Education Commons^™

Framework For Purposeful Technology Integration In Environmental Education Using Inquiry Based Learning, Jonathan Massung

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, how do you incorporate technology to facilitate raw exploration of the natural world that reinforces inquiry-based learning in Environmental Education? The concept of the project was to create a framing guide to allow traditional and non-traditional educators to purposefully incorporate technology into a program with emphasis on environmental education standards. The primary focus of the format of the program is intended for K-12 lessons. The idea behind creating the program is to not simply add technology to a program, but to include the technology tool as a central piece with standards that …

Re-Assessing Assessment: Implementing Constructivist Testing With New And Existing Curriculum, Joey Kretchman-Grande

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question at the focal point of this research was: How best can educators implement constructivist assessment in a way that benefits all students? This project was heavily influenced by the theories of Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget and discovering how to share their information with educators in a way that will help them

revise their own assessments. The final result of the project is a website detailing step- by-step instructions of how to create or adapt assessments to fit this newer, non- traditional style. The resulting website was published online through Google Sites and is now accessible by …

The Special Education Referral And Evaluation Process For English Language Learners, Celeste Norlander

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research shows that there is a disproportionate number of English Language Learners (ELLs) in special education. The over and under representation of this population in special education can be linked back to issues within the referral and evaluation process. This project looks to answer the question: What accommodations need to be made to the special education process to ensure that English Language Learners are appropriately referred and evaluated? This project resulted

in a flowchart for each step in the special education referral and evaluation process. Research- based practices are presented for each step of the process. The flowchart was created …

Communicating Student Achievement Through Standards-Based Assessment And Grading, Elizabeth Hennen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was: which method of grading is the most effective way to communicate a student's progress and growth through the course of a school year to students, parents, and future teachers? The motivating factor for this project was one teacher’s concern regarding the traditional grading system and the correlation between the grades given to students and what they were actually learning and retaining. This capstone details positives and negatives when implementing standards-based assessment and grading practices. This project was influenced heavily by the work of Dr. Robert Marzano and Rick Wormeli, although differing in …

The Type Of Homework Assignment And Its Potential To Influence Student Motivation And Language Learning In A High School Spanish Language Classroom, Sarah Spilde

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study was, how does the type of homework assignment influence student motivation and Spanish language learning in the classroom? It documents one teacher’s implementation of two lessons in a unit of study to evaluate student in- class Spanish language use, homework scores, test scores and student perceptions on motivation and homework. The teacher records student data and identifies research literature to provide meaning and context to the study in the area of Spanish language learning. She defines the areas of success and areas of limitations in conducting an action research study and concludes that …

The Benefits And Challenges Of Integrating Self-Assessed Grading Into A 7th Grade Math Classroom, Michael Schramm

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project documents one teacher’s exploration of self-assessment as a strategy for teaching and learning in middle school math, addressing the research question, “What are the benefits and challenges of integrating self-assessed grading into a 7th grade pre-algebra curriculum?” It explores research relevant to the idea of self-assessment in middle school, focusing on constructivism, self-regulated learning and self-efficacy. It also includes a review of research about the implementation of self-assessment strategies. The author concludes with a curriculum aimed at helping teachers implement self-assessment in their own classrooms. The centerpiece of the curriculum is an outline of a structure and materials …