Education Commons^™

Examining Students’ Covariational Reasoning Through Mathematical Modeling Activities Embedded In The Context Of The Greenhouse Effect, Debasmita Basu

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The greenhouse effect is one of the most pressing environmental as well as social issues of the present age. In news media and weather reports, most of the essential information about the phenomenon is expressed in forms of graphs and pictures. However, the interpretation of such graphs is challenging for students; they often focus on the shape of the graphs, overlooking the covariational relationships between the concerned quantities. Building on the framework of critical mathematics literacy and social justice mathematics, in this study I aimed to explore the power of dynamic mathematical modeling activities for engaging students in covariational reasoning …

Examining The Role Of Epistemic Cognition In Teacher Learning And Facilitation Of Inquiry Dialogue, Sirine Mabrouk-Hattab

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this study, I investigated how a fifth -grade teacher engaged in epistemic cognition when he learned and facilitated inquiry dialogue. Inquiry dialogue is a type of talk in which participants use argumentation to search for the most reasonable answer to a contestable question. It has been suggested to represent the normative dialogue type to enhance students’ reasoning, as it is most aligned with the standards and practice of rigorous argumentation. Despite its importance, researchers have shown that it has not been widely implemented in classrooms and this is partly due to teachers’ epistemic cognition. Given the significance of inquiry …

Content Area Teaching In Linguistically Diverse Classrooms, Meghan Odsliv Bratkovich

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Educators and teacher educators in the United States have worked for decades to provide English language learners (ELLs) and other linguistically diverse students access to education. While ELLs’ rising high school graduation rates suggest that efforts have helped ELLs access schools, classrooms, and scholastic tasks, more steps need to be taken toward ensuring that linguistically diverse students can also meaningfully access college or 21st century careers.

This qualitative study is at the nexus of language, culture, academic content, literacy, teaching, and teacher education and uses a bricolage approach to examine the teaching of four secondary science and mathematics teachers recognized …

The Grey Areas : Ways Teachers Make Meaning Of And Describe Enacting Professional Ethics, Charity M. Dacey

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation explored the experiences of 12 classroom teachers making meaning of their ethical practice in K–12 schools. The study uncovered how these teachers identify and problematize ethical issues as they relate to their practice. Through semi-structured interviewing, participants’ experiences around ethical practice were recorded and analyzed using Gilligan’s (1982) Listening Guide. The data collected provides insight into how these teachers make meaning of their practices, a process characterized by a complex interplay amongst personal and professional beliefs around caring and protecting students and their needs, a sense of responsibility as employees to adhere to district and school policies, an …

Everyday Enactments Of Resistance : Portraits Of Secondary Public School Teachers Navigating New Professionalism, Susan D’Elia

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

New professionalism has changed the roles and responsibilities of teachers. It has created a professional culture that prioritizes managerialism, bureaucracy, standardization and assessment, and performance review. This shift has created tension and anxiety amongst teachers, but a population of teachers continue to openly question, resist, or protest directives that do not align with their goals and values. The goal of this study was to gain understanding of the lived experiences of veteran, secondary, public school teachers who have attempted to find ways to navigate and resist new professionalism. Using Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot’s portraiture method, participants’ narratives bring life to the ways …

Choice, Voice, And Agency : A Photovoice Study Exploring Multiple Means Of Expression As Inclusive Pedagogy, Francesca M. Ciotoli

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Pedagogy that centers primarily on oral and written language significantly limits the educational progress of students with disabilities because it may not regularly afford them opportunities to express what they have learned. It stands to reason that increased opportunities for expression through multiple ways or modes of meaning-making will lead to greater expressivity for all students. This research study documents, examines, and helps support five general and special education teachers’ learning of pedagogical practices that foster increased opportunities for expression of learning with respect to students with disabilities in elementary and middle school (grades 3-7) classrooms. I use photovoice research …

One Teacher's Transformation Of Practice Through The Development Of Covariational Thinking And Reasoning In Algebra : A Self-Study, Jacqueline Dauplaise

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

CCSSM (2010) describes quantitative reasoning as expertise that mathematics educators should seek to develop in their students. Researchers must then understand how to develop covariational reasoning. The problem is that researchers draw from students’ dialogue as the data for understanding quantitative relationships. As a result, the researcher can only conceive the students’ reasoning. The objective of using the self-study research methodology is to examine and improve existing teaching practices. To improve my practice, I reflected upon the implementation of my algebra curriculum through a hermeneutics cycle of my personal history and living educational theory. The critical friend provoked through dialogues …

Analyzing The Necessity To Modify Standardized Test Statutes, Ashley Hernandez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In recent years, standardized tests have been challenged by many academic scholars, legal journalists, psychologists and scientific researchers. They claim these tests are an arbitrary form of measuring academic success. Across many grade levels, from elementary to graduate school, there has been concern over the efficacy of these tests. Yet, many neglect to consider the benefits of standardized testing and the reasons why they were implemented and continue. Many educational systems have made standardized tests optional to combat issues of regarding arbitrary content, bias and discrimination. Yet, as those pushing for standardized test reform continue to suggest otherwise, there is …

Teaching English As A Second Language In An Urban Public University In Sri Lanka : A Reflective Paper, Kasun Gajasinghe Maramba Liyanage

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this Master of Arts (MA) thesis is threefold:

First, this reflective paper provides a critical literature review on English Language Teaching (ELT) in Sri Lanka.

Second, this reflective paper presents seven guiding principles which will steer my English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching in an urban public university in Sri Lanka.

Third, drawing from the seven guiding principles, this reflective paper presents a complete syllabus and three assignments as concrete examples (attached as appendixes) which will be implemented in a College of Humanities and Social Sciences in an urban public university in Sri Lanka.

The importance …

Mainstream Teachers Learning To Teach English Language Learners : Uncovering The Systems Of Teacher Professional Learning, Alma Morel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this qualitative study, I followed three teachers as they participated in a sheltered English instruction professional learning initiative planned and implemented by their school district for purposes of preparing middle school science and social studies teachers to teach English language learners (ELLs). I explored the professional learning process of these teachers and how the ideas to which they were exposed in the professional learning initiative moved into their classroom practices, if at all. The study was guided by a complexity perspective, from which teacher professional learning was conceptualized as emerging from nested systems. In general, the study sought to …

Supporting In-Service Literacy Teacher Reflective Practice Through Graduate Coursework : A Qualitative Study Of Building Literacy Teacher Reflective Practice In A Masters Reading Course And In-Service School Contexts, Gary V. Pankiewicz

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This small qualitative research study examined the role of the reflective supports a teacher-researcher explicitly put in place in order to explore the usefulness of these supports in a graduate course taught to a group of in-service literacy teachers. More specifically, this study examined how nine in-service literacy teacher/graduate level students considered and analyzed and reflected in light of the context of their own classrooms in their unique school contexts and, furthermore, how they engaged in social action, or acts which take into account the actions and reactions of others, in the graduate course in creating a revised or reconstructed …

Assimilating Mathematical Thinking To The Learning Of Shadows, Taheeda Shwana Street-Conaway

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study focuses on a teaching experiment with 33 six-graders in a Kearny public school in Hudson County, New Jersey, during the 2017-2018 academic year. More specifically, this study explored a) the types of tasks and tools that can be used to develop students’ covariational and correspondence reasoning in learning about shadows and b) the nature of students’ reasoning about covariation and correspondence relationships as students engage in the use of tools and tasks. The results showed that the simulation and the tasks I designed had the students engaged in the learning process. Students were able to reason about the …

Hidden In Plain Sight : Knowledge Broker Teachers And Professional Development, Margaret M. Jusinski

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study was prompted by initiatives that addressed the need for teachers to engage in professional development that enables them to be 21st century ready. Recommendations put forth by government and business have stressed that professional development foster connected teaching and create networked educators by emphasizing peer-topeer collaboration and sharing. Despite this focus, little attention has been paid to the role that regular teachers play in becoming professional developers for their colleagues. My study investigated how four K-12 teachers, that I termed “knowledge broker teachers,” created new pathways for informal, teacher professional development in their schools.

Extending on the …