Education Commons^™

Critical Transitions In Faculty Learning: Helping Faculty Become Learning-Centered Teachers, Judith Longfield

Centers for Teaching Excellence Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Toward A Posthuman Education, Nathan Snaza, Peter Appelbaum, Siân Bayne, Dennis Carlson, Marla Morris, Nikki Rotas, Jennifer Sandlin, Jason Wallin, John A. Weaver

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, & Reading Faculty Publications

The text of our manifesto will introduce posthumanism to a curriculum studies audience and propose new directions for curriculum theory and educational research more broadly. Following a description of what is variously called the “posthuman condition” or the “posthuman era,” our manifesto outlines the main theoretical features of posthumanism with particular attention to how it challenges or problematizes the nearly ubiquitous assumptions of humanism. In particular, we focus on how posthumanism responds to the history of Western humanism’s justification and encouragement of colonialism, slavery, the objectification of women, the thoughtless slaughter of non-human animals, and ecological devastation. We dwell on …

Today's Dream Keepers: Exploring The Personal And Professional Beliefs Of Teachers Who Successfully Provide Literacy Instruction To African American Males In Grades 3-5, Lateshia Warren

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

The purpose of this study was to describe the personal and professional beliefs of teachers who were successful with providing literacy instruction to elementary school African American males in a Title I elementary school. This study examined the literacy practices of teachers and their beliefs about African American males. It also investigated their use of culturally relevant teaching practices. It was hypothesized that by exploring the beliefs and practices of successful teachers with African American males, this research could provide evidence of effective strategies, which could be used to impact the literacy achievement of African American males. A qualitative case …

The Identification Of Variables And Factors Related To Preservice Teacher Candidates’ Passing A State Teacher Certification Examination At An Hbcu, Melanie Frizzell, Noran L. Moffett

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

This study sought to examine the outcome of teacher education candidates’ performance on a state content exam. Seventeen participants from the class of 2012 were identified for the study of which 12 participants fully participated in the study. This study utilized data collected from the participants through the Teacher Quality Enhancement Subcontract Grant Summer/Fall/Spring 2011-2012 Workshop Series held at the private HBCU. The research design used a QUAN- QUAL-QUAN to triangulate the data through three methods of data collection: GACE early childhood education (ECE) data, GACE ECE survey questionnaire and class of 2012 member interviews. The findings from the survey …

A Case Study Of How Ninth Grade Mathematics Students Construct Knowledge During A Productive Failure Model, Amy F. Westbrook Dr.

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explain how ninth grade mathematics students at a rural high school in Georgia constructed knowledge through student talk when problem solving using Kapur’s (2012) productive failure design. An embedded case study design was used to understand how a group of students constructed knowledge through their use of talk, persistence during the task, and use of prior knowledge while working on a productive failure modeled task. Triangulation resulted from the collected data from multiple sources, which included videotaping, interviewing, and analyzing student artifacts. Utilization of the constructivist perspectives of Vygotsky (1934/1962), Piaget (1971), …

Information Literacy Scaffolds In The 9-12 Classroom, Kelly Crisp Paynter

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Despite being dubbed the Digital Generation, information literacy skills do not come automatically to high school students. Teachers and library media specialists must work together to provide quality strategies and scaffolds that help students evaluate sources authentically. Whether modeling the digital search process, creating pathfinders to direct students toward authoritative sources, or initiating discussions with students about quality resources, the library media specialist can become a valuable instructional partner to the classroom teacher.

The presenter, who has served as a high school media specialist, will discuss specific lesson plans she has co-taught with classroom teachers (as time allows). Topics may …

The Information Literacy “Flipped Classroom” – A Lesson Planning Lab, Madeline Cohen, Alison Lehner-Quam, Robin Wright

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This workshop will introduce participants to the “flipped classroom” and provide them with hands-on experience planning a library session that uses this new approach. In the flipped classroom, lectures are replaced with pre-class assignments, usually in the form of videos or online tutorials. Class time can then be used for active learning exercises that deepen students’ knowledge of the material.

Participants will be asked to complete a pre-assignment, which can be finished just prior to the session. Workshop leaders will begin by reviewing the flipped classroom and describing the flipped lessons they have used at their academic library (15 minutes). …

Developing A Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Course, Andrew Kearns, Lola Bradley

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Are you considering creating a credit-bearing information literacy course on your campus? Come join us and learn from our experience in creating LIBR 201, Strategies for Information Discovery, the University of South Carolina Upstate Library's first credit course. This interactive workshop will give you the chance to explore how you might create a course that is right for your campus while learning from our experiences. For each topic, we will briefly share how we developed as aspect of LIBR 201 before engaging in an activity that will help you to explore how this aspect of course development might be applied …

Accentuate The Positive, Eliminate The Punitive! - Re-Thinking Plagiarism In Information Literacy Instruction, Christina Chester-Fangman, Gina Garber, Elaine Berg

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Too often, students feel that they are being accused of plagiarism before they have even started their first research assignment! Approaches to discussions of academic honesty (or dishonesty) frequently emphasize negative consequences over making the right choices from the start and do not take into consideration students’ understanding of the research process. At our own university, the majority of referrals to the Dean of Students regarding classroom behaviors were related to plagiarism. At Austin Peay State University, librarians involved in information literacy instruction wanted to address this issue, but in a positive manner. Panel attendees will learn how librarians completely …

Combining Efforts: A Subject Librarian And A Generalist Team Up For Research Instruction, Amy Trendler, Brenda Yates Habich

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Academic librarians often work with students in diverse subject areas who make use of a wide range of the library’s resources and services. In order to best serve user needs, it can be important to look for opportunities to work across the units of the library. In keeping with this approach, an Information Services Librarian in the university library and an Architecture Librarian in a branch library joined forces to offer what they thought was a one-time thesis session for graduate students in architecture and planning. It turned out to be the beginning a collaboration that would take them into …

Developing Partnerships: Be Nimble, Rebecca B. Engsberg

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Under the category of “PARTNERSHIPS between librarians and classroom teachers to teach students research skills,” I will share with attendees how to develop a new partnership (or change an existing one) with a faculty member based on a change in curriculum.

As the Liaison Librarian for the English Language Institute (ELI)—an intensive English language program for international students who are preparing to begin undergraduate or graduate studies in the US—I regularly taught the library component of ELI Research Skills classes.

Recently, however, the curriculum changed. Now, there is no longer a formal ELI class called "Research Skills." However, components of …

Librarians As Information Trainers: Using Training Techniques To Improve Information Literacy Instruction, Olivia Reinauer

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Just as a trainer addresses the continuing education needs of employees in the workplace, librarians teach research skills needed to improve academic performance. Like trainers, librarians are frequently asked to meet specific learning objectives within the span of a single session, and they must navigate the challenge of meeting and motivating a new group of participants each time. There is a wealth of information available on designing and delivering training, yet a review of the library literature shows little evidence of direct adoption of these techniques for library instruction.

This presentation will outline best practices in training design, delivery, and …

Design With Diversity In Mind: Online Information Literacy Instruction For Nontraditional Students, Holly Mabry, Natalie E. Bishop

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Web-based, online learning options through Blackboard, Moodle, Desire2Learn, and other learning management systems are increasingly popular for students and library patrons who are unable to attend traditional face-to-face courses on a college campus due to geographical, financial, or family obligations. Librarians are also retooling their information literacy courses to adapt to the rapidly evolving online learning environment. Just like in a physical classroom or library that provides assistive technology and interpreters, online information must be accessible for a variety of backgrounds and abilities. Inaccessible online courses that aren't developed with plain language, good color contrast, captions or alternative text formats, …

Partnerships For Outreach: Center For Student Learning And Library Study Skills And Information Literacy Program, Jolanda-Pieta Van Arnhem, Melissa Hortman

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This poster session is a case study of the College of Charleston Libraries and Center for Student Learning partnership to design and deliver a series of complementary study skills and information literacy workshops during 2013-2014 academic year. Workshops in the “101” series were designed for the general undergraduate student population wanting more information on study skills. Workshops pairings in the “201” series were designed with information literacy topics geared toward upperclassman, graduate students, faculty, and staff interested in more advanced skills. Sessions were facilitated by campus instructors with unique insight, interesting experiences, or special knowledge and capability in workshop topics.The …

Building Community In The Library: Partnerships For Outreach, Jolanda-Pieta Van Arnhem, Melissa Hortman

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

During the 2013-2014 academic year the College of Charleston Library and Center for Student Learning partnered to design and deliver a series of complementary workshops in order to build community, increase workshop attendance, and provide outreach at the Library. This was the first time that the two organizations had teamed up to co-design, sponsor, and market a year long program of complementary information literacy and study skills offerings.

Workshops in the “101” series were designed for the general undergraduate student population wanting more information on study skills. Workshops pairings in the “201” series were designed with information literacy topics geared …

Beyond Library Resources: How To Implement Integrated Learning Across The Curriculum With Information Literacy Components Using Hybrid Delivery, Bernadette Maria Lopez-Fitzsimmons

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

As an academic librarian at Manhattan College, Riverdale, New York, I collaborate with teaching faculty and academic support centers on campus to provide holistic support to students. In the last year a cross collegial group including teaching faculty, library faculty and Instructional Designers has been created to explore ways in which to provide a “flexible structure” in curriculum across disciplines (e.g., Arts, Science, Engineering, Education, Information Literacy, etc.). Two instructional designers and a faculty member from the English Department lead the monthly in person workshops. After each workshop, scholarly and professional articles are posted in Moodle for all participants to …

Preparing Thoughtful Leaders: Promoting Critical Thinking Through Authentic Learning Activities, Melissa N. Mallon

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Some of the most important characteristics employers look for in new hires is the ability to solve problems and critically examine information in diverse workplace environments, making critical thinking an important, transferable 21st century skill and a crucial component of lifelong learning. One of academic librarians’ most crucial roles is to challenge students to think beyond their individual circumstances while helping them develop the skills necessary to succeed in college and in their professional lives.

This presentation covers strategies for collaborating with faculty members to design research assignments that focus on critical thinking, including scaffolding and the development of rubrics. …

Using Rubrics To Assess Authentic Learning Products From One-Shot, Course-Integrated Library Instruction, Jennifer Stout, Laura Gariepy

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Librarians face numerous challenges when designing effective, sustainable assessment methods for student learning outcomes in one-shot, course-integrated library instruction sessions. In this presentation, we will share how librarians at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) use a rubric to assess students’ authentic learning products from one-shot instruction sessions for a research and writing course required for all undergraduate students. We will share how rubric-based assessment enhances student learning and explain how we use this type of assessment to demonstrate our information literacy program’s effectiveness.

University 200: Inquiry and the Craft of Argument is a sophomore-level writing and research course required for all …

The Proof Is In The Worksheets: Assessing Information Literacy Outcomes From Library Instruction In An Evolved Fye Program, Robin Johns Grant

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In the past, Middle Georgia State College’s assessment of library instruction mainly consisted of post-instruction evaluations in which students answered questions about the class’s usefulness and gave comments. However, we wanted to be able to tie our library instruction sessions to learning outcomes based on ACRL Information Literacy Standards—not just student impressions of the class. For three years, the college had been conducting two library instruction sessions for each section of our new First Year Experience class, and we were using a standardized instruction outline and worksheet for each of those classes already. The FYE program, therefore, was the ideal …

When Will We Use This In Real Life?: Problem-Based Learning And Its Use In Effective Information Literacy Instruction, Bridget S. Farrell, Adelia B. Grabowsky

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Chances are that at some point in your career, you have heard a student ask, “When will we use this in real life?” For most instructors, those can be hard words to hear, especially after careful thought and planning has gone into developing a library session geared toward a class assignment or project. One way to decrease questions about real world applicability is to incorporate aspects of problem-based learning in library instruction. Problem-based learning (PBL) has been defined by Berkel and Schmidt as “an approach to professional education that stresses the use of real-life problems, encourages learners to discuss them, …

The Best Laid Plans Of Librarians And Faculty: Information Literacy Instruction In A General Education Literature Course, Difficulties And Successes, Kelly Diamond, Lisa Weihman

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Members of this panel (a librarian and faculty member) began collaborating to create information literacy sessions for English 272: Modernist Literature. Assuming that students enrolled would be English majors or similar, we created sessions and assignments focused on higher-order research skills, such as working with and analyzing primary sources.

However, this section of English 272 fulfilled a General Education Curriculum (GEC) requirement. At our institution, students take 43 credit hours to fulfill GEC requirements, courses from a broad range of disciplines. Unfortunately, many students enroll in GEC courses for which they are under-prepared, have no personal interest, and are not …

Quantitative Reasoning Learning Progression: The Matrix, Robert L. Mayes, Jennifer H. Forrester, Jennifer D. Schuttlefield Christus, Franziska Peterson, Rachel Walker

Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

The NSF Pathways Project studied the development of environmental literacy in students from grades six through high school. Learning progressions for environmental literacy were developed to explicate the trajectory of learning. The Pathways QR research team supported this effort by studying the role of quantitative reasoning (QR) as a support or barrier to developing environmental literacy. An iterative research methodology was employed which included targeted student interviews to establish QR learning progression progress variables and elements comprising those progress variables, development of a QR learning progression framework, and closed-form QR assessments to verify the progression. In this paper the focus …

Voices From The Classroom: Elementary Students’ Perceptions Of Blogging, Ewa Mcgrail, Anne Davis

Georgia Educational Researcher

Blogging appears to be a promising instructional strategy which may provide solutions to some of the challenges in traditional writing instruction; however, few studies explore elementary students’ views on blogging. This qualitative case study gives elementary students voice as it examines their perceptions of blogging and their views of themselves as writers, readers, and learners. The researchers drew from multiple data sources, including student and teacher interviews, student and teacher blog writing, and classroom observations, to ascertain young writers’ perspectives. The findings indicate these student bloggers’ reader awareness and appreciation of the reader-writer relationship. Student bloggers also benefited from emotional …

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

Georgia Educational Researcher

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.

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Scripted Education, Alexa M. Lowery

Honors College Theses

The purpose of my study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of scripted techniques using state mandated standards and the techniques’ impact on student performance. I surveyed the teachers of elementary schools in Edwards County (pseudonym) and found that most teachers are not using the standards as they were originally intended, and they feel that students are falling behind because the standards are not developmentally appropriate.

Clay Modeling Of The Musculoskeletal System: Does Active Learning Increase Retention And Comprehension, Kelly Massey

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The focus of a Structural Kinesiology course is a detailed study into the musculoskeletal system and joint action. The course contains a lot of memorization: skeletal muscle origin, insertions, innervations and muscle/joint actions but there is also an applied component for the content. Group study has been incorporated into the course to increase knowledge retention and comprehension however group interaction has been seen to be minimal. Two studies have looked at group construction of skeletal muscle models using clay during class time in assisting with the active learning of muscle origin, insertion and actions (Cruz-Espaillat et al., 2010 & Waters …

Assessing The Effects Of A Teaching Course On Biology Graduate Student Teaching Assistants, Caralyn B. Zehnder

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

Research was conducted to measure changes in knowledge and perceptions of teaching and learning by biology graduate students enrolled in a Teaching Techniques course at Georgia College. Results show that graduate students exhibited gains in their knowledge of assessment and active learning pedagogies and saw some changes in how they viewed the role of the teacher in the classroom. This research demonstrates that a semester-long teaching course affects graduate students learning and attitudes toward teaching.

A Discussion Of A Flipped Classroom Model (For Calculus), And Of The Use Of Self-Graded Homework, Frédéric D. Mynard

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

The intent is to share my experience with a flipped Calculus course using resources I have developed: instructional videos, e-books, and a comprehensive set of resources for self-graded homework. I have also used this technique successfully for other non-flipped courses, and this may be of interest whether one wants to flip the classroom or not.

"When Scientists Look At Their Data, They Don't Know The Answer:" Talking Science In A University Introductory Science Course, Victoria M. Deneroff, Rosalie Richards, Markeeta Clayton

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

We use conversation for instruction in our introductory level physical science course. The content focuses on science as a way of knowing, particularly the ways in which scientific claims are backed by evidence. We find our 21st Century students do understand consensus building and have some skill in listening to each other’s ideas, and are learning to harness these strengths for instruction.

Complex Adaptive Systems And Quantitative Reasoning In An Interdisciplinary Stem Mathematics Classroom, Robert L. Mayes, Kania Greer

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

In this presentation we will share outcomes from the Real STEM project, which provides professional development for rural teachers in the Georgia Coastal Plains supporting implementation of interdisciplinary STEM courses as well as STEM modules in mathematics and science courses. Real STEM includes a number of innovative student-active strategies for teaching including: Understanding by Design (UbD) approaches to teaching for understanding, problem-based learning (PBL), place-based education (PBE), complex adaptive systems (CAS) thinking, and quantitative reasoning (QR). QR is the mathematical underpinning of the projects. The projects are ongoing so we will report our results on impact on teacher practice and …