Education Commons^™

Content-Based Instruction Website For Course Modules, Pelin Basci

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentations focuses on content-based instruction for course modules - a Turkish sample.

Capacity Building For The Common Good: Psu's Interdisciplinary Minor In Civic Leadership, Masami Nishishiba, Kevin Kecskes

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Since the early 1990s, Portland State University has furthered its commitment to civic engagement education by adopting an integrated approach to its general education curriculum. As an outgrowth to this initiative, the minor in Civic Leadership was developed in 2004–05. This interdisciplinary minor was designed with the intent to further integrate and sustain institutional engagement with the Portland Metropolitan community and beyond. This article discusses the history, structure, and roles of academic and community partners associated with the Civic Leadership minor, and elaborates the philosophical foundation of the interdisciplinary curriculum that aims to build student capacity for the common good.

Transformed Through Relationship: Faculty And Community Partnersgive Voice To The Power Of Partnerships, Seanna M. Kerrigan, Vicki L. Reitenauer

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the 1990s, hundreds of institutions of higher education have developed community-university partnerships through community-based learning initiatives in order to enhance student learning and strengthen our communities. These partnerships are often built upon ideals of reciprocity and synergy, yet there has been a dearth of rich qualitative assessment to describe the nature of these relationships, the roles played by all of the constituents in these relationships, and the impact that these relationships have on students, faculty, and community partners. This study engaged 10 faculty and their corresponding community partners to document their partnership practices and the impact of these practices …

Queer Youth In Heterosexist Schools: Isolation, Prejudice And No Clear Supportive Policy, Olivia Jo Murray

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the wake of institutionalized homophobia afflicting public schools, the nation faces a unique opportunity to acknowledge and transform the assumption that all people are or should be heterosexual and gender-conforming. In this article, the author examines how people, as a nation, can reform schools to be more inclusive of diverse student identities, such as queer, by transforming educational policy to include the voices of marginalized youth. She begins by first describing federal legislation that excludes the protection of queer youth, subjecting millions of children to exploitation, humiliation, and condemnation within classrooms across the nation. Then, drawing from bell hooks …

A National Research Project Revitalizes And Strengthens A Sig’S Membership, Leadership, And The Quality Of Research In The Field, Steven B. Mertens, Vincent A. Anfara Jr., Nancy Flowers, Micki M. Caskey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

A recent moratorium has temporarily halted the creation of new Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The AERA SIG Executive Committee, the official governance body that oversees approximately 160 SIGs, requested this moratorium, which was subsequently approved by AERA Council. The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the SIG Executive Committee to gather data to facilitate a more critical examination of issues related to SIGs, including low membership numbers, leadership challenges, and specific membership needs addressed by SIGs. This article offers the Middle Level Education Research (MLER) SIG as an example of a SIG …

The Need For Authentic Assessments, Gayle Y. Thieman

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

As state and local policymakers develop valid assessments, as proposed by Secretary Duncan, I suggest they incorporate criteria of “authentic assessment.” Unlike traditional tests of factual recall, authentic assessments are designed to examine students’ performance on real-world tasks. Authentic assessments require active learning and involvement on the part of students who construct their own understanding and apply what they have learned. Students may use digital tools to interpret and evaluate complex information while considering multiple perspectives and alternative solutions. Students use ideas and methods of inquiry that are central to the discipline, e.g., doing the work of policy makers, historians, …

Evaluation Of A Merged Secondary And Special Education Program, Ann Fullerton Dr., Barbara Ruben, Stephanie Mcbride, Susan Bert

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

If classroom teachers are among the greatest determinant of student learning, then teacher preparation programs have a role to play improving educational outcomes for struggling learners. There are currently three established teacher preparation program models: (1) "discrete"; (2) "integrated"; and (3) "merged." In the "discrete" model, which is the most widely implemented of the three, general and special education programs are separate. In the "integrated" model, separate programs are retained but faculty work together to develop some courses and/or field experiences in which special education candidates learn about the general education curriculum while general education candidates learn about inclusive education. …

Internationalizing General Education From Within: Raising The Visibility Of Heritage Language Students In The Classroom, Evguenia Davidova

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article analyzes the findings of a pilot project conducted in 2008–2009 as a partnership between University Studies, Portland State University’s interdisciplinary general education program, and the University’s Russian Flagship Language Partner Program. The project proposes a new approach of integrating non-English speakers’ language skills, culture, and life experiences into classroom activities of general education courses. By engaging the students as facilitators in the exploration of their own cultures and languages, the project offers a model of enriching collaborative student teaching and learning that could be applied to various interdisciplinary courses.

"Math In A Can": Teaching Mathematics And Engineering Design, Ronald B. Narode

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using an apparently simple problem, "Design a cylindrical can that will hold a liter of milk," this paper demonstrates how engineering design may facilitate the teaching of the following ideas to secondary students: linear and non-linear relationships; basic geometry of circles, rectangles, and cylinders; unit measures of area and volume; solving systems of equations with at least two variables; minimization of area to control materials costs and to prevent heat exchange; packing geometry to minimize space for transportation and storage and for controlling for heat exchange; golden ratio as a design aesthetic; ergonomic factors in design including considerations of comfort …

Research Summary: Assessment, Robert Michael Capraro, Mary F. Roe, Micki M. Caskey, David Strahan, Penny A. Bishop, Christopher C. Weiss

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Assessment is important for middle level teachers and their students. In fact, the National Middle School Association (NMSA) highlighted curriculum, instruction, and assessment in This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents (NMSA, 2010). The intention of this summary is to establish assessment’s rightful position as one priority for middle grade teachers and their students. When used wisely and well, teachers obtain information about their students’ strengths and needs, and their students remain informed about their achievements. To begin, educators need an operational definition of assessment. Based on the work of many scholars (e.g., Delclos, Vye, Burns, Bransford, & Hasselbring, …

Developing Mathematical Content Knowledge For Teaching Elementary School Mathematics, Eva Thanheiser, Christine Browning, Meg Moss, Tad Watanabe, Gina Garza-Kling

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper the authors present three design principles they use to develop preservice teachers' mathematical content knowledge for teaching in their mathematics content and/or methods courses: (1) building on currently held conceptions, (2) modeling teaching for understanding, (3) focusing on connections between content knowledge and other types of knowledge. The authors share results of individual research projects and teaching approaches focusing on helping preservice elementary teachers develop such knowledge. Specific examples from different content areas (whole number, fractions, angle, and area) are discussed.

Center For Academic Excellence: Annual Report 2009-2010, Patrice Hudson, Leslie G. Mcbride, Kevin Kecskes, Amy Spring, Janelle De Carrico Voegele, Michael Chamberlain, Vincent Schreck

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Admittedly, a certain amount of tedium is involved in assembling an annual report. Retrieving, verifying, and summarizing all the data generated from CAE’s programs and services during the year feels a lot like double-checking references in a manuscript before sending it off for review. It’s a necessary part of the larger project; sometimes we are surprised.

Somewhere in the midst of the process, we may suddenly see a project from an entirely diff erent perspective, identify a theme that ties together threads or themes we hadn’t realized previously were connected, or more clearly see why faculty members may (or may …

Common Planning Time, Steven B. Mertens, Nancy Flowers, Vincent A. Anfara Jr., Micki M. Caskey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on common planning time. According to a definition by Kellough and Kellough, common planning time is a regularly scheduled time during the school day when teachers who teach the same students meet for joint planning, parent conferences, materials preparation and student evaluation. It notes that student achievements are typically high in schools with high levels of common planning time. It claims that most district schools in the U.S. perceive common planning time as a privilege but due to challenging financial times, it is said to be one component to be eradicated from school budgets. It notes a …

Building Capacity For Sustainability Through Curricular And Faculty Development: A Learning Outcomes Approach, Jennifer H. Allen, Jeffrey J. Gerwing, Leslie G. Mcbride

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland State University has made integration of sustainability across its academic programs an institutional priority. This article describes the strategies that have been used to engage faculty in developing sustainability curricula, including adopting sustainability as one of eight campus-wide learning outcomes, incorporating sustainability into the general education program, providing faculty development, and developing a Graduate Certificate in Sustainability. The article shares lessons learned and next steps planned to advance Portland State's sustainability curricula.

“Why Are Those Leaves Red?” Making Sense Of The Complex Symbols: Ecosemiotics In Education, Creeping Snowberry, Sean Blenkinsop, Veronica Hotton

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Deciphering complex signals of constructed educational systems requires symbolic interpretation; deciphering complex signals that are inherently ignorant of their ecological roots requires a modification of a semiotic approach, which we call ecosemiotics. This paper examines one of many average classrooms through this veil of perception. As part of a larger reevaluation of learning in modern culture, we take apart some of the symbols of the classroom and its contained learning. The paper ends with the positing of several more ecosophically inclined teacher responses.

Well-Prepared Middle School Teachers: Common Ground Or Subtle Divide Between Practitioners And University Faculty In The State Of Oregon, United States, Linda L. Samek, Younghee M. Kim, Jay Casbon, Micki M. Caskey, William L. Greene, Patricia Maureen Musser

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative study followed a survey study that investigated university faculty, classroom teachers, and principals' perceptions of well-prepared middle school teachers in the state of Oregon in the United States. A qualitative approach allowed the researchers to explore and interpret the participants' views (Denzin & Lincoln, 1998). In spite of many similarities, a number of differences in emphasis or priority were found among the groups, including views on assessment, curriculum development, and the importance of family and community connections for beginning classroom teachers. This study provides a foundation for deeper analysis and discussion among university faculty and practitioners concerning the …

Center For Academic Excellence: Annual Report 2008-2009, Patrice Hudson, Leslie G. Mcbride, Kevin Kecskes, Amy Spring, Janelle De Carrico Voegele, Michael Chamberlain, Vincent Schreck

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since its inception in 1994, the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) has provided a comprehensive array of cross-disciplinary and discipline-specific development activities in support of the educational function of the university. The Center has a dual mission of faculty development in teaching, learning, and assessment and in the development of community-university partnerships. Th e Center is a place of innovation, a gathering place for idea generation and testing, and a place where faculty may turn for individual consultation and professional advice. Increasingly, CAE supports faculty interested in community-engaged research.

We are proud to present the 2008-2009 Annual Report of the …

Using The Lesson Study Approach To Plan For Student Learning, Susan J. Lenski, Micki M. Caskey, Vincent A. Anfara Jr.

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Lesson Study approach is a method of professional development that encourages teachers to reflect on their teaching practice through a cyclical process of collaborative lesson planning, lesson observation, and examination of student learning. This results-oriented professional development model is an ideal vehicle for improving instructional practice in middle schools. Characteristically, middle schools are (a) learning communities where teachers and students engage in active learning, (b) places with high expectations for every member of the community, and (c) organizational structures that support meaningful relationships (National Middle School Association, 2003). Middle school teachers have to know their students well—who they are …

Traditional Age Students: Worldviews And Satisfaction With Advising; A Homogeneous Study Of Student And Advisors, Jose E. Coll, Peter Draves

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study sought to determine what student characteristic best predicts advising satisfaction. Outcomes of this study suggest that faculty behaviors such as discussing personal values, majors/ academic concentrations, and financial aid account for significant variance in the prediction of student advising satisfaction. This would suggest those faculties who provide developmental advising are more likely to receive positive advising outcomes. (Contains 2 tables.)

Crossing Borders, Building Bridges, Gayle Y. Thieman

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article is derived from the presidential address delivered at the NCSS Annual Meeting in San Diego on November 30, 2007.

Through collaboration and involvement, we can meet the five critical challenges facing social studies educators today.

Research Summary: Courageous, Collaborative Leadership, Vincent A. Anfara Jr., P. Elizabeth Pate, Micki M. Caskey, P. Gayle Andrews, Larry G. Daniel, Steven B. Mertens, Mike Muir

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

While courageous, collaborative leadership has not been formally recognized as a “model” by those who study educational leadership, there is a wealth of information about collaborative (i.e., participatory) leadership and a growing corpus of literature focused on courageous leadership. As in the development of the ideas connected to collaborative leadership, the world of business is taking the lead in delineating what courageous leadership means. Some of this literature has even surfaced in the realm of religious studies (Hybels, 2002). Simply defined, courageousness in leadership addresses the necessity to step outside the box and take chances to help the organization establish …

Killer Waves, Fiction To Fact: Fiction To Inspire Nonfiction Research In The Intermediate-Grade Classroom, Barbara Ruben, Barbara Liles

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

A description of a literature-based unit on tsunamis that uses the emotional connection of fiction as a stepping-stone to informational research. This unit uses literature circles to motivate curiosity in young readers about science. The emotional connection a reader has with fictional characters bridges fiction and nonfiction and makes nonfiction research more relevant. As is true in all learning, when students have an authentic reason to explore informational text, the learning becomes deeper and more lasting.

Research Summary: Characteristics Of Exemplary Schools For Young Adolescents, P. Gayle Andrews, Micki M. Caskey, Vincent A. Anfara Jr.

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two dangers are associated with any list purporting to include the characteristics of exemplary schools for young adolescents. One danger is a perception that the list is exhaustive—that it includes everything that needs to be considered. In reality, a list cannot capture the subtleties and complexities of schooling. A second danger is that each component will be seen as somehow self-contained, something that can be addressed in isolation. Instead, research demonstrates that the characteristics listed above are “an interacting and interdependent group of practices that form a unified whole… [that] must be dealt with holistically, systemically, to ensure success” (Jackson …

Research Summary: Young Adolescents’ Developmental Characteristics, Micki M. Caskey, Vincent A. Anfara Jr.

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Early adolescence is a distinct period of human growth and development situated between childhood and adolescence. During this remarkable stage of the life cycle, young adolescents (10- to 15-year-olds) experience rapid and significant developmental change. Recognizing and understanding the unique developmental characteristics (traits associated with human growth) of early adolescence and their relationship to the educational program (i.e., curriculum, instruction, and assessment) and to the structure of the middle school (e.g., fl exible block scheduling, advisory programs, and team teaching) are central tenets of middle grades education.

Fundamentals For Student Success In The Middle Grades, Mike Muir, Vincent A. Anfara Jr., P. Gayle Andrews, Micki M. Caskey, Steven B. Mertens, David Hough

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Determining how to provide the best education possible for young adolescents begins with the answers to three essential questions: Who are young adolescents? What do we know about them, their abilities, interests and strengths? Based on what we know about young adolescents, what should schools do to provide a quality education for each and every student? And finally, is there evidence that these recommended practices improve student achievement? How do we know programs and practices designed specifically with young adolescents in mind make a difference? To answer these questions, we will first outline some of the developmental characteristics of young …

Assessing The Quality And Quantity Of Student Discourse In Mathematics Classrooms, Dave Weaver, Tom Dick, Nicole R. Rigelman

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper will discuss the study design, observation protocol, efforts to increase inter-rater reliability, challenges to data collection, and findings from baseline data collection efforts. The paper will also summarize the types of analyses that will be performed with the data and will present other research questions that can be addressed through these analyses.

"Varying Realities Of The Human Experience": University Studies Program At Portland State University, Charles Ryan Brown, Grace L. Dillon, Celine Fitzmaurice, Greg Jacob, Yves P. Labissiere, Antonia Levi, Cherry Muhanji, Candyce Reynolds, Jack C. Straton

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Like many institutions of higher education, Portland State University (PSU) has engaged in initiatives to promote a more equitable and democratic society, from curricular changes to institutional policy implementation. In the late 1980s, PSU required students to complete a certain number of “diversity” credits as part of its general education requirements. During the 1990s, PSU radically revised its approach to general education, creating the University Studies Program that places diversity awareness among its core goals. Most recently, current President Daniel O. Bernstine has instituted a comprehensive “Diversity Initiative” as part of a series of initiatives aimed at improving the quality …

Using Electronic Portfolios As A Pedagogical Practice To Enhance Student Learning, Yves P. Labissiere, Candyce Reynolds

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Real learning transcends barriers of time and place. It can also provide a bag of tools one can take on the journey through life. Some students, unfortunately, leave college with empty toolkits, or ones they do not know how to open. Engaging students in the process of salient, transformative learning is a challenge, but one worth taking. Tagg (2004) speaks eloquently in a recent About Campus article about the need for faculty to use practices in the classroom that improve the quality of learning, and calls for faculty to help students claim their learning and engage in what Kegan (1995) …

Using Parent-Student Pairs For Internet Instruction, Micki M. Caskey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Explored student and parent attitudes toward school-based Internet use using an intergenerational approach that positioned 54 pairs of young adolescents and their parents as co-learners for simultaneous Internet instruction while another 51pairs were given separate Internet instruction. Highlights include reliability measures, factor analysis, analysis of variance, and interview analyses.

Introduction To Three Dimensional Composition / Dancing On The Digital Divide, Geoffrey Adams, Karen King

Proceedings of the 18th National Conference on the Beginning Design Student

Students entering the 3.5Y Masters program at UNM, come to embark on a course of study in architectural design. While all student populations are composed of unique individuals from various backgrounds, this particular group is, at least in an academic discipline by definition heterogeneous, possessing skills and knowledge in diverse fields gained through previous studies and/or employment. What they share is a burgeoning interest in architecture and a willingness to explore design in a studio environment, to start down a path toward a new way of perceiving and engaging the world. This peculiar mix of naivety and sophistication coupled with …