Digital Commons Network^™

Curriculum Change: A Study On Teacher Perceptions Of Curriculum Change On Content Standards, Tiffany Kessler-Hopek

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, curriculum has encountered frequent changes throughout years. The main initiative of educational change has three main components, and they are to increase the quality and rigor of the curriculum, have a common curriculum, and prepare students for secondary education. The standards in the state of Georgia have changed from Georgia Performance Standards and Common Core State Standards to the more recent Georgia Standards of Excellence. By the school year 2018-2019, the Georgia Standards of Excellence should be fully adopted. An explanatory sequential mixed methods study was conducted to examine the perceptions of teachers on curriculum change …

Exploring Learning Differences: A Social Emotional Curriculum For Second Grade, Sophie Paci

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Exploring Learning Differences is a four-week social emotional learning curriculum designed for second grade students by Sophie Paci. The purpose of the curriculum is to encourage students to reflect on themselves as learners and to promote awareness about different learning needs in a community. Students explore this theme through class discussions, interactive read-alouds, group activities, art projects, and independent writing. As a literature-based curriculum, each lesson utilizes a children’s book to engage students in dialogue about learning differences. The literature collection features eight “core books” that are used in interactive read-alouds and ten supporting books students can read independently. The …

What Would Barbara Gordon Do? Teaching The Language Of Comics To Education Majors, Elizabeth M. Downey

UL Publications

Mississippi State University Libraries has sought to expand and promote our graphic novel collection; one way we have done this is by introducing the format to students and professors in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education (CISE). Over the last several years, professors in CISE have consistently requested regular instruction in graphic novel use for their education majors, particularly in two classes that focus on child and adolescent literacy. In these classes students are required to read a graphic novel and prepare a book talk or lesson plan that incorporates the material. While these students are tangentially aware …

Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series: Timor-Leste: Interim Report 1, Elizabeth Cassity, Jennie Chainey, Sheldon Rothman

Initial Teacher education

The purpose of this Interim Report is to present the findings from the first year of a multi-year study of Timor-Leste’s Professional Learning and Mentoring Program (PLMP). The study focuses on understanding the extent to which education stakeholders, including school leaders and teachers, develop teaching knowledge and change teaching practice over time. It also explores the extent to which participation in the PLMP leads to improvements in learning outcomes for students. This study of the PLMP is framed within the context Timor-Leste’s introduction of a new National Basic Education Curriculum.

A Pedagogical Framework For The Design And Utilization Of Place-Based Experiential Learning Curriculum On A Campus Farm, Julia L. Angstmann, Amber J. Rollings, Grant A. Fore, Brandon H. Sorge

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Campus agriculture projects are increasingly being recognized as spaces impactful to student engagement and learning through curricular and co-curricular programming; however, most campus farm activities are limited to agriculture or sustainability programs and/or co-curricular student clubs. Thus, campus farms are largely underutilized in the undergraduate curriculum, marking a need to explore the efficacy and impact of engaging a diverse array of disciplinary courses in the rich social, environmental, and civic context of local sustainable agriculture. The Farm Hub program presented here incentivizes instructors to refocus a portion of existing course content around the topic of local, sustainable agriculture, and reduces …

District-University Collaborations To Support Reform-Based Mathematics Curriculum Implementation, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Amy L. Nebesniak, Theodore J. Rupnow

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Curriculum change is inevitable in schooling. For content areas such as mathematics that are already under the national spotlight, transitioning to new curriculum materials while concurrently enacting instructional reform creates both a challenge and an opportunity. This paper discusses how partnerships between two state universities and respective neighboring school districts resulted in the creation and implementation of graduate courses for teachers targeted at curricular and instructional reform specific to each district. Common course components between both university-district partnerships were identified in the areas of mathematics research, practice, and leadership advocacy and found to be instrumental in supporting instructional reform and …

Reconnecting Young Children With Nature For Healthy Growth And Development, Suzanne Schiffman

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project seeks to answer the question of how early childhood educators can help their young students build connections with nature. The literature review for this study focused on educators’ knowledge of child development as it relates to environmental education and outdoor play; curriculum planning, implementing and assessment using Minnesota state standards and developmentally appropriate practices; availability and accessibility of natural play spaces; and environmental literacy of educators. The project is divided into two parts consisting of three interactive slideshow presentations for professional development and three sets of educational support materials. This capstone is relevant for administrators and early childhood …

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum And Manipulatives Designed For Deaf Hard Of Hearing Students From Diverse Home Languages, Meghan O'Donnell

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The population of students that are hard of hearing that come from multilingual homes is a distinct population that has specific needs. The purpose of this Capstone project is on how to better instruct students that are Deaf and Hard of Hearing that come from multilingual homes. After researching and discussing the difficulties and needs of this specific population, including Deaf and Hard of Hearing and English language learner definitions, environmental factors, teacher education, and best practices, the author determined that a way to support this population could be through communication tools for families and others for Deaf and Hard …

A Yoga-Based Curriculum To Help Learners Deal With Anxious Situations, Lacey Jan Weninger

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Through my experience working in education, I have seen the many benefits that yoga can provide children. My observations led to my asking the following research question: What are the elements of a Yoga curriculum that can support learners in dealing with anxious situations? The review of the research literature supported my professional experiences in a variety of areas and the potential value of creating a four-week unit to be integrated into my third grade classroom. For example, it documented that anxiety is prevalent in children today and it does not simply disappear as those children grow into adults. The …

Steam And Social Studies: Creating An Integrated Classroom, Anna Penner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone is to address the question what strategies does the research recommend for supporting social studies educators in integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) practices into their core content? STEAM education has been adopted by many American school districts to help prepare students to be successful in 21st century careers. With a focus on problem-based learning and critical thinking, STEAM education can teach students real world skills. The goals of social studies education include preparing young people to be empathetic, active members of society. When teachers are educated in the best methods of integrating …

Inquiry-Based Learning Science Curriculum For Kindergarteners, Meghan Brady

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project answers the question: How can teachers utilize inquiry-based learning while assessing success in kindergarten science education? The focus of this project was to explore inquiry to aide students in developing a deep understanding of science standards. Many different research studies were reviewed to explore the importance of science education in early elementary school. The research focuses on the areas of Next Generation Science Standards, inquiry-based learnings, and assessments. The project is a two-week unit designed to instruct kindergarten students in the Next Generation Science Standards of weather, engineering, and Earth systems. The major learnings, limitations, and benefits to …

Seeing Through The Racist Smog: With A Reading Curriculum Based On Culturally Responsive Teaching And Warm Demander Pedagogy, Maren Swann

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

There are countless articles about the Achievement Gap, but few offer concrete solutions. While the teaching force is “whitening,” the percentage of students of color is increasing. A small group of researchers have offered two new pedagogies as a way to help students of color and low-income students succeed: culturally responsive teaching and warm demander pedagogy. While there is literature on these two theories of pedagogy, there are few unit plans. This author created a 3rd grade reading unit entitled Readers Workshop Activist Book Review Unit using culturally responsive teaching, warm demander pedagogy and Wiggin’s and McTighe’s “backwards design” curriculum …

The Role Of Historical Simulations In An International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Social Studies Class, Anna Hasenkamp

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents an action research study as part of a Dissertation in Practice. Based on observations from the classroom of the participant-researcher, Problem of Practice is described: an over-reliance on teacher-centered instructional methods and the mismatch of these instructional techniques to the pedagogy endorsed by the International Baccalaureate. Through the identification of this PoP led to a research focus concerning student achievement, instructional methods, and the use of historical simulations in the social studies classroom. As a result of this research focus, the research question of what, if any, is the possible impact of historical simulations on student achievement? …

Nature Journal Activity Guide - Grades 3-5, Jennifer Ann Hengel

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

If we want adults that are stewards for the environment, we need to include nature in education when they are younger so they can understand and appreciate the natural world. This need prompted the question, How do we utilize nature journals for school-age children to increase students’ understanding and appreciation of the natural world? Prior research has pointed to the benefits of teaching nature to youth, as well as the benefits of journaling in education. Nature journaling covers both sides of this equation, and helps foster sense of place and experiential learning. This capstone project was an activity guide similar …

Digital Forensics, A Need For Credentials And Standards, Nima Zahadat

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The purpose of the conducted study was to explore the credentialing of digital forensic investigators, drawing from applicable literature. A qualitative, descriptive research design was adopted which entailed searching across Google Scholar and ProQuest databases for peer reviewed articles on the subject matter. The resulting scholarship was vetted for timeliness and relevance prior to identification of key ideas on credentialing. The findings of the study indicated that though credentialing was a major issue in digital forensics with an attentive audience of stakeholders, it had been largely overshadowed by the fundamental curricula problems in the discipline. A large portion of research …

Foucauldian Dynamics In The Formation Of A Fifth Grade Writing Culture, Ashley Renee Watson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study looks at a student writing culture in a fifth grade English language arts classroom through the lens of Foucauldian power dynamics to examine the power relationships in the classroom and curriculum. The research questions were: 1) What is the nature of a writing culture in a fifth-grade writing classroom? 2) What are students’ perceptions of writing in a fifth grade ELA classroom? The methodology for the study was case study research.

The research took place during the 2017-2018 school year at Southeast Elementary School in Lancaster County in the southeastern part of the United States. Data was collected …

Musicals In The Steam Curriculum: Framing Instruction With Show Tunes And Themes, Keith Mason

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Musicals, a part of the arts, have potential in the STEAM curriculum. A long history of stage, film and television musicals are present within popular culture. Musicals can foster STEAM especially in terms of the technical aspects of theatre, cinema and television production. STEAM educators can utilize show tunes and themes to frame lessons as outlined in a number of examples. A description of a high school curriculum integration program provides examples of how school musicals can foster STEAM areas. These musicals illustrate how STEAM instructors can capitalize on musicals with their students.

Morris Catalog 2019-21, University Of Minnesota Morris

UMM Catalog

This catalog covers academic years 2019–20 and 2020–21. The Morris Catalog is in effect for nine years; this catalog is in effect from fall 2019 through the end of summer session 2028.

Changing Priorities? The Role Of General Capabilities In The Curriculum, Paul R. Weldon

NSW Curriculum Review

This background paper takes a brief look at the history of the development of general capabilities in Australia, including in the vocational and higher education sectors, and the current state of play. It then considers some of the issues inherent in what has been called the skills movement, and the incorporation of skills into the curriculum internationally.

African American English And Urban Literature: Creating Culturally Caring Classrooms, Erin E. Campbell, Joseph J. Nicol

#CritEdPol: Journal of Critical Education Policy Studies at Swarthmore College

Language and literacy are a means of delivering care through consideration of students’ home culture; however, a cultural mismatch between the predominantly white, female educator population and the diverse urban student population is reflected in language and literacy instruction. Urban curricula often fail to incorporate culturally relevant literature, in part due to a dearth of texts that reflect student experiences. Dialectal differences between African American English (AAE) and Mainstream American English (MAE) and a history of racism have attached a reformatory stigma to AAE and its speakers. The authors assert that language and literacy instruction that validates children’s lived experience …

21st Century Learning Skills In Education And Employability, William Xavier Toro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to research a diverse school in Westchester County, New York to analyze whether it is aligned to 21st century practices. This study used both qualitative and quantitative data from focus-group interviews, surveys and non-participant observations with administrators, teachers and department chairpersons to determine whether the school is aligned with 21st century practices to create an employable 21st century student. Furthermore, this study attempted to determine what gaps exist to make a student employable according to the needs of today and the future.

By analyzing the literature review, the researcher developed a conceptual framework. …

Shared Viewpoints Of Enl Teachers About The Challenges They Face: A Q-Methodological Study, Janine Curiale

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Since the 1900s, the United States has become more diverse due to an increase in the number of languages spoken across the continent due in part to the rise in immigration from different countries. This has altered the structure of schools and led to a greater need for classroom supports in the area of language development. Specifically, the English as a New Language (ENL) teachers have become a more prominent figure in the schools and classrooms by providing support for students whose first language is not English. There are many positive outcomes and challenges that arise in the schools for …

A Descriptive Phenomenological Exploration Of Resiliency Through Math Curriculum Changes From The Perspectives Of Elementary Educators, Shanna Good

Education Dissertations and Projects

Phenomenological research in education, especially regarding curriculum, is rare. Curriculum change in the state has occurred seven times since 2002, and more so in each district with material adoption. This descriptive phenomenological research study describes the experiences of elementary educators through changing math curriculums. To collect data, the researcher interviewed 10 elementary math teachers including a pilot interview. Using a purposeful, convenience sample, three participants from three different schools participated in this study to ensure validity and reliability. After conducting semi-structured interviews, the researcher followed protocol for descriptive phenomenological research and analyzed the data for meaning units that described how …

The Oasis Skateboard Factory: Return To The One-Room Schoolhouse, William Robertson

Selected Works Temporary Series

How can you get young people interested in science and mathematics? What efforts are there to integrate the experiences of high school students into the things they need to do and learn in school? How can action sports, like skateboarding be used to teach science, mathematics, language arts, history and help at-rick and marginalized students to grow in their engagement and motivation in high school, as well as to graduate? This is in part answered at the Oasis Skateboard Factory (OSF) an alternative high school in Toronto, Canada. The factory, under the direction of founding teacher Craig Morrison, has enjoyed …

An International Comparison Of K-12 Computer Science Education Intended And Enacted Curricula, Katrina Falkner, Sue Sentance, Rebecca Vivian, Sarah Barksdale, Leonard Busuttil, Elizabeth Cole, Christine Liebe, Francesco Maiorana, Monica M. Mcgill, Keith Quille

Conference Papers

This paper presents an international study of K-12 Computer Science implementation across Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Scotland and the United States. We present findings from a pilot study, comparing CS curriculum requirements (intended curriculum) captured through country reports, with what surveyed teachers (n=244) identify as enacting in their classroom (the enacted curriculum). We address the extent that teachers are implementing the intended curriculum as enacted curriculum, exploring specifically country differences in terms of programming languages and CS topics implemented. Our findings highlight the similarities and differences of intended and enacted CS curriculum within and across countries and the value …

The Oasis Skateboard Factory: Return To The One-Room Schoolhouse, William Robertson

Departmental Papers (TE)

How can you get young people interested in science and mathematics? What efforts are there to integrate the experiences of high school students into the things they need to do and learn in school? How can action sports, like skateboarding be used to teach science, mathematics, language arts, history and help at-rick and marginalized students to grow in their engagement and motivation in high school, as well as to graduate? This is in part answered at the Oasis Skateboard Factory (OSF) an alternative high school in Toronto, Canada. The factory, under the direction of founding teacher Craig Morrison, has enjoyed …

An Examination Of Abstraction In K-12 Computer Science Education, Christine Lynn Liebe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Computer scientists have been working towards a common definition of abstraction; however, the instruction and assessment of abstraction remain categorically underresearched. Because abstraction is often cited as a component of computational thinking, abstraction has been summarily likened to a higher order thinking skill. A broad conceptual framework including philosophy, psychology, constructionism, and computational thinking was aligned with the descriptive qualitative design and guided the literature review and data analysis. This qualitative examination of how teachers determine curriculum, deliver instruction, and design assessments in K-12 computer science education provides insight into best practices and variables for future quantitative study. The instructional …

Explicitly Teaching Scientific Argumentation: Using Action Research To Study High School Science Readiness And Detracking, Ami Lefevre

Dissertations

Access to advanced-level science courses can be difficult for those students who start in a tracked system. Tracking is an educational practice where students are assigned to different classes based on ability level. African American and Hispanic students are most at risk since most minority students are found in the lower level track (Burris, 2014; Mehan, 2015; Oakes, 2005). This investigation used an action research approach to determine how explicitly taught elements of scientific argumentation would impact student mastery of argument skills and influence instructional practices by a professional learning community. A mixed method study was used to collect qualitative …

Knowing Is Half The Battle: Assessments Of Both Student Perception And Performance Are Necessary To Successfully Evaluate Curricular Transformation, Tarren J. Shaw, Suann Yang, Troy R. Nash, Rachel M. Pigg, Jeffrey M. Grim

Biology

Student-centered pedagogies increase learning and retention. Quantifying change in both student learning gains and student perception of their experience allows faculty to evaluate curricular transformation more fully. Student buy-in, particularly how much students value and enjoy the active learning process, has been positively associated with engagement in active learning and increased learning gains. We hypothesize that as the frequency of students who have successfully completed the course increases in the student population, current students may be more likely to buy-in to the curriculum because this common experience could create a sense of community. We measured learning gains and attitudes during …

Iot Forensics Curriculum: Is It A Myth Or Reality?, Bilge Karabacak, Kemal Aydin, Andy Igonor

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

In this research paper, two questions are answered. The first question is "Should universities invest in the preparation of an IoT forensics curriculum?". The second question is "If the IoT forensics curriculum is worth investing in, what are the basic building steps in the development of an loT forensics curriculum?". To answer those questions, the authors conducted a comprehensive literature review spanning academia, the private sector, and non-profit organizations. The authors also performed semi-structured interviews with two experts from academia and the private sector. The results showed that because of the proliferation of IoT technology and the increasing number of …