Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning

CESTL Overview

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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

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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

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6th CESTL Keynote Speaker

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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

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6th CESTL Student Speakers

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6th CESTL Program

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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

2010-03-19T11:49:00.006-07:00

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

2010-03-19T11:49:00.004-07:00

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

2010-03-19T11:49:00.002-07:00

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)

6th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 600

2010-03-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

I was very inspired by everything. I was impressed with my peers, but mostly I was impressed by the production. I had a hard time adjusting to being away from my family and friends for the first time this semester, but I feel acclimated now and I really hope to be involved in future CESTL conferences. I stayed for the entire conference and I did not get bored. That is amazing to me. I have been to several conferences in the past and have always felt myself drifting a little.. not able to focus 100%, especially towards the end. However, CESTL was not like that. Perhaps it was because I was in a room of my peers and I felt a connection to them. I am so happy that there is a student focused professional conference. It makes me feel worthy and that in turn motivates me. So thank you for being the mastermind and putting it on!

I learned a lot from this class and I will absolutely sign up for another class with you if I get the chance.

Thank you,
Amanda Graves

“I did it, and I am still alive! That’s all how I feel in the CESTL. CESTL is a professional conference of elementary school and secondary education. I met many experienced professors today, I heard their experience of teaching and thoughts of education. The day before CESTL, I cannot sleep well even I already lie on my bed so early because I was too anxious of the upcoming presentation. The most difficult thing for this presentation is not the contents that I am going to speech, instead, the main point is on the fluency of my English speaking. I am an international student, and I have Chinese accent in my English speaking, I was afraid nobody understand what I am talking about.

One of the interesting thing for me is I will made-up some new English words when I got nervous, and then I start to speak non-English style English. That will be a terrible problem for me, and I try to overcome this problem but it’s too difficult. During the CESTL presentation, I found many classmates have the same and similar topic as mine, and at that time I was afraid my speech contents would be repeated. However, I didn’t delete those same information, I condensed those similar sources. Finally, I think CESTL is a worth experience in my life.
(Chieh Yue Ma)

This was my first time to give such a professional presentation since I came to Unites States, and I just came here for three months. I was thinking about should I need to drink something before the presentation? It sounds crazy but I really need some energy drinks when the CESTL was going on. Undoubtedly, I was so nervous to this presentation. I was afraid of making some silly mistakes and not well-prepared even if I know lots of information about my presentation topic, I still so anxious of that. I learned how to organize the CESTL slides of Power Point, and the contents. I also practiced the speech in front of the friends, and in front of the mirror! As professor said in the class, my IQ will decrease almost 25% when I in the conference. I think I prepare almost 90% but I only have 60% when I was in the presentation. It told me my prepared work is not enough, I still need to improve myself. I was happy I spoke much better English on the stage than practiced at home. I had never thought I can do well and speak in a foreign language in the public. CESTL was my first experience that speech in the public. Yes, I will recommend the CESTL to other LIU student because it can learn a lot of education knowledge that you never know before. In CESTL, everyone is a good speaker and also a good listener. Students will completely understand how to be a good lecturer and a good audience.
(Chieh Yue Ma)

I felt very nervous the day before the CESTL conference but the day of I felt confident and satisfied with the work I have done. I was excited to see other people’s presentations and seeing them made me more confident with my own. One thing I learned at the CESTL conference was that pregnant teens are segregated and often sent to another school. I never had any experience seeing a pregnant student when I was in high school, but hearing that they are taken out of normal school was a bit disheartening. I feel like they can make the girl feel worse about herself and further damage occurs due the student being taken away from their friends and support. I was prepared for the conference because I didn’t feel nervous when I was there.

I have never participated in something like the CESTL before so I tried my best to work out everything I was going to say and how I would say it. I have worked very hard for the conference because I wanted to make myself and my professor proud. I felt that if I did well, presented in the allotted amount of time and kept the viewers interested that I would help myself overcome my fears and fight my anxiety. I was very satisfied with how my presentation went because I knew my topic well, practiced to keep it within ten minutes, and learned enough of my subject to answer any questions any students might ask me. The one girl who asked me two questions; I was able to answer with ease and without having to stall for time to think or look at my notes.

This experience has helped me with my public speaking very much so. I have never spoken in from of complete strangers with such confidence and drive. I wanted to teach people something they may not already know. I wanted to help my fellow classmates and guests to see what I have been doing all semester and how I have grown in knowledge of my topic. I have become better with time management and I learned valuable information about emotions and learning and how to deal with students in the classroom environment which will help me tremendously as a teacher in the future. I think the CESTL conference was a great idea. I feel like it was helpful and interesting and I was entertained the entire duration of time I was there. More students should participate in this conference in my opinion. I will totally recommend this conference to any LIU students who ask because I took so much from it. The CESTL was a great way to gain experience in public speaking and help prepare future teachers for speaking in front of strangers and have confidence in doing so. I do not have any suggestions for the CESTL. None. I believe the day went by smoothly and everything was set up nicely. I was impressed at how professional the conference actually was. My advice for future students is: Research your topics well and have the confidence in yourselves that you will do well and that it’s a great experience to have and you will learn a lot while you are there.
(Daniel Price)

Attending the CESTL conference was definitely a great experience in my eyes.
The conference was great for many reasons: For one, it showed the unity of my fellow classmates and fellow professors. It was great to see how many people were able to take the time out on a weekend to attend. It was interesting to hear the keynote speaker, the dean and the students speak. I truly enjoyed hearing my fellow classmates present their power point presentations. I learned a lot by hearing them talk about their fieldwork experiences. I also was intrigued to hear the panel of high school students who I thought were great! They were very mature and I was impressed with their behavior and their answers to the many questions that were asked. I also enjoyed looking at the poster that I and my fellow classmates made.

The conference on a whole proved to me that with hard work and dedication anything is possible. I was also motivated by the keynote speaker’s speech. I found it to be extremely interesting. There isn’t much I can say in terms of making the event better. The only constructive criticism I have would be to shorten the event. I think from 9-8 is a long day for anyone. I also wished that more students would have participated. I think it should be a requirement. In order to get students to attend they need a little push to get there. Overall I think the conference was a huge success!
(Tania De Simone)

I was so nervous about my poster presentation at first but once I got my presentation up and saw familiar faces I started to somewhat relax. It was interesting to see so many presentations on topics that could possible help me in my future teaching! I also learned that there are so many passionate students in the same path as I am. Although I was over whelmed and felt at one point not having enough time to finish my presentation, once it was done I was eager to present my research findings. I worked extremely hard for my presentation. Although I had some time constraints next time I will spread my time more efficiently to have better preparation. I believe that I did pretty well considering it was my first research (on my own) and had very little time to put it all together! This course has made me think a bit differently on how I can motivate myself even if I doubt myself. With the many personal experiences and personal stories, I have learned that you really don't need anyone or anything to motivate you, other than yourself.

Overall, CESTL was a great experience! It is such a wonderful way to not only practice public speaking but the experience of meeting other presenters and spectators interested in these various research. It felt great to talk about my research to people whom had no idea but that were interested in my research topic. I would highly recommend the CESTL to other LIU students simply because it is an experience that helps you become familiar with how to speak with interesting people in a conference setting and it teaches you how to research a topic that will ultimately inform others but also teach you how to put all the valuable information together to have a good research. I would tell the future students to work on the project as soon as you can. It was very hard for me because of my busy schedule and because it was my first research project on my own, but now that I experienced the CESTL , my advice would be to get as much help as possible from any source that you can get!
(Idel Rivas)

As a presenter I of course feel very nervous and in the meantime I feel excited, too! I learnt to believe myself. I built confidence and I think this is the most important lesson I learnt this semester. I think I am very well prepared. Because I spent lots of time on it and improved my presentation several times. In CESTL, I not only built my confidence but also learnt a lot. I learnt both from the professors and my peers, as well. Yes I will. CESTL is not only a place for students of education major to learn and express themselves. For the students of other majors, they can also know how to do researches, how to express yourself to others. To attend for the whole day is a little bit too long and at the end of the CESTL, there are not many audiences. So if possible can it be separated into 2 days, so that more people can have chance to attend it.
(Jieyin Zhou)

I have to say, I found the CESTL conference to be surprisingly rewarding. The topic I had chosen is something I feel very strongly about. Creating a “balanced” classroom is extremely important. I know what it feels like to be a girl in a math class and to think I’m not good at math, even when I really am. That being said, I felt that my topic was something teachers don’t really consider very often.

Teachers don’t always realize that they way they conduct their classroom is biased, and yet before CESTL, I was worried that people weren’t going to find my topic nearly as interesting as I did. However, once my group began to speak, I realized that people do care. This group of new/preservice teachers really does care about having perfectly balanced classrooms. The longer I spent in front of the crowd, the more proud I was of my research, my project, my group, and myself. It also meant a lot to me that you stayed to watch my group present. I’m sure you were busy running the conference, but I really appreciate that you sat and watched my entire presentation.

All in all, I found CESTL to be highly rewarding, but at the same time – having been through it once, I think that’s all the experience I need! The weeks leading up to the conference were extraordinarily stressful! Thanks again!
(Michelle Kim)

Initially I did not know what to expect because this was my first conference I attended but I was nervous for my fellow classmates. Because I knew they were anxious about presenting. Overall I thought it was a wonderful experience and I learned so much not only from my fellow classmates but from the other teachers. The most important tool I learned from the CESTL conference was that not only students feel anxiety or nervousness.

But teachers do as well. It was so courageous for the teachers to speak of their real feeling and how they would worry if they completed the day as plan or if the students learned from them that day. This course helped me to no longer be shy and understand there is no such thing as a stupid question but also most important becoming an effective listener and educator. The learning experience overall was a great experience not only for the students but I think for the teachers as well. There was so much information I learned from my fellow classmates. I will recommend the CESTL to other LIU students because it is an educational conference and very knowledgeable. I think the teachers should acknowledge the students in their class who attend the conference even if they do not present.
(Mincey Holness)

I enjoyed and learned alot at the CESTL conference. I have been to conferences in the past in my career as a financial analyst for JP Morgan Chase. Conferences can be boring and sometimes overwhelming because there are so many groups of people brought together for many reasons and for many presentations and topics. However, I really enjoyed this conference because it was relatively small, initmate and everyone was there for the same purpose which was to increase our knowledge and understanding of education. My favorite part about a conference is the wide variety of people that you get to meet. It's an experience for sharing, meeting, and learning from other people in your same field or with your same interests. It's an interesting day to spend if you approach it the right way.

I enjoyed myself very much and while I was there for 5 hours, it didn't feel that long and I would have stayed longer if I didn't have other obligations. It was a nice way to end the semester and see my classmates in a more informal setting where we could socialize more than in class. I learned a lot. Probably what will stick out to me the most is the speech by the Provost (I forgot his name) and some of the presentations were very good and thought provoking especially the ones on motivation since this was my topic as well. I look forward to the last class because it will be a bit of a celebration and a goodbye for now to many people I hope to continue seeing around campus until I finish my degree.
(Pilar Cueberio)

I felt very comfortable and excited to be there because I did a poster presentation and didn’t feel the same stress I would have felt if I were presenting a powerpoint presentation. I am nervous about public speaking so the poster presentation made me more comfortable. I learned so much at the conference. There was so much information to appreciate from all the different speakers. I especially loved the key note address by the provost. It was just an unrehearsed sincere recollection of some of his experiences which are so unique and interesting. I loved how he pulled out so many lessons on teaching from his experience with dolphins in Hawaii. It was brilliant and inspiring. I was very, very impressed by the student presenters and absolutely enjoyed the student panel. They showed so much poise and self-confidence for their age…I am sure that they will continue to be successful adults in whatever field they pursue.

I felt prepared because I was happy with the way my poster came out. When I saw the samples in class, I thought I could never make a poster like that but I was pleased with how mine turned out. I was eager to share my findings with people who came up to my poster. I felt comfortable with the knowledge I had accumulated on the topic of motivation. I worked very hard for the research paper. The poster presentation was not as hard as I thought it would be. If I had more artistic creativity and a good imagination, the poster could have come out even better but I’m pleased with the results from the work I put into it. I think I worked very hard for the research paper. The poster presentation was not as hard as I thought it would be. If I had more artistic creativity and a good imagination, the poster could have come out even better but I’m pleased with the results from the work I put into it.

when the conference began, I became to feel excited and nervous. I was satisfied with my own performances at the CESTL. Because I prepared for it very hard and I tried my best to do all my own things during the conference. I would recommend CESTL to all other LIU students because I would like to publicize the CESTL event, I hope it could become more and more successful in the future. As an international student, I wonder if CESTL could give some time to let the international students communicate with these local teachers and students, so they can share their own experience about the education with each other.
(Ben Zhao)

Both nervous and excited, because this was the first time to attend conference things and the poster presentation was also the first time to me. Furthermore, the research of my topic was excited to me because I really wanted to research my topic before. First, I could see the passion of teachers for their job: education from guest forums. They try to develop the educational achievement. Therefore, I learned the teachers’ passion for their students.

Second, I learned my main educational consideration. It was the same with my research topic: effective teaching and learning method. I had a good time to find out from many teachers and students. I chose the Poster presentation because I wanted to challenge a new experience. I have never done before the poster presentation was new challenge for me. I already did the Power Point Presentation in other class, so I think that the poster presentation could be my new presentation challenge. The new challenge is the reason why I came to America to study. The study in America is also big challenge to me. I really want to challenge the new experience in America. My topic was comparing effective teaching and learning methods from teachers’ needs and students’ needs. I have always wanted to research my topic since I was an elementary student. Finally, I could catch the main point of effective teaching methods and learning methods by using my research. I am sure that the catching the main point can be helpful to my future. Educator and teacher should develop themselves and their research continuously.

Education is kind of science like how to deal the students well and reasonably. The science should be researched by professional researchers continuously. Also, the result of education research should be shared to every teacher. Therefore, every teacher must investigate their educational specialties continuously for the better educational environment. I want to recommend other students. However, just some students who have interest in education will be likely to attend to the CESTL. I already wrote down upper question. The more attractive marketing and advertisement are needed to the CESTL. Other things were perfect: setting of the conference, progress of schedule, the contents of presentations, and quality of guests. Everything was great except marketing promotion. Even the educational major students, they did not know the CESTL. The future students, they should have their own interest part in education and then they should research the part by using the specific way. Even if the CESTL will be hard to prepare, they have to think about that it will be useful research to them especially being teacher in the future.

Anyone who doesn’t get nervous before speaking in any sort of unfamiliar public setting is lying. That being said, I constantly claimed that I wasn’t nervous at all because if I say it enough, I will eventually believe it. It is a defense mechanism. One girl, Nubia Renderos according to the program, did the presentation on teen pregnancy. I had no idea that schools ever took an active role in moving a pregnant girl out of the school and into a less visible spot, like BOCES. That is really horrible.

Also, she had her entire family there, they must be super-supportive. My mother wasn’t even awake by 9 and my father preferred to do yard work over see me speak. YARD WORK! I have always considered them extremely supportive parents in whatever I do (And I did 4 years in art school, have to have supportive parents for that). I had to wake up really early and iron a shirt, for an artist this is an incredible amount of work! Seriously though, I went over my presentation a couple times in private. I reworked my power point a handful of times as well. This is all the same process I do for any presentation though. Which is why I felt like I was under prepared at first, because this was a shorter presentation than the others. The keynote speaker (the provost) shook my hand during the break after the block of presenters that I was in. I didn’t think much of this at first but after the break I noticed that he had not returned. He is probably a busy guy and it was a beautiful Saturday so he probably had other things to do today, but he stayed for the first block of presenters and watched mine and then congratulated me. That definitely made it feel more successful. It has given me more experience with speaking to an unfamiliar crowd. Any teacher I have spoken too has said that there is no replacement for experience in speaking and teaching students. So this counts towards experience and I am sure it will come in handy in the future.

CESTL was worth it to participate. I ended up staying much longer than I expected I would (I am generally a “leave when your done” kind of guy) but I ended up staying for around 5 hours. I am glad I participated though. I would definitely tell future students who are in a class that gives them the opportunity to present at CESTL to consider it. I think the atmosphere during the conference is better than the classroom presentations.
(Travis Wingate)

I was looking forward to the experience of being involved in CESTL but was a little anxious as I did not know what to expect. The special invited panel was so inspiring. It was fascinating to hear stories of their “journey” and the trials and tribulations along the way. I learned that I will make plenty of mistakes along my journey, experience frustration and at times get little feedback from the students that you try to reach. But teaching is an ongoing learning experience and I will learn from my mistakes. I just need to have confidence in myself and push forward.

I felt I was very prepared for the conference because I had remembered your instructions to get rest, dress professionally and be proud of your work. I felt I worked hard for this conference as it consumed my evenings. As this was the first time that I was involved in this, I wanted to make certain my poster was correctly laid out and that it was easy to read and with a font that would look acceptable. I wanted my information to be understandable and I wanted to “pass the test”! I was satisfied with my poster performance. The students around me were wonderful and we each spoke to one another describing our research. The other people who visited were friendly and pleased to hear about my project. I loved meeting new people! The more practice I get, the more comfortable I become.

I thought that CESTL was a wonderful learning experience. I enjoyed the slide presenters and it was very interesting to learn about so many different topics. They panel of high school students was great but my favorite was the special invited professors’ panel. They were open, engaging and so helpful. I would definitely recommend the CESTL to other LIU students because it is a wonderful learning experience! My advice for improving the conference is: Bring back Dr. Paul Forestall!! He was wonderful. I can only aspire to be as comfortable and engaging speaker as Dr. Forestall! My advice for future students is: Give yourself plenty of time to prepare. There will be little glitches that occur that you have not planned on – my printer was not working properly for two days which sent me into a panic!!
(Vicky Vincenti-Gill)

Dear Dr. Dengting Boyanton:
CONGRATULATIONS.
The 6th CESTL was real successful, and I want to thank you for giving me such a great opportunity to. You let me know that I can succeed if I hold me dream in my heart, and I can do it. I'd like to be involved either as a presenter or a volunteer for the next CESTL!

My mind was full of CESTL memories the whole day after the CESTL. I can still remember how tired but how excited I was when I was in CESTL, and thank you Dr. Boyanton for allowing me to present.
CESTL is my first professional conference in my life, and I learnt a lot not only from the experts and the professors but also from my peers and even the high school students who attended to CESTL. I also noticed that motivation is a very popular research topic very much, and I also want to do some research on that in the future.

Dr. Boyanton, you inspired me so much, especially when I was in the CESTL conference, and when I saw so many people were there. I came to America to study how to be a great teacher, and I think I already found the answer.
CESTL is a milestone in my entire career. Thank you again.

Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Wendy Wu

CESTL was great. I’m so glad to benefit a lot from everyone’s performance, and I also could be a little nervous to do it. In addition, I really enjoy participating in this conference. This is my first time to so such a formal presentation in this kind of professional meeting, therefore I do a lot of research and spent a lot of time and energy to prepare, including making PPT, practicing the whole presentation, and polishing my work to be more engaging . The process is kind of tough and long-lasting; still I think it is a golden opportunity for me to learn and grow. From doing observation, interview and the related literature review, my final work was published after 4 times being revised. I am so grateful for Professor Dengting’s feedback and my friend’s help, which helped my presentation to go more smoothly.

I felt that I was so engrossed in the presentation that I almost forgot the time. Even though everyone provided very good feedback to my performance, still I thought I was a little nervous and speak a bit fast. Generally speaking, I am satisfied with my work because I have tried my best to do it. Being calm, organized, relaxed, and providing opportunities for the audience is just the basic requirement of a qualified teacher. Therefore, I become more manageable and confident to give my performance to people. CESTL is very impressive and beneficial for both teachers and students. It is just like a kind of dish which is appropriate for everyone, as long as the person is interested in education. Of course I will recommend the CESTL to other students or everyone who want to have an opportunity to share ideas with each other and develop the public speaking ability. All these are the basic requirement of a high self-efficacy person.
(Xiaoxiao Li)

I came a little late around 3. I felt being very comfortable than I thought. All presenters prepared their PPT very hard. They looked very passionate for their job! I prepared as much as I could! I interviewed, surveyed and contacted with Korean friends. Besides, owing to my language limitations, I went to writing center of LIU twice a week and worked with Stepanie for almost 3 weeks to finish my presentation PPT. I have worked very hard as I mentioned in #3. I did because I wanted to learn myself from working how to do and how to make. Actually, it will help a lot. During preparing this presentation, I researched for my topic much and I learned a lot and I had much time to consider the topic for my career. Yes, I will. Especially, students who belong to school of education need to come and listen this conference. There are many interesting topics which will helpful for them! My advice for future student: Work hard as much as you can. Then you will learn as much as you prepare for the CESTL!
(Young-Soon Kim)

I was really excited, but when I was presenting audience seems already tired. My motivation was decrease too. However, I really enjoy this conference. Especially, I enjoyed educational conversation with peers. Actually, it was very challenge because this was my first semester with graduate and I had part-time job from this semester so I was very busy. I couldn’t handle my life so I felt lazy too. However, the few days before conference, I finally wake up and I guess I prepared enough. I worked hard; especially I practice a lot to say my opinion without paper. Moreover, my presentation, “Should immigrant should segregated?” is very sensitive topic so I research very deeply. I also try to construct my own hypothesis and that was very challenging for me. But correct evidence and expect from human’s instinct, research was very fun and finally, I really enjoyed it. Psychological aspect of education of this course and that practice style class gave me a lot of inspiration. I really like this practical style of class and this class is my future ideal type of class. It means a lot. I would really love to recommend for education major people. For education major students, this conference means a lot.
(Yusuke Shindo)

Previous CESTLs

2010-03-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Future CESTLs

2010-03-19T11:36:00.001-07:00

7th CESTL
9:00am-9:00pm
December 11th, 2010 (Saturday)
Tills Performance Center
Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

8th CESTL
9:00am-9:00pm
April 30th, 2011 (Saturday)
Tills Performance Center
Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

If you are interested in getting involved with our future CESTLs as committee members, guest speakers, presenters, or sponsors, please contact dengting.boyanton@liu.edu or (516) 299-4117. Thank you very much for your support.

5th CESTL Flyer

2009-04-08T18:40:00.029-07:00

Curriculum & Instruction, School of Education @

Long Island University C. W. Post

Proudly Presents

5th Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning

9am-9pm, May 2nd, 2009 (Sat)
Chapel Lounge
Long Island University, C.W. Post
OPEN to the Public!

Welcome to the CESTL! Sponsored by the Curriculum & Instruction and 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 5th CESTL will show research conducted by all of our student researchers throughout the Spring 2009 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. Mark Birchette. Dr, Birchette is an Associate Professor of Biology and the Director of Teaching & Learning Initiative (TLI) program at Long Island University. Dr. Birchette will give a talk titled "Passion to Teach" and share his 16 years of teaching experiences at LIU.

The CESTL will also provide a Special Symposium on teaching and learning at the higher education level from the professors' perspective. Four LIU professors will join this symposium to share their experiences and perspectives. These four special speakers are: Dr. Arnold Dodge (Assistant Professor of Leadership & Administration), Dr. Lynn Cohen (Assistant Professor of Special Education & Literacy), Dr. Efleda Tolentino ( Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education) and Dr. Dengting Boyanton ( Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology).

We look forward to seeing you in the 5th CESTL!

To learn more about our students’ research: http://joctl.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

5th CESTL Committee

2009-04-08T18:40:00.025-07:00

5th CESTL Invited Speakers

2009-04-08T18:40:00.021-07:00

5th CESTL Invited Speakers

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Mark Birchette
Keynote Address: Passion to Teach

Dr. Mark G. Birchette, Jr. is an Associate Professor of Biology in the Brooklyn Campus Long Island University. He received his B.A. in Anthropology from Yale College in 1974 and his MA and Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology both from Harvard University in 1982. Before joining LIU in 1992, Dr. Birchette had taught at Harvard University as a Teaching Fellow, Johns Hopkins Medical School on faculty of Dept of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Yale University as a joint appointment in Anthropology and Biology.

Dr. Mark G. Birchette is a member of FAME – Faculty Advising and Mentoring Exchange – a newly formed joint committee of LIU faculty and administrators working to develop a program that will support faculty members in their teaching efforts in a manner that is completely separate from the formal faculty review process. Dr. Birchette was one of the first faculty members to participate in the Core Seminar program and have been involved with it since its inception. He is currently a member of the Core Seminar Advisory Committee. He also served as a Panelist/Facilitator for a WAC discussion on the Ken Bain book, What the Best College Teachers Do. Dr. Mark G. Birchette has won several teaching awards including the Lex Dixon Prize for excellence in Social Science teaching at Yale and the David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching at LIU.

Professors' Panel
Teaching & Learning: Perspectives from LIU Professors

This Special Invited Panel will be given by our own LIU professors. This Panel will provide our students with a different perspective on teaching and learning at the higher education level from the professors' perspective. Students will have many opportunities to ask these professors ANY questions.

Panelists:

Dr. Arnold Dodge
(Assistant Professor of Leadership & Administration)
Dr. Lynn Cohen
(Assistant Professor of Special Education & Literacy)
Dr. Efleda Tolentino
(Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education)
Dr. Dengting Boyanton
(Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology)

K-12 Students' Panel
Teaching & Learning: Perspectives from K-12 Students

This Special Invited Panel will be given by K-12 students from local elementary/high schools in New York. This Panel will provide our students with a different perspective on teaching and learning from the K-12 students' perspective. Students will have many opportunities to ask these student panelists ANY questions.

K-12 Student Panelists:

Angelo Brussich (12th Grade High School Student)
Joanne Garcia (12th Grade High School Student)
Alexandra Rossland (11th Grade High School Student)
Christiana Dobra (11th Grade High School Student)
Joshua Tolentino (6th Grade Middle School Student)

5th CESTL Cultural Events

2009-04-08T18:40:00.017-07:00

5th CESTL Cultural Events

In addition to student presentations, CESTL also serves as a forum for cultural events, such as music or dance, performed by the students themselves. 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 with others. These cultural events will be provided during the breaks.

5th CESTL pictures & videos

2009-04-08T18:40:00.015-07:00

To view 5th CESTL Presentation pictures, click here:

To view 5th CESTL Presentation videos, click here.

5th CESTL Program

2009-04-08T18:40:00.013-07:00

5th CESTL Tentative Program
May 2, 2009 (Sat)
Chapel Lounge,
Long Island University, C.W.Post

9:00am-9:10am Poster set-up Poster presenters

9:10am-9:20am Welcome address Dr. Kathryn Lusteg
Associate Dean, School of Education

9:20am-9:30am Introduction of CESTL Dr. Dengting Boyanton

9:30am-10:20am Keynote Address:
Passion to teach Dr. Mark Birchette, LIU, Brooklyn

10:20am-10:30am Break

PowerPoint Presentations

1 Behavior modifications for student’s with Asberger Syndrome in the classroom Cassie Ann Dunn

2 How does school environment affect students’ behavior in the classroom? Yun Lee

3 “It was just a joke”: Impact of bullying on adolescents Andrea Garcia

4 Understanding the impact of the media and technology on adolescent behavior Eric Morris

5 What are the motivators and de-motivators of today's adolescents? Shannon Lehosky

6 Strategies for handling misbehavior effectively in an inclusion classroom Colette Squillante

7 Misbehavior: Why do children misbehave and how do parents influence the behavior? Scott Fialkoff

11:40am-12:00pm Break

12:00pm-12:50pm Invited panel: Teaching & learning from professors’ perspective
Panelists:
Dr. Arnold Dodge
(Assistant Professor of Leadership & Administration)
Dr. Lynn Cohen
(Assistant Professor of Special Education & Literacy)
Dr. Efleda Tolentino
(Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education)
Dr. Dengting Boyanton
(Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology)

12:50pm-2:00pm Poster Presentation
& Lunch Break Poster presenters

2:00pm-2:50pm Invited panel: Teaching & learning from K-12 students’ Perspective
Panelists:
Angelo Brussich (12th Grade)
Joanne Garcia (12th Grade)
Alexandra Rossland (11th Grade)
Christiana Dobra (11th Grade)
Joshua Tolentino (6th Grade)

2:50am-3:00pm Break & Entertainment: Irish Dance☺ Colette Squillante

8 Introducing three classroom behavior management approaches Donna Brody

9 The importance of behavior management in the classroom Cindy Sexton

10 Impact of negative peer relationships: A case study of Columbine and Virginia Tech Michelle Evangelista

11 Motivation: What dissuades high school students in the English classroom? Gillian Blitzer

12 Personality: how does it affect one’s learning? Kristyn Horn

13 Understanding students misbehavior: What, why, and how? Nicole La Rosa

14 How does classroom environment affect elementary school students’ learning? Christopher Lodise

15 Special kids: How do they behave in the regular classroom? Josh Korder

16 Where I am from and how I learn: The impact of race/ethnicity on learning Emanuel Messina

4:40pm-5:00pm Break & entertainment: Saw-playing Chelsea Winter

17 Why they don’t want to learn: Understanding adolescent motivation Sean O’Brien

18 What motivate today’s adolescents to learn? Ilyssa Adelman

19 Lost voice: Exploring gender bias in the adolescent classroom setting Dana LaRose

20 What are the dispositions towards literacy for males? Demitra Georgalas

21 Greater teacher, better learning? Examining the impact of great teachers on learning Jennifer Grenville

22 How to motivate students to learn: Importance of bringing pop culture to the classroom Brooke Rosenfeld

23 Do teachers have certain expectations for certain races/ethnicities in the classroom? Priscilla Alvarez

6:30pm-7:00pm Closing: Special Presentation Dr. Dengting Boyanton

Poster Presentations

1:00pm-2:00pm
May 2, 2009 (Sat)

24 Introducing effective classroom management strategies for novice teachers Ruth Henry

25 Popularity: How does students’ social rank affect their academics performance? Alyssa Katz

26 Are foreign students discriminated in the elementary classroom setting? Louiza Mark

27 How can teachers teacher based on students’ learning style thus to increase their confidence to learn? Scott Mines

28 Examining racial discrimination in the elementary classroom Marjorie Contessa

29 Bullying: How bad is it in the elementary classroom? Joseph Scauzillo

30 Behavior modifications for student’s with Asberger Syndrome in the classroom setting Cassie Ann Dunn

31 “I don’t want to talk about it!” The importance of understanding adolescent’s emotions and feelings Christine Bruckner

32 Gender bias: Do boys and girls really learn different in high school? Lindsay Springer

33 How does parental involvement affect adolescents’ motivation to learn? Matthew Montanino

34 Who am I and how do I learn? Understanding the role of identity in adolescents’ learning Daniel Barone

35 Does intelligence equal success? Elyse Capozza

36 Introducing effective methods to create a positive learning environment in the classroom Christopher Barone

37 Are you a nerd or a jock? Exploring the influence of identity on adolescents’ learning Thomas Brouillard

38 Testing: why should teachers make it fair and how? Leidy Leon

39 “This is not how I learn!” Importance of considering students’ learning styles when teaching a lesson Caroline Schipani

40 How to manage misbehavior effectively in the music classroom? Chelsea Winter

41 What can teachers do to create a positive learning environment in the kindergarten classroom? Chiu, Lu-Chun

42 What can PE teachers do to help students with different (e.g., aggressive) personalities? Peter Severin

5th CESTL Event Summary

2009-04-08T18:40:00.011-07:00

CESTL: An Unforgettable Learning Experience!
Summary of the 5Th Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning

On May 2nd, 2009, the 5th CESTL took place in the Long Island Room of the Chapel Lounge at the Long Island University C. W. Post Campus for the second time. The CESTL was organized by Professor Dengting Boyanton and her students who are taking her courses EDI 15A Psychological Perspective: Teaching & Learning, EDI 17 Psychology and Development of Adolescent Students, and EDI 600 Educational Foundation in Education in Spring 2009.

This conference was intent to be completely student-centered and family-oriented focusing student research on elementary secondary teaching and learning. For the first time, the CESTL Committee was established at C.W. Post and it consisted of 5 highly motivated and competent students including both graduate students and undergraduate students. These student committee members helped with coordinating the CESTL such as event planning, publicizing, and inviting guest speakers. “It has been a great experience to work with the CESTL committee. Although most of them felt like they didn’t help much and would like to be more involved. The truth is that they helped a lot and their help made my job so much easier.” Said Dr. Boyanton, founder of the CESTL.

It is estimated that a minimum of 96 people attended the 5th CESTL conference. Among them, 40 were education major student presenters (both graduate and undergraduate students); 42 were students’ family members (parents, spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, children); 6 were professors/family members, 5 K-12 guest speakers, and 3 other Post student participants. It was the first time that CESTL had more family members than student presenters in the past three years. “I enjoyed meeting the family members and I was amazed by the tremendous amount of support that they provided for our students.” Dr. Boyanton said.

In addition to student presentations, Dr. Mark Birchette keynote address Passion to Teach and five professors’ (Dr. Arnold Dodge, Dr. Mark Birchette, Dr. Lynn Cohen, Dr. Dr. Efleda Tolentino, and Dr. Dengting Boyanton) invited symposium Teaching & Learning: Perspectives from LIU Professors were also highlights of the 5th CESTL. Also, the special K-12 Student Panel on Teaching and Learning, initiated by Dr. Boyanton for the first time at CESTL received very positive feedback. “I also really enjoyed listening to the guest panels, I thought it was such a SMART idea to have the high/junior high school students and professors there. I loved it so much!” Said graduate Priscilla Alvarez.

Also, our culture performance saw-playing with Piano by undergraduate Chelsea Winter and her friend Kathryn Feibusch was certainly an eye-opening experience for all. “I found the saw player to be very interesting as well since I have never heard saw-playing before.” Undergraduate Eric Morris shared his impression. The professional Irish dance provided by Colette Squillante and her mom Ms. Nancy Squillante was also a thrilling experience for the students. “I was so fascinated by how fast they were moving their legs. I was so distracted that I even forgot to take the pictures.” Said the CESTL photographer Stephen Boyanton, a Ph.D student in History from Columbia University.

As previous three CESTLs which were all held at the University of Texas at Brownsville, the 5th CESTL was also a huge success at LIU. It has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students, the professors, and family members. All student presenters (100%) reported that they enjoyed the CESTL tremendously and described this experience as “nerve-wrecking” “exciting” “inspiring” “educational” “informative” “interesting” “meaningful” “enriching” “respectful” “positive” “community” “well-organized” “amazing” “professional” “great” “awesome” “impressive” “phenomenal” and “powerful!”

Although many student presenters were very nervous about presenting at the CESTL, most of them felt calm after they arrived and their anxiety became excitement because of the accepting, warm, and respectful CESTL spirit. “Although I was a bit nervous about presenting my research and findings, I have to say that I was surprised by the acceptance that I felt during the conference. Everyone was very friendly and interested in what I had to say. That warm environment made all of my anxiety disappear and I just focused on enjoying myself.” Said Louiza Mark, a graduate presenter.

Almost everybody was impressed by how knowledgeable and professional each presenter looked. “All the presenters were so knowledgeable about their topics and passionate. They spoke with such fervor that allowed you to see what they saw during those observations and how they felt about their topics. I did not see fear, though I knew some were, but because of how they presented, they looked like ‘pros’ as one would with any topic and be well informed at the same time.” Graduate student Keisha Adamson-Kogle described her impression of the CESTL student presenters.

“The CESTL was a HUGE success in my book!!! I learned so much about other interesting topics, which are going to come in handy when I have my own classroom! I loved the conference so much! I had such a great time, and I cannot wait for the conference next year!” Graduate student Priscilla Alvarez expressed her excitement.

“The CESTL was a long day but well worth it. I had such an amazing time at the conference!!! I will definitely come again next year and maybe present again, too!!” Joseph Scauzillo, a graduate student from EDI 600 course shared his experience. “I had such a great time at CESTL. It was definitely worth the day. I walked away with so much more information than I would have ever gained through my personal experiences.” Yun Lee, another graduate student said.
Undergraduate Chris Leodise believed future education students should definitely attend the CESTL conference because “it is a great opportunity to learn many things about the field of education as well as becoming a teacher.” “I am really glad that Dr. Boyanton wanted us all to do the CESTL. I feel that it was a very rewarding experience and I am more confident in myself now than I ever was. I truly enjoyed this course with Dr. Boyanton and I would recommend it to everyone and anyone who is majoring in education.” Said undergraduate Nicole Larosa.
As previous CESTLs, most students felt a strong sense of achievement and increased self-confidence after presenting at the CESTL. “When looking back on yesterday, I am shocked. I never thought I would be able to do something like this. I now know that if I put my mind and heart in accomplishing something, it will be worth it.” Said graduate Michelle Evanngelista. Undergraduate Gillian Blitzer shared how CESTL experience increased her self-confidence, “The CESTL experience was completely rewarding. I’ve gained confidence in myself that I can accomplish assignments that I had once thought I could never be able to do. The CESTL conference only makes me want to excel my academics much further than I had preconceived entering college.”

More good news about that CESTL is that through presenting at the CESTL, opened new doors for our student presenters. Undergraduate student Vivett Hemans, after giving a presentation about the race and black students’ achievement in a dominant white environment, immediately received a job interview from a local school district in Long Island. “I am very thrilled about this job opportunity! I am so glad that I presented at the CESTL. I had doubts if I could do it at first and I was angry when you encouraged me to do it. Thank you for pushing and believing in me, Dr. Boyanton.” Vivett expressed her gratitude to Dr. Boyanton afterwards.

To summarize this experience, “I can’t really describe what I felt after presenting and watching others present at the CESTL. Words fall short. I am immensely proud of each and every one of us: the poster-makers and the PowerPointers.” Undergraduate student Chris Barone said, “The CESTL marked a turning point for me. My whole outlook on life has shifted. EDI 17 has made an optimist out of me. I leave this class a changed person with a reinvigorated passion for education, both in front of and behind the desk. I am eternally grateful to the CESTL, our class, and Dr. Boyanton.”

“I was in awe of the level of research and the deep scope with which my peers pursued their research assignments. All of the topics were very interesting and definitely research-worthy. Each person that presented, although nervous, got up to speak with authority about their subject matter. They were engaging, well-spoken, knowledgable, and most of all fun! The posters that I viewed were so neat, eye-catching and well put-together. Whether it was a powerpoint or a poster presentation, I left today's class with a sense of pride. The members of community of respect that we formed just a few short months ago really did a fabulous job. WAY TO GO! CESTL WAS AWESOME! AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE!” Undergraduate Vivett Hemans summarized her CESTL experience.

To learn more about the CESTL: http://www.cestl.blogspot.com/
To view CESTL pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/cestl.liu
Questions/Comments: dengting.boyanton@liu.edu

5th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 15A students

2009-04-08T18:40:00.009-07:00

5th CESTL Evaluations
By EDI 15A Psychological Perspective: Teaching & Learning
Long Island University, C.W.Post
Spring, 2009

At first I was really nervous about the CESTL. I was really anxious all day and especially when my friend was not answering his phone to make sure he was coming. But he did and I was so happy. I learned that I have some friends who would do anything for me. Then after watching a few students go, I started to relax.

I learned a lot from Scott and Gillian's presentations. I really did not know the dropout rate was so high. It really is alarming. I felt like I was very prepared for the conference because I really did a lot of research for this project. Thirty-two hours of observations and interviews is definitely thorough research. The challenges I had were having good eye contact and just trying to not look nervous. I was told that I did a very good job so that made me feel great.

My parents said I said "umm," a lot. I did not realize I was doing that and I think it was because I was trying to think of what I wanted to say next instead of having to read from my paper. I basically had my whole presentation memorized. I practiced it at home a few times.

I am really glad that Dr. Boyanton wanted us all to do the CESTL. I feel that it was a very rewarding experience and I am more confident in myself now than I ever was. I truly enjoyed this course with Dr. Boyanton and I would recommend this class to everyone and anyone who is majoring in education. I think I came to like this class because not only did I learn about education, but I learned about myself as well. I learned that I am self-motivated, strong-willed, and confident. I would have never thought these things about myself before taking this class. Thank you Dr. Boyanton!
(Nicole Larosa, 5/3/09)

Today I attended the CESTL conference and I felt that overall this was a great experience. I was both really excited and happy about being a part of this year’s conference. I believe that I have learned many things today. Also, I feel that I have gained a lot of information and some more knowledge about teaching from this conference.
When I first arrived at the conference, I was still a little bit nervous. But as the other students did their presentations, my nerves started to calm down and I did not feel nervous anymore and was ready to present the poster that I had done for my project. I feel that everyone did a great job with their presentations and I felt that our class did an excellent job with our projects as they showed that we had really worked hard on doing our research and doing the projects.
I also felt that all the guest speakers that were at the conference were all great people to have them speak at the conference. I learned many things just by listening to them tell their stories as well as how they answered questions they were asked.
Some advice that I would give to future students that take this course would be that I think they should definitely attend the CESTL conference because it is a great opportunity to learn many things about the field of education as well as becoming a teacher. Finally, if there was one thing that I had learned from taking this course, it would be that I learned that when I am teaching, I need to look at each student as an individual person because all students have their own learning styles and they all understanding things in different ways. (Christopher Lodise –May 2, 2009)
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I felt nervous and overwhelmed, but kind of excited because I wanted to do well on my project. I worked hard on it and was ready for any questions that anyone had about my poster. I was very prepared. I had my friends come over and made them ask questions as if they were at the CESTL. This would be a little warm up exercise.

I was very satisfied with my performance at the CESTL because I knew my poster inside and out. I had index cards with the information so I could read them to the people. I was ready to answer the questions.

I think the CESTL was a great learning experience because we had great speakers that answered everyone’s questions. I really liked Dr. Mark Birchette. I think he is a great speaker and a great role model for young/new teachers.

I believe Professor Boyanton did a great job this term. My suggestion for future students is not to be afraid of the work because it is not as bad as it seems. This will be one of the best classes and best professors they will have at C.W.Post. One thing that I learned this class was how to have a debate with others in a respectful manner. (Emanuel Messina 5/2/09)

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I was a little nervous about the CESTL conference at first, but once I got there and the poster presentations began, I was no longer overwhelmed. Although only a few people came over to my poster, I received positive feedback. People seemed to enjoy my research and found it worthwhile to study.
One woman in particular spoke with me for a few minutes and said she agreed with my findings and thought I did a great job. It was nice to get such great feedback from teachers and to begin networking with others. I was happy that I decided to present at the conference even though I was not going to initially.
One thing I think might help improve the conference in the future is to have a wider range of panel guests. I noticed that the students were all from pretty wealthy parts of Long Island. It might be cool to incorporate wealthy and poorer schools and to compare the different views students have and see how money affects education.
Also, since it took a while for the audience to think of questions, maybe everyone can be asked beforehand as a class assignment to prepare a question so that there are no lulls and so that we can make the most of the time we have with the panel. (Chelsea Winter, 5/3/09)

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The CESTL Conference was very interesting. I enjoyed listening to my classmates’ power point presentations. They were all very good because they all put in a lot of effort. I was at the conference for a long time which really advanced my intellect. Dr. Boyanton deserves a lot of credits for putting together such an awesome conference. I feel that every person there really enjoyed the conference.
The student panel provided me with a wealth of information regarding my research topic. I asked them different questions that pertained to substance abuse and text messaging during class. They provided us with excellent honest opinions. The teacher panel was also very good because they are all experts in the field of education. One of the educators described how he selected the teachers who he hired for jobs. It was interesting to hear his input because in three years I will be applying for a job. The first speaker from the Brooklyn campus provided us with a wealth of information. I enjoyed listening to his stories regarding his biology class and how he handles poor behavior.
The posters were great because the students really put in a lot of effort into making the posters. Our class is awesome and I am sad that the semester is over because we have had a fun time this semester. Overall this conference was really an awesome experience for me.
At around three I presented my work to the group. I was very nervous because I was following a great group of students. I feel that I did an awesome job because I had a lot of confidence in myself as a lecturer, and educator in the topic of behavior management. I feel that I deserve a real high grade for my presentation. I mentioned my observation hours and the interviews during the presentation. Dr. Boyanton seemed very impressed by my power point presentation. I appreciate the help that she gave me in order to develop the effective presentation. I also received around five questions at the end of my presentation. This was very impressive because this means that the people really enjoyed listening to my presentation. I received the most questions out of any of the power point presenters! I feel that the majority of the students there enjoyed listening to my presentation. There may have been a few who did not but it’s hard to get a 100% approval from everyone. I feel that I was limited by the time limits during the presentation.
A lot of people told me afterwards that I did an excellent job. Overall I feel that I have learned a lot about the topic of behavior management. I hope that the students apply the information from the conference into their work as teachers. Also I appreciate the education and data that Dr. Boyanton has provided us with this semester. I hope that I have her as a teacher in the future. Have a great summer! (Scott Fialkoff, 5/2/09)

The days leading up to the CESTL conference were accompanied by a lot of nerves and anxiety because I was unsure of what to expect from the conference. I knew that I had worked extremely hard on my poster and that I was prepared but at the same time I get nervous having to present my work in front of large groups of people. What if they didn’t like it or could not understand some of the information that was on the poster? What if I could not answer a question that somebody had for me? I worked hard on the poster and wanted to show everyone that I did a good job. Once I arrived at the CESTL on Saturday morning and saw a few of my classmates were also setting up their posters, it comforted me because I could tell that I was not the only person in the class that was nervous about the conference. I knew I was prepared which certainly helped calm my nerves.
I learned a lot of different things at the CESTL conference. For example, a classmate of mine did a presentation on misbehaviors, what they are, and what techniques teachers can use in order to prevent and stop these misbehaviors. Although some of the techniques I already knew, there were some things that were new to me, and I am glad that I attended the conference otherwise I never would have known some of them. All in all I felt that the CESTL conference was a great learning experience for me. I got to learn from peers of mine and it was very interesting hearing what young people have to say based on their research. Also, doing the research on my topic helped me to gain a lot of knowledge on inclusion classrooms and special education students in general. I really enjoyed the CESTL conference and thought that it was run very smoothly. (Josh Korder, 5/3/09)

All semester has lead to the completion of the CESTL conference, and that day had finally arrived yesterday. I was excited to present my research to professionals and my fellow classmates. I chose to do a power point presentation because I felt I had put so much effort into my research and my research paper, that to put together a poster wouldn’t satisfy me. I wanted to make sure people heard my findings from me, and seeing as not everyone saw every poster, I didn’t want mine to go unnoticed.
The days leading up to the conference were hectic. I prepared my power point the best I could. On the day that our class had practice presentations I found that my speech was five minutes too long, and had to be shortened. I thought this would be a simple task but it would not. Professor Boyanton’s feedback was probably the most helpful to completing my presentation. The reorganization of the slides made perfect sense and accentuated my findings. But, to my disappointment, when I attempted to present the slides in that format, I found that my presentation was twenty minutes long! Now it had been double shortened. I spent hours upon hours editing out what was not entirely necessary for my speech. I was up until 2:00 a.m. the night before practicing my speech, timing it, editing it, etc.
I woke up early and got to school by 9:30 a.m. and found my class to sit with. I enjoyed listening to everyone’s presentation. Lunch was good because we got pizza and little finger sandwich’s. As the time approached for me to present, I only became more and more nervous. When it was time for me to present I had too many butterflies in my stomach. As I went through my presentation it seemed all to be a blur, but according to everyone else including my parents (who arrived just in time to watch me present) said I did a great job. That made me relieved.
The CESTL experience was great and completely rewarding. I’ve gained confidence in myself that I can accomplish assignments that I had once thought I could never be able to do. Thank you, Professor Boyanton for providing me with this experience. The CESTL conference only makes me want to excel my academics much further than I had preconceived entering college, going for higher diplomas and doctrines, achieving higher GPAs, and conducting more research on my own. I really appreciated this experience, and I am also sad to leave your class. (Gillian Blitzer, May 4, 2009)

I have to say that when I got to the CESTL conference, all of my anxiety had gone away. As usual, I feel that when I hear Professor Boyanton talks she has a lot of passion in her voice. She talks about how much she loves to teach and her stories make me laugh and realize that you can have fun in your class and still have the students’ respect. When we later moved down to the poster presentations, I had gotten a huge ego boost. Not only did my boyfriend tell me how good my poster looked, I had a lot of different people come up to me and tell me how knowledgeable and enthusiastic I was about teaching. I think this is one quality that is going to make me a great teacher! Overall, the CESTL conference was great, I had a good time and it is something I would like to participate in again. I took my poster home, and since I was so proud of my accomplishment, I have it poster up right in my den for everyone to see! (Caroline Schipani, May 4, 2009)
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5th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 17 students

2009-04-08T18:40:00.007-07:00

5th CESTL Evaluations
By EDI 17 Psychology & Development of Adolescent Students
Long Island University, C.W.Post
Spring, 2009

I can’t really describe what I felt after presenting and watching others present at the CESTL. Words fall short. I am immensely proud of each and every one of us: the poster-makers and the PowerPointers. We have all come a long way from the group that initially sat in class on the very first day, all spread out and silent. We have grown in two ways: first, we have grown closer together, as I see lifelong friendships being made as a result of the course; second, I believe we’ve grown up, and we’ve all grown closer to becoming teachers. I can only speak for myself, but this course has changed me significantly more than any other education class I have taken. It is all because of CESTL, all because of Dr. Boyanton.

The CESTL was great in that it made us stop being education majors and really step up to the plate and become future educators. We weren’t college students while we were up there; we were educators. There it was -- our future! -- right in front of us. And not one of us shied away from it. It’s amazing what we were able to accomplish in just a few short months. Every poster and every presentation were full of new, interesting information. What’s more, there was evident passion behind each one: a passion for educating, and a passion for learning.

By constantly challenging us and pushing us to our limits, this course has strengthened my self-confidence. I mean, I spoke at a conference. I SPOKE! At a CONFERENCE! And the world didn’t end. No one was physically harmed; I didn’t get nervous and pass out; I wasn’t booed off stage. Like I said before, words fall short. The CESTL marked a turning point for me. My whole outlook on life has shifted. EDI 17 has made an optimist out of me. I leave this class a changed person with a reinvigorated passion for education, both in front of and behind the desk. I am eternally grateful to the CESTL, our class, and Dr. Boyanton.
Thank you for everything. (Chris Barone, 5/3/09)
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I'm still on a high from yesterday's CESTL conference! What an experience! If I wasn't sure before, I'm confident now that teaching is my calling, my passion! I had an awesome time yesterday and attendees, people who had no idea who I was, were engaged in my presentation and valued the work that I did. I was so nervous, though! My heel even broke while I was walking around taking questions. I tried to remain cool and go with the flow. I think it worked.

Aside from my own performance, I'm so pleased with that of my classmates, as well! Everyone did a great job. What I really appreciated was the support that we showed one another. We really became a family over this semester. Some of us have even become friends on Facebook and keep in touch outside of the classroom.

All of us who had Dr. Boyanton share a bond and I felt supported not just by EDI 17 class members but members of the other classed you teach, as well. The entire experience was great. I was even offered an opportunity to work in the Wyandanch School District by someone in attendance at yesterday's CESTL who has the power to make that a reality. That is major. I learned so much. I especially enjoyed the discussion with the 6th-12th graders. Their input was on the pulse of what we as (new) educators need to know. I want to be that "great" educator that Jennifer Greenville presented on. I believe I will be for the passion needed is there, burning inside of me.

I was in awe of the level of research and the deep scope with which my peers pursued their research assignments. All of the topics were very interesting and definitely research-worthy. Each person that presented, although nervous, got up to speak with authority about their subject matter. They were engaging, well-spoken, knowledgable, and most of all fun! The posters that I viewed were so neat, eye-catching and well put-together. Whether it was a powerpoint or a poster presentation, I left today's class with a sense of pride. The members of community of respect that we formed just a few short months ago really did a fabulous job. WAY TO GO!

CESTL WAS AWESOME! AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE! (Vivett Hemans, 5/3/09)

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I thought the CESTL Conference went great! Unfortunately I was not able to be there for the entire length of the conference but I was able to be there for a lot of the day’s events. I thought Professor Boyanton did a great job organizing the event and it was a complete success. Everyone looked really professional and was very knowledgeable about their topics.

I though all the posters looked great and it was obvious that everyone put a lot of hard work into them. One of my classmates was telling me how his project was ruined the night before by the rain, had he not told me that I would have never known. It was obvious that he put a lot of work into redoing it.

I also thought the power points all looked really well too. Of course some of us did have a slight disadvantage because of the blue wall but I felt it was better having a bigger projection field.
My favorite part of the entire event was the panel discussion with the high school and middle school students. Most of us were in high school only four or five years ago but that is still enough time for things to change. I thought the audience asked great questions and was happy that the students gave honest and real answers.

I want to thank Professor Boyanton for the opportunity to present at the conference. It was a great experience and allowed me the chance to research a topic which I truly wanted to learn more about.

My only advice for improving the CESTL conference in the future would be to find out what kind of background the power points will be projected on ahead of time. This way, students can design their projects accordingly.

CONGRATULATIONS PROFESSOR ON A GREAT CONFERENCE! (Ilyssa Adelman, 5/3/09)
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I found the Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching and Learning to be extremely enlightening, engaging, and inspiring. I am very glad that I went early to the conference so that I would not miss anything because I truly enjoyed every moment of it. I have gained and learned so much from this conference from hearing what everyone had to say, including the research that people have performed. In fact, I found this conference to be so inspiring that I would like to come back next year and attend the 6th conference.

As for the beginning of the conference, I really enjoyed Dr. Birchette’s speech on passion to teach especially considering I am a math major because he mentioned a few great points about math. I was very interested when he told us how a student once asked him why a negative number when multiplied by another negative number gives you a positive number as a result and how he was so stunned by the student’s question because he could not answer it. This goes to show that quite too often; we learn passively or just for the sake of cramming knowledge into our heads without taking the time to really try to understand deeper meaning and concepts.

This means we need to be good learners ourselves and most importantly, passionate about teaching in order to get our students to want to learn. I completely agree with his speech that we must always be passionate about our teaching no matter what because passion is the key to success. Having passion allows us to motivate our students and also to pass on that passion and instill it in our students.

Another thing that I really liked from the conference was the panel discussion. I thought that the entire panel was very knowledgeable and had a lot of great things to say but I particularly liked and agreed with what Dr. Boyanton had to say. Dr. Boyanton told us that no matter what the circumstances are, we must always find a way to like each and every one of our students and that student-teacher relationships are extremely important in order for success to be achieved. I couldn’t agree more because I can see why this is extremely important. Like she said, there is always a specific reason as to why students act in the ways that they do.

However, if we as teachers try to discover and work around the problem, then students can build trust for us just as we have built trust for them. Teaching and learning is reciprocal, meaning that learning is a two way street and it goes both ways. Therefore, it is up to us as teachers to build strong and positive relationships with our students. (Daniel Barone, 05-02-09)

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I really enjoyed the CESTL. I learned a lot and thought the topics covered were very interesting. I was a little less than satisfied with my performance at the CESTL. I didn’t think it went bad, but it did not go as well as I had hoped. I never realized how much I say “umm” and “like” when I am nervous (that is going to be my next self management project).

After watching the first two presenters, I was afraid that I was not going to finish my presentation in the allotted time and as a result, I rushed through. I didn’t realize that Dan never gave me a two minute warning and I could have showed my movie clip. I was also upset that I forgot to talk about certain things, such as where the literature came from. The literature on bullying, depression and suicide ideation came from three different countries which stresses the fact that bullying is a worldwide problem.

I was a little disappointed with my presentation but overall, the CESTL was a very positive experience. I would definitely present again, if I had the opportunity (and I would definitely be more prepared). I enjoyed being a part of the CESTL Committee as well. At first, I was a little disappointed that I did not contribute much to the CESTL; I felt that I was not a part of the committee and didn’t deserve to be acknowledged.

However, after being asked to give the keynote speaker a ride from the train station, donating food, and introducing the K-12 panel (which went horrible), I felt like a big part of the committee and was honored that I had the chance to be part of such a wonderful and exciting experience. If you ever need a helping hand in preparing for the 6th CESTL, I would be more than happy to lend a helping hand.

One suggestion I would like to give is that instead of doing the presentation rehearsal for the class in our normal classroom, I think it would be more beneficial to do the practice run in the room that the CESTL will actually be held in (if that’s possible). I think it would make the students feel more confident knowing the set up of the room and any other variables. Thank you for the amazing experience and I hope to see you on campus next semester! (Andrea Garcia, May 4, 2009)
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Once again, I was very impressed with all my classmates and the amount of effort they put into their CESTL presentations. I thought everyone did such a good job, especially the people presenting. They were very poised and engaging. I thought it was a good experience because I learned a lot of information through everyone’s research. I realized it was not as intimidating that I thought it would be especially with support from my mother and boyfriend as well as my classmates.

Although I have learned much through everyone’s projects, I feel I have learned more from my classmates than they know. Everyone is so supportive of each other and willing to help each other and I am very grateful that I was lucky to be in a class with all these people. I have had classes in the past where students were manipulative and mean just so they would get a higher grade then someone else in the class. I would never expect this from any of my classmates in this class, in fact, I know my classmates would be willing to help one another to better someone else’s grade, not their own. I think this quality is what will help our class to become better teachers.

Overall, I enjoyed the CESTL and enjoyed being there for my classmates. Everyone looked so professional and passionate and it made me happy to see everyone this way. No one was shy and everyone was in a good mood. I think this experience was well worth it. I wish Dr. Boyanton luck with her future CESTL presentations and hopefully spreading the CESTL to more colleges and universities to further students learning and strengthen their ability to work together. (Dana LaRose May 3, 2009)

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The CESTL was a great learning experience, more than anything I was anticipating. For starters, the keynote speaker’s welcome address “The Passion to Teach” was incredibly powerful and very inspirational. I found it so interesting, yet so true, that true passion entails grief, frustration, and suffering, along with the joy and happiness. I strongly agree that having a true passion to teach is overcoming challenges with your students as Dr. Birchette described, such as becoming angry for a class for continually having side-conversations. I have to admit that part of me was excited for the conference, while another part of me was just looking forward to the points. However, once I started listening to Dr. Birchette’s speech I completely forgot about the points and was so engaged by the educational aspects of the conference.

All of the presentations were so informative and interesting, and it never felt like I was listening to the same thing over and over again.

The panel of professors who answered questions was great as well, because it gave perspective to certain questions that I would normally only have looked at from a students point of view, and showed how a teacher would view it. Even the atmosphere of the conference, things like being in professional dress, and everyone sharing knowledge and ideas about education, made me feel more comfortable, and even more excited and passionate about teaching. (Shannon Lehosky, May 3, 2009)
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I really had a lot of fun at the CESTL conference. I learned a lot of things and enjoyed it a lot. This conference will definitely help further my knowledge in education and my professionalism as a teacher. There was a lot of information by the students and variety of topics that touched upon a lot of issues that educators will run into.

I really enjoyed the conference and did not feel overwhelmed at all. Everything just flowed really well and I think my poster and my research was done very well and that I had a lot of information to talk about with my poster. I kept my poster neat and not a lot of charts and writing because I felt that I could talk more to the person than rather show them my poster and let them read them so it was a person interaction not a person/poster interaction.

Overall this course has taught me a lot of things about adolescents that I will need to know. Everyone in our class was really great in sharing their opinions and not putting down anyone. We learned a lot of different things that as future teachers we will run into like gender and stereotypes among students. I will really miss my classmates and our teacher because this was by far the best education class I have ever taken in college. (Lindsay Springer 5/3/09)
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I felt really excited for the conference. I spent a long time doing my research and felt really confident that my presentation would go well. I think I spoke to 3 people in total about it.

I learned without a shadow of a doubt that to be a teacher you have to love what you do. Not only do you have to love it you have to love it everyday. You must wake up every day and say I want to be here. That happens to be one of my rules with relationships now everyday you have to wake up wanting to be there.

The difficulty I had was finding time to do observations. Along with that I then had to come to a conclusion about my research from the little observations I did. I would actually like to research my topic a little more. (Sean O'Brien 5/3/09)

Overall I think the CESTL conference went very well. Not just for myself personally but I think everyone did a good job. There were very few bumps in the road and that fact made it a smooth day. It was a day jam packed with a lot of interesting and insightful knowledge for all current and future educators. I particularly liked the round table discussion with various administrators such as Dr. Cohen and Dr. Dodge. All of them provided the audience with a lot of good advice for their future career in teaching.

The majority of presenters did a thorough and superb job in presenting their topic to the conference members. The only real common criticism for some of the speakers was that there were some that could not break the habit of fumbling and saying “uh or um”. Of course it is very hard to speak in front of people and with the good job they did, I would not fault them for that. I thought Vivett’s presentation stood out the most to me. She had everyone engaged and interested. Her presentation went on longer than it was suppose to, but that was a good thing because it was the audience that was stretching it out longer. It seemed everyone spoke up about her topic and it got people talking.

For myself personally I thought I did a good job with my poster and the topic that I researched. I had a very nice conversation with Dr. Cohen when she came and visited my poster. I was nervous about the poster presentation, but I was able to battle those nerves and I felt I was able to successfully speak confidently in what I was presenting. Confidence is key when public speaking. I thought the conference was a success, even though there were a few things that could be changed. Next time I think there should be less presenters, I only say that because some of the presenters were not the only ones talking about their topic. Maybe in the future people can do joint presentations if they have a similar topic in order to help with time. But overall I thought it was well done.

Overall I liked the class very much. I would like to possible have a role in the conference next semester if there is another one. As I stated in my last class journal, the class was very fun and interesting, and I think our class really worked well together. Everyone got along with one another, which is hard sometimes with different personalities. Once again thank you professor for a good semester and good luck in the future with the CESTL conference. (Thomas Brouillard, 5/3/09)

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I enjoyed the CESTL conference yesterday. I found the keynote speaker to be very inspirational and make be feel good about becoming a teacher. I enjoyed the powerpoint presentations and thought that each presentation had something that I can take with me when I start teaching. I found the saw player to be very interesting as well since I have never heard saw-playing before. It looks really difficult to play and I could tell that she must have practiced a lot to be able to play so well.

One thing from the conference that really stuck with me was from a lecture from a grad student on teachers attitude. I found it interesting to see the correlation between teachers that were energetic about their teaching and the success of those students and the correlation between teachers that weren't passionate about their class and how the class as a whole didn't try as hard to do well.

One advice that I would give to students who will take this course is to stay on top of your work and assignments so that they don't fall behind. (Eric Morris 5/3/09)

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the CESTL. There were many things at the CESTL that I greatly enjoyed. I was really touched by the keynote speakers’ speech about motivation. I really learned a lot from him and I feel more confident about being the student in the classroom and also being the teacher in the classroom.

The panel discussion answered many questions that I really wanted to know and really cleared up confusion I had about certain myths and stories about teaching. I also think all of the power point presenters did very well and completely blew themselves away in comparison to what they presented during class. All of the posters were really awesome and very creative. There were so many different topics to look at and all of the poster presentations were very insightful and very informative. Although I did not stay the entire time, I am sure that the rest of the presenters from our class did a great job.

I really liked the set up of the CESTL and I really liked how smoothly it ran. The only thing I would change would be the evaluation set up. I would have an envelope by each person’s poster in order to avoid confusion with everyone’s folder in a box with a crowd of people around it. I would also make the audience sit up close, although this may be hard, but it will create a more personal atmosphere and people would feel more comfortable. All in all, it was a very rewarding experience at the CESTL and I would definitely love to see more students’ presentations in the future. (Elyse Capozza, 5/2/09)

5th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 600 students

2009-04-08T18:40:00.005-07:00

5th CESTL Evaluations
By EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education
Long Island University, C.W.Post
Spring, 2009

There were many aspects of the CESTL conference that were inspiring. The Associate Dean , Dr. Lustag, made me feel proud of my choice of professions when discussing how as teachers we can leave a legacy. Our Keynote speaker, Dr. Mark Birchette, was excellent. He told many interesting life stories and related them to how they influenced his ideas of teaching.

One of the stories that stayed in my mind is the one Dr. Birchette told about being a boy and not understanding the word “aunt” when it was pronounced as “ant”. In that story he told how a teacher can have the great ability and role of making sense of the world to a child. I also came away remembering the story you told of the unpopular kindergartener who wanted to play a pig in the play Cinderella. From that story I learned the value of children experiencing success to further motivate them. I also learned the importance of a good teacher being flexible.

The panel discussion addressed a lot of practical questions we may have about teaching. I agreed with Dr. Boyanton’s answer about what to do if your teacher is not passionate or motivated. It is true that when the student shows enthusiasm for the subject matter, it may positively affect the teacher as well. Certainly at this level of education I am seeking to get the most out of my classes that will enhance my abilities as a teacher. If I am not lucky enough to have an inspiring teacher like you, Dr. Boyanton, I will get as much as I can from the required readings or projects and be an active participant in the class discussion.

Lastly, I just want to thank you, Dr. Boyanton for all your obvious dedication to making this class such a wonderful learning environment. I will not forget the fun, interactive lessons you taught or the great model of a teacher you provided. (Donna Brody, 5/3/2009)

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Prof. Boyanton,

Thank you very much for the entire semester it has been a true joy and experience. I believe that it was an eye opener, insightful and educational.

Thank you very much for this wonderful educational experience and exposure to great people. It was truly and insight and great success. The CESTL yesterday was a success and you should be very proud.

Brooke, 5/3/09

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Professor!

Thank you so much for your motivation and dedication this semester. This was my first semester back in school after 5 years and you really gave me the confidence and push that I needed. I learned a great deal not only from your classroom exercises but from your interactions with us as well. You are an excellent instructor.

I will never forget you and this class.

I had such a great time at CESTL. It was definitely worth the day and by attending the conference I walked away with so much more information than I would have ever gained through my personal experiences. I definitely would like to be kept informed regarding the conference.

Thank you so much.

And if it isn't too much of a burden, I hope that you will allow me to contact you if I have any questions regarding my studies.

Sincerely,

Yun Lee
5/3/09

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The CESTL was well-organized and there were great quality of presentations and speakers. You should market this event to local elementary/secondary schools—parents can learn a lot! Excellent! Thank you for allowing me to participate!—Evdoxia (Evi) Gounelas, 5/2/09

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Yesterday, I was filled with anticipation to present my research, conducted from this past semester. I was very nervous, but when I got up there it was not bad at all. I got in front of the audience and was actually more comfortable than during my practice presentation in class. I left the conference, not relieved due to it being done and over with, but content that I was so strong to get over my fear of public speaking.

I really enjoyed the entire CESTL. I thought my peers did an excellent job. I was not able to view the morning presentations, but the power points by Scott Failkoff and Gillian Blizter were amazing. I commend them on a phenomenal job well done. I learned so much from their presentations and admire how easy they made it look, to speak in front of all those people.

I also loved Gillian’s slides. It also made me aware of how computer savvy younger students are.
As an undergrad at the University at Albany, classes were filled with 300-500 students in a lecture hall. Especially as a psychology major, there were never small enough classes to give such intellectual presentations. I may have had to give 1 or 2 power point presentations my whole undergraduate career. This conference brought to my attention, the importance of being proficient with modern computer programs. I give future presenters the advice of putting together a well-rounded power point slide show, and if you know your research; the day will be a breeze. You will be able to concentrate more on other presentations and be less fearful of messing up on your own.

During my attendance there, I was also able to listen to the panel of high school/junior high school students. I thought it was very beneficial to us, as novice teachers. These students just made it clearer to be passionate and creative about what we are teaching. They enforced the importance of positive/healthy student-teacher relationships and how teachers who are inconsistent, boring, and do not create a respectful classroom environment, will never get through to their students.

When looking back on yesterday, I am so pleased with the entire experience. I am also shocked. I never thought I would be able to do something like this. I now know that if I put my mind and heart in accomplishing something, it will be worth it. It is true when people say; a teacher’s job is one of, acquiring more and more knowledge as the years go by. This was my first experience, learning more about me, my career and my future students.

I will now enter the rest of my graduate classes with a head held high. In one semester, I did it all. I wrote tons of papers, analyzed so many theories and presented my own research. During the past 4 months, I did not just go to class and fill a seat. Each day I did something productive. I never thought, “I am never going to need this in the future.” I want to be that teacher, who has her students believe, “What Ms. Evangelista is teaching, is something that I will always use.”
One again, CESTL was an amazing experience. I will definitely attend next semester. I regret not being able to get there in the morning, to hear the panel of professors. Thank you, for allowing me to be apart of this event, change my perspective about myself and for teaching me how to become a great teacher! (Michelle Evanngelista, 5/3/09)
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I really enjoyed the CESTL conference. I think that everyone did a wonderful job in their presentations and it was interesting to hear the research in which they presented. I give many of the students who presented a lot of credit. It is nerve wrecking to stand up in front of peers and professionals in a field. They did a lot of hard work and it paid off. They spoke wonderfully and really engaged the audience. Some of the topics can be applied in the classroom. It was great to hear the research they found and some of the things they said I will think about when I have a classroom of my own.

The part of the conference I enjoyed most was the panel of professors. It is always wonderful to hear advice and input from people in the field that you are in. All of the panel guests have years of experience in education. This was great because they had a lot of knowledge and input to give. I enjoyed the advice and offerings they gave and I will always think back to the inspirational things they said.

I also enjoyed presenting my research to people at the conference. I have worked hard on this and researched a lot. I hope other people enjoyed what I found out and will be able to use the advice in their own classroom.

The only thing that I think should be changed about the conference is the poster presentation time. I think that since it was during the lunch break most people did not walk around because they were eating and the people who had posters were unable to eat because they had to stand next to their booths. However, on the whole this was a wonderful experience and I am glad I could be a part of it! (Alyssa Katz, 5/3/09)

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Although I was a bit nervous about presenting my research and findings, I have to say that I was surprised by the acceptance that I felt during the conference. Everyone was very friendly and interested in what I had to say. That warm environment made all of my anxiety disappear and I just focused on enjoying myself. I met plenty of wonderful people who were genuinely interested in what I had to say. I also met the Director of our program and she was very interested in my work. We spoke for quite some time and I got to know her a bit and she congratulated me on my work. She also encouraged me to continue my research because my topic was deemed to be very interesting.

Overall I had technical issues and anxiety leading up to the conference, but after it was all said and done, I have nothing but fond memories full of learning. I had a wonderful experience and would like to experience it again in the future. (Louiza Mark 5/4/09)

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I was very excited for the CESTL Conference. I was not too nervous about the conference, because I was very proud of my poster and felt that my hard work paid off and that now I was going to be able to share my findings with other people, who are just as interested in education and my research topic, as I am. I loved the conference so much! I had such a great time, and I cannot wait for the conference next year!

The only issue that I had with the conference, was that only really REALLY spoke to about 8-9 people on my poster. I would have wished that everyone who attended the Conference was able and willing to see my poster board. I put a lot of work into the board. I did get to speak one-on-one with one of the panel experts Dr. Tolentino, who is a professor at Post (her son was also a guest on the panel). I had such a great conversation with her, in fact she suggested that I keep on researching my topic and try to get some work published! I was so happy to hear that a professor believed in me, and wanted me to excel and do more work on the topic. It meant a lot that she came over to my poster board and spoke with me. I was very satisfied with my poster board and my conversations with others.

Overall, the CESTL was a HUGE success in my book!!! I learned so much about other interesting topics, which are going to come in handy when I have my own classroom! I also really enjoyed listening to the guest panels, I thought it was such a SMART idea to have the high/junior high school students and professors there. I loved it so much!

Maybe, in the future I would suggest more time for people to view the posters, maybe make Lunch time longer or have some more breaks. ALSO, I would suggest that power point presenters not go over the time limit, I would strictly enforce that. Some presenters went way over the 10 minute time limit (ALL Presenters did a MARVELOUS job, but some were longer than others). I would also have all the power point presenters make sure that there slides are perfect. I couldn’t read some slides, because of the colors on the background slides.

All in all, I had a great time and look forward to coming and helping out at next year’s conference, and the years to come! I wanted to say thank you for starting such a great conference at Post, I can tell that you are a teacher who cares about her students and only wants the best for them. You have touched me and I will always remember you! You are a great role model for teachers!!! Thank you again and again for everything!! (Priscilla Alvarez 5/3/09)

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The CESTL conference was definitely a learning experience. I think what overwhelmed me the most was that I didn’t know what to expect or how to go about creating a well thought out display of my research. It scared me to actually participate in a conference. That sounded so official and here I was my first class for my master’s degree and now I had to come up with some intelligent display of my research. I was very scared.

I thought it was very helpful that you dedicated an entire class to helping us get prepared for the conference. Bringing in examples of other posters really helped show us what was expected and how to go about preparing such a display. I thought the posters that were prepared at a Staples or Kinkos definitely looked more professional and wished I could have done something like that.

I thought the overall conference was great. I think it is a wonderful idea and hope you continue to have them. It was a great learning experience for everyone and know if I’m ever asked to participate in another conference in the future, will be more prepared and know what to expect a little better. (Cindy Sexton, 5/3/09)

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The day of the dreaded CESTL conference finally came and I must say, I survived, and I am now more educated and more confident than before attending the conference. Although I first approached the conference without much love, I left it with a new sense of self-esteem and knowledge.

I lacked so much confidence that I did not want to present at the conference. I felt I should not perform and really was not looking forward to going up to speak. However, my turn came and while I did have the initial feelings of discomfort, I believe I soon found myself and quickly became comfortable, unfortunately, that was five minutes before my time was up.

Another issue I had before the conference was the duration of the conference. I really did not understand how I could possibly withstand the whole time. I must say, however, that I never felt that the time was dragging and in reality, time went by too quickly. Each presentation was more informative and interesting then the prior, and all the poster presentations made by my follow classmates were so interesting and informative. I definitely would have regretted not attending the conference, since I would have missed out on so much.

I had an excellent time at the conference. Although I did not get to ask any questions during the two panel discussions, just listening in on the discussions opened up my mind. I was very proud to be a presenter and am extremely proud at all my colleagues for doing such an excellent job. I definitely believe they have the same sense of pride and accomplishment that I have right now. Thank you so much for instilling us with great knowledge and confidence! You are an exact model of an ideal TEACHER! (Yun Lee 5/4/09)

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The CESTL conference was really impressive. All the students involved did a great job, and the conference was done very professionally. I’m glad I was part of it. I know Dr. Boyanton took great pride in putting it together, and her hard work showed. It was well put together. I enjoyed listening to the panel of professors, and would have like to speak to them further. I had many questions I would have liked to ask about curriculum, funding and other nuances of state and mandatory testing. I would have liked to have a one on one with Professor Dodge, but he left abruptly.

My question on the economic and political ramifications on state testing left me somewhat dangling. One suggestion in the future would be to have the panel discussion go into greater length. I would have liked to get Professor Dodge’s e-mail to discuss things further. (Scott Mines, 5/2/09)

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Since the semester began I have been hearing about the 5th CESTL conference and was happy that I was able to witness half or partial of it on Saturday. I was a bit disappointed that I was unable to present due to prior responsibilities. For the few hours that I was there, I was exposed to some very interesting topics that were very moving, educational, insightful that made you more aware. I especially liked the presentation about the cultural differences in the school “Anywhere USA”. The question that was asked at the end “Where do you want to teach”. That made me think of the students that I can possibly reach in an all white school or the school that is known to be “bad”.

All the presenters were so knowledgeable about their topics and passionate. They spoke with such fervor that allowed you to see what they saw during those observations and how they felt about their topics. I did not see fear, though I knew some were, but because of how they presented, they looked like ‘pros’ as one would with any topic and be well informed at the same time.

I was really happy that I was able to attend and see what the CESTL was all about and to support my classmates as they did for me during class. Though I had to return to work, it was well worth the time spent at the conference, as that would be the last gathering with my classmates, until fall or summer classes. (Keisha Adamson-Kogle 5/4/09)

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It is often said that “extraordinary people do extraordinary things”. Professor Dengting Boyanton I think, I have echo these sentiments the entire semester about your teaching skills and abilities, and our conference today continue to define who you are as a person. The C.E.S.T.L presentation did exceed my expectations. It was very easy to tell the students, you prepared for this event, from the ones you did not. I knew this whole event would be successful, so much to, I brought my niece who is currently attending a city college, and her major is education she thoroughly enjoyed the entire even, and as you noticed, she even participated, by asking several questions.

What I particularly liked about the conference today is the fact that the agenda, addressed the needs of every student and professor as well as family and friends. I did admired Dr. Mark Brichette, frank and openness about students in the classroom, and his honesty about confronting behavioral problems in his classroom. What I found in the past is that some professors would, just tell you about how you should conduct you self. Today we heard pure and honest facts, as we would say live stuff; just as it happen in the classroom. These are the type of professors we need to hear from more often.

The Panel discussions, about Teaching and learning was very informative, I think Dr. Aronld Dodge, was very candid with his responses, as we all know the issue of standardized testing will remain one of the more sticky subjects in education. I was also very impressed with the responses given by Dr. Efleda Tolentino about her experiences and what she did to increase her motivation level. Which intern helped her to become a better motivator to her students in the classroom? I left there thinking. If she can do it so can I. Dr. Lynn Cohen also made some very key points about student taking an active role in their education and looking for positive influences. Finally Professor Boyanton, as part of that panel you continue to be great source of inspiration , by sharing so many of your experiences, as you mention about the young man , who was so frustrated and angry about his grades until you were able to get to the root cause of his anger and address the issue. I learn a valuable lesson here. A has to know her students strengths and weaknesses and how to address them.

I thought the Panel, of high school students and a sixth grader was very informative. It was also interesting to hear their points of view about teachers, as well as share these feelings with the audience ,and not holding back anything, I also learned a very valuable lesson , and that is, you always has to keep your students engage in the classroom , the bottom line is if you don’t you will definitely loose their interest .

Our Power Point Presentations were very informative, and for my part all of my peers did well because it is no picnic, standing before an audience, let alone a mass of well educated professionals. As always when you have a race related topic, it almost certainly will attract a lot of attention, and today was no exception. When the topic of Black student achievement & racial identity in a predominantly white learning environment was address, we say the same reaction. Nevertheless, I thought most of the research finding was well proven, well presented and for the most part very engaging.

The Poster Presentations were, very creative and my peers were able to show off many of their great talents. I thoroughly enjoyed their work. What strike me about so many of my peers were the ability to come up with art work related to the research they did. Again it shows how much we have learned in our classroom; today was really a showcase.
I would be amiss if I did not mention the Cultural Performers, Irish dancers and Musical Sawist, what a show!

In conclusion the 5th Conference of Elementary –Secondary Teacher & Learning was a wonderful experience, I came away with a wealth of knowledge, which I hope to share with students in my classroom. As I indicated today this is my first semester at C.W. post, I am looking forward to the 6Th C.E.S.T.L. Professor Boyanton, thanks again for being a great educator. (Jennifer Grenville, 5/2/09)

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First I would like to say that I had a lot of fun at the CESTL. It was a long day but well worth it. I really enjoyed our key-note speaker. He was so eloquent and touched upon many things that really hit home. Two of the biggies from his wonderful speech were the whole being afraid to raise your hand in class as well as needing to have that motivation and drive. I think towards the end of Undergraduate I had lost that drive (where school was concerned) but after this semester at LIU I am confident and proud to say that it is back.

I also had a lovely chat with Dr. Cohen who was very nice to answer some of my personal questions (I didn’t want to ask them during the committee because it was personal about getting involved with Autism). Dr. Cohen was nice enough to give me some teachers to email about getting involved.

I think all of the information at the CESTL was so valuable. I wish I had more time to take it all in. I felt like it was such a whirlwind of information. I defiantly think I gained valuable knowledge for the future. And I even learned about a few new uses for a saw. I could not believe the sweet music that she was able to create from the saw. I think my overall performance was good at the CESTL. I explained my poster to a few people who came over and they seemed to like it (I hope). I also tried to be as professional as possible because it is hard enough to get up their and speak; the presenters don’t need any distractions coming from the audience.

I think the class as a whole was amazing. It was a lot of work but all well worth it. I not only learned a great deal but I made some great friends in the class. It also helped me to break out of my shell a little and I can’t thank you enough for that.

I had such an amazing time at the conference!!! I will definitely come again next year and maybe present again, too!! Thanks for everything this semester!!! I had such a great experience in your class! Thank you again and I hope you have a wonderful summer!! Joseph Scauzillo, 5/4/09

5th CESTL Evaluations by Faculty/Guests

2009-04-08T18:40:00.003-07:00

5th CESTL Evaluations
By CESTL Faculty Members/Guests
Long Island University, C.W.Post
Spring, 2009

Hey Dengting,

It was my sincere pleasure to give the keynote address; thank you again for extending the invitation. And thanks also for the nice note and lovely Chinese Scroll.

It was also nice to meet your husband (we share a background in Anthropology, I discovered) as well as your other colleagues who sat on the faculty panel. Congratulations to you and your students for another successful CESTL conference.

Regards,
Mark
Mark G. Birchette, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Brooklyn Campus, Long Island University
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Hi Dengting,

I want to commend you for the success of the CESTL conference.

You put such thought and creativity in organizing the event and the venue this year was just
beautiful.

Thank you for inviting us to participate in this most anticipated event.

Congratulations to you and your students!

All the best,
Efleda Tolentino Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Special Education & Literacy
School of Education
C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University
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Dear Dengting,

The thanks goes to you for initiating this program at LIU. I really enjoyed being a part of your celebration of teaching and learning.

Lynn

Lynn Cohen, Ph.D.
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
Tel: 516-299-3675
lynn.cohen@liu.edu

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Dengting,

I enjoyed the experience. You are to be commended for all of your hard work on this excellent initiative.

Dr. Arnold Dodge,
Assistant Professor
Chair, Department of Leadership and Administration
School of Education
C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University

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Dear Dengting

Thank you for everything that you do for the School of Education. Your CESTL conference was terrific.

All the best,

Kathryn Lusteg
Dr. Kathryn Lusteg
Associate Dean,
School of Education
C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University

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Dear Professor Dengting Boyanton and Students,

I am so happy that your conference was a huge success.
You worked diligently, and the effort and your accomplishment helped others learn more about the research topics you shared.
I am looking forward to your next conference.

Best wishes for a delightful summer,
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
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Most impressive. Thanks for sharing.

Dr. Rita Langdon
Associate Provost
Director Public Relations
Long Island University, C.W.Post
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Dr. Boyanton,

I felt honored to be a part of your team and I am so happy that CESTL was such a success, once again! All the elements of the CESTL were great - from the keynote address, to the musical and dance intermissions, and the excellent presentations...

You are very inspirational to your audiences and students, and I appreciate the experience of knowing you and for having taken your course. Anything I can help with in the future, please don't hesitate to contact me.

I think that Ali and Christiana (the two high school panelists) also very much enjoyed themselves at the CESTL and I will definitely pass on your kind words to them.

The CESTL was well-organized and there were great quality of presentations and speakers. You should market this event to local elementary/secondary schools—parents can learn a lot! Excellent! Thank you for allowing me to participate!

Evdoxia (Evi) Gounelas
Graduate Student
School of Education,
C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University

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I enjoyed the CESTL and I felt that I was taking a break from my work. I was impressed by how motivated, hardworking, and professional these students were. I am glad that my daughter could be part of it.

Michelle Evanngelista's mother

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I am glad that I attended the CESTL. When I was sitting there and listening to my sister's presentation, I was so proud of her and I felt like crying. I am really glad to be here to support here and celebrate her achievement.

Vivett Hemans' sister

4th CESTL Program

2008-10-17T08:22:00.003-07:00

4th CESTL Tentative Program

9am-8pm, Dec 13, 2008 (Sat)
Long Island Room, Winnick Student Center
Long Island University, C.W. Post

OPEN to the Public!

PowerPoint Presentations

0 9:00-9:20 Dr. Dengting Boyanton Opening: Welcome to the CESTL & introduction of guests!

0 9:20-9:50 Keynote Speaker: Dr. Arnold Dodge Keynote address: The meaning of teaching

9:50-10:00 Coffee Break

1 10:00-10:10 Lauren Romano Inclusion in the classroom setting: teacher’s perspective

2 10:10-10:20 Pauline Stein Evaluating the effect of a pre-school enrichment program

3 10:20-10:30 Meredith Appeibaum Personality: Where is it from and how does it affect learning?

4 10:30-10:40 Kimberly Maher How do teacher’s experience and personalities affect student’s motivation and classroom behaviors?

5 10:40-10:50 Angelo Ferrucci Facilitate students’ learning based on their learning styles

6 10:50-11:00 Melissa Hofmann Evaluating the impact of a Reading Recovery Program on at-risk first-grade students

7 11:00-11:10 Lauren Russo Intelligence = Success? Exploring the relationship between academic intelligence and life success

8 11:10-11:20 Vanda Dreyer How does culture affect one’s interest, hard work, and motivation to learn?

9 11:20-11:30 Cassie Dunn Using positive reinforcement for students’ misbehavior: A comparison between a special educational classroom setting and a regular setting

11:30-11:35 Break

0 11:35-12:30
Dr. Andrea Mcloughlin
Dr. Joan Walker
Dr. Shaireen Rasheed
Dr. Efleda Tolentino
Dr. Dengting Boyanton Invited Special Symposium:
Teaching & Learning: Perspectives from LIU Professors
This symposium will provide different perspectives on teaching and learning at the higher education level from the professors' perspective. Students will be given many opportunities to ask these LIU professors ANY questions.

12:30-1:30 Pizza Break/Poster

10 1:30-1:40 Helen Siaxabanis Why is being “book smart” unpopular in school?

11 1:40-1:50 Kevin Cherry How does family environment affect children’ learning?

12 1:50-2:00 Amy Weisburd Gender bias: Where is it from and how it affects learning?

13 2:00-2:10 Laura Fichera
How can teachers prevent the conflict between a student’s personality and his learning?

14 2:10-2:20 Xiaodan Jiang
Exploring the cultural factors that affect the students’ performance in the ESL classroom

15 2:20-2:30 Jason Crockett
Impact of undesirable behavior and classroom management on student learning

16 2:30-2:40 Kara Rubino Exploring characteristics of great teachers

17 2:40-2:50 Brittany Fedus
How does misbehavior affect that individual’s own learning and others’ in the classroom?

2:50-3:00 Break

18 3:00-3:10 Margaret Persaud A comparative study on characteristics of elementary students and middle school students

19 3:10-3:20 Annamarie Morgera Left-brained, right-brained: How can teachers keep both sides as leveled as possible?

20 3:20-3:30 Trisha Zuvich How do parents affect their children’s learning?

21 3:30-3:40 Sarah Hoenig The impact of great teachers on students’ learning

22 3:40-3:50 Jaclyn Joyce Great teachers: What personality traits do they have? Which traits are more favorable than others?

23 3:50-4:00 Sunya Bhutta How does misbehavior and discipline problem affect the learning atmosphere in the classroom?

24 4:00-4:10 Alexis Trudel
Examining the micro-moral behavior in the elementary classroom

25 4:10-4:20 Celena Ragkaswar
Who are the well-behaved, invisible students, troublemakers, or bullies in a K-6 classroom?

26 4:20-4:30 Lauren Betz How does misbehavior affect one’s learning?

4:30-5:20 Pizza Break/poster

27 5:20-5:30 Juliet Castellanos The media-raised generation: Exploring the influence of media on young children’ behavior

28 5:30-5:40 Linda Gottlieb How does the classroom structure (e.g., teaching methods) facilitate or hinder students’ learning style?

29 5:40-5:50 Andrew Romanoff How does students’ perception of their instructor’s physical appearances affect the learning environment?

30 5:50-6:00 Christine Goldstein Using technology in the classroom: students’ perspectives

31 6:00-6:10 Sean Johnsen With advancements in technology, how is student learning different today from what it used to be?

32 6:10-6:20 Matthew Unger How can we integrate technology to facilitate learning in the classroom?

6:20-6:30 Break/Poster

33 6:30-6:40 Ok-Hyun Jo Lost mother tongue: Why did Korean immigrant children lose their native language?

34 6:40-6:50 Sherry Lankford
How do teachers prepare themselves to teach a multi-cultural classroom?

35 6:50-7:00 Caitlin Bishop
Lauren Staffieri Strategies to motivate the students to learn in the classroom
What can teachers do to motivate K-12 students to learn different subjects?

36 7:00-7:10 Frank Bonanno
How motivated are today's K-12 level students about learning?

37 7:10-7:20 Ling-Yen Tseng How motivated are international students in the U.S. to learn English as a Second Language (ESL)?

38 7:20-7:30 Evdoxia Gounelas Exploring strategies to motivate students to learn

39 7:30-7:40 Lisa Rankin Introducing the most effective ways to motivate students to learn

40 7:40-7:50 Kelly Burns Motivation: How does it change as one ages?

7:50-8:00 Dr. Dengting Boyanton Closing: Special Presentation

Poster Presentations

41 James Avila Creating a positive learning environment in the classroom

42 Elizabeth Violette Growing up in a bad environment: How did children from negative family environments become successful learners?

43 Philip Novins What are the classroom environment that are most/least favorable for learning

44 Joanna Aiello Personalities: What are they and how does each personality affect one’s ability to learn?

45 Alison Greene
How does personality affect one’s relationship with his peers/teachers?

46 Marissa Morrissey How does ADHD affect a child's learning capabilities?

47 Clarivel Martinez
Devyn Giannone Lauren Volini From bullies, loners, trouble-makers, to exceptional students: What makes students to change?

48 Jamie Bunsis In the mood of learning: How does one’s mood affect one’s learning?

49 Nicole Vasheo Technology: When and how can it hinder students’ learning?

50 Carolyn Rio Learned or innate? A comparative study between elementary and college students’ learning styles

51 Jeanna Careccia
Michelle Kiernan
Ashley Pratt A comparative study on interests, learning strategies, and motivation between elementary and high school students

52 Christina Cronan From elementary to middle school: How do they learn differently?

53 Kelly Calder
Jenna Caputo How do students of different grades learn differently: A comparative study between 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade

54 Lydia DiLorenzo
Mark Donelan Gender biases: How are students treated differently due to their gender in the classroom setting?

55 Jessica Murphy Becoming a great teacher: The importance of knowing your students

56 Elizabeth Scot How to be a great teacher?

57 Christopher Conterelli Designing different instructional methods to teach culturally diverse students

58 Sarah Lefrancois Low SES, low performance? Exploring the effect of poverty in learning

58 Courtney Schmaeling How do effective teachers prevent misbehavior in the classroom

60 Patricia Selock Exploring the most effective methods for behavior management

61 Meghan Woodstock Why do they misbehave? Understanding misbehavior in the classroom

62 Jennifer Massaro Evaluating the effect of ABA behavior management methods on autism students

63 Laura Fichera How can a teacher effectively handle misbehavior in the classroom?

64 Melanie Galvin How do parents influence their children’s learning?

65 Lauren Malter Do children with parental support and guidance learn better than those who don’t?

66 Christina Wilson
How does parental involvement with student’s homework affect student’s learning?

67 David Dimola How to motivate K-12 students to learn?

68 Tara Agnesini What are the motivation problems with today’s K-12 levels students?

69 Rong Zhang Understanding the importance of emotion education in ESL teaching in primary schools

70 Jacqueline Silverman To what degree should instructional technology be integrated with traditional instructional techniques?

71 Grace Thornton What are the characteristics of great teachers?

The End! We look forward to seeing you in the CESTL!

4th CESTL Invited Speakers

2008-10-17T08:22:00.001-07:00

4th Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning

***C E S T L***
***Highlights***

9:20am-9:50am, Dec 13
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Arnold Dodge
Keynote Address: The Meaning of Teaching

Dr. Arnold Dodge is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Administration, Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, Brookville, N.Y. He served in the public schools for 37 years as a teacher, principal, curriculum administrator and superintendent. He has chaired numerous high-stakes testing forums and has lectured in the public schools and at the university on the impact of high stakes testing on classroom and school environments. Dr, Dodge is currently working on a project with the Associate Director of the Health, Emotions and Behavior Laboratory at Yale University, researching the relationship between performance on standardized tests and teacher and student stress. Dr, Dodge will give a talk titled "The Meaning of Teaching: the Art of Teaching."

11:35am-12:30pm, Dec 13
Invited Special Symposium
Teaching & Learning: A perspective from LIU Professors
Dr. Andrea Mcloughlin (Associate Professor of Education)
Dr. Joan Walker (Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology)
Dr. Shaireen Rasheed (Associate Professor of Education)
Dr. Efleda Tolentino (Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education)
Dr. Dengting Boyanton (Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology)

This Special Symposium will be given by our own LIU professors. This symposium will provide our students with a different perspective on teaching and learning at the higher education level from the professors' perspective. Four LIU professors will share their experiences and perspectives on teaching and learning. Students will have many opportunities to ask these professors ANY questions.

4th CESTL Keynote Address: Meaning of Teaching

2008-10-17T08:21:00.010-07:00

The Meaning of Teaching
Keynote Address @ 4th CESTL
By Dr. Arnold Dodge
December 13, 2008

I want to thank Dr. Boyanton for inviting me to speak at this very special event. I cannot imagine anything more inspiring than students presenting their research to one another and to the wider university community. What a smart thing to do.

I must admit, putting together remarks on “The Meaning of Teaching,” was daunting. What a popular term – teaching – and oh, the variety of meanings that people ascribe to it. We use and overuse the term – in its varied forms: I was teaching my dog a trick. I taught myself the computer. Did your professor teach this concept? I taught it, they just didn’t learn it. Those who can, do, those who can’t, teach. Give me a fish, I eat for the day. Teach me to fish, I eat for a lifetime. And on and on.

For purposes of today’s thoughts, let’s focus on the profession of teaching. Public school teaching in particular since this is the arena that I played in throughout my adult life and one that perhaps many of you in the audience will venture into shortly.

So what is this school teaching all about? For me, teaching is the most important job on the planet. In fact, when I was a director of curriculum, the district I worked for brought in the Gallup organization – Gallup of poll development fame also has a strong operation in organizational developmental. Gallup was brought in to talk to administrators about hiring practices. The workshop leader told us that their findings show that those who do best in the field are those who believe that teaching is the most important work – with no exceptions. (After all, the doctors and the engineers and lawyers and the politicians – you name it – all got to where they are through the guidance and tutelage and mentorship of teachers. I thought this was a profound finding and one that reinforced for me the notion that teaching is a passion for those who take it seriously.

So after believing that teaching is so important, I need a compelling metaphor to close the deal. And, I have come to believe that this metaphor is the defining image for me of the meaning of teaching. You may have heard this already, but I am awed by the story of Michelangelo’s approach to creating his masterpiece, The David. (The David is on display in Florence and viewing it is worth the price of airfare, hotel and accommodations.) Michelangelo’s work on this sculpture is based on the artistic discipline known as disegno. Under this discipline, sculpture is considered to be the finest form of art because it mimics divine creation. With this concept in mind, Michelangelo worked under the premise that the image of David was already in the block of stone he was working on – in much the same way as the human soul is found within the physical body. For me, this elegant approach captures the meaning – the art - of teaching. The very word education comes from the root word educare – to bring forth.

When we stand in front of a class of students or sit beside an individual student or interact in any way with one of our students, we are practicing the art of uncovering the image of the child beneath the raw material that we are given to work with. Our job is to chip away at the outer layers and to coax the divine image to emerge. Gently, diligently, we trust that the image awaits us if we only have the patience and the tools to complete the task. In the deft hand of a skillful teacher, we see the results of this labor. A child will blossom in a classroom which has both a safe and a challenging culture. Vygotsky, the great thinker about children’s education, calls this place the zone of proximal development. It is the place where a child feels that he or she can stretch the limits of his or her potential because the teacher is there as a non-threatening and motivating mentor to bring forth the best that child has to offer. Such is the teacher as artist.

Let me share some thoughts (and a bit of a rant) which highlight the challenges we face to keep the true meaning of teaching as magnificent as a Michelangelo sculpture.

I had the privilege to hear a traveling artist who promotes arts education by speaking to all kinds of audiences around the country. His words are instructive in the context of our approach to the raw material in our classrooms. This speaker recounts his findings when he purposely asks the same question to various age groups. He asks, “How many of you are artists?” When he asks adults – in a crowd of 100 – a few hands go up. When he asks high school students in a similar size crowd, a few more hands go up. In junior high, still more believe that they are artists. In the upper elementary grades, more than half the hands go up. And in kindergarten, every hand goes up.

I would submit to you, that we could ask the same groups similar questions and we would get roughly the same percentages. How many of you like to write? How many of you like to skip, jump and hop? So what happens along the way? How is it that we lose the self-concept that we are skilled? Buckminster Fuller says that “All children are born geniuses; 9,999 out of every 10,000 are swiftly, inadvertently degeniused by grown ups.” We have to be on guard for this phenomenon. A conversation about the meaning of teaching should include a reminder to those in-service and those pre-service teachers that the very last thing we want to do is degenius our students. Borrow a page from Hippocrates’ admonishment to the medical profession: first do no harm.

So, now, let me tell you what I think is the sworn enemy of the artistry of teaching. (And here begins my rant.) This enemy comes disguised as one bearing gifts. The antithesis of finding the spirit in the child is ironically the driving force behind the No Child Left Behind Act. This legislation, which has bi-partisan support and which was signed into law by President Bush in 2002, has as its centerpiece the mandate that all children will be tested in grades 3-8. This high stakes testing environment which has been the prevailing ethos in our schools for the last 6 years has done more to destroy the true meaning of teaching than any other public policy initiative in our lifetime. And why is it so odious? And why if it is so bad, does NCLB have such traction. Three reasons I think.

First, its name. How can anyone argue with an act called No Child Left Behind. What are you in favor of leaving a child behind? Or as the Bush administration calls NCLB detractors: those who practice the soft bigotry of low expectations. What good intentions slogans imply. So let me be generous and say that the intentions of NCLB are good; it’s the consequences that are awful. Let me list a few of the consequences of NCLB mandated testing: Kindergarteners are getting ready for tests and losing recess and play time; preparation for reading tests is precluding the reading of novels and other good literature; “soft” subjects - like art, health, foreign language - those that have no value in the high stakes scoring tally - are being marginalized; hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on tutoring programs with hardly an uptick in test scores; teachers and students are being paid to improve high stakes test scores and ruining perhaps for a lifetime the intrinsic love of learning. No Child Left Behind – good name, bad law.

Second reason that NCLB is popular but failing our students: the keywords, high stakes. The public believes that they are getting their money’s worth if there is high stakes accountability for both teachers and students. Finally, they say, a “take no prisoners,” “hold their feet to the fire” approach to taming the unruly and costly public schools. That’s the traction that makes the public enamored of the high stakes approach. Here’s the slippery slope: We know in fact that one shot testing once a year with results that are published for all to see does not yield schools where students want to learn and teachers want to teach. Shame is a poor motivator and stress is a debilitating companion for learning. We have students and teachers throughout the country who have been turned into test giving and taking machines. This is not the paradigm we should be striving for. Machinery is for assembly lines where widgets are made. Mechanistic, on-demand, assembly-line approaches have no place in schools. Children are unique and fragile and perishable like snowflakes - they are not like widgets.

Third and final reason why this NCLB act is a lie, in my opinion. The advocates will tell you that one-size-fits-all testing is (a)efficient (b) fair and (c)useful. I contend that the right answer is (d) none of the above. On the issue of efficiency: Our nation’s schools are rife with examples of the mismanagement of these tests – everything from problems of multiple choice tests with no right answers or two right answers, to the untimely review and grading of the tests, to instances of cheating and gaming of the system. Let’s take on fairness: The imbalances in community wealth, parental support and background knowledge do not suddenly become righted because we give the same tests to all kids in a state. In fact, the greatest predictor of test results remains SES. And finally, the test makers will tell you that their assessments yield important data for school decision making. Well, there are so many issues related to validity, reliability, why national test results are so different from state test results, etc. etc. that we may not have useful results at all. In fact we may have results that are misleading.

So, what’s a teacher (or future teacher) to do? First of all, don’t get discouraged. The policy makers and the politics always come and go. Good teachers and willing students transcend any particular moment in time.

To that end let me say that in my career, there have been several policy upheavals, changes in leadership at both the local, state and federal levels and yet my students and I were quite often oblivious to these forces.

Let me share a few anecdotes with you which help me at a very personal level understand the meaning of teaching. These stories and memories remain vivid for me although some events occurred nearly 40 years ago.

I had student who was a fabulous actor – I was the drama coach. I said to him that one day, when he was on Broadway, I wanted tickets to the show. Sure enough, Vincent played the Master of the House in Les Miz. We went to dinner before the show and then my student was on stage . I will never forget that moment.

And then there was Justine, a selective mute, who spent the entire year in my class not speaking a word. I found the patience and the love to never embarrass her and attempted to include her in all that we did. Justine eventually came to speak in the years to come.

And how about Todd who stuttered, but who insisted on taking parts in all of our class plays. How well I remember hearing Todd recite Shakespeare – “Oh J J J J J Juliet, She sp sp speaks, O sp sp speak again br br br bright angel . . .” What’s more inspiring is the patience and the support that the rest of the class gave to this young man.

These are the experiences that define my career for me – and you know what, I can’t remember how my students did on the tests they took. Sorry, policymakers.

And before I leave this personal reverie about the meaning of teaching, let me share with you a dreamy passage that I read recently by Mildred Chase from her book, Just Being at the Piano. The author elevates the act of piano playing to a transcendent experience: “Everything that you have consciously learned, all of your knowledge, emanates from within you. There is a sense of oneness in which the heart of the musician and the heart of the composer meet. The music is in your hands, in the air, in the room, the music is everywhere, and the whole universe is contained in the experience of playing.” For me, this description comes close to describing the experience of teaching. When teacher and students merge and the whole classroom sounds like a symphony you know you have made the right decision to become a teacher and it is then that you know the true meaning of teaching.

So, in closing, by the power vested in me as the chair of the department of educational leadership and administration at CW Post, I now deputize all of the aspiring teachers in this room. Your mission is to save our schools. Through the courage of your convictions and the sweat of your brow you will reclaim the true meaning of teaching which has been stolen by the politicians and the business people and the media. Your marching orders are as follows:

You are at all times to use this calculation when assessing your students: effort = reward. No more children trying and trying and trying and still failing state tests.

You are to make parents your partners. No longer will parents be afraid to come to open school night for fear of finding out that their children are failures. And you will always make time for parents when they want to discuss the most cherished individuals in their lives.

You are to work with your colleagues and share best practices whether across the halls of your school or across town with a colleague in a struggling school district. You will not compete for grades with your fellow teachers.

You will remember that you have the future sitting in front of you and you will know that you have a sacred mission to send a message to the future via the young people. Our business is future oriented; your classrooms should never be imprisoned by old ideas. (Remember that current third graders and their younger school mates have never lived one day in the 20th century.)

You are to take heart in the words of those who are in the schools now who are inspired by their work and see that teaching is truly a calling. Like the statements made by one of my current students in our administration program who is an aspiring principal: “To be a teacher is to hear the heavenly sounds of 30 seventeen-year olds genuinely laughing at one of your jokes; to be a teacher is to hear the sound of disbelief in a parent’s voice when you call to say that her child is doing well in your class; to be a teacher is to be excited to sign up for a workshop or seminar because you can’t wait to find a new way to teach your students; to be a teacher is to be genuinely proud of your students when they succeed in the classroom, on stage or on the court or field; to be a teacher is to provide your students with support during a time of personal turmoil in their lives; and to be a teacher is the idea that a heartfelt “thank you” from a student brings more personal and professional satisfaction than any perk that tends to be offered by the private sector.”

And as a deputy, you are to consider yourself a “tribune” - a person who upholds or defends the rights of the people. You need to speak out if you think a policy or a practice is harmful to your students. You will be amazed at how powerful the truth can be – especially when voiced by a dedicated teacher. And you should seek out fellow tribunes so your voice will be part of a chorus of voices on behalf of the developmental and educational needs of children.

So now I officially pronounce you ambassadors for spreading the word of the true meaning of teaching. I wish you good luck in your pursuits. And never forget that no matter how hard the raw material and how difficult the chipping away becomes, there is always a David inside each child.

The End!

4th CESTL Event Summary

2008-10-17T08:21:00.009-07:00

One-Day’s Conference, 10-Year’s of Learning

A Powerful Learning at
the 4Th Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning

On December 13, 2008, the 4th CESTL took place in the Long Island Room of the Winnick Student Center at the Long Island University C. W. Post Campus for the first time. The CESTL was organized by Professor Dengting Boyanton and her students who are taking her courses EDI 15A Psychological Perspective: Teaching & Learning, and EDI 600 Educational Foundation in Education in Fall 2008. This conference was intent to be completely student-centered and family-oriented focusing student research on elementary secondary teaching and learning.

It is estimated that a minimum of 127 people attended this conference. Among them, 79 were education major student presenters (both graduate and undergraduate students); 37 were students’ family members (parents, spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, children); and 11 were professors/family members. In addition to student presentations, Dr. Arnald Dodge’s keynote address The Meaning of Teaching and five professors’ (Dr. Andrea Mcloughlin, Dr. Joan Walker, Dr. Shaireen Rasheed, Dr. Efleda Tolentino, and Dr. Dengting Boyanton) invited symposium Teaching & Learning: Perspectives from LIU Professors were also highlights of the 4th CESTL.

As previous three CESTLs which were all held at the University of Texas at Brownsville, the 4th CESTL was also a huge success at LIU. It has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students, the professors, and family members. All student presenters (100%) reported that they enjoyed the CESTL tremendously and described this experience as “nerve-wrecking” “exciting” “inspiring” “educational” “informative” “interesting” “meaningful” “enriching” “respectful” “positive” “community” “well-organized” “amazing” “professional” “great” “awesome” “impressive” “phenomenal” and “powerful!”

“Although I spent only one day at the CESTL, the information I learned is more than 10 years of learning.” Ok-Hyun Jo, a graduate student from Korean shared her experience. “I spent 12 hours in the CESTL, and I had a great time.” Grace Thorton, another graduate student said. Undergraduate Nicole Vasheo believed that CESTL is a very enriching experience and she just wish more education majors were involved because it is something that everyone in the education field should be exposed to. When asked for suggestions to improve future CESTLs, undergraduate Annamarie Morgera suggested that more publicity of the CESTL should be displayed in the LIU community because she believes that CESTL is “one of the most important events of the LIU institution.”

Most students worked extremely hard for this event, and their hard work is shown in their presentations. “The presentations and poster boards were a profound reflection of the devotion everyone put into their work. Everyone should be extremely proud of the work they have accomplished.” As Lauren Romano, another graduate student pointed out. Dean Dr. Kathryn Lusteg also said that she was impressed with the students’ research topics and their presentation.

As previous CESTLs, most students felt a strong sense of achievement after presenting at the CESTL. “I realized the true potential I had. I am so impressed with our research paper and I will probably never forget what this class has taught me.” Said undergraduate Michelle Kiernan. Cassie Dunn, a graduate student said that this experience made her feel very proud of herself, and she has re-decided to receive her doctorate in psychology. “I have realized that I am capable of accomplishing all that is required.” Cassie said. Another graduate student Brittany Fedus shared similar feelings “I was so proud of myself, I feel can do anything now!”

The news spread fast. One graduate student presenter Juliet Castellanos, after giving a presentation about the influence of media on students’ behavior, immediately received an invitation the Child Care Council of Long Island to host a two-hour training seminar about the dangers of media in children's lives. “I am very excited about this opportunity and owe it all to you! I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Juliet told Dr. Boyanton.

To summarize this experience, “Words can’t express the whole experience of yesterdays CESTL presentations. The amount of information I accumulated within a couple of hours would take an individual a life-time to study. I felt extremely privileged to be apart of the first CESTL at C.W. Post.” Said graduate student Celena Ragkaswar.

4th CESTL evaluations by LIU faculty

2008-10-17T08:21:00.007-07:00

Dear Dengting,

I wish to commend you for a job well done. I am very proud that you presented the Conference of Elementary-Secondary Teaching & Learning (CESTL) on Saturday, December 13, 2008 which was a great success.

I am very admiring of your energy and creativity to provide such an intellectual and professional activity.

You deserve my kudos on a job well done.

Sincerely,

Robert Hanheimer, E.d.D.
Dean, School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
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Dear Dengting,

Congratulations on a wonderful activity for students and for faculty. The organization of the day was great!

I enjoyed Arnie’s speech and I was impressed with the students' research topics and their presentations. The professor panel was excellent!

Thank you so much for organizing this event. It was a great contribution to the C & I Department and to the School of Education.

Enjoy the break.

Cordially,
Kathy Lusteg
Associate Dean
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
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Dengting,

I was glad I could attend and glad it was a success. You did a great job!

Tony

Dr. Anthony DeFalco
Chairperson
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
Long Island University
C.W. Post Campus
516-299-2146
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Dengting,

I enjoyed the experience of preparing remarks about the meaning of teaching. What a great event you put together! The student presentations were very well done and the panel of professors did a good job of answering questions. Your hard work was worth it.

Thanks for inviting me.

Arnold Dodge
Assistant Professor
Chair, Leadership & Administration
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
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Hi, Dengting!

The CESTL was a very impressive event, and I was glad to participate.

Andrea Mcloughlin
Associate Professor of Education
Curriculum & Instruction
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
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Dengting,

You put in an amazing amount of work. I was happy to help on the fringe.

Joan Walker
Assistant Professor
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
School of Education
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Dengting,

Thank you for inviting me to part of what was an amazing conference. What a great opportunity for all our students and colleagues to get together to discuss such important and a great topics.

Looking forward to getting a blurb of the conference for the TLI newsletter.

Best,
Shaireen
Shaireen Rasheed, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
School of Education
C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University
720 Northern Blvd. Brookville, New York 11548-1300
Tel: 516-299-2156
Fax: 516-299-3312
srasheed@liu.edu

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Dengting,

I want to congratulate you for the success of your conference. It was well attended, organized, and enriching.

I enjoyed speaking with some of your students and listening to their presentations. Knowing how much work these projects entail, I am amazed with your ability to coordinate, follow-up and cohesively put together different pieces of student research.

You are phenomenal!

Efleda

P.S. Joshua enjoyed participating in your conference. He thought that your students were great!
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4th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 15A students

2008-10-17T08:21:00.005-07:00

4th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 15A Psychological Perspective

I felt that CESTL conference was a great experience. A conference mainly organized by students was a great idea of Dr. Dengting. I found it very informative and interesting. Dengting had extremely well spoken welcoming comments and an effectiveness in describing CESTL. I was very glad that I was there to hear the keynote speaker. I felt that what he had to say was very important.

My favorite part of the conference was the panel discussion with professors. Every question that the audience had, I had in my own head. Each professor answered each question extremely thorough. I feel that I now know a little more about what to expect when I become a teacher. This part was very informative.

When it came time for me to stand by my poster I was ready. Each person that came to view my poster was impressed and interested to hear about my findings. This made me feel that all of my hard work preparing for the conference paid off. I truly think that this conference was a success and every student that presented did a great job. I look forward to attending the conference next semester even if I am not a student presenter.
Caitlin Bishop 12/16/08
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The CESTL turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences that I have ever been a part of. It was amazing to see people that were in my position look so professional and knowledgeable. Some of the presentations blew me away with the facts that they found. I never would have thought that people our age would be able to accomplish the things that we have. It has made me want to push myself in everything that I do in order to get such rewarding outcomes. I don’t think that I have ever been more proud to say that I was a part of something in my life. I would like to thank my classmates for pushing each other to do this because honestly we couldn’t have done thins process alone. CESTL is a very enriching experience and I just wish more education majors were involved because it is something that I think everyone in our field should be exposed to. Thank you so much for this experience, Dr. Boyanton!
Nicole Vasheo 12/14/08
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I found the CESTL conference to be very informative. At first I didn't know what to expect, I was even dreading the long day and was a bit nervous about my poster presentation. However once i got there i realized that there wasn't much to be nervous about, everyone was very nice and helpful. Everyone seemed interested in our research even our other classmates.

Professor Dodge made a very good speech in the beginning which stays in my mind. He talked a lot about NCLB act and about the impact teachers have on their students. I found it to be very inspirational and a good way to start off the conference. Many of the powerpoint presentations were also interesting because a lot of the students talked about their fieldwork observations. Everyone's research was well thought out and informative.

The panel discussion was also interesting because everyone was open to answer any questions. The panel was full of experienced teachers ready to answer any question. I think that overall it was a very successful day, and I'm very glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of it.
Jenna Caputo December 16, 2008
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The CESTL Conference was definitely an interesting experience. It was a nice way to say goodbye to all of our classmates before the holiday break, and it was also a great way to support the research our classmates had done.

One of the biggest problems with the CESTL however, was that there weren’t enough evaluation forms. Carolyn, Sunya, and Nicole, for example, all made really great poster presentations that I would have loved to fill out forms in support of, but, because the forms were all used up on the first group of power point presentations, I couldn’t evaluate them.

In addition, I felt that not enough attention was paid to the posters by the people who attended the conference. Although everyone was very focused on the power point presentations, when the breaks came and the focus was supposed to shift to the posters, more people were focused on eating, getting coffee, or leaving, than they were on the posters. It didn’t seem like a fair trade, because not everyone could make a power point, and I know for a fact that everyone worked really, really hard on their posters. I felt that they deserved much more attention than they received, and that they should have been noticed more for their content than for the fact that they kept falling down.

In regard to the power point presentations however, I felt that Margaret and Jaclyn did a really great job of representing the Undergrads. Jaclyn’s presentation in particular was really wonderful, and it interested me, not only because it was very well done, but because it looked at a similar topic to mine in a very different light.

Overall, the best part about the conference was that I got to spend the day supporting the friends I made in our class. It was nice to see hardworking, and intelligent people express their passions and excel.
Jessica Murphy, December 14, 2008
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The conference was very long but yet I learned a lot from it. Looking back at the conference I believe it was nothing to be worried about, I knew that the information on my poster board was great and everyone asked great questions that I was prepared for. Everyone who asked me questions about my work, said I did a great job with my research and that the facts I got out of my research was remarkable.

I believe that CESTL would be better if it wasn't such a long day but I understand a lot of people were there and a lot of students had to present. It was well organized and overall I had a great time.

The only advice I would be able to give is to the students next year. You have a whole semester to work on this presentation... Don’t put it off to last minuet because it will come back and bite you in the rear. Thank you again professor Boyanton for helping me get through this year, and I hope to have you for another class because your class was my favorite class for the years I have been here at C.W. Post... Everyone was comfortable and the class was very welcoming, I just wish more classes at post were like this one... Thank you again, Dr. Boyanton!
Mark Mark Donelan 11/16/08
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AT first I was extremely nervous when I first heard about the CESTL conference. I had never been to a conference before, let alone have to present my own research in front of them. However as the class progressed, I learned a lot about myself and instilled trust in my classmates. My fears of public speaking slowly begin to fade and by the time the conference came most of my nerves were gone.

The night before I slept at Jeanna’s house and when that morning rolled around we both felt like we were going to puke. We both kept telling ourselves that we were in it together. I guess that was my motivation. Her, my classmates, and Denting motivated me to succeed. We had spent a whole semester preparing our research for this conference. I knew by the end we were well prepared and my whole group new what they were talking about. I was extremely proud and satisfied by my group’s performance at the conference. Many people came to talk to us about our board and we received many complements. Most people were impressed with our research and knew all the hard work we had put in.

The conference overall was a great success. It was really interesting to see the diverse topics and everyone present their research. I really liked the teacher panel and being able to ask them whatever we wanted. They were once first year teachers like we soon will be and they passed on several knowledgeable facts.

This course overall was definitely a rocky road. There were many times were I was stressed and overwhelmed out of my mind. I really wanted to give up numerous times. However in the end, I gained a whole new insight. I made new friends and learned several things for Denting that I will hope to use in the future. Through out this whole experience I learned a lot about myself as well. I realized the true potential I had. I am so impressed with our research paper and I will probably never forget what this class has taught me.
Michelle Kiernan 12/14/08
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The CESTL was AMAZING! What I found most interesting was that the undergraduate students and the graduate students acted like one group. They didn’t compare us because they were older. We all appreciated each other’s works and didn’t criticize. We acted like we are one big group.

I loved how our group’s poster came out! Everyone who came up to our group thought we did an excellent job and told us it was very interesting and fun. All the great compliments gave me more motivation to talk more about what I know to the next person who came up to our poster and not to be shy. At the CESTL I felt like I knew what everyone was talking about and knew most of the answers to the questions that were asked to you and the other teachers on the education board. I would have never known any of those answers if I never took this class.

I would definitely recommend this course to my other classmates at C.W Post. It’s an excellent and fun class and I think everyone should experience the CESTL. I will also recommend any other class that you will be teaching. I loved this class and hope to be in another class that you will be teaching!
Devyn Giannone 12/13/08
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The CESTL conference went so well. I had such a great time! It also felt so good to finally display my poster. I also learned a lot from the presentations especially the panel discussion with the five professors. My classmates and I took pictures with our posters during the break and walked around to see everyone else’s. I was surprised to see that almost everyone did different topics. I was extremely impressed by how some of the shyest kids in our class were able to give amazing presentations. I think we all have came a long way and I am definitely happy I took this course with my professor. Not only did I learn, but I had so much fun, and I learned a lot about myself and what kind of teacher I want to become.
Sunya Bhutta 11/16/08
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When I first arrived at the CESTL conference I was ridiculously nervous and overwhelmed at the same time. I really did feel like I was going to faint. I didn't have to present until late in the afternoon and the anxiety just kept building up right until I had to go at 3. I was so thankful that my mom had come to see me. It meant a lot to me to have her there.

One thing I learned during this conference besides content, was that there are a lot of wonderful aspiring educators. Everyone was well informed and spent a lot of time on researching their topic. What I found very interesting was one of the boards that was hanging up. It had to do with gender bias. The young lady (Amy I believe) who did this topic had a lot of research and hands on data. I enjoyed the fact that she actually used pieces of artwork from different children and had you guess whether it was a boy or a girl.

I feel that I was very prepared for this conference, but I felt it slipping when I became nervous. I guess my nerves weren't as well prepared as my brain was. I honestly was a little disappointed with my overall performance. I felt like I was able to mask the fact that I was nervous, but it showed by the fact that I sped things up. I felt that although I did not talk too quickly, I rushed the presentation. I didn't say a lot of the things that I wanted to say and didn't go into much of the information that I had.

However, the experience was exhilarating. I was proud of myself for even being able to muster out a word. I felt that the CESTL was very well thought out. I especially enjoyed the panel discussion with the members of the education department. It was very insightful and interesting to see that many of the same ideas are shared by the best of teachers.

To improve the CESTL I think that if anything it should be a little shorter. Many people left toward the end. Me along with some of my peers felt a little discouraged and tired toward the end of the day. Perhaps if the CESTL is broken up into two days it would be better.

This course experience as a whole has been amazing. I have never been so hands-on or felt so intensely about a class before. I felt that I needed to succeed because I wanted to please the instructor and prove to her and myself that I was capable of doing well. I learned a lot about my own personal skills that I will one day incorporate into my classroom. I also learned a lot about who I am as a person and what it takes to be a loved and respected educator.
Margaret Persaud 12/15/08
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Before arriving at the CESTL, I was very nervous even though my group had a poster. After arriving there, my nerves calmed down and I enjoyed the speech that Dr. Dodge gave. I had never seen any of the professors before that were there and was excited to hear them talk during the symposium. I think that I learned a lot from this conference and that it was very successful.

Being a part of the only undergraduate class there made me feel very aware of the others around me. I noticed that the graduate students seemed nervous as well and that although there are a few years between us, we were all in the same boat. I felt very confident about my group’s poster, we really knew our material and we worked extremely hard for an entire week doing the poster itself. I think that our poster came out very well and the colors grabbed people’s attention. I am proud of myself my group and my peers for doing well at the CESTL and for surviving this semester.

Dengting, thank you for all of your support and always having faith in our class, the work load was NOT easy at all but it seemed that we all pushed through it.
Jeanna Careccia 12/15/08
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Before the CESTL I was pretty nervous because I was not really sure what to expect. But it went really well and I learned a lot. I thought that it was a really great day that was put together. It was so interesting to hear about everyone's research and what everyone learned through their observations. It was also interesting to know what topics everyone picked and to know what was interesting to all different people.

I was disappointed that there was not enough time to present our poster to Professor Boyanton, but I understand that there was a lot going on that day. I think we did well presenting to other people throughout the day. I thought today was really fun. Although it was a long day, it was nice to spend time with and get to know some of the people in our class who we did not really get to know that well throughout the semester. Overall I really enjoyed this class. I learned so much about education and myself both as a learner and as a future teacher.

Thanks for all of the work that you put into our class, I really enjoyed it and I learned so much. :) Lauren Volini 12/14/08
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Reflection: The CESTL process was very informative and education. I was very impressed to see everyone dressed so professional and to have such smart and interesting performances. I was very happy to give my presentation, it was my first experience doing so. I found myself to be nervous and I was not sure why… I am not the type to be nervous in a large crowd. I believe my presentation was more informational to theory, then my own personal observation in a classroom setting.

I was actually disappointed many of the presentations did not have more theories from philosophers and educators they use as an inspiration in the classroom. When it was my turn to go, many people had already left. I do believe that disappointed me subconsciously to believe my presentation was not as important as earlier ones; but I am well aware people left because the conference was lengthy and people had other obligations. I thought all the presentations were impressive and educational. I thought everyone to be very engaging and active with the audience. I enjoyed hearing what others had learned from their observations. From this experience I learned to use power point more effectively then in other presentations I have given using the program.

Suggestions: 1) I believe the presentation to be way too lengthy. 9am to 8pm is too long and basically impossible. I am a very active listener, but by 5 o’clock I found myself exhausted just from watching all the presentations; and then I was mad with myself I because I did not feel up to par when it was finally time to give my own presentation. My advice would be to have two separate CESTL conferences in that day. One for the undergraduate class, and one for the graduate class. This way, people have the option if they want to attend both and each will still get a good turnout because it is two separate events. I believe there is enough information displayed that both classes still appear well represented. I also believe more people will stay for everyone’s presentations if the start and end time is more reasonable, say 3 or 4 hours for example. 2) I believe the school should provide the event with the same kinds of food they provide for open houses… this event is just as important because it is a representation of our School of Education; which is what this university is well-known for. 3) I did not see any flyers around campus promoting this event we were required to attend. I am not sure if that was because people were interested and took them off bulletin boards, or if it was not displayed around campus. I do believe more representation of the event should be displayed because it is one of the most important events of the institution. Flyer form is the easiest way if program books can not be displayed.
Annamarie Morgera 12/13/08
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When I walked in to the basement of Winnick, I did not really know what to except. I was nervous, overwhelmed and excited for this conference. It was difficult enough waking up on a Saturday morning but I also did not get much sleep at all the night before. But everyone there was in the same boat as me so it was okay. One thing that I liked about this conference was that it was so informal and yet professional at the same time. Everyone was dressed up so nicely and was very quiet and respectful during everyone's presentations. I thought that Dr. Dodge, the keynote speaker, had a lot of great and important things to say. He made some excellent points about test taking that I happen to agree with and he said some things about "No Child Left Behind" that I never would have thought about. The presenters that I was able to listen to were all very organized and well-prepared. Their topics were all interesting and important.

This course overall was very challenging and a lot of work, but I did enjoy it. It was bittersweet - and I'd have to say I am glad it is over. I am very proud of myself for making it to the end; especially when I know so many people dropped out at the beginning. Advice for future students taking this course? The one important thing I would say is to STAY ON TOP OF YOUR WORK. Do your work in advance and do not get behind or it is very difficult to get back on track. Do your journals immediately after class and relfect on what you learned right away. Start your research EARLY. Pick a topic that you are truly interested in because you're going to have to think about that topic the entire semester.

Thanks for a great semester - have a nice holiday!
Joanna Aiello 11/15/08
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Yesterday we had the CESTL Conference. I thought that the conference was exactly how I pictured it. When I first got there at 9 I was still a little nervous because I thought that I might have forgetten everything that I had been working so hard on all semester. I really enjoyed seeing not only our classes presentations and posters but the graduate students as well. I thought that seeing there work really would motivate me to thrive in my undergraduate studies so that I can eventually get to that graduate program as they were.

All of the professors and guest speakers that we listened to really had valuable information and I am glad that we had that opportunity with them. Any little bit of advice that I can get now will definitely help me in the future when I become a teacher. Although I'm sad that this class has come to an end I am proud of everyone in the class because the conference went so well! Thank you for pushing me this semester in order to do the best that I knew was possible.
Kelly Calder 11/14/08
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I thought the CESTL conference went very well. All the presentation were very well and the people who give the presentation did a great good.
When I arrive I was nervous because I did not know what to expect. After it got started and listening to everyone, I started to fell more comfortable there. I loved how it was a very open and welcoming environment. Everyone there was very friendly too.
The posters when I walked around were all very interesting. Each one had a great amount of information on it. So were the power points. All the topics there where very helpful to me. I have to keep all of them in mind when become a teacher.
I thought this conference was very helpful and a good idea because we also learned what other people thought of your topic and of others.
Christina Cronan 11/14/08
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I was really prepared for the conference. I practiced and went over everything I had to do with my friends and by myself so I knew when I had to present my poster that I would be ready and know exactly what I wanted to say. When I was presenting it to my peers it came out good because I knew what I was going to say. I had note cards just to use as a guideline to keep in order and on track. I learned a lot just from my presentation, and I know that others learned a lot because they were asking questions and stayed with me to discuss it for more than the time that they stayed at others. I know that I learned a lot from others, and if I already knew what was being discussed it definitely reinforced what I knew because all the presentations were very informative.

I like how it was set up because I got to sit there and learn a lot through presentations but on the break I went around and asked others about there posters and then drew them into mine to show them all the work that I have done.

The only problem that I had was that I didn’t get to present my poster to my professor because of how busy the day was, but I would have liked to show her how much work I put into it and all the good information that I had. The best things that I learned this year was how there are many different types of learners and many different types of behaviors and a lot of how a kid does in school reflects on the teacher tremendously. Overall it was a very good course, I had fun but most of all I learned a lot of valuable information.
Philip Novins 12/20/08
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WOW!! I did it!! I was so nervous. I have a lot of trouble talking in front of people. I feel i did really well. I got my point across and stuck to my topic and my research backed my topic up. I took an immense amount of information from the other presenters that I will use when I become a teacher. It was a wonderful learning experience. I like to learn from my peers rather than always just from the teacher. My parents came to watch and to support me. I thought that it might make me more nervous with them there. But, it did the opposite it made me feel proud of what I have accomplished and the work that I have put in over the semester. I want to thank Dengting for one of the most enjoyable classes that I've ever had. Thank you for a great semester.
Jaclyn Joyce 12/14/08

4th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 600-1 students

2008-10-17T08:21:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was the CESTL conference. I had a great time! I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting my peer's research was, and how engaged I was in the faculty discussion. I thought the flow worked really well, and that the amount of presentations seen before taking a break/ length of the presentations was perfect. It really kept me paying attention, and when it came time for me to leave, I really regretted it. I wish I could have stayed longer! I enjoyed presenting my research on SES/NCLBA/Art Education, and was filled with pride when some of the faculty members told me they were impressed with my research and that I should take it further and even publish it!

I had such a good time at the CESTL. I was pleasantly surprised. I wish that there had been more details presented to us all along so that I wasn't so against it the entire time, because it really was a great addition to my education in becoming an educator. I was really proud to hear the faculty speak and they filled me with excitement on the journey ahead in becoming an educator and touching children's lives. I'm excited to step into the classroom and change and make connections.

Thank you, Dr. Boyanton, for a great time at the CESTL conference!
Sarah Lefrancois 12/14/08
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I was very nervous and a little bit overwhelmed about today’s CESTL Conference at first. I get very nervous when I present or speak in front of a group of people. However, I found the way of presenting with my poster, as a more one on one presentation to be much more comfortable for me. I was able to speak more clearly, get my points across, and interact with the people I was presenting to in a more comfortable manner. I was not as nervous or shaky as I thought that I would be. I also felt very prepared and knowledgeable about my topic, which made me more confident.

I was also very impressed with how well all of my classmates did on their presentations. Everyone was very professional, well prepared, and informative. There were a lot of interesting topics shared by the students containing a lot of valuable information to help us as teachers.
The panel of teachers was also a great way for us to learn. Hearing their opinions and answers to our questions was very helpful. They all showed a lot of passion for teaching and I found them to be very inspiring.

Overall, I felt the conference was a success. Thank you for a great semester Dr. Boyanton!

Alison Greene 12/13/08
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I thought the CESTL was a great and informative experience. It is extremely important and wonderful experience that students were given the opportunity to unite together in order to hold a conference within the field of education. It was an enlightening day because it gave us the chance to realize the importance of education and teaching. It gave us exposure to different methods, approaches, techniques, information, tools, and strategies that can be used within our future teaching.

I was extremely impacted when listening to Dr. Dodge speak at the CESTL conference. By the end of his speech, I was fascinated and truly impacted by his perspectives, views, and ideas within the field of education. I think it was great how he discussed the importance and dedication we have to obtain as teachers, as well as to always continue to focus on the students. Unfortunately, money, opposite teaching viewpoints, and standardized testing has a negative effect on student learning. I believe his speech motivated and substantially affected me because he related education to art, as well as music.

Being in the field of Music Education, I think it is extremely important that we incorporate the Fine Arts within the field of education. I also loved how he conveyed that we have to mold our students like a piece of artwork, such as the “David” by Michelangelo. It is truly the teacher who helps in molding, as well sculpting students from a very early age. His speech was definitely motivational, positive, and encouraging. It is unfortunate that the sculpted student has to be exposed to the outside forces of administration, politics, economic wealth, and standardized testing. However, we have to continuously focus upon how we can influence students through education in order to assist them in developing into successful learners based upon their individual needs.

I also felt that the Symposium was very successful, educational, well-organized, professional, and useful. It is a great experience to be able to hear different strategies, approaches, techniques, and instructional methods based upon numerous perspectives within the field of education. This CESTL was very triumphant because it gave students educational knowledge and substantial information. We often do not gain enough experience or informative knowledge before entering the classroom and this was a great way to improve upon those specific areas.

The only thing I would have liked at the CESTL conference would have been the opportunity to approach all of the different teachers. I know that I am not the best open-discussion individual and I probably could have approached each teacher individually. However, I would have enjoyed being able to have a one-to-one and in-depth conversation on various educational topics with some of the different educators that I heard at the beginning of the conference, as well as during the Symposium.

Overall, I was fairly satisfied with my performance and presentation at the conference. There are always different areas that one can improve on. I was able to demonstrate confidence and communicate to the audience effectively, which was one of my goals before entering the CESTL. I was also able to get my main ideas and perspectives across to the audience in a well-organized, as well as professional manner.

However, I felt that I rushed through my presentation and skipped over numerous things. Time constraints were continuously on mind and it haltered me in a multitude of ways. I feel that time management and innate anxiety diminished my ability be able to explain, give examples, and elaborate on my presentation. There were numerous examples and certain ideas that I wanted to go into depth about within my presentation, but when I was up there, I tended to stick purely on the information on the screen. If I had a better comfort level, I believe I would have been able to slow my presentation down a little bit and elaborate some of my ideas in a more proficient manner.

I was also amazed by how positive, professional, and how well the audience listened throughout the presentations. I felt a sense of community, professionalism, unity, and respect throughout my presentation. This gives one a sense of pride in their work and as if the students, as well as faculty really take ones research seriously within the educational domain. However, I would have enjoyed being able to interact or incorporate audience participation within my presentation. It would have been nice to be able to hear comments, questions, and the chance to discuss my PowerPoint after it was finished.

Overall, the CESTL conference was extremely informative, educational, and beneficial. I hope that there will be more conferences throughout my education that will give future teachers exposure and the chance to participate within the educational field. The hard work, conference, research, and presentation was truly a great learning experience. This course, work, research, and conference gave me a great deal of skills, motivation, knowledge, and an innate drive in order to propel myself to be a quality educator in order to help the new generation of students succeed at the academic level.
Jason Crockett, December 14, 2008
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I really enjoyed the conference today. Although I must say before I got there I was not excited about it at all. I did not want to sit there for 5 hours. However, after doing so, it was not bad at all. I would have even stayed longer but unfortunately had to leave at 1:30.

I thought everyone who I saw presenting did a great job. I thought Dr. Dodge's speech was great. It had so many useful and wonderful things to say which I really enjoyed. I also loved the panel of professors. I like how the conference incorporated many different things. The different presenters, the professors, the keynote presentation, the posters. It made the time go by very quickly and I feel the breaks were in perfect time. The conference is something that I was very skeptical about in the beginning of the semester but now that I have experienced it, I think it was a great idea and it is full of great information that I will definitely use in my future. Meghan Woodstock 12/13/08

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Yesterday, I attended the CESTL Conference with my 10-year-old daughter. I was very nervous about the whole thing. I kept thinking I made a mistake and should have signed up to do a poster. It seemed to be a much easier task with less notoriety. My daughter said, “you’ll be fine, mommy”. I was not looking forward to this at all.

When it came time for me to present my material, I wasn’t very comfortable at first, but once I got up there and started talking, everyone in the room seemed interested in what I had to say. Gradually, I felt better. When I was finished and everyone applauded, I was very pleased with myself for going through with it. My daughter gave me a hug. As a parent, I think I taught her something important today. Even though I was afraid, I went ahead and did my presentation. I think it was important for her to see me do this.

During the conference, I had an opportunity to sit with some of the students that I really didn’t talk to during the semester because they sat on the other side of the room. They were so nice to my daughter and me. I am glad I had an opportunity to get to know them. Watching their presentations, I couldn’t get over just how knowledgeable everyone was and how much work they did. I definitely learned a lot.

I especially liked the panel discussion. I asked a question and received some very valuable information that will help me in the future. I don’t know when I will have another opportunity to ask five professors their thoughts on a subject that is important to me. The conference provided me with this chance.

The main thing I learned from this experience is that I can do anything I set my mind to. I shouldn’t have any doubt that I can get my Master’s degree. “You can do it” will be the words in my head from now on. That is the main thing I take away from the conference and this class. I will have more confidence in myself after this. At first, I didn’t like the idea of presenting at this conference, but it just goes to show you that sometimes you need to give something a chance, even if it doesn’t initially appeal to you.

As far as suggestions for future CESTL conferences, I think it would be better if there were more evaluation forms available for students. We ran short of them, and I didn’t bring any paper with me. This meant I couldn’t give evaluations to some of the students. A gentleman who I was speaking to during the break had an excellent idea about asking students to donate a small amount of money for a charitable cause. In keeping with the spirit of the season, I thought that was a wonderful idea.

Thank you, Dengting, for being so supportive of me and my classmates.
Pauline Stein 12/14/08
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Well, my CESTL presentation is finally over, and I am so happy to finally be done with it. However, I must admit that it was a very empowering experience. I was incredibly nervous prior to presenting and couldn’t even focus on the presentation occurring before mine, but as soon as I got up there it just flowed so naturally. The hours of practicing and perfecting my speaking and power point really paid off and I felt comfortable and confident in what I was presenting.

As soon as I finished I felt immense relief but also pride. I passed Dr. Doge in the hallway and he told me that I did a great job; it made me so proud of myself for overcoming my public speaking fears and for really taking the time to be confident and knowledgeable about my topic. I learned so much from all the other students, but was really the most interested to hear the topics that were similar to mine to see what conclusions other people found. Everyone was so well prepared and it was nice to see that everyone had put the same amount of time and effort into their projects so that the entire conference was professional and worthy of our time.

There are only two suggestions I would give for making CESTL better in the future. First of all I think there could have been better open communication with the students about what was going on, why, and how. Especially with this time of year many students made huge sacrifices to come to this conference and holding it during class time would have been much better for us. Secondly, I think there was a disparity between the effort for the power points versus many of the posters. Maybe in the future poster students would have to present as well. All in all CESTL was an enjoyable experience.
Kimberly Maher 12/14/08
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Yesterday was a new and exciting experience for me. I was really grateful to have an opportunity to present in front of my classmates, as well as experts in the field of educational psychology. For me, this entire semester has been a huge challenge, and the conference has been as well. I was the eighth presenter, and at first I was anxious, and honestly a bit scared; however, as soon as I walked up and stood in front of a full room of people, I realized it wasn’t really that bad. It gave me great confidence to explain my research, and to have everyone look at me as the expert in what I was presenting. I very much appreciated being able to present when the volunteering professors, and a majority of the students were there to listen.

In addition, I truly enjoyed being able to listen to all of my classmates present their information as well. The eight hours I was there went by quickly, and they were enjoyable because I was able to learn about new and exciting research. Also, I met a lot of new people who I felt I could relate to because of our common ground and interest in education.

Also, this conference has allowed me to recognize a lot about my self. When I was an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University I studied psychology, and I always had the intentions on receiving my Ph.D in the area of psychology as well. However, after working in research at Stony Brook I felt discouraged, and felt I could not accomplish everything necessary to earn my doctorate. Yet, after completing this class, and having the opportunity to apply my interest in research and psychology to education, I have re-decided to receive my doctorate in psychology. I have realized that I am capable of accomplishing all that is required; this is because I am determined, and passionate. Thank you Dr. Boyanton for giving me this opportunity and helping me to rediscover what is truly important to me.
Cassie Dunn 12/14/08
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The CESTL conference went great. It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be! Getting to hear what other people had to say about their research topics was very insightful, influential, and inspiring. I feel like I accomplished a major task and I am glad I followed through with it because I was so nervous about this conference all semester.

One of the best parts of the conference was when the professors sat down in front and we had a discussion all together. They were very insightful and gave us all great advice about what is expected of us on becoming a teacher and how important our job is. Dengting, you are a very inspiring professor and I am glad I stuck through with your class because I was so overwhelmed the first few weeks of school. Now that it is all over with I am happy and most of all I am very confident in myself and in my work. The fact that I got through this course makes me believe I can get through any course in grad school. Thank you Professor Boyanton for a very fun, knowledgeable, and inspiring semester!
Helen Siaxabanis 12/14/08
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When I was driving to the CESTL conference, I felt very nervous. Once I arrived and saw the setting and set up of the room I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a very large formal lecture hall; however I was pleased with the comfortable relaxed atmosphere Dengting set up for us. My fellow students, other graduate students and undergraduate students were either sitting at tables socializing and standing at their posters answering questions. Although it was early there were many smiling faces.

Dengting and Dr. Dodge began the day with great words of knowledge and motivation. I felt excited since I knew I was about to be part of a very educational and professional day. I was sitting around many experts and felt proud of what I had accomplished so far.

I was talking to my fellow students about their presentations before we officially began for the day and many of them were very nervous. To be honest, once people began presenting and stepped in front of their audience they actually were very relaxed! Everyone did a fantastic job and presented such interesting information. Everyone seemed fully engaged during mostly every one’s presentation. The presenters did an outstanding job capturing the audience and the audience did a great job giving their full attention. I enjoyed the individuality of everyone’s presentation and everyone’s power point slides. Everyone seemed to put a lot of time and hard work into the presentations and it definitely paid off!

I remember rehearsing my slides and presentation in front of the mirror at home and being so critical of myself. I was nervous it wouldn’t come out the exact way that I wanted it to. I was also afraid that I wouldn’t get any questions at the end. When I got up in front of everyone I felt relaxed and just kept saying to myself, “you host birthday parties you have no problem standing in front of people”. During my presentation I actually felt like I was having fun, I was enjoying standing up in front of everyone and sharing my information with them. When my presentation was done many of my fellow classmates said I looked and sounded so confident and was very clear with my information. This made me feel proud!

I was so proud of myself, I can do anything!
Brittany Fedus 12/14/08
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What an awesome experience! The CESTL conference was just great! I thought everyone did an excellent job and it was truly an honor to be part of it. The keynote speech given by Dr. Dodge was both exhilarating and educational – and I told him so. There’s no denying the passion and dedication Dr. Dodge possesses for teaching and it came out in his speech. (I can truly say the same for Dr. Boyanton in the way she teaches.)

I have to admit, this was a very tough day for me to attend (work is absolutely insane) and I was a little worried about my state of mind going in. However, when I got there and saw all the hard work everyone put in and felt the eagerness and excitement among the crowd, it was easy to appreciate what this day was all about… and that was the desire to learn. Perhaps the best part about it, though, was that the learning process was coming as a result of listening to my peers and observing their work. It really was special.

I can say without a doubt that I would recommend this class to friends and colleagues alike. The work may seem daunting at times, but the end result is a mind full of knowledge that you never thought you’d have. And the best advice I could give them concerning the CESTL performance would be to open their minds and give everything they have because there is nothing quite like the feeling you get when you are appreciated by your peers. And, getting something back in the process makes the experience even more rewarding. Thanks for a great day!

Christopher Basil 12/14/08
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I feel so relieved that the CESTL conference is finally over. This past week I was completely overwhelmed and stressed out. I was working up until the end, not only on this presentation, but I had another one on Thursday. Having 2 research papers and 2 presentations 2 days apart was crazy for me. I never thought this week would ever come to an end. Although I am really happy with the outcome. I put so much work in to this research project and I think it came out really well. I was so nervous getting up in front of everyone to present my powerpoint, but once it was over I was so relieved. Getting your positive feedback also made me feel good about it.

I really liked Dr. Dodge's opening speech. He really had some insightful things to say, and I enjoyed listening. Having the discussion panel the other professors in the department and being able to ask any questions was also a great think to do. It was also nice being able to meet them. Being my first semester back at school, I didn't know the other professors, so it was nice seeing who they are and what they stand for.

Unfortunately I had to go to work and had to leave early. Once I was there I thought that it would have been really great to stay at the conference. I would have liked to have heard other student's presentations. It was great seeing how everyone else's presentations and hard work played out. It was a great end to the semester.

Meredith Appelbaum 12/14/08
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I thought the Conference today was very successful. I was definitely nervous about my presentation and I am unsure what happened to my slide show but I think I pulled it off. I felt good about my presentation and I hoped everyone enjoyed listening.

I thought everyone’s presentations were extremely informative and I gained a lot of insight on becoming a better teacher. I hope I can use all the knowledge I learned from today’s conference in my future classrooms. I really enjoyed when the presenter’s got the audience involved. I felt that kept us engaged in their research and more focused on their presentations. Overall, I think everyone did a wonderful job and it was a very beneficial learning experience.

One suggestion for the CESTL I have would be to shorten the time period for the conference or break it down into groups. I stayed until end and I thought the inspirational quotes and your presentation of our own quotes should have been seen by more. I do not feel a lot of people stayed because it got late and I really think others would have enjoyed the end as much as I did. Thank you for all your hard work and I hope you enjoyed my presentation.
Sarah Hoenig 12/14/08
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The CESTL has finally come to an end and I must say I'm saddened. I was apprehensive about attending, but after getting there, setting up, and listening to the professors and peers, I was excited to be part of the event. I was extremely disappointed to have to leave in the middle of it, to take my exam, and had a very hard time concentrating on my exam, as a result. I finished, miraculously (I was so unmotivated to do it!!!), and was thrilled to return to the CESTL afterward.

I was especially happy to be able to be present for the "opening" ceremony and the "closing" one too. I was impressed with all my peers posters and especially the presentations. The powerpoint presenters worked really hard and did a great job presenting. I learned a great deal of pertinent information to carry with me through my program and into my own classroom.

I also really enjoyed our guest speaker, Dr. Dodge. It was inspiring to perceive the abundance of wisdom and passion he has for his profession. His speech gave me goose bumps and made me realize the importance of being a great teacher. The speech also made me realize, I have chosen the right field for my career and I can't wait to make a difference!

I think the CESTL was phenomenal. I have to say my favorite part was the inspirational great quotes video at the end of the conference. I found it so gratifying, I was moved to tears. There was one in particular that I cherished by Theodore Roosevelt, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Congratulations Dr. Dengting on a wonderful job!!! You worked hard and I'm happy for you the way your "baby" turned out.

Elizabeth Scott 12/14/08
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After all of the time and effort spent on our research this semester, it finally culminated today with our CESTL presentations. For most of this course I tried to block out this conference, as I have a total fear of public speaking. However, this week I had no choice but to pay great attention and detail to this conference. I spent many hours revising my presentation, which I had previously revised twice before. So when the professor emailed me back a list of further edits to make, I was quite discouraged. In the end, I think the slides balanced out nicely and I was glad I kept the on-site photos and colorful background. I feel that even though I didn’t open with a joke or story, the brightness and personality of my slides grabbed the audience. Quite a few people commented that they enjoyed the inclusion of real photos and thought the colors in my presentation were eye popping. On another note, I was also concerned about my timing going in to the conference, but I think it worked out nicely- right around the 8 minute mark.

As far as my actual delivery of information, I was overall pleased with my efforts. Upon reflection, the only genuine complaint I have with my own presentation was the way in which I answered one of my classmates’ questions. Someone questioned me about the children being aware of what guided reading group they are in, and if it negatively impacts their self-concept. This was not really my area of research, and even though I have an intelligent answer to the question, I felt I failed to articulate my thoughts appropriately. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the audience asked me quite a few questions. I hope that means that my speech was engaging, different and interesting. Normally, I would be totally mortified and embarrassed to have to answer questions on the spot like that, but I really worked hard on my research and felt more than prepared to answer most any question headed my way. I do think, with the exception of the one question, that I managed to really answer all the other inquiries with a high level of expertise.

Additionally, it was also interesting to see the various poster presentations as well. I liked that we were able to have informal conversations with classmates about their studies. I actually learned from Sarah’s (the photographer) poster presentation that my old school district, Wantagh, has the lowest per pupil expenditure on Long Island. I was greatly surprised to hear this, because the quality of education there is very high, it was even a blue ribbon school of excellence. Also, my town is a middle class area and I don’t feel like my schools lacked any physical or educational resources throughout my entire career there.

Anyway, I am happy to breathe a sigh of relief that one big obstacle of this semester is finally over. We still have to hand in our SM logs and final research papers, but hopefully our professor will feel that our efforts today were enough to eradicate the final exam☺
Melissa Hofmann 12/13/08
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The CESTL conference was an impressive gathering of educators and potential educators. When I first walked into the CESTL conference, I could feel the restless energy. How nerve-wracked and excited we all felt. We were finally about to share everything we had worked on all semester long. The presentations were very well done and everyone’s hard work was certainly obvious.

I personally felt that I was really well prepared to give my presentation at the CESTL conference today. Of course I was a little nervous; there were more than 70 people in the room, but having done extensive research throughout the semester, I knew I had a deep and comprehensive understanding about inclusion and its effects. Because I felt prepared and confident, I think I did well and I was proud of my performance.

The only problem I had, was that ten minutes did not seem like nearly enough time to talk about everything I had learned. Editing my powerpoint was an entirely separate and valuable learning experience. All students worked very hard all semester researching, reading, interviewing and observing in schools. The presentations and poster boards were a profound reflection of the devotion everyone put into their work. Everyone should be extremely proud of the work they have accomplished.

Lauren Romano 11/14/08
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I really enjoyed the conference today. It was not my favorite idea at first but I can honestly say I made the very best of it. It felt important and social and it was a nice way to end our semester. I am proud of my research and was extremely surprised by how interested my classmates were in my poster! it felt great to hear them ask questions that I could answer in a knowledgeable confident way. My peers had important and well organized information and I have a lot of respect for all of them.

The faculty speakers were very generous to share their advice with us and more importantly to believe we were worth their time on a Saturday. It was a pleasure bringing my brother and boyfriend, after a semester of talking about this class and my work they actually got to see it and meet you! It was also fun to see the children who came to support. They remind me why I’m in school to start with. Our class has come a long way and it showed today at the conference. Its hard to believe its over! :)

Amy Weisburd 12/13/08
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I have to admit that I was dreading CESTL all semester. I was scared of presenting my research in public, I was scared of speaking in public, and the length of the day wasn’t something that made me excited about either. Walking in on Saturday morning I expected the worst. I was complaining and my mood was shot before I even drove up to campus.

However, once I walked into the Long Island room and saw that it wasn’t at all what I had expected. The room was set up with tables which gave to a very informal comfortable feeling. About an hour into the presentation I found myself actually really enjoying myself. The closer that the time came for me to present, I was getting very nervous, but all of those nerves just went away as soon as I went up in front of the room. My eight minutes came and went and before I knew it I was asking if anybody had any questions.

I really did enjoy my time at CESTL and as much as I thought I would want to leave as soon as possible I found myself having such a good time that I didn’t want to leave; and ended up leaving only because I had to drive my brother to a birthday party. Thank you again Dr. Dengting for a wonderful experience.

Vanda Dreyer 12/16/08
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I was really impressed with my peers. Watching as all of the students got up in front of everyone and spoke confidently, clearly, and beautifully really made me envious of them. I think that EVERYONE that presented a power point did an absolutely incredible job and I wish I could present so freely and effectively.

The posters that everyone made were also amazing. Some of them were so creative. I LOVED Alison Greene’s poster, it was something that I had never seen before. I was glad that I got the chance to ask her how she did it because I can definitely use those skills in my future teaching career. I wish I could have spoken to more people and that more people came to speak to me, but I think overall everything went well.

I'm confident about my work and I am glad I was able to share. I was again very impressed with how well everyone did and I think that EVERYONE should be so proud of their work! The panel was interesting and I thought the feedback and advice was really beneficial.

Lauren Sichel 12/13/08
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I was very proud of all of the students performance at CESTL. I was amazed to see how every one rose to the challenge and did what needed to be done. Even though I am going through some personal matters at home it was nice to get away for the day and work through it. I think that this was a great idea that Dr Boyanton had and I hope other teachers follow in her footsteps.

Before the conference I know that a lot of students in the class did not want to attend the conference. However, I did not hear one bad word being said at the conference and most people were happy to be there. Thanks Dr Boyanton for pushing us to do our best and on a personal note thank you for being so understanding to the problems I am having in my personal life. Alexis Trudel 12/14/08
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I believe that I was well prepared for this conference; I thought I did a pretty good job in completing my presentation within the time limits set. When I was preparing my presentation slides, I found Prof. Boyanton’s input regarding the presentation slides extremely helpful.

I found the individual presentations very informative, and I look forward to incorporating the suggestions and knowledge gained from the presentations in my own classroom. I found the presentation regarding parent’s involvement with their student’s education very practical.
I firmly believe that parent’s involvement in their student is of paramount importance.

In my future endeavors as I teacher, I would not hesitate to seek/involve parents in their child’s education.

I thought that this course was excellent and I learned many teaching approaches and strategies I could incorporate in my elementary classroom. I thought one of the most effective things of the CESTL presentations was how the topics were linked, for example, presentations regarding motivation, behaviors were scheduled consecutively. This was particularly effective because the contents were related and, they complimented one another.

I thought the most profound quote at the CESTL closing, was “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent” - Eleanor Roosevelt. This provides a great and excellent example by which teachers and students alike should approach their education. On a personal note, I use this as a guide to bring the highest level of integrity in my personal life. The other quote that was very interesting was the quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “we must become the change we want to see in the world”. I believe this is the reason I am pursuing a career in education --- I want to have a positive impact on children’s learning.

As the presenters awaited their turns, nearly all expressed how nervous and terrified they were to be in the “spotlight”. It struck me that most adults always express this unfounded fear because they really did not appear nervous when they were giving their presentations. As a result of this observation today, I plan to incorporate public speaking in my elementary classroom lessons. SL 12/13/08
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The CESTL Presentation was very nerve-wracking for me to prepare for. I am not a good public speaker. However I was surprisingly happy with my performance. After hearing people present, I became less nervous. I wasn't sure if I was going to sound prepared enough or start babbling. Thankfully I didn't. After seeing how a few people did their presentations I became more confident. I was making a conscious effort to not start giggling or say "umm" a million times. (these are things I do when I am nervous). I think I did a good job.

Overall, I would say this course allowed me to think more intuitively. I discovered who I am as an aspiring teacher. I also learned a lot and received a lot of good advice from my peers. In the future, the CESTL needs to be explained and clarified in detail at the very beginning of the semester. There were many aspects of it that left the class as a whole scratching our heads and thus becoming very stressed out.

This class overall was a very good learning experience for me and I will use and apply what I learned in the future.
Lauren Russo 12/14/08
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As I have been throughout the semester, I was excited and motivated to attend tonight’s class, and was looking forward to seeing the professor’s presentation about conferences and techniques on giving good presentations, in hopes that I may be able to adopt some helpful tips for this Saturday’s event.

However, I was sad to find out that tonight was the final class of the course and that, in general, this course has almost come to an end. I felt that I made a certain connection with the professor and my classmates because of the positive feedback I obtained throughout the course which helped me get through the work loads and because of the learning and growth that we all experienced together as a group. I think that from the first day, when we participated in the name game, that exercise we did helped create this certain spirit which helped break the ice between us and helped set the tone for the rest of the semester.

It was very encouraging to have someone I look up to give me that critique along the way; it strengthened my motivation to give this course my best shot. When you know someone is listening and truly rooting for you, it makes you aspire to do more and to strive to be your best. As such -- among other important things within the course -- I learned such a great deal about motivation in this course. I am especially thankful to have had Dr. Boyanton as a professor for the topics covered under Psychological Foundations of Education because of the methods that were used in conveying and instilling the material.

I know I still have a long way to go in obtaining the knowledge that will equip me to do my job well as a future teacher, but I walk away from this course with a good base of that knowledge and, more importantly, the basic attitude and the self-efficacy to get through the remaining semesters in my endeavor to become a teacher.

I have really enjoyed this course while learning a great deal via classroom discussions, lectures, participation and activities within the classroom, via the research project itself and through my observations, as well as all the assignments that we needed to do, including the journals. It was especially beneficial that we have had reflections and extended discussions on what makes a teacher great, because I think this is such an important topic and goal for us all to try and achieve. We don’t strive to be good teachers – we strive to be great teachers!

The journals were perfect ways for us to vent and analyze our thoughts and feelings about all that we have learned, as well as about our experiences in the context of motivation, education, role models, etc. I have always believed that there is a lot of knowledge and understanding to be gained through self-reflection and this course provided different avenues of the type of learning that comes from reflection, observation and analysis. In being given a chance to write and share our experiences, it validated that what we have experienced and felt are critical to our understanding of the world around us and of ourselves.

I am thankful that this course was recommended to me; the professor did an excellent job of keeping the students engaged and learning throughout the semester. Of course, the experience would not have been the same without the timely and thoughtful feedback that the professor always provided to us during the course. Feedback is so critical to a student so that he/she knows how she is doing – it is also a reinforcing mechanism, as well as a way to guide and confirm things that we have learned, or thought that we may have learned.

As prospective teachers, we have also gained a valuable lesson on what great teachers are, by observing a live example. Of course, there are all different types of personalities and styles of great teachers in the world, and Dr. Boyanton provided an excellent example of a great teacher with her own unique style and personality. Passionate, authentic, caring, professional, effective, creative, purposeful, intelligent and humanistic in approach. These are all core qualities of a great teacher. Evdoxia Gounelas 12/8/08

Congratulations on the first successful CESTL at Long Island University! Great concept. Thank you for a memorable course experience!

Evdoxia Gounelas
December 13, 2008 10:26 PM
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I would elaborate a bit more on this past Saturday’s CESTL conference. In my opinion, all of the presenters I witnessed did a fabulous job on their presentations. Everyone seemed extremely well prepared and knowledgeable in their subject area. I’m sure most students put in an exorbitant amount of time practicing, and it showed. You could absolutely tell that some students enjoy the spotlight and excel in the realm of public speaking.

I particularly enjoyed one of the male presenters, who had planned on showing a video clip of a comedian. Even though the internet wasn’t working and the clip could not be viewed, he was still funny in how he told the story about the comedian. I thought that idea was highly creative and truly grabbed the audience’s attention.

I also wanted to note that I calmed down about the whole public speaking aspect of the day immediately after seeing the setup of the room. I had envisioned a huge auditorium with a stage and a packed audience. So when I arrived, the cozy, intimate setting let me breathe a sigh of relief. At first, I was worried that we would have to stand at the microphone podium. This was a concern for me because I did not prepare anything in writing and I planned on using my slides as a prompt. You couldn’t see the screen from the podium so I was a little bit nervous at first. However, the second presenter, Pauline, did it without the microphone and that put me at ease right away. When it was actually my turn to speak, I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I thought I’d be. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely anxious, but it was totally manageable.

The only minor hiccup in the entire day for me was that when I first arrived on campus, I proceeded to the Winnick House near the admissions office. I knew it seemed rather deserted but I parked and got out anyway. Soon, I realized I was absolutely in the wrong area- good thing I had my campus map in the car! Finally, I was able to find the student center without too much further delay. I think it might be helpful for next year’s students to have explicit directions to the building, and note that it is not the Winnick House, but the student center. For commuters like myself, who are not too familiar with the grounds, this would be helpful. Other than that, I have to say the conference seemed to go fairly smoothly and kept to the outlined time schedule very well. I think we should all be very proud of our hard work!
Melissa Hoffman 12/15/08
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I'm really proud of the work I did at the CESTL and on my research project. I can't wait to continue it further with the head of the art department, Donna Tuman. She's invited me to attend a conference at the Metropolitan Museum of Art about art and the No Child Left Behind Act I can't wait to attend!

I was also proud of my peers who participated in the CESTL conference. I can see all of our excitement to learn and our passion. I was so engaged at the conference, and thank you for scheduling it so smoothly, professor Boyanton. I was very impressed!!

Thanks for an interesting semester, professor, and good luck in semesters to come. Happy Holidays.
Sarah Lefrancois 12/21/08

4th CESTL Evaluations by EDI 600-2 students

2008-10-17T08:21:00.001-07:00

CESTL Students' Evaluations by EDI 600-2

WOW! The CESTL was great; and I felt empowered by it yesterday. Although I was dreading the CESTL, I had a great time and learned so much. I was thinking that my research wasn’t “real,” since I did not include any test scores to prove what makes a great teacher. However, the keynote speaker, Dr. Arnold Dodge, seemed to share my views on what teaching is all about.
After listening to a few presentations, I realized that my research was valid, and I could have performed it. I felt that I did well with my poster presentation because I learned so much from my research and I am passionate about exploring the ways to become a great teacher. Actually, if I had done the power point presentation, it would have been easier, because I would have performed it only once. I lost count of how many times I did my poster presentation – it was more than six times.

I learned so much at the CESTL. Everyone had something to contribute and everyone presented very well and professionally. I also felt like the students were empowering one another.
The panel with the professors on teaching and learning perspectives was also very informative. One thing I learned from that is that I need to save all my field work observations and journals, as well as determine what my teaching philosophy is.

The quotes at the end of the evening were very inspiring. My favorite was by Dengting Boyanton, which was how life is like a mirror, smile and get smiles back; frown and get frowns back. Sorry I can’t recall the exact quote.

I was surprised how quickly the day passed. I found myself speaking with many of the students and even exchanged a few phone numbers to keep in touch. I took away one very valuable lesson from this conference – Believe in yourself.

Thank you Dr. Boyanton. for an AMAZING class! This was my first class and I hope all my classes are as interesting and inspiring. I spent 12 hours at the CESTL and it was great!
Grace Thornton 12/14/2008
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The CESTL is a great experience for a teacher and a learner. Everyone knows it. My Korean friend who is studying in Philadelphia is very envious of me when I talked to her about this conference. I felt proud of myself and this school.:)

In particular, Dr. Arnold Dodge’s presentation reminded me of something that I forgot for a long time; “Keep the kids centered. Children are snowflake, not wizard.” When I reflect on teaching my students, I didn’t think I had enough patience with them. I thought that I lacked the patience, but I realized a real problem that I tend to think my students “little” adults. Frankly speaking, I say something so mean to students who need to be scolded as a reprimand. But, now I realized that it may be a very bad way to discipline children. This is because they are not adults. Adults know how to protect themselves from others and understand the exact meaning of what other person. While, children usually it literally so that they might be more easily hurt than adults. I always wanted my students to understand the exact meaning of what I said like adults, but they didn’t even though some students did. Why didn’t I realize this until now? Could be the reason why we teachers need to learn for all my life? If so, today’s conference is worth of learning for 10 years. It was very informative and stimulating me all the way.

I hope this conference will be held again in spite of financial restraints. I hope you’ll keep up with this conference even though there will be a financial restraints next year.

Thank you for all your teaching for this semester. In particular, your passion for teaching and learning is already contagious of me. J Thanks again for your effort to making us have a sense of achievement. Super Professor Dengting Boyaton!
Ok-Hyun, Jo 12/17/08
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I thought that CESTL was a very interesting and educational experience. I had no idea what to expect when I was walking into the conference room, I was just hoping that the work I had done was as good as all the other students’. I was so surprised when I walked in, people were there already putting up their posters and everybody was talking with each other about them.

Once the conference started I found myself actually enjoying the guest speakers speeches, which I didn’t think would happen, but they were interesting and passionate. The power point presentations also impressed me. I honestly wasn’t expecting for everyone to have such good information and be so confident when they spoke. I gained knowledge from every presentation that I watched and no one seemed to be unprepared. Each student seemed so interested in the research they were doing and very so proud of what they had done.

I also thought the panel discussion was a very good idea it was very informative. I always think that it is such a good idea for those who have experienced things to pass that knowledge onto people who are just beginning that same journey. I know I appreciate any knowledge that seasoned teachers can pass on to me, as a future teacher I have many worries about what I am going to experience and how my students are going to act once I have my own class. I found the panel discussion to be a very valuable experience.

Once the panel discussion was over and we were free to walk around to see others posters I got a little nervous. I was worried that someone would ask me a question about mine that I didn’t have the answer to. However once it got started I was very relieved to see how supportive all of my peers were. Everyone who came to my poster said they liked it and found the information to be very good, and all the questions they had were ones that I was able to answer. In the end I felt very good about my poster and the discussions I had with other students about it. I also thought that the other students posters were very good, I liked being about to see their research in that form. It made it a little easier to take in the information.

Although I had been nervous at first about CESTL and not looking forward to giving up my Saturday to come to school, once I got there I felt differently. I found the whole event to be very interesting and informative. I also forgot it was even a Saturday and ended up not minding that I was at school. I thought everyone did such a good job with their research and thought I was a great experience.

Lauren Betz 12/15/08
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Well the CESTL Conference went off without a hitch. I was so proud of myself as well as all the students who were involved. As expected, my peers really provided the support that not only instilled confidence in me but also made the event fun! It was a true community of respect as everyone was very professional and attentive as each student presented.

I especially loved Dr. Dodge's speech! It was very inspiring- a true rush of adrenaline ran through me as he looked each of us dead in the eye proclaiming that we were the new wave of teachers who are going to bring meaning back to teaching and education.

I also thought the Q and A session (symposium) with the panel of professors was so insightful and so real! It is great to hear professors at the PhD. level speaking about insecurities, providing guidance and advice, as well as speaking about issues they themselves are passionate about. I learned a lot today from each student who had the courage and desire to stand in front of everyone, sharing knowledge and information through their research. It was a valuable experience and quite a journey getting to this place.

I feel like my research afforded me the chance to become a better teacher. I have had the opportunity to reflect on my own practices and am loving the process of changing things within myself with the hopes of being that “special” teacher my students will never forget.
Patricia Selock 12/13/08
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I thoroughly enjoyed the CESTL program yesterday, It was great to see fellow classmates present and there was definitely a special kind of bond felt in part because of the two separate classes. It wasn’t so much competition but a little extra support from the people you know going into it. Going in I kind of wished I had done a poster but in hindsight I am really glad I did a powerpoint presentation. It was an awesome experience and one that I hope continues in the future at LIU.

I would again like to thank Dr. Denting for such an amazing course this semester. It was a heavy workload as outlined in the syllabus but it was all worth it and I can honestly say I have never taken a class that enjoyed more or learned more from (and on so many different levels) than this one. I would like to remain in the loop so that I can visit future CESTL events, that with continued growth should be taking place at the Tilles Center.

I cannot stress enough how happy and satisfied I am about this class and this semester as a whole. I feel such a confirmation that I have made the right choice to become a teacher and I am excited about this lifelong journey I have embarked on to better myself as both a learner and a teacher. Thank you, Dr. Dengting!
Keven Cherry 12/14/08
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The CESTL is over and I have to say that is was pretty fun! The presentations were all very informative and I found that I learned a lot through them.

One thing that I found to be great was the our first guest speaker Dr. Arnold Dodge. I completely agree with many of his points about NCLB and how schools view the arts. As a aspiring art teacher, I feel that the arts are something that many school take for granted and it is very refreshing to hear someone speaking of my views. This was a great start for the CESTL.

I think that everyone did a great job with their presentations. It is hard to go up in front of so many people and talk for 10 minuets. Everyone seemed to handle this just fine though. I did a poster presentation and found that I got some good feedback when I would explain my points to whoever came by. I am overall very proud of myself and the work that I did. I am also happy that I was able to stay for an extra 4 hours above the required 5. it was nice to hear so many different presentations and spend some extra time with my classmates.

For future CESTLs, one thing that I would change would be to give presenters a microphone that they can carry around with them. Naturally people didn’t want to just stay behind the podium and use that mic, but when they would start to walk around it was sometimes hard to hear. Overall though i thought the CESTL went really well!

James Avila 12/15/08
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I can honesty say that I had a good time at the CESTL conference. At first I felt that it was going to be a waste of time and I really did not know what to expect. I really enjoyed presenting in front of so many people and I feel that this will help all of us get away from our fear of public speaking. I was also happy to hear from the guest speakers at the conference. They provided us with great advice in how to successfully get the most out of teaching.

Some things that I would improve about the conference would be the way the posters were presented. I don't feel it was fair to have them just stand by their poster and not speak. Maybe you can next time put people in groups so that everyone has a time to present to the class. I feel the people who did power point presentations deserve more recognition for the work they did. People who did the posters all felt that they lucked out and did not have to present.

I really enjoyed being at the conference I could not stay the whole time but I did stay for ten hours. I wanted to give support for those who stayed and didn't present yet. I also feel that the conference should collect money from each student to provide money for charity's for the holidays. It would be great for us and the school to give back to those communities that need help helping their students. Some programs that could use money for underpriviliged kids could be a non-profit organization called Breakthrough Long Island which is ran out of Friends academy. This program promotes young teachers to help those students that want to succeed in school and whose parents are less fortunate but dedicated to their family as well. The students in these programs are offered extra help so that they will not be behind in school. I feel that this could be a good thing for us as teachers to provide them some help.

I really felt proud of myself for the first time this semester being a part of the conference and having you as my first semester teacher in graduate school. Your passion as a teacher is definitely being noticed and respected by all of us. All semester we have be talking about great teachers and what defines a great teacher. You truly fit the description of a great teacher. Thank you for all you provided us with this semester and have a great holiday. Thanks for everything!!!
Angelo Ferrucci 12/14/08
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Words can’t express the whole experience of yesterdays CESTL presentations. The amount of information I accumulated within a couple of hours would take an individual a life time to study. I felt extremely privileged to be apart of the first CESTL at C.W. Post. I learned so much, the students and speakers were amazing.

First off Dr. Dodge gave some insight on the meaning of teaching. He brought up some interesting points such as The Child Left behind Act; he stated the pro’s and con’s of this act. He also told some touching stories he remembered when he taught years ago. What I found touching was how much of a caring teacher he is and home much of an impact he made in his students lives. It not only motivated me to strive to be a dedicated teacher who believes and encourages her students but it made me realize that this was my true calling. To teach children is a true gift and an art that one can master once you get used to it. I love children and to have the opportunity to work with them and guide them through life is a true honor.

It was a pleasure to stay and enjoy the surprise you had for us at the end. The quotes were encouraging and to see my quote on the students quotes was a true honor thank you Professor for this great opportunity. :)

I look forward to furthering my education at C.W. Post I can only hope to have many other great Professors like Professor Dengting, who is not only passionate but dedicated to teaching students to be the best teachers they can be and love doing it as well. Thank you Professor Boyanton for always believing in your students and always being positive when critiquing our work. You truly are one in a million. Celena Ragkaswar December 14, 2008
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Today marked a profound moment in my life. Today, I spoke about my findings at a well respect convention with an audience filled with educators. At first, I was nervous but as my presentation went on I became more comfortable in front of the audience. I really had a profound affect on my audience. As I exited Winnick Hall, I had students stopping me to tell me that my presentation was “great” or “wonderful”. I really feel accomplished.

In watching all of the presentations, I really began to understand the meaning of this conference. It was to educate the students further and to help them expand their knowledge of teaching. I feel when we graduate and move on to our respected teaching jobs we will be influence by what we have learned at this conference. The information presented today will indefinitely help all of us to become better teachers.

In closing, I hope that this conference continues on for many years to come. I really believe that it gives confidence to the students who worked so hard on their papers. It gives them the opportunity to show off their hard work and feel as accomplished as I do at this very moment.

I thank you Dr. Boyanton for making this conference possible for her students. Sometimes you need that extra boost to make you feel good about your work and yourself. This conference accomplished both.
Juliet Castellanos 12/13/08
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I can’t believe I am sitting on my couch the day after the CESTL. I never thought this day would come. When I first arrived I was so nervous wondering how I was going to do. Since I arrived at 9:00 and was not presenting until 2:20 I had awhile to go. I was watched my peers present I could not stop thinking how proud we all should be. We have worked very hard on this all semester and now it is our time to shine.

Well, 2:20 came around and now it was my turn. I could feel my heart beating so fast but I said to myself this is it, I know my information and I will do great. While presenting I realized that the slides on the screen where my first draft but hopefully too many people didn’t realize. When I finished all I wanted to do was dance and jump around. I was so happy that I did it! I feel that everyone did a great job.

The only suggestions I have is that the poster pretentions could be more organized and the evaluations, instead of the envelopes have a box with a number on it so people can just put the paper in a box. A lot of people took the envelopes thinking they should so some were missing.
To be honest with you Dengting, I was not happy about this project in the beginning. I said to myself what are we going to learn from this. Well I can say that we learned a whole lot and I am very happy that I did not drop this class. This semester you have taught me how to work very hard for something I want and to have confidence in yourselves. All I can say is thank you. Thank you for challenging us (some days I didn’t like it) and always making your class interesting. You brought the class to life. Have a great holiday!!!!!!!
Kara Rubino 12/14/2008
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I went into the CESTL thinking it would be a very long and boring day. I was wrong and actually enjoyed myself. I was very pleased with my work and felt proud when explaining my findings to people. I especially felt great when, after I presented my work to one of the professors, she told me I was going to make a great teacher and she said it seemed like I just had "it". I can't even explain what I felt when she said this, I was just so happy and proud.

I also learned a lot from my peers' presentations. Everyone was so professional and it seemed like not a single person was nervous. I am happy that I did a poster because I don't think I would've been able to make a good presentation, I would've been way too nervous and my presentation would've been affected by my nerves. I was so surprised at how fast the time went by. I was there for 6 hours and it only felt like I was there about one hour. It was a great feeling seeing and hearing the responses to my research. People really took the time to listen and learn from what I discovered. Everyone gave great comments and really appreciated my findings as much as I did.

All in all I am very pleased with my experience at the CESTL and really enjoyed attending and presenting. Although all my research and work took a lot of time and effort it was all worth it. Courtney Schmaeling 12/14/08
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I found the CESTL to be very informative. Everyone who presented did an excellent job. They were all very knowledgeable and well informed regarding their topics. The CESTL provided a lot of insights towards my future endeavor as a teacher. I became more aware of what to expect and how to handle certain situations.

I only wish more students circulated during the poster presentation. I displayed my work but only presented to a select few. I wish I could have received more feedback. My poster was very thorough and I had a lot of information to provide. I went around the room myself at points engaging my fellow students about their research. A lot of students did excellent work.

The only tip I have is for all those who did slide presentations, next time avoid reading directly from the slides. Review your material thoroughly enough that the slide is only there for a reference. Other then that, everyone did an excellent job! I am very proud of my fellow classmates.
David Dimola 12/16/08
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I didn't know what to expect at the CESTL conference, since I had never taken part in any educational conference before. I was expecting a lecture hall type setting, but I was glad to see the room was more informal, it made me much more comfortable and put me at ease, since I was pretty nervous.

I think the selection of speakers was excellent. I especially enjoyed hearing Dr. Dodge, his talk was informative and inspiring. I found his stories about his former students inspiring as well. He had a really comfortable way of addressing the audience, and you could tell that he was happy to be part of the conference. He is just the type of speaker that I aspire to be!

The panel discussion was so helpful, I learned so much from all the professors about what I am about to embark on. There were many helpful hints, and I'm sure there was so much more you all could tell us with more time! I look forward to perhaps taking a class with those teachers in the future.

The power point presentations were very impressive overall. You could tell that everyone worked really hard, and enjoyed their research as well. I learned so much information that I never knew, and I look forward to reading more about the topics that I was most interested in.

I also enjoyed telling my peers about my own research. I worked really hard on it, and I think that it showed most when other students told me about their own experiences, and how they could relate to mine. I personally liked doing the poster, rather than the power point, because I enjoy the interaction with my peers, and I like to hear other opinions, so I can learn from them.

This research was difficult for me, but I am so glad that I pushed myself to the end. What a satisfying way to end a semester, knowing you have accomplished something, and survived! All I want is to be the best teacher that I can be. Every year, my drama class puts on a play for their parents, and I give a small speech before the performance. I am sure to tell them every time that I learn as much from their children, as they do from me. I am so thankful to them, because I believe a great teacher is never afraid to learn something new.

My heartfelt thanks to Dr. Boyanton for this experience!

Lisa Rankin 12/14/08
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The CESTL conference was such a great learning experience for me and really gave me a new insight to education. I enjoyed listening to all of the speakers, and they have all inspired me to do well in my future as an educator.

All of the speakers were fabulous however I want to talk about Dr. Arnold Dodge and his opinions about the "No child left behind" policy. There were many things about this policy that I was unaware of. His powerful speech really taught me new things for example: how the chancellor of New York is trying to pay students to do well on their standardized tests! Also how much time has been take away from recess just to practice test taking methods. I also don't like how teachers nowadays spend their days wasting quality time just for standardized test preparation. Anyway Dr. Dodges speech was very inspiring because left us with a very important message/mission: To change our future and change the old ways of education. There are many problems and after listening to him, it really got me to think; I have to make a change before it gets worse!

The presentations given by the students were lovely as well. The one that stood out to me the most was the one the girl did on being right brained or left brained (Annamarie). I think that is an interesting concept and although I had previous knowledge of the topic, I still had a good time reviewing it!

Over all this conference helped me become a better public speaker and really helped boost my self confidence. It also motivated me and inspired me to keep doing presentations like this. I would do it again in a heart beat, and I will encourage all other LIU students and other college students to go to these events because it can really help you in the long run. Dengting, as always you were right about this conference and I can not wait for next years CESTL conference. Please, let me know when it is, I hope we still keep in touch, and if you ever need a "special guest speaker"... you know you can count on me to be there! Thank you for everything!

Tara Agnesini 12/14/08
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In order to be a successful teacher, an individual must love and embrace a lifetime of learning and developing. From the words of Dr. Dodge, the meaning of teaching comes from an educator’s desire to see the most in each child. As Michel Angelo chiseled away the marble to “uncover” the figure of his famous David, educators must work to discover the true potentials and abilities in each of their students.

The CESTL was an eye-opening experience and presented an abundance of useful and relevant information. Each aspiring educator selected a topic of interest and put forth significant hard work and determination to create the best possible presentations. During the conference, I was enlightened on many prominent educational issues. Within one Saturday, I was able to watch fellow classmates, as well as myself, become “experts.”

Within a period of three months, we delved into our fieldwork and became active investigators and participant observers. No longer was it okay to be an objective bystander, it was time to critically analyze the classroom environment, the students, and the school personnel. In many of the studies, the focus centered on how teachers can improve their classroom management skills, how to accommodate student learning styles, and many other challenging issues that face each educator on a daily basis. As Dr. McLoughlin mentioned, in her first year of teaching, the most daunting aspect was the overwhelming amount of knowledge, issues, and roles that she had to assume. In the teaching profession, educators must multi-task in so many areas that it can often seem tiring and stressful.

Hearing the fears and trepidations of my fellow classmates helped me acknowledge that I am not alone. Pursuing a career where you have so much impact on the next generation can be very scary. As a teacher, I need to understand that I will make mistakes and that it will not make or break me as a teacher. As Dr. Walker mentioned, a teacher can only work on so much at a time. Understanding each aspect of teaching and how to maneuver in your professional development takes a lifetime. Each individual brings their own background, personality, and talents into the classroom when they teach. This diversity is what brings color and light into the educational arena. It allows all students to identify with at least one special teacher who has made a difference in their lives. If every teacher were exactly the same, then some children would not be able to connect with a teacher mentor.

One of the most significant factors that I took away from this conference is that teaching is a life choice. Within the keynote speech, Dr. Dodge spoke of the relevance of teaching. He stated that there would be “no society” without the help of teachers. No doctors, no lawyers, no engineers, and no politicians to run our countries. Every person within this country and elsewhere has been exposed to some form of education. Each person had someone who impacted their lives significantly and taught them about how to function and be productive in their communities and societies.

Education is not limited by the amount of resources, money, or testing standards placed on it. Education rests in the hearts of the parents and teacher of each student. If there is a desire to find the most in each child, to develop each child to their fullest, and a determination to have each child succeed, then education is possible no matter what the constraints. Through this conference, I learned a lot about myself as an educator and also where I would like to see myself at the end of my career. I would like to evolve over the years and continue to expand my knowledge, skills, methods, and pedagogy. Teaching is not a job, it is a career and a way of life. I choose to have a positive impact on my world and I choose teaching as my path!
Christina Wilson 12/13/08
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This was the first conference I have ever attended and it was definitely a memorable one. It was a great experience. Everyone did such a great job with their presentations! Some people had similar topics, but each presentation was unique in its own way.

I was surprised with how much I learned in one day. Just some of what I learned from the conference was: how one’s culture has an affect on their educational experience, how parent’s being too strict on their children can be a negative factor in their education, that one of the better characteristics that a teacher should portray is to be caring and be passionate about teaching, the harmful affects that some children’s television shows has on children – causing them to view violence as a form of heroism, and a person is either left-brained or right-brained depending on their interests such as math vs. music.

Another aspect of the conference that I greatly enjoyed was the morning panel (symposium) for questions and answers. It was interesting to hear from a variety of different education professors. The questions that were asked to the panel were very interesting and the answers from the panel were very informative. Each professor gave thoughtful responses to all the questions. Just one piece of advice, out of the many, that I received from the panel that I will always remember is that you should enter each school as if it were a job interview (Joan Walker). I thought that was great advice and I will keep that in mind every time I enter a school. All in all, I really enjoyed my first conference ever!
Laura Fichera 12/16/08
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I have to say the CESTL experience was really terrific. I enjoyed everyone's presentation and was impressed by the depth of their research and the various subject matters.

I mostly enjoyed the presentations of the students whose presentations were done in their second language, English. They were so brave to tackle a verbal presentation, their insights were individualistic and their work at least as thorough as that of their classmates. Overall, the concept of the CESTL is outstanding.

I do venture, however, that it might have been even more beneficial, more scholarly, more indicative of each students abilities had it not been overlaid with a considerable amount of concurrent class work. That said, it was a tremendous learning experience to take part in, I am only sorry I was unable to attend the entire session. Perhaps splitting it into two days, maybe one for each class with the option of attending both days would be more manageable for those of us with families, jobs and other classes to attend to.

Once again, Dr. Boyanton's explicit passion for teaching and learning was realized in a major undertaking of this conference. It was a pleasure and an honor to be involved.
Linda Gottlieb 12/14/08
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The CESTL conference was a great learning experience. In preparing my power point I was a little intimidated in having to speak in front of 2 classes of students, guest speakers, and family and friends. While I was confident and proud of my work, public speaking is still something that always gives me anxiety. Now, having completed the conference I feel relieved. Everyone presented such thoughtful topics and I was really impressed with the research and effort that was put into each assignment. I am pleased with the way my own presentation went and I hope that in taking more graduate classes, I will be able to further my research of the role of parents in their child’s education. Lauren Malter 12/14/08
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CESTL conference is over, but it is not over for me yet. Before I attend the conference, I had thought it was a small conference, when I entered the room, however, I found I was totally wrong. There were professors and many classmates even some classmates invited her boyfriends or family members to attend. Seeing this, I was a little bit nervous and panic. I am a young Chinese girl, this was my first semester in graduate school, worst of all, I have never been talking to so many foreigners in public. I told myself again and again, don’t be nervous, you are good, they won’t laugh at your pronunciation. Your classmates and professor are very nice, trust yourself, be yourself. However, I still felt nervous.

When we had a break time, I turned one of my classmates for help and I asked her to help me correct my pronunciation. After this, when I stood in the front and present my presentation, I felt confidence and said to myself, come on, girl, try you best to do it, those who care about you will be proud of you if you try your best, after all, you are in university, so I believe you can give you classmates a surprise and let them know a girl from Asia also can do a good job.

After the conference, one of my classmates said that everyone said that your English has improved a lot. Hearing this, I felt very happy, for me, this is the best gift and encouragement. I know there is long way to go, however, I am not afraid of challenge and I do believe as time goes by, I will feel more and more comfortable and adjust the culture and society. At last, I want to thank my classmates and friends because you are always here to support me. Also, I want to thank Dr, Dengting, because she gives me this chance and let me know I can do it well.

Rong Zhang 11/16/08
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Saturdays CESTL presentation was so nerve-wrecking. I had never had to give a seminar before so I did not know what to expect. However, once I started talking I began to fall into a comfort zone. It taught me that I can speak in front of a class and I should not be scared. I have the will to teach so that will carry any insecurity that I may have about public speaking. I thank Dr. Boyanton for the opportunity to do this presentation and I hope that she can continue to do this part of the course in the future.
Andrew Romanoff 12/15/08

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Overall, I felt that the CESTL conference was very successful. I was impressed at how hard my classmates had worked on their posters and on there power point presentations. I learned a substantial amount of information from all of the presentations and research that my classmates presented. I know that from talking to many of my peers beforehand that some were very nervous and I could not tell at all during the conference that they felt this way. Everyone seemed to be very confident and did a wonderful job!

Jacqueline Silverman 12/14/08
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I enjoyed my time at the CESTL. Honestly, I originally thought it was going to be boring and uninspiring. But, this assumption was the complete opposite of my experience.

The CESTL conference was very informative. Dr. Dodge’s speech was motivating and inspires me to make a difference as a teacher. I was impressed with my fellow students speeches and posters. Two speakers that stood out in my mind were Angelo Ferrucci and Kevin Cherry. I thought both were very professional and brought up good ideas about learning styles and discipline.

Also, I was impressed with myself. I gave several presentations about my poster to multiple groups of people. My demeanor and thoughts were expressed clearly to the listeners. They all gave me positive feedback. This conference gave me great ideas for teaching such as; have a student who excels in on subject help another student who struggles in the same subject and purposely misspell words and have the students correct me. I was impressed and had a great time at the CESTL conference.
Christopher Conterelli 12/14/08

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After much anticipation, the CESTL has come and gone. It was very interesting to hear my classmates present their topics. I learned a lot of different things at the CESTL and really enjoyed it. I spent quite a few hours there, but the time really flew by. Overall, I thought it was a great experience and as I heard the feedback from my classmates who attended, I know they enjoyed it as well. Christine Goldstein 12/14/08

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Oh CESTL! I thought the conference really showed the extreme dedication and determination of my fellow peers. Everyone did a really excellent job and I enjoyed listening to the various topics presented. I especially like Juliet’s presentation on media and its impact on children. I thought it was a little longer than the others but it was very very interesting. I did not get to edit my poster to visually be as appealing as it could have, but I thought the context of it was important. Everyone did a truly wonderful job and my favorite part of the conference was just being able to hang out with different individuals from my class. As I have said before, I really enjoyed their company and I thought they made the class fun!

I thought the conference ran a little long and perhaps the presentations could’ve been done in class as to save time before the hectic holiday season. Otherwise, I am inspired by Dengting's passion and her zest for learning and teaching. I want to know where she gets all of her energy from!

Trisha Zuvich 12/15/08
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3rd CESTL Story: A Powerful Learning Experience

2008-10-17T08:20:00.016-07:00

A Powerful Learning Experience—The 3rd CESTL Story

Curriculum & Instruction
School of Education
University of Texas at Brownsville

Introduction

On June 27, 2008, another CESTL (Conference of Elementary Secondary Teaching & Learning) took place in the educational building of the School of Education at the University of Texas at Brownsville. A total of 38 undergraduate students presented their research. At least 30 people from outside (mainly the student presenters’ parents, spouses, siblings, children) attended this conference as well.

CESTL was organized by instructor Dr. Dengting Boyanton and all of her students currently taking her courses EDCI 4322 Human Development & Instruction and EDSC 4322 Human Development & Instruction in the School of Education at the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB/TSC).

The 3rd CESTL showed research conducted by all of our student researchers during the summer session, who spent this whole semester investigating one research topic of their interest under Dr. Boyanton’s guidance and supervision. Specific research method used was self-study, through which our students explored their own growing up experiences and stories as a learner.

This conference covered 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 disability, race and learning, as well as culture and learning

A Powerful Learning Experience

Like the previous CESTL, the third conference was once again extremely successful. Although this conference lasted for almost eight and half hours (from 1:00pm to 9:30pm), which most of the students did not think they could sit there for such a long period of time and still enjoy it, all students reported that they actually enjoyed the whole conference. Not only did they enjoyed every single presentation, they also enjoyed “every single minute.”

The 3rd CESTL has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the student presenters as well as some of the parents, who described this experience as “great,” “exciting,” “inspiring,” “motivating,” “entertaining,” “emotional,” “touching,” “powerful” “amazing” “respectful” “stimulating,” “interesting,” “incredible,” and “informative.” The list goes forever…

Heathcliff shared his experience that when he first heard that they were going to have to present at a conference for eight and half hours, he wasn’t too excited. He said, “I was not exactly looking forward to being there for a long time. Yet, despite this predisposition, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. There was not a single person who went up there who I didn’t enjoy their presentation.”

Ruben also said expressed his concern that “I was a bit worried about being contained in one room, forced to listen to 40 (or so) other people’s stories.” But he found himself “was pleasantly proven wrong.” “It was such a great experience to consider the motives of other future educators. Some of the colleagues’ presentations were very emotionally stirring. Their experiences truly had an effect on them, and they were passionate about their work. I’m really grateful Dr. Dengting brought that out in all of us.” “The CESTL was a great experience!” He said.

Tania shared similar feelings, “At the beginning I thought eight hours was going to be a long time, but once we were there, time flew fast.”
Erika also said that “I have to admit I did not like the idea of having to spend so many hours in the conference, but once the conference got started and I started to listen and learn from everyone’s stories and experiences, I lost the track of time. Time went by so fast, and I enjoyed every minute of the CESTL.”

The 3rd CESTL was also a unique conference in the way that most student presenters conducted their research through self-study, which was to reflect their own growing-up experience as a learner. This special format of research method made many students very emotional and sentimental during their presentations. Many students said that they felt like crying or actually cried many times during the conference. Dr. Boyanton herself broke into tears during her own presentation. She was also deeply touched by many of her students’ presentations and cried many times. “It was really hard for me to listen to my students’ stories and know how much they have been through and how hard they had tried to just be where they are today. Their strength, will-power, resilience, and hard work really touched my heart!” Dr. Boyanton said.

Student Rosalinda, a fifty-year-old lady, gave her presentation with tears on her fact almost during the whole presentation. Rosalinda had always wanted to attend school since she was a child, but her dream of attending school were denied many times because of her family were unable to afford the tuition. Rosalinda couldn’t help crying when she recalled how all the hardships in her life kept her from attending college.

Anais, another presenter started her presentation with a sweet smile, but broke into tears in the end when she was stating how her parents had influenced her as a person in Spanish to her parents, who were sitting right in the very front. Her parents sure looked very touched and also proud to be there.

Noelia, another strong woman whose presentation touched the whole room, cried almost during her entire presentation, when she recalled how much hardships her parents had been through and how her college dreams had been delayed again and again due to all kinds of challenges and obstacles! She felt really blessed to have the opportunity to study at UTB today.

Margarita, another strong woman who had to hold her head up very high so that tears would not falling down her face, had also touched many of the audiences when she shared her growing-up experiences and how her parents affected her parenting style today.

Many parents and family members were also touched by the students’ presentation and cried as well. Michelle noticed that her father was crying during presentation. She said “My dad is really big on family and gets really sentimental when he hears us tell them that we appreciate them for everything they have done. As soon as I started my presentation, he was crying, so soon after I couldn’t hold it.”

There were also many laughters in the CESTL. For example, Vanessa Lope's presentation on how age had affected her learning definitely lightened up the spirit of the room. The funniest presentation would be Eleazar, who was determined to make make people laugh during his presentation. Well, he sure succeeded in doing that. People were very amused and entertained by his presentation during the whole time. However, although he intended to make his presentation funny, his deep love for his mother was obvious and still touched many of the audience!

What have the students learned?

The students reported that they have learned a lot out of this CESTL experience. Some students learned that public speaking is not as fearful or scary as they originally thought was. They learned that the main thing was to push themselves and give it a try first before they told themselves “no.” As a result, many students started to feel much more confident and comfortable about public speaking in the future. For example, Patricia mentioned that presenting at the CESTL helped her overcome her fear of public speaking and she said,

“I personally had never been involved in something like this; it made me feel as if I can accomplish anything now. I had always been terrified of public speaking, but after last night, I always have to remind myself that I did it once, I can do it again. I was pretty satisfied with my presentation because like I said I was always shy and afraid of public speaking.”

Frank said that “What I learned about myself was mostly that I am going to get more comfortable in public speaking, which is very important for me since I’m going to be an art teacher.” Erika also said that “After I was done with my speech, I felt proud of myself for getting through it. I definitely learned to get over one of my biggest fears: public speaking.”

Monique, another student who was scared of public speaking, said that: “It was a big learning experience for me. After talking in front so many people, I feel that now I am able to do any presentation. I will probably still be nervous, but at least I know now that I am capable of doing it.”

The most important thing is that the students learned about each others’ struggles and passion to teach, and they felt very inspired and motivated to teach and learn after hearing each other’s stories.

“I feel I have learned a lot from this experience. First of all, I have learned that there are amazing teachers out there who will go to the limit to help their students feel comfortable and important. I think we all have Dr. Boyanton to thank for everything. I also learned a lot from my peers. They shared stories in the CESTL that will stick with me forever. I learned good ways to be and affective teacher and bad ways.” Said Patricia.

“I learned a lot from this experience; it was great to see other people’s perspective on education and their points of view on what they think can affect a student. I though it was great and I learned a lot from everyone.” Said Kesia.

Rosalinda also said that she learned a lot from the CESTL experience, “The experience with the CESTL was wonderful, I learned a lot not only from all the participants but from myself. I never thought that I could stand in front of a big group and talk about my life. It was very emotional, but even with that I could do it. I am glad that I decided to take this class and specially with you Dr. Boyanton, I learned a lot from you as a caring person, an excellent teacher, and a professional professor. It is an honor to have teachers like you in our university.”

Crespin also said that he was really moved by some of the presentations and it made him realize that he wasn’t the only one who struggled to get to where he is today. “Some of the presentations made me sad, and I realized that some students lived a harder life than I did and still found a way to keep learning and did well in school. It was really interesting to hear my classmate’s personal struggles and I have a new respect for all of them. I don’t think I will ever forget any of them and I hope they won’t forget me, either.” Said Crespin.

Michelle said that she enjoyed learning about each presenter as a person, which she thinks is very important, “You learn about how there are different lifestyles and backgrounds to everyone. We need to learn how to adapt to them and not judge them by a simple statistic or by how we think they are. We should take our time to meet with everyone individually and find that inner personality they have.”

Cristina shared similar feelings and said that “I can honestly say that I have known most of my classmates in a deeper perspective and hopefully made new friends. I hope all of my classmates and Dr. Boyanton as well have every dream fulfilled and that they can achieve them with positive outcomes.”

Monique learned that family support is a very important factor in one’s success, “I also liked this conference because it gave us a chance to learn a lot about everybody’s life, and it allowed me to see how important family is to most of us. Family support is very important and that is the reason most of us are in college today. We all want to make our families proud.”

Margarita expressed that she learned how to be a strong person, and how one should not to let the past obstacles affect their future lives and happiness. She said,

“I am glad I got the courage to come out in the open and talk. I wanted everyone to see that regardless of how we grew up, we could make changes of our own. That I learned from my past to stay strong and keep going. I am really glad I got the chance to share my story. Thank You, Dr. Boyanton for believing in each one of us to be able to go up there and speak. I will always look back at this conferent as an incredible learning experience for me as an educator and as a parent.”

Karina learned the importance of parenting in our life, “The CESTL made me realize that other people have many problems as well as me. I learned that parenting is a big influence in their children. I got to learn about other people's lives, the way they grew and I got ideas about how to raise my children in the future. I learned about what things to do and not to do to help my own children and also future students.”

How did the students feel about their presentation?

Needless to day, almost all of them felt extremely nervous at the beginning and not sure if they could do it or not. Cristina’s experience can be a good representative of most students’ experiences,

“I was so nervous that I felt like crying as soon as I stepped in the room. Once I saw our classmates it made me feel even more uneasy because they were all dressed up professionally. I thought that with our wardrobe we actually already looked like teachers which made me feel anxious. I started seeing everyone go up to the front and present. All of them were doing so well that it made me feel as if I was going to do horrible. As soon as I had to sit on the chair to wait for my turn, I started shaking all over. I couldn’t control my legs and my hands.”

Crespin shared similar feelings when he first arrived at the conference,

“As I was driving to the education building for our CESTL conference I started to feel very nervous and started sweating. As I walked into the room, I saw many of familiar faces that made me feel a little more comfortable. I had attended the other EDCI classroom about two weeks earlier which gave me the opportunity to meet some of those students who were at the conference. After being there for a couple minutes, I said to myself, “This is no big deal. I can do this,” and I started feeling better and more confident. I started to realize that everyone was just as nervous as I was and that helped me.”

However, once the presentation started, most students found themselves actually calmed down and able to concentrate on their presentation. For example, Cristina said that she actually felt so confident there presenting that she almost felt awkward, and she never had this kind of confident feeling before.

“Well, I actually didn’t even feel as myself up there, I had this confidence that I actually never have, it was interesting to feel it. I remember getting some questions from others and answering them… But as soon as I sat down I didn’t even remember what I had answered or said. I doubted myself and thought, 'Did I actually just do that?' I did it! I was relieved and I felt so hot afterwards.” Said Cristina.

In general, almost all students felt very pleased with their presentation. Kesia said that she felt very pleased with her performance, she felt the sense of proud, as well as the sense of achievement.

“I am so happy that we finally did the CESTL. I was very nervous at first, but after seeing everybody go up, and I felt very proud of everyone, and I felt that I worried too much because it was not that hard, it was very challenging but I feel it was another accomplished goal. I feel very satisfied with my performance, I talked about my research and I felt very familiar with everyone, I did not feel nervous once I was there in front of everyone and for that I feel very satisfied and proud of myself.” Said Kesia.

Ruben said that “I was fairly satisfied with my performance. I think my explanations and PowerPoint flowed nicely.” Frank, a student who shared his passion about art at the CESTL, also felt pleased with his presentation, “I thought my presentation went very well. I received several questions, which I thought I was not going to get.”

Many students felt proud after their presentations. Monique, who was extremely nervous about presenting at the CESTL and felt very unsure if she could do it or not, felt very proud of her own performance afterwards, and she said,

“I have to say that I am very proud of my performance and everybody else’s. I really believe that we all did such a great job. I couldn’t believe that I did it! I can actually say that I am very proud of my performance. I am usually not satisfied with my performances but this time I was. When I first had to do it in class, I hated the way it turned out because I felt that I had skipped so many things and I wasn’t able to get my points across, but when I did it at the conference, I felt that I was able to make my points and tell my complete story.”

Nidia, another student who had fear of public speaking, also felt proud afterwards, “I think that I did a good job and I feel proud of myself.”

Rosalinda, who broke into tears during her presentation, said that although she was not very satisfied with her presentation because she could not control her tears (although she actually did a great job), she was very proud that she did it. “About my performance I can not said that I was satisfied, I was emotional and nervous. But I am proud that even with that I did it!!!!!!!!!”

Some students also felt more prepared about future teaching career. As Jerome said “Everyone did a terrific job presenting last night. I am glad that we got to have that experience. It is just another way in which you (Dr. Boyanton) have helped to prepared us—your students, for what challenges we may face as educators.”

Many students also felt motivated after this experience, and started to thinking about obtaining masters and Ph.D.s after receiving the bachelor’s degree. “I know that many of my classmates/friends will go on to obtain their master degrees as well as be fantastic teachers wherever they teach. Some will get their PHD’s and hopefully do positive things for the future of students in this or any country abroad if they chose too.” Said Jerome.

Overall Evaluation of CESTL

Over all, the students were very satisfied with their own performances at the CESTL, and their impression of the CESTL was very positive.

Heathcliff said,
“I’m glad that I had the experience of attending and presenting at CESTL. The stories I heard were touching and emotional. Some were funny and humorous. Overall, regardless of how much I wasn’t looking forward to it initially, I definitely would like to do something like this again and I, without doubt, am glad that I took this course with Dr. Dengting and had the opportunity to share my life experiences and learn from the lives of my peers.”

Erika said
“I would not change any thing about the castle conference. Every thing was well planned and organized and everybody looked so professional. It was a great practice and introduction for what the future has in store for us as future educators. I thank Dr. Boyanton for bringing the best out of us and for showing us what we are capable of.”

Patricial said,
“I am speechless when it comes to last night’s CESTL conference. Everyone was so supportive and everyone I feel did an amazing job presenting. The environment was a lot more comfortable that I had expected being with another class that we did not know too well. I ended up knowing a few other people from the class and they were all respectful and supportive to all of us.”

Nidia said,
“I really learned that no matter what obstacles you confront in your way, always continue to be optimistic and motivated to succeed throughout life. I really think that everything came out so perfect that I don’t think there’s any suggestion to improve in future CESTL Presentations.”

Sandra said,
“Wow! I was really amazed about everybody’s presentation, it was really emotional and touching, I learned a lot from everyone. This was my first experience ever in giving a story of my life to strangers. But you know it was worth it, after a while I felt that all those people, I knew them from a long time. I am really glad that Dr. Boyanton made us participate on this presentation.”

Karina said,
“I really enjoyed the red ribbon dance!! It was amazing to see how you are able to control the ribbons and create such beautiful shapes according to the music. I would never thought I would have the opportunity to see such a great performance in my life.”

Suggestions for Future CESTL

While sharing their high praise about the 3rd CESTL, the students also provided their insightful suggestions on how to improve future CESTL events. Dr. Boyanton found these suggestions to be extremely valuable and she would definitely consider those suggestions in the future CESTL planning.

Some suggestions students gave included having students loaded their ppt slides to the computer desk top a day earlier, enforcing punctuality, providing folders for each person’s evaluation forms, not allowing people to come in during presentation to avoid interruption (instead, asking them to wait till that person finishes), having the pizza break a little earlier, being more strict with the time limit, having the presentation evaluation criteria more clearly explained to the presenters ahead of time, inviting more parents and families to attend, inviting previous CESTL student presenters to share their working experiences after graduated from UTB/TSC.

As for Rosalinda, her advice, is to encourage Dr. Boyanton keep CESTL going. She said, “My advice is that never stop doing CESTL, the students will really benefit from it!”

Acknowledgements

The CESTL would like to express its deepest appreciation for all of the generous help and support with this event provided by the School of Education and Curriculum & Instruction. Without their support, we could not have done it or done it so well! The CESTL would like to particularly thank Dr. Brogdon and Dr. Ramirez for providing the funding, Monica and Lupita for arranging the food and the drinks, Janie for printing the programs and evaluation forms, Norma for helping with spreading the news within the SOE community, and many others volunteers whose names we don't know.

The CESTL would also like to thank the Distance Education office for providing the video-taping service for the whole conference, which meant a lot for the students!

Lastly, the CESTL would like to express its greatest appreciation for all the student presenters’ hard work and support with this event. It is their excellent presentations which made the 3rd CESTL so successful, meaningful, and enjoyable. Without their contribution, this 3rd CESTL wouldn’t have been possible!

To view the 3rd CESTL pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/D.Boyanton/3rdCESTLConferenceBrownsvilleTexas

To watch the 3rd CESTL Videos, please copy and paste the links in a new browser:

CESTL Video Part 1

mms://streaming.utb.edu/su-08/3cestl_part1.wmv

CESTL Video Part 2

mms://streaming.utb.edu/su-08/3cestl_part2.wmv

CESTL Video Part 3

mms://streaming.utb.edu/su-08/3cestl_part3.wmv

CESTL Video Part 4

mms://streaming.utb.edu/su-08/3cestl_part4.wmv