Education Commons^™

My Search For The Meaning Behind My Teaching, Jennifer Giangrego

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio addresses one instructor's journey in aligning theory with practice in the composition classroom.

Reflections On Teaching Through Research Writing, Literature Analysis, Expressive Writing And The Graphic Novel, Natalie S. Johnson

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This is Natalie S. Johnson’s final portfolio for her M.A. in English (with a specialization in teaching). It includes a reflective narrative and four revised pieces: “Information Literacy Study and Teaching Student Writing of Research Papers,” “Notes on Baudelaire, Modernity and The Painter of Modern Life,” “Expressive Writing: A Literature Review,” and “Teaching of Social Constructs Through Graphic Novel Study: Challenge Factors.” The portfolio focuses on research and study that developed Johnson’s classroom pedagogy and philosophy toward improved teaching and learning.

Genetics With Nettie And Friends: An Exploration Of Genetics In Children's Literature, Erin Soule, Madeleine Gray Burland

Honors Projects

Genetics with Nettie and Friends is an exploration of chromosomal disorders and its place within children's literature. The book provides a comprehensive examination the genetic composition of Downs syndrome, Williams Syndrome, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy at a level to increase understanding in children. This paper provides an insight to the development and construction of the children's book that is available for purchase on Barnes and Noble as well as why representation of genetic disorders in children's literature is needed.

Finding Student Voice: Teaching As Rhetorical Act, Kari Mann

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio represents my work in the field of composition and rhetoric. Though the writing in this portfolio spans many subjects, it is firmly grounded in my teaching practice.

College Of Business, Business Career Accelerator, Qualitative Research Study On Student Involvement In Professional Development Activities, Madison Vincent

Honors Projects

The creation and execution of this project began by analyzing the honors project specifications, to design a project that met the Honors College criteria. To meet these criteria, a market research study was conducted to assist the College of Business’s Business Career Accelerator management in understanding the student market of the College of Business. In addition, the study’s goal is to make recommendations utilizing marketing and education frameworks to maintain and increase student usage of the center. The project was executed using traditional market research frameworks, which required conducting in-depth interviews of College of Business students to determine student attitudes …

Exploring The World Around You: A Guide To Learning About The Natural World, Jordyn Kuemerle

Honors Projects

This paper discusses the research, methodology, and purpose of my Honors Project. My project is a workbook for children to complete with their parents or guardians all about exploring nature. Language and literacy development is the overall focus of my workbook, but children who complete it also learn about shapes, colors, and comparing sizes in nature. The original inspiration for this workbook came from reading Molly Bang’s 2016 book, Picture This: How Pictures Work, and I originally wanted to make a children’s book in nature. After further research I found out that many educators and education professionals agree that children …

This Is Me: Anxiety And Depression Awareness Event, Stephanie Cotrone

Honors Projects

College and life are stressful, but they don't have to be. We've all been in that place where it feels like life is caving in and there's nowhere else to turn, but it does get better. This event brings awareness to mental illnesses common on college campuses and in the community. There will be engaging and interactive activities to learn about anxiety & depression, and healthy ways to cope through music, art, theatre, amusement parks, learning, reading, and more. Performances by the Humanities Troupe and testimonies by current students who have had experience dealing with mental illness before or who …

Creating A New Standard: Living, Learning, And Teaching In Southern Appalachia, Martha Holt

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio, submitted in fulfillment of an MA in English with a teaching specialization, explores teaching and living in southern Appalachia. The papers include a defense of literary studies, a pedagogical piece on the use of code-switching, dialect, and the vernacular in today’s classrooms, a lesson plan and materials to introduce high school students to writing the academic memoir, and an example of the academic memoir which explores the personal and long-lasting effects of verbal and emotional abuse.

The Teaching Of Writing: Methods, Resources, Plans, And Analysis, Katelyn Knochenmus

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

As a culminating project for an MA in English on the individualized track, this portfolio is woven together with the theme of composition instruction. Beginning with a wide scope, the first selection is a reflective overview of writing instruction methods. The second piece in the portfolio, an annotated bibliography, offers many resources for teachers and tutors to better reach reluctant writers in particular. A unit plan for creating dynamic sentence variety through the use of grammar as a tool is the third selection. Lastly, the portfolio concludes with a narrower analysis related to one particular aspect of teaching writing: the …

Nailing Jell-O To A Tree, Jayson Lozier

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio contains papers addressing writing instruction, women's studies, queer theory, and literary analysis. “Mr. L 2.0 or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love English Composition” details the implementation of more effective techniques to teach writing in the secondary English classroom. “Educating Women in Afghanistan: Power, Revolution, and Rebellion” examines the feminist struggles around education and the efforts of the Afghan Institute of Learning to bring about change. “Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: Introducing Queer Reading Strategies to the Secondary English Classroom” examines the importance of queer theory and queer reading techniques in high school …

Philosophy And Actions For Authentic, Meaningful, And Lifelong Learning, Anthony Klever

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio explores several major areas of education related to English teaching. A major research essay, “Incomplete Instructions: Building the Future of Technical Writing in Ohio Education”, explores the current situation and prospective future of technical writing in the state of Ohio’s education system. Also, a reflective essay, “Reflective Narrative: My Journey as a Student and My Map for Teaching”, explores the many elements of teaching philosophy with particular attention to English teaching. Another research essay, “Meaningful Revision: Revise for a Day, Teach Revision for a Lifetime”, explores the function of revision and offers suggestions for increasing the meaningfulness …

Final Master's Portfolio, Brooke Welch

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio fulfills the requirements for my MA in English with a specialization in Teaching. It contains a teaching pedagogy, a proposal to an academic journal on the benefits of project-based learning, and two research papers that cover reflective writing and the importance of teaching literature.

Teaching English Language Arts: Implementing A Project-Based Learning Approach, Nashwa Elkoshairi

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

Teaching English Language Arts: Implementing a Project-Based Learning Approach

Abstract

This portfolio includes four projects that are woven together to explore topics in teaching literature and composition using a project-based learning pedagogy. The first project, “Literature & Social Cognition: Why Read Fiction?” sets the groundwork for the importance of literature in academia through a brief analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The second project, “Grappling with Consumerism by Tapping into Freud’s Uncanny: Using Coraline for a PBL Approach” explores Coraline through the critical lenses of the uncanny and Marxism to guide students through a variety of texts including …

Innovation In Education: Renewed Perspectives Through Writer’S Conferences, Literary Theory, Supplements To The Western Literary Canon, And Representations Of Fiction Through Film, Elizabeth Dubois

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

Education requires constant reevaluation and reflection, and this portfolio is Elizabeth DuBois’s final portfolio for a Master’s of Arts in English that demonstrates reflection and reevaluation of secondary English education. It includes a framing narrative that establishes the significance of the writing projects included within the portfolio. The four revised pieces demonstrate renewed perspectives regarding education. Education requires constant reevaluation and reflection. This portfolio demonstrates that process of reflecting on pedagogy and reevaluating it in order to best serve students. Writer’s conferences, literary theory, multicultural literature, and film representations of fiction are all aspects of high school pedagogy that I …

A Student Research Manual: Helping Students Help Themselves Identifying And Addressing Challenges Facing Prospective Undergraduate Researchers, Landon Rohrer, Karen L. Sirum

Honors Projects

Undergraduate research does not only help equip STEM majors to be better researchers and employees but increases retention of students to graduate school in needed scientific fields. However, while resources are being produced for undergraduates like Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs), Centers for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS), and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), undergraduate involvement and awareness about these resources, and the value of undergraduate research in general, does not seem to be improving. Therefore, it would be valuable to figure out why undergraduates aren't autonomously seeking out undergraduate research during their studies. To investigate why, a two-part survey was …

Opening Weekend: The First-Year Experience, Matthew Nolan

Honors Projects

Opening Weekend, at Bowling Green State University, is the four-day antecedent to the start of the Fall Semester in August. University sponsored programming during Opening Weekend provides academic support, social opportunities, and leadership opportunities for students. Through an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Opening Weekend, this project stands to recommend and identify areas of growth for the program that will benefit incoming students to the university.

There Is No "Right Answer:" Teaching As Exploration, Dawson Zimmerman

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

A Final Portfolio Submitted to the English Department of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the field of English with a specialization in English Teaching.

Cultivating A New Educator: Teacher And Students Sharing Growth, Megan Campbell

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This is Megan Campell-Looney's final portfolio for her M.A. in English (with a specialization in teaching). It includes a reflective narrative and four revised pieces: "A Murderous Moral Tale: Depictions of the Ideal Victorian in Wilkie Collins' Jezebel's Daughter," "Critical Thinking and Counseling Through the Power of Literature," Developing an American Identity: Syllabus and Assignment Plan," and "Evolving and Adapting Rhetoric and Theory: Indigenous Theory Writing Back." The portfolio focuses on research and study that developed Looney's classroom pedagogy and philosophy. Students and educators both must write back to gain the agency needed for growth.

Steam Vs. Stem: A Study And Program Proposal For Monticello, Micaela Deogracias

Honors Projects

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and art programs have long been struggling for dominance in the education system. This fight overshadows the fact there are synergistic educative capabilities when these two schools of thought are combined, allowing scientific and artistic persons to work in tandem and be exposed to a wider variety of problem-solving options and opinions. This study aims to focus on museum education practices specifically and how implementing STEAM programs (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) versus STEM could raise the perceived value of arts in society, as well as create a more enriching educational experience by …

Are You Listening? How Listening Skills Help Students Become Informed And Engaged Citizens In A Culturally Diverse World, Nicole Schwaben

Honors Projects

The ability to listen is vital for good communication to exist and flourish. Without properly developed listening skills, one may unintentionally create roadblocks when communicating with others. Good communication will allow for the spread of differing ideas and perspectives. The social studies classroom is a place in which students have the opportunity to develop skills to become good citizens. These skills include the ability to make reasoned and informed decisions and interact with a culturally diverse and interdependent world. In order to achieve these skills, students must engage in discussion with their peers. While there is a focus on the …

Fictional Narrative Skills Of Preschool-Age Bilingual Children With Typical Language Development, Lydia Bias

Honors Projects

Oral narrative retells are commonly used in assessment to examine language and literacy development in young children. Due to the increasing number of bilingual children in the United States, it is necessary to understand typical development in order to assess and intervene when needed. English story retells from eight preschool-age Spanish-English bilingual children were analyzed in the present study using the Narrative Assessment Protocol. Analyses were conducted to examine differences in narrative microstructure at two time points. In the present study, a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum test which is a nonparametric statistical measure was used to determine whether there was …

Teaching Gender In Early Childhood Education: A Non-Binary Approach, Sarah Hodson

Honors Projects

The focus of this document is to provide professionals in the field of education an overview of gender development in early childhood education and how to teach students about gender in early childhood settings. The current research on gender development supports the notion that gender is socially constructed from birth, but not directly linked to biological sex. Next, a list of high-quality children’s literature is included; the literature addresses concepts surrounding gender development, identity, and expression in developmentally-appropriate ways. Lastly, several of the children’s books are utilized in sample lesson plans and materials for educators to use as they teach …

Bgsu Student Perceptions Of Mental Health Care And Associated Barriers, Adriana Italiano

Honors Projects

It has been estimated that half of adults within the United States with mental disorders do not seek any treatment (Eisenberg et al., 2011). Of the remaining individuals that do seek the necessary services for treatment, there is a “median delay of 11 years between onset of mental disorders and accessing services” (Eisenberg et al., 2007). In the midst of university life, college students carry a heavy burden; the stress of academics, involvement, GPA, as well as their social and family life can allow these students to develop a disorder or fall deeper into their diagnosis. Today’s campus communities, especially …

Perceptions Of Coaching Students Students With Disabilities, Cassidy Feiler

Honors Projects

This paper’s purpose is to talk to future coaches about the idea of athletic inclusion, as well as their related questions, ideas, and issues surrounding the topic of students with disabilities being on school sponsored sports teams. To conduct this research, the interviewer set out a mass email through a university application to encourage interested participants to take part in face to face interviews. Based off these interviews, the interviewer, with the help of a Graduate Assistant, created transcriptions for future reference. Based off of prior research, conducting interviews, and creating transcriptions, the interviewer was able to come up with …

Early Childhood Special Education Professional Development Workshop, Amanda Sandstrom

Honors Projects

The initial steps to creating the proposed event, a professional development workshop for Inclusive Early Childhood (IEC) Education majors, included determining the needs of current students. To achieve this, an online survey was sent out to all current undergraduate IEC students. The aim of this survey was to determine in which areas current students would like further instruction or training. The survey focused on three areas significant areas of education: teaching students with disabilities and disorders, communicating with colleagues, mentors, and paraprofessionals, and integrating specialist therapy strategies into the classroom environment.

This data, once collected and analyzed, identified two target …

Integrating The Fine Arts, Cole Alexander

Honors Projects

This project seeks to understand and apply research to a lesson plan unit regarding the integration of the fine arts (art and music) into the general education classroom.

Why Study Language? Discussing Language And Its Influence On Gender Discrimination, Katelyn Eisenmann

Honors Projects

An applied research project, with the culminating piece being a panel discussion that focused on the ways in which language use and structure contribute to attitudes and perceptions of gender within our society, and the politics that surround concepts of gender.

Action Research: Effective Ways To Group Students In A Middle School Classroom, Shawna Russell

Honors Projects

Effectively grouping students based on the lesson, activity, interests or ability is one of the most challenging things to do in a middle school classroom. This Action Research explores the effectiveness of flexible grouping students in a fifth- grade science classroom, and the impact on the students’ learning and engagement. Students were grouped four ways: mixed readiness, same readiness, learner profile, and interest. Six focus students were selected to be interviewed before and after implementing each method for grouping. Formative assessments and learner profile and interest surveys were used to flexibly group the students and create appropriate and engaging lessons. …

The Effect Of Exit Slips On Student Motivation Within The Classroom, Karen Izor

Honors Projects

Through this study on the use of exit slips in the classroom, it was found that exit slips were an effective way to help answer students’ questions, motivate students to take ownership of their learning, and provide the teacher with an accurate picture of where students are in their understanding of the material. The results of the data collected and the student interviews conducted at the end of the study showed that the use of exit slips in the classroom can be beneficial. Students said that they were able to use the feedback given to them on their exit slips …

Music And Its Application In The Classroom, Christian Mcknight

Honors Projects

The purpose of this action research project is to determine if background music can be used to improve student test scores using the Mozart Effect. The participants were twenty-eight juniors and seniors from two Algebra II classes at Sylvania Southview High School. Each student in the study was given a control quiz, taken with no background music, followed by the experimental quiz, taken with classical music, specifically Mozart’s “Sonata for Two Pianos in D, K. 448”, playing in the background. The mean average of the students’ first quiz was 2.7% higher than the mean average of the second quiz taken …