Education Commons^™

Gendered Patterns In High Achievement In Mathematics For Grades 4,6, And 8, Laura J. Falvey

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

Since 2001 , No Child Left Behind (N CLB) legislation has mandated that every state test students' educational progress annually, allowing each state to choose among many different instruments (Hoff, 2008). This demand for educational testing of all students has enabled the growth and availability of raw achievement data for subject areas tested and created an opportunity for a wide range of knowledge discovery. Not all states report testing results disaggregated by gender but in 2008, Hyde, Lindberg, Linn, Ellis, and Williams conducted research on data from I 0 states that do. They found the weighted mean achievement scores in …

Characteristics Of The Questioning Techniques Used By Effective Elementary Teachers During Mathematics And Language Arts Lessons, Rochelle Goldberg Kaplan, Geraldine Mongillog, Dorothy Feola

NERA Conference Proceedings 2012

This presentation examined the questioning techniques used by two effective second grade New Jersey teachers, one during a mathematics lesson and the other during a language arts lesson. The mathematics lesson took place in an urban bilingual school and the language arts lesson took place in a monolingual suburban school. The extent to which the teachers used similar or different questioning techniques across the subject areas and school communities was examined. The presentation shares results of the analyses of the videotaped lessons and suggests a framework for describing key factors contributing to the teachers’ effectiveness.

Examining Spiraled Elementary Curricula On Columbus: A Case Study, Maegan Wilton, John H. Bickford Iii

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Educators’ content background and use of accurate, age-appropriate teaching materials generates quality teaching. Content in every grade level should supplement content from previous grades in a spiraled format. State test results on students’ math and reading indicate, but do not prove, the presence of these two presumptions. Because history is not tested, the authors examined the basis of these two presumptions for history in two school districts that require every elementary educator to teach about Christopher Columbus. Findings reveal significant interconnections between these two presumptions and have consequential implications as states consider standardized testing in other curricular areas, such as …

Deaf Education Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Scientific Inquiry And Teaching Science To Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students, Shannon Carol Graham

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to describe preservice teachers’ perceptions of scientific inquiry and science teaching to deaf and hard of hearing students. Participants were four deaf education preservice teachers enrolled in a graduate level course on content area methods during their professional internship year. The instructor employed implicit and explicit reflective pedagogy for the science methods section and focused on scientific practices. Research questions guiding this study are as follows: 1) What are deaf education preservice teachers’ perceptions of scientific inquiry? and 2) What are deaf education preservice teachers’ perceptions of science teaching and learning among deaf and …

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

Ezra L Stieglitz

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 Stieglitz, Varda Stieglitz

Ezra L Stieglitz

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 …

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

Ezra L Stieglitz

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.

Improving Teacher Discourse In A Reading Lesson, Ezra Stieglitz, William Oehlkers

Ezra L Stieglitz

According to the Reading Report Card, teachers need to place more emphasis on teaching higher order comprehension skills and strategies. This advice (Educational Testing Service, 1985) was based on four national assesments of the reading achievement of American school children during the period 1970-84. Assesed were representative samples of 9, 13, and 17 year olds in school. In order to understand how well students can read, participants were given a wide range of materials and asked quations requiring a variety of reading skills and strategies.

Commentary: On The Necessary Immorality Of Reading Teachers, Elizabeth Rowell

Elizabeth H Rowell

One essential preparation is frequently missing from teacher education: the awakening of an awareness of aspects of morality that are crucial on the job but are often overlooked in teacher training classes.

Commentary On The Necessary Immortality Of Reading Teachers, Elizabeth H. Rowell

Elizabeth H Rowell

Too often reading teachers are cast out into the real world of reading problems with only ideas for diagnosis and remediation, or perhaps a few for motivation. One essential preparation is frequently missing from teacher education: the awakening of an awareness of aspects of morality that are crucial on the job but are often overlooked in teacher training classes.

Rediscovering The Garden In Kindergarten: Towards A Holistic Approach, Beth R. Bleeker

Master of Education Program Theses

Dress-up clothes, wooden blocks, and art easels are seemingly collecting dust in the back closets of many of today’s kindergarten classrooms. Where once creativity, imagination, and exploration were vividly expressed during times of free play, the youngest of students in many of today’s education system are trading in their toys for textbooks. This was not the vision of Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852), the German philosopher who provided the foundation and validity of play as a vehicle for learning within the establishment of the kindergarten movement. The 21st century kindergarten has evolved from nurturing the child’s sense of play towards a stronger …

Learning To Lead: A Social Justice Perspective On Understanding Elementary Teacher Leadership In Papua New Guinea, Joanne Brownlee, Laura Scholes, Ann Farrell, Julie Davis, Donna Cook

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Leadership in elementary education is currently recognized as a political imperative in Papua New Guinea (PNG), as the nation develops strategies towards equitable access to schooling. One recent initiative aimed at building educational leadership was an intensive Australian Leadership Award Fellowship (ALAF) program funded by AusAID, involving a group of 10 teacher trainers from PNG. As part their involvement participants completed self-authored journal entries at the beginning and end of the leadership program. Participants were also involved in focus groups after completion of the initiative. Referring to the experiences of these teacher trainers, this paper draws on Nancy Fraser’s (2005, …

Elementary Teacher Education In Papua New Guinea: Towards A Culturally Connected Perspective Of Teaching, Casper Hahambu, Joanne M. Brownlee, E. Anne Petriwskyj

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Global and national agendas for quality education have led to reforms in Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) elementary education, but criticism of the learner-centred Western pedagogies has emerged. One key influence on quality teacher education relates to perspectives of teaching. Existing research shows teachers’ beliefs and perceptions of teaching influence their practice, however to date little research has investigated perspectives of teaching for elementary education in PNG. This single exploratory case study investigated the perspectives of teaching for eighteen elementary teacher trainers as they studied for a Bachelor of Early Childhood (Teacher Education). The study, drawing on an interpretivist paradigm, analysed …

Self-Regulated Learning And Mathematics Achievement In A Fourth Grade Classroom, Dawn Eliserio

Master of Education Program Theses

This research examines the relationship between self-regulated learning and mathematics achievement. The sample included 10 students enrolled in fourth grade at a small, private elementary school in the Midwest. During the third quarter of the school year, students were taught methods of learning mathematics through self-regulation. The grades were recorded before the implementation at the conclusion of the second quarter and again at the conclusion of the third quarter once self-regulation was implemented. A t-test was used to compare the mathematics scores. There was no significant difference between the second and third quarter mathematics grades. This is an important result …

Teachers’ Thoughts On E-Readers In The Elementary School Classroom, Marcy Zipke

Education Faculty Publications

Despite the popularity of e-readers and the enthusiasm of some for their use in secondary education, their utility in elementary education has not yet been systematically explored. Some advantages and disadvantages to teaching elementary literacy with e-readers are identified here. A convenience sample of ten teachers from a variety of different types of elementary schools and classrooms who were e-reader novices read a chapter of a grade-appropriate book on a Kindle and evaluated its use for their students. The teachers gave their opinions and ideas on how the devices could be implemented. Three specific technological affordances of an e-reader that …

Examining Spiraled Elementary Curricula On Columbus: A Case Study, Maegan Wilton, John Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Educators’ content background and use of accurate, age-appropriate teaching materials generates quality teaching. Content in every grade level should supplement content from previous grades in a spiraled format. State test results on students’ math and reading indicate, but do not prove, the presence of these two presumptions. Because history is not tested, the authors examined the basis of these two presumptions for history in two school districts that require every elementary educator to teach about Christopher Columbus. Findings reveal significant interconnections between these two presumptions and have consequential implications as states consider standardized testing in other curricular areas, such as …

Examining Spiraled Elementary Curricula On Columbus: A Case Study, Maegan Wilton, John H. Bickford Iii

John Bickford

Educators’ content background and use of accurate, age-appropriate teaching materials generates quality teaching. Content in every grade level should supplement content from previous grades in a spiraled format. State test results on students’ math and reading indicate, but do not prove, the presence of these two presumptions. Because history is not tested, the authors examined the basis of these two presumptions for history in two school districts that require every elementary educator to teach about Christopher Columbus. Findings reveal significant interconnections between these two presumptions and have consequential implications as states consider standardized testing in other curricular areas, such as …

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 …

Improving Elementary American Indian Students’ Math Achievement With Inquiry-Based Mathematics And Games, Jamalee Stone, Edmund T. Hamann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Project Inquiry-Based Mathematics was a National Science Foundation Math-Science Partnership implemented in a Great Plains city school district with a significant K-12 Native American population. One goal of the project was to reduce the achievement gap between Native American and non-Native students enrolled in the district. This gap reduction was to be achieved using inquiry-based mathematics curricula along with cognitively guided instructional strategies, particularly at the elementary level. This study focuses on whether inquiry-based mathematics strategies were consistently implemented in three fifth-grade classrooms at K-5 elementary schools with significant Native American student populations. Test result of Native American students at …

Perceptions Of Bilingualism And Home Language Maintenance And Loss: A Study Of Latino Parents At A San Francisco Bay Area Elementary Charter School, Emily Mccormick Enstice

Doctoral Dissertations

There is limited research that investigates parent perceptions with respect to their early elementary school children's home language use. To fill the gap in research, this study explores the relationship between first generation Latino parent perspectives of bilingualism, home language maintenance and loss, and the intersection of culture and identity in an elementary school community. It also investigates how parents create an additive bilingual environment in the home.

This participatory action research (PAR) study involved group dialogue sessions and individual interviews in order to engage co-researchers and participants. PAR provided this study with the structure and tools to change and …

Parent Involvement Plan For Lincoln Elementary, Michelle Kaune

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project was to create a parent involvement plan for Lincoln Elementary using research based information. The information gathered during the literature review will be used to gain a better understanding of parent involvement along with evidence based strategies to improve parent involvement. This plan will then be used by the school to work to increase the amount of involvement parents during the 2012-13 school year. Creating a strategy to increase parent involvement has been identified as a need by the school. It is also part of the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress plan which was submitted …