2007 Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Tiffany Hall

For Tiffany Hall, coming to work at the McKay School of Education as the new associate director of professional development in the Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling (CITES) is part of a lifetime pattern of educational achievements. Hall believes her educational focus began in her early years in Azusa, California, where she was raised in “an environment of educators.” She credits her father and grandfather for instilling in her a desire to give back to the community. “One of the best ways to make the world a better place is through education,” said Hall.

Hall got her undergraduate degree in education from Cal Poly Pomona, then went on to receive a master’s degree in English from California State University at San Bernardino and another from Cal Poly Pomona in education administration. Hall taught for five years at Chaffey High School in Ontario, California, then became the Chaffey District’s grant writer. She then took a position with the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) working with former California governor Pete Wilson’s Digital High School (DHS) program. According to Hall, DHS was “the first major legislation push in California to integrate technology and the Internet in all public high schools.”

Hall worked for CTAP in technology integration about four years, after which she returned to Chaffey High School as Director of Staff Development and Gifted and Talented Education. Her primary focuses were training new educators, revitalizing professional development for career teachers, and assistance for struggling teachers. She also worked with English and writing initiatives and programs for gifted students, especially those from diverse backgrounds.

In January 2004, Hall married and moved to Utah to be with her husband. She worked for the Jordan School District until May 2006, as the District’s grant writer and then became the English, World Languages and Literacy Consultant in the Curriculum and Staff Development department. She also directed the mentor teacher program. While working at Jordan District, she became acquainted with the BYU-Public School Partnership and CITES.

Hall said that her nearly two months of working at the BYU McKay School of Education have been a dream come true. “I’ve always wanted to be in a university setting,” she said. “[BYU] has been an amazing experience. …Everyone is so connected to doing what is right for the students and the community.”

Hall’s work in CITES includes promoting John Goodlad’s Agenda for Education in a Democracy (AED). She cited the four underlying moral dimensions: enculturating the young into a social and political democracy, serving as stewards of our schools, providing access to knowledge for all students, and practicing a nurturing pedagogy. These moral dimensions form the conceptual framework for the McKay School of Education as well as the inclusive focus for the Partnership and for CITES. “We link resources between BYU and local school districts to improve educational experiences for all students and teachers,” Hall said.

Hall believes that the McKay School of Education has a monumental effect on the Utah community. “As the McKay School reaches out, we improve the community,” said Hall. “People in the McKay School emulate what teachers should do and be.”

In her spare time, Hall enjoys spending time with her husband, a world-renown large-format photographer, and her 11-year-old stepson. They travel all over the state to capture images of the Utah landscape. Additionally, Hall enjoys reading, cooking and entertaining.

26 November 2007

Julie Cloward

As an undergraduate studying social work, Julie Cloward knew that helping people was her calling.  However, after a course field trip to the state prison, she found herself in the common dilemma of switching her major.  Her experience at the prison helped her realize that she would rather influence society by shaping minds through teaching than try to correct the problems of those who had not been well taught and well nurtured.

   

Cloward earned her bachelor’s degree in education at BYU, while working part time in the audio-visual department.  Upon graduation, she was offered a full- time position with audio-visual.  She still wanted to teach, but she decided to accept the job offer for one year. She remained in the position and completed her master’s degree in Public Administration.  Over 20 years later, Julie Cloward is still here at the McKay School.  “I’m working right where my heart was,” she said.

             

Currently, Cloward has been working on the renovations and name change of the TLSC—now known as the TEC (Technology/Education/Computer) Lab. She hopes to make the lab’s technology more accessible to students and faculty.

Quoting recent McKay School Honored Alumni speaker Olene Walker, Julie Cloward affirmed that teaching is the most noble profession.  “Every day is an adventure,” Cloward said. “I love it here at the McKay School because I am able to learn something new everyday.”

Cloward grew up in Garfield, Utah, a town 35 miles west of Salt Lake City. She spent her first two undergraduate years at Southern Utah University, where she was a cheerleader and played on the men’s golf team. She then transferred to BYU, where she was able to play on the women’s golf team.  Cloward continues to spend a lot of her free time golfing near her home in Elk Ridge—a place she deems “a slice of heaven.”  She also enjoys reading, keeping up with technology, and spending time with her many nieces and nephews.

September 2007

 

Tim Smith

Tim Smith, an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Special Education, is currently involved in a number of research projects. One of his projects, Mortality and Social Support, investigates how much longer a person will live if they have adequate social support. Another set of research projects investigates Multicultural Psychology, specifically how to adapt mental health treatment for people of non-caucasian ethnicity in North America. 

In describing his research on Mortality and Social Support, Smith said, “People look at medicine to cure their illnesses. But they should adjust their own lifestyle to prevent many illnesses.”

Regardng his research regarding multicultural issues, Smith explains that there is a disjuncture between the mental health systems accessible to upper middle class Whites compared to those services accessible for those of other backgrounds.

In 1991 Smith obtained his bachelor’s degree in psychology from BYU. In 1993 he received a master’s degree in counseling psychology, and in 1995 he received a second master’s in sociology, both from Utah State University. In 1996 Smith earned a third master’s degree in research psychology from Rhodes University in South Africa. He then returned to Utah State University, where he completed a doctorate in professional psychology. Smith has taught at BYU since 1999.

Smith and his wife Cindy are the parents of five children. He enjoys jogging, biking, and being with his children.

August 2007

 

Michele Bray

Michele Bray, department secretary for the Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology, began working at the David O. McKay School of Education in1990 soon after moving to Utah. She has worked in the same department for 17 years. “I can’t imagine spending 17 years in a different place. This is the absolute best department in BYU.” Bray continued, “The faculty members are the most spiritual, kind and thoughtful people. It has been a wonderful 17 years; I have enjoyed every bit of the journey.”

Bray was born and raised in the Bay Area in California and moved to Sanford, Arizona, in 1980. Eight years after her move to Arizona, she joined the LDS church.

Bray and her husband, Norman, have four children and three grandchildren. They keep busy supporting their family by attending sporting events that range from football to softball, and from high school games to Junior Olympics.

July 2007

 

Tina Dyches

Bibliotherapy, the use of books to help people solve problems, is one of the many research projects of Tina Dyches, professor of special education. She analyzes children’s literature to find the messages and potential effects specific books have for children with disabilities.

“Children who have a disability need a lot of resources to help them grow,” Dyches said. “Family, spiritual and financial support, as well as other groups and organizations create a good structure to help these children to maximize their potential.”

Dyches believes that everyone has the ability to learn, and children with disabilities are not exceptions. “One effective tool they have is books,” she said. “Although there are many books portraying children with disabilities as helpless and pitiful, there are also many books that are therapeutic--that help children become self-sufficient and independent to a certain degree. My greatest satisfaction comes when I receive reports that families with children with disabilities are doing well after using the books and other helpful resources that they receive.”

In her work with children with disabilities and their families, Dyches is closely involved with The Council for Exceptional Children, especially with the Division on Developmental Disabilities. She also receives a lot of support from the McKay School of Education. “I could not have done what I have without the amazing support from the McKay School and its very capable students,” she affirms.

In her line of work, Dyches works not only with children with disabilities and their families, but with orphanages as well. This summer, she will be in Romania with other BYU professors where they will teach orphanage employees how to become more effective in the following areas of work with children with disabilities:

• Fostering normal healthy development of the children

• Helping the children learn acceptable behavior and better ways of communication

• Preparing the children for transition to foster care.

Tina Dyches grew up in Las Vegas and moved to Utah for school, where she met and married her husband, David.  After living for a few years in Illinois, they returned to Utah in 1995, where their son, Logan, was born. Dyches enjoys reading, skiing, snowboarding, and traveling.

June 2007

Jay Oliver

After leaving BYU and teaching in the public schools for five years, Jay Oliver was recently rehired into the McKay School of Education at BYU as an Administrative Assistant to the Dean. Currently his responsibilities at the McKay School include managing the scholarship program and serving as a member of the Institutional Review Board.

“I am extremely pleased to be rehired at BYU,” Oliver stated. “My first years working at the MTC at BYU before leaving to be a public school teacher was a great experience. I am glad to be back,” he added.

Oliver’s educational achievements include a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public administration from BYU. He also has a master’s in education with an administrative endorsement from Southern Utah University. In addition, Oliver has secondary teaching certification with a social science composite and business endorsement. He has completed a year of the instructional leadership doctorate program at Utah State University.  “I am currently working on transferring my doctorate program to BYU,” Oliver said. “It would be a lot easier for me to complete since I now work here.”

Oliver is the father of five boys and one girl. He and his wife, Nancy, will celebrate 27 years of marriage this June.

May 2007

Ellen Williams

Ellen Williams, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations, is co-director of the Leadership Preparation Program and the Principals Academy.  She is also chair of the department’s master’s degree program and teaches graduate courses.

Dr. Williams is currently involved in a research project with Joe Matthews, Courtney Stewards and Sterling Hilton, examining cultural shifts in professional learning communities.  "Right now there are no existing instruments that can measure and give schools empirical data on the nature of their culture as a learning community,” Williams stated. “We have created the Learning Community Cultural Indicator, an instrument that will gather data to generate research and help individual schools do self-studies.”

This research, which began about 18 months ago, has identified ten elements of learning communities through an extensive review of literature:

 

• Common mission, vision, values, and goals that are focused on teaching and learning
• Democratic leadership that is focused on teaching and learning
• Principal leadership that is focused on teaching and learning
• High trust embedded in school culture
• Decision making based on data
• Teaming that is collaborative
• Collaborative and interdependent culture
• Academic success for all students with prevention and intervention for those at risk
• Use of continuous assessment to improve learning
• Professional development that is teacher driven and embedded in daily work

 

“The depth and breadth to which these ten elements are present in schools will be measured by the Learning Community Culture Indicator,” Williams said.  When asked why she is so passionate about this research, she explained, “I have a great passion for public schools. Helping them function as professional learning communities will give children increased chances in life for success.”

             

Dr. Williams also consults with K-12 public schools on classroom management, coaching, and mentoring skills. She believes that the most important tool for an educator is the ability to develop an interdependent culture that focuses actively on helping all students learn.

Ellen Williams grew up in the small town of Fountain Green in Sanpete County in Central Utah. She presently resides in South Jordan with her husband. She loves photography and traveling long distances on her BMW motorcycle, joined and supported by her husband in both pursuits.  Williams began motorcycle riding ten years ago and got her own BMW four years ago. Four years ago, she took a major cycle trip from Utah to Alaska.

April 2007

 

Doreen Ann Wyman

Although Doreen Wyman has called Utah home since she accepted her first position at Brigham Young University in 1995, she is originally from British Columbia, Canada, and has also lived in Hawaii and in Liverpool, England. Her travels have allowed her to make a hobby of keeping up correspondence with friends and family all over the globe.

Wyman joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age 17. After working as a secretary to the senior vice president of the Royal Bank of Canada for a few years, she accepted a job at Hawaii Reserve, a real estate company located on an island owned at that time by the LDS Church.  “Working at Hawaii Reserve gave me the privilege of working closely with general authorities,” Wyman said. “They were always nice and easy to please. They were a great source of inspiration to me.”

Doreen Wyman began her career at BYU by serving four years as the secretary to the chair of the Department of Humanities, Classics and Comparative Literature.  He was later made dean of Undergraduate Education, and she continued working with him for another four and a half years.  In September of 2003, she accepted the position of executive secretary in the office of the Dean at the McKay School of Education.

“The best thing about my job is getting to know the students,” Wyman said. “I still keep in touch with many of them even when they graduate and leave BYU. I have seen them grow from young men and women to adults and parents.”

Wyman’s other interests include caring for stray animals and giving them a home, as well as reading mystery novels and traveling.

March 2007

 

Cally Flox

With 20 years of experience teaching children, Cally Flox is still passionately involved in improving children’s education through the arts.  Today, she brings that passion out of elementary school classroom and into the scholarly environment of the McKay School of Education.

In the spring of 2005, the BYU-Public School Partnership launched an Elementary Arts Initiative with Flox being appointed as the director for the project. From the perspective of years of involvement in the arts, Flox is currently involved in developing programs that develop and support sustained sequential elementary arts education.

After graduating from college in dance and math education, Flox taught many forms of dance to people of all ages with a focus on creative development and brain compactable learning. “Watching children discover themselves and their world through the arts uncovers their passion and exposes their magic,” she said. “Participating in the arts not only improves learning but also makes children’s lives a lot happier.”

Flox is not alone in her passion for arts and children. Her husband, Scott, is an elementary school teacher. He teaches gifted and talented first graders, the guitar, and visual arts. Together Flox and her husband make a wonderful team dedicated to helping students become smarter and have a brighter future in and out of the classroom.  “In July of 2006, Scott and I had the privilege of going to Germany and teaching art, music and dance to children between the ages of nine and eleven,” Flox said. “It was a wonderful experience for us.”

Children learn differently and cannot all be taught in the same way. Flox explains how to involve all children at different levels and get all children excited to learn. “Children need to be emotionally engaged in learning,” Flox said.  “The arts provide a dramatic type of engagement that ignites their imagination and creativity.” 

She said that the most important tools educators need are common sense, a sense of humor, and the ability to listen and respond to what students have to say.  “What sets an effective educator apart is the ability to reflect back on what students have said and demonstrated and then use what they perceive to help students learn and grow,” she said.

“I will continue to be an advocate for whatever is good for children in whatever way I can,” Flox said. “I feel lucky to be a part of such a worthy cause.”

In addition to her professional teaching, Flox, mother of four and stepmother of three, enjoys writing, snow and water skiing, and playing and enjoying music with her family.

February 2007

             

Carol Moody

“I like to watch students face their fears and learn that they can handle difficult situations,” explains Carol Moody, a clinical supervisor in the Department of Communication Disorders.  She says that she loves working with students who are willing to engage in a unique and demanding process of self-discovery.

As a mentor to graduate students working toward a master’s degree in communication disorders, Moody supervises the students through their first practicum experience, in the clinical disorders clinic.  Clients come to the clinic for treatment of conditions including stuttering (fluency), aphasia (clients with impairment from localized brain damage, typically from a stroke), traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorders, aural rehabilitation, articulation, and language and voice disorders. 

Moody teaches and models intervention skills and supports the students in their diagnostic procedures with this widely varied clientele. Her goal is to help the students achieve competencies and confidence in working with many different disorders.

The students grow in their abilities, Moody has observed, as they help their clients progress. “Underlying the student’s experience is the incredible opportunity to interact with extraordinary clients facing their own individual challenges,” she explains.

Moody’s dedication to helping graduate level students succeed comes as a result of her own journey of self-discovery through education.  She has not only an associate degree in nursing and a bachelor’s degree in psychology, but also two master’s degrees – one in human development and another in speech language pathology.  Her many experiences have taught her that the most important attribute of any teacher is empathy.

Prior to working as a clinical supervisor at BYU, Moody held a variety of other positions that allowed her to use her knowledge to help others.  She worked in newborn intensive care units, supervised college students in teaching at-risk preschoolers, taught parent education, worked in early intervention programs for children with disabilities, and most recently worked in the public school system.

While Moody spends much of her time teaching others, she admits something that she has learned through her experience in the ComD department: “Technology is my friend if only I can receive incredible amounts of social support and consultation.”  Whether she is learning about computers or how to treat disorders, she demonstrates that education is a process that continues long after graduation.

January 2007