Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons^™

Tools Enabling A Student Who Is Blind In A Liberal Arts Chemistry Laboratory Course, Jessica Michael, H. David Wohlers

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Chemistry laboratories ordinarily involve a number of visual observations and require qualitative and quantitative explanations of these observations. A student with blindness at Truman State University successfully completed the laboratory portion of the nonmajors liberal arts chemistry course with the assistance of a senior undergraduate chemistry education major, the guidance of a chemistry professor with blindness, and a variety of alternative laboratory methods. Volumes were measured using a notched syringe or the graduated cylinder pipet technique. Changes in color were measured by a Color Analysis Laboratory Sensor (CALS) and a Submersible Audio Light Sensor (SALS). Balance and Vernier probe measurements …

Assessment Of Climate Science Knowledge And Perceptions Of Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Students, Annemarie Ross, Kyle Edenzon, Susan Smith Pagano, Randy Yerrick, Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Curricula related to sustainability and climate science are being integrated into academic science courses and programs. We set out to assess the knowledge of some of these environmental concepts among a group of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (D/d/HH) postsecondary students. A survey that attempted to gauge student understanding and perceptions of climate science was developed, administered to D/d/HH and hearing college students, and analyzed. Preliminary results showed that there could be some gaps in related knowledge among the D/d/HH group. Rasch analysis was then used to assess the quality of the survey for the intended outcomes and improved iterations of the survey were …

Wcag 2.1 Meets Stem: Application, Interpretation, And Opportunities For Further Standard Development, Jason White

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This paper offers an overview of changes introduced in the recent Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 standard that have implications for the accessibility of content in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In reviewing new provisions of WCAG 2.1, interpretive questions are raised regarding their application to mathematical and scientific materials. The paper is concluded with a brief discussion of opportunities for further enhancing accessibility of STEM materials in future revisions of the Guidelines.

An Analysis Of Teacher Training Concerning The Identification Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Brittany Jo Desnoyer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Given recent revisions to the diagnostic criteria as it pertains to students with ASD (DSM-V; APA, 2013), several studies have raised concern that future diagnosis will be limited (McPartland et al., 2012). However, prevalence rates of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have continued to rise since its release (Baio et al., 2018). Because special education referrals are subject to bias, and positively correlated with a high probably of subsequent diagnosis (Ysseldyke & Algozzine, 1981), the role of the educator warrants exploration.

This study investigated the level of training provided to pre-service and in-service general and special educators in the DSM-IV (APA, …

An Exploration Of Turkish Kindergarten Early Career Stage Teachers’ Technology Beliefs And Practices, Ozge Ozel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore Turkish kindergarten early career stage teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs towards technology and their technology integration practices in their classrooms by answering: What are self-efficacy beliefs of Turkish kindergarten early career stage teachers towards technology? How do Turkish kindergarten early career teachers integrate technology into their classrooms’ instructions? The study was designed as a qualitative multiple case study and guided by Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory and Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPACK conceptual framework. I conducted this study in Istanbul, where is the most crowded and metropolitan city in Turkey. The schools were chosen …

Optimizing Early Intervention For Preschoolers' Vocabulary Development, Lindsey A. Peters-Sanders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Preschool is a critical time in children’s oral language and pre-literacy skill development, but this development varies greatly among children. Those with smaller vocabularies are at greater risk for developing future language and reading difficulties that persist throughout their education. Because vocabulary knowledge is essential for later reading success, early instruction in preschool is key. To better understand how to enhance preschoolers’ word learning, the current dissertation contains three studies that examined the benefits of explicit vocabulary instruction and identified the factors that best facilitated vocabulary learning among a diverse group of young children. To aid in the early identification …

Maximizing Every Child's Potential In The First 1,000 Days Of Life: A Landscape Analysis, Emily Sharrock, Courtney Parkerson

Bank Street Education Center

This report features a series of findings, supporting evidence, and bright spots that build a case for developing a stronger approach to supporting the diverse infant/toddler workforce.

How Does Classroom Context Affect Head Start Teachers' Use Of Cognitively Challenging Talk?, Jordan Alexis Gregory

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Development In Preschool, Gena Jadwin

Graduate Teacher Education

The development of children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning is of significant importance in education, specifically in early childhood education. Early childhood administrators, educators, and support staff have noticed an increase in the amount of students displaying underdeveloped or lacking social-skills within preschool classrooms. This paper will analyze and summarize research to explain the relationship between social-emotional skills and temperament, classroom environment, and educational outcomes in preschool aged students. It was found through research that a lack of social-emotional understanding and skills was impactful to a child’s future emotional responses and academic achievement. In order for leaders to best prepare teachers …

Innovative Teaching Practices To Accelerate Student Learning In The Areas Of Literacy And Science, Michelle Simmons, Paris Bouchard

Dissertations

The researchers of this joint dissertation aspired to create and implement innovative instructional practices that would accelerate student learning. Both researchers believed in the importance of experimenting with structures and processes that lead to instructional impact. They were both passionate about developing an instructional model that would accelerate student learning by focusing on student transfer of skills. They sought to answer the question, Can learning be accelerated when teachers are supported and encouraged to create and implement instructional practices grounded in research? One researcher studied a practice that would potentially increase students’ ability to think critically and problem solve using …

Baby Sign's Developmental Benefits, Alaina Ramstad

Graduate Teacher Education

In the past few decades, the use of intentional gesture to communicate with infants, known as Infant Sign or Baby Sign, has jumped in popularity as a means to get infants communicating earlier in life (Barnes, 2010). Baby Sign has been adopted into many families, care centers, and schools with a strong focus on the potential language benefits to be found in its use (Seal & DePaolis, 2014; Kirk, Howlett, Pine & Fletcher, 2013). This paper sought to discover what, if any, other developmental benefits could be gained for infants through the use of Baby Sign. A synthesis of current …

An Examination Of The Roles Of Classroom Quality And Approaches To Learning On The Early Academic Skills Of Latino Dual Language Learners Enrolled In Head Start, Marcela A. Galicia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the relationship between classroom quality, approaches-to-learning, and early academic skills among 384 Latino dual language learners (DLLs) enrolled in Florida Head Start programs. The children were living in low-income homes where Spanish was the primary language spoken by at least one parent. The study analyzed the extent to which approaches-to-learning behaviors moderate early literacy and numeracy skills in Head Start classrooms of varying quality. During the spring of their prek-4 year, the children were administered the English and Spanish Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems subtests of the WJ-III (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) and the Batería III …

Transforming Professional Development For Today's Educational Environment, Amy L. Geurkink-Coats, Richard A. Regina

Dissertations

Professional development is vital to education. It provides an opportunity for continued growth and learning for educators throughout their career. While teachers earn credentials and certification through a university, professional development is intended to hone skills and help teachers evolve in an ever-changing landscape. The changing landscape may involve technology, generational needs, or broader societal interests. This research is an analysis of the implementation of transformational professional development in one large suburban Midwestern school district and one large Midwestern high school in another district. It analyzes data regarding professional development and examines literature that studies teacher participation, attitudes, and transfer …

Expanding World Views And Supporting Intercultural Competence: A Model For Understanding, Assessment And Growth For Teacher Educators, Shauna M. Adams, Rochonda L. Nenonene, Pamela Cross Young, Novea A. Mcintosh

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Intentional efforts for teacher education candidates to expand their worldview throughout their program of study can lead to growth in their intercultural development as measured by the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (Hammer & Bennett, 1998). This study examines the impact of utilizing the Inter-Cultural Action Plan (ICAP), a results-guided self-designed action plan, on the developmental orientation (Bennett, 2011) of the candidate’s intercultural development as measured by the IDI. Significant impact on a candidate’s developmental orientation is identified when candidates take ownership of their experiences in the form of an action plan that includes coursework and out of class opportunities.

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Math Workstations In A Third-Grade Classroom, Katie Norwood

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Math workstations can offer teachers an outlet to differentiate instruction in the math classroom in order to better meet student needs. The purpose of this study was to discover how students and the teacher in a third-grade classroom felt about using math workstations. Specifically, the researcher wanted to discover whether or not the students and teacher participants enjoyed using math workstations and whether or not they felt math workstations helped students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. The researcher collected data through student surveys, student and teacher interviews, and observations. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to help the researcher …

Assessment Of Children As Confident And Involved Learners In Early Childhood Education And Care: Literature Review, Dan Cloney, Jen Jackson, Pru Mitchell

Early Childhood Education

This literature review is one of a series of reviews to support Victorian early childhood professionals to assess children’s learning and development in relation to the five Learning and Development Outcomes in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF). This literature review documents the research that underpins and defines learning for children from birth to eight years, and outlines children’s trajectory as confident and involved learners. The resource aims to equip early childhood professionals with the knowledge to identify and assess children’s progress towards the VEYLDF Outcome: 'Children are confident and involved learners'.

Building Teachers’ Emotional Competence: A Transactional Training Model, Caroline Fulton

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Classrooms are complex entities, where the emotions of students and teachers interact to influence learning, relationships, and students’ social emotional development. Teachers’ understanding of emotional processes within the classroom is critical to effective teaching, promotion of healthy child development, and attaining desired learning outcomes. Further, emotions have powerful consequences for teachers themselves. They affect teachers’ well-being, self-efficacy, and ultimately whether teachers remain in the profession or not. Therefore, teachers need skills to recognize and respond to emotional experiences in the classroom. In the present research project a set of emotional competences relevant to educational practices were developed. These competencies include …

Exploratory Application Of A Sensory Activity Schedule In Head Start Preschool, Marian Perez, Elaine Wong, Michelle Perryman

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Objective: The objective of this research is to determine whether the implementation of sensory activity schedule in a preschool classroom can increase the on-task behaviors of the students.

Methods: Three students were recruited to participate in a quantitative multiple single subject design with qualitative follow-up study. The participants performed sensorimotor activities before circle time and were monitored for frequency of their off-task behavior using a time sampling frequency data collection. Afterwards, the head teacher was interviewed to discuss the experience.

Results: Off-task behavior decreased from baseline on all three children, which supports the efficacy of sensory activity schedule in reducing …

Teaching Basic Cryptography Concepts Using Braille And Large Print Manipulatives, Jason Martin

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The scope of this article is to describe the creation and implementation of specialized adaptations used in teaching the subject of basic cryptography to students who are visually impaired or blind. Included is an overview of events held for visually impaired and blind transition age youth in Alabama and the methods used to engage this population in the subject of computer science. Teaching strategies utilized for this unique demographic of students are discussed as they relate to the sample cryptography lessons used during the transition day events. The construction of three forms of adapted ciphers are described in addition to …

Making 3d Laser Cut Stratigraphic Audio-Responsive Tactile Templates, Michael A. Kolitsky

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The geologic method of stratigraphy which studies the structure of the earth by making layers was employed with 3D laser cutting techniques to make more easily defined tactile regions in templates of cells, tissues and anatomic regions containing muscles and bones. Templates were made audio responsive by hand-drilling a small hole in a template and filling that hole with conductive electric paint. A finger touch to the template top side now carries a charge similar to an electric circuit to the template bottom side resting on the surface of an iPad or iPad Pro where an audio button produces audio …