GATE 2023 Conference Program

GATE

2023 Annual Conference

October 12-13, 2023

Jekyll Island Club Resort

Enlightening, Investing, and Reclaiming

Times

Power in Adversarial

Front cover by Rory Burbridge (age 11)

President’s Welcome

Welcome to the 2023 annual conference of the Georgia Association of Teacher Educators! As we gather Enlightening, Investing, and Reclaiming Power in Adversarial Times, calls us to further this legacy. As

hotel is where people have met since 1888 to accomplish great things. Our conference theme,

there is no time more urgent than now for us to take action, let us be inspired by this place to do the Guided by five strands that illuminate our path forward in these adversarial times, our sessions shine a

same.

light on advancements in instruction, champion physical and mental well-being, and delve into

innovations in technology, clinical practice, research methods, and assessment.

The diversity of these topics will enrich our conversations when we socialize during the GATE

teacher education and create a more just and equitable world for our children This grand 19th-century Hospitality, located in the San Souci building, on Thursday afternoon. This social gathering will also be

at the historic Jekyll Island Club, we do so with an unwavering spirit of determination to advance a time to learn more about GATE and how you can become a part of an organization dedicated to a

brighter future for teacher education in Georgia.

As you peruse the conference program, you will find the names of those who contributed to making our

conference a success. Please join me in thanking them for their service!

Dr. Don Livingston, LaGrange College President, Georgia Association of Teacher Educators

Annual Conference

Conference Co-Chairs’ Welcome

On behalf of the GATE Planning Committee, we warmly welcome you to the 2023 GATE Conference

others hope and resilience, to beat the darkness, fear, and efficiency frenzies of our current times so

here in Jekyll Island, GA. This year's conference theme, “Enlightening, Investing, and that, as the poet Emanuel Carnevali (1921) reassures us, “Tomorrow will be beautiful” (p. 142). for “Enlightening, Investing, and Reclaiming Power in Adversarial Times. ” There will also be to thank all Chairs and Committee members for their service. We are also deeply thankful to our

as passionate and accomplished speakers from across the state and disciplines, provides opportunities

made tremendous contributions to teacher education, including research, teaching, and practice, the local tourist attractions. We hope you will have a productive and fun‐filled time at this unique

opportunities for conversation, networking, and enjoying the scenery of the beautiful Jekyll Island and Putting together annual GATE conferences of this magnitude is not a small task. To that end, we want

We are privileged to be co‐chairs of this important conference. Over the years, GATE members have dynamic guest speakers, session facilitators, and the exhibitor organizations. Lastly, we thank all the

Reclaiming Power in Adversarial Times, ” has been carefully chosen to rekindle within us and in resulting in impacts across Georgia. This year ’ s conference program, with a variety of sessions, as well conference participants for their contributions It is you and your presentations that are the foundation

conference. of this conference.

Reference: Carnevali. E. (1921, Dec). Hope. In H. Monroe (Ed.), Poetry, 19(3), 142.

Dr. Natasha Ramsay-Jordan University of West Georgia President-Elect, GATE

Dr. Ewa McGrail Georgia State University Immediate Past President, GATE

Recognition of Service on GATE 2023 Conference Committees:

Awards:

Lucy Bush, Co-Chair

Tammy Haislip, Co-Chair

Conference Keynote Speakers:

Natasha Ramsay-Jordan, Chair

Andrea Crenshaw

Nai Cheng-Kuo

Leah Panther

Conference Planning and Program:

Natasha Ramsay-Jordan, Co-Chair

Ewa McGrail, Co-Chair

Don Livingston, Lagrange College, Printing

Amy Farah

Scott Grubbs

Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge, Program Design/Layout

Conference Proposals:

LaTasha Adams, Chair

Reviewers of Proposals:

Natasha Ramsay-Jordan

Andrea Crenshaw

LaTasha Adams

Don Livingston

Tiffany Blassingame

Sharren Thomas

Ewa McGrail

Shae Anderson

Quaiana Cutts

Sharon Livingston

JW Good

Conference Site Selection:

Gwendolyn Middlebrooks

Exhibitors and Sponsors:

Ewa McGrail, Chair

Amy Farah

Scott Grubbs

Hospitality:

Laura Smith, Chair

Registration:

Janet Strickland, Chair

Annual Conference

THANK YOU TO OUR EXHIBITORS

Exhibitor:

Georgia Association of Educators (GAE)

Dr. Craig A. Carter, NBCT

Executive Director

Georgia Association of Educators

100 Crescent Centre Pkwy

#500

Tucker, GA 30084

678-837-1100

craig.carter@gae.org

Exhibitor:

Children’s Book Author

Dr. Ambroes Pass-Turner

Counseling Psychologist

APT Counseling Services, LLC

1501 13th Street Ste. R

Columbus, GA 31901

Office PH: (706) 366-0960

https://www.drambroespass-turner.com/

Exhibitor:

Skylar Nunley (he/him/his)

UniServ Director for Aspiring Educators,

Higher Education and Early Career Educators

Georgia Association of Educators

Cell: 470-356-6661

skylar.nunley@gae.org

GATE 2023-2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Immediate Past President Secretary Treasurer

College Representative 1

College Representative 2

Public School Representative 1

Public School Representative 2

Representative at large 1

Representative at large 2

ATE/PS Rep/Delegate 1

ATE/PS Rep/Delegate 2

ATE/PS Alt Rep/Delegate

ATE/College Rep/Delegate 1

ATE/College Rep/Delegate 2

ATE/College Alt Rep/Delegate

GATEways Journal

Annual Conference

GATE 2023 Conference at a Glance:

“Enlightening, Investing, and Reclaiming Power in Adversarial Times”

Wednesday, October 11:

Conference Registration----------Boar’s Head Lounge

Thursday, October 12:

-

Conference Registration----------Morgan Center Foyer

Opening General Session----------Morgan Center Main Hall

Welcome: Dr. Don Livingston, President of GATE

Keynote Speaker: Mrs. Christy Todd, 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Break-out session 1* (pages 12-13)

Break-out session 2* (pages 14-15)

Awards Luncheon----------Morgan Center Main Hall (pages 16-17)

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Melanie Pavich, Associate Professor

Break-out session 3* (pages 18-19)

Break-out session 4* (pages 20-21)

Break-out session 5* (pages 22-23)

GATE Members’ Social & Hospitality San Souci Hospitality Suite

Friday, October 13:

7:30 am - 10:00 am

8:00 am - 8:50 am

9:00 am - 9:50 am 10:00 am - 10:50 am 11:00 am - 12:00 Noon

Conference Registration----------Morgan Center Foyer

Break-out sessions 6* (pages 24-25)

Break-out sessions 7* (pages 26-27)

Break-out sessions 8* (pages 28-29)

Closing Session (pages 30-33)

GATE 2023 Annual Conference Evaluation Survey (page 33)

*Break-out Session Rooms: Aldrich, Morgan Center Main Hall, Federal Reserve, Morgan Center Mezzanine

BREAK-OUT SESSIONS AT A GLANCE

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Thursday, October 12th, Breakout Session 1

Judging If What We Read, See, and Hear Is Fact, Opinion, Fiction, or Propaganda, and if the Author is Qualified

9:3010:20

Collaboration: The Umbrella for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Phonics for All: Preparing Preservice Elementary Teachers to Teach Culturally Responsive Structured Literacy

Empowering Students and Teachers: Culturally Responsive Classroom Management

Thursday, October 12th, Breakout Session 2

Supporting Beginning Special Education

Teachers

"Reaching Pookie: Strategies For Breaking Down The Teacher/Student Barriers

Pre-Service Teachers Reclaiming Agency through Literacy Instruction

Instruction, Identity, and Inclusivity: What Can Teacher

Preparation Programs Learn from Gay Male Teachers in the South?

Policies and Practices for Embedding Evidence-based Instructional Strategies into University and P12 Instruction

“Zoom” ing Across the Atlantic for a Virtual Study Abroad

10:3011:20

Supporting Beginning Teachers: What Do They Really Need?

Social Emotional Learning Can be Fun and Effective: Explore the Research and Experience Effective SEL Tools and Strategies Embedded in an Easy-to-Use, Adaptable SEL and Wellness Program

Experience: Using Digital Resources to Provide Transatlantic Mobility for All

Preservice Teachers

Learning to Teach Online: Developing Teacher Leaders

Reclaiming and Sustaining Language, Race, History, and Place in Georgia Educator Preparation Programs

Equity: Awareness of Advocacy and Application

Annual Conference

Thursday, October 12th, Breakout Session 3

Repurposing with Partners

Creating, Holding, and Protecting Space for Wellbeing: How are You, Teacher Educators?

Examining Undergraduate Perceptions of Majoring in Education and Becoming a Teacher

1:302:20

Freedom Dreaming: Investigating Participant Perceptions in an Anti-Racist Teacher Education Program

Symmetry Early Notions with Latinx Children: Culturally Relevant Geometry Lessons

Thursday, October 12th, Breakout Session 4

Changing the Paradigm: Planning for Differentiation Through CHOICES

2:303:20

Trap Music as CounterStorytelling: Centering TrapCrit Perspectives in Teacher Education

So, You Want to Be a Teacher? Bless Your Heart Bury Me In Georgia: Exploring Georgia Places in TeacherEducation

Leveraging Mathematics and ELAR as an Integrative Force for Developing Acts of Advocacy in Aspiring Educators

Cultural Identity & Culturally Responsive Practices of Rural North Georgia Teachers

“I Want to Hide Behind My Male Christian Whiteness:” Christian Nationalism and How Educator Preparation Programs Prepare Candidates to Create Affirming Educational Spaces for LGBTQ+ Identities.

Thursday, October 12th, Breakout Session 5

Taking the Leap: Jumping into Standards-Based Grading

A Pedagogy of Witnessing to Make Good Trouble

Critical Grace Theory

3:304:20

Rethinking Secondary STEM Education through a Messy Lens

Constructed Realities: Developing an Identity in Education for Social Action

Fostering Cultural Competence: Nourishing Students’ Self-Efficacy Through Engaging Instruction & Culturally Responsive Practices

Friday, October 13, 2023

Friday, October 13th, Breakout Session 6

Moving from Fear to Freedom: How to Support New Teachers During a Time of Transformation

8:008:50

Becoming The Best Teacher YOU Can Be: Overcoming the School Conditions that Cause Teacher Burnout

Georgia Latinx PreService Teachers Experiences: what they have and what they need

Helping Post-Pandemic Pre-Service Teachers Reclaim Power Through Critical Classroom Management Concepts

Blended Learning: Increasing Student OnTask Behavior and Teacher Engagement

Friday, October 13th, Breakout Session 7

Advocacy Begins in the Classroom: How Teacher Preparation Programs Can Prepare Educators to be Effective Advocates for the Teaching Profession

9:009:50

When Relational Pedagogy Merges with Critical Pedagogy: PreparingFutureTeachers to Create Fully Inclusive Educational Spaces

The Unique Needs of Generation Z in the Educational Work Environment Challenges for Female STEM Students

Strategies for Promoting Learner Engagement in Hybrid and Online Coursework Strategies for Promoting Learner Engagement in Hybrid and Online Coursework

Dual Autoethnography: Two Realities, TwoPerspectives, Two Educators Navigating TeacherEducation

Friday, October 13th, Breakout Session 8 10:0010:50

Using multiple-perspectives graphic novels to promote critical thinking

Scaffolding Teacher Candidates’ Agency in AdversarialTimes: “Becoming” Education Professionals

Abolitionist Teaching: Tackling the School-toPrison-Pipeline

Moving From Fear to Freedom Through F U N

Scholastic Catastrophe: Exploring the Effects of Social Promotion on Teacher Efficacy and Promoting Policy Change

Centering K-12 Advocacy through Critical Pedagogy with Teacher Education Students

Preparing Pre-Service and Provisional Elementary and Social Studies Teachers to Find Inclusive Materials on the Internet

Annual Conference

Thursday, October 12, 2023

8:30 am

Presiding:

Introduction of Speaker:

Keynote Speaker:

Announcements:

OPENING GENERAL SESSION

(Morgan Center Hall)

Dr. Don Livingston, GATE President

Dr. Natasha Ramsay-Jordan, GATE President-Elect

Mrs. Christy Todd, Georgia Teacher of the Year

Dr. Ewa McGrail, GATE Immediate Past President

GENERAL SESSION SPEAKER

Mrs. Christy Todd, Georgia Teacher of the Year

Named the 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year, Christy Todd is passionate about building opportunities for all kids to create. She is the founder of the Fayette County Public Schools Community for Creativity initiative and currently facilitates the program at Rising Starr Middle School (Fayetteville, GA), where she teaches music technology and supports student creation of songs, podcasts, videos, games, audiobooks, and more. She is a founding member of the Story Arts Collective, a partnership between education stakeholders, Trilith Studios, and other industry partners, whose goal is to build the next generation of Georgia’s creative workforce

Previously, she taught chorus at both the middle and high school levels, where choirs under her direction performed at conferences for the Georgia Music Educators Association, the Georgia School Superintendents Association, and the Georgia Middle School Association. Christy continues to support ongoing initiatives she began in the chorus classroom, including RockFriday (a popular music program) and Collaborate (a special education music mentoring program). She is a frequent honor choir conductor, presenter, and author, with articles and research featured in publications by the National Association for Middle-Level Education, Music Educators Journal, and the International Society of Music Education.

Some of her notable recognitions include being named Fayette County Public Schools Teacher of the Year (2022), Georgia Middle School Association’s Teacher of the Year (2016), and a national quarterfinalist for Grammy Music Teacher of the Year (2013). Before teaching, Christy worked in consulting and business development in the non-profit sector She received a Master of Music Education degree from Florida State University.

CALLING ALL PRESENTERS!

Are you presenting at this year ’ s GATE Conference? Do you have a presentation idea for next year ’ s conference?

Turn your presentation into a publication!

GATEways to Teacher Education is the peer-reviewed online journal of the Georgia Association of Teacher Educators. It is published twice each academic year, in October and April, with approximately six manuscripts accepted per publication. Your presentation topic could be just what the journal needs!

Each issue is non-thematic,with articles relating to teacher education. The editors solicit manuscripts with topics that include teaching and learning, induction, in-service education ,and pre-servic eeducation. Project descriptions, research reports, theoretical papers, debates, papers espousing a particular point of view, and descriptions of activities or issues in teacher education are appropriate topics for the journal; action research papers are encouraged, especially those involving school partners.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. The length can vary since this journal is online. Manuscripts should follow APA (7th edition) style guidelines.

For more information: refer to the main journal page on the association webpage, www.gaate1.org contact the journal editors

Judging If What We Read, See, and Hear Is Fact, Opinion, Fiction, or Propaganda, and if the Author is Qualified.

Dr. John Hobe, Georgia Southern University

Come, discuss, and add ideas about what to do because our time overflows with information. Judging if the information we read, hear, and see is fact, opinion, fiction, or propaganda, and if the author is qualified can provide answers needed to make professional decisions to help others

Collaboration: The Umbrella for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Dr JW Good, Georgia College

Dr Cheryl Reynolds, Georgia College

This roundtable will explore the critical contributions of diversity, equity, and inclusion to the successful collaboration of educators for improved instruction and assessment in school settings. Roundtable dialogue will focus on how collaboration serves as the umbrella and the bucket for putting diversity, equity, and inclusion into action

Instruction, Identity, and Inclusivity: What Can Teacher Preparation Programs Learn from Gay Male Teachers in the South?

Dr. Joseph R. Jones, Gordon State College

This presentation discusses a qualitative research study that examined southern gay male teachers’ beliefs about the intersectionality of pedagogy and sexuality in secondary classrooms.

Policies and Practices for Embedding Evidence-based Instructional Strategies into University and P-12 Instruction

Dr Jennifer S Beal, Valdosta State University

This presentation will address why and how faculty and teachers should use evidence-based practices (EBPs) to empower and engage pre-service teachers and P-12 learners. Participants will explain how they use EBPs with pre-service teachers and/or P-12 learners and view and identify examples of EBPs within P12 classroom instructional videos.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Aldrich

Phonics for All: Preparing Preservice Elementary Teachers to Teach Culturally Responsive Structured Literacy

Dr Virginie Jackson, Kennesaw State University

Learners accomplish significantly more when they can tie their learning to their cultural origins and interests (Lubin, Vaz, & Scott, 2020). To support phonics learning, teachers should take advantage of students' native language through metalinguistic analysis. This session examines culturally responsive phonics teaching practices of preservice teachers.

Empowering Students and Teachers: Culturally Responsive Classroom Management

Dr. Sharren M. Thomas, Clayton State University

Culture is the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of society embrace (Gay, 2001), so shouldn’t these components be considered in the organization and management of our schools and classrooms? This presentation will share the best practices regarding culturally responsive classroom management. Let’s explore!

Morgan Center Mezzanine

Pre-Service Teachers Reclaiming Agency through Literacy Instruction

Dr. LaTasha Adams, Clayton State University

This session will explore instructional strategies introduced in a pre-service teacher literacy course to increase teacher agency. Examples of the assignments that students produced will be examined as participants reflect upon how they can utilize the information for their classrooms.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

am TH

Dr Charlotte Henderson, Columbus State University

Dr. Toni Franklin, Columbus State University

Dr. Greg Blalock, Columbus State University

The purpose of this project was to investigate the perceived impact of a 10-month new teacher induction support program. This program, funded through a federal grant, was designed to enhance the mentorship induction program by providing targeted support to new (i e , 1-3 years post-graduation) special education teachers.

Supporting Beginning Teachers: What Do They Really Need?

Dr. Vicki Thrailkill Pheil, LaGrange College

We all recognize teacher shortage issues across the state. Recent research closely examined an individual school system’s induction program and sought to discover what 6 of its first-year teachers reported needing as part of a mentoring program that would increase their retention in the school system and in the profession.

Reserve Morgan Center Main Hall

Reclaiming and Sustaining Language, Race, History, and Place in Georgia Educator Preparation Programs

Dr. Leah Panther, Mercer University

Dr. Felicia Baiden, Mercer University

Dr. Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge, University of West Georgia

Dr Lucy Gitonga, Mercer University

Dr Virginie Jackson, Kennesaw State University

Dr Katherine Perrotta, Mercer University

Dr. Kristie Smith, Kennesaw State University

Teacher education is an interpretative (Hollins, 2011, 2015) and career-long process (Dolan, 2014; Robinson, 2017). In this session, interactive roundtables with Linguistic Justice Collaborative teacher educators will explore how participatory, community-based research sustains individuals’ and communities’ languages, races, histories, and places.

Equity: Awareness of Advocacy and Application

Dr. Cheryl Reynolds, Georgia College

Dr. JW Good, Georgia College

This presentation provides insight for participants into scaffolded assignments across a graduate program to enhance awareness of advocacy and application for equity in school settings. This roundtable encourages participants to engage in conversations about the assignment topics and the applications for expected learning outcomes.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Reaching Pookie: Strategies For Breaking Down The Teacher/Student Barriers

Dr. Ghazi Muhammad, Consultant/Trainer

Reaching Pookie: Strategies For Breaking Down The Teacher/Student Barriers" is an empowering and insightful presentation that equips educators with practical strategies to overcome the challenges they face in connecting with their students Discover effective techniques to foster trust, engage students, and create inclusive learning environments, resulting inimproved student outcomes and meaningful connections.

Social Emotional Learning Can be Fun and Effective: Explore the Research and Experience Effective SEL Tools and Strategies Embedded in an Easy-to-Use, Adaptable SEL and Wellness Program

Dr. Megan Nason, Georgia Gwinnett College

Nancy Green, Director of Educational Products - Free the Mind Co.

Kim Normand Dobrin, Co-Founder/CEO of the Free the Mind Co.

Dr. Jametria Floyd, Georgia Gwinnett College,

Be the change! Students, educators, and families are struggling. Learn more about how embedding quality social and emotional learning tools within instructional practices can positively impact student well-being and behavior. Hear about our research while actively experiencing tools and strategies employed by the SEL program, Freeing Freddie: The Dream Weaver

Morgan Center Mezzanine

“Zoom” ing Across the Atlantic for a Virtual Study Abroad Experience: Using Digital Resources to Provide Transatlantic Mobility for All

Dr. Kelly Causey, Middle Georgia State University

Dr Rhonda Amerson, Middle Georgia State University

Teacher education faculty from MGA and URCA (France) are utilizing a digital format to provide transatlantic mobility for their students. Through collaboration, faculty from both universities have removed barriers that may otherwise prevent students from participating in a study abroad experience. In this session, the vision for this experience, lessons learned from our inaugural year, and changes made for year two will be shared

Preservice Teachers Learning to Teach Online: Developing Teacher Leaders

Dr. Samantha Mrstik, Georgia Gwinnett College

Dr. Rebecca Cooper, Georgia Gwinnett College

This session will review the ongoing research of developing TPACK of preservice teachers at Georgia Gwinnett College by providing instruction in online teaching. Researchers have collected new data confirming preservice teachers enter the field and become teacher leaders in the area of technology at their schools

Thursday, October 12, 2023

11:30 pm

Presiding:

Introduction of Speaker:

Keynote Speaker:

Awards:

Announcements:

Annual Conference

AWARDS LUNCHEON (Masters Hall)

Dr. Don Livingston, GATE President

Dr. Natasha Ramsay-Jordan, GATE President-Elect

Dr. Melanie R. Pavich

Jaquelin Mesco, Chair GATE Awards Committee

Dr. Ewa McGrail, GATE Immediate Past President

LUNCHEON KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Dr. Melanie R. Pavich,

Associate Professor

Melanie Pavich earned her Ph D in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Georgia, M A in History from Clemson University and B.A. in History from Agnes Scott College. She is an Associate Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies at Mercer University. Her research and writing are focused on race and gender in the South during the nineteenth and early twentieth century and include an indepth study of the life of a prominent plantation mistress on St Simons Island, Georgia, Anna Matilda Page King. Anna: The Letters of a St. Simons Island Plantation Mistress, published by

the University of Georgia Press in 2002, is her edited volume of King’s letters written between 1817 and 1859. Pavich’s research on Anna King and Retreat Plantation formed the basis of an art installation produced in collaboration with artists Lynn Marshall Linnemeier and Lisa Tuttle, which focused on the lives of the indigenous people, the enslaved, and the enslavers who lived and worked on the land that became Retreat. Titled Retreat: Palimpsest of a Georgia Sea Island Plantation, the installation was exhibited at three galleries in Atlanta, formed the basis of a two-day conference, and resulted in the publication of an artist’s book with historian Daina Ramey Berry Pavich’s teaching includes courses on the history of slavery in the United States, women in the Antebellum South, and reading and writing courses as part of the General Studies curriculum in the Department of Liberal Studies She also teaches courses centered on a research-based servicelearning project, The Coastal Georgia Research Initiative, which provides the opportunity for Mercer students to work with and serve the St Simons Island African American Heritage Coalition by conducting an oral history interview and producing a digital story based on their interview to archive and preserve Gullah-Geechee and African American history on the Georgia coast.

AWARD RECIPIENTS

Research Award

Dr. Virginie Jackson is an assistant professor of literacy education and concurrently serves as a program coordinator within the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Kennesaw State University’s Bagwell College of Education In her instructional capacity, she teaches in undergraduate and graduate contexts, encompassing courses in reading methods, reading assessments, and preschool curricula Dr Jackson’s research pursuits are firmly anchored in culturally responsive literacy practices, specifically while nurturing foundational literacy and critical literacy development among young learners. Her scholarly undertakings involve equipping pre-service teachers with the necessary skills to adeptly instruct culturally and linguistically diverse students using immersive, multi-modal, and multifaceted approaches.

Distinguished Dissertation

Dr. Asia S. Thomas Uzomba is the postdoctoral fellow for the Equity-Based Teaching Collective, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), in the School of Education at American University. She earned her Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning with a major in Teaching and Teacher Education at Georgia State University in 2022. Dr. Thomas Uzomba’s scholarship and mission as a teacher educator are inspired by the legacies and lessons of Black women teachers in her hometown in rural Georgia and her years as an English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher across elementary and middle grades in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Atlanta, Georgia. Her research examines historical and contemporary contexts of race and anti-racism in relation to teaching and learning and centers the voices and knowledge of past, present, and future Black women and girls in teacher

education, K-12 schooling, and curriculum and instruction. To date, Dr. Thomas Uzomba’s published research largely focuses on the educational philosophies of historical Black women teachers, unique pedagogies of rural Black women teachers, expansions of Black girl literacies, rural Black girls’ experiences in K-12 schooling, and representing qualitative research through alternative ways of researching, knowing, and sharing knowledge in teacher education that embraces Black southern traditions such as porch storytelling

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

BREAKOUT SESSION 3

Repurposing with Partners

Tami Smith, Director of Teacher Education

Alison Attavar, Field Director

Beginning teachers spend an exorbitant amount of money to enhance their classrooms. Purchasing all the manipulatives, organization, and supplemental items can be costly Reinhardt University, in conjunction with our partners in education and our community, provides a financially achievable way to amplify the new teacher's classroom. (Actually, it's free!)

Freedom Dreaming: Investigating Participant Perceptions in an Anti-Racist Teacher Education Program

Mrs. Romonda Jefferson, Georgia State University

Knowing what pre-service teachers learn in teacher education programs is essential to their development as teachers and leaders. In a program designed to help teachers understand and identify anti-Blackness in education, it was important to know what participants thought and felt about the barriers to equity before, during, and after their training The results are presented in a story-telling narrative format

Creating, Holding, and Protecting Space for Well-being: How are You, Teacher Educators?

Dr. Laura E. Meyers, Georgia State University

To My Teacher Educator Self … Remember, the systems we navigate within our profession celebrate overextension. It’s time to (re)claim your power and practice “self-recovery” (hooks). Attend this session and rest with contemplative practices grounded in “soulfulness” (Harrell): breathing exercises, meditation, artmaking, etc. “Self-preservation” (Lorde) is resistance. Love, Me

Symmetry early notions with Latinx children: culturally relevant geometry lessons

Dr. Paula Guerra, Kennesaw State University

Dr. Brenda Villa, Kennesaw State University

The study aimed to uncover the early understandings Latinx children have about symmetry prior to instruction and how the use of culturally relevant lessons based on Incan, Mayan, and Aztec art allows them to develop deeper mathematical understandings Finally, children created and explained art pieces using mathematics

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Morgan Center Mezzanine

Examining Undergraduate Perceptions of Majoring in Education and Becoming a Teacher

Dr. Kimberly Swartzentruber, Middle Georgia State University

Dr Amy Farah, Georgia Gwinnett College

This presentation aims to share the presenter's research related to collecting undergraduate perceptions of majoring in education and becoming a teacher. The data will be analyzed to inform scholarship in this area of research and to develop and inform institutional policies and initiatives addressing declining candidate enrollment and recruitment efforts.

Leveraging Mathematics and ELAR as an Integrative Force for Developing Acts of Advocacy in Aspiring Educators

Dr Brandon L Fox, Middle Georgia State University

Dr. Karen Ochoa, Middle Georgia State University

The purpose of this paper is to present an effective framework to teach aspiring educators in mathematics and ELAR pedagogy courses how to navigate critical social issues legally while still advocating for social equity and critical social understandings.

Dr. Tammy Haislip, Middle Georgia State University

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12 pm

2:30 - 3:20

Differentiated instruction is an important component of effective teaching and assessment. It is, however, a difficult skill to unpack and implement for new classroom teachers. This session will demonstrate how to use diverse strategies, such as providing choices to meet learning objectives, to build an understanding of meeting student needs, reinforcing autonomy, and drawing powerful conclusions based on student performance.

Trap Music as Counter-Storytelling: Centering TrapCrit Perspectives in Teacher Education

Dr. Kelly Allen, Augusta University

This work introduces a TrapCrit perspective of education. TrapCrit posits that trap music’s counterstorytelling rooted in sociopolitical awareness provides a rich site for discussions of race, equity, and justice. This work provides implications for teacher educators interested in extending conversations and understandings of race, equity, and justice

Aldrich TH

So, You Want to Be a Teacher? Bless Your Heart

Dr. Julie Little, Gordon State College

Merci Flournoy, Gordon State College

Sarah Kingry, Gordon State College

This presentation creates a dialogic space to consider why new teachers are leaving the profession and how preparation programs can alleviate the trend. A faculty member and two teacher candidates discuss their experiences through a narrative inquiry lens.

Dr. Leah Panther, Mercer University

Ariel Cornett, Georgia Southern University

Katy Haughney, Georgia Southern University

Sally Stanhope, Chamblee High School, DeKalb County School District

Lindsey Walker, Texas Woman's University

We trouble the naming of our communities and put those names in sociohistorical conversation about what Georgia has been, currently is, and may come to be through interactive historical timelines, multimodal primary and secondary resources, and structured dialogue from the presenters as docents Participants will understand how to prepare teacher candidates not just for a classroom but for a Georgia community

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Morgan Center Mezzanine

Cultural Identity and Culturally Responsive Practices of Rural North Georgia Teachers

Dr Lauren Stephenson, Dawson County Schools

Jammie Caine, Lumpkin County Schools

Rural schools in Georgia are becoming more culturally diverse, but the teaching staff remains largely homogenous. Through critical reflection, teachers can become aware of their identity and its impact on their teaching. This presentation reviews research on teacher participation in identity work and implications for how administrators can support teachers

“I want to hide behind my male Christian whiteness:” Christian Nationalism and How Educator Preparation Programs Prepare Candidates to Create Affirming Educational Spaces for LGBTQ+ Identities.

Dr. Joseph R. Jones, Gordon State College

This presentation discusses a finding that emerged from a study that examined southern gay male teachers’ beliefs about the intersectionality of pedagogy and sexuality in secondary classrooms.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

BREAKOUT SESSION 5

3:30 - 4:20

Taking the Leap: Jumping into Standards-Based Grading

Dr. Erin Klash, Auburn University Montgomery

Dr. Shelly Bowden, Auburn University Montgomery

Dr. Tara Beziat, Auburn University Montgomery

Dr Samantha Junkin, Auburn University Montgomery

Dr Gilbert Duenas, Auburn University Montgomery

Standards-based grading (SBG) practices promote mastery learning. This presentation describes a process that one university faculty member used to “take the leap” from traditional to standards-based grading practices in one educator preparation program.

Rethinking Secondary STEM Education through a Messy Lens

Dr Sharlonne R Smith, Dalton State College

During this era of ANTI-everything, navigating through the choppy ebbs and flows of America’s current climate in education can be complicated. The major objective of this presentation is to discuss approaches the presenter used in a secondary STEM-based instructional methods course as preservice teachers adapted social justice and equity-based frameworks.

A Pedagogy of Witnessing to Make Good Trouble

Dr Gertrude Tinker Sachs, Georgia State University

Kristy Jones, Georgia State University

Elyse Johnson, Georgia State University

Sureka Surangani Taylor, Georgia State University

Camila Gasparin, Georgia State University

Emily Grooms Eldridge, Georgia State University

Elizabeth Deimeke, Georgia State University

In this presentation, doctoral students and their instructor draw on their processes of reading, writing, giving, and receiving feedback through collaborating to create a critical book review of Roger Simon’s (2014), Pedagogy of Witnessing, which compels us to make disciplinary good trouble with difficult themes. Join us in bearing witness

Constructed Realities: Developing an Identity in Education for Social Action

Dr. Brandon L. Fox, Middle Georgia State University

The purpose of this paper is to interrogate the self and society using critical autoethnography This paper captures critical realities of self in a way of understanding of self to recognize the opportunities of valueladen impact that exist to construct critical social space for aspiring educators.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Morgan Center Mezzanine

Critical Grace Theory

Dr. Forrest R. Parker III, Valdosta State University

This presentation challenges participants to question tired classroom management practices that are not working This presentation will draw on counseling techniques, cultural awareness principles, socialemotional learning, mindfulness practices, trauma-informed care, and a spiritual philosophy to guide teachers into building a healthy and grace-filled classroom culture.

Fostering Cultural Competence: Nourishing Students’ Self-Efficacy Through Engaging Instruction & Culturally Responsive Practices

Dr. LaTeshia Warren, Brenau University

Dr. Jason Wright, Georgia Gwinnett College

The purpose of this study is to help inform and equip higher education professionals with innovative instructional strategies to deepen students’ knowledge and culturally relevant pedagogy while also increasing their self-efficacy.

4:30-6:30 pm

GATE MEMBERS’ SOCIAL & HOSPITALITY

Open to all GATE members and conference participants interested in joining GATE (San Souci Hospitality Suite)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13

BREAKOUT SESSION 6

8:00 - 8:50

am

Moving from Fear to Freedom: How to Support New Teachers During a Time of Transformation

Dr. Elaine Tinholt, Covenant College

This presentation will focus on how communities of practice structures can offer new teachers the care and support they need to move from the initial fear associated with the first years of teaching to the freedom that comes through acceptance and improved confidence.

Becoming The Best Teacher YOU Can Be: Overcoming the School Conditions that Cause Teacher Burnout

Dr Nicholas Preston Mercer, Rockdale County Public Schools

The presenter will discuss the topic of teacher burnout in order to empower teachers on how to deliver high-quality instruction while maintaining their mental health and life balance.

Georgia Latinx Pre-Service Teachers Experiences: What They Have and What They Need

Dr. Sanjuana Rodriguez, Kennesaw State University

Dr. Paula Guerra, Kennesaw State University

Rosa Diaz-Jarquin, Kennesaw State University

Libna Amaro, Kennesaw State University

Brittany Aguilar, Kennesaw State University

Dafnne Rivas, Kennesaw State University

Brenda Villa, Kennesaw State University

Situated within the New Latinx South, this study seeks to learn about the experiences and needs of Latinx Pre-Service teachers currently enrolled in teacher education programs.

Blended Learning: Increasing Student On-Task Behavior and Teacher Engagement

Dr Zachary Johnson, Kennesaw State University

Blended learning is shown to promote individualization and personalized instruction for students with disabilities. This presentation covers the results of both a literature review and a single-case study regarding the use of blended learning to increase student on-task behavior, teacher engagement, and math achievement for secondary-level students with high-incidence disabilities.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Morgan Center Mezzanine

Helping Post-Pandemic Pre-Service Teachers Reclaim Power Through Critical Classroom Management Concepts

Dr William Gary Cole, Middle Georgia State University

This presentation will introduce attendees to critical concepts and strategies of classroom management specifically intended to empower modern pre-service teachers to manage a post-pandemic classroom and take back their power as innovative, engaging, confident classroom managers.

Advocacy Begins in the Classroom: How Teacher Preparation Programs Can Prepare Educators to be Effective Advocates for the Teaching Profession

Dr. Scott T. Grubbs, Thomas University

Perhaps as never before in our history, educators need to be active policy advocates for their profession This presentation will help those who prepare educators to develop approaches that will provide their students with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively advocate for the education profession.

BREAKOUT SESSION 7

9:00 - 9:50

When Relational Pedagogy Merges with Critical Pedagogy: Preparing Future Teachers to Create Fully Inclusive Educational Spaces

Dr. Joseph R. Jones, Gordon State College

Dr Julie Little, Gordon State College

Randy Brookins, Gordon State College

Three faculty members discuss how they use critical pedagogy and relational pedagogy to prepare students to be agents of change that help to create a more inclusive classroom and, by extension, a more inclusive society.

The Unique Needs of Generation Z in the Educational Work Environment

Dr. Nila Burt, Principal at Chattahoochee County High School

Dr. Joseph R. Jones, Gordon State College

This presentation explores a recent qualitative research study and offers suggestions for teacher preparation programs to consider when preparing Generation Z candidates to enter the profession, which is important because most Gen Z attributes do not align with older administrators’ beliefs

Strategies for Promoting Learner Engagement in Hybrid and Online Coursework

Dr. Jane Strong, Middle Georgia State University

Dr. Kelly Causey, Middle Georgia State University

Dr. Angela Storey, Middle Georgia State University

Join faculty at MGA for strategies we found effective for promoting learner engagement in the coursework during hybrid or online formats. Teacher candidates are learning during times of multiple stressors they encounter, such as family responsibilities, other coursework demands, full-time teaching as intern teachers or paraprofessionals, and student teaching. We strive to give high-quality, practical content in our course that enables teacher candidates to excel as new teachers

Dual Autoethnography: Two Realities, Two Perspectives, Two Educators Navigating Teacher Education

Dr. Brandon L. Fox, Middle Georgia State University

Dr. Gary Cole, Middle Georgia State University

The purpose of this paper is to present a dual autoethnography that provides contextualized experiences from two teacher educators who share similar demographic characteristics across shared and non-shared spaces.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Morgan Center Mezzanine

Moving From Fear to Freedom Through F.U.N.

Ms. Lasha Lalana, The Math Depot (Owner/Operator)

How can we motivate students? By letting them earn money and spend it! This presentation will show how a financial literacy program can be implemented through units of study in a classroom or school setting Tasks and activities are created to meet the needs of the teacher and students

Scholastic Catastrophe: Exploring the Effects of Social Promotion on Teacher Efficacy and Promoting Policy Change

Dr. Rebecca Bowman, University of West Georgia

Dr. Kelley Duffy, Liberty University

Social promotion policies are crippling our students, parents, higher education, and the workforce through the development of false confidence This presentation looks at current teachers’ perceptions of this policy and how it has affected their self-efficacy and is a call to be agents of change in our current instructional practices.

BREAKOUT SESSION 8

Challenges for Female STEM Students

Dr. Rebecca Keeter-Lee, Harpst Academy

Dr. Rebecca Bowman, University of West Georgia

10:00 - 10:50

My interest is in bringing awareness to the unique challenges that female STEM degree holders are having while in their degree programs. I have conducted a recent (2022) qualitative research study of females and the challenges of bias, gendered stereotypes, and societal expectations they experienced in their degree programs. My study enlightened the need for changes within the degree programs and their (DEI) policies for STEM degree programs.

Using multiple-perspectives graphic novels to promote critical thinking

Dr. Ewa McGrail, Georgia State University

Dr. Alicja Rieger, Valdosta State University

Dr J Patrick, McGrail, Jacksonville State University

In this presentation, we describe how teachers can use graphic novels with diverse perspectives to promote critical thinking skills in their students.

Scaffolding Teacher Candidates’ Agency in Adversarial Times: “Becoming” Education Professionals

Dr Laura E Meyers, Georgia State University

Dr. Rubia Anderson, Georgia State University

Dr. Carina De Fazio, Georgia State University

Join us for an intentional, action-oriented conversation grappling with: How can we use culturally and historically responsive pedagogy that honors differentiation and UDL to scaffold our teacher candidates’ growth and development in “becoming” education professionals? Be ready to share, listen, and take what emerges to your teacher-educator contexts.

Abolitionist Teaching: Tackling the School-to-Prison-Pipeline

Brittany López, Pre-service Teacher

The school-to-prison Pipeline, a system that creates infrastructure for children to become incarcerated due to school policing strategies, can be targeted once Georgia implements abolitionist teaching in the curriculum and the teacher preparation standard.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Morgan Center Mezzanine

Centering K-12 Advocacy through Critical Pedagogy with Teacher Education Students

Dr Erica K Dotson, Clayton State University

Centering Critical Pedagogy, this session will explore the Educational Advocacy project, a capstone assignment for pre-education students enrolled in EDUC 2110, Contemporary Issues in Education. Attendees will examine major components of the assignment, such as its structure, lesson objectives, scoring rubric as well as samples of student work.

Preparing Pre-Service and Provisional Elementary and Social Studies Teachers to Find Inclusive Materials on the Internet

Dr. Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge, University of West Georgia

Dr Adell Miller, University of West Georgia

In this presentation, Drs. Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge and Adell Miller will explain how teacher educators can prepare pre-service and provisional teachers in their courses to evaluate the appropriateness of social studies sources they find on the internet as well as how to modify them.

Presiding:

Session Title:

CLOSING SESSION (Morgan Center Main Hall)

Dr. Natasha Ramsay-Jordan, President-Elect

Enlightening, Investing, and Reclaiming Power in Adversarial Times

Transformation Circles: During this panel presentation session, we will discuss some Georgia educational histories, current policies, and practices that impact teaching and learning in PK-12 and higher education regarding teacher preparation to reimagine pedagogies for transformation.

If time permits, panelists will take questions and comments from the audience.

Facilitators:

Dr. Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge, University of West Georgia

Dr. Andrea Crenshaw, University of West Georgia

Dr. Leah Panther, Mercer University

Mr. Skylar Nunley

Dr. Craig Carter

Dr. Natasha Ramsay-Jordan, President-Elect, GATE

Closing Remarks: Dr. Don Linvingston, President, GATE

Closing Session Facilitators

Dr. Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge

Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge joined the faculty of the University of West Georgia in 2022. She earned her doctorate in medieval history from Fordham University and her MAT in secondary education from the University of West Georgia. She has taught special education preschoolers in New York and history, including diversity studies, to high schoolers in Atlanta, GA. She has presented at multiple conferences on her historical research, podcasting, and teaching. Her interests lie in teaching history inclusively, civil dialogue in the social studies classroom, and using technology to increase equity in the classroom Elizabeth has a contract with Rowman and Littlefield for a volume of lesson plans that provide a more inclusive introduction to the global medieval ages, for which she is the editor and a contributor

Dr. Andrea Crenshaw

Andrea Crenshaw is an Assistant Professor at the University of West Georgia in the Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education. Dr. Crenshaw received a B S in Early Childhood Education, an M S in Social Foundations in Education from Georgia State University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia. Her research broadly focuses on the intersectionality of race and class in education, teacher education, culturally responsive pedagogy, and critical race theory in education Her scholarship examines these issues by illuminating the voices of youth and adults who have been historically and traditionally marginalized in schools and society. Dr. Crenshaw has been able to take her knowledge, experience, and skill to higher education as she trains the next generation of educational leaders. Dr. Crenshaw is committed to embedding relevant diversity issues into her practice, scholarship, and service

Dr. Leah Panther

Leah Panther is an assistant professor of literacy education at the Tift School of Education at Mercer University in Atlanta She graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas City, where she studied Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies with a Language and Literacy emphasis. Over the past 15 years, she has taught preschool through higher education across urban, suburban, rural, and international school settings. Her experiences with teaching, teacher leadership, non-profits, and research center on literacy instruction in urban educational contexts to support culturally and linguistically diverse youth. Dr. Panther’s most recent work is with the grant-funded Linguistic Justice Collaborative, a coalition of community members, educators, and educational researchers committed to community-embedded learning to curricular language and linguistic justice

Annual Conference

Mr. Skylar Nunley

Skylar Nunley came to GAE from Kentucky, where he was a local and state association leader and a 5th-grade US History teacher. Skylar currently serves GAE as the Aspiring Ed Liaison and Statewide Organizer. His efforts are focused on amplifying the voice of educators in the decision and policy-making processes surrounding public education and supporting educator advocacy efforts across the state, particularly with Aspiring Educators and new teachers.

Dr. Craig Carter

Craig Carter, a 20-year, award-winning, National Board Certified teacher, came to GAE from its sister organization, the Louisiana Association of Educators, where he served as its executive director and, before that, as its Director of Membership Growth and Organizing. Dr. Carter is a native of Paducah, Kentucky, where he taught science and gifted education in the state’s public school system for nine years He was named Kentucky Science Teacher of the Year in 2006 Dr Carter earned his doctoral degree in education administration from the University of the Cumberlands (2011) and later attended and graduated from Harvard Law School’s Trade Union Program (2016) He brings to GAE his extensive experience in member organizing.

Dr. Natasha Ramsay-Jordan

Natasha Ramsay-Jordan is an Associate Professor of mathematics education in the Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education at the University of West Georgia, where she currently serves as an Assistant Chair Dr Ramsay-Jordan earned her Doctorate from Georgia State University and her Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln She has several years of teaching experience in K-12 Mathematics. Dr. Ramsay-Jordan's teaching philosophy centers on love and logic, respect, critical empathy, great determination, and personal integrity. Some of Dr. Ramsay-Jordan's recent publications are in the Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, International Journal of Science and Mathematics, Multicultural Education, International Journal of Educational Reform, Kappa Delta Pi- The Educational Forum, Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators- Connections, and the Journal of Underrepresented and Minority Progress

Closing Remarks

Dr. Don Livingston, LaGrange College President, GATE

IMPORTANT: GATE 2023 Annual Conference Evaluation Survey

Dear Conference Attendees,

The conference organizing committee would like to invite you to take a moment to complete our conference evaluation survey at https://forms.gle/wyLwhE6baguS4NVM7 We appreciate your time completing this evaluation as we use your feedback when planning future conferences and programs.

Thank you for a wonderful conference; we’ll see you next year! (details will be announced at www.gaate1.org)

Jekyll Island Club Resort

GATE 2023 Conference at a Glance: “Enlightening, Investing, and Reclaiming Power in Adversarial Times”

Wednesday, October 11:

October

Center Main Hall Welcome: Dr. Don Livingston, President of GATE

Keynote Speaker: Mrs. Christy Todd, 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year

am

session 1* (pages 12-13)

session 2* (pages 14-15)

Center Main Hall (pages 16-17)

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Melanie Pavich, Associate Professor

(pages

session 4* (pages 20-21)

session 5* (pages 22-23)

sessions 7* (pages 26-27)

GATE 2023 Annual Conference Evaluation Survey (page 33)

*Break-out Session Rooms: Aldrich, Morgan Center Main Hall, Federal Reserve, Morgan Center Mezzanine Back cover by Mary Burbridge (age 8)