Faculty & Staff, Southeast Missouri State University

2006 Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Dissertation: "Learning to Decide: Intelligent Choice as a Means and an End in Education"
Dr. Kathy Hytten and Dr. John McIntyre, advisors
1999 M.A. in History, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO
Thesis: "..And a Parcell of Carpenter?s Tools?: Woodworking and Material Wealth in Seventeenth-Century Maryland" Dr.
Steven Hoffman, advisor
1989 B.A. in Secondary Education and Social Studies, Anderson University, Anderson, IN

Research Interests

Professional Experience

2006-present Coordinator, Social Studies Education Program, Southeast Missouri State University

Advise 100+ majors;
Responsible for program assessment (department, university, NCATE) and improvement

Teach courses in social studies education (secondary), United States History (1877-present), and modern world history

2007-08 Consultant/Evaluator, Teaching American History Grant, Poplar Bluff Schools, Poplar Bluff, MO
Spring 2005 Instructor/Teaching Assistant, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

2000-2003 Chair, Social Studies Department, Cape Girardeau Central High School, Cape Girardeau, MO
1999 – 2003 Teacher (grades 10-12), Cape Girardeau Central High School, Cape Girardeau, MO

Taught U.S. and World History, A.P. U.S. Government, A.P. Comparative Politics and Government, Dual Credit U.S. History (in conjunction with Southeast Missouri State University Department of History)
Helped found a co-curricular organization aimed at increasing student interest in social and political issues

Taught life science and earth science; helped start an after-school science club

Awards

2009 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Fellow, Southeast Missouri State University
2003 – 2006 Morris Doctoral Fellowship, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
1999 Graduate Research Award, Southeast Missouri State University

Publications and Presentations

"Easier than It Looks: Using Web Resources in the Humanities," accepted for publication in Online Education and the Humanities: A Guide to Teaching Humanities in the Online Environment, Steven J. Hoffman, ed., (M.E. Sharpe, Inc.)
"Escaping the 'Methods Mentality': Reconceptualizing Social Studies Teacher Preparation," Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the College and University Faculty Association of the National Council for the Social Studies, Atlanta, GA (November 11-12, 2009)
"Increasing Relevance in the Social Studies Classroom: The NCSS Thematic Strands in Action," Presentation made at the Missouri Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Lake of the Ozarks, MO (February 27-28, 2009)
Gray, K. and Fridley, D. (2006). A Tale Worth Telling: Helping Students Construct Stories of the Past," Social Studies Research and Practice, 1(3): 449-455.
"Cultivating the Civic Garden: Growth as the Aim of Democratic Education" Paper presented at the 4th International Civic Education Conference in Orlando, FL, January 2006
"Tales Worth Telling: Using Narrative Themes to Teach History" Presentation to the Southeast Missouri Council for the Social Studies Fall Conference, 2003
"The Internet and the Inter-War Period" Presentation to the Southeast Missouri Council for the Social Studies Fall Conference, 2002
"Finding and Using Primary Resources on the Internet" Presentation to the Southeast Missouri Council for the Social Studies Fall Conference, 2001

Other Research-Related Activities

Worked with a small team from the Southeast College of Education to write a 50+ page application for a Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant, a highly competitive federal grant program (submitted October 2009)

Prepared for the National Council for Social Studies as part of NCATE accreditation process (submitted August, 2008; nationally recognized, February 2009)

2007-2009 Proposed Changes in the B.S. Ed. in Secondary Social Studies Education

Used results of formal assessments and anecdotal input from current and former social studies teacher candidates to substantially revise the B.S. Ed. in Secondary Social Studies Program
New program better meets the needs of teacher candidates and conforms more closely to current research on best practices in teacher education (approved fall 2007; implemented fall 2008)

Service

2009-present College of Education Assessment Committee, Southeast Missouri State University
2008-present College of Liberal Arts Teaching Technology Committee, Southeast Missouri State University
2007-present Department of History Governance Committee, Southeast Missouri State University
2006-present Department of History Curriculum Committee, Southeast Missouri State University
2006-present University United Way Campaign, Southeast Missouri State University
2002-2003 President, Southeast Missouri Council for the Social Studies
1997-1998 District-wide Social Studies Curriculum Revision Committee, Cape Girardeau Public Schools
1996-1999 School-wide Technology Coordinator, L.J. Schultz Middle School, Cape Girardeau, MO

Memberships

Professional Accreditation