Education Commons^™

"When Do We Play?": Administrator, Teacher, And Parent Perceptions Of Play In A Catholic Kindergarten Classroom, Aimée Eva Ramirez

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Educational reforms have created a climate of accountability and high academic pressure that has resulted in a pushing down of the curriculum into early childhood education. Once a prominent pedagogical feature, play is disappearing from kindergarten. The following is a doctoral dissertation that studied administrator, teacher, and parent perceptions of play and its role within the kindergarten curriculum at a Catholic elementary school in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Using a qualitative case study method, the study noted how play was utilized in transitional kindergarten and traditional kindergarten classrooms at the school site. Interviews, classroom observations, and document review of school …

Hiding In Plain Sight: Identifying Computational Thinking In The Ontario Elementary School Curriculum, Eden J.V. Hennessey, Julie Mueller, Danielle Beckett, Peter A. Fisher

Education Faculty Publications

Given a growing digital economy with complex problems, demands are being made for education to address computational thinking (CT) – an approach to problem solving that draws on the tenets of computer science. We conducted a comprehensive content analysis of the Ontario elementary school curriculum documents for 44 CT-related terms to examine the extent to which CT may already be considered within the curriculum. The quantitative analysis strategy provided frequencies of terms, and a qualitative analysis provided information about how and where terms were being used. As predicted, results showed that while CT terms appeared mostly in Mathematics, and concepts …

Student Engagement With Nature When Using Nature Journals And Ipads, Xeng Jasiczek

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This capstone is a collection of lessons to teach nature journals while using iPads in the

elementary classroom from first grade through fifth grade. This curriculum is cross- curricular and includes teaching lessons in art and science, and work on students being

reflective of their work either verbally or written. This curriculum is supported by research done about outdoor learning, the use of modern technology and free play. All these things contribute to a better mental and physical health of children into adulthood. The use of technology in the classroom is changing how teachers teach and how students learn. This …

The Empathy Project: The Importance Of Transitional Bilingual Education Programs, Angela Raimo

Community of Scholars Day—Posters

The audience will learn about the benefit of transitional bilingual education programs as well as the curriculum taught to my first and second grade students. They will also learn the strategies I have implemented to instill empathy and hold expectations for students who are struggling academically and socioeconomically. There will be a large amount of research on transitional bilingual education programs, multicultural teaching practices, multicultural students, and teaching empathy in an elementary school classroom.

Teachers' Experiences With Integrating Play-Based Learning Into Standards-Driven Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study, Mary Nugent

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe kindergarten teachers’ experiences with integrating play-based learning into standards-based academic curriculum in a school district in South Carolina. Play–based learning experiences were defined as instances which allow children to engage in active, social learning experiences in classrooms. This study explored the question of how kindergarten teachers describe their experiences with integrating play-based learning experiences in their classrooms, the value of play in their classrooms, their role as the adult during play experiences, and the difficulties that they face in making instructional decisions. The theories guiding this study were Froebel’s early childhood …

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 …