Education Commons^™

Does Changing The Definition Of Science Solve The Establishment Clause Problem For Teaching Intelligent Design As Science In Public Schools? Doing An End-Run Around The Constitution, Ann Marie Lofaso

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] "When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection in 1859, it sparked some of the most contentious debates in American intellectual history, debates that continue to rage today. Although these debates have numerous political ramifications, the question posed in this paper is narrow: Does the Establishment Clause permit a particular assessment of current evolutionary theory – intelligent design (“ID”) – to be taught as science in American elementary and secondary public schools? This article shows that it does not.

To understand current disputes over whether and how to teach the origins of life …

Technological Literacy – Not Just You And Your Computer, Joseph Scarcella, Susan Daniels

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

One might argue that the word technology is one of the most misunderstood and misused terms in common usage today. Many believe technology to be synonymous with computers, the internet and other high-tech media. This is limited and short sighted view indeed! Technology encompasses both simple and complex artifacts used daily. Pencils, toothbrushes, zippers and toothpicks – not to mention Velcro (!) – for instance, are all examples of what might be considered relatively modern examples of technology. Often, the wonder of “everyday” invention is lost in our current notions of technology. Yet, it is an investigative inquiry into the …

Five Approaches To Literacy In Correctional Education, Thom Gehring, Gary H. Sherwin

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This article introduces literacy from a few “big picture” perspectives, and then reviews five paradigms that have shaped the teaching and learning of literacy in residential confinement institutions for juveniles and adults. The paradigms are specific to correctional education, but they will be familiar to all alternative teachers and advocates of literacy instruction.

The Power Of Visuals: Picture Books As Invitations To Literacy, Mary Jo Skillings

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

When young children are exposed to picture books, they are building important bridges to literacy. Picture books are sometimes defined as a storybook with a dual narrative. That is, the illustrations and text work interdependently, the integration of the visual and the verbal tell the story. The illustrations add a new dimension that extends beyond the words on the page; together, the text and pictures make the story stronger. A well crafted picture book is a feast for the eyes of a young child. The illustrations awaken and develop the child’s visual, mental, and verbal imagination.

In Our Own Backyard: Critical Theory And The Development Of The San Jacinto Center For Environmental Education, Susanna Hamilton, Darleen Stoner, Randall Wright

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This research addresses the topic of nature centers from a critical theory perspective. This research assumed in part, the question: what are the characteristics of a functional and successful nature center that includes environmental education goals and programs? Nature center administrators from across the United States were surveyed and asked to share their opinions on this topic. Six overall characteristics pertaining to management and vision were identified through an exploratory mixed‑method design. Other components of these characteristics were discovered during the analysis of the data, and include factors such as approaches to education. Recommendations for improving nature centers and their …

Aesthetic Knowing: Essential To The Development Of Heart And Mind., Laura Howzell-Young, Susan Daniels

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Children are biologically wired to experience their world through rich sensory, affective, aesthetic, and imaginal experiences. Children thirst for art, music and movement, and these modes are utilized widely to learn the varied languages of literacy: the alphabet, numbers, vocabulary, body-sense and more. Yet, in response to meeting higher and more prescribed standards at the elementary and secondary levels, there is a tendency to narrow the curriculum, to consider art and music expendable, to view social-emotional development as external to the schoolhouse. This narrowing is happening just as our global culture is moving again toward multiple kinds of communication: toward …

Where Visual Literacy And Identity Meet: Adolescents Define Themselves Through Participation In A University Video And Art Enrichment Program, Susan Daniels, Patricia Little, Linda M. Reynolds, Alayne Sullivan

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This article summarizes a project that oriented one hundred and twenty-five gifted and talented middle-school students to university culture through a series of summer workshops that emphasized visual media. Various workshops introduced students to methods of video and art production. The middle-school students created short videos and artistic collages to represent their identity in response to two activities: (a) in-depth explorations of the California State University campus at San Bernardino; and (b) literary reading. Art and video production are revealed as a powerful means of middle-school students’ identity formation and expression; the work summarized herein gains credence through its alignment …

Developing High School Multiple Intelligence Learning Centers: An Action Research Project In History., Jessica Cannaday

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Research that provides results which can be almost instantaneously put into use is looked on by some teachers as a path to better student learning. Accordingly, action research is a form of critical reflection that some experts believe can achieve instant change. Although, action research is sometimes denigrated as lacking in precision, the critical reflection necessary in any well done action research project demonstrates that such research while, not quantitatively rigorous can still be qualitatively useful. As such, the author discusses her own implementation of MI learning centers as a form of action research in the classroom.

Meaningful Assessment Promotes Meaningful Learning, Diane K. Brantley

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Since the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, America’s schools have faced enhanced scrutiny by the public sector. Larger demands have been placed on children to perform at increasingly higher levels of achievement in reading and math, often beginning as early as kindergarten. Teachers and institutions of higher education have also felt the surge of outside pressure to “perform” wash over them.

Inclusion Of Students With Mild Disabilities: Accessing The General Curriculum, Cecily Ornelles Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Inclusion in general education classrooms is generally believed to have many benefits for students with disabilities. However, relatively little is known about the process of successful inclusion. The broad purpose of this study was to explore the process of inclusion. It sought to discover the variables that may have contributed to the learning experiences and outcomes of two students with mild disabilities in a general education classroom. The intent was to document the students’ experiences as they related to instruction, their peers without disabilities, and teacher supports in an effort to aid teachers and others in implementing inclusion in classroom …

Self-Assessment And Democratization, Betty Mcdonald Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This paper takes the stance that self-assessment is an integral part of democratization in classrooms. Defined as ‘the involvement of students in identifying standards and/or criteria to apply to their work and making judgments about the extent to which they met these criteria and standards’ (Boud 1986, p. 5), self-assessment uses principles that promote democracy. Freedom of expression and participation in decision making propel the student to a level outside of the norm that results in excellence in all areas of endeavor, within and without the classroom. Implications for education and society are discussed.

Assessment Of Emotional Competencies In Educational Leaders: Applying Daniel Goleman’S Work In Emotional Intelligences As A Means Of Evaluating Dispositions Related To The Work Of The School Leader, Paul T. Hackett, James W. Hortman

Perspectives In Learning

The study of best practices related to educational leadership is an emerging area for universities with programs training leaders in school improvement. Practices taught in educational leadership programs have long been related to the technical issues of school operations with emphasis in the areas of finance, law, organizational theory, and strategic planning. More recently, educational leadership programs have begun to focus on the skills required of a leader of instruction (Hallinger, 2003; Jason, 2001). Among areas of concentration for the instructional leader are assessment, collaboration, professional development, and curriculum design. Although the focus of educational leadership programs has changed, the …

Alcohol And Drug Use: The Negative Effect On Health And Academic Achievement, Judson Mccarley, Heather Holloway

Perspectives In Learning

Most know the damaging and lethal effects that drugs and alcohol pose upon our children and young people today. Parents and schools work hard at limiting these terrible and devastating results. However, is this effort enough and what is the latest research on alcohol and drug use by school age children? Although there are significant effects from drug and alcohol use on health and academic achievement, there are a variety of interventions used in keeping children clean. Alcohol and drug use by school-age children poses serious health and safety risks. The three leading causes of death for 15-24 year olds …

Spotlight On Inclusion: What Research And Practice Is Telling The Field, Emily C. Bouck Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Inclusive education needs continued exploration, as current research is ambiguous. This paper presents data across three related studies regarding inclusive education for secondary students with high incidence disabilities. One study represents a survey of curriculum and instructional environments for secondary students with mild mental impairment and learning disabilities, another presents data that explored interactions across inclusive and pull-out educational settings between students with mild mental impairment and their peers and adults, and the final study explored education in pull-out educational settings for students with cross-categorical disabilities. Overall the studies revealed that inclusive education is not a clear solution and must …

Welcome, Patricia R. Renick Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This tenth edition continues the conversation concerning inclusive education by deal with the issues of diversity as well as inclusive education.

Ms. Ashima Das of Mumbai, India graces this issue with one of her poems.

Dr. Betty McDonald discusses the issues of self-assessment and democratization.

Dr. Cecily Ornelles continues this conversation with issues concerning the accessing of the general curriculum by student with mild disabilities.

Ms. Cam Cobb of the Toronto District School Board describes a rich and fascinating history for Korean migration to Toronto and the communities established there by the Korean native.

Dr. Emily C. Bouck challenges the …

Poem By Ashima Das, Ashima Das Ph.D. Scholar

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

A poem written by Ashima Das.

Toronto's Korean Canadian Community: 1948-2005, Cam Cobb

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Ethnicity, the influence of stereotyping – whether it is overt or not - and personal identity intersect on a daily basis. But what is ethnicity? One could argue that it is a flexible idea, or as Weber (1968) notes, a matter of “subjective belief” (p. 389). According to Troper and Weinfeld (1987) “the definition of an ethnic group involves a sense of shared history, real or imagined (p. 106).” I include these two definitions of ethnicity because they both acknowledge the subjective nature of ethnic identity. Reflecting on subjectivity, however, raises questions concerning the interplay between ethnicity and stereotyping. To …

Universal Design For Learning In Inclusive Classrooms, Stephanie A. Kurtts Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The authors of this paper describe how teams of preservice and inservice special and general education teachers implemented universal design for learning (UDL) in inclusive classrooms. An examination of the teachers’ perceptions concerning UDL contributed to understanding how the general education curriculum can be adapted for successful learning for all students. The study was guided by the following two research questions: (1) how do preservice and inservice teachers understand the concept of universal design for learning and (2) how do preservice and inservice teachers perceive the use of an educational software program in implementing instructional accommodations for students with mild/moderate …

Memories From The 'Other': Lessons In Connecting With Students, Thomas Knestrict Ed. D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This article is a result of several years of presenting workshops on meeting the needs of children with learning differences throughout Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. I share many stories during these workshops and this is an attempt to share some of them in print while making some larger philosophical points at the same time. It is also a result of experiencing special education as a student, and teacher in the public schools, as well as teaching and researching in the field as a professor of education.

This is an autobiographical case study. It offers illustrative stories of a system that …

Front Matter

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Editors' Message

Leaping into Uncertainty: Teaching and Learning beyond Logic and Reason

In 1846, Soren Kierkegaard set forth the limits of logical systems and objective truth, neither of which can shed light on the important questions of life. “In logical systems,” the nineteenth century Danish philosophy argues, “nothing may be incorporated that has a relationship to existence, that is not indifferent to existence” (141) because a logical system is purely speculative. Existence is an actuality, a doing. Logical systems cannot account for the necessary leap in life between almost doing something—thinking about doing something (and Kierkegaard’s example is taking the …

Jaepl, Vol. 12, Winter 2006-2007, Kristie S. Fleckenstein, Linda T. Calendrillo

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Essays

Lynn Z. Bloom and Carla Hill. High Stakes Gambling in the Master Class

High Stakes Gambling in the Master Class explores some of the unarticulated intangibles in a relationship between Master Teacher and Honors Student (who collaborated in writing this essay), calculated to produce a distinguished honors thesis, sometimes out of thin air, gambling, playing the hunches that will allow a gleam in the eye to metamorphose into gold on the page.

Judith Beth Cohen. The Missing Body—Yoga and Higher Education.

Using her own yoga practice as a basis, this author argues for more bodily involvement in learning …

High Stakes Gambling In The Master Class, Lynn Z. Bloom, Carla Hill

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

High Stakes Gambling in the Master Class explores some of the unarticulated intangibles in a relationship between Master Teacher and Honors Student (who collaborated in writing this essay), calculated to produce a distinguished honors thesis, sometimes out of thin air, gambling, playing the hunches that will allow a gleam in the eye to metamorphose into gold on the page.

Bodies In The Classroom: Integrating Physical Literacy, Carolina Mancuso

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This essay, based on research in Masters level classrooms for education students enrolled in a Graduate Literacy Program, addresses issues of mind-body-spirit teaching and learning..

“Lashing Out At ‘Intellectuals’”: Facing Fear On Both Sides Of The Desk, Stephanie Paterson

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

The author identifies stages in working through a personal attack in a student's composition. Turning toward conflict in a teacher researcher stance is a creative, self-renewing way to conduct the ongoing (often unexplored) intellectual-emotional work of writing teachers.

Uniting Creativity And Research: A Holistic Approach To Learning, Susan A. Schiller

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

The academy needs to move closer to a holistic form of education, one that values creativity and research equally.

Connecting, Helen Walker, Darina Garcia, Ryan Skinnell, Lee Roecher, Louise Morgan

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Helen Walker. Connecting.

Danina Garcia —Message from a Student Writer.

Libby Falk Jones—Anger in the Teaching Life

Ryan Skinnell —Connections of a First-Year Teacher

Lee Roecher —Guiding the Passion.

Louise Morgan —Emails to Blow Off Steam

Reviews, Mary Pettice, Kerrie R. H. Farkas, Edward Sullivan, Brad Lucas

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Reviews

Mary Pettice. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. (Ed. Anne Frances Wysocki, Johndan Johnson-Eilola, Cynthia L. Selfe, and Geoffrey Sirc, 2004).

Kerrie R. H. Farkas. Writing at the End of the World . (Richard Miller, 2005).

Edward Sullivan. Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of Kindness. (Marc Ian Barasch, 2005).

Brad Lucas. (Re)Writing Craft: Composition, Creative Writing, and the Future of English Studies. (Tim Mayers, 2005).

Back Matter

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

No abstract provided.

Student Achievement Through Early Truancy Reduction, Nanette K. Jackson, Susan Taylor

Perspectives In Learning

Truancy is a concern for all grade levels of all schools. According to Capps (2003) the average student misses thirteen days of school each year. Many students entering middle school have already accumulated 180 days of questionable absences, the equivalent of a full year of school. Studies of school dropouts show students begin distancing themselves from school at an early age. These students are absent more often than other students as early as the first grade (Epstein & Sheldon, 2002). There is a pattern of increasing absenteeism throughout a student’s entire school career. It is not too early to begin …

Career-Related Issues In Secondary Schools: A Literature Review, Jennifer E. Mcghee

Perspectives In Learning

The career counselor’s role over the past 100 years or so has evolved from being a placement tool in the industrial revolution to that of providing a more holistic approach to meeting both the career and personal concerns of individuals. More and more counselors are beginning to focus on the person as a whole, including values, interests, abilities, skills, and work-life experiences, as they counsel on career-related issues (Zunker, 2006). As a focus on human development and the whole person enters the counseling field, school counselors are faced with developing comprehensive school guidance systems that meet the needs of students …