Education Commons^™

Building Communication Plans For Online Student Service Beyond Course Interaction, Glynis M. Bradfield

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

How do we develop support for students at a distance comparable to service on a physical campus? Come to learn and share best practices in creating communication plans that consider the student’s journey from interest to applicant to admitted and enrolled student all the way to contributing alumnus.

Stories From The Field: Lessons From First Time Online Teachers, Shirley Freed, Kristi Kis, Joyce Susanne Virginia Irrgang, Klaus Irrgang, Tony Reeves

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

Teaching online for the first time is a unique experience! Hear stories from first time online teachers, with reflections, recommendations, and suggestions for administrators providing support and training for faculty.

Design Thinking And Online Education, Andrea Filatro, Carolina Costa Cavalcanti, Everson Muckenberger

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

DT is an approach that promotes innovation, creativity and problem solving. At UNASP Virtual Campus, DT is incorporated into the planning and execution of distance undergraduate programs. As the students develop integrative projects that articulate the content from different courses of the program, they build collaboratively bridges between theory and practice.

Keynote: Redefining The 100%, Larry Blackmer

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

Examine the compelling reasons for pursuing, persisting, and providing Adventist education. Be inspired by a compelling vision to supply Adventist education to all Adventists, using digital tools and pedagogies to make Adventist education accessible to all.

Larry Blackmer is the North American Division Vice President for Education. He has served as a teacher, principal, and boys’ dean at the K-12 level throughout the United States. Larry served as associate superintendent in the Michigan Conference and superintendent of schools in the Idaho Conference. As associate director and then vice president for NAD Education, his duties include secondary education, marketing and technology. …

Teachers Supporting Students Affected By Trauma, Madeleine Smyth

Social Justice and Community Engagement

Although many people would like to think of childhood as a relatively peaceful and happy time, research has indicated that for many children this is far from the case. One study in the United States has estimated that 26% of children will witness or experience a trauma-causing event before they enter kindergarten. Trauma can have a serious impact on a child’s learning and overall classroom experience. Teachers and other school staff can play an important role in recognizing and responding to students presenting with symptoms of trauma in the classroom and mitigating possible adverse impacts on their education. A qualitative …

Developing And Modeling 21st-Century Skills With Preservice Teachers, Jacquelyn Urbani, Shadi Roshandel, Rosemarie Michaels, Elizabeth Truesdell

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Today’s youth face a rapidly changing world, requiring them to move beyond basic formulaic knowledge and skills. Current educational policy, such as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), represents a shift away from rote learning and memorization of facts to the development of the 21st-century skills of creativity: critical thinking; communication; collaboration; and information, media, and technology skills (IMTS). Business and political leaders also recognize the necessity in addressing these core competencies for the 21st-century landscape (Ravitch, 2010). For students to be competent in a global society, K–12 teachers need to develop, model, and assess the 21st-century skills in their …

Minding The Gap: Mentor And Pre-Service Teachers’ Ability Perceptions Of Content Area Literacy Instruction, Treavor Bogard, Mary-Kate Sableski, Jackie Marshall Arnold, Connie L. Bowman

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This mixed method study compared how student teachers rated their ability in implementing components of content area literacy compared to their clinical educators’ perceptions of the student teachers’ actual performance. The researchers collaborated with K-12 clinical educators to develop a scaled survey to rate level of skill in four components of content literacy instruction. 112 clinical educators (CEs) and 183 student teachers (STs) representing five teacher licensure programs completed the survey. A two-way multivariate analysis of variance measured the effect of Role (CE and ST) and Teacher Licensure Program on ability perception. Results indicated that Role and Program each significantly …

Stem Storytelling: Using Picture Books To Integrate Mathematics - "Who Lives Here?", Lindsey Herlehy, Karen Togliatti

Publications & Research

This series of activities invites students to explore animals and their habitats, classify “animal” figures by habitat, sort, represent, and analyze data. In the first activity, the picture book Listen to Our World by Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson will be used to discuss eleven different animals and their habitats. Questioning strategies will focus on student comprehension and inferential reasoning skills related to why each animal lives in a particular type of habitat. This book is utilized at all grade levels to introduce the subsequent activity.

The grade-level activities that follow integrate students’ knowledge of animals and their habitats …

Increasing Stem Competence In Urban, High Poverty Elementary School Populations, Sueanne Mckinney, Cynthia Tomovic, Melva Grant, Kaavonia Hinton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Enhancing STEM competence (e.g., interests, knowledge, skills, and dispositions) among urban, high poverty, elementary school populations in the United States (U.S.) is and remains a growing national concern, especially since Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competence is and will continue to be a necessary requisite for gainful employment in the future, according to workforce development experts. In an attempt to address this gap, many urban elementary schools have begun to offer STEM-related programs to increase STEM learning at an early age. STEM competence (interest, knowledge, skills, and dispositions), however, remains low. This paper results in a matrix used to …

Learning And Changing: The Shaping Of A Teacher’S Identity Through Time, Across Spaces And In Different Contexts, Nikolaos Bogiannidis, Jane Southcott, Maria Gindidis

The Qualitative Report

This research paper explores the confluence of significant events in my life that shaped my identity as a teacher and researcher. I employed autoethnography to explore my personal life journey across time, space and context, in order to identify and to analyse the significant moments of epiphany that impacted on my decision to become a teacher. The findings of this study reveal a number of universal qualities of good teachers across three continents who, independently and unbeknown to each other, acted as role models in shaping my identity and my desire to become a teacher in order to serve the …

Integrating Art Into The Classroom: A Necessary Component Of A Well-Rounded Education, Kate Latham

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis includes a combination of research and visual arts integration lesson plans. Research covers the benefits of exposure to the visual. Lesson plans were specifically designed for the core content area subjects: English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Each of these lessons was designed to meet local and national standards for the core content area and for visual arts. Additionally, each lesson plan includes a component of art production. This thesis can be utilized by a variety of individuals, including educators who strive to incorporate art into their classrooms. The research aspect can be utilized by those struggling …

Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Using Ipads With Students With Learning Disabilities, Daljit Kaur

The Qualitative Report

Preservice teachers reflected on their experiences teaching mathematics to ten students using iPads. The students had learning disabilities and were tutored over 5 consecutive weeks. Teachers reflected weekly for 5 weeks then responded to an online open-ended survey regarding their overall teaching experience. Findings suggest that the experience allowed preservice teachers to gain helpful insight, knowledge, and ideas on how to use iPads as an instructional tool.

Dysconscious Ableism: Toward A Liberatory Praxis In Teacher Education, Alicia Broderick, Priya Lalvani

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

This study draws upon King’s [1991. “Dysconscious Racism: Ideology, Identity, and the Miseducation of Teachers.” Journal of Negro Education 60 (2): 133–146] concept of dysconscious racism, extrapolating from it the analogous conceptual device of dysconscious ableism. We report upon data drawn from an inquiry at a US university-based teacher preparation programme, wherein we analyse our teacher education candidates’ writing through the conceptual lens of dysconscious ableism, to better understand their conceptualisations of dis/ability, and their understanding of existing examples of educational segregation based upon those conceptualisations. We make an argument for the necessity of engaging in studies of ableism in …

Teacher Educators Struggling To Make Complex Practice Explicit: Distancing Teaching Through Video, Emily J Klein, Monica Taylor

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

This self-study examines our use of video with a cohort of preservice teachers as a means to address the challenges we face as teacher educators who are working with candidates in extensive clinical practice. We came to video as a nuanced way to discuss and make meaning of complex practice and as a means of bridging theory and practice. We found that our use of video supported preservice teachers and their mentors in decomposing, representing, and approximating practice. We also found that, as suggested by the literature, the use of video distanced preservice teachers from their experiences in practice. Finally, …

Teachers’ Self-Efficacy When Differentiating Between Language Acquisition Difficulties Or Possible Learning Disabilities In English Language Learners, Elizabeth Hallett

All Theses And Dissertations

This multiple-case study examines teachers’ self-efficacy, or perceptions of their effectiveness, when differentiating between typical language acquisition difficulties and possible learning disabilities in English Language Learners (ELLs) who are challenged academically. Five mainstream elementary teachers from a mid-sized urban school district in the northeastern United States participated in the study. Data from individual interviews, meeting observations and artifacts were collected from each of the participants. Meeting observations occurred during each participant’s Integrated Learning Team meetings. During interviews, participants described their experiences working with ELLs who struggled more than typical ELLs and presented an artifact representing experiences teaching such students. Across …

Exploring Teacher Candidates’ Civic Efficacy Through Civic Engagement And Critical Literacy In A Literacy Methods Course, Dana M. Karraker

Theses and Dissertations

Public school spaces play a large role in developing people’s understandings of civic knowledge and responsibility. Teachers, administrators, and policy-makers design school curriculum to reflect the types of citizens they believe a society needs, and thus, determines approaches to teaching and curriculum development (Labaree, 1997). This action research study examined the civic efficacy and critical literacy understandings of seven elementary education teacher candidates enrolled in a content area literacy course. The course and the study were designed using a critical literacy and civic efficacy framework as literacy practices are closely connected to the ways in which people are able to …

Developing Evaluative Thinking And Evidence-Based Practice: A Synthetic Case Study, Tim Wyatt

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The NSW Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan, which operated from 2012 to 2016, provided $261 millon to improve literacy and numeracy learning in 448 the most disadvantaged and lowest performing schools across the three education sectors in NSW. A key objective of the Action Plan was to enhance teacher and school leader capacity, including the ability to apply evidence-based practices and evaluative thinking to planning and programming for teaching and learning at a classroom level, and to planning and decision-making at a whole-school level. The concept and terminology of ‘evidence-based practice’ is in common parlance in Australian schools; however, in …

Nourishing Teachers’ Leadership For Learning: Insights From Practitioner Research, Simon Clarke

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This session contends that leadership and learning are mutually supporting and reinforcing. It is only recently that attempts have been made to describe in practice the complex connections existing between the two activities by drawing on empirical evidence. To this end, this session will depict ways in which leadership and learning are indispensable to each other in day-to-day teachers’ work, and the implications this symbiosis has for practice. Firstly, the session will consider the key foundations and principles of leadership for learning, especially as they relate to the Carpe Vitam international leadership for learning research project. Secondly, we will discuss …

Enhancing Instructional Leadership: Lessons From The Nsw Literacy And Numeracy Action Plan, Tim Wyatt

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Over the past decade, schools, school systems and governments at all levels have invested heavily in enhancing the quality of school leadership. The Australian Government-funded National Partnerships (2012–2014) identified principal leadership as one of its explicit goals. More recently, the emphasis of leadership development has been on enhancing instructional leadership. This paper describes an approach to enhancing instructional leadership adopted as part of the NSW Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan (2012–2016), which was the particular approach of the NSW government school sector. The three school sectors in NSW each adopted different models for their implementation of the Action Plan relevant …

Child Abuse Prevention Training: Introducing A Train-The-Teacher Manual For Child Safety Awareness, Kimmera Wilson

Master's Projects and Capstones

Introduction. In order for the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center community education department to extend the outreach of the Child Safety Awareness (CSA) curriculum, a training manual was created for San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) K- 5th grade teachers. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a train the teacher manual for the child safety lessons.

Methods. A five question tool was developed to survey Kindergarten through 5th grade teachers working at elementary schools in the San Francisco Unified School District. The questions were designed to better understand the needs of the population before creating a resource for them …

Teacher Self-Efficacy In Writing And Instructional Choices: A Correlational Study, Beth Burke

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This quantitative study focused on examining the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and their use of writing practices in teaching writing. Participants included elementary kindergarten through fifth grade teachers in a large school district in northeastern United States. The following research questions guided this study: Is there a statistically significant relationship between overall teacher self-efficacy and the amount of time teachers spend using specific practices in writing instruction? Is there a statistically significant relationship between teaching self-efficacy factor of personal self-efficacy and the amount of time teachers spend using specific practices in writing instruction? Is there a statistically significant relationship between …

The Use Of Ell Specific Assessment Accommodations: A Comparative Case Study Of Classroom Practices, Natalia Yeremina Ward

Doctoral Dissertations

Access and equity of instructional and assessment practices used with English Language Learners (ELLs) have been in the forefront of educational research. In recent years, the developments in computerized assessment design and the prevalence of Universal Design for Learning have complicated the already complex terrain of literacy and language instruction and assessment of ELLs. Within this context, the present study focuses on the daily experiences of two third-grade ELLs in a small city school system in the southeast United States. Through classroom observations, interviews with teachers and administrators, and document analysis, this comparative ethnographic case study aims to explore systematic …

Developing A Competency-Based Framework To Guide Elementary School Teachers' Efforts In Helping Bullied Children, Samantha Gregus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study aimed to develop a competency-based framework designed to assist elementary school teachers in their efforts to help bullied children. Drawing from extant research, Gregus and Cavell (2017) created an initial draft of the framework that contained 25 components representing a mix of knowledge, attitudes, and skills. In Study 1, I obtained input on the framework from practicing elementary school teachers (n = 26) and researchers who study school bullying (n = 14). Teacher input was gathered via a series of focus groups and researchers responded using an online survey. Both teachers and researchers viewed the framework positively …

The Impact Of Stand-Biased Desks On After-School Physical Activity Behaviors In Children, Nathan Tokarek

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in after-school time spent performing sedentary behavior (SB), light intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) among elementary school children in response to the introduction of stand-biased desks in the classroom. Thirty-one 6th grade participants randomly assigned by their teacher to a traditional (CON) or stand-biased (INT) desk provided complete accelerometer data. After-school PA and SB were measured on four consecutive weekdays at baseline and 10-weeks. Wilcoxon Rank Sum Tests were used to detect significant differences (p<0.10) in changes in the proportion of after-school wear time performing SB and PA between groups. Results suggested no significant differences in changes in after-school time performing SB (p=0.770), LPA (p=0.740), or MVPA (p=0.470). Significant differences in the change in moderate PA (INT: -1.4%; CON: -0.2%, p=0.093) were detected. Stand-biased desks were not detrimental to children’s after-school PA and SB.

Knowledge And Practices Of Faculty At Nasm Accredited Institutions In The Southeast Region Regarding Standards-Based Instruction, Jonathan Leon Nelson

Dissertations

In 1993, Congress passed the mandate Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which established standards for K-12 education that outlined the core benchmarks of student achievement for individuals who have mastered the core curricula required to earn a high school diploma (Mark, 1995). Unfortunately, these curricular requirements did not include any criteria for music education, nor did they consider the curricular implications for higher education in providing NSME Standards based training for music educators.

The aim of this study was to determine if and to what extent music education faculty engage in NSME Standards-based instruction within the higher education classroom. Questionnaires …

The Effect Of Instructional Strategies On Math Anxiety And Achievement: A Mixed Methods Study Of Preservice Elementary Teachers, Janelle K. Lorenzen

Dissertations

This study addressed how different instructional strategies affected preservice elementary teachers’ levels of math anxiety and their achievement in a math content course while considering descriptions of their experiences in the course in relation to their math anxiety and achievement. The instructional strategies used were traditional teaching methods and inquiry-based learning (IBL). A mixed methods embedded design was used in which the major design of the study is a nonequivalent control group design, where the collection of data occurred before, during, and after the intervention. There were 103 participants who were elementary education preservice teachers with 58 of them being …

An Examination Of The Factors That Influence The Transfer Of Learning Among K-12 Educators Participating In Professional Learning Communities, Charcelor C. Mccullum

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify the factors that either support or inhibit learning transfer among educators within K-12 professional learning communities (PLCs) as well as to obtain a better understanding of how adult education principles relate to teacher learning and job satisfaction within this environment. Although research regarding professional learning for educators within the K-12 setting is available, much of this research is not focused directly on adult education principles and often fails to examine learning transfer. The present study addresses both areas using a two-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods approach to obtain both qualitative …

The Good Behavior Game: Effects On And Maintenance Of Behavior In Middle-School Classrooms Using Class Dojo, Komila Dadakhodjaeva

Dissertations

Classroom management is one of the key components for successful instruction and affects both instructors and learners. Although most frequent discipline strategies in schools involve punitive actions, research suggests that using positive statements to teach and reinforce desirable behaviors is more appropriate and effective. A form of a group-oriented contingency that focuses on desirable behaviors is a positive variation of the Good Behavior Game (GBG). The GBG has been used widely in its original form, focusing on undesirable behaviors, and more research is needed on its positive version. Another strategy that can be used within classrooms is Class Dojo, a …

Examining How Video-Elicited Reflection Mediates Teacher Candidates’ Beliefs About English Language Learners: A Multiple Case Study, Monica M. Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

English Language Learners (ELLs) are students who speak a language other than English; they are the fastest growing student population in United States’ (US) public schools and will include over 17 million students by the year 2020 (NCES,2015). The dramatic increase in the ELL student population means that all mainstream classroom teachers will teach at least one ELL within their first year of graduating from a teacher preparation program. However, most US teachers hold misconceptions about ELLs and feel unprepared for ELL instruction (Coady, Harper, & de Jong, 2011). More empirical research is needed to inform teacher preparation programs on …

An Action Research Study Of Barriers To Paraprofessional/Teaching Assistant Licensure In New York Community Colleges, Tonya L. Johnson

Publications and Research

The majority of New York State teachers remain disproportionately White, while their student populations grow increasingly diverse, and New York has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of diverse students, often referred to as students of color, including a large number of immigrant groups, in nearly all regions of the state. Recently published research has underscored that in order for multilingual, multiethnic, and multiracial teacher candidates to successfully enter the teaching profession, teacher preparation programs may need to alter some of their practices. In particular, the bulk of the research highlighted a need to expand recruiting for more diverse …