Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons^™

Perceptions Of Indiana’S Engineering/Technology Education Classroom Teachers As Measured By The Characteristics Of Technology Education Survey, Steve E. Rogers

Purdue Polytechnic Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine Engineering/Technology Education (ETE) teachers’ perceptions of Project Lead The Way’s (PLTW) pre-engineering program in the state of Indiana utilizing the Characteristics of Technology Education Survey (CTES) (Daugherty, Hill, & Wicklein, 1996). The study focused on the perceptions of teachers who were and were not teaching PLTW’s pre-engineering curriculum as they related to curriculum content, teaching methodology, curriculum integration, and fit of curriculum in school environment. Two hundred and eighty two or 51.3% of Indiana high school ETE teachers responded to the 46 question CTES. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of …

Mathematics Educators And The “Math Wars”: Who Controls The Discourse?, David W. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In this editorial, the author expresses support of a colleague, Professor Jo Boaler of Stanford University, in her actions of going public with the harassment that she has experienced through professional and personal attacks by James Milgram of Stanford University and Wayne Bishop of California State University, Los Angeles.

Inquiry-Based Instruction In The Social Studies: Successes And Challenges, Crystal Maree Beshears

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions, understanding, and use of inquiry-based instruction in the Social studies, to assess the impact of inquiry-based units on instruction, to detail implementation successes and challenges reported by teachers when implementing inquiry-based instruction, and to provide recommendations for future efforts. Teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning, particularly their beliefs about inquiry-based instruction, changed during the study. Throughout the study, teachers' perceptions and beliefs about teaching Social studies had an impact on how they planned, implemented and reflected on inquiry-based instruction. Many of the teachers changed their perceptions and began regularly teaching …

The Value Based Professional Development For Teachers’ Attitude, Behavior And Enhanced Professionalism : A School Based Intervention Through A Whole School Improvement Program (Wsip), Khush Funer Murtaza, Abida Begum, Sharifullah Baig

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

This paper highlights the strategies and approaches employed to bring about positive changes in the attitude and behavior of the teachers and enhance their sense of professionalism in a girl’s high school of Gilgit Baltistan Pakistan. In addition to that, it illuminates the successes, challenges and the influence of these strategies and approaches on the overall school environment. These interventions were part of the one year long whole school improvement program(WSIP) exercised by PDCN in the academic year 2009-10 of the particular school. The strategies started with vision building, team building and task delegation, distributing the leadership and teacher empowerment, …

Strengthening The Professional Development For Teachers At Uc-Trc Level – A Hub For Teachers Professional Development, Rakhshinda Meher

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Professional development is a continuous improvement process, on job training and support needed to improve teaching, it encompasses the processes that educators engage in to initially prepare themselves, continuously update themselves, and review and reflect on their own performance. The experiences suggest that continuing professional development is needed to reinforce learning and support educational change process. This paper encompass on strengthening the professional development for teachers at Union Council Tehsil Resource Center (UC-TRCs). Teacher Mentors, developed by AKU-IED, STEP Project initiated the Cluster-based Mentoring Programme (CBMP) and also providing teachers follow-up support through Schools visits. Teachers professionally support each other, …

El Metro De Madrid, Mark K. Warford

Spanish Model Lesson Plans

This lesson can be carried out in one class period. It centers on the symbolic competencies necessary for navigating the Madrid Metro. Targeted level would be second year of secondary-level study or second semester of college study.

Are Teacher Education Programs Failing The Nation’S Urban Schools? A Closer Look At Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Working With Inner-City Students, Servet Celik

Servet Celik

To address the issue of pre-service teachers being under-prepared for work in multicultural and impoverished environments in America’s urban schools, teacher education programs have taken steps to improve diversity-oriented curricula and provide relevant fieldwork experience. However, research indicates that a large proportion of teacher candidates still do not have the necessary skills to deal with students from divergent upbringings. This interpretive study investigated the beliefs of pre-service teachers about urban students and how well their teacher education programs are addressing the issues of working in inner-city schools. The results revealed that, although some progress has been made, a significant gap …

Characteristics Of At-Risk Students, Michael Sollitto, Robert K. Gable

K-12 Education

This study focused on a major problem facing today’s educators: high school dropouts. Research questions addressed differences in teacher perspectives of the characteristics of struggling students. Differences in teachers’ perspectives based on teaching level (elementary & secondary) were examined. The researcher conducted focus groups with a total of 12 teachers. The research was conducted in two suburban districts. Focus group questions were designed following a survey administered to 108 suburban public school teachers. The survey responses reported previously identified four dimensions of characteristics of at-risk students: behavior, achievement, family involvement, and family background. The data from the focus groups can …

Former Juvenile Offenders Re-Enrolling Into Mainstream Public Schools, Thomas Richardson, Thomas Dipaola, Robert K. Gable

K-12 Education

This study examined school re-enrollment procedures employed by two school systems for N=578 former juvenile offenders re-enrolling from secured supervised settings to urban mainstream secondary public schools and alternative schools and programs in New England. Quantitative data regarding student demographics and qualitative data from interviews with 19 support personnel and selected documents were used to evaluate which program elements enhanced or disengaged former offenders from secondary urban schools. The characteristics of former juvenile offenders’ lack of school involvement with respect to truancy, school suspension and expulsion, learning, behavior, and emotional disabilities, as well as family, economic, and social disadvantages were …

The Educational Achievement Gap As A Social Justice Issue For Teacher Educators, Rachel M. B. Collopy, Connie L. Bowman, David A. Taylor

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The educational achievement gap is a critical social justice issue. Catholic and Marianist conceptions of social justice in particular call people to work with others in their spheres of life to transform institutions in order to further human rights while promoting the common good. Drawing on key elements of Catholic teaching on social justice, we argue that the achievement gap constitutes a social injustice. We then offer a case illustrating collaboration between university-based teacher educators and school faculty to address the achievement gap through transforming the institutions of school and of teacher preparation. The Dayton Early College Academy (DECA), founded …

Kit And Dick Schmoker Reading Center- By The Numbers, Guy Trainin, Amanda Hall, Britney Tonniges

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

This is an infographic showing the activity at the UNL Reading Center since it's inception.

Agent Based Modeling As An Educational Tool, Jonathan H. Fuller, Rodger Johnson, Vic Castillo

STAR Program Research Presentations

Motivation is a key element in high school education. One way to improve motivation and provide content, while helping address critical thinking and problem solving skills, is to have students build and study agent based models in the classroom. This activity visually connects concepts with their applied mathematical representation. “Engaging students in constructing [models] may provide a bridge between frequently disconnected conceptual and mathematical forms of knowledge.” (Levy and Wilensky, 2011)

On The Brilliance Of Black Children: A Response To A Clarion Call, Erika Bullock, Maisie Gholson, Nathan Alexander

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In this editorial, three dotoral students in Mathematics Education reflect on their experiences as conference organizers and co-editors of the Proceedings of the 2010 Philadelphia and 2011 Atlanta Bejamin Banneker Associaton Conferences.

Beyond The Numbers: A Benjamin Banneker Association Conference Series, Jacqueline Leonard, Erica R. Davila, David W. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

The authors discuss how the "white male math myth" can be effectively debunked by conferences such as the Benjamin Banneker Association Beyond the Numbers conference series, which focus on urban mathematical education and highlight the achievements of black children.

Assessing Impulsive-Analytic Disposition: The Likelihood-To-Act Survey And Other Instruments, Kien Lim, Amy Wagler

Kien H Lim

The likelihood-to-act (LtA) survey is a 32-item instrument that measures impulsive and analytic dispositions in solving math problems. In this research report, we compare it to other instruments related to the impulsive-analytic construct such as Frederick’s Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) and the Barratt Impulsive Scale in terms of mean scores, Cronbach alpha values, and correlation values. Both LtA-Impulsive and LtA-Analytic subscales have acceptable reliabilities of 0.79 and 0.83 respectively. The LtA-Analytic and LtA-Difference (analytic-impulsive difference) correlated well with other the Need for Cognition subscale and CRT scores. The correlations involving LtA-Impulsive subscale were unexpected and call for further investigation.

The Hammer-And-Nail Phenomenon In Mathematics Education, Kien Lim

Kien H Lim

"For a person with a hammer, everything looks like a nail" is a proverb that can be used to highlight the phenomenon that students tend to rely on familiar ideas as opposed to taking time to think about and analyse a problem. Presented in this theoretical paper is the usefulness of the hammer-and-nail metaphor, other related theoretical constructs, pedagogical causes of student impulsive behaviours, and pedagogical suggestions for addressing them.

Impulsive-Analytic Disposition In Mathematical Problem Solving: A Survey And A Mathematics Test, Kien H. Lim, Amy Wagler

Kien H Lim

The Likelihood-to-Act (LtA) survey and a mathematics test were used in this study to assess students’ impulsive-analytic disposition in the context of mathematical problem solving. The results obtained from these two instruments were compared to those obtained using two widely-used scales: Need for Cognition (NFC) and Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). The exhibited correlations of the LtA scores with the NFC, BIS, and a math test provide evidence of the criterion validity of the analytic LtA items, and suggests further revision of the impulsive LtA items to improve the overall measurement validity of the LtA scale. Students LtA scores were found …

Effective Coaching Strategies For Increased Use Of Research-Based Instructional Strategies For Linguistically Diverse Classrooms, Cindy S. West

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores effective coaching strategies that support the classroom teacher in implementing research-based instructional strategies designed to assist English language learners (ELLs) in language acquisition and content learning. Through individual interviews, ELL instructional coaches assisted in the identification of coaching strategies they perceived to be most supportive as classroom teachers learned and implemented instructional strategies for supporting ELL students.

The data gathered from the interviews is organized under four main themes: Developing Partnerships, Identifying Student and Teacher Needs, Practical Applications, and The Role of Professional Development. The data indicated participants strongly endorsed instructional coaching as an effective form of …

Using The R Library Rpanel For Gui-Based Simulations In Introductory Statistics Courses, Ryan M. Allison

Statistics

As a student, I noticed that the statistical package R (http://www.r-project.org) would have several benefits of its usage in the classroom. One benefit to the package is its free and open-source nature. This would be a great benefit for instructors and students alike since it would be of no cost to use, unlike other statistical packages. Due to this, students could continue using the program after their statistical courses and into their professional careers. It would be good to expose students while they are in school to a tool that professionals use in industry. R also has powerful …

Perceived Efficacy Of Beginning Teachers To Differentiate Instruction, Michelle K. Casey, Robert K. Gable

Teacher Education

A two-phase, sequential mixed-methods design was used to assess perceptions of teacher efficacy (10 item survey, alpha = .90) to differentiate instruction for N = 36 graduates from one MAT teacher preparation program. Research questions addressed levels of self-efficacy, perceptions of preparedness, teaching tenure, and number of certifications held. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and t-test procedures. A focus group with N = 10 purposively selected 2010 graduates and interviews with N = 2 graduates each from the 2008 and 2009 classes, and N = 2 faculty were conducted. No significant relationships were found for tenure and …

Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Retrospective Examination Of Social Skills, Linguistics, And Student Outcomes, John W. Hill, Kathy L. Coufal

John W. Hill

A language-based social skills instruction intervention used to prepare middle and high school students with emotional/behavioral disorders for return to less restrictive public school placements was evaluated. The daily 50-minute intervention focused on repetitive readings, recitations, and role-playing of skill step procedures until students achieved mastery on each required task in five broad dimensions: peer relations, self-management, academic, compliance, and assertion. The students were divided into three groups according to the length of intervention (under 2 years, 2 to 3 years, and more than 3 years). Dependent t tests were used to test the effects of prolonged intervention on past …

The New Encyclopedia Of Southern Culture: Education (Review), Chara H. Bohan

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

Review of: The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Education. Edited by Clarence L. Mohr. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2011.

2012 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Should Value-Added Modeling Be Used To Identify Highly Effective Teachers? Counterpoint, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In the past two decades, the importance of the teacher’s contribution to student learning has been widely acknowledged. Some researchers have argued that the teacher is the most important factor in explaining differences in student achievement. In previous decades much of the educational research literature explored differences in student achievement based largely on student characteristics such as educational attainment of the parents, socio-economic status, race, and gender. It is only recently that teachers have been placed at the center of research and accountability related to student learning. To put it simply, it is widely said that “teachers matter,” and recent …

Critical Pedagogy And Teaching Mathematics For Social Justice, David W. Stinson, Carla R. Bidwell, Ginny C. Powell

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In this article, the authors explore critical pedagogy within the context of mathematics classrooms. The exploration demonstrates the evolving pedagogical practices of mathematics teachers when teaching mathematics is explicitly connected to issues of social justice. To frame the exploration, the authors provide brief overviews of the theoretical tenets of critical pedagogy and of teaching mathematics for social justice. Through using narrative and textual data, the authors illustrate how a graduate-level, critical theory and teaching mathematics for social justice course assisted, in part, in providing not only a new language but also a legitimization in teachers becoming critical mathematics pedagogues.

Transitioning Into Contemporary Theory: Critical Postmodern Theory In Mathematics Education Research, David W. Stinson, Erika Bullock

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In this theoretical paper, the authors provide an overview of mathematics education as a research domain, identifying and briefly discussing four transitions or historical moments in mathematics education research. Using the Instructional Triangle as a point of reference for the dynamics of mathematics instruction, they illustrate how mathematics education researchers working in different moments explore different questions and use different theoretical perspectives. The authors then provide brief summaries of critical theory and postmodern theory, and suggest critical postmodern theory (CPT) as a hybrid theory that offers new possibilities for conceptualizing and conducting mathematics education research.

2011 Benjamin Banneker Association National Science Foundation Conference Program - Beyond The Numbers: The Brilliance Of Black Children In Mathematics, Benjamin Banneker Association

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Top Five Narratives For Teaching About China's Cultural Revolution, Lindsey Cafarella, Chara Haeussler Bohan

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

The authors recommend books about the Cultural Revolution to enhance student understanding of current events in China. These techniques improve student literacy, enhance historical empathy, and increase student understanding of this complex time period in China’s history.

The Moral Dimension Of Teaching, Affectionate Schools And The Student Drop Out: The Case Study Of A Mountainous Community In Pakistan, Zeenat Shah, Sultan Alam, Sharifullah Baig

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

This study explored the perceptions, perspectives and viewpoints of the students about the reasons for turning the schools into uninteresting and unaffectionate places for the students eventually leading to the increased drop out ratio. This qualitative study was conducted in four secondary schools, which provide education to the children in four different educational systems of Gilgit- Baltistan, Pakistan. A number of six students from each school and altogether twenty four students were selected as the primary participants of this research. Semi structured interviews were the main tools of data collection. The findings highlighted the ethical, moral and behavioral aspect of …

Growing Effective Cld Teachers For Today’S Classrooms Of Cld Children, Gayla Lohfink, Amanda Morales, Gail Shroyer, Sally Yahnke

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

Using a case study design, this investigation examined the effective teaching characteristics of nontraditional, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) student teachers placed in rural, elementary schools with high populations of Latino/a students. Data collected reflected high percentages of effective teaching characteristics in multiple domains with specific indicators reflective of consistent teaching over time. A discussion of these findings considered aspects within the distance-delivery model that facilitated the CLD participants’ development of effective teaching and noted (1) consistent leadership, (2) explicit teacher instruction within CLD school settings, and (3) the strong cohesive nature of the CLD participants’ cohort as positively affecting …