VITA

 

DEBRA ECKERMAN PITTON, Ph. D.

 

Professor of Education and Department Chair

Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

 

105 Mattson Hall

507-933-7456

fax: 507-933-6020

E-mail: dpitton@gustavus.edu

 

Education:

 

              Ph. D.    University of North Texas         1989      Curriculum & Instruction:                                                                                            Secondary

                                                                                          Minor: Educational Media

 

             M.Ed.  Northeastern Illinois Univ.             1981     Language Arts

                                                                                         (with coursework in Reading)

 

              B.A.       Loras College, Dubuque, IA      1977      Speech Communication

                                                                                           Minors: English, Music &                                                                                                  Education

Teaching Licenses:

 

Minnesota licenses:

Speech (grades 5 – 12); English/Language Arts (grades 5 – 9);

Theater Arts (grades 5 – 9); Curriculum Coordinator (district level)

 

International Teacher Training Organization: Licensed TEFL Instructor

(Teaching English as a Foreign Language)

 

 

Professional Experience:

 

2010 – present               Professor and Education Department Chair

                                      Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

                                           

2007 – 2010                  Professor of Education, Gustavus Adolphus

                                      College, St. Peter, MN

 

1997- 2007                    Associate Professor of Education, Gustavus Adolphus

                                      College, St. Peter, MN

 

2003 – 2004                  Interim Chair of Education Department, Gustavus

                                      Adolphus College, Peter, MN

 

1995-1997                     Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Learning

                                      District 197, Mendota Heights, Minnesota

 

1994-1995                     Teaching Specialist; Teaching Opportunity Program for                                        Doctoral Students (TOPDS); University of MN,

                                       Twin Cities Campus

 

1993-1994                       Visiting Education Instructor

                                         Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

                                                                     

1991-1993                       Visiting Professor of Secondary Education

                                         University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

                                                                     

1989-1991; 1995             Adjunct Professor of Education

                                        College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN

                                                                     

1990-1991                       Adjunct Professor of Education

                                         Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

 

1988-1991                       Adjunct Professor of Communications/Speech

                                         Minnesota Community College System

 

1982-1984                       Communications team-teacher; drama director and                                          speech coach; Wilson Middle School, Plano, TX

 

Fall sem. 1981                 Adjunct lecturer: Speech; Concordia College, Illinois

 

1979-1981                       English teacher

                                         Maine West High School, Des Plaines, IL

 

1977-1979                       English, speech, drama teacher

                                         Central High, Elkader, IA

 

 

Additional training:           

Trained TPA (Teacher Performance Assessment) Evaluator and Trainer;

2011 - ongoing

 

Thinking Maps Trainer – spring 2011, ongoing

 

Trained as a NUA mentor  - spring 2009; began working with NUA (National

Urban Alliance for Effective Education) schools, Fall of 2009 – ongoing.

 

SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Operation Protocol) training,  January, 2009

 

Completed 140 hour online course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

with ITTO, International Teacher Training Organization in 2007. Received

TESOL certificate.

 

 

Awards:

 

1983:     Awarded merit pay for exemplary teaching; Wilson Middle School

                           

1992:     Winner of Commonwealth Case Writing Competition, University of

               Virginia

 

1992:     Finalist for Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, University of St. Thomas.                            

 

1993:     Awarded Minnesota Board of Teaching Seed Grant for 'Infusing

              multicultural education into teacher preparation programs', at

              Gustavus Adolphus College, 1993

 

1995:     Awarded Phi Delta Kappa's 'Special Citation Award' as newsletter editor

              for The Kappagram

 

1997:     Awarded citation for participation in the design, development andconstruction

             of Heritage Middle School and Friendly Hills Middle School in District 197,

             West St. Paul, MN

 

1998:     Gustavus Travel Award to travel to England to prepare for teaching 'English

              School and Family" (January Term course in 2000)

 

1998:     Received UMAIE Travel Grant; to travel to England to prepare for

              teaching 'English School and Family' (January Term course in 2000)

             

2000:     Awarded citation for contributions to enhancing the education of students

              in District 191, Burnsville, MN, during 5 1/2 years of service as a member

              of the School Board.

 

2000:     Awarded State of Minnesota Mentoring Grant for $121,000 in

             collaboration with MN District 191.

 

2002:     Awarded RSC Grant; Gustavus Adolphus College for continued work

             on the Virtual Classroom project.

 

2003:     Awarded Faculty Service Learning for Social Justice Grant to study service

              learning in Guatemala.

 

2004:     Awarded Faculty Service Learning for Social Justice Grant to study service

              learning in Cuba.

 

2005:     Awarded EPFP Fellowship (Educational Policy Fellowship Program),

              University of Minnesota, Department of Educational Leadership.

 

2006:    Awarded Bush mini-grant for attending the Latino Academy.

 

2009:    Certified as NUA (National Urban Alliance for Effective Education) Mentor

             and Coach

 

 

Teaching Responsibilities:

 

Current:

              Regular teaching schedule:

 

                            Student Teaching Seminar (EDU 399)

 

                            Supervision of Student Teachers (4-6 students per semester)

 

                            Education, Health Care and Poverty in Peru: A Service Learning

                               Experience  (J-term course)

                             Immigration: Past,Present and Future    (FTS 264)

 

              Rotating/Past teaching schedule:

 

                            Middle School Methods and Philosophy (EDU 340)

 

                            Secondary Interdisciplinary Methods and Practicum  (EDU 368)

 

                            Secondary Methods and Materials (EDU 351)

 

                            English Methods and Materials (ENG 397)

 

                            Reading in the Content Area (EDU 350)

 

                            The English School and Family (J-term UMAIE course)

 

                            Costa Rica School and Family (J-term course)

 

                           

Publications:

 

Pitton, D. (1994).  Read my lips - no sign language in speech class!   In Cooper,

                J. M (ed.), Teachers' problem solving: A casebook of award winning

                teaching casesBoston: Allyn and Bacon.

                           

Pitton, D., Frank, K., Hunter, S. & Warring, D., (1994). Multicultural messages:

               Nonverbal. Clearinghouse on Teacher Education, ED 362 519,

               RIE  Feb.

 

Pitton, D.,(1994, September). Mentoring: The special needs of student teachers. 

                People and Education, 2 (3), 338-352.

             

Pitton, D. (1995, Winter) Practicing what we preach.  Faculty Development, 8

               (2), Bush Regional Collaboration in Faculty Development Newsletter, 9-11.

 

Pitton, D. (1996, Spring). Parent involvement in the schools: The role of government

               and business.  New Schools, New Communities, 12 (3), 68-71.

             

Pitton, D. (1998, January). Life after the Board. The American School Board

               Journal. 185 (1), 37 & 47.

 

Pitton, D. (1998). Stories of Student Teaching: A Case Approach to the

               Student Teaching Experience. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

               Merrill/Prentice Hall.

 

Pitton, D. (1999, January). The 'Naked Truth' isn't very revealing: A response

               to Wade Nelson on school reform in Minnesota. Phi Delta Kappan,

               80 (5), 383 - 387.

 

Pitton, D. (2000). Mentoring Novice Teachers: Fostering a Dialogue            

               Process. Arlington Heights, IL: SkyLight Training and Publishing Inc.

 

Pitton, D. (2001). The student in the school and the school in the child. In 

              Dickinson, T. (ed.), Reinventing the Middle School. New York, NY:

              Routledge Publishing.

 

Pitton, D. (Fall 2001). The student in the school and the school in the child.

               Middle School Journal.

 

Pitton, D. (2002). “The school and the child and the child in the school.” 

              Annual Editions: Educational Psychology. Connecticut:

             McGraw-Hill/Duskin.

             

Pitton, D. (2004). “The school and the child and the child in the school.

             In Powerbook: Educational Psychology. www.dushkin.com/powerbook

             Cauley, K., Linder, F., & McMillian, J. (eds.) New York: McGraw-Hill

             Higher Education.

 

Pitton, D. & Quinn, K. (2005).  Q & A for Middle School Parents.

             Familyresources.com

 

Pitton, D. (Winter, 2005). NYSP. Gustavus Quarterly. Gustavus Adolphus College, 19.

 

Pitton, D. (Winter, 2005). ‘What’s size got to do with it? Meeting the challenges

           of NCLB and closing the achievement gap within our high schools.

           The Minnesota Report. MN ASCD, 7 -8.

 

Pitton, D. (Winter, 2006). Lit circles, collaboration and student interest.

           Academic Exchange Quarterly 9, (4) 87 - 90.

 

Pitton, D. (2006). Mentoring Novice Teachers: Fostering a Dialogue Process,

           2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 

Pitton, D. (Jan. 2007). The bullying project – a service learning partnership.

         Action in Teacher Education.

 

Pitton, D. (Winter, 2007). “Reconsidering the curriculum review cycle”.

         The Minnesota Report. MN ASCD, 2, 4.

 

Pitton, D. (2008). Lit circles, collaboration and student interest. In Stang, K.

       & Pierson, M. (Eds.) Sound Instruction, Vol. 2. Stuyvesant Falls, NY:

       Rapid Intellect Group.

 

Pitton, D. (2010, summer). A January term ‘extended stay’ in Peru. 

           The Gustavus Quarterly, LXVI, 3. P. 17.

 

Pitton, D. (2010). Developing   preservice problem solving skills through

         case studies. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

 

 

Reviews: 

2002. Reviewed and provided feedback and editing suggestions for the five part videotape series: Mentoring Case Studies. Glenview, IL: Pearson Education, Inc.

 

2006. Reviewed and provided feedback and editing suggestions for a text under review. The reflective educator’s guide to mentoring: Learning and growing as a mentor teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 

2007. Reviewed and provided feedback and editing suggestions for a text under review. Mentoring New Teachers by H. Portner. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 

2008. Reviewed and provided feedback and editing suggestions for a text under review. Classroom Survival: A Practical Guidebook for New and Developing Teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 


 

Papers Presented:

 

The impact of extracurricular activities on high school academic achievement

during the implementation of the Texas no pass/no play rule (1983-1986).

Eastern Education Research Association Annual Convention,

1990, Clearwater, Florida.

             

Recognizing emerging excellence.  Kappa Delta Pi 1992 Convocation,            

Memphis, TN.

 

Mentoring emerging excellence. 1992 Spring Convention: Minnesota            

Association of Teacher Educators, Brainerd, MN.

 

Communication, critical thinking and technology in the classroom: Preparing

students for a visual world.  Association of Independent Liberal              

Arts Colleges for Teacher Education National Forum, 1992,

Louisville, Kentucky.

 

Multicultural messages: Nonverbal communication in the classroom. 1993

National Conference: Association of Teacher Educators, Los Angeles.

 

Media in the classroom: Preparing our students for a visual world. 1993

National Middle School Association Conference, Portland, Oregon.

 

Girl Scouting in the schools: Creating curriculum links. 1994 National         

Conference: Association of Teacher Educators, Atlanta, GA.

The mommy track in higher education: Three case studies. 1994 Research on

Women and Education SIG division of the American Educational

Research Association, 20th Annual Conference, St. Paul, MN.

 

Culturally specific non-verbal communication: Implications for the

classroom.  Presented at the 1994 Minnesota Human Relations

Association Biennial Conference, St. Cloud, MN.

 

Dialogues for cooperating teachers. 1995 National Conference, Association

of Teacher Educators, Detroit, MI.

 

Walking our talk: Constructivism in teacher education. 1995 National           

Conference: Association of Teacher Educators, Detroit, MI.

 

Making the transition from soft to hard funding: The politics of institutionalizing instructional development programs. 1995 Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education Conference,  Cape Cod, MA.

 

Dialogues for cooperating teachers: A continuing process. 1996 National

Conference: Association of Teacher Educators, St. Louis, MO.

 

Implementing the MN graduation rule - One district’s approach. 1996         

Minnesota Educational Effectiveness Program (MEEP) Annual          

leadership Conference, Brainerd, MN.

 

Embedding the Profile of Learning into the curriculum. 1996 Spring             

Conference: Minnesota Association of Teacher Educators, Bay Lake, MN.

 

Three views of reform: The superintendent, school board and community.

1997 National Conference: Association of Teacher Educators, Washington, D.C.        

 

The use of stories in student teaching. 1997 Phi Delta Kappa Bi-annual         

Convocation, St. Louis, MO.

 

Preparing teachers to teach to standards. 1998 National Conference:

Association of Teacher Educators, Dallas, TX.

 

How to talk middle school with a junior high teacher. 1998 Midwest Regional

Middle Level Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

 

Mentoring skills for new mentors. 1999 ASCD (Association of Supervision

and Curriculum Development) Conference, San Francisco, CA.

 

Emotional intelligence and theater: A natural connection. (Presented with                                 

Gustavus student, Nate Meyer). 1999 National Middle School Association National Conference,                                                    Orlando, Florida; and

1999 Minnesota Association of Middle Level Educators, Bloomington, MN

 

Easing the anxiety of student teaching through the use of case studies. 1999

Kappa Delta Pi Biennial Convocation. (Presented with officers

from Gustavus chapter of KDP).Baltimore, MD.

 

How do you mentor a mentor? 2000 ASCD (Association of Supervision and

Curriculum Development) Conference, New Orleans, LA.

 

Minnesota mentoring grants: From inception to implementation. 2001

Minnesota School Board Association Conference, Minneapolis, MN

 

 

Communication  skills for mentors: Dealing with dilemmas in mentoring.

2001 ASCD (Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development) Conference, Boston, MA.

 

Case studies and student teaching: What can we learn? 2001 Kappa Delta Pi

Biennial Convocation. (Presented with officers from Gustavus chapter

of KDP). Orlando, FL

 

Supervision skills. 2002 ASCD (Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development) San Diego, CA.

 

Mentoring and supervision. 2003 ASCD (Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development) Conference. San Francisco, CA.

 

Why won’t they Talk? Creating an interactive classroom.  2003. The Collaboration Fall Conference,  Minneapolis, MN.

 

Mentoring skills for middle level leaders. 2004.  National Middle School Association National Conference, Minneapolis, MN

 

Service learning opportunities in education courses. 2005. Minnesota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education,  Minneapolis, MN.

 

The bullying project: Service learning as teacher education. 2006. Association of Teacher Education National Conference,  Atlanta, GA.Co-presented with Noreen Buhmann, GAC Director of Community Service

 

Social supports for middle school students: Keeping them engaged. 2006. MN ASCD (Associating of Supervision and Curriculum Development) Winter Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

 

English language learners:  Support for cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). Fall 2006 Shop Talk,  Gustavus Adolphus College.

 

Service learning as instructional methodology – How to make it work! 2006. Collaboration Fall Conference, Minneapolis, MN. Co-presented with Noreen Buhmann, GAC Director of Community Service

 

The bullying project: Building relationships through advisory. (2006).

Minnesota Middle School Association Annual Conference.  (MMSA). Minneapolis, MN

 

The Latino academy – A faculty development immersion project. (2007). Collaboration Spring Conference, Minneapolis, MN. Co-presenting with John Clementson, Gustavus Education Department Chair.

 

Teacher communication skills: A new focus for strengthening classroom

management. (2007). National Middle School Association National

Conference, Houston, TX

 

Higher Education Connections: Creating Effective and Meaningful Collaborative

Relationships. ASCD (2008). Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development Conference.

New Orleans, LA

 

Developing Pre-Service Problem Solving Skills through Case Studies. ATE

(2009). Association of Teacher Education Annual Conference, Dallas,

TX.

 

Our changing community of learners. ASCD (2010)

Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.

 

Unexpected learnings: Rescue from Peru. CCNCCE (2010). The Community

College National Center for Community Engagement National

Conference, Phoenix, AZ.

 

Developing pre-service problem solving skills through the use of case studies.

(2011). Hawaii International Education Conference, Waikiki, Hawaii.

 

Mentoring beginning teachers: New directions. (2012). ATE (Association of

 Teacher Educators) Annual Conference. San Antonio, TX,

 

 

Professional Organizations/Memberships/Service:

Current memberships:

 

Minnesota Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

       (MN ASCD)

              Secretary, 2006 – 2008

                   Representative to ASCD National Leadership Council  ’07 – ‘10

              Treasurer, 2004 - 2005

              President, 2002 - 2003

              Past president,  2003 - 2004

                            Planned and Attended State Conferences

                            Appointed to Board of Directors in 1998 - present

 

              American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE)

 

              Association of Teacher Educators (ATE)

                            Presentations at National Conferences             

 

              Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE)

                            Presentations at state Teacher Education Congresses

 

              Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

                            Presentations for national conferences

 

           Past memberships:

 

               The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning.

                            Conference planning committee member: Winter Conference,

                            Bloomington, MN, 2008.

 

              Minnesota Teachers of English to Students of other Languages (MINNITESOL)

                           New member in 2006

                           Attended 2007 &2008 state conference

 

              Association of Teacher Educators (ATE)

                            Presentations at National Conferences; including upcoming

                            conference in 2009       

 

              Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE)

                            Presented at state Teacher Education Congresses

 

              Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

                            Presentations for national conferences

 

              National Middle School Association (NMSA)

                            Presentations at National Conventions

                            Participant: 'The Nuts and Bolts of Middle School' Symposium;

                                Boulder, CO

 

             Kappa Delta Pi, (Educational Honor Society)

                            Student Advisor for Gustavus Chapter

                            Presenter at 1994, 1997, & 2002 Bi-annual Convocation

 

             Minnesota Association of Teacher Educators (MATE)

                            Member of the program committee for the 1992 Spring Conference

                            Presentations at state conferences

 

              Minnesota Association of Middle Level Educators (MAMLE / MMSA)

                            Attended/presented: state conferences

 

              Phi Delta Kappa (Educational Honor Society)

                            Facilitator for 1993 professional development session on classroom

                            management entitled: Discipline with Dignity (Feb. 1993)

                            Newsletter editor for Chapter 1410; 1993 - 1995

 

          

Past Associations:

 

           MN Department of Children, Families and Learning (DCFL)

                            Planned and presented: 1998 Summer Graduation Standards

                             Workshop for Teacher Educators

 

              Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher

                            Education, (1994-1996);

                            Presenter at 1995 POD Conference;

                            Reviewer for conference proposals for POD Network 1996 Conference

 

              American Educational Research Association (1989 - 1993)

                            Presented at 1994 SIG conference (Women in Research)

 

              National School Board Association (1995-1997)

                            Attended national conferences

 

              National Association of School Administrators (1996 - 1999)

                            Attended national conferences

 

              Loras College National Alumni Board of Directors (1990 - 1995)

                            presented workshops on portfolio development for Career Placement Center