Region 5 T/TAC

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2015

Regional Wrap-up

Need to make a request to TTAC?

Go to our Web site (www. acjmu.org) and click on “Contact” tab, then “Request for Services.” Once completed, your request will be recorded and directed to an appropriate staff person.

Follow us on twitter We are now on Twi er! Make us part of your professional learning network (PLN) and learn about upcoming events. Follow us @Region5TTAC.

New Coordinator at Region 5

Region 5 TTAC is pleased to welcome Dr. Amber Knigh ng as our newest coordinator. She will be working in the areas of PBIS/VTSS and school improvement.

Amber recently relocated back to the Shenandoah Valley, where she was born and raised. She is enthusias c about the opportunity to serve students where her passion for the scholarship of teaching and learning was cul vated. Amber is coming to us from George Mason University where she was the Assistant Director of Learning Ser‐vices within Counseling and Psychological Services. Prior to joining the team at GMU in 2012, she was the Department Chair of Special Educa on at Page County High School, where she had worked since 2001. Amber completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentra on in Special Educa on (ED, SLD, ID) from James Madison University in 2003, a Master of Science in Special Educa on (ED/SLD) from Florida State University in 2007 and a PhD in Special Educa on Leadership from Capella University in the spring of 2013. Amber has diverse experience in working with students on instruc onal strategies and successful transi on prac ces. Her professional philosophy is that successful work is not accomplished by a few well‐versed individuals; rather it is cul vated by a mul tude of beings with individualized special es that recognize the significance of a cohesive envi‐ronment. Amber’s professional interest includes the con ngency between the recogni on of an individual’s style of learning and their ability to self‐advocate. She believes that a profound self‐awareness of one’s own strengths as well as weaknesses is necessary for growth. Amber is eager to be a member of the Region 5 T/TAC team with whom she a ributes to significantly influencing her as a professional. Amber resides at a piece of paradise on the Shenandoah River with her husband, Shane, and their five children. Amber may be reached at knightad@jmu.edu or 540.568.5183. Welcome Amber!

EARLY CHILDHOOD

Sesame Street and Au sm: See Amazing in All Children Source: Sesame Workshop ‐ Retrieved November 6, 2015

The Sesame Street workshop has launched Sesame Street and Au sm: See Amazing in All Children, featuring a new character with au sm, resources for families of children with au sm, and The AMAZING Song, which celebrates young children with diverse abili es. The na onwide ini a ve was developed with input from parents, people who serve the au sm community, and people with au sm. It offers families ways to overcome common challenges and simplify eve‐ryday ac vi es, while also fostering an affirming narra ve around au sm for all families and kids.

A Child's Lifelong Self‐Esteem Emerges Earlier Than We Thought

By age 5 children have a sense of self‐esteem that is comparable in strength to that of adults, according to a new study by University of Washington researchers. Because self‐esteem tends to remain rela‐vely stable across one's lifespan, the study suggests that this im‐

portant personality trait is already in place before children begin kin‐dergarten. Learn more at the link to the right. h p://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151102152729.htm

Using Technology in Early Childhood Classrooms

This July 2015 annotated bibliography from the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Out‐comes provides resources and informa on about using technology in early educa on classrooms. It also addresses issues to consider when introducing new tools, media, and

devices, so educators and policymakers can make informed decisions about using such resources, and preparing teachers and care providers to do so. h p://ceelo.org/wp‐content/uploads/2015/07/ceelo_annotated_bib_ece_tech_final_web.pdf

Region 5 T/TAC Regional Wrap-up NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

Real Co‐Teachers of Virginia eWorkshop This series of webshops showcases the products created by real co‐teachers of Virginia, select teams of middle and high school co‐teachers par cipa ng in the Virginia Department of Educa on’s Excellence in

Co‐Teaching Ini a ve. These co‐teachers established demonstra on sites and opened their doors to visitors wishing to observe quality co‐teaching; they also developed co‐taught lesson plans and videos to share through these webshops. In their videos, teachers model not only co‐instruc ng in the classroom, but

co‐assessing and co‐planning as well. h ps:// aconline.org/Online‐Training/MLbTE3FyBnEe7Gh‐Rcu3kOu‐JEI8V_HS/Online‐Training‐real‐co‐teachers‐of‐

virginia?utm_source=Fast+Facts+December+2015+Issue+&utm_campaign=Fast+Facts&utm_medium=email

1) We are trying to address bullying in our school by changing the culture of the school. Where do we start? Our schools, homes, and local communi es are all ecologies that assist in the social development of children. Ap‐

proaching culture change in schools requires the adop on of a social ecological framework that allows an under‐standing of the mul ple dimensions around the social systems that impact child and adult behavior. Swearer, Es‐pelage, & Napolitano (2009) provide an introduc on to Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological theory, which provides a conceptual framework around the interrelated ecologies including microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, and macrosystems. Figure 1.2 provides a ques onnaire around the social factors that could contribute to bullying behaviors in schools. It also provides a star ng point to conceptualize bullying behavior as a mul variate system of social interac ons, not isolated, individualized student behavior (pg. 9).

Swearer, S.M., Espelage, D.L., Napolitano, S.A. (2009). Bullying preven on and interven on: Realis c strategies for

schools. New York: Guilford Press. (This book is available in our T/TAC lending library click)

Region 5 T/TAC Regional Wrap-up NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

QUESTIONS FOR COORDINATORS

2) Are there any resources available that talk about the impact bullying has on youth? The I'm Determined Project is beginning to explore the effects of bullying on youth and will be developing re‐

sources to help youth who are being bullied. Bullying can take many forms; click here to hear stories from Virginia youth as they tell their personal stories of bullying and how I'm Determined has helped them: h p://www.imdetermined.org/quick_links/bully‐free_zone

Bullying resources and videos captured at the 2013 I'm Determined Youth Summit at James Madison University

can be viewed by entering the word "bully" into the search bar at the top of the page. Specific videos include:

How I’m Determined has Helped h p://www.imdetermined.org/resources/detail/how_im_determined_has_helped My Message to Bullies h p://www.imdetermined.org/resources/detail/my_message_to_bullies Peer Bullying h p://www.imdetermined.org/resources/detail/peer_bullying Teachers and Adults as Bullies h p://www.imdetermined.org/resources/detail/teachers_and_adults_as_bullies

The I’m Determined Project also has developed a free IOS app to address problem solving among peers. Click here

to download the app: h ps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/problem‐resolu on/id924177272?mt=8

A web app version will be available in December 2015 on www.imdetermined.org.

BE 037 Campbell, K., & Wahl, K.H. (2015). If you can’t manage them, you can’t teach them: Ad‐vice for running a chaos‐free classroom where middle and high school students can really learn. Chicago: World Book. Wri en by a middle school teacher for teachers, this book addresses rela onships, respect, behav‐ioral and academic expecta ons, consequences, problem avoidance, engagement, and manage‐ment through humorous, straight‐talking stories, strategies, and ideas. Link CRR 026 Cheatham, M.S., & Lund, R.H. (2004). Keystone: A guide for teaching language struc‐ture. Timonium, MD: The New Community School. This handbook describes a quick, flexible, and systema c approach to teaching language struc‐ture to students with dyslexia. Explana ons, step‐by‐step instruc ons, and charts for teaching basic structure of language are included. Link DIV 023 Jones, J.M. (Ed.). (2009). The psychology of mul culturalism in the schools: A primer for prac ce, training, and research. Bethesda, MD: Na onal Associa on of School Psychologists. This book provides school personnel with tools helpful to become culturally responsive prac ‐oners while understanding the diverse cultural, linguis c, and educa onal needs of today’s

classrooms. The book is organized in two sec ons: conceptual founda ons and prac cal applica‐ons; it includes chapter discussion ques ons and case scenarios. Link

IDL 149 Campbell, K., & Wahl K.H. (2009). A handbook for closing the achievement gap. SOAR: Students on academic rise. Nashville: Incen ve Publica ons. SOAR began as an a er school tutoring program which helped students gain social, cultural, and behavioral skills that complement academic skills. This handbook explains the program and out‐lines steps that school personnel can implement to replicate the program. Plans, ps, strategies are included. Link

To explore the library visit the Lending Library page at h p://www. acjmu.org/

Region 5 T/TAC Regional Wrap-up NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

LIBRARY: Recent Arrivals The following books and devices have recently been added to our lending library. To check out books and re‐sources, make sure you have joined www. acjmu.org. Once you have registered and logged in (detailed in‐struc ons are below), you can quickly follow the links to add these items to your cart. You can also search the library online for addi onal resources. Your membership informa on will be remembered for future visits.

IDL 150 Silver, D., Berckemeyer, J.C., & Baenen, J. (2015). Deliberate op mism: reclaiming the joy in educa on. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. The authors present the Five Principles of Deliberate Op mism to restore healthy interac ons needed for real change in schools. Research‐based strategies, examples, and scenarios help readers with rediscovering mo va on, thinking posi vely, building an op mis c classroom, and partnering with stakeholders to develop an op mis c learning environment. Link IEC 019 Simpson, C.G., & Warner, L. (2010). Successful inclusion strategies for early childhood teachers. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. This book provides field‐tested strategies for primary and elementary teachers to meet the needs of students with a variety of special needs. Vigne es, tools, and sugges ons for adap ng classroom materials to modify and differen ate the curriculum are included. Link

Region 5 T/TAC Regional Wrap-up NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

LIBRARY cont’d.

Region 5 T/TAC Lending Library

Educators and parents/families in our service area (Region 5) may request books and materi‐als from our Lending Library. We are happy to mail materials to you; your delivery will include a postage‐paid label to facilitate the return of materials to our library. If an item is too large or heavy to mail, arrangements will be made for delivery or pick‐up. The library has a wide range

of materials from books to DVDs to switches and augmenta ve communica on devices. Browse available resources at h p://www. acjmu.org/lending‐library/.

In order to check out books and resources, join www. acjmu.org. Once you have registered, your informa on will be remembered for future visits.

Follow these steps to create your free account at www. acjmu.org: Click Log In Bu on (top right corner) Click “Register as member” (below login fields) Fill in all fields. Then, click Register Ac vate your account by clicking link that will be emailed to you Click Log In and use your creden als to log in (your email address is your username)

Ques ons: Contact Yvonne Skingley skinglyx@jmu.edu

Region 5 T/TAC Regional Wrap-up NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

Rhonda Zingraff, Principal Investigator Gina Massengill, Coordinator zingrarm@jmu.edu massengk@jmu.edu Cathy Cook, Coordinator John McNaught, Co‐Director cookch@jmu.edu mcnaugjt@jmu.edu Kandy Grant, Coordinator Jacki Nickel, Coordinator grantkb@jmu.edu nickeljr@jmu.edu Cheryl Henderson, Co‐Director Lisa Norris, Coordinator hendercl@jmu.edu norrislw@jmu.edu Sherry Hussey, Fiscal Technician, Sr. Amanda Randall, Coordinator husseysd@jmu.edu randalaa@jmu.edu Amber Knighting, Coordinator Jesse Rodriguez, Coordinator knightad@jmu.edu rodri3jm@jmu.edu Karen Lilly, Office Assistant Yvonne Skingley, Admin. Assistant

lillykj@jmu.edu skinglyx@jmu.edu Ian Linden, Coordinator Cherish Skinker, Coordinator lindenic@jmu.edu skinkecr@jmu.edu Jen MacRae, Coordinator Kendal Swartzentruber, Coordinator macraejm@jmu.edu swartzkl@jmu.edu Phone Numbers: Mailing Address: Local Number 540. 568.6746 VDOE Region 5 T/TAC Toll Free Number 888. 205.4824 James Madison University

MSC 9002 Physical Location: Harrisonburg, VA 22807 601 University Boulevard Blue Ridge Hall (Room 260)

Harrisonburg, VA 22807

http://www.ttacjmu.org

VDOE Region 5 TTAC at James Madison University

Contact Information