Biography

Dr. Miller is in her fifth year as an Assistant Professor.  Dr. Miller’s experiences include teaching professional theory, elementary methods, professional activity courses and student teaching supervision at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has been instrumental with bringing to the program the use of digital video technology as a tool for teacher candidates’ systematic observation and cycle reflection of their teaching.  Dr. Miller chaired the College of Education’s Conceptual Framework Committee in preparation for its recent national re-accreditation.  Dr. Miller is the program coordinator for the M.Ed. in Physical Education Curriculum and Instruction Program.  For the past two years, she has been a supervisor of Slippery Rock University student teachers in the recently created partnership with the Wake County Public School System in Raleigh, North Carolina.  A recipient of various grants and other procured funding to support her research and pedagogy, she is a two time recipient of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers (2004,2005) as well as receiving the Outstanding Alumni Academy Award from Western Michigan University.  Prior to teaching in higher education, Dr. Miller was an elementary adapted physical education teacher at the D.T. Watson Institute’s Education Center, located in Sewickley, PA. 

Research Interests:

 Dr. Miller’s action research centers upon Service Learning.  Most recently she has conducted various studies that examine a Three-fold phenomenon: first, how service learning has influenced a physical education pre-service teacher candidate’s call to vocation (to teach), second, to examine the influence differently-abled children have on each other’s socialization patterns in large-scale movement environments, and what influence pre-service teacher candidates, serving as teachers, have on child socialization patterns, third, to examine service learning as a educational movement pedagogy. Grounded in experiential learning theory, Dr. Miller’s action research is centered upon a service learning model involving preschool-age children with and without disabilities coming together in an inclusive setting for developmentally appropriate educational movement experiences, taught by undergraduate (physical) education majors.

Link to Dr. Miller's VITAE 

Click here to view Presentations and Publications

Professional Memberships:

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 1973-present

International Association of Physical Education in Higher Education, 2006-present

National Consortium for Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities 2000-present

Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance 1978-present

Council for Exceptional Children, 1979-present

Women's Sports Foundation, 1980-present

Current Professional Activities/Assignments:

Advisement: Undergraduate physical education majors in the PETE program.

Service:

Dr. Miller has created and directs a free program called Moving Concepts which is an inclusive developmentally appropriate educational movement program for pre-school age children with and without disabilities.  Offered each spring semester on the campus of Slippery Rock University, the program includes over 50 preschoolers coming from the University’s Child Care Center, Butler County Children’s Center, Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV, and from the surrounding communities as far away as Franklin, PA.  Moving Concepts is a community-based service learning program associated with PE 61-243 Movement Education.  While pre-service teacher candidates from the disciplines of physical education, special education, elementary education and early childhood education enrolled in PE 61-243 study concepts and content related to educational movement, they apply their learning through the service of standards-based best-practices teaching to some of Pennsylvania’s youngest citizens to promote an active start to health-related fitness and movement skills.  To obtain information about Moving Concepts, contact Dr. Miller by e-mail (Marybeth.miller@sru.edu) or phone (724) 738-2789.

Department: Awards Committee, Social Committee, Graduate Committee, Curriculum/Personnel Committee

College of Education:  The Quality Circle: Research/Publications

                                PASSE Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity: Grant Reviewer

                                Conceptual Framework Committee Chairperson

University:  Liberal Studies Program Committee:  Basic Competencies

                   The University Forum