2007 Fall Alumni Symposium

Saturday, September 29, 2007

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Graduate Program Faculty Presentations

9:30 - 10:45 a.m.

Action Research - What Is It? Why Is It Important?
Diane Levin ’69MS, Ph.D., Professor of Education

Challenges and problems abound in our work with children. Former students from Diane Levin’s Graduate Action Research course show how their action research projects provided a powerful tool for solving problems, answering questions, and developing new ideas and strategies in support of their work with children and families. How do you in your own setting conduct research that informs and improves your practice?

Highlights of Children’s Racial and Cultural Identity Development
Shirley Malone-Fenner, Ed.D., Dean of Arts & Sciences

This presentation will give an overview of children’s racial and ethnic identity development. We will examine how children learn about, and assimilate, racial and ethnic distinctions to define self, and others, and examine children’s beliefs, assumptions, and understandings about their race, culture, and identity.

11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Supporting Children's Emotional Development in Schools and Communities
Petra Hesse, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Human Development

According to reports by several national organizations, 10 to 20% of U.S. children suffer from emotional problems which interfere with their readiness to learn and their ability to lead happy and productive lives. Petra Hesse will share how she works with current Wheelock students, with alums, and with several organizations in the Boston area to address children's emotional concerns in schools and communities.

Exploring the Narratives of Transracially Adopting Couples
Hope Haslam Straughan, Ph.D., M.S.W., ACSW, Assistant Professor of Social Work

This session will focus upon the diverse and rich lived experience of couples who have adopted transracially within the United States. The roles race plays within society and the family as 'forever families' are created, develop and grow will, be explored through the narratives of parents.