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Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Seven Properties Of Highly Effective Problems, Thomas Ales, Kevin Peterson, Constantine Roussos

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In an effort to provide more critical thinking opportunities in their courses, instructors are embracing the power of problem- and project-based learning (PBL). In this paper we address the importance of problem quality when utilizing PBL. We list seven important properties that a high-quality problem should have. We conclude with an example of a problem that possesses all seven properties.

Two Decades Of Supporting Excellence In Stem Through Programs That Work: A History Of High-Quality Stem Programming In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Bill Haver, Deborah Neely-Fisher

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition annually recognizes effective science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. The leaders of these Programs That Work receive recognition and others gain ideas to incorporate into their STEM programs. Programs That Work was initiated in March 2000 as a part of a statewide conference designed to better understand effective strategies to increase the success of women, minorities and members of other groups who had been underrepresented in STEM. Programs That Work has since expanded to include effective STEM programming for all students and teachers at all levels by recognizing school systems, colleges and universities …

Collaborative Leadership For Research Investigating Stem Teacher Preparation Across Many Institutions, Dana P. Franz, Keith Hubbard, Devon Brenner

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the creation of a collaborative research team investigating the impacts of education preparation on the recruitment and retention of science and mathematics teacher candidates in rural settings. Our collaborative research includes a core leadership team across 3 institutions and with collaboration across 14 total universities. We discuss the process from the inception through year two of this program, including the structure of leadership, communication techniques with the large group, and efforts to translate this research into scalable action. Using a framework for transdisciplinary research (Hall et al., 2012), we describe the processes and challenges that we encountered …

Leveraging Leadership To Retain Early Career Teachers In Stafford County Public Schools, Christopher Gannon, Caroline Canning, Andrew Hoyt, Lauren Johnson, Thomas Mcauley

Doctor of Education Capstones

Stafford County Public Schools requested an evaluation of their current support of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) with one to three years experience, and its potential impact on retention efforts. They stamped this request with urgency, noting the COVID-19 pandemic and teacher pay as two driving factors, specifically, impacting retention of teachers within their first three years. Our Capstone team sought a deeper understanding of the following issues in three research questions: 1) types of support across their division and within their school buildings, 2) the impact of current practices of support, and 3) division-wide considerations for enhancing current systems of …

Exploring The Experiences Of Refugee Youth In Public Schools: An Ethical Phenomenological Inquiry, Hilary T. Stim

Theses and Dissertations

The study outlined in this dissertation focuses on the intersection between refugee youth between the ages of 13-18 and the United States public school, specifically the manner in which refugee youth experience institutionalized education. It utilizes ethical phenomenology as a means to amplify the voices of refugee students and to centralize the students' experiences, thoughts, and ideas related to education The study was framed by one research question that is addressed to the participants: “What is it like being a student in a public school?” Seven students took part in the study. Collaborative dialogues took place with the participants across …

Exploring The Experiences Of Faculty Learning To Teach Online: A Case Study, Peyton P. Burgess Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Through an examination of literature, interviews and focus groups with participants of a faculty development program on online teaching and learning at a large Public Mid-Atlantic Urban University (PMUU), this research aimed to uncover the elements of a faculty development course or other impacts that contributed to the success or hindrance of faculty in their online course delivery. This qualitative study aimed to foster collaborative relationships with participants and resulted in data that might inform the development of faculty and their online courses in similarly situated contexts.

Introducing Flexible Assessment Into A Computer Networks Course: A Case Study, Joe Meehean

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

With overall positive results and limited drawbacks, I have adapted modern pedagogical techniques to address a common difficulty encountered when teaching a computer networks course. Due to the tiered nature of the skills taught in the course, students often fail unnecessarily. Using mastery learning, competency-based education, and specifications grading as a foundation, I have developed a course that allows students with varied skills and abilities to pass. The heart of this approach is the flexible assessment of programming assignments which eliminates due dates and allows students to have their work graded and regraded without penalty. Flexible assessment also defines an …

Understanding The Virginia Literacy Act, Candace Bechtold, Kimberly Bridges, David Naff, Joan A. Rhodes, Valerie Robnolt, Tara Davison, Suzanne Alexandre, Michael Crusco, Karli Johansen, Amber Butler, Allison Yandle, Jennifer Askue-Collins, Jean Samuel, Sharrie Merritte, Regina Frazier

MERC Publications

This research and policy brief from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) offers an overview of the Virginia Literacy Act. It is structured to explore the following questions: 1) What are the recent trends in reading achievement in Virginia? 2) What are the policy implications of the VLA for Virginia school divisions? 3) What does the research say about Science of Reading (SoR)? 4) What core instructional programs are approved to meet the VLA? It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations.

Art Nights: Reimagining Professional Development As A Ritual, Libba Willcox

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

Art teachers’ need for connection, passion for artmaking, desire for mentoring, and quest for renewal led me to ask, what happens if we reimagine professional development as ritualized artistic practice? What would occur if our ritual was collaborative and intergenerational? How might ritualized professional development aid the quest for renewal? Pulling imagery and quotes from a larger qualitative and arts-based research study (Willcox, 2017), this visual essay shares what happened when an intergenerational group of art teachers met and engaged in artistic inquiry about their teaching practice. Specifically, it weaves together imagery and quotes to illustrate how our ritual, art …

Teaching In An Unfamiliar Place: A Mixed Methods-Grounded Theory Study On The Experiences Of New Correctional Educators, Nicole Patrie

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

New correctional educators must learn to teach in an unfamiliar correctional environment. In this convergent mixed-methods study, experienced correctional educators in Alberta, Canada reflected on their first 6 months teaching in adult correctional institutions. Teachers initially struggled to do something familiar (teach) in an unfamiliar place, perceiv- ing prisons as non-conducive to education. Seeing the absence of a purpose-built community, they built one or attached to existing non-educational communities. New educators invoked strategies such as engaging in mutual support, connecting with non-education professionals, asking others to demystify institutional culture, and practicing reflexivity. When reflecting on useful training and orientation activities, …

Creating Commons: Photovoice Philosophy In A Third Space, Jason M. Cox, Lynne Hamer

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Teach Toledo is a program that the authors co-coordinate using community assets to create a third space to confront systemic racism’s impact on teacher education programs and facilitate hybridity (Bhaba, 1994). Diverse student cohort members use their lived experience as the base for their individual and shared urban educational philosophies, coordinated in a first-year horizontally and vertically integrated curriculum including written compositions and a PhotoVoice project. “Creating commons” refers not only to provision of a third space as a common space where private experiences can be combined to create a hybrid, new understanding, but also to the creative act of …

Economic Evaluation Of Teacher Induction Programs: A Report, Jonathan D. Becker, Elisa Tedona, Matthew Togna

MERC Publications

Research shows that teacher induction programs can be effective as measured by a number of outcomes. However, research also shows that teacher induction programs vary greatly from one district to another. Furthermore, there is no research that examines teacher induction programs with respect to costs and benefits. Educational leaders and stakeholders do not need to wait on formal institutional research to do such an economic evaluation.

This report, in combination with a How-to-Guide, the Teacher Induction Program Cost Matrix and the Teacher Induction Program Benefit-Cost Workbook, comprises a toolkit designed to allow school and district leaders to conduct …

Economic Evaluation Of Teacher Induction Programs: A Toolkit How-To Guide, Jonathan D. Becker, Elisa Tedona, Matthew Togna

MERC Publications

Research shows that teacher induction programs can be effective as measured by a number of outcomes. However, research also shows that teacher induction programs vary greatly from one district to another. Furthermore, there is no research that examines teacher induction programs with respect to costs and benefits. Educational leaders and stakeholders do not need to wait on formal institutional research to do such an economic evaluation.

This how-to guide, in combination with a comprehensive report, the Teacher Induction Program Cost Matrix and the Teacher Induction Program Benefit-Cost Workbook, comprises a toolkit designed to allow school and district leaders to …

Supporting Students Who Are Deafblind To Increase Their Access To The General Education Curriculum Through Trained Interveners: A Mixed Methods Study, Ira Padhye

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods research study was to identify the educational trends of children and young adults who are deafblind and identify strategies to improve the outcomes through interviews of nationally qualified interveners who have received training in deafblind specific strategies. Secondary data from the 2017-2021 National Center on Deafblindness and interview transcripts were used for data analysis and then integrated to identify the supports students who are deafblind should access. Trends in age of identification, primary eligibility category, school settings and access to state standardized assessments showed a plateau and displayed no significant improvement in educational outcomes. Nationally …

The Relationship Of Mentorship And Professional Development On Special Educators’ Intent, Christine S. Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature in special education has examined professional development (PD) and mentorship separately; however, no studies have investigated the relationship between PD and mentorship on special education teachers’ intent. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which participating in PD and mentorship opportunities predicted the likelihood of Early Career Special Education Teachers' (ECSETs) intent to leave the teacher workforce while examining factors related to duration and quality. Based on two conceptual models, Desimone’s (2009) best practices for professional development and Nick et al. (2012) best practices for academic mentoring, this study identified key features and characteristics …

Seeing Themselves: White Preservice Teachers As Raced Individuals And As Members Of Their Future School Communities, Laurie Koth

Theses and Dissertations

Students of color, of poverty, with disabilities continue to slide into the school to prison pipeline (STPP.) Very often, an antecedent step is harsh exclusionary discipline that removes them from the classroom. Teachers, who play a major role in the decision whether to keep students in or eject them from the classroom and the school, are among multiple forces driving students toward or away from the STPP. A salient feature of the issue is that nearly 80% of teachers are white and their most vulnerable students are not. Rooted in critical race and care theories, and buttressed by self determination …

Addressing School Bullying Since The Onset Of Covid-19: A Merc Research And Policy Brief, David Naff, Morgan Meadowes, Kim Dupre, Alicia Gaston, Fatemah A. Khawaji, Christina Tillery, Makeba Lindsay D'Abreu, Lauren Powell, Deanna Fierro

MERC Publications

Among the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is a shift in the nature and intensity of school bullying, perhaps symptomatic of the rapid changes and stressors that PK-12 students have endured since 2020. In this MERC research and policy brief, we explore how school bullying has changed since the onset of COVID-19 as well as research-based strategies for how educators and division leaders can best respond to it. The brief answers the following questions: 1) What is the nature of school bullying since the onset of COVID-19? 2) Which students have been particularly impacted by bullying since the pandemic? …

Administrator Feedback To Teachers, Regina Frazier, Candace Wilkerson, Jacquie Cioffi, Patrick Simmons, Makeba Lindsay D'Abreu, Thea Racelis, Amanda Simmons, Melissa Yancey, Deanna Fierro, David B. Naff

MERC Publications

This brief from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) curates peer-reviewed scholarship as well as state and school board policies in Virginia related to administrator feedback to teachers. It explores the following questions: 1) What is the purpose of administrators providing feedback to teachers? 2) How do administrators typically provide feedback to teachers? 3) How do teachers typically receive feedback from administrators? 4) What are research-based strategies for administrators to provide productive feedback to teachers? It concludes with key takeaways and recommendations for how administrators provide feedback to teachers.

An Exploration Of Restorative Artmaking During Covid-19, Linda J. Helmick

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

This research explores a curriculum, delivered on Zoom, that blended art education with art therapy to support educators’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand the restorative aspects of collective artmaking and reflection, I established a series of artmaking workshops for educators via Zoom. As an artist/researcher/teacher, I made collages as an arts-based inquiry method. I found that participants needed a safe place to express, create, and share in a community of others who have similar needs, desires, and experiences, a respite from the early, terrifying days of the pandemic. Meditation, blended artmaking experiences, and reflection encouraged everyone to feel …

Teacher Retention Policy Coherence: An Analysis Of Policies And Practices Across Federal, State, And Division Levels, Andrene Castro, Adria Hoffman, Jonathan D. Becker, David Naff, Peter S. Willis, Andy Kane

MERC Publications

As part of a larger MERC study, this report provides an overview of federal, state, and regional policies and practices relevant to teacher retention. Using key informant interviews and document analysis, the report addresses the following research questions: What teacher retention policies exist at the federal, state, and local levels? How are these policies structured at the state level and local levels? How do teacher retention policies vary across MERC divisions? Following the findings, the report presents recommendations for policy and practice.

Policy And Practice Brief 8: Teacher Training And Endorsement Requirements To Teach English Learners In Virginia, Virginia R. Massaro, Virginia Palencia, Merc Multilingual Education Research And Evaluation Team

MERC Publications

There is a growing need to ensure Virginia teachers have a grounding in effective practice for EL education. Teacher preparation programs in Virginia require preservice educators in mainstream classrooms to be trained in English Learner (EL) teaching methods, but how preparation programs meet this requirement varies. For educators wishing to be endorsed as English as a Second Language teachers, requirements have recently been reduced in scope. To supplement the training and qualifications required to receive licensure, professional development for teaching multilingual students should be commonplace.

Just In Time Mathematics Review For Accounting Students, Anneke Bart, Michael May S.J., Debbie Pike

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the Just-in-Time Review developed for an undergraduate accounting course. The review materials cover five topics in algebra. Students take an online assessment, and online materials are made available to help students catch up in those areas where some review is recommended. This paper is a case study of the development and implementation of the Just-in-Time Review for an accounting course at Saint Louis University.

A Tale Of Four Departments: Interdisciplinary Faculty Learning Communities Informing Mathematics Education, Bryan D. Poole, Caroline Maher-Boulis, John Hearn, Jason Robinson, Patricia Mcclung, Amanda Jones

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As a result of the Curriculum Foundations Project and the SUMMIT-P consortium, faculty from four different departments at Lee University created a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) with the goal of improving students’ attitudes toward undergraduate mathematics courses, including students’ perception of the utility of mathematics in their lives and the feelings of anxiety that they experience in these courses. The interdisciplinary collaborations resulted in introducing novel activities and manipulatives in various mathematics courses (Introduction to Statistics, Concepts of Mathematics I and II, and Algebra for Calculus). This paper first describes the efforts of creating the inter-departmental FLC. Second, it discusses …

Leveraging Interdisciplinary Expertise In Developing An Alternative Mathematics Pathway, Beverly Wood, Debra T. Bourdeau

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

How many instructors does it take for amazing course design? Or perhaps we should begin with “A mathematician, humanist, communication expert and statistician walk into a bar.” This unlikely team has co-developed a pair of courses, Learning to Reason I: Art and Quotient and Learning to Reason II: Commerce and Flux, that deeply investigate quantitative reasoning from multiple perspectives. Blending elements of rhetoric, logic, and history with mathematical computation, representation, and application breaks through the perceived barriers between the unyielding, obstinate world of mathematics and the ambiguous, equivocal world of the humanities. Developing the courses as an interdisciplinary team of …

Using An Interdisciplinary Case Study To Incorporate Quantitative Reasoning In Social Work, Nursing, And Mathematics, Elizabeth Post, Mischelle Stone, Lauren Cavner Williams, Mary Beaudry

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Through the national consortium, SUMMIT-P, Ferris State University faculty collaborated to develop and scaffold mathematics and quantitative reasoning across disciplines to reduce math anxiety. Participants in this collaborative group included faculty from social work, nursing, and mathematics who developed a case study on a Hurricane Katrina scenario that necessitated calculating the need for emergency shelter, water, food, and medicine, and as a response to the potential for a Malaria outbreak. This particular case study allowed faculty to use the lens of social justice to teach mathematical concepts and provided an avenue for nursing and social work students to engage in …

Improving Student Knowledge Transfer Between Mathematics And Engineering Courses Through Structured Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: A Summit-P Initiative, Laura Ellwein Fix, Afroditi Filippas, Maila Brucal-Hallare, Rebecca Segal

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Student learning across STEM disciplines has been shown to increase with greater integration of applications in mathematics courses. One challenge of this effort is that identical constructs are often presented differently in the partner disciplines than in the mathematics courses. This leads to student confusion and an inability to transfer critical knowledge in their disciplinary courses, even for students who have mastered the mathematical paradigms. An interdisciplinary team at VCU consisting of mathematics and engineering faculty has worked to improve the knowledge transfer required for the integration of applications in the Differential Equations curriculum. This work is part of the …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration To Develop Meaningful Mathematical Experiences, Susan Ganter, Bill Haver

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This issue of the Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations (JMSCE) is the second special volume highlighting the impact of the consortium for Synergistic Undergraduate Mathematics via Multi-institutional Interdisciplinary Teaching Partnerships (SUMMIT-P). The development and goals of SUMMIT-P were outlined in the preface of the first special issue of JMSCE devoted to this project (Ganter & Haver, 2020). Full participation from partner discipline faculty is key to the success of redeveloping introductory mathematics courses in a way that incorporates the contextual needs of the other disciplines. As such, SUMMIT-P’s first task was to find ways to best engage colleagues …

Statistics For Nursing And Allied Health At Saint Louis University In The Spirit Of Summit-P, Kimberly S. Druschel, Mike May, Elizabeth Gockel Blessing

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the renewal of a consumer-based elementary statistics course to benefit students in the nursing and allied health disciplines. While the goal of the course transformation was initially to update the pedagogy of the course and ensure students are able to make connections between the course material and their majors, that goal expanded to include the needs and objectives of the client disciplines. This expanded goal was accomplished by incorporating insights gained from a SUMMIT-P business school collaboration and was based on the Curriculum Foundations project recommendations. The paper addresses course projects, instructor development, faculty roles, and interactions …

Full Issue

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.