Digital Commons Network^™

Taiwanese Elementary School Teachers’ Mindset Of Content And Language Integrated Learning (Clil) Instruction, Chin-Wen Chien

Journal of English Learner Education

Teachers need to undergo a mindset shift in language learning and teaching. This study used both qualitative and quantitative data to explore seven Taiwanese Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) teachers’ mindsets and led to the following major findings. First, the CLIL teachers had a stronger mindset regarding their instructional strategies, lesson preparations, and efficacy, compared to their more moderate mindset regarding their CLIL training and preparation. Secondly, the CLIL teachers had a different mindset regarding language use in their CLIL instruction due to their learners’ English proficiency levels. Finally, their lesson designs were lacking a 4Cs culture. Based on …

Digital Stories Of Resilience: A Case Study Of Urban Community College English Learners, Patricia George Hunter

Journal of English Learner Education

This study utilizes a qualitative case study approach to learn how project-based, digital storytelling (DST) voices the resilience of post-secondary English language learners (ELLs) attending a minority-serving, open-access, community college in New York City. Along with many studies that have examined the usefulness of DST in oral production, this research investigates whether project-based digital storytelling enhances students’ understanding of academic content related to resilience and conventional composition. Narrative inquiry (NI) research technique is the basis of the digital story project in an English as a Second Language (ESL) course. In this case, the study relies on observations and artifacts to …

Now I See: Video Supports For English Language Learners, Joanna C. Zimmerle, Hanrui He, Tara Hill

Journal of English Learner Education

General education teachers are often unprepared by teacher preparation programs and limited professional development opportunities to support English Language Learners (ELLs), despite the increasing number of ELLs entering US schools and the trend towards placing them in mainstream classrooms. Video resources offer one viable approach to supporting the language learning of ELLs, drawing upon theoretical frameworks such as dual-coding, constructivist theory, and sociocultural perspectives. This paper describes the use of video resources to assist general education teachers in effectively leveraging videos to support the language learning of ELLs in mainstream classrooms.

Factors Associated With Healthcare Students’ Cognitive Levels Measured By The Classroom Test Of Scientific Reasoning., Alberto J. De Armendi, Amir L. Butt, Kathryn M.L Konrad, Mohanad Shukry, Edmund A. Marek Ii

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

Introduction: Healthcare student acceptance into graduate and professional school is based on Grade Point Average (GPA), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, interviews, and letters of recommendation, but not on cognition levels. However, educators need to understand students’ cognitive levels to facilitate constructivist learning theory and inquiry-based learning. The aim of this study is to understand the influence of cognition in healthcare students through the administration of the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR).

Methods: Medical and baccalaureate nursing students were enrolled to answer demographic questions and complete the CTSR. The CTSR rubric score were used to define four operational cognitive …

Pancasila As The Philosophical Foundation Of The Indonesian Curriculum, Nurbaya Pulhehe, Babang Robandi

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

The philosophical foundation of Pancasila, comprised of five principles, plays a significant role in shaping Indonesia's education system. These principles guide curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation, reflecting the nation's educational goals and desired student outcomes. This paper examines the philosophical underpinnings of Pancasila, with a focus on content and graduate competence standards, examining their relationship with educational objectives and their implications for the national curriculum. Utilizing a literature review methodology, the research highlights the critical influence of Pancasila on curriculum development and educational planning in Indonesia. The findings indicate that Pancasila serves as a central philosophical framework guiding Indonesia's national …

Beyond Average Effects In Education Research Syntheses: Explaining Heterogeneity Of Concept Mapping Research In Science Education Through Meta-Regression Modeling, Aaron Wenger

Dissertations

Contemporary education research seeks causal inferences in order to guide policy and practice. Often well-controlled quasi-experimental and experimental designs are used as they are very useful for supporting and contextualizing causal inferences. Nevertheless, individual studies, even high-quality, resource-intensive randomized controlled trials, are not able to establish generalized claims. Because primary studies vary over dozens of variables (e.g., grade, subject, duration) simply conducting additional primary studies cannot change this. Furthermore, the informal assessments of primary studies common in literature reviews are unable to resolve certain challenges (e.g., publication bias) that are described in the emerging field of meta-research. These challenges require …

Tweeting Over Time: Twitter/X For Communication, Assessment, And Growth In Middle Level Teacher Education, Toni M. Williams

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This article shares how preservice Middle Level teacher candidates used social media, specifically Twitter/X as both a resource and a tool and how that tool became important in assessing student growth and knowledge building which, in turn, informed instructional planning for the teacher education classroom. This is paramount for teacher educators and the future educators they teach, as they are preparing to create a variety of engagements for learning in teacher education programs and in middle level classrooms. Creating an online community is a means in which all preservice teachers can use their voices while at the same time having …

Volume 7 (2024) Artificial Intelligence And Responsibility, Arwa Alnajashi, Danielle Derise, Philip L. Frana, David Mcgraw, Amanda Sawyer, Tatjana Titareva, Raafat Zaini, Allie Zombron

International Journal on Responsibility

The seventh volume of the International Journal on Responsibility (IJR) arrives at a crucial moment in the evolution of artificial intelligence and its integration into our academic and social fabric. As we witness the rapid advancement and deployment of AI systems across various domains, this special issue examines the multifaceted dimensions of responsibility surrounding AI technology, with a particular focus on its role in higher education and broader societal implications.

The articles in this volume contribute to our understanding of responsibility through diverse lenses, from classroom implementation to ethical design considerations. Together, they fulfill IJR’s central mission of exploring “Who …

Educative Leadership Of Curriculum Development Reconceptualized As Leadership Of Personal, Group, Institutional And System Learning, Reynold Js Macpherson

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

This paper reconceptualizes educative leadership as leadership of learning, integrating advancements in curriculum development, epistemological diversity, and ethical imperatives within a holistic pragmatic framework.

Leadership of learning positions leaders as facilitators of dynamic educational ecosystems that align curriculum goals with pluralistic epistemologies, practical solutions, and contextual relevance. Recent curriculum trends—such as personalized learning, competency-based education, cultural responsiveness, and socio-emotional learning—reflect an embrace of constructivist and critical approaches, emphasizing inclusivity and adaptability.

Holistic pragmatism strengthens these developments, advocating for curriculum designs that are theoretically sound and practically relevant, fostering co-construction of knowledge through active engagement.

Organizational development (OD) theory enriches this …

Playful Learning In Higher Education To Inspire Playful Learning In P-12 Classrooms, Norline Wild

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Playful learning has immense potential and relevance across all educational levels, from early childhood to university settings. However, play is often dismissed as an activity reserved only for young children and is ignored in higher education The purpose of this practitioner article is to share instructional strategies and insights in order to demonstrate the immense potential of play at the university level. The goal is not only to inspire teacher educators to be critical thinkers and to creatively interweave playful learning into their pedagogy but to provide concrete examples through modeling of how this can be done. Initially, a dedicated …

Invent A Kid Project: Fostering Creative Reflective Practice In Teacher Candidates, Karen Poland, Mary Ellen Bardsley, Paul Vermette

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

A primary goal of teacher education programs is to equip teacher candidates with the necessary skills to navigate the social and cultural realities and complexities of the classroom while seamlessly integrating theory and practice. As our classrooms become more socially, economically, and culturally diverse it is important for teachers to evolve into developmentally and culturally responsive individuals who can incorporate a variety of teaching strategies to meet the unique needs of each student. However, novice teachers often face challenges in meeting the individual needs of students due to their lack of experience, classroom management challenges, time constraints, the complexity of …

Translanguaging In Middle Level Education, Helen Brandon, Ellis Hurd

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This case study explores the experiences of two teacher candidates (TCs) in professional development school (PDS) settings with multilingual learners. While valuing multilingual learner’s diverse linguistic backgrounds and language repertoires by drawing from a toolkit of responsive practices, the TCs embraced but struggled with layering translanguaging into their classroom practices. It also examines the middle grades program that these TCs attended while centering asset-based thinking and culturally responsive practices. Overall, this study shows that teacher education programs must include another critical layer to TCs’ experiences: building the toolkit of middle school cooperating teachers (CTs). This study also serves as a …

Unquantifiable: The Impacts Of Len Vacher, Victor J. Ricchezza, Nathan D. Grawe

Numeracy

This article celebrates H.L. (Len) Vacher, the founding editor of Numeracy. While many readers of this journal are no doubt familiar with Len’s contributions here and to quantitative literacy as a practice and habit of mind, fewer are intimately familiar with Len’s history and impacts as a professor and colleague. This paper analyzes Len's contributions to the advancement of quantitative literacy through his scholarship in the journal and through the careers of former students and colleagues at the University of South Florida. The former observations originate in interview data originally collected as part of research on Len’s computational geology course …

A Framework For Strengthening The Quantitative Skills/Reasoning Support Ecosystem At Small Liberal Arts Colleges, Laura J. Muller, Melissa Eblen-Zayas Ph.D.

Numeracy

We developed a framework for characterizing an institution’s quantitative skills/reasoning support ecosystem to consider how various activities contribute to student success in areas connected to students’ quantitative preparation. Through discussions with faculty and staff stakeholders at eight selective small liberal arts colleges, we established that the quantitative skills/reasoning support ecosystem at these institutions consists of four domains: bridge programs with a quantitative component, assessment of readiness, curricular on-ramps, and supplementary support for courses that require quantitative skills/reasoning. The framework includes questions about each domain that can be used by stakeholders in different institutional positions to reflect on existing efforts to …

Beyond Visual Limits: Systems Thinking For The Visually Impaired Using Generative Ai, Allie Zombron, Raafat Zaini, Arwa Alnajashi

International Journal on Responsibility

This paper investigates the responsible application of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance accessibility in STEM education. It presents a proof of concept to generate descriptions of visual representations of Systems Thinking (Meadows, 2009), a discipline that is challenging for individuals with visual impairments. By adhering to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (The Americans with Disabilities Act, 2024) guidelines and leveraging AI, this initiative aims to facilitate comprehension of complex systems. It underscores the ethical imperative of inclusivity in educational technology. Developing AI-driven tools to describe System Dynamics showcases a commitment to ethical AI deployment, promoting equitable access …

Enhanced Instructional And Professional Growth Through A Pragmatic Instructional Approach, Joanna C. Weaver, Gabriel T. Matney, Chloe Beeker, Alex Zalar

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

Finding a pragmatic process across university programs and disciplines that has the potential to strengthen programs and instruction has promise for adoption because of the possible impact and benefits. Jigsaw Lesson Study (JLS) has that potential and could be expanded into not only a teacher-education classroom but also into any discipline across a university campus. JLS offers opportunities for student engagement and professional development. Here, we used the JLS process, modified from Lesson Study (LS), to strengthen instructional decision-making, lesson planning, and student learning in a teacher-education course. We sought to …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 8, Issue 2, Fall 2024

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2024 issue (Volume 8, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2024 issue presents practical ideas and prompts for those who teach at colleges and universities in a variety of disciplines. Articles ways to use popular culture (in this case, reality TV) to teach higher-level concepts; strategies for adapting Lesson Study techniques for preservice teachers; and a review of McNair et al.'s 2022 book on creating student ready colleges.

The Teacher Mental Health Crisis: A Mixed Methods Examination Of The Factors Contributing To Teacher Burnout, Minerva Carrasco

Masters Theses (Archived)

For decades, teachers' mental health and burnout have been an issue nationwide (Sewell, 1971). This has been an even larger struggle in the education field in recent years because turnover is high, the COVID-19 pandemic, and districts are struggling to find ways to retain teachers to stay in their profession. There are things that administrators and teachers can do to guide districts to ensure that teachers are comfortable in their classrooms and their school campus. There are coping strategies that teachers can do to prevent teacher mental health and burnout and there are ways that administrators can support their teachers …

Embodied Cognition And Teaching Stem: Tenets To Explain And Enhance A Middle School Science Project, Jonathan E. Roberts, Joshua L. Williams, Robert A. Hodgdon, Caroline Payne, Gabriela Ruiz Emmanuelli

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

STEM pedagogy is a popular area for research and discussion. The empirical literature on this topic supports a variety of approaches (e.g., inquiry-based) to help instructors spark student interest create an effective learning environment, and foster long-term retention and transfer of information related to STEM topics. One potential approach is to use tenets of embodied cognition, in which behavior and cognition emerge out of real-time sensorimotor behavior of the individual situated within a particular context, to implement strategies to enhance STEM pedagogy. We applied the six lessons of embodied cognition to understand the beneficial aspects of a middle-school project on …

Society Of American Foresters (Saf) Academic Publications As They Relate To The Curriculum Standards For Saf Forestry Program Accreditation: A Content Analysis, Lisa M. Bentley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Goals that impact decision-making components within academic programs in the university system have the potential to define and change the direction of a field of study, and, with that, should be thoughtfully approached with a certainty of evidence that supports responsible paradigms in forestry education. Periodic revision of the standards for accreditation by SAF influences institutional expectations that result in shifts in forestry education and should be consistent with professional forestry standards. The methodology utilized in this research contextualizes data from a sociological perspective intentionally as a method to holistically integrate data as evidence to support the interpretation of Society …

Developing Problem-Solvers: Cultivating A Scientific Way Of Thinking In Early Learners, Sarah Oeltjenbruns, Matthew J. Weyers, Maya Fogarty, Bryan Matera

Essays in Education

Adopting a science mindset in the early education years is critical for supporting critical thinking, curiosity, and systematic inquiry in students, setting a foundation for lifelong learning and problem-solving. This mindset, which values continuous learning and persistence, enables students to approach challenges across disciplines with a scientist’s curiosity. Through approaches like the Socratic method, problem-based learning, and hands-on activities, educators can enhance students' critical thinking and collaborative skills. By creating opportunities for inquiry-based learning, such as entry events, the See Feel Think Wonder protocol, and the Question Formulation Technique, teachers cultivate curiosity and guide students toward self-directed exploration. For example, …

Keep It Real! Introducing A Four-Part Framework For Real-World Math Teaching In The Secondary Classroom, Patrick Mcguire

Colorado Mathematics Teacher

Drawing upon research-based best practices and previous literature, this article introduces a four-part “REAL” framework (Relevance, Equity, Application, and Leveraging Technology) to help secondary math teachers integrate real-world activities in their classrooms. The article provides an example of a REAL-world activity, “The 8^th Billion Baby” (Yummy Math; https://yummymath.com/post/the-8th-billion-baby/) further demonstrating how secondary mathematics teachers can move from theory to practice. The article concludes with a curated list of recommended resources designed to support real-world teaching and learning in secondary mathematics classrooms.

Using Geogebra To Foster Imagination And Creativity To Build Mathematics Confidence In A Stem World, Joseph M. Furner

Transformations

Math teachers can better prepare all student for a STEM world using computer software like GeoGebra to better prepare our youth for such high-tech careers like that of which Einstein was part of while also emphasizing and fostering creativity in the learning of mathematics. It is critical we have young learners who are confident in their ability to do math and be creative. Teachers today need to check dispositions toward mathematics and address math anxiety while building math confidence in their students. In an ever-advancing world of technology, math teachers need to incorporate such emerging technologies like GeoGebra into the …

Rachel’S Saga: Using Adolescent Literature In The Mathematics Classroom As A Form Of Bibliotherapy To Help Students Overcome Math Apprehension, Joseph M. Furner

Transformations

Math anxiety is prevalent and an understanding of mathematics is critical in an increasingly technological/STEM society, teachers must play a role in reducing the levels of math anxiety of learners. More recently, children's and adolescent literature has been recognized now as a means to teaching mathematics to students through the use of stories to make the math concepts relevant and meaningful. Literature may be used as a therapy to reach students who may be frustrated with math and/or who experience math anxiety. Story and picture books such as Math Curse (Scieszka & Smith, 1995) and A Gebra Named Al (Isdell, …

Bridging The Gap: Addressing Deficits In Reading Comprehension And Critical Thinking Skills Among Students, Kelsey R. Ramos

Masters Projects

This project tackles the persistent decline in reading comprehension and critical thinking skills among secondary students, emphasizing their importance for academic success and real-world problem-solving. Grounded in constructivist theory, the initiative introduces a professional development program designed to equip educators with strategies to foster deeper student engagement with texts. Key components include text-based discussions, the integration of culturally relevant literature, and student-centered approaches to learning. The program comprises pre-session surveys, interactive workshops, collaborative planning, and ongoing check-ins to ensure continuous support and adaptability. Teachers are provided with practical tools to enhance classroom practices, with success measured by improved teacher confidence …

Developing A Learner-Centered Response To Writing Through A Graduate Course In Writing-Across-The-Curriculum, Faqryza Ab Latif, Kristin Winet

Journal of Response to Writing

Although writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) programs have been commonplace since the 1970s, the focus has largely been at the level of assessment and programmatic development and less on the instructors, particularly graduate teaching assistants (TAs) who adopt these practices. In this article, we describe a pilot WAC graduate-level course in writing pedagogy that our institution developed as part of our recent membership in the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL). We also share how one science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate student revised her approach to assignment design, feedback, and assessment for a general education course and …

Multicultural Perspectives On Building Instructional Capacity For Multilingual Learners: Synergy Of Teachers, Community Members, And Academics, Mihaela Gazioglu, Emily Howell, Lindsey W. Rowe, Victoria Pennington, Nicole Ferguson-Sams, Kavita Mittapalli, Amian Banerjee

Publications

This design-based research study explored the feedback process, resulting actions, and changing instructional perspectives involving teachers, community members, and researchers leading to enhanced professional development offered to K-12 teachers of multilingual students. Specifically, the feedback from a community advisory council and teachers significantly shaped researchers’ approaches to designing and adapting a literacy course to address the needs of multilingual students’ caregivers. The findings underscore the importance of a holistic approach to professional development and highlight the multicultural perspectives that academics can discover by involving both community stakeholders and teachers in promoting impactful practices for multilingual learners.

Exploring The Interplay Among Effort, Motivation, And Self-Efficacy In High School Mathematics And Act Math Achievement, Katrina Lightsey

Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between high school students' attributions of effort, motivation, and self-efficacy as they relate to ACT math scores. Despite the important role of standardized tests in determining college admissions, there has been little research conducted to determine how students feel about these attributions and how they relate to math grades and ACT scores. A total of 52 juniors and seniors from local high schools participated in this study, which was conducted over the summer through voluntary participation following email invitations. The study was designed to measure students' self-reported effort, motivation, and self-efficacy using a survey instrument. …

Teachers’ Perception Of School Counselors’ Effectiveness When Supporting Middle-Level African American Males, Vanessa Dease

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Six teachers representing three sites in a single school district shared their perceptions through interviews regarding school counselors' effectiveness when supporting African American middle-level males academically, socially, and emotionally. A reflexive thematic analysis guided this study with the help of the sociocultural and expectancy theories. As participants shared their perceptions through interviews, they answered the three research questions that guided the research. The research questions are: (a) What are teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of school counselors in addressing the unique social and emotional needs of African American male students? (b) What do educators expect of school counselors regarding supporting …

Teaching Learning Newsletter Vol 4 Issue 2, Sastra Deemed To Be University

TLC Newsletter

No abstract provided.