College of Education Blog

If you haven’t seen the new memorial behind Winther Hall, you should go take a look. It is a gift from the family of Dr. Lewis William Stoneking, dean of the College of Education & Professional Studies from 1972-1989.

Stoneking Sculpture

But who was this mysterious man?

Dr. Stoneking was born on July 5th, 1923 in Hannibal, Missouri. Following his service in World War II, Dr. Stoneking attended Harris Teachers College in St. Louis, Missouri, where he received his BA degree in Education in 1952. He then went on to earn his MA in School Administration from Ball State University and his Doctorate in Elementary Education from Indiana University.

Dr. Lewis William Stoneking

Prior to his arrival at UW-Whitewater, Dr. Stoneking was an elementary school teacher, a junior high math teacher, and a faculty member at George Peabody College and Parsons College. He served on numerous committees and frequently lectured at local, state, regional and national conferences on teacher education. He was one of the first deans of education to be selected by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum and Development to speak to college professors in China for six weeks in 1987.

During his 20 years as dean, Dr. Stoneking’s goal was to make Whitewater’s College of Education the best within the University of Wisconsin System.

We know he more than met his goal!

The UWW College of Education, in collaboration with UW–Stevens Point, is pleased to announce a new supplementary licensure program in Gifted and Talented education. This program, just approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, will be offered jointly by the two institutions in a hybrid (mostly online) format with a new round of courses starting in summer 2010.

Teachers from around the state will now be able to become licensed in this critical area of K-12 education. The license is an EC-A (preK-12) add-on to a regular teaching license, and work leading to the Gifted and Talented Program Coordinator license is also currently in development.

The program for the Gifted and Talented (014) teacher license includes the following four courses (12 graduate credits) that can also count toward UW-Whitewater’s MSE-PD degree with an emphasis in Challenging Advanced Learners (CAL):

Summer 1 Foundations of Gifted and Talented Education (UWW)
Fall Semester Psychological Issues in Gifted Education (UWW)
Spring Semester Curriculum Methods for Teaching Students with Gifts and Talents (UWSP)
Summer 2 or arr. Practicum in Teaching Students with Gifts and Talents (UWSP)

Program faculty at UW-Whitewater include Pam Clinkenbeard, Professor of Educational Foundations and Scott Peters, Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations; their collaborator at UWSP is J. Christine Gould, Associate Professor of Education.

Stop by and shop at the annual Student WEA Scholastic Book Fair in Whither 1011.  This year it runs November 30th through December 4th. Hours are Monday-Thursday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Friday 9:00 a.m. to noon.  Stop by and pick up some great bargains!  

Student SWEA is getting even more involved! A CLASS grant is being held at Washington Elementary School in Whitewater in kindergarten through second grade.  Student WEA members are working with the teachers and purchasing supplies to help out with their character education curriculum. Each month students focus on a different character education trait and use a journal to reflect and facilitate on their learning.  Student WEA members are assisting students as they complete these activities and projects.  A fantastic win-win partnership!

Congratulations to Denise Eccleston, 2003 Counselor Education graduate – who was just named Georgia School Counselors Association Elementary School Counselor of the Year!  Way to go!!!  In an email to Dr. O’Bierne, Denise said:

“I don’t know if you remember me but I am a 2003 graduate of the Whitewater counseling program.  I was informed yesterday that I have been selected by the Georgia School Counselors Association as the Elementary School Counselor of the Year for the State of Georgia.  While I am very honored by this award, it is not solely an individual achievement.  I strongly believe that the preparation that I received while at Whitewater positioned me for success in this field.  When I moved to Georgia after graduation, I tried to implement a comprehensive school counseling program based on the ASCA model.  This approach to school counseling was imparted to me by yourself and the other faculty members and I’ve seen the effectiveness of this approach in the lives of children. Denise Eccleston”

Welcome Back Students!

I think this quote is a good one for today:
“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” – Malcom Forbes (1919-1990), in Forbes magazine.

Here’s to a great semester!

For those wanting to see the video that we will be discussing at the retreat on Wednesday, here it is again:

Did You Know?

What does it all mean for us?