OHIO education students showcase creative approaches to teaching

Matt Henry presents at the University of Findlay

Matt Henry presents at the Mazza Museum Summer Conference

51�� Patton College of Education students Brooke Anderson, Matt Henry and Cheyanne Kifer showcased their creativity and innovation this summer at the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum.

Along with Dr. Kevin Cordi, associate professor of education at 51�� Lancaster, they presented a breakout session titled “Bring on the Jazz—Extending Methods to Go Beyond the Picture Book” at the summer conference at the museum, which is home to the largest children's illustration collection in the world.

The session featured innovative ways to engage middle school students with literature through creative assignments that go beyond traditional methods of reading and answering questions. For Henry and Kifer, this was a chance to apply what they learned from Cordi’s spring semester Children's Literature for Middle Childhood class, where he encouraged students to “jazz up” their teaching approaches.

“I tell my students in this day of fast media we need to find ways to immerse students into text,” said Cordi. “They can do this by creating and producing experiences that go beyond the text. These students did this and more. I am proud of them and their work. I marveled at their creations!”

Anderson, who drove from her home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to attend the conference at the University of Findlay, shared AI illustrations based on Donald Hall’s picture book “I am the Dog/I am the Cat,” to illustrate metaphors, opposites and connections that can be used in middle school classrooms.

Crafting an adventure

Henry, an OHIO Chillicothe middle childhood education major with a focus on language arts and social studies, developed a choose-your-own-adventure game called “Escape from Azkaban” based on “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

Using the Canva platform, Henry created a series of hyperlinked slides that functioned as different decision points in the game. His interactive game allows students to immerse themselves in a storyline with real consequences based on their decisions.

A virtual escape room for middle schoolers

Cheyanne Kifer presents and the Mazza Museum Summer Conference

Kifer, an OHIO Chillicothe third-year middle childhood education major focusing on language arts and social studies, also took up Cordi’s challenge to create an interactive learning experience for middle school students.

Inspired by the picture book “The Night Before Middle School,” written and illustrated by a fifth-grader, Kifer designed a virtual escape room that brought to life the common anxieties of entering middle school—losing your locker combination, navigating unfamiliar hallways and making new friends.

Like Henry, Kifer used Canva to create an interactive experience. By embedding hyperlinks and stickers in each slide, she allowed users to "escape" their first day of middle school through a series of virtual challenges.

“I wanted to take the fear and uncertainty of middle school and turn it into something fun and engaging,” Kifer explained. “The escape room format allows students to navigate their anxieties in a playful, educational way.”

Kifer also shared her YouTube channel, where she uploads her educational projects, including a radio drama and other materials she has developed for middle school students.

“Dr. Cordi taught me how to think outside the box when it comes to teaching,” Kifer said. “Instead of just telling students to read and answer questions, I’m learning how to help them create something meaningful from the material.”

Kifer recently moved to Waverly from Chillicothe and is completing her clinical field placement at Waverly Intermediate School. She is excited to complete her professional internship next semester as she prepares to graduate and begin her career as a teacher, armed with the creative tools and teaching strategies she has developed through classes taught by Cordi, Thomas Kitchen, and other education faculty.

Called to lead

An Air Force veteran who financed much of his education with the support of the GI Bill, Henry is completing his professional internship in a ninth-grade classroom at Unioto High School this fall and will graduate in December. Henry serves in the Air Force Reserves and will deploy in March before launching his teaching career. At age 27, he is older than most of his classmates and said balancing working full-time with being a full-time student can sometimes be challenging, but he has learned how to balance his obligations, manage his time and achieve success as a student.

As he prepares for a career as a teacher he points to the professional internships as the most important part of his 51�� education since those experiences help students apply the theory and skills they learn in the classroom to classrooms in the schools where they have field placements.

Education felt like a natural fit for Kifer, who enjoys helping others learn and grow through her role as a kennel technician at Petland in Chillicothe.

“I enjoy being able to take information and pass it on to others and to see them grow and flourish with the information I've given them,” Kifer said. “The teachers I had in high school influenced me to become a teacher because I wanted to be a safe place for students just like they were for me.”

“Being the faculty advisor to these students is a joy,” said Associate Professor of Education Karen Corcoran. “I am overwhelmed at their creativity and their efforts to go beyond what they were asked to do in Dr. Cordi’s class. The products they created, designed, and launched, exemplify what middle-level learners need to be inspired to learn and grow.”

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