Education Commons^™

Connecting Visual And Analytic Reasoning To Improve Students' Spatial Visualization Abilities : A Constructivist Approach, Mario Eraso

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current reform initiatives recommend that school geometry teaching and learning include the study of three-dimensional geometric objects and provide students with opportunities to use spatial abilities in mathematical tasks. Two ways of using Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP), a dynamic and interactive computer program, in conjunction with manipulatives enable students to investigate and explore geometric concepts, especially when used in a constructivist setting. Research on spatial abilities has focused on visual reasoning to improve visualization skills. This dissertation investigated the hypothesis that connecting visual and analytic reasoning may better improve students' spatial visualization abilities as compared to instruction that makes little or …

The Perceptions Of Best Mentoring Practices In An Early Literacy Intervention Project : A Case Study Of Nine Coaches, Magdalena Castañeda

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is significant national evidence the language development of four year-olds is a critical area for later school success (Brooks-Gunn, Fuligni, & Berlin, 2003; Cunningham, & Stanovich, 1998). This study originated as part of Literacy Intervention X (LIX), a larger national study conducted to examine the effectiveness of early literacy curricula implemented in subsidized childcare centers. The professional development of childcare center providers is key to improving the quality of subsidized care. In exploring the mentoring practices of nine LIX literacy coaches, the researcher investigated the perceptions of what best mentoring practices facilitated the implementation of literacy curricula by childcare …

The Effect Of Instruction On The Study Behaviors And Academic Achievement Of Community College Students, Zoraya Maria Cuesta

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold. It was designed to determine (a) the efficacy of an intervention designed to increase the frequencies of appropriate study behaviors on the part of community college students who were preparing for academic mathematics activities and (b) whether any increase in appropriate study behavior frequency was accompanied by increased academic achievement in college preparatory mathematics classes.

A total of 126 Miami Dade College students participated in this study. Two developmental (remedial) mathematics classes were randomly assigned as the experimental group, and two others were assigned as the control group. All students also took a …