Education Commons^™

Elementary Teacher Experiences With English Language Learners With Special Education Needs In New York, Colleen Ann Cahill

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to understand teacher experiences working with English language learners (ELL) with or suspected of having a learning disability. This study also addressed the current problem of ELL students concurrently being under and over classified as needing special education services. This study explored the experiences of elementary school teachers in the state of New York. The participants were from different school districts within New York State. The participants all had experience teaching students who were designated ELL who were currently in the process of response to intervention (RTI) or had already been referred and classified as having …

Teaching And Assessing College Stem Courses Online During Covid-19: Evidence-Based Strategies And Recommendations, Santanu De, Georgina Arguello

FDLA Journal

Since the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, most schools, colleges, and universities worldwide underwent a paradigm shift by transitioning to digital teaching and learning modalities. This phenomenon was essential to mitigate the contagion; however, the academic institutions needed to quickly come up with ways to ensure that the quality and rigor of education were maintained, especially the active and experiential learning required by undergraduate and graduate courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This paper highlights key approaches reported or proposed to effectively conduct college-level, in-person STEM courses online owing to the pandemic. These would range from synchronous versus asynchronous pedagogies …

Tried And True Methods Of Course Design: Overview & Lesson Example, Judith Slapak-Barski

HCAS Instructional Design and Pedagogy

As we strive to find new models of student engagement in a post-pandemic educational landscape, it best to build upon proven methods and best practices. This paper provides a sample blueprint for course or lesson design that can be used in face-to-face, hybrid, or online courses, so that we can teach the way students learn best. The sample lesson provided is an applied example of integrating each of the steps delineated in Gagné’s book, The Conditions of Learning, first published in 1965, identified the mental conditions for learning. These steps might be completed in one class meeting, in a whole …

Iranian Students’ Experience Of K-12 And Higher Education: Use Of Drawings To Convey The Difference Between Ideals And Reality, Iman Tohidian, Abbas Abbaspour, Ali Khorsandi Taskoh

The Qualitative Report

The focus of education during K-12 and Higher Education (HE) in Iran is on theoretical empowerment of students; therefore, our students get an illusion of knowing. In fact, what happens is not learning and understanding; rather, it is verbatim transfer of available information in the textbooks into the students’ minds. It might be because the students and teachers (as the main stakeholders of the education) are the least powerful parties within the pyramid of power amongst educational practitioners and policymakers. It means their voice, feedback, needs, and ideologies have no place in the educational decisions and policies. In alignment with …

Informing Without Conforming: Applying Two Frameworks To Enrich Autoethnography, Annmarie Dull

The Qualitative Report

This article explores my experiences using two frameworks to guide the design, implementation and reporting of an autoethnography. I used Hughes, Pennington, and Makris’ (2012) framework for translating autoethnography to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Standards for reporting empirical research to inform the structure, design, and process for the autoethnography, and Milner’s (2007) framework for researchers to examine seen, unseen, and unforeseen dangers to guide my reflection, support reflexivity, and examine the development of a dynamic positionality. In this article, I illustrate how using these frameworks enhanced the rigor and reflexivity of my autoethnographic research.

English Language Learning Through Non-Technology Games: A Case Study Of International Students At A Lithuanian University, Nagaletchimee Annamalai, Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan, Radzuwan Ab Rashid, Giedre Valunaite Oleskevicience, Vilhelmina Vaičiūnienė

The Qualitative Report

Research on gamified language learning often involves the use of digital games. Little is known about the use of non-technology games in promoting language learning despite their accessibility. This paper aims to fill in this lacuna by providing insights into international students’ engagement in non-technology gamified English language learning in the context of a Lithuanian university. The research, which used a case study approach as its methodology, involved a total of 30 international students at a Lithuanian university together with their two instructors. They were observed for two weeks, and then interviewed by the researchers. An inductive thematic analysis approach …

Enriching The Vision Of Campus Kitchen: A Recipe For Justice, Bryan W. Sokol, Melissa A. Apprill, Liam D. John, Ashlei Peterson

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Campus Kitchen provides an environment that is ripe for community-based, experiential-learning experiences, especially on the topic of Eco-Justice. Student volunteers have substantive opportunities to investigate and promote various food justice and hunger advocacy initiatives, as well as form meaningful personal relationships with those whom they serve. Volunteers are encouraged to learn everything from the practical skills of food preparation to the social forces that underlie food insecurity in the community. Still, many Campus Kitchen participants remain unaware of the seriousness of food waste and “throwaway” cultural attitudes that perpetuate hunger. This paper presents data illustrating the different levels of understanding …

Experiential Learning Across Borders: Virtual Exchange And Global Social Justice, Deniz Gokcora, Raymond Oenbring

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

As the populations of college and university students become more diverse and have more demanding lifestyles, postsecondary institutions are showing greater interest in unconventional and innovative ways to offer students international experiential learning. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), also known as virtual exchange, connects students in two different countries to investigate global realities from a cross-cultural perspective. With international exchange experiences no longer limited to those in certain majors or with financial means, COIL creates more equitable and sustainable access to international engagement. In this study, we describe a COIL exchange between ESL students at the Borough of Manhattan Community …

Designing Service-Learning To Enhance Social Justice Commitments: A Critical Reflection Tool, Michaela Stith, Treniyyah Anderson, Dane Emmerling, David Malone, Kathy Sikes, Patti Clayton, Robert Bringle

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic—coupled with ongoing prominent injustice related to race, poverty, healthcare, and education—has highlighted the interlocking and reinforcing nature of systemic oppression. Now more than ever, facilitators of experiential learning are galvanized to explore and deepen their understanding of systemic change and to enhance their teaching of justice concepts, perspectives, and skills.

Advancing social justice was a part of the original vision for service-learning (Stanton et al., 1999). However, scholars have long identified the ways in which service-learning can perpetuate inequitable social hierarchies, be miseducative in teaching simplistic understandings of solutions to social problems, and not equip students to …

Democratic Community As A Public Of Others: Combating Failed Citizenship In Refugees, Susan Haarman

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

Fadi¹ was a surgeon for 15 years before he and his family were resettled from Syria to Chicago. Since arriving here, he’s been able to take work as CNA in a nursing home and has been trying to figure out what of his education may be able to transfer so that he can enroll in nursing school. His wife, formerly a CPA, has had more success with gig economy jobs, but her choppy English has led to several failed interviews for full time work. “She’s absolutely fluent in French, but alas we did not arrive there,” (Haarman, 2020). …

Using Liminality To Understand How Identity And Temporary Status Influence Interns’ Vulnerability, Michael A. Odio, Christopher M. Mcleod

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Viewing internships as a transitionary stage (i.e., a liminal space) where interns are shedding their student identity and developing their professional identity provides a useful lens for understanding the experiences of interns and holds implications for social and economic justice. As interns adapt to the temporary and transitionary space of the internship they experience powerlessness, ambiguity, and, in many cases exploitation, sexual harassment, and abuse. The stress and precarity of this status are compounded for interns from marginalized or underrepresented groups that must also conform to the (typically white male and middle class) hegemony of the workplace, all of which …

Moving From Dialogue To Deliberation About Campus Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Chad Raphael

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Campus communities continue to become increasingly diverse as the U.S. grows more sensitized to, yet polarized over, issues of social justice. In response, many institutions of higher learning are placing greater emphasis on students’ experiential learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in co-curricular experiences such as new student orientation and in coursework. Experiential educators can help students forge links between learning about DEI in the co-curriculum and curriculum, and to move from intergroup dialogue to deliberation, which allows student learning to inform institutional learning. This article describes the design, outcomes, and implications of a course on dialogue and deliberation …

Social Justice Through Service-Learning In Parks & Recreation Management Education, Anne L. Demartini

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This practice-based approach argues service learning can teach social justice in parks & recreation management education. The US parks system creation and history is rooted in injustice. Use of US parks and park service employment remain inequitable today. Significant work must be done in the provision of recreation and park services to all members of the community, including those who have been traditionally marginalized or underserved. The industry requires recreation and parks professionals at all levels who are informed and intentional about inclusion and social justice, which starts with parks and recreation management education.

Service-learning, a form of experiential learning …

"Agents Of Change" – Lessons Learned From The Nation’S First Undergraduate Civil Rights Advocacy Clinic, Kath E. Rogers, Olu K. Orange

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

How can universities support their students in pursuing civil rights activism? In doing so, how can universities prioritize students from marginalized communities who are most affected by justice issues? This paper will explore lessons learned from the nation’s first civil rights clinic at the undergraduate level. Responding to the urgency of our time, the University of Southern California, Dornsife College, launched "Agents of Change: Civil Rights Advocacy Initiative” in January 2021 to support students in addressing civil rights challenges in the Los Angeles community. This paper will discuss the importance of the civil rights activism clinical model at the college …

Fostering Self-Authorship And Changemaking: Insights From A Social Entrepreneurship Practicum, Anke K. Wessels, Sarah J. Brice, Kelsey P. Chan, Emily S. Desmond, Deana Gonzales, Chelsea Lee, Ryan J. Stasolla

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

The question we are explore in this paper is how a collaboration between a practicum-based course and a social enterprise encourages students to examine, discuss, and apply complex social justice concepts and frameworks. We also investigate how this fosters in them a sense of self as changemaker, a form of self-authorship that includes the confidence to tackle justice issues in collaborative and practical ways. Applying the framing of Baxter Magolda’s Learning Partnerships Model, we first describe our experiential pedagogical practice and then illustrate outcomes by drawing exemplars from student reflections. These reflections confirm that a community-based learning practice can support …

Reimagining Scripts For Human And Environmental Justice In Experiential Learning, William F. Heinrich, Benjamin Lauren, Sandra Logan

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article shares a case study of an experiential learning framework designed specifically for supporting learning in courses focused on human and environmental justice. We argue that our educational practices must substantially change to be accountable to each other as we address social issues and explore societal solutions. Findings from qualitative analyses of student reflective writing led us to a new framework and repeatable pattern for planning and implementing courses with justice-oriented outcomes. Implications for the ways we engage and empower students are considered in light of dominant scripts of power and control in classrooms.

Developing Community Partnerships To Promote Social Justice-Related Learning Outcomes, Hilary Rasmussen

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This case study advances two primary arguments about the relationship between experiential learning and social justice-oriented learning objectives: 1) a first step toward developing strategies and practices that foster justice-related learning outcomes is to partner with organizations that pursue social justice, and 2) effectively teaching social justice in a service-learning experience calls for classroom practices to embody an ethos of social justice in which students sustain a dialogic relationship with the community partner with both parties mutually contributing to the project. I elaborate on best practices for how to achieve clearer assessment of whether students have internalized the goals of …

Fundamentals Of Anthropology As Effective Experiential Learning Strategy To Promote Social Justice, Chelsea G. Abbas

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Experiential learning (EL) as it relates to the social sciences, involves going out into the community to conduct field studies or work with different groups who provide new approaches and collaborative perspectives to student learning. EL relies on the fact that students can communicate with distinct populations and oftentimes bridge cultural, linguistic, racial, generational, or geographical divides. As we emerge from a pandemic-induced social isolation into an increasingly siloed and divided political world, creating generative dialogue and skill sets to promote social activism and empathy for the common good is of utmost importance, especially for college students. Two EL experiences, …

Justice Isn’T One-Size-Fits-All: Working Toward Justice In Service-Learning Courses, Chelsea Lauder, Becca Berkey

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Service-Learning is a form of experiential education and a teaching tool that can both enhance student learning outcomes and contribute to community goals. When this type of learning intersects with social justice education, or liberatory education, different types of student outcomes may arise; specifically, those contributing to the development of social and critical consciousness. In this thought piece on praxis, we conduct a content analysis of multiple first- and second- year service-learning courses to determine if there is an observable difference in the development of student social consciousness and commitment as it pertains to the extent to which justice is …

Implementing An Experiential Learning Program Focused On Civic Leadership To Produce Social Justice Outcomes, Glenn A. Bowen, Courtney A. Berrien

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article describes a civic learning and leadership development program aimed at cultivating civic mindedness and preparing students for social change roles in community settings. Participating students tackle social issues as viewed through a systemic change lens; they explore the root causes of specific social issues and then work collaboratively with community partners to address those issues. The program’s student learning outcomes assessment has shown that participants generally become civic-minded graduates, with the demonstrable capacity and desire to work with others for social change. The authors explain the practice-based approach to the program, summarize social justice outcomes, and delineate program …

Editorial Board

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

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Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

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Making Explicit Connections Between Experiential Learning And Justice: New Approaches To Teaching And Learning Through An Imagination For Justice, Patrick M. Green

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

Beyond simply being a form of active learning, experiential learning, in its many iterations, has been promoted as a philosophy, a community development model, a theory, a professional skill training opportunity, a global education and civic development approach, and a pedagogical strategy that leads to deep, high impact learning. Indeed, experiential learning has become increasingly specialized in the last several decades with the evolution of numerous sub-fields, such as study abroad and global immersion programs, outdoor education programs, community-based learning (both domestic and global service-learning), internship and work-integrated learning, undergraduate research experiences, and a myriad of other high-impact learning …

Table Of Contents

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

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Mapping A Language(S) Journey In Science; From Learning Biology To Teaching Biology: An Autoethnography, Primani S. Fernando, Maria Gindidis Dr, Rebecca Cooper Dr.

The Qualitative Report

This paper focuses on my experience as an English as an Additional Language (EAL) student in the context of multiple emigrations and investigates the formation of my identity as an EAL science student, science Education researcher, and science teacher. The study was guided by both my innate curiosity and the research question that sought to explore which factors significantly affected my journey of developing my English language and science knowledge based on my experience as an EAL student. The second and third authors acted as critical friends to provide a layer of reliability to the study. Within the autoethnography methodology …

“The Lunchroom Is Dirty And The Food Is Nasty”: Ethical Dilemmas In Conducting Qualitative Food Studies Research In Detroit And New York City Public Schools, Sophia Rodriguez, John Lupinacci, Kristen Goessling

The Qualitative Report

In this article, reflecting critically on past school food studies and considering the landscape of qualitative methods, notably youth participatory action research methodologies, the authors share methodological suggestions for centering social justice and sustainability with the lived experience of youth by drawing on their critical qualitative research in Detroit and New York City public schools. We advance an analytic framework that aims to center youth voices and solutions to social problems such as food justice and equity. To this end we call for attention to human rights, youth participatory research, and relational ethics as part of our intention to center …

The Experiencing Scale: An Experiential Learning Gauge Of Engagement In Learning, Karen L. Stock, David Kolb

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

A major premise of experiential learning practices is that experience is necessary for learning, yet our understanding of the concept of experience and its role in learning remains unclear. This study examines the experiencing process in experiential learning and formulates a conceptual foundation for the experiencing concept that integrates insights from four contemporary traditions of experiencing research: Focusing, Flow, Mindfulness and Absorption. Empirical validation is tested with the construction of The Experiencing Scale, a self-reported gauge of one’s level of experiencing in a given context. The Experiencing Scale instrument was distributed to undergraduate students following participation in an experiential classroom …

Building Cultural Competency Among Emerging Public Health Professionals: Student Experiences In Panama, Matthew Fifolt, Meena Nabavi, Erika L. Austin, Lisa C. Mccormick

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

One of the prerequisite skills of effective public health and health practitioners is cultural competency. Cultural competency, however, requires a deep and profound understanding of individuals who are shaped by different life experiences than one’s own. Previous authors have described study abroad and service-learning as established strategies for enhancing cultural competency among emerging health professionals. This article describes how students made meaning of an international study abroad experience in Panama through analysis of student-produced work including reflective journal entries, blog posts, and photo journaling.

In summer 2019, 13 undergraduate and graduate students participated in a four-week travel course to explore …

Communities Of Practice In Academic Administration: An Example From Managing Undergraduate Research At A Research-Intensive University, Sophie Pierszalowski, Gabs James, Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Itchung Cheung, Patrick Chappell, Jennifer Engels, Dwaine Plaza, Stephanie Ramos, Daniel López-Cevallos

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Inspired by the need to connect virtually during COVID-19 operations, a community of practice for facilitators of undergraduate research experiences was initiated at our university. Weekly virtual meetings quickly expanded to fill an unmet need for cross-campus support of research experiences more generally, including clarification of liability concerns, best practices for crafting inclusive application materials, culturally competent mentorship, and the abrupt transition to online research experiences. The resulting synergy of ideas also yielded significant new initiatives including an anti-racist research curriculum, federal grant proposals, and campus-wide outreach activities. The community of practice has continued to evolve with a sustainability focus, …