Education Commons^™

Growing Our Own: Addressing The Teacher Shortage, Timothy Van Soelen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

New Endorsements Offered, Bethany Van Voorst

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Teacher Flexibility And The New Normal, Sheila Mulder

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"The pandemic revealed the strong need for caring for the whole person and implementing informed teaching practices and principles."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­adapting to change in education from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/teacher-flexibility-and-the-new-normal/

Teachers' Perceptions Of Instructional Coaches, Melanie Sharp

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project examined teachers' perceptions of instructional coaches at a public, rural school in central Iowa. Thirty teachers participated in a confidential survey which examined their coaching experiences, their perceptions about coaching barriers and strategies to overcome those barriers. After the surveys were analyzed, six of the teachers were invited to engage in a follow-up interview to further explore common themes. One notable difference between teachers was found in the perceived role and responsibilities of an instructional coach. Findings of the study suggest that a lack of school structure and norms can greatly impede the teachers’ perceptions of …

Rural Stem Teachers: An Oasis In The Desert, Ryan G. Zonnefeld, Valorie L. Zonnefeld

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Teacher preparation programs for STEM education should prepare teachers for all settings, including rural schools. Students across geographic locales show equal interest in STEM fields, but rural students often lack access to highly qualified STEM teachers. UNESCO (2014) notes that the disparity in education between rural and urban schools is a concern of many countries. In the United States, the National Center for Educational Statistics confirms that twenty percent of students are educated in rural schools and the STEM teachers in these schools are often the only STEM expert. These teachers become backbone teachers that set the foundation and direction …

Open Educational Resources For The Kingdom, Mike Janssen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"OERs can reduce the financial burden for our students and promote Kingdom values in education."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­the educational value of open source software from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/open-educational-resources-for-the-kingdom/

Understanding Teacher Shortages In Christian Schools, Ralph Medema

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project investigated the reasons for the current teacher shortage in the Federation of Protestant Reformed Christian Schools. The research was a descriptive survey study with parents, teachers, and students serving as respondents. Three surveys were designed to measure perspectives about teaching and motivations for both becoming and remaining teachers among members of Christian schools from a Reformed Christian background. The survey results indicated some correlation with previous research, especially concerning the financial aspects of teaching. The survey results also demonstrated some aspects that make the perspectives and motivations of Reformed Christians unique. Suggestions for strengthening the ability …

What? How? Why? Who?, Patricia C. Kornelis

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

Emily Hageman Critic's Choice, James C. Schaap

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Dordt Receives Noyce Grant For Stem Education, Kate Henreckson

The Voice

No abstract provided.

The Qualities, Practices, And Theories Held By Award-Winning Second Language College Teachers, Leendert Van Beek

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

It is important for second language college teachers to know what kinds of teaching and learning approaches are most effective for their students. This basic qualitative study presents the perspectives exceptional second language teachers have regarding their own qualities of excellence, practices, philosophies of teaching, and theories of learning. The purpose of the study was to identify, describe, and understand these perspectives. Sixteen of such teachers, all of whom had won one or more awards of excellence from professional organizations, were interviewed, and the collected data were analyzed through three levels of coding. The main research question regarding the perspectives …

Teacher Retention At A Tribal School, Cara Mulder

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project examined teacher retention in an extremely stressful job at a tribal school in northwest Washington. Two groups of teachers participated. The first group was made up of teachers who had been at Lummi Nation School for less than five years and the second group was made up of teachers who had been teaching there for more than ten years. The participants were interviewed about their jobs, uncovering the job stressors that they faced, the job satisfaction that they found, and the reasons they continued in their jobs. Both groups had similar responses regarding job stress and …

Importance Of Play: Play-Based Instruction Within A Preschool Learning Environment, Sarah Sjoerdsma

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated and compared the attitudes and beliefs of play-based instruction among several early childhood professionals. A researcher-designed survey was sent to participants in several small Midwestern schools. The participants included preschool, transitional kindergarten (TK) and kindergarten teachers as well as preschool and elementary administrators. The statements on the survey were based on three different early childhood teaching approaches: teacher-directed instruction, student-centered instruction, and play-based instruction. The responses were analyzed and compared and the results showed mixed beliefs about play-based instruction in the preschool classroom. Preschool teachers and administrators strongly agreed on the play-based statements while TK …

Parent Involvement In The Middle School, Stephanie Walhof

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project investigated the effects of parental involvement on the education of middle school students. Parents and teachers at Sioux Center Middle School were surveyed on how they viewed the potential impact of parental involvement on student achievement. Parents and teachers were also asked about barriers that might prevent involvement and best practices that would capitalize on effective parental involvement. The results of the survey confirmed that teachers and parents see parental involvement as important for student achievement. Few barriers were noted as inhibiting parental involvement. The best practice of parent-teacher conferences was noted as the most effective …

Teaching For Transformation: A Tool For Christian Teachers, Rachel Vanden Hull

Master of Education Program Theses

This qualitative research study examined the Teaching for Transformation framework and looked at whether Teaching for Transformation strategies equip teachers to be prepared in nurturing students’ faith and their role in the Kingdom story. Previous literature has shown a need for more emphasis on faith in the curriculum in Christian schools. Literature also shows the need for a framework that will equip teachers in empowering students to become responsive disciples. Teachers were interviewed and surveyed to gather information for this study. Teachers were able to give examples of student work by using the Teaching for Transformation framework, and they were …

Reading As A Necessity: Best Practices For Incorporating Reading Into One English Course, Kristin M. Janssen

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project investigated the best practices of teaching reading in a middle school curriculum requiring reading and writing to be combined in one English course. A private middle school in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, was evaluated on its use of the best practices. The participants were 24 teachers of 13 different subjects taught to students in seventh and eighth grade. All middle school teachers were sent a survey including questions about the best practices of reading across the curriculum, integrated instruction, and cooperative learning. The results of this study suggested that best practices of reading instruction …

The Power Of Interactive Read Alouds, Gwen R. Marra

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Today’s classrooms are bombarded with demands of all kinds. Teachers work to find balance to provide time to play and time to assess, time to rest and time to run, time for technology and time to teach about health and wellness. In the midst of this balancing act, teachers seek time to interact with children in meaningful ways. Positive interactions between caregivers and children are important for language development. These interactions provide opportunities to use words and engage in conversations.

Standardized Testing: Help Or Harm?, Steve Holtrop

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Outside of the halls of education, we have many real-world ways to test knowledge and skills. If we want to teach someone to bake a cake or do a J-stroke in a canoe, we don’t give a paper and pencil test – we look for successful demonstrations of the skills. Even where we need a paper test for some head knowledge stuff, like when we get a driver’s license, the road test is the real proof of the pudding. In school settings, then, what we really need are valid measures of what students know and can do. A well-rounded toolbox …

Working Effectively With Parents - Sometimes Silently, Thomas M. Van Soelen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Access full-text from publisher's site:

http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/working-effectively-with-parents-sometimes-silently/education

Education As Formation, David J. Mulder

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Most all of us have had a "long internship" in school--from kindergarten through high school--and we think we know what teachers do. Teaching is a very public profession, after all. But there is more to being a teacher than sharing information."

Posting about the formative nature of education from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/education-as-formation/

Keys To Effective Resolution Of Staff Conflict In Christian Schools, Sandra De Jong

Master of Education Program Theses

The purpose of this project is to outline some keys to effective resolution of staff conflict in Christian schools. This project begins by introducing the problems that can occur in Christian community when conflict does not get resolved effectively. This is followed up by a closer look at God's will and purpose for Christian community in resolving conflicts that may threaten to tear them apart. This discussion is followed up with the identification of the characteristics of conflict and the trends that people generally follow when seeking to resolve their conflicts. Since the Bible is known to be a study …

Office Of Teacher In Times Of School Reform, John Van Dyk

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Sharpening Our Vision, Engaging In Learning, Renewing Our Practice, Robert Koole

Pro Rege

This article was originally presented at the 1996 B. J. Haan Education Conference at Dordt College.

What Reading Is Good Reading?, Mike Vanden Bosch

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.