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Improving In-School Staffing And Multidisciplinary Team Effectiveness In The High School Setting, Thomas G. Sarnecki

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to improve the operation of the in-school staffing team at the high school level. Three adjunct aims were to increase the awareness and role responsibilities of multidisciplinary team members, to improve the decision making process by greater participation of team members, and to improve the referral process for students in need of special education programs.

An in-service workshop was developed for the in-school staffing team members to make them more aware of their responsibilities with the team decision making process. A handbook describing their role expectations was distributed to them at the second in-service workshop. This …

Project Kind (Keeping Interfering Noncompliance Down) A Social Skills Training Program For Noncompliant Primary Students, Janice A. Masters

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The practicum addressed the need of improving noncompliant, oppositional, defiant, under-socialized, primary aged, at risk students’ social skills. They exhibited poor study habits, academic failure, and were subsequent prime candidates of early school departures.

Project kind, a weekly social skills training program, was designed and developed by the writer to help students acquire socially acceptable behaviors. Its focus aimed at helping them acquire conflict resolution tools by developing problem-solving and decision-making skills that included anticipatory outcomes and/or consequences. Improved social adjustment embodied the concept of solving problems without physically or verbally abusing others.

The 18 students were selected by their …

The Development And Implementation Of A Parent Outreach Program To Increase School Involvement Of Fourth Grade Parents, Theresa A. Weitock

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum aimed to increase parental involvement in the elementary school. It also attempted to provide workshops for the parents to help them realize the valuable role they play in their children’s education.

Six Parent-Teacher-Child workshops were designed to teach parents and children how to work together: Modeling technique as well as “hands on” activities were all part of the Parent Outreach Program. Sign in sheets for parents, teachers and children were provided and data was collected after each session. Checklists, Questionnaires and Surveys developed by this author were used. Feedback information was also collected.

Outcomes of this practicum were …

Resource-Based Learning: A Strategy For Rejuvenating Canadian History At The Intermediate School Level, Philip Cull

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to rejuvenate an Intermediate level Canadian history course. The primary goal was to provide students and teachers with resource materials that would be interesting, informative, and challenging. A second aim was to provide teachers with the techniques of resource-based learning so that these resources could be a catalyst for attitude changes and increase academic performance in Canadian history students.

The writer introduced new resource materials for the Canadian history course, administered pre- and post- questionnaires to students and teachers, conducted resource-based learning workshops, and monitored changes in students' attitude and academic performances before and after the …

Improving Writing Skills Of Hispanic High School Students Enrolled In Tesol: Meeting The Challenge Through The Use Of Critical Thinking, Error Reduction, And Teacher Feedback, Daniel Devries Iii

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum aimed to improve writing of Hispanic high school students and decrease the number of assignment errors over a twelve week time period. Readings selected for each task dealt with high-interest topic relevant to student needs. Explanation of readings was followed by group discussion of key points.

The cognitive taxonomy of Benjamin Bloom was adapted to each reading. Students answered questions related to readings from each level of the taxonomy. Corrective feedback followed as error patterns in writing were jointly examined. As students progressed in writing ability, assignments grew in length. Critical thinking was employed as pupils were able …

Improving Active Parent Involvement For Preschool Teachers And Parents Through In-Service Training, Robin M. Irving

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to provide information and support for preschool teachers to help parents in teaching an active role to parenting. The primary goal was that there would be more active parent involvement between parents and children ages three to five years. The literature indicated that training sessions to provide information and support to teachers and parents could be successful in teaching an active role to parenting. Because the center parents were responsible parents, seeking advice to help in teaching their children, the community preschool teachers were supportive of the center's program and staff, and had requested parent education …

Development And Implementation Of Activities Designed To Target Uninvolved Parents And Increase Home And School Interaction Of Disadvantaged Families, Henry Robert Leidner

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was aimed at increasing parents’ participation in their children’s academic learning through training. Two corollary aims were to increase demonstration of Community/school interaction and to encourage attendance of the parents in the workshops or home instruction.

A pre-assessment questionnaire was used to determine family needs and interests. Several workshops were developed. A take-home computer program was used during the twelve-week period to bridge the classroom instruction with the parent involvement at home. Software was directly correlated with the individual child's learning level. Reporting of time spent by parents working with their children on school-related activities was done by …

Educating Parents, Teachers And High School Severely Emotionally Disturbed Students Regarding Vocational Rehabilitation Supplemental Security Income And Vocational Training, Van E. Wallace Iii

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to educate Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) students, parents, and educational professionals in regards to supplemental security, income, vocational rehabilitation, and vocational training. Application and procedural information was conveyed to empower students and their parents with skills necessary to apply and receive, when eligible, financial assistance in enrollment in appropriate vocational training programs. The practicum also attempted to provide information to Exceptional Student Education (ESE) professionals involved with special needs students.

Instructional in-services were provided in one on one and family counseling sessions to S.E.D. students and to their families. And in service was provided to E.S.E. …

Improving The Morale Level Of Direct-Care Staff In A Residential Group Setting Through Support, Communication, And Recognition, Jimmy Mcadams

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum sought to elevate the morale level of direct-care staff in a residential group care setting. Corollary aims were to reduce staff turnover and to improve staff performance both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Four solutions strategies were attempted, which addressed the areas of staff support, communication, and recognition. The writer, representative of a top administrative position, conducted personal visits with staff at service sites. Three round table, dialoguing meetings were held within each of three regions. Agency communication was enhanced through retargeting and increasing the frequency of an intro agency publication so that its focus was on direct care staff. …

Improving Collaboration Among Primary Teachers To Facilitate Mainstreaming Of Limited English Proficient Children, Joy W. Trute

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to organize collaborative efforts among primary, ESOL, and bilingual teachers. Limited English proficient children were receiving instruction isolated from mainstream class instruction. There was no cohesiveness between the plans of mainstream teachers and ESOL/ bilingual teachers. The students were at an academic disadvantage when mainstreamed because they were not familiar with the same materials as mainstream students.

The writer and mainstream primary teachers held planning meetings to develop a cohesive curricular plan whereby language arts and content area studies would be integrated. Bilingual instruction was coordinated with ESOL plans that were, in turn, reflective of mainstream …

Improving An Extended Day Care Environment Through Staff Training And Activity Development, Mary Kathryn Lopez

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The aim for this practicum was to increase parent, child, and caregiver satisfaction with the site’s extended day care program through training of caregivers and development of appropriate activities. Two groups participated, one for preschoolers through first graders, the other for second through fifth graders.

Three training sessions designed to improve the caregivers’ understanding of the school’s philosophy and goals, basic developmental characteristics of children in the various age groups, and a strategy for effective disciplinary action were implemented. Arts and crafts, cooking, organized sports, and opportunities for unstructured play were designed for each group and supervised by caregivers on …

Developing Self-Motivated, Empowered Middle School Students: A Practical Solution Strategy, Madeline S. Friedman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to address the problem that teachers at the writer’s school had in finding specific teaching strategies that would help students become empowered and self-motivated in terms of their academic efforts and achievement. The teachers wanted the techniques to be directly integrated with the presentation of academic content, rather than separate from that content.

The writer developed a booklet of 13 strategies; presented a workshop to introduce the strategies: met regularly with the six participating teachers during implementation; recorded meeting results; developed a pre/post checklist of intrinsically motivated behaviors in students; and administered pre- and post-measurements to …

Bradford Keeney's Cybernetic Project And The Creation Of Recursive Frame Analysis, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Successful Staff Development, Training And Follow-Up, Using Quality Circle Employee Involvement In School-Based Management Schools, Margaret B. Petersen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Implementation of Successful Staff Development, Training, and Follow-up Using Quality Circle Employee, Involvement in School-based Management Schools. Peterson, Margaret B., 1991: Practicum Report, Nova University, Ed. D Program in Early and Middle Childhood. Inservice Training/ Quality Circles/ School Based Management/ Employee Involvement/ Staff Development/ Shared Decision Making

This practicum was designed to determine what elements of training and staff development were necessary to successfully transfer training in the quality circle process and techniques from the training sessions to the school site to enable staff to become involved in the decision making for the school.

The writer interviewed leaders at two …

Designing A Staff Development Plan To Improve Instructional Practices In A Preschool Special Education Program, Kathryn F. Yocco

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to improve the ability of instructional practices in a preschool special education program. The major goal was to offer teachers strategies for systematic and consistent planning in order to produce optimal learning conditions in five preschool special education classtes. The objectives were to improve the classroom environments, to improve planning for small and large group interactions and to develop methods of individualizing to meet the wholistic needs of each child.

Practicum implementation included twelve weekly inservice sessions followed by twelve weeks of classroom implementation of techniques and materials that had been developed. Utilization of the unit …

The Development And Implementation Of A Training Program To Facilitate Parent Involvement In The Educational Program Of Visually Handicapped Students, Julia R. Ashley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to address the lack of parental involvement in the educational program of students with visual disabilities. Parent participation, mandated by Federal legislation for handicapped children, has frequently been absent in the programs involving children with visual disabilities. The writer's goals were to educate parents concerning the delivery and types of services available to students with visual disabilities, the nature of visual disabilities, the components of the IEP development, and of legislation concerning Children with Visual Disabilities. A secondary goal was to increase and improve parent-school relationships in order to reduce the previous adversarial relationships between parents …

Improving Aids Awareness Through A Staff Development Program For Teachers In An Elementary School Setting, Gladys M. Cormier

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was aimed to improve AIDS awareness through a staff development program for teachers in an elementary school setting. Two broad aims were to increase teacher knowledge regarding the transmission of AIDS and to teach them how to protect themselves and others with regards to this disease.

Twelve (12) workshops designed to develop essential skills and to impart information on the transmission and personal risk factors involved with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome/Human Immunodeficiency virus were held during the implementation phase of this practicum. New information regarding the AIDS virus was incorporated into every workshop when information occurred. AIDS related …

A Countywide Program For Expanding Speech-Language Services In The Elementary Schools, Brenda Teas

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum addressed the need to expand and to change the speech-language pathology service delivery system within the county due to the severe shortages of speech-language pathologists and numbers of students going unserved. A review of the literature reveals that shortages are common nationwide and that schools must look for strategies other than short-term recruitment efforts to deal with the problem.

The writer planned training sessions on six alternative service delivery strategies. Training was provided for the lead speech pathologist and special education directors from the 24 school districts in the county. The six strategies were: job-sharing, multilevel service, use …

Using Critical Thinking Skills To Improve Achievement: An Inservice And Instruction Program., Dolores L. Higgins

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This Major Applied Research Project proposed three specific ways to improve the Critical Thinking Skills of students at the Carrie Downie Elementary School as measured by standardized achievement test results, increased placement of students in the Colonial School District's program for the gifted, and the inclusion of critical thinking skills in teacher's daily lessons. During the course of this project, 50 underachieving students were given a learning styles inventory to assess their specific learning needs. Inservice for teachers was conducted to review the results of this inventory and provided instruction in other areas related to thinking skills, such as questioning, …

Decreasing Overreliance On Basal Readers Through Staff Development, Deborah J. Evans

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum aired to reduce overreliance on the basal reading program in the elementary school. It also endeavored to provide teachers with quality choices to enhance and enrich their reading/writing programs.

Five workshops were designed to meet specific areas of need in this district. Reducing the time spent on the tests accompanying [illegible] series was the first goal. Then teachers were [illegible] suggestions for successfully incorporating whole class reading activities and integrating the teaching of reading and writing. Decreasing the number of workbook and skillsheet pages used was another focus. Proven strategies were modeled for teachers during the workshops, through …

A Study To Develop A Multicultural Orientation Program For Staff And Faculty, Carlos S. Moran

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this project was to identify the practical components of a successful multicultural orientation program for faculty and staff at West Coast Christian College. The case study method was utilized as a problem-solving process to determine the multicultural needs of the college community, to identify current practices in multicultural programs and other institutions and to develop the program with a plan for implementation and evaluation.

The methods of investigation utilize in this project included a review of significant and relevant literature about multicultural orientation issues in general, race, relations, campus, climate, multicultural, orientation, program, guidelines, staffing, and program …

Developing Positive Attitudes Toward Reading Through Cross-Age Tutoring, Mentoring, And Reading Aloud Strategies For Third Graders, Flora I. Mckenzie

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The activities of this practicum were to develop the reading attitudes of six at-risk third graders. There were regular teacher-student sessions that were devoted to reading aloud. Practicum participants were assigned mentors. The mentors and mentees met two times during the implementation cycle. The targeted group served as tutors for a group of first grades. The tutors shared a variety of literature with their tutees.

The writer took members of the group to the main branch of the public library. Donations of reading material were solicited from colleagues. The writer scheduled evening meetings with parents. The group worked collectively on …

Improving Teacher Articulation To Increase Program Continuity Preschool Through First Grade, Barbara A. Malaspina

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to improve preschool, kindergarten, and first grade teachers group decision making skills to enable articulation to occur more frequently and comfortably to encourage program continuity from grade to grade for children. A second aim was to reduce teacher isolation through shared skill building and focus on problem solving related to barriers to articulation.

The writer used a pre and post training survey, follow up interviews of principals, and two and one half hour training targeted to preschool. kindergarten and first grade teachers at two schools to determine previous skills and attitudes toward group decision making skills …

Revision Of The Computer Technology Curriculum At Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Based On Small Business Training Needs, James E. Mcdonnell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (O-C Tech) is one of sixteen two-year institutions comprising the statewide comprehensive technical education system in South Carolina. At O-C Tech, over sixty-three percent of the students register for computer technology courses. Many of these students discover that the series of computer courses they are taking may not qualify them for an entry-level position in local small businesses. This results in increased attrition and loss of money and time for students.

The purpose of this major applied research project was to provide O-C Tech's Computer Technology (CPT) department with a model microcomputer applications curriculum and a sense …

Development And Analysis Of A Comprehensive Program For The Implementation Of Site Based Management Into The Milwaukee Public Schools, Clement L. Magner

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In October 1986, the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Board of School Directors appointed a broadly based committee to study the feasibility of Site Based Management (SBM) for the MPS. The committee was comprised of varied staff from the educational community including elementary, secondary and college levels. Also included were business and professional people from the Milwaukee community. In March of 1987, the committee delivered their report to the Board. The committee recommended that the MPS establish SBM in all of the 140 school buildings, starting with a small number of volunteer pilot schools. In the fall of 1987, ten schools …

Helping Dysfunctional Recovering Drug-Addicted Mothers To Build Healthy Families By Enhancing Parenting Skills And Providing Opportunities For Bonding, Nan Kelly Wilson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to enhance the parenting skills of drug-addicted recovering women and to give opportunities for successful family experiences in a half-way house setting.

The writer developed a curriculum, led weekly group meetings, arranged for guest speakers, assisted mothers with individual problems, and administered an evaluation. The Walker Problem Behavior Identification Checklist (1983) and the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting Workshop (Dinkmeyer & McKay, 1989) were used.

Results were positive. Recovering mothers completed parenting course activities, participated in weekly family experiences to develop bonding, and reported feelings of higher value as parents. Children’s scores on the Walker Problem …

Improving Communications Between Parents And Teachers Of Middle School Age Students By The Use Of The Telephone And Other Techniques, William E. Cottle

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to improve communication among parents, teachers and students. A telephone answering machine allowed students and parents to access information about homework, classwork, and upcoming events during evening hours. Additional parent outreach efforts were made by the teacher, including introductory telephone calls to parents, drop-in conference time, and solicitation of parent classroom volunteers.

The writer developed the system of recorded telephone messages for parents and students; surveyed parents and teacher, regarding existent parent-teacher communication; prepared forms to enhance parent-teacher communication; and surveyed students and parents to analyze the effectiveness of these interventions.

Analysis of data shows that …

Expanding The School Psychologist’S Role To Serve Regular Education Students Through Child-Centered, School-Based Consultation, James W. Cole

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum presented a plan to expand school psychology services for regular education students at the elementary ana middle school levels. In order to have an effective delivery system of school psychology services for all students, school psychologists needed to be school-based and given time to provide consultation services to teachers, administrators, and parents. The goals were to broaden school psychology services and make others aware of the consultant role which may be provided by the school psychologist at their school.

The writer's objectives to resolve the problem were to increase the time spent by school psychologists in support of …

Improving The Monitoring And Maintenance Of Hearing Aids For Preschool And School Age Deaf And Hearing Impaired Children By Training School Personnel, Parents, And Students, Joseph A. Guillory

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This practicum was designed to improve the monitoring and maintenance of hearing aids and auditory trainers for preschool and school age deaf and hearing impaired children through inservice training. The goal of this practicum was to identity and reduce the number of preschool and school age deaf and hearing impaired students who have been provided with hearing aids or auditory trainers and may not be maximizing their potential in their educational placement because their hearing aids or auditory trainers are malfunctioning or nonfunctioning.

The writer conducted inservice training programs designed to improve the skills of speech pathologists, teachers, parents and …

Datascan - December 9, 1990, Nova University

DataScan

No abstract provided.