- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Will Provide Free Summer Enrichment Program in Musical Theatre for Junior High School Students with ADE Grant

John Hill — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 12:41:32 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education will host a week-long summer enrichment program for Arkansas junior high school students who want to learn more about musical theater and stage performance. The program is provided at no cost to students who are selected to participate. MT Stage: Expressions! is designed to nurture young, aspiring performers while building self-confidence through teamwork and talent exploration. The new summer enrichment program is funded by a $15,000 Academic Enrichment for the Gifted in Summer (AEGIS) grant from the Arkansas Department of Education. The Jodie Mahony Center is accepting applications for current students in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. Those selected will participate in the week-long summer program that takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 13-17 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “I am particularly excited about Expressions! The program is designed to nurture stage presence and speaking confidence in young talent,” said Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director of the Jodie Mahony Center. “Amazing, talented adults, who are skilled at supporting budding talent, will use contemporary and classic lyrics and poetry to inspire youthful expression. MT Stage: Expressions! is a program that will truly be enjoyed by children who find themselves humming a catchy tune, thinking about lyrics, and who would like to gain confidence in working with others in a performance-based program.” During this five-day program, participants will partner with Expressions! coaches for team-building exercises and engage in workshops focused on lyric performance, stage performance, photography, and song expression. The program concludes with a cast and ensemble showcase performance featuring “Sprechgesang” (speaking lyrics), singing, rapping, and student-photographic works on June 17. From 2017 to 2019, the Jodie Mahony Center held the popular “MT Stage: The Hamilton Experience” summer program, where students produced and performed songs based on “Hamilton,” the popular hip hop Broadway musical. The musical theater summer program is now back with a new program after a two-year absence due to COVID-19. “The Mahony Center has a long history in providing programs to children and adolescents,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center. “We aim to encourage creativity, develop talents, and provide a place where our young people can try out new performance ideas together with caring adults. MT Stage: Expressions! continues our campus and community service. We are delighted to be back to face-to-face programs in 2022!” Participants may fill out an application via this link. Applications are due May 13.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate is Sharing Gifted and Talented Education with the Community

John Hill — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 13:47:03 +0000

Dr. Monica Meadows, a gifted and talented facilitator for the Pulaski County Special School District, is making a difference by sharing her passion for gifted and talented education with the community. As the first person in their family to graduate from college, Meadows’ parents were so determined that she do well in college that they both took on second jobs so she would not have to work during her first two years of college. “It’s a good feeling for my family that I went to college and earned a degree,” she said. “It was something my parents always encouraged me to do. I think it has changed the course that my life has gone because I have a college degree. My mom was always so encouraging that even though I’m the first one to go to college, it was exciting for everyone when I graduated. I don’t think the idea of not continuing my studies after high school ever crossed my mind because she encouraged me from day one.” After completing a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Central Arkansas, Meadows began her career as a science teacher at Blytheville High School. After she became the science teacher at Wilbur Mills University Studies High School, Meadows had the opportunity to teach in the gifted and talented education program so she decided to head back to school to pursue the nine-credit hour requirement in graduate studies. At the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, Meadows found a true friend, advisor, and mentor in Dr. Ann Robinson, the center’s director, who ultimately convinced Meadows to complete a graduate certificate, master’s degree, and doctorate at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “In my family, the ultimate goal was to get a bachelor’s degree, and I never thought about anything else,” she said. “Dr. Ann Robinson really saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Having strong professors and advisors really played a key role in my life.” Meadows has now been teaching for nearly two decades, and she’s no longer the only person in her family to earn a college degree. “When I finished my master’s degree, I encouraged my father to go to school,” Meadows said. “He actually got his bachelor’s degree in his mid-50s. He had been toying around with the idea for a while, and his job encouraged him by helping pay for his degree.” As a gifted and talented educator, Meadows said it’s important to identify and motivate these special students. If students are not being challenged in school, this can lead to boredom, behavioral challenges, and dropping out of school. “Our gifted and talented students think a little differently,” she said. “They are able to process information faster, and they need challenges and encouragement to meet their needs just like any other student. People sometimes think our gifted and smart kids will be okay no matter what, but that’s not the case. They need interventions, support and enrichment and encouragement just like any other kid.” She also continues to conduct research with Dr. Robinson. A book chapter the pair wrote is part of a book, “Unlocking Potential: Identifying and Serving Gifted Students from Low-Income Households,” that was recently selected as the 2021 Book of the Year Award by the National Association for Gifted Children. In the summertime, Meadows also works as an AP course assistant for the Jodie Mahony Center. She also serves on the board of directors for the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education as the parent affiliate director, an apt position as Meadows has now come full circle with two teenage daughters who are both in gifted and talented education programs. “I always make sure my kids are getting the classes they need so they don’t get bored,” Meadows said. “Just being a mom of two teenagers, I thought I had a lot of work when they were younger and I was in college. They are very involved in school. My husband and I are both educators, and we want them to be well rounded and be involved in activities and the arts and music.” Meadows suspects her own children will go on to earn graduate degrees as they have seen both their parents earn advanced degrees while working full time and raising a family. “My husband, Robert Meadows, is also getting his master’s degree at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” she said. “He decided he needed his master’s degree after I got my doctorate. He is getting his master’s degree in learning systems and educational technology. He loves this program so far and finds a lot of things that are useful for a music teacher, especially with the shift to offering online and hybrid courses. There’s been a lot of things he’s been able to adapt for his music classes.” Meadows’ advice for other first-generation college students is to pave your own road if you want to be successful. “You can do whatever you set your mind to,” Meadows said. “It doesn’t matter what others have done before you. When I started my bachelor’s degree, I never thought I would get a master’s, let alone a doctorate. I would literally do my school work while sitting and rocking a baby in a chair. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. You can do it as long as you have the support and drive and time management to see it through.”

Four ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Members Named Distinguished Professors

John Hill — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 14:29:23 +0000

Four faculty members are among the inaugural cohort to receive the title of distinguished professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.�� This is a special honor conferred only upon active faculty who are recognized nationally and/or internationally as intellectual leaders in their academic disciplines as a result of extraordinary accomplishments in research, teaching, published works, creative activities in the arts or endeavors of similar merit in other venues. The new distinguished professors include Dr. Edward Anson in the Department of History, Dr. Juliana Flinn in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Dr. Ann Robinson in the School of Education, and Dr. Xiu Ye in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. “This is a historic year for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as we recognize our first Distinguished Professors,” Provost Ann Bain said. “These outstanding faculty have had long standing careers that have been, and continue to be, full of accomplishments. Their dedication to their profession, our university, and our students is commendable. We are thankful to have the opportunity to honor our faculty with these prestigious awards.” More information about the distinguished professors: Dr. Edward Anson

Dr. Ed Anson

Dr. Edward Anson, a professor of 45 years at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, has been chairperson of both the History and the Mathematics and Statistics Departments, and has also been president of the University Assembly and the Faculty Senate. He has authored or edited 10 books, published over 30 articles in refereed journals, 26 book chapters, and more than 60 encyclopedia articles. His main research areas include the history of the Hellenistic Age, the career of Alexander the Great, and the individuals and issues associated with his history. Anson also researches the nature of ethnicity through studying the complexities of such ancient Greek determinations and the policies used in Antiquity to counter insurgencies and maintain successful associations with conquered populations. “I felt very honored that my department had recommended me for this promotion,” Anson said. “The older one gets, every such distinction that implies one is still useful is welcome. Hopefully, I will be presenting papers again at international meetings. This past year has proven to me that I would have gone stir crazy as a monk.” Dr. Juliana Flinn��

Dr. Julianna Flinn

Dr. Juliana Flinn is a professor of anthropology whose research interests include Micronesia, cultural identity, kinship, gender, migration, and dance. Her teaching interests cover cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and ethnographic methods. In addition to her research in Micronesia, Flinn has conducted fieldwork in the United States exploring traditional American dance. She taught for a year in Grodno, Belarus, where she collaborated with a colleague to compare Belarusian and American notions of home. Dr. Ann Robinson As the founding director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, Dr. Robinson serves educators and students through programs in gifted, creative, and talented�� education. Under her leadership, the center has garnered millions of dollars in grants to help advance education in the state. This year she received the 2021 Presidential Award from the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE) as well as the A. Harry Passow International Award for Leadership in Gifted Education. “Distinguished Professorships support personal curiosity and inspire life-long creative productivity,” Robinson said. “Simply put, this opportunity is good for faculty morale and for scholarly enthusiasm in general. For me personally, it is a great honor to be among the inaugural Distinguished Professors at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.”

Dr. Ann Robinson

Robinson’s research areas include school intervention research focused on student and teaching outcomes from effective curricular programs and biographical research focused on talent development over the lifespan. She is currently working on two new research projects. The first is a biography of Stuart Tonemah, a leader in gifted and Indian education movements. The second is a new school intervention research project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, STEM+C2, in the Jodie Mahony Center. “STEM is a familiar acronym, but C2 stands for creativity times computer science,” Robinson said. “Our research team, which includes scholars from North Carolina and Pennsylvania as well as Arkansas, is investigating the effects of integrated science, engineering, computer science, and biographical studies of creative STEM inventors on student achievement and engagement.” Dr. Xiu Ye

Dr. Xiu Ye

Dr. Xiu Ye is a prolific researcher in the disciplines of mathematics and statistics. Her research interests include numerical solutions of partial differential equations and finite element methods. She has received more than $800,000 in grant funds for her research and published more than 120 research articles in academic journals. “I truly appreciate all the support from my colleagues in the math department, especially Dr. Nguyen for his initiation,” Ye said. “I have published 11 research papers in peer review journals in 2020, the most productive year for me. I will keep trying to be a good teacher and a good researcher.”

Robinson Awarded A. Harry Passow International Award for Leadership in Gifted Education

John Hill — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:49:46 +0000

Dr. Ann Robinson, distinguished professor of education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, has been honored for her dedication to serving and advocating for gifted children around the world.�� The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children awarded Robinson the A. Harry Passow International Award for Leadership in Gifted Education during its biennial World Conference.�� Recipients of this award hold international stature as a leader in gifted education. Their life and work have significantly influenced policy and practices in gifted education, or they have made other outstanding contributions in promoting the cause of gifted education worldwide. “This is a lovely award, particularly nice for me because I happened to know A. Harry Passow personally,” Robinson said. “He was a giant in the field of educational leadership. To receive an award named in his honor is amazing.” Dr. A. Harry Passow, Jacob H. Schiff Professor Emeritus of Education at Teachers College, was one of the world’s leading experts on gifted education as well as a founding member and past president of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Education.�� Passow collaborated on a project called the Graduate Leadership in Education Program. The project was directed from Teachers College and included four other universities nationwide. Robinson was a recipient of the program, and the fellowship provided funding during her time as a doctoral student at Purdue University. “Dr. Passow saw the wisdom in an international network of gifted education scholars back in the 1960s,” Robinson said. “He did some of the first work with students from low-income neighborhoods and communities. His perspective very much affected how I think about education. Many awards are lovely, but this one had a real personal touch to it for me.” Robinson serves as founding director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. It is one of only 25 centers in the nation dedicated to the development of gifted students and is also home to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s graduate programs in gifted and talented education. Under her leadership, the center has garnered millions of dollars in grants to help advance education in the state. Robinson, along with the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, also received the 2021 Presidential Award from the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education, which recognizes a person, organization, or institution that has been a powerful influence in gifted education across the state. Robinson is also a past president of the National Association for Gifted Children.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock holds virtual AP Summer Institute for 700 teachers

John Hill — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 16:33:43 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock held its first fully online Advanced Placement Summer Institute in June and July for more than 700 AP teachers.�� The virtual AP Summer Institute is a collaboration between the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock eLearning office, the Arkansas Department of Education, and College Board, an educational nonprofit organization that developed AP courses and examinations. “When we were presented with a choice to go online instead of canceling, we wanted to maintain our commitment to the Arkansas Department of Education, Arkansas teachers, and students,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center. “The online environment is an opportunity to serve APSI participants innovatively with exciting, dynamic professional development.” Currently in its 26th year, the AP Summer Institute allows AP teachers to attend summer workshops in 24 areas of advancement placement. It was established in 1994 to provide AP teachers with the content-focused professional development they need to teach AP courses. Thanks to a grant from the Arkansas Department of Education, a majority of participating teachers from Arkansas attend the institute for free. “This is one of the best professional developments I’ve ever attended,” said Vera Rideout, a sixth-grade teacher at Coleman Intermediate School. “I am so thankful for this opportunity! Thank you so very much for opening this window of opportunity that I previously just gazed out.” While the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down many educational workshops and summer camps, professors and educational proponents were determined to keep the workshop going for the nearly 700 teachers who signed up. “It took a small army to move a professional development institute this far-reaching to an online environment,” Robinson said. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has extensive experience with online courses and online professional development. The university is supported by a well-developed tech support infrastructure and a widely used online learning management system. We also had six expert course assistants who worked with the faculty members to get their course shells organized and the whole Jodie Mahony team supporting them.”�� At a time when providing quality education for students is more important than ever, Arkansas teachers were glad for the professional development experience. “Seven years ago, when I was a graduate student in secondary education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, I had the opportunity to attend APSI as a pre-service teacher. APSI was hands-down the best training that I had to prepare me for teaching in the high school art classroom,” said Amanda Heinbockel, an AP studio art and design teacher at Central High School. “I was able to network with art teachers from around the state and country. The entire week was structured to model the student experience of an AP Studio Art course. The instructor, Trish Winnard, modeled excellent classroom management techniques that I used in my first semester teaching that fall. It was amazing to have a week of hands-on experiences so that I could understand how to create a rich, positive learning experience for my students. I have since attended three additional APSI training, and they have all consistently been excellent experiences.” In the upper right photo, staff members at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education celebrated the 25 anniversary of the Advanced Placement Summer Institute in 2019. Photo by Ben Krain.

Jodie Mahony Center creates educational resource page for parents of gifted and talented youth

John Hill — Fri, 29 May 2020 13:35:18 +0000

The Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has created a webpage with educational resources to help parents of gifted, talented, and high-ability students stay engaged and academically challenged while learning at home. “In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in Arkansas were closed,” said Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director of the Jodie Mahony Center. “Much of the learning that would typically occur during the day moved online and are, for our younger learners, managed by parents. Professionals at the Jodie Mahony Center quickly recognized the need for organizing resources for parents and established a webpage that offers multiple links to carefully curated learning activities, articles, and resources.” The dynamic resource page, Exciting, Enriching, and Exceptional Resources for the Curious, the Advanced, and the Gifted Child.” is updated daily and will help parents locate great resources and programs that will help excite and engage young learners during this time of changing learning environments. While the resources work great for all students, they are especially helpful for gifted and talented children. “Our goal in creating the Exciting, Enriching, and Exceptional resource page was to assist parents in finding materials that offered rich learning experiences and stimulated creativity and curiosity,” Deitz said. The site includes a wide variety of direct links for all learners – from daily doodles with the artist-in-residence for the Kennedy Center to Khan Academy, a no-cost and well-established online learning hub for grade-leveled content courses. The page also has resources for parents and education professionals as well as for Advanced Placement learning.�� “If you are a parent, this is a whole new world for you,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center. “This is seven days a week for moms and dads who get no breaks. Parents need some creative relief to support them. There are directions for hands-on activities that children can do with common objects around the house to�� encourage kids to stay curious.” The Jodie Mahony Center, which has been providing educational resources and training for Arkansas’s teachers for more than 40 years, recommends that parents engage in activities that they find exciting as a way to connect with their children. “You should select activities that you as a parent will get excited about,” Robinson said. “The conversations, activities, and enrichment will continue after the online link has closed. We included links for parents, because I’d like to think it’s a family learning experience. If the parents are excited, the kids will be excited.”�� Professors at the Jodie Mahony Center emphasized that informal learning, the type of learning taking place at home, can lead to great benefits such as increased creativity and motivation from children. “Informal learning is learning done outside the classroom. It is usually associated with museums, science centers, theaters, and art galleries,” Robinson said. “It has a history of being extremely effective. Parents can access informal learning activities and talk about them in conversations around the dinner table. Informal learning between parents, grandparents, and youngsters works to sharpen children’s interests.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center receives nearly $2.5 million STEM grant

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 13:14:34 +0000

The Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received nearly $2.5 million to develop and implement a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program that identifies and serves academically promising second- and third-grade students in Arkansas.�� Funded by a five-year $2,449,587 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the STEM+C2 program is designed to identify promising students through universal screening and provide services to gifted and talented second- and third-grade students, including students from underrepresented populations.�� “The STEM+C2 team assembled across three universities is a thrilling powerhouse of women devoted to developing academic and creative STEM talents in young children,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center and principal investigator of the grant. “The current grant is the third in a series and builds on both STEM Starters and STEM Starters+. We published several research studies documenting the effectiveness of this intervention. In fact, one study, ‘,’ received two awards for research excellence. When we complete STEM+C2, we will have been funded for 15 years to develop, research, and disseminate an effective STEM intervention in elementary schools.” STEM+C2 is the third five-year grant Jodie Mahony Center researchers have received through the, which emphasizes serving traditionally underrepresented students in gifted and talented services to reduce the�� gap in achievement among groups of students at the highest levels of performance. The Jodie Mahony Center will provide elementary students with the tools and resources they need to succeed in computer science, engineering, and science with creativity and innovation. Through professional development, STEM+C2 will prepare second- and third-grade teachers in gifted, creative, and talented education with summer institutes and academic year support.�� Fellow researchers on the grant include Dr. Jill Adelson, research scientist with Duke University’s Talent Identification Program; Dr. Christine Cunningham, professor of education and engineering at Penn State University; Kristy Kidd, project director in the Jodie Mahony Center, and Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director of the Jodie Mahony Center. “The STEM+C2 project will empower over 100 teachers to engage students in creative and innovative curriculum connected to STEM and computer science education,” Deitz said. “This exciting intervention is designed to develop learning talent in the primary grades and help teachers spot potential in young learners; especially children from low-income families and in populations who are traditionally underrepresented in gifted programs.”�� The program’s professional development component will equip teachers with content related to STEM disciplines, strategies to identify promising students from underrepresented groups, a STEM+C2 toolkit with engineering design challenges and computer science explorations, and support for National Board Teacher Certification. The program will also prepare teachers to implement “Blueprints for Biography: Computer Science Series,” developed by researchers at the Jodie Mahony Center. The series features STEM innovators Grace Hopper, a pioneer of computer programming; Ada King, an English mathematician and Countess of Lovelace; and Raye Montague, the 2019 recipient of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Fribourgh Award who created the first computer-generated rough draft of a U.S. naval ship. Over the course of the grant, the program will serve nearly 1,400 second- and third-grade students, 60 classroom teachers, 30 gifted education teachers, and 30 elementary school principals across two cohorts at 30 elementary schools in the state.

SLUFY celebrates 40th anniversary��

Janea Snyder — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 13:10:17 +0000

The gifted and talented kids attending ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) are doing the cool things they don’t get to do in a typical school classroom. They’ve designed roller coasters and mixed potions. They’ve built caves, launched rockets, solved mysteries, broken codes, created art, and even cracked a few eggs in their quest to design a safe car. And while they’re having lots of fun, they’ve also learned a thing or two.�� Analyzing the aerodynamics of flying brooms? That requires physics. Mixing potions? That’s chemistry. This is the 40th anniversary for SLUFY, the state’s longest continuously running summer program for gifted and talented youth in the state. It started in 1979 as a master’s project and has continued to grow. “The individuals who envisioned Summer Laureate 40 years ago continue to inspire us,” said�� Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, which hosts SLUFY. “The dedicated teachers and staff who have maintained the program’s innovation and excellence deserve a victory lap this year. It is a story of creative collaboration between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the community.”�� Most of the courses are built around science, technology, engineering, and math – the STEM disciplines – or STEAM, which is STEM with art added into the mix. The two-week program ends July 19, when parents come to campus to see what their kids have been learning. SLUFY classes are taught by professionals who are masters-level graduates, master teachers, and National Board certified teachers. Teachers receive training and ongoing support from the staff and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Gifted Education professors to meet the needs of high-ability students. More than 300 K-8 students are taking part in this year’s 20-plus course offerings. Young Harry Potter fans were especially happy about two new offerings: “Advanced Charms, Potions, and Other Amazements” for third- and fourth-graders and “Mystical Magical World” for fifth- and sixth-graders.�� Brigette Pullet, who teaches K-4 students in Malvern’s Gifted and Talented program, is leading this year’s geology-based “Cave” class. Her students have learned how caves are formed, how to identify types or rocks, and how acids and bases react. Across the hall, an all-boys class experimented with stomp rockets in Lift-Off, taught by Reyes Lovins, who teaches gifted and talented students in the North Little Rock School District.�� The week started with team-building exercise in which groups competed to build the tallest marshmallow tower using dry spaghetti noodles, tape, string, and one marshmallow. The tallest tower measured 19.5 inches tall.�� “They learn to work in teams to brainstorm better ways to construct and stabilize their tower,” Lovins said. Later in the week, the children built rockets out of various materials and launched them down the hallway. Lovins taught the students how to change a single variable – such as the width or length of the rocket or type of material used – to propel their rockets farther down the hall. Little Rock student Lois Hockstra said she doesn’t much like real roller coasters, but she loves designing them in Roller Coaster Mania, taught by Nicole Rose, a teacher at Jefferson Elementary in Little Rock. The third- and fourth-graders in Rose’s class learned about stored energy and momentum before they designed roller coaster tracks using foam pool noodles cut in half lengthwise. Lois, along with Emery Considine from Baker Elementary and Ashlee Scruggins, an eStem student, tested their design using a marble as the coaster. In Karen Newburn’s “Be a Scientist” class, students had to apply scientific principles they learned to design and build egg cars. The egg represents a human passenger, and at the end of the week they will test their vehicles. The condition of their egg will determine the success of their design. Legos are always a favorite among students. Roberts Elementary School teacher Holly Jenkins incorporates construction and math principles into her Legos class to teach students how to solve practical problems. For example, students use area and perimeter to figure out how much fencing is needed to enclose a yard. An architect with Cromwell Architects Engineers of Little Rock also visited the class this week. The kids also have time each day to free build. In a matter of minutes, Daniel Whitsell, 10, of Little Rock had assembled a four-wheeled dune buggy, complete with lasers. ��“I can create almost anything with them,” he said. ��Photos: (top right) Third- and fourth-grade boys attending Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) launch stomp rockets in Ross Hall. (Above center) Students in Roller Coaster Mania at Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) use pool noodles to design a roller coaster track.�� (Above right) Elementary school students mix acids and bases while learning about caves at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Summer Laureate University for Youth. Photos by Benjamin Krain

AP Summer Institute celebrates 25th anniversary, receives $441k grant to support teacher professional development

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 12:46:01 +0000

For the past 25 years, the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has provided training for Advanced Placement teachers across Arkansas through the AP Summer Institute.�� “Summer 2019 is a milestone for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock AP Summer Institute. We are celebrating our 25th anniversary. We’ve come a long way from 60 teachers in the first year to what we are expecting in 2019,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center. This year, the Arkansas Department of Education awarded ��Vlog��ý Little Rock a $441,800 grant to hold multiple AP Summer Institutes. More than 800 teachers are expected to attend one of three summer workshops in 40 areas of advanced placement during June and July. The grant allows a majority of the participating teachers to attend the workshop for free. “It’s exciting to celebrate 25 years of Advanced Placement Summer Institutes making a difference for Arkansas teachers,” said Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director of the Jodie Mahony Center. “As educators, ourselves, we know the content learned and teaching strategies modeled during the institutes open important learning opportunities for Arkansas’s students.” Established in 1994, the AP Summer Institute was created to provide AP teachers with the content-focused professional development they need to teach AP courses. “The AP Summer Institute was created to serve advanced placement teachers and pre-advanced placement teachers a year later,” Robinson said. “It was the outcome of working collaboratively with Jodie Mahony, the author of legislation that established an Advanced Placement initiative in Arkansas.” The late Jodie Mahony was an El Dorado lawyer who served 32 years in the Arkansas House of Representatives and Senate and spent his last years working on education issues with the House of Representatives staff. Robinson said the summer institute ensures that pre-AP and AP teachers receive the training they need to be at the top of their game to teach academically challenging Advanced Placement courses to students. “In the state of Arkansas, AP teachers are required to attend a summer institute every 5 years. If you want to be on top of your game and make sure your kids are getting the best, then you continue to go to the summer institute,” Robinson said. “Planning for a June institute begins in September. It takes a team to provide this kind of intensive and nationally recognized professional development. We are fortunate to have folks like Deborah Cook with her event planning experience and Becky Rogers, a former College Board faculty consultant working throughout the year to make every APSI, including our 25th anniversary institutes, memorable and effective for teachers.”

Staff members at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education are preparing for the 25th anniversary of the Advanced Placement Summer Institute. Photo by Ben Krain.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host ‘Hamilton’-inspired student theater showcase

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 15:00:42 +0000

There’s good news for musical theater enthusiasts who can’t get enough of the “ten-dollar-Founding-Father.”�� The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a student showcase featuring music inspired by the breakout Broadway hit “Hamilton” on Friday, June 21. Thirty-two middle school students from across the state will show off their stage and musical theater skills by performing songs adapted from “Hamilton” at 2 p.m. June 21 in the University Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus. The event is free and open to the public with refreshments immediately following the performance. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education is offering the musical theatre program, “MT Stage: The Hamilton Experience,” June 17-21 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for students in grades 7-9. During the program, students focus on performance and stagecraft and explore the historical, societal, and cultural themes behind “Hamilton.” In stagecraft, students will learn the technical aspects of a show from start to finish – including lighting, sound, and set construction. Students in the performance track will work with a musical director and choreographer. In the final showcase, students will perform selected scenes from “Hamilton” and have a talk-back session with audience members about their program experience. “Hamilton is still the hottest ticket on Broadway,” said Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director of the Jodie Mahoney Center for Gifted Education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “It has contemporary themes that children can identify with. It has all the elements of a great performance and a message of compassion and perseverance with an overarching emphasis on citizenship.” The camp is funded by an Arkansas Department of Education Academic Enrichment for the Gifted in the Summer (AEGIS) grant. “The Mahony Center is committed to serving gifted children and youth through campus-based programming. MT Stage: The Hamilton Experience is a great example of what can be done in an ��intensive week with excited kids, inspiring teachers, and dedicated leadership,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center. For more information, contact the Jodie Mahony Center at 501-569-3410.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Will Provide Free Summer Enrichment Program in Musical Theatre for Junior High School Students with ADE Grant

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate is Sharing Gifted and Talented Education with the Community

Four ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Members Named Distinguished Professors