builds community across the university system, where we are each working as junior faculty members. This session allows us to demonstrate our current research interests and to further develop and strengthen those skills.
Our second session, Framing the Community: Analysis to Action proposes that there is power in collaboration between schools and communities! In this session we will critically examine strategies to involve pre-service teachers in transformative action projects that build solid relationships between schools and the larger learning community. This endeavor is an important function to our university and demonstrates our compliance to the UHCL standards.
While I did not submit the proposal for the final clinic, Integrating "New" Technologies in Teacher Education, I will be presenting with colleagues with whom I have collaborated through a Teaching American History Grant - the Gulf Coast American History Academy for the past three years. In this clinic we demonstrate digital technologies that were tools in our three year grant: digital stories, pod casts, and YouTube as valuable methods for teaching and learning. This session demonstrates our commitment to collaboration, which is an important aspect to every layer of my professional skills.
b)Specific professional development benefits to the faculty member (including both short- and long-term benefits)
In addition to presenting multiple sessions, I would also like to attend this conference, as it is a suitable venue for me as a junior faculty to meet professional goals. I am an assistant professor in curriculum and instruction, but my focus is teacher education as my primary duties are teaching undergraduate level teacher preparation course in social studies education and participating in the teacher preparation intern programs. ATE is the only national organization devoted to education for teacher educators. As one examines the various sessions, it is obvious that attending these sessions will assist me in my preparation for tenure at all three levels: teaching, research and service.
Notably, the sessions focus on teacher education and the myriad responsibilities of one in that position. Teacher educators are faced with complicated considerations when creating courses, such as cultural awareness, professional dispositions, planning curricula and assessing learners. The conference presentations address many of these issues and provide forums for discussions related to the practice of teaching. For example, on the first day of the conference several sessions will assist me in my praxis: Teaching Candidates to Develop Powerful Curriculum will allow me to strengthen my ideas regarding standards as the foundation for teaching. In my courses, the standards and their implementation outweigh all other considerations when developing the day-to-day operations. I would like to know how others approach this concept.
Part of our profession requires that faculty collaborate across schools and even universities. At this conference, I plan to work with leading faculty members like Dr. Cheryl Craig and Louise Deretchin, who routinely seek manuscripts for the ATE Yearbook, where I have previously contributed a variety of scholarly endeavors, both editing and writing. I expect to seek out publication opportunities and guidance regarding future research development.
Finally, this conference supports my research efforts as there are countless sessions related to Self-study for Teacher Preparation. Self-study is a qualitative research paradigm that blends other qualitative methods like narrative inquiry, action research and reflective practice. My research molds each of these tools as I seek to critically examine my praxis for improvement. Yet there are other facets to this research as I also work with critical friends in a collaborative setting to assist each of us in similar pursuits. This conference supports those efforts, which are most important to me as this juncture as I attempt to move toward tenure. Sessions like, Bridging the Divide between Theory and Practice through Collaboration is a central theme in our own collaborative. I hope to experience and even participate in discussions with this learning community in order to strengthen our local research community. The most important sessions will be the presentations specific to Self-study, such as Self-study Research for Teacher Educators: Aims and Methods.
c)Benefits to the School
While there are numerous benefits to the university, the most tangible benefit to the School of Education is in regard to our accreditation status. The first session listed at the conference is, Assessment and Accountability in the NCATE System. As our institution is one of only 12 in the state of Texas it is imperative for faculty members to become more familiar with the framework and accreditation objectives. Attending this type of session directly benefits the school as I will gain valuable insight from other institutions going through the process. In addition, ATE is committed to this accreditation agency as it holds two voting seats on the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education team.
One other benefit to the School of Educationis that information gained at this conference will be disseminated throughout the School of Education as I have formed strong partnerships with colleagues in TCED and other School of Education faculty. I plan to facilitate discussions related to the concepts explored at this conference.
Date by which written report will be submitted
A written report will be submitted by March 10, 2010 (within 30 days of the completion of the trip).
Appendix
Table 1: Budget Template
University Travel Authorization
FDF Budget Template
Use this template to record the budget for conference travel.
Destination / Chicago, ILDate of travel to conference / February 12
Date of travel back to Houston / February 16
Date conference begins / February 13
Date conference ends / February 17
Least expensive airfare / Least Expensive Airfare: Southwest Airlines: $204 Roundtrip
State rate for lodging x number of nights
(Available on Travel Office Webpage) / 4 nights X $158 = $632
State rate for meals x number of days
(Available on Travel Office Webpage) / Sat - Mon @ $71 each = $213
Fri and Tue @ $53.25 each = $106.50
Total = $319.50
Transportation to and from hotel / $32 each way = $64
Mileage
(IAH and HOU mileage available on Travel Office Webpage – see reimbursement spreadsheet) / $17.25
Parking
(Note: Airport maximum of $6.00 per day.) / $30.00
Registration / $235 for Members
Miscellaneous: Please explain / Hotel Taxes $105.34
Subtotal: / $1607.09
Previously Approved Funding from SoE / $600
Total Requested from FDF: / $1007.09