2008-2009 - Grand Valley State University

College of Education
Annual Report 2008-2009

Welcome!
A Winning Season
The 2008-2009 academic year set a gold standard for productivity. For the third consecutive
year, the College of Education was ranked by the Michigan Department of Education as an
Exemplary Performance Teacher Preparation Unit. For the second consecutive year, Colleagues
Magazine received national recognition for overall excellence. Our faculty, staff and students
continue to be recognized for outstanding teaching and service. In this annual report you will
find many examples of how we are working together to make a substantial impact in the field
of education through cutting edge programs, scholarship, outreach efforts and K-12 initiatives.
Congratulations for another great year!
Sincerely,
Elaine C. Collins
Dean, College of Education
Grand Valley State University

A Year in Review: 2008–2009
COE Mission: Teaching, Leading and Learning in a Democratic Society
COE Achievements ..........................................................................................2-9
Faculty Awards ...........................................................................................2-9
COE Achievements ..........................................................................................10-13
Student Awards ..........................................................................................10-13
Scholarship and Service ...................................................................................14-21
Faculty International Scholarship ................................................................14
Faculty Presentations .................................................................................15-17
Faculty Publications ..................................................................................18
Service - Faculty and Staff ..........................................................................19-21
Program Spotlights ..........................................................................................22-25
CI Program Reinvented Online .....................................................................22-23
Very WITty Podcasts for Teachers .................................................................24
GTC Teachers Stay Connected......................................................................25
Cooperating Teachers Connect to COE Web ...................................................25
Learning Through Collaboration.........................................................................26-28
Wildly Exciting Education............................................................................26
Adventures in Teaching ...............................................................................27
Community Connections..............................................................................28
Social Responsibility........................................................................................29
Man on a 2000-MIle Mission ......................................................................29
COE Launches Future Teacher Scholarship Endowment .................................29
Milestones ......................................................................................................30-36
Convocation ...............................................................................................30-33
A Grand Goodbye........................................................................................34-35
Transitions .................................................................................................36
New Directions ................................................................................................37
Who We Are ....................................................................................................38-41
Cover: Left to right, COE graduate students: Kristofer Pachla, Ed. Leadership,
Shawn Watson, Sonya Hernandez and Nick Smith, Ed. Specialist program
Cover Photo: Amanda Pitts, GVSU News & Information Services
Editor: Barbara Fournier, COE Director, Administrative Services
Copy Editor: Beyond Words, Inc.
Design: Good Work
Photography: Bernadine Carey-Tucker, GVSU News & Information Services
GVSU College of Education
Founded 1964
NCATE accredited since 1987
Table of
Contents
The Standard of Excellence
in Teacher Preparation

COE
Achievements Faculty Awards
Grand Valley State University
Outstanding Teacher Award
Donald Pottorff | GVSU College of Education
2
Rank: Professor of Education
Teaching Areas: Reading/Language Arts
Courses Taught:
EDR 623 Literacy for Adolescents
EDR 623 Literacy for Adolescents:
Graduate Teacher Certification (GTC)
EDR 625 Literature for Adolescents
Joined GVSU COE Faculty: 1987
Degrees and Institutions Attended:
B.S., Central Mississippi State University,
elementary education
M.A., Central Mississippi State University,
elementary school administration with post-master’s
study in reading certification
Ph.D., Michigan State University, elementary
education with emphasis in K-12 reading
Expertise: Literacy diagnosis; remediation and
adolescent literature. Dr. Pottorff, a published author
and poet, is also the recipient of the:
• 2001 GVSU Pew Teaching Excellence Award
• 1999 GVSU Alumni Association Outstanding
Educator Award
• 1980 and 1987 Department of Defense
Overseas Dependent Schools Sustained
Superior Teaching Performance Award
An Uncommon Educator
Before coming to GVSU, Dr. Pottorff taught in
U.S. military schools and international schools
in Germany, Japan, South Korea and the
Philippines. In December 2008, he celebrated
43 years in education and retired from GVSU.
He plans to return to South Korea to teach
at the Taejon Christian International School.
“There they go; I must catch them
for I am their leader.”
Chinese proverb adapted and adopted by Dr. Pottorff
“Teaching has provided me the
opportunity to live and teach in
four foreign countries, to work with
colleagues and students from some
20 different nationalities and to
travel to 33 countries. Teaching has
also allowed me the opportunity to
adopt three orphaned infants from
countries where I have taught.
What other occupation could offer
such richness?”

Grand Valley State University Outstanding
Community Service Award
Barbara J. Reinken | GVSU College of Education
Rank: Associate Professor of Education
Teaching Area: Reading/Language Arts
Courses Taught:
EDR 626 Literacy Assessments and Instruction
EDR Practicum for Reading Specialists
EDR 685 Practicum for Reading Teachers
ED 693 Master’s Project
ED 695 Master’s Thesis
EDR 696 Program Dev. and Administration
Joined GVSU COE Faculty: 1996
Degrees and Institutions Attended:
B.S., Indiana University
M.S., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Ph.D., Michigan State University
Expertise: Literacy diagnosis and instruction
Dr. Reinken’s lifelong passion for literacy and
community service earned her the 2008-09
GVSU Outstanding Community Service Award.
In her professional life she has been a:
• Classroom teacher
• Title I reading teacher
• Reading resource teacher
• Elementary school principal
Uncommon Service
As a COE faculty member in the Reading/Language
Arts program, she initiated a literacy program with
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools that has grown into
the GVSU summer Literacy Center. The Center has
helped English Language Learners (ELL) improve
test scores and increase oral/written literacy skills.
Dr. Reinken co-chairs the Michigan Department
of Education state review of initial certification
reading courses. In that capacity, she focused her
leadership skills on improved literacy education
for all newly certified Michigan teachers.
She was one of three GVSU faculty members
appointed to the University NCA Study Team task
force in 2005. Her work on the team over the next
three years, including the fall 2008 onsite review,
led to GVSU’s unconditional NCA accreditation award.
Dr. Reinken’s service to the COE, GVSU, the State
of Michigan and far beyond has been exceptional,
and numerous lives have been enriched by her
enthusiasm and passion for excellence.
Faculty Awards
“Thanks to the support of Dean Collins, COE,
my dream of championing a love of reading
is able to continue. I am passionate that a
difference can be made if we provide books
so others may find the joy and love of reading
that a book can bring.”
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COE
Achievements
Dr. Reinken is the only faculty
member to have been awarded both
the GVSU University Service Award
(2006) and the University
Community Service Award (2008).

COE
Achievements Faculty Awards
Pew Teaching Excellence Award
for Part-Time Faculty
Sheryl Vliestra | GVSU College of Education
4
Rank: Adjunct Faculty
Teaching Area: Teacher Assisting Field Coordinator
Courses Taught:
ED 330 Methods & Strategies of Elementary Teaching
ED 350 Current Practices in Elementary Education
Joined GVSU COE Faculty: Fall 2000
Degrees and Institutions Attended:
B.A., Central Michigan University
M.Ed., Grand Valley State University,
Gifted and Talented program
Expertise: Sheryl Vliestra is a student-centered
teacher who makes long-lasting connections with
her students. Consistently helpful and supportive,
she is an active mentor to many who stay in touch
with her after earning degrees and moving into their
chosen careers. She keeps detailed information
about each student and is able to give prospective
employers specific examples of their teaching achievements
and successes. Her post-academic connections
extend to several area principals with whom she
has worked and developed professional relationships.
They have hired many of her former students.
She is proud of the fact that Coopersville Public
Schools, for example, has hired six of her teacher
assistants over the years.
“What I enjoy most
about working with COE
prospective teachers
is seeing the joy and
exuberance for teaching
that they bring to the
classroom – that’s when
teaching is fun.”
“This is a team award,” says Vliestra.
“Dean Collins (COE), Dr. Linda McCrea
(COE Teacher Education director) and
Wei Gu (COE elementary education
faculty) hold us to such a high standard
and I simply follow the path they have
laid down.”

Life Long Educator and
Her Story Presenter
Dr. Lorrain Alston | GVSU College of Education
Dr. Lorrain Alston, College of Education Associate
Professor, told “Her Story” January 15, 2009,
at the Women’s Center on the Allendale Campus.
Her Story presenters include women currently
holding GVSU leadership positions who share oral
accounts of their personal and/or professional
journeys and describe the guidance that
encouraged their growth into leadership roles.
Dr. Alston has been an academic leader since she
came to GVSU in 1998. She received both her
bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Hampton
University (Hampton, VA) and earned a doctorate
in Higher Education Administration from Bowling
Green State University prior to joining the GVSU
faculty. She completed a doctoral internship in
the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the Medical
College of Ohio in Toledo. Her leadership
positions have included:
• Adjunct Instructor, Research Assistant and
Academic Advisor, Bowling Green State
University, Bowling Green, OH
• Associate Director, Health Professions
Preparation Program, University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
• Dean, Administrative Services, Mary Holmes
College, West Point, MS
• Program Analyst Manager, Fayetteville State
University, Fayetteville, NC
• Coordinator, Planning and Research, Hampton
University, Hampton, VA
The following is Her Story,
edited due to space contraints.
The entire speech is archived
at the Women’s Center.
Faculty Awards
Lady Virginia’s Legacy
When I was asked to present in the “Her
Story” series, I was both honored and
humbled. The program description refers
to “women in leadership positions at
GVSU,” and I don’t usually think of
myself in that capacity. My anxiety was
lessened by another statement on the
information sheet. “When women share
what is truly in their souls, when they
disclose what has kept them from giving
up, and what has helped them to
succeed, we are often moved and
motivated.” I thought, “I can do that!”
My next dilemma was where to begin.
As this is a program sponsored by the
Women’s Center, I decided after much
thought to tell you my story within the
framework of five generations of strong
women who have influenced my life.
This is not to suggest, by any means,
that there were no strong male influences
in my life. Nothing could be further
from the truth. However, a focus on
the women seems appropriate.
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COE
Achievements
Dr. Alston was the
first full-time faculty
member hired for
the College Student
Affairs Leadership
(CSAL) program.

COE
Achievements
Her Story 2009
The Women
Against The Odds – Ella and Daisy
I am the great-granddaughter of a slave. Her name
was Ella Vincent; the surname belonged to the white
slave master who was her biological father, but she
was considered his property rather than his daughter.
Although I never had the opportunity to know her,
without her I would have no story to tell. Stories
passed down through the family tell me that she was
10 years old when the slaves were emancipated.
In adulthood, she married and gave birth to eight
children. She was described as a peacemaker and a
woman with a gentle spirit. She was born into slavery,
but freedom and independence must have been in
her soul. While working as a domestic servant, she
managed to purchase a sizeable parcel of land in
my home state of Virginia which she left to her heirs.
Can you imagine what it took to accomplish such
a feat in the post-Civil War years? Ella must have
recognized the importance of breaking both physical
and mental shackles and refused to let herself be
defined and delineated by others. She may have
cried over past injustices, but she was clearly more
focused on making a better future for her children
and her descendents. Today my brother lives on a
plot of that land. It stands as a testament to an
indomitable spirit, and it is where my story took root.
In contrast to Ella, my paternal great-grandmother
was something of a spitfire! In true southern tradition,
we called her Miss Daisy. Long before Morgan
Freeman drove Jessica Tandy’s Miss Daisy in the
movies, our own Miss Daisy was making her presence
known. Daisy Faison-Kee-Woods-Epps (count them –
three husbands, and she outlived them all!) was not
afraid to speak her mind. She was strong and determined
with a quick wit and quicker temper. One of my
favorite stories about Miss Daisy was when she
recalled an incident in which she got into an argument
with someone in a position of authority. The mores of
the day dictated that she should have kowtowed to
him and held her tongue. Miss Daisy ended the
recollection by stating that, “He was jumping this
high [motioned about a foot off the ground], but I
was jumping this high [motioned about two feet off
the ground]!” By the time I knew her, she was a tiny
woman with iron-grey hair and failing health, but I
knew that she had been a “pistol” in her day. She
was a certified midwife at a time when most black
women in the south had few options other than domestic
work or field work if they needed to contribute to
the family income. The lesson I learned from Miss
Daisy’s example was that you have to be willing to
stand up for yourself in the face of challenge.
The Storytellers – Lillie and Fannie
It often seemed to me that my two grandmothers
were somehow switched at birth because Lillie’s
gentle personality seemed to match the descriptions
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Faculty Awards
of Ella that I had heard from others. Fannie, on the
other hand, was the same strong-willed, “take no
prisoners” kind of woman that Miss Daisy had been.
Both of them loved to talk, and it was through the
two of them that I developed an early appreciation
for oral history and my own roots. I spent countless
hours in their company listening to stories about “the
old days.” Though they approached life differently,
both were incredibly strong. Despite the numerous
hardships that they endured in their lives, I seldom
heard either of them complain. In addition to family
history, I learned from them to take what life gives
you and make the best of it.
The Heart of It All – Lady Virginia
My mother’s name was Virginia. She was about five
feet tall, but she occupied a lot of space in my world
and that of my family. I started calling her Lady
Virginia because of the way she carried herself. She
was loving, kind, generous and warm to those she
loved, but she also knew how important it was to be
good to her self. You might say she raised it to an art
form, and somehow all of her children, grandchildren,
sons-in-law and daughters-in-law bought right into it.
She stood under the shelter while we went through
the rain to get the car for her. Then we held an
umbrella over her head so that she wouldn’t get wet
getting into the car. So what if we got soaked? Our
clothes would dry eventually. Spouses sat in the back
seat of their own cars while she sat in the front. We
thought she deserved the world, or at least whatever
she wanted of it, and we did everything in our power
to bring her joy, honor and comfort.
My mother got her first driver’s license at the age of
69. My father had been stricken with Parkinson’s
disease and was no longer able to drive. Rather than
be dependent on others, my mother took a driver’s
education course and learned to drive. Lady Virginia
taught me the importance of self-esteem; if you don’t
believe that you’re someone of value, then you probably
shouldn’t expect anyone else to believe it either.
She also taught me that it’s never too late to learn.
Sisters and Best Friends – Barbara, Betty and Bernice
Most people aren’t lucky enough to grow up with
three best friends living in the same house. My sisters
have been a constant source of support, advice,
friendship, fun and love throughout my life. My
brother-in-law insists that we switch into “Sister
Speak” when we are together because of the way in
which we communicate. When two or more of us are
out in public, we usually notice that people are looking
at us and smiling (or maybe they are laughing at us!)
because we laugh so much when we are together.
I think that too many adults have forgotten how to
play and how to laugh; I will be eternally grateful to
my sisters for keeping laughter and fun in my life
during the worst of times. They are also three of the

most resilient women I have ever known. Regardless
of the challenges they faced throughout their lives,
they rose to the occasion with grace and determination.
I have a different and unique relationship with each
one of them, and that makes it even more rewarding.
Our personalities are different in many ways, but we
share the same basic values. They taught me what it
means to be a part of something larger than your self.
Passing the Torch – Regina
And then there is my Regina. Sometimes I think she
is a composite of her female ancestors. I see her
gentle side, but also her assertiveness. She holds
tight to her convictions but is not afraid to think
outside the box. She is loving, caring, independent,
hard-working, intelligent and passionate. She has a
strong sense of self but does not try to impose her
choices on others. Regina and I experienced challenges
in our relationship over the years as I had to learn to
interact with her as an adult instead of my little girl.
I once asked her why she didn’t come to me more
often when she needed help, and she said that she
had watched me solve my own problems without asking
for help when she was growing up and felt that
she should do the same thing. As parents, our tendency
is often to try to solve our children’s problems
for them, but that defeats the very lessons that we
tried so hard to teach them. I think Regina and I
finally got the hang of it. We are very alike in many
ways and very different in others; that’s as it should
be. I am very proud of the woman that she has become.
Perhaps the greatest lesson that I learned from
Regina is the importance of being your own person.
Mentors who influenced my career path:
Separate but Equal – K-12 Teachers
I am a product of the segregated South. My early
schooling took place in old and poorly-furnished
buildings. I remember one that had a wood-burning
stove as the only source of heat. And no, Laura
Ingalls wasn’t sitting next to me. It wasn’t Little
House on the Prairie in the 1800s but rural Virginia
in the 1950s. During high school, “Separate but
Equal” was the prevailing doctrine. We were indeed
separate, but definitely not equal in terms of
resources and funding. It wasn’t until much later in
life that I fully appreciated the solid academic
foundation that I had received in K-12 schools from
devoted teachers who consistently held their students
to high standards. My high school teachers were
also the first to encourage me to go on to college.
A Career Begins – Dr. Oscar Prater
The one person I would identify as my mentor is Dr.
Oscar Prater, my supervisor at Hampton University for
several years. Although I already had my bachelor’s
degree, I had worked in a number of clerical positions
over the years and was finding it hard to break into
Faculty Awards
administrative and professional jobs. Dr. Prater not
only assigned me more responsibility in my position
but worked to have it upgraded to reflect that level
of responsibility. He took the time to guide me
professionally and even taught me aspects of the
work that were beyond my responsibilities. He
encouraged me to pursue my master’s degree and
was responsive to my needs as an adult learner, a
term I wouldn’t hear until more than 10 years later.
When I was offered the job that would become the
turning point in my career, Dr. Prater didn’t try to talk
me into staying at Hampton. At first I was just a little
bit disappointed and confused. Why was he so willing
to let me go if I was doing a good job? He explained
that when you mentor someone, you should want
them to go on to bigger and better things. He knew
that my options were limited at Hampton, and he
“pushed me out of the nest.” Dr. Prater taught me
that sometimes you have to give up the comfort zone
in order to achieve your goals. You have to be able
to recognize when it is time to move on.
The Grand Valley Chapter – It’s All About the Students!
For the past 10 years, much of my story has centered
on GVSU and the College Student Affairs Leadership
(CSAL) program. When I arrived here in the fall of
1998, I felt like the proverbial “fish out of water.”
The only thing I was sure of was that I wouldn’t stay
for long. Last month I received my ten-year service
award, so something must have worked out. Teaching
in the CSAL program has been the most fulfilling
and rewarding aspect of my professional life. Without
question, it is the relationships that I have enjoyed
with my students that make this such a satisfying
experience. I believe that real learning occurs when
people are engaged in meaningful discourse that
goes beyond the simple transfer of information.
Relationships provide the fertile soil in which such
a discourse can be nurtured. It has been my privilege
and my pleasure to be a part of the learning community
at Grand Valley State University.
So, what advice do I have for you?
What words of wisdom do I have to share?
I would like to leave you with these thoughts:
• Don’t let people define who you are or what
you can be.
• Dare to dream, but remember that a dream without
a plan and hard work will remain just a dream.
• Don’t be afraid to change courses; there are lots
of paths that lead to the same destination.
• Judge yourself, not in comparison to others, but to
the best that you can be. If you have given your
best, then that should be good enough for anyone.
• Don’t forget to dance!
7
COE
Achievements

COE
Achievements Faculty Awards
The Kent Reading Council,
Kent County, MI, presents an
annual Golden Apple award
to persons currently making
an impact in the field of
education. This year COE
faculty member Jacque Melin
received her Golden Apple.
8
COE Awarded Exemplary Status
The College of Education was named an Exemplary Performance
Teacher Preparation Unit for a third year by the Michigan Board
of Education. In accordance with HEA Title II requirements,
the COE earned 68 out of 70 points in six areas:
• State test pass rates
• Candidate surveys of perceived readiness to teach
• Program completion within six years
• Program review and accreditation status
• Candidate diversity
• Student preparation in high-need subject areas
Jacque Melin Wins a Golden Apple
The citation reads:
“Jacque Melin has affected students of all ages, as well as parents,
teachers, and administrators with her expertise and vision of how
children and adults learn. Her passion and enthusiasm is evident
in the key roles she has served as teacher, principal, and college
professor. There are few people in West Michigan who have not
experienced professional development with Jacque. She has been
a leader in education and continues strive to make all educators
aware of challenging students to think and make learning relevant.”

Faculty Honors and Degrees
Roger M. Finlan, M.A.
COE Affiliate Faculty
Educational Foundations
Recipient: Last Lecture Series Speaker
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Recipient: Educational Support Program (ESP)
Certificate Award for exceptional advising and work
with at-risk students
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Monica Harris, Ph.D.
COE Assistant Professor
Special Education, Learning Disabilities
Recipient: Outstanding Researcher of the Year
Award, for dissertation on The Effects of
Morphological Analysis on the Performance of
Students With and Without Disabilities
Council for Learning Disabilities Annual Conference,
Kansas City, MO
Barbara LaBeau, Ph.D.
COE Assistant Professor
Earned Degree: Ph.D. in Education, with an
emphasis in Educational Leadership
Dissertation: Uncovering prospective teachers’
expressions of identity through the process of
digital storytelling
Oakland University, Oakland, MI
Jacque Melin, M.A.
COE Affiliate Faculty
Education Differentiation
Recipient: Golden Apple Award for making an
impact in the field of education
Kent Reading Council, Grand Rapids, MI
John Shinsky, Ph.D.
COE Associate Professor
Leadership and Learning, Department Chair
Recipient: Henry Bullough Community Service Award
Michigan State University Varsity Alumni “S” Club,
East Lansing, MI
Cynthia Smith, Ph.D.
COE Assistant Professor
Special Education Administration
Faculty Awards
Recipient: Beekman Award for distinguished work
in the administration of special education program
on a local, regional or national level
Michigan Assoc. of Administrators of Special Ed.,
Holland, MI
Affiliate Faculty:
Outstanding Service to the COE
Dori Helder, M.A.
COE Affiliate Faculty
Special Education, Cognitive Impairment
Larry Spencer, M.A.
COE Affiliate Faculty
Educational Leadership
Mary Starkweather, M.A.
COE Affiliate Faculty
Elementary Education
Elaine C. Collins, COE Dean,
Offers State Leadership
Dean Collins served on two important state-wide
boards in 2008-09:
• Professional Standards Commission for Teachers
subcommittee for development of an Alternative
Route Proposal for teacher preparation
• Member, executive board, Michigan Association
of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE)
At the MACTE spring meeting Dean Collins was
elected board president. Her term of office will
be 2009-2011.
9
COE
Achievements

COE
Achievements Student Awards
Glenn A. Niemeyer
Outstanding Undergraduate
Student Award
Angela Lohman | GVSU College of Education
Degrees: B.A., Grand Valley State University
10
Major: English/Language Arts
with elementary teaching certification
Awards: GVSU English Department 2008 Book Award;
GVSU Outstanding Elementary Teacher Award;
GVSU Glenn A. Niemeyer Outstanding
Undergraduate Student Award
High School: Holland High School, Holland, MI
Class of 1994
Member: Sigma Tau Delta, English Honor Society,
Grand Valley State University
“There is nothing about teaching I don’t like. In my
Pre-K teaching, I loved the kids’ enthusiasm and their
natural love for learning. In my current 4th grade class,
it’s so exciting to watch them bloom – both as students
and as people.”
The Glenn A. Niemeyer Award,
Grand Valley’s most prestigious
academic award, honors faculty
and students who strive for
excellence in all aspects of their
academic experience.
Angela Lohman has been on the road to
becoming a teacher for a long time.
Because the teaching job market was so
depressed when she entered collage,
Lohman enrolled as a nursing major.
Before long, she realized nursing wasn’t
her passion and she didn’t feel committed
to the program. So she left school for a
few years before deciding to return to
college and pursue the dream she realized
she’s always had – to become a teacher.
As she talked with advisors and practicing
teachers, she says that over and over they
mentioned GVSU. “If you want to be a
teacher, go to Grand Valley,” she remembers
one telling her. “The students that come
out of that program have the best preparation
for the classroom of any I’ve worked with.”
Lohman took this advice and enrolled in
GVSU. She worked full time and went to
school part time for eight years and finally
reached her goal. In December 2009
she graduated from Grand Valley with a
bachelor’s degree and an elementary
teaching certificate. She credits her
husband as being a source of great strength
and help during those busy years.
Saugatuck Public School has hired her
as a long-term substitute teacher while
she searches for a full-time position in
an area school district.
When Angela discovered her classroom needed books, she filled the baskets with her own collection of favorites.

Graduate Teacher
Certification (GTC)
Grads Make Their Mark
Sally Triant
Sally Triant Honored as Outstanding Adult Learner
Above: Sally proudly displays a handful of
carrots, an end-of-season harvest from the
community garden she and her husband
started in downtown Grand Rapids.
Every year, one adult student from each of the 12 institutions
that belong to the Grand Rapids Area Higher Education
Network, (GRAHEN), is honored as an Outstanding Adult
Learner. These students exemplify the ability to successfully
juggle career, school, family and community responsibilities.
Faculties nominate students, who then submit an
application, an essay and two letters of recommendation.
Three judges select the winners based on their community
service, leadership, academic accomplishments, workplace
achievements and grade point average. The Outstanding
Adult Learners each receive a GRAHEN cash stipend and
are honored in April at a memorable awards ceremony
and reception.
Sally Triant was the GVSU College of Education winner.
“Throughout the years I have had numerous
opportunities to share my passion with my community
and I cherish the times I have spent planting gardens
with both children and adults. It was my activism
that propelled my desire to attain my own dream of
becoming a certified teacher.”
Student Awards
A Journey to the Classroom
Sally Triant’s journey to the science
classroom came from the ground up. A
1998 Michigan State University graduate
in the fine arts, she found work in the world
of food banks, where she encountered
children who had no idea where their
food came from. “The roots of my current
pursuit are literally grounded in the
gardens where I first learned to grow my
own food,” she says. “Subsequently, my
work with food banks and the public schools
brought to my attention the fact that
many children are unaware of the most
basic components of plant biology. It
became my passion to reunite children
and adults with the environment through
the element that impacts them the most,
the source of their daily nourishment.”
In 2006, Triant enrolled at GVSU to earn
a teachable major in integrated science.
“I chose this subject,” she says, “because
much of what I love about teaching children
about the outdoors comes from the
passion I feel to preserve and protect the
diminishing wild places in the world. I see
science as the link that makes the wonders
of our planet accessible to students.”
After completing a major in integrated
science, she enrolled in the COE Graduate
Teacher Education (GTC) program, an
intensive, one-year, full-time teacher
training program for adults who hold a
bachelor’s degree in a teachable major.
Triant received her teaching certificate
in April 2009 through the GTC program,
and is only five classes away from earning
her master’s degree in education.
Her community service resumé includes:
• Blandford Environmental Education
School (student teaching)
• Goodwillie Environmental School
(Forest Hills Public Schools)
• GVSU Community Garden Committee
• MSU Extension Master Gardener Program
• Sweetwater Local Foods Market
• Mixed Greens: Growing Kids Who
Grow Gardens
• The Food Depot: Northern New Mexico’s
Food Bank
Triant notes that she has enjoyed these
last years of schooling very much and that
this award “...is the icing on the cake.
I know I am doing the right thing.
I am very passionate about it.”
COE
Achievements
11

COE
Achievements Student Awards
Above: Ryan focuses his attention on two of his students.
“Williams’ greatest strength is his ability to form positive
connections with his students, helping them to gain
confidence and succeed,” a WCPSS press release said.
“By establishing the Helping Hands Mentoring Program
at the school, Williams is able to build lifelong
relationships with students. His leadership is tangible,
and he is truly an asset to Rand Road.”
COE Graduate Students
Publish Research
Graduate Teacher Certification (GTC) students in
EDG 635, Development and Needs of Adolescents,
submitted articles based on their research to the
Michigan Middle School Journal published by the
Michigan Association of Middle School Educators.
Their articles were published in the Winter 2009
issue, Volume 33, Number 1.
Dennis Schultz, GTC 635 COE instructor
Amanda Breen
The Middle School Transition: What Educators
Need to Know
Nick Brown
School Bullying
Salina Cowden
Is Two a Crowd? A Look at Collaborative Teaching
Elizabeth Ernst
Barbie vs. Superman: Gender Roles in the Classroom
Abbie Ferris
Cyber Bullying
Mariterese Jenkins
School Connectedness
12
Graduate Teacher
Certification (GTC)
Grads Make Their Mark
Ryan Williams
Ryan Williams Wins First Year Teacher of the Year Award
Ryan Williams, a recent graduate of the COE
Graduate Teacher Certification (GTC) program,
was one of 10 finalists nominated for the First
Year Teacher of the Year Award in the Wake County
Public School System, Garner, NC
In late April 2009, Williams was notified that he was
one of two elementary teachers to win the Diane
Kent-Parker First Year Teacher of the Year Award.
Originally from Southfield, MI, Williams earned his
undergraduate degree in physical education at Albion
College. In 2008, he enrolled at GVSU to earn an
elementary teaching credential through the GTC program.
Upon completion of three GVSU online courses,
Williams will receive his master’s degree as well.
He currently teaches 5th grade at the Rand Road
Elementary School in Wake County and plans to
return to the district in the fall. “If Michigan has an
economic recovery,” he says, “I’d like to come back –
but, for now, the weather is sure better here.”
GVSU Annual Outstanding
Students Awards Banquet
April 6, 2009
Receiving COE honors:
Sarah Brynaert Education, Secondary General
Autumn Dawdy Special Education, M.Ed.
Kristen Fowler Special Education/Psychology
Andrea Hilaski School Counseling, M.Ed.
Angela Lohman Education, Elementary General
Megan Riksen General Education, M.Ed.

COE Scholarship Winners
Helping Students Become Educators
Each year the College of Education and Grand Valley
State University offer scholarship awards for candidates
in graduate and undergraduate programs. These awards
are made possible by the generosity of individuals and
organizations dedicated to education.
Greta and Arthur DeLong Scholarship
Faculty members Dr. Greta DeLong and Dr. Arthur
DeLong were instrumental in establishing the College
of Education and the Psychology Department at Grand
Valley. They began their teaching careers at Grand
Valley in 1965. Dr. Greta DeLong retired in 1980
and Dr. Arthur DeLong in 1985.
Sarah Swille
Mack-Jackson African American Teacher Scholarship
Dr. Faite R-P. Mack, a school psychologist and
professor of education, began teaching at Grand
Valley State University in 1972. His areas of expertise
include educational measurement, early childhood
special education and educational psychology.
Dr. Thomas Jackson, an educator for more than
42 years, taught elementary and high school, and
served as an elementary principal, an assistant high
school principal, Grand Rapids Board of Education
president, and past president of the Michigan Chapter
of the Mid-America Association of Educational
Opportunity Program Personnel (MAEOPP). He has
served GVSU in a variety of capacities since 1977.
Michelle Sabourin
Jennifer TerVree
Joe E. Reid Memorial Scholarship
Student Awards
Dr. Joe E. Reid taught special education at Grand
Valley from 1973-1989. A scholar-practitioner of
African-American descent, he earned masters and
doctoral degrees from Wayne State University. This
scholarship was established by his family and friends
at the time of his death in 1989.
Janet Mort
Elizabeth Smith
Sarah Swille
Jennifer TerVree
Telephone Pioneers of America Endowment
The Telephone Pioneers of America Endowment
represents telecommunications workers or retirees
from the field. The organization conducts fund-raising
and community service activities with education as its
special interest.
Tim Dalton
Kenda Prudhomme
Sarah Swille
J. Patrick Sandro Education Scholarship
The J. Patrick Sandro Education Scholarship is an
endowment initiated and funded by J.C. Huizenga,
Chair, National Heritage Academies. This scholarship
honors Pat Sandro, initiator and former director of
Grand Valley Charter Schools. It provides financial aid
to College of Education students who demonstrate
a passion for children, a commitment to education,
a potential for leadership, an interest in reform and
a history of personal integrity.
Tim Dalton
Alexandra Fowler
Tracy Krafft
Erin Lewis
COE
Achievements
13

Scholarship
& Service
Faculty International Scholarship
Armstrong, D. (2008 September).
Attendee, European Council for High
Ability Conference, Praque, Czech Republic.
Chlebo, J. (2008 December). Developing
developmentally appropriate pedagogy.
Kingussie Primary School, Kingussie,
Scotland.
Cooper, J. (2008-2009). Global Program
Director, Graduate Study and Service
Learning Initiative, Puebla, Mexico.
Geisel, R. (2009 January). Navigating the
sabbatical proposal process: Lessons
learned and advice sought. International
Academy of Educational Leaders,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Harris, M. L. (2008 November). Responseto-Intervention:
A model for Inclusion.
People-to-People Ambassadors Program.
Psycho-Educational Centre ‘Tverskoy,
Moscow, Russia.
King, C. (2008). External dissertation
reviewer, School of Education faculty,
University of the Western Cape, Cape
Town, South Africa.
14
Mack, F. R-P., Smith, V. G., and Straight, H.
(2009 March). Response to intervention:
Implications for the proficiency of early
childhood special educators. Second
International Conference on Education
Reform, Udon Thani, Thailand.
Mack, F. R-P., (1997-2009). Co-founder
and president, Education for Humanity
International Foundation providing educational
support for abandoned and orphaned
children, Thabo, Nong Khai, Thailand.
Miller, S. (2008-2009). Director, South
Africa Student Assisting program,
University of Stellenbosch, School of
Education, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Miller, S. L. and Lubic, B.L. (2008
November). Transforming classroom
instruction: Dynamic strategies to enhance
learning, International Conference of
Education, Research and Innovation
(ICERI), Madrid, Spain.
Pottorff, D. (2008 May). Motivational
strategies to better engage students in
learning. Gyeonggi Suwon International
School, Suwon, South Korea.
Reinken, B. (1996-2009). Project assistance
to provide books for libraries in
South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
Shinsky, J. (2000–2009). Founder and
board chair, Cuidad de Los Ninos de
Matamoros (City of Children Orphanage),
Matamoros, Mexico.
Westerhoff-Schultz, J. (2008). The call
to build a more democratic classroom
discourse: Shifting from Socratic to deliberative
modes of instruction. Centre for
Training and Research in Human Rights
and Democratic Citizenship. University of
Zagreb, Croatia. (Croatian translation)
Worst, S. (2009). Presentation proposal:
A model for preparing general education
practitioners for effective collaboration with
special education practitioners. Bethlehem
University, West Bank.
Worst, S. (2009). Education faculty
collaboration on a faculty and student
exchange program. Shanxi Normal
University, Beijing, China.

Faculty Presentations
National and Regional
Armstrong, D. (2009 February). Attendee,
National Association for Gifted Children,
University; Network, Washington DC
Bultsma, S. A. and Sowa Wojciakowski, C.
(2008 December). School counselor
accountability and evaluation. Michigan
School Counselor Association (MSCA)
Regional Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Bultsma, S. A. (2008 October). Managing
helicopter parents. Christian Educators
Association Conference, South Bend, IN
Bultsma, S. A. (2008 October). School
counselors: Partners in student achievement.
Poster session, Michigan Association
of Teacher Educators (MATE) Regional
Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Busman, D., Geisel, R., Gu, W., Hipp, S.,
and Melin, J. (2008 November). Great
teachers have CLASS. Phi Delta Kappa
International Summit, San Antonio, TX
Carson, S. (2009 January). Students as
emissaries of sustainability. International
Studies Schools Association Conference,
Tampa, FL
Chlebo, J. (2009 February). Play in Gan
Yiladim. Bais Rivkah Seminary, Crown
Heights, NY
Chlebo, J. (2008 April). Literacy in bilingual
pre-schools. Bais Rivkah Seminary, Crown
Heights, NY
Fisher, J. B. (2008 July). E-learning
programs for Content Enhancement
Routines: Impact and application.
International Strategic Instruction Model
(SIM) Conference, Kansas City, KS
Fisher, J. B. (2008 October). E-Learning
programs: Can they prepare teachers for
inclusive instruction? International
Conference on Learning Disabilities,
Kansas City, MO
Fisher, J. B. (2008 November). Workshop:
The concept of content enhancement and
specifically on the Concept Mastery
Routine. Michigan Association of Learning
Disabilities Educators (MALDE) Annual
Conference, Mt. Pleasant, MI
Geisel, R. see also Busman, D., Geisel, R.,
Gu, W., Hipp, S., and Melin, J.
Geisel, R. and Kallio, B. R. (2008
November). Employee speech in K-12
settings: The what, where and when of current
First Amendment analysis. Educational
Law Association, San Antonio, TX
Gu. W., Tseng, H-Y., and Chen, W-L.
(2009 April). Transition into first grade:
An investigation of the first grade teachers’
transition practices in Taiwan. American
Educational Research Association (AERA)
Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA
Gu, W. see also Busman, D., Geisel, R.,
Gu, W., Hipp, S., and Melin, J.
Hakim, I. and Pottorff, D. (2008
November). Literacy activities for English
language learners: What works? College
Reading Association Annual Conference,
Sarasota, FL
Hipp, S. (2008 October). Race, ethnicity
and education: The re-segregation of
United States schools. Michigan
Association of Teacher Educators (MATE)
Regional Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Hipp, S. see also Busman, D., Geisel, R.,
Gu, W., Hipp, S. and Melin, J.
King, C. (2008 November). Teaching the
new literacy via web quests. College
Reading Association Conference,
Sarasota, FL
Konecki, L. and Melin, J. (2008
September). Testing theory and practice
with students. Lilly Conference on
University Teaching and Learning,
Traverse City, MI
LaBeau, B. (2008 October). Digital storytelling
in the K-12 classroom. Michigan
Association for Media in Education,
Dearborn, MI
LaBeau, B. (2009 March). Digital portfolios:
Now is the time to start. Michigan
Association for Computer Users in Learning
(MACUL). Detroit, MI
LaBeau, B. (2008 December). Personal
webstart pages. Collaborative Learning
Conference, Holland, MI
Scholarship
& Service
LaBeau, B. (2009 May). Digital portfolios:
They’re new again. American Society for
Training and Development, Lansing, MI
Mader, C. (2009 April). Education or
activism. In and out in the academy:
Negotiating relationships and responsibilities.
Symposium, Annual Meeting of
the American Educational Research
Association (AERA), San Diego, CA
Margulus, L. (2009 August). Evaluation
tools. Catholic Diocese, Gaylord, MI
Melin, J. (2008 June, July, December).
Differentiated instruction. South Dearborn
Public Schools, South Dearborn, IN
Melin, J. see also Konecki, L. and Melin, J.
Melin, J. see also Busman, D., Geisel, R.,
Gu, W., Hipp, S., and Melin, J.
Patterson, N. (2008 November). Digital
narratives roundtable leader. Technology
toolkit road show. National Council of
Teachers of English Convention, San
Antonio, TX
Patterson, N. and Wilson, M. (2008
November) Best practices test prep:
Social justice or capitulation. National
Council of Teachers of English Convention,
San Antonio, TX
Patterson, N. (2008 November). Digital
narrative demonstration. National Council
of Teachers of English Convention, San
Antonio, TX
Patterson, N. (2008 November). Shifting
into gear: Integrating wikis, podcasts, and
blogs into the English classroom. National
Council of Teachers of English Convention,
San Antonio, TX
Pottorff, D. see also Hakim, I. and Pottorff, D.
Reinken, B. J., and Allen, M. B. (2008
November). Integrating on-line technology
to enhance and teach literacy courses.
College Reading Association Annual
Conference, Sarasota, FL
Schiller, E. and Joseph, J. (2009 March).
SCI-CARE: A sustainable collaboration to
improve content, assessment, reflection,
and efficacy of science teachers. National
Science Teachers Association (NSTA),
New Orleans, LA
continued
15

Scholarship
& Service
Faculty Presentations continued
National and Regional continued
Shinsky, J. (2008 June). The importance
of leadership and its positive impact on
employees and the greater community.
Dean Transportation Supervisors.
El Paso, TX
Shinsky, J. (2008 June). Facilitated
focused success team training designed
to support students with disabilities and
school/community members with the
successful inclusion of these students
in the total school environment. El Paso
Public Schools, El Paso, TX
Shinsky, J. (2008 April). All of us have
something to give. Catholic Central High
School, Lansing, MI
Sowa, C. see also Bultsma, S. A., and
Sowa Wojciakowski, C.
Stolle, E.P. (2008 December). The art of
positioning: An English teacher, technology,
and literacy. Annual meeting of the
National Reading Conference, Orlando, FL
Stolle, E.P. (2009 March). Web quests
and content area literacy: What a pair.
Michigan Reading Association, Grand
Rapids, MI
Subramony, D.P. (2008 November).
Digital destinies: The roles of education
and technology in minority learners’
proactive construction of self-identity.
Association for Educational
Communications and Technology
International Convention, Orlando, FL
Westerhoff-Shultz, J. (2008). Making
citizenship real: Implementing and
managing the Project Citizen process in an
urban high school social studies classroom.
National Council for the Social Studies,
Annual Conference, Houston, TX
Williams, S. see also Busman, D., Geisel,
R., Gu, W., Hipp, S., and Melin, J.
Wojciakowski, C. see also Bultsma, S. A.
and Sowa Wojciakowski, C.
16
Worst, S. (2008 October). Vygotsky’s
concept of apprenticeship: A revised
model for teacher preparation. Michigan
Association of Teacher Educators Regional
Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Local
Alston, L. (2009). My Story presenter, the
Her Story series. Women’s Center, Grand
Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Bultsma, S. A. (2008 October). School
counselors: What do they do all day?
Teacher Education Council of West
Michigan Fire Up Conference, Grand
Rapids, MI
Bultsma, S. A. (2008 November).
Coping with an empty nest. Park Church
Education Series, Grand Rapids, MI
Bultsma, S. A. (2009 January). Small
talk: The key to managing the anxiety
of meeting new people. Park Church
Education Series. Grand Rapids, MI
Bultsma, S. A. (2009 February).
Birth order: How does it impact our
personalities? Park Church Education
Series, Grand Rapids, MI
Busman D., Dausman N., and Alexander-
Warnshuis, C. (2008 October). What
influences cooperating teachers to accept
student teachers. Academic Forum,
Grand Valley State University, College of
Education, Grand Rapids, MI
Cleveland, R. (2008 August). Starting the
school year off right. In-service, Corpus
Christi School, Holland, MI
Cleveland, R. (2008 September).
Maintaining a positive attitude in class-
room management. Corpus Christi School,
In-service, Holland, MI
Cleveland, R. (2008 March). Scaffolding
the integration of technology in teaching
social studies. Technology Fair, Grand
Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Hill Gegels, P. (2009 February and
November). How to make an impressive
impression: Building bridges between
special education and general education.
Student Council for Exceptional Children,
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Hill Gegels, P. (2009 February and
November). Portfolio tips and tales; Tales
from the trenches. Student Council for
Exceptional Children (SCEC), Grand Valley
State University, Allendale, MI
Konecki, L. (2009 January). Grand Valley
State University\College of Education
TAGG-ID Model for Change in Schools.
Kentwood Public Schools, Grand Rapids, MI
Konecki, L. (2008 December). Program
Evaluation Network. Grand Valley State
University, Grand Rapids, MI
Margulus, L. (2008 May – 2009
December). Performance appraisals made
easy: Evaluation tools for teachers and
support staff. In-service presentations
to administrative teams, Mason and
Kalamazoo Counties, South Haven Public
Schools, South Haven, MI and Saginaw
ISD, Saginaw, MI
Margulus, L. (2008 August and
September). Mentoring in the moment.
Fennville Public Schools, Oxford Public
Schools, and Rockford Public Schools.
Margulus, L. (2008 August and
December). Positive discipline. Mason
County Central Schools and South Haven
Public Schools, South Haven, MI
Margulus, L. (2008 June and August).
New evaluation tools for teachers.
Comstock Public Schools, Kalamazoo, MI
Margulus, L. (2008 March). Classroom
Walk-Through wit Reflective Practice.
Comstock Park Public Schools, Grand
Rapids, MI
McCrea, L. (2008 March). Creating a safe
environment for children using children’s
literature. Student Council for Exceptional
Children (SCEC). Grand Valley State
University, Allendale, MI

Melin, J. (2008 October, November
December and 2009 January, February,
March). Formative assessment. West
Middle School, Byron Center Public
Schools, Byron Center, MI
Melin, J. (2009 January). Formative
assessment. Kentwood Public Schools,
Kentwood, MI
Melin, J. (2009 February). Formative
assessment. Plymouth Christian School,
Grand Rapids, MI
Melin, J. (2008 May). Differentiated
instruction. Rockford Public Schools,
Rockford, MI
Melin, J. (2008 May, August, September).
Differentiated instruction. Kent Intermediate
School District, Grand Rapids, MI
Melin, J. (2008 May, October, November
and 2009 January and February).
Differentiated instruction. Fennville Public
Schools, Fennville, MI
Melin, J. (2008 August). Differentiated
instruction. Otsego Public Schools,
Otsego, MI
Melin, J. (2008 August). Differentiated
instruction. Central Montcalm Middle
School, Montcalm MI
Melin, J. (2008 October). Differentiated
instruction. Lakewood Elementary, West
Ottawa Public School, West Ottawa, MI
Melin, J. (2008 November). Differentiated
instruction. Harrison Middle School, Grand
Rapids, Public Schools, Grand Rapids, MI
Melin, J. (2009 January). Differentiated
instruction. Hudsonville Christian
Elementary and Middle Schools,
Hudsonville, MI
Melin, J. (2009 January). Differentiated
instruction. Gratten Academy,
Greenville, MI
Melin, J. (2009 February and March).
Differentiated instruction. Burton Middle
School, Grand Rapids Public Schools,
Grand Rapids, MI
Melin, J. (2009 February and March).
Differentiated instruction. Wayland Public
Schools, Wayland, MI
Miller, S. L. (2009 February). Teaching
and Learning in the 21st Century. Office of
Minority Affairs (OMA). Grand Valley State
University, Allendale, MI
Pottorff, D. (2008 October). Storytelling
techniques for the classroom. Inter-
Institutional Teacher Education Council of
West Michigan Fire Up Conference, Grand
Rapids, MI
Reinken, B. J. and Lautenbach, C. (2009
March). University and public school district
collaboration: A win-win for K-12 students
and university graduate candidates.
Michigan Reading Association Annual
Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Schiller, E. and Joseph, J. (2008
November). SCI-CARE: A sustainable
collaboration to improve content, assessment,
reflection, and efficacy of science
teachers. Academic Forum, College of
Education, Grand Valley State University,
Grand Rapids, MI
Schiller, E. (2009 February). Math games
for elementary students. Math in Action
Conference, Grand Valley State University,
Eberhard Center, Grand Rapids, MI
Schultz, D. (2008 October) How to be
an effective mentor. Panel discussion
facilitator, Cooperating Teachers
Conference, Hope College, Holland, MI
Schultz, D. (2008 October). Teaching to
gender differences. Inter-Institutional
Teacher Education Council Fire-Up
Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Scholarship
& Service
Shinsky, J. (2008, February – October).
The importance of service and giving back
to our local and international communities
in the City of Children Orphanage. Holt
and Lansing Rotary Clubs, Lansing, MI
and Kiwanis Club, Grand Rapids, MI
Subramony, D.P. (2009 February)
Understanding minority learners' complex
relationships with education and technology.
Academic Forum, Grand Valley State
University, College of Education,
Grand Rapids, MI
Westerhof-Shultz, J. (2008). The Fulbright
experience in Croatia. Rotary Club, Grand
Haven, MI
17

Scholarship
& Service
Faculty Publications
Bultsma, S.A. (2008). School safety: An educational
issue in Michigan’s political arena. Colleagues
magazine, College of Education, Grand Valley State
University, Grand Rapids, MI
Fisher, J.B., McEachern, K., and Lahann, R. (in press).
Instructor’s manual with test bank for Boyle’s and
Scanlon’s methods and strategies for teaching students
with mild disabilities. Wadsworth-Cengage Learning,
Belmont, CA
Geisel, R. and Kallio, B.R. (2008). Educational
curriculum. In K. E. Lane, M .A. Gooden, J. F. Mead,
P. Pauken, and S. Eckes, (Eds), The Principal’s Legal
Handbook (4th edition, pp. 439-453). Education Law
Association, Dayton, OH
Gu, W. and Yawkey, T.D. (in press). An investigation of
teachers’ attitudes between school- and home-based
family intervention models utilized by public school
teachers in the People’s Republic of China. Journal of
Instructional Psychology, 36(1), 49-58.
Harris, M.L., Johnson, E.S., and Smith, L. (in press).
How RTI works in secondary classrooms. Corwin Press,
Thousand Oaks, CA
Harris, M.L., Schumaker, J.B., and Deshler, D.D.
(2008). The word mapping strategy: Instructor’s
manual. Edge Enterprises, Inc., Lawrence, KS
Harris, M.L., Schumaker, J.B., and Deshler, D.D.
(2008). The effects of strategic morphological analysis
instruction on the vocabulary performance of secondary
students with and without disabilities. (Research
Report.) University of Kansas Center for Research
on Learning, Lawrence, KS
King, C.M., Patterson, N.G., and Stolle, E.P. (2008).
Portfolio assessment: Making connections, guiding
change. English Teaching: Practice and Critique,
7(3), 4-9.
Mader, C. (2009). I will never teach the old way again:
Classroom management and external incentives. Theory
into Practice, 48(2), 1-9.
Patterson, N.G. (2008 Spring). Poverty and literacy.
Colorado Reading Council Journal, p. 5-7. Vol. 18,
Issue 1.
Patterson, N.G. see also King, C.M. and Stolle, E.P.
18
Reinken, B.J. (2008). M.Ed. reading / language arts
K-12 student assessment tool. In A.E. Wise, P.
Ehrenberg, & J. Leibbrand (Eds.), It's all about student
learning: Assessing teacher candidate ability to impact
P-12 students (pp. 81-88). National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education, Washington, D.C.
Stolle, E.P. (2008). Teachers, literacy, and technology:
Tensions, complexities, conceptualizations, and
practice. 57th Yearbook of the National Reading
Conference, p. 56-69.
Stolle, E.P. see also King, C.M. and Patterson, N.G.
Subramony, D.P. (in press). Asian American perspec-
tives on education and technology. H. Song & T. Kidd
(Eds), Handbook of Research on Human Performance
and Instructional Technology, IGI Global: Hershey, PA
Subramony, D.P. (in press). Understanding minority
learners’ complex relationships with education and
technology. Educational Technology, 49(4).
Subramony, D.P. (in press). Towards culturally and
ecologically sustainable education in the Alaskan
Arctic. Colleagues magazine, College of Education,
Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI
Westerhoff-Schultz, J. (2009). Common monologic
modes and the call to build a more democratic
classroom discourse: The deliberative cycle as an
example of dialogic instruction. Learning for
Democracy: An International Journal of Thought and
Practice, 3(1), 66-81.

COE Service - Faculty and Staff
COE faculty and staff hold service to schools and
communities in high regard. The following is a sampling
of some of the activities in which we engage.
Faculty
Bultsma, Shawn
Board Member, West Michigan Counseling Association,
Grand Rapids, MI
Board Member/Vice Chair, Stone of Hope School
Planning Team, Grand Rapids, MI
Co-Chair, Michigan School Counselor Association 2008
Fall Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Board Member, Adoptive Family Support Network,
Grand Rapids, MI
Busman, Doug
Participant, Zeeland Public Schools, Secondary
“Futures” committee, Zeeland, MI
Participant, Millennium Development Goals Project,
Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, Grand Rapids, MI
Carson, Susan
Member, Kent School Services Network Initiative,
Grand Rapids, MI
Volunteer, West Michigan Gleaners distribution of
1,000 pounds of food in two neighborhood food drives,
Grand Rapids, MI
Chlebo, Julie
Volunteer teacher, Gan Yiladim Hebrew pre-school,
Grand Raids, MI
Cleveland, Rosemary
Monitor, two pilot websites, College of Education,
Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI
Participant, school supplies for Sibley School, Grand
Rapids, MI
Volunteer, United Way of West Michigan,
Grand Rapids, MI
Fisher, Joe
Reviewer, Journal of Curriculum, Instruction and
Learning Disability Quarterly
Professional development provider, Henry Ford High
School, Detroit Public Schools, Detroit, MI
Professional development provider and instructional
coaching, Martin Luther King and Southeastern High
Schools, Detroit Public Schools, Detroit, MI
Geisel, Rick
Regional Reporter, School Law Reporte, Educational
Law Association monthly publication
Gu, Wei
Membership Representative/Board Member, Phi Delta
Kappa, Michigan Chapter, Grand Rapids, MI
Proposal Reviewer, 2009 Annual Meeting, American
Educational Research Association (AERA),
San Diego, CA
Vice Principal, Chinese Language School of Western
Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI
Hill Gregels, Priscilla
Nominee, Lakeshore International ATHENA Award for
assisting women in reaching their full potential
Board Member, Robert D. Hill Foundation, Grand
Rapids, MI
Board Member, Special Olympics, Grand Rapids, MI
Board Member, Make-A-Wish Foundation,
Grand Rapids, MI
Board Member, Michigan Council of Foundations,
Grand Rapids, MI
Participant, PTA/PTO, Grand Rapids Public Schools
MENSA, Grand Rapids, MI
Hipp, Sally
Board Member/Secretary, Phi Delta Kappa, Grand
Rapids, MI
President, Camp Fire U.S.A., West Michigan Council,
Grand Rapids, MI
King, Caryn
Team Teacher, Education Research in Chemistry,
Chemistry Department, NSF Target Inquiry grant,
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Konecki, Loretta
Volunteer, Learning Beyond Boundaries, ASCD Annual
Meeting, Orlando, FL
LaBeau, Barbara
Consultant, Technology Focus Committee, Fitzgerald
Public Schools, Warren, MI
Consultant, One to one computer model, Dutton
Elementary, Caledonia Public Schools, Caledonia, MI
Executive Board Secretary, Consortium for Outstanding
Achievement in Teaching with Technology (COATT)
MACUL Champions coach, Muskegon County K-12
teams: Muskegon Heights Middle School, Way Point
Academy and Hesperia Middle School
Mack, Faite, R-P.
President, Education for Humanity International
Foundation, Nong Khai,Thailand
Co-Chair, Mack- Jackson African-American Scholar
Award, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
continued
Scholarship
& Service
19

Scholarship
& Service
COE Service - Faculty and Staff continued
Faculty continued
Margulus, Lisabeth
Member, Michigan Council of Professors of Educational
Administrators
Member, Phi Delta Kappa, Grand Rapids, MI
Leadership Role, Wallace Grant implementation,
Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids, MI
McCrea, Linda
Program Reviewer, Association for Childhood Education
International (ACEI)
Participant, TAG ID initiative, Kentwood Public Schools,
Kentwood MI
Co-Chair, Administrative Board United Methodist
Church, Marne, MI
Teacher, sign language and introductory interpreting
course, United Methodist Church, Marne, MI
Volunteer, reading to elementary classrooms and
teaching sign language through music
Volunteer, Heart of West Michigan United Way walk
and Susan G. Komen Cancer walk
Volunteer, Bridge Run Y Center, Grand Rapids, MI
Participant, CROP Walk, Grand Rapids, MI
Melin, Jacque
Vice President for Programming, Phi Delta Kappa,
Grand Rapids, MI
Director, Wildly Exciting Education Conference,
Eberhard Center, Grand Valley State University,
Grand Rapids, MI
Miller, Sandy
Member, West Michigan Inclusion Network (WIN)
Executive Board, Grand Rapids, MI
Committee Member, West Michigan Inclusion Network
Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Reinken, Barbara
Co-Chair, Initial literacy course review, Michigan
Department of Education (MDE).
Conference Coordinator, Association of Literacy
Educators and Researchers
Founder/Director, Grand Valley Literacy Center,
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, Grand Rapids, MI
Supporter, Book drive, United Way, Camp Fire USA
West Michigan, DeVos Children’s Hospital, and Kent
County Literacy Council, Grand Rapids, MI
Board Member, International Reading Association (IRA)
Professional Ethics and Standards Committee
20
Schiller, Ellen
In-service presenter, EGR Public Schools science
faculty, East Grand Rapids, MI
Board Member, Campfire USA, West Michigan Council,
Grand Rapids, MI
Schultz, Dennis
Editor, Journal of the Michigan Association of Middle
School Educators (MAMSE)
Board Member, Inter-Institutional Teacher Education
Council of Western Michigan
Planning committee, Cooperating Teachers Conference,
Grand Rapids, MI
Volunteer, God’s Kitchen, Grand Rapids, MI
Mentor, middle and high school distance runners,
Rockford, MI
Shinsky, John
Fundraiser, City of Children Orphanage, Matamoros, Mexico
Coordinator, Wallace Foundation Aspiring Leaders grant,
Grand Rapids Public Schools and Grand Valley State
University College of Education, Grand Rapids, MI
President, Michigan Association of Professors of
Educational Administration, Lansing, MI
Board Member, Michigan Higher Education Assistance
Authority and Michigan Higher Education Student Loan
Authority, Lansing, MI
Board Member, Michigan Institute for Educational
Management, Lansing, MI
Spencer, Larry
Board Member, Alternatives in Motion, provider of
wheelchairs and mobility devices, Grand Rapids, MI
Board Member, Wyoming Public Schools Foundation,
Wyoming, MI
Subramony, Deepak
President, Minorities in Media, Association for
Educational Communications and Technology affiliate
Westerhoff-Shultz, Jolanda
Editorial Review Board, Educational Foundations:
Journal of the Social Foundations of Education
Editorial Review Board, Learning for Democracy:
International Journal of Thought and Practice
Conference Proposal Reviewer, American Association
for Teaching and Curriculum
Conference Proposal Reviewer, American Educational
Research Association
Conference Proposal Reviewer, National Council for
the Social Studies
Board Member, Walden Green School, Grand Haven, MI

Administrative Professional Staff (AP)
Dunn, Amy
Reading Tutor, second grade, United Way Schools of
Hope project, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand
Rapids, MI
Fournier, Barbara
Volunteer, Loutit District Library, Grand Haven, MI
Gilfillan, Suzanne
Volunteer, resume coach, Women’s Resource Center,
Grand Rapids, MI
Volunteer, Grad-Fest Alumni Association Activities,
GVSU, Allendale, MI
Kruithoff, Tom
Official, High School Wrestling Association
Official, 20th year, MHSAA State Finals official
TV Announcer, West Ottawa football play by play,
West Ottawa, MI
Owens, Tom
Volunteer, Saugatuck Douglas Friends of the Library,
Saugatuck, MI
Presenter, Hopkins High School Career Day,
Hopkins, MI
Presenter, East Kentwood High School Career Day,
Kentwood, MI
Guest Panelist, Future Teachers of Tomorrow, Phi Delta
Kappa, GVSU, Allendale, MI
Co-Presenter, Brown Bag Lunches BlackBoard Blogs,
COE, Grand Rapids, MI
Exhibitor, Technology Fair, BlackBoard Blogging,
GVSU, Allendale, MI
Clerical-Office-Technical Staff (COT)
Evans, Shawn
Assistant Editor, Colleagues magazine, College of
Education, Grand Valley State University,
Grand Rapids, MI
Member, Diversity Task Force, COE, Grand Valley State
University, Allendale, MIStudent Services and
Information Center Staff, winter clothing collection,
Holland Public Schools, Holland, MI
Gotlieb McIntyre, Carol
Coordinator, Recycling project: printer
cartridges, cell phones, cameras, Grand Valley State
University, Grand Rapids, MI
Homrich, Ann
Participant, Susan Komen Race for the Cure,
Grandville, MI
Participant, Hark Up, a Christmas production for
Hark Up Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI
Martin, Kristy
Tutor, United Way Schools of Hope reading program,
Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids, MI
Co-Leader, church youth group, Hudsonville, MI
Nyhuis, Bev
Volunteer, Career Services Out-of-State Teacher’s Fair,
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Student Services and Information Center Staff,
winter clothing collection, Holland Public Schools,
Holland, MI
Scholarship
& Service
21

Program
Spotlight
Program Spotlight
CI Program Reinvented Online
In early 2000 the College of Education (COE)
faced declining enrollment in its special education
cognitive impairment (CI) program. At the same
time, Michigan’s public schools faced a COE
special education department that revealed
licensed, employed teachers were very interested
in earning an additional CI endorsement, but
the twin issues of travel time and cost often
prohibited their return to a college campus.
In response to these findings, the COE graduate
CI program was extensively revised to meet the
needs of distance learners, as well as those
located near campus. As a result, the COE now
offers six of the core CI endorsement courses
online. Since implementing these curricular
revisions in 2007, program enrollment has
substantially increased.
Under the leadership of Amy Schelling, visiting
COE assistant professor and CI program coordinator,
teachers have the opportunity to take
two different CI endorsement courses online
per semester. In addition, candidates must
complete a 180-hour CI classroom practicum
teaching experience, which is offered every
semester. Candidates wishing to complete a
practicum experience during the summer
semester are placed in classrooms through
various intermediate school district-based
programs. Teachers seeking a single CI
endorsement can now earn that within a year.
“The COE developed an innovative high-quality
endorsement program based specifically on the
needs of the student population,” says Schelling.
“We were looking for a way to revive the program
and now every course is filled every semester.”
22
There continue to be
employment opportunities
in CI in both K-12 settings
and in county-wide
special education centers,
usually located within an
intermediate school district.
• There are 25,000 students
with CI in K-12 Michigan
classrooms.
• CI students exhibit
adaptive behavior deficits.
• CI students have belowaverage
learning skills.
The online learning environment
for each course
is supported by GVSU’s
Blackboard system. It
provides the Web-based
structure in which course
content is developed and
delivered. Instructors and
students interact with
one another through
various forms of communication that include
e-mail, discussion boards, wikis and Skype.
Although an online course changes the nature
of how students interact with one another, it
doesn’t change the fact that they do interact.
This was a critical consideration in how the
course was developed and assignments structured.
Amy Schelling works hard to ensure that
students are able to make connections between
course lessons and real classroom situations.
“Applying what my students are learning in the
online course to the classroom is critical,” she
says, “and in an online setting I have to be
creative in how I structure my checks for student
understanding. Many assignments require the
teacher to complete the assignment with
children in a CI classroom setting, and they are
structured to reflect what the teacher is learning
online. That is the best indicator of their
understanding.”
• CI students’ cognitive
impairment may be considered
mild, moderate or severe;
they’re educated in a range
of settings from general
education to special
education center-based
classroom settings.

CI Online Courses
In addition to the online experience, Schelling
or Vicki Kamps, COE elementary affiliate
instructor in the Traverse City Center, visit each
student practicum classroom or field site at
least five times per semester.
This cutting-edge program has found wide
acceptance in the northern Michigan area and
in outlying rural areas. Currently the 70+
enrolled students are located from the Traverse
City area to southwest Michigan; two are in
Detroit. Most teachers enrolled in the CI
endorsement program have reported that it is
their first experience with an online class.
Since everyone has to participate and interact
with one another
on the discussion
boards,
they are
especially
enthusiastic
about how
much they
learn
through
their discussions
with other
teachers.
“We are
very
proud of what we
can offer to students who aren’t in
our immediate campus area,” says
Schelling. “We’ll continue to
change our programs to meet the
needs of distant classroom teachers.”
EDS 618 Studies in Cognitive Impairment
EDS 619 Programs for Mild Cognitive Impairment
EDS 620 Programs for Severe Cognitive Impairment
EDS 621 Assistive Technology in Education
EDS 622 Assessment Procedures for Placement & Program: CI
EDS 623 Collaboration in Special Education
At least once
every other week,
students take
what they’ve
learned and apply
it to a classroom
situation.
What CI Online Students Say...
Program
Spotlight
This program enables people who are
passionate about CI students to earn an
endorsement in that area while working
full time. In addition to the great
flexibility this program provides, the
professors are outstanding and always
willing to help.
Molly VandeWege, Watervliet, MI
I don’t know how I could have completed
my CI endorsement without the online
format. As a mother of two and a fulltime
teacher, I really appreciated the
flexibility of logging on and completing
my work when it was convenient for me.
When I moved and lived a two-hour
drive from Grand Rapids, I was able to
complete my work without wasting time
driving. As an adult learner, I also find
the online format a great method for
learning. When other classmates posted
innovative ideas, I could just copy and
paste them into a document and save
it for future use.
Janet Mort, Marion, MI
I’d like to say that I have enjoyed all
the readings that were selected for us to
study. I’ve learned many new techniques
on how to teach CI students. The program
has been very convenient since the
majority of the classes are online.
In today's world that is very helpful for
those who want to better their careers,
upgrade certifications or just learn
a new skill. The professors are very
helpful and ready to assist in any way.
I’m very glad I had the opportunity to
study at GVSU and learn innovative
ways to teach CI students.
Kari Burch, Niles, MI
23

Program
Spotlight
Program Spotlight
Very WITty Podcasts for Teachers
Microphone + internet connection + recording software
+ the desire to help K-12 classroom teachers use
cutting-edge technology = two COE faculty members
linking teachers together in cyberspace for
convenient, on-demand professional development.
Barbara LaBeau, COE assistant professor, and Russ
Barneveld, affiliate professor, launched podcasting
in April 2007 at the annual GVSU Technology Fair.
“Podcasting,” says LaBeau “is nothing more than
an online audio program, much like a radio program.”
At first they produced a series of bimonthly, 20-30
minute podcasts. Now they’re doing one a month
during the academic year. “We were aghast when we
started,” says Barneveld. “We had 500 listeners,
located all over the world, access our first podcast.”
They went on to create the WIT Podcast Series,
We Integrate Technology, a public domain broadcast
on the Web. Then they began to search for teachers
willing to share exceptional technology uses in their
classrooms. “One contact led to another, and then
another and then another,” says LaBeau, “and it
became serendipitous to run into one topic after
another that could benefit teachers.”
A recent podcast for example, featured a teacher
at Sierra College in Rockland, CA, who discussed
her use of Voice Thread, currently rated a top
online application. The interview, posted on WIT,
gives K-12 teachers – or anyone in the world for
that matter – ideas on how to use this powerful
application. “Because the equipment needed is
24
so simple, interviewing and recording a teacher for
a podcast is easy,” says Barneveld. “Our classic
example is an interview we did with a teacher
located in Muskegon. Barb was in St. Clair and I
was on my boat in Whitehall.”
Using podcasts in education initially was a pilot
project that Apple Inc. collaborated on with six
institutions. Lectures were recorded and posted
on iTunesU, a site developed specifically for that
purpose. Beyond the college campus, anyone
anyplace interested in a topic could simply
download the lecture to an iPod or an MP3 media
player, or listen on a computer, at no cost.
LaBeau and Barneveld had their own idea for this
technology. “New technology was moving into the
K-12 environment and we wanted to help teachers
use it in a positive way,” says LaBeau. “We wanted
to find and record exceptional uses of technology
that facilitate inquiry-based learning. That’s the key
to tweaking the interest of K-12 teachers in the
use of technology.”
Both LaBeau and Barneveld take their podcasts
one step further. They use the online recordings
in their college classes. “They become a listening
assignment, not a reading assignment,” says
Barneveld. “It is a perfect way for our teacher
candidates to learn how teachers are using
technology in the classroom.”
iTunesU is now available at GVSU where WIT
podcasts can be accessed at http://itunes.gvsu.edu

GTC Teachers
Stay Connected
While Dr. Rosemary Cleveland, COE affiliate
faculty, was working on her dissertation, she
encountered material that highlighted the multitude
of problems student teachers face as they transition
into fulltime classroom professionals. When she
returned to faculty duties in the Graduate Teacher
Certification (GTC) program, she teamed up with
Kim Kenward, GVSU Information Technology, to
design an innovative Web site where new teacher
support and help are only a click away.
“The site has become a safe place to resolve
classroom problems,” says Cleveland, “and it provides
our students with a way to exchange ideas and
stay in touch with other first-year teachers.”
The site, designed for GTC graduates, is available
up to two years after graduation. It includes online
materials pertinent for new teachers, hyperlinks,
discussion boards, a posting forum, e-mail
communication and classroom management tips.
“I love the close connection I can keep with my
professor and my classmates from the GTC
program. The links, resources and knowledge I use
from the site have been invaluable to me in my
first two years of teaching in Arizona. I feel like I
always have a ‘support system’ with me – a great
resource to reach out to whenever I need it.”
Nate Farrar
Cooperating Teachers
Connect to COE Web
Cooperating teachers who work with COE student
teachers can find an abundance of helpful
information just a few keystrokes away on the
COE Web site http://www.gvsu.edu/coe
Through the efforts of Carley Alexander Warnshuis,
cooperating teacher research and communication
coordinator, school partners can now access
resources such as:
• Cooperating teacher handbooks
• Benefits of working with student teachers
• Important dates and timelines
• Links to additional resources
Nationally Recognized
COE Programs
Cognitive Impairment
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
Early Childhood Education
National Association for the Education of Young
Children (NAEYC)
Educational Leadership
Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC)
Elementary Teacher Education
Assoc. for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
Emotional Impairment
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
Learning Disabled
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
Reading
International Reading Association (IRA)
School Library Media
American Library Association (ALA)
Special Education Administration
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
Program
Spotlight
The Grand Valley State University mathematics
programs for secondary and elementary teacher
certification are nationally recognized by the
National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
25

Learning Through
Collaboration
About their Wildly
Exciting Week,
teachers said...
I have a newly merged set of values
and attitudes that will influence
my teaching this year. When a
one-week conference can have that
much impact on an “old dog” and
make her want to learn new tricks,
I’d say it was complete success.
Pat Papke
This conference has allowed me to
realize the potential as well as all of
the possibilities and improvements
that I can make as an individual in
the classroom.
Jaclyn Zoerner
The week was extremely valuable.
It was a great motivating experience
to gear me up for a great new
school year.
Betsy Norton
I truly feel that this conference will
make a difference in my teaching.
Kathy VanderBee
Wow! This week forced me to think
about my true role as an educator
in the 21st century. As an educator,
I must fulfill a child’s basic needs as
a human being in order to strengthen
and grow his or her fundamental
needs as an academic learner.
Audrey Jennings
Each seminar was “wildly exciting”
for me because each speaker
expressed either a new idea that
I could try with my CI students or
gave me excellent information for
use in changing or tweaking what I
have in place at the present time.
Debra Vos-Osterink
26
Mail the application to: WILDLY EXCITING EDUCATION, 301 W. Fulton, Suite 718J, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504
SB-CEUs/GVSU Credits – This option is handled separately by the Professional Development Partnerships and is payable the
st morning you attend the workshop. To help us plan, please indicate if you plan to take:
Fees - $150.00 for the day workshop, $100.00 for 3 days, or $50.00 per individual day.
Expiration Date: ___/___/_______
Number:_____________________
Card Type:___________________
Credit Card Information
3 Days- __ 3 SB-CEUs $25.00 __ 1 GVSU Graduate Credit $375.00
5 Days- __ 9 SB-CEUs $25.00 __ 3 GVSU Graduate Credits $1125.00
Total Amount Enclosed: _____________ Make checks payable to GVSU.
Registration Form- Online Registration Available at www.gvsu.edu/coe/wildly
Shaping the Future
Indicate the day(s) you are attending: __One __Two __Three __Four __Five
Email:_______________________ Grade Level*:_____ School*:_________________
City:____________________ _____Zip Code:_______ Phone:___________________
Address:_______________________________________________________________
First Name:___________________ M.I.:___ Last Name:________________________
Application Deadline: July 22, 2008
Over 300 teachers took time out from their summer
break to gather at the Eberhard Center August 4-8,
2008, for a Wildly Exiting Education Conference.
Centered on the theme Shaping Students’ Futures,
the College of Education sponsored the weeklong
conference in collaboration with Phi Delta Kappa
of Michigan and the GVSU Charter Schools Office.
Keynote speakers addressed:
• Creative and Critical Thinking Skills
• Responsible Thinking Process
• Getting Kids to Behave in School and the Classroom
• What Knowledge is of the Most Worth: Re-Imagine
Education in the Globalized Word
• Current Technology Applications
• Building Champions from Capturing Kids’ Hearts
*If applicable
Top left: Jim Fay, Love and Logic Institute, on “Getting Kids to Behave in School
and the Classroom.” Top right: Dalbert Galloway, Leadership Consultant with Jacque
Melin, COE Conference Chair. Galloway’s message: “Capturing Kid’s Hearts.”
Left: Dr. Yong Zhao,
MSU Distinguished Professor,
on “What Knowledge is of the
Most Worth: Re-Imagine Education
in the Globalized World.”

Above: Target Inquiry students explore ways to change how they teach high
school chemistry. Right: GVSU Professors Caryn King (left), COE, and Sherrill
Soman (right), Chemistry Department, prepare to team teach their TI class.
Adventures in Teaching
West Michigan high school chemistry teachers say their
students now have a “better grasp” on chemistry because
they have attended the Grand Valley State University
Target Inquiry (TI) professional development program.
The innovative program, now in its third year, has been a
successful collaboration between the College of Education
and Grand Valley’s Chemistry Department. Students
earning a Master of Education degree with middle/high
school emphasis in Chemistry have had an authentic
laboratory research experience and have learned ways
to integrate content-rich scientific inquiry into their high
school classrooms. According to assessment studies,
high school teachers’ practices have changed and student
achievement has significantly increased.
What is Target Inquiry?
It is a new model for high school chemistry professional
development. In TI teachers learn how to:
• Use inquiry-based teaching methods.
• Do inquiry as scientists.
• Develop conceptually rich teaching materials.
• Evaluate teaching reforms as education researchers.
Deborah Herrington and Ellen Yezierski, GVSU associate
professors of chemistry and TI project directors, have
given invited talks, nationally and internationally, on the
TI model and its results.
Article based on story in GVNOW, Feb. 13, 2009.
Target Inquiry is funded by the National Science Foundation Division
of Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education; the Camille and
Henry Dreyfus Foundation 2005 Special Grant Program in the
Chemical Sciences; and Grand Valley State University.
Teachers Excel
with Target Inquiry
The benefits from participating
in TI are “priceless.” My teaching
has become so enjoyable and the
students are taking ownership of
their learning.
Kevin Conkel
Hudsonville H.S.
I discovered that small but intentional
changes to a lesson or a lab can
greatly impact the outcomes
achieved by my students.
Brian VanZanten
West Ottawa H.S.
My students are now required to
think on a deeper level, which will
help them problem-solve later in
their academic careers.
Sarah Toman
Western Michigan Christian H.S.
My students now have personal
engagement with high-level
conceptually-rich curriculum.
Debra Johnson
North Muskegon H.S.
Learning Through
Collaboration
27

Learning Through
Collaboration
Community Connections
Title
Summer Literacy Program
Lakeshore Teaching Cohort
Creston H.S. GTC Cohort
Future Educator
Association
Schools of Hope
Differentiation/Formative
Evaluation/21st Century
Grant
Kent School Services
Network Initiative
One-to-One Laptop
Initiative
Don’t Forget the Kids
Literacy Project
Target Inquiry Grant
Kent County Academically
Talented Youth Program
(ATYP)
Academic Clinics
MNA Partnership
28
COE Faculty Leaders
Dr. Barbara Reinken
Dr. Ismail Hakim
Mary Starkweather
Dr. Sally Hipp
Dr. Sherie Williams
Amy Jasinski
Dr. Paula Lancaster
Dr. Loretta Konecki
Jacque Melin
Dr. Susan Carson
Dr. Stephen Worst
Dr. Sean Lancaster
Dr. Andrew Topper
Victoria Kamps
Dr. Caryn King
Dr. Dorothy Armstrong
Dr. Joseph Fisher
Dr. James Grant
Dr. Claudia
Sowa Wojciakowski
Throughout the 2008-09 school year,
COE faculty engaged in community outreach.
Purpose
Collaboration has resulted in increased literacy skills
for English as Second Language (ESL) students at
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and has provided COE
graduate students with a quality setting in which to
complete master’s degree practicum requirements.
Holland Public Schools (2007-2009); Great Lakes El.
Sch.; West Ottawa Douglas El. Sch; Saugatuck Public
(2009-2010). The cohort of 12-14 students who
completed both their teacher assisting and student
teaching in the same school. Cooperating teachers
worked with future teachers throughout the school year.
Graduate Teacher Certification (GTC) students
partnered with Creston High School, Grand Rapids
Public Schools, and placed 10 GTC students in
building classrooms. The future teachers received
special training in urban school education.
COE members Williams and Jasinski, with support
from Phi Delta Kappa International and GVSU’s
Teachers of Tomorrow, developed and supported a
Future Educator Association (FEA) at Union High,
Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Dr. Lancaster served as a liaison for the Schools of
Hope program, a joint effort between Heart of West
Michigan United Way and Grand Rapids Public
Schools. Designed to raise literacy levels, COE teacher
candidates received training as reading tutors for
children in grades 1-3.
Jacque Melin presented a differentiation learning
course to Kentwood Public School administrators.
Dr. Loretta Konecki, Jacque Melin and the East
Kentwood High School Math Department worked
on formative evaluation.
Two days a week, 60+ freshmen and sophomores
enrolled in ED 200 and ED 225 attended their prerequisite
courses in an urban school with a diverse
student population. When their college class ended
students remained at the school to tutor elementary
students at Coit Creative Arts Academy (GRPS) and
Pine Island Elementary in Comstock Park.
Faculty and staff at Allendale High and Middle
schools, and Dr. Lancaster and Dr. Topper examined
the impact of ubiquitous computing at the secondary
level on student achievement, classroom instruction
and assessment.
COE undergraduate and graduate students and GVSU
graduate social work students participated in the 6th
annual Don't Forget the Kids Literacy Project. Funded
by Traverse Bay Twilight Rotary Club and Grand
Traverse Community Foundation Youth Advisory
Council grants, 200 children received literacy kits.
GVSU’s Chemistry Department and Dr. King completed
a third year of implementing the Target Inquiry grant.
TI builds on the COE Master of Education program
with a focus on inquiry and chemistry education.
ATYP, a highly accelerated Math/Language Arts program,
provided students who demonstrated unusual academic
ability and passion in those areas an opportunity to
learn in greater depth and complexity and at a faster
pace with students of similar abilities. Kent ATYP is a
partnership between local districts, Kent ISD and GVSU.
COE students, under the guidance of Drs. Fisher and
Grant, participated in academic clinics in both Grandville
and Hudsonville Public Schools. COE students provided
one-on-one instruction in special education programs
working with students with learning disabilities.
The Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) Partnership
promotes service-learning and civic engagement
in West Michigan schools. Created in Fall 2008,
it builds long-term, sustainable partnerships between
the COE and Learn and Serve Michigan.

COE Launches Future
Teacher Scholarship
Endowment
The College of Education, under the
leadership of Glenda Eikenberry, Associate
Director, Administrative Services, launched
the COE Future Teacher Scholarship
Endowment in 2008. The fund will
provide financial assistance to students
as they begin their student teaching
experience. Once the target goal of
$30,000 is met, the President’s Office will
match that amount and awards will begin
to be made from endowment earnings.
“Roughly 80 percent of our students
have a financial award of some kind,”
says JoAnne Litton, Scholarship and
Outreach Manager in GVSU’s Financial
Aid Office. “The average undergrad award
is $8,520.” Current and former COE
faculty/staff, alumni, as well as family
and friends of future educators, may
contribute to the fund. Every gift will
make a difference to a future teacher.
For more details or to make a gift, contact:
GVSU University Development Office
Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences
301 Michigan St. NE, Ste 100
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3314
Man on a 2000-Mile Mission
There are thousands of children around the world whose living
conditions and daily lives are deplorable. One of those situations
is in Matamoros, Mexico, where many children roam the streets
soliciting donations, living in a dump, trying to get food and
various goods to sell or use, lacking education, and having no
opportunity to escape the poverty and abuse that has become
a routine part of their lives.
“We have been blessed with the opportunity to change these
conditions for children, by building a safe and supportive
orphanage that will begin to reverse this tragic situation that no
child should experience,” says John Shinsky, Associate Professor
of Education at Grand Valley State University. Shinsky, along
with Joe DeLamielleure, and Eljay Bowron, friends since their
Michigan State University days, committed their time and talent
to generate resources needed to support abandoned, abused
and neglected children. They organized a fundraiser bike ride
and rode their bicycles 2000 miles from the MSU East Lansing
campus to the orphanage in Matamoros, Mexico, in April of 2009.
With the love, support and generosity of many people, they
hope to complete the 12-building, 33,000-square-foot facility
that will provide a home, food, safety, love, education, bilingual
and vocational training for hundreds of children who are
abandoned and physically, sexually and emotionally abused.
Six buildings have been constructed thus far at a cost of $30
per square foot. 100 percent of all the donations given to the
project go directly to supporting this facility named, “The City
of Children of Matamoros Mexico.”
For more details, see www.shinskyorphanage.com
Social
Responsibility
John Shinsky with children in Matamoros, Mexico
29

Milestones Convocation
College of Education
Winter Convocation
30
December 2, 2008
Grand Rapids District Pipe Band
opened the ceremony.
Above: COE Outstanding Service
Award recipients Roger M. Finlan
and Donald D. Pottorff
Grand Marshal
Paul M. Leidig, MBA, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, School of Computing
and Information Systems
Grand Valley State University
Student Address
Lindsay Stoetzel and Christina McElwee
GVSU/COE Class of 2008
COE Alumni Association
Outstanding Educator Award
Jacqueline Burdick, M.Ed.
Breton Downs Elementary School
East Grand Rapids Public Schools
East Grand Rapids, MI
COE Alumni Association
Outstanding Administrator Award
Raul Ysasi, Ph.D.
Adelante Alternative High School
Grand Rapids Public Schools
Grand Rapids, MI
COE Outstanding Service Award
Roger M. Finlan, M.A.
Affiliate Faculty, 2000-2008
Educational Foundations
Donald D. Pottorff, Ph.D.
Professor, 1987-2008
Reading/Language Arts

Convocation
Above (left to right):
The 2008 College of Education
Alumni Association Award
winners Jacqueline Burdick
and Raul Ysasi.
Christina McElwee spoke
to the class of 2008.
Jacylin Forton performed
the Star-Spangled Banner.
Lindsay Stoetzel delivered
the student address.
31
Milestones
Grand Marshal
Paul M. Leidig, MBA, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, School of
Computing and Information Systems
Grand Valley State University
The Grand Marshal of Convocation
is an honorary position awarded to
a Grand Valley faculty member
who has contributed exceptional
service to the College of Education.
The Grand Marshal is responsible
for leading the processional and
recessional, marking the beginning
and the ending of the ceremony.

Milestones Convocation
College of Education
Spring Convocation
Grand Rapids District Pipe Band
carried on a time-honored tradition.
April 24, 2009
Above: Dean Collins welcomed parents, faculty,
students and guests to the COE Convocation.
Below: COE Outstanding Service recipient
Priscilla Hill Gregels
32
Grand Marshal
David Coffey, Ph.D. .
Associate Professor, Mathematics Department
Grand Valley State University
Student Address
Chris Roe and Daniel Reed
GVSU/COE Class of 2009
COE Alumni Association
Outstanding Educator Award
June Schaible, M.Ed.
Forest Hills Central Middle School
Grand Rapids, MI
COE Alumni Association
Outstanding Administrator Award
Margarita Cotto Hernandez, M.Ed.
Principal, Burton Elementary School
Grand Rapids Public Schools
Grand Rapids, MI
COE Outstanding Service to the
COE Alumni Board
Priscilla Hill Gregels, M.A.
COE Affiliate Faculty
Elementary Education
Grand Valley State University

Convocation
Above (left to right):
The 2009 College of Education Alumni Association Award winners
Margarita Cotto Hernandez (left) and June Schaible (right)
Chris Roe addressed his graduating classmates.
Matthew Callaghan (Class of 2009) performed the Star-Spangled Banner.
Daniel Reed shared his thoughts with the Class of 2009.
Grand Marshal
David Coffey, Ph.D. .
Associate Professor, Mathematics Department, Grand Valley State University
33
Milestones

Milestones
34
A Grand Goodbye
Above: Dean Elaine Collins with Don.
Middle: Son John Pottorff, holding grandson Kai,
spoke of a life made possible by Don. Bottom:
Steven Pottorff sang a musical tribute to his father.
“Sharing is one of Don’s strongest attributes.
I’ll miss our wide-ranging conversations on
topics such as teaching, culture, literature,
and children’s books. Each topic was always
enhanced by a visual – a scholarly article,
silk from Korea, a book, and even a pair
of live pigeons!”
- Elaine Collins
A Grand Goodbye
Dr. Don Pottorff Retires from the COE
After 22 years of teaching at Grand Valley State
University in the College of Education, and a total of
43 years in education, Dr. Don Pottorff, Professor of
Education, said goodbye on December 3, 2008. His
farewell was bittersweet for colleagues, friends and
students with whom he had worked for so many years.
Dr. Pottorff mentored new COE faculty in teaching,
thus sharing his expertise not only with students, but
his colleagues as well. He showed his caring nature
outside of Grand Valley by sponsoring disadvantaged
students in Cambodia, and provided several with hope
for a better life through a college education.
While teaching at GVSU, Don often returned to
K-12 classrooms to diagnose and remediate reading
problems and to foster an appreciation for reading
and writing poetry. Students noted in their evaluations
their appreciation for Dr. Pottorff in multiple ways –
his wisdom, his expertise, his caring nature and his
ability to make learning meaningful and relevant.
Don will continue to touch the lives of young people;
as he retired from the College of Education he took
up a year’s teaching assignment in South Korea.

A Grand Goodbye
Caryn King
“When I think of Don, three words come to
mind: spirit, heart, and soul. Spirit reminds
me of Don's unique temperament and
positive disposition. Heart reminds me of
Don's compassion and goodwill that has
helped me and many others through difficult
times. Soul reminds me of Don's love and
high regard for others; he is truly a selfless
individual. And because of his generous
spirit, kind heart and virtuous soul, he has
made each one of us a better human being.
Don – you will be greatly missed, but you
will be always be close in our hearts!”
Linda McCrea
“Don has been a mentor to many of us and
perhaps to some of you in the room today.
It was not always an assigned role, but one
that he willingly assumed.”
Nancy Patterson
“Professor Pottorff was the heart and soul
of the Reading/Language Arts program.
His quiet leadership and gentle manner
were an inspiration to not only our students
and faculty, but to many others beyond
the boundaries of GVSU.”
John Shinsky
John Shinsky recalled Don’s humanitarian
work and his support of children in need
around the world.
Priscilla Hill Gregels
“The roses may be red,
I’m told the violets are blue.
I have no special poem prepared
To share, this day, with you.”
“Best wishes in all you do and always know
the positive difference you make in the lives
of everyone fortunate enough to know you.”
35
Milestones

Milestones
36
Transitions
Transitions
2008-2009
New Faculty
Nagnon Diarrassouba Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Monica Harris Special Education, Learning Disabilities
Cynthia Smith Special Education Administration
Terry Stockton Foundations
Deepak Subramony Educational Technology
Faculty Promotions
Caryn King Associate Dean for Accreditation and Assessment
Administrative Professional (AP) and
Clerical, Office and Technical (COT) Appointments
Bonnie Bowen, AP Financial Assistant to the Dean
Suzanne Gilfillan, AP Grants Administration and Special Projects Manager
Amy Jasinski, AP Assistant Director, Student Information and Services Center
Jaymes Pyne, AP Communications Specialist/Web Editor, Community Outreach
Ann Homrich, COT Office Coordinator, Teacher Education
Kristy Martin, COT Administrative Assistant to the Dean
Jeffrey Rollins, COT Database Coordinator, Administrative Services
Retirements
Don Pottorff Reading/Language Arts 21 years
Roger Finlan Foundations 8 years
Nanci Czuhai Special Education 3 years
Grand Valley Years of Service
(Recipients will be recognized in December 2009)
James Grant 30 years
Cynthia Mader 20 years
Nancy Dausman 10 years
Barbara Lubic 10 years
Lisabeth Margulus 10 years
Jacquelyn Melin 10 years
Randall Remenap 10 years
Mary Starkweather 10 years
Andrew Topper 10 years
Jolanda Westerhof-Shultz 10 years

College of Education: A New Look
After two years of discussion and review, faculty approved a plan
that organized the COE into two academic departments.
1. Leadership and Learning: John Shinsky, chair
2. Special Education, Foundations, and Technology:
Paula Lancaster, chair
Each department has three standing committees:
1. Personnel
2. Curriculum and Standards
3. Scholarships, Awards, and Merit
The three service departments continue
to operate as before:
1. Administrative Services
2. Community Outreach
3. Student Information and Services Center
COE Redesigns
Elementary Teacher Education
The 2008-2009 academic year saw the culmination of work to revise and strengthen the initial (undergraduate)
teacher certification program. Demands of P-12 education have changed greatly in the last decade and the
program has now been updated to reflect current research-based knowledge in teacher preparation. The Grand
Valley teacher education program, while based on a strong belief in the liberal arts, emphasizes educational
theory as well as practical experience in diverse educational settings.
The new program will: • Provide earlier admission to field experience.
• Link 50 percent of courses with supervised field experience.
• Refocus and strengthen education prerequisite 300 level courses.
• Improve knowledge and competencies in special education.
• Add depth and improve competencies in measuring student assessment.
• Offer a capstone course that will be a bridge to candidates’ professional careers.
Content has been reallocated rather than adding additional program credits.
The program begins to be phased in with the Winter 2010 semester.
College of Education: Expanded Masters of Education (M.Ed.) Degrees
M.Ed., Special
Education
Emphasis:
• Cognitive
Impairment
• Emotional
Impairment
• Learning
Disabilities
• Early Childhood
Developmental
Delay
M.Ed., School
Counseling
M.Ed., Literacy
Studies
Emphasis:
• Reading/
Language Arts
• School Library
Media Services
• Teaching
English to
Speakers of
Other Languages
(TESOL)
M.Ed.,
Leadership
Emphasis:
• Educational
Leadership
• Special
Education
Administration
M.Ed., Curriculum
and Instruction
Emphasis:
• Advanced Content
Specialization
• Early Childhood
Education
• Educational
Differentiation
• Elementary
Education
• Middle Level
Education
• Secondary
Education
M.Ed., Higher
Education
Emphasis:
• Adult and Higher
Education
New
DIrections
M.Ed., Educational
Technology
37

Who We Are
COE Leadership Team
38
Back row, left to right:
John Shinsky, Ph.D.
Chair
Leadership and Learning Department
Andrew Topper, Ph.D.
Chair
Curriculum and Standards Committee
Jolanda Westerhof-Shultz, Ph.D.
Chair
Personnel Committee
Kristy Martin
COT Representative
Office of the Dean
Susan Carson, Ph.D.
Chair
Faculty Council
Stephen Worst, Ph.D.
Director
Student Information and Services Center
Front row, left to right
Barbara Fournier, M.A.
Director
Administrative Services
Linda D. McCrea, Ed.D.
Chair
Teacher Education
Leadership and Learning Department
Dorothy Armstrong, Ph.D.
COE Special Projects
Leadership and Learning Department
Provides academic and administrative advice and guidance to the dean
on strategic and operational issues affecting COE performance.
Suzanne Gilfillan, M.Ed.
AP Representative
Office of the Dean
Cynthia Mader, Ph.D.
COE Special Projects
Special Education, Foundations, and Technology Department
Claudia Sowa Wojciakowski, Ph.D.
Director
Community Outreach
Elaine C. Collins, Ph.D.
Dean
College of Education
Paula Lancaster, Ph.D.
Chair
Special Education, Foundations, and Technology Department
Caryn King, Ph.D.
Associate Dean
Accreditation and Assessment
*Note: Kristy Martin, Dean’s Office, records minutes,
arranges meeting dates, times and agendas, and
communicates relevant information.
I would like to express my deep
appreciation to members of the COE
Leadership Team who have worked
tirelessly to forward this year’s
initiatives. The college owes you
a great debt of thanks.
Elaine C. Collins
Dean, College of Education

Academic and Service Department Support Staff
Bonnie Bowen
Financial Assistant
Office of the Dean
Kim Busman
Academic Department
Coordinator
Special Education,
Foundations, and Technology
Shawn Evans
Academic Department
Coordinator
Leadership and Learning
Carol Gielow
Secretary
Student Information
and Services Center
Student Workers
Graduate Assistants
Veda Hodges
Office Coordinator
Community Outreach
Ann Homrich
Office Coordinator
Teacher Education
Kristy Martin
Administrative Assistant
Office of the Dean
Bev Nyhuis
Secretary
Student Information
and Services Center
Patrick Perry
Database Coordinator
Student Information
and Services Center
Jeffrey Rollins
Database Coordinator
Administrative Services
Annukka Thelen
Office Coordinator
Student Information
and Services Center
Individual boxes,
clockwise from upper left:
Heather Chafin
Caitlyn McCardle
Jamie Sullwold
Group shot, left to right:
Jamie Ritter
Emily Sinnott
Sara Lowry
Beth McMurray
Student Information
and Services Center
Carley Alexander Warnshuis
Scott Isenga
Teacher Education
Mickie Shannon-Wildt
Leadership and Learning
Brian Eickenhout
Special Education,
Foundations, and Technology
Kristopher Pachla
Left to right:
Brian Eickenhout, Carley Alexander
Warnshuis, Mickie Shannon-Wildt
Head shots:
Kristofer Pachla
Scott Isenga
Who We Are
39

40
L. Alston
D. Armstrong
D. Bair
M. Bair
R. Barneveld
B. Bowen
S. Bultsma
D. Busman
K. Busman
S. Carson
R. Chattulani
J. Chlebo
D. Clark
S. Clay
R. Cleveland
F. Clift
J. Cooper
R. Cross
N. Dausman
N. Diarrassouba
A. Dunn
G. Eikenberry
S. Evans
R. Finlan
J. Fisher
B. Fournier
R. Geisel
C. Gielow
S. Gilfillan
J. Grant
W. Gu
I. Hakim
M. Harris
D. Helder
P. Helzer
P. Hill Gregels
S. Hipp
V. Hodges
A. Homrich
A. Jasinski
J. Judge
S. Kalee
C. Kaletka
V. Kamps
C. King
L. Konecki
J. Koning
S. Kozminski

T. Kruithoff
B. LaBeau
P. Lancaster
S. Lancaster
B. Lubic
F. Mack
C. Mader
L. Margulus
K. Martin
L. McCrea
J. Melin
S. Miller
B. Nyhuis
B. O’Neill
P. Oldt
T. Owens
P. Page
N. Patterson
C. Pelon
P. Perry
D. Pottorff
J. Pyne
E. Reese
B. Reinken
R. Remenap
J. Rollins
A. Schelling
E. Schiller
D. Schultz
M. Shelton
J. Shinsky
C. Smith
L. Spencer
M. Starkweather
M. Stearns
T. Stockton
E. Stolle
L. Storey
D. Subramony
A. Thelen
A. Topper
K. Vree
J. Westerhof-Shultz
S. Williams
O. Williams
R. Wilson
C. Wojciakowski
S. Worst
Not Pictured
M. Abramson
41
Faculty and Staff

Annual Report 2008-2009
Published by the College of Education
Grand Valley State University
920 Eberhard Center
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504
616.331.6650 P
616.331.6217 F
www.gvsu.edu/coe
The Standard of Excellence
in Teacher Preparation