Education Commons^™

Creating Culturally Relevant Techonological Operas In An Urban School, Dianna Isaac-Johnson

Dissertations

The project described in this study developed due to the gap in achievement between African-American and white students. As music teacher I noticed my urban students could rap all the words of popular songs. Therefore I incorporated the use of technology with an authentic need to learn reading, writing, and lyric development for science and history content within a "hip-hop opera". This study details the instructional sequence, in which students watched musical performances, learned songs with a karaoke machine, and wrote new lyrics for the songs based on history and science material. I combined the students' lyrics into new versions …

Handwriting: Should Formal Instruction In Handwriting Be Taught To Elementary Students?, Cathleen Rutter

Education 589 Projects

Having taught students Language Arts from 2nd grade through sophomore year of high school, I have encountered numerous samples of handwriting, with great variance in their legibility. It has caused me frustration as a beginning teacher trying to decipher what has actually been written and just what the student was trying to convey to myself, as their teacher. In some cases I have graded a spelling test, marked words incorrect because I could not read the letters in the word. But then, because I felt that the student has mastered the spelling of a given word, I had the student …

Differentiated Spelling Instruction: A Theoretical Approach To Instruction, Amanda Gibson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Research has been conducted to determine the best method of teaching spelling instruction. Several studies have concluded that differentiated spelling instruction is the best method to teach spelling. In this type of instruction, the teacher determines the students' spelling level and then delivers spelling instruction based on their spelling level. To test this theory of instruction I conducted my own study using fourth grade students. I determined that differentiated instruction improves students' spelling by providing instruction that is specific to students' ability level and needs while offering high-quality instruction.

I compared two groups of students in my study. With the …

A Descriptive Study Of Special Education Teachers Serving Students With Autism: Knowledge, Practices Employed, And Training Needs, Dawn R. Hendricks

Theses and Dissertations

Autism now affects a significant number of students in schools. It is well documented that the unique learning characteristics of these students differ widely from other learners requiring teachers to possess specialized skills (Simpson, 2005). Despite advancements in instructional practices for students with autism (Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, & Kincaid, 2003) little attention has been given to examining the qualities of special education teachers who deliver services to these students.This dissertation evaluated special education teachers' knowledge and implementation of educational practices critical for the improvement of students with autism and determined areas of training needs. The study was conducted with special …

Effects Of Computerized Storybooks On Early Literacy Development Of Preschool Children With Weak Self-Regulation Skills, Nora E. Land

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of two universally designed methods of instruction, teacher-mediated small group reading and individual use of an electronic book with limited teacher interaction, for preschool children who have been identified as having poor behavioral self-regulation. The sample consisted of 18 preschool children enrolled in an urban Head Start program. The children ranged in age from 43 months to 65 months. Children's measures included the Child Temperament and Personality Questionnaire-Short Form (CTPQ-SF), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT),Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Preschoolers (PALS-PreK) - the Print and Word Awareness subtest, an expressive vocabulary posttest, and a story …