Education Commons^™

In Pursuit Of Democratic Practice: Self-Study As A Democratic Approach To Teaching Social Studies, Andrew L. Hostetler

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Dewey (1916/2009) viewed democracy as a “path or journey”. This suggests that there is no mutually agreed upon end. Similarly, in teaching and teacher education, if viewed as a learning problem, the end is the process according to Ritter (2010) “[t]eaching others how to teach for democratic citizenship represents a process that righteously lacks a conclusion” (p. 90). Without a definitive conclusion there are many potentially valuable conceptions and enactments of democratic living and learning.

Discussing these strong connections between democracy in social studies and self-study, Powell (2010) argues “when social studies teachers engage in ‘reflectively pragmatic’ study of their …

The History Of School And Summer Vacation, James M. Pedersen

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

For more than 100 years the public school system has been the foundation of our society. Millions of our nation’s citizens have moved through the primary, middle and secondary schools which, although they vary slightly from region to region, provided a shared experience and are a part of Americana. History tells us the reasons that school systems used only a 10 month calendar were due to agrarian needs, but in recent years this rationale does not seem as applicable. In light of global competition and America’s consistently poor international rankings, it would seem logical conclusion to extend the school year …

Crossing The Bridge: Transitioning From A Teacher To A Professor, Steven Page, Charles Jenks

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This is a qualitative study that was conducted to gain a better understanding of the experiences of professors in Colleges of Education who were former K-12 teachers. The study presents the responses of eighty nine professors from across the United States. By coding the responses based on the university setting (National, Large Regional, Small Regional) in which the respondents worked the authors found that professors have different experiences in their transition from K-12. The authors found that the size of the university was a factor in how the new faculty felt welcomed and how they were treated by colleagues. Also, …

Painting And Poetry: Third Graders' Free-Form Poems Inspired By Their Paintings, Emilie L. Sears

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

It is important to find the means by which struggling writers can find success in the English Language Arts. For students struggling with reading and writing, the visual arts may be a way of accessing and expressing their ideas and ultimately opening up a world of creative possibilities. This article explores drawing and painting as a pre-writing strategy. The article follows 6 third grade students as the participate in a workshop designed to faciliate poetry writing based on the students' artwork.

Engaging Families In Cross-Cultural Connections Through A School-Based Literacy Fair, Maria Anne Ceprano, Nancy Chicola

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This paper describes how 20 pre-service teachers enrolled in two social studies methods courses at Buffalo State College worked collaboratively to produce a Cross-cultural Literacy Fair at an urban-based elementary school. The participatory events created for the event were provided in conjunction with a community after school program and directed at promoting literacy and cross-cultural understandings not only for the children enrolled at the school but for their parents, as well. Events yielded a positive venue for Teacher Candidates (TCs) to interact with parents and children and demonstrated ways literacy and other cultural understandings can be successfully and appreciatively supported …

El Metro De Madrid, Mark K. Warford

Spanish Model Lesson Plans

This lesson can be carried out in one class period. It centers on the symbolic competencies necessary for navigating the Madrid Metro. Targeted level would be second year of secondary-level study or second semester of college study.

Dream Dinner Or Dinner Disaster? French And American Cultures Collide, Wendy W. Amato Ph.D.

French Model Lesson Plans

Sociocultural Model Lesson Plan centered on a translinguistic and transcultural analysis of French and American dinner party conventions.

La Herida De Moctezuma, Mark K. Warford

Spanish Model Lesson Plans

A Sociocultural Model Lesson Plan centered on a folktale about the demise of Moctezuma. La Herida de Moctezuma comes from John Bierhorst's Cuentos Folclóricos Latinoamericanos. A Google search will yield an excerpt, but it is recommended that you use the entire tale. Targeted to Intermediate-High learners.

Héroes Y Corridos, Mark K. Warford

Spanish Model Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

Is Classroom Management Possible For Disabled Teachers, With Or Without Accommodation?, Martha A. Hazen

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses

The central question of the thesis “Is classroom management possible for disabled teachers with or without accommodation?” is addressed through a review of the literature, a review of the legislation surrounding disabled employees and a discussion of reasonable accommodation, both as it is defined in the ADA and as it is applied in today’s public schools. In addition, general techniques of classroom management, traditional and current disciplinary techniques are discussed as they relate to the thesis’s central question. Finally, the similarity and contrast between classroom management techniques used by disabled and nondisabled music teachers is reviewed.

This thesis consisted of …

Professional; 2012; Workgroup To Improve Outcomes, Catherine Collins

Publications and Professional Materials

No abstract provided.

Evaluating A Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Measuring Student Outcomes And Program Impact, Jill Singer, Bridget Zimmerman

Earth Sciences Faculty Publications

At SUNY-Buffalo State we have undertaken a multi-year effort aimed at developing and field-testing an evaluation methodology for measuring student learning and related outcomes in our summer undergraduate research program. Our goal was to extend the findings of the many valuable studies that had already been done on the impact of undergraduate research on participating students (Gregerman et al. 1998; Alexander et al. 2000; Merkel 2001; Bauer and Bennett 2003; Seymour et al. 2004; Lopatto 2004; and Hunter et al. 2007). As described in Singer and Weiler (2009), our aim was to obtain reliable independent assessments of program impact without …

Engaging The Youngest Readers With Shared Reading Experiences, Barbara Ann Honchell, Melissa Martin Schulz

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This article explores Shared Reading as an instructional approach that mimics home reading experiences in a group setting for young children. The article includes information about how to use enlarged text as the teacher provides experiences with books that first focus on the meaning and enjoyment of the story and then shifts to how print works and conventions that enhance the meaning of the story. The importance of being able to see the print in enlarged text that allows the teacher to extend the read aloud experience to include viewing print in big books and charts establishing the beginnings of …

Adolescent Dating Violence: How Should Schools Respond?, Jeanne L. Surface, David Stader, Thomas Graca, Jerry Lowe

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Educational leaders have a substantial degree of control over students and generally have a tremendous influence on the decisions that they make. District administrators are already involved in comprehensive efforts to stem sexual harassment, teen violence and bullying, therefore, they may be well positioned to identify and address the problem of teen dating violence. Unfortunately, school district failure to take action is far too common, despite the statutory duty to ensure the safety of all students during school hours and at school sponsored events. School districts can be held liable for student dating violence under Title IX, under 42 U.S.C. …

The Effects Of Clinical Experiences On The Understanding Of Classroom Management Techniques, Carey Anne Cushmann, Andrew T. Kemp

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

For teacher educators, classroom management education is one of the least researched aspects of the profession. The purpose of this study was to determine if classroom management was most effective learned through textbook analysis coupled with classroom discussion, or the experience of observing and practicing classroom management in the clinical experience. The results of this study suggest that the clinical experience is the major contributor to feelings of confidence in classroom management situations. There is a significant difference in confidence between the classroom understanding and the post-clinical experience in regards to general classroom management understandings and confidence.

Purpose As Content And Pedagogy: Rationale-Development As A Core Theme Of Social Studies Teacher Education, Todd Stevenson Hawley

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Grounded in a belief in the transformative possibilities of social studies teacher education, I present an argument for considering the development of purpose as both content and pedagogy of social studies teacher education. As part of developing a coherent pedagogy of rationale-based social studies teacher education, I begin by exploring the influence of competing conceptions regarding the purpose of social studies teaching and learning on the work of social studies teacher educators. Next, I consider three distinct paths social studies teacher educators have taken to prepare teacher candidates for content and pedagogical decision-making as first-year teachers. While each has potential, …

The Understanding And Application Of The Qar Strategy To Improve Test Scores, Sean Cummins, Melissa Streiff, Maria Ceprano

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

The academic landscape has been changing over the last several years bringing with it an emphasis on high stakes testing. Studies conducted over the past several years that have shown the success of the Question-Answer-Relationships (QAR) strategy in helping students develop their comprehension skill. This study looks at the effects of the QAR strategy on a small group of 4th graders. The study shows how the students become more diligent in their efforts to find the correct answers in academic comprehension tasks, including tests.

Incorporating Rural And Farm Novels In The Secondary School Classroom: Where We Come From Is Who We Are, Jesse Moon Longhurst

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Place-based education has received significant attention in recent years. This article briefly surveys common place-based education models and then argues for a more place-focused English language arts classroom in secondary schools where rural and regional literature is often absent from the curricula. The author posits that teacher-education programs do not usually address rural or regional literature and consequently, teachers enter the classroom unprepared to teach it. The article presents a rationale for focusing on rural literature written before 1965 as well as a rationale for foregrounding the rural experience in such a course. The author then describes the process of …