March 27, 2024
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

Baylor Professors Inspire School of Education Students through “Faith in the K-12 Classroom” Seminar

L-R: Dr. Erik Carter, Dr. Kelly Johnston, Dr. Jon Eckert

School of Education professors Dr. Jon Eckert, Dr. Erik Carter, and Dr. Kelly Johnston led discussions with graduating seniors this spring, adding to the senior job prep seminar to share how seniors can live out their faith in the classroom. A key theme was the imperative to reach and support each student individually.

Dr. Eckert encouraged feedback, engagement, and well-being (FEW) as a cornerstone of effective teaching; Dr. Carter explored faith and disability and the importance of creating a sense of belonging for each student; and Dr. Johnston reminded seniors that every interaction with their students is an opportunity to exemplify faith, highlighting the impact of every word and action of a classroom teacher.

Read the FULL STORY on the Baylor Center for School Leadership (BCSL) website.

March 25, 2024
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

Making the Most of the Total Solar Eclipse

Photo credit: Getty Images Baylor University

Baylor education expert Dr. Suzanne Nesmith offers tips on how to enjoy the eclipse with children.

On April 8, 2024, something miraculous will happen across the United States — a total solar eclipse with Waco right in a prime viewing location for the path of totality. SOE associate professor, Suzanne Nesmith, Ph.D., who specializes in elementary science education, shares some great ways to prepare your family, especially children, beforehand to get the most out of the experience.

Nesmith has been preparing Baylor education students for the total solar eclipse, with coursework that included teaching in local schools about educational activities to help school children understand and fully engage to enjoy the eclipse.

February 26, 2024
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

School of Education Event Offered Lessons in Eclipse Viewing [02/26/2024]

students posing in eclipse safety glasses

Baylor School of Education hosted hundreds of invited guests for SOEclipse Education, an educational event for Baylor students, staff, and faculty to prepare them to teach others, especially children, about the upcoming solar eclipse. Waco is in the direct path for optimal effect of the eclipse this spring.

SOE’s Kylah Kuehl (left) and Dr. Suzanne Nesmith planned the SOEclipse Education event!

Dr. Suzanne Nesmith, associate dean for undergraduate education in the School of Education and associate professor in science education, planned the event to prepare Baylor student teachers and others to create appropriate lesson plans and present the subject matter to prekindergarten through high school students before the eclipse. The event on Feb. 8 at Baylor University’s Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center offered educational tips and lesson demonstrations for those who will teach and prepare children prior to the phenomenon on Monday, April 8. Continue Reading →

February 16, 2024
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) Celebrates 10th Anniversary [02/16/2024]

L-R: Dr. Sarah Mire, Dr. Erik Carter, Dr. Nick Benson, and Dr. Kristen Padilla at the BCDD's university-wide reception for faculty and staff in January.

The BCDD held a university-wide reception for faculty and staff in January. L-R: Dr. Sara Mire, Dr. Erik Carter, Dr. Nick Benson, and Dr. Kristen Padilla

The Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD) is celebrating its tenth anniversary throughout 2024. The BCDD invests in research, training, outreach, and clinical services that promote the flourishing of people with disabilities, their families, and communities.

Housed in the Baylor School of Education (SOE), the BCDD opened at 2201 MacArthur Drive on the first day of Autism Awareness Month, April 1, 2014, with a standing-room-only crowd gathered. From its inception, the BCDD embraced important collaborations across campus and beyond, including a partnership with McLane Children’s Scott & White Hospital in Temple and other Baylor academic units.

The BCDD continues to offer services at the MacArthur location and now encompasses three growing clinics: the Baylor Autism Resource Clinic (ARC); the Clinic for Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE); and the Spring Literacy Clinic — each helmed by faculty members in the SOE’s Department of Educational Psychology. Continue Reading →

February 7, 2024
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

Baylor Educators Implement State Department Grant in Pakistan focused on Sports Leadership [02/07/2024]

Baylor faculty and students led sports workshops promoting women’s leadership in Pakistan through a U.S. State Department grant.

A team of Baylor educators traveled to Lahore, Pakistan, to empower Pakistani women through leadership workshops and sport engagement, funded by a U.S. State Department grant.

Hina Abel teaching in a workshop.

Dr. Bill Sterrett, chair of Baylor School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and professor, is Principal Investigator of the grant, titled “Innovating and Designing Engaging Applications in Sports Promoting Outreach, Responsibility, and Teamwork (IDEA-SPORT): Promoting Leadership for Women Through Sports.” Dr. Mar Magnusen, associate professor of sport management in the Department of Educational Leadership, serves as Co-PI of the grant

The four-day workshop in Lahore brought together educators from 10 secondary schools and four universities in the region. The initiative is a partnership between Baylor, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and University of Education Lahore. Continue Reading →

January 16, 2024
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

Baylor Mathematics Education Professor Honored for Outstanding Achievements, Leadership in Field [01/16/2024]

Dr. Trena Wilkerson

Trena Wilkerson, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the Baylor University School of Education, has received the 2024 Louise Hay Award from the Association for Women in Mathematics in recognition of her leadership in mathematics education, transformational teaching and mentorship, and her global initiatives and programs. She was presented the award Jan. 3 during the organization’s national conference.

Wilkerson was nominated by her Baylor C&I colleagues Ryann Shelton, Ph.D., and Sandi Cooper, Ph.D., and also by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics executive director, Ken Kreibel.

READ MORE on the BAYLOR MEDIA SITE.

December 13, 2023
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities Part of $1.25-million Grant from Lilly Endowment

Gaynor Yancey, Ph.D., Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Angela Reed, Ph.D., Truett Seminary, and Erik Carter, Ph.D., School of Education, will lead the interdisciplinary project focused on helping congregations embrace young people with disabilities, mental health challenges and chronic illnesses.

Baylor University has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish a project led by Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary in collaboration with the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities in the School of Education and the Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.

The interdisciplinary project focuses on helping congregations embrace young people with disabilities, mental health challenges, and chronic illnesses. As a testament to the rich, reciprocal interdisciplinary collaboration among Baylor University’s faculty, three academic units are represented on this grant:

Truett Seminary with Angela Reed, Ph.D., Truett Seminary’s associate dean for academic affairs, associate professor of practical theology and director of spiritual formation, serving as the principal investigator;
Baylor School of Education with Erik Carter, Ph.D., The Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and executive director of the BCDD, as co-investigator; and
Diana R. Garland School of Social Work with Gaynor Yancey, Ph.D., professor of social work and director of the Center for Church and Community Impact (C3i) who also holds a faculty appointment at Truett as The Lake Family Endowed Chair in Congregational and Community Health, as co-investigator.

READ MORE on the Baylor Media site.

December 4, 2023
by Baylor Instant Impact
1 Comment

Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities Partners on Grant Advancing Accessible Worship for Children with Disabilities

four young people The Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities within the Baylor University School of Education announced today that it will join With Ministries on a new program called Worship as One: Learning with Children with Disabilities about Worship and Prayer. Lilly Endowment Inc. is supporting the program with a $300,000 grant to With Ministries.

The grant was made through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to support faith-based organizations as they help children grow in faith and deepen their relationships with God.

“We want every church to be faithful in welcoming and embracing children with disabilities and their families in worship and life together,” said Erik Carter, Ph.D., The Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities and executive director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities. “This much-needed project will invite, equip, and support churches and families to re-envision the ways in which children with developmental disabilities participate in worship and prayer—both on and between Sundays.”

READ MORE on the Baylor Media site.

November 13, 2023
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

School of Education MSEd Students Raising Funds for local School

Photo courtesty of Practice Sports

by Lia Hood

Gaga for Gaga Ball, a fundraising project launched by Dr. Mar Magnusen, associate professor of Sport Management, and the students taking his Athletic Fundraising and Development course at Baylor, aims to provide two gaga ball pits to Crestview Elementary School in Waco ISD.

Magnusen said the group hopes that the endeavor will cultivate excitement and joy for the young students. The fundraising goal of the project is $3,500 for the two gaga pits and additional resources such as foam balls and a storage bag. The gaga ball pits and resources will be purchased by Baylor and donated to Crestview Elementary School. Continue Reading →

November 6, 2023
by Baylor Instant Impact
0 comments

Baylor SOE Graduate Honored with Statewide Teaching Award

Debbie Chou teaching at Hillcrest PDS as a Baylor senior

Debbie Chou, who earned her B.S.Ed. from Baylor University in May 2023, continued the Baylor School of Education’s string of statewide honors for excellence in classroom teaching by its student teachers. Chou has become the fifth Baylor student teacher in the last seven years to receive the Clinical Teacher of the Year award for the State of Texas from the Texas Directors of Field Experience (TDFE), an organization of faculty members within university teacher-education programs who supervise field experiences.

Read more at the BAYLOR MEDIA WEBSITE.