Digital Commons Network^™

Differentiation And Technology: A Study Of An Elementary School’S Use Of Technology In Differentiated Lessons, Kelly Dawn Nelson

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher reports and use of differentiation and to examine the use of technology in differentiated lessons. The researcher posed two questions: (a) What is the association between teacher reports of differentiation use and observed differentiation strategies used; and (b) How are teachers using the differentiation strategies of which they are aware when planning and implementing lessons that involve technology in the areas of content, process, product, and learning environment? This mixed-method study used three tools for data collection: a questionnaire, structured observation protocol, and a focus group. The questionnaire and observation protocol …

An Examination Of Concepts Of School Readiness Among Parents And Educators In Ireland, Maire Mhic Mhathuna, Emer Ring, Noirin Hayes, Patsy Stafford, Siobhan Keegan, Cathy Kelleher, Martina Ozonyia, Mary Moloney, Deirdre Breathnach, Des Carswell, Des Mccafferty, Anne O'Keefe, Aisling Leavy, Ruth Madden

Reports

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs commissioned research through the Irish Research Council (IRC) to examine concepts of school readiness as they are understood by early years educators and managers, primary school principals, junior infant teachers and parents of children participating in the first Free Preschool Year in Ireland. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, involving interviews, an online survey and “draw and tell” sessions with children. Representative samples of FPSY settings and primary schools were selected and an online survey based on the findings of the qualitative phase was sent to 500 pre-primary settings and 500 primary schools. In …

You Can’T Walk Where There Is No Ground, Paul Stoller

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Pedagogy Of The Transplanted: A Study Of Selected First-Year Jamaican Immigrant Elementary School Teachers And Their Perspectives On South Carolina’S Curriculum Processes, Claudia Fletcher-Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

The study explores the experiences of four first-year Jamaican immigrant teachers in rural southern South Carolina regarding their descriptions of the experiences and the researcher’s observations. The main research question was concerned with first-year Jamaican immigrant elementary school teachers’ experiences as they navigate the curriculum landscape in South Carolina. The inquiry engages a qualitative research design.

Interviews, observations, and artifacts were engaged to collect data. These data were analyzed deductively and inductively through a process of content analysis. These data findings in the study covered four dominant themes these included immigrant teachers’ strengths, challenges, changes, and navigation strategies. The data …

Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Experiences And Self-Efficacy To Teach Music: Are They Ready?, Geoffrey M. Lowe, Geoff W. Lummis, Julia Morris

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Music is essential in developing the young brain, particularly skills relating to concentration, filtering, information retrieval, verbal competencies, mental visualisation, problem solving, empathy and personal expression. With the introduction of the Australian National Curriculum and its adoption as the basis of the Western Australian P-10 music syllabus, there is cause to reflect on the effectiveness of music provision within teacher education courses and pre-service generalist teachers' abilities to deliver the new music syllabus. Accordingly, a mixed method study was conducted with first and fourth year Bachelor of Education primary students at a Western Australian university, to investigate students' music experiences …

Molding Minds For Peace: A Curriculum For Early Childhood Educators To Teach Peacebuilding Concepts And Skills, Marissa D. Gray

Master's Projects and Capstones

The United States is amidst a period of substantial growth in diversity. This diversification along with feelings of anti-immigrant sentiment has also led to an increase in tension and violence. Molding Minds for Peace: A Curriculum for Early Childhood Educators To Teach Peacebuilding Concepts is a project designed to teach early childhood students the skills that they need to peacefully navigate conflict and difference. After exploring literature about early childhood education/development, multicultural education, and peace education, this project provides early childhood educators with six complete lesson plans that are fully ready for implementation. These lessons have been developed in such …

Integrating Information Into The Engineering Design Process, Michael Fosmire, David Radcliffe

Purdue Information Literacy Handbooks

Engineering design is a fundamental problem-solving model used by the discipline. Effective problem-solving requires the ability to find and incorporate quality information sources. To teach courses in this area effectively, educators need to understand the information needs of engineers and engineering students and their information gathering habits. This book provides essential guidance for engineering faculty and librarians wishing to better integrate information competencies into their curricular offerings. The treatment of the subject matter is pragmatic, accessible, and engaging. Rather than focusing on specific resources or interfaces, the book adopts a process-driven approach that outlasts changing information technologies.

After several chapters …

A Descriptive Study Of Implementing Tiered Systematic Phonics Intervention Through The Colorado Read Act, Geoffrey H. Stokes

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question explored in this capstone was, how might I aid schools and districts in implementing district-wide systematic phonics intervention, both instructionally and organizationally? It documents Denver Public Schools (DPS) efforts to implement the READ act, a comprehensive law in which all students are evaluated in reading and assigned intervention if needed. The capstone explores how DPS can implement tiered systematic phonics intervention as part of the READ act. The paper reviews the most current peer reviewed research regarding the efficacy of phonics intervention. Using the methodology of a descriptive study, the capstone lays out a detailed logistical proposal …

Competing Visions And Current Debates In Interculturalism In Québec, Marie Mcandrew

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Competing Visions and Current Debates in Interculturalism in Québec" Marie McAndrew posits that interculturalism is the quest for a middle path between Canadian multiculturalism (criticized for essentializing and isolating cultures) and French Jacobinism (which relegates diversity to the private sphere). The theoretical underpinnings of the three approaches are first compared using major works in political philosophy, sociology of ethnic relations, and social psychology. The polysemic nature of actual policies is then explored through the example of Québec's immigration society where two versions of interculturalism developed since the late 1970s and are still competing. McAndrew analyzes four recent …

An Analysis Of Reflective Thinking In Teacher Candidates' Eportfolios, Cristina Salinas-Grandy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Preparing the next generation of teachers to prepare students for the 21st Century is a challenging endeavor. Teacher candidates need to possess critical thinking and evidence-based pedagogical skills. It is believed that teacher reflection is the cornerstone to making informed decisions and timely modifications to daily instruction (Cochran-Smith, & Zeichner, K. 2005, Darling-Hammond, L. & Bransford, J., 2005 NBPTS, 2014; Schon, 1987;). What has been less examined is how an ePortfolio can be utilized as a tool to aid in the development of reflection among teacher candidates. This case study significantly contributes to our understanding of how to develop reflective …

Umm Curriculum Program Changes 11/28/2016, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Teaching In The Cracks: Using Familiar Pedagogy To Advance Lgbtq-Inclusive Curriculum, Michelle L. Page

Education Publications

English language arts teachers and other literacy educators have the opportunity to create more positive and more inclusive school experiences for gender‐ and sexual‐minority students, but many hesitate to transform their curricula and practices because of fear of community protest. To support educators who feel vulnerable or constrained, this article summarizes challenges facing gender‐ and sexual‐minority students and then describes the benefits and limitations of a variety of familiar instructional approaches that teachers can use to make curricula more inclusive, ultimately reducing isolation and invisibility of LGBTQIA students and experiences.

Curriculum Minutes 11/09/2016, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Minutes

In these minutes: Catalog program changes in the Division of Science and Mathematics and the Division of the Social Sciences.

Curriculum Design For Student Achievement, Jennifer Brown, Amy Mcdaniel, Michelle Jones

Education Grants Collections

This Grants Collection uses the grant-supported open course Curriculum Design for Student Achievement from Columbus State University:

http://columbusstate.libguides.com/EDAT6226

This Grants Collection for Critical and Contemporary Issues in Education was created under a Round Four ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process.

Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: …

Curriculum Minutes 09/21/2016, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Minutes

In these minutes: Social Sciences catalog course changes; and Interdisciplinary Studies catalog course changes

Thematic Learning And English Learners: Integrating Authentic Literacy In An Experience-Based Summer Program For English Learners, Miranda Michelle Gamayunov

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that the most successful summer programs and after school experiences do not simply mimic the school year but rather complement it. The purpose of this capstone was to create a stronger connection between the district’s school year literacy curriculum and its summer program for English Learners while maintaining the experience-based nature of the program. The research question explored: How can I best integrate authentic reading and writing into a hands-on, experience-based summer program for English Learners resulted in a series of six lessons complementing the program’s varied experiences and the district’s units of study thereby allowing for an …

Investigating Teacher Learning And Change In A Professional Learning Community: Integrating Ela And Social Studies Curriculum, Derek Jordan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This case study examines teacher learning and change in classroom practices as a result of participating in a professional learning community (PLC) that designs integrated curriculum of English/language arts and social studies. The participants for the study were a team of four fifth grade teachers, of which team the author is a member. These teachers teach in a Title-1 urban elementary school in the American Southwest. Case study methodology was chosen to examine this phenomenon. Data were collected from PLC sessions, interviews, recorded lessons, and artifacts. Collection took place at the research site. Data were analyzed using qualitative techniques of …

Culturally Responsive Vocabulary Curriculum: Third Grade Culturally Responsive Vocabulary Guide, Maureen Mccullagh

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Educational state testing results have shown gaps between students of color and white students for many decades. Research demonstrates that white students perform better on standardized reading tests than do the students of color. The purpose of this project was to create a standardsbased, culturally and linguistically responsive vocabulary guide, to help select vocabulary in order to build a bridge between students’ home vocabulary and academic vocabulary; to support the efforts in closing the achievement gap. Research on best practice for culturally responsive teaching, culturally responsive literacy and vocabulary instruction, including specific strategies to teach vocabulary instruction was integrated. The …

Cultural Competency In The Dental Hygiene Curricula: A Survey, Christina Calleros

Dental Hygiene ETDs

As the population of the nation becomes more diverse, dental hygiene programs must ensure graduates are receiving cultural competency training in entry-level educational programs. The purpose of this study was to establish a baseline for what topics of cultural competency training are or are not being incorporated into dental hygiene schools and to determine if differences exist between topics covered amongst the types of degree-granting institutions. Topics were investigated via survey instrument and data was collected from 76 U.S dental hygiene program directors. Results of this study emphasized the similarities between entry-level dental hygiene programs and illustrated a lack of …

How Can Incremental Rehearsal Be Used To Facilitate Successful Sight Word Acquisition For English Language Learners To Improve Their Sight Word Reading Ability?, Elliot Kohl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone was, how can Incremental Rehearsal be used to facilitate successful sight words acquisition for English Language Learners to improve their sight word reading ability? It documents one teacher’s creation of a curriculum unit that serves as an intervention for struggling English Language Learner readers in grades K – 3. It draws upon the research done on a flashcard drill method known as Incremental Rehearsal. With this method, the teacher created a curriculum to help struggling readers memorize a sight word vocabulary, with the intent of helping them increase their fluency. The author documents …

‘What Do You Do With An Idea?’ Differentiating A Fourth -Grade Reading Curriculum Using Gardner’S Theory Of Multiple Intelligences, Medora Elaine Schou

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This curriculum­based capstone answers the research question: How can a fourth­grade reading curriculum be differentiated using Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences? The research examines the value in differentiating curriculum to meet the needs of learners within classrooms. In addition, the author explores literature on best practices in differentiated reading instruction and its connection to MI theory. A twenty day unit was developed using an Understanding by Design framework (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005), wherein Common Core State Standards form the basis for established goals. Student interest, readiness, learning profile, and choice drive the learning activities and assessment options throughout the unit. …

Integrating Standards And 21st Century Skills To Increase Engagement, Andrea Michelle Peterson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, how can I create curriculum using the principals of project based learning and the Language Arts Common Core State Standards in a fourth grade social studies setting that may increase student engagement? The purpose of this capstone was to create a curriculum that integrates the Language Arts Common Core State Standards and Minnesota Social Studies Standards with project based learning so that students are actively participating in their learning to strengthen life-long and critical thinking skills. The capstone provides an explanation of how project based learning integrates 21st century skills and Common …

Composing Across Genres: A Study Of Writing Expectations At The University Of Arkansas At Little Rock, Howard Bryant Lytle

Theses and Dissertations

Students are entering the first-year composition (FYC) classroom underexposed to multiple genres, multiple potential audiences, and a variety of modalities. Based on survey responses from faculty members across the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), this thesis project seeks to examine effective ways of teaching composition at the UALR to prepare students for upper-level coursework and for their future workplaces. Survey findings indicate that faculty members across the university ask students to respond to writing assignments in a variety of writing genres, address multiple audiences and purposes, and bring certain skill sets into their classrooms. As a result, this …

Using A Functional Language Approach To Engage High School English Language Learners In Academic Language Arts Content, Robert Grant Schaller

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone project was; how can a curriculum, rooted in the experiential metafunction of functional language analysis, be developed to help secondary English language learners gain academic language needed in a language arts classroom? It looks at the struggle high school ELLs face because of the academic language used in content classes. It also looks at the components of functional language analysis and how they can be used to teach the academic language needed for student success. The author utilized the work of Christie, F. (2012), Fang, Z., & Schleppegrell, M. J. (2008), and Martin, …

The Promise And Potential Of Two-Way Immersion In Catholic Schools, Luis R. Fraga

Journal of Catholic Education

Two-Way Immersion (TWI) is a method of instruction designed to facilitate the learning of a second language by non-native speakers. Unlike traditional methods of teaching a second language, TWI is grounded in the equal presence, respect, and value of the two languages and their related cultures. Moreover, the goal of TWI is the building of communities of intercultural competence and appreciation. In this essay, I argue that TWI is especially appropriate for many Catholic schools given the current and growing presence of Latino Catholics. However, the establishment and maintenance of an effective TWI school is not a panacea for efforts …

Empowering Teachers And Learners: Strategies To Maximise Curriculum Potential And Counter Disadvantage In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Through The Khanyisa Initiative, M Maher, J Seach

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This paper first provides a discussion on disadvantage and what that means in an educational context. It then proposes a theoretical conceptualisation of curriculum highlighting that curriculum advantages some learners more than others on several levels. Finally, discussion then turns to an evaluative study of an initiative that is ongoing in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, involving disadvantaged learners and their teachers in under-resourced schools. Key findings from the study include effective ways the initiative found (a) to assist teachers in disadvantaged schools to keep abreast of changes to curriculum; (b) to empower teachers to promote their learners’ capacity to access the …

Internationalising The Curriculum For Hospitality And Tourism Students Through Language Integration, Angela Feeney, Brian Murphy

Internationalization, Globalization and Exchange in Higher Education

This paper seeks to explore the internationalisation of the curriculum, firstly in its broadest sense, secondly within the context of a TU4D and finally through the presentation and review of a practice-based research project carried out among students of Hospitality and Tourism Studies in the Institute of Technology Tallaght. The project was driven by two related but separate motivations which are mirrored by the background of the contributors outlined below. On the one hand we have the linguist’s motivation which stems from a desire to make students at IT Tallaght not only more competent in their spoken language skills but …

Lgbtq Inclusion As An Outcome Of Critical Pedagogy, Michelle L. Page

Education Publications

Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) are at greater personal and academic risk than their heterosexual peers (Kosciw et al.., 2014). Many experience a negative school environment and few see themselves represented in the curriculum. According to the literature, few English/Language Arts teachers are utilizing LGBTQ-focused texts in their courses (Blackburn & Buckley, 2005; Page, 2014). This case study demonstrates how one English/Language Arts teacher provided challenging, safe, inclusive educational experiences for students. In so doing, the instructor also provides an example of critical pedagogy in practice. The multiple strands of the teacher’s instructional approach …

Instructionally Dense Literacy Practice In The Middle Grades: A Qualitative Study, Marissa A. Jorgenson

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

This qualitative, practitioner inquiry examined how a group of novice and experienced middle-grade reading teachers integrated facets of instructional density (Pressley, Wharton-McDonald, & Mistretta-Hampston, 1997) into their practice. Instructional density is a descriptor of effective teaching whereby practitioners layer their instruction in individual lessons with other elements of the curriculum. This occurs in the planning of instruction as well as during dialogic exchanges with students that are the natural outcrop of instruction. The researcher’s role was to conduct a series of observations and post-observation reflections and provide coaching that helped participants generate understanding of instructional density and how it could …

The Elephant In The (Class)Room: Parental Perceptions Of Lgbtq-Inclusivity In K-12 Educational Contexts, Jacqueline Ullman, Tania Ferfolja

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While little is known about parental beliefs and desires regarding LGBTQ-inclusive education, assumptions about these appear to justify teachers’, curriculum writers’ and policy makers’ silences regarding sexuality and gender diversity in the K-12 classroom. Thus, in order to better inform educators’ practices, this paper presents an analysis of interview data from focus groups with parents from across the Australian state of New South Wales. Findings highlight parents’ desires for LGBTQ-inclusivity, not only as a protective factor for sexuality and gender diverse students, but also to engender social cohesion and prepare all students for adult life in the modern social landscape. …