Department of Education Monday Minutes

Here are your Monday Minutes for the week of August 17-21, 2020. 

From the Department Head

Dear Staff, Faculty, and Graduate Teaching/Research Assistants,

Welcome to the first day of what is sure to be a school year discussed in history books fifty years from now! Thanks to all who attended the Fall Kickoff and contributed to #edgoals! You can access the meeting recording (view the first 55 minutes), and the notes/Powerpoint are attached. Please also contribute to our #edgoals Padlet as you see fit. Additionally, notes from the Scholarship breakout session are attached, with the Teaching and Centers/Outreach & Engagement breakout session notes forthcoming.

If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or my office phone 994-5788 (which forwards to my cell phone). We may not be physically together very much this fall, but we are together in purpose. Let’s support and be kind to each other as we work toward our #edgoals!

Take good care,

 Ann Dutton Ewbank's signature 

Dr. Ann Ewbank

News and Announcements 

  • Department meetings will be held 3:10-4:30pm on Tuesdays: 8/25, 9/8, 9/22, 10/6, 10/20, and 11/10 in Ann Ewbank’s WebEx room. Graduate Research/Teaching Assistants are welcome to attend. There will be no in-person department meetings this fall. Program leaders will schedule meetings as needed.
  • Through 8/21/2020, the Education Advising Center will offer in-person walk-in advising in Reid 123 M-F from 9:30 – 11:30 and 1:30 – 3:30. Outside of those times, our advisors will be available by phone, email, and appointment from 8-5. The Ed Advising Center website and the Appointments page have detailed information.
  • Graduate student advisors: Please encourage your students to register for classes ASAP, especially EDU 690 dissertation credits. EDLD 529 Post-secondary Distance Delivered Education (10/05-11/25) is also an excellent course which will enhance any graduate program of study.
  • Make sure to check the MSU COVID-19 webpage frequently as university and system-wide updates are available all in one place.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

  • Congratulations to Cori Thatcher Day, EdD in Curriculum & Instruction student and Assistant Professor of Math Education, MSU-Billings, who will present “Setting Students Up to Discover Area Models on Their Own” at the April 2021 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) meeting. Way to go, Cori!
  • Congratulations to Scott Flat Lip (B.S. Health Enhancement) who was recently elected to the SHAPE Montana Board. It is wonderful to see our alumni in leadership positions!

Social media post: SHAPE Montana. One hour. Public. SHAPE Montana would like you to meet Awe´-Kootaa´-iikuash or Scott Flat Lip! Scott was elected to the SHAPE Montana board. Scott is a teacher in Hardin, Montana on the Crow Reservation and is a member of the Apsaalooke´ (Crow) tribe. Picture of man wearing T-shirt reading "Merciless Indian Savages. Declaration of Independence"

Please send accomplishments and kudos to [email protected] I am specifically looking for accomplishments in scholarship to pass on to MSU News Service.

Professional Development & Engagement Opportunities

  • As we move toward greater reliance on distance learning online, please keep in mind that there are many locations in Montana, even in the Gallatin Valley, that do not have reliable high-speed internet.  Please see this resource on “low-bandwidth” distance teaching to ensure that your file sizes are as small as possible.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resources

  • Using Universal Design for Learning principles will help ensure that online course content is accessible to students with and without additional needs. Please take time to ensure your online course content is accessible.
  • Did you know that while 2020 is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Montana women were granted the right to vote six years earlier in 1914? Check out this website sponsored by the Montana Memory Project to learn more about the amazing accomplishments of Montana women throughout history.

A Special Request from Field Placement & Licensure

Teacher Education Program instructors: As we head into the fall term, we have over 80 student teachers.  This is a healthy enrollment and we are looking forward to supporting each student during their semester.  I would like to ask you each to review the list of students, which is attached, and encourage you to reach out to former students.  During this time of uncertainty and potential fear of what lies ahead, I believe they would appreciate hearing from a friendly face.  I think they would each appreciate the support and connection, perhaps now more than ever.

Thanks in advance!    - John Melick

Please see the attached PDF for the list of students. PDF: Student Teachers – Fall 2020