Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning: 2010

Friday, March 19, 2010

CESTL Overview

This is our OLD website.

Please visit our NEW website at:
https://sites.google.com/site/cestlconference

Thank you!

Department of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education

Long Island University, C. W. Post Campus

Introduction

Sponsored by the Teaching and Learning Initiative (TLI) Instructional Innovation Grant at Long Island University, the Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning (CESTL) is a semi-annual one-day conference on teaching and learning at both the elementary and secondary school level. Organized by Dr. Dengting Boyanton in the Curriculum & Instruction Department, CESTL is held on the Saturday immediately preceding the final exam week in the fall and spring semesters. Unlike traditional conferences, CESTL is student-centered and it strives to provide the best platform for students to exchange their research findings and discoveries on teaching and learning. It is a conference of the students, for the students, and by the students.

Each semester, all students taking the Educational Psychology courses offered by Dr. Dengting Boyanton will investigate a research topic of their own choice throughout the semester. They will then present their research findings at CESTL. Student presentations at previous CESTLs have covered a wide range of topics related to educational psychology including motivation, peer relationship, learning environment, parenting, learning disabilities, race and learning, and others topics. As a showcase of student research and a means of using research to enhance student learning, CESTL encourages students to nurture and pursue their own research interests with the goal of becoming active lifelong learners.

Additionally, CESTL provides other enriching programs including 1) a keynote address, 2) a professors’ panel on teaching & learning, 3) a K-12 teachers/ students panel on teaching & learning, and 4) cultural events. Distinguished scholars, experienced educators, and outstanding students will be invited to share their perspectives at CESTL. Also, CESTL serves as a forum for cultural events, such as music or dance, performed by the students. These cultural events not only expose students to different cultures, but also provide a stage for students to express their talents or share their culture.

Rationale

Traditional classroom instruction has been one-way (from teacher to student) and dominated by teachers’ lecturing for decades (Gorsky, et al., 2006). Evidence strongly suggests that students do not take this learning format seriously (Bonwell & Eison, 1991) and it hinders internalization (inertia), understanding (fantasia), and recognition (amnesia) of course material (Shulman, 1999).

CESTL was developed on the basis of established principles of powerful learning. First, learning is more powerful when the process is active rather than passive (Piaget, 1952). Learning is more effective when students actively explore, observe, and discover in the real world rather than passively listening to lectures by teachers in the classroom (Bruner, 1983). By having students select a research topic of their own interest and search for answers, CESTL shifts the students’ role from a passive information-taker to an active information-seeker. As Dewey (1916) observed, the purpose of education is not about memorizing, passing tests, or obtaining degrees, but about understanding, inquiring, and critical thinking.

Secondly, learning is more powerful when one is able to teach what he has learned to others (Goodlad & Hirst, 1989; Stader & Gagnepain, 2000). Teaching others increases one’s analytical skills, enhances one’s interest in the subject, and deepens one’s understanding of the topic (Foot, Shute, & Morgan, 1990). Through this dynamic “learn to teach, teach to learn” interplay at CESTL, students are not just teaching others about their own work, but also are learning themselves through teaching. Thus, CESTL offers a new perspective on teaching and learning.

Thirdly, learning is more powerful when the expectations are high (Vygotsky, 1978; Good & Brophy, 1995). Requiring students to produce high-quality work raises the standards. Instead of doing it as a class project which will be read only by the instructor, students are informed that their work must be sufficiently professional to be presented to the public at large. This high standard enhances students’ motivation to learn, to work harder, and to strive for excellence.

Fourthly, learning is more powerful when students are empowered as learners (Bandura, 1986). CESTL shifts the traditional “learner” role by placing students in the role of “expert” on a given subject. This student-centered pedagogy of CESTL highly values students’ perspectives and discoveries. Furthermore, the CESTL committee, a predominantly student committee which oversees the event, empowers students by giving them leadership of this event. Taking the role of an “expert” or a “leader” creates a strong sense of achievement in students. This sense of achievement will greatly influence their motivation and confidence to learn and teach when facing new challenges in the future (Covington, 1985; Glasser, 1990).

Lastly, learning is more powerful when the learning task is meaningful (Caine & Caine, 1997). CESTL creates a meaningful learning task by providing authentic problems which students are able to investigate in the real context (Duffy & Cunnningham, 1996). Also, CESTL intends to create a knowledge-sharing community among the LIU education students. CESTL is an opportunity for the students to make a difference in the society by sharing their knowledge with the public. When students are able to contribute their knowledge to the society, learning becomes more meaningful.

Methodology

The CESTL Committee application forms will be distributed to all student presenters after each CESTL. Four to six applicants will be selected as committee members based on the following criteria: 1) passion for the conference, 2) ability to work hard and be responsible, 3) strong oral/written communication skills; and 4) a good personality. This new CESTL Committee will be formed immediately following each CESTL event. The CESTL Committee will be responsible for coordinating the following CESTL conference including designing the posters/flyers, scheduling, publicizing the event, inviting guest speakers, and set-up/clean-up for the event.

At the beginning of each new semester, Dr. Dengting Boyanton will give her students a brief CESTL orientation and provide them a variety of research topics/questions. All research questions are related to the course content but students are encouraged to construct their own research questions based on their interests. High expectations are stated clearly at the very beginning of the class. Throughout the semester, Dr. Dengting Boyanton will provide eight mini-workshops guiding the students step by step in conducting their research, including: 1) how to choose a research topic, 2) how to form a good research question, 3) how to write a research proposal, 4) how to contact the research site and participants, 5) how to observe in a classroom, 6) how to conduct interviews, 7) how to write up the final paper, and above all, 8) how to deliver a powerful presentation at the CESTL.

In addition to providing guidance on how to conduct research, Dr. Dengting Boyanton will also provide emotional support and encouragement along the way. This is because many students are first- or second-year undergraduates or graduates who “have never done this before” or “have no idea where to start.” Dr. Dengting Boyanton will help students overcome difficult issues such as motivation, confidence, anxiety, stress, and fear of public speaking. She will provide constructive feedback about their work (e.g., “Be more specific in describing students’ behavior”) as well as encouragement (e.g., “Keep up with the great work!”) on weekly basis. Students will constantly work and rework on their research project, make gradual progresses, and gain confidence little by little.

A third task is the coordination of the CESTL itself, which will primarily be the responsibility of the CESTL Committee in coordination with LIU Conference Services. All committee members will report to Dr. Dengting Boyanton directly.

Lastly, the students will present their research at CESTL. Each student can take any of the three presentation formats: 1) PowerPoint presentation, 2) poster presentation, or 2) panel discussion. Their presentations will be evaluated by other student presenters and the instructor using CESTL Presentation Peer Evaluation Form (See Appendix A). Parents and professors are also encouraged to provide feedback for the students’ presentations.

Outcomes

As a teaching initiative, the expected outcomes of CESTL include: 1) the students’ motivation and interest to learn will be greatly enhanced; 2) the students will work much harder to meet the high expectations and standards and display higher level of involvement in the course/CESTL; 3) the students will discover principles, relationships, patterns, and theories on their own and develop a deeper understanding of teaching and learning; 4) the students will enhance their subject matter knowledge and be better prepared as future teachers; 5) the students will improve their analytical, critical-thinking, problem-solving, and creativity skills; 6) a learning community will be created where all educators/students can discuss and exchange ideas on teaching and learning; 7) students’ social skills, teamwork skills and communication skills (e.g., writing, public speaking, presenting) will be improved; and lastly; 8) students’ self-esteem will be greatly enhanced and they will become much more confident both as learners and future educators; and 9) CESTL will help students create linkages between reflective inquiry and actual classroom practice. These enhanced skills will not only assist them in succeeding in future courses, but also in the real world where such skills are crucial and sought-after.

As part of a research project conducted by Dr. Dengting Boyantonon classroom learning, the CESTL outcomes will be presented in professional conferences and meetings such as annual American Educational Research Association conferences and American Psychological Association conventions. A summary of the students’ evaluation will also be disseminated electronically within the School of Education as well as the broader LIU community by Ms. Rita Langdon, Associate Provost/Director of Public Relations.

Future of the CESTL

Currently, CESTL is still in its first phase of a long-term development process. The data obtained through current and previous CESTLs will be used as the basis for future CESTL program redesign. A possible Phase Two CESTL would expand the CESTL to include the whole LIU community focusing on the education students (both undergraduate and graduate students). A Phase Three project would test the efficacy of the CESTL on a larger scale in the state of New York by establishing partnerships with other New York universities and public schools. We would also like to provide workshops or training programs for local K-12 administrators or teachers who are interested in developing similar programs in their schools. It is our goal that CESTL will become a model program in the U.S. on how to create powerful learning in students of all levels through providing student-centered conferences.

References

Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the
classroom. ASHE-ERIC

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive
theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Bruner, J. S. (1983). In search of mind: Essays in autobiography. New York: Harper & Row.

Caine, R. N., & Caine, G. (1997). Education on the edge of possibility. Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA.

Covington, M. V. (1985). Strategic thinking and the fear of failure. In J. W. Segal, S. F.
Chipman, & R. Glaser (Eds.), Thinking and learning skills (Vol. 1). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. New York: The Macmillan Company

Duffy, T. M., & Cunningham, D. J. (1996). Constructivism: Implications for the design and delivery of instruction. In D. Jonassen (Ed), Handbook of research for educational communications and technology (pp. 170-198). New York: Macmillan Library Reference

Foot, H. C., Shute, R. H., & Morgan, M. J. (1990). Theoretical issues in peer tutoring. In
H. C. Foot, M. J. Morgan, & R. H. Shute (Eds.), Children helping children. New York: Wiley.
Glasser, W. (1990). The quality school. New York: Harper & Row.

Gorsky, P., Caspi, A. & Trumperb, R. (2006). Campus-based university students’ use of dialogue. Studies in Higher Education, 31(1), 71-87.

Good, T. L., & Brophy, J. (1995). Contemporary educational psychology (5th Ed.). New York: Longman.

Goodlad, B. H. & Hirst, B. (1989). Peer tutoring: A guide to learning by teaching. Nichols Pub Co.

Higher Education Report, No.1. Washington, DC: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

Piaget, J. (1952). The origin of intelligence of the child (M. Gabain, Trans.). Glencoe, IL: Free Press (Original book published 1932)

Shulman, L. S. (1999). Taking learning seriously. Change, 31(4), 11-17.

Stader, D., & Gagnepain, F. C. (2000). Mentoring: The power of peers. American Secondary Education, 28(3), 28-32.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1986). Thought and language (A. Kozulin, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (Original work published 1934)

Future CESTLs:

The 7th CESTL will be held on December 18th, 2010 (Saturday) in Tills Performance Center
The 8th CESTL will be held on April 30th, 2010 (Saturday) in Tills Performance Center

6th CESTL Flyer

Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education @

Long Island University C. W. Post

Proudly Presents

6th Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning

9am-9pm, April 24, 2010 (Sat)
Top of Commons
Long Island University, C.W. Post
OPEN to the Public!

Welcome to the CESTL! Sponsored by the Long Island University Teaching & Learning Instructional Innovation Grant, Curriculum & Instruction, the School of Education, CESTL is a completely student-oriented conference on classroom teaching and learning at both the elementary and secondary school level. CESTL is organized by Professor Dengting Boyanton and all of her students currently taking her courses EDI 15A Psychological Perspective: Teaching & Learning, EDI 17 Psychology & Development of Adolescent Students, and EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education from the Curriculum & Instruction Department of the School of Education at the Long Island University (C. W. Post Campus).

The 6th CESTL will show research conducted by all of our student researchers throughout the Spring 2010 semester. Each student spent this whole semester investigating one research topic related to teaching and learning under Dr. Boyanton’s guidance and supervision. Specific research methods included classroom observations, interviews, class discussions, and self-reflections on teaching and learning.

The CESTL conference will cover a wide range of topics related to classroom teaching and learning including learning and motivation, learning environment, learning process, learning conditions, peer relationship and learning, parenting and learning, teacher characteristics and learning, learning disabilities, race and learning, culture and learning, technology and learning, and many more.

The CESTL keynote speaker will be Dr. Paul Forestell, Provsot at Long Island University. Dr. Forestell will give a talk titled "The Meaning of Teaching". Associate Dean Dr. Kathryn Lusteg will deliver the Welcome Address.

The CESTL will also provide a Special Symposium on teaching and learning at the higher education level from the professors' perspective. Five professors from the Department of Curriculum & Instruction will join this symposium to share their experiences and perspectives: Dr. Andrea McLoulin, Dr. Jeongun Rhee, Dr. Michele Szpara, Dr. Efleda Tolentino, Dr. Yenyen Woo.

The CESTL is open to the public and anyone who has interest in our students’ research is welcome to attend! Please mark your calendar and join us in this exciting and inspiring event! We would greatly appreciate if you could also help us spread the news among your students, colleagues, friends, or whoever will be interested.

We look forward to seeing you in the 6th CESTL!

To learn more about our students’ research: http://cestl.blogspot.com/

Questions/comments? 516-299-4117 or dengting.boyanton@liu.edu

Sincerely,

Dengting Boyanton Ph.D.
CESTL Faculty Advisor
Assistant Professor
Curriculum & Instruction
School of Education
Long Island University, C.W. Post

6th CESTL Committee Board

6th CESTL Keynote Speaker

Dr. Paul H. Forestell, a college administrator, professor of psychology and internationally renowned marine mammal scientist, has served as Provost of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University since July 14, 2008. As chief executive officer, Dr. Forestell leads one of the New York metropolitan area’s most respected private university campuses of higher learning, with an enrollment of 5,300 undergraduates, 3,000 graduate students and more than 100,000 alumni.

Dr. Forestell is responsible for campus operations, policy development and strategic direction, academic initiatives, admissions and recruitment, retention, financial aid, athletics, student affairs, and public safety, and buildings and grounds. In addition he oversees a $170 million campus operations budget. The campus has a staff of more than 1,000, including 329 full-time professors. In addition to C.W. Post, Dr. Forestell also serves as provost of Long Island University’s campuses in Brentwood, Rockland and Riverhead.

Prior to his appointment as Provost, Dr. Forestell served as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at C.W. Post. He is a widely published and consulted expert on whales, dolphins and seals. He is currently vice president of the Pacific Whale Foundation in Wailuku, Hawaii and was the foundation’s director of research for eight years before joining Long Island University in 1996 as the coordinator of the psychobiology program at Southampton College. At Southampton and at C.W. Post, he has been an advocate of study abroad and field experience, and organizes an annual expedition to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica for university students to conduct long-term field studies of dolphins. He also coordinates internships for students in Australia, Ecuador, Hawaii and throughout the mainland United States, and oversees the Campus’ Fulbright Program.

Dr. Forestell graduated cum laude from the University of New Brunswick in Canada with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy in 1972. He earned a master’s degree in experimental psychology from the University of New Brunswick in 1976 and a Ph.D. in comparative psychology from the University of Hawaii in 1988.

Dr. Forestell has served on several university committees, including the Teaching and Learning Initiative Committee, the Outcomes Assessment Committee, and the Arts and Sciences Strategic Planning Committee. He also was chairman of the Faculty Council at Southampton College. Along with serving on numerous administrative and committee posts at Southampton College and C.W. Post, Dr. Forestell has taught and conducted research in animal behavior at the University of New Brunswick and the University of Hawaii as well as Selkirk Community College in British Columbia and the School for Field Studies in Beverly, Mass. He has participated in nearly 30 professional workshops and government advisory groups dealing both with the scientific study and conservation of whales, dolphins and the marine environment. He has been the recipient of nearly $500,000 in government research grants.

Dr. Forestell is the author or co-author of eight books and book chapters, 18 peer-reviewed articles and nearly 70 contract reports and conference presentations. He has delivered dozens of invited public presentations and has been quoted in major news media in the United States, Japan and Australia.
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6th CESTL Professor Speakers

6th CESTL Student Speakers

6th CESTL Program

How did I feel about the CESTL conference? I felt nervous, anxious, honored, excited, acknowledged, and supported. One thing I learned from CESTL is that trust in a student/faculty relationship is most vital in creating an ideal learning environment. I was very prepared for the CESTL conference after working on my research paper and slide show. I worked incredibly hard because I knew I would be presenting in front of a large group of people. I wanted my knowledge on my topic to be supreme. I learned so many new ideas from my classmates and Dr. Forestell yesterday at the CESTL conference. I do not feel like I am the only one with questions about teaching. I feel confident, empowered, and more knowledgeable. The CESTL learning experience is incredibly rewarding. I hope Dr. Boyanton will continue this conference for her EDI 15A students for many years to come. I will absolutely recommend the CESTL conference to other LIU students. It is a great way to acknowledge oneself and build confidence. I feel very accomplished and proud to have participated. I would have loved to see some of the graduate students also participate. I think students should encourage their past inspiring teachers to attend as well. My advice for future students are: work very diligently and know your material! The questions at the end of your show are challenging and require a student to be very aware of their presentation. (Hailey Feldman)

I was very excited for the CESTL conference. I was not nervous at all to present my research. I learned that there are many different techniques to use in a classroom if you are experiencing behavior management with your children. I have worked very hard for the CESTL conference. I wanted my powerpoint to look professional and well down, so I worked a lot to make it complete. This course experience helped me a great deal with my confidence of becoming an effective educator in the future. I was able to speak in front of the whole audience and I am now prepared to speak in front of my classroom. I learned a great amount of information from the CESTL conference. I would recommend this conference to other LIU students. I learned a lot of information by coming to the conference, especially if you are in the field of becoming a teacher. I really enjoyed going to the CESTL conference. Although I was only there for three hours, I learned a great amount of information. The presentation that really struck me as interesting was the girl who did it on teen pregnancies. This was very interesting because she admitted that she was a pregnant teen and was so open about it. I do not think I would have been as open as she was, especially in front of a group of strangers.

I’m glad I worked so hard for this class because it really showed off in my presentation. I am very sad that this semester is ending. I have enjoyed this class very much, especially because of your professor Boyanton. You were a great teacher and a great inspiration for me. I hope to make my classroom just as great as yours is. You are one of the best teachers I have ever experience thus far in college. You really care about your students and want them to strive to their fullest potential. Thank you for making this class so much fun and so enjoyable. I will miss your class a lot next semester.

(Brooke Melzer)

One thing that I learned from the conference was always be prepared. There were a couple of people that I felt weren’t necessarily ready for their presentation or just very nervous. If a person is prepared then their nerves will calm and they’ll seem more knowledgeable.

I was very prepared for the conference. I had looked over my slides many times, practiced my presentation. I made sure I knew all of the information, timing, sequence etc. so I was confident and seemed more knowledgeable about my presentation. I didn’t want to look like a fool presenting in front of a group of well educated men and women.

I worked really hard on my presentation this semester, editing my slides and paper. I did this because I am very motivated by getting good grades but also by showing people that I am capable of doing a great project. I worked hard on my research so I’d be able to spread the information I learned to other teachers.

I was very satisfied with my performance. I felt like I knew my information very well, used my time efficiently and sounded very confident. One of the viewers asked me “if I could teach them how to do that” (present) after I had finished.

The course has helped me by boosting my confidence in public speaking as well as helped me learn about misbehavior. I also learned that if I want to do something with my class I should research the topic so I know exactly what it is that I’m talking about.

The conference was really great and I had a lot of fun. I think it was a really unique experience to learn from prospective teachers, present teachers and students. I would definitely recommend CESTL to other education majors I think the conference was a great way to learn more about different teaching topics and experiences. I wouldn’t recommend the conference to other majors simply because it is not something that many other majors would be interested in. Some suggestions I may have about the conference is to give professors more time to have discussion and the high school students less. I only say this because I thought the professors had a lot of information and a lot to say about each subject and questions while the high school students gave the shortest answers they could. A suggestion that I can give students for the future is to not stress the conference. It is a great learning opportunity and a way to practice your professionalism and public speaking. If you do your research correctly you should be prepared for the presentation. (Laura Powell)

First off, I’m sad to say that this is my last class with Professor Boyanton. She is the best. She may be a hard teacher but she is very sweet and sincere about her students. She encourages and inspires them to become teachers. Her passion for teaching is unbelievable, and I am/was proud to have her as a teacher. When Professor Boyanton told the class about the CESTL conference, I was a little skeptical because I’m not a big fan of public speaking. However, when I got there all the butterflies I initially had went away because I was surrounded by my peers. The conference was exactly like how Professor Boyanton described it to be, helpful and a learning experience. I was very prepared for the CESTL conference, because my Professor put a lot of pressure on the class to be well organized and professional. So I had to do what was right to make her and myself look good. I worked hard. I put a lot of effort into my work, because had to make my project a reflection of me.

The most interesting part was when the teachers’ panel was talking. The advice they gave to us future teachers was very helpful. It was a reality check, for most of us though. They gave us pointers on how to conduct a class when there are children who swear or curse. For instance, Dr. Yen Yen said to make up a word like “hamburger.” This word would deal with the students’ frustrations towards something. Overall, though, this conference was good. Students were able to see the teaching view from two different perspectives; the teachers view and the student view, and shockingly enough the students’ view on how teachers teach was sad because they were always able to give a negative feedback on a teacher before giving the positive. And it showed that teachers seem less enthusiastic about teaching materials and that’s not good. A teacher is always supposed to keep her students engaged, because if she/he doesn’t they become bored and unmotivated.

(Tisje Pediford)

I was extremely prepared for the CESTL conference. I felt that it was necessary for me to be prepared to my fullest potential so that I could perform my best. I worked immensely for the CESTL conference, It was necessary to work this hard to do a great job. At some points it was overwhelming because this is not the only class I need to do work for but once it was finished I felt accomplished. In the end, I was fully satisfied with my performance at the CESTL conference. I am very proud of myself. This experience defiantly helped give me confidence, it shows you when you do not think you can do something, you can as long as you put your mind to it. The CESTL learning experience was helpful to see many different points of views. This is great way to learn. I will absolutely recommend it to all LIU students, the CESTL conference helped me grow as a person, in both knowledge and confidence. My advice for future students is: Do not wait until the last minute, if you have Professor Boyanton follow her lead, when you should do assignments. It is not as overwhelming as it seems. (Erin Sorger)

I was excited to gain knowledge from the conference from other students and teachers. That all students and teachers have a different outlook at situations, not one is right or wrong. But you have to approach every situation with an open mind and form your own opinions on it after gaining knowledge about it.

I worked very hard. I worked hard to get a good grade and to please myself and my teacher. I am a perfectionist and do everything the best that I can.

This experience has helped me to open up more in a classroom and participate more. I am more comfortable with public speaking now then I was before. I will need this skill later on in life as an educator. Although I was only able to attend the conference for a limited period of time, I thought that it was a great experience to be a part of. I thought that everyone had something great to say and everyone was very passionate about what they were presenting. Both of the panels that I listened to were very intelligent and answered every question truthfully.

However I do have some critiques on the conference, nothing terrible, just some comments. First off, I noticed that the conference was not advertised much. When I walked into the elevator a girl asked me if I was going to the conference, I said yes. She then explained to me that she had been driving around the campus for an hour looking for where it was being held. When she asked public safety they had no idea where it was and that it was even going on. I also noticed that there were very few signs around campus and that it was not advertised in the paper or online much. I think with more advertisement it would be better attended by both current teachers and students. The one major comment I have on the conference is about the posters. I think it is a great idea to allow students to present their research on a poster instead of a power point presentation. However, with that said, I do not think it is fair that they receive the same grade as someone who presented a power point presentation. A power point presentation contains a lot more information than a poster and requires much more work; it is also more stressful to present to a room full of people than to a few people one on one who stop at your poster. Truthfully, if I had known that doing a poster and presenting it to a few people at a time was an option, I would have chosen to do that. However, after spending four hours creating my power point presentation I was not going to throw that away to do a poster. I do agree that making a poster and presenting it to a few people still takes work and is still stressful, but not the same amount of work required when putting together a power point presentation. I think that posters should still be an option in the future but I think that something else has to be added to that assignment. For example, maybe they have to create a short power point to present in front of the class in addition to showing their poster at the conference. Or maybe they have to present their poster in front of the class, not only to practice, but to show their peers and teacher what they worked on and what they learned. (Kristen Zimmermann)

I was feeling nervous in the beginning, but felt excited and rewarding. It’s might be kind of hard for me to present in English with others. However, the truth was not hard like I thought before. After I finished I feel really happy and glad for my works. I felt a little bit more confident in myself. I felt great during my presentation. When people came to my poster. At first, I really nervous, and did not present so well. After I repeated again and again, I became less nervous. And when I felt people were interested in my work, I wound like to talk more about it. At that time I felt like a more confident person who was eager to show off her work with others. I have to say that I learned a lot and got many useful experiences in this course. The knowledge with very great experiences with this course give me more confidence and led me more close to a effective educator in the future. I would. Especially the students who major are education. They can benefit a lot in this CESTL. (Luchun Chiu)

I was very nervous about the CESTL Conference, but it went better than I had expected it to. I worked very hard for the conference because I didn’t want to let Professor Dengting or myself down. For some reason I felt like my poster looked like a fifth grader did it, but everyone who came to look at it complimented me on it saying that it was well organized and neat and that the color made it stand out. I was very pleased hearing all the positive feedback. I’m glad it came out the way it did considering I was up late the night before making sure it was correct. Having my classmates near me helped a lot as well especially with being supportive. At the end of the day I was glad that I did a poster and presented at the CESTL. I think that CESTL is a great way to get your students out there and more involved with their learning. Although I only did a poster presentation not a slide show I still feel that being there and seeing all the other presentations was an awesome experience. To be honest I thought this class was going to be the worst with the amount of work that we had to complete but it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be which I was very happy about. I think that this course experience helped me with my confidence of becoming an effective educator a lot. I learned so much from my peers and from Professor Dengting that I will definitely use in the future. I am definitely going to miss Professor Dengting and my classmates because I honestly think that they are the reason that the class ended up turning out the way it did. Hearing what everyone else had to say and their opinion made the class into what it was and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher or class. (Nicole Okeefe)

I was a little nervous about the conference but I was mostly excited to show off my poster presentation. I learned how many experienced people there are out there in the world who we can utilize if we have questions about anything when it comes to teaching. I was very prepared for the conference because I knew the topic in and out. I was able to explain my project and answer any questions that the people had. I have worked very hard because it takes a lot of time to prepare a poster presentation and have it come out successful and look good. This experience has helped me with my confidence because I realize that I am knowledgeable when it concerns educating others. I also got a lot of good advice from listening to others who are experienced. I think CESTL was a great experience and I was very happy that I decided to go. I would definitely recommend the conference to other LIU education students because you definitely learn a lot by listening to others as they explain their views. tactics, and experiences. (Patricia Ury)

I was very nervous before the presentation but once I got there I felt more relaxed because I knew I was well prepared and that it was irrational to feel nervous or fearful. I went around to all the poster-boards and was surprised to see how much information everyone had come up with. Sonias poster was especially great because she talked about students with disabilities and I want to be a Special Education teacher, so hearing about her observations were very beneficial to me. I was very prepared. I made sure to have all the necessary information that I would need for my poster-board. I made handouts that explained all the graphs and charts I had found and also talked about my observations on the handout as well. I didn’t want to look foolish so I made sure I knew everything relevant to my topic. I worked very hard. I have to say it was stressful at times getting everything together, stressing about questions people were going to ask me, but I think I did a great job and I believe I worked my hardest. I worked very hard. I have to say it was stressful at times getting everything together, stressing about questions people were going to ask me, but I think I did a great job and I believe I worked my hardest. I’m very satisfied. I think I gave 100% with my project. My board looked very professional; it was simple, everything was laminated, and I even made handouts. I was able to explain to the guests about my topic and made it easier for them to understand my points and facts I had come across while researching. It definitely helped me. I feel much more confident in my abilities and know that I am capable of anything and that there is never anything to fear. CESTL was organized great and that there actually wasn’t much to be improved. Everyone did a wonderful job! (Sara Hijazi)

This past weekend was the sixth conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching and Learning that we all worked so hard for. The morning of the conference I didn’t know what to expect. I slept fourteen hours the night before and was so ready with excitement but still a little bit nervous to go to the conference. As I got there around 8:30 am and saw a few of my classmates, I wasn’t so nervous. I think that this conference was prepared very well and the turn-up was great. Everyone in our class presented so well and looked very knowledgeable. Also when it was time to present my poster board, I wasn’t nervous at all and in fact I was pretty confident in the knowledge that I obtained on my research. I was able to answer all question that people were asking me. I had a really great time and I’m defiantly looking forward to attending next year’s conference (only if I’m invited)!…ϑ I know this semester was crazy for me with web ct not working almost all through the whole semester and with the loss of two close relatives, but I wanted to let you know it was a great pleasure having you as a teacher. You always made me smile and though my 2 years at post I’ve never had a teacher like you. I would always look forward to go to your class that’s why I never missed it( only when I had the funerals to go to) but I hope to have you again as a teacher because I know I probably won’t have a teacher ever like you. (Jennifer Sanmartin)

I thought that once I got to the conference, I was at ease. Whereas before hand I was extremely nervous. I learned a lot about teaching and certain situations that every teacher is going to go through. I thought I was very well prepared with my poster. I knew all the information and once I was standing next to my poster I felt very comfortable. I worked very hard on my poster, it took me long hours and days to get down all the information and pictures and spent a lot of money on my poster board. The CESTL was a great experience that I think maybe Dr. Boyanton should make it mandatory in the future so that all students can benefit from it. (Calliope Giannopoulos)

I felt extremely prepared for the conference and presenting. I feel that I have worked very hard on my project. It was like my baby and I was very proud of it and I researched it to an extreme. I wanted to make sure everything I said was true and I did not want to look dumb. I researched a lot of things and I actually ended up having too much information. It was hard for me to pick what to include in the conference because I felt that everything was so important and such great information that I did not want to have to cut anything from my slides. By eliminating bulkiness in my slides I was able to go through them easily and share all of my opinions and personal experiences with the audience. The only challenges I faced were getting rid of a few slides. If there was anything I could change about my presentation I would say it would to be able to add all of my slides and to be able to have an entire class period to talk about my topic. I felt that my topic was very important to every teacher no matter what grade or subject. Without motivation everything else does not matter. I wanted to stress that upon my audience but it was very difficult to make them understand how important it is for teachers to be able to motivate students. I showed way to motivate and de-motivate students which I feel will only help me in the future as an educator because now I know some of the techniques I should and shouldn’t use to help me be the best teacher I can be. I was very surprised and satisfied with my performance. It gave me more confidence for the next time I have to present, and let me know that I am capable of presenting without being nervous. The CESTL was a great experience. I wish more people and more administration could be there, and that was the only downside in my opinion. I wish there was more administration from other schools and more from our school.

(Morgan Milleisen)

The conference was awesome, I really had a good time. My peers posters were really informative and helpful. I like the topics that were presented. Overall the conference build my confidence. Also I met two special education teacher who help me. I got a chance to ask them question and their experiences. Both of them stated that it is a challenging job but so rewarding as a well. Also they stated that I had good information and they wished me luck. Thank you so much for this opportunity, I am so happy that I went and also did a poster as well. In a way it build my conference and ensure my passion for teaching.

I felt very nervous and exited about the conference. This conference taught me that if work hard for something then it really pays off. This course taught me that I do have a voice and my opinions are valued. I think the conference was a very good learning experience because it builds confidence. I would recommend this to every student, especially education major. I would recommend future presenters to do a lot of research, be prepared and try not to let your nerves get to you. (Sonia Zaidi)

6th CESTL Evaluations by Faculty Members

Dear Dengting,

First, please let me apologize for taking so long to respond to your kind note. Things move so quickly this time of year!

I want to tell you how delighted I was to be asked to speak at the CESTL event. You provide such an amazing venue for students to interact with each other, and with accomplished professionals, in a positive and informative way. Your invitation to speak allowed me to reflect a great deal on my own experiences, and the various elements that have become important to me as a framework for trying to understand the teaching profession better.

Dengting, your energy, enthusiasm and intelligence are great assets to our campus – it is clear our students appreciate the many ways you challenge them to grow, and the excellent feedback and encouragement you provide with such skill and sensitivity. Good luck with future CESTL conferences – I hope to be able to drop in on future events.

Have a great summer.

Warm regards,

Paul

Paul Forestell, Ph.D.
Provost
C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University
=============
Dear Dengting:

Once again, thank you for inviting me to make some remarks at today's CESTL conference. On behalf of the TLI and Office of Academic Affairs,I very much appreciate the opportunity to support you in such a worthy endeavor, and seeing the work of your students is truly inspiring. They are very fortunate to have an instructor with such dedication and commitment to their learning and success as teachers! Beyond that, it is very obvious to me, and I'm sure to everyone who participated, that you care deeply about these students not only as learners and professionals-in-training, but as human beings that have so much potential to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Thank you for the travel mug (which I love!) as it will be a great reminder to me of the wonderful work that you do with our students at Long Island University.

All the best,

Liz Ciabocchi
Associate Vice President for Instructional
Technology and Faculty Development, Office of Academic Affairs

===========

That was wonderful, Dengting!!!
So sorry that I couldn’t spend the day.
Congratulations!
Bette

Bette Schneiderman
Professor of Educational Technology
College of Education
==================

Dengting,

It was my pleasure to participate at the CESTL conference.
You did such wonderful work organizing the conference.
Your students' work were impressive!

On behalf of Joshua, thank you for the invitation.

Warmly,
Efleda
Efleda Tolentino
Assistant Professor
Early Childhood Education
Curriculum & Instruction
=====
Dengting,

CESTL is a very enjoyable event, and I appreciate all of your hard work in putting it together, even with assistance from student helpers.

Andrea Mcloughlin
Associate Professor of Education
Curriculum & Instruction Department
College of Education

===========
Hello Dengting,

I will be delighted to participate in the 7th CESTL conference.

Regards,

Roberta

Dr. Roberta Levitt
Assistant Professor
Department of Special Education & Literacy
School of Education
C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University
720 Northern Blvd. Brookville, New York 11548-1300
Phone: 516-299-3128
roberta.levitt@liu.edu

===========

Dear Dr. Boyanton,

Excellent work on the CESTL, once again!

Sadly, this is my last year as a committee member for CESTL; I will miss working with you and the students. But I've enjoyed being a part of the event for the past few semesters, and thank you for the opportunity. This year, among my favorite segments were hearing about the Provost's unique experiences, all the panel discussions, and Dr. Tolentino's presentation about early childhood education.

You have been a source of inspiration for me since my first semester at CW Post, as I've experienced your wonderful teaching skills firsthand. For me, the best way to learn is by watching and listening to others; a great role model is so valuable to know...and you have provided that opportunity for me to learn some great teaching skills from day one.

Your commitment, passion, professionalism, and hard work in the field of education are things that I will remember, along with the name-game on our first day of class and the various other ways you motivated us...such as, responding to our work, displaying and sharing our work in class, building student/teacher trust with a humanistic approach to teaching, and reflective journals, to name a few.

The CESTL provides an important avenue for students to share their voice with the teaching community - it is an empowering activity that most of us really need as we enter the important career of teaching. I hope the event continues for many years to come, and keeps evolving as it has the past few semesters. I look forward to staying in touch with you and to visit your future CESTLs in the future.

Also - fantastic mug! Great gifts! Thank you for those, as well.

All the very best,

Evi
Evi Gounelas
CESTL Program Coordinator

6th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 15A Psychological Perspective of Teaching & Learning

How did I feel about the CESTL? I felt nervous, anxious, honored, excited, acknowledged, and supported. One thing I learned from CESTL is that trust in a student/faculty relationship is most vital in creating an ideal learning environment. I was very prepared for the CESTL conference after working on my research paper and slide show. I worked incredibly hard because I knew I would be presenting in front of a large group of people. I wanted my knowledge on my topic to be supreme. I learned so many new ideas from my classmates and Dr. Forestell yesterday at the CESTL conference. I do not feel like I am the only one with questions about teaching. I feel confident, empowered, and more knowledgeable.

The CESTL learning experience is incredibly rewarding. I hope Dr. Boyanton will continue this conference for her EDI 15A students for many years to come. I will absolutely recommend the CESTL conference to other LIU students. It is a great way to acknowledge oneself and build confidence. I feel very accomplished and proud to have participated. I would have loved to see some of the graduate students also participate. I think students should encourage their past inspiring teachers to attend as well. My advice for future students are: work very diligently and know your material! The questions at the end of your show are challenging and require a student to be very aware of their presentation.

(Hailey Feldman)

I learned a great amount of information from the CESTL conference. I would recommend this conference to other LIU students. I learned a lot of information by coming to the conference, especially if you are in the field of becoming a teacher. I really enjoyed going to the CESTL conference. Although I was only there for three hours, I learned a great amount of information. The presentation that really struck me as interesting was the girl who did it on teen pregnancies. This was very interesting because she admitted that she was a pregnant teen and was so open about it. I do not think I would have been as open as she was, especially in front of a group of strangers.

(Brooke Melzer)

At first when I knew it was getting close to my turn I was nervous. However when I got to the front of the room I was more excited and confident about the presentation. As I started speaking I realized I knew the information and had a great time presenting. One thing that I learned from the conference was always be prepared. There were a couple of people that I felt weren’t necessarily ready for their presentation or just very nervous. If a person is prepared then their nerves will calm and they’ll seem more knowledgeable.

This course has helped me by boosting my confidence in public speaking as well as helped me learn about misbehavior. I also learned that if I want to do something with my class I should research the topic so I know exactly what it is that I’m talking about. The CESTL conference was really great and I had a lot of fun. I think it was a really unique experience to learn from prospective teachers, present teachers and students. I would definitely recommend CESTL to other education majors I think the conference was a great way to learn more about different teaching topics and experiences. I wouldn’t recommend the conference to other majors simply because it is not something that many other majors would be interested in. Some suggestions I may have about the conference is to give professors more time to have discussion and the high school students less. I only say this because I thought the professors had a lot of information and a lot to say about each subject and questions while the high school students gave the shortest answers they could. A suggestion that I can give students for the future is to not stress the conference. It is a great learning opportunity and a way to practice your professionalism and public speaking. If you do your research correctly you should be prepared for the presentation.

(Laura Powell)

When Professor Boyanton told the class about the CESTL conference, I was a little skeptical because I’m not a big fan of public speaking. However, when I got there all the butterflies I initially had went away because I was surrounded by my peers. The conference was exactly like how Professor Boyanton described it to be, helpful and a learning experience. I was very prepared for the CESTL conference, because my Professor put a lot of pressure on the class to be well organized and professional. So I had to do what was right to make her and myself look good. I worked hard. I put a lot of effort into my work, because had to make my project a reflection of me.

The most interesting part of the CESTL was when the professors’ panel was talking. The advice they gave to us future teachers was very helpful. It was a reality check, for most of us though. They gave us pointers on how to conduct a class when there are children who swear or curse. For instance, Dr. Yen Yen said to make up a word like “hamburger.” This word would deal with the students’ frustrations towards something. Overall, though, this conference was good. Students were able to see the teaching view from two different perspectives; the teachers view and the student view, and shockingly enough the students’ view on how teachers teach was sad because they were always able to give a negative feedback on a teacher before giving the positive. And it showed that teachers seem less enthusiastic about teaching materials and that’s not good. A teacher is always supposed to keep her students engaged, because if she/he doesn’t they become bored and unmotivated.

(Tisje Pediford)

(Erin Sorger)

I worked very hard. I worked hard to get a good grade and to please myself and my teacher. I am a perfectionist and do everything the best that I can.

The CESTL experience has helped me to open up more in a classroom and participate more. I am more comfortable with public speaking now then I was before. I will need this skill later on in life as an educator. Although I was only able to attend the conference for a limited period of time, I thought that it was a great experience to be a part of. I thought that everyone had something great to say and everyone was very passionate about what they were presenting. Both of the panels that I listened to were very intelligent and answered every question truthfully.

(Kristen Zimmermann)

I think that CESTL is a great way to get your students out there and more involved with their learning. Although I only did a poster presentation not a slide show I still feel that being there and seeing all the other presentations was an awesome experience. To be honest I thought this class was going to be the worst with the amount of work that we had to complete but it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be which I was very happy about. I think that this course experience helped me with my confidence of becoming an effective educator a lot. I learned so much from my peers and from Professor Dengting that I will definitely use in the future. I am definitely going to miss Professor Dengting and my classmates because I honestly think that they are the reason that the class ended up turning out the way it did. Hearing what everyone else had to say and their opinion made the class into what it was and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher or class.

(Nicole Okeefe)

I think CESTL was a great experience and I was very happy that I decided to go. I would definitely recommend the conference to other LIU education students because you definitely learn a lot by listening to others as they explain their views. tactics, and experiences.

(Patricia Ury)

I worked very hard. I have to say it was stressful at times getting everything together, stressing about questions people were going to ask me, but I think I did a great job and I believe I worked my hardest. I worked very hard. I have to say it was stressful at times getting everything together, stressing about questions people were going to ask me, but I think I did a great job and I believe I worked my hardest. I’m very satisfied. I think I gave 100% with my project. My board looked very professional; it was simple, everything was laminated, and I even made handouts. I was able to explain to the guests about my topic and made it easier for them to understand my points and facts I had come across while researching. It definitely helped me. I feel much more confident in my abilities and know that I am capable of anything and that there is never anything to fear. CESTL was organized great and that there actually wasn’t much to be improved. Everyone did a wonderful job!

(Sara Hijazi)

As I got there around 8:30 am and saw a few of my classmates, I wasn’t so nervous. I think that this conference was prepared very well and the turn-up was great. Everyone in our class presented so well and looked very knowledgeable. Also when it was time to present my poster board, I wasn’t nervous at all and in fact I was pretty confident in the knowledge that I obtained on my research. I was able to answer all question that people were asking me. I had a really great time and I’m defiantly looking forward to attending next year’s conference (only if I’m invited)!…

I know this semester was crazy for me with web ct not working almost all through the whole semester and with the loss of two close relatives, but I wanted to let you know it was a great pleasure having you as a teacher. You always made me smile and though my 2 years at post I’ve never had a teacher like you. I would always look forward to go to your class that’s why I never missed it( only when I had the funerals to go to) but I hope to have you again as a teacher because I know I probably won’t have a teacher ever like you.

(Jennifer Sanmartin)

(Calliope Giannopoulos)

The only challenges I faced were getting rid of a few slides. If there was anything I could change about my presentation I would say it would to be able to add all of my slides and to be able to have an entire class period to talk about my topic. I felt that my topic was very important to every teacher no matter what grade or subject. Without motivation everything else does not matter. I wanted to stress that upon my audience but it was very difficult to make them understand how important it is for teachers to be able to motivate students. I showed way to motivate and de-motivate students which I feel will only help me in the future as an educator because now I know some of the techniques I should and shouldn’t use to help me be the best teacher I can be.

I was very surprised and satisfied with my performance. It gave me more confidence for the next time I have to present, and let me know that I am capable of presenting without being nervous. The CESTL was a great experience. I wish more people and more administration could be there, and that was the only downside in my opinion. I wish there was more administration from other schools and more from our school.

(Morgan Milleisen)

(Sonia Zaidi)

6th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 17

Hello Professor Boyanton,

its Meghan McKillop from EDI 17. Congratulations on a wonderful CESTL conference! I had a really great experience and enjoyed attending and participating. You must feel so relieved that it was such a success and all of your hard work in planning and organizing paid off!

I truly enjoyed the conference and I gained valuable knowledge about adolescent and the education system. Although I enjoyed myself, I do not feel comfortable with my video and photos being uploaded to the internet. Thank you very much for creating this experience for me.
(Tarissa Pickens)

One more thing about the CESTL conference. I have to admire Dr. Boyanton's hard work to put the CESTL conference together. She deserves a lot of credit because she is hard worker and all of her had work will pay off when the CESTL runs smooth and the way she planned it. Good job, Dr. Boyanton!
(Jerry Franchino)

Before I presented at the conference, I was feeling very nervous. However, after practicing in front of the class I felt much better. My nervousness turned to excitement. I was looking forward to presenting my findings in front of other people at the conference. Listening to the International panel was very beneficial for me. I think as a prospective educator, it is important to know about the culture of the students and to have a better understanding of what high school was like for the Asian students I feel will really help me in my future. I was very prepared for the conference. I had gone over my slides several times and I was very confident with the material. I felt good about presenting the material to the audience and I was definitely prepared for any questions that might have been asked of me. This conference really made me feel like I can do it.

As a student, it is scary to think that in a few short years we will be teachers. It is a strange concept. Going from high school straight to college, the lifestyle doesn’t change; we are students. It is a scary thought to think of ourselves as teachers. The conference really gave us the experience of being a teacher. I think the CESTL conference is a great way for all of the students and teachers to be together and learn from each other. I think it also gives the students a great opportunity to present his/her findings and feel accomplished. I would definitely recommend the CESTL to other LIU students. I think that all of the teachers in the education department should promote the conference to his/her students. It is a wonderful learning experience. I would advise all students to present at the CESTL conference. I was very scared at first and didn’t feel like I could do it. Looking back now, I am so glad that I did! It was one of the best experiences I’ve had as a prospective teacher.
(Andrea Wapnick)

I was excited for the CESTL conference because I had a lot of fun working on my presentation. I was also looking forward to the student panel. I learned that if teachers listen to their students and teach classes that are different and exciting they can have a lasting impact on their students’ lives. I felt prepared for the CESTL conference because I had done the practice run through in class. If I hadn’t done that I probably would have been much more nervous. I worked very hard for the CESTL conference because I wanted my presentation to be something I could be proud of. I

was satisfied with my performance at the CESTL but I will always feel that I can do better. Being a perfectionist, there are always notes I make to myself about how I can improve in the future. I always feel more comfortable participating in this class than any other. This is one of those rare classes that allows you to think and rewards you for it. Consequently, I feel that I learn more and feel better prepared to be an educator because the class discussions were meaningful and thoughtful.

CESTL was an interesting and fun experience. The power point presentations and posters were interesting, as were the guest speakers, and the panel discussion with the middle school/high school students was great. I would definitely recommend the CESTL conference to other education majors because there is a wealth of information that can be helpful to them as future teachers. I have no complaints about the CESTL at all. I think having it in the Top of the Commons was a really great idea though. It was a great atmosphere for the conference: light and positive but also professional. For future students, I would suggest thinking seriously about which research topic to choose. If the whole semester is going to be spent researching and learning about that topic it should be one that the student has interest in and is passionate about. It should also be one that can be studied through classroom observations. (Jessica Murphy)

I was extremely nervous prior to my presentation. However, after I presented I was extremely relieved and pretty confident that I did well. I learned that there is a large demographic of learners within the classroom and it is our job as teachers to appeal to each kind. One set of curriculum does not fulfill all students’ needs. I was prepared for the CESTL conference because I felt confident with my PowerPoint and I practiced not only in class but I few times at home. I was very satisfied with my performance because not only did I receive positive feedback but I felt confident that my presentation went smoothly. Everything seemed to flow nicely, and I thankfully didn’t stutter on any words.

This course experience has helped me because not only has the research provided me with effective and essential information, but it has given confidence in relation to public speaking and my ability to share my own beliefs about education. I think overall it was a very effective learning experience because not only did I grow confidence in myself, the entire conference brought to my attention such essential and interesting issues and was extremely informative. I really liked the panel of high school students and hearing the perspectives about their educational experiences. However, I wish there were more students participating to obtain some more information. (Jammianne Kruse)

I was nervous yet excited to present my work to everyone who would be at the conference. I learned a little bit from each person at the conference. However I think I learned the most from Jessica Murphy’s presentation on how two faced adolescent students are. I feel I was really prepared for the conference mainly because of the workshop we did as a class the week before hearing everyone’s positive and negative feedback gave me all the confidence I needed. I worked extremely hard for this conference because it is not only important for me but for all the students and Dr. Boyanton as well. I feel quite satisfied with my performance at the conference. I think everyone benefited from my presentation.

The CESTL conference gave me the confidence that I can do relate and help students to become more motivated in the future. I think the CESTL is a great experience for all new teachers as well as seasoned teachers because we as teachers should always try to become better and learn whatever we can. However, I think that the CESTL should be more advertised to people outside the university to provide a place where all teachers can come and learn from each other. The only advice I will give to future students is to take this very seriously because we can learn so much from it. (Matthew Musumeci)

When I got there I was excited to hear other student’s presentations. However, when it was time for the poster presentations I was nervous because I didn’t know what questions people were going to ask me. One thing I learned from the CESTL was that when I become a teacher it is going to be very hard the first few years. I was very prepared for the CESTL conference. I knew topic very well and had practice a few times the night before with my mom. I worked really hard to become prepared for the CESTL conference. I finished my entire paper during spring break. I had various people read my paper and went to the writing center 3 times to make sure it was good. A week before the CESTL conference I started making my posters and goody bags.

I was pretty satisfied with my performance at the CESTL conference. My poster looked really good and the people loved the goody bags of candy. However, not a lot of people were coming to see my poster. Since I was off to the corner and it was during lunch break I couldn’t really grab a lot of people’s attention. The CESTL conference has made me to feel more confident with public speaking. The learning experience was very helpful and insightful. I learned a lot of new information to help me become the best teacher I can be. I would tell education majors that the CESTL conference is one thing they must see before graduating or student teaching. The reason being, that they can learn a lot of valuable information that will help them when they are teaching. As for Suggestions? I do not have any suggestions because it was perfect.☺ My advice for future students are: Make sure they know their topic inside and out. Also, to be confident when presenting whether it’s a PowerPoint or poster presentation. (Sara Walden)

I did feel a bit nervous about presenting in the conference because I wanted to come across as professional and knowledgeable. I learned that people could observe a classroom and see things from many different perspectives. It is important to view your own classroom through the eyes of others. This course experience helped me realized that I have important things to say and I have useful strategies for teachers to use in the classroom. I do think it is a great idea that students get a chance to research and present their findings to their peers and members of the college. I think again that it is a rough time of the semester and it is also a long day with many presenters. I would recommend the CESTL conference to other LIU students, but I would also recommend that they do have a real passion for their topic and their findings. My advice for future students is: Be passionate and prepared. Get to the point and do not talk endlessly!! People want to see conclusion and research, not a bunch of endless talking. (Jaclyn Mastro)

In the time leading up to the CESTL conference, I felt nervous, but excited. What I felt most anxious about was being able to remember enough of my information, including specific details and examples, to share my research and learning with others. I didn’t want to forget anything important or become flustered and unprofessional during my presentation. However, while at the conference, I felt proud and confident. I spent so much time and effort researching, organizing, writing, and editing my paper and creating my poster, that I felt I could share a great presentation with others.

The LIU professors panel was very interesting and enlightening. I learned that establishing a classroom environment that advocates trust and respect is crucial for successful teaching and learning. Teaching is a two-way street and teachers must foster trust and respect in their own attitude if they hope to receive these from for their students. I was very prepared for the CESTL conference. I thought that the preparation for the CESTL conference was planned out very well for our class. It was wonderful to complete the research project in stages over the course of the semester. Completing the different requirements/sections of the project over time allowed me to keep on-track and up-to-date as well as to strategically plan the time and effort I would devote to the research, organization, and creation of my project. In the week before the CESTL, my paper was mostly complete (I just needed to put the finishing touches on it) so I was able to use the research and observation information that I organized, compiled, and described in my paper and put it onto a poster board. After creating/decorating my poster, I felt completely ready to go. I knew all of the information I would present, my poster was complete and visually appealing, and I felt confident and proud of my work. I have worked so hard for the CESTL conference. Although I put all of my hard work and effort into everything I do, I wanted to be able to proudly and confidently showcase my hard work at the conference. Therefore, throughout the project, I knew that because I was working so hard, I wanted to make my project the best it could be.

The CESTL was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our hard work and our learning, and I wanted to live up to Professor Boyanton’s high expectations. I was very satisfied with my performance at the CESTL. During the poster presentation, I relished the opportunity to share my project with others. Wherever someone visited me and my poster, I felt that I was able to explain the main facts, my research findings, and answer any of their questions confidently and thoroughly. In my opinion, the poster presentation was enjoyable and could not have gone better. This course experience has allowed me to experience what it feels like to become confident in my knowledge on a chosen topic and also to convey that knowledge to others in an interactive and interesting way. I believe that these are skills a successful teacher must possess and utilize to reach their students and foster an environment where their students can learn and can appreciate their learning.

The CESTL learning experience was interesting and worthwhile. I really enjoyed hearing the presentations and looking at the posters of other students. There was such a wide variety of topics presented and it was enjoyable to gain different perspectives of the many aspects, issues, and concerns of teaching. In addition, it was beneficial to hear how other students connected their research with their classroom observations. The examples helped me to gain a deeper, more comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the topics and how they can be applied/addressed in real classrooms. I will definitely recommend the CESTL to other LIU students. I had an enjoyable experience and I believe the CESTL can be a valuable learning experience for other students as well. It was comforting to organize and present with other students who are in the same position as me, pre-service teachers about to embark on our teaching careers. In addition, hearing the perspectives of experienced professors provided wise information that I can consider as I complete my undergraduate education and embark on my teaching career.

In the future, I would suggest allotting time for the poster presentation that does not occur during the lunch break. Although I was able to share my presentation and interact with several people, I wish I could have shared my work with even more people. My advice for future students is to keep up-to-date with field observations and independent research. Complete field observations early in the semester, don’t wait; this way, students will not feel pressured and rushed to complete the observations quickly. If students take their time, I think they will find the field observations to be more beneficial to their learning and they will have more time to connect their observations to the information in their research projects. If students take the conference seriously and work hard to prepare their projects and presentations throughout the semester, they will have nothing to worry about during the CESTL. (Meghan McKillop)

I felt very nervous and excited about the CESTL at the same time. One thing that I Learned at CESTL was from the teacher panel is that one should not be upset if things don’t go the way one has planned it. And that instead of giving up one should get motivated to do better next time. I have worked very hard preparing for the conference. I practiced as much as I could so that I would do a great job presenting. I also kept reviewing the information that I had found. It has helped me with my confidence because it has expanded my knowledge about situations that teacher will face during their teaching career, allowing me to understand and know how to respond to adolescents. I think that the CESTL overall was a great experience, and it allows us to practice public speaking. I would definitely recommend the CESTL to other LIU students because people can learn a lot from hearing presentations about topics that might not be covered in class. (Nubia Renderos)

This past weekend was the CESTL conference at C.W. Post. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the meeting. However, I heard that everyone did an excellent job and the conference was a huge success. I would like to congratulate Dr. Boyanton for working very hard to create the CESTL conference and my classmates for presenting their research there. I am very fortunate that I am in Dr. Boyanton’s EDI 17 class because it has been an awesome experience. I have truly learned a lot about the development of an adolescent. I loved doing my research project on adolescent personalities and I hope that everyone enjoyed my presentation last Thursday. I was happy that I was asked very interesting questions by my professor and classmates about my research. I was happy to answer them truthfully and I felt like I did an excellent job with answering them. I look forward to doing more research as I have done for my EDI 17 class. I have one more comment, and that is that I did not feel on bit nervous about going up in front of the class and presenting. This is a result because of the strategies Dr. Boyanton had used throughout the semester to get our class comfortable with each other. I must thank Dr. Boyanton for doing all of those activities to “break the ice” between the students. (Jerry Franchino)

At first I was nervous but then I settled down after a couple hours of sitting there watching all the presentations. I learned that I was able to speak in front of a large group of people without being as nervous as I usually am. I felt comfortable to speak in front of people from a different culture that I was. I was very prepared for the conference because I reviewed my slides and what I was going to present several times before I arrived. I worked the whole semester on the research that I presented at the conference. I knew that in order to come up with solid conclusions on my research topic I would have to be a lot of time and effort in. I was very satisfied with my presentation because I was able to speak clearly and get my point across without shuddering.

Overall, I feel that every future teacher should experience at least one conference in their lives because you learn so much about education. I would encourage other LIU students to watch and present at the conference. I would suggest that future students pick a topic that they have a lot of interest in because this is something they will be spending a lot of time researching. The more interested you are in a topic, the better performance there is to come. (John Leggio)

Excited, I really enjoyed the experience. I got a lot out of the student panel. Especially the part on technology in the classroom. I was very prepared for the CESTL. I took a long time working on my poster and I’ve been prepairing for it for a week now. I also worked very hard at it. I wanted to show not only how much work I put into my research but also show people how interested I was with my own research. I like doing well in general. I was very satisfied with my poster.

I had a lot of people visit my poster and I got a lot of positive feedback from others on my poster and presentation. I feel I really am becoming an expert in the education field and this just helped me realize it further. I learned a lot by being a part of it and going to it and I believe that not only was it a learning experience but it looks so great on your resume that we as students were allowed to partake in this experience. (Katherine Gutkes)

Before the CESTL conference I was a little bit nervous about my own presentation but I was also excited about it and I was also excited to see all of my classmates present, and also to see what the people from the other classes would be presenting. I learned a lot from the CESTL! Everyone’s presentations were on something different and interesting and I enjoyed all of them. In general, I learned about how much goes into teaching and how many aspects of teaching have to be considered such as motivation, students identity and personalities, the environment and the behavior of students. I think that one of my favorite parts was the professor panel. I really enjoyed what the professors had to say. I was very prepared for the CESTL. I spent a lot of time researching my topic and I put a lot of time and effort into creating my poster board. I knew my information and I felt completely prepared coming into the CESTL. I feel that I have worked very hard. I put a lot of time in creating my poster because I wanted to make sure it had the most valuable and interesting information about my topic on the board as well as it looking nice and also professional. Before I did this I spent a lot of time working on my paper and collecting information to incorporate into both my paper and my poster presentation.

I was very satisfied with my performance. I felt that the people who I was able to speak to during the poster presentations really understood and enjoyed my poster and what I had to say on my topic. I think it has helped with my confidence in many ways. The course in general has helped with my confidence because I felt that throughout the course I was becoming more and more comfortable expressing my thoughts and opinions and sharing with the class. At the CESTL the presentation aspect helped with my confidence because I had to speak to people and tell them about my research as well as make sure I knew my research so that I sounded educated and knew what I was talking about. But also just being at the CESTL and hearing what everyone was presenting and speaking about I feel that I learned so much that I am going to be able to bring into my classroom. I feel that I gained so much important knowledge today that is so important for my future.

CESTL was a really great experience and I really enjoyed all aspects of it. I would definitely recommend the CESTL to all LIU students! I will especially recommend the class EDI 17 with Dr. Boyanton. I feel that all semester our discussions were a preparation for the CESTL. Even though the CESTL was intimidating in the beginning when you first hear about it, I feel like it was such a positive experience. I am not sure that I have an advice or suggestions. I can’t really think about anything that I would have changed about the conference. For future students I would tell them not to let the CESTL conference intimidate them. Both of the times that I took a class with Dr. Boyanton I was very nervous upon first hearing about the CESTL, but in the end it was much more enjoyable then it was nerve-wracking. I would tell them to relax about the conference but to put a lot of hard work into creating a great and informative presentation. (Lauren Vonili?)

Unfortunately I was unable to be apart of the CESTL experience; what I can reflect on is the excellent journey of preparing for the conference and how my time in EDI 17 helped me become more confident as a public speaker and more knowledgeable as a prospective teacher. In the beginning of the semester I was very nervous and overwhelmed about my research project, I knew that this project required a lot of work, investigation, and in the end a presentation of my findings. I did not know where to begin, I have never written a research paper before. What I liked and respected about Dr. Boyanton, was that she guided us through the process, she did not just assign the project and throw it into our hands (which what most instructors do); throughout the semester, EDI 17 was the foundation of our research, we learned about: theories and how they were applied, development of adolescents, and the challenges and rewards of being an instructor of adolescent students. In addition to the instruction and guidance of Dr. Boyanton, the workshops were extremely helpful and deeply appreciated; they helped me become more confident about my project, as well as my presentation (learning how to apply the correct font, sequence and background). I had the time to properly prepare and do research for my project, which made me more confident and excited about presenting it. Though my research was an individual endeavor, I was able to experience it with my peers during class discussions, journals, and workshops. I really feel that everyone put a lot of effort into their research projects – what made me to even want to work harder was the respect and encouragement of Dr. Botanton, she help me believe in myself and my abilities to become a more effective public speaker. (Jessica)

I was nervous about the CESTL conference because I am not usually outgoing and definitely not a good public speaker. Other than that, I thought the CESTL was an excellent way for me to meet new people and gain new perspectives in the educational forum. I learned that education is a common theme throughout the world. Regardless of where someone was born or raised, we all share in that passion to uplift ourselves by educating ourselves and giving that opportunity to others. Preparing my PowerPoint and poster was a struggle because I was constantly changing my topic based on my observations. It took me 2 weeks to do the poster because I was very meticulous and it took me even longer to do the PowerPoint because I wanted to make sure my observations were convincing in answering my research questions. It was unfortunate that one person ruined my chances of sharing my poster. I worked this hard because I wanted to prove that I am capable of mastering the material and that even though I struggled I finally was able to grasp it. CESTL was a great experience. I would recommend it to other LIU students because it is an excellent way to network and meet new people. The different panels allow you to gain insight that you might not have ever been exposed to before attending. I hope the CESTL should partner with other institutions like SUNY Old Westbury to expand the student base and perspectives. Maybe offer workshops that will help education students build on their teaching skills or methods. Even have a motivational speaker that can address new teachers and prospective speakers. CESTL was a long conference. Possibly breaking it up into a two day session on Saturday and Sunday or 2 day session covering two weekends so that all students can participate and not fall off in the end.
(Tarissa Pickens)

Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning

Friday, March 19, 2010

CESTL Overview

6th CESTL Flyer

6th CESTL Committee Board

6th CESTL Keynote Speaker

6th CESTL Professor Speakers

6th CESTL Student Speakers

6th CESTL Program

6th CESTL Evaluations by Faculty Members

6th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 15A Psychological Perspective of Teaching & Learning

6th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 17

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