Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Education
Building Capacity: How A Local Government Agency Can Support Partners In Offering Environmental Education For Youth, Alisa Reckinger
Building Capacity: How A Local Government Agency Can Support Partners In Offering Environmental Education For Youth, Alisa Reckinger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This project addressed the research question: what are the most effective strategies for a local government agency to support partner organizations in implementing environmental education for youth? Environmental education partners from a large county in Minnesota participated in group conversations to explore questions related to the definition of, benefits of, barriers to and strategies for environmental education. Additional research methods included a pre-questionnaire to learn more about the group conversation participants and an online survey to get broader participations and prioritize the goals, key elements, topics, benefits, barriers and strategies for environmental education. The project results were compared to information …
English Learners’ Oral Production Of Math Vocabulary In A Play-Infused Kindergarten Classroom, Meagan Reissy
English Learners’ Oral Production Of Math Vocabulary In A Play-Infused Kindergarten Classroom, Meagan Reissy
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
Research indicates that ELs’ vocabulary knowledge is an important basis for building communication skills in a second language, as well as a strong predictor of later academic skills. High quality vocabulary instruction is crucial and the literature emphasizes direct instruction techniques with words that are intentionally selected (Anderson & Nagy, 1993; Christ, 2007; Silverman & Crandell, 2010). However, little research has been done in kindergarten classrooms that teach through a play-based curriculum which avoids extensive amounts of direct instruction. This qualitative casestudy of two ELs in a kindergarten classroom using the Angry Birds Playground (ABP) framework to guide curriculum and …
Sfl In The Secondary Classroom: Writing Procedural Recounts To Describe Thinking When Solving Algebraic Equations, Theresa Brunker
Sfl In The Secondary Classroom: Writing Procedural Recounts To Describe Thinking When Solving Algebraic Equations, Theresa Brunker
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research questions addressed in this classroom study were, after explicit instruction, do students choose language structures inherent to procedural recounts, such as technical verb processes, precise nouns, sequence words and causal phrases to describe their mathematical thinking? Additionally, do student self-perceptions of their mathematical abilities change after learning to write procedural recounts to describe their thinking processes? This study examined the use of these language structures prior to explicit instruction in writing procedural recounts and compared it to post-intervention writing samples. The author documents the use of these writing structures by participants before and after intervention and finds relational …
Environmental Stewardship: Protecting Our Planet’S Future, Barbara Pierce
Environmental Stewardship: Protecting Our Planet’S Future, Barbara Pierce
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was how can Understanding by Design be used to create a curriculum that can be used to teach upper elementary students the basis of environmental stewardship? The motivating factor behind this project was a noticeable lack of outdoor exploration in public elementary schools, combined with limited science instruction in the classroom. Designing the curriculum using and Understanding by Design framework, the unit includes lessons on habitats, food webs, natural resources, and interdependence. Methods of teaching include hands-on and multimedia lessons, and time for free outdoors exploration. The unit culminates in a group presentation …
Interactive Videos As A Vocabulary Pre-Teaching Tool In Middle School Science, Kimberly Severson
Interactive Videos As A Vocabulary Pre-Teaching Tool In Middle School Science, Kimberly Severson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of interactive video instruction to teacher-led direct instruction for pre-teaching science vocabulary to newcomer middle school ELs. The second phase of the experiment utilized interactive videos to pre-teach science vocabulary in a flipped learning environment. This study was influenced by vocabulary experts Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, as well as R. E. Mayer, multimedia learning expert. Data collection included pre-tests and post-tests of expressive and receptive vocabulary knowledge, as well as a student survey to determine ease of use, students’ perceived learning and satisfaction with the type of instruction. Results from …
Closing The Science And Achievement Gap: Overlap Of The Next Generation Science Standards And Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Brenna G. Bloome
Closing The Science And Achievement Gap: Overlap Of The Next Generation Science Standards And Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Brenna G. Bloome
Departmental Honors Projects
The United States is experiencing both a science gap and an achievement gap within science education. To shrink the science gap and prepare American students for the innovative and rigorous STEM career fields ahead, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were implemented in science education. Additionally, culturally relevant pedagogy was implemented in general education to alleviate the achievement gap. To ensure that all students are prepared to succeed in the competitive global world they are going to be a part of, science education needs to incorporate both NGSS and culturally relevant pedagogy. To examine the overlap of both pedagogies working …