Education Commons^™

Project-Based Learning: Investigating Self-Directed Learning Readiness Skills And Content Knowledge Retention In An Urban Jamaican High School Eighth Grade Integrated Science Cohort, Carolyn A. L. Reid-Brown

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-directed learning (SDL) readiness skills and the command and/or retention of content knowledge have been identified as key factors for success in post-secondary settings. The Government of Jamaica (GOJ) has stated that two in three Jamaican secondary school graduates lack the requisite content knowledge and self-directed learning skills needed for advancement in the work space and in postsecondary education (Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan, 2009). This dissertation examined the efficacy of project-based learning (PBL) as a method of instruction for improving SDL readiness skills and content knowledge retention. More specifically, the phenomenon was explored within the context of a …

How The Use Of Subjectivist Instructional Strategies In Teaching Multiple Sections Of An Eighth Grade Algebra Class In Guyana Relates To Algebra Achievement And Attitude Changes Toward Mathematics, Jennifer Hoyte

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Guyana, South America, the Ministry of Education seeks to provide universal, inclusive education that prepares its citizens to take their productive places in society and to creatively solve complex, real-world problems. However, with frequent national assessments that are used to place students in high school, college or into jobs, teachers resort to using familiar strategies such as lecture, recitation and test drilling. Despite their efforts, over 56% of students are failing the Grade 6 assessments, 43% failing 10th grade Mathematics and over 60% failing college algebra courses. Such performance has been linked to students’ lower academic self-concept and their …

Shaking Up Shakespeare: Teaching For The Contemporary High School English Classroom, Megan Sampson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Contemporary high school English students find Shakespeare distant because they believe Shakespeare is hard to understand. Pairing Shakespeare with thematically-similar contemporary texts can make his works more accessible to students. Using different angles on the same theme shows students that Shakespeare presented some universal issues that still have relevance today. The Literacy Design Collaborative modules included within this thesis use Shakespeare in cooperation with other texts to focus on a specific theme. Using the module structure, teachers can organize the unit’s overarching goals and can include all handouts and necessary materials. This structure of design incorporates literacy-centered practices in order …

Brother, Can You Paradigm? Toward A Theory Of Pedagogical Content Knowledge In Social Studies, Dave Powell

Education Faculty Publications

Although research on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has accelerated in recent years, social studies educators have not generally been part of the conversation. This article explores why a theory of PCK for social studies has been so difficult to elaborate, focusing on the field’s inability to come to consensus on its aims and purposes and on a pervasive distrust of traditional academic disciplines and scholarship they produce. These factors have helped make the effective preparation of social studies teachers, something researchers studying PCK hope to improve, exceptionally difficult. This article proposes that if the field can resolve its relationship to …

Conquering Worrisome Word Problems – Algebra Success, Vicki-Lynn Holmes, Karla Spence, Jane Finn, Shelia Mcgee Ingram, Libbey Horton

Faculty Publications

High school students can struggle with word problems in upper level math classes. Causes for this struggle could include lower reading comprehension, limited mathematic vocabulary, and difficulty changing words to algebraic expressions. This article proposes three techniques to help teachers instruct these struggling students that include (a) organization by difficulty of comprehension and computation (b) scaffolding and (c) utilizing the Explain, Practice and Assess (EPA) strategy.

An Exploratory Study Of School To Work Transition Experiences Of Applied Science And Technology Students In Southern Ontario, Robert Kilby

Publications and Scholarship

This paper details a qualitative study undertaken on a small sampling of community college graduates. The graduates’ pathways from school to work have been studied in relation to existing scholarly transition models. The author was able to discover only a small number of studies dealing with the college to work transition experience of applied science and technology students, no scholarly papers were found with respect to this student population in Ontario, Canada. This study was an inquiry into the college to work transition experiences of a purposive sample of graduates from regional community colleges in Southern Ontario. Sixteen semi-structured qualitative …

The Implications Of Action Research For Literacy Instruction, Kathi Lippert, Cassie Bailey

Faculty Scholarship – Education

Action research is an ongoing, cyclical process in which the teacher has the autonomy and authority to make significant change in his or her classroom. The word research, however, may intimidate the novice researcher. It is important to remember that action research is not as formal as traditional research as it is conducted for a shorter duration, allows for more flexibility, and usually includes qualitative and quantitative data. This type of research enables the practitioner to make effective changes in literacy instruction. In action research, reflections drive inquiry, and the results of which, positive or negative, fosters insight into the …

Real World Application Of Cct Tools: How Reflection, Dialogue Processes And Action Research Were Used To Promote Organizational Change And Student Success In Re-Engagement Work, Kayla D. Faust

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

I started the CCT program while also beginning a new role as a Dropout Recovery Specialist, working in partnership with a local school district. I work with students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out explore alternative options to finish their high school diploma or an equivalent. As the newest member of the center, the transition into a new organization created an internal struggle in finding my place. I was also seeing opportunities to improve current routines and practices as demands from district partners were increasing. Overwhelmed by the challenges before me, I was struggling to …

No, Education Isn't The Civil Rights Issue Of Our Time, Dave Powell

Education Faculty Publications

George W. Bush said it as he warned us about "the soft bigotry of low expectations." Barack Obama said it. So did Mitt Romney, Arne Duncan, and John McCain.

And now Donald Trump is saying it, too. In his first joint-session address to Congress, President Trump promised that "our children will grow up in a nation of miracles" and added the familiar kicker: "Education is the civil rights issue of our time." He said it right before he announced his plan to ask Congress to pass new legislation supporting school choice. His idea of a school reform "miracle," apparently, is …

Looking For A Cure For Educationl Exhaustion, Dave Powell

Education Faculty Publications

Whoa, folks! An entire month got away from me there. Ever had that happen to you? If you're a teacher I'm guessing it probably has. I wish I could say that there was a good reason I hadn't written anything at all on this blog in the past few weeks, but the sad truth is that I haven't really been any busier than usual. Every semester becomes a slog at some point—that right there might be a topic for another post soon; maybe I could write two in a month!—but that hasn't stopped me before. I had some extra responsibilities …

Rct Testing Bystander Effectiveness To Reduce Violence, Ann L. Coker, Heather M. Bush, Patricia G. Cook-Craig, Sarah A. Degue, Emily R. Clear, Candace J. Brancato, Bonnie S. Fisher, Eileen A. Recktenwald

Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Bystander-based programs have shown promise to reduce interpersonal violence at colleges, yet limited rigorous evaluations have addressed bystander intervention effectiveness in high schools. This study evaluated the Green Dot bystander intervention to reduce sexual violence and related forms of interpersonal violence in 26 high schools over 5 years.

Design: A cluster RCT was conducted.

Setting/participants: Kentucky high schools were randomized to intervention or control (wait list) conditions.

Intervention: Green Dot−trained educators conducted schoolwide presentations and recruited student popular opinion leaders to receive bystander training in intervention schools beginning in Year 1.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was sexual …

The Design And Enactment Of Modeling Tasks: A Study On The Development Of Modeling Abilities In A Secondary Mathematics Course, Danielle Buhrman

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study uses components of action and self-study research to examine the design and enactment of modeling tasks with the goal of developing student modeling abilities. The author, a secondary mathematics teacher, first closely examined the curriculum design and instructional decisions she made as she prepared for a unit on mathematical modeling in her precalculus course. Detailed descriptions of the timeline of events as this unit was enacted is then presented, providing insight into student and teacher interactions that occurred during an intense five weeks of modeling instruction. An analysis of these events identified ways in which students relearned how …

Blended Learning Versus The Traditional Classroom Model, Aaron M. Rozeboom

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research project was to determine the effectiveness of blended learning in the classroom compared to the traditional, direct instruction approach. Two sections of sixth grade math went through the same unit with one section using the blended learning model and the other section participating in the direct instruction model. Data was collected quantitatively using a pre-assessment and post-assessment, as well as, qualitatively using informal questioning and observations. Analysis of the data suggested that students in the blended classroom increased their learning more than the direct instruction classroom. Also, students participating in blended learning were observed …

Impacts Of Mtss On The Performance Of Struggling Students, Timothy J. Vermeer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this paper is to share the impact and results of implementing multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) in Oskaloosa High School. The high school was showing an increase in struggling students, which led to an increasing proportion of the student population failing courses. The study is an overview of the changes over the past three years, evaluating how struggling students were supported prior to and after the implementation of a robust MTSS program. Specific data on the number of students receiving a failing grade at the end of each trimester was collected and analyzed. Results show a positive …

English Language Learners In The Mathematics Classroom, Julia Mccormick

Senior Honors Projects

Mathematics is often considered a universal language. Most of us have heard this statement from a math teacher at some point throughout our academic careers. However, for students moving to the United States from another country with minimal fluency in English, this is clearly not the case. They may walk into math class, a subject area in which they may have excelled in their native country, and see the words “polynomial”, “coefficient”, and “differentiate” on the board. Regardless of their experiences in their native language, there are disconnects and cultural differences between languages and skills emphasized that prevents mathematics from …

Engaging Children In Engineering Design Through The World Of Quadcopters, Greg J. Strimel, Scott R. Bartholomew, Eunhye Kim

Faculty Publications

The interest in engineering education for K-12 students has been rising (Carr, Bennett IV, & Strobel, 2012; Strimel, Grubbs, & Wells, 2016), and the importance of engineering education is discussed as early as the elementary school level (Hegedus, 2014). Petroski (2003) claims that children are ready to learn engineering because their play activities are similar to engineering and design activities, such as making, moving, and rearranging things. Studies have examined how elementary school students perceive engineering or engineers (Cunningham, Lachapelle, & Lindgren-Streicher 2005) and found that elementary-aged students associated engineering with repairing, installing, driving, constructing, and improving machines and devices. …

Students At Kansas Newspaper Prove Democracy Isn't Dead Yet, Dave Powell

Education Faculty Publications

In May of 1897, Mark Twain was in London finishing up an around-the-world speaking tour he had started two years earlier. He got there right after his cousin, James Ross Clemens, who had fallen ill while visiting London a couple of weeks earlier. In a letter he wrote on May 31, Twain addressed rumors saying that he had fallen deathly ill and had even died. "I can understand perfectly how the report of my illness got about," he said, adding: "I have even heard on good authority that I was dead." It was his cousin's illness that was ascribed …

Lessons From Alternative Grading: Essential Qualities Of Teacher Feedback, Jay C. Percell

Faculty Publications - College of Education

One critically important step in the instructional process is providing feedback to students, and yet, providing timely and thorough feedback is often lacking due attention. Reasons for this oversight could range from several factors including increased class sizes, vast content coverage requirements, extracurricular responsibilities, and the generally hectic daily schedules of teachers. This article synthesizes the findings from a year-long qualitative study investigating the alternative grading practices of five high school teachers and gives particular attention to the nature of the feedback these teachers provided to their students. Teachers’ feedback is pared down to its essential qualities in order to …

These Testing Obsessions Are Getting A Little Weird, Dave Powell

Education Faculty Publications

This morning, as she was getting ready for work, my wife noticed something unusual about our son, who is in third grade. He was quietly eating breakfast, like he always does, but something about him was different. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt.

He must have noticed that she was looking at him, because he looked up and said: "Do you think it's okay if I wear this shirt today?" His wardrobe normally consists of about five t-shirts that he cycles through, one after the other, and sometimes tries to wear twice in a row if we don't catch …

Reducing Recitivism: How To Combat Repeat Suspensions And Improve Student Achievement, Derrick King

FL MED Educational Leadership Capstones

This project is intended to take examine how Mount Olive High School can implement an alternative school program to reduce the number of students who are habitually absent from school, reduce the number of students receiving out of school suspension, and improve this demographic of student’s overall student achievement. This project explains what alternative school is, its pro’s and con’s, and how it has been proven effective in other schools. This project examines the steps which were taken at Mount Olive to implement this program into its school. The project provides data on the effect the alternative school had on …

Ignatian Pedagogy Certificate Final Written Project: The Five Domains In Epistolary Form, Alyson Paige Warren

Ignatian Pedagogy Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Un Vistazo Interior Al Sistema Educativo Público De Managua: Las Voces De Estudiantes, Padres Y Maestros, Karla Barron

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Public education is a complex topic that is impossible to fully comprehend due to its lack of uniformity on both a local and international level. In the United States, the quality of public education has a strong correlation to the socioeconomic status of the community it is located in. Experts in Nicaragua have extensively studied the public education system and have come to conclusions about its inability to properly prepare students for higher education, both in city and rural environments. This qualitative research study seeks to understand the current standing of the public education system for students at the secondary …

Interview Of Edward Koronkiewicz, F.S.C., Edward Koronkiewicz Fsc, John J. Behan

All Oral Histories

Edward Koronkiewicz was born in 1954 in Southwest Philadelphia, PA. He lived in St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish where he also attended elementary school. He graduated from West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys in 1972. After a year as an Aspirant, he joined the Christian Brothers and received his habit in July 1973. He graduated from La Salle College with a B.A. in Secondary Education/Social Studies in 1976 and later earned a Master’s in Educational Administration at Villanova University. He has taught Social Studies at Bishop Walsh High School in Cumberland, MD, Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor, PA, …

‘Community Of Schools’: A Case Study Of Development, Participation And Integration In Cato Manor Township, South Africa, Anthony L. Wagner

Student Publications

By the end of the twentieth century, a subfield of anthropology known as critical development studies emerged - in large part due to the work of James Ferguson and Arturo Escobar - as a critique of post-colonial development programs and NGOs of the West that were at work in much of the developing world - most notably sub-Saharan Africa. Development was largely panned by these early researchers as a means by which Western powers habituated problems in the developing world so as to create a profitable industry of development. Contemporary anthropological inquiries have called for an increasingly field-based approach to …

Does Grade Configuration Affect Middle School Students’ Achievement?, Katie Johnston

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review analyzes current and past research over middle school grade configurations. Many large cities are integrating sixth, seventh, and eighth graders into elementaries because they believe middle schools are ineffective. These schools cite a lack of student achievement as the cause to reconfigure building grade spans. The research to support this idea does not look at what takes place within these schools however. When the middle school concept is implemented with fidelity, research has shown students can succeed. Four characteristics commonly missing are having structures to support relationships and learning, providing services to meet needs of students, including …

The Supreme Court And Education Law, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Compiling a “top 10” list of anything— including Supreme Court cases and justices’ quotes—can be fraught with differences of opinion. Yet discussions about those differences can be useful learning activities, because they can lead to conversations about the underlying legal issues in schools. With that caveat in mind, this column offers key quotes from major Supreme Court cases that played major, even transformational, roles in shaping the landscape of U.S. K–12 education. The quotes are accompanied by brief summaries of why the cases are significant. With the exception of Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas (1954), the most important …

Implicit Theories Of Ability And Self-Efficacy: Testing Alternative Social Cognitive Models To Science Motivation, Jason A. Chen, M. Shane Tutwiler

School of Education Articles

Our overall goal was to empirically test what we called the “growth mindset as inoculation” hypothesis using a series of latent profile analytical approaches. This inoculation hypothesis, which is consistent with the way in which Dweck and Leggett (1988) described their social cognitive approach, states that believing in the malleability of intelligence serves a protective role against negative motivational and achievement outcomes. Participants were Grade 6 students (n = 504) from a middle school and Grade 10 students (n = 354) from two high schools in the Southeastern part of the United States. Two distinct patterns emerged, which corresponded to …

Does A Taste Of Computing Increase Computer Science Enrollment?, Steven Mcgee, Randi Mcgee-Tekula, Jennifer Duck, Ronald I. Greenberg, Lucia Dettori, Dale F. Reed, Brenda Wilkerson, Don Yanek, Andrew Rasmussen, Gail Chapman

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Exploring Computer Science (ECS) high school curriculum is designed to foster deep engagement through equitable inquiry around computer science concepts. We have shown that students find ECS courses personally relevant, are increasing their expectancies of success and perceived value for the field of computer science, and are more likely to take another computing course.

Examining The Relationship Between Fidelity Of Implementation Of Accommodations For Students With Specific Learning Disabilities In Mathematics And Student Achievement In High School Algebra I Inclusion Classes, Belinda Baptiste

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are educated in general education classrooms. As a result, these students are faced with more challenging instructional curricula. Although some students with SLD perform as well in mathematics as students without disabilities, most perform below state standards despite being provided instructional and testing accommodations. Policy makers have envisioned the implementation of instructional accommodations as a primary means of ensuring an appropriate education (Mcleskey, Hoppey, Williamson & Rentz, 2004; Scalon & Baker, 2012) for students with disabilities in general education classrooms (Mc Guire, Scott, & Shaw, 2006). The researcher implemented a non-experimental ex post facto …

Why Is Mulvaney Opposed To Feeding Poor Kids At School?, Dave Powell

Education Faculty Publications

Folks, you've got to get a load of this guy Mick Mulvaney. Just looking at his name conjures images of a character from a gangster novel set during Prohibition, but he's actually the Trump White House's director of the Office of Management and Budget. That means he's the hatchet man—the guy responsible for making sure everything Trump wants to cut gets cut. And it means he's a real human, too. Allegedly.

Case in point: Mulvaney has been producing amazing sound bites lately to explain the contents of Trump's proposed federal budget. [excerpt]