Digital Commons Network^™

A Teacher's Journey In School Improvement And Reform, Kristi Domrase

Masters Theses

Today America‘s schools are failing to prepare its students to compete in the 21st century knowledge based economy. The work presented in this thesis addresses current and historical educational reform movements in the United States with an emphasis on why American reforms are failing to keep pace with other countries in preparing its new students for the new global economy. As a teacher in a persistently low achieving school the paper is a culmination of course studies, research, and personal experiences with the school improvement process and reform policies. What I discovered is that the current educational reforms in America …

The Age Of Consumption: A Study Of Consumer (And Producer) Behavior And The Household, Stephen A. Damm

Masters Theses

While anthropologists have often emphasized the importance of factors such as the household's age, lifecycle, and kinship within the context of the wider community, archaeologists have paid less attention to these factors. Using data from the excavations of eighteen farms in the Finger Lakes National Forest, occupied from the 19th century into the 1930s, I examine how household age influenced the consumer choices made by a sample of households and how aspects of production and consumption were prioritized within this context. By examining broad patterns in the archaeological and historic data, an age-based analysis as a young/old categorization is juxtaposed …

A Content Analysis Of Music Therapy Theses And Dissertations From 2000 To 2012 From Amta Approved Graduate Programs, Liisa G. Flores

Masters Theses

The purpose of this content analysis was to categorize, code, and analyze trends related to graduate music therapy theses/dissertations completed from the year 2000 to 2012. Information was gathered related to what American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) approved schools have graduate programs and how many students have graduated from these institutions. Research questions addressed in this study were to determine (1) who were the thesis/dissertation advisors for students, (2) what was the type of goal for the research, (3) what types of studies were completed, and (4) what populations were studied.

Results included 35 schools offering graduate music therapy degrees. …

American Beisbol: How Cultural Differences Help Explain Different Approaches To Game Playing, Derek Jackson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to examine the effect of culturally derived game strategies on the success level of players in the game of baseball. Specifically, I look at both the influence of how various Latin American cultures teach the game in order to better ensure success of players at the MLB level versus how the game is taught in the United States and Japan. In this way I develop a feedback model in which these game strategies perpetuate a cycle of enculturation that further reinforces cultural/ethnic identities. In order to accomplish this goal I look at the …

Western News, March 28, 2013, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: WMU reveling in its 'All-Steinway' status; Cousins, Hearit named to prestigious fellows program; Cumming named to lead Registrar’s Office; Semiannual Make a Difference award recipients to be honored at reception; On Campus with Kathy Gilbert.

March 28, 2013: Poet Jean Valentine Reads Tuesday: Gwen Frostic Reading Series, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

March 24, 2013: Premiere Of New Bentley Film Features Wmu Alum, Faculty, Students, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

March 17, 2013: Prose Writer Davy Rothbart Reads This Friday: Spring 2013 Gwen Frostic Reading Series, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

March 15, 2013: Limón Lecture Concludes Scholarly Speakers Series, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Western News, March 14, 2013, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Carlson, Hettinger leading WMU trustees; Service-learning, community work wins national praise; National firm to take over operation of WMU Bookstore; On Campus with Shams Khan.

March 13, 2013: 2013 Frostic Creative Writing Awards, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

March 10, 2013: Wood In Savannah, Vickery In Denver, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

March 7, 2013: T. Geronimo Johnson Finalist For Pen/Faulker Award, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

March 5, 2013: De Oliveira Wins A&S Award, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Magistra Doctissima: Essays In Honor Of Bonnie Wheeler, Dorsey Armstrong, Ann W. Astell, Howell Chickering

Festschriften, Occasional Papers, and Lectures

The editors of this volume use its title to honor Bonnie Wheeler for her many scholarly achievements and to celebrate her wide-ranging contributions to medieval studies in the United States. There are sections on Old and Middle English Literature, Arthuriana Then and Now, Joan of Arc Then and Now, Nuns and Spirituality, and Royal Women. As the editors note in the introduction, the volume "confirms Bonnie's commitment to the multidisciplinary study of the Middle Ages" and affirms her conviction "that the medieval and the modern are best viewed not as 'the past' and 'the present' but as interpenetrative categories."

Prism #70, March 2013, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

March 1, 2013: Grace Tiffany Writes About Emilia Lanier, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Journey Of A Peace Journalist, Robert Koehler

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Presented October 15, 2012. 2012 Winnie Veenstra Peace Lecture.

International Occupational Therapists Continuing Education Needs And Opportunities: A Survey, Husny Amerih

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists (OTs) are expected to maintain up-to-date knowledge and clinical competence by engaging in continuing professional education (CPE). The objective of this research was to obtain information on CPE needs and opportunities in developed and developing countries. A survey was created and emailed to 520 OTs in various countries, asking questions about CPE requirements, opportunities, and the avenues of CPE available to OTs. One hundred-nineteen OTs from 17 different countries responded. Of the 119 OTs, 28 practice in developing countries and 91 practice in developed countries. Thirty-nine percent of the OTs in developing countries stated that they have certain …

February 25, 2013: Wmu's Jaimy Gordon Invited As A Guest Reader At Aquinas College, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Western News, Feb. 21, 2013, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: WMU launches brand ambassador program; Prof’s tweets net generous outpouring from Japan; Institute to hold fundraiser, honor Lewis Walker; On Campus with Chad Stratton.

February 17, 2013: Crosby Lecture Next For Scholarly Speakers Series, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

February 17, 2013: Comparative Drama Essay Wins Award, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Call For Papers

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Collaboration: Talk. Trust. Write., Mark Letcher, Kristen Turner, Meredith Donovan, Leah Zuidema, Jim Fredricksen, Cathy Fleischer, Nicole Sieben, Laraine Wallowitz, Sarah Andrew-Vaughn

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This essay describes the professional collaborative writing process and activities of several pairs of prominent authors in English education.

All Hands On Deck: Bringing Together High School Teachers And Adjunct Instructors For Professional Development In The Teaching Of Writing, Jennifer S. Cook, Becky L. Caouette

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

in June of 2012, two Writing Program Administrators (WPAs) at Rhode Island College collaborated on a one-day professional development opportunity for adjunct instructors of First Year Writing. One of the WPAs was Director of the Rhode Island Writing Project; the other was the Director of Writing. Each saw an opportunity to further the reach of their program and better the quality of instruction in the K-16 landscape of Rhode Island. And, each program was facing real challenges institutionally, politically, and financially. In this article, the two authors outline the exegesis that led to their collaboration and the outcome of that …

What Are Preservice Teachers Taught About The Teaching Of Writing?: A Survey Of Ohio’S Undergraduate Writing Methods Courses, Christine E. Tulley

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Undergraduate “writing methods” courses, or courses training secondary teachers how to teach writing, have increased 42% over the past decade within college English departments. Whether in response to increasing accreditation standards or a reaction against alarmist rhetoric about the poor training of today’s secondary English teachers, the writing methods course is often categorized as a potential antidote to a lack of writing teacher training.

Though much has been written on the its graduate counterpart, the composition practicum, no similar in-depth studies have been conducted exploring the content of the undergraduate writing methods course, the credentials of those teaching the course, …

Positioning Preservice Teachers As Writers And Researchers, Jason H. Wirtz

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This essay illustrates three theoretical concepts for the pre-service writing classroom learned from Wendy Bishop and Diane Holt-Reynolds: teachers of writing should be writers themselves; testimonials from writers should shape pre-service writing curricula; and content knowledge and the ability to teach content knowledge are discreet skill sets. Three practical assignments are presented to articulate these theoretical concepts in the pre-service writing classroom: Digital Poetry, Qualitative Interview Study, and Embedded Research.

Content-Area Teachers As Teachers Of Writing, Angela Kohnen

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Drawing on work with high school science teachers as part of an NSF-funded grant, this article presents lessons learned for effectively incorporating writing across the curriculum. With many states preparing to implement the Common Core State Standards, teachers in all subject areas will be asked to require more writing in their classes. This article argues that most of these teachers are ill-prepared to assign writing beyond the most formulaic and superficial, yet with professional development training (including training that requires teachers to write themselves) and support tools, teachers can begin effectively using discipline-specific writing to achieve discipline-specific goals.

Becoming Peer Tutors Of Writing: Identity Development As A Mode Of Preparation, Alison Bright

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Primary and secondary teachers of English are typically the subjects of research centered on writing teacher education. However, at the college level writing teacher education also includes individuals who instruct and support undergraduate writing instruction, and who do not always identify as writing teachers, such as graduate teaching assistants and peer writing tutors writing. Writing program administrators responsible for preparing TAs and tutors can benefit from the results of relevant research from the K-12 discourse community to improve their preparation programs. For example, research in primary and secondary teacher education programs indicates that when preparatory sessions highlight the concept of …