Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Education
Investigating Cultural Values And Educational Technology Adoption In Central Asia: A Case Study, Randall W. Gwin
Investigating Cultural Values And Educational Technology Adoption In Central Asia: A Case Study, Randall W. Gwin
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Although the adoption of new tools for communication and learning could reasonably be expected to influence culture, little is known about the relationship between cultural values and the adoption or diffusion of Web 2.0 technologies. This case study examines the way in which the cultural values of 59 teachers in four Central Asian countries influenced and were influenced by Web 2.0 technologies during five to eighteen months of online professional development. Data was collected through self-introductions, Likert-scale and open-ended prompts on initial and final surveys, online forum discussions, and capstone projects. This allows an examination of changes in the participants’ …
Scaling Professional Development For Mathematics Teacher Educators, Michele B. Carney, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Gwyneth Hughes, Keith Thiede, Angela R. Crawford, Dan Jesse, Brandie Ward Smith
Scaling Professional Development For Mathematics Teacher Educators, Michele B. Carney, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Gwyneth Hughes, Keith Thiede, Angela R. Crawford, Dan Jesse, Brandie Ward Smith
Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations
There have been multiple calls (Adler, Ball, Krainer, Lin, & Novotna, 2005; Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, 2012; Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001) and extensive evidence (Hiebert, 2003; Lemke et al., 2004; National Math Panel, 2008; OECD, 2010) regarding the need to change K-12 mathematics education from procedural and memorization-driven to more conceptual and application-based. Professional development is viewed as an important mechanism to influence these changes in instructional practices (Fennema et al., 1996; Franke, Carpenter, Levi, & Fennema, 2001; Swafford, Jones, & Thornton, 1997) and student outcomes (Jacobs, Franke, Carpenter, Levi, & Battey, 2007). However, professional development is …
Impacting Instructional Practice In The Secondary Mathematics Classroom: Does Mindset Matter?, Tatia Totorica
Impacting Instructional Practice In The Secondary Mathematics Classroom: Does Mindset Matter?, Tatia Totorica
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
National and international testing data reveal that current mathematics achievement falls short of the mark, supporting the claim that existing mathematical practice is insufficient to meet our students’ needs. Research shows that experiential, social learning which emphasizes mathematical understanding over procedural mastery has more impact on student achievement, while widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics further supports the call for transformational shifts in pedagogy. Despite all this, the behaviorist orientation which dominates much of current mathematical practice persists. The barriers to change and the ways in which various interventions address those barriers was the focus of …
The Effects Of Professional Development On Elementary Students’ Mathematics Achievement, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Keith W. Thiede, Sam Strother, Dan Jesse, John Sutton
The Effects Of Professional Development On Elementary Students’ Mathematics Achievement, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Keith W. Thiede, Sam Strother, Dan Jesse, John Sutton
Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations
This paper describes the effects of a professional development (PD) program – Developing Mathematical Thinking – on student achievement. Six Title I elementary schools with similar demographics, within one school district, were chosen to participate as either a treatment or comparison school. Three schools were chosen to participate in professional development that incorporates effective PD recommendations. All the teachers had to participate in all aspects of the PD, thereby eliminating potential self-selection bias. Using the state standardized achievement test as the before and after measure, results suggest improved student performance after professional development was implemented over a two year period.
Discursive Negotiation And (Re)Construction Of Professional Identities For Mathematics, Angela Rae Crawford
Discursive Negotiation And (Re)Construction Of Professional Identities For Mathematics, Angela Rae Crawford
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
This qualitative study explores how discourse communicates professional identities for mathematics in a context of pedagogical reform. The central research question is: In a case of mandatory mathematics professional development, what professional identities for mathematics are expressed, (re)constructed, and negotiated through discourse? This study takes a poststructuralist approach to discourse analysis. The purpose is to describe ways discourse communicates professional identities, or understandings about what it means to be a good mathematics teacher, in a context that may ask teachers to change their pedagogical practice. Data were collected by recording a mandatory, full-day professional development meeting for mathematics teachers of …
Transformative Professional Development: Unraveling The Complexities Of Knowledge, Practice, And Beliefs, Janette Smith
Transformative Professional Development: Unraveling The Complexities Of Knowledge, Practice, And Beliefs, Janette Smith
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
This study investigated the impact of a comprehensive professional development project focused on inquiry-based integrated lessons to improve the quality of science instruction for elementary teachers. Eleven teachers from three Northwest school districts participated in this quasi-experimental design study. A focus of the study was to investigate the intricate relationship between four components of a professional development model: the professional development intervention, teacher practice, student outcomes, and teachers’ self-efficacy for science instruction. Five different measures were used both before and after the intervention: The Local Systemic Change Observation Protocol, a content knowledge assessment, a self-efficacy survey, a student content test, …
Instructional Learning Teams: A Case Study, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Brian Whitney, Roger A. Stewart, Joshua Pfiester, Julia Zarbnisky
Instructional Learning Teams: A Case Study, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Brian Whitney, Roger A. Stewart, Joshua Pfiester, Julia Zarbnisky
Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations
Changing teacher practices to improve student learning is a challenge. For teachers’ practices to change, faculties within schools must build communities of practice. However, supporting teachers’ collaborative learning within a Professional Learning Team can be an elusive challenge. We found through the Instructional Learning Team (ILT) model of professional development that teachers have a focused model to make effective changes to their practice. ILTs promote school improvement by providing a process through which teachers collaboratively focus on sustained reflection about student learning tasks, instruction, and student work using the Japanese Lesson Study and critiquing their work using Newmann’s (1996) Intellectual …
Classroom Teachers Learning To Navigate The Internet For Increasing Student Critical Reading And Writing Skills: A Mixed Methods Study, Meleah S. Mcculley
Classroom Teachers Learning To Navigate The Internet For Increasing Student Critical Reading And Writing Skills: A Mixed Methods Study, Meleah S. Mcculley
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
The focus of this mixed methods case study was a three-month professional development workshop designed to guide junior high school classroom teachers as they learned to integrate new literacies skills into their curriculum. The participants were all educators in one district that was in the process of transitioning to the Common Core State Standards and the SMARTER Balanced Assessments. Significant gains were obtained in teachers’ self-reported personal technology knowledge and technology experiences during the study. Along with the gains, factors were seen that might impede teachers from learning about or using the Internet for academic purposes.
Teacher Efficacy, Preparedness, And Empathy In Working With Refugee Students, Kelley Jo Moneymaker-Lamson
Teacher Efficacy, Preparedness, And Empathy In Working With Refugee Students, Kelley Jo Moneymaker-Lamson
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
One of the most difficult pedagogical challenges Sawtooth School District elementary teachers are currently facing is the influx of refugee students and the uncertainty as to how to best assist them in becoming both academically successful as well as comfortable in a new social milieu. The purpose of this mixed method study is to evaluate teacher efficacy, sense of preparedness and empathy in relation to working with refugee students. Teachers' sense of self-efficacy has been linked to student achievement, student motivation and students' own sense of self-efficacy. However, there is a gap in research that explores teacher efficacy, preparedness and …
A Professional Development Program To Improve Math Skills Among Preschool Children In Head Start, Jonathan Brendefur, Sam Strother, Keith Thiede, Cristianne Lane, Mary Jo Surges-Prokop
A Professional Development Program To Improve Math Skills Among Preschool Children In Head Start, Jonathan Brendefur, Sam Strother, Keith Thiede, Cristianne Lane, Mary Jo Surges-Prokop
Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of providing early educators professional development experiences and activities to improve the mathematical skills of preschool children in Head Start around four domains of mathematics. Because of the need to provide necessary mathematical experiences to young children to improve their early understanding and skills and provide the foundation for future success in mathematics, we provided the treatment group of early educators with professional development and center-based activities to promote four critical areas in mathematics. By randomly selecting Head Start centers to participate as the treatment group or control group, we …
Searching For Patterns Of Discourse In A Sea Of Professional Development: Professional Learning And Teacher Discourse, Brian T. Whitney
Searching For Patterns Of Discourse In A Sea Of Professional Development: Professional Learning And Teacher Discourse, Brian T. Whitney
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Professional development, like a sea of changing tides, ebbs and flows through a myriad of professional trends. Some of these trends have disenfranchised teachers from the core of professional learning while others have empowered teachers to confront change with passion and courage. As collaboration continues to gain popularity as an empowering and effective route to professional learning, scrutinizing the effects of professional development on teacher discourse will ensure desired outcomes are achieved.
While collaboration holds the power to break down some of the isolation that exists in the teaching profession, talk alone, void of inquiry and reflection, will not necessarily …
Locating Supervision—A Reflective Framework For Negotiating Tensions Within Conceptual And Procedural Foci For Teacher Development, Jennifer L. Snow-Gerono
Locating Supervision—A Reflective Framework For Negotiating Tensions Within Conceptual And Procedural Foci For Teacher Development, Jennifer L. Snow-Gerono
Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations
This manuscript presents a theoretical construct for analyzing procedural and conceptual tensions within instructional leadership for teacher development. The dynamic, multi-dimensional framework demonstrates possibilities for locating supervision as having procedural and conceptual bases. By employing the questions identified, educators place themselves within the framework focused on specific areas and located along a procedural to conceptual continuum. Identifying tensions in practice guides educators to be more reflective when engaging in professional growth. Ultimately, teachers need to become empowered to engage in reflective supervision in order to guide professional development, teaching and learning.