Education Commons^™

'The Romance Of Araby', Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

No abstract provided.

Financial Partnering And Other Strategies To Help Centers Of Teaching And Learning Thrive In Hard Times, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe, B. Philips

Hal Blythe

With Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) entering a period of economic downturn, the authors demonstrate how their Center has survived hard times through financial partnering with on- and off-campus groups. They also explain how to develop successful strategies for partnering (both financial and otherwise), analyze the dynamics of such collaborations, and offer some useful guidelines.

Collaborating On Writing, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe, William Phillips

Hal Blythe

Here’s a guide to how “collabo-writing” can boost your productivity while sharpening your skills (and subjugating your ego).

Nullilfying The Barbay Effect: Connecting With Your Students, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

Of course reaching students has always involved more than logistics. They always live in a newer world than those of their teachers, and speaking their language in order to wed the valuable past with the hip present remains an ongoing challenge. Barbay Effect? It’s a reference to the movie “Back to School” (1986) starring Rodney Dangerfield.

Relationship Between Fluency And Comprehension For Middle School Students, Ingrid Mccallister

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Giovanna Llosent Tssa Winter 2008, Giovanna Llosent

Teaching Skills Study Awards (TSSA) Reports

Enhances faculty's teaching by attending a conference devoted to university teaching, a high-impact practice, evidence-based practice or a newly developing teaching practice.

Editorial Introduction, Catherine F. Compton-Lilly

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

As the editor for Networks, I often get questions from authors and reviewers about what we look for in high-quality submissions. In this column, I identify some of the criteria that we consider as we make decisions about sending articles out to reviewers and contemplate publication. Networks publishes three types of peer-reviewed submissions: full-length articles, shorter articles, and book reviews.

Improving Critical Thinking Skills In History, Carl Kosta Savich

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

This action research project, conducted by a classroom teacher, investigated strategies and techniques to improve critical thinking skills and engagement in a high school history classroom. The research methods involved comparing quiz, test, and essay scores as well as student surveys, interviews and teacher-created field notes from inquiry-based and lecturebased classrooms. The inquiry classroom involved role-playing, simulations, re-enactments, multiple text analysis, and oral/visual presentations. Students engaged in analyzing bias, examining different viewpoints and perspectives, and analyzing documents. The findings indicate that when critical thinking skills were emphasized and integrated in lesson planning, students achieved higher scores on tests, quizzes, and …

An Analysis Of Educational Programming For And Learning Outcomes, Abigail Marie Felber

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

In order to better understand the educational outcomes of English language learners enrolled in two distinct programs at this school, the researcher, a 4th/5th grade bilingual teacher, studied leading research in the field of bilingual education, administered and analyzed assessments and interviewed participants’ families as well as colleagues. The premise of the study was to compare literacy levels of two sample groups—six students who received instruction solely in English and six students who received instruction both in English and Spanish. All students were Latino, and Spanish was the predominate language spoken in their homes. Study findings revealed that, regarding English …

Expanding The Zone Of Reflective Capacity: Taking Separate Journeys Together, Ron Tinsley, Kimberly Lebak

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

The Master of Arts in Education program at our college began in 2004 and was designed to help practicing teachers become more effective and insightful teachers through developing both their content and pedagogical knowledge and helping them to incorporate this new knowledge into their daily practices. The program was designed to culminate in a capstone project. Capstone projects have been used in graduate education as a culmination to the learning experience. The capstone course has been found to be instrumental in helping graduate students “connect theory to practice in a meaningful and collaborative way” (Brown & Bensen, 2005, p. 679). …

A Starting Point For Practitioner Inquiry: A Review Of The Reflective Educator’S Guide To Classroom Research, Christopher B. Crowley

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

In first part of this essay, I will introduce my discussion of The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Classroom Research by describing my general impressions of the book. Next, I will provide a brief overview of the book and its main ideas. Finally, I will discuss some critical considerations that I believe are worth considering when discussing practitioner inquiry.

Perceptions Of Mentors And New Teachers: A Case Study Of A Mentoring Program In Northeast Tennessee., Gregory Scott Wallace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study included 9 new teachers all of whom were assigned master teachers as mentors. The study also included 11 mentor teachers who participated in this study. There were 20 participants in this case study. The study was conducted in the Johnson City School System.

This qualitative case study was conducted by interviewing 20 participants in the mentoring program. Eleven mentor teachers and 9 new teachers were chosen through purposeful sampling. A list of possible participants was obtained from the Johnson City Schools Central Office and an email was sent to possible participants explaining the nature of the study. Participants …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Natural Storytelling Strategies Used At The Nantahala School., Nancy J. Reeder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study identifies what 8 teachers naturally do with storytelling at a K-12 school in western North Carolina. Through observations, interviews, field notes, document reviews, and artifact reviews, I used the constant comparison analysis method to discover themes from their formal and informal storytelling strategies. From these themes, I created a framework of 7 suggestions to enhance storytelling awareness. They are: sharing personal stories, developing voice control and body expression, connecting story to school culture, modeling well-developed stories with beginnings, middles, and ends, introducing stories with a pause, expressing the word "imagine" often during instruction, and finally, making …

A Closer Look At One Elementary School's Use Of Informational Text In Classroom Instruction, Marjean Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to explore the use of informational text in kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms in one elementary school. The research was based on analyzing responses given by teachers on a self-report survey; which addressed various aspects of their use of informational texts. The survey included questions about the sources teachers used to find informational texts, the criteria used in selection of such texts, and the frequency and purposes for informational text use. These data were then compared according to teachers' years of teaching experience and grade level taught to see the influence of …

Nina Cross, Nina Cross, Institute Of Child Nutrition

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Evelina (Nina) Cross received her PhD from Texas Woman’s University and then joined the faculty at Louisiana State University. While at LSU, she taught and directed the dietetic internship. Her research and many of her publications were in the area of school food service. In addition, she served three years as the first National Food Service Management Institute Scholar. During this time she worked with the research arm of the Institute to develop a financial model for school food service. Since retirement from LSU, Dr. Cross has worked with both the Louisiana and Mississippi Departments of Education to offer continuing …

Inside Literacy Teacher Education: Lessons From The Field, Francesca Pomerantz

Francesca Pomerantz

Examples: What Teachers Are Doing With Poetry, Penny Miller, Sarah Duffer, Carole Damin, Libby Duggan

Articles

In November, 112 teachers from across Indiana attended a full-day professional development workshop with renowned poet Georgia Heard. Here is a sampling of the things these teachers are now doing in their schools and classrooms as a result of that workshop.

Teacher Education Preparation Assessment System And The National Council For Accreditation Of Teacher Education Accreditation, Deborah Lynn Vaughan Stoulig

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the assessment systems of teacher preparation programs have changed since the new NCATE Standards were implemented in 2004, what methods of data collections are being used, and to measure coordinators' perceptions of the assessment systems. An electronic survey was developed by the researcher based upon a review of related literature, the researcher's personal experience, and years of reviewing data collection software. An invitation to the survey was emailed to 631 NCATE Coordinators or equivalent as identified from their institution's website with 221 participants completing the survey for a return rate of …

Principals Perceptions Of Factors Affecting Teacher Collaboration In Secondary Schools, Lonnie E. Myers

Dissertations

This qualitative multi-case study examined how various practicing secondary principals in the Northwest Region of Arkansas perceive teacher collaboration within secondary schools. Job-embedded opportunities for teacher collaboration have been cited as successful ways for promoting teacher learning, which in turn will promote increased student learning (Little, 1990). Researchers and theorists cite properly supported collaboration as key to lasting school improvement (DuFour & Eaker, 1998; Fullan, 1997; Little, 1990). In order for the practice of collaboration to be embedded in secondary schools, a culture must be created within a supportive environment to support the collaborative efforts. DuFour and Eaker (1998) credit …

Using Electronic Faculty Course Portfolios To Showcase Classroom Practices And Student Learning, Paul Savory, Amy M. Goodburn

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Faculty course portfolios are a valuable medium for documenting and making visible the serious intellectual work of teaching. Developing a faculty course portfolio follows the same process one uses to explore a research question. Faculty members inquire, analyze, and document their teaching practices and the resulting student learning and then make the results accessible for use, review, and assessment by one’s peers. In this article, we introduce four types of electronic course portfolios that sponsor different forms of inquiry into student learning. We highlight the major components of each type, offer advice in developing them, and share examples of each. …

Creating A Rabbitry For A High School Agricultural Program: A Guide For The Approval Process And Materials Required, Anne Marie Katuin

Agricultural Education and Communication

The proposal for a rabbitry to be added to the campus of Liberty High School in Golden Valley Unified School District in the designated agricultural area was proposed to the agricultural teacher and site administration for the high school. A floor plan was designed to fit the needs of a small rabbit breeding operation for the use of the LHS FFA students who wished to have a breeding or meat rabbit SAE.

Guidelines and plans were created in order to help an agricultural teacher or community member go through the previously mentioned approval process if they were to want to …

Differentiating Thinkfinity Lessons, Roberta Wiener

Cornerstone 1 Reports : Expansion and Enhancements of the Thinkfinity Platform

No abstract provided.

A Holistic Model Of Engaged Scholarship: Telling The Story Across Higher Education's Missions, Nancy K. Franz

Nancy K. Franz

Faculty and administrators still struggle to practice and support a holistic approach to engaged scholarship. Many institutions have created a culture of engaged scholarship, yet faculty are looking for practical ways to plan, implement, and reflect on engaged scholarship due to productivity expectations. New faculty are often drawn to the idea of engaged scholarship but don’t know where to start or how to frame their work in a way that appeals to promotion and tenure committees. To address these issues, the holistic model of engaged scholarship presented here provides a definition of engaged scholarship, six practice and storytelling leverage points …

Mathematics Teacher Educators As Cultural Workers: A Dare To Those Who Dare To Teach (Urban?) Teachers, David W. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In his editorial, the author challenges urban mathematics educators to institute as the primary goal for the community of mathematics educators the cultural transformation of the discipline of mathematics from the psychologically brutalizing discipline of stratification into the psychologically humanizing discipline of freedom.

Student Characteristics, Pre-College, College, And Environmental Factors As Predictors Of Persisting In And Earning A Stem Degree: An Analysis Of Students Attending A Hispanic Serving Institution, Gloria Crisp, Amanda Taggart, Amaury Nora

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examined the demographic, pre-college, environmental, and college factors that impact students’ interests in and decisions to earn a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree among students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Results indicated that Hispanic students were well represented among STEM majors, and students’ decisions to declare a STEM major and earn a STEM degree were uniquely influenced by students’ gender, ethnicity, SAT math score, and high school percentile. Earning a STEM degree was related to students’ first-semester GPA and enrollment in mathematics and science “gatekeeper” courses. Findings indicate that HSIs may be an important point …

Comparing Indigenous And External Teachers: Beliefs, Origins Of Beliefs, And Expectations, Richard H. Fowler

Dissertations

This phenomenology examines rural economically poor school teachers' beliefs, belief origins, and their expectations of and for their students. Data analysis employed two lenses. The proposed lens examined participants as either indigenous or external utilizing Banks' (2001) cross-cultural teaching experiences. In this study, the indigenous participants experienced childhoods in poor rural towns, while external participants experienced childhoods in urban/suburban areas. A second emergent lens examined participants as experiencing working-class or middle-class childhoods. Findings utilizing lens one were mixed and varied with no definitive pattern. The emergent lens utilizing economic class of participants' childhoods found a number of consistent differences between …

Child Care Centers On Higher Education Campuses: Director Perceptions Of Internal And External Roles And Director Leadership, Kerisa A. Myers

Dissertations

An increasing focus on early childhood education and brain research offers a prime opportunity for higher education institutions to research and formulate thought concerning quality child care. Currently, there is limited research examining the impact and roles of child care centers on university campuses. To add to the base of knowledge, this nationally-focused study examined the following broad question: "what value do campus child care centers offer to a given higher education institution and its surrounding community, especially from a center director's perspective?"

An on-line survey was sent to over 400 campus child care directors at two- and four-year public …

Adoption And Integration Of Best Practice Methods In Secondary English Teaching, Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil

Dissertations

Commencing with a critical examination of the history and rhetorical force of the term "best practice," this dissertation undertakes a qualitative study of three secondary English teachers, considering their adoption and integration of best practice methods. The subjects, represented by urban, suburban and rural secondary schools, were National Writing Project participants identified as "exemplary teachers" by a NWP site director. "Best practice" methods analyzed included the process model for the teaching of writing and literature, student decision-making, and a low-risk writing environment. Factors that were found to influence the adoption of best practice methods included undergraduate and preservice experiences, intern …

Collaborative Reflective Practice Of Two Early Childhood Educators: The Impact On Their Ongoing Inquiry And Professional Development, Stacy Cummings Onks

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Two preschool teachers served as participants in this instrumental case study with the purpose of: (1) identifying the emergence of new understandings and processes of joint, shared activity, (2) examining the ways in which the use of two diverse methods (electronic and audio journals) influenced and mediated critical reflective practice, and (3) examining the link between reflection and action.

There were two major findings. First, the use of multiple methods to engage in reflection was found to be critical to encourage and support effective, rich reflection. Second, teachers changed the conceptualization of their professional relationships and of reflective practice. …

Exploring Some Inattended Affective Factors In Performing Nonroutine Mathematical Tasks, John Douglas Butler

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Describes students' attempts to solve nonroutine math problems and explores possible correlates of their performance, focusing on inattended (i.e., intentionally avoided) dimensions underrepresented in the literature, including attitudes, interests, values, aesthetics, metacognition, and representation. Analyzes objective and subjective data gathered from a sample of 9th-grade students at a high school in Rhode Island. Finds strong evidence of students' math-aesthetics in problem solving.