Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Humanistic Approach Vs. Technological Approach: Accelerate Language Learning By Having Fun In The Sun, Alex M. Lopez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Technology continues to spread throughout the world, and it seems that this trend will continue for some time. Many students have been left behind because the focus has been largely on viewing computer screens and communicating without the use of a voice, through text messages and chatting.

This project is based on the humanistic approach, and it is designed to promote activities that involve group work, taking the students outside of the classroom, and building a familial support system within the classroom by promoting class chemistry.

The project outlines activities that involve more communication and collaborative activities because these enable …

The Immigrants In The Central Coast Of California Need Motivation To Attend Classes And Learn English As Their Second Language, Martin Rodriguez-Juarez

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project shows that the immigrant community that works in the fields from the Central Coast of California need the motivation to attend adult school to learn English as their second language. A six-week courses is included.

Vocabulary Development In The Science Classroom: Using Hypermedia Authoring To Support English Learners, Robert Pritchard, Susan O'Hara

TAPESTRY

This study investigated the impact of authoring hypermedia projects on the academic vocabulary development of middle school, ESL students. Vocabulary definitions, inprocess verbalizations, observations and semi-structured interviews were the primary means of collecting data and assessing vocabulary growth. The results of this study indicate that hypermedia authoring had a positive impact on students' understanding of grade level, science concepts as well as on student engagement in and attitudes toward vocabulary building activities. Thus, the procedures implemented in this study provide a potential model for teachers to follow as they attempt to facilitate their students' vocabulary and concept development.

A Study Of Optimism Among Latinos In A Successful Urban School, Kathleen A.J. Mohr

TAPESTRY

This quantitative study investigated the levels of optimism and self-concepts of 76, fourth-sixth graders who attend an academically successful, English immersion, private school serving a majority Latino and urban population. Two instruments measured the students' self-perceptions with expected and unexpected results. Although academically successful and functioning as the majority, these Latinos were not particularly optimistic. Gender, language proficiency, and grade level were all factors related to the significant findings. The related discussion challenges educators to explore the various aspects contributing to positive self-concepts and to better understand how to develop and sustain optimism among students often considered academically at-risk.

Marshall Matz, Marshall Matz, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Marshall Matz served as General Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs and also as Special Counsel to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry before becoming Washington counsel for the American School Food Service Association.

Differentiating Instruction Through Math Stations And Literacy Centers, Olivia Bates

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

Differentiating instruction based on students’ readiness, interests, and learning profiles is essential for creating effective and meaningful learning activities. Identifying these characteristics allows teachers to meet students’ needs and engage them in learning. By differentiating instruction, educators target specific students’ strengths and challenges in developing lessons to support their understanding of content. Two useful strategies for differentiating math and literacy instruction include stations and centers. In stations and centers, students work on specific skills catered to their educational needs while rotating activities in flexible groups. This guide supports teachers in identifying strategies and understanding the benefits of differentiating math and …

Effect Of Vocabulary Test Preparation On Low-Income Black Middle School Students’ Reading Scores, Ingrid Mitchell, Nicolae Nistor, Beate Baltes, Michelle Brown

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Black middle school students in the United States continue to perform poorly on standardized reading achievement tests in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups. The purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of a vocabulary-focused test preparation program for Black middle school students. The theoretical framework consisted of Thorndike’s concept of test-wiseness, a test-taking capacity. Teachers at the research site were trained on Larry Bell’s 12 Powerful Words strategy that aims to make students test-wise, that is, to familiarize them with key vocabulary terms related to tests. An intact-group comparison was conducted, involving a total of …

Beyond A Meeting: A Case Study Examining The Impact Of Data-Focused Professional Learning Communities On Teacher Practice And Student Learning, Deena W. Townsend

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

The increased professional demands on educators without parallel increases in funding encourage schools to continually search for practical solutions to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to improve their instructional effectiveness. This qualitative research study explored this issue by examining how participation in a data-focused professional learning community (PLC) affected teacher practice and perceptions along with determining how data-focused PLCs contributed to student learning outcomes. The study participants were a team of mathematics teachers from a public middle school in the southeastern United States serving grades sixth through eighth. The findings from this study were summarized through three …

Editor's Note, Tapestry Staff

TAPESTRY

Notes from the editor

Enhancing The New Esl Student Orientation At Umass Boston: Applying Udl Principles And Educational Technology Tools, Karol Victoria Castaneda Guzman

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

New English as a Second Language (ESL) students often display confusion during their transition to UMass Boston (UMB). Despite the administrative staff’s best effort to provide students with information about the university, students still lack the relevant information about services, academic resources, the individuals, and offices of interest available to assist them in their success. Additionally, the majority of new ESL students do not adequately understand the information presented in the orientation due to their limited English proficiency. This evidence-based practice project describes the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a blended orientation for new ESL students. It details …

The Living Classroom: A Professional Learning Session, Albert P. Buckley Jr.

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

The American public school classroom has begun moving from the traditional furniture of education (hard plastic chairs attached to desks) to flexible mobile furniture as part of a holistic approach to creating a learning environment that enhances learning for its students. This project describes the process derived in the development and delivery of an asynchronous professional learning session aimed at helping teachers acclimate and engage new or adapted physical and psychological attributes to the learning environments in their care. The program is backed with research demonstrating why the progressive classroom improves the learning experience for both students and teachers. The …

Parental Support For Newcomer Children’S Education In A Smaller Centre, Xuemei Li, Antoinette Doyle, Maureen Lymburner, Needal Yasin Ghadi

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This study explored the issues around parental support for newcomer children’s transition to school in a smaller urban centre in Atlantic Canada where newcomer support is relatively limited. Data were drawn from semi-structured interviews with 11 newcomer parents, five children, and one settlement worker. The findings revealed newcomer parents’ difficulties in understanding the school system, limited engagement with the school community, isolation from other parents, and barriers to understanding and connecting with other parents. Among these newcomers, refugee parents are particularly challenged. We conclude that newcomer children’s parental involvement need to be viewed multi-dimensionally, and that the creation of a …

Collaborating In (Mis)Translation: Opportunities Lost And Found During A Multi Year Exchange Program Between Canada And China, Terry Sefton, Glenn Rideout, Jonathan Bayley

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Three Canadian education faculty, who collaborated with Chinese Canadian colleagues in leading trips to China during a multi-year exchange program discuss their perceptions and experiences. Storytelling and photo elicitation are used to build a visual and textual narrative. Narratives are used to map areas of familiarity, uncertainty, obstacles, and discovery. Photographic images provide a framework for examining social practices and interpreting personal experience through visible traces of teaching within physical and cultural spaces. A discussion on the role of translation is particularly important, to understand both opportunities grasped and opportunities missed. One of the primary goals of exchange programs between …

Multi-Stakeholder Partnership In Teacher Education And Development, Linyuan Guo-Brennan, Carolyn Francis, Elizabeth Townsend, Michael Guo-Brennan

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

While there is a growing interest in offering international teaching practicums to pre-service teachers as an approach to developing teachers' global perspectives on education, however, understanding of the impact of such practice on the host communities is insufficient or absent. This study collected data from multiple sources and, using the Theory of Change framework, examined the impact of pre-service teachers' international practicum on the school and community development in Kenya. Through exploring the context of host communities, the perceptions of Kenyan educators, and the changes that have occurred in Kenyan schools and communities, this study revealed positive development changes in …

Call For Manuscripts!

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Call For Manuscripts!

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities (JSESD)

The Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities is a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal with an international focus on providing information on science education for students with varying types and levels of disabilities. We aspire to publish the best of theoretical research and practical application and we review articles by both special and general educators. Interesting topics have included innovative curricular ideas, instructional adaptations, research-based modifications, best practices, and management issues in science education.

Copyright Statement

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Publication rights to works is granted to Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, however, full copyright for works published in this journal is retained by the author(s). The author(s) may post their works online in an institutional repository, on their University departmental website, or on their own personal websites

Tutor In A Bag: Reaching Struggling Readers, Lillian Hoskinson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Tutor in a Bag is a tutoring program designed to match novice adult tutors with struggling early readers. The program trains tutors with varied backgrounds to work with struggling readers using evidence-based instructional strategies and data collection methods. Tutors attended an initial training session to receive materials, practice each component of the lesson plan, and to receive fundamental training on use of reading games and strategies supporting solid reading instruction at a brisk pace. Each designated struggling reader was paired with a tutor for 10 weekly, thirty-minute sessions driven by each student’s individual needs. Support for the tutors was provided …

A Comparative Study Of Three Approaches For Enhancing Teaching Knowledge Of Dyslexia, Kayla Steltenkamp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Teachers are the foundational component of the education system. Annually, they are required to engage in professional development opportunities to expand their knowledge. Since 1985 there has been a profusion of legislative attention to the reading disability dyslexia. Included in legislation is the mandate for teacher training, but there is a lack of research on effective professional development to increase teacher knowledge of dyslexia. This study compared three models of professional development to assess their efficacy in increasing declarative knowledge of dyslexia for elementary general education teachers. The results indicated that the use of simulation training alone was less effective …

Strategies To Support Families Experiencing Difficult Circumstances, Carol M. Trivette

ETSU Faculty Works

One of the most challenging tasks for many early childhood providers is how to support families who are facing tough, difficult issues like death of a parent, PTSD, abuse, and neglect. Not only do these issues impact the family’s overall functioning and well being and the quality of parents’ interactions with their young children but they also affect the relationship between the family and the early childhood providers (e.g., missed appointments and adversarial interactions). Dr. Carol Trivette will cap her yearlong webinar series sharing resources and discussing evidence-based practices that providers can implement when they are working with military families …

Pathways To A Brighter Future: Narratives Of Latino Students’ Perceptions At Community College, Columba Myra Gaytan-Morales

Theses and Dissertations

Helping Latino students into leadership roles begins with a college experience. Latino students are the largest and fastest growing student population within community colleges, yet they are less likely to graduate. Blame is often placed on minority students and their families for the students’ poor academic performance. Deficit thinking models have impacted this way of thinking and this adds to the variety of factors that prevent students’ from successfully completing a college degree. An analysis of nine Latino students’ college experiences was examined to determine the types of barriers that were evident. Critical Race Theory and Latino Critical Race narrative …