Research

Musical sounds surround a child, even before the moment of birth. Whether a child is listening to music, singing a song or moving creatively to the sounds around them, music is a vital part of a child's life. “Young children often create music as a part of their play experiences, thus sustaining imagination and creativity,” said Maria Runfola, professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction and the director of the GSE MusicPlay project.

Before Richard Lamb was a teacher, he was a soldier. In addition to spending eight months in Bosnia, Lamb served in Afghanistan for over a year, beginning September 22, 2001.

The Graduate School of Education is participating in a program called TeachLivE that uses a simulated teaching environment to assist in the preparation of student teachers. The simulated environment is one tool that allows student teachers the opportunity to learn teaching skills and craft their practice without placing “real” students at risk during the learning process.

Enhancing language support and reducing impediments caused by language are among priorities at UB to promote international student inclusion and engagement, and enable students to achieve their educational and social goals.

To bridge the communities of early childhood researchers, pre-service teachers and toy industry experts, X. Christine Wang and Corinne Eggleston, director and associate director of ECRC have been working in close collaboration with colleagues at the Fisher-Price Play Lab to design Project Play.

The Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction (CLaRI) at UB is a reading center that has provided reading services in Western New York since 1963. The center is a community resource for the assessment of children’s literacy development and individualized reading instruction, as well as a site for conducting literacy research.

Lynn Shanahan, associate professor from the Department of Learning and Instruction is partnering with Enterprise Charter School and the Amherst Central School District Middle School to assist in the development of a middle school response to intervention system for literacy learning. This collaboration is part of the UB Graduate School of Education Faculty in Residence Program.

Ryan Rish, assistant professor from the Department of Learning and Instruction, is partnering with the Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy in Buffalo to help integrate technology into the curriculum and provide instructional support for 7th and 8th grade English teachers. The collaboration is part of the UB Graduate School of Education Faculty in Residence Program.

Noemi Waight, associate professor from the Department of Learning and Instruction, is partnering with the Buffalo Public Schools to conduct research at their Research Laboratory Program for Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. Waight is examining the role of school leadership and its impact on technology-supported, inquiry-based approaches in science education classrooms. The collaboration is part of the UB Graduate School of Education Faculty in Residence Program.

Clinical Assistant Professor Elisabeth Etopio, along with department colleague Richard Lamb, associate professor, and LAI doctoral student Mandy Seccia are exploring infants' ability to recognize and prefer certain types of music to further understand the relationship between musical exposure and cognitive processes.