Education Commons^™

We Are All In This Together: Teacher Preparation, Lesson Planning, And Aiding Classroom Teachers During An Emergency School Shutdown, Aaron Rife

The Advocate

This essay documents the attempt by a small group of student teachers in a secondary History/Government Education program to do something meaningful with their skills when buildings closed in early 2020 in a state of emergency and instruction was shifted to homes. Our solution was to create a digital classroom to share lessons and teaching materials for teachers to use as they grappled with distance learning.

Virtual Tools Show Promise For Moving The Needle On Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Family Engagement, Tamra Mitchell, Socorro Herrera

The Advocate

The school building closures of spring 2020 fundamentally disrupted education in Kansas, but out of this disruption emerged the need and opportunity for schools and educators to be creative and innovative. At a time when every parent in our state was either employed as an essential worker and working longer hours, trying to work from home, or trying to navigate the loss of their job, they were also trying to support their children with continuous learning. This required Kansas schools to think differently and try new strategies for truly engaging families. One promising innovation that many schools piloted was to …

Learning Will Continue, Mischel Miller, Debbie K. Mercer

The Advocate

When Kansas school buildings were closed for the remainder of spring 2020, school leaders responded to ensure learning would continue for the P-12 500,000 students. Rapid change research provides a framework for looking at the response needed during this pandemic. The Kansas State Department of Education led efforts to pivot to remote learning. This article analyzes research data from all public and private schools related to challenges during this time. Access to technology, both devices and internet, remote delivery modes for teaching and learning, and use of paper packets are discussed as the State strengthens and moves forward.

Helping The Helpers: Tending To Kansas Educators’ Social-Emotional Needs And Self-Care During A Pandemic, Jessica J. Lane Dr., Leah Mckeeman Dr., Laura Bonella

The Advocate

On a typical day, pre-COVID 19, educators are pulled in many directions, making hundreds, if not thousands, of quick decisions. Today those dynamics are heightened with varied and additional competing needs. However, what has not changed is the essential role of an educator. Caring for students in a time of such uncertainty seems critical. However, while there is serious and necessary demand for caring for the students and families, one population that is gravely being overlooked are the helpers. The educators. Less emphasis is being placed on the wellness and self-care of those who are offering those needed social-emotional supports. …

Letter From Editors Fall Winter 2020

The Advocate

Letter from Editors Fall Winter 2020

Editorial Information For The Advocate

The Advocate

Editorial information regarding the advocate can be found here.

Imagination At Work: A Book Review Of The Power Of Practice-Based Literacy Research: A Tool For Teachers, Catherine Lammert

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This is a book review of of The Power of Practice-Based Literacy Research: A Tool for Teachers.

Implementing Personal Devices In Math, Jamie W. Mcdaniel

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This study examined the effect of implementing personal devices into a fifth grade mathematics classroom. Thirty-eight fifth graders participated in this eight-week project with a focus on six students to track their growth. During the study, students engaged in technology based stations that pertained to our geometry unit and coordinate unit. Students took pre and post test on paper to track progress. In addition, students completed online assessments within their practice websites and apps to track comprehension and growth of the content. Furthermore, students were interviewed to ensure they were staying engaged in the online activities and to track student …

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 …

Reclaiming And Redefining Research, Suzanne Porath

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Action research, practitioner inquiry, self-study, scholarship of teaching and learning, or practice-based research – there are numerous names for this work. Yet, whether you are new to action research or a veteran of classroom inquiry, I hope this issue of Networks continues to inspires you to “reflect on classroom practice through research ventures… alone or in collaboration, use inquiry as a tool to learn more about your work with the hope of eventually improving its effectiveness” (from the mission statement of Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research).

The Power Of Workshop, Stephanie Nagl

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This action research explores the use of Readers’-Writers’ Workshop (RWW) in the secondary English classroom. RWW often requires a paradigm shift on the part of the teacher to allow for more student autonomy and limiting direct instruction time. The researcher sought to discover whether or not this model would impact the engagement level and the attitudes toward reading of high school seniors. Findings suggest RWW can be an effective tool for engaging students, as well as, helping students to develop positive attitudes with reading practices.

Spelling Interventions For Students Who Show Signs Of Dyslexia, Caitlin N. Gritz

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This action research examines the impact of spelling interventions for students who show signs of dyslexia. The action research also shows how using growth mindset can help students with characteristics typical of low self-esteem. Students learned a new spelling pattern weekly and a growth mindset lesson to teach students how to have a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset related to spelling skills. A pre-spelling inventory test and a post-spelling inventory test were compared to see that word study activities help students remember specific spelling patterns.

Self-Care Amongst First-Year Teachers, Leia Baker

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This paper explores a study completed with two first-year teachers over a three-month period while self-care strategies were suggested and practiced. The paper discusses the impact that practicing and not practicing self-care has on first-year teachers’ attitudes and attendance. It also includes firsthand accounts from journal entries completed by both first-year teachers.

Editorial Introduction: Classroom Research: Catalyzing Education Through Inquiry, Shantel Farnan, Victoria Seeger

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

No abstract provided.

Context Matters: Concepts Of School Engagement In The Context Of Geographic Isolation, Gary Andersen, Linda E. Feldstein

The Advocate

This case study research represents an attempt to gain a better understanding of conceptions of school engagement in a rural, isolated, agricultural mid-western community. Local school administrators, in collaboration with a regional university, chose to make student engagement the focus of deep inquiry in order to better address student concerns, improve teaching, and student outcomes (Association of Teacher Educators, 2007). Researchers interviewed students, teachers, and parents in a local high school, using an interview protocol specifically designed for each constituency. The study results point to a mostly behavioral, or compliance driven concept of engagement among all groups interviewed, but further …

Why Kansas Can Not Get Over The Learning Styles Myth: A Document Analysis, Alan English

The Advocate

The term “learning styles theory” refers to a belief that students have individualized modes of learning which, once determined, will lead to improved classroom performance if material is presented in that specified mode. Despite a lack of empirical evidence, it is one of the most enduring and wide-spread beliefs in public education, leading many researchers to refer to it as a “myth”. This study consists of a document analysis of the Kansas State Department of Education’s website, KSDE.org, to determine the degree of influence that learning styles theory has on Kansas’s educational system. It is hoped that doing so will …

Renovating Science Professional Development To Meet Teachers’ Needs, Julie Thiele, Ollie Bogdon

The Advocate

In order to meet the needs of elementary in-service teachers, renovated professional learning, including the components of the Effective Science Professional Development Model is vital. Increasing teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, engaging teachers in investigations, school-year coaching with the underlying theme of collaboration are encompassed in the four key components of the renovated model. Experiences shared in the article, the successes and challenges of implementing professional development with the focus of shifting science education to hands-on investigations in doing science, provide leaders in science education the opportunity to explore effective professional development opportunities and utilize this model in their schools to …

Rural Field Experiences: Promising Practices, Janet K. Stramel, Paul Adams

The Advocate

A Rural Field Experience, in which pre-service teachers are totally immersed in the rural school setting and rural life, has been successful in attracting and retaining mathematics and science teachers in rural schools. The week-long Rural Field Experience is having a lasting effect on recruiting and retaining teachers. Responses from teacher education candidates indicate that successful strategies for building partnerships support this program and approach. Funded by an NSF Robert Noyce Scholarship grant, this program includes unique courses focused on issues related to teaching in a rural community.

A Message From The Editors

The Advocate

A message from Dr. Gary Andersen and Dr. Laurie Curtis, editors of The Advocate

The Advocate

The Advocate

See this document for information regarding membership in ATE-K and submission of manuscripts to The Advocate.

A Review Of The Reader Response Notebook: Teaching Toward Agency, Autonomy, And Accountability, Bobbie Kabuto

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This book review examines two overlapping narratives in Ted Kelser’s The Reader Response Notebook: Teaching toward Agency, Autonomy, and Accountability. The first narrative is the reflective professional journey of Ted Kesler, who began re-envisioning the possibilities of reader response notebooks while he was an elementary and middle school teacher in New York City Public Schools. The second narrative is that of the students who used reader response notebooks in their classrooms. This review concludes with the idea of how The Reader Response Notebook is a comprehensive, practical book for teachers. The Reader Response Notebook exemplifies how inquiry lead to …

Preparing Teacher Interns For International Teaching: A Case Study Of A Chinese Practicum Program, Gregory R. Mackinnon, Robert Shields

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Acadia University, a small liberal arts institution, has for 15 years, offered a unique practicum experience for its teacher interns enrolled in the preservice Bachelor of Education. Students travel to Shanghai, China for a period of four months to teach English as a Second Language in school classrooms ranging from grades kindergarten to six. This paper describes the preparation of interns and the inherent challenges they face as pedagogues in a distinctly different teaching context. This action research account seeks to used mixed methods to identify areas of improvement in the process of preparing beginning teachers for a career in …

A Systematic Multisensory Phonics Intervention For Older Struggling Readers: Action Research Study, Elizabeth Henry

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Upper elementary readers who persist with reading difficulties face both academic and emotional challenges when they do not make reading gains equal to their peers. Decades of research has shown that persistent treatment resisters respond positively to a systematic multisensory phonics intervention. In my action research study, I examined how 5th and 6th grade struggling readers responded to a multisensory phonics intervention. Following the eight-week intervention, students made gains in word reading accuracy and demonstrated increased confidence in word reading skills. Implications of the study bolster the importance of providing phonics instruction to older struggling readers.

Real-Life Nature-Based Experiences As Keys To The Writing Workshop, Margot Kinberg

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

For many years, research has supported the value of using real-life experiences as teaching opportunities (e.g. Noobanjong & Louhapensang, 2017; Powell, 2015). This is just as true of teaching writing as of anything else. In fact, when learners use writing (such as journaling) to share their experiences, they benefit in several ways, including their communication skills (e.g. Khanmohammad & Eilaghi, 2017).

Writing workshops have been shown to be effective approaches to coaching writing at several different levels (Williams, 2014). Such workshops provide the opportunity to reflect on drafts, collaborate with peers and work through the writing process. They are, therefore, …

Inquiries Into The Cognitive And Affective Domains Of Learning, Suzanne Porath

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

In this issue of Networks, we see educator-researchers inquire into the cognitive aspects of their students’ learning, but also explore the affective aspects of learning such as engagement, choice, and personal response.

Collaborative Autonomy: Exploring The Professional Freedom Of Three Science Teachers, Michael Ralph, Darian Robbins, Stephen Young, Laurence Woodruff

Educational Considerations

Education reform efforts must support and protect professional autonomy for classroom teachers. When policymakers attempt to make systemic change in ways that reduce the professional autonomy of educators, student learning suffers. Teachers need the freedom to identify their professional goals, seek resources and collaboration opportunities in pursuit of those goals, and act on feedback regarding their progress in meeting those goals. We present three stories from teachers who share a department engaged in collaborative autonomy. These accounts provide guidance for how professional autonomy can be defended by those pursuing systemic change.

Our Moonshot: Dighton Public Schools, Kelly Arnberger

Educational Considerations

“Through redesign you have the opportunity do whatever you choose to do to make your school reflect the needs and desires of your community. I believe our public-school teachers can do the great things we keep hearing private and charter schools do if we would just let them.” Randy Watson said something to that effect at Dighton in January, 2017. We would now have permission to make our school reflect the true mission, vision, and values of our community without constraint. Sounds great! At least many of us in attendance listening to Dr. Watson that day thought so. We chose …