National Rural Education Association Official Podcast - S03E13 - Project-Based Learning and Experiential Learning, and Interview with Superintendent Todd Cordrey

S03E13 - Project-Based Learning and Experiential Learning, and Interview with Superintendent Todd Cordrey

09/27/23 • 35 min

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast

In this episode of the Rural Voice, we interview Todd Cordrey, the Superintendent of Mancos School District, about project-based learning. In School Year 2020/21, the Mancos Board of Education worked to formalize its strategic plan. Teachers and Parents identified project-based learning that would facilitate long-term learning and apply to the workforce. Cordrey highlighted the importance of student-based learning, where students facilitate active learning by finding their voice in their education. Moreover, businesses are seeking ownership of projects. This opens the opportunity for internships for students scheduling student experiences beyond the classroom. Students were surveyed, asking them what their preferences were for career interests, and then adapted to the curriculum to meet their needs. Based on the results, the students could participate in student-based learning. As a reminder, this is occurring in rural Colorado, which made identifying expertise difficult; however, the faculty and staff stepped up to meet the needs of the students. Each curricular focus was organized into a career pathway. The school system applied for grants for staff and resources. The team focused on rigor and authenticity to ensure the program met student career needs. The goal was to give students experience with business planning and application. Students started their own businesses and even profited from the skills gained in the class. These skills were aligned with the course curriculum and outcomes. They partnered with Uncharted Learning and the Local Chamber of Commerce to help the team structure and implement this curricular approach. We discussed all the success stories of students and how using the Shark Tank model prompted students to be innovative. For more information on Todd, please go to https://www.mancosre6.edu/people/2162808/todd-cordrey

Previous Episode

S03E12 - Rural Literature as Pedagogy and Whippoorwill Award, An Interview with Drs. Chea Parton and Erika Bass.

S03E12 - Rural Literature as Pedagogy and Whippoorwill Award, An Interview with Drs. Chea Parton and Erika Bass. In this episode of the Rural Voice, we interview Drs. Chea Parton and Erika Bass about their work with the Whippoorwill Committee, which recognizes outstanding rural literature. The episode is organized on two themes. The first is the need for voices in rural experience. We discuss how much rural literature uses negative stereotypes to present rural voices. The Whippoorwill Award seeks to highlight voices that juxtapose these voices within a shared narrative of empowerment and place. We discuss how teachers and students may be unaware of the significance of raising these voices in the common marketplace of fiction and nonfiction ideas. We discuss the diversity of voices and how rural identity changes over time. We discuss the importance of ELA teachers using books from a rural source to reflect student experiences through literature. The Whippoorwill Award provides a list of books sensitive to rural experience and how such work might empower students to see themselves as writers. We also discussed ways teachers can refer students to publish their work and be considered for the Whippoorwill Award. While it is an unusually long episode, there are several themes related to diversity of voice, stigma, and raising voices that complement the Whippoorwill Committee's goals. Whippoorwill information for teachers and writers: https://whippoorwillaward.weebly.com/ Twitter: @WhippoorwillCo1 Instagram:@WhippoorwillCommittee Facebook: @WhippoorwillAwardforYALiterature Bios Chea Parton Chea Parton grew up on a farm and still considers herself a farm girl. She has been a rural student, a rural English teacher, and is currently a visiting assistant professor at Purdue University where she works with future teachers through the Transition to Teaching Program. She is passionate about rural education. Her research focuses on the personal and professional identity of rural and rural out-migrant teachers as well as rural representation in YA literature. She currently runs Literacy In Place where she seeks to catalogue rural YA books and provides teaching resources, hosts the Reading Rural YAL podcast where she gives book talks and interviews rural YA authors, and co-chairs the Whippoorwill Book Award for Rural YA Literature selection committee. Her first book Country Teachers in City Schools: The Challenge of Negotiating Identity and Place is available through Rowman & Littlefield. You can reach her at [email protected]. Reading Rural YAL Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reading-rural-yal/id1606560033 Social handles: Twitter: @readingrural Instagram and Facebook: @literacyinplace YouTube: @readingruralyal Erika Bass Erika Bass is assistant professor of English education at University of Northern Iowa. Her research is focused on preservice teacher education, rural education, and literacies; often those three areas intersect. She truly believes place and identity are deeply connected.

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undefined - S03E14 – Mental Health Access in Rural Communities in Tennessee. An interview with April Ebbinger, the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Services for the Tennessee Department of Education

S03E14 – Mental Health Access in Rural Communities in Tennessee. An interview with April Ebbinger, the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Services for the Tennessee Department of Education

In this episode, we interview Dr. April Ebbinger, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist who is the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Services for the Tennessee Department of Education. In this episode, we discussed recruitment and retention of mental health providers in rural Tennessee. One of the challenges smaller and remote school districts experience is that many healthcare providers are not attracted to these regions. To address these challenges, Dr Ebbinger is the principal investigator on a federal grant called Project RAISE. Many students have mental health challenges by age 14, and given several new challenges, such as COVID-19, students have new challenges. Her research and advocacy is to address these concerns to provide resources and networking through the grant. As professionals sign on, they are expected to stay and provide support and services within mental health. 44% of schools had no school psychologist. In other words, many students did not have access to student mental health services. The grant was designed to help address these gaps. Further, we discussed how contract agencies impact these services, including the funding approaches and how those resources are used. Dr. Ebbinger would like to see more mental health providers stay in these communities. We discussed how these resources can positively impact student learning and communities. Dr. April Ebbinger, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, is the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Services for the Tennessee Department of Education. Additionally, she is the primary investigator on the federal grant Project RAISE to provide mental health support in rural school districts. Dr. Ebbinger has experience as a classroom teacher, school psychologist, district administrator, and higher education faculty. She has authored multiple journal articles and presented them at state and national conferences. Dr. Ebbinger serves on the Board of the Tennessee Association of School Psychologists Dyslexia Advisory Council and was the 2020 Tennessee School Psychologist of the Year.