Education Commons^™

Reflection On And For Actions: Probing Into English Language Art Teachers' Personal And Professional Experiences With English Language Learners, Huili Hong, Karin Keith, Renee Rice Moran

ETSU Faculty Works

Effective ELL teaching and learning is profoundly influenced by the teachers' personal experiences and personalities (Farrell, 2016), their experience as language learners as well as language teachers (Farrell, 2007), and their beliefs about learning and teaching a second language (Farrell, 2015; Farrell & Ives, 2015). This study honored and examined in-depth the often-discounted stories/reflective narratives of our teachers. This paper reports a qualitative cases study that explores three veteran teachers' reflection on their personal and professional experiences with ELLs for self-discovery over years (Cirocki & Farrell, 2017) so that they can further reflect for their future actions with ELLs (Burns …

Rewriting Disciplines: Stem Students’ Longitudinal Approaches To Writing In (And Across) The Disciplines, Anna Ruggles Gere, Anna V. Knutson, Ryan Mccarty

ETSU Faculty Works

Drawing on three cases from a larger (N=169) longitudinal study of student writing development, this article shows how STEM students “rewrote” disciplines to suit their writerly purposes as they moved through their undergraduate years. Students made it clear that the institutional dimensions of disciplines, visible in administrative units or departments that control resources and records, remained visible in their mental landscapes, but they had a much more flexible view of the epistemological dimensions of disciplines. Rather than entering a field as novices aiming to emulate the writing of its experts, they drew on the intellectual resources of multiple disciplines in …

Trips And Treks: Teaching Endangered Species Through Literature, Reneé C. Lyons

ETSU Faculty Works

Are you eager to inspire the next Jacques Costeau? Discover how specific Sibert and Orbis Pictus Award winners are used in science-based lessons and activities.

Heat, Energy, And Matter (Ccc5, Ps3): An Integrated Grades 3–12 Hands-On Approach Supporting The Ngss And Ccss Ela, Chih-Che Tai, Gerri St. Clair, Karin J. Keith, Renee Moran, Chih-Che Tai

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We will offer ideas to build knowledge about using reading and hands-on activities as tools to increase student understanding of heat, energy, and matter.

A Tale Of Two Prompts: New Perspectives On Writing-To-Learn Assignments, Anna Ruggles Gere, Anna V. Knutson, Naitnaphit Limlamai, Ryan Mccarty, Emily Wilson

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Using Imagination To Bridge Young Children’S Literacy And Science Learning: A Dialogic Approach, Huili Hong, Karin Keith, Renee Rice Moran

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Integrating children’s literacy and science learning has become a new focus in literacy instruction. Imagination, an integral part of children’s learning experience, remains marginalized in today’s early childhood education curriculum. Drawing on a yearlong ethnographic study in a first-grade classroom, this paper explores the potential affordance of imagination in integrating young children’s literacy and science learning. The findings showed that the integration opportunities were organically constructed in and through children’s natural engagement of imagination in their reading process. A dialogic approach is presented as one way to ignite children’s imaginations in their literacy and science learning.

Sound And Waves: An Integrated K–8 Hands‐On Approach Supporting The Ngss And Ccss Ela, Chih-Che Tai, Karin Keith, Laura Robertson, Renee Rice Moran

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Receive practical ideas to build understanding about how to combine reading and hands-on activities as tools to understand the nature of wave movement.

Word Recognition Competency Activity For Students, Lashay Jennings, Renee Rice Moran, Karla Knupp, Edward J. Dwyer, Huili Hong

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Improving Visual Memory: A Terrific Teaching Tip, Renee Rice Moran, Huili Hong, Lashay Jennings, Kayla Knupp, Edward J. Dwyer

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Strategies To Support Families Experiencing Difficult Circumstances, Carol M. Trivette

ETSU Faculty Works

One of the most challenging tasks for many early childhood providers is how to support families who are facing tough, difficult issues like death of a parent, PTSD, abuse, and neglect. Not only do these issues impact the family’s overall functioning and well being and the quality of parents’ interactions with their young children but they also affect the relationship between the family and the early childhood providers (e.g., missed appointments and adversarial interactions). Dr. Carol Trivette will cap her yearlong webinar series sharing resources and discussing evidence-based practices that providers can implement when they are working with military families …

Quality Interactions Between Professionals And Families To Enhance Child Learning, Carol M. Trivette

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Young children learn through the interactions they have within their environments. These interactions include all of the people who support them (parents, family members, interventionists, therapists, childcare providers, and other practitioners). This session will focus on how practitioners can help parents, families, and other adult caregivers develop the types of interactions needed to have a lasting positive impact on the learning of their young children with disabilities.

Objectives:

1. Explore strategies for helping families understand early communication attempts of children before language is developed or in the presence of a delay or disability
2. Explore how adult-child interactions change to promote children’s …

Can An Emoji Help When You Don’T Know What To Say To A Parent?, Carol M. Trivette

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Engaging Families To Focus On Intervention Strategies, Carol M. Trivette

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Young children with disabilities have better outcomes when their families are actively involved in supporting their child’s learning. This session will help Early Interventionists, private therapy providers, and other professionals working with young children with disabilities think about their interactions with the child's family and how those interactions strengthen a family’s ability to support their child’s learning.

In this 90 minute session participants will:

1. Learn about strategies to increase parent participation in their child’s Early Intervention home visits and/or therapy sessions
2. Explore possible strategies that can be used to engage a deployed parent in home visits and/or therapy sessions
3. Observe …

Supporting Adult Learning In Early Intervention, Carol M. Trivette

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

How To Support Parents And Professionals In Early Intervention: Principles Of Adult Learning, Carol M. Trivette

ETSU Faculty Works

Young children with disabilities have better outcomes when their families and caregivers receive the necessary resources and supports to implement high quality practices. This session will set the framework for how adults learn and how they can learn to implement new practices and modify current ones to have the greatest impact on young children.

In this 90 minute interactive webinar session participants will:

1. Discover a systematic way to develop and present new information to effect change in practice, whether in “coaching” sessions with families or professional development sessions with colleagues.
2. Learn how to implement new practices or modify current practices …

What A Wonderful World! Using Batchelder Books To Support Literacy, Deborah Parrott, Reneé C. Lyons

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Are you searching for fresh opportunities to support literacy through reader response activities? Batchelder Awards and international stories are relatively untapped resources that offer a global approach for children to expand comprehension through tales from many nations. Pairing these stories with reader response exercises provides an outstanding opportunity for collaboration with social studies and language arts teachers. Handouts will be provided. (F4-E162)

The Implications Of Teacher Performance Assessment And The Impact On Teacher Decision Making, Renee Rice Moran

ETSU Faculty Works

The issue of teacher accountability has been a part of the educational conversation for three decades, but only recently has this conversation been translated into policy as states begin directly tying teacher evaluation scores in part to student achievement on standardized tests. This qualitative study focuses on a group of teachers who are participating in this new form of evaluation (containing both qualitative and quantitative elements including test scores and lesson observations) and examines how they perceived the process. In particular, the study looks at how their personal reactions to a high-stakes evaluation impacted their instructional decision making in their …

Teaching Undergraduates How To Analyze, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Rosalind Raymond Gann

ETSU Faculty Works

Analysis is typically listed in taxonomies of higher order thinking. Academics consider these taxonomies worthwhile, but they are hard to teach and we are apt to ignore them. Today higher education is criticized for “dumbing down” curriculum or lowering standards. To rectify this, many policies at the state or national level are requiring higher education institutions to change. In K-12 education, Race to the Top and Common Core requirements are placing new demands on K-12 teacher preparation, which include evaluation of the analysis skills of pre-service teachers. But professors do not always view their disciplines as the proper place for …

The Reading And Writing Connection: Merging Two Reciprocal Content Areas, Renee Moran, Monica Billen

ETSU Faculty Works

The purpose of this article is make connections between two content areas, reading and writing, which have traditionally been separated and consider the relationship between their theoretical underpinnings. Based on their reciprocal nature, the authors posit that students could greatly benefit by reading and writing being taught simultaneously. Relying on this premise, this article provides the reader with three practical strategies that could be applied in the literacy classroom to intertwine reading and writing. These practical strategies include: classroom blogs, graphic depictions, and pen pal responses to literature.

We The People: Elementary Pre-Service Teachers And Constitutional Readability, Lori T. Meier, Karin Keith, Edward J. Dwyer

ETSU Faculty Works

In light of increasing mandates to incorporate close reading of primary source historical documents at the elementary level, this study explored the reading difficulty level of the US Constitution with preservice elementary teachers using a traditional cloze assessment procedure. While best practice pedagogy of social studies has long included thoughtful reading of primary sources, new language arts guidelines situate the analysis of primary documents within formulaic quantifiable frameworks, often problematic to the pre-service teacher. With implications for reading and social studies, this paper explores several relevant issues to both pre-service teachers and the elementary classrooms they will teach in.

Encouraging Literacy And Mathematics Achievement Through Study Of Real Estate, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Lori T. Meier, Karin J. Keith, Erin E. Doran, Edward J. Dwyer

ETSU Faculty Works

The era of high stakes testing often puts pressure on teachers and administrators to deemphasize creative activities not perceived as directly related to improving test scores. Alternatively, the authors propose that using environmental text is essential for encouraging overall learning competencies in general and reading/writing/ and mathematical achievement in particular. The authors propose that using real estate booklets can be helpful in generating learning activities in literacy, social studies, and mathematics. In addition, integrating music and art comfortably accompanies strategies presented. Real estate booklets are colorful, rich in content, and readily available at no expense.

Textbook Aliteracy In Teacher Education: Information Everywhere, But How Much Do They Read?, Rosalind R. Gann, L. Kathryn Sharp, Scott Mcilquham

ETSU Faculty Works

This article explores the problem of textbook aliteracy, i.e. the failure to read assigned texts despite the ability to do so. Constructivism is its theoretical frame. Teacher education students at a medium-sized university in the Southern Appalachian Mountains were surveyed on their textbook reading practices. Ninety percent of the 116 students completing the survey reported studying instructors’ power points in preference to completing assigned readings, at least some of the time. All were readers, though a majority (68%) reported at least some difficulty reading assigned texts. Often, they appeared to be avoiding the challenges posed by demanding text. The authors …

Teaching Undergraduates How To Analyze, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Rosalind Raymond Gann

ETSU Faculty Works

Analysis is typically the first of the higher functions listed in taxonomies of higher order thinking. Academics consider these upper categories extremely worthwhile, but they are hard to teach and we are apt to ignore them. Today higher education is being criticized for “dumbing down” curriculum or lowering standards. To rectify this, many policies at the state or national level are requiring higher education institutions to change. In K‐12 education, Race to the Top and Common Core requirements are placing new demands on K‐12 teacher preparation, which include evaluation of the analysis skills of pre‐service teachers. But professors do not …

Supporting Teachers' Use Of Nonfiction Text In The Primary Grades Classroom: One Practical Strategy, Renee Rice Moran

ETSU Faculty Works

The purpose of this article is to argue for the benefits of using nonfiction text in the primary grades classroom. Readers are provided with a brief theoretical framework which outlines how nonfiction may increase achieve,emt, motivation, and interest for young students. Additionally, practical strategies are included for classroom teachers which work to frontload and support students in the act of processing nonfiction text as well as increase teachers' comfort level with the implementation of a nonfiction unit of study.

Effects Of A Treatment Package To Facilitate English/Language Arts Learning For Middle School Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities, Pamela J. Mims, Angel Lee, Diane M. Browder, Tracie-Lynn Zakas, Susan Flynn

ETSU Faculty Works

This pilot study sought to develop and evaluate the use of a treatment package that included systematic and direct instruction on acquisition of literacy skills aligned with middle school English/Language Arts standards for students with moderate to severe disabilities, including autism. Participants included five teachers and 15 middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities who were primarily served in a self-contained setting. A one-group, nonrandomized, pre-posttest design was implemented to measure vocabulary, comprehen- sion of familiar text and unfamiliar text, poetry, research, and writing skills. Results indicated significant gains in vocabulary and comprehension of familiar text. Limitations, implications, and …

Producing Memorable Cloth-Bound Books In The Classroom, Karin J. Keith, A. Horton, A. Roach, J. Temaj, Edward J. Dwyer

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Reading Achievement Through Readers’ Theater And Art, Victoria Cunningham, Marcia Dosser, Edward J. Dwyer

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Fostering Reading Fluency In The School Library, Linda Steele, Gina Podyin, Edward J. Dwyer

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Terrific Teaching Tips: Affective Reading Empowers Student Response, Laurel Borgia, Carol Owles, Kylee Merendino, Edward J. Dwyer

ETSU Faculty Works

As educators, we are faced with the challenge of creating an effective classroom environment that stimulates creativity and fosters student learning through effective instruction. To assist teachers in meeting this challenge, this column provides information about current resources, programs, techniques, and strategies that teachers are using in their classrooms. By sharing these ideas, it is IRCJs hope to foster teacher growth and energize teacher performance.

Enhancing Comprehension Competencies Through Questioning, Edward J. Dwyer

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.