Pursuing a counseling career in the state of Missouri can be a rewarding professional choice. Persistent challenges within the state’s mental health care system will likely sustain robust demand for newly trained professionals for years to come.
The 2023 Mental Health America report noted Missouri’s overall ranking as 39th place in the United States.
Dr. Karrie Swan, graduate counseling program director at Missouri State University, spoke with CounselingSchools.com about becoming a counselor.
Autism is a spectrum as diverse as the colors of a rainbow, where each hue represents the uniqueness of everyone.
April is Autism Awareness Month, and it’s a great time to learn and celebrate the experiences, challenges and triumphs of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Dr. April Phillips, director of Bear POWER at Missouri State University, dives into the importance of autism awareness.
How has the understanding and awareness of autism evolved over the years?
Missouri State University’s College of Education (COE) will host the grand opening of the Global Education Lab (GEL) Nov. 13.
The GEL is a collaborative place for teaching and learning about the world and its people.
“Students in the COE have long benefitted from their professors’ global engagement,” said Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright, assistant professor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences and dean’s fellow for global education at MSU.
“Now, the Global Education Lab can be a vibrant place for supporting the global engagement of our students.”
The grand opening begins with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. followed by an open house until 6 p.m. in Hill Hall, Room 449.
The event is free and open to the community. No registration is required.
MSU President Clif Smart will attend the opening, as well as other university leadership and faculty.
With the GEL, the COE aims to support emerging educators in teaching for global understanding and engagement, foster collaborative work and fuel local and international partnerships, while preparing graduates for the world.
“We’re mainstreaming teacher preparation for global understanding and engagement,” McCafferty-Wright said. “For example, in our elementary education program, this year’s graduates have all had experiences working with families who are newcomers in our community and collaborating with peers in Moroccan teacher training programs.”
The GEL houses several grant-funded projects, including Global Teacher Education Exchange, Removing Barriers, Global Teacher Talks and World Teacher Makerspace.
When the lab opens, it will host events, such as workshops, meetings and student events. It also has a broadcasting corner to host virtual exchanges.
Additionally, the GEL offers materials for future educators and people who work with families and children to use in practicums, including books, globes and maps, games, cultural artifacts and more.
“We’re producing teachers who have experience engaging with complex problems and possibilities that are driving the future of education and our world,” McCafferty-Wright said.
Educators Rising (EdRising) gives high school students the opportunity to explore career paths into education.
This year, Missouri State University’s College of Education hosted one of the Educators Rising Fall Conferences.
The conference allowed 146 students from southwest Missouri high schools to learn more about the education field, explore opportunities available to them and connect with other students and teachers.
The conference was held on Oct. 25 at Plaster Student Union Ballroom.
The event included:
EdRising is a community-based movement that guides young people from high school through college and into their teaching careers. Chapters at schools feed teacher preparation programs at higher education institutions by providing clear pathways to increase teacher diversity and quality.
In Missouri, Educators Rising is supported by the Missouri National Education Association and the regional professional development centers, such as the Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning at MSU, that work with schools to promote grow-your-own pathways into teaching.
Educator Dr. Amber Howard is dedicated to using fair and effective learning methods for students.
“The traditional time-based education system requires measuring students using standardized assessments,” said Howard, assistant professor of education at Missouri State University. “But there is no classroom that has all standardized students.”
When Howard taught elementary school in 2015, she began using elements of an alternative education system called competency-based learning (CBL).
With the support of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Success Ready Student Network (SRSN) is advancing the development of CBL. The SRSN is a collaborative initiative that provides support for Missouri public schools using CBL.
MSU’s College of Education (COE) was the first university to participate in the SRSN’s Collaborative Network Zone, an initiative that helps educators statewide implement CBL.
Competency-based learning is a system that personalizes education for all students.
“CBL places students at the center of learning,” Howard said. “It humanizes education in ways traditional systems fail to do.”
Students make decisions about their learning experiences, including how they create and present their knowledge. They move at their own pace, progressing to new material only after they’ve demonstrated mastery of previous material.
Teachers provide clear and measurable expectations and give timely, specific feedback to each student.
“CBL focuses on student growth rather than grades and points,” Howard said. “Teachers can focus more on connecting with and helping students rather than measuring them with a standardized assessment.
“Students are more reflective and report that they care more about their learning as a result of CBL and ungrading.”
The Success-Ready Students Work Group – which COE Dean Dr. Barri Tinkler participated in – developed a framework of eight elements to describe CBL. One element is Real World Learning, which helps prepare students for high school, college and the workplace.
Learn about the eight elements of CBL
Howard believes CBL can be used in all grade levels, including higher education.
“I’ve seen it used in The Bear Cave program in communication, the Springfield Way Internship program in Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities and more,” she said.
DESE has supported an assessment waiver to bypass the annual Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test for districts with high quality CBL systems.
“This waiver would replace standardized assessments at the end of the year with alternative reporting measures that center students rather than centering a test,” Howard said.
“By providing more equitable and just assessment processes, I believe CBL has the potential to transform education.”
Howard is working with the SRSN and Fremont Elementary to help strengthen CBL practices in the Springfield community and beyond.
