A lifelong love of dance and a desire to teach are giving Mississippi State student Joanna Pullen an opportunity to showcase her talents when more than 100 teachers from around the state gather Nov. 13 at the university.
Pullen, a junior elementary education major from Huntsville, Ala., is working with professor Nancy Verhoek-Miller to design creative activities teachers can use in their classrooms.
Their presentations will be part of a statewide Reading Conference sponsored by the department of curriculum and instruction and the Student Reading Council. Verhoek-Miller is the conference coordinator.
Pullen has worked with Verhoek-Miller to develop teaching techniques using music and dance. For a presentation that Verhoek-Miller will do on stories across the classroom curriculum, the two have created routines to "Rock Around the Clock," "Little Bo Peep" and other tunes.
The 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. conference will be held in the Coskrey Auditorium of Memorial Hall.
"Reading and writing are a critical part of all subject areas," Verhoek-Miller explained. "By using nursery rhymes as a starting point, we can incorporate music and rhythm to interest students in reading. We're showing teachers strategies they can take back to their classrooms and use in many subjects."
Pullen, who is the fourth generation of her family to seek a teaching career, has taught dance since she was in the 9th grade. "Dance is a way to engage students, to encourage them to be creative and to provide a framework for cooperation as they learn," she said.
Pullen is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Joe Pullen. Her mother, Martha, is editor of "Sew Beautiful" magazine and host of "Martha's Sewing Room," which is seen on educational television stations around the country.
She is one of about 30 Mississippi State students who have worked on props and routines for the conference. "These students already are great teachers," said Verhoek-Miller. "They show how important our university believes the teaching of reading is."
Other conference programs will include presentations on music and reading, reading and writing in sciences and mathematics, and reading computer software. Among special guests are Francis Johnson, a University of Texas professor who specializes in teaching "The Diary of Anne Frank," and Jo Prather, reading specialist for the state Department of Education.
For more information about the conference, contact Verhoek-Miller at (601) 325-3747.