Digital Commons Network^™

Who Am I? [7th Grade], Lisa Shay, Judy Shaw

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this three week unit students will gain a better understanding of themselves and how their life experiences and environment have shaped them. Students will also understand that by gaining self-knowledge they are better able to set goals for their future. In order to better understand themselves, students will first examine others lives and obstacles that these individuals have overcome to achieve some level of success. Through this examination students will be able to discover that the past doesn t have to decide their future. They will gain an insight into how certain individuals have triumphed despite difficulties and have …

Teacher Professionalism., Christopher K. Shon

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Is teaching a profession? This article compares teachers with other professionals, such as medical doctors or lawyers, in professional knowledge, autonomy, and commitment to the welfare of the clientele. The implications for teacher professionalism include establishment of national/state standards for professional teachers, increased autonomy in teacher education, salary increase, and opportunities for promotion. However, there still remains a question of whether there will be a genuine improvement in the quality of education with “professional” teachers.

Developing High School Multiple Intelligence Learning Centers: An Action Research Project In History., Jessica Cannaday

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Research that provides results which can be almost instantaneously put into use is looked on by some teachers as a path to better student learning. Accordingly, action research is a form of critical reflection that some experts believe can achieve instant change. Although, action research is sometimes denigrated as lacking in precision, the critical reflection necessary in any well done action research project demonstrates that such research while, not quantitatively rigorous can still be qualitatively useful. As such, the author discusses her own implementation of MI learning centers as a form of action research in the classroom.

Authentic Communication For Japanese Language Learning: A Single Case Study Of Midwestern University Students, Yuki Ozawa

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The purpose of this single case study was to explore authentic communication for Japanese language learning in second-year Japanese classes at a small, private university in the Midwest. Types of authentic Japanese communication and materials in and outside of Japanese class were studied from four learners’ and one professor’s perspectives.

Data were collected throughout one academic year, the first semester of 2004 through the second semester of 2005. Multiple methods of data collection were used in this study including personal interviews, casual conversations, participant observations of classes and related events, and studying relevant documents including the textbook, students’ study sheets, …

Culturally Sensitive Services Using Cbc: A Case Illustration, Diane C. Marti, Katherine Bevins, Susan M. Sheridan

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

•The United States is becoming an increasingly diverse nation. In 2000, 38% of the US population under the age of 18 was non-Anglo whites and nonwhites.

•In addition, since the 1990-91 school year, the LEP population has grown approximately 105%, while the general school population has grown only 12%.

•Many ethnic minority students in English Language Learner (ELL) programs have difficulties achieving in the general education curriculum, and are considered at risk for academic failure (Barona & Garcia, 1990).

•Strong, positive relationships between the home and school systems have been shown to improve a child’s educational experience (Christenson & Sheridan, …

The Early Years: A City Club Report On The Care And Education Of Children From Birth To Age Five, City Club Of Portland (Portland, Or.), Bethany Wurtz, Julie Young

City Club of Portland

No abstract provided.

Starting Conversations With Content Area Peers [Out Of The Box], Jenelle Reeves

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

I offer three principles to guide you as you initiate conversations with content area peers: make it personal, make it positive, and make a connection.

Considering the importance of the relationship between ESOL professionals and content teachers, it is critically important to consider how you engage colleagues in conversation about effective English language learner inclusion. If you open your conversations with content area peers in a positive way, it will set the tone for harmonious, mutually beneficial relationships to follow.

Pediatric School Psychology: Opportunities And Perspectives On Training And Practice, Susan M. Sheridan, Thomas J. Power, Edward S. Shapiro, George Dupaul, Kathy Bradley-Klug, Cindy Ellis

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

Expanded Model: Address Continuum of Need
Targeted Intervention
Process of School Reintegration
Indicated Level of Prevention
Universal Level of Prevention
Implications for School Psychologists
Interdisciplinary, Intersystemic Collaboration in Pediatric School Psychology
CBC in a Pediatric Context
School Psychology Leadership Specialization in Family-Centered Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Catalogue 2006-2007, Bank Street College Of Education

Graduate School of Education

This course catalog from a past academic year is a resource for referring to previous course offerings, degree requirements, institutional policies, and more.

Phonological Awareness Instruction: Opinions And Practices Of Educators And Speech-Language Pathologists In West Virginia, Melinda J. Daniel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research has shown phonological awareness to be a strong predictor of literacy. To support literacy development, a phonological awareness project was piloted in several West Virginia schools in 2001. This study compared WV educators based on employment setting (schools participating and those not participating in the phonological awareness project) and professional category (classroom teacher, reading specialist, speech-language pathologist) on answers to survey questions related to phonological awareness. Results showed no significant relationships between employment setting and responses. However, reading specialists reported spending more minutes per week providing phonological awareness instruction to children at risk for reading difficulty than did speech-language …

Science Education On The U.S./Mexico Border: Field-Based Studies For Future Teachers In Bilingual/Binational Schools, William Robertson, Judith Munter, Claudia Garcia

Departmental Papers (TE)

The University of Texas at El Paso’s field-based program of studies for future teachers provides opportunities for powerful learning through a dialectical union of reflection and action. Methods courses in academic disciplines are linked with seminars and coursework on community partnerships, critical pedagogy and culturally responsive education. This article illustrates the processes of planning, implementation and evaluation of this approach, highlighting the impacts of community service learning. Parents, students and future teachers interact in workshops that center on validating native language literacy, increasing parental involvement and providing conceptually correct science education. The project indicates that two-way dual language programs with …

Teacher Experiences Of Culture In The Curriculum, Elaine Chan

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

In this study, I examined the experiences of two middle-school-level teachers as they attempted to acknowledge the ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity of their students in their curriculum and through their teaching practices, to identify the kinds of complications and challenges they encountered in the process. I presented one particular curriculum event to explore ways in which diverse beliefs and values intersected as the teachers implemented the event.

I employed a narrative inquiry approach with an emphasis on stories to learn about the experiences of my participants. I took part in all aspects of school life, including staff meetings and …

What Are We Tripping On?: Transgressing The Fault Lines In Research On The Preparation Of Multicultural Educators, Carl A. Grant, Vonzell Agosto

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications

How do we prepare multicultural educators? The purpose of the chapter is to discuss some of the research in multicultural teacher education that speaks to, and in doing so, participates in the life of this enduring problem. In what direction might other rationales and lines of inquiry lead the research in multicultural teacher education.

An Adventure On Pod's High Cs: Culture, Creativity, And Communication In The Academy: A Humanist Perspective, James Downey

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Keynote address given at the November 2004 POD Conference in Montreal, Quebec.

A Different Way To Approach The Future: Using Chaos Theory To Improve Planning, Marc Cutright

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Strategic planning is a good idea that gets a bad name from dubious efforts carrying the title. Much of this rap comes from half-hearted exercises, but some of it comes from efforts that founder due to faulty or limited conceptions of how the future “works.” Chaos theory is an alternative approach and metaphor with potential to let us see the future and its dynamics in new ways. Cognizance of chaos’s nature and underlying structure might help us do planning in new, nonintuitive, and more successful ways.

Helping Faculty Learn To Teach Better And “Smarter” Through Sequenced Activities, Barbara J. Millis

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Faculty developers can help faculty learn to intentionally sequence assignments and activities to promote greater learning when they understand the convergent research—with its practical implications for teaching—on how people learn, on deep learning, and on cooperative learning. Such a sequence includes a motivating out-of-class assignment (homework), in-class “processing” that includes active learning and student interactions, and feedback and assessment, often given in multiple ways. This approach is modeled through two examples using graphic organizers.

About The Authors, Volume 24 (2006)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

About the editors and authors of volume 24 (2006) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

The Effects Of Multicultural Literature In The Classroom, Maria Boles

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Listening To Student Voices: Fifth Graders' Perceptions Of Their Mathematics Learning Within The Context Of A Mathematics Reform, Elizabeth Hoffman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored fifth graders' perceptions of their mathematics learning within the context of a reform effort. Students' voices are the focus of this study due to the paucity of literature on student learning from the students' perspective (Erickson & Shultz, 1992), particularly the elementary student (Gentilucci, 2004). The participants of this study, who in the past have been given a variety of labels including "disadvantaged" or "at-risk," clearly articulated, even in nonstandard English, their perceptions of their mathematics learning. They passionately explained what helped them learn mathematics as well as what impeded their mathematics learning and were often …

Uniting Creativity And Research: A Holistic Approach To Learning, Susan A. Schiller

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

The academy needs to move closer to a holistic form of education, one that values creativity and research equally.

Back Matter

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

No abstract provided.

Mentoring As An Alternative Approach To In-Service Teacher Education In Balochistan: Some Successes And Challenges, Muhammad Memon, Firdousali Lalwani, Rakhshinda Meher

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

The Missing Body–Yoga And Higher Education, Judith Beth Cohen

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Using her own yoga practice as a basis, this author argues for more bodily involvement in learning and offers several exercises she has used to accomplish this.

Secondary Teacher Attitudes Toward Including English-Language Learners In Mainstream Classrooms, Jenelle Reeves

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

Researchers have given limited attention to teacher attitudes toward inclusion of English-language learners (ELLs) in mainstream classrooms. The author explored four categories within secondary teacher attitudes toward ELL inclusion: (a) ELL inclusion, (b) coursework modification for ELLS, (c) professional development for working with ELLs, and (d) perceptions of language and language learning. Findings from a survey of 279 subject-area high school teachers indicate a neutral to slightly positive attitude toward ELL inclusion, a somewhat positive attitude toward coursework modification, a neutral attitude toward professional development for working with ELLs, and educator misconceptions regarding how second languages are learned.

Challenges To Education In Tajikistan: The Need For Research-Based Solutions, Sarfaroz Niyozov, Stephen Bahry

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

Education in Tajikistan today is acknowledged by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Tajikistan and by international agencies as facing many challenges. Infrastructure and materials need replacement or repair; curriculum needs to be adapted to changing conditions; professional development for teachers is required, while means to retain experienced teachers and attract new ones need to be found. At the same time, children's' meaningful access to education has been threatened by various factors that reduce their attendance and participation in education, keeping some youth out of school altogether. This chapter argues that research in education in Tajikistan and the …

Profiles Of Pre-Service Teacher Education : An Investigation Into The Nature Of Selected Exemplary Programs In Jamaica And Michigan, Heather Smith-Sherwood

Dissertations

Problem. The education system in this 21st century is faced with numerous challenges that, quite often, leave administrators and classroom teachers bewildered in their quest for effective solutions. In light of these challenges, this study investigated three exemplary pre-service teacher education programs in Jamaica and Michigan in order to provide an account of how these are structured in different contexts of tertiary institutions and, in addition, to identify how these programs ensure that their graduates are prepared to function effectively in today’s schools.

Method. A qualitative case study design was used in this study. Five categories of stakeholders in the …

Professional Development Of Efl Teachers In Mexico: Examining Cross-Cultural And Global Linkages, Influences, And Outcomes, Robert A. Devillar, Binbin Jiang

Faculty Articles

During the past twenty years, the paradigm of professional development in U.S. education has shifted from an analyitco-incremental model to an integrative-systematic model. The integrative-systematic model focuses on the whole-scale improvement of general student performance through the articulation, implementation, and assessment of standards that apply to teachers and teacher preparation institutions as well as to students. This article addresses the basis for this paradigm shift in the U.S. and the global expansion of the professional development mandate. The authors describe the first phase of a three-year, cross-cultural professional development program involving English-as-a-Foreign Language (EFL) teachers at a private school in …

Whose Story Is It Anyway?: An Explanation Of How `Academic Literacy' Was Constructed In A University Transition Course For Indigenous Australians During A Period Of Organisational Change, Gregory J. Stratton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis examines how a group of lecturers who taught in a university preparation course designed for Indigenous Australians thought about what `academic literacy' meant. Lecturers were asked to consider the relationships between the meanings of `academic literacy' , curriculum, and the considerable problems the Course was facing in order to remain viable. My research goal was to better understand what alignment of people, ideas, and other important entities would be required to develop a sustainable program for Indigenous people seeking an alternative pathway into university degrees.

Educational Ideas And The Future Of Our Society, Mallory Sue Smiens

Honors Program Theses

Thus, the study of children and educational theories provided a rationale for the present study. Further discussions led to the belief that the questions raised by the author would best be answered from a sociological perspective. Because sociology is often employed to study people and how they interact with one another, it provides a meaningful discipline to weigh the teacher preparation ideas and practices against in order to determine their wider consequences for individuals. Therefore, a study of basic sociology was undertaken.

Addressing Diversity: A Case Study Of Teacher Educators' Views And Instructional Practices At A Midwestern University, Alina Slapac

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

It is well documented that while the student population is becoming more and more diverse, the teacher population remains mostly white, female, monolingual, and monocultural (Banks, 2001a; Darling-Hammond, 2002; Nieto, 2000a). Consequently, teacher education programs have the important role of addressing diversity throughout curriculum, field experiences and faculty recruitment.

The purpose of this qualitative research was to gain more understanding, from the teacher educators' perspectives, about the way diversity is being addressed at a Midwestern university by examining teacher educators' various methods of instruction, and their course materials, which focus on diversity issues and the needs of diverse learners. The …