Education Commons^™

Features Of Direct Instruction: Interactive Lessons, Kristen R. Rolf, Timothy A. Slocum

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Direct Instruction (DI) teaches challenging academic content to a range of diverse learners. In order to do so, DI includes a complex system for organizing and directing teacher–student interactions to maximize learning. This system includes: instructional formats that specify the interactions between teacher and student, flexible skills-based groupings, active student responding, responsive interactions between students and teachers, ongoing data-based decision making, and mastery teaching. In this article, we describe each of these main features of the system, define their functions, reveal how they are interwoven throughout all DI lessons, and provide specific examples of their application during instruction. Our goal …

Forget Power Dynamics: Why You Should Be Bbfs With Your Students And Professors, Maygan Barker

Writing Center Analysis Papers

This paper is half personal narrative and half reflection on the nature of power dynamics in the classroom and writing center. The paper examines the nature and nuances of the word “relationship,” how we interact with the concept of relationships and power, and the ways we limit our joys through limiting the types of relationships we engage in. From there it discusses how to challenge those power dynamics in the classroom and writing center, and the benefits of doing so.

The Wall Of Silence: Disrupting Kairotic Spaces, Victoria Jaye

Writing Center Analysis Papers

Every class has a balance of kairotic space where teachers have power and students accept that power within the confining space of the classroom. Power defines our world as well as our relationships to one another; without power there is no control which can be key to governing a classroom. Disruption of this power dynamic can open dialogue between teachers and students that might not have existed otherwise because students feel confined to the strictures binding their power creating a wall of silence. Using brainstorming and reflecting as well as peer tutoring, I experimented with breaking down the wall of …

Well, How Do You Feel About That Semicolon? Striking A Balance Between Instruction And Discovery As A Tutor And Teacher, Mark Smeltzer

Writing Center Analysis Papers

The paper explores the relationship between experiences with teaching and tutoring in the English Department at Utah State University. It examines observations of a first-year graduate instructor; it also draws conclusions on how to navigate the different environments of the USU Writing Center and the 1010 classroom, incorporating strategies and lessons from both

Learning On Equal Grounds, Andrea Diamond

Writing Center Analysis Papers

Utah State University welcomes students to its beautiful campus where they can achieve their potential in an environment where everyone is welcome and each is promised that their voice will be heard and valued. The “Diversity Statement” facilitates this by encouraging discourse in a “free and respectful exchange of ideas.” Certainly, the opportunity to collaborate with students, scholars, and instructors in such an environment would help each gain command of the English language and improve their writing skills. As a graduate student, graduate instructor, and Writing Center tutor, I looked forward to this opportunity from many angles. Navigating my campus …

A Focus Group Analysis Of Interdisciplinary Knowledge Held By Special Education Teachers And Community Rehabilitation Service Providers, Tabitha Pacheco

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This research study describes the current understanding of high school special education teachers and community rehabilitation providers (CRP) staff regarding the direct transition services available through each party, the challenges and barriers encountered by each party, and recommendations for improving collaboration between special education teachers and CRP staff to improve student outcomes. Current research emphasizes the importance of interagency collaboration and that collaboration can improve student post-secondary outcomes. The method included three focus groups. Thematic analysis revealed key themes in the areas of experiences, questions, barriers, collaboration, and recommendations. The results and recommendations from this study may provide guidance for …

Teacher Vs. Tutor, Brady Maynes

Writing Center Analysis Papers

The goal of this paper is to explore the differences between the roles of a tutor in the writing center and a teacher grading their student’s papers. I discuss ways in which tutor and teacher are similar as they both evaluate student’s papers but the end goal is significantly different. A tutor does not nor should they assign a grade to any paper they read in a tutoring session. One of a teacher’s primary intentions is to assign a grade to their student’s papers that reflects the feedback given. There is also a barrier, whether purposely constructed or placed by …

Fundamental Features Of Fostering Teacher Collective Efficacy: Principals’ Attitudes, Behaviors, And Practices, Shelley Nordick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes, practices, and behaviors of principals who foster teacher collective efficacy. The research questions were developed based upon Bandura’s social cognitive theory to include (a) what are the attitudes held by principals that influence TCE; (b) what are the behaviors enacted by principals that influence TCE; (c) what are the practices employed by principals that influence TCE. The study utilized a qualitative approach with a multisite case study design. The Collective Teacher Efficacy Scale developed by Goddard et al. was used to measure TCE of participating schools. The survey results were …

Teacher Perception Of Social/Emotional Skills Of Preschool Children And The Relationship To Common Core Standards, A. Mi'kel Price

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Sampson is a 4-year-old preschooler. It is difficult for him to make friends, understand simple social settings, and interact with peers. He struggles to interpret incoming contextual information (such as talking to a peer about the blocks they are playing with), has difficulty comprehending non-literal/figurative expressions (such as jokes and irony), and implicit messages (such as when a child does not want to play with him). Sampson’s difficulties increase his risk of social isolation and lower self-esteem.

This vignette offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by children with low social/emotional skills. The social use of language, often referred to …

The Academic Preparation And Background Of Public Secondary Mathematics Teachers In Utah 1966-1967, Charles Martin Crittenden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A random survey was conducted to determine the academic preparation and background of the public secondary mathematics teachers in the state of Utah.

The survey indicated that there is a wide variance in the teacher mathematics preparation between the three types of public secondary schools. The class B high schools have a smaller percentage of well prepared mathematics teachers than either the class A high schools or the junior high schools.

The following facts were discovered: (1) 22.03 percent of all the surveyed mathematics teachers had between 1 and 15 quarter hours of college mathematics preparation, (2) 5.22 percent had …

More Than Just Plain Old Technology Adoption: Understanding Variations In Teachers' Use Of An Online Planning Tool, Heather Leary, Victor R. Lee, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines variability in teachers’ usage patterns as they interacted with an online teacher support tool, the Curriculum Customization Service (CCS), as part of their professional work. The CCS is a web application that supports teachers in planning, adapting, sequencing, and enacting differentiated instruction in Earth science education. By mining the usage log files of over 40 teachers who used the CCS over a yearlong period, we analyzed for variability using a framework developed in marketing research to characterize appropriation of technology. This analysis helped reveal different kinds of teachers’ patterns along two dimensions: frequency and variability of use. …

Democratic Inclusive Educators, Amy Baird Miner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Educating for democracy has long been established as a central purpose for schooling in America and continues to be included in the ongoing discourses on educational policy and programs. While educating for democracy has been defined in many ways, it is commonly agreed that it is the knowledge, skills, and experiences that members of a democracy should possess in order to be contributing citizens of a global society. Nested within the context of democratic education, inclusion as advocated by Iris Marion Young provided the framework for this study. Young suggested that inclusive democracy enables the participation and voice for all …

Teacher Design Using Online Learning Resources: A Comparative Case Study Of Science And Mathematics Teachers, Mimi Recker

Mimi Recker

Using a comparative case study design, this paper explores the impacts of a technology-related professional development (TTPD) design aimed at helping science and mathematics teachers design classroom activities using the wealth of resources available on the Internet. Using the lens of curricular adaption and the notion of teachers’ varying pedagogical design capacity, we analyzed the experiences of four teachers in terms of the kinds of instructional activities teachers designed, how these were supported with online resources, and teachers’ perceptions of impacts on student learning. Findings suggested that participants used a variety of personally relevant design strategies when applying TTPD concepts …

Teacher Design Using Online Learning Resources: A Comparative Case Study Of Science And Mathematics Teachers, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Using a comparative case study design, this paper explores the impacts of a technology-related professional development (TTPD) design aimed at helping science and mathematics teachers design classroom activities using the wealth of resources available on the Internet. Using the lens of curricular adaption and the notion of teachers’ varying pedagogical design capacity, we analyzed the experiences of four teachers in terms of the kinds of instructional activities teachers designed, how these were supported with online resources, and teachers’ perceptions of impacts on student learning. Findings suggested that participants used a variety of personally relevant design strategies when applying TTPD concepts …

Research On Distance Programs For Teachers & Administrators, Laura Slack Foley

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Distance access to quality preparation in university teacher certification programs is crucial to solving teacher shortages. This paper aggregates the data from several gathering sources which were designed to evaluate distance program features for quality, access, and delivery through the perceptions of participating preservice teachers at Utah State University.

Explicit Instruction Elements In Core Reading Programs, Angela R. Child

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Angela R. Child at Utah State University conducted a content analysis study aimed at describing the inclusion of seven explicit instruction elements, namely, direct explanation, modeling, guided practice, independent practice, feedback, discussion, and monitoring, found within five widely published core reading programs (CRPs). These seven elements of explicit instruction will be sought in essential reading component lessons which include: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension only.

The study sought to describe the instructional recommendations found within the CRPs lessons to benefit society by; aiding educators in the selection of a CRP for their school or district; assisting classroom teachers …

Through The Eyes Of The Novice Teacher: Perceptions Of Mentoring Support, Sarah K. Clark, D. Byrnes

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examined the perceptions of elementary school beginning teachers (n = 136) across a Rocky Mountain state in the US regarding the mentoring support they received during their first year teaching. Beginning teachers were asked to report the types of mentoring support they received and to rate the helpfulness of this support on the Mentoring Support Survey. Individual item scores and scale scores are reported. An analysis of variance was then used to compare the scale scores of teachers with the administrator-facilitated mentoring supports of common planning time with their mentors and/or release time to observe other teachers. …

Processes And Pathways: How Do Mathematics And Science Partnerships Measure And Promote Growth In Teacher Content Knowledge?, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, A. Westenskow

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Intense focus on student achievement results in mathematics and science has brought about claims that K-12 teachers should be better prepared to teach basic concepts in these disciplines. The focus on teachers' mathematics and science content knowledge has been met by efforts to increase teacher knowledge through funded national initiatives focusing on mathematics and science. The purpose of the present study was to look across projects in the National Science Foundation's Math and Science Partnership Program to determine how partnerships developed processes for measuring growth in teacher content knowledge. Pre- and post-testing was the most common process for measuring growth …

Improving The Quality Of Teacher Support In Anticipation Of The Instructional Use Of Technology: An Action Research Study, Darren E. Draper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The formation of the Canyons School District brought with it unique opportunities for assessing current practice, implementing change, and evaluating the effectiveness of that change. Accordingly, this action research project served as an effective initial step in accomplishing this series of tasks. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to describe the instructional technology needs of teachers, as well as the related support efforts provided in a public school district.

Data gathering methods included a district-wide needs assessment survey of school-based licensed personnel (N =1,313). Additionally, the utilization of focus group protocol on an existing district technology committee …

Teaching Grammer And Writing: A Beginning Teacher's Dilemma, P. Smagorinsky, Amy Wilson-Lopez, C. Moore

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This longitudinal case study follows one high school English teacher’s path of concept development over a two-year period encompassing her student teaching and first year of full-time teaching, both at the same rural school in the southeastern United States. The authors use a sociocultural theoretical framework emerging from the work of Vygotsky to focus on the construction of activity settings and the ways in which settings help to shape concept development. In particular, the analysis finds the teacher drawing on apparently inconsistent pedagogical traditions and their associated mediational tools: one centered on a teacher’s authoritarian control of the curriculum and …

Pre-Service Teacher And Elementary Student Partnerships During A Reading Methods Course: Does It Make A Difference?, Sarah K. Clark

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Instructional Architect Teacher Professional Development Handouts, Mimi Recker, Andrew Walker, M. Brooke Robertshaw, Linda Sellers, Heather M. Leary

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Research

Three handouts for the teacher professional development workshops on the Instructional Architect (IA). Starting spring 2009 the face-to-face workshop was changed to be three different days of learning about how to use the IA, inquiry based and problem based learning, evaluation of IA projects with a rubric, and creating IA projects.

The Assessment Of Mathematics And Science Teacher Quality, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Johnna J. Bolyard, Anastasia Kitsantas, Hana Oh

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the types of instruments being used to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics in 48 nationally funded mathematics and science education awards. Each of the 48 projects operationalized teacher quality and determined how to assess it. The main research questions examined the instruments awardees used to gather data on mathematics and science teacher quality, and the main characteristics of teachers examined by awardees. Results showed that awardees most frequently used surveys or questionnaires to assess characteristics of mathematics and science teacher quality. The most common teacher characteristics examined by awardees' included …

A Review Of The Literature On Mathematics And Science Teacher Quality, Johnna J. Bolyard, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

A large body of literature exists that examines teacher quality characteristics and the relationship of indicators of those characteristics to teacher effectiveness. This existing research literature broadly views teacher quality research without illuminating specific areas of teacher quality, such as mathematics and science. In an effort to focus the literature base for researchers and policymakers more narrowly, this review specifically examines teacher quality as it relates to mathematics and science teaching and learning. The review highlights key policy and practitioner perspectives, provides a focused synthesis on current research findings on mathematics and science teacher quality, and suggests areas of research …

Review Of Managing The Social And Emotional Needs Of The Gifted: A Teacher's Survival Guide, Scott L. Hunsaker

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract available.

Teacher Strategies To Improve Pupil Self-Concept, Kathleen L. Van Horn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of the Utah State University Pupil Self-Concept Program on the performance of inservice elementary school teachers and on the self-concepts of pupils in their classrooms. Four volunteer teachers were trained in the Self-Concept behaviors as part of an inservice course. A single-subject multiple baseline design was used to determine teacher effects for these four teachers. The first teacher was the main subject, and the study was then directly replicated three times using the other three experimental teachers. Data on these four subjects were collected through observation of program-related teacher behaviors. …

The Parent Is A Teacher, Alan Hofmeister

Faculty Honor Lectures

There are numerous interpretations and approaches to parent instruction ranging from high-school classes on parenting to intensive long-term counseling of parents with serious child-management problems. Some programs attempt to prepare the parent to handle the broad range of personal and social decisions associated with parenthood. Another approach is to provide the parent with skills to facilitate the development of appropriate, academic, social and self-care behavior in their children

The Effectiveness Of Training For Empathy In Pre-Service Teacher Education, John Bruce Jessen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The specific objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of training on understanding empathy in the teacher training process.

Subjects were Utah State University students enrolled in Elementary Education during winter quarter 1976. The experimental group was composed of 34 subjects and the control group of 27 subjects.

Both groups were administered a pretest. The experimental group then received the treatment which consisted of a training program designed to help them to be able to (1) define, (2) recognize instances of, and (3) to emit empathic behavior. At the conclusion of the training program both the experimental and …

A Study Of The New Sodia Program In Elementary Teacher Education At Utah State University, Larry D. Klein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to compare elementary teacher preparation programs at Utah State University as a basis for evaluation of the SODIA program. SODIA is the acronym for a new elementary teacher preparation program initiated in the Fall of 1972 which was designed to be field centered and competency based.

The population of the study consisted of 104 elementary student teachers enrolled in student teaching during Fall and Winter Quarters of the 1973-74 academic year. There were four groups identified by the type of preparation program they had experienced. The groups were SODIA (the new program for preparing elementary teachers), …

Dogmatism And Philosophy: Their Relation To Teacher Acceptance And Understanding Of The New Social Studies, Donald E. Anctil

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research project was a study to determine the relationship of two characteristics--dogmatism and educational philosophy--to teachers' acceptance and understanding of the New Social Studies (NSS).

The sample consisted of 222 secondary social studies teachers from three counties in tho San Francisco Bay Area. Questionnaires were mailed to schools selected at random and were administered by an agent, in most cases, the department chairman, to all social studies teachers in the school, during a single administration period.

The questionnaire utilized four measurement scales. Troldahl and Powell's Short Form Dogmatism Scale and Curran's Short Test of One's Educational Philosophy, published and …