Education Commons^™

The U.S. Academic Profession: Some Thoughts On The Past, Present, And Future, Michael W. Simpson

Essays in Education

This essay reflects the personal and professional, the past as well as the present as they relate to the nature of college and the professors that work in them. The past is not seen nostalgically by the author, but such a romanticized view may be hindering professional empowerment by professors themselves in these times of massive administrative growth. Suggestions are given on how to possibly save the humanity of the profession and the spirit of higher education.

Problems For Teacher Education For Primary Schools In Nigeria: Beyond Curriculum Design And Implementation, Olusegun Akinbote

Essays in Education

Primary education is the core of development and progress sin modern societies. However the quality of teachers who are to ensure the realization of the aspirations we hold for our children has fallen below expectations. This study therefore investigated the entry qualifications, the mode of entry into and the reasons why students enroll in Colleges of Education. The findings showed that majority of the student teachers are not ‘good materials’ for teacher education and that only a few of them really have the genuine desire to become teachers. Recommendations are made on how to improve on the quality of entrants …

Towards Student Involvement In Essay Assessment, Aynur Yürekli, Evrim Üstünlüoğlu

Essays in Education

In language teaching, assessment is one of the most formidable challenges for both the students and the teachers. Especially, when the assessment of productive skills which are subjective by their nature are concerned, the "challenge" could very well turn into a "nightmare" for both parties. In order to avoid this undesired possibility, the attitude of the grader and the students towards the evaluation rubric is as vital as the rubric itself.

This study describes the standardization process of the writing rubric for the assessment of essays, which is accepted both by the graders and the learners who are subject to …

Study/Teach Abroad Programs For Higher Education Faculty, Osman Özturgut

Essays in Education

With all the benefits of study abroad programs for students in higher education, as suggested in the literature, this study proposes promoting study/teach abroad programs for faculty members. Through such programs, institutions will benefit from diversity and promotion of study abroad programs for students will be much more efficient with faculty members giving the account of first hand experience of their studying/teaching abroad.

Using The Reflective Research Journal To Develop Thoughtful School Leaders, Paula Selvester, William Rich

Essays in Education

This study examined student outcomes through the use of a reflective thinking/research model (Kraus & Butler, 2000) in a collaborative research seminar designed as a pre-requisite to a comprehensive MA exam. Questionnaire and document analysis revealed improvement in students’ academic understanding and application to professional work.

University And Community Partnerships: A Full Circle Program, Richard Thurlow, Michael Ledoux, Nadine Mchenry, Michele Burns

Essays in Education

Civic engagement by universities has taken shape in a number of ways. This article describes the efforts of the Center for Education at a metropolitan university in the United States, whose outreach is to a under resourced school district in an economically distressed area. Partnerships with the Local Educational Agency (LEA), private foundations, divisions of the university, and local churches will be addressed. This is a descriptive article showing one university’s efforts at civic engagement.

Teacher Candidates’ Emerging Perceptions Of Reader Response Theory, Khaled Alazzi

Essays in Education

What are the possibilities when teacher candidates participate in focused instruction in reader response theory and connected opportunities to experience response to literature, then design and implement response experiences with their elementary students? Consideration of this question led to this study that describes teacher candidates’ knowledge about reader response theory and their perceptions of the value and usefulness of reader response theory throughout a semester of focused experiences in university and elementary classrooms. Through qualitative analysis, four distinct, but related themes emerged. These themes describe teacher candidates who: 1) are at differing stages of understanding, 2) find that responding to …