STAC Graduate Education Students Present at NYSCEC Conference

St. Thomas Aquinas College School of Education students and faculty participated in the New York State Federation of Chapters of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Annual conference in Syracuse on November 1, 2014. The Council for Exceptional Children is a national organization which works to improve the educational success of children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. The state conference attracts educators and students from across the state.

At this year’s convention Joseph Gilson (Master of Science in Education, Special Education) co-presented with Dr. Meenakshi Gajria, dean of the School of Education and Dr. Regine Rossi, visiting instructor of education. Their session focused on essential strategies for close reading in the content areas. He also participated in a poster presentation with his own work on multi-sensory reading instruction for students with dyslexia.

Vincent Marinelli (Master of Science in Teaching, Childhood and Special Education), co-presented with Dr. Elizabeth Finnegan, assistant professor of education and director of Graduate Education Programs and Dr. Amanda Mazin, assistant professor of education, in a workshop on effective reading comprehension strategies. The presentation was included in a strand that focused exclusively on students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Mr. Marinelli included work samples from his own students, demonstrating how graphic organizers helped students organize their thoughts and collect evidence from their reading to support their ideas.

“Our students did an amazing job sharing their knowledge and experiences with other educators from across the state, and I’m proud to have them representing St. Thomas Aquinas College,” commented Dr. Rossi.

Dr. Finnegan and Dr. Mazin also participated in a panel discussion with Ms. Shirley Charles (Columbia University) and Ms. Sarah Howorth (University of Buffalo). They presented an update on their research on reading comprehension strategies for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The findings of this research are embedded into coursework for the College’s online certificate program in Autism.
The School of Education continues to provide opportunities for graduate students to participate in professional conferences. These opportunities enable students to develop research skills and also widen their professional contacts.

For more information about programs in teacher education, contact the School of Education at 845-398-4150/4158.