Education Commons^™

Instructional Decision Making In A Gateway Quantitative Reasoning Course, Deependra Budhathoki, Gregory D. Foley, Stephen Shadik

Numeracy

Many educators and professional organizations recommend Quantitative Reasoning as the best entry-level postsecondary mathematics course for non-STEM majors. However, novice and veteran instructors who have no prior experience in teaching a QR course often express their ignorance of the content to choose for this course, the instruction to offer students, and the assessments to measure student learning. We conducted a case study to investigate the initial implementation of an entry-level university quantitative reasoning course during fall semester, 2018. The participants were the course instructor and students. We examined the instructor’s motives and actions and the students’ responses to the course. …

Infinite Archives, Infinite Possibilities: Learning Research And Databases With Archive Of Our Own, B. Austin Waters, Alayna Vander Veer

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This article will discuss the importance of acknowledging the information practices of subcultural groups within library instruction and fostering an inclusive learning environment with the implementation of a workshop by comparing research databases with the popular fanfiction website, Archive of Our Own. By incorporating AO3 into library instruction, students’ interests and prior experiences were engaged by utilizing the principles of subcultural capital. The workshop utilized students’ knowledge of information searching from their personal lives and their interests to highlight similarities with academic research using examples such as filters, keywords, and author searching. This allowed students to develop skills to search …

Curriculum, Instruction, And Leadership As A Practice Of Reflexivity In World Language Education: A Systematic Review Of Literature, Jerry L. Parker

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This article presents the findings of a systemic review of research published by Robert C. Lafayette. Lafayette was a French teacher and teacher educator who worked to revolutionize the teaching of world languages through his articles, books, textbooks, grants, conference presentations, and other scholarly work. To uncover the value of his work in today’s language schooling, this study examined 17 of his articles and book chapters. Using content analysis methodology, the findings of this study concluded that his work contributed mainly to our understanding of curriculum, instruction, and leadership in world language education. His scholarship also provides world language teachers, …

In With The Old: Encouraging Archives Use With Innovative Faculty Outreach, Kimberly Veliz, Ronald Rozzell

Kansas Library Association College and University Libraries Section Proceedings

In order to encourage archives usage, an instruction librarian and archivist at a small community college collaborated to design an interactive instruction session for faculty. The session was to use breakout boxes to demonstrate how to incorporate archival materials into classroom activities at an institution wide professional development workshop event. Plans for an in-person breakout box session were scrapped after the COVID-19 Omicron wave forced workshops online. After designing and carrying out an online archives introduction, the session was reconfigured back into an in-person session utilizing breakout boxes. Despite lower-than-expected attendance, the innovative outreach made faculty and staff aware of …

Reinforcement Practicality For Middle School Students: A Meta-Analysis, Kelly C. Dreger Ed.D., Steve Downey Ph.D.

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

The need for evolving support interventions that can help students in a wide range of settings is an ongoing requirement for middle schools today. Token reinforcement, which is a form of extrinsic motivation and incentivization, is studied within this meta-analysis to determine if significant treatment effects exist overall and if there are studies that show more gains than others. Most studies report significant positive gains individually, but the statistical significance is lost when the studies are reviewed as a whole. Variables such as sample size requirements, treatment effect variation, and session time all influence treatment effect size. Reinforcement has been …

From Writer To Teacher: The Gradual Release Of Responsibility In An Early Childhood Education Writing Course For Pre-Service Teachers, Denise N. Morgan, Danielle G. Gruhler, Kristen I. Evans

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Teaching students to become confident, capable writers is imperative in today’s world. Growing attention has been paid to the amount and kinds of writing students are experiencing in schools with an urgent plea for more time and attention given to writing instruction (Nagin, 2003; National Commission on Writing, 2003). Yet, few teachers feel well prepared to teach writing.

In this special issue on writing methods courses, we discuss the evolution of our writing methods course for early childhood preservice teachers (PK-5). Specifically, we examine the current pedagogical practices within the course to support preservice teachers’ experiential learning. This piece examines …

Faculty Perspectives On Online Teaching In Higher Education: A Qualitative Approach To Understand Faculty Members’ Challenges And Experiences, Felix O. Quayson

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study explored faculty members' perspectives on online teaching in higher education and described, analyzed, and interpreted faculty members challenges and experiences of teaching online courses. Participants were twelve (12) faculty members who have taught online courses or currently teach online courses. Data was collected from 60-minutes semi-structured interview sessions, 78 open-ended questions, three research driving questions, background questionnaire, and personal artifacts from faculty members. Five major themes with subthemes, 15 code categories, and code co-occurrences emerged from the data collection, field notes, memos, and data analysis. However, not all of the code categories were replicated by all of the …

The Role Of The School District In High-Performance Title One Schools In South Texas, George Padilla, Roberto Zamora, Federico Guerra Jr.

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

A mixed research study was designed and conducted to identify effective characteristics of high-performing, high-poverty schools. Four South Texas Title 1 schools identified as High Performing Schools by the Texas Education Agency in 2016 were selected for the study. To be selected, these schools were also required to meet or exceed a set of criteria applied by the researchers. An effective school model, comprised of eleven characteristics and school processes, was developed based on a synthesis of effective school research and served as the theoretical framework for the study. The characteristics include Culture, Leadership, Instruction, Improvement, Home and Community Relations, …

Publishing Successful Practitioner (Teaching Techniques) Manuscripts For The Journal Of Science Education For Students With Disabilities, Jonte C. Taylor

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities (JSESD)d is the premier journal focusing on the intersections of science education for students with disabilities. JSESD provides valuable content and context for teachers and researchers on what works in advancing science access, practices, and knowledge for all students across settings, grades, ages, and exceptionality. One way in which JSESD supports teachers and researchers is through publication of practitioner manuscripts also referred to as Teaching Techniques. These manuscripts focus on the how-to portion of science education. That is, JSESD practitioner publications give detailed information on how-to provide science instruction or how-to …

Using Metacognitive Training With Kinesiology Students, Christina Davlin-Pater, Leah S. Dunn, Roy Bower, William Cipolli, Sara Biddle

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

As future healthcare practitioners, kinesiology students must become expert learners who choose strategies resulting in deep and durable learning. Metacognitive instruction goes beyond the use of study skills as it focuses on student reflection and evaluation of their learning success, and ultimately establishes effective learning skills, a requirement for professional practice. To examine if an intervention in a kinesiology course affected metacognitive awareness and use of metacognitive strategies, a quasi-experimental research design utilized a convenience sample of 89 upper division undergraduate occupational therapy students and master’s level athletic training students enrolled in kinesiology courses. Using an online survey including the …

Innovations And Critical Issues In Teaching And Learning, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2020

Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning

Complete text of Innovations and Critical Issues In Teaching and Learning, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2020.

The Effect Of Drama Based Instruction On Reading Comprehension, Janee Udalla

Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning

Educators might believe that classroom drama is comparable to putting on a theatrical production and might avoid it because they fear it will involve time-consuming planning, use of props, and expensive scripts (McMaster, 1998). Unfortunately, this view can discourage educators from using an important teaching tool that can improve students’ reading comprehension skills. However, educators should explore the use of drama-based instruction and the benefits it may provide to their students. The methods teachers implement in the classroom greatly affect the attitudes and learning of their students (Author, 2008). Therefore, the purpose of this article is to identify the benefits …

Using Understanding By Design To Create A University Orientation Class Grounded In Information Literacy, Jennifer Joe, Wade Lee

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Innovative Pedagogy

This article describes the process of redesigning UC1130: Information Literacy for College Research, a class taught at the University of Toledo, in Toledo, Ohio. This redesign was conducted by Jennifer Joe and Wade Lee-Smith, librarians at the university, and facilitated by the University of Toledo’s University Teaching Center, Denise Bartell, the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success, and Thomas Atwood, the Associate Dean of University Libraries, who was the creator of the original curriculum for UC1130. The course redesign was motivated by two factors: incorporation of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, and the class’s inclusion in …

Sharing Stories: Reflections Of Professors’ Literacy Identities And Beliefs, Christy M. Howard, Ran Hu, Johna Faulconer

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Teacher identities and beliefs influence instructional practices. In order to explore this process, this self-study was conducted by three literacy professors from different ethnic backgrounds including one African-American professor, one Chinese national professor and one White professor. The purpose of this study was to examine how professors' literacy identities are shaped and how sharing these identities, experiences and beliefs in meaningful professional dialogues influences instructional practice. We examined the role of our identities and beliefs on our instructional practices using multiple forms of qualitative data such as journal entries, digital stories, and critical group discussions. Despite the range of differences …

The Influence Of Principal Leadership On Literate Practices And Instruction In A Middle School, Travis W. Duncan

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This case study uses Nicholls’s (1987) meta, macro, and micro levels of leadership merged with Dowell, Bickmore, and Hoewing (2012) and other literacy leadership research (Conley, 1989; Hall, Burns, & Edwards, 2011; Irvin, Meltzer, & Duke, 2007; Marks & Printy, 2003) to analyze the influence of a principal’s leadership on literacy instruction. The findings are similar to the integrated leadership approach emphasized in Marks and Printy (2003) but add additional evidence of cultural and human resource leadership. Strategies and structures that built culture around literate practices were evident. Teacher empowerment and building trust in school culture were important components.

Tolkien’S Allegory: Using Peter Jackson’S Vision Of Fellowship To Illuminate Male Adolescent Catholic Education, Adam P. Zoeller, Thomas E. Malewitz Ph.D.

Journal of Catholic Education

With many of the Catholic student population disengaged from regular ritual experiences their working vocabulary of the prayers and knowledge of the Church is limited. A beneficial bridge for many of these disconnected students, specifically male adolescents has been the use of storytelling in connection to Catholic themes to lay the foundations of ritual and deeper concepts through a more familiar setting. Through media literary, multi-modal instruction and Scripture exegesis adolescents can begin to recognize, understand, and feel a connection with the severity of the sacrifice of the Apostles in following Jesus of Nazareth. This article will offer some insights …

Review Of Think Big With Think Alouds: A Three-Step Planning Process That Develops Strategic Readers, Susan J. Chambre

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

In Think Big with Think Alouds: A Three-step Planning Process That Develops Strategic Readers (2017), Molly K. Ness provides classroom teachers with a detailed three-step process for developing think aloud procedures during classroom literacy instruction. The book assists teachers in identifying stopping points in narrative and expository text. Ness also includes multiple scripted think alouds with comprehensive explanations for both narrative and expository text. Additionally, practical tips for promoting student adoption of higher order thinking skills are provided in the form of sentence starters and strategy symbols. The procedures outline in Think Big with Think Alouds will empower classroom teachers …

Book Review: Information Literacy In The Workplace, Lore Guilmartin

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

From Passivity To Interactivity: How The Traditional Lecture Has Evolved As A Method Of Instruction, Patricia Doherty

The ITB Journal

D’Inverno (2003:19) notes that “Most of the lectures which students attend require little engagement and they may well have developed a passive mentality in which some largely expect to switch off”. This paper reviews current thinking in this issue and present recent feedback from students in order to establish what can be done to improve the lecture as a method of instruction. We present a discussion that will help encourage a deeper sense of learning, make the lecture into something that students do not want to miss through promoting inclusiveness in learning, by making lectures more interactive and developing student …

The Impact Of Think Through Math© Usage On Middle School Students’ Mathematics Achievement, Laurie A. Sharp, Marc Hamil

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

Technology-based resources have become a popular supplement to mathematics instruction within K-12 schools. Recently, the state of Texas provided school districts with access to Think Through Math^©, a web-based adaptive technology resource for mathematics instruction in Texas. At the time of this present study, no research independent of the provider of Think Through Math^© was available. Guided by concepts that underlie Cognitive Load Theory and its application to technology-based supplemental resources for mathematics, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Think Through Math^© usage on middle school students’ performance with state-mandated standardized …

Instructional Motivations: What Can We Learn From Homeschooling Families?, Jesse Thomas

The Qualitative Report

Some educational theorists have believed that the beneficial aspects of home education will eventually find their way into mainstream educational contexts. The purpose of this paper was to extract the motivations behind homeschooling instructional decisions. This study was built on surveys and interviews from over 1000 homeschooling parents across the United States. Participants were asked about the reason for their instructional routines. Instructional motivations reported included a child’s particular learning style, a parent’s personal preference, a child’s interests, community resources, experience, faith, family reasons, special goals, and special needs. These motivations may also represent those of public school parents, thus …

Wearable Technology And Schools: Where Are We And Where Do We Go From Here?, Brian K. Sandall

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

The area of wearable technology is having a rapidly growing impact on society with more consumers purchasing wearable tech. At the same time, wearable technology seems to be poised to have an impact on educational settings. This paper explores the area of wearable technology related to schools. It considers how wearable technology can be used by teachers to improve instruction and by students to change how they interact with the school environment. Wearable technology applications currently being implemented as part of the curriculum in schools are identified and discussed. To conclude, traits and skills that school leaders need to exhibit …

Extraordinary Everyday Stories: Audio Resources For The Communication Instructor, David E. Engen

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Communication instructors often supplement course texts with artistic works such as feature films, short stories, and memoirs. A less common form of supplementary material is the audio documentary/story. The discussion below introduces several audio resources likely to help students deepen their understanding of communication in general and interpersonal and intercultural communication in particular. I also offer a few ideas to those instructors wishing to help students create their own small-scale audio productions.

Infusing Critical Thinking Into Communication Courses, James P. Dimock, Kristen P. Treinen, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Robert S. Jersak

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The importance of critical thinking is generally recognized by educators and during the past 20 years numerous initiatives have been taken to improve critical thinking. Although research demonstrates courses in communication study can have a positive impact on critical thinking skills, we argue that instruction in critical thinking can be more explicitly covered in basic communication courses. This article details our efforts to infuse critical thinking into an entrylevel communication course and outlines a guide to help communication teachers integrate critical thinking into their courses.

What I Taught My Stem Instructor About Teaching: What A Deaf Student Hears That Others Cannot, Annemarie Ross, Randy K. Yerrick

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Overall, science teaching at the university level has remained in a relatively static state. There is much research and debate among university faculty regarding the most effective methods of teaching science. But it remains largely rhetoric. The traditional lecture model in STEM higher education is limping along in its march toward inclusion and equity. The NGSS and Common Core reform efforts do little to help university science teachers to change their orientation from largely lecture-driven practice with laboratory supplements. While it is impossible to address all diverse student groups, the need for accommodations tend to be overlooked. As a Deaf …

Culturally Competent Common Core Practices: A Delphi Study, Katherine Sprott

Journal of Research Initiatives

Research has shown that standards and benchmarks lack guidance for diverse learners with regard to the lesson planning and practice. The Common Core Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, a national state-led crusade, seeks to safeguard rigorous grade level content to prepare all students for college and career readiness. This study identifies five Culturally Competent Common Core Practices that can provide anchors for informing the instructional process in culturally contextualized ways. The Delphi study shows that the educator’s self-awareness fosters the level of cognitive consciousness that facilitates effect interaction with diverse populations.

Teaching About Propaganda: An Examination Of The Historical Roots Of Media Literacy, Renee Hobbs, Sandra Mcgee

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Contemporary propaganda is ubiquitous in our culture today as public relations and marketing efforts have become core dimensions of the contemporary communication system, affecting all forms of personal, social and public expression. To examine the origins of teaching and learning about propaganda, we examine some instructional materials produced in the 1930s by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA), which popularized an early form of media literacy that promoted critical analysis in responding to propaganda in mass communication, including in radio, film and newspapers. They developed study guides and distributed them widely, popularizing concepts from classical rhetoric and expressing them in …

Perspectives On Women’S Development: Instructional Implications In Higher Education, Sonia Michael

Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Theories of development typically explain developmental progress as a linear process with individuals moving through stages of development and becoming more independent and autonomous with each stage. While there are several theories of development, all of them suggest that there are gender differences in the way individuals develop. Perspectives on women’s development have become more prevalent with the growing awareness related to gender equity issues in education and the workplace. These theories of development suggest that women have a need to feel connected and that they tend to define themselves in terms of their relationships with others. With women over …

Feel Free To Change Your Mind. A Response To "The Potential For Deliberative Democratic Civic Education", Walter Parker

Democracy and Education

Walter Parker responds to Hanson and Howe's article, extending their argument to everyday classroom practice. He focuses on a popular learning activity called Structured Academic Controversy (SAC). SAC is pertinent not only to civic learning objectives but also to traditional academic-content objectives. SAC is at once a discourse structure, a participation structure, and an instructional procedure; and it centers on Hanson and Howe’s autonomy-building fulcrum—exchanging reasons. At a key moment in SAC, students are invited to step out of an assigned role and to form their “own” position on the issue. Parker argues that SAC is one way to mobilize …

Attitudes Of Beginner Teachers Of Special Education To Classroom Management: Who's The Boss Here?, Tsafi Timor Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The study deals with approaches of beginner teachers from a Special Education Training Programs to classroom management and to instruction with regard to two approaches: the Humanistic approach (or Student-Centered Approach), and the Custodial approach (or Teacher-Centered Approach). mixed use of both approaches in classroom management practices with a tendency towards the Humanistic approach. The Custodial approach was observed as related to issues of control and attitude towards violence whereas the Humanistic approach was found to be related to student-teacher relations, belief in students' abilities and perceptions of discipline. However, approach towards instruction and teaching was observed as related in …