Education Commons^™

Teaching Spanish To Beginning Spanish Students, Amy Baldini

World Languages and Cultures

During my time in college and studying abroad, I have developed a passion for languages. As a result, I plan on teaching Spanish in High School. Therefore, my senior project will involve tutoring beginning-level Cal Poly students in Spanish and evaluating the difficulties that students encounter while learning a second language. I will tutor for a minimum of 30 hours and complete a write-up which summarizes my experience. In this write up, I discuss the tutoring sessions and the different obstacles and successes I encounter. I will also discuss what tutors must consider when tutoring students. I will outline my …

Earth Science For Secondary Schools: Earth Science Teaching Curriculum, Chelsea Devries

Earth and Soil Sciences

Creating this senior project, based on secondary Earth Science curriculum, will be directed toward teachers and will assist in lessons and instruction and reaching students at a deeper level. This Earth Science curriculum will challenge students and enlighten teachers. This curriculum will impact students in a way that they will never forget. After completing this course, the students will be knowledgeable and have a strong foundation in the fundamentals of Earth Science. Creating this curriculum will challenge students in subjects such as, the universe, biodiversity / conservation biology, introduction to soils, rocks and minerals, and the geography of California. The …

Atwater Ag Mechanics Shop Rennovation / Cte Plan, Samuel J. Meredith

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship report includes validation documents required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are used during the review process conducted by subject matter experts from the California Department of Education. The internship included the documentation to receive state/local funding, the development of a welding and fabrication facility, floral design classroom, and wood shop facility to accommodate student SAE projects, and to support instruction.

A Pilot Study Examining High School Physical Education Teachers' Understanding And Use Of Mosston's Style(S) Of Teaching, Greg L. Pierce

Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to develop a questionnaire that could lend insight to physical educations teachers’ perceptions and use of Mosston's Teaching Styles. The researcher designed a pilot study in which he distributed the questionnaire to six teachers from three Santa Barbara District High Schools. Results show that the six teachers were familiar with all Mosston’s Styles. However, citing circumstances such as class time and class sizes, the participants in this study did not use all of Mosston’s Styles. These results may be useful for physical education teacher educators to help them understand teachers’ knowledge of Mosston’s Styles, …

Subverting The Ivory Tower: Teaching And Learning Through Critical Dialogues, Elizabeth Meyer, Veronika Lesiuk

School of Education Scholarship

Joe Kincheloe was our teacher, our mentor, and our friend. In our experiences in higher education, we had learned that it was virtually impossible to have these three different kinds of relationships with one person; particularly with an established, respected scholar who was as prolific as he was. He wasn’t arrogant or inaccessible or a diva or blinded by the hubris that can come with being deemed an “expert in the field.” He was Joe, the Vols fan and blues musician from Tennessee who proudly told anyone who would listen about his honorary membership in the Lesbian Avengers. When we …

Improving Literacy And Metacognition With Electronic Portfolios: Teaching And Learning With Epearl, Elizabeth J. Meyer, Philip C. Abrami, C. Anne Wade, Ofra Aslan, Louise Deault

School of Education Scholarship

Can an electronic portfolio that is both a multimedia container for student work and a tool to support key learning processes have a positive impact on the literacy practices and self-regulated learning skills of students? This article presents the findings of a yearlong study conducted in three Canadian provinces during the 2007–2008 school year initially involving 32 teachers and 388 students. Due to varying levels of implementation our final data set included 14 teachers and 296 students. Using a non-equivalent pre-test/post-test design, we found that grade 4–6 students who were in classrooms where the teacher provided regular and appropriate use …

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Mary (Katie) Busmire

Psychology and Child Development

This is a senior project about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is the term given to a child who has been affected by exposure to prenatal alcohol. Drinking during pregnancy can lead to several physical, neurological and behavioral effects. However, there are several interventions that can help minimize the effects of prenatal alcohol. Focusing on family interventions and therapies will best benefit the lives of children with FASD and their families.

Horsing Around? Hippotherapy As A Context For Speech Therapy, Kara Schricker

Psychology and Child Development

Language and communication are essential to our daily lives. With it we are able to express our wants and needs without frustration, without it we would not be able to effortlessly engage in the communication that is so essential to our daily lives. Children typically follow a pattern of development that allows them to develop language without delay. Interferences can arise that delay language development including: articulation disorders, fluency disorders, dysphagia, hearing impairment, cleft palate, or cognitive impairment. Each of these interferences has a unique cause and also a unique effect on children. A variety of therapies are available that …

Agriculture Education Masters Project, Esparto High School Program, Timothy Albert Reid

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship/project report includes validation documents required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are concurrently used for the review process at Esparto High School conducted by experts from the California Department of Education. The internship included the development of a comprehensive program plan for Esparto High School. The plan includes information to receive state/local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Esparto High School, the agriculture program and community.

Graduation Outliner, Jason Boyle

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Planning a quarterly course schedule is a difficult and laborious process for university students which must be repeated every quarter. Students are expected to determine which courses to take based on a large and complex set of requirement criteria. Most academic scheduling research has focused on faculty availability and desires. This project attempts to address the needs of students for whom no quarterly course schedule planning tool is widely available. A Java Swing-based application is described that allows students to create a graphical quarter-by-quarter visualization of the courses they plan to take. The application also accepts a list of graduation …

The Use Of Horticulture And Gardening As A Special Education Tool At The High School Level, Krysta Marie Johnson

Horticulture and Crop Science

THIS REPORT CONTAINS PLANNING METHODS AND INSTALLATION PROCEDURE FOR A RAISED VEGETABLE GARDEN FOR WILSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, IN WILSONVILLE, OREGON. THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE GARDEN WAS TO USE IT AS A LEARNING TOOL FOR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AT WILSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL. UPON DOING MORE RESEARCH IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT THE GARDEN CAN ALSO BE USED AS A HEALING TOOL FOR STUDENTS WHO SUFFER FROM ATTENTION DISORDERS AND WHO HAVE EMOTIONAL AND LEARNING DISABILITIES. THE STUDENTS HAVE BECOME INVESTED IN THE GARDEN PROJECT AND LOOK FORWARD TO DOING MORE PROJECTS WITH THEIR CLASS.

Hydroponic Production: An Educational Dvd For High School Agricultural Education, Lindy Mattice, Chelsey Brown

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create an educational video based upon hydroponic farming. It was created for agricultural educators, in hope high school agricultural teachers would show it in their classrooms. The goal was for students to be able to see a commercial style hydroponic system, and to understand the basic concepts of operation. The video was intended to be supplemented with additional printed information on alternative farming methods. It was not intended to be a sole source of information, but should instead be used to enhance the learning environment for students.

The survey of local high school …

The San Luis Obispo Children's Museum Energy Of Motion, Patrick Ligot, Brian Mich, Jaime Salazar, Erik Sanchez, Steven Azeka

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Teaching In South America, Kevin Perez

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Communicating Graphically For People With Visual Impairments, Kathleen Lee

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to analyze the current status of the interaction between the graphic communication industry (specifically publishing, web development and education) and the population of visually impaired individuals.

The study researched the standards in place, the level of accessibility of resources, the level of satisfaction among people with visual impairments, and suggestions for improvements within the industry. The research methods included elite and specialized interviews with educators and industry professionals, historical research of documents and regulations on accessibility and descriptive research of three providers of resources for the visually impaired community.

The results show that while …

Give A Dog Your Heart: Love Will Come Your Way, Kendra Nomoto, Amanda Wayland

Graphic Communication

Give a Dog Your Heart: Love will Come Your Way is a children’s book that is meant to help children cope with the loss of a pet. The purpose of this study is to take into account all of the design and publishing possibilities for this project. It addresses typography, illustration, and use of color that is appropriate for children.

Australian Geography Unit, Daniel Scarbrough

Social Sciences

These lesson plans are designed for American students to learn about Australian Geography in a exciting and fun way. It will cover both physical and cultural geography aspects and this unit is designed for 9th grade geography and social science classes. The lesson plans consist of lecture portion and activities. This variety of teaching styles will cater to students of all learning styles (audio, verbal, and kinesthetic) and be enjoyable and informative.

Climate Literacy In California K-12 Schools, Candice Maree Nosworthy

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Influences Of Environmental Education Programs On The Participant's Affinity For Nature, Justin Alan Schmillen

Master's Theses

This study was conducted to determine the change, and the factors influencing the change, in the participant’s affinity for nature resulting from an environmental education experience. In addition, this study also examined the change and factors of change in aspects of the participant’s affinity for nature that directly relate to marine and coastal resources and environments. An adapted version of the Affinity for Nature scale, an outcome measuring instrument used by the American Camp Association was used to collect data from participants (n=529) at Rancho El Chorro Outdoor School and Camp Ocean Pines, whose experience included an overnight component and …

Orthographic Transparency Ratings For Spanish–English Cognates From The Paivio, Yuille, And Madigan Imagery Norms, José A. Montelongo, Tasha Roehrick, Anita Hernández

Graduate Studies in Education

Cognates are words that are orthographically, semantically, and syntactically similar in two languages. There are over 20,000 Spanish-English cognates in the Spanish and English languages. Research has shown that cognates facilitate vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension for language learners when compared to non-cognate words. Language researchers often require calibrated materials to study the effects of word characteristics on learning and memory. In this study, orthographic transparency ratings for five hundred nouns drawn from the Paivio, Yuille, and Madigan (1968) imagery norms were collected.

Elementary Electronic Kits & Interactive Web Database, Anne Racquel Bacani

Computer Engineering

The Elementary Electronic Kit and Interactive Web Database (E-Kit) project will focus on bridging the gap between Cal Poly students and local elementary schools to raise interests in engineering. Its main purpose is to expose local elementary school students to basic engineering concepts through simple interactive engineering experiments and lessons. The initial idea and proposal for this project was introduced by John Oliver, senior project advisor, whose main goal is to provide a service that would allow local elementary school teachers to bring in Cal Poly student volunteers to teach basic engineering lessons to their class. Lessons will focus on …

School Farm Laboratory At Orestimba High School - Graduate Internship, Lauren S. Stroud

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

The internship included the development of a school farm laboratory on a two-acre site at Orestimba High School in Newman, California. In addition to developing a step-by-step guide to completing the project, the report includes validation documents relative to meeting the quality criteria for secondary programs of agricultural education.

How To Read And Understand Nutrition Facts Labels, Marissa S. Leal

Agricultural Education and Communication

More than half of the world’s population is overweight. The numbers have tripled in Europe, Middle East, China, and Pacific Islands. Adult Americans are about two-thirds overweight. The numbers will continue to grow if the population does not take the proper action. America has an overweight problem and the purpose of this paper is to educate the population about nutrition facts labels, and help the world make better food choices.

The author studied a brochure created by the FDA on how to read nutrition facts labels and then create their own based on the previous brochure. The author added other …

The Implementation Of A Conceptually Coherent Curriculum Within A Constructivist Preschool Environment, Heather Jones, Sarah Post

Psychology and Child Development

Creating a learning environment that enchants children’s curiosity and sparks exploration, discovery, and thought does not require a great amount of financial resources. Rather, one must concentrate on observation and focus on building on children’s existing interests in the natural world. The research and theories of Swiss psychologist and philosopher, Jean Piaget, and Russian Psychologist, Lev Vygotsky provide a concrete look into a child’s cognitive and social development and can be informative in creating such environments. Using the developmental knowledge presented in these theories, programs such as the Reggio Emilia program, the Preschool Pathways to Science program (PrePS), and the …

Software Internationalization: A Framework Validated Against Industry Requirements For Computer Science And Software Engineering Programs, John Huân Vũ

Master's Theses

View John Huân Vũ's thesis presentation at http://youtu.be/y3bzNmkTr-c.

In 2001, the ACM and IEEE Computing Curriculum stated that it was necessary to address "the need to develop implementation models that are international in scope and could be practiced in universities around the world." With increasing connectivity through the internet, the move towards a global economy and growing use of technology places software internationalization as a more important concern for developers. However, there has been a "clear shortage in terms of numbers of trained persons applying for entry-level positions" in this area. Eric Brechner, Director of Microsoft Development Training, suggested …

A Guide To Raising Pheasants, Nicole Silveira

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this study was to aid in the implementation and utilization of an experiential learning lab in the form of a pheasant facility on the Cal Poly Campus.

A pheasant facility and enterprise at the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Animal Science Unit would be the perfect hands on learning device that can really epitomize the motto, “Learn By Doing”. The enterprise projects have long been an integral component of the Agricultural Education and Communication curriculum and many students have gained the critical management skills necessary to be competitive in production and allied industries - including teaching.

A …

Using Electronic Portfolios To Foster Communication In K-12 Classrooms, Elizabeth J. Meyer, Anne Wade, Vanitha Pillay, Einat Idan, Philip C. Abrami

School of Education Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Teachers, Sexual Orientation, And The Law In Canada: A Human Rights Perspective, Elizabeth J. Meyer

School of Education Scholarship

Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.\n Conclusion As the previous cases demonstrate, Canada's human rights protections at both the provincial and federal levels have gone a long way in working to combat discriminatory behaviors toward sexual minorities in school settings. By carefully weighing the actual and potential harms to gay, lesbian, and bisexual students and teachers, which are well-documented (Kosciw, …