Education Commons^™

Using Trade Books To Identify And Change Discriminatory Practices, Monisha Moore

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Elementary students need opportunities to explore social justice issues in their classrooms. They also need to examine text to analyze historical figures’ values, biases, and beliefs. Using trade books is one method to expose students to multiple perspectives in a diverse world. Having students identify, analyze, and address discriminatory practices through trade books equips them with the skills necessary to build empathy and address oppressive systems.

Poverty And Empowerment Discourse In Utah Dual Immersion Classrooms, Lauren Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper considers the discourse, or communication, that occurs in dual immersion programs in Utah. I take a sociocultural perspective to address the question of whether and how these programs are meeting the unique needs of the students enrolled in them. I consider two tasks frequently viewed in five consecutive days of filming: mirroring/repeated phrases and partner talk. Findings suggest that although they have promise, they often do not meet the intended aims of comprehension and language development. The findings also show that these tasks do little to empower participants. The conclusions and implications suggest that commonly accepted tasks in …

The Leader In Me? Understanding Student And Teacher Perspectives Of Leader In Me, Summer El-Attrache

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Within the last 20 years, Leader in Me has become increasingly popular among elementary schools looking to incorporate leadership skills in their curriculum. The purpose of this study was to look at the perceptions that students and teachers have of Leader in Me and their perceptions about its impact on student leadership. The author collected data through student and teacher surveys, student and teacher interviews, observations, and document collection. After analyzing and coding the data using the constant comparative method, the author found four major themes. First, participants believed Leader in Me helped students take more ownership of their learning. …

Writing In Mathematics To Increase Student Understanding, Ashley Harlan

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this action research study was to understand the impact of introducing writing into the math sequence of a third-grade class. The teacher-researcher sought to understand students’ perceptions of as well as her personal perceptions of introducing writing into math and how this impacted student achievement. Data was collected through writing samples, assessment scores, observations and reflections, surveys, and interviews. The data was analyzed using the constant comparative method as well as quantitative methods of analysis. Three major themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of the data: process of introducing writing into math, student attitudes and ideas, and …

Excavating The Past: An Archaeology Simulation For The Elementary Classroom, William Russell Iii, Ph.D.

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Archaeology is a branch of anthropology that studies the material remains of past societies. Through the study of material remains archaeologists 1) obtain a chronology of the past, 2) reconstruct the many ways of life that no longer exist, and 3) give some understanding of why human culture has changed through time. The purpose of this article is to help educators explore and encourage the use of simulations and the teaching of archaeology related content and skills in the elementary classroom. More specifically, this article provides educators with a classroom tested, practical, cost effective and hands-on archaeology dig simulation lesson …

Elementary Students’ Attitudes Toward Social Studies, Math, And Science: An Analysis With The Emphasis On Social Studies, Sahin Dundar, Anatoli Rapoport

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The purpose of the study was to compare upper elementary students' attitudes towards social studies, science, math, and to find out whether there si a significant difference between 4th and 5th grade students' attitudes towards social studies. The participants of the study were 4th and 5th grades students (n=348) from three elementary schools in a Midwestern state. Results showed that students held less positive attitudes towards social studies than science and mathematics, and fourth graders hold more positive attitues toward social studies than fifth graders.

Effectively Meeting The Needs Of Military-Connected Children Through Literature In The Elementary Social Studies Classroom, Hillary Anderson, Stacey Cutter, Bethany Hill-Anderson

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

There are two million military-connected children, and every school district in the United States has at least one military-connected student (Operation Educate the Educator, n.d.). The stresses on military children have increased in the post-9/11 era, and many educators are not prepared to provide an appropriate school environment to effectively meet these children’s needs. This paper examines some of the challenges military children face in schools and offers suggestions to enable educators to provide a safe and nurturing environment. An annotated bibliography of children's literature that is aligned with the NCSS Ten Primary Themes is provided.

Teaching Justice As A Personal Virtue And Civic Value: What’S An Elementary School Teacher To Do In A Highly Politicized Environment?, James Duplass Ph.D.

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The article provides guidance to elementary school teachers about teaching values and virtues in the current highly politicized enviornment. It provides an analysis of key concepts such as justice, social justice, liberty and ideology and introduces teachers to the concepts of authenticity and autonomy taken from the philosophical counseling movement.

Informal Learning: How Care Providers Can Engage In Learning Outside Of The Classroom, Christina Lannon

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

Informal learning is learning that happens spontaneously with no explicit instruction taking place (Latchem, 2014). The term informal learning was developed in 1950 by Malcolm Knowles in his work Informal Adult Education (as cited in Cofer, 2000) and many others have researched best practices for informal learning involving children (Latchem, 2014; Song et al., 2017). In many cases, it is the responsibility of the adult to initiate informal learning experiences by providing quality explanations for the many questions that children ask and engaging in everyday conversation with children. Much of the research that has been done exploring informal learning has …

Back To School: Simple Teaching Strategies From K-12 Classroom, Nick R. Abel

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

No abstract provided.

Surveying Educations Professionals To Explore How To Incorporate Trauma Education In Ucf's Teach Preparation Program, Jordan Doman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Traumatic events do not discriminate based on economic status, race, culture, or age. This is true for the hundreds of thousands of students who walk into classrooms every day having experienced trauma. Our teachers are then challenged to support these students in a time when their ability to learn may be affected by trauma.

The goal of my thesis is to show the need to educate preservice teachers in the University of Central Florida's elementary education teacher preparation program about students experiencing trauma and how to best support these students. By analyzing existing literature and through interviews with professionals working …