Welcome to the 11th Annual Southern Oregon Arts & Research conference! View the complete conference program, search for presentations, and create your personalized schedule of events. For more information, visit our main website at sou.edu/soar.
This panel will include presentations on anti-racist pedagogy, on critical theory within pedagogy, and on the rhetorical choices in social justice activism.
The Role of Community Cultural Wealth in the Retention of Latino Students. Presentation addresses a recent study completed by presenter relating to CCW showing it to be key component of the retention of Latino students in education.
View the top three most persuasive speeches about a charity or nonprofit agency in Dr. Alena Ruggerio's COMM 310 Advanced Public Speaking course. A money donation will go to the charity championed by the student voted most persuasive speaker.
The essence of our capstone was to instill an understanding of sustainability in preschool children. We focused on qualities such as, compassion, patience, and kindness. The outcome of this capstone promoted children's ability to work hands-on within the garden. Children worked on moving and expanding the garden through measuring and removing dirt. They planted flower and vegetable seeds in two gardens.
My Capstone project was to teach preschool age students about the importance of recycling. This concept of sustainability was taught through creative games, lessons, and multiple reusable art projects. The students walked away with an understanding of recycling, its importance, and the benefits of reusing "trash" or giving it another life through recycling. The students also learned about patience, sharing, and compassion towards others and the earth.
Literacy is the backbone of student learning, since all subjects require literacy skills. The school library we have supported at Kids Unlimited will enhance the students' interest in reading and allow them to have access to books they would not normally have. Having access to a variety of books can lead to students gaining a love of reading and will continue to increase their literacy skills.
For my capstone project, I did an internship in a middle school setting working with students to create personal narratives in digital format. Working with students on personal narratives allowed me to build meaningful relationships with them. The focus of my capstone is on the connections I made with students during this process, and how they benefited from them. My process was safe and relatable, and my outcome was measured by the quality of the relationships I built with students.
I am currently completing my capstone at the Children's Advocacy Center. I want to share my knowledge about ACES (adverse childhood experiences) and local statistics about child welfare in Jackson County. I was also able to complete trauma training and I learned more about early childhood development. Furthermore, I want to touch on ways in which the community can get involved and about research regarding developmentally appropriate practices as an educator of students with ACES.
This capstone experience focused on fostering continual education and development for children experiencing domestic violence. While this challenging period of time can be a sensitive shift, creating activities that nurture difficult transitions will promote developmental growth in the lives of each child. This project has expanded my knowledge by creating lessons to adapt to children in different dynamics in the community as they continue to pursue their education successfully.
The essence of my capstone was to support students learning through multiple forms of technology, being vulnerable, and telling personal stories about themselves. This gave students the opportunities to write, edit, and voice record their story in addition to having the courage to express themselves. The final result was having the class listen to each story. It provided students the fundamentals to use different classroom technologies to input and export different stages of the process.
Educating women and girls is essential to a successful and fulfilling life. Women and girls in Malawi, Africa are facing struggles to achieve an education through financial struggle, illness, lack of food, and poverty. To teach the importance of educating women and girls throughout the world, a fundraiser dinner and presentation was held. This presentation educated community members about the efforts of the group, Educate Chombo, and the library being built to educate those in Malawi, Africa.
The term "education desert" refers to the regional phenomenon in which a given area either has no access to higher education or access to only a single community college or broad-access institution. Much like a food desert, access to education is limited based on geography. Education deserts perpetuate a cycle of inequity; without access to higher education, residents of rural areas are denied a number of professional and economic opportunities simply because of their place of residence.
El Camp Rogue is committed to engaging Latino youth in the outdoors, connecting with nature, explore storytelling, supporting our community,while developing personal growth.
Our capstone focused on building a sense of community and fostering love and compassion through gardening with students. This project provided hands on learning opportunities in a greenhouse and garden at a local school. Students had an active role in cleaning, organizing, and picking out various plants. They participated in the entire process of growing the plants from seed to transplanting to harvesting. Our project instilled empathy and accountability by promoting sustainably aware citizens.
My research topic revolves around different forms of art and what benefits they can bring us, and secondarily, if there is enough funding for the arts in our schools.
My Capstone project focused on health, first aid, and fire safety through a series of lessons, games, and demonstrations. In conjunction with the Phoenix Fire Department, I helped teach two classrooms of students at the local elementary school about the importance of being prepared and knowing what to do in an emergency situation.
Promoting healthy bodies and minds through yoga and mindful breathing activities was the essence of my work with 3-year-olds at Head Start. Providing strategies that students can use to promote healthy minds, bodies, and spirits helps them become aware of the importance of taking care of not only themselves but others. Overall, teaching children ways to nurture their emotions into positive energy through movement and breathing was a meaningful experience for all.
This project gave children an opportunity to explore their emotions and body awareness in the setting of a gymnastics gym. Children transitioned from an athletic and performance mindset to incorporating social emotional conversations and self development through the methods instructors introduced. Activities ranged from songs, stretching, and language used by coaches to re-enforce progression of athletes with ages ranging from 18 months to 11 years old.
Working in a group of three, our capstone project emphasized the importance of environmentally sustainable practices. We educated elementary students in a local school on water pollution, wildfires, and animal extinction. We focused on the impact these issues have on the Earth. By creating meaningful, hands-on learning experiences, we highlighted the effects these threats have within the ecosystem, and provided the students with resources to empower them to lead a more sustainable life.
I'm working with two English languange development (ELD) students who speak minimal English. One a Spanish speaker and one a Thai speaker. For over a month I have been separately pulling them out of their language arts classes to do one on one work outside of the ELD classroom. I'm focusing more on the specifics of the class but with an ELD approach. I hope to expedite their learning process both in terms of their classwork and the very pertinent English acquisition as well as heighten my own teaching abilities.
Part of being a teacher is getting involved in the community. Students in the community and within the Rogue Valley all go to a place in which they can learn through inquiry and hands on learning. The museum in which this learning occurs helps not only the students learn how to explore, but the teachers and parents learn how to be involved with the learning. I have volunteered here as a community based learning experience and realized the opportunity the community is given.
This capstone project aimed to create opportunities for families to lead active lifestyles by partnering with Providence Medical Group in the Heart to Start Training Program. Children learned the importance of an active lifestyle by participating in organized games and activities focused on movement and exercise. Through my passion for fitness and the outdoors, this project taught me skills in professional collaboration and communication that will help me become a more effective educator.
This outdoor day camp allowed children to learn in a natural setting. This experience provided opportunities to share our passions for physical activity, outdoor education, and life-time sustainability. This capstone experience delved deep into the heart of our personal educational philosophy by providing ways to create sustainable practices in the individual lives of children. It truly exemplified our desire to see children outside becoming active in their own learning experiences.
Service Learning provides students an opportunity to be contributing members of their community, while also learning about their environment. For my Capstone project I redeveloped a service-birding lesson as well as implemented service learning sessions at North Mountain Park Nature Center. I collaborated with the Nature Center to provide a lasting learning experience for students both locally and those visiting Ashland.
I created the Sex Education Club at SOU because I saw a need on campus for comprehensive and medically accurate education about sex, sexuality, and intimacy. I believe that everyone deserves to have the tools to feel confident and informed throughout their experiences, so they can have safe, healthy, and happy lives. Our meetings are student-centered. Through shameless discussion and activities aided by community experts, we create programming that is shaped by student queries and interests.
Through a social emotional development discipline, the children at SOU's preschool had the opportunity to learn self-help and self-regulation skills, mindfulness, and healthy behavioral practices. Children expressed emotions and feelings in a positive way, deviating negative emotional expressions. Using breathing techniques, students were able to center themselves while understanding negative feelings and emotions. This capstone experience showed the growth of developmental differences among children.
My capstone was to teach Chinese as a second language at Ashland High School. Students were encouraged to practice verbal and written forms of the Chinese language through organic learning experiences, and were introduced to the Chinese culture to broaden students' perspectives. Increasing numbers of American students are learning the Chinese language and culture in schools.
My capstone project was to engage preschool children to move through activities that brought joy into their play and educate parents on health, nutrition, and physical activity for home life. In creating newsletters and activities, I was able to educate the benefits and importance of movement to everyone. Children worked on their large and small muscles, reflexes, coordination, and worked on spacial awareness. Parents received information which will benefit their families' overall health.
For my Capstone, children at a local Head Start Program participated in art lessons that included the use of recycled materials. These artworks highlighted the negative effects of land pollution and potential solutions, while also providing means for children to practice and live more sustainable lives. These art lessons provided children the opportunity to learn using hands-on methods, to work together as a team, to enhance community within the classroom, and to express themselves creatively.
