Education Commons^™

Enhancing Student Learning In The Online Instructional Environment Through The Use Of Universal Design For Learning, Kathleen A. Boothe, Marla J. Lohmann, Ruby Owiny

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

As college faculty who prepare future teachers, we strive to teach our students through instruction and modeling best practices in teaching. We constantly evaluate our teaching and make adjustments to include updated knowledge about effective instruction. The evaluation and adjustments made to our courses lend themselves to action research. We take what we learn from our research and make appropriate changes to better meet the diverse needs of students. This article provides an overview of a final project that used Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for assessing student knowledge. This research focused on the principle of Multiple Means of Action …

Emotional Landscapes Of Living, Learning, And Teaching: A Lens Within, From Learner To Teacher-Researcher, Marcela Gallardo, Maria Gindidis

The Qualitative Report

This article explores experiences that have influenced my choices for becoming a teacher and then researcher. I used autoethnography as a research method to explore significant moments in my life during the years of both my primary and secondary education. The cumulative power of these life vignettes have been researched to understand the diverse emotional, complex and multilayered experiences of my formative years of childhood and how such emotions may have shaped my career choices and who I am at this very moment. This paper meticulously collected artifacts such as personal photos, newspapers, transcribed recordings of moments of intense emotions …

“Ready-Ready” To Teach: The Telling Case Of A Reflective Teacher-Practitioner, Olga Gould-Yakovleva Ph.D., Mary Mcvee Ph.D., David Fronczak M.Ed.

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative telling case study was situated within a broader project, which explored how the research participants modified their teaching after having completed their master’s program. We investigated reflective stance of a teacher-practitioner who was a graduate of a Master’s Literacy Specialist program, which promoted reflective teaching practices using videos of students’ own teaching. The research questions were: (1) How does the participant demonstrate his use of a reflective stance with regard to teaching practices? (2) What are the modifications in teaching practices that were made by the participant after the reflective video pedagogy course used in his graduate practicum? …

Analysis Of Elementary School English Teachers’ Professional Dialogue As Their Professional Development, Chin-Wen Chien

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative study analyzed the professional dialogue among 67 English teachers at seven elementary schools in New Taipei City in Taiwan. Based on the analysis of the documentation, observation, and interviews, the study has two major findings. First, the knowledge and skills covered in the professional dialogues of English teachers concerned planning, implementing, and managing instruction. Second, English teachers regarded their professional dialogues as effective and goal-oriented. In order to make professional dialogues into job-embedded professional development for English teachers, they must be goal-oriented and carried out in an environment of care and trust. Moreover, professional dialogue can take the …

Call For Manuscripts, Todd Pagano, Sami Kahn

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Copyright And Open Access, Todd Pagano, Sami Kahn

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Teaching Standards, Approaches, And Techniques For K-12 Chinese Classes In The Us, Jia Xu

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

K-12 is the term used to denote the primary and secondary education system in the U.S., from kindergarten to 12th grade. Second language education is critically important, especially for Chinese language, which has become the fourth most widely taught foreign language at the K-12 levels in the country. This thesis addresses K-12 foreign language frameworks and content standards, as well as discusses and summarizes effective teaching approaches and techniques for K-12 Chinese Classes in the US; and therefore, provides a reference for teachers, schools, and educational institutions. This thesis includes three parts: Part One summarizes K-12 Chinese education in the …

A Systematic Multisensory Phonics Intervention For Older Struggling Readers: Action Research Study, Elizabeth Henry

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Upper elementary readers who persist with reading difficulties face both academic and emotional challenges when they do not make reading gains equal to their peers. Decades of research has shown that persistent treatment resisters respond positively to a systematic multisensory phonics intervention. In my action research study, I examined how 5th and 6th grade struggling readers responded to a multisensory phonics intervention. Following the eight-week intervention, students made gains in word reading accuracy and demonstrated increased confidence in word reading skills. Implications of the study bolster the importance of providing phonics instruction to older struggling readers.

Real-Life Nature-Based Experiences As Keys To The Writing Workshop, Margot Kinberg

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

For many years, research has supported the value of using real-life experiences as teaching opportunities (e.g. Noobanjong & Louhapensang, 2017; Powell, 2015). This is just as true of teaching writing as of anything else. In fact, when learners use writing (such as journaling) to share their experiences, they benefit in several ways, including their communication skills (e.g. Khanmohammad & Eilaghi, 2017).

Writing workshops have been shown to be effective approaches to coaching writing at several different levels (Williams, 2014). Such workshops provide the opportunity to reflect on drafts, collaborate with peers and work through the writing process. They are, therefore, …

Inquiries Into The Cognitive And Affective Domains Of Learning, Suzanne Porath

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

In this issue of Networks, we see educator-researchers inquire into the cognitive aspects of their students’ learning, but also explore the affective aspects of learning such as engagement, choice, and personal response.

Counting On Collaboration: A Triangular Approach In The Educator Preparation Program For Teachers Of Mathematics, Jason Robinson, Patricia Mcclung, Caroline Maher-Boulis, Jennifer Cornett, Beth Fugate

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper outlines the process of establishing a stronger and more reciprocal partnership for collaboration between an education preparation program and a local education agency. The essential partners identified included the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the College of Education at Lee University and stakeholders in the local school district. First, this paper will discuss a theoretical framework that speaks to the importance of dialogue and a dialogic approach to teaching mathematics. Secondly, the processes and methods of the project involving collaboration through partnerships are described. These partnerships gave rise to the realization that coursework would be more …

Poverty, According To Gorski, Kristyna M. Rudio

The Montana English Journal

In this poem, "Poverty, According to Gorski", the main points of Paul Gorski's book Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap (Second Edition) are outlined. The poem discusses and summarizes topics heavily researched by Gorski such as meritocracy, equality, equity, equity literacy, ideologies, and strategies to help classroom teachers, administrators, and leaders in literacy help to break down barriers for students and families experiencing poverty.

“Maths Outside Of Maths”: Pre-Service Teachers’ Awareness Of Mathematical And Statistical Thinking Across Teachers’ Professional Work, Judy Bailey, Bronwen Cowie, Beverley Cooper

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Mathematical and statistical thinking is involved across the breadth of people’s home and work life and leisure activities. This paper reports on an aspect of a project that aimed to develop pre-service teacher awareness of the mathematical and statistical thinking required across the breadth of primary teachers’ professional role. This thinking is conceptualised as the mathematics and statistics embedded in each of the curriculum learning areas, in data literacy, and administration and management tasks. Mentor meetings indicated pre-service teachers who were completing a one-year graduate diploma initially had a limited awareness of the extent of this thinking. Through focus group …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Belonging During The Transition From Primary To Secondary School, Lynette Longaretti

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A young person’s sense of belonging at school can affect their level of motivation, academic achievement and wellbeing. During the transition from primary to secondary school, one’s sense of belonging may be affected by the changes and challenges encountered.

This paper reports some of the findings from a larger qualitative longitudinal study that investigated the factors that contribute to educational resilience during the transition from primary to secondary school. Data gathered from interviews with sixteen Year 6 students from three Victorian primary schools over a period of eighteen months is presented and analysed.

A key theme identified from the larger …

Reflections On Journaling: An Initiative To Support Pre-Service Mathematics And Science Teachers, Lisa O'Keeffe, Kathryn Paige

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this article the authors present two different ways in which journaling has been utilised with final year pre-service teacher students (PSTs) in their primary/middle science and mathematics pathway course. Pedagogical practices that model effective teaching and learning in a tertiary setting are an integral component of this course. As teacher educators exploring ways to develop our practices, we introduced journaling as a teaching and learning tool. The first results section of this article focuses on the journaling experiences of PSTs, including the different ways they chose to engage with journaling and factors contributing to their engagement or disengagement. The …

Factor Structure Of Multicultural Teaching Competency Scale For School-Teachers In Hong Kong, Chi Hung Leung, Ming Tak Hue

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigates the perceptions of teaching competency in multicultural classrooms held by 421 teachers at 16 schools in Hong Kong. The aims of the study are (a) to use confirmatory factor analysis to validate a culturally appropriate version of the Multicultural Teaching Competency Scale (MTCS), (b) to assess three types of multicultural-teaching competency, and (c) to provide recommendations for teacher-education institutes and policy makers on developing effective training in multicultural education. The results indicate that a tripartite model assessing skills, knowledge, and relationships, the core features of multicultural-teaching competency as assessed by the MTCS from a Hong Kong sample. …

Primary Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Outcome Expectancy: A Case Study, Gillian Ward, Helen Dixon, Helen Withy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Self-efficacious teachers are critical in the development of students’ positive attitudes towards science and scientific literacy yet to date little attention has been given to studies of experienced teachers of primary science and development of their self-efficacy (SE) beliefs. The aim of this study was to explore how two experienced teachers of primary science built their SE beliefs and outcome expectancy. Bandura’s (1977) SE framework provided the conceptual lens to understand participants’ experiences and beliefs. Findings suggest that teachers’ SE beliefs had developed over time, creating a foundation for a strong expectancy outcome. Each of the sources of influence made …

Anatomy Of A Peace Educator: Her Work And Workplace, Gulistan Gursel-Bilgin, David Flinders

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports a case study that examined the peace education practice of a 5th and 6th grade teacher at an independent, non-profit school in the Mid-western United States. The study used Paulo Freire’s (1970) conception of dialogue as its conceptual framework. After describing the study’s context and methods, we present data focusing on the teacher’s background and development as a peace educator, her teaching practices, and her relationships with her students, school and local community. We discuss Michelle’s interdisciplinary approach to peace education linked with her personal background and her use of dialogue as dynamic, fluid, and relational. Our …

Preservice Teachers’ Sense Of Belonging During Practicum Placements, Yvonne Dewhurst, Michelle Ronksley-Pavia, Donna Pendergast

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Practicum placements in schools are keystone features of preservice teacher education, yet inconsistencies in their nature and quality are pervasive. This phenomenon was explored in two cultural contexts, with a focus on ‘belonging’, which the literature reveals may impact practicums and commitment to the profession. Interviews were conducted with six primary school preservice teachers in Australia and Scotland, about their lived experience of belonging/non-belonging during practicum. Hermeneutic phenomenological analysis revealed four themes in both cultural contexts: 1. Being welcomed; 2. Settings and procedures; 3. Interpersonal interactions; and, 4. Strategic behaviours. This study indicates belonging as crucial to preservice teachers’ cognition, …

Reflecting On Emotions During Teaching: Developing Affective-Reflective Skills In Novice Teachers Using A Novel Critical Moment Protocol, James Bleakley, Geoff Woolcott, Tony Yeigh, Robert Whannell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Affective-reflective skills are an integral component of classroom pedagogy, providing teachers with emotional understandings and confidence that can improve overall classroom performance. This article presents a case study of early career primary school teachers, showing how such affective-reflective skills can be developed through iterations of a purpose-designed collaborative protocol. Use of this novel protocol allowed teachers to examine their classroom practices via critical moment analysis of affective responses observed from lesson videos. Findings demonstrate how teachers’ use of this non-judgmental and self-evaluative protocol contributed to an emerging understanding of the relationship between their affective-reflective skills and teaching confidence. Findings support …

Pandemic & Education: A Conversation Between Teacher Candidates, Jake Carlsen, Eric Jensen, Anna Krytenberg

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

When Oregon public schools closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19, Jake, Eric, and Anna were headed into the full-time student teaching segment of their year-long teacher preparation practicum experience. While everyone has faced uncertainty during the pandemic, these beginning teachers also shared unique challenges. In April they came together for a conversation with a NWJTE editor to talk about their experiences, the obstacles and opportunities facing schools right now, and their hopes for their students and themselves. All three envision a 2020-2021 school year focused on equity, inclusivity, and the importance of access for all children.

Our Moonshot: Dighton Public Schools, Kelly Arnberger

Educational Considerations

“Through redesign you have the opportunity do whatever you choose to do to make your school reflect the needs and desires of your community. I believe our public-school teachers can do the great things we keep hearing private and charter schools do if we would just let them.” Randy Watson said something to that effect at Dighton in January, 2017. We would now have permission to make our school reflect the true mission, vision, and values of our community without constraint. Sounds great! At least many of us in attendance listening to Dr. Watson that day thought so. We chose …

Responding To Student Teachers' Fears: How We're Adjusting During The Covid-19 Shutdowns, Jeremy Delamarter, Mary Ewart

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The COVID-19 epidemic has wrought havoc on both K-12 education and teacher preparation, to say nothing of society in general. For many of our candidates, the normal fears and anxieties that surround student teaching have been magnified to the point of that even our most promising student teachers feel overwhelmed and panicked. In this article, we reflect on the need for teacher educators to acknowledge and respond to their candidates' fears. We outline some of the individual, pedagogical, and programmatic adjustments that we have made in wake of the COVID shutdowns. We conclude by acknowledging that these adjustments are part …

Not So Different After All: Examining The Shift From Oregon Teacher Work Sample Methodology To Edtpa, Chelsea Mabie

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Through a comparative analysis, the previous Oregon Teacher Work Sample Methodology utilized to assess preservice educators' competency is compared to the edTPA performance assessment, which formally replaces the later assessment system for newly minted Oregon educators as of the 2018-2019 school year. While Oregon Work Sample Methodology was cutting edge from the 1980s onward, the state legislature adopted edTPA in 2016. Many educators, administrators, and other hiring committees are not familiar with the new assessment system as they hire new educators coming out of state-accredited programs. After a comparison of both assessment systems' components in regards to InTASC standards, it …