Nine Westminster College student teachers and four education faculty gave presentations at the National Student Teacher Supervision Conference at Slippery Rock University May 29-31.

Dr. Eileen Morelli, Westminster associate professor of education, and seniors Anatoli Dorosh, Jackie Faber, and Akesha Joseph presented research on "CHIPS: A College/High School Interactive Literacy Project."

"In 2004, a literacy project was developed between ninth-grade social studies teachers in Ohio and my Education 351 Reading in the Content Area class," Morelli said. "The goals of the project were: to improve reading and writing in the content area of the ninth-grade class and improve the Ohio Graduation Test scores; to transfer the literacy concepts from the Education 351 class to help students improve their teaching skills; to learn strategies in both groups that would improve reading and writing; to start a classroom library that would be actively used by the ninth-grade students."

"The preliminary results are in: the Ohio Graduation Test scores have improved, and the classroom library has over 1,000 books that students from all over the school borrow," Morelli added.

Westminster education lecturer Joyce Hoellein, assistant professors Dr. SoYoung Kang and Dr. Patrick Krantz, and seniors Melissa Hart, Molly Johnston, Heather Lorigan, Jessica McCarl, Amy McCutcheon, and Durann VanGorder presented "Field Experiences, Courses, Tests, Student Teaching, Job! EEEK! What Really Works?"

Hart, Johnston, McCarl, and McCutcheon participated in a poster session of their work in student teaching.

"Students were invited to attend and participate in the conference, which is a culmination of the student teaching capstone," Morelli said. "In Westminster's education department, we are committed to partnering with our students for research."

Contact Morelli at (724) 946-6035 or email morellme@westminster.edu for more information. 

Westminster group