Education Commons^™

Understanding The Learning & Advocacy Needs Of A Twice-Exceptional Student Through A Strengths-Based Lens: A Case Study In California, Lisa Krausz

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Twice-exceptional students possess both high ability and learning disabilities. The complex interaction of their gifts and disabilities perplexes both educators and parents. Educators often use a deficit approach when working with these learners; new research calls for multi-dimensional, strengths-based approaches to engage these students. Strengths-based approaches draw upon student strengths, interests, and talents to help address their disabilities. In this study, information was gathered from a mixed-methods, strengths-based approach to gauge a student’s strengths, interests, talents and disabilities to add to the research on traditional assessment and intervention approaches. The researcher also explored how parents’ understanding of their child aligned …

The Effect Of Animated Self-Concept Videos On Hispanic Fifth-Grade Students Self-Concept, Richard Hill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Studies have documented a major downturn in the self-concept of fifth-grade students as they transition to middle school (Twenge & Crocker, 2000). Two of the major risk factors are being female and Hispanic (Cavazos-Rehg & DeLucia-Waa, 2009). Various interventions have been tried with limited success. The purpose of the present study is to use an animated self-concept video series to test if an animated self-concept video series could support and/or increase the self-concept of fifth-grade students, particularly those in the Hispanic and female risk categories. The study population (N = 192) was a convenience sample drawn from a sample size …

Poverty And Empowerment Discourse In Utah Dual Immersion Classrooms, Lauren Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper considers the discourse, or communication, that occurs in dual immersion programs in Utah. I take a sociocultural perspective to address the question of whether and how these programs are meeting the unique needs of the students enrolled in them. I consider two tasks frequently viewed in five consecutive days of filming: mirroring/repeated phrases and partner talk. Findings suggest that although they have promise, they often do not meet the intended aims of comprehension and language development. The findings also show that these tasks do little to empower participants. The conclusions and implications suggest that commonly accepted tasks in …

Mexican American Parents Of Elementary Students And Literacy Engagement: A Case Study Of A Bilingual (Spanish/English) Parent Book Club Using Children's Literature, Pablo Ochoa

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored what occurred when seven Latinx parents and a bilingual coordinator engaged in a book club using the same historical fiction text as the school's fifth grade classroom. Research questions focused on Book Club participation, connections to the focal text(s), and new learning. Data included audiotapes of the sessions, parent written/artistic artifacts, participant interviews, retrospective field notes, and reflective journal entries.

Study findings suggest that positive partnerships between schools and parents can occur within familial text engagement opportunities built on existing relationships with school personnel; use of relevant literature, literacy activities that allow for parent choice …

Using Comic Books To Improve Three Elementary Studens' Reading And Writing Skills- A Multi-Case Study Analysis.Pdf, Gina M. Doepker, Ewa Mcgrail, Alicja Rieger

Gina Doepker

Public Relations And The School Superintendent: From Theory To Practice, Terry L. Hapney Jr.

Terry L. Hapney Jr., Ph.D.

Cognitively Guided Instruction In Elementary Mathematics: Understanding Factors That Influence Classroom Implementation, Teresa A. Conowal

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

This study focused on the teaching technique known as cognitively guided instruction (CGI), through which teachers explore the individual learning styles of their students and use the information they gather to teach more complex concepts more effectively. The focus of this study was on 10 elementary mathematics teachers, with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of the reasons they are making limited use of CGI techniques in their classrooms. The study used interviews and classroom observations of the 10 participants to identify the factors influencing their willingness or reluctance to apply CGI techniques to their instructional practices. The study …

The Benefits Of A Reading Clinic, Shelby Grandt

Celebration of Learning

For ten weeks, researched was conducted over the benefits of a reading clinic for elementary students and teacher candidates. The research and findings presented are specific to one first grader who is still learning to speak English and came to the clinic knowing how to read a limited number of words. Various literacy strategies were implemented and tested to determine their effectiveness and conclusions were drawn based upon student and teacher candidate growth.

Children’S Negotiations Of Visualization Skills During A Design-Based Learning Experience Using Nondigital And Digital Techniques, Shaunna Smith

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

In the context of a 10-day summer camp makerspace experience that employed design-based learning (DBL) strategies, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to better understand the ways in which children use visualization skills to negotiate design as they move back and forth between the world of nondigital design techniques (i.e., drawing, 3-D drawing with hot glue, sculpture, discussion, writing) and digital technologies (i.e., 3-D scanning, 3-D modeling, 3-D printing). Participants included 20 children aged 6–12. This research was guided by Vossoughi, Hooper, and Escudé’s (2016) call for explicit attention to pedagogical practices during the integration of “making” activities. …

2nd Grade Reading Research On Close Reading, Anna Dispensa

Celebration of Learning

Through Augustana College's partnership with Longfellow Elementary School, I had the opportunity to engage in research regarding remedial reading strategies with second grade students. I investigated the effectiveness of close reading in the elementary school classroom. From my research, it was evident that close reading boosted comprehension as well as minimized the amount of visual errors that students made.

First Grade Literacy Study On Monitoring And Self-Correcting, Peyton Achs

Celebration of Learning

Through Augustana's partnership with Longfellow, I had the opportunity to obtain a reading endorsement. A part of this process I worked with a group of first graders and helped develop their skills in monitoring and self-correcting as they read a text.

Best Practices For The Development Of English Language In Rural Elementary Schools In Prevention Of Long Term English Learners, Heather Christine Gomez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the best practices of English language development programs in rural South San Joaquin Valley elementary schools in the targeted areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking and best practices in teacher professional development to prevent Long Term English Learners from the perspective of principals. An additional purpose was to identify and describe obstacles to the implementation of best practices of English language development in rural South San Joaquin Valley elementary schools from the perspective of principals.

Methodology: Through data analysis, rural elementary schools in South San Joaquin Valley were identified …

Why Parents In San Bernardino Choose Public Charter Schools Over Traditional Public Schools, Robert Moss

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and describe the attributes of public charter schools considered important for the selection of a charter school as perceived by the parents of charter school students. A second purpose of this study was to identify the sources parents used to inform their decision to enroll their child in a charter school.

Methodology. This qualitative study was accomplished by interviewing parents of public charter school students in three districts within San Bernardino County. The interview consisted of nine open-ended questions and each interview was recorded to ensure accuracy of …

Bullies And Allies Near The Playground: Mothers' Experiences Of Aggression In Their Children's Schools, Mara Vicente Robinson

Dissertations

Despite an increasing understanding of the importance of both parent-involvement and aggression among women, there appears to be little understanding of how these two areas influence each other; specifically, the lack of literature examining the extent to which female guardians experienced aggression from other female guardians and the effect it had on their involvement in their children’s schools. In an effort to investigate the extent to which aggression was prevalent among female guardians, the factors that influenced the aggression, and the effects of that aggression on women’s involvement in their children’s education, a convergent parallel mixed methods design was used …

El Impacto De Una Cultura Diferente, Andrea Bensadon Ab

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

El impacto de una cultura diferente

Como profesionales de la educación vimos la necesidad de generar un cambio creando una cultura de pensamiento para respuesta a una sociedad cada vez más compleja, cambiante y exigente.

Con un modelo pedagógico, nutrido en una educación basada en competencias, Cultura de pensamiento, Enseñanza para la Comprensión y Pensamiento visible, propiciamos el desarrollo integral de aptitudes básicas, que brindan a nuestros estudiantes las oportunidades para pensar crítica, flexible y creativamente, estimulando hábitos de mente.

Luego de seis años trabajando en esta línea nos preguntamos cuál es el impacto de estas acciones en el desarrollo …

Treehouses: Civilizing The Wildness Of Men And Nature, Courtney Mckinney

English Undergraduate Distinction Projects

In this paper, I explore how treehouses operate symbolically in tandem with culture. Through an analysis of British and American print culture, I argue that the treehouse building project became bound to boyhood at the turn of the twentieth century as the naturalist movement spread and youth organizations embraced treehouses as part of their vision for the development of boys. Parents and youth leaders intend for treehouse projects to build self-reliance, independence, imagination, and courage in their boys. Congruously, this activity associated with a child’s personal growth takes place in an actual growing organism. I analyze how treehouses juxtapose humans …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

The Effectiveness Of Additional Guided Reading Instruction On Fourth Grade Reading Achievement In A Nj Urban School District Measured By Renaissance Star Reading And The Parcc, Wanda Kopic

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined if additional Guided Reading instruction increased the oral reading fluency and comprehension of fourth-grade students as measured by the Renaissance Star Reading and PARCC state assessment in a low-socioeconomic school district located in northern New Jersey. Propensity score matching was utilized to select the sample to provide a balanced sampling technique. The final sample was comprised of 12 participating schools which consisted of 374 fourth-grade students during the 2016-2017 school year. Three out of the 12 schools provided additional Guided Reading instruction in addition to the mandatory Guided Reading instruction during the literacy block. The variables that …

The Influence Of Chronic Absenteeism On Graduation Rate And Post Secondary Participation In New Jersey High Schools, Michael Jay Tash

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Chronic absenteeism affects the majority of schools in the United States. An assessment of centers of learning illustrates that a majority of students miss a month of learning in an academic year through excused or unexcused absences. The majority of schools exhibit 95% average daily attendance rates, as the learners tend to not miss school, on the same day. Results from previous studies have focused on factors that influence chronic absenteeism within the kindergarten level and elementary school, and these evaluations contribute to the development of interventions that cut across the K-12 system.

This study explains the influence of chronic …

Outdoor Learning - Growing The Mindset A Global Perspective On Promoting Advantage For All Children Through The Use Of The Outdoors To Redress Vulnerability, Marilyn Way, Kerry Boland, Ragnhild Isachsen

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

Outdoor learning – growing the mindset offers a global perspective on promoting advantage for all children through the use of the outdoors to redress social / emotional vulnerability, particularly with children who are on the autism spectrum. The outdoors provides a range of adapted learning environments for all students to experience success. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) for Australia and Age Appropriate Pedagogies (AAP) for school age children underpinned our work and is transferrable across different contexts for children of all ages.

Our early childhood and outside school hours centre is fortunate to have an outdoor learning environment complete …

Diseño De Una Rúbrica Para Evaluar El Impacto Del Desarrollo Del Pensamiento En Los Estudiantes Unificando La Disposición Y La Competencia, Naiara Bilbao Quintana, Oihane Goioaga Buitrago, Itziar Latorre Trueba

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

Se presenta el diseño de una rúbrica de evaluación basándose en los aspectos comunes de a) por un lado, la competencia aprender a aprender, y b) por otro, la disposición al pensamiento, teniendo como referencia autores destacados en ambos ámbitos. A través de este instrumento, se pretende evaluar el desarrollo del pensamiento de los/las estudiantes.

Entornos Estratégicos Formando Hoy Las Grandes Mentes De Mañana, Maria Sol Volman Sol Volman

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

Los espacios que nos rodean influyen en nuestro ánimo, en nuestras decisiones, comportamientos y valores.
Si, además, esos espacios del entorno son espacios educativos, en una edad tan temprana como la primera infancia, con su plasticidad neuronal, estos entornos deben estar cuidadosa y estratégicamente planificados por el docente para formar en ellos el espíritu de aprender.
El entorno es el espacio de trabajo significativo, sustentado por las fuerzas culturales en las que se basa esta investigación. Las 8 fuerzas culturales le dan forma a la cultura, y son las fuerzas que se ponen en movimiento para crear esta Cultura de …

Thinking And Learning In The Postnormal Era: How Might We Respond To A Curriculum That Embraced Diverse Perspectives And Contested Issues?, Nigel P. Coutts Mr

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

We live in a time of chaos, complexity and contradiction. Where rapid changes and transformations through technology, politics, globalisation and the climate, conspire against normality. These times demand a fresh approach to education, one that provides learners with the thinking dispositions they need to turn challenges into opportunities, to connect their learning to their passions and emerge from their years of formal education as self-navigating life-long learners. This workshop will unpack how such an approach can be embedded into the existing curriculum and encourage dreams of a future curriculum that embraces this type of learning.

Exploring Big Questions Through Critical Discussion, Jenna I. Herbert

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

The workshop I have designed, ‘Exploring Big Questions through Critical Discussion’, is a chance for educators to take part in a practical classroom experience involving the exploration of philosophical questions through dialogue with peers. This workshop is a snapshot of how I run a Philosophy session in my grade 3/4 classroom and focuses on teaching children skills in critical, creative and collaborative thinking.

Creating Artful Thinkers - Transforming Research Into Practice, Onsite To Online Learning, Julie A. Carmean, Sara M. Lesk

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

National Gallery of Art educators Julie Carmean and Sara Lesk propose presenting about their process of transforming research into practice through creating the National Gallery’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), specifically for K-12 educators, using the pedagogy of Harvard’s Artful Thinking Routines and the National Gallery’s art collection. This free, international, online learning experience aims to democratize the opportunity for teachers to bring critical thinking through art to their students around the world. Participants will experience a combined onsite/online demonstration of one of their MOOC modules by, first, engaging with a work of art, using an Artful Thinking routine; …

South Africa, Hiv/Aids, And Education, Katie Roberts

Master's Projects and Capstones

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are huge problems in South Africa. HIV is a disease that attacks a person’s immune system and, if not properly treated, can lead to AIDS. While there is a treatment—antiretroviral drugs—HIV remains a highly stigmatized disease. This field project focuses on reducing stigma so people are unafraid to get tested or seek treatment. Created to benefit both teachers and their learners, the goal of this mathematics curriculum (consisting of 12 lesson plans and worksheets) is to begin HIV/AIDS awareness in school so accurate information is learned and stigma is reduced. The …

Mandarin Chinese Tone Identification Training: Developing Materials For Second And Third Grade Classes In Mandarin Chinese Immersion Programs, Xiaoyi Zhang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Among all the different perspectives of Mandarin teaching, Mandarin tone teaching and practicing has been largely ignored. The lack of attention and materials for Mandarin tone teaching is why many students speak, read and listen without the correct tone pronunciation, which leads to a lot of misunderstanding. This field project is a curriculum of Mandarin tone teaching. This project is for second grade and third grade teachers who teach Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language in immersion programs in the Bay Area. This curriculum will enable students to speak and read Mandarin with correct tone pronunciation and distinguish different tones …

Barriers To School-Based Parent Involvement While Living In Public Housing: A Mother’S Perspective, Stephanie Lechuga-Peña, Daniel Brisson

The Qualitative Report

Parent involvement is associated with child academic outcomes, positive behaviors, and social skills. This qualitative study explored school-based parent involvement barriers experienced by nine low-income mothers. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from mothers participating in a community-based program offered in a large public housing neighborhood. Findings included three main barriers: (a) cultural and language differences in their children’s school, (b) undertones of racism from teachers and parents, and (c) being the primary caregiver or sole provider for their children. Although all parents experience challenges to school involvement, low-income mothers face additional obstacles preventing them from engaging in their …

Crear Cultura A Través De La Educación: El Rol La Familia Como Agente Clave Para Efectivizar El Cambio, Andrea Bensadon Ab, Silvina Ziccarelli Msz, María L. Cabezas Mlc

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

Crear cultura a través de la educación es como una de nuestras principales metas. Tenemos el firme propósito de potenciar en todos los actores, alumnos, docentes, familias, las capacidades para aprender y actuar con éxito en el mundo real, transformándonos en una comunidad de aprendizaje.

Entendiendo la institución educativa como un sistema de relaciones, en el cual la familia cumple un rol fundamental de complementariedad, hemos diseñado experiencias que las integran en este proceso, con un doble propósito:

• Dar a conocer la propuesta pedagógica, dado que se trata de generaciones que son formadas bajo un modelo tradicional de educación, brindándoles …

Growing Our Students With Habits Of Mind, Linda Kopec, Ann Stutler

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

Parkwood Elementary is a K -5 International Habits of Mind Learning Community of Excellence. Since embedding the habits, our school has raised student achievement from a D school with no growth to a C school exceeding growth. We are in our third year of implementation. By incorporating the habits of mind in our daily instruction and in all aspects of our school community, we are preparing students to be college and career ready as early as kindergarten. This poster session will highlight the activities at our school and demonstrate the power of utilizing dispositions to improve school climate and student …