Introduction To Series And Parallel Circuits, Craig E. Shepherd, Shannon M. Smith

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This lesson begins with an introduction on electricity and how it is formed at the molecular level. It then lets learners explore and define a circuit. This introduction is followed by an exploration where learners develop series and parallel circuits using LED lights and motors. Learners then consider what constitutes a series and parallel circuit, open and closed circuit, and a short circuit. The lesson concludes by having learners consider advantages, limitations, and instructional uses of various electronics kits (e.g., Snap Circuits, littleBits, LilyPad, paper circuits, conductive dough) based on their ability to display circuit paths.

Working Knowledge: An Analysis Of Innovation In K-6 Charter Schools, Jennifer Lynn Price

Theses and Dissertations

This three-article dissertation explores educational innovation in charter schools. A common frame of reference for each article is the consideration of the influence of Dr. Benjamin Bloom's 2 sigma problem--the observation that one-on-one tutoring, though often cost prohibitively expensive, produces outcomes two standard deviations higher than traditional group-directed instruction. The first article is a literature review of the types of charter school innovations most commonly found in the literature and the type of effect those innovations can have on student learning outcomes. The research suggests that three of the top studied new innovations from charters are technology-based virtual schools, specific …

The Effects Of Income Distribution In Elementary Schools, Caitlyn Watson

Undergraduate Research

This paper first analyzes previous research on the importance of early education and related consequences of child poverty. The presentation of a theory, hypotheses, and testing follows. The paper introduces new research on the relationship between economic status and the academic and social success of elementary school students. Furthermore, the implications of such findings are explored.

Exploring The Impact Of Field-Based Supervision Practices In Teaching For Social Justice, Detra Price-Dennis, Erica Colmenares

Journal of Educational Supervision

The purpose of this study is to understand how field-based supervisory practices support preservice teachers’ conceptualizations of reflective practice, curriculum inquiry, and social justice-oriented pedagogies. Moving away from the more traditional supervisory triad model (e.g., preservice student--cooperating teacher--university supervisor), our qualitative investigation examined five supervisory practices: formal observation, Lesson Study, video debriefs/observations, guided observations, and participation in Intellectual Learning Communities (ILCs). Through a case study of two preservice teachers, this study highlights how these supervisory practices helped support preservice teachers’ notions of reflective practice and curriculum inquiry but did not deepen their notions of social justice and inclusivity.

K-5 Social Studies Content Standards: Investigating Critical Thinking For Informed Action, Oluseyi Matthew Odebiyi

Teacher Development Faculty Publications

Reform efforts in social studies education such as the College Career, and Civic Life (C3) framework encourage students to consider civic engagement and action based on the understanding of real-life social issues. Few studies have, however, systematically examined the foundational documents representing the official state stance on content selection. Fewer studies have sought to understand the affordances and constraints in the depth of reasoning expected from young students in social studies elementary education. This study explored the dynamics of context-based critical thinking within the frame of states’ Kindergarten-5 social studies content standards in the U.S.A. Employing a quantitative content analysis …

(Re)Thinking Anti-Racist Pedagogies In Early Childhood Education: An Exploratory Case Study Of The Perspectives Of Muslim Mothers In Ontario, Hanaa Ghannoum

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This exploratory multiple case study explored Muslim mothers' perspectives and experiences in relation to their young children's education in Ontario, Canada. The study included seven cases, each being one Muslim mother of a child/children aged between 4 and 8. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with each participant mother and analyzed through a deductive and inductive thematic analysis. The five main deductive patterns discussed are home-school partnerships, sense of belonging, mothers’ conceptualization of education, the influence of media, and Islamophobia. The six inductive patterns discussed are fear as an emergent feeling, mothers as ambassadors, celebrations as a barrier, secular education, …

Writing For Comprehension: How Does Writing Influence Informational Reading Comprehension In The Elementary Classroom?, Tori Golden Hughes, Roya Q. Scales, W. David Scales

Literacy Practice and Research

This quantitative study was conducted through a school and university partnership. Data from benchmark reading assessments and writing rubrics were gathered over five weeks in a third-grade classroom in the rural mountains of the southeastern United States. Results indicate student growth in reading comprehension and writing. Findings confirm the positive correlation between reading and writing, which suggests integrating explicit reading and writing instruction supports students’ reading comprehension. Based on these findings, we suggest ways teachers can improve reading comprehension skills, blend reading and writing instruction, and pique student interest through an informational writing unit.

Remote Elementary Education: A Comparative Analysis Of Learner Development (Part1), Stefan Kleinke, David Cross

Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this two-part research was to investigate the effect of remote learning on student progress in elementary education. Part one, presented in this paper, examined achievement differences between learners in a fully remote learning environment and those in a hybrid setting. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative, quasi-experimental study with factorial design was used to investigate group differences in student achievement between the different learning environments. Ex-post-facto data from standardized test scores were utilized to examine in which ways the learning environment may have affected learner progress in two distinct subject areas crucial to elementary education: English language …

Policies, Practices, Places, And People: How Elementary Preservice Teachers Learned Literacy Teaching, Chad H. Waldron

Michigan Reading Journal

This article features cases of how elementary education preservice teachers made sense of teaching literacy. Their contexts for teaching varied in policies, curricula, and demands for their literacy teaching, shaped their learning and understanding of literacy instruction and assessment as beginning teachers. The research featured in this article pushes upon conceptualizations of "good" literacy teaching and how mentor teachers serve a critical role in preparing the next generation of elementary literacy teachers. Recommendations are made on how to best support elementary preservice teachers in literacy instruction and assessment.

A Comparison Of Two Keyboarding Instruction Methods Over 2 Years For Elementary Students, Denise K. Donica, Peter Giroux, Young Joo Kim, Sydney Branson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: As computer and digital device use continues to grow in prevalence for school and work tasks, it is important for elementary-aged students to develop efficient keyboarding skills to support future academic and vocational success.

Method: A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test study design was used to compare the effect of two different keyboarding instructional approaches on elementary students over a consecutive 2-year period. One group used Keyboarding Without Tears (KWT; N = 592) both years while the other group used free web-based activities the first year and Keyboarding Without Tears the second year (mixed methods; N = 714). …

Teaching Early And Elementary Stem, Alissa A. Lange, Laura Robertson, Jamie Price, Amie Perry (Craven)

Open Educational Resources

This Open Access Educational textbook, "Teaching Early and Elementary STEM", was written to support pre-service early childhood and elementary teachers in their journey to become facilitators of science, technology, engineering, and math, or “STEM,” and "integrated STEM" in their future classrooms. Students who read and use this text will deepen their understanding of “STEM” and “integrated STEM,” learn what early childhood and elementary students need to know and be able to do in relation to STEM, and understand ways to create activity plans and implement current research-based approaches to teaching and pedagogy. This text arose out of our Early/Elementary STEM …

Exploring Intercultural Understanding And Awareness Among French As A Second Language Students Through Web Pals, Karen Devonish-Mazzotta, Serena Quintal

Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse International Students in Open or Online Learning Environments: A Research Symposium

The need for more services and support for international students’ academic transition is evident, as their numbers continue to increase in postsecondary institutions. There is also a need for educational leaders to have a better understanding of how they can support international students’ academic transition and success. A phenomenological research design is being used to problematize academic transition by examining the experiences of international students who are ethnoculturally and linguistically diverse. The focus is on the students from cultural and educational backgrounds that are divergent to the Canadian educational system, and their adjustment to postsecondary academic writing and teaching strategies. …

Preparing K-12 Teachers For Blended Teaching: An Exploration Of Peer-Reviewed Research, Important Practices, And Teacher Experiences, Cecil R. Short

Theses and Dissertations

This multiple-article dissertation explores K-12 blended teacher preparation. A literature review describes research trends from 88 articles published in peer-reviewed journals. It reports that current K-12 blended teacher preparation research focuses on explorations of blended teaching literature; professional development and coursework used for blended teacher preparation; defining, developing, and implementing blended teaching competencies; and measuring blended teaching readiness. The literature review suggests that additional work is needed to uncover specific practices that K-12 blended teachers are using across disciplines and grade levels, as well as whether there are specific pedagogies that seem to be effective within specific disciplines and grade …

Enacting An Equity Framework With A Teacher And Students In An Urban Elementary Classroom: A Qualitative Study, Samantha J. Haraf

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this study was to engage a fifth grade teacher and students in the exploration and application of the EFE (Education for Equity) conceptual framework, and to develop understandings of how EFE functioned in this context. This framework, developed around a decade of equity-focused research in elementary contexts, outlines research-based categories of practices for equity work in elementary schools, and it draws attention to areas lacking attention in the literature. Using and extending from case study methods and participatory methods, I worked with a teacher and her students in this urban classroom for approximately six months in both …

Providing An Elementary School Environment That Encourages Girls To See Their Place In The Stem Fields, Hannah Borchardt

Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning

For many years, women have been underrepresented in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields at the collegiate and professional levels. The two primary reasons for this underrepresentation are the influence of gender stereotypes and biases surrounding STEM and the lack of female role models in the STEM field. Elementary educators must do what they can to address these issues in an effort to allow girls to see their place in STEM. To help counter the influence of gender stereotypes and biases in STEM, elementary educators should integrate STEM into the classroom for all students to participate and have …

Innovations And Critical Issues In Teaching And Learning, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2021

Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning

Complete text of Innovations and Critical Issues in Teaching and Learning, volume 2, issue1, 2021.

Representation Of African American/Black Men Educators In K-12 Public Schools: Impact On Recruitment, Retention, And Responsibilities To Education, Tekyesha Gault Anderson

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Almost seven decades after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v Board of Education decision, African American/Black men are still vastly underrepresented in the K-12 public education profession. For this qualitative, phenomenological research study, a small sample of this demographic of educators, who chose to enter and remain in the profession, shared their lived experiences. Three research questions informed this study: (1) What are African American/Black men’s perceptions of their representation in the K-12 public education profession? (2) What are African American/Black men’s perceptions regarding their entrance and retention in the K-12 public education profession? and (3)What are African American/Black men’s …

The Benefits Of Outdoor Education And Guidelines For Implementation In An Elementary Classroom, Jacqueline Jordan

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Outdoor education can significantly improve the wellbeing of children, in regards to their mental health, emotional welfare, and physical condition. This thesis will present the existing evidence supporting the benefits of outdoor education, alongside resources and strategies that I have explored to support teachers beginning to take their students outdoors. For the purposes of this thesis, outdoor education is defined as experiential learning that takes place outdoors or focuses on learning about the natural world. The curricular resource portion of the thesis will serve as a guide for educators wanting to implement outdoor education into their classrooms. This will include …

The Power Of Words: The Effects Of Vocabulary On Native American Communities, Nicola Calabrese

Education Student Scholarship

Major: Elementary and Special Education
Minor: Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Skawinski, Elementary and Special Education The guiding question for this project was, “What is the best terminology to use when referring to people of Native American descent and why?” First, I focused on the terminology that has been used in the past to refer to Native American people. Next, I looked at the terms that are considered disrespectful to the Native American community. Then, I researched the terms that are considered appropriate to use. Finally, I concentrated on how educators can positively impact how the Native American community is …

"We Can Write, Too!" A Developmentally Appropriate Writing Curriculum For Grades K-1, Danielle Pierce

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The Common Core State Standards initiative was created to unify current learning standards and ensure that all students were prepared for graduation across the United States (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2021). Despite this initiative, national assessment data has shown that most students do not perform to grade level expectations in writing (Costa et al., 2020; NAEP, 2011). Scholarship has demonstrated that there is a deficit of research in primary grade writing instruction, and a lack of universal direction in how to teach students to meet writing standards (Graham & Harris, 2005; Korth et al., 2017). While it has been …

The Effects Of “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” And Teacher Job Satisfaction In An Arkansas Elementary School Setting, Caroline Mildred Nail

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Social-emotional learning programs and character education models are currently being adopted across the United States as schools understand the importance of supporting the social-emotional development of children and its impact on their overall achievement. This qualitative study centered upon the experiences of elementary teachers who implemented Capturing Kids’ Hearts in their classrooms for the last two to three years. The teachers who volunteered to participate in this research study were from two Arkansas school districts. The interviews were conducted virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and participants answered nineteen questions and brought an artifact to discuss during the online interview. …

Elementary Education And Library System In India: The Symbiotic Model Based On Bloom's Taxonomy, Amit Kumar Das

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Bloom’s taxonomy has been utilized in many brunches of disciplines and several user and nonuser study has been conducted by researchers to find out the reasons of degradation of library usage. But the application of Bloom’s taxonomy in elementary education in order to flourish the reading habit and library usage has not been done much. This paper outlines the lacunas of elementary education systems in India to indicate the primary deficiency of ability to make a library-oriented community and listing the antecedents of learning to read as well as draws a relationship model between education and library system and a …

Emotional Dimensions Of Teaching In Elementary Education Preparation, Kathleen M. Crawford, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Katherine Fallon

The Qualitative Report

Student teaching is a pivotal event in teacher education preparation programs, and there is a need to investigate emotions in teaching. This study examined how one elementary program navigated the emotional dimensions of teaching. Findings revealed that the emotional dimensions of student teachers were influenced by individualized factors unique to the teacher; certain emotions were perceived as more acceptable to express; and supervisors needed to support student teachers to manage and respond to the emotional dimensions of teaching. The recommendation is to go beyond the technical and academic aspects of teaching and address the emotional dimensions to best prepare the …

The Craft Of Constructing A Classroom Library: Student Involvement In Book Title Selection, Meredith Murray

2021 Projects

This pilot study explored factors that influence student involvement in the book title selection process for the classroom library. Research questions were: “If I ask 3-5th grade teachers working in large urban school districts about their priorities in student involvement of text selection for their classroom libraries, in what ways, if any, could that information inform student agency in the classroom library selection processes?” and “If I ask 3-5th grade teachers working in large urban school districts about their barriers in student involvement of text selection for their classroom libraries, in what ways, if any, could that information inform student …

Emotional Dimensions Of Teaching In Elementary Education Preparation, Kathleen M. Crawford, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Katherine Fallon

Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development Faculty Publications

Student teaching is a pivotal event in teacher education preparation programs, and there is a need to investigate emotions in teaching. This study examined how one elementary program navigated the emotional dimensions of teaching. Findings revealed that the emotional dimensions of student teachers were influenced by individualized factors unique to the teacher; certain emotions were perceived as more acceptable to express; and supervisors needed to support student teachers to manage and respond to the emotional dimensions of teaching. The recommendation is to go beyond the technical and academic aspects of teaching and address the emotional dimensions to best prepare the …

Exploring The Impact Of Field-Based Supervision Practices In Teaching For Social Justice, Detra Price-Dennis, Erica Colmenares

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The purpose of this study is to understand how field-based supervisory practices support preservice teachers’ conceptualizations of reflective practice, curriculum inquiry, and social justice-oriented pedagogies. Moving away from the more traditional supervisory triad model (e.g., preservice student--cooperating teacher--university supervisor), our qualitative investigation examined five supervisory practices: formal observation, Lesson Study, video debriefs/observations, guided observations, and participation in Intellectual Learning Communities (ILCs). Through a case study of two preservice teachers, this study highlights how these supervisory practices helped support preservice teachers’ notions of reflective practice and curriculum inquiry but did not deepen their notions of social justice and inclusivity.

Designing An Integrated Stem Semester For Pre-Service Elementary Teachers, Amanda Thomas, Matt Flores, Michael Hart, Elizabeth Hasseler, Tammera Mittelstet, Danae Peterson, Amy Sokoll Bauer

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

Teacher educators in an undergraduate elementary teacher certification program at a large university in the United States redesigned the traditional program to integrate STEM learning across multiple courses. During this Integrated STEM Semester, typically taken during the fifth semester of the undergraduate program, pre-service teachers (PSTs) enroll in mathematics content, mathematics methods, science methods, instructional technology, and practicum courses.

Teacher Perceptions Of Co-Teaching Effectiveness In Inclusive Elementary Classrooms, Ann Sims

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine if co-teaching is an effective strategy of inclusion for students with Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Specifically, students in the general education classroom for grade levels kindergarten to fifth grade in the state of Illinois. Co-teaching has been utilized in middle and upper-grade levels, but the implementation of co-teaching has started to integrate into elementary grades. Two questions guided the study; is co-teaching an effective inclusive strategy for students with an IEP in a general education classroom; and does the model of co-teaching impact the student's academic progress? A quantitative study utilizing a …

More Than One Story: A Bioecological Model Of Elementary Educators’ Perceptions And Representations Of Diversity, Angela Curfman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Classroom teachers have long employed children’s literature in the classroom. Exposure to children’s literature offers a plethora of gains and benefits. Through the usage of children’s literature, critical thinking skills are fostered and factual information is obtained (Hancock, 2000). Varied cultures, linguistic backgrounds, families with diverse socio-economical, and academic backgrounds constitute our public school classrooms. Children’s literature provides readers an opportunity for self-affirmation; therefore, they often seek a mirror in books, (Bishop, 1990). The thoughtful selection of children’s literature in the classroom is essential. Through the lens of Bishop’s (1993) metaphorical notion of books as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass …