Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Building Conceptual Understanding Through Vocabulary Instruction, William H. Rupley, William Dee Nichols, Maryann Mraz, Timothy R. Blair

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Instructional design is an integral part of a balanced approach to teaching vocabulary instruction. This article presents several instructional procedures using research-based vocabulary strategies and explains how to design and adapt those strategies in order to reach desired learning outcomes. Emphasis is placed on research-based principles that guide effective vocabulary instruction and on the importance of incorporating vocabulary instruction into all phases of the reading lesson framework--before, during, and after reading (Blair, Rupley, & Nichols 2007; Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz 2011). Vocabulary instruction should encourage students to make associations and accommodations to their experiences and provide them with varied opportunities …

The Professional Development Practices Of Two Reading First Coaches, Charlotte A. Mundy, Dorene D. Ross, Melinda M. Leko

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

To establish job-embedded, ongoing professional development recent policies and initiatives required that districts appoint school-based coaches. The Reading First Initiative, for example, created an immediate need for coaches without a clear definition of coaches’ responsibilities. Therefore, the purpose of this case study was to investigate how two Reading First coaches interpreted and enacted their professional development responsibilities. Cross-case analyses identified similarities and differences in coaches’ enactments. Findings revealed that while each coach engaged in similar professional development responsibilities (e.g. modeling, observing, and classroom walkthroughs) their approach to these responsibilities differed — collaborative versus expert driven. These differences in approaches indicate …

Social Entrepreneurship In Egypt: Turning Revolutionary Ambition Into Tangible Results, Chris C. Blackwood

Capstone Collection

Social Entrepreneurship in Egypt: Turning Revolutionary Ambition into Tangible Results is a research paper that seeks to provide a model for sustainable social entrepreneurship (SE) development in Egypt and the surrounding Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The research consists of two primary areas: 1) the field of SE as a whole, along with traits shared by successful social enterprises, and 2) the modern Egyptian context, and the integration of best SE practices in the country and surrounding region during the modern revolutionary era. This is a paper that focuses on social change, and thus several social change theories …

Information Literacy At Johnson & Wales University 2011-2012, Ariela Mccaffrey, Lori Micho, Nicole Covone, Joe Eshleman

Library Staff Publications

This initial document details some ideas and thoughts related to the development of librarians who instruct at the four Johnson & Wales University campuses. A group of five librarians at the four campuses developed the document; Amanda Samland, Ariela McCaffrey, Nicole Covone, Lisa Spicola, and Joe Eshleman, Seven aspects of library instruction are addressed as well as ideas for the application of the guidelines. Finally, next steps towards application of the guidelines are listed.

Fostering Academic And Social Growth In A Primary Literacy Workshop Classroom: "Restorying" Students With Negative Reputations, Jo Worthy, Annamary L. Consalvo, Treavor Bogard, Katie W. Russell

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In most classrooms, there are students who have academic, behavioral, and/or interpersonal challenges that can disrupt the classroom community. In some cases, these challenges can build momentum, leading to a negative reputation or “story” that can follow the student throughout school. This academic, yearlong case study focused on Mae Graham, an exemplary teacher, and the cases of two students who began second grade with negative behavioral, emotional, and academic reputations from previous years in school. We describe how Mae “restoried” the students through personalized instruction and attention, classroom structure and curriculum, and social interactions in the classroom. We base restorying …

Alternate Pedagogy For Developing Transformational Leadership, Zubeda Bana

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

As the growing concern for educational reforms worldwide is on developing transformational leadership that is responsive to the needs of the local as well as the global contexts, teacher educators are still searching for pedagogies, which could help them to develop transformational leaders. This paper offers some scope to teacher educators to critically analyze current teaching learning pedagogies while preparing transformational leaders for the 21st Century. Utilizing the allegoric approach as an alternate pedagogy for developing transformational leadership, this paper deliberates upon the relevance and efficacy of the role of aesthetic tradition of learning in leadership development programmes. The paper …

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: Theses and Other 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 …

Transforming Industry Practitioners Into Vocational Teachers: New Teacher Training In Vocational Education And Training, Yuk Kwan, Ricky Ng, Po San, Cecilia Leung, Kit Man, Gloria Chung, Lai Fong, Annie Lau

Practical Social and Industrial Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of College Readiness And Social Capital Of Ged Completers In Entry-Level College Courses, Donalyn L. Lott

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Examining the efficacy of literacy improvement, general education development (GED) completion, and GED completers’ perceptions of college readiness and social capital was the purpose of this study. The participant sample (n=321), derived from the target population (N=1050), consisted of former participants of Adult Literacy Education (ALE)/GED programs in the Greater New Orleans area (GNO), who have earned the GED credential, and, are currently enrolled in entry-level courses at two community colleges in Southeast Louisiana; specifically, in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. The study was framed by the social capital theoretical perspective.

The study used quantitative methodology, with …

Education Preparation To Respond To The Needs Of Homeless Children & Youth: Perceptions Of School Personnel, Sarah Elizabeth Harris

Honors Scholar Theses

Each year, 1.5 million children spend at least one night in a homeless situation (Public Broadcast Station, 2009). These students struggle to achieve academically with schooling that is inconsistent in both location and curriculum and living conditions that are not conducive to homework and study. This study examined educators’ perceptions of homelessness and the academic and social needs of homeless students, as well as the preparation that teachers and other school personnel report that they have received in pre-service preparation programs and through professional development opportunities to address the unique needs of homeless children and youth. The project explored educator …

Examining Pre Service Teacher Knowledge Of Student Rights And Tort Liability, Alexi Wiemer

Honors Scholar Theses

This study explored how knowledgeable pre service teachers in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut were in the field of student rights and tort liability. This field has grown in importance due to a recent increase in student lawsuits and the expectations that teachers know these laws when they become certified. A total of 183 students were given a survey in their education classes with 27 statements of famous misconceptions about student rights and tort liability. Students were asked to determine if these statements were true or false and how confident they were in their answer. …

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 …

Perceptions Of Kentucky Educators Concerning The Kentucky State Assessment System As An Accurate Reflection Of Student Learning, Benny C. Lile

Dissertations

While educational testing has been in place since the one room school house, it was not until the 1990s that accountability began to accompany assessment programs. With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001, virtually every public school district in the United States of America that desired to continue to receive Title 1 funding found themselves tied to rigorous assessment and accountability systems. This focus on accountability has impacted every school, district, and state as they have sought to implement and deal with the consequences it has wrought. As the 50 states have sought to …

Introducing Reflective Practice To Teachers In An English Medium Lower Secondary Private School In Chitral, Tajuddin Sharar

Professional Development Centre, Chitral

This paper reports insight from an action research conducted to introduce and improve the reflective practice among teachers working in a secondary private school in rural Pakistan. It was found that though very challenging to familiarize the teachers with the concept and practice of reflection, this concept is a power school based teacher learning model especially in a context where teachers have nominal exposure to in-service professional development. However, the low capacity of teachers in pedagogy, their traditional beliefs on professional development as well as the shortage of time are the factors hindering reflective practice. It is suggested that instead …

Authentic Assessment: An Instructional Tool To Enhance Students Learning, Sher Azim, Mohammad Khan

Professional Development Centre, Chitral

This paper underscores the process of using authentic assessment as a learning tool in a school the context of Pakistan. Data was collected through classroom observations, conducting interviews, analyzing relevant documents and maintaining person reflective diary. Findings indicate desirable changes in the perception as well as practices of teachers and students. Replacement of traditional paper-pencil test with authentic assessment resulted in active participation of teachers and students in teaching and learning process. Study finding also reveal considerable improvement in high order skills of the students. They were actively engaged in planning, collecting information and disseminating it to the community. Use …

Learning From Mentoring Relationships Within And Between Higher Education Institute Staff, Sinead Mccann

Staff Articles and Research Papers

As part of the PERARES project, staff on the Programme for Students Learning with Communities (SLWC) in DIT have been formally mentored by staff at Queen’s University Belfast, with over 20 years experience fostering community-based research (CBR) projects. This paper shares both experiences of the invaluable support, insight and practical guidance emerging from this mentoring relationship, and considers early outcomes from a pilot of informal mentoring relationships in DIT between academic staff experienced in CBR and staff starting CBR projects with students for the first time.

Learning To Teach Mathematics With Reasoning And Sense Making, Amy L. Nebesniak

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study uses teacher research to examine teacher learning in the context of instructional coaching. The author, a mathematics instructional coach, engaged in an intense three-week coaching relationship with a high school Algebra teacher. A detailed description of the teaching and learning of quadratics that took place during this research provide information about what and how a teacher learns to teach mathematics with reasoning and sense making. Mapping the terrain of quadratics deepened the teacher’s understanding of the mathematical content and encouraged him to adapt his textbook in order to build mathematical reasoning. Through the coaching process, the teacher also …

A Study Of Satp Scores And Principals’ Perceptions For Traditional And Alternate Routes To Teacher Certification, Eddie Eugene Moore

Dissertations

This study explores the differences between traditional and alternate route certification by focusing on the achievement of students who have been instructed by teachers from each program. In addition, this study identifies the strengths and weaknesses of teachers from each certification route through surveys and interviews with principals in the sample. Previous studies on this subject have focused on elementary or middle schools, which limits the information available for the high school level. This study was directed toward high school teachers in core subject areas tested in Mississippi’s accountability model. The purpose of this study was to connect student test …

Predicting Influential Factors Of Secondary Career And Technical Education Teachers' Intent To Stay In The Profession, Julie Diane Dainty

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Retaining highly qualified career and technical education teachers is important in maintaining and growing quality secondary career and technical education programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify factors contributing to teacher retention specifically in the area of career and technical education (CTE) and determine predictability of the factors‟ influence on secondary CTE teachers‟ intent to stay in or leave the teaching profession. The career and technical areas of family and consumer sciences, trade and industrial, health occupations, and agriculture in the state of Kansas made up the population for this study. The six factors that data were …

Assessing Content Knowledge And Changes In Confidence And Anxiety Related To Economic Literacy In A Professional Development Program For History Teachers, Julia M. Rollison, Larry H. Ludlow, Todd Wallingford

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a Teaching American History professional development program on content knowledge, and confidence and anxiety associated with teaching economic literacy. Two content assessments and a confidence and anxiety instrument were administered to teachers prior to and immediately following a two-week Summer Institute. Statistically significant findings included an increase in economics content knowledge and an increase in confidence combined with a decrease in anxiety. The scale and measurement model employed to examine status and subsequent change should be useful for similar professional development initiatives and evaluations.