Education Commons^™

Epistemic Bubbles In Affluent Schools, Virginia M. Pieczynski

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

This essay explores the teachings of Dr. Adam Howard, an educator and researcher focused on the relationship between privilege and identity in educational systems, through the lens of the epistemic bubble. It reviews what epistemic bubbles are, how they are formed, and how and why we should combat them, drawing from Dr. Howard’s experiences with similar structures in affluent schooling.

Deaf Inclusion And Accessibility In The Dance Field, Samantha M. Doyle, Caroline S. Clark

Symposium of Student Scholars

Over the past ten years, the dance field in the United States has shifted towards practicing diversity and inclusion. However, there are still underrepresented groups in dance, such as the Deaf community. There is a current lack of pedagogical content to help dance teachers and choreographers be inclusive to Deaf dancers. This research addresses the gap by discussing issues and access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing (HOH) dancers in the dance classroom and on stage. To do so, I present a literature review and analysis of current scholarship with a goal of bringing awareness to the current lack of accessibility to …

Epistemic Bubbles In Affluent Schools, Virginia M. Pieczynski

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

This essay explores the teachings of Dr. Adam Howard, an educator and researcher focused on the relationship between privilege and identity in educational systems, through the lens of the epistemic bubble. It reviews what epistemic bubbles are, how they are formed, and how and why we should combat them, drawing from Dr. Howard’s experiences with similar structures in affluent schooling.

Latina Lift Off: How Inclusive Innovation Helps Latina Undergraduate Students Rise, Kate Jackson

Together We RISE (Making Excellence Inclusive)

In this workshop, we will discuss how Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Lake Forest College is supporting and encouraging the academic success of our Latina, first-generation students. Our approach includes an Inclusive Innovation class, a rich entrepreneurial mindset curriculum, and real-world, high-impact projects. Year over year, our center has seen an increase in Latinx students choosing our program, rising to nearly 1/5 of total students.

We believe Inclusive Innovation meets the aims of a liberal arts education. And we believe other small liberal arts colleges can replicate our efforts in a way that benefits both their students and their local community. …

Education In Australia/ New Zealand Vs United States, Lauryn Calloway

Symposium of Student Scholars

The purpose of this research paper is to examine the possible differences between the education systems in Australia/ New Zealand versus the Education system in the United States. This paper will cover a variety of topics such as Early Childhood Education Goals and Outcomes, Birthing process, midwifery, and home births, Parenting for neonatal and early childhood, Intervention strategies with young children and their families, Minorities in the country and educational support for them, Teacher education, qualification, and benefits, EECE Policy Reviews and other useful information. The goals are to research and compare the results to one another.

Keywords: Goals, …

Reporting Student Progress: What Might It Look Like?, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard, Anthony Hockey, Tegan Knuckey

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

The Communicating Student Learning Progress review produced by ACER in 2019 set out recommendations for schools and systems to improve the way schools report on student learning, in particular learning progress. Two case study schools from Victoria – a Catholic primary school and government secondary school – discuss changes they’ve made to their student reporting processes, in response to the review’s recommendations. Further research is recommended into how schools are rethinking reporting to engage students and parents in monitoring learning growth.

The Swans/Ables Project: A Set Of Resources Developed Collaboratively With Teachers To Support The Teaching And Learning Of Students With Additional Learning Needs, Toshiko Kamei

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

The inclusion of students with additional learning needs in schooling is part of policy and practice in Australia. However, it has been well documented that teachers lack the resources and training to meaningfully include students with additional learning needs in the full range of learning in their classrooms. The SWANs (Students with Additional Needs) program of work aimed to fill this gap through developing assessments based on learning progressions to provide targeted information to support the teaching and learning of all students, including students with additional learning needs. The development and implementation of the SWANs/ABLES suite of resources illustrates how …

How Might We Identify And Measure Learning Progression In History?, Louise Zarmati

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

In this session, Dr Zarmati will share her research on efforts to map and describe progress in the learning area of History.

Learning progression is a continuum that measures advances in learning by tracking development from early learning to more sophisticated levels of mastery. Mathematics relies on an understanding of empirical knowledge and concepts in a hierarchical sequence; students need to understand (or master) one mathematical concept before they can proceed to the next. In comparison, progress of understanding in history is not necessarily hierarchical because it is based on mastery of concepts and skills rather than historical knowledge, which …

Supporting Science Teaching Practice With Learning Progressions, Erin Furtak

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Learning progressions are often used as foundations for curriculum and assessment. At the same time, as representations of the development of student ideas and practices, they can also serve as maps to support teachers during instruction. This paper describes a program of research in which my colleagues and I have investigated how learning progressions can support high school science teachers in cycles of co-designing formative assessments.

Rethinking Measurement For Accountable Assessment, Mark Wilson

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

The underlying model for most formal educational measurement (e.g. standardised tests) is based on a very simple model: the student takes a test (possibly alongside other students). The complications of there being an instructional plan, actual instruction, interpretation of the outcome, and formulation of next steps, are all bypassed in considering how to model the process of measurement. There are some standard exceptions, of course: a pre-test/post-test context will involve two measurements, and attention to gain score, or similar. However, if we wish to design measurement to hold to Lehrer’s (2021) definition of ‘accountable assessment’ – as ‘actionable information for …

Making Excellent Progress In Early Reading: How Can The Identification Of Essential Skills And Concepts Help?, Dara Ramalingam, Prue Anderson, Sandra Knowles, Danielle Anzai, Greta Rollo

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

The ability to read and understand text is fundamental to full participation in modern adult life (Olson, 1977; Elwert, 2001). It is essential to educational progress across domains, but increased literacy levels are also linked to positive outcomes in terms of employment and health. Given its critical role both in the facilitation of learning in all domains, and in many aspects of life beyond school, it is imperative that we give students the best possible chance to develop their reading skills. This paper uses early reading as a case study for examining how the identification and explication of essential skills …

Leading System Transformation: A Work In Progress, Greg Whitby, Maura Manning, Gavin Hays

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Internationally, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted the education sector. While NSW has avoided the longer periods of remote learning that our colleagues in Victoria and other countries have experienced, we have nonetheless been provoked to reflect on the nature of schooling and the systemic support we provide to transform the learning of each student and enrich the professional lives of staff within our Catholic learning community. At Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP), a key pillar of our approach is to create conditions that enable everyone to be a leader. Following the initial lockdown period in 2020 when students …

Interpreting Learning Progress Using Assessment Scores: What Is There To Gain?, Nathan Zoanetti

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Using assessment scores to quantify gains and growth trajectories for individuals and groups can provide a valuable lens on learning progress for all students. This paper summarises some commonly observed patterns of progress and illustrates these using data from ACER’s Progressive Achievement Test (PAT) assessments. While growth trajectory measurement requires scores for the same individuals over at least three but preferably more occasions, scores from only two occasions are naturally more readily available. The difference between two successive scores is usually referred to as gain. Some common approaches and pitfalls when interpreting individual student gain data are illustrated. It is …

Using Assessment Data To Improve Equity: How Teachers Use Insights From The Scottish National Standardised Assessments, Sarah Richardson, Sladana Krstic

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Evidence-based decision-making is regarded as an important indicator of quality in schools around the world. Using data gathered from assessments, in conjunction with other insights, can help school leaders and teachers better meet the needs of learners. In schools that cater to disadvantaged learners, using data to design targeted interventions plays an important role in improving equity. In this paper we report on a study with five schools in Scotland. All schools had learner cohorts characterised by multiple layers of disadvantage. Informed by the theoretical underpinnings of sensemaking theory, we investigated how teachers and school leaders used data from the …

Identifying And Monitoring Progress In Collaboration Skills, Claire Scoular

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

The nature of skills such as collaboration is complex, particularly given that there are internal processes at play. Inferences need to be made to interpret explicit behaviours observed from intentionally designed assessment tasks. This paper centres on the approach to develop hypotheses of skill development into validated learning progressions using assessment data. Understanding a skill from a growth perspective is essential for the effective teaching and development of the skill. The application of Item Response Theory (IRT) allows the interpretation of assessment data as levels of proficiency that we can use to map or monitor progress in collaborative skills.

Exploring Excellence In Indigenous Education In Queensland Secondary Schools, Marnee Shay, Jodie Miller, Suraiya Abdul Hameed

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

In the national and international landscape, there is very limited exploration of cultural constructs of excellence, in particular, in Indigenous contexts. This pilot study aimed to centre the voices of Indigenous people in conceptualising excellence in Indigenous education, as well as to share understandings between Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners. Qualitative data collection methods were used including collaborative yarning, storying, and semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using cross-case analysis to examine the views of educators across three school sites. Indigenous participants highlighted the importance of nurturing culture and identity; building up young people; and, building a culture of inclusivity and belonging. …

Learning Progressions As Models And Tools For Supporting Classroom Assessment, Alicia C. Alonzo

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Like all models, learning progressions (LPs) provide simplified representations of complex phenomena. One key simplification is the characterisation of student thinking in terms of levels. This characterisation is both essential for large-scale applications, such as informing standards, but potentially problematic for smaller-scale applications. In this paper, I describe a program of research designed to explore the smaller-scale use of LPs as supports for teacher classroom assessment practices in light of this simplification. Based on this research, I conclude that LP levels may serve as a generative heuristic, particularly when teachers are engaged with evidence of the limitations of LP levels …

Karmel Oration: Excellent Progress For All: A Function Of Year-Level Curriculum Or Evidenced-Based Learning Progressions?, Dianne Siemon

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Excellent progress for all students is an ambitious but necessary goal if we are to improve the life choices of all students. At the moment, we are not serving all our students well despite the best efforts of teachers. We need to look further afield to the curriculum and assessment regimes that drive current practice. Grouping students by ability and offering a watered-down curriculum for some is not the answer. Evidenced-based learning progressions that point to what is important in ensuring all students build a deep, well-connected understanding of mathematics over time is what is needed to support reform at …

This Time Without ‘Feeling’: Children’S Intuitive Theories Of Art As A Logical Basis For Learning Progression In Visual Arts, Karen Maras

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

Learning in Visual Arts has traditionally been framed as an experiential process in which feeling and intuition complement the development of aesthetic knowledge. However, while art can be about feelings and processes that develop students’ expressive capacities, the complexity of art understanding and thinking extends beyond this narrow common-sense assumption. I argue that this assumption, which is represented in the Australian Curriculum: The Arts (ACARA, 2015), and even more firmly resonates in recent proposals for the revision of this curriculum (ACARA, 2021), obfuscates the conceptual and theoretical bases on which students make progress in art understanding. This paper examines the …

How Education Gets In The Way Of Learning, Geoff N. Masters

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

The formal structures and processes of school education – including the organisation of the school curriculum, processes for assessing student learning, methods of reporting performance, and the uses to which student results are put – are often inconsistent with what is now known about the best ways to promote human learning. Rather than being designed to maximise every student’s learning, these structures and processes often reflect 20th century priorities, including the use of school education to sort and select students into different education and training destinations, and future careers. This sorting function of schooling is becoming increasingly irrelevant in knowledge …

Research Conference 2021: Excellent Progress For Every Student: Proceedings And Program, Australian Council For Educational Research

2021-2030 ACER Research Conferences

The focus of the 2021 Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Research Conference is on evidence-based strategies for ensuring that every student makes excellent ongoing progress in their learning. This is an important topic because many students in our schools do not make good, steady progress. Some slip behind and fall increasingly behind the longer they are in school. By the middle years of school, this contributes to significant levels of student disengagement. ACER has invited a number of leading educational researchers to join us to share the findings of their research relevant to this topic. An important conclusion of …

Still A Forgotten War? Investigation Of College Students' Understanding Of The Korean War., Symphony Williams

Symposium of Student Scholars

The purpose of my research is to investigate how much and what knowledge college students have on the Korean War. This study is important because the Korean War is often referred to as a “forgotten war” but is a significant event in American history, as well as an ongoing issue in today’s world. Investigation into what college students know and believe about the Korean War, as well as, where and when they learned this information, is critical in evaluating and reforming how the Korean War is taught in US schools. I designed a survey using Google Forms, and gathered results …

Online Echocardiography Modules For Pediatric Cardiology Fellows, Sarah Studyvin, Doaa Aly, Tyler Johnson, Laura Kuzava, Alison Samrany, Nitin Madan, Sanket Shah

Research Days

Background: Adequate echocardiographic (echo) education is integral to successful cardiology training. Online education is proven to be effective in other specialties, but pediatric echo training data are lacking.

Objectives/Goal: Our aim was to design and assess the role of a novel online module-based curriculum to enhance pediatric cardiology fellows’ echo education.

Methods/Design: Four interactive modules, focused on principles and interpretation of a normal echo, were delivered to fellows. Content included high quality 2D and 3D echo clips as well as interactive quizzes and could be accessed from a phone, tablet, or computer. All fellows completed pre- and post-tests, validated by …

April Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda including April 8 meeting minutes, Graduate Council Curriculum Committee minutes and Student Research Grants Committee requests.

Access To Quality Education For The Underprivileged, Jayant Kumar '23, Ayati Lala '23, Jacqueline Zhang '23, Julius Wardlow '23

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

Education is something that everyone deserves; however, throughout the USA, there are extreme inequalities in the education system. In Illinois specifically, districts in affluent neighborhoods, such as districts 204 and 203, have graduation rates more than 10% above the state average, along with more opportunities like clubs, extracurriculars, sports, and easier access to tutoring. Conversely, districts such as 189 and 131, which are in less affluent areas, see graduation rates 10% below the state average, as well as fewer opportunities for their students as stated in the Illinois State Report Cards. As a result, we hereby propose a solution that …

S1: Emotional Intelligence Curriculum And The Impact On Dental Students, Monica Freifeld Dmd

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

April Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda which includes March 11 meeting minutes, academic policy revisions, Graduate Council Curriculum Report tracking and graduate school enrollment reports.

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Teacher Candidates Identify What’S Important, Jeania Jones, Lindsay Gallon, Kim Cheek

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Honorable Mention Winner

Teacher preparation programs prepare teacher candidates (TC) with clinically rich field experiences. These programs prepare teachers to teach groups of students that are culturally, racially, and linguistically diverse. The TCs that participated in this study were in the first semester of the elementary program and were concerned with an experience that would be remote. COVID-19 impacted the experiences of the TCs by removing the field component during the Fall 2020 semester. The candidates were not provided access in the elementary schools to complete the practical experiences due to the districts’ pandemic guidelines. Due to the lack of …

The Cost Of Education, Dania Hassan

CBER Conference

Quality of education in Pakistan usually depends on how high the school is charging. However, when private schools charge higher, they also provide the facilities which are shown in the former doughnut chart. Unlike private schools, public or lowend private schools only charge for minimal tuition fee, either awarded from the government or collected from the pupils.

Crisis Communication During Covid-19, Jonathan C. Cruz

Research Days

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Kankakee County and surrounding schools since March 2020. This crisis has had an educational impact for the Kankakee Area Career Center. Primarily focused on hands on learning in various trades, the transition towards remote learning lasted throughout the 2019-2020 school year, and has continued periodically in the Fall 2020 semester. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the actions and outcomes on the Kankakee Area Career Center’s COVID-19 response when it comes to remote learning, communications for its stakeholders, and potential recommendations to streamline this process during times of crisis.