Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Asking And Understanding Questions: An Inquiry-Based Framework For Writing Teacher Development, Jessica Rivera-Mueller

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Teachers develop when they critically examine the questions they ask about their work because questions make pedagogical beliefs visible and available for critical reflection and revision. In a standards-based educational climate—a time when writing becomes a set of measurable skills rather than a complex social practice—teachers may feel that a critical examination of their questions is (at best) a luxury or (at worst) a distraction to work they need to accomplish. Therefore, writing teacher educators may find it increasingly challenging to help teachers engage in reflexive inquiry. This essay describes a Deweyian-informed framework that shows how addressing inquiries and critically …

Co-Planning And Co-Teaching In A Summer Writing Institute: A Formative Experiment, Kelly Chandler-Olcott, Janine Nieroda, Bryan Ripley Crandall

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This paper reports findings from a two-year formative experiment (Reinking & Bradley, 2008) investigating a summer writing institute for students entering ninth grade at an urban high school. The three-week program was staffed by both university researchers and teachers. In contrast to traditional summer school, it was intended as enrichment, not remediation, for a heterogeneous group of students, and a learning experience, not just a teaching opportunity, for practitioners. The pedagogical goals of the intervention were two-fold: 1) increase students’ writing engagement and skill, and 2) improve teachers’ capacity to teach writing to diverse student populations. Findings focused on co-teaching …

Navigating Collaborative Teaching Waters: Professors Go Back And Pre-Service Teachers Move Forward To Embody The Promise Of Story, Jill Adams, Kathleen Deakin, Gloria Eastman, Jay Arellano, Andrea Nieto, Eliza Spencer, Brianne Barber

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

A group of English education professors and secondary English education collaboratively planned a 3-week class for future high school freshmen in an academic summer camp held on our campus. Reflections of lessons learned from a variety of perspectives are shared.

Introduction: Building Bridges In Writing Teacher Education, Jonathan Bush, Erinn Bentley

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This introduction discusses the editors' decision to support publications in both APA and MLA formats and also provides contextual introductions for all articles.

Diversity Dimensions Committee: A Historical Review, Barbara Carder, Sarah Gepper

Learning Showcase 2014

The Diversity Dimensions Committee began in 2010 as an initiative from Human Resources leadership. A diversity group was needed on campus to serve the Franklin University community. Research was completed and a small group of Human Resources staff members were charged with working on educational and awareness events.

Sarah Gepper now coordinates this group that has expanded to include interested employees from a cross-section of departments, interests, and backgrounds. The committee now boasts 15 members who meet on a monthly basis to brainstorm events that will benefit and enrich a University community, and thereby fulfilling the charter of the committee: …

Preparing Faculty For Overseas Assignments, Garry Mcdaniel, Debra Petrizzo, Gary Stroud, Susan Arehart

Learning Showcase 2014

With increased globalization, more colleges and universities are establishing faculty exchanges, study abroad programs, collaborative research efforts, and technical assistance programs with counterparts overseas resulting in enhanced faculty development, increased learning for students, revenue generation and prestige for the partnering institutions. If faculty are inadequately prepared and supported for overseas assignments valuable time and resources are wasted, student learning is impacted, and the image of the institution and faculty member may suffer. The purpose of this research was to determine how institutions can better prepare faculty for overseas assignments. To study this problem, faculty with international teaching experience and overseas …

The Value Of Problem Posing In Developing Creatively Gifted Mathematicians, Eric L. Mann

Faculty Presentations

The task of problem posing is often overlooked as a means to develop creatively gifted mathematicians. Silver (1997) suggested that problem posing was an instructional tactic used worldwide to develop creativity in mathematicians. More specifically, Silver advocated that deliberate instructional tactics had to be employed to precipitate creative solutions. Problem posing is often correlated with the aesthetic nature of mathematics.

In this cutting-edge session, participants’ objective is to learn about the value of problem posing through a brief presentation and have an opportunity to generate their own mathematical problem solving tasks given a mathematical concept. The intent is to encourage …

The Journey To Becoming Constructivist, Presidential Award For Excellence In Mathematics And Science Teaching, Secondary Mathematics Teacher, Gerald E. Young

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research study is to describe and analyze the self-reported experiences of exemplary high school mathematics teachers who underwent personal and professional transformations in order to develop and use a standards-based, constructivist (SBC) teaching paradigm in their classrooms. These teachers were all past recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), an award that required them to demonstrate that their mathematics instruction was rigorous in the manner described by the NCTM standards.

The following research questions are addressed: (a) What are the paths SBC secondary mathematics teachers who received the PAEMST pursued …

An Argument For The Great Divorce In The Public School Ninth Grade English Classroom, Taylor Isom

Senior Honors Theses

C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce (1946) can provide a useful supplement for ninth grade English instruction because of its quality as a literary work, the ideas it represents, its commentary on enduring human questions, and its connections to its historical context. At its core, the book reflects on recurring philosophical and religious ideas in a way that simultaneously links to and transcends its time. It also exhibits hallmarks of literary excellence, such as formal consistency and a comprehensive view of its themes. The Great Divorce’s skillful use of literary elements suits it for instruction, adapting form to purpose. …

2014 Cehs Student Research Conference- Abstracts

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

No abstract provided.

2014 Cehs Student Research Conference Program

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

No abstract provided.

Reading Together: A Successful Reading Fluency Internvetion, Chase Young, Kathleen A. J. Mohr, Timothy Rasinkski

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article describes a reading fluency intervention called Reading Together that combines the method of repeated readings (Samuels, 1979) and the Neurological Impress Method (Heckelman, 1969). Sixteen volunteers from various backgrounds were recruited and trained to deliver the Reading Together intervention to struggling readers in third through fifth grade. The differences on the outcome measures between the treatment (n = 29) and comparison (n = 23) were statistically significant. Thus, students in the treatment demonstrated increased reading expression, reading rate, and overall reading scores. Results suggest that Reading Together is a feasible method of increasing students’ reading proficiency and can …

Reading Together: A Successful Reading Fluency Internvetion, Chase Young, Kathleen A. J. Mohr, Timothy Rasinkski

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The article describes a reading fluency intervention called Reading Together that combines the method of repeated readings (Samuels, 1979) and the Neurological Impress Method (Heckelman, 1969). Sixteen volunteers from various backgrounds were recruited and trained to deliver the Reading Together intervention to struggling readers in third through fifth grade. The differences on the outcome measures between the treatment (n = 29) and comparison (n = 23) were statistically significant. Thus, students in the treatment demonstrated increased reading expression, reading rate, and overall reading scores. Results suggest that Reading Together is a feasible method of increasing students’ reading proficiency and can …

It Seemed Like Such A Good Idea: Making Sense Of How Two Schools, A Major Philanthropy, And A Prestigious Teacher Training Program Agreed On A School Reform Strategy That Was Bound To Fail., Brian C. Clark

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This Capstone project is a reflection on the process through which a major Jewish Philanthropy, two Jewish Day Schools, and a major Teacher Training Program worked together to craft an agenda for school reform and technological progress. That four-month process is carefully narrated in a portion of this document, as is a postscript that explains subsequent events and outcomes. The analytical portion of this document follows, in which concepts drawn from Actor-Network Theory and sensemaking theory are used to make sense of how each institution contributed to the creation of inherently unworkable and impractical plans for school reform.

Research Digest Number 10: Parents And Teachers: Working Together To Foster Children’S Learning, Kate Perkins, Pat Knight, Marion Meiers

Research Digest

This edition of the Research Digest focuses primarily on parent-teacher collaboration, considering what research can tell us about:

• why parental engagement is important
• key features of effective collaborations
• critical challenges and issues that teachers and parents may face
• strategies that have helped teachers and parents build effective relationships

Some examples of activities undertaken as part of whole-school programs are also included. These illustrate the kind of scaffolding that helps teachers, parents and children establish the foundations for effective interactions.

The Digest draws on searches of data bases and bibliographic resources including the Australian Education Index, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), …

Application For Sabbatical Leave And Sabbatical Report, Amy F. Penne

Sabbaticals

I plan to use my sabbatical to 1) renew myself professionally through a series of teacher's retreats with Parker Palmer at his Center for Courage and Renewal, as well as a conference trip to Indianapolis for the Conference on College Composition and Communication; and 2) study with Palmer and through his Center to eventually become a "Circles of Trust" facilitator (defined later in this proposal). My sabbatical is designed to reconnect who I am with what I do; I need this sabbatical to reclaim my original passion for the teaching of writing and the teaching of writers. My retreat with …

Getting To The Stories: Research On Participant Perceptions Of Race- And Equity-Focused Professional Development, Kehaulani Haupu

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This qualitative research study explored participant perceptions of district-sponsored race-and equity-focused professional development, specifically as it applies to racial consciousness. This study utilizes Singleton’s (2006) Courageous Conversations About Race (CCAR) Protocol to examine participant perceptions of district race-and equity-focused professional development and its impact personally, professionally, and as members of an organization engaged in ongoing conversations about race and equity. Results showed that participants perceived a change in their racial consciousness as a result of participation in the district’s ongoing race-and equity-focused professional development. The study explored the results and its implications for education, specifically regarding participant perception of the …

Teacher Education For University Teachers: Bangladesh Perspective, G. M. Rakibul Islam, Muhammad Salahuddin

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Student Publications

In this age of globalization every nation is struggling to keep pace with the upcoming demands to maintain quality. The progress of a nation largely depends on its citizens who are the products of its education system. This study is an attempt to unfold the status of university teachers of Bangladesh. Data collected through document review and in-depth interview of the university teachers that was analysed qualitatively. Researchers found that, most of the countries assiduously work for reshaping their teacher education while Bangladesh is focusing on needs for university teachers. However, most of the teachers express their opinion regarding emergence …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Developmental Math Students' Experiences And Perceptions, Megan Cordes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current literature suggests the rise of enrollment among United States (U.S.) postsecondary institutions but the decline in graduation rates. While there is extensive quantitative data examining course redesigns and increasing student achievement in developmental math courses, there is limited research examining students' experiences and perceptions within these courses. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of developmental math students. This study utilized the theoretical framework of Bandura's (1997) social cognitive theory and Tinto's (2012a) retention theory. Research questions focused on the lived experience of struggling within a developmental math course, past math experiences …

Tipping Point Of Resistance: A Multi-Case Study Of The Influence Of School Culture On Classroom Positive Behavior Interventions And Support Practices, Angela Shoemake

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Public schools have seen an increase in the use of school-wide positive behavior intervention supports (SWPBIS) to address the emotional and behavioral needs of students. While SWPBIS is a validated, evidence-based practice, teachers often resist the use of this proactive intervention model claiming that they do not have the time or skills to develop interventions to address the students' challenging behaviors. The purpose of this instrumental multi-case study was to systematically explore and compare the personal experiences of staff who ended their resistance to SWPBIS and successfully implemented at the classroom level. A Georgia middle school implementing SWPBIS at the …