Take Note
February 2008
The electronic newsletter of the UA College of Education and Health Professions
National Expert to Headline University of Arkansas Symposium on Autism Disorders
Every Arkansas special education teacher is likely to work with a child who has autism.
Statistics bear that out — expert Brenda Smith Myles estimates one in 150 children has some form of autism, a neurological disorder — but, according to Myles, there's no limit to the potential of such children, given proper support.
Earlier this year, you may have seen Myles interviewed on ABC Nightly News about girls with autism. Myles, a nationally recognized expert on Asperger Syndrome, will share her expertise locally in late March when she speaks to teachers, social workers, speech pathologists, parents of children with autism and others at a symposium in Fayetteville. Read more »
Undergraduates Earn Funds for Research
Five undergraduate students in the College of Education and Health Professions won State Undergraduate Research Fellowships this year to help finance the research for their honors theses.
Three of the recipients are nursing students, and the other two are majoring in communication disorders. Read more »
On the Cover
William F. McComas, the Parks Family Professor of Science Education in the College of Education and Health Professions, took this photograph of King Penguins that graced the cover of the January issue of American Biology Teacher magazine. He illustrates lectures given around the world with photographs he has taken at sites from jungles in Southeast Asia and Central America to the Galapagos Islands and Downe House in England. McComas photographed the King Penguins in South Georgia, an Atlantic Ocean territory of the United Kingdom.
UA Students Help to Hone Test for Prospective Teachers
University of Arkansas students studying to be foreign language teachers participated in January in a pilot program to revise the Praxis II test, one of several requirements established by the Arkansas Department of Education to obtain a teaching license for the state of Arkansas.
Educational Testing Service, a nonprofit organization that develops and administers achievement and admissions tests, asked universities and foreign language associations all over the country to assist in revising the current Praxis II test used for foreign language licensure. Participating in the pilot was one of several collaborative efforts under way by the Curriculum and Instruction Department in the College of Education and Health Professions and the Foreign Language Department in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Read more »
Learning Opportunities
Applications Sought for Writing Project Invitational
The Northwest Arkansas Writing Project is accepting applications from teachers until March 28 for the 2008 Invitational Summer Institute. Read more »
Register Now for Middle Level Institute
The University of Arkansas Education Renewal Zone and Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative are sponsoring a Middle Level Institute on July 22-23, 2008, at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale. Nationally recognized speakers will discuss topics such as differentiated instruction, classroom management, cooperative learning and multi-disciplinary teaching. Read more »
Bone Up on Preventing, Rehabilitating Sports Injuries
The 2nd Annual RAZOR Fitness Sports Medicine Symposium sponsored by the University of Arkansas Human Performance Laboratory drew nearly 100 people to the Clarion Inn in Fayetteville on Feb. 23. For those health professionals, coaches, athletic trainers, professors and students who couldn't make it, the lab has posted the presenters lectures online. Read more »
Upcoming Events
- March 7 Robert Maranto, Villanova University, Department of Education Reform lecture, noon-1:30 p.m., 210 Graduate Education Building
- March 13 Paul E. Peterson, Harvard University, Department of Education Reform lecture, noon-1:30 p.m., 210 Graduate Education Building
- April 11 Michael Puma, Chesapeake Research Associates, Department of Education Reform lecture, noon-1:30 p.m., 210 Graduate Education Building
- March 17-21 Spring break
- March 27-28 Autism Spectrum Disorders Symposium, Center for Continuing Education
- April 11 Arkansas Minority Health Conference, Holiday Inn Convention Center, Springdale
- April 16 Honors Convocation, Center for Continuing Education
Editor's Note: "Take Note" is published bimonthly with information about programs, events and achievements of the faculty, staff and students of the departments, research and service units of the College of Education and Health Professions. Please contact Heidi Stambuck, director of communications, with comments and suggestions.
(479) 575-3138, stambuck@uark.edu