Welcome to the School of Education's newsletter, Sigma, which you can access online at http://www.soe.umich.edu/sigma/. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to . Deadline for submissions is noon on Wednesday. Sigma will be returning to a bi-weekly schedule for the summer.The next Sigma will be Friday, June 6, 2003.

Sigma Vol. XXXII, No. 17, May 23, 2003
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CALENDAR: May 24 - June 6
Center for Proficiency in Teaching Mathematics Colloquium
" TIMSS 1999 Video Study of Mathematics Teaching: Are the Findings Relevant for the U.S. Debates?"
by Dr. James Hiebert, Robert J. Barkley Professor of Education, University of Delaware
Date: Thursday, May 29
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Brownlee Room
Colloquium is open and free, but please RSVP to Teresa McMahon at mailto:teresam at umich.edu. Refreshments will be provided after the talk.
The recent TIMSS video study shows that high-achieving countries teach mathematics in different ways - different from each other and different from the United States. Some features of teaching on which high-achieving countries differ are features often contested in the U.S. A (very) few features seem to be shared among high-achieving countries. Both cases will be examined for their relevance to current discussions about mathematics teaching in the U.S.
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1. COURSE CHANGE
2. SOE STUDENT ELECTED TO AERA COUNCIL
3. NIDIFFER ELECTED TO BOARD
4. UPCOMING ORAL DEFENSE
5. DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
6. STAFF ADVISORY COUNCIL COFFEE HOUR
7. GUARD YOUR BELONGINGS
8. HRAA NEWS
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1. COURSE CHANGE
Effective Spring 2003, EDUC 462: Instructional Simulations is now a variable hour (1-4) offering.
2. SOE STUDENT ELECTED TO AERA COUNCIL
At the recent AERA Conference, Cheri Simpson was elected the new chair of the AERA Graduate Students Council. This is a three year commitment as she will serve as Chair-Elect, '03-'04, Chair, '04-'05 and Past Chair, '05-'06. The mission and goals of the Council include promoting the professional development and advancement of graduate students.
3. NIDIFFER ELECTED TO BOARD
CSHPE Professor Jana Nidiffer was recently elected to the History of Education Society Board of Directors.
4. UPCOMING ORAL DEFENSE
Candidate: Alison Hillary Paris
Date: Thursday, June 5
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Brownlee Room (2327 SEB)
Chairs: Phyllis Blumenfeld and Scott Paris
Dissertation Title: "The Roots of Reading Comprehension: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Teaching Narrative Comprehension Strategies to Beginning Readers"
5. DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Robert J. Miller
Professor Brian Rowan (Chair)
Associate Professor Diane K. Vinokur (Cognate: Social Work)
Professor Cecil Miskel
Professor Stephen Raudenbush
"A Hierarchical Linear Model Analysis of the Sources and Consequences of Organic Management in Elementary and High Schools"
6. STAFF ADVISORY COUNCIL COFFEE HOUR
Date: Tuesday, June 10
Time: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Location: Whitney Auditorium
SAC members donate the food to Coffee Hours, but all other contributions are always welcomed. If you bring a favorite food, copies of your recipe will be appreciated.
7. GUARD YOUR BELONGINGS
Please be careful and when you leave your work area, make sure your personal belongings are secure in a locked office, file cabinet or drawer.
8. HRAA NEWS
==May-June Workshops Offered by Career Services for Staff
Brown Bag
" Progress Review of Your Job Search"
June 2 (Mon) 12-1pm
Wolverine Tower, G250
Brown Bag
" Effective Resumes"
June 6 (Fri) 12-1 p.m.
Wolverine Tower, G-250
Brown Bag
" Networking"
June 13 (Fri) 12-1 p.m.
Wolverine Tower, G-250
Brown Bag
" Interviewing"
June 18 (Wed) 12-1 p.m.
Wolverine Tower, G-250
Brown Bag
" Navigating Job Search"
June 15 (Wed) 12-1 p.m.
Wolverine Tower, G-250
Managing Your Career
(One 4-hour session)
June 27 (Fri) 12-4 p.m.
Contact Ricah Marquez at mailto:rmarquez at umich.edu (Limited to 15 participants per session)
==Calling the HR/Payroll Service Center
If you have questions or need assistance with human resources or payroll issues, you can reach the Center's staff at 615-2000. The HR/Payroll Service Center Web page is at http://www.umich.edu/~benefits/office/servicecntr.htm.
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Sigma is a weekly publication of the University of Michigan School of Education (bi-weekly during the summer). To subscribe to Sigma, please send an email to mailto:SOENews at umich.edu. SUBSCRIBE should be the subject.