Education Commons^™

Calming End-Of-Year Stress, Lori Desautels

Lori Desautels

For many teachers and students, nearing the end of the school year can be a time of mixed feelings, sometimes including fear and anxiety. Students who walk through our doors with what Dr. John Seita and Dr. Larry Brendtro call "family privilege" look forward to time with friends and family, summer outings, and a freer schedule. These students are entering summer break "feeling felt and accepted" within their home environments. Their secure attachment with caregivers allows for expression, mistakes, and freedom to explore their self. Family privilege is defined as an invisible package of assets and pathways that provide us …

Out-Of-Field Teaching In Australian Secondary Schools, Paul R. Weldon

Dr Paul Weldon

This report considers the extent to which Australian secondary school teachers are teaching subjects other than those in which they have specialised. It provides new data on the extent of out-of-field teaching overall and in a selection of subject areas, based on further analysis of the 2013 Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) survey. In addition, the report uses new questions in the SiAS 2013 survey to assess the proportion of students affected by out-of-field teaching in selected subjects.

Victoria, The Education State?, Lawrence C. Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

Improving Student Outcomes? You Have To Be In It For The Long Haul, Lawrence C. Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

Paths To Teacher Preparation: Voices Of Beginning Teachers, Elena Sandoval-Lucero, Nancy Shanklin, Donna Sobel, Stephanie Townsend, Alan Davis, Shannon M. Kalisher

Alan Davis

No abstract provided.

Using Data, Conversations And Observations For School Improvement, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

Conversations and observations about school-based data and individual improvements in classroom practices can form some of the more powerful parts of a school’s overall approach to professional learning deliberately aimed at gaining improvements. The success of such strategies depends on the development of a school culture of trust, and the use of effective communication strategies. In this paper Professor Kathryn Moyle outlines the steps school leadership can take in establishing a basis for conversations and observations, conducting coaching and mentoring conversations and building a culture of trust. The focus in this paper is on the professional learning purposes of using …

Building Quality In Teaching And Teacher Education, Nan Bahr, Suzanne Mellor

Suzanne Mellor

AER 61 discusses the contemporary influences on initial teacher education, with particular attention to the notion of quality teaching, and the role of teacher education and teacher educators in the development of quality teachers. Section 1 introduces the key concept of ‘quality’ and explores the notion of quality in teaching. Section 2 reviews the context of education in Australia with discussion of the organisation and management of the educational systems, with particular attention to the different roles Federal and State/Territory governments play. Section 3 considers teaching as a profession by examining the nature of teachers’ work, working contexts and demands, …

Session A-1: The New Illinois Civics Curriculum: Perils And Pitfalls, Claiborne A. Skinner Jr., Eric Smith

Claiborne A. Skinner Jr.

The Illinois Legislature will require all Illinois students to complete one semester in civics in order graduate beginning with students entering next academic year. IMSA adopted a combined one-semester civics/American history curriculum this year that can serve as a critical study in how to achieve the goals the state hopes to achieve. Rather than wrestle with the issue of American History vs. American Government curriculum, we are attempting to present a History of American Government, exploring the origins of our political institutions beginning in the Dark Ages and how these have evolved to meet the needs of the times. We …

Session B-2: Why World War I? Being Intelligent About The Causes, Lee Eysturlid

Lee W. Eysturlid

This presentation will guide attendees through the complicated and often misrepresented ideas that have formed around understanding why it is that World War I started the way that it did. The focus will be mostly on the military and technological elements. Participants will be ready to teach the topic when they leave, and it suits US and World History teachers (and middle school).

Session C-4: Design Your School’S New Innovation Space, Britta W. Mckenna, Lawrence Bergie

Britta McKenna

Schools are rethinking learning spaces, turning outdated computer labs and tired libraries into vibrant innovation spaces. Maker spaces, collaboration areas and technology hubs that connect applied learning to the real world are emerging. See plans for IMSA's new innovation hub, called IN2, (opening fall 2016) learn how it was designed, and tour IN1 (the prototype of IN2) in a former computer lab. Learners are guided through a design thinking process to reimagine a current space at your school. Participants should come with photos of their potential space/s and room dimensions ready to create a prototype of their new space.

Session C-4: Design Your School’S New Innovation Space, Britta W. Mckenna, Lawrence Bergie

Lawrence Bergie

Schools are rethinking learning spaces, turning outdated computer labs and tired libraries into vibrant innovation spaces. Maker spaces, collaboration areas and technology hubs that connect applied learning to the real world are emerging. See plans for IMSA's new innovation hub, called IN2, (opening fall 2016) learn how it was designed, and tour IN1 (the prototype of IN2) in a former computer lab. Learners are guided through a design thinking process to reimagine a current space at your school. Participants should come with photos of their potential space/s and room dimensions ready to create a prototype of their new space.

Intergenerational Challenges In Teaching & Learning, Danice B. Greer, Melinda Hermanns

Danice Greer

This presentation discusses the challenges with teaching and learning students of varying generations. Solutions, including a Strength-based approach to teaching, are provided to give guidance on working with intergenerational students.

Integrating Service Learning Into A Course On Teaching English Language Learners And Looking At Preliminary Data, Sara Lamb Kistler, Cate Crosby

Sara Kistler

No abstract provided.

Practitioner Inquiry: Exploring Quality In Beginning Teacher Researchers' Work, Connie Dilucchio, Heather Leaman

Heather Leaman

No abstract provided.

Emerging Questions: K–3 Teachers’ Reflections On Action Research Questions, Connie Dilucchio, Heather Leaman, Yvonne Eglinton, Lauren Candace Watson

Heather Leaman

No abstract provided.

Practitioner Inquiry: Exploring Quality In Beginning Teacher Researchers' Work, Connie Dilucchio, Heather Leaman

Connie DiLucchio

No abstract provided.

Teacher Research At The Middle Level: Strengthening The Essential Attributes Of Education For Young Adolescents, Connie Dilucchio, Heather Leaman, Kathleen Elicker, Denise Mathisen

Connie DiLucchio

No abstract provided.

Editorial: On Genuine Dialogue, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Understanding Backwards, Looking Forwards, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Editorial: A Middle Ground, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Editorial: A Horse Is A Horse, Of Course?, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Acronyms Repurposed, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Editorial: The Long View, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Editorial: The Challenge That Won’T Go Away, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Editorial: The Complexities Of “College Success”, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Editorial: New Voices And . . . Familiar Voices, Jeff Sommers

Jeff Sommers

No abstract provided.

Reflections On Math Students’ Circles: Two Personal Stories From Colorado, Diana White, Lori Ziegelmeier

Lori Beth Ziegelmeier

Math Students’ Circles provide an opportunity for mathematicians to work in their communities to engage young students in mathematics as a human, aesthetic, and social endeavor. Sometimes referred to simply as Math Circles, these venues give mathematicians experience in introducing children to topics not typically seen in school curricula in an exciting, hands-on format. This article explores two Math Students’ Circles (MSCs) in the state of Colorado from the point of view of two pre-tenure faculty members. One participated in MSCs for four years while working on her Ph.D. in mathematics, the other started an MSC as an offshoot of …

Pre-Service Teachers' Engagement In Sociopolitical Problems, Torrey Kulow, Jeremiah I. Holden

Remi Holden

This case study examines conflicts that pre-service elementary teachers encounter as they engage and solve problems featuring classical, community, and critical mathematics content.

Math Class "Unsettled": Teaching And Learning Mathematics Within And Across Multiple Spaces, Jeremiah I. Holden

Remi Holden

No abstract provided.

Sociomathematical Participation: Participatory Culture And Mathematics Pre-Service Teacher Education, Jeremiah I. Holden

Remi Holden

Despite intersections between discipline-specific mathematics content and classroom social norms and learning practices, little research documents relations between social and mathematical activity as examined through social and digital media. Drawing upon complementary theoretical perspectives concerning social media and mathematical activity, this research investigated the participatory culture of mathematics pre-service teachers. Data suggest multiple social practices, including collective intelligence, distributed cognition, and appropriation, that were exhibited through a discursive classroom activity structure.