Education Commons^™

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Good Writing: The Problem Of Ethics, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema

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The article focuses on good writing in the English classroom. It mentions that the way to know if one has good writing is to see how the audience reacts to it. Writing professionals argue that good writers anticipate readers' reactions as they shape style, page design, and content and every aspect of their writing. It notes that one of the main goals in professional writing is to teach students to use of rhetoric tools to influence their audiences and to emphasize ethical decision-making.

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Beyond Language: The Grammar Of Document Design, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema

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The article offers guidelines in teaching professional writing in an English classroom. It highlights the elements in deciding for a good document design which include layout, fonts and color. It outlines the CRAP acronym (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity) formulated by Saul Greenberg which summarizes the essential techniques in grammar design.

Enrollment Management Strategies: Effectiveness And Usage At Member Institutions Of The Council For Christian Colleges And Universities, Bethany J. Schuttinga

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This exploratory study investigated the relationships between enrollment management strategies and enrollment growth or decline between 2005 and 2009 within member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The study employed a quantitative survey research design that identified usage of strategies in the areas of admissions, retention, curricular changes, marketing, external stakeholders, academic quality, commitment to mission, and strength of organizational leadership.

The research focused on four questions:

1. What are the demographic characteristics among respondents within the sample?

2. What enrollment models are currently in place at CCCU member institutions?

3. What strategies and programs are …

Innovative Education In Agroecology: Experiential Learning For A Sustainable Agriculture, C.A. Francis, N. Jordan, P. Porter, T.A. Breland, G. Lieblein, L. Salomonsson, N. Sriskandarajah, M. Wiedenhoeft, Robert Dehaan, I. Braden, V. Langer

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The transdisciplinary field of agroecology provides a platform for experiential learning based on an expanded vision of research on sustainable farming and food systems and the application of results in creating effective learning landscapes for students. With increased recognition of limitations of fossil fuels, fresh water, and available farmland, educators are changing focus from strategies to reach maximum yields to those that feature resource use efficiency and resilience of production systems in a less benign climate. To help students deal with complexity and uncertainty and a wide range of biological and social dimensions of the food challenge, a whole-systems approach …

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Professional Writing: What You Already Know, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema

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The article offers the authors' insights on professional writing that are taught in the English classroom, in which it is defined as writing within professional context with genres such as formal reports, directives, and proposals. They state that many teachers learn professional writing not only from advice, but also from experience and practice. They also mention that professional writing can be integrated in all fields of English language arts classrooms that can be taught to students.

Leadership Behaviors Of Athletic Coaches In The Council For Christian Colleges And Universities, Jeff Schouten

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The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership behaviors of coaches within the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities using the Revised Leadership Scale for Sport. A secondary purpose was to gain greater insight into the democratic and positive feedback leadership behaviors of male and female coaches in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Three hundred and ninety-six head coaches in the CCCU participated in the study; 320 (80.5%) males and 76 (19.5%) females. The participants completed the Revised Leadership Scale for Sport (Zhang, J., Jensen, B.E., & Mann, B.L., 1997). The results of the study …

Spinning Tubes: An Authentic Research Experience In A Three-Hour Laboratory, Arnold E. Sikkema, Steven D. Steenwyk, John Zwart

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We discuss a three-hour laboratory that is a microcosm of physics research, starting with the discovery of an intriguing phenomenon, and including participation in “research conferences” and the interplay of theory and experiment. Students are given a small segment of PVC pipe marked at opposite ends with different symbols and asked to observe what happens when the pipe is placed on a horizontal surface and one end is pushed downward by a finger to initiate a rotation. Most students immediately recognize that the symbol at one end is visible while the other is not, and set about trying to understand …

Job Satisfaction Of Naia Head Coaches At Small Faith-Based Colleges: The Teacher-Coach Model, Craig L. Stiemsma

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The head coaches at smaller colleges usually have other job responsibilities that include teaching, along with the responsibilities of coaching, recruiting, scheduling, and other coaching-related jobs. There is often a dual role involved for these coaches who try to juggle two different jobs that sometimes require different skill sets and involve different responsibilities that may lead to role conflict. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the level of job satisfaction of coaches in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). This study also sought to determine if there were differences in coaches' levels of job satisfaction based on …

Perceptions And Practices Of Pre-School Through Eighth-Grade Christian School International Administrators In The Selection Process Of Teachers, Timothy Van Soelen

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Principals are the primary influencers in the teacher selection process. They have the opportunity to improve the quality their school each time a teacher vacancy occurs through the process of determining of their school’s need, recruiting candidates who might be a good match, and selecting what they hope will be a highly effective teacher. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare existing perceptions and practices that preschool through eighth-grade principals hold to during the teacher selection process. Specific characteristics of principals and the schools they serve were analyzed by the dimensions of a candidate’s personal traits, professional …

Seeing Literature Through Students’ Eyes: The Text Preview, Leah A. Zuidema

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In this article, the author describes a text preview assignment that she gave to her students. Students completing the text preview assignment use multimodal design, introducing classmates to texts in ways that motivate and inform their reading. She discusses using previews to set the stage for reading and discussion and to deepen personal engagements with literature.

From Vision To Learning: Effectiveness Measures Of Christian School Boards, Ryan G. Zonnefeld

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This exploratory study investigated the effectiveness of Christian School boards, as perceived by its members, and examined patterns and characteristics that describe internal board activities. The study employed a quantitative survey research design that revealed areas of strength and areas of growth for Christian School board operations. Board effectiveness was measured in accordance with Smoley's (1999) Model for Effective School Boards.

The research focused on four questions: (a) What are the background characteristics of Christian School board members? (b) What patterns exist in the Christian School board effectiveness ratings of school board members, presidents, and school administrators? (c) Are there …

Viewing And Visual Representation In The Physical Education Classroom, Craig Heynen

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Visual representation and viewing are integral parts of language arts, communication, and physical education. Time constraints often limit a self-contained classroom teacher, or even the language arts teacher's ability to adequately address all areas of language arts. Therefore, it is important to include language arts in other content areas. Visual representation and viewing can be effectively integrated into physical education, and can enhance the physical education learning experience as a result. In this article, the author discusses several strategies to integrate viewing and visual representation in a physical education classroom.

Examining The Skills, Attitudes, And Perceptions Of Developmental Writing Students At A Midwestern Private College, William P. Elgersma

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Postsecondary degree-granting institutions recognize that students lack necessary academic skills, but the characteristics of this at-risk population have not been as clearly identified. As well, the value of remedial programs that serve this at-risk population need to be investigated.

The survey instruments for this study were developed by the researcher. The purpose of the study was to examine the skills, attitudes, and perceptions of basic writers of a remedial writing course Academic Skills Center (ASK 060) at a private Midwestern college. Specifically, this study identified the value of the remedial writing program related to perceived level of competence and academic …

Defining The Phenomenon Of Teaching Christianly At A Christian College: A Study Conducted At Dordt College, Barb Hoekstra

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Despite the high value that Christian colleges place on teaching, there is scant literature on teaching christianly in higher education. Pedagogy that promotes Christian beliefs resides in the K-12 literature. Using the work of Van Brummelen (1988) and Van Dyk (2000) originally developed for teaching christianly at the K-12 level, a conceptual framework was developed. This study investigated what it means to teach christianly at a small Christian college. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used to explore teachers’ perceptions and beliefs about teaching christianly in higher education. A criterion sampling strategy was used in selecting 10 participants who had the …

Study Of The Characteristics, Satisfaction, And Organizational Commitment Of Faculty Members At Ten Colleges Affiliated With The Council For Christian Colleges And Universities, Curtis J. Taylor

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This study examined the reasons why faculty members choose to teach at Christian colleges, their commitment to their institution, and their satisfaction with various job-related issues and values. It analyzed comparisons between the characteristics and satisfaction of faculty members at Christian colleges and faculty members in other types of American institutions of higher education.

An on-line survey was administered to all faculty members at 10 diverse institutions affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Useable responses were received from 238 full-time faculty members. The response rate was approximately 33%.

Survey items were categorized as follows: demographic variables; researcherdesigned …

General Education: Why Do We Need It, And Where Did It Come From?, Calvin Jongsma

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General education is one of those things that everyone knows how to fix but no one is able to do anything about. Woodrow Wilson’s comment about changing the college curriculum, made while he was president of Princeton University, is particularly apt of general education: reforming it “is as difficult as moving a graveyard.” Committees can study the issue for ages and make numerous erudite reports, but when all is said and done, more is said than done. Many reforms meet the standard voiced by Groucho Marx: “there is less here than meets the eye.” It is far easier to resist …

Sphere Sovereignty And The University: Theological Foundations Of Abraham Kuyper's View Of The University And Its Role In Society, Wayne A. Kobes

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Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) was a leading figure shaping many facets of Dutch culture during and after his long life. In addition to exerting a profound influence on politics, ecclesiastical concerns, journalism, elementary and secondary education, and societal life in the Netherlands, he also founded and was the primary formative influence shaping the Free University of Amsterdam The problem taken up by this dissertation is the discovery and elucidation of Kuyper's concept of the nature, task, authority and role of the university in modern society as it is shaped by significant theological views he held Specifically, this study demonstrates how Abraham …

Closer Look At "Serviceable Insight": A Discussion Paper, John Van Dyk

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No abstract provided.