Introduction |
Charter College of Education
Division of Curriculum and Instruction Paula Arvedson
Office: KH A-2031
All my degrees (BA, MA, PhD) were completed through Cal State LA.
Both bachelor's and master's degrees were in Child Development, graduating
Summa Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude. I also earned a minor in mathematics.
I continued my interest in math, combined with child development, through
CSLA's joint doctoral program (with UCLA) in Special Education in the Charter
School of Education. My research examined the effects Specific Language
Impairment might have on preschool children's math development. My life partner
of over 30 years, Peter, teaches high school chemistry. Our sons, Kristofer
and Paul, are in college: Kristofer has just graduated here at CSLA with
a B.S. in geology and Paul is at PCC working toward a degree in business..
I enjoy music, science fiction, genealogy, and gardening. I am very proud
to be associated with the awesome students at CSLA. I have taught at other
campuses, and our students are the hardest working, most dedicated of any
I have encountered. Teaching here is fun. As the Coordinator for the Satellites & Education Conference (www.SatED.org), it is a great delight to bring together government resources (NASA and NOAA) and industry resources (many large and small companies) for the benefit of K-18 teachers and their students. Presentations and keynote speakers are specifically focused on helping teachers make learning exciting while using inquiry and helping students recognize their potential careers in the space-based industry. A special component of this conference is the MY SPACE Team (Multinational Youth Studying Practical Applications for Climatic Events), the group of high school students who come to the conference with their teachers and, when not presenting, work on a global issue together and present a report at the last session. This is a dynamic group currently representing England, China, and several States (New Jersey, Florida, Washington, and California).
I enjoy helping teachers discover ways to integrate the social sciences with all academic and arts domains. I am also interested in helping students grasp the concepts of mathematics in ways that make sense to them in their real world. I like to help future teachers understand how it is that humans move from basic understandings of number in infancy through proportions in elementary school and to abstract math concepts, such as algebraic structures. I enjoy connecting teachers with fantastic resources for the classroom from NASA, NOAA, and the space industry (such as, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Lunar Rocket & Rover, Jentec, and Garvey Space Corp).
I am currently studying effective ways to teach teachers to incorporate global perspectives in the classes and ways to integrate technology in curriculum in ways that are pedagogically sound, fun, and relevant to today's society. Presentations and publications are available at my office.
PhD Special Education (Educational Psychology, Math in Preschool)
3/99 
California State University BA Child Development 6/82
California State University
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