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 cases. Boston: 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