Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Understanding Middle School Teachers’ Levels Of Efficacy To Meet The Needs Of Young Adolescents, Erika Daniels

Middle Grades Review

Middle school students are in even more need of social and emotional support due to the cognitive, social, and emotional changes occurring at this stage of their development (Caskey & Anfara, 2014), and their teachers are key players in providing what is needed. Unfortunately, there are few Institutions of Higher Education that offer programs or coursework focused on young adolescents’ unique and specific needs (Howell, et al., 2016). This contrast with calls for school contexts that are intentionally designed to support young adolescents (Bishop & Harrison, 2021) and raises questions about whether and how middle school teachers are prepared to …

Critical Representation: Mattering & Belonging For Students Of The Global Majority, Rebecca E. Haslam

Middle Grades Review

Critical representation in literature and curricula requires an emancipatory agenda and examination of the ways in which people of diverse racial, cultural, linguistic, and other socially marginalized identities are portrayed, an assessment of how relevant, affirming, and accurate those representations are, and a consideration of the impact on a child’s sense of self and ‘other.’ This essay includes sample audit criteria for critical representation highlighting five sections: Storyline & Sense of Justice; Affirmation & Self-Worth; Relationships Among People; Author/Illustrator Background; and Language & Terminology, all with a focus on ‘mattering’ and holistic wellbeing of students of the global majority. Audit …

Internship Experiences Of Pre-Service Teachers: A Case Study Of Efl Korean Students In The Philippines, Gina B. Ugalingan, Aileen Bautista, Rochelle Irene Lucas

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Various studies on the different experiences of pre-service teachers who are non-native speakers of English emerged to strengthen the teaching curriculum and empower them to be equipped as they take the role of classroom teachers. Some foreign students even study abroad to strengthen their proficiency in the English language; more so, other teacher education programs offer internships abroad. Studies support that teaching internship experiences impact shaping novice teachers’ identity (Borg, 2003; Kim & Cho, 2014; Ulla, 2016). This case study describes the teaching experiences of eight Korean pre-service teachers during their internship. The participants were students under the program of …

Vocabulary Masks, Kim Hardiman

Journal of English Learner Education

As language instructors, we should teach vocabulary in every lesson. How can we combine L2 vocabulary with active teaching and learning techniques? In the past, language instructors taught EL to write long word lists int their notebooks. Do ELs remember these new words? Is there a better way to teach vocabulary for ELs to practice using them in authentic context? Wearing masks has become a daily activity around the world. ELs can express and share their raw emotions by writing and wearing inspirational words on their masks. Vocabulary masks will ignite salient discussions and reconnect ELs with their emotional journeys …

Effects Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Online Instructional Approaches On English-Learning Undergraduate College Students: An Exploratory Study, Ivana Markova, Cristina Azocar

Journal of English Learner Education

Although the significance of the use of online classes remains evident due to their growing prevalence at US universities, they still remain an untested experience for countless English learners (ELs). This research explores EL students’ perceptions of the opportunities for interaction in synchronous and asynchronous online university classroom modalities. It also examines how socioacademic relations and Bandura’s social learning theory can explain the interactions between students and instructors that influence EL students’ literacy development. Participants (n=105) were selected from a large sample pool of 261 EL undergraduate student participants aged 18 to 35. A mixed methods design was …

Creating Pedagogically Effective And Visually Appealing Instructional Slides: Design Tips For Language Educators, Anny Fritzen Case

Journal of English Learner Education

Utilizing slides to augment instruction is a common and promising practice among language educators. However, slide design matters. While well-designed slides can support students' comprehension and engagement, poorly designed slides can produce misunderstanding, frustration, and disengagement. This article describes five basic graphic design principles teachers can apply when creating slide presentations. Through the application of these principles, instructional materials have a higher potential of being both visually appealing and pedagogically effective.

Technology In The Classroom: The Features Language Teachers Should Consider, Sophie Cuocci, Padideh Fattahi Marnani

Journal of English Learner Education

The fast development of technology and the new generation of highly computer literate students led to consider the integration of technology in school as essential. Throughout the last two decades, research has identified multiple factors leading to the successful and unsuccessful integration of technology in the classroom. Educators must consider these factors when deciding on which technology tools to use and how to integrate them to their lessons. Simultaneously, the increasing number of English learners in the United States calls for the identification of teaching strategies that will best support their needs. Many language teachers now rely on teaching techniques …

Foreign Language Anxiety: A Review On Theories, Causes, Consequences And Implications For Educators, Padideh Fattahi Marnani, Sophie Cuocci

Journal of English Learner Education

Anxiety has been considered one of the main obstacles in second language learning in instruction-based contexts. During the last few decades, many scholars have tried to shed light on different aspects of this phenomenon. This literature review clarifies previous scholarly works and covers some of the most significant empirical studies conducted in this field. The purpose of this literature review is to review various aspects of foreign language anxiety, its corresponding theoretical frameworks and models, causes, consequences, gender differences, class modalities (face-to-face and online) and lastly, implications for educators. Foreign language anxiety is a significant barrier that hinders the learning …

Implementing A Humanistic Approach Towards Educational Equity For English Learners, Deborah Wheeler

Journal of English Learner Education

Schools must provide equitable education to English learners (ELs), ensure equitable opportunities to education programs, and facilitate comprehensible instruction. ELs encounter challenges consisting of learning English, adjusting to a new culture, achieving academic expectations, and assimilating. Implementing a humanistic approach helps ELs mediate through cultural nuances, language learning, academic objectives, and by applying a humanistic approach, educational equity will be established. To guarantee that every student is given an equitable opportunity, all stakeholders are responsible for ensuring the educational system is prepared for diversity, equipped with multicultural knowledge, provided with enriching resources, and ready to implement of a humanistic approach. …

Global Engineering Ethics: What? Why? How? And When?, Rockwell F. Clancy Iii, Qin Zhu

Journal of International Engineering Education

Even though engineering programs, accreditation bodies, and multinational corporations have become increasingly interested in introducing global dimensions into professional engineering practice, little work in the existing literature provides an overview of questions fundamental to global engineering ethics, such as what global engineering ethics is, why it should be taught, how it should be taught, and when it should be introduced. This paper describes the what, why, how, and when of global engineering ethics – a form adopted from a 1996 article by Charles Harris, Michael Davis, Michael Pritchard, and Michael Rabins, which has influenced the development of engineering ethics for …

Community Circles In Response To Restorative Justice Research And Critique, Hannah Edber

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Zero-tolerance discipline in schools has resulted in disproportionate referrals, suspensions, and expulsions for Black students, students with disabilities, and low-income students of color. Restorative Justice (RJ) seeks to intervene in these patterns by emphasizing community interconnectedness and a discourse of harm, accountability, and repair. Although RJ has been shown to increase school connectedness and decrease suspensions and expulsions, teachers and students using RJ (as a response to discipline issues) report varying degrees of satisfaction with the framework. Frustrations can include limited time and limited depth of conversations with students who have caused harm, so that root causes of behavior are …

Reflection On Best Practices In Designing Online Middle Level Learning, Holly J. Thornton

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

An increase in online learning during the pandemic has led to new thinking about online instruction that will last far beyond the pandemic. The hurried nature of instructional design as the pandemic shifted teaching and learning from the classroom to the computer may have neglected the need to design lessons using best practices online instead of focusing on content delivery and grading. Practices that are part of successful middle level education including cultivating depth of student understanding, developmental responsiveness, social emotional learning and differentiation to meet young adolescent student needs may have been neglected in pandemic online lesson design. This …

Examining Teaching And Learning Environments Among Kentucky Schools To Watch And Non-Schools To Watch Schools Using Tell Survey Data, Michael Dicicco, Ryan Alverson

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

In 2017, the state of Kentucky distributed the Teaching, Empowerment, Leading, and Learning (TELL) survey to gain an understating of the learning environments in Kentucky schools. Many of the items on the TELL survey addressed key components of the School to Watch criteria and rubric. Researchers were interested in the teaching and learning conditions in Kentucky middle schools that contributed to successful school environments as defined by the Schools to Watch criteria, and to use results from the TELL survey to see what high scoring schools were doing well according to the teachers and principals that completed the survey. Researchers …

Celebrating 25 Years Of The National Association Of Professors Of Middle Level Education, Bridget K. Coleman, Nancy B. Ruppert

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The National Association of Professors for Middle Level Education has been focused on middle grades education since 1997. This is an introduction for the CIMLE Journal in celebration of NAPOMLE's 25 anniversary in 2022.

Introduction, Amanda Wall

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Introduction

The articles in this issue of Current Issues in Middle Level Education include a celebration of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education, a report of a research study, and a summary of best practices.

Bridget Coleman and Nancy Ruppert are current and past presidents of the National Association of Professors of Middle Level Education (NAPOMLE). As this journal is the journal of NAPOMLE, we wanted to celebrate NAPOMLE’s 25^th anniversary. Coleman and Ruppert reviewed several documents related to NAPOMLE’s history and mission; they also contacted several past leaders.

Michael DiCicco and Ryan Alverson contributed an …

One-Week Inquiry About Gravity Force With A Student Who Is Blind, Mustafa Şahin Bülbül Dr.

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This study was conducted with a student who is visually impaired and questioned the force of gravity. The different stages encountered in the process were specified as steps in the study and it was shared what kind of inquiry form was needed at each step. There are different activities such as waiting for a week and thought experiment in the inquiry activity. The basis of the activity is that three balls of different mass left on a sponge leave different traces on the sponge.

An Educator’S Reflection On The Importance Of Embodiment, Imagination, And Liberation, Ashley N. Gibson

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This reflection piece offers an interpretation of the years 2020-2021, through the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial awakenings in the US. Writing at the intersections of race, gender, and religion, this piece is part essay, part spoken word, and part treatise. The ultimate call to action is threefold; we must lean into embodiment as a habit for living, use our imaginations, and seek liberation for ourselves and one another if we are to hope for a better future. While many aspects of life now seem bleak, there is hope if we consider these three principles for …

Full Issue

Transformations

Volume 8 Issue 1, December 2022

Propensities By Grade Of Math Anxiety Levels K-12: Addressing Mathematics Dispositions And How Manipulatives May Help, Joseph M. Furner, Christine M. Higgins

Transformations

Math anxiety remains a critical issue affecting student performance and confidence across grade levels throughout the world today. This paper looks at the impact of math anxiety and how students’ dispositions toward math from a leadership perspective and the real hinderance for them as learners in life in a STEM world. The paper shares data from a K-12 school on math anxiety levels and offers insights from a school principal who has served K-12 levels where math anxiety and discomfort levels of math are seen across the spectrum. This paper provides much research and recommendations of best practices for teaching …

Effective Math Manipulatives To Use With The B.E.S.T. Standards In Grades K-6, Katharine E. Eby

Transformations

The focus for this research paper was to explore which math manipulatives are the most effective for each strand of the B.E.S.T. standards. The review of literature provided information about the history of math manipulatives, what are math manipulatives, B.E.S.T. standards, and the six strands. A review of the most commonly used math manipulatives was part of the literature viewed during the research process in order to see how those manipulatives can be connected to the B.E.S.T. standards, so that students can effectively understand more abstract concepts.