Education Commons^™

The Inclusion Of Classroom-Related Dispositions In Teacher Evaluations, David K. Griffin

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This paper examines various approaches to evaluating the classroom teacher and discusses the inclusion of dispositions in the evaluation process. A random sample of 150 teachers were asked to complete an online survey focusing on the inclusion of dispositions in their formal evaluations. They were asked to report what specific dispositions were evaluated, and if the specific dispositions were operationally defined. A summary of their responses to the survey items is discussed.

“Don’T Call On Me!”: Mediating Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Mathematics Anxiety In A Problem-Based Classroom, Christina Koehne, Wenyen Huang, Nataly Chesky

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This study aims to understand the ways in which problem-based teaching in a mathematics content course can alleviate pre-service elementary school teachers' mathematics anxiety. The significance of this work is to help increase the content and pedagogical knowledge of mathematics education, as outlined in STEM policies. Using a mixed method approach, the teachers-researchers explore what methods, procedures, and other perhaps unknown variables, helped pre-service elementary teachers decrease their mathematics anxiety during two mathematics content courses. The findings illuminate five major themes the authors discuss, which are illustrated by rich descriptions of students’ narratives and interviews. Given the importance of mathematics …

Teachers' Experiences Of Using Play And Al's Pals To Teach Socio-Emotional Skills Through Coaching Support Models, Deborah Tamakloe, Elizabeth Powers, Alisa Landis, Lori Mccracken

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Interactive teaching strategies provide opportunities for engaging children in discussing difficult concepts such as socio-emotional wellbeing and wide range of ideas about their social and personal lives. However, few studies have explored preschool teachers’ efficacy of using coaching through ‘Play and puppetry programs as approaches to developing children’s emotional regulation, socio-emotional learning and wellbeing. This paper reports on a “Labyrinth Project” aimed to gain in-depth understandings of preschool teachers’ experiences and perspectives pertaining to their efficacy of using play and puppetry as tools to promote children’s emotional learning and development. The results showed that despite early challenges with the use …

Message From The President, Excelsior

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Excelsior

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Editors, Jesslyn Hollar, Joelle Fingerhut, Stephanie Purington

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Statewide Shortage Of Aba Professionals In New York, Leanna S. Mellon, Noor Syed, Lauren Lestremau Allen

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Support services for many Autistic students in schools is critical. Behavior analysts are one type of service provider who offer support services in and outside of school settings to Autistic students. As behavioral support services are increasing in educational settings, it is important to ensure there are a sufficient number of professionals trained to provide high quality and compassionate support. However, there may not be enough state licensed providers to meet the growing need of students across the state of New York (NY). The supply of state licensed behavior analysts (LBAs) was calculated for the state of NY, its six …

Teacher Certification During Multiple Pandemics In The Epicenter Of It All, Deborah Greenblatt 4509457

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Teacher certification exams were put on hold as New York City became the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in March of 2020. State officials closed testing centers and school buildings, and teacher candidates began to panic as administrators at their student teaching placements worked feverishly to adjust. This changed teacher candidates’ ability to complete the performance assessment required for certification (edTPA). Concurrently, COVID-19 was disproportionally affecting the Black community (Phillips et al., 2020) and areas with limited financial resources. Based on the demographics of students at The City University of New York, there were extensive health challenges for many of …

Looking Back In Order To Move Forward: Lessons From Covid-19 For Teacher Education, Kiersten Greene, Lizabeth Cain, Elizabeth Brennan, Brianna Vaughan

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This article provides critical perspectives on education technology integration in a teacher education context in a post-pandemic world. The authors—two early career teachers, one in a pre-school and one in an elementary school, and two elementary teacher education faculty members at a mid-sized public university—use the U.S. Department of Education’s 2016 guiding principles for educational technology in teacher education for analysis. The commentary evolves directly from and reflects the authors’ collective experience across the P-20 spectrum in education technology, with close attention paid to what was learned during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent pivot to remote learning …

The Other Fifty Percent: Expressions From Special Education Teachers About Why They Persist In The Profession, Laron A. Scott, Christine Powell, Lauren Bruno, Christopher J. Cormier, Kendra Hall, Old Dominion University, Joshua P. Taylor, Katherine Brendli

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

We examined reasons special educators are motivated to persist in the profession despite challenges that often lead to attrition for this group. Participants were 21 special education teachers with six or more years of teaching experience across multiple grade levels. Data were collected via the Zoom virtual meeting platform with four focus groups. Semi-structured interview techniques were used, and data were analyzed using deductive coding procedures. Participants shared external, employment, and personal factors associated with Billingsley’s (1993) career decision framework that influenced their persistence, such as supports from school administrators with expertise in special education law, passion for students and …

“I Changed My Mind”: Exploring Why College Students Change Majors To Become Teachers, Ross Bussell

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

While teacher education programs have long studied what draws students to choose a career in teaching, a less studied aspect of teacher candidates relates to students who change majors to become teachers. As a phenomenon that is common in teacher preparation, I am interested in better understanding why this happens. This article centers around six participants who began college choosing a science major, changing their course of study after at least one full year. Through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, a discussion of what led the participants to change majors, what they were looking for when deciding to become teachers, and …

Letter From The Editors, Christine E. Ashby, Julia M. White

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Message From The President, Jacob Easley Ii, Julia White

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Call For Proposals For Editorial Team, The Editors

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Case Study Of Online Flipped Learning In Higher Education, Cesar C. Navarrete, Minaz Fazal

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Due to a world-wide health emergency, higher education instructors were compelled to adapt their courses from traditional in-person classes to remote learning. In this case study, we investigated the use of flipped learning for this adaptation process from diverse higher education instructors’ perspectives. To mitigate social distancing requirements, instructors included synchronous and asynchronous components in using the flipped approach to their courses. The use of video conferencing synchronous sessions to replace the in-person class time showed a nuanced approach to flipped learning that required exploration. Instructors from distinct academic settings were interviewed on their experience in using the flipped approach …

What Pre-Service Teachers Want “Math” To Know: Examining Self-Identified Relationships And Critical Experiences With Mathematics, Claudia M. Bertolone-Smith, Alison Puliatte, Samantha Sommers, Michelle Unigarro, Danielle Vantassell

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This study examines the self-reported critical experiences that undergraduate pre-service teachers (PSTs) choose to share when writing a letter directly to “Math” and creating a self-portrait of a math learning experience. The letters sought to initiate a personification of math and the self-portraits to further explore math learning experiences of the PSTs. The letters and portraits were examined to understand the types of math relationships and critical events PSTs reported and their impact on PST identity and agency as a future teacher. Portraits were analyzed by PST research partners. The relationship between the categories of critical events and mindset …

Diversifying The American Teacher Workforce: Problematizing The Past And Building The Future, Jacob Easley Ii

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Equity in the education profession is of grave importance. The current socio-political conditions have elevated matters of social and racial justice in society broadly. As the number of students attending America’s P-12 schools has grown more diverse across racial and ethnic groups, racial parity within the teacher workforce continues to lag. Many stratagems have been employed to expand teacher diversity across the nation with varying effects. We explore the historical and contemporary contexts of teacher diversity and outline considerations to advance racial parity in the teacher workforce beginning with preparation. Specially, we discuss how university-based teacher preparation programs may continually …

Resilient, Mindful, And Satisfied Educational Professionals, Stephen J. Caldas, Gina M. Pin

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This study conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using both the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 25) and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) to create a validated, synergistic, higher-order factor we call Invicti Anima based on the responses 630 teachers and building-based educational leaders in three northeastern USA states. Controlling for important contextual variables including educator sense of agency, our structural equation path model mapped the relationships between educator role, level of Invicti Anima, and Job Satisfaction, as measured by the Job Satisfaction Index (JSI). The educators in our study who were strong in Invicti Anima …

Letter From The Editors, Christine E. Ashby And Julia M. White

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Message From The President, Jacob Easley Ii

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Thinking About Teaching: A Rural Social Studies Teacher's Path To Strive For Excellence, Dana F. Serure

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Thinking About Teaching: A rural social studies teacher's path to strive for excellence by Casey Jakubowski (2020) offers insights about the macros and micros of teaching. The book is geared toward educators and teacher candidates who seek to know more about the teaching profession. The book comprises four parts, including: 1) an introduction of practice which details twenty brief chapters of hot education topics, 2) curriculum and instruction, 3) rural education, and 4) a conclusion that pinpoints recommendations about teaching based on his experience that spans twenty years in the education field. Throughout the book Jakubowski expresses his professional journey …

Teacher Perceptions On L2 Acquisition And Education Practice For English Language Learners, Shu J. Chen-Worley Ph.D.

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This study examined teachers' perceptions on language acquisition and education practice for English Language Learners (ELLs) to further address the disproportionality concern in education and identify the areas of training needs for classroom teachers as education renovation. A total of 222 participants voluntarily participated in this study. A Mixed Methods approach was used to conduct the study and analyze the data. The results showed that most participants did not have formal training in second language (L2) or learning experience but they had already taught ELLs. Working with ELLs and their parents was considered challenging for five common reasons. Language barriers …

Teachers’ Stories Of Autonomy, Competence, And Relatedness In Becoming An Innovative Teacher Facilitator With Ubiquitous Computing, Beth R. Sockman, Doreen Lwanga

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Many classrooms have access to ubiquitous information communications technology (ICT), and teachers have been trained on the way to use it. However, few teachers use technology in what many consider the most powerful ways to learn. This study investigates four teachers who have developed from traditional teaching into facilitative–innovative teaching with ubiquitous ICT. As an instrumental case study, we used self-determination theory’s interaction of autonomy, competence, and relatedness to analyze their stories to understand better why and how they developed. Participants taught in middle and high schools representing a range of school sizes and sociocultural populations. Findings reveal that all …

Using Multimodal Virtual Instruction To Build Preservice Teachers' Knowledge Of Dyslexia, Susan J. Chambre, Molly K. Ness

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Increasing awareness about screening and instructional interventions for students with dyslexia is a necessary component of P-12 teacher preparation. Disparities in reading achievement for students with disabilities, including those with dyslexia, is evidenced in lower literacy testing scores as well as lower high school graduation rates for those with documented disabilities when compared to typical developing peers. Preservice teachers, however, continue to struggle with understanding, identifying, and providing targeted literacy instruction to remediate reading challenges for students with dyslexia. Emerging data on the impact of the COVID-19 school closures on lags in student’s reading attainment, further solidifies the need for …

Distribution Of Instructional Leadership Roles Within A School Organization, Zora Wolfe, Kim-Kathie Knudsen, Abbie Mahaffey

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Educational leaders are tasked with many managerial responsibilities as well as instructional leadership roles. However, effective instructional leadership is a critical factor in improving student achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore how instructional leadership is distributed within a school organization, specifically examining the perceptions of district, building, and teacher leaders in relation to their roles in instructional leadership and the barriers to effective instructional leadership. Qualitative interviews were conducted with district office leaders, building leaders, and instructional coaches, and their responses to the questions were reviewed, categorized, and coded using Crewell’s Data Analysis Spiral (2011).

Data from …

Letter From The Editors, Christine Ashby And Julia M. White

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Message From The President, Andrea Lachance

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Julia White

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Going Gradeless, Grades 6–12: Shifting The Focus To Student Learning, Ana De Jesús, Alesia Mickle Moldavan

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This book review of Going Gradeless, Grades 6–12: Shifting the Focus to Student Learning by E. Burns and D. Frangiosa (2021) provides an alternative pedagogical method to assessment that uses a “gradeless” approach to learning for purposes of removing the stress and negative impacts of traditional grading practices while maintaining accountability with equity in mind. In this review, we describe the foundational underpinnings that frame the book and summarize some of the observed benefits as well as challenges faced by the authors who implemented this approach. We provide an overview of the chapters situated in four major takeaways guiding this …