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Future teachers use technology to provide support to students during COVID-19 crisis
Written by Laurie Hamer | Education & Wellness
During the COVID-19 crisis, more than 70 University of Wisconsin-Platteville education majors took on the challenge of providing more than 100 homebound K-12 students in 11 school districts in Southwest Wisconsin with online tutoring support to ensure they continued gaining knowledge in a wide variety of subject areas. Beginning in March, UW-Platteville students were paired with more than 60 elementary students, 20 middle school students and 20 high school students. Using Zoom, the future teachers read books on a variety of topics aloud to younger students and tutored older students in math, science and language. UW-Platteville students tutored students through mid-May, but some volunteered to continue tutoring until the younger students school year ends. When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the university, the School of Education had students who still needed to complete contact hours for a variety of courses, said Dr. Jen Collins, director of the School of Education at UW-Platteville. We also realized that, with the closing of K-12 schools, there were families who needed support in navigating online learning for their children. We took advantage of this unique opportunity and paired our future teachers with those students. Families were provided with free tutoring and our students were able to gain valuable experience teaching in an online environment. It was a win-win. UW-Platteville students said the learning experience was invaluable and provided them with an opportunity to connect with students 2020 College Guide - Page 4
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and develop skills that will make them more marketable to future employers. In a time where we couldnt physically be together, Zoom tutoring allowed us to fulfill what we are most passionate about working with children, said Maria Bast, a senior elementary/earlychildhood education major at UW-Platteville from Platteville, who tutored four elementary students in reading and math. We were fortunate to have been given this opportunity. Tutoring benefited the elementary students we worked with, but it also gave my classmates and me time to develop a new skill set, teach different subjects, work with different grade levels and meet new students. It was a great way to connect our university to the surrounding communities. The tutoring program was a wonderful and valuable experience, said Kaley Mumma, a junior agriculture education/horticulture major at UW-Platteville from Byron, Illinois, who tutored a ninth- and tenth-grade student in history and plant science. I had great students who were patient with me as I adjusted to online tutoring. It was also a great opportunity to brush up on my early 1900s history. The alternate delivery tutoring experience was exceptionally unique, providing reward and challenge, said Ethan Wilkinson, a senior health education major at UW-Platteville from Baraboo, Wisconsin, who tutored a secondgrade student in reading and language arts. It was an experience that allowed me to learn about my abilities as an instructor and provided a unique learning opportunity for my student. Grant, Iowa, Lafayette Shopping News
Participating schools and parents also recognized and appreciated the positive impact the program had on their students and children. The tutoring program benefited our students, particularly those we were worried would fall behind, said Dr. Jill Underly, superintendent of Pecatonica Area School District in Blanchardville, Wisconsin. Their parents agreed and were excited to engage their children in this project. The students were motivated to do well in school but connecting with a UW-Platteville student teacher helped with their accountability. They didnt want to disappoint their tutor. The outbreak of coronavirus completely changed our normal, said Amy Kreul, mother of a seventh- and ninth-grade student at Platteville School District. My husband and I have been working from home and our kids are finishing up the school year online, which has been a big adjustment for all of us. I am really grateful the UW-Platteville School of Education was resourceful in finding a way for their students to get experience as well as helping the community while schools are closed. Kreul said the tutors provided guidance on assignments, extra enrichment and something to look forward to during the week. They were knowledgeable, reliable and extremely helpful, she said. The tutoring services have been a really great experience for our family. My son looked forward to his tutoring meets every week and even asked for an extra day each week, said Kathy Tydrich, mother of a sixth-grade student at Iowa Grant Elementary/ Middle School in Livingston, Wisconsin. With some parents still going to work every day, I was so happy to see this available so my son could have some help with his studies. Thank you, UW-Platteville. We would definitely sign up again for this opportunity. Collins recognized the importance of, and expressed gratitude for, the universitys partnerships with rural schools and communities. While many folks might assume that teacher training takes place solely on the UW-Platteville campus, the truth is that our rural schools and communities are vital partners in this endeavor, she said. They share their master teachers and amazing students with us and help bridge the gap between the curriculum education majors learn on campus and the real-time teaching that occurs in K-12 classrooms. We can never thank them enough. Being able to give back to those schools and families, even in this small way, has been gratifying. The UW-Platteville program has been so successful for all stakeholders that the School of Education hopes to continue the program, in some capacity, this fall, even if the COVID-19 quarantine ends. When challenges like the COVID-19 crisis arise, residents of rural communities turn to each other for support, said Collins. My hope is that the School of Education becomes one of the recourses that communities know they can turn to. To view an NBC15 feature about the collaborative tutoring program, visit: www.nbc15.com/ content/news/UW-Platteville-students-helpkids-keep-learning-at-home-569646231.html Low to no cost reproductive health care for all individuals.
A Southwest Wisconsin Community Action Program 65 S. Elm St., Platteville, Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 8 am-4:30 pm | www.swnhp.org (608) 348-9766
WI
Industry partnerships help UW-Platteville respond to pandemic
Written by Alison Parkins | Campus & Community Industrial Studies
Thanks to partnerships According to Miner, forged between industhese scenarios try and the University included the conof Wisconsintinuation of cusPlatteville Construction todial staff’s dayManagement and to-day disinfecting Construction Safety duties; the need Management proto deep clean any grams, custodial staff space where a perat UW-Platteville son tests positive have been able to use or shows sympadvanced equipment toms; and the need to ensure their safety Ullsvik Hall for the custodial during the COVID-19 pandemic. Industry partstaff to provide services in one of the facilities ner Miron Construction Co., Inc., in Neenah, designated as an isolation facility – if that sceWisconsin, recently provided the university with nario should become a reality. a Powered Air Purifying Respirator, or PAPR. “After careful consideration of the proper PPE A PAPR is a type of personal protective to utilize, it was determined the best course equipment that uses a blower to pass of action was to utilize powered air purifying contaminated air through a filter and then respirators (PAPRs),” said Miner. “As one supplies purified air to the face piece. can imagine, the availability of this type of Although there has not been a documented equipment was almost zero. This is when case of COVID-19 at the university, the facilities we put our contractor networking process staff has been proactively preparing for several into place. A phone call was made to Miron possibilities. Construction on Friday, April 10, and David “The COVID-19 pandemic that took over the world created a unique situation for UW-Platteville,” said Mark Miner, assistant professor in UW-Platteville’s Construction Safety Management program. “It became apparent that our custodial staff and G. Voss, Jr., president and CEO of Miron Construction agreed that UW-Platteville was in a tight spot and gave direction to his warehouse operations manager to locate a PAPR unit and prepare it for use. It was ready and in-hand on Saturday, April 11.” maintenance staff were still on duty doing the On Monday, April 13, Miner trained the custodial important things they have to do to keep our staff to use it, reviewed the work procedure, university operational. During the evaluation and a space was cleaned before noon of that phase of the training and equipment that was day. needed to complete the job safely, it was “Hats off to the wonderful folks at Miron determined that there were three different Construction for helping us keep our fellow scenarios that they could be challenged with.” Pioneers safe,” said Miner.
