Digital Commons Network^™

The Rights Of The Learner: A Framework For Promoting Equity Through Formative Assessment In Mathematics Education, Crystal A. Kalinec-Craig

Democracy and Education

An elementary mathematics teacher once argued that she and her students held four Rights of the Learner in the classroom: (1) the right to be confused; (2) the right to claim a mistake; (3) the right to speak, listen and be heard; and (4) the right to write, do, and represent only what makes sense. Written as an emerging framework to promote equity in the mathematics classroom through divergent formative assessment, the RotL assumes that students can take more explicit ownership of their learning, both in writing and in oral communication. Foregrounded in the literature, this paper discusses how the …

Seeking Democracy Inside, And Outside, Of Education: Re-Conceptualizing Perceptions And Experiences Related To Democracy And Education, Paul R. Carr, Gina Thésée

Democracy and Education

This conceptual article underscores the importance of critical engagement in and through education with a view to enhancing education for democracy (EfD). As a centerpiece to illustrating this connection, we refer to our research project, which engages international actors through an analysis of the perceptions, experiences and perspectives of education students, educators and others in relation to EfD. The article presents the Thick-Thin Spectrum of EfD and a Spectrum for Critical Engagement for EfD to re(present) the problematic of political engagement and literacy on the part of teacher-education students. The findings of our study highlight a necessity for education to …

Ikeda Draws Parallels Between The Muslim Ban And Incarceration Of Japanese Americans, Aliya Uteuova

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On Monday, Nov. 13 [2017], University of Maine welcomed Tom Ikeda for his talk titled "World War II Incarceration of Japanese Americans and Why It Matters Today."

What Teachers Need To Know About Translanguaging, Thomas Snell

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project addresses the question, what do non-ESL teachers need to know about translanguaging in order to support their emergent bilingual students? Translanguaging has emerged in the last two decades as both an epistemology of language and a pedagogical imperative with broad implications for language teaching and learning. This project traces the design and implementation of a professional development experience for teachers on translanguaging, whose goal is to effect a shift in teachers’ thinking about language so that they can understand their students more fully. It was designed specifically for non-ESL teachers, assumes no prior knowledge of translanguaging, and emphasizes …

World History Lesson Module Design: Promoting Civic Responsibility Through Engagement, Relevancy, And Global Understanding, Jacalyn R. Polloway

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

A goal with this capstone was to create a classroom that advocates civic responsibility through the use of understanding, engagement, application, compassion, and skills to succeed in the future. If lessons are geared around critical thinking, engagement, and creativity while in a world history class that also reminds students of empathy and relevancy to their lives, then students may begin to think about civic responsibility and social justice not only throughout history but also in their lives. Whether it’s the topic of warfare, genocide, the Syrian refugee crisis, discrimination, or other societally relevant topic, teachers need to inspire strategies to …

Teaching Animal Ethics In Culturally Diverse Settings, Julie Knopp

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project explores the research question “How can we teach compassion for animals in a culturally responsive manner?” The premise stems from the contrast of the narrow range of values taught in public schools and the growing cultural diversity of our students. Literature in moral development theory, culturally responsive pedagogy, and humane education suggested that the most effective values education invites students to think critically. By providing information, modeling, and supports for ethical decision-making, students develop a greater sense of moral integrity, while simultaneously developing essential academic skills. The result of this project is a unit promoting critical thinking about …

Ypar, Critical Whiteness, And Generative Possibilities. A Response To “Sam And Cristina: A Dialogue Between A High School Teacher And Student About The Commoditization Of People Of Color”, Chris Corces-Zimmerman, Jamie Utt, Nolan L. Cabrera

Democracy and Education

In this response to the article by Tanner and Corrie, the authors provide three critiques of the methodology and theoretical framing of the study with the hopes of informing future scholarship and practice. Specifically, the three critiques addressed in this paper include the integration of CWS frameworks and YPAR methodology, the application and description of CWS and YPAR frameworks, and the role of power in the relationship between educator and student that served as the central medium for the study.

Race, Residential Segregation, And The Death Of Democracy: Education And Myth Of Postracialism, Lori Latrice Martin, Kenneth J. Varner

Democracy and Education

Since the 1930s, federal housing policies and individual practices increased the spatial separation of whites and blacks. Practices such as redlining, restrictive covenants, and discrimination in the rental and sale of housing not only led to residential segregation by race but also continue to shape Whiteness and frame narratives about what constitutes Blackness. Despite the judicial and legislative victories of the civil rights movement, including the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, residential segregation persists and in …

Dispositions Of First Year Teachers Who Teach Mathematics For Social Justice, Kyndall A. Brown

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

For over 10 years, mathematics educators have sought to use mathematics tasks with social justice contexts to engage students. While student teachers in the UCLA Teacher Education Program (TEP) engage in social justice tasks in their secondary mathematics method classes, very few teachers use these types of tasks with students in the classrooms. The master’s inquiry projects of three TEP students who engaged their students in social justice tasks are analyzed to determine how their backgrounds and positionality influenced their instructional decision making. Results show that personal experiences in the teachers’ lives, as well as a desire to increase motivation …

Social Justice Driven Stem Learning (Stemj): A Curricular Framework For Teaching Stem In A Social Justice Driven, Urban, College Access Program., Paul E. Madden, Catherine Wong, Anne C. Vera Cruz, Chad Olle, Mike Barnett

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

This article presents the curricular framework for a social justice driven STEM curriculum (i.e., S_TEMJ) within an out-of-school time program for Boston Public high school students (i.e., College Bound) at Boston College. Starting with a discussion of the authors’ ideological positionality within critical social justice discourses, the authors share how Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) General Ecological Model provides a conceptual framework for operationalizing social justice inquiry with and through STEM. Positioning this curriculum within the College Bound program’s overall design gives readers a sense of how the program’s College and Career, Identity and Society, and S_TEMJ curriculums work …

Ignatian Pedagogy Certificate Final Project Assisnment, Loretta Stalans

Ignatian Pedagogy Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

How Family Advocates Home-Visiting In A Midwestern Urban Area Describe The Impact Of Family Stress On Children’S Learning And Success In School, Virginia Lucio

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine Seven Out of School Factors common among the poor that significantly affect the health and learning opportunities of children. In depth interviews were employed to allow six Family Advocates to answer interview questions regarding their experiences in witnessing the the seven factors. Findings suggest that many children possess one or more of the factors which are related to a host of poverty-induced physical, sociological, and psychological problems that children often bring to school, ranging from neurological damage and attention disorders to excessive absenteeism, linguistic underdevelopment, and oppositional behavior. Implications for future research …

The Use Of Graphic Organizers When Writing With Dual Identified El And Ld Students, Katherine Corrigan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study will focus on the growth and student attitudes and their perceptions of their own ability regarding argumentative and expository writing tasks, specifically in the area of organization and development for dual identified EL and LD Hispanic, middle school students. This study seeks to answer the following guiding questions: Can a graphic organizer help improve organization and development in an argumentative or expository writing task? and How does the explicit instruction and use of an intentionally designed graphic organizer improve student perception of their own abilities and attitudes towards completing an argumentative or expository writing task? The quantitative data …

Equity And A Quality Education: Perceptions Of Suburban And Urban High School Graduates, Leanne Kampfe

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study utilized grounded theory analysis through a critical lens and within a qualitative paradigm to research how students define the quality of their education and its connections to equity. The study focused on a small sample of students, all of whom graduated from one suburban and one urban high school in a Midwestern, metropolitan area. Focus groups, elite interviews, and document analysis were all used to collect data. The theoretical concepts that emerged from the data illustrated the negative impact of white supremacy with regard to the achievement of an equitable, quality education by all students. The data …

Student Women's Association Meeting Minutes, The Feminist Collective

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Typed minutes documenting meetings of the Student Women's Association between January 23, 2017 and January 29, 2018.

Diversifying The Stem Education To Career Pipeline, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

This webinar will provide participants with the results of the Diversifying STEM Think Tank and provide strategies to enhance diversity in the STEM Education to Career Pipeline. It will further focus on the motivation of Black and Latino students to engage in STEM. With an understanding of strategies to diversify, matriculation to higher education may improve, STEM engagement may be enhanced, and visibility in STEM careers may increase. Diversifying the STEM fields may indirectly impact the socioeconomic status of these communities with opportunities to increase their earning potential, have more consistent employment, and obtain leadership positions; while enhancing the industry …

Folklórico Testimonios: Identity, Community, And Agency As Social Justice Cultural Performance For Dancers Of Mexican Folklórico, Manuel Alejandro Perez

Doctoral Dissertations

Mexican students in higher education have few opportunities to learn about their heritage and history outside of Ethnic Studies courses. Some students seek alternative opportunities to learn about their identity and to build community with other Mexican students through folklórico. In Mexican folklórico, dancers learn the techniques and skills to communicate stories about their history, culture, and heritage through movement, song, and dance. This study is the story of Mexican students and folkloristas on their journey to (re)discover identity, community, and agency as they move through higher education.

This study uses testimonio to capture the voice, the struggle, and the …