Digital Commons Network^™

Schools’ Participation In Great Conversation: A Proposal For School Improvement In Pakistan, Zubeda Bana

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper proposes the value of building social relations through critical conversation in schools in developing countries and particularly in Pakistan. The current climate in most of the schools in these countries reflects “apathy” and “ignorance”. It is argued that schools posses a capacity for wisdom if they develop a habit of engaging themselves into critical discourse. Schools can be personified as human beings to speak and open their minds and hearts in front of their stakeholders and share their successes and challenges to form a real sense of school community. The paper also shares an example of one of …

Assessing Formatively In The English Language Classroom, Sherwin Rodrigues

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

The area of ‘assessment’ – and particularly that of ‘formative assessment’ – has attracted the increasing attention of educational researchers within the last decade. This article presents the findings of a qualitative research study that was conducted in a primary school in Oxford, UK. Data were gathered through classroom observations that were videotaped. The assessment strategies used by the teacher were the foci of observations. It was found that questioning and feedback were two key elements characteristics of a teacher’s formative assessment practice in the English Language primary classroom. Extensive questioning for assessment purposes invited pupils to contribute ideas, checked …

A Study Of Career Preparation Activities Used In Michigan’S Public High Schools, Brian L. Pyles

Dissertations

This study assessed the status of Michigan's Career Pathway high schools 2 years after state Career Preparation funding was terminated early, in order to determine the institutionalization of Career Pathway activities. In particular, this study examined the use of Career Pathway curriculum guides, Educational Development Plans (EDPs), student Career Pathway designations, student career assessments, work-based learning activities, alternative scheduling, college credits earned in high school, instructional strategies, teacher professional development, and Career Pathway high school planning committees. This study also ascertained the perceived helpfulness of having students declare a Career Pathway and using EDPs as a guide in the selection …

Art History With A Click Of A Mouse Or A Flip Of A Page?, Richard Herzog

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the impact of three research methods. It examined online materials, as well as contextual research based on printed texts in the elementary population. The researcher sought to determine what the most effective method is for helping students to learn art history content, whether it is in the virtual environment of the Internet, the confines of various textbooks, or a combination of both technology-based and text-based research. The subjects of the study were fifth grade students who attended Bells Elementary School, Turnersville, NJ, in the fall of 2006.

The researcher used multiple …

Rationale And Provisional Lesson Plans For Learning High School Science Through Discovering Dialectically And Creatively, Jean Rene

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

A host of studies on students' understanding of science has revealed that persistent topic-specific misconceptions loom over wide groups of learners. However, in the literature, scant consideration is given to high school students' over-arching misconceptions. Those are erroneous conceptions about the nature of science that tend to be resistant even after traditional instruction. Those large-scale misconceptions lay at the frontier of philosophical standpoints and are likely to inhibit students' ability to construct conceptions aligned with accepted scientific views. This synthesis contends that educators can better address high school students' large scale misconceptions at the conjunction of interconnected scientific notions and …

Learning How To Make Inquiry Into Electricity And Magnetism Discernible To Middle Level Teachers , Gayle A. Buck, Margaret A. Macintyre Latta, Diandra Leslie-Pelecky

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

As university professors we sought to disrupt the practice of giving our students the actions we felt they should imitate in their teaching practice. Instead, we sought to actively engage teachers in the creation of workable solutions to real-life problems. We accomplished this by conducting a participatory action research project. This paper illustrates our action research project focused on preparing middle level science teachers to foster inquiry-based learning in their classrooms. The findings of this study not only lead to a revised professional development opportunity for science teachers, but also provided an example of university faculty engaging in pragmatic research …

Being Visually Impaired In An Elementary Art Classroom: A Case Study, Kristina Benton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of a visually impaired student during art instruction. The data was collected using observations of the subject during art class and a series of one-on-one interviews. The subject of the study was a male, second grade, visually impaired student. His optical disorder is known as Micro-Opthalmia/Cataract Syndrome and is a rare condition. Data was interpreted using coding and transcription based on the themes that developed throughout the course of the study. The findings of the study were (a) that the subject has a high level of self-esteem and view …

“Like Produces Like”: John Heyl Vincent And His 19th Century Theory Of Character Education, Catherine Ganiere, Scott L. Howell, Richard Osguthorpe

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

An examination of late 19th century writings about character development by popular educator and revered Methodist bishop John Heyl Vincent (1832–1920) sheds additional insight on early character education theory. Vincent is best known as the cofounder of the Chautauqua movement in 1874. However, his theoretical constructs for character development merit not only acknowledgment in the discipline’s official history but also further investigation and discussion by today’s scholars. The constructs identified from early writings suggest that effective character education occurs in both the home and the school and requires parents and teachers who model good moral character. This article posits the …

No Child's Intelligence Left Behind: The Impact Of Instrumental Enrichment Training On Teacher Belief Systems, Jeanne Marie Zehr

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods research project provided quantitative and qualitative assessments on the impact of Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment (F.I.E.) training on the belief systems of American educators, specifically on the extent of belief in the modifiability of intelligence. The two-way ANOVA conducted for the quantitative research portion of the study compared the results of five groups of educators with various training experiences with Instrumental Enrichment. The second independent variable, years of experience in teaching, had three levels: 0 to 5, 6 to 30, and 31 +. The dependent variable consisted of epistemological belief in learning ability on a continuum from na'ive …

Stopping The Leak: Retaining Beginning Teachers, Rita C. Richardson, Linda L. Glessner, Homer Tolson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The need for teacher retention has prompted numerous American states to provide programs for training mentors. The goal of mentor training is to offer a support mechanism that will retain novice teachers and assist them in developing their teaching skills. Such a program is the Texas Beginning Educator Support System (TxBESS) which has supported over 10,000 beginning teachers since its implementation in 1999 (State Board for Educator certification, 2004). A group of TxBESS supported interns was surveyed and the data suggest that both retention rates and teacher satisfaction were. high. The interns reported satisfaction particularly with regard to the effectiveness …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, David Ashley, Mamie Peers, Grace Russell, Lisa Shawcroft

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Students Sharing Feelings Of Grief: An Elementary Curriculum On Loss, Kristen Gloumakoff

Senior Honors Projects

“It is only natural that we and our children find many things that are hard to talk about. But anything human is mentionable and anything mentionable is manageable.The mentioning can be difficult, and the managing too, but both can be done if we’re surrounded by love and trust.” ~Fred Rogers This quote could be talking about many different things that parents find difficult to talk to their children about, such as smoking, drinking, drugs, divorce, and sex. I was introduced to this quote as a one about parents talking to their children about death. Death is a part of life, …

Koinonia, Julianna Hutchins, Darcia Narvaez, Donald Miller, David Walsh, Todd Ream, Glen Kinoshita, Steve Morley

Koinonia

Spotlight Feature
The Implications of What We Hold in Common: Restoring the Meaning of Christian Community, Julianna Hutchins

Conference Keynote Previews
Taking Full Advantage of the College Experience to Cultivate Moral Character, Darcia Narvaez

The Gospel of Jesus: Why WIlliam Shakespeare was a Prophet, Donald Miller

A Bad Cause, David Walsh

Thinking Theologically
Thinking Theologically: The Seasons of Hope's Redemption, Part III, Todd Ream

Student Voices
Got Mail? Diversity Dialogues Across the Digital Divide, Glen Kinoshita

Book Review
Generation Me, reviewed by Steve Morley

Features
The President's Corner; Editor's Desk; Regional Updates

Motivation Of Asian Americans To Study Medicine: A Pilot Study, Ralitsa Akins

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

In the Background section, major trends in medical school population diversity are explored in regard to Asian American cultural values for success, Asian educational values and traditions, and relatedness to immigration laws fostering professional workforce immigration. This background exploration, presenting the diverse forces forming the environment for Asian American immigrants and their cultural roots, will help the understanding of the results of the pilot study on motivation of Asian Americans to study medicine.

Managing Professional Competencies Of Teaching Staff In The University: Views Of Finnish University Leaders, Mark Safferstone

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Higher education institutions should recognize that their staff are their vital and valued asset. The university should therefore, commit itself to encouraging and enabling staff to realize their potential by providing opportunities for all colleagues to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary for them to enhance their contribution to meeting individual, area, and organizational objectives. Not only that staff development should be among a clutch of institutional innovations thrust upon universities, it is a technique or tool to increase quality, efficiency and output, it can be associated with high quality professional performance resulting in career advancement, strategic development, and …

Leadership And Recruitment: What Leaders Can Learn From Coach Robert Montgomery Knight: A Conceptual View, Stephen Anyamele

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

It has always puzzled me why organizations do not seem to take the same amount of time and energy to interview and recruit prospective employees as that shown by sports teams. In this essay, I will be looking at recruitment and leadership typically found in a business environment and that found in a basketball (sports) context; specifically Division I college basketball.

Alumni Assessment: Providing Insight To University Leadership, Janine Kraus

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

When determining the effectiveness of an academic program it is important to assess the program internally through the institution and academic leadership. But, it is also important to assess the graduates that have benefited from the program. This study assessed a doctoral program at a regional university in a metropolitan area. The doctoral program was eliminated due to financial constraints. However, an alumni evaluation was not conducted on this program prior to it be eliminated. The purpose of this study was to conduct an alumni evaluation on this doctoral program to determine its effects with alumni.

Authentic Dialogue In Organizations A Dangerous Idea: Viewing The Art Of Authentic Dialogue Through The Science Of Evolutionary Psychology, Melinda Spohn

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Whether verbal or displayed through body and facial expression, communication is the foundation of what it means to be human. When an infant, driven by its biological propensity for language utters its first words, it marks the start of a transformation toward human interaction. Embedded within this interaction are human emotions that elicit an array of behaviors, some more favorable than others. It is at this juncture the art of authentic dialogue, and its use in organizations, is examined.

Critical Thought Analysis: Bridging The Gap Between Academia And Business, Heidi Gregory-Mina

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Critical thought has been taught to students in varying degrees over the years, but employers believe that critical thinking skills are still lacking in employees (Braun 2004). Some of the barriers between employer expectations and academia concerning critical thought arise from a lack of congruity regarding the meaning of critical thought. However, nearly all researchers agree teaching critical thinking skills is a desirable aim of education (Hemming, 2000). According to Cheung (2002), critical thinking covers four dimensions: (1) cognitive, (2) motivational, (3) ideological, and (4) behavioral. However, other definitions of critical thought range from critical thinking originating from the left …

Dealing With Difficult Co-Workers, Kathy Dale

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

An article providing tips for those dealing with difficult co-workers.

“Go Live In ’05”—From Hierarchy To Shared Governance In Higher Education, Peter A. Maresco

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Higher education is in the midst of a major transformation evidenced by several factors: greater demands from stakeholders; pressure to increase student enrollment, financial uncertainty, limited resources, and a responsibility to contribute to the community’s civic and economic development. Faculty and staff in higher education are challenged to deliver education in innovative ways. This innovation requires an expedient method of governance and necessitates careful examination of the organization’s structural, cultural, and decision-making processes. To meet these demands, leaders in higher education must examine decision-making processes and design governance models that respond quickly and efficiently to their myriad of constituents.

Inside Unlv, Cate Weeks, Eppie Moore, David Ashley, Grace Russell, Lori Bachand, Shane Bevell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 18, Number 1, Spring 2007, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

Message from the President - Judith Kamber, Northern Essex Community College

From the editors -

Encounters With George: Information Literacy and Mathematics at Berkshire Community College - Karen Carreras-Hubbard and Annette Guertin, Berkshire Community College

Achieving Information Literacy Goals Through Collaboration - Pamela Bedore, University of Connecticut, Avery Point

Teaming Up! The Sociology/English Composition I /Librarian Embed Experience at Northern Essex Community College - Linda A. Desjardins, Northern Essex Community College

Common Learning Outcomes for First-Year Information Literacy - Mary Adams, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Gabriela Adler, Bristol Community College; Susan Berteaux, Massachusetts Maritime Academy; Marcia Dinneen, Bridgewater State …

Teaching & Technology Newsletter, Spring 2007, Office Of Instructional Technology, Ryan Matura Libray

Library Newsletters

Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2007.

Technology And The Classroom: Computer Education In Jordanian Public Schools, Ketan Gajria

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study was concerned with the state of computer education classes in public schools outside of Amman. The acquisition of computer skills and knowledge is currently very important for Jordanian students in order to enter a university after graduation and for finding a well-paying job in the Gulf States or in Jordan itself. The researcher visited two public schools and interviewed school teachers, administrators, and Ministry of Education officials in order to determine the major obstacles facing computer education in these environments. A questionnaire was also administered to students of the 9th grade at both schools to determine the extent …

Preservice And K–12 Inservice Teachers' Perceptions Of Appropriateness Of Teacher Self-Disclosure And Its Teaching Effectiveness, Shaoan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Situating teacher self-disclosure within a curriculum and instruction context, this research explored preservice and K-12 inservice teachers' perceptions of appropriateness of teacher self-disclosure and its teaching effectiveness as a component of the informal curriculum as well as an instructional tool. The following research questions were explored: (1) Is there any difference among preservice teachers and K-12 inservice teachers in their perceptions of appropriateness of teacher self-disclosure? (2) Is there any difference between preservice teachers and K-12 inservice teachers in their perceptions of appropriateness of teacher self-disclosure? (3) Is there any difference among K-12 inservice teachers in their application of teacher …

Pediatric School Psychology Service Delivery: Benefits And Barriers , Emily D. Warnes, Kathryn E. Woods, Carrie A. Blevins, Katie Magee, Michelle S. Swanger-Gagne, Heather E. Magee, Susan M. Sheridan

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Presentations

Children with Multifaceted Needs
Pediatric School Psychology
Roles of Pediatric School Psychologists
Training in Pediatric School Psychology
Pediatric School Psychology Training at the University Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)
Previous Research Related to UNL’s Model of Pediatric School Psychology
Purpose and Research Questions
Measures
Procedures Return Rate

Handouts For “Pediatric School Psychology Service Delivery: Benefits And Barriers”, Emily D. Warnes, K.E. Woods, C.A. Blevins, K.L. Magee, M.S. Swanger-Gagne, H.E. Magee, Susan M. Sheridan

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Presentations

Handouts for “Pediatric school psychology service delivery: Benefits and barriers”

Teacher-To-Parent Communication: What Parents Want From Alternative Educators, Shelley A. Hoogers

Master of Education Program Theses

This study was conducted to determine teacher-to-parent communication preferences among parents of students, grades 9-12, attending a rural Iowa alternative education program. Thirty-seven parents were chosen to participate in the study. Twenty volunteered to complete the Parent Communication Survey (PCS). Data analysis of the PCS indicated most parents preferred regular progress updates to be sent bi-weekly via U.S. mail. Parents preferred that teachers contact them about more specific issues via phone call home. Over half of parents surveyed said they would read a classroom newsletter and website. An analysis of parent comments yielded four themes: honesty, timeliness, sensitivity, and partnership. …

Reconstructing Culture And Identity In Academy: Asian Female Scholar Theorizing Her Experiences, Shamah Md-Yunus

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.