Education Commons^™

Examining Variations In Divergent Thinking Within Norwegian And Canadian Communities, Catharine Dishke Hondzel, Marte Sørebø Gulliksen

Catharine Dishke Hondzel

Creativity and divergent thinking are components of learning in childhood that often go unmeasured in favor of standardized subject assessments. To better understand the ways in which creativity develops and is related to environmental and cross-cultural factors, this study reports on the scores obtained by 8-year-old students living in differently sized communities in Norway and Canada measured using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). Results of multivariate analyses indicate statistically significant differences between Norwegian and Canadian children on several Torrance Test subscales as well as surprising relationships between the size of the community in which the children lived and …

A Review Of I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems Of American Slavery, Susan Adams

Susan Adams

No abstract provided.

Taking The Lead In Faculty Development: Teacher Educators Changing The Culture Of University Faculty Development Through Collaboration, Susan Adams, Elizabeth Mix

Susan Adams

As pedagogy experts, teacher educators should lead the charge for improved teaching and learning, but are under-utilized pedagogy resources in liberal arts universities. In this paper, the collaborators, one a teacher education assistant professor and the other an associate professor of art history, identify critical friendship group approaches (Allen & Blythe, 2004; McDonald, Mohr, Dichter, & McDonald, 2007) which have the potential to create transformative learning opportunities for liberal arts educators. Cross-disciplinary faculty partnerships hold promise for a sustainable, innovative approach to faculty development, with the potential to improve teaching and learning in liberal arts universities.

Response To Commentary On “Rethinking Combined Departments: An Argument For History & Anthropology” By Stephen M. Lyon/Durham University, Uk; Yasar Abu Ghosh, Pavel Himl, Tereza Stöckelová, Lucie Storchová/Charles University, Prague; Robert Gibb/University Of Glasgow; Jakob Krause-Jensen/Aarhus University, Denmark; Veerendra P. Lele/Denison University, Ageeth Sluis, Elise Edwards

Ageeth Sluis

Contains response from the authors, Ageeth Sluis and Elise Edwards.

Rethinking Combined History Departments: An Argument For History And Anthropology, Ageeth Sluis, Elise Edwards

Ageeth Sluis

Many opportunities for more integrated teaching that better capture the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary scholars' work and better achieve the aims of liberal arts education still remain untapped, particularly at smaller schools where combined departments are often necessary. The disciplinary boundaries between history and sociocultural anthropology have become increasingly blurred in recent decades, a trend reflected in scholarly work that engages with both fields, as well as dual-degree graduate programmes at top U.S. research universities. For many scholars, this interdisciplinarity makes sense, with the two disciplines offering critical theoretical tools and methods that must be used in combination to tackle …

An Innovative Approach To Tackling Truancy, Brandie Oliver

Brandie M. Oliver

J. Eagle, School counselors making a difference, Counseling Today, December.

Addressing The Research/Practice Divide In Teacher Education, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

Educational scholars often describe a research/practice divide. Similarly, students in teacher education programs often struggle to navigate the differences between university coursework and expectations they face in field-based placements. This self-study analyzes one researcher's attempt to address the research/practice divide from the position of a teacher educator. Teaching in a university-based mathematics methods course during the academic year and an elementary classroom during the summer recess provided opportunities to make connections between research and practice. This article examines the effects this study had on the researcher's instruction at the university level. Specifically, the article suggests ways for teacher educators to …

Easing Into The Academy: Using Technology To Foster Cross-Institutional Critical Friendships, Ryan Flessner, Julie Horwitz

Ryan Flessner

This article addresses the ways in which early career teacher educators can support each other as they enter the academic community. By utilizing technology as an instrument to engage in a cross-country critical friendship, the authors were able to engage in a dialogue that grew out of mutual interests and concerns. Through critical reflection, they were able to address the question: How can we, two early-career teacher educators, push ourselves and one another to more critically examine our teaching practices? In doing so, each “new educator” grew more confident in claiming one's voice as a sustainable critical friendship emerged.

Politics And Action Research: An Examination Of One School’S Mandated Action Research Program, Ryan Flessner, Shanna Stuckey

Ryan Flessner

Action research has been shown to empower educators, create lasting changes in schools, and have an impact on student learning outcomes. Given these positive results, many school leaders are beginning to mandate the use of action research within their schools. While some in the field have warned against mandating action research, there is little research examining the effects of doing so. This study examines the mandated school-wide action research program at Fieldstone Elementary. While some results align with the action research literature (importance of collaboration, necessity of time to conduct action research, etc.), this article also examines the political tensions …

Have A Kids Inquiry Conference: Putting A Twist On The Typical Science Fair, Paula Magee, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

In school, the traditional format for the formal sharing of science experiences has been the science fair. Although the format of science fairs may vary, the usual components consist of a step-by-step experimental process that students follow as they test different variables, construct a hypothesis, and collect data to support or disprove their hypothesis. Usually the science fair is conducted as a competitive event at which prizes are awarded for the "best" examples. Unfortunately, this type of science event has little connection to the real sharing that scientists do regularly.

The National Science Education Standards (NSES) call for an approach …

Sharing Is Good: An Update From Maine's Shared Collections, Matthew Revitt

Matthew I Revitt

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Engage The Creative Arts: A Framework For Sheltering And Scaffolding Instruction For English Language Learners (2013), By Sharon Adelman Reyes., Susan Adams

Susan Adams

Book review of Engage the creative arts: A framework for sheltering and scaffolding instruction for English language learners (2013), by Sharon Adelman Reyes.

A View From The Top: Records Of University Of Maine Presidents, Matthew Revitt

Matthew I Revitt

No abstract provided.

"Looks Good On Your Cv": The Sociology Of Voluntourism Recruitment In Higher Education, Colleen Mcgloin, Nichole Georgeou

Nichole Georgeou

The recruitment for what has become known as 'voluntourism' takes place on the campuses of many Australian universities. Students are recruited to travel to developing countries to aid poor communities. In doing so, according to recruiters, student CVs will be enhanced. The authors critically examine this process and argue that it reinforces the idea that 'poor' countries require outside help from affluent westerners to induce development, thereby reinforcing a hegemonic discourse of need.

Teaching Culture Perception: Documenting And Transforming Institutional Teaching Cultures, Erika Kustra, Florida Doci, Kaitlyn Gillard, Catharine Dishke Hondzel

Catharine Dishke Hondzel

An institutional culture that values teaching is likely to lead to improved student learning. The main focus of this study was to determine faculty, graduate and undergraduate students’ perception of the teaching culture at their institution and identify indicators of that teaching culture. Themes included support for teaching development; support for best practices, innovative practices and specific effective behaviours; recognition of teaching; infrastructure; evaluation of teaching and implementing the student feedback received from teaching evaluations. The study contributes to a larger project examining the quality of institutional teaching culture.