Education Commons^™

Innovation Lab Fall Newsletter, Innovation Lab, Mary Stegmeir

CF/RIC Lab Newsletter

The 1st issue of the RIC/CF Innovation Lab newsletter (Fall, 2015).

Inside this issue:

- A Note from the Leadership Team

- Congratulations on "Blogging and Food-Logging" to Present at American School Health Association

- Project Highlight: Conditional Acceptance

- Honored Article on NACAC Official Blog

- Innovation Lab in the News

- Connect with Us

What's The Sense In Nonsense Word Fluency Probes?, Maggie M. Habershaw

Honors Projects

A major focus of education in the United States has been for “optimal” literacy instruction for all students. To accomplish this goal, major initiatives have centered upon the early identification and prevention of reading difficulties. To this end, professionals in the field are using numerous literacy programs and assessments to promote optimal literacy instruction. One of these assessment programs is the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). Across the United States, over 2,000,000 students are administered the DIBELS Nonsense Word Fluency probe each year. The purpose of this study is to reflect on teacher perceptions and experiences with …

Experiences Of Male Teachers In The Elementary Grades, Samuel K. Henry

Honors Projects

Teaching in the elementary grades is a profession generally seen more suited for women. However, an increasing number of elementary schools are recruiting more males to apply to teach grades K-6. The purpose of this study was to listen to the stories of males in the elementary grades and to understand the experiences, advantages or disadvantages of being a male teacher in the elementary grades. Ethnographic methods, such as interviews, field notes, observations, were used. Eight male teachers with varying backgrounds from six elementary schools were interviewed. In conclusion, the domination of females in the field is still present. A …

On The Essence Of Education, Alexander M. Sidorkin

Faculty Publications

This is a contribution to the project of redefining the educational theory as a discipline, not merely as a field for application of other disciplines. If educational theory is a discipline, it should provide a unique lens to view the entire social world. Educational theory would then not only contemplate the world of schooling, or even the expanded world of educational experiences outside of schools. It would also offer an insight on the educational aspects of the economy, of politics, of communication, of culture, etc. Zooming out away from schooling allows zooming in on education

The Effect Of Positive Behavioral Intervention And Supports (Pbts) On Elementary School Student Academic Performance And Behaviors, Michelle Leblanc

Honors Projects

Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is a school-wide management program designed to improve student academic performance by providing a positive behavioral environment. Research was conducted to determine if there were any direct correlation between proper and consistent implementation of the PBIS framework and an overall increased student achievement on assessments such as the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP). Test results were examined and 12 interviews were conducted with principals, teachers, and PBIS coordinators from six different Rhode Island public schools. The results demonstrated that a majority of the schools have improved over the last few years on the …

Judging Competence, Marie A. Lynch, Linda Capalbo

Faculty Publications

This study analyzed written records created by college clinical supervisors, of student teaching observations carried out during the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semester. Observations, conducted in public schools in a Northeastern state, reflected the dual enrollment status of each student teacher; that is, each candidate was observed, multiple times, in both a general elementary or middle level classroom and in a setting focused on students with special educational needs. The purposes of the analysis were to 1) examine the language used by the observer that both describes and evaluates the student teacher_s performance, particularly as it differentiates levels of …

Observations Of Childrens' Responses To Different Types Of Adult Authority Figures, Sofia Edlund

Honors Projects

Examines responses of second grade children to directives from teachers and student teachers in the classroom. Uses a coding system developed for this study to categorize the directives of authority figures and the children's responses. Results show an interaction between gender and response to authority figure directives and a general tendency for the children, most especially boys, to be less compliant with the student teachers.

Synthesizing Synthesis: A Unique Step Beyond Summary, Melissa A. Leblanc

Honors Projects

Analyzes the concept of synthesis, often referred to as a higher order thinking skill or an advanced form of reading comprehension strategy, and how the ability to synthesize can be incorporated into classroom and everyday life. Compares a survey of professionals to a model of how synthesis works to help generate methods for teaching students/thinkers to synthesize.

Turned On Teachers Help Students Tune In To Geography, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"If you hear your youngster just home from school talking about some local issues related to transportation, land use, natural resources, air quality, water pollution, zoning, population growth or economic development, you can bet that she has been turned on by her geography teacher."

Geographically, R.I. Teachers Are Among The Best, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Isn't it time that we recognize the good teachers and good work being done in the schools of this state rather than constantly harping on problems with education and how our students don't measure up to those in other countries?"

Education: Catalyst For Work Skills, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When Swarthmore College awarded a full scholarship to an indigent teenager it had little idea that Eugene Lang would become a successful New York business executive who would, in time, become a major benefactor to the college. But Eugene Lang is better known for his investment in an even younger group of students at his former elementary school to whom he promised full college scholarships if they would finish high school. And early returns from this group of children, most of who are poor ad minorities, is that they are still attending school and looking to the future."

Effects Of A Content Area Reading Course On Teacher Attitudes And Practices, Ezra L. Stieglitz

Faculty Publications

Efforts have been made during the past 10 years to develop the teaching skills of secondary teachers In the area of reading. Not just those designated as reading specialists but other secondary teachers have been called upon to devote more attention to reading skill development in their classes.

A Rating Scale For Evaluating English As A Second Language Reading Material, Ezra L. Stieglitz

Faculty Publications

In the last decade, a wide variety of commercial materials has been published for use in developing the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills of second language learners. This article focuses on the selection of instructional materials for the reading component of an English as a second language (ESL) program.

Savor The Word To Reinforce Vocabulary In The Content Areas, Ezra L. Stieglitz, Varda S. Stieglitz

Faculty Publications

Success in the content area is determined mainly by the degree to which students master important concepts. This grasp of concepts is the major goal of instruction in all the content areas regardless of the modes of presentation such as reading from a textbook, viewing a filmstrip, or listening to a lecture. Along with concept development, the subject matter teacher must recognize the importance of words, whether printed or spoken, to content area learning. Words and content are inseperable. As Allington and Strange (1980, p. 143) state, "identifying a set of key concepts is primarily a task of identifying the …