November 19, 2014 Update

Dr. Patricia Ketcham Joins ERGo at Teaching Research Institute

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Patricia Ketcham to TRI!

Dr. Ketcham is joining the Evaluation & Research Group (ERGo) working on projects that intersect higher education and K-12 education. She has authored and co-authored numerous publications including “Development and Psychometric Properties of a Theory-Guided Prescription Stimulant Misuse Questionnaire for College Students” in Drug & Alcohol Dependence (2014), “Illicit use of prescription stimulants in a college sample” in Drug & Alcohol Dependence (2013) and “Assessing the Climate for Overweight/Obese Students in a Student Health Setting” in American Journal of College Health (2009). Pat currently serves as the chair of the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment Advisory Committee and is the past-President of the American College Health Association.

Pat received her Ph.D. in Public Health from Oregon State University. She comes to TRI from OSU’s Student Health Services where she served as the Associate Director of Health Promotion.

Read this article on the website.

TRI Staff Present on Early Motor Development

Drs. Carol Leitschuh and Patti Blasco presented on Early Motor Development. The presentation took place at Chemeteka Community College on November 5, 2014, to an Early Childhood class consisting of 26 students.

Students expressed appreciation Dr. Leitschuh's physical demonstration of early motor movements such as the three-point crawl vs the four-point crawl (three-point uses both arms/hands with just one knee vs a more typical both hands and both knees). Dr. Leitschuh also shared engaging videos that demonstrated a child's movements and domain expression (verbal, cognitive, social, emotional) as they progressed from infancy to toddlerhood.

Dr. Blasco gave lively examples of the "the range of typical development" expected at these ages: not all children do the same activities at the same developmental time. That is typical as there is an accepted range of ages in months for expression of the skills. She assisted the students in understanding early reflexive movements/involuntary movements that give way to purposeful/voluntary movements as the brain develops further.

In addition, faculty met with both Carol and Patti to discuss future collaborations.

Read this article on the website.

A Monitoring Tool of Infant and Toddler Movement Skills

by Carol A. Leitschuh, Jeffrey R. Harring, and Winnie Dunn

Abstract: Physical activity in infancy is essential for early brain development. Development in the early years is the most rapid at any time during life. Monitoring functional movement skills of infants and toddlers frequently (3-week intervals) and quickly (minutes) produces information on whether development is on track or in need of intervention. To meet this need, we present the development of the Early Movement Monitoring Assessment (EMMA). Using coded observations with standardized toys in a 2-min session, 42 children (5 to 36 months at start) were assessed at 3-week intervals. A linear mixed-effects model was employed to investigate the sensitivity of the tool to developmental change in frequency of total movements across seven assessment sessions. The results indicate that across developmental time, each cohort “grew in movement skill.” Within each cohort, the movement skills increased as the children aged and the sessions progressed.

Read the full Journal of Early Intervention article at Sage Journals.

CEL 2014 Fall Conference: Stronger Together

The 2014 Center on Early Learning Fall Conference was held October 22 and 23rd. ​

The theme of the conference was "Oregon's Early Learning System: Stronger Together." Attendees included 121 early learning professionals, 26 early learning agencies/organizations, and 45 presenters and session leaders.

Watch videos of the conference.

TRI is Hiring!

The Teaching Research Institute (TRI) of Western Oregon University is seeking a full-time, 12-month fixed term Bilingual Early Childhood Project Specialist for the Center on Early Learning. The appointment is renewed through an annual Notice of Appointment, dependent upon satisfactory job performance, continuing project needs, and/or available funding. TRI is a unique organization whose mission is to inform and facilitate change in educational and human service systems.

View the full job posting here.