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Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Education

Inquiry At The Heart Of Teacher Preparation, Maika Yeigh Nov 2017

Inquiry At The Heart Of Teacher Preparation, Maika Yeigh

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

This essay describes the action research projects and culminating conference for a Graduate Teacher Education Program. Teacher candidates conduct year-long research projects with the dual-goal of building a reflective inquiry stance and improving instructional practice.


Teaching "In Their Best Interest": Preservice Teachers' Narratives Regarding English Learners, Amanda T. Sugimoto, Kathy Carter, Kathleen J. Stoehr Oct 2017

Teaching "In Their Best Interest": Preservice Teachers' Narratives Regarding English Learners, Amanda T. Sugimoto, Kathy Carter, Kathleen J. Stoehr

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the United States, teachers are increasingly working with English Learners (ELs) in mainstream classrooms. Several areas of focus have been proposed to guide the preparation of teachers for working with ELs, including: language related knowledge, skills, and dispositions. This narrative study examined how field-based experiences shaped 49 preservice teachers' dispositions toward ELs. An iterative and thematic analysis of collected narratives found that preservice teachers often completed their practicum in classrooms that did not model positive dispositions or pedagogical practices toward ELs. These findings have implications for the tasks and experiences given to preservice teachers during their preparation sequence.


Critical Literacy: Engaging First Graders In An Exploration Of Race Through Children’S Literature, Kelly Deits Cutler Oct 2017

Critical Literacy: Engaging First Graders In An Exploration Of Race Through Children’S Literature, Kelly Deits Cutler

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

As an educator, I often hear teachers suggest that young children are not “ready” to tackle controversial topics such as race, racism, and racial identity. Reasons are oftentimes stated, such as “that’s not developmentally appropriate” or “they’re too young to understand that concept.” In direct contrast, the last sixty years of educational research indicates that children do understand the concept of race at a very early age (Clark, 1988; Derman-Sparks & Ramsey, 2011; Goodman 1952; Katz, 2013; Proshansky, 1966). Yet often adults, including parents and educators, do not recognize children’s ability to understand race. Most teachers--particularly White teachers--have difficulty talking …


English Learners' Positioning During Interactions With Monolingual English-Speaking Students, Amanda Sugimoto, Kathy Carter May 2017

English Learners' Positioning During Interactions With Monolingual English-Speaking Students, Amanda Sugimoto, Kathy Carter

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly, English Learners (ELs) are being educated in mainstream classrooms alongside English fluent students. Using a positioning theory framework, this multiple case study explored how ELs reflexively positioned themselves during interactions with their peers as well as how English fluent peers interactionally positioned ELs. Drawing upon multiple data sources, (i.e., observations, interviews, and artifacts), and using cross case analysis techniques, we found that ELs’ reflexive positioning was influenced by their language history and schooling context and peers’ interactional positioning moves limited ELs’ access to academic interactions. These findings pose important considerations regarding the academic and linguistic access of ELs in …


The Back Burner: A Case Study Of A Teacher’S Dilemmas When Working With English Learners, Amanda Sugimoto May 2017

The Back Burner: A Case Study Of A Teacher’S Dilemmas When Working With English Learners, Amanda Sugimoto

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly, mainstream classroom teachers are working with (ELs), however, little is known about what dilemmas these teachers face in their practice with ELs. Using a dilemmatic spaces framework, this case study explored the dilemmas a fourth grade teacher negotiated while working with ELs in her low-incidence school. Drawing upon multiple data sources, (i.e., observations, interviews, and artifact analysis), and using iterative and thematic analysis techniques, three dilemmas were identified. These included: (1) a lack of professional experience with ELs, (2) lack of support from the ESL teacher, and (3) conflicting administrative expectations. These findings pose important considerations for the teaching …


Communities Of Practice In Higher Education: Transformative Dialogues Toward A Productive Academic Writing Practice, Janelle De Carrico Voegele, Dannelle D. Stevens Apr 2017

Communities Of Practice In Higher Education: Transformative Dialogues Toward A Productive Academic Writing Practice, Janelle De Carrico Voegele, Dannelle D. Stevens

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Because faculty have advanced degrees, it is often assumed that they have perfected the skills needed to be productive, successful academic writers. In reality, many faculty struggle with the demands of academic writing and the resulting loss of energy for teaching and other aspects of their roles. This article reflects on the impact of an academic writing program through a community-of-practice lens. We describe the program and its elements, its development into a thriving cross-discipline writing community, the role of central program elements such as accountability and dialogue, and the benefits stemming from a learning-community emphasis across program elements


Evaluating Tech Tools For Literacy: A Research-Based Checklist, Todd Cherner, Peggy Hopper Mar 2017

Evaluating Tech Tools For Literacy: A Research-Based Checklist, Todd Cherner, Peggy Hopper

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

With an emphasis placed on students reading and writing digitally, this presentation offers attendees a resource they can use to evaluate the literacy implications for using different apps and websites.


Involving Literacy And Technology: An Action Research Study To Improve Teacher Candidates’ Practice, Todd Cherner, Kristal Curry Mar 2017

Involving Literacy And Technology: An Action Research Study To Improve Teacher Candidates’ Practice, Todd Cherner, Kristal Curry

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

As reflected in the new generation of “college- and career-ready” standards, developing students’ literacy abilities has become an educational initiative. In addition, software developers are continually releasing a range of educational website, apps, and programs intended to support student learning. The challenge then becomes how teachers can use these evolving instructional technologies to develop their students’ literacy abilities by combining them with their content and pedagogical knowledge. In this action research project, two teacher educators set out to study how their candidates used instructional technology during their internship for these purposes. In this article, the researchers will provide a background …


Educational Apps In The Blended Learning Classroom: Bringing Inquiry-Based Learning Into The Mix, Todd Cherner, Alex Fegely Jan 2017

Educational Apps In The Blended Learning Classroom: Bringing Inquiry-Based Learning Into The Mix, Todd Cherner, Alex Fegely

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

With schools investing heavily in mobile technologies and emphasizing blended learning lessons, teachers are being required to create learning experiences that utilize these technologies to further prepare secondary students for college and the workforce. In this article, the authors first present a brief vignette intended to be representative of the emotions and pressures facing teachers as they prepare to teach with these new technologies. Next, the authors provide a framework teachers can use to create app-based lessons, which are lessons that use multiple apps to engage students in an inquiry-based learning experience. To provide further support, the authors include two …