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Full-Text Articles in Education

Learning To Lead: Lessons Taken From The Wisest People We Know, Christine Kenney, Aviva Dorfman, Sapna V. Thwaite Dec 2022

Learning To Lead: Lessons Taken From The Wisest People We Know, Christine Kenney, Aviva Dorfman, Sapna V. Thwaite

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

How we engage and interact with young children and what we know about supporting them as they grow into the best versions of themselves is a window into what we also know about adults as they grow into the best leaders they can be. How we support and teach children has informative parallels for what leaders in education might learn and draw upon in their interactions and engagements with the people with whom they work. The goal of this paper is to introduce four principles of early childhood education (emotions and feelings are important, relationships are vital, process orientation is …


District-University Collaborations To Support Reform-Based Mathematics Curriculum Implementation, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Amy L. Nebesniak, Theodore J. Rupnow Apr 2019

District-University Collaborations To Support Reform-Based Mathematics Curriculum Implementation, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Amy L. Nebesniak, Theodore J. Rupnow

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Curriculum change is inevitable in schooling. For content areas such as mathematics that are already under the national spotlight, transitioning to new curriculum materials while concurrently enacting instructional reform creates both a challenge and an opportunity. This paper discusses how partnerships between two state universities and respective neighboring school districts resulted in the creation and implementation of graduate courses for teachers targeted at curricular and instructional reform specific to each district. Common course components between both university-district partnerships were identified in the areas of mathematics research, practice, and leadership advocacy and found to be instrumental in supporting instructional reform and …


Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Students’ With Disabilities Ability, Instructional Needs, And Difficulties Using Visual Representations To Solve Mathematics Problems, Delinda Van Garderen, Apryl L. Poch, Amy Scheuermann Aug 2018

Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Students’ With Disabilities Ability, Instructional Needs, And Difficulties Using Visual Representations To Solve Mathematics Problems, Delinda Van Garderen, Apryl L. Poch, Amy Scheuermann

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

In this article, we present findings that examined special education teachers’ perception of students’ with disabilities ability, instructional needs, and difficulties for using visual representations (VRs) as a strategy to solve mathematics problems. In addition, whether these perceptions differed by instructional grade or setting currently teaching was examined. Survey data from 97 in-service teachers revealed, regardless of instructional setting or grade level taught, that they believe students with disabilities have the ability to learn about and use VRs and need to be taught to use VRs. Furthermore, the special education teachers perceived students with disabilities to have difficulty with all …


Uno Professional Development Opportunities For Staff, Uno Staff Advisory Council Oct 2016

Uno Professional Development Opportunities For Staff, Uno Staff Advisory Council

Employee-Related

Fostering an institutional culture and climate that attracts and develops staff of diverse talents and backgrounds is among UNO’s goals. To help meet this goal, UNO is dedicated to enhancing employee engagement, productivity, skills, and growth through various professional development-related training opportunities and programs.


Chairs And Directors Workshop Evaluation, Uno Center For Faculty Excellence May 2016

Chairs And Directors Workshop Evaluation, Uno Center For Faculty Excellence

Employee-Related

Chairs and Directors Professional Workshop, May 10 and 11, 2016.


Oasa Program-Level Assessment Workshop 05.10.16, Uno Office Of Academic And Student Affairs May 2016

Oasa Program-Level Assessment Workshop 05.10.16, Uno Office Of Academic And Student Affairs

Student Learning

Agenda for Chairs/Directors Professional Development Workshops, Tuesday, May 10th & Wednesday, May 11th 2016.


The Power Of Improvisational Teaching, Elizabeth Graue, Kristin Whyte, Anne E. Karabon May 2015

The Power Of Improvisational Teaching, Elizabeth Graue, Kristin Whyte, Anne E. Karabon

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In this study we examine how improvisation can facilitate understanding how teachers respond to children's multiple resources, interests, experiences, and skills in early childhood programs. Improvisation is conceptualized as a responsive, partnered activity through which teachers and children generate meaning and knowledge together. In our analysis we show improvisation is taken up differently in two classrooms and how it variably provides opportunities for learning. Two cases from a professional development program designed to support culturally and developmentally appropriate early mathematics are used to demonstrate the possibilities improvisation creates in era of increasing standardization of curriculum.


“More Time. More Showing. More Helping. That’S How It Sticks”: The Perspectives Of Early Childhood Coachees, Lisa L. Knoche, Miriam E. Kuhn, Jungwon Eum Jan 2013

“More Time. More Showing. More Helping. That’S How It Sticks”: The Perspectives Of Early Childhood Coachees, Lisa L. Knoche, Miriam E. Kuhn, Jungwon Eum

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Coaching is a form of consultation used in early childhood settings to support positive outcomes for young children and families. While some research shows the effectiveness of coaching on practice and outcomes, little information is available on the experiences and perspectives of “coachees” as recipients of coaching support. The purpose of this study was to understand, from the coachees’ point of view, the benefits and challenges of participating in an early childhood coaching relationship. Twenty-one parents, preschool teachers and childcare providers who had engaged in coaching relationships participated in interviews and completed surveys regarding their experiences and perspectives. Data were …


“Grounded” Technology Integration: Instructional Planning Using Curriculum-Based Activity Type Taxonomies, Judith B. Harris, Mark J. Hofer, Denise A. Schmidt, Margaret R. Blanchard, Neal Grandgenett, Marcela Van Olphen Oct 2010

“Grounded” Technology Integration: Instructional Planning Using Curriculum-Based Activity Type Taxonomies, Judith B. Harris, Mark J. Hofer, Denise A. Schmidt, Margaret R. Blanchard, Neal Grandgenett, Marcela Van Olphen

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK or TPACK) – the highly practical professional educational knowledge that enables and supports technology integration – is comprised of teachers’ concurrent and interdependent knowledge of curriculum content, general pedagogy, and technological understanding. Teachers’ planning – which expresses teachers’ professional knowledge (including TPACK) in pragmatic ways -- is situated, contextually sensitive, routinized, and activity-based. To assist with technology integration, therefore, we suggest using what is understood from research about teachers’ knowledge and instructional planning to form an approach to curriculum-based technology integration that is predicated upon teachers combining technologically supported learning activity types selected from content-keyed …


The Effect Of Classroom Management Training And Active Or Information-Based Follow -Up On Inexperienced Teachers' Perceived Classroom Behavior Management Effectiveness, Diana L. Casey Dec 2009

The Effect Of Classroom Management Training And Active Or Information-Based Follow -Up On Inexperienced Teachers' Perceived Classroom Behavior Management Effectiveness, Diana L. Casey

Student Work

Inexperienced teachers' perceived classroom effectiveness of their planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities domains were analyzed to determine the effects of active follow-up compared to information-based follow-up of classroom management training ( N = 50). Inexperienced teachers enrolled in I Can Do It Classroom Management Training were randomly assigned to active follow-up to the training (n = 24) or information-based follow-up to the training ( n = 26). As reflected by the pretest and posttest evaluation form measuring their perceived effectiveness in the domains of planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities, teachers participating in …


Using Robotics To Equip K-12 Teachers: Silicon Prairie Initiative For Robotics In Information Technology (Spirit), Alisa Gilmore, Bing Chen, Neal Grandgenett Jun 2009

Using Robotics To Equip K-12 Teachers: Silicon Prairie Initiative For Robotics In Information Technology (Spirit), Alisa Gilmore, Bing Chen, Neal Grandgenett

Teacher Education Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The Silicon Prairie Initiative for Robotics in Information Technology (SPIRIT) is a unique collaborative effort between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) College of Engineering, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) College of Education, and the local Omaha Public Schools (OPS) system. With funding from an NSF ITEST grant, from 2006 – 2008 the initiative recruited and trained 97 math and science middle school teachers through summer workshops and follow-up sessions during the school year, with the goal of equipping teachers in hands-on engineering design principles and providing curriculum development support for STEM instruction. The centerpiece of the training was …


Rural Superintendents: How Do Wyoming Rural Superintendents View And Respond To The Challenges Brought About By External Demands On Their Schools?, Jeanne L. Surface Jan 2008

Rural Superintendents: How Do Wyoming Rural Superintendents View And Respond To The Challenges Brought About By External Demands On Their Schools?, Jeanne L. Surface

Faculty Books and Monographs

Very little is known about how superintendents respond to and view the challenges brought about by increasing external performance demands on their schools. This important study uses a multi-case study format to create portraits of five rural superintendents, the challenges they face, and their responses to those challenges. The participant perceptions were organized into five themes: declining enrollment, isolation, board and community relations, celebrated accomplishments, and rural schools in contrast with urban or suburban schools. The superintendents were most proud of changes they had made to improve instruction in their districts. They spoke of challenges with bringing professional development to …


Evaluating A Four State Workforce Education Project: Questions Of Investigative Interest And Impact, Neal Grandgenett, Elliott Ostler, Applied Information Management Institute, Jeanne L. Surface Oct 2007

Evaluating A Four State Workforce Education Project: Questions Of Investigative Interest And Impact, Neal Grandgenett, Elliott Ostler, Applied Information Management Institute, Jeanne L. Surface

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

How can a large scale, multi-state, collaborative workforce development project be evaluated? This article describes the evaluation process of the Midwest Center for Information Technology (MCIT). The project uses “impact threads” to connect the outcomes of the project to strategic evaluation questions. The MCIT project, involving 10 public two-year colleges located in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota, strives to assist partner colleges in enhancing information technology training and related degree programs. The MCIT was funded as a regional center within the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF). This article details the evaluation plan …


Elementary School Principals' Perceptions Of Their Needs For Professional Development In Instructional Leadership, Michael N. Smith Jr. Dec 2005

Elementary School Principals' Perceptions Of Their Needs For Professional Development In Instructional Leadership, Michael N. Smith Jr.

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to assess Nebraska elementary principals' perceptions of their need for further instructional leadership professional development. Relationships were examined between the Nebraska elementary principals' perceptions and various demographic variables. The independent variables were defined as (1) the principal's personal characteristics—age, gender, years of teaching experience, highest degree earned, age at first administrative appointment, years of experience as a principal, years in current position, and (2) the individual elementary school's characteristics—school size, district size, grades embraced by the school, and the school's socio-economic status.


Instructional Methods And Efficacy Of Teachers Trained In Differentiated Instruction, Patricia A. Crum Nov 2004

Instructional Methods And Efficacy Of Teachers Trained In Differentiated Instruction, Patricia A. Crum

Student Work

This study examined the instructional methods and efficacy of teachers involved in a two-part district staff development project in differentiated instruction. Responses from 194 kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers on a self-perception survey were collected after an initial district staff training and implementation and again after involvement in a second teacher centered district staff development plan in differentiated instruction with implementation time. The data collected were analyzed to determine what instructional methods and efficacy the staff displayed and to determine whether a change in teachers' perceptions occurred during the 9-month period following the second district plan.


Teachers' Perceptions Of Technology Professional Development In A Suburban School District, Victoria Ann Kaspar Dec 2003

Teachers' Perceptions Of Technology Professional Development In A Suburban School District, Victoria Ann Kaspar

Student Work

The purpose of this survey study was to explore teachers' perceptions of technology professional development. Data were gathered by using an online survey sent out electronically to randomly selected teachers in a suburban school district. Statistically significant differences in teacher's perceptions of technology professional development were found between middle and high school teachers and among the teachers with varied technology experience. Some of the other demographic variables studied included age, gender, school subject taught, years of teaching experience, and technology course topic.