Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

About This Issue, Mike A. Christiansen

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Volume two, issue one is here! With great enthusiasm, we welcome you back to the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, or JETE.

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 2, Issue 1

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full Spring 2018 issue (Volume 2, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence.

Can We Teach Fake News In The Classroom With Just One Lesson?, Melissa Caruso

Undergraduate Research Conference

The purpose of this study is to investigate if teaching one lesson about spotting “fake news” is enough to help improve elementary education majors’ ability to spot fake news.

Teacher Education Program Redesign: Maintaining A Focus On Social Justice In An Increasingly Challenging Context, Grinell Smith, Colette Rabin

Faculty Publications

This qualitative case study describes the outcomes of a major reorganization of a well-established five semester post-baccalaureate combined credential/MA program into a three semester program. The original program focused squarely on social justice and multicultural awareness; reorganization was driven entirely by external forces, many of which the department faculty viewed as anathema to our larger purposes as educators that are based on deficit-models of diversity, ignore relational aspects of teaching, and are at the heart of efforts to privatize teacher education. Reorganization involved heavy reliance on “touchstone texts,” immersive field experiences, and student action-inquiry centered on making theory to practice …

An Exploration Of The Perceptions Of Teachers And Administrators On The Relationship Between Professional Learning Community Practices And School Success, Lawrence L. Haggquist

Dissertations

Purpose: Professional learning communities (PLCs) have provided a popular means by which schools have used structured collaboration to improve student outcomes. For this reason, the PLC model for collaboration has a strong reputation for helping schools achieve success. However, teachers and administrators regard the PLC efficacy differently. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe how high school teachers and administrators in Basic Aid funded school districts define success in relation to Professional Learning Community practices. A secondary purpose of this study was to explore the differences in perception between teachers and administrators in regard to defining success in …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

Evaluating And Supporting Teacher Practice Of Formative Assessment: Assessing Posing, Pausing, And Probing Moves, Carrie Holmberg, Brent Duckor

Faculty Publications

Decades of research supports that teacher engagement in formative assessment (FA) can powerfully impact student learning outcomes (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Hattie, 2009, 2012). Yet less is known about teacher development of FA skills on a continuum of practice. This empirical study designed, piloted, and examined test content validity of a performance-based assessment of teachers’ FA practice related to questioning “moves” in the context of six multilingual high needs middle school mathematics classrooms. Qualitative comparative analysis of triangulated evidence of teachers’ planning for, enacting, and reflecting on posing, pausing, and probing “moves” found differences among teachers’ probing in particular, related …

Unpacking Teacher Practice Through A Moves-Based Formative Assessment Framework Using Video-Based Cycles Of Inquiry, Brent Duckor, Carrie Holmberg

Faculty Publications

Research has shown for over a decade that teachers who engage in formative assessment (FA) practices may have the most powerful impact on student learning (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Hattie, 2012). Yet less is known about the development of teachers’ knowledge and use of formative assessment as they plan, enact, and reflect on their questioning practices. Our qualitative case study focuses on how in-service middle school math teachers take up three specific moves (Author A, 2014) associated with formative assessment practice as as part of a video-based cycle of inquiry project. The study found focusing participants’ planning and reflection through …

Review Of "The Age Of The Crisis Of Man: Thought And Fiction In America, 1933-1973", Tim Lacy

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

Using Landscapes To Tell Spatial Stories, Sandra Schmidt

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This paper repurposes the concept of landscape as a useful way of thinking how we narrate abstract and concrete space. I explore an assignment in my class wherein student embody and narrate a concrete space. I analyze it through landscapes and consider how that discussed positionality, presentation, and layers. I conclude with exploring how the landscape can similarly be used to think critically about how we discuss faraway places in geography classes.

Strengthening Geography Pedagogy With Authentic Intellectual Work, Prentice Chandler Ph.D., Danielle Munch

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article examines the use of Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) as a teaching framework in the geography classroom. Authentic Intellectual Work focuses on 1) construction of knowledge, 2) disciplined inquiry, and 3) value beyond school as criteria to inform and drive classroom instruction. This article highlights the applicability of AIW to current geography reform efforts and enacted inquiry pedagogy. Sample teaching ideas are provided.

The Green Book: Race, Geography, And Critical Understanding, Mark Pearcy Ph.D.

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies teachers face a number of disciplinary challenges--for instance, insufficient geographic knowledge, fewer opportunities for critical analysis amid shrinking instructional time--and, in terms of confronting discrimination and disparity, an increasingly racially segregated society. Teachers can, however, make excellent use of historical resources and modern mapping tools to empower students in their analysis of the Jim Crow era and segregation in American daily life. This article describes the use of The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide produced from 1937 to 1963 for African-American drivers which detailed American businesses which catered to black travelers. Using the data from these books, …

Review Of "1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed", Jessica Mills

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

Teaching The First American Civilization Recognizing The Moundbuilders As A Great Native-American Civilization, Jack Zevin

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The Moundbuilders are a culture of mystery, little recognized by most Americans, yet they created farms, villages, towns, and cities covering as much as a third of the United States. Social studies teachers have yet to mine the resources left us over thousands of years by the native artisans and builders who preceded the nations European explorers came into contact with after 1492. Several of the Moundbuilder cities grew to sizeable proportions and one in particular, Cahokia, Illinois, not far from East St. Louis became a kind of center for the many peoples inhabiting the surrounding tributaries of the Mississippi …

Introduction, Mark Newman

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Discussion Protocols In Social Studies, Prentice Chandler Ph.D., Suzanne Ehrlich Ed.D.

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article examines the use of protocols to improve discussion pedagogy in social studies. Discussion protocols, defined as a method of guided discussion, empowers students to engage with social studies content by providing specific and clear roles for participation. This article highlights the pedagogical relevance as well as the practical application of protocols for improved discussion in social studies. Sample protocols and further resources are provided.

Cross Curriculum Lesson With The Aid Of Google’S Ngram, Peggy Hopper, Lindon Ratliff, Willie Brown

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The paper examines the use of Google's Ngram in the social studies classroom. With the rise of common core standards and a renewed focus for using technology with all of its benefits in the classroom, middle school teachers have the opportunity to embrace the strengths of technology through a relatively new database, Google Ngram. The purpose of the article was to explore Ngram and how it can assist everyday public school teachers. A sample lesson plan is provided.

Review Of "Eclipse Of Man, Human Extinction And The Meaning Of Progress", Michael Palmer

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

The End Of A War And The Rise Of A Nation: A Lesson On The American Revolution, Joshua Kenna, William Russell Iii

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

History is a means to categorize past events in order to create meaning for present circumstances. However, teachers; particularly at the elementary level, are not equipping students with the appropriate skills to master and understand history. This article establishes the necessity of incorporating the process of historical inquiry, especially for the upper elementary grades (e.g. 4th and 5th), and it provides a sample lesson on the American Revolutionary War.

Integrating Creative, Critical, And Historical Thinking Through Close Reading, Document- Based Writing, And Original Political Cartooning, John H. Bickford Iii

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

State and national education initiatives prescribe diverse thinking through age-appropriate content area literacy tasks at all grade levels. History education researchers encourage teachers to intentionally integrate content, methods, and assessment in discipline-specific ways. This paper—targeting middle level and secondary students—proposes a fusion between scrutiny of juxtaposed texts, evidentiary writing, and creative expression of newly generated understandings. This model elicits students’ content area literacy through close reading and text-based writing; it evokes students’ criticality through historical thinking and creation. Interested teachers are offered a representative sample of student work.