Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Teacher Educators' Beliefs, Self-Efficacy, And Perceptions Related To Dyslexia: Phase I, Teddy D. Roop, Kathleen S. Howe

Literacy Practice and Research

Educators are often blamed by dyslexia organizations and advocates for failing to provide appropriate reading instruction for students, including the identification and instruction of student with dyslexia. As a results, states are responding with legislation for how reading should be taught. This study focuses on including the voices of teacher educators, who largely were not included in the process of informing legislation. It sought to understand their: (a) beliefs about dyslexia; (b) self-efficacy for working with students with dyslexia and other reading challenges; and (c) perceptions about their programs and dyslexia legislation.

The Path To Self-Authorship: The Pre-Service Teacher-Writer, Shari L. Daniels Dr., Pamela Beck

Literacy Practice and Research

This literature review examined the relationship between the development of a teacher who writes (teacher-writer) and the phases of self-authorship, “the internal capacity to define one's beliefs, identity and social relations” (Baxter Magolda, 2001, p. 269). The narratives of three teacher-writer-authors show a correlation to Magolda’s self-authorship phases. The purpose of this examination was to explore the question: How might a writing support teachers in personally and professionally? Research suggests new teachers are unprepared for today’s classrooms. Could this unpreparedness may be related to a lack of self-authorship? Might a consistent writing practice propel teachers through the phases of self-authorship …

Critical Awareness For Literacy Teachers And Educators In Troubling Times, Patriann Smith, S. Joel Warrican

Literacy Practice and Research

The field of literacy remains assailed by a persisting discrepancy between an increasing body of literacy research that honors the diversity in students’ practices juxtaposed against a persistent system of schooling and high-stakes assessment that has not been designed to draw from underrepresented students’ literate assets. This discrepancy has created a situation where teachers often receive well-intentioned instruction from literacy educators about how to address diverse literacy needs, but then, struggle to enact this instruction in the high-stakes testing environment of classrooms and schools where they have little autonomy. We argue in this essay that critical multilingual, critical multicultural and …

Perceptions Of Support And Teacher Retention In Secondary Schools, Amaris Leal

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition is a problem plaguing districts across the nation. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the 4^th largest school district in the nation and continues to encounter difficulty keeping teachers. This study investigates how nine secondary level teachers conceptualize support. Teachers’ years of experience range from five to thirty-five years teaching in Miami-Dade County Public schools. Early, Mid and Late Career teachers were interviewed to understand their lived experiences in the professions as it pertains to support and how they conceptualize support. This case study utilizes phenomenological methods informed by the work of Vagle (2018) and van Manen (2014, …

Preparing Contemporary Reading/Literacy Specialists: Pairing Research And Standards, Allison Swan Dagen, Aimee Morewood, Susan Taylor, Christina Glance, Angela Curfman, Kimberly Goletz

Literacy Practice and Research

The evolving role of the school-based reading/literacy specialist and the shifts necessary for programs preparing candidates for this role are addressed in this paper. We begin by sharing a brief history of the role as implemented in preK-12 schools, with a focus on contemporary responsibilities. Then, we present a detailed account of the program level decisions aligned with the International Literacy Association Standards for Literacy Professionals 2017 (2018) and programmatic elements research (Lacina & Block, 2011). We conclude this paper with recommendations and next steps for programs who focus on reading/literacy specialist preparation and implementation of the role in preK-12 …

Expanding Representations For Historical Content In Literacy, Samuel Dejulio, James R. King, Norman A. Stahl

Literacy Practice and Research

In spite of the need for literacy educators to possess an understanding of the history of the field, such historical perspectives are often absent in current programs, even at the graduate level. Fortunately, embedding history in programs and courses can be done in a variety of meaningful, engaging, and simple ways. In this article we present and describe several approaches for instructors who want to embed or even expand history into current literacy courses. We organize these approaches into three areas: Inquiry-based learning, dramatic structures, and humanistic approaches.

Influencing Professional Practice Through Academic Service Learning (As-L):, Sharryn Larsen Walker, Anne Katz Ph.D.

Literacy Practice and Research

Findings related to the reflections of pre-service teachers in Family Literacy Events (FLE) as an Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) project are detailed. Pre-service teachers in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest were provided opportunities to bridge theory with practice and apply research-based approaches in community settings. Teacher candidates provided parents with language and literacy strategies and resources to assist them in creating high-quality home learning experiences. The teacher candidates’ reflections are categorized by basic tenets of AS-L, specifically Awareness, Engagement, Practice, Integration, and Reflection. Speculation as to how their reflections were affected by the prompts of their essays are discussed.

Learning To Think...Thinking To Learn, James C. Dean Mr., Julie Pfeiffer, Nancy Famulari, Julia Connett, Briana Kaparis

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

How do you create a systemic school culture of THINKING? In this interactive presentation learn how 3 Miami-Dade schools are using a set of consistent visual tools to teach critical, creative THINKING and communication to all learners. This session will capitalize on connecting the visuals to the latest brain research and its implications on the developmental needs of PreK-Adult learners. Examples of practice will be highlighted by these schools.

Exploring The Use Of Children’S Artwork And Writing As Provocation Toward Developing Dispositional Thinking In Pre-Service Teachers, Janet J. Navarro

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

Most would agree that teaching is demanding work that requires teachers to know something and to think. While it is generally assumed that teachers should think deeply about their subject matter, the myriad ways teachers might draw upon thinking to understand children and pedagogy is less understood. This interactive session applies recent scholarship on the development of dispositional thinking in children to a teacher education context. It invites participants to explore how dispositional thinking can be developed in the context of a course designed to teach reading and writing methods. Discussion will be prompted using provocations designed to develop dispositional …

Education For Democracy: Mixed Methods Case Studies Of Teachers' Critical Thinking Dispositions And Their Teaching Styles, Maram Behairy

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Democracy does not automatically maintain itself by prescribed constitutions and procedural codes (Dewey, 1939), but rather its citizens must have certain dispositions to protect and strengthen it (Biesta, 2006). According to John Stuart Mill (1859/1991), people can tyrannize one another within the structures of a democracy, a concept he phrased “tyranny of the majority” (p. 7). To safeguard against such tyranny and to maintain a democratic way of life conducive to progress, I contend that our schools must be tasked with developing critical thinking dispositions in our future adults. The literature on education for democracy was reviewed and aligned with …

Using A Repeated Measures Anova Design To Analyze The Effect Writing In Mathematics Has On The Mathematics Achievement Of Third Grade English Language Learners And English Speakers, Zoe A. Morales

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gap that exists between English language learners and English speaking students’ achievement in mathematics continues to grow. Moreover, students are now required to show evidence of their mathematics knowledge through writing in standardized assessments and class assignments.

The purpose of this study was to analyze students’ writing in mathematics and the metacognitive behaviors they portrayed through their writing as they solved mathematics problems. The instruments included a pretest, two biweekly tests, and a posttest. The writing instruction encompassed students learning to solve problems by using Polya’s four phases of problem solving which was completed in 12 sessions over a …

Students With Physical Disabilities - Reflections On Their Experiences With Work Preparation Programs, Services And Accommodations In A Higher Education Institution, Claudia Castillo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For a variety of reasons, college students with disabilities encounter stressors beyond those of students who do not have disabilities. One of the more salient examples is that students with disabilities are required to disclose that they have a disability and to communicate with faculty and staff in order to receive academic accommodations, as afforded to them under sub-part E of Section 504 of the Education and Rehabilitation Act of 1974. Therefore, postsecondary institutions are required to make appropriate accommodations available to students with disabilities, but they are not required to proactively seek them out.

The purpose of this study …

Investigating The Effects Of Cognitive Apprenticeship-Based Instructional Coaching On Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs, Teo O.H. Cooper

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall purpose of this collected papers dissertation was to examine the utility of a cognitive apprenticeship-based instructional coaching (CAIC) model for improving the science teaching efficacy beliefs (STEB) of preservice and inservice elementary teachers. Many of these teachers perceive science as a difficult subject and feel inadequately prepared to teach it. However, teacher efficacy beliefs have been noted as the strongest indicator of teacher quality, the variable most highly correlated with student achievement outcomes. The literature is scarce on strong, evidence-based theoretical models for improving STEB.

This dissertation is comprised of two studies. STUDY #1 was a sequential …

A "Transforming The School-To-Prison Pipeline" Initiative: Mentoring Model Pilot Project Symposium, Debra M. Pane Phd, Chaundra L. Whitehead, Heather T. Pane Phd, Miguel Pena

South Florida Education Research Conference

Abstract: This informative and interactive teaching symposium posits the Positive Peer Leadership Mentoring Program (PPLM) as an evidence-based wrap-around service for youth and families in Miami-Dade who are involved in the school-to-prison pipeline. Presenters first provide information to initiate the dialogic process of discerning and interpreting the school-to-prison pipeline, impacted by costs of incarceration for Black youth and families and the move toward effective mental health services in the juvenile justice system. Then, participants experience an interactive pedagogical mentoring format set forth in PPLM as the first step toward transforming the school-to-prison pipeline in their own classroom or other educational …

The Response To An Esl Population Boom In The Beaufort County, South Carolina School System: A Case Study, Amanda G. De Varona

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine the why the English language learners (ELLs) in the Beaufort County, South Carolina school system have been so successful. This school system has recently experienced a boom in its ESL student population, and this population has performed very well on standardized tests. This study used critical theory as its theoretical framework and examined why the students have been successful rather than marginalized in Beaufort County schools. This phenomenon was investigated using semi-structured interviews with the ESOL Coordinator for Beaufort County, 4 ESL-lead teachers, and 6 mainstream teachers.

Data were collected using …

The Relationship Of Instructor Technical Literacy To The Academic Performance Of Students In Career Academies, Jorge Gomez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Career Academy instructors’ technical literacy is vital to the academic success of students. This nonexperimental ex post facto study examined the relationships between the level of technical literacy of instructors in career academies and student academic performance. It was also undertaken to explore the relationship between the pedagogical training of instructors and the academic performance of students.

Out of a heterogeneous population of 564 teachers in six targeted schools, 136 teachers (26.0 %) responded to an online survey. The survey was designed to gather demographic and teaching experience data. Each demographic item was linked by researchers to teachers’ technology use …

The Relationship Between Classroom Interactions And Exclusionary Discipline As A Social Practice: A Critical Microethnography, Debra M. Pane Phd

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exclusionary school discipline results in students being removed from classrooms as a consequence of their disruptive behavior and may lead to subsequent suspension and/or expulsion. Literature documents that nondominant students, particularly Black males, are disproportionately impacted by exclusionary discipline, to the point that researchers from a variety of critical perspectives consider exclusionary school discipline an oppressive educational practice and condition. Little or no research examines specific teacher-student social interactions within classrooms that influence teachers’ decisions to use or not use exclusionary discipline. Therefore, this study set forth the central research question: In relation to classroom interactions in alternative education settings, …