Education Commons^™

A Formative Experiment To Align Middle-School History Instruction With Literacy Goals, Jamie Colwell, David Reinking

Publications

Background/Context

Recent curricular trends based on new standards emphasize the centrality of reading and studying texts in history instruction. That trend suggests a closer alignment between middle-school history instruction and goals for developing literacy. Yet potential obstacles identified in the literature, particularly a teacher's stance toward teaching history, imply challenges to instantiating that alignment. Relatively little research has addressed how relevant conceptual positions such as disciplinary literacy might be realized in authentic practice.

Purpose/Objective

The objective was to investigate how middle-school history instruction could be transformed to align with the literacy goals addressed in new curricular standards and to better …

Characterizing Teaching Assistants’ Knowledge And Beliefs Following Professional Development Activities Within An Inquiry-Based General Chemistry Context, Lindsay B. Wheeler, Jennifer L. Maeng, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

The purpose of this investigation was to explore changes in undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants’ (TAs’) content knowledge and beliefs about teaching within the context of an inquiry-based laboratory course. TAs received professional development (PD), which was informed by the TA training literature base and was designed for TAs implementing a guided inquiry approach to general chemistry laboratory instruction. TAs engaged in ∼20 h of presemester PD and ∼30 h of weekly follow-up PD during the semester. The study utilized a multiple-methods approach within a social constructivist framework to assess changes in the TAs. Participants included eight graduate TAs and …

Situating Computer Simulation Professional Development: Does It Promote Inquiry-Based Simulation Use?, Amanda L. Gonczi, Jennifer L. Maeng, Randy L. Bell, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

This mixed-methods study sought to identify professional development implementation variables that may influence participant (a) adoption of simulations, and (b) use for inquiry-based science instruction. Two groups (Cohort 1, N = 52; Cohort 2, N = 104) received different professional development. Cohort 1 was focused on Web site use mechanics. Cohort 2 was situated in nature and provided three additional elements: (a) modeling simulation use within inquiry-based instruction; (b) collaboration; and (c) provision of content-relevant lesson planning time. There was no difference in the extent of simulation use between cohorts, χ2(1) = 0.878, p = .349, φ = −0.075. Results …

The Writing Attitude Scale For Teachers (Wast), Anna H. Hall

Publications

This study examines the psychometric properties of the Writing Attitude Scale for Teachers (WAST) using scores of preservice teachers to gather evidence of content, internal structure, response processes, reliability/precision, and correlations with external variables. Four contending models were compared using CFA, but the unidimensional model was championed. The WAST was further refined using IRT to 10-items and shown to have high precision across most of the latent continuum. The WAST was shown to have incremental evidence relative to the Writing Apprehension Test when predicting attitudes towards attending a professional development workshop on writing instruction and time devoted to writing instruction.

We Need The "How" - Exploring Ways To Prepare Students For Ipas, Stephanie M. Madison

Publications

No abstract provided.

Investigating What Matters For Writing Instruction In South Carolina Elementary Schools: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Effective Writing Strategies And Barriers To Implementation, Anna H. Hall

Publications

Research has demonstrated a variety of instructional strategies that effectively support young children’s writing, yet little is known about how often teachers use these strategies. The purpose of the present study was to identify instructional strategies for writing that teachers deem effective, how often they use them, and what they perceive as barriers to implementation. The sample included approximately 100 randomly selected elementary school teachers (grades K-5th) from across the state of South Carolina. Survey results indicated teachers use a variety of effective practices to teach their young writers, notably use of modeling and mini-lessons. However, teachers reported having little …

Intentional Process For Intentional Space: Higher Education Classroom Spaces For Learning, Taimi Olsen, Stanley Guffey

Publications

This chapter addresses the confluence of theory and practice in developing and using “flexible” classrooms for student learning. A large classroom building renovation will be described, in terms of how collaboration and co-creation of value led to early success of the renovated space. Co-creation of value for staff and faculty can help overcome initial resistance to change, bridge understanding, and drive a successful change from lecture-based teaching to growing use of active learning pedagogies. At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, co-creation was central to planning, conducting, and sustaining a renovation of space into flexible, technology-enhanced classrooms and changing classroom pedagogy.

Persistent Teaching Practices After Geospatial Technology Professional Development, Lori A. Rubino-Hare, Brooke A. Whitworth, Nena E. Bloom, Jennifer M. Claesgens, Kristi M. Fredrickson, James C. Sample

Publications

This case study described teachers with varying technology skills who were implementing the use of geospatial technology (GST) within project-based instruction (PBI) at varying grade levels and contexts 1 to 2 years following professional development. The sample consisted of 10 fifth- to ninth-grade teachers. Data sources included artifacts, observations, interviews, and a GST performance assessment and were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Teachers’ teaching actions, beliefs, context, and technology skills were categorized. Results indicated that all of the teachers had high beliefs, but their context and level of technology skills strongly influenced their teaching actions. Two types of teachers …

Stem Learning In Your Own Backyard, Brooke A. Whitworth, Stephanie Beyea, Melora Purell

Publications

No abstract provided.

Persistent Teaching Practices After Geospatial Technology Professional Development, Lori A. Rubino-Hare, Brooke A. Whitworth, Nena E. Bloom, Jennifer M. Claesgens, Kristi M. Fredrickson, James C. Sample

Publications

This case study described teachers with varying technology skills who were implementing the use of geospatial technology (GST) within project-based instruction (PBI) at varying grade levels and contexts 1 to 2 years following professional development. The sample consisted of 10 fifth- to ninth-grade teachers. Data sources included artifacts, observations, interviews, and a GST performance assessment and were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Teachers’ teaching actions, beliefs, context, and technology skills were categorized. Results indicated that all of the teachers had high beliefs, but their context and level of technology skills strongly influenced their teaching actions. Two types of teachers …