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Program Accountability In Teacher Education: A Study Of The Perceptions Of University And State Government Leaders In The State Of Washington, Gary W. Ballou

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation explored the perceptions of accountability in teacher education programs in the State of Washington across three different stakeholder groups: university deans and/or program directors, legislators, and executive staff members (Governor). This qualitative study involved three (3) rounds of interviews. First, individual open-ended interviews were conducted with 30 individuals (10 Washington state legislators, 5 executive staff members, and 15 university deans/program directors). Second, individual follow-up interviews were conducted with 5 participants from the first round of interviews. Third, a focus group comprised of the same 5 participants from the follow-up interviews were asked for even deeper specifications and insights …

Constructing An Ethic Of Care In Teacher Education: Narrative As Pedagogy Toward Care, Colette Rabin

Faculty Publications

Teacher educators have a civic responsibility to prepare novice teachers to foster relationships across cultural, racial, and socioeconomic divides. Care ethics acknowledges this imperative. This study explores how to cultivate the knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with constructing a caring stance toward the work of teaching. Data come from two preservice teacher education courses. A cluster of course activities sought to foster novice teachers’ core skills for a caring stance. In particular, one assignment, an ethical dilemma case, gave the novice teachers the opportunity to write a narrative about practice and consider any potential moral implications. Since narrative methodology accounts …

Teacher Effectiveness: The Roles Of Teacher Characteristics, Preparation, And Turnover, Sharon Kukla-Acevedo

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

After nearly a century of research, scholars are still unable to concretely define the personal and professional characteristics that predict effective teachers. This dissertation contributes to the research base by using a unique dataset that allows the estimation of unbiased effects of teacher characteristics and preparation program on student gains. These estimates provide new evidence that, with quality data, teacher characteristics can predict student gains.

The effects of teacher characteristics on student gains are analyzed using data from a Kentucky school district that links teachers to individual students over time. A series of fixed- and between-effects models are used to …

Learning How To Conduct Educational Research In Teacher Education : A Turkish Perspective, Ismail H. Demircioglu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper examines the attitudes of student teachers in social studies towards an educational research assignment, undertaken in an educational research methods course given at the Fatih Faculty of Education at Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey. A questionnaire containing open-ended questions and an interview were used in the data-collection process of this research. 74 student teachers answered the questionnaire; 20 of these teachers were selected for interview through a random sampling method, and they then participated in a semi-structured interview. In the light of the data, it can be said that the majority of student teachers gained basic educational research skills …

Engaging With Images And Stories : Using A Learning Approach To Develop Agency Of Beginning "At-Risk" Pre-Service Teachers, Karen Noble, Robyn Henderson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

At a regional Australian university, a Learning Circle approach was implemented with a small group of first year education students who identified themselves as “at risk” of failure in the tertiary context. As part of their participation in weekly meetings, the students engaged in discussion, reflection and problem-solving related to their transition to university study. They also participated in a visual research inquiry which included the construction of photographic images and research conversations about being university students and dealing with study demands. Through the privileging of interactions and relationships, the students were able to make connections to other Discourses from …

Professional Development As A Critical Componenet Of Continuing Teacher Quality, Paulina Phillips

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional Development is critical for improving and maintaining teacher quality and the effect flows on into the classroom. Factors influencing the success of Professional Development activities include potential for workplace change, the diverse effect and understanding of adult learning principles, subject specificity, effective mentoring and the relevance of the presented material. Relevant Professional Development plays a major role in school reform and mentoring programs including new teacher induction and can enhance the benefits of sharing expertise between generations

Actively Engaging Pre-Service Teachers In Geometry And Measurement, Kadian M. Callahan

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

Current work in mathematics education suggests that the learning experiences in which teachers engage during undergraduate study influences their knowledge of and beliefs about mathematics and the ways in which they will teach (Allen, et. al., 2008; CBMS, 2001; Hill, Rowan, & Ball, 2005; National Research Council, 2001). However, very little is known about pre-service teachers’ learning experiences and how those experiences influence their thinking about mathematics teaching and learning. The classroom excerpt described here attempts to illuminate how pre-service, elementary teachers’ active engagement in the learning of geometry and measurement influences their mathematical power: a positive disposition toward mathematics, …

Encouraging Student Creativity In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly, Terry Barrett

Journal Articles

This chapter focuses on how teachers encourage the development of creative states of flow in their students and in themselves. The chapter aims to stimulate educators in higher education to think freshly about creativity and to widen their range of strategies for encouraging student creativity.

Introductory Texts, Georgia Association Of Mathematics Teacher Educators

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

Cover page

GAMTE Information

Letter from the President

Table of Contents

Paper 1: Becoming Critical Mathematics Pedagogues: A Journey, David W. Stinson, Carla R. Bidwell, Ginny C. Powell, Mary M. Thurman

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

This session will report the findings of a study that explored the beginning transformations in the pedagogical philosophies and practices of three mathematics teachers (middle, high school, and 2-year college) who completed a graduate-level mathematics education course that focused on critical theory and teaching for social justice, and how these transformations are compatible (or not) with reform mathematics education as suggested by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and in turn, the new Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). The study employed Freirian participatory research methodology; in fact, the participants were not only co- researchers, but also co-authors of the …

Paper 2: Virtual Vs. Concrete Manipulatives In Mathematics Teacher Education: A Call For Research, Annita W. Hunt

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

Are virtual manipulatives as effective as concrete (hands-on) manipulatives to build conceptual understanding of number concepts and relationships in pre-service middle grades teachers? In the past, the use of concrete manipulatives in mathematics courses for Clayton State University’s preservice middle grades teachers has proven to be a very effective way to build conceptual understanding of a variety of mathematical topics. This paper presents an argument for the need for research into the usefulness of virtual manipulatives for enhancing mathematics teacher education and their potential to supplement (or replace?) concrete manipulatives.

Paper 3: Actively Engaging Pre-Service Teachers In Geometry And Measurement, Kadian M. Callahan

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

Current work in mathematics education suggests that the learning experiences in which teachers engage during undergraduate study influences their knowledge of and beliefs about mathematics and the ways in which they will teach (Allen, et. al., 2008; CBMS, 2001; Hill, Rowan, & Ball, 2005; National Research Council, 2001). However, very little is known about pre-service teachers’ learning experiences and how those experiences influence their thinking about mathematics teaching and learning. The classroom excerpt described here attempts to illuminate how pre-service, elementary teachers’ active engagement in the learning of geometry and measurement influences their mathematical power: a positive disposition toward mathematics, …

Paper 4: The Paaps Strategy For Teaching Mathematics Content, Gregory K. Harrell

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

In the fall of 2005, I started teaching the mathematics content course Algebra and Geometry for Teachers. The majority of students in the course are pre-service middle school teachers. Instead of teaching the course by demonstrating rigorous proofs, I wanted to use teaching strategies that would build the students’ content knowledge and connect to their roles as future mathematics teachers. I chose to make problem solving a focal process standard by having students problem- solve for a majority of classroom time. In addition, the students complete a major project entitled “Provide, Attempt, and Assess Problem Solving” or PAAPS. For PAAPS, …

Paper 5: Preservice Teachers’ Disposition Self-Appraisals: Is There A Connection To Mathematics Instructional Practices?, Shonda Lemons-Smith

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

This paper explores preservice teachers’ dispositions and the connection to mathematics instructional practices. The Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy served as the theoretical grounding for the study. Hence, its three broad propositions: conceptions of self and others, social relations, and conceptions of knowledge structure the argument presented. The participants in the study are elementary preservice teachers enrolled in a post-baccalaureate alternative certification program. The full-time, accelerated program focuses on and is specifically designed for individuals committed to teaching in urban, high-poverty schools. A dispositions survey, open-ended narratives, and teaching observation rubric served as data sources for the qualitative study. Findings …

Becoming Critical Mathematics Pedagogues: A Journey, David W. Stinson

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

This session will report the findings of a study that explored the beginning transformations in the pedagogical philosophies and practices of three mathematics teachers (middle, high school, and 2-year college) who completed a graduate-level mathematics education course that focused on critical theory and teaching for social justice, and how these transformations are compatible (or not) with reform mathematics education as suggested by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and in turn, the new Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). The study

employed Freirian participatory research methodology; in fact, the participants were not only co- researchers, but also co-authors of the …

The Paaps Strategy For Teaching Mathematics Content, Greg Harrell

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

In the fall of 2005, I started teaching the mathematics content course Algebra and Geometry for Teachers. The majority of students in the course are pre-service middle school teachers. Instead of teaching the course by demonstrating rigorous proofs, I wanted to use teaching strategies that would build the students’ content knowledge and connect to their roles as future mathematics

teachers. I chose to make problem solving a focal process standard by having students problem- solve for a majority of classroom time. In addition, the students complete a major project entitled

“Provide, Attempt, and Assess Problem Solving” or PAAPS. For PAAPS, …

Preservice Teachers’ Disposition Self-Appraisals: Is There A Connection To Mathematics Instructional Practices?, Shonda Lemons-Smith

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

This paper explores preservice teachers’ dispositions and the connection to mathematics instructional practices. The Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy served as the theoretical grounding for the study. Hence, its three broad propositions: conceptions of self and others, social relations, and conceptions of knowledge structure the argument presented. The participants in the study are elementary preservice teachers enrolled in a post-baccalaureate alternative certification program. The full-time, accelerated program focuses on and is specifically designed for individuals committed to teaching in urban, high-poverty schools. A dispositions survey, open-ended narratives, and teaching observation rubric served as data sources for the qualitative study. Findings …

Research Mentors' Perspectives On Scientist-Teacher Partnerships, Andrea Van Waardhuizen

Honors Program Theses

Research A venues for Iowa's Science Educators [ RAISE] is a six week summer research program at the University of Northern Iowa for middle and high school science teachers. The teachers conduct scientific research under the supervision of a faculty mentor who regularly conducts his/her own research. In the past, only outcomes for the teacher fellows were evaluated. This study begins to examine the outcomes for faculty mentors.

Evaluating Teaching: A New Approach To An Old Problem, L. Dee Fink

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

The approach to evaluating the quality of teaching described in this chapter starts by developing a Model of Good Teaching. This model is then used to create a set of evaluation procedures based on four key dimensions of teaching: design of learning experiences, quality of teacher/student interactions, extent and quality of student learning, and teacher’s effort to improve over time. The challenges and benefits of using these procedures are discussed.

Grounded Theory Research In Faculty Development: The Basics, A Live Example, And Practical Tips For Faculty Developers, Michael Sweet, Rochelle Roberts, Joshua Walker, Stephen Walls, John Kuscera, Shana Shaw, Janet Riekenberg, Marilla Svinicki

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

While autobiographical narratives and case study reflections remain vital to faculty development research, we must also make substantive efforts to build theory in our field. Researchers making claims about collective meanings of observed behaviors and the mechanisms that underlie them (i.e., theoretical claims about social behavior) must be disciplined in how they identify and organize the evidence they use to support those claims. Such systematic, inductive theory-building in the social sciences is called “grounded theory” research. This chapter presents the basics of grounded theory research, describes a grounded theory research program currently being executed by faculty developers, and offers practical …

Supporting The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning At Liberal Arts Colleges, Dolores Peters, David Schodt, Mary Walczak

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Although the liberal arts college, with its traditional focus on teaching, may seem like a natural environment for the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), few such institutions participate in national SoTL initiatives. Our associates’ experience since 2001 suggests a model for supporting SoTL in teaching-intensive contexts based on faculty ownership, a focus on general education, and some emerging rules of engagement. Because faculty reward systems must validate SoTL if it is to become part of the institutional culture, we also describe one department’s efforts to reform its review criteria in order to define scholarly activity broadly.

Marketing Plans For Faculty Development: Student And Faculty Development Center Collaboration For Mutual Benefit, Victoria Mundy Bhavsar, Steven J. Skinner

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Our faculty development center engaged senior-level business students as consultants to help us inform instructors about our resources. The students argued that organizational and marketing tasks are critical to our pedagogical work as they create opportunities for the pedagogical work to occur. This chapter describes the collaboration, the students’ recommendations, and the center’s response. Engaging students, our ultimate clients, in setting priorities for our center was a powerful learning experience for both us and them. Other centers may wish to use our experiences as impetus to collaborate with students on their campuses.

Thawing The Chilly Climate: Inclusive Teaching Resources For Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math, Katherine A. Friederich, Sherill L. Sellers, Judith N. Burstyn

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Although universities are aware of the need to promote diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), this awareness has not translated into significant changes in classroom environments. Many STEM instructors would like to offer equal opportunities for success to all of their students, but they are not sure where to begin. We describe an effective group of teaching tools that can empower STEM faculty and graduate students to modify their courses to address diversity at their own pace. These resources extend from awareness exercises to recommendations for action and have been useful tools for course design, teaching assistant training, …

Co-Teaching As A Faculty Development Model, Andrea L. Beach, Charles Henderson, Michael Famiano

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Co-teaching is a promising and cost-effective approach to promoting fundamental research-based instructional change. In this chapter, we discuss the theoretical underpinnings of co-teaching and describe our initial experience with it. A new instructor (MF) co-taught with an instructor experienced in physics education research-based reforms (CH). An outsider (AB) conducted separate interviews with each instructor and observed several class sessions. Results include immediate use of research-based instructional practices by the new instructor and a significant change in teaching beliefs over time. Recommendations are made for implementing co-teaching as part of a faculty development program.

The Impact Of Professional Development On Assessment And Grading Practices For Secondary Teachers, Nicole Lynn Roorda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies suggest that a potential misalignment between assessment and grading practices in reporting secondary student academic achievement has negatively impacted students since grades may not truly reflect actual achievement. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to compare secondary teachers' use of academic and nonacademic factors when reporting student achievement before and after professional development on assessment and grading practices. Following change theory, the study investigated the efficacy of employing professional development as a means of influencing more standard and appropriate practices among secondary teachers with regard to using academic and nonacademic factors when employing standards-based reporting to determine …

Family Message Journals: A Tool For Writing Instruction Combined With Parent Involvement, Sandi Michele Mccann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mandates on reading and math achievement in elementary education in rural Georgia have led to a decline in writing proficiency as the subject becomes increasingly neglected. At the same time, schools strive to increase parental involvement programs. Consequently, there is a need for more research on the impact of parental involvement on student writing proficiency. Accordingly, this qualitative case study examined the impact of Family Message Journals (FMJ) and parent participation on teaching writing across the curriculum. Participants included 6 third-graders and their parents. Students wrote in journals 4 days per week across the 4 months of the study, and …

The Impact Of A Professional Learning Community On Student Achievement, Brandon S. Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional learning communities (PLC) have the potential to strengthen students' academic achievement. An academic pyramid of interventions, one aspect of PLCs, may be especially helpful in schools where subgroups of students are underperforming relative to other students on standardized testing. This quantitative, one-group, pretest-posttest study examined the impact of implementing an academic pyramid of interventions as part of a PLC on middle school student academic achievement. The 100 students from grade 7 and 8 who participated in the study were identified by teachers as being at-risk for success on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The reading and math test …

Intrinsic Motivation Of Students With Disabilities In The General Education Setting: What Teachers Should Know And Be Able To Do, Beverly Stinson Faircloth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities (SWD) be educated in the least restrictive environment, while the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that these students meet minimum criteria on statewide testing by 2014. This sequential explanatory mixed methods action research study, situated in Bandura's self-efficacy and Atkinson's drive theories, examined the effects of teacher training and subsequent implementation of strategies on the intrinsic motivation of SWD. Intrinsic motivation was measured using the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (CAIMI) before and after the training. A repeated measures t-test analyzed the mean difference in the students' …

The Effects Of Teacher Race In The Elementary School On Student Achievement Test Scores, John Stortz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The racial and gender composition of elementary school teachers does not match those of the students and this may be contributing to an inequity of achievement scores between African American and European American students. This ex post facto causal comparative study compared three levels of elementary school diversity personnel staffing on Grade 4 African American student Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores and differences between male African American scores and female African American scores in a suburban Atlanta county. Nine intentionally selected elementary schools were chosen representing 3 racial diversity personnel staffing levels including 39% to 50%, 25% to 27%, and …

The Impact Of The 101s: A Guide To Positive Discipline Training On Teacher Interaction Practices, Attitudes, And Prosocial Skill Outcomes In Preschool Classrooms, Marie Louise Talayco Masterson

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

This study investigated the impact of The 101s: A Guide to Positive Discipline on teachers of preschool Title 1 children. Current research supports the impact of responsive social emotional support and positive teacher-child interactions on both short and long term social and academic outcomes, with specific remediating benefits for children most at risk of school failure. The 101s training and materials evaluated in this study included ten principles/skills to support respectful, responsive interactions hypothesized to support positive prosocial skill responding. Training was provided to 34 teachers with control and experimental groups. Analysis of quantitative pre and post observation data found …