Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Preparing Teachers For Use Of Impact Activities: An Exploratory Study, Jeremy Lee Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The iMPaCT project team has developed three modules of activities that use programming on TI-83/84 calculators as a means to engage students to explore foundational concepts in Algebra I. The developers conducted a 3-day summer Professional Development Program (PDP) for teachers to become familiar with the objectives, pedagogy, assessments, and resources of the three modules of iMPaCT activities. I have collected and analyzed various forms of data such as videotapes of workshop sessions, teachers' written work and a pre-post assessment. The purpose of this study is to provide the program coordinators with information about the PDP for planning of future …

The Relationship Between Curriculum-Based Measures In Oral Reading Fluency And High-Stakes Tests For Seventh Grade Students, Sawyer Hunley, Susan C. Davies, Christina R. Miller

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between oral reading fluency and performance on a statewide reading achievement test for middle grades students. Participants in this study were 75 seventh-grade students. One month before the students were administered the state test, each student read three probes from their current basal reader to determine an oral reading fluency rate. The Ohio Grade 7 Reading Test scores were correlated with oral reading fluency rates to determine the extent of the relationship between the results. Results support the use of oral reading fluency assessment as a valid tool for identifying …

Librarians In Your Midst: The Embedded Librarian Program At Pvcc, Laura C. Skinner

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

The easy availability of Internet information has caused many to question the future of libraries. However, librarians, as experts of information science, are even more necessary to help students navigate the Internet. An embedded librarian provides assistance at the most critical point – exactly when it is needed.

First Day Of Public Speaking Class And Student Expectations, Oli Mohammadi Phd, Crystal L. Swift Phd

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

On the first day of class, what should an instructor do? What do the students expect? What might ruin the first day of class? The author asked 270 students these questions, and their answers apply to any class’s first day.

Shutting Up In Class: The Zen Of Silence, Doug Thiele

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

This author discovered that his most powerful tool in the classroom was not to lecture, but to stop speaking at all. The effect of the resulting silence was even more positive than he could have imagined.

Personalizing The Material Leads To College Students' Better Understanding Of Concepts, Charles J. Huffman Phd

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

In this study, students completed two different projects about personality. The results showed that while the students learned more about themselves, personalizing the material also increased their ability to understand core concepts.

Why We Write The Way We Do: A Study Of Composition Teaching Through Writing Style Translation, Yuemin He Phd

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

This author used translation in the classroom to increase student awareness of audience. However, this translation was not between different languages; it was translation from an informal to a formal writing style, and vice versa.

A Cross-Cultural Teaching Model For Community College Teachers: Considerations For Service-Delivery And Implications For The Teaching-Learning Process, Christopher T. Arra Phd

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Community college classes are increasingly diverse, both culturally and ethnically, but how can teachers best educate students concerning cross-cultural issues? This author proposes a cross-cultural teaching model that focuses on a personalized approach.

Partnership For Math Success: Development Of A Mathematics Readiness Class For High School Students, Yvonne Jessee

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

To implement the developmental mathematics redesign, this author’s College partnered with two public school systems to establish early placement testing and a capstone readiness course, to be administered in the high school students’ senior year.

Educational Exigencies Of The 21st Century: Implications For Teacher Education Programmes In East Africa, Peter Kajoro, Hellen Chirure, Irene Simiyu

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Questions about what constitutes effective teacher education compatible with today’s changing educational demands have been frequently raised. This article is an overview of ideas about the elements of effective teacher education in view of the 21st century demands. Drawing on literature and the authors' knowledge of teacher education in the East African context, the article argues the case for the different elements of effective teacher education program that would help the region, and perhaps, by extension, other developing countries, meet their educational obligations in the 21st century. The paper also highlights the theoretical underpinnings of these elements and their implications …

What Work Samples Reveal About Secondary Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers' Use Of Literacy Strategies, Susan J. Lenski, Gayle Y. Thieman

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article discusses a study which aims to answer the research questions of whether secondary social studies pre-service teachers incorporate literacy strategies in their work samples during student teaching, and the extent and conditions secondary social studies pre-service teachers use higher levels of literacy strategies in their work samples. The study is framed within 3 areas of research namely activity theory, work sample methodology and disciplinary literacy.

I Am A Teacher Walking A Mile In Her Shoes: A Narrative Study Of Teacher Identity, Amy Parmenter

Educational Studies Dissertations

Using an adapted life story interview process, narratives of six female mid-career elementary teachers were collected and analyzed. The stories describe the values and beliefs of these educators as they reflect on their experience being a teacher employed in one of three public elementary schools undergoing reform. Findings suggest professional development for teachers that cultivates a collaborative school culture and develops reflective dialogue and evaluative thinking is beneficial for schools in the midst of change. Author keywords: teacher identity; community of practice; learning community; life story; public school; professional development; reflective dialogue; evaluative thinking; change; elementary education; educational change; teachers--in-service …

The Social Intelligence Of Principals: Links To Teachers' Continuous Improvement, Joan Mcquade

Educational Studies Dissertations

Despite multiple efforts to reform 21st education to better meet the needs of all students, school improvement successes have been sporadic and debatable. Research suggests that significant improvement lies within the purview of teachers and principals, and this current research provided the underpinnings for the study. Based on neuroscience research and the continuous improvement concept, I examined linkages between principals' social intelligence and teachers' continuous improvement. Using a mixed method sequential explanatory research approach, the study consisted of four phases that employed both quantitative and qualitative measures. Massachusetts' principals (127) and teachers (331) were contacted by email to participate in …

Ready, Eager, & Well-Prepared: A Mantra For Military Personnel And Teachers, Connie Schaffer

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

It is a scene which most Armed Services personnel can recall with great detail. The stage is a training room on a military installation. Conversations about an upcoming exam intermingle with discussions about sports and fill the air of the room. The camaraderie of the soldiers provides a nervous distraction from the individual plots about to unwind for each soldier. Over the course of the next several days, one-by-one, the soldiers will open their first set of orders. The first post or base assignments which will follow their technical training are scheduled to be distributed in the upcoming days.

The Never Ending Story Of Language Policy In Puerto Rico, Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This literature review addresses some of the issues discussed in the literature written about the controversial topic of English teaching in Puerto Rico. A deeper look into the language policies established in Puerto Rico since the island became a U.S. colony (1898) could lead us to understand why after more than a century of U.S. occupation, the majority of Puerto Ricans are still not bilingual in English and Spanish.

Experiences Of Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students: An Exploratory Phenomenological Study, Anysia J. Ensslen

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Within the past decade little research has been conducted in the United States to examine the preparedness of beginning speech-language pathologists; the seminal article used for this research study comes from the United Kingdom (Horton, Byng, Bunning, & Pring, 2004). Literature from the past few decades indicates that there may be deficiencies in the way that beginning speech-language pathologists are being trained clinically.

The review of the literature suggests that the field may lack a clear and broadly supported learning theory or framework for the clinical supervision and training of speech-language pathology graduate students. The literature further supports the importance …

Examining The Influence Of Parents, Teachers, And Neighborhood Safety On African American Adolescents’ Motivation And Achievement, Clarissa R. Roan-Belle

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Guided by the theoretical frameworks of Baumrind’s parenting style theory, interpersonal expectations, Self Determination Theory, and self-efficacy, this study examines factors that influence African American students’ GPA and motivation, specifically associations between parents’ and teachers’ control, warmth, and educational expectations and African American adolescents’ GPA, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation were examined. The moderating effects of neighborhood safety on the aforementioned associations were also assessed. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, this study found that parents’ warmth and expectations were positive predictors of all educational variables, while parents control was a negative predictor of GPA and intrinsic motivation. …

Identifying Risk And Protective Factors Of Preparatory And Non-Preparatory Students In Agricultural Education Programs Of A Rural Kentucky High School, Randy J. Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Today there is an increased demand for secondary agriculture education programs to prepare students to be college and career ready through a program of study. The purpose of this study was to identify risk and protective factors of preparatory and non-preparatory students within an agriculture education program at Anderson County High School in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The results of this study did not determine that there was a difference in risk and protective factors between preparatory and non-preparatory students within agriculture education courses. The study concluded that students among both categories were equally exposed to risks such as family conflict and …

Evaluation Of Motivation And Professional Development Of Curriculum For Agricultural Science Education (Case) Lead And Master Teachers, Miranda Rose Chaplin

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education™ (CASE) is an instructional system of support that provides professional development, curriculum, and assessments to agricultural educators. Through the CASE model, two CASE Lead or Master Teachers facilitate professional development, known as a CASE Institute. This study utilizes three sets of surveys to describe the motivation for CASE certified teachers applying to become CASE Lead and Master Teachers, determine the effectiveness of the professional development provided to Lead and Master Teachers during the Lead Teacher Orientation, and determine the Lead and Master Teachers’ demographic information.

The Relations Among School Status Variables, Teacher Academic And Arts Curricular Emphases, And Student Academic Achievement In Grades 1, 3, And 5, Browning Michael Neddeau

Doctoral Dissertations

The National Center of Education Statistics' Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K) data were used to explore the curricular emphasis in schools of varying socioeconomic status in both public and private schools. Data collected between 1998 and 2003 were used in the secondary analyses of curricular emphasis in nine curriculum areas identified in the Teacher Questionnaire were grouped into academic, arts, or physical education.

The results from descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regressions at each grade indicated differences in academic, arts, and physical education emphases based on public or private schools and school socioeconomic status (SES). Although …