Education Commons^™

Paraprofessional Training Materials, Program Implementation & Review, Breann Brewer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

If ever you enter a special education classroom, you may encounter a few events. You may witness a classroom of impressive, almost automatic interactions, delivered in a way so eloquent that the students and staff seem to be in an effortless dance with one another. Or, you may witness a classroom that feels heavy with needs; needs of more staff, more help, more hands, and more time. This visual exercise demonstrates how the structure of a special education classroom sets the tone for student growth and success.

One pivotal part of a special education classroom is the paraeducators. Paraeducators, also …

Making Space For Student Agency: A Multilayered Exploration Of Agency And Writing In A First‐Grade Classroom, Kara Decoursey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Early literacy learning is crucial for later success in reading and writing. We have a limited understanding of generative writing (i.e., expressing ideas in writing) in first grade and further research is warranted. The socially situated nature of writing justifies a study of student agency during writing.

In this study, data were collected before, during, and after 10 writing sessions in a first-grade classroom. Students took a pre- and post-survey that revealed their self-perceptions of their agency and confidence as literacy learners. The participating teacher was interviewed three times and the teacher’s talk was recorded during all 45- to 60- …

Connections Between Mathematics And Computational Thinking: Kindergarten Students' Demonstration Of Mathematics Knowledge In A Computational Thinking Assessment, Lise E. Welch Bond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research shows that computational thinking can be used with kindergarten mathematics instruction, however we still do not know much about how specific math knowledge is related to computational thinking and if (and if so, how) children's mathematical knowledge is related to students' performance on computational thinking assessments. This student fills this knowledge gap by examining the following research questions: (1) How are kindergarten students' mathematical knowledge (MK) and computational thinking (CT)MK and CT operationalized during a CT assessment? In what ways, if any, do MK and CT co-occur, and (2) How do students' mathematical knowledge and co-occurring mathematical knowledge and …