2012 President's Medal for Social Embeddedness

For ASU, social embeddedness is a university-wide, interactive, and mutually-supportive partnership with the communities of Arizona. This award recognizes ASU teams that have demonstrated excellence in fostering mutually-supportive partnerships with the community to identify a community need and to co-create and implement a solution that leads to positive social change in the community and in the research, teaching, and service practices of ASU.

The Teaching Foundations Project

The Teaching Foundations Project is a cross-institutional effort to significantly enhance the preparation of future elementary teachers. This project believes that great learners make great teachers. Through collaboration with the broad educational community of Arizona, ASU’s Teaching Foundations Project provides a pathway for undergraduates to experience rigorous, inquiry-based learning.

In the Teaching Foundations Project, ASU and Arizona community college faculty together create, pilot and implement rich and dynamic learning experiences in five content areas: the arts, English Language Arts, math, science, and social studies. Each course represents a commitment to quality that overcomes the stereotype of courses designed “just” for teachers.

For stakeholders to support and carry out this change, they must agree to find a common language for expectations of higher-order thinking, communication-intensive work, and technology-enriched experience. The project’s inclusive approach does not lessen the sense of urgency for increasing the quality of teacher preparation.

Because of the Teaching Foundations Project, significantly more K-8 teachers will be confident of their content knowledge and better prepared to lead their students to success in Arizona classrooms.

ASU Team Members
Laura B. Turchi, Department of English; ASU NEXT, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Partnership Grants
Hilary Misner, ASU NEXT, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Partnership Grants
Heidi Blair, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Partnership Grants
Kimberly Beckert, Collaborative Research and Evaluation Office, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Kenneth Anthony, ASU NEXT, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Partnership Grants
Ronald Dorn, School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning
James Blasingame, Department of English
Sandra Stauffer, School of Music
Robert Culbertson, Department of Physics
Fabio Milner, School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences
Keith Wetzel, Division of Teacher Preparation, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Michelle E. Jordan, Division of Teacher Preparation, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Erica Mitchell, Academic Services, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Kathy Wigal, ASU Office of Academic Partnerships
Maria Hesse, ASU Office of Academic Partnerships
Chris Jordan, Division of Teacher Preparation, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Stephen Hopkins, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Melissa McGehee, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Partnership Grants

Community Partners
Richard Malena, Maricopa County Community College District Faculty Emeritus
Jessica Knapp, Mathematics Department, Pima Community College Northwest Campus
David Morris, Geology and Astronomy, Eastern Arizona College
Marjorie Schiller, Teacher Education, Central Arizona College
Nora Amavisca Reyes, Education Studies Department, Mesa Community College
Sharon Fagan, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Michael Lang, Professional Development Consultant
Farzad Mahootian, Professional Development Consultant, New York University