Education Commons^™

Motivation For Leisure Reading : A Model Camp Adventure Curriculum, Nicole Beth Geopfert

Graduate Research Papers

Much research has consistently revealed that the percentage of young children choosing to engage in leisure reading is declining. Instead, potential young readers are consumed many other forms of leisure activity such as video games, Internet, computer games, movies, and more. To become lifelong learners, children ought to be motivated to read. The questions explored in this paper are: what are the obstacles to developing avid independent readers and how can we help young children become engaged, recreational readers? This paper presents a review of the literature on reading motivation, reading attitude, and the gender gap in reading.

The information …

Adult Learners : Who Are They, And What Do They Need To Succeed?, Antoinette Givens

Graduate Research Papers

The unique learning needs of adults are important. Adult education as identified by the literature is a change of knowledge, attitude, or skill of an individual that performs ,, social roles assigned to the adult population. This literature review addresses the question: (a) who is the adult learner? (b) What are the learning needs of adult learners? (c) What are effective strategies for teaching adult learners?

The adult learner is not fully understood without examining education, andragogy and pedagogy, instructional strategies, motivation, and barriers to learning in adults. This area of research is important to the development of effective adult …

Reading Aloud To Children : Is There A Relationship To Reading Achievement?, Stephanie Gierstorf

Graduate Research Papers

This qualitative participant research paper focuses on the importance of reading aloud to children at a young age. Results indicated that being read to at an early age was not enough, in and of itself, to predict reading achievement. However, the amount of parental interaction between the parent, child, and text can affect a child's reading achievement. Children who were exposed to dialogic read-alouds tended to become more independent readers, who chose to read on their own, later in elementary school. It is hoped that educators and parents will understand the importance of including children in a dialogic reading approach …

Effects Of Digital Storytelling In A Language Arts Classroom, Joseph J. Hegland

Graduate Research Papers

Digital storytelling is a process of writing a story using technology to create a movie of a personal story. The purpose of the review is to explore whether or not digital storytelling is an effective way for students in the language arts classroom to connect their writing with technology. The review begins with how technology is used with writing in the classroom·. Then the process of digital storytelling is reviewed to understand the multiple steps: (a) pre-production, (b) production, (c) post-production and (d) distribution. The use of digital storytelling in the classroom and how teachers have used digital storytelling is …

Building Relationships To Support Self-Regulation, Sherice Hetrick-Ortman

Graduate Research Papers

Discouraged students come to school unable to learn. Emotional and social factors affect their intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness and place them at high risk for school failure. This paper discusses the application of strategies influenced by; sociomoral atmosphere, trust development, self regulation, emotional intelligence, attachment theory, and cultural awareness.

The research addresses the question: Will emotionally discouraged children be able to regulate their emotions through positive relationship building with the classroom teacher? The results contribute to our knowledge of how to support children's ability to regulate themselves in the absence of external devices.

Investigating The Impact Of Data-Driven Decision Making On Elementary Curriculum And Its Implications For Teaching And Learning, Sara A. Hofer

Graduate Research Papers

Accountability is the new word of importance in the field of education. National attention to schools has caused states and districts to re-evaluate the business of educating children. This review will investigate the many facets that support data-driven decision making in current educational practices. The research will describe the relatively short history of nationally mandated legislation for the use of data to drive instruction and entitlement of services. Then, this paper will report the implications of implementing data collecting and synthesis systems in individual buildings to maintain both student successes in the classroom while fulfilling demands of national reporting requirements. …

Understanding Children's Thinking At The Moment Of Writing, Steve Peterson

Graduate Research Papers

This action research project describes the thinking of five third grade students of varied writing achievement at the moment of writing. Using a theoretical model of writing (Sharples; 1999), student interviews, work samples, and a teacher journal, this study suggests that young writers' primary concern is getting new ideas for their text, whether while just beginning to draft, or after running out of ideas before the writing is completed. This study offers suggestions about how teachers can address this concern, and how teachers might extend the thinking of young writers in order to help scaffold more complex thinking about writing …

Using High Interest Reading Material To Motivate Struggling And Reluctant Readers, Nicoles C. Hoover

Graduate Research Papers

One of my great challenges as a second grade teacher is getting students who struggle with reading to become engaged, motivated, and enthusiastic about reading. This paper will look at different literature findings about using strategies that involve high interest reading materials to motivate readers. It will seek to determine the values of these practices for all students, but especially those who struggle as readers. It will also look at different types of high interest materials that could potentially motivate readers. This paper will provide resources to others looking to use high interest materials to motivate readers.

Tree Identification And Age Project, Mark Jensen

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the Tree Identification and Age Project is to use authentic learning activities to extend the current curriculum to include learning that takes place at high levels of cognition. The methods employed integrate higher-order thinking into learning through a hands-on, problem-based approach to authentic scientific investigation. Using a problem-based approach, the learners apply knowledge and skills to solve real problems. The process involves focusing on the problem, identifying relative information, categorizing, critically analyzing, synthesizing that information and effectively communicating the results.

Collaborative Teaching : How Can Co-Teaching Be Implemented Effectively In The Classroom?, Elizabeth Lea Kelly

Graduate Research Papers

A huge issue in education today is that of inclusion. There is a wide spectrum of beliefs on whether or not all students should be fully included in the general classroom. According to K.S. Stout (2001) in Special Education Inclusion, a solution to this major issue is collaborative or co-teaching. With a push for least restrictive environment, collaborative teaching has become a very important part of the education system. The big question is: How can teachers implement co-teaching into their instruction effectively?

The Effects Of Using Music And Movement To Enhance Learning, Lisa L. Snitker

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews the effects of using music and movement to enhance learning in early childhood years and in the elementary classroom. Information includes Howard Gardner's musical and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences, the effects of music on brain development in infants and children, studies in the effects of music on spatial-temporal reasoning, how music affects learning in the early childhood and primary years, and the effects of music on special learners. Appropriate for parents, caregivers, and educators, this review provides the basis for incorporating music into everyday early childhood and classroom experiences.