Education Commons^™

Class Exploration To A Campus Library Curriculum Center To Develop Book-Building Capacity For Teacher Candidates, Camille M. Russello Ph.D., Julie J. Henry

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

The purpose of this pilot was to examine the effectiveness of the practice of providing opportunities for undergraduate elementary education teacher candidates to explore the campus library curriculum center as a group regularly during class time. During their visits, teacher candidates were guided in selecting and analyzing children’s literature for their future teaching. The research was focused on how these visits impacted teacher candidates’ understanding of children’s literature and literacy development. Data were collected through a survey administered at the conclusion of the course and responses were probed further during one-on-one interviews. Candidates described these visits as beneficial in …

Why Philosophy Is Important For Administrators In Education, Nicolas Michaud

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

The fact that “philosophy,” to many people, is just a mysterious word that brings to mind images of white beards and mysticism is no surprise. Contemporary society seem to have little reason to value a field devoted to ideas rather than production. Simply, philosophy is impractical, a distraction from the important world of growing an economy and living real life. What, perhaps, is more surprising is that philosophy is now, also, a dying field within academia itself. As research and inquiry becomes more specialized, there is little reason to indulge the pedantic meanderings of those who do not wish to …

Literacy Co-Teaching With Multi-Level Texts In An Inclusive Middle Grade Humanities Class: A Teacher-Researcher Collaboration, Kelly Chandler-Olcott, Kathleen A. Hinchman

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This article reports on a middle school literacy intervention implemented during a yearlong teacher-researcher collaboration. The purpose of this collaboration was to combine and adjust commonly recommended pedagogical approaches to address the literacy needs of a heterogeneous group of seventh graders attending an urban school. University researchers designed and implemented the intervention with an interdisciplinary team of three teachers. The intervention drew on sociocultural theories of language and learning. It had three main features: integration of English and social studies, multi-level texts, and co-teaching of heterogeneous groups. Qualitative data included field notes from classroom observations and planning meetings, transcripts from …

Faculty Expectations Toward Their Online Courses: Are They On The Same Screen With Their Students?, John A. Huss, Shannon Eastep

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This action research study explored attitudes and expectations of faculty at a Midwestern university who taught at least one fully online course during 2014. The study focused on instructor perceptions toward and experiences with web-based instruction, particularly in the critical areas of assessment and feedback; course organization; interaction with students; course flexibility; and overall communication. Findings were then compared to student responses from the authors’ previous study. A mixed-methods electronic survey blended a quantitative component in the form of 21 fixed response items with a qualitative element accomplished through two narrative response questions where content analysis was used to compress …

Differentiating Writing Instruction: Meeting The Diverse Needs Of Authors In A Classroom, Mary Shea

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Abstract

The proposed article, Differentiating writing instruction: Meeting the diverse needs of authors in a classroom, begins with an explanation of the concept of differentiated instruction as a basis and another term for responsive teaching. This involves writing instruction that is sensitive to the diversity of students’ individual strengths and needs and reacts to these factors in a timely manner with targeted instruction. The practice of responsive teaching — teaching differentially — is also the foundation of RTI (response to intervention) structures, currently developing in schools across the U.S. as a result of the national mandate. However, responsive teaching …

Working Together To Foster Candidate Success On The Edtpa, Barbara A. Burns, Julie J. Henry, Jeffrey R. Lindauer

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This action research study examined the effectiveness of one model for supporting candidates in their work in preparing and submitting their edTPA portfolios. Surveys of student teachers and their cooperating teachers were administered and analyzed to determine how the model impacted their experiences with the edTPA. This data can inform implementation efforts at other campuses.

Professional Development In Urban Schools: What Do The Teachers Say?, Tanya R. Green, Mishaleen E. Allen

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This quantitative causal-comparative study compared perceptions of professional development opportunities between high-achieving and low-achieving elementary-middle school teachers in an urban school district using the Standards Assessment Inventory (SAI). A total of 271 teachers participated including 134 (n=134) teachers from high-achieving schools, and 137 (n=137) teachers from low-achieving schools. Teachers in high-achieving schools reported receiving professional development more aligned to the 12 NSDC standards for quality professional development than teachers in low-achieving schools. In addition, teachers in high-achieving schools indicated receiving professional development modeled as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Findings suggest that high quality professional development designed with elements of professional …

Adding Fuel To The Fire: Life And Meaning Of Data In A Principal’S World, Donald Angelaccio, Maja Miskovic

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

In this paper a former middle school principal and his dissertation chair look back at the research process envisioned and carried out against the neo-positivist grain aggressively put forward by the government and espoused in school districts across the United States. We revisit the meaning of data and show how they emerged from the paradigmatic stance of action research and came to life via collaboration between teachers-research participants and a school principal-researcher. We provide examples of data that was simultaneously collected and interpreted and served as evidence that the process of action research resulted in meaningful learning, genuine change, and …

Little By Little The Bird Builds Its Nest: First Steps In Cross Cultural Curriculum Training, Helene Arbouet Harte, Melissa M. Jones, Francis Wray

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

With the goal of raising awareness of child slavery and devastation of the natural environment in Haiti, while simultaneously supporting active teaching strategies, a team of educators collaborated to develop The Respecting Haiti curriculum. Following curriculum development representatives from the team facilitated training of the curriculum in Haiti. The process continues to evolve as participants work to build on strengths and use individual expertise to enhance our collective knowledge and develop an effective and authentic curriculum. This paper provides a brief overview of the development of the draft of a curriculum, and the experiences and lessons learned from the team …