Education Commons^™

Action Research As Empowering Practice, Kathryn Herr

Department of Educational Foundations Scholarship and Creative Works

There is a large debate in the social work literature regarding the gap between research and practice, with current research methodologies critiqued as potentially “blaming the victim” or decontextualizing the practice situation. This paper presents an alternative approach, utilizing action research to inform practice. Originally conceived of as a qualitative interview study, the manuscript traces the evolution of the worker, a teacher and high school students. The research itself addresses the issue of “What is it like to be a student of color here?” in a predominately white school environment. Students and adults conceptualize ways to work together for change …

Letter, To Lawrence J. Wilker From Edna Saffy, October 29, 1995, Edna Louise Saffy

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

Letter to Lawrence J. Wilder, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts encouraging and endorsing the Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s request to participate in the Kennedy Center’s Schools Partnership Program. Typewritten on Edna Saffy Ph.D. Letterhead.

Multiple Intelligences And The Gifted Identification Of African-American Students, Oscar Scott Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

There have been three national reports addressing giftedness: Education of the Gifted and Talented: Report to the Congress of the United States by the U.S. Commissioner of Education (1972) AKA the Marland Report; The National Report on Identification: Assessment and Recommendations for Comprehensive Identification of Gifted and Talented Youth (1982) AKA the National Report on Identification; and National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent (1993) AKA National Excellence. All have documented the underrepresentation of African-American students in programs for the gifted and talented and the disproportionate reliance on standardized intelligence and achievenent tests for gifted and talented program selection. …

Teaching History Through Children's Literature: An Integrated Approach For The Fifth Grade Classroom, Tamara Gayle Crook

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

During my teacher education training I have become fascinated with the idea of teaching social studies through historical novels. As a result of this fascination, I chose curriculum development pertaining to this idea as the subject of my honors project. The purpose of this project was for me to develop, teach, and evaluate an integrated unit using historical novels to teach social studies and a variety of other subjects. I selected the American Revolution as the theme of my unit.

In this paper I have included a brief overview of my review of the literature on this topic, the procedures …

Involving Parents Through Workshops To Promote Reading, Diane Kay Caldwell

All Graduate Projects

Three workshops were designed to assist parents in improving their children's reading development. These workshops focused on the significance of parents participating in their children's reading. The importance of reading aloud and techniques on how to do so were discussed. Specific activities parents could use to promote their children's reading, and the detrimental effects of television on developing minds were also described. The workshops were designed for parents of fourth grade children.

The Utilization Of Music Therapy Strategies For Increasing Prosocial Skills In Students With Behavioral Disorders, Marlene Lennia Anunson

All Graduate Projects

A representative sample of music therapy strategies was developed for use by general music teachers in elementary schools. A literature search was conducted in effective social skills training methods and music therapy techniques. The strageties developed can be used by elementary general music teachers to help improve prosocial skills in students with behavioral disorders.

Establishing A Positive School Climate On The Playground For Students With Serious Behavioral Disabilities: A Collaborative Effort, Mildred Carol Fletcher Garcia

All Graduate Projects

Social skills deficits of students with serious behavior disabilities are often an obstacle to integration into the regular education system. Many of the most troublesome problems occur outside the classroom on the playground due to the lessened structure constraints of the playground environment. As a result, the students are labeled "bad kids" by the teachers and paraprofessionals, are socially rejected by nondisabled peers, and the downward spiral of a negative social "trap" is begun.

The purpose of this study was to create an inservice training packet promoting collaboration between teachers and paraprofessionals providing students with serious behavior disabilities a positive …

A Case Study: Effects Of Tutoring On The Sight Word Vocabulary Of A Nonreader, Paul L. Coppin

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to provide remedial instruction in reading to a ten year old nonreading student enrolled in the Ellensburg School District and to develop a case study that outlined the diagnostic and remedial procedures used with the subject. The case study approach was chosen as a way to document the progress of a single student whose initial diagnosis was as a nonreader. Because the initial diagnosis indicated a need to establish a sight word vocabulary, early instructional methods focused on this area.

Prereading And Postreading Activities For Children's Multicultural Trade Books, Sandra Gail Beardsley

All Graduate Projects

A review of literature was completed to support the need for, and value of, using multicultural literature within the elementary classroom. The criteria for selecting multicultural literature was also reviewed. The project consisted of a booklist and prereading and postreading activities for twenty-five multicultural trade books. The purpose of the project was to heighten student's awareness of the multicultural community in which they live and appreciation of cultures throughout the world. The strategies and activities developed for these books were based on the whole language philosophy. The twenty-five trade books were divided into four themes: 1. Grandparents, 2. Folktales and …

The Effects Of Sustained Silent Reading On The Attitudes Of Fourth Grade Students, Bernice Mcqueen-Bruce

All Graduate Projects

This project was conducted to determine whether sustained silent reading had a positive effect on the attitudes of fourth grade students. The Kear and McKenna Elementary Reading Attitude Survey was administered in a pretest, posttest format to three classes with one class designated as a control group. The results indicated no difference in attitude as a result of implementing a silent reading program.

Student Lessons To Enhance Reading Comprehension In The Social Studies Content Area, Dianne Marie Daily

All Graduate Projects

This project consists of lessons designed to increase reading comprehension of fifth grade students in the social studies content area. The lessons are developed based upon a review of research which indicates improved reading comprehension of expository text among students who are taught to use comprehension enhancing strategies. The activities include vocabulary development, text structure awareness, advance organizer usage, and study and reading guide strategy lessons. Additionally, a teacher's guide accompanies the lessons. These lessons are created specifically for use with the Civil War Unit entitled, "A Nation Divided," as found in Macmillan/Mcgraw-Hill's 5th grade social studies text entitled, United …

A Model That Integrates Experimental Social Studies, English, And Reading Curriculum For Sixth Graders, Cecilia Ann Mahre

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a model integrated, experiential social studies, English, and reading curriculum that would help sixth grade students to relate and apply school studies to real-life/real-world situations. To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature on experiential learning, integrated/interdisciplinary curriculum, the multiple intelligences, and service-learning were reviewed. Additionally, selected businesses throughout the greater Ellensburg area were invited to participate in a partnership to provide experiential learning sites for students. Finally, unit overviews, student learning objectives, performance criteria, learning activities, teaching strategies, and instructional materials were adapted and developed.

Inclusion: A Case Study At Coe Elementray School, Loretta L. Kimball

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to evaluate perceptions of the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of inclusion on the achievement of special needs students and to use this information to increase effectiveness in inclusion programs through the design and implementation of specific teaching strategies. To accomplish this purpose, current literature and research related to inclusion was reviewed. The writer examined how special needs and regular education students are affected and analyzed the variables, strategies and programs which increase effectiveness. The project that follows is a case study of what has been done in the past, what attitudes and perceptions exist and …

Whole Language Based Strategies For Teaching Reading In The Content Areas, Ingrid Annemarie Spencer

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a thematic unit for use in a sixth grade classroom. The unit provides a whole language, integrated curriculum concentrating on ancient Greece. Fifteen lessons were developed for use with a social studies text to teach reading strategies to a class of sixth graders. The project includes a review of selected literature related to the topics of whole language instruction, thematic units, integration, and an explanation of how to utilize the project in a sixth grade classroom. A summary with conclusions and recommendations was included.

Children's Book Festival, Karen Rowell, Onva K. Boshears Jr., University Of Southern Mississippi

Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival Programs

The program twenty-eighth annual Children's Book Festival held on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1995.

Reading Instruction In First-Grade Classrooms: Do Basals Control Teachers?, James V. Hoffman, Sarah J. Mccarthey, Debra Bayles, Debra Price, Bonnie Elliott, Mark Dressman, Judy Abbott

Faculty Publications

This study describes first-grade teachers beliefs and practices about reading instruction. Drawing from interview and observational data, 16 teachers from four districts were placed on a continuum from skills-based to literature-based in relationship to their use of the basal. Only 2 teachers were found to rely solely on the basal, while 3 teachers enhanced the basal with literature, and 4 teachers used only literature in their reading instruction. Six teachers enhanced their basal use with additional skills and 1 teacher relied on skills only in her reading instruction. This diversity' of teaching beliefs and practices was corroborated by questionnaire data …

Graduate Bulletin, 1995-1996 (1995), Moorhead State University

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Children, Parents, And Teachers Regarding Low Academic Progress During Pre-Referral Intervention, Beth Ann Thompson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purposes of this study were two fold: (a) to describe the interplay of the variables such as low progress, communication, instruction and help for a child, interventions, consultation services, meetings between the school and home, and peers as perceived by elementary children who have low progress in at least one academic subject, their parents, and their teachers; and (b) to describe roles and responsibilities of the teachers, parents, and children as they participated in pre-referral activities.

Nine subjects participated in this study to compose three triads; one student from fourth-grade, the mother, and teacher; one student from fifth-grade, the …

Effects Of Direct Reading Instruction On Literacy Achievement In Urban, Literature Based Classrooms, Steven M. Scarcelli

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research examined two similar groups of first grade students and two different approaches to reading instruction within a whole language/literature based curriculum. The sample population for this research was drawn from four randomly assigned first grade classes attending an elementary school with urban characteristics. Teacher selection was based on results from the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile. Teachers in the experimental group implemented an approach that utilized a daily format for reading instruction developed by Dr. Patricia Cunningham. This approach involved strategies including phonics, writing, teacher directed, and self selected reading instruction. Teachers in the control group used the …

1994-1995 Northern University Middle School, Northern University Middle School

Malcolm Price Laboratory School Yearbooks

The 1994-1995 student yearbook of the Northern University High School, part of the Malcolm Price Laboratory School of the University of Northern Iowa.

Science In A Constructivist Classroom: Progress In A Five-Year-Old Child's Reasoning About Water Dynamics, Hyang-Lim Kwak

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study is to understand changes in a target child’s reasoning about water dynamics, specifically, draining and movement of water in tubes. The study also focuses on development and evaluation of activities and teaching strategies. The activities were conducted with all children in the preschool at a public elementary school in Iowa as part of the regular classroom constructivist program inspired by Piaget’s work. Using Piaget’s theory to provide insights into the child’s reasoning and knowledge, analysis focused on the child’s construction of regularities between his actions and reactions of water, and on the construction of relationships …