Education Commons^™

Towards Excellence In Mathematics Teaching: Forging Links Between National Curriculum And Professional Standards Initiatives, Hilary Hollingsworth, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

No abstract provided.

Approaching 'A Rose For Emily' Through Meddler-In-The-Middle Pedagogy, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

No abstract provided.

Making Your Powerpoint Iconic, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

Ever receive an email with one of those High Importance icons brightening your Inbox? The point is that the icon, being more visual than the printed word, indicates something powerful to the brain. Maybe that’s why those stars we all craved on our elementary school papers meant so much to us.

Creative Thinking-Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, And 8, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

Explore, Evaluate, Expand, Express: Academic Success and the EKU Experience is the product of an 18 month long project to develop and design a textbook to be used in the orientation classes. The book was an entirely in-house project, from content development to copyright and printing. It is available in the EKU Bookstore for $19.60 (fall 2011).

An Investigation Of Reading Instruction In Northeast Tennessee., Karen Pierson Reach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine specific prekindergarten- through 8th-grade reading programs, instructional best practices, academic interventions, and educational activities that are perceived as successful practices in four high achieving schools within the parameters of Northeast Tennessee. This study was accomplished through a protocol of open-ended interviews with 15 participants comprised of 4 school principals, 4 primary reading teachers, 4 intermediate reading teachers, 2 Title I reading specialists, and 1 district language arts coordinator. Additionally, school-specific documentation and basal reading programs were reviewed to triangulate the findings of this investigation.

The findings from this study suggested that …

The Sound Of Fury: Teaching, Tempers, And White Privileged Resistance, Tema J. Okun

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

This essay focuses on the resistance of students situated in positions of privilege in classrooms addressing issues of dominance, identity, and oppression related to race and racism. Examining the psycho/social history of two critical aspects of resistance – defensiveness (related to guilt and shame) and denial – the author draws from both practice and theory to explicate the roots of this resistance and offer specific, effective ways to support students in moving through resistance into responsibility.

Place A La Litterature Dans Le Cours De Conversation!, Corinne Etienne, Sylvie Vanbaelen

Sylvie Vanbaelen

Au niveau universitaire, la plupart des programmes de francais offrent un cours que l'on peut classer sous l'appellation generique de "cours de conversation" ("Conversational Skills", "French for Oral Communication, etc.). Si le but de ce cours est clair: ameliorer les competences communicatives orales des apprenants, son contenu est par contre tres ouvert. Dans ce type de cours, la "conversation" prend souvent appui sur l'exploitation de documents authentiques et permet ainsi aux apprenants d'approfondir leurs connaissances culturelles. Cette bipolarite: developpement des competences de communication orale et decouverte de la culture nous semble tout a fait appropriee. On peut cependant regretter l'absence …

It Works For Me, Creatively, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

The authors’ purpose in this seventh book in the “It Works for Me” series is to demonstrate that “everyone possesses creative talent, though it may be latent in some and difficult to bring out in others. It’s not just a talent possessed by artists and engineers, mind you, but everyone.” Furthermore, “Creative people have figured out consciously or un- that a small seed of creativity can be made to grow by having the proper environment and a minimal set of skills. And people can be taught or self-taught this process.” The authors/editors also believe that “all creative ideas link themselves …

Using Professional Learning Communities For The Development Of Shared Governance, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe, William Phillips

Hal Blythe

Among the many challenges of professional (faculty, administration, and staff) development is the implementation of shared governance. We propose a model involving professional learning communities that we are experimenting with in our College of Education. This new model provides faculty with decision-making power, a sense of cooperation and communication with the administration, compensation for their effort, a budget, and a large dose of satisfaction. Furthermore, this model could be effectively transferred to other university units.

Transforming Inequality In The Classroom: Not As Easy As It Sounds, Shawn Tyler

Shawn Tyler

Within every classroom there exists the potential for inequality in various forms. It is essential to recognise the role of the educator in either the reproduction or transformation of these potential inequalities. As transformation of inequality should be the desired outcome, the teacher must understand the complexities of inequality and the external factors that inform and shape it, such as class, race and gender. Internal factors such as meritocracy, individual habitus, social marginalisation and social capital should also be considered if the teacher is to adopt pedagogy and practice that will transform inequality within educational contexts.

A Multi-Platform Application Suite For Enhancing South Asian Language Pedagogy, Tao Bai, Christopher K. Chung, Konstantin Läufer, Daisy Rockwell, George K. Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal

This interdisciplinary project explores the potential for handheld/wireless (H/W) technology in the context of language education within and beyond the classroom. Specifically, we have designed and implemented a suite of multi-platform (desktop/laptop, handheld, and browser) applications to enhance the teaching of South Asian languages such as Hindi-Urdu. Such languages are very difficult to learn, let alone write, and H/W devices (with their handwriting/drawing capabilities) can play a significant role in overcoming the learning curve. The initial application suite includes a character/word tracer, a word splitter/joiner, a smart flashcard with audio, contextual augmented stories for reading comprehension, and a poetic metronome. …

The Extreme Software Development Series: An Open Curricular Framework For Applied Capstone Courses, Konstantin Läufer, George K. Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal

We describe an open, flexible curricular framework for offering a collection of advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in software development. The courses offered within this framework are further unified by combining solid foundations with current technology and play the role of capstone courses in a modern software development track. Our initiative has been very successful with all stakeholders involved.

“It’S A Process”: An Initial Grounded Theory Framework For Success With Social Studies Simulations, Cory Wright-Maley

NERA Conference Proceedings 2011

This research examined beliefs of two veteran middle school teachers about simulations in the social studies classroom. Using a grounded theory analysis, a framework emerged which details the ways these teachers went above and beyond standard practice with simulations in an effort to maximize their impact on students. The proposed framework aims to highlight the features of their practice, as revealed by the participants, which may help to improve teachers’ use of simulations. The analysis of this pilot study is intended as the first stage of an emergent theory on how to use simulations effectively in the social studies classroom.

Marketing Internships: The Role Of Introspection In Students’ Satisfaction Reports, Flor Ornelas, Fernando Jiménez

Administrative Issues Journal

Despite the learning advantages of internship opportunities, many former interns bitterly complain about the dull tasks they had to perform during the internship. We argue that students’ satisfaction ratings with an internship are influenced by the current descriptive approach of final reports. When students list the tasks that they performed (i.e., what did you do?), they only engage in concrete thinking, missing the big picture. We contend that when an introspection approach is used (i.e., why did you do it?), students engage in abstract thinking, realizing the implications of the tasks they performed and hence, rating the internship experience more …

High School Students Embedded In Adult Community College Classes, Karen P. Saenz, George W. Moore

Administrative Issues Journal

Early college high schools were established as an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the goal for students of earning college credit and an associate degree while in high school. Many of these high school students attend college classes with adults, ages 18 and older, in the same class. Instructors are challenged to address these students’ diverse needs and diverse ways of learning. Young teenagers typically are told exactly what to learn and how it is to be learned; the adult learner, however, is much more independent and he or she learns and thinks differently based on …

Graduate Student Perceptions Of An Effective Online Class, Steve M. Bounds

Administrative Issues Journal

Online learning is a growing trend within the higher education community. As more universities offer more graduate programs totally online for the convenience of the older student who often has a family and full-time job it is imperative that instructors give attention to what students believe constitutes an effective online class. This paper surveyed 36 graduate students to determine what they considered important in an online course. Students want a professor who uses multimedia effectively, who establishes social interaction among students, who has a well-designed online format, who has an online presence, and who is available to students.

Designing An Effective Music Teacher Evaluation System (Part One), Amy Clements-Cortés

Music Faculty Publications

Danielson & McGreal (2000) state that an effective teacher evaluation system must contain three elements: ai) a coherent definition of the domain of teaching - "What," b2¡ techniques for assessing all aspects of teaching -"How," and c3) trained evaliiators who can make consistent judgments about performance - "Who." In part one I have examined some of the issues associated with these three areas and in part two which will appear in the next journal 1 designed present a potential music teacher evaluation system that contains these elements for the school system in Ontario, Canada. On the whole, the proposed system …

Preaching What We Practice: Bringing Scope And Methods “Back In”, Miguel Centellas

Miguel Centellas

Recent discussions of teaching research methods have focused on understand- ing the relationship between methods courses and the broader discipline, including the need to integrate qualitative methods and other approaches beyond the traditional statis- tical approaches still common in the majority of undergraduate research methods courses. This article contributes to this conversation by arguing that the basic elements of research design and qualitative techniques should be integrated into substantive (or “non-methods”) courses across the discipline. To accomplish this aim, I offer a brief outline of methodolog- ical benchmark skills—drawn from the pool of skills necessary for a successful thesis—that can …

Authorial Intent In The Composition Classroom, Ian Barnard

English Faculty Articles and Research

This article examines the disjunction between, on the one hand, critical theory’s critique of the privileging of authorial intent in protocols of textual interpretation, and, on the other hand, continued obeisance to authorial intent in composition textbooks and pedagogy. By unpacking the implications of this disjunction, I show the limitations that the reification of authorial intent creates for composition pedagogy and student writing. I conclude by suggesting how bracketing authorial intent in the composition classroom might enhance composition pedagogy and student writing, while also challenging fundamental epistemologies of the field.

Implementing And Evaluating A "Next Generation Learning Space": A Pilot Study, Gail Wilson, Marcus Randall

Marcus Randall

A dramatic, pedagogical shift has occurred in recent years in educational environments in higher education, supported largely by the use of ubiquitous technologies. Increasingly, emphasis is being placed on the design of new learning spaces, often referred to as "Next Generation Learning Spaces" and their impact on pedagogy. The idea of "classroom" now incorporates the use of both physical and virtual space. This change has meant a greater focus on the design and use of flexible learning spaces, more use of blended learning approaches and more personalised, individualised learning opportunities for students. While many such classrooms have been built and …

Engaging Disenfranchised Urban Youth In Science Learning, Luis Alberto D'Elia, Diane Wishart

Higher Learning Research Communications

The purpose of this work was to elicit the perceptions of science educators regarding enhancing opportunities to retain disenfranchised students in secondary schools. The article shows selective international perspectives on how teachers, university professors, and researchers in teacher education programs strive to support school completion for disenfranchised students. Interviews were conducted in Canada and Spain. Selective sampling was used in order to focus interviews on individuals with particular expertise on the topic and individuals who work in cooperation with colleagues engaged in similar work. Anecdotes, comments, and opinions from the interviews support the basic contentions in the article. The authors …

Oral History Interview With Ronald Frank: Conceptualising Smu, Ronald Frank

Oral History Collection

The interview covered: first involvement with SMU, President of SMU, Bukit Timah campus, roles and responsibilities, faculty recruitment, advertising campaigns, student feedback, autonomous universities, strategy, law school, higher education landscape, impact.

Biography:

President, SMU, 2001–2004

Board of Trustees, SMU, 2000–2001

Professor Ronald E Frank, or Ron as he affectionately known, joined SMU’s board of trustees in 2000 and assumed his role as SMU’s second president in September 2001. His presidency was a time of rapid growth for the young university. SMU had just admitted its second cohort of undergraduate students in August 2001. During his time as president two schools …

Oral History Interview With David Montgomery: Conceptualising Smu, David Montgomery

Oral History Collection

The interview covered: first involvement with SMU, business school dean, school re-organisation, faculty recruitment, Wharton School, balanced excellence, Centre for Teaching Excellence, first SMU graduates, conferences, future of tertiary education.

Biography:

Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU, 2003–2005

Professor David Montgomery served as the second dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business from 2003 to 2005. It was a period of rapid growth for the school—hiring faculty, building a research atmosphere, developing professional degrees, and continuing to make SMU better known in the academic community. Professor Montgomery is known for his use of the phrase 'balanced …

Curriculum, Pedagogy, And Teacherly Ethos, Marshall W. Gregory

Marshall W. Gregory

In considering how curriculum and teaching influence education, it is revealing to note that most faculty members treat curriculum the way bankers treat investments. They generally spend much time, planning, and careful thought on curricular matters-reasoning here, analyzing there, relying on experience, and carefully considering both the long-term and short-term dividends of knowledge - but when it comes to teaching, many faculty members operate less like bankers and more like barnstormers, flying by the seat of their pants and guiding themselves primarily by instinct or by repeating whatever worked yesterday.

Towards Excellence In Mathematics Teaching: Forging Links Between National Curriculum And Professional Standards Initiatives, Hilary Hollingsworth, Catherine Pearn

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

No abstract provided.

Oral History Interview With Howard Hunter: Conceptualising Smu, Howard Hunter

Oral History Collection

The interview covered: first involvement with SMU, roles and responsibilities, tuition fees, autonomous university, law school, Juris Doctor program, undergraduate education, marketing, SMU pedagogy, curriculum, university library,

Biography:

Professor of Law, SMU, 2004–present
President, SMU, 2004–2010

Described as a passionate educator who truly believes in multidisciplinary education, Professor Howard Hunter served as SMU’s third president from September 2004 to August 2010. During the course of his presidency the university continued its rapid growth—moving to the city campus, opening the law school, expanding postgraduate programmes, building the endowment, and doubling the number of students and faculty. While at SMU he emphasized …

A Study Analyzing Five Instructional Methods For Teaching Software To Junior High Students, Scott Ronald Bartholomew

Theses and Dissertations

If you ask 5 different teachers what the best way to teach a new technology to a student is you will get 5 different answers. (Bork, 2001; Cheong, 2008; Egal, 2009; Howell, 2001) What is the best way to teach a new computer software application to a student? In the technological world we live in today the effective transfer of technological knowledge is paramount. With varying opinions even among the leaders of national technology teacher associations (Haynie, 2005) there is a large level of ambiguity in relation to best practices in technology teaching. This study evaluates five commonly used methods …

Essentializing The Experiences And Expertise Of Adult Literacy Educators, Christine Pinsent-Johnson

Adult Education Research Conference

Adult literacy educator expertise is being subsumed by the Essential Skills framework and IALS testing methodology as both are packaged as adult literacy pedagogy. Preliminary findings from an Institutional Ethnography illustrate how educators are becoming increasingly immersed in the discursive relations of the literacy regime as they: 1) get hooked into the discourse of the regime; 2) establish a direct link with assessments and accountability requirements; and 3) are taught to change the way they teach, discounting both research and practice based knowledge of literacy and adult learning.

Giving My Heart A Voice: Reflection On Self And Others Through The Looking Glass Of Pedagogy: An Autoethnography, Vera L. Neyman

Dissertations

To improve students academic outcomes this auto-ethnographic dissertation examines my teaching practice in the Ukraine and in the United States, and the similarities and differences between the two educational systems. This study, designed in the form of auto-ethnographic vignettes, explores the effect of my personal and professional metamorphosis on the academic advancement of my students, and investigates the conditions that molded me into a teacher I am today. Through the reflections on the process of self-development as an individual and a teacher, I discovered that building the relationship of trust between school and family is an underlying condition for improving …

Intentions, Operations, Beliefs, & Dispositions Of Teachers At Culturally Diverse Schools: Examining The Intricacies And Complexities Of Great Teachers, Bradley M. Conrad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently there is an increasing focus on teacher quality in educational reform, a lack of empirical research on exactly what culturally responsive teaching looks like, and a great deal of confusion on how teacher dispositions may be important in education. This study seeks to examine what great teachers believe, intend, and do while examining their dispositions in the process.

Three research questions guided this study: 1) What are the intentions and beliefs of culturally responsive teachers? 2) How does culturally responsive teaching operationalize? 3) What are the dispositions of culturally responsive teachers? To respond to these questions, I use Educational …