Education Commons^™

When Study Abroad Is Not Enough: Improving Language Proficiency Through Virtual Interaction, Christopher J. Jochum

The Advocate

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of an in-service Spanish teacher who, despite studying abroad on multiple occasions, was unable to meet the proficiency requirements necessary for professional licensure in her state. Using a single case study design (Yin, 2014), the author documented the year-long experiences of this teacher as she engaged in virtual language activities with a Native Spanish speaker to successfully improve her proficiency. The following paper will provide a brief overview of the study, the supporting theoretical framework, methods, results and scholarly contributions to the field of foreign language education and teacher preparation.

Table Of Contents And Introductory Materials For Vol. 23, No. 3, 2017, Bruce Quantic

The Advocate

Table of contents and introductory materials for Vol. 23, issue 3 (Fall - Winter 2017), including a dedication to Dr. Donald E. Hufford (1929-2016), ATE-K member and reviewer/author.

Video-Based Education Ethnography Project, Lori Goodson, F. Todd Goodson, David S. Allen

The Advocate

This article chronicles the development of a video-based ethnography project documenting daily life in a Kansas elementary and a secondary classroom. The project, which took nearly two years of planning, allows a direct link to two classrooms approximately 250 miles away to provide a virtual field experience for undergraduates and a wide array of research possibilities for faculty. Since its first semester in spring 2016, it now enables students to see the daily actions of an elementary teacher and a secondary math teacher in a live classroom setting, and various faculty and graduate student research projects are currently under way.

An Online Resource For Improving Instructional Practice, Daniel Stiffler, Mary Frazier

The Advocate

Effective teachers are continually looking for engaging teaching strategies, but both new and experienced teachers can feel overwhelmed by the plethora of theories and strategies available to them. The website, K-12Toolbox.org, contains a series of research-based guiding questions coupled with targeted videos, articles, and resources for improving instructional practice. The K-12toolbox.org site will provide easily accessible support for teachers and administrators as they work together to provide classroom lessons that mirror best practice and engage students.

The Power Of Classroom Libraries And Pre-Service Teachers, Sonja Ezell

The Advocate

This paper explores how critical classroom libraries are for student success. Research indicates that students who have access to classroom libraries read more and their reading achievement improves. This study investigates the picture-book genre preferences of pre-service teachers and the implications for the books and genres that scored both high and low on the survey. In addition, this study highlights the plight of students who reside in book desserts and do not have abundant opportunities to obtain books outside of the school community.

Benefits Of A University Faculty-To-Faculty Mentoring Program, Anh Tran, Kay Gibson

The Advocate

A faculty-to-faculty mentoring program is considered a useful way to help faculty be successful in teaching, research and service that lead to tenure attainment. Mentoring programs can be structured in a variety of ways, but usually the outcomes are focused on the benefits for mentees. This article presents a research study on a mentoring program in the College of Education at Wichita State University, in which mentors were tenured faculty and mentees were tenure–eligible. Through a written survey and an interview, participants identified perceived individual individual benefits of the mentoring program, and provided recommendations for future development. The traditional model …

Readstricted: Censorship In Public School Libraries, Carolyn L. Carlson

The Advocate

Introduction: For as long as texts have been printed, they have also been subjected to censorship. Each year, books are challenged and/or banned from public school libraries.

Teaching Triangles: A Campus Wide Interdisciplinary Program For Faculty Professional Development, Gwen Landever, Caroline Mackintosh

The Advocate

Providing meaningful professional development at a small teaching university can be a challenge. Since there are limited opportunities to bring in big named speakers for a lecture or to send faculty to conferences, faculty and administration need to find low cost and creative ways to support professional development. This paper will discuss how a university has transformed faculty development through a peer-based model called “Teaching Triangles”. Initially adopted as a method to support new faculty in one department, it has grown into an interdisciplinary campus wide initiative. Along with faculty participation, students have also become actively involved in the process.

Return-To-School Challenges For The Post-Concussion Student, Rich Bomgardner

The Advocate

The number of concussions in sports and recreational activities are increasing on an annual basis. Students returning to school after a concussion face many challenges which can affect their learning and school reintegration process. Difficulties in learning, decreased academic performance, and classroom readjustment issues have been reported in earlier studies. The schools and teachers ability to understand basic concussion signs and symptoms, learning and classroom challenges as well as how to implement a return to learn plan play a vital role in the student’s academic success.

Teacher Shortages In Kansas And In The Nation, Kenneth A. Weaver, Rudy Perez

The Advocate

In March, 2016, Kansas Commissioner of Education Randy Watson created the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Teacher Vacancies and Supply. The authors of this article were task force co-chairs. This article reports the key finds of the task force and then reports current research findings about teacher shortage from across the nation. We then list recommendations for teacher educators to improve the supply of teachers and retention of career teachers. The conclusion crystallizes the four challenges Kansas has to increase the number of teachers in the state.

Meaningful Movement And Literacy Content, Gayla Lohfink, Rick Pappas

The Advocate

Links among brain research, movement, and cognition suggest that integrating meaningful movement activities with content can foster elementary students’ engagement in literacy learning. This manuscript describes an action research project of a module for teacher candidates’ incorporation of meaningful movement in elementary classrooms. Activities and their alignment to the English Language Arts standards are described. Evidence of the impact of the module on teacher candidates’ planning reflects that 41% of candidates’ lessons showed intentional movement, specifically by encouraging children to move about the classroom, use body gestures, and rotate physically though centers.

Integrating Social­-Emotional Learning To Improve Academic, Valerie Zelenka

The Advocate

The benefits of integrating social­-emotional and academic instruction have been well documented. Students excel academically and experience fewer behavioral challenges when teachers accommodate social-­emotional and academic needs simultaneously. This paper outlines some of the specifics of doing this.

A Dialogic Approach To Supervision In The Practicum, M'Balia Thomas

The Advocate

T​he term “dialogue” in research on classroom talk between student(s)-teacher is frequently referenced in teaching and teacher education. Yet, there is considerable difference in how the concept is understood. Moreover, scholarship within this area rarely addresses classroom talk between another student-teacher dyad – that of practicum student and a supervising instructor (Waite 1995 is a notable exception). This paper seeks to explore the notion of dialogue as it applies to this dyadic relationship, considering the ways in which incorporating a specifically Bakhtinian approach to dialogue highlights unique aspects of talk and interaction within practicum supervision.

Digital Observation Of Teacher Candidates: Intasc Accountability For Caep, Kelly Gillespie, Sue Jenkins, Volora Hanzlicek

The Advocate

Teacher preparation programs want to ensure accountability to InTASC and CAEP standard while simultaneously maximizing gains in the quality of instruction delivered by teacher candidates. The solution, research­-based, digital observation to monitor classroom practice with expected outcomes; generate real­time data for self­ reflection and collaborative dialogue; and deliver instantaneous feedback for growth and continuous improvement.

The research is clear. The number one factor affecting student learning is quality of teaching (“Teachers Matter,” 2012). The number one factor affecting quality of teaching is instructional conversations (Danielson, 2009). Instructional conversations must be based on data. The Digital eWalkThrough System generates these data.

Equity, Equality And The Social Bond Theory In Schools: A Heads Up For Teacher Educators, Stu Ervay

The Advocate

Today’s schools face challenges that go beyond those of the 20th Century, in addition to the more recent impact of No Child Left Behind. Common core standards and stipulations found in the recent Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) call for new academic programs and ways for teachers to implement them. Integral to the ESSA are techniques for achieving social equity, equality of learning opportunity, and “wrap-­around support systems for vulnerable communities.” The community support systems concept can include what sociologists call the social bond theory. For schools and teachers to make those goals achievable within classrooms will require more emphasis …

Improving Reflection During Student Teaching With Technology, David S. Allen, Lori Goodson, Dylan Hinrichs

The Advocate

​The process of tapping into the power of reflection is a difficult process for many student teachers to accomplish. Multiple factors hinder the process of reflection in novice teachers. Video recorded lessons provide a contextualized focus for reflection on specific pedagogical skills. This study conducted by an undergraduate student during the student internship demonstrates the value of utilized video recorded lesson to assist in the development of one student’s journey toward becoming a reflective practitioner through the use of video recorded teaching episodes.

Parents’ Perceptions Of Heritage Languages In The Mid-­West: Facing The Challenge Of Losing One’S Native Language In Kansas, Abdelliah Salim Sehlaoui, Rihab Mousa

The Advocate

While heritage language research tends to focus on populations in the Eastern and Western coasts of the country, little if anything is known about heritage language loss, use, perceptions, or what parents do to overcome the challenges their children face on a daily basis in Midwest states such as Kansas, especially in remote rural areas. The present study aims at making the voices of some of these parents heard by describing the common themes that emerged from the qualitative data analysis collected from their perceptions towards heritage languages in the state of Kansas. The paper provides a brief description of …

Using Brain-­Based Interventions To Address Ninth Grade Students’ Misconceptions About Newton’S Laws: Descriptions Of Secondary Teachers’ Action Research, Deborah Brown

The Advocate

This study describes four secondary physics teachers’ action research investigations and perceptions of the action research process. Each of the action research projects used key aspects of brain­based teaching to address students’ misconceptions about physics. Foremost among these were the use of technology and collaborative work with peers; these approaches enabled students to make meaningful connections, do a learning activity, and demonstrate understanding. The projects yielded positive effects on post assessments of students’ understanding. The four teachers reported numerous benefits from doing action research, though they noted several important caveats.

An Examination Of External Influences And Internal Issues Challenging Teacher Education Today, Jill Gonzalez-Bravo, Donna Augustine-Shaw

The Advocate

Today’s educators are not solely content experts, but reflective practitioners competent in theory and complex learning processes. They are obligated to construct classrooms to meet the diverse needs of each child within a culture of global competition and increased levels of accountability. Prior studies amplify a necessary focus on preparing teachers capable of meeting the needs of each student from day one on the job. However, a myriad of obstacles facing teacher preparation identified throughout research provide clear direction for additional attention. The following is an investigation of external influences and internal issues that challenged the current model of teacher …

Table Of Contents And Introductory Materials For Vol. 23, No. 2, 2016, Bruce Quantic

The Advocate

This content includes the table of contents and editorial information for vol. 23, issue 2 (Spring - Summer 2016)

Observation And Feedback In Walkthrough Visits: Traditional Vs. Distance Supervision Settings, Allison Rothwell, Twyla Sprouse

The Advocate

During student teaching, many on-site university supervisors implement quick observations in order to gather more informal data about the classrooms in which they observe and better understand the role student teachers are playing at different points within the semester. While these short walkthrough observations are effective at the beginning of the semester, the data quickly becomes unbalanced between student teachers, and supervisors often have to begin scheduling the visits in order to collect more specific, balanced information. This article examines the effectiveness of the on­site walkthrough when compared to video walkthrough observations implemented within a distance supervision model.