Education Commons^™

Mastery-Based Testing In Undergraduate Mathematics, J.B. Collins, Amanda Harsy, Jarod Hart, Katie Anne Haymaker, Alyssa Marie Hoofnagle, Mike Janssen, Jessica Stewart Kelly, Austin Tyler Mohr, Jessica O'Shaughnessy

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Mastery-based testing is an assessment scheme that challenges students to provide complete solutions to problems derived from clear course concepts. Students are allowed multiple attempts to demonstrate mastery, which helps create a classroom environment where students value persistence toward thorough understanding. In this paper, we describe in detail the benefits and implementation of mastery-based testing in college mathematics courses. We also summarize student response data that show positive reactions to this testing method.

The Walls Within Our Classrooms, Mary Beth Pollema

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"Sinful hearts are prone to build walls that cause others to be excluded, but God has given us the ministry of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18) that we are to bring to our classroom communities."

Posting about breaking educational barriers from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/the-walls-within-our-classrooms/

Implications Of Training In Incremental Theories Of Intelligence For Undergraduate Statistics Students, Valorie L. Zonnefeld

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This chapter documents the effects of training in incremental theories of intelligence on students in introductory statistics courses at a liberal arts university in the US. Incremental theories of intelligence examine the beliefs individuals hold of knowledge and how it is attained. An individual with an incremental theory of intelligence believes that intelligence can be developed. The research examined differences by gender in mastery of statistics and attitudes toward statistics for students who received growth mind-set training. A pre-test, post-test design utilised the Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics© instrument and the Comprehensive Assessment of Outcomes in a first Statistics course. An …

Policy, Practice, And Dialogue: A Framework For Ncte Action And Relational Strategy, Leah A. Zuidema

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This essay is an invited response to Noah Asher Golden and Deborah Bieler’s Provocateur Piece in this issue in which they share a loving critique of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). This response highlights and extends Golden and Bieler’s observation about “the strengths of our members: policy, practice, and dialogue.” The response essay illustrates how NCTE, an association for literacy educators, could use “policy, practice, and dialogue” as a framework to drive and connect its work.

Creating A Culturally Sensitive Classroom, Barb Hoekstra

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"Culturally sensitive Christian instructors see their students as image bearers of Christ, as kingdom citizens, and they focus on all aspects of their students, not just their color."

Posting about educating students in a diverse world from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/creating-a-culturally-sensitive-classroom/

The Toughest Question About Christian Education, Leah A. Zuidema

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"For Christ-centered schools, the desire to promote the common good is a way to make daily life better for everyone."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­the importance of Christian education from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/the-toughest-question-about-christian-education/

What? How? Why? Who?, Patricia C. Kornelis

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No abstract provided.

What If Assessment Was A Gift?, Patricia C. Kornelis

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No abstract provided.

Student Gains In Conceptual Understanding In Introductory Statistics With And Without A Curriculum Focused On Simulation-Based Inference, Beth Chance, Stephanie Mendoza, Nathan L. Tintle

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Using “simulation-based inference” (SBI) such as randomization tests as the primary vehicle for introducing students to the logic and scope of statistical inference has been advocated with the potential of improving student understanding of statistical inference, as well as the statistical investigative process as a whole. Moving beyond the individual class activity, entirely revised introductory statistics curricula centering on these ideas have been developed and tested. In this presentation we will discuss three years of cross-institutional tertiary-level data in the United States comparing SBI-focused curricula and non-SBI curricula (roughly 15,000 students). We examine several pre/post measures of conceptual understanding in …

Development Of A Tool To Assess Students’ Conceptual Understanding In Introductory Statistics, Nathan L. Tintle, Jill Vander Stoep

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Few tools exist to assess students’ conceptual understanding in post-secondary, introductory statistics courses. The CAOS test is widely considered to be the gold standard, but was first published in 2007 and does not necessarily reflect some of the changes in student learning at the secondary level. Furthermore, it may not be sensitive enough to measure student conceptual understanding in modern post-secondary statistics courses (e.g., simulation-based inference). In this paper we will describe the process of developing a new instrument which uses some CAOS items, as well as additional new items to improve validity and reliability. We will share the validity …

Finding Meaning In A Multivariable World: A Conceptual Approach To An Algebra-Based Second Course In Statistics, Karen Mcgaughey, Beth Chance, Nathan L. Tintle, Soma Roy, Todd Swanson, Jill Vander Stoep

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Although the teaching of the first course in statistics has improved dramatically in recent years, there has been less focus on a similarly conceptual-based second course aimed at non-majors. We present a curriculum for the second course, designed to expand statistical literacy across disciplines, which focuses on conceptual understanding of multivariable relationships through data visualization, study design, the role of confounding variables, reduction of unexplained variation, and simulation-based inference, rather than the mathematically-based discourse often used in the second course. Our curriculum uses a student-centered pedagogical approach, utilizing guided discovery activities based on real-world case studies, facilitated by student-focused technology …

Start A Math Teacher Circle: Connect K-12 Teachers With Engaging, Approachable, And Meaningful Mathematical Problems, Tom Clark, Mike Janssen, Amanda Harsy, Dave Klanderman, Mandi Maxwell, Sharon Robbert

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Many K-12 math teachers are not ready to teach from a conceptual and inquiry-oriented perspective because they have an algorithmic understanding of mathematics. One solution is to create a math teacher circle (MTC), which provides conceptual and inquiry-based learning activities and builds professionalism among the teachers. In this paper, we describe the origins of two such MTCs, highlighting the process of identifying leadership team members, submitting the grant proposal for seed money, and hosting launch events, intensive summer workshops, and monthly meetings during the academic year. We also share opportunities for professional development for college and university faculty, including research …

See The Story, Live The Story, Patricia C. Kornelis

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No abstract provided.

What Does It Mean To Be Successful?, Patricia C. Kornelis

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No abstract provided.

Prove You Are Not A Dog: Fostering Social Presence In Online Learning, David J. Mulder

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Learning online can be isolating for students. Some students may prefer to be anonymous—on the outset, at least—until they feel comfortable participating in the course. Many instructors value interaction between students or between the student and the instructor, and without a sense of “presence” in the online classroom, some students will be reticent to participate. It is thus incumbent on instructors and instructional designers to create courses that foster interaction between users to develop this sense of being “a real person” online. This chapter examines the concept of social presence, articulates reasons high social presence is a desirable feature in …

선교지 기독교 대학의 코어 커리큘럼 작성 / Establishing Core Curriculum At Christian Colleges In The Mission Fields, Jay Shim

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This paper deals with establishing Christian core-curriculum from a Reformed point of view (the paper also uses the term “college education that enables mission”) for Christian colleges and universities in the mission fields. The paper explores definition, content, and uses of core-curriculum, and relevant issues that must be deal with for the formation of it in the situation of the mission field. It also provides a plan and roadmap for the formation of three core-curriculum for PAUA member institutions. Faith and education/knowledge are two different tasks. From a Reformed view of life-system, however, they are considered to be structured and …

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself: Learning From Award-Winning Second Language College Teachers, Leendert Van Beek

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What can we learn from award-winning second language teachers so that we can serve the students at our Christian institutions better? A wide spectrum of college teachers was interviewed about their perspectives on the qualities needed to excel, their classroom practices, and their theories of teaching and learning.

Mathematical Justice?, Valorie L. Zonnefeld

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"I’d like to suggest the possibility of guiding students toward more just ways of seeing and being in the world in mathematics class."

Posting about human flourishing through mathematical study­­­­­­­­ from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

http://inallthings.org/mathematical-justice/

Specifications Grading In A First Course In Abstract Algebra, Mike Janssen

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Specifications grading offers an alternative to more traditional, points-based grading and assessment structures. In place of partial credit, students are assessed pass/fail on whether or not they have achieved the learning outcomes being assessed on a given piece of work according to certain specifications, with limited opportunities for revision of non-passing work. This talk will describe the learning outcomes and specifications grading system I used in my Fall 2016 abstract algebra course, as well as student responses.

Integrating A Christian Worldview Into Literacy Instruction, Gwen R. Marra

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No abstract provided.

Reaching All The Students In Your Classroom, Kathleen Vantol

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This presentation discusses scaffolding: distinct instructional techniques which provide the supports that struggling learners may need to learn challenging lesson content. Planning for inclusion of appropriate scaffolding requires that teachers know both their students and their content well.

Celebrating Diversity In Christian Schools With Differentiation, Patricia C. Kornelis

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Does it matter if some of your students are lost and have no idea how to connect with you and with learning? Does it matter if some of your students are consistently ahead and are spending considerable time waiting for the rest of us to catch up?

Let's Build Something Biblical, Mary Beth Pollema

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More and more families are ignoring God's mandate to train our covenant children in the instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4) and are choosing to educate their children in secular institutions because they do not see the value of Christian education. Why is this? What can we do about it?

The Qualities, Practices, And Theories Held By Award-Winning Second Language College Teachers, Leendert Van Beek

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It is important for second language college teachers to know what kinds of teaching and learning approaches are most effective for their students. This basic qualitative study presents the perspectives exceptional second language teachers have regarding their own qualities of excellence, practices, philosophies of teaching, and theories of learning. The purpose of the study was to identify, describe, and understand these perspectives. Sixteen of such teachers, all of whom had won one or more awards of excellence from professional organizations, were interviewed, and the collected data were analyzed through three levels of coding. The main research question regarding the perspectives …

Case For Christian Higher Education: Two-Year Technical Programs, Too, Joel K. Sikkema

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"The importance of today’s professional-technical vocations is critical to the collective work for Christ in today’s world. People serving in these fields are truly at the front lines, responding to God’s word with their hearts, minds, and hands."

Posting about the need for Christian technical training from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/the-case-for-christian-higher-education-two-year-technical-programs-too/

Iron Sharpens Iron: Co-Teaching In A Teacher Education Program, Patricia C. Kornelis, Gwen R. Marra, Ed Starkenburg

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Recently the Education department at Dordt College revamped its program. We were implementing co-teaching during our year-long student teaching experience for seniors, but we felt it would be more effective if students had experience with co-teaching before being one of the main participants. As changes were discussed, we were challenged to look for opportunities to implement co-teaching so students would benefit from it as a student as well as seeing it modeled and explained. As a result of this, Ed Starkenburg and Gwen Marra have been co-teaching an undergraduate Children’s and Adolescent Literature course. They will share their experiences of …

Faith Connections In The Math Classroom, Valorie L. Zonnefeld, Ryan G. Zonnefeld

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Looking for ways to make faith connections in your math classroom? The Zonnefelds present a framework, developed in collaboration with local teachers, that synthesizes faith connections, the TfT framework, and Common Core standards.

Standards-Based Assessment In A Developmental Math Course, Valorie L. Zonnefeld, Michal Huizenga, Aaron Van Beek, Kate Van Weelden

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Learn why we decided to try standards-based instruction in an undergraduate, developmental algebra course and what we learned in the process.

Why Is School Like A Prison?, David J. Mulder

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"Imagine the change in motivation in a classroom that was formerly teacher-directed to one where students have a voice in the learning process!"

Posting about enhancing the student experience from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/why-is-school-like-a-prison/

Resources Preservice Teachers Use To Think About Student Writing, Leah A. Zuidema, James E. Fredricksen

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This article identifies five categories of resources that preservice teachers drew on as they considered student writing and planned their own approaches to assessing and teaching writing. Identifying these resources helps us better understand how beginning writing teachers think about student writing—and better understand mismatches that commonly occur between what teacher educators teach and what new teachers actually do. Our study builds on literature that considers how writing teachers are prepared, extends research about how preservice teachers use what they learn,and adds layers of detail to literature about the resources that beginning teachers draw upon to aid and support them …