Education Commons^™

Virtual Worlds In Pre-Service Teacher Education : The Introduction Of Virtual Worlds In Pre-Service Teacher Education To Foster Innovative Teaching-Learning Processes, Lisa Jacka

Dr Lisa Jacka

Few pre-service teacher education programs have integrated virtual worlds despite their capacity to provide a platform upon which new forms of teaching and learning can be explored. This research identified factors that influence the level of readiness of pre-service teacher educators and students to introduce, develop and support innovative teaching-learning processes using Virtual Worlds. Over three years Second Life and Sim-on-a-Stick were introduced in a School of Education and the perceptions, experiences, motivations and barriers of the participants were documented. A model was developed to assist pre-service teacher educators in the integration of virtual worlds in higher education.

What Concerns Are Secondary Mathematics Teachers Experiencing With The Implementation Of The Common Core State Standards For Mathematics And Is There A Relationship Between The Concerns And Professional Development Received?, Suzanne Therez Jennings

Dissertations

Using the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) as the theoretical framework, this mixed-methods study utilized three research methods, quantitative, profile interpretation, and qualitative to answer the research questions to investigate the concerns teachers were experiencing during the first year of implementing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) and to determine if professional development affected those concerns. The Stage of Concern questionnaire which included two open-ended questions was employed to survey 88 secondary Mississippi mathematics teachers. MANOVA was used to investigate any differences in the means of the relative levels of intensity present within the subgroups which are inconclusive. …

Searching For Innovation, Creativity And 21st Century Skills: A Case Study Of A Suburban Elementary School District, Robert Alexander Serdar

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to seek out and identify the traits, attitudes and characteristics of innovative, creative and highly effective teachers within a suburban elementary school district. Participants included five elementary teachers who were identified by their colleagues as being exceptionally innovative, creative and fostering 21^st Century Skills. The research method for this qualitative case study consisted of teacher interviews, student interviews, and multiple classroom observations by the researcher. From this, seven themes, or practices, of highly innovative, creative teachers of 21^st Century Skills emerged: (1) See the Teacher as Lead Learner (2) Encourage Learner Reflection …

Re-Imagining Pre-Service Teacher Education In Ontario, Canada: A Journey In The Making, Janette Hughes, Jennifer Laffier, Ami Mamol, Laura Morrison, Diana Petrarca

Stream 5: Curriculum 2

In this paper/presentation, faculty members from the Faculty of Education at UOIT share their experiences and challenges of redesigning a teacher education program, against the backdrop of provincial funding cuts and a mandatory reduction of student enrolment in all Faculties of Education, as Ontario moves from a 10-month consecutive Education program to a required 2-year BEd program. In June, 2013, the Ministry of Education, Ontario announced that effective September, 2015, universities offering teacher certification would be required to double the length of their programs, moving from two semesters to four semesters, and the length of the practicum will change to …

University Of The Future Colombia-Purdue Workshop Report, Suresh V. Garimella, David B. Janes, Liliana Gómez Díaz

PPRI Digital Library

The University of the Future Workshop, a joint Colombia-Purdue event, was held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, October 28-29, 2014. Participants included rectors and board members from six top universities in Colombia, along with executive directors of NGOs, government representatives from the U.S. and Colombia, and Purdue faculty and administrators. The workshop was focused on a dialog among participants on key programs and focuses that will allow universities to be responsive to the 21st century needs of the Americas.

This report is a summary of the workshop and is based on the contributions of all the participants. Key …

Architechture: Rebuilding The Traditional University For The 21st Century, Sarah E. Shearer

CMC Senior Theses

This senior thesis is an examination of the major complexities and considerations encountered in developing an e-learning program. In light of the changing landscape of higher education resulting from technological advancement, combined with changing pedagogies and financial pressures, traditional institutions are under heightened scrutiny and most in need of innovation. Online learning as been proposed as a solution to many of these issues, but creating a successful program is no small feat. Furthermore, experimental research on specific course designs and delivery often fails upon real-world implementation. Looking through the lens of Design-Base-Implementation Research (DBIR), an emerging research model that seeks …