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Articles 1 - 30 of 116
Full-Text Articles in Education
The Impact Of Nature Deficit On Creating Learning Spaces For Children, Kirsten Bergren
The Impact Of Nature Deficit On Creating Learning Spaces For Children, Kirsten Bergren
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Nature deficit disorder is a problem because it causes a disconnect between people and the environment. Adults have their own experiences with nature deficit disorder and that is impacting their ability to design nature rich environments for children. Recognizing their own experiences can help them to create and enrich the learning environment of their students. This project aims to decrease nature deficit disorder and stress and increase overall health and wellness.
Supporting Kindergarten Multilingual Learners During Morning Meeting, Tamara Tripp
Supporting Kindergarten Multilingual Learners During Morning Meeting, Tamara Tripp
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The guiding question of this capstone project is: “How can kindergarten classroom teachers support Multilingual Learners during Morning Meeting to improve their ability to engage and communicate with classmates?” Morning Meeting is a daily classroom time that supports the building of a shared classroom community. Students are seen and heard as they share about themselves and learn about their peers. Research has demonstrated the need for students to make connections with their classmates in order to feel safe taking academic risks. Multilingual learners in kindergarten classrooms can struggle to make social connections and actively engage in learning when they are …
Trauma-Informed Mathematics: Using Portfolios To Promote Reflection And Resilience, Ethan Somes
Trauma-Informed Mathematics: Using Portfolios To Promote Reflection And Resilience, Ethan Somes
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Mathematics has a reputation for being abstract, complex, and for many, incomprehensible. In schools, it is common for students to dislike math and to feel self-conscious about their abilities or performance. The typical structure of math assessments, namely tests that are time constricted and highly stressful, creates a cycle of poor performance, disengagement, and high anxiety. This suggests that a new way of assessing students is needed, one that shows the fuller picture of students' math capabilities. This leads to the research question: how can the use of portfolios in math class help students begin to heal from trauma or …
Effective Consequences, Jenelle Poer
Effective Consequences, Jenelle Poer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The aim of this project is to explore the question: What are the most vital elements of effective consequences? What allows consequences to change student behavior? How can you reduce or eliminate the negative side effects of consequences? My research on the topic, reading studies and scholarly reports, shows that there are multiple strategies, but a few common elements can be distilled from the various techniques. The most vital of these elements are: clarity, teamwork, warmness, and reflection. The resulting project consists of a 4-part professional development workshop for teachers. Each workshop session focuses on one vital element of effective …
The Best Way To Utilize Makerspace In A 6th Grade Science Classroom, Amanda Mahlstedt
The Best Way To Utilize Makerspace In A 6th Grade Science Classroom, Amanda Mahlstedt
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this capstone project is: “How can the MakerSpace model be implemented in a sixth grade science classroom successfully?” This paper follows a sixth grade science teacher's journey into learning more about MakerSpace and how to implement the MakerSpace model in a science classroom. This paper also follows how this learning influenced the creation of a MakerSpace guide intended for educators that are interested in implementing a MakerSpace in their classroom, specifically a sixth grade science classroom. The topics of focus are: what is MakerSpace, what makes it different from other science programs, research behind MakerSpace, …
Scaffolding Full-Length Texts In A Middle School Classroom To Promote Reading Engagement, Elizabeth Vandergon
Scaffolding Full-Length Texts In A Middle School Classroom To Promote Reading Engagement, Elizabeth Vandergon
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this capstone project is: How can teachers scaffold a full-length text in order to increase reading accountability and engagement from students in a middle school setting? The capstone paper documents multiple approaches to reading consistency, growth, accountability and engagement. Additionally, this document follows with the creation of a middle school reading unit meant to engage with the works of Reutzel and Juth (2014), Gallagher (2009), and Daniels (2002). The topics focused on are approaches to reading, influences on student reading motivation, and classroom scaffolds and strategies to promote reading engagement. Included within this capstone paper …
Effective Teacher-Parent Communication Tools To Empower Families To Be Active In Their Children’S Learning, Ellis Richardson
Effective Teacher-Parent Communication Tools To Empower Families To Be Active In Their Children’S Learning, Ellis Richardson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Creating an environment that is conducive for learning is an essential component of education. In search of ways to achieve this goal through family engagement the question was posed, How can educators effectively communicate with families to empower them to take an active role in their child’s learning? Research has demonstrated that there is a link between student success and teacher-parent partnerships through one way and two way communication methods. The project involved creating a set of resources for educators to foster and maintain teacher-parent partnerships with the goal being student success. The resources are accompanied by a professional development …
Joy In Choice: Cultivating A Choice-Centric Literacy Classroom In Upper Elementary, Alexandra Pickell
Joy In Choice: Cultivating A Choice-Centric Literacy Classroom In Upper Elementary, Alexandra Pickell
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project is: How do teachers initiate and nurture joyful, personally meaningful opportunities for reading in the classroom? This project is an introductory website detailing how and why teachers can shift their reading block to make it a time in the day when students are making choices for themselves. In so doing, student motivation and joy for reading is at the forefront of the classroom (Gambrell, 2015). The intended audience is any upper elementary teacher looking to decenter the teacher’s voice during independent reading, but is of particular importance for teachers who already have an …
Project Based Learning For Chronically Absent Students, Amy Lynch
Project Based Learning For Chronically Absent Students, Amy Lynch
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research has shown that students who are chronically absent from school in the elementary years are far more likely to underperform academically, struggle socially and drop out of high school. Project based learning (PBL) is a process in which students and teachers engage in creation, discussion, and reflection. Teachers guide while students inquire independently and with peers. Learning is acquired through questioning, choice and action (Helle et al., 2006). Project based learning provides the opportunity for teachers to integrate social studies, science, reading, writing, math, and social and emotional skills over several weeks, ultimately creating a project that represents the …
Developing Effective Resources To Maintain The Target Language Of A Dual Language Immersion Program, Sofia Henao
Developing Effective Resources To Maintain The Target Language Of A Dual Language Immersion Program, Sofia Henao
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Dual Language Immersion programs (DLIPs) have been around for more than 60 years in the United States. DLIPs focus on teaching students subject matter in a second language. This project connects the topics and goals of dual language immersion education to a website that can be used as a source of practice for students that are no longer directly in an immersion program by investigating the question, “What supports can teachers put in place that students can use when they are not directly in a dual language immersion program?” The research intends to illustrate the importance of continued practice and …
A Podcast And Website For Informal Educators And How It Can Disseminate Best Teaching Practices, Graham Charles
A Podcast And Website For Informal Educators And How It Can Disseminate Best Teaching Practices, Graham Charles
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Informal educators face barriers in delivering high-quality educational experiences. As they are not formally connected with teacher training programs, they frequently receive more content-area knowledge than pedagogical instruction. Thus, informal educators are challenged to discover and master best practices in their field on their own. Economic and learning theorists indicate that professionals share best practices through various socially mediated structures, such as peer learning, culminating in a spontaneous intragroup support structure which Wegner termed a community of practice. Many informal educators, however, cannot participate in such communities because they are physically located in different sites from colleagues performing similar work. …
Citizen Science As Experiential Education In The Modern Classroom, Peter Swan
Citizen Science As Experiential Education In The Modern Classroom, Peter Swan
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Secondary education has grown increasingly dependent on delivering instruction and materials via mobile devices and computers in the 21st century. Research has long shown the effectiveness of “student-centered”, experiential and “place based” learning in the classroom. Citizen science initiatives have been demonstrated to be meaningful ways to teach the nature - and practice - of scientific inquiry. This paper explores the current trends in secondary science education in light of recent societal transformations and investigates the body of literature regarding environmental, outdoor and experiential education. The project then proposes a solution to integrate experiential, citizen science into a modern, digital …
The Impact Of Climate Change Education In An Outdoor Classroom On Middle School Students' Attitudes And Understandings Towards Climate Change, Kelly Peterson
The Impact Of Climate Change Education In An Outdoor Classroom On Middle School Students' Attitudes And Understandings Towards Climate Change, Kelly Peterson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone paper and project seek to answer the question: how does learning about climate change in an outdoor classroom impact middle schoolers’ attitudes and understandings toward climate change? The most effective methods to teaching climate change include a place-based, multidisciplinary approach with high levels of inquiry and engagement. When students learn outdoors, they also engage in place-based learning that is highly inquiry based. Combining climate change education with outdoor education is an effective way to approach climate change education. Through use of the Learning Cycle and Understanding by Design, a unit on ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity, and ecosystem services was …
Courage Under Fire: Culturally Responsive Teaching In A Divisive Time, Colin Perucco
Courage Under Fire: Culturally Responsive Teaching In A Divisive Time, Colin Perucco
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone addresses the question: How can educators create culturally responsive and sustaining classrooms and curriculum that best reflect students while navigating the rapidly changing public perception of cultural relevance in the classroom? Based on one educator’s experience with a public reaction to culturally responsive practices in their classroom, the project seeks to examine the work being done in classrooms to help students examine and honor the culture they experience every day through education. Included in the project is a literature review addressing the history and progression of culturally responsive teaching, the impacts of culturally responsive pedagogies in the classroom, …
Students With Interrupted Formal Education: A Toolbox For Instruction, Mary Palmer
Students With Interrupted Formal Education: A Toolbox For Instruction, Mary Palmer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this capstone project is: What are best practices for schools to support students with interrupted schooling? This paper and three-session professional development series showcase ways that content teachers can help facilitate learning for a growing multilingual learner population, students with limited formal education (SIFE). Within the professional development series, there will be three strategies that are highlighted including: Culturally Relevant Teaching, using aspects and background knowledge from a student’s own lived experience to facilitate knowledge acquisition; Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm which bridges the skills that students with limited formal education come to classrooms with to …
Nature-Play-Based Kindergarten: Meeting Minnesota’S State Standards Via Nature Play, Tanya Buckner
Nature-Play-Based Kindergarten: Meeting Minnesota’S State Standards Via Nature Play, Tanya Buckner
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Kindergarten is becoming more academic as a result of external pressures related to educational policies (Graue, 2011). Due to increased focus on content in schools, and other societal factors such as lack of unstructured time and risk aversion, children have less time for play (Sahlberg & Doyle, 2019) and interacting with nature (Louv, 2005). This context drove the creation of this capstone project, which aims to support Minnesota teachers in meeting state standards through developmentally appropriate nature-play-based curriculum. A review of the literature showed there was a need for this type of project. Besides external pressure on schools to improve …
Maximizing The Effectiveness Of Peer Interaction In The English-Language Classroom, Benjamin Kahn
Maximizing The Effectiveness Of Peer Interaction In The English-Language Classroom, Benjamin Kahn
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this capstone project is the following: How can teachers maximize the effectiveness of peer-to-peer interactions in an English Language classroom at the secondary or post-secondary level? The paper documents this practitioner’s exploration of the research literature on peer interaction to discover what makes for high quality peer interactions and how various teacher-controlled practices can affect interaction quality. This document also follows the creation of a professional development presentation intended for English-language teachers to help familiarize them with the field’s current understanding of peer interaction and possible best practices in their classrooms. The topics of focus …
The Role Of The Native-Speaker Listener In English As A Lingua Franca Interactions, Leah Fruechte
The Role Of The Native-Speaker Listener In English As A Lingua Franca Interactions, Leah Fruechte
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research agrees that monolingualism, through a lack of linguistic and metalinguistic awareness and general linguistic reflexivity, is the source of a widely observed listening problem where monolingual native-speakers (NSs) of English fail to correctly perceive the meaning of spoken English that diverges from their own in phonological forms or contextual norms. On the other hand, research has also shown multilingual communities, such as those which use English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), to display the intuitive use of collaborative, pragmatic listening strategies that keep them from misunderstanding each other, despite their differences in forms and norms. As a result, this …
Training English Language Teachers To Help Adult General English Students With Complex Noun Phrases For Business Writing, Christina Cipriani
Training English Language Teachers To Help Adult General English Students With Complex Noun Phrases For Business Writing, Christina Cipriani
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
An overwhelming number of English Learners (ELs) are motivated to learn English because it can act as a tool to help them achieve career success. However, textbooks, which form the backbone of many General English (GE) courses, do not provide enough information in a number of areas related to success at work. Notably, few textbooks offer models for the language needed in job searching, including complex noun phrases. Since textbooks are not providing this material, teachers have to fill that gap themselves. In order to help teachers fulfill this task, my capstone project investigates the following research question: “How can …
Supporting Upper Elementary Newcomer Students In The Areas Of Speaking And Writing, Amy Brown
Supporting Upper Elementary Newcomer Students In The Areas Of Speaking And Writing, Amy Brown
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Multilingual students, especially those who are new-to-the-country, need access to language rich curriculum that meets their unique needs. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach on the best way to meet these needs and a lack of age-appropriate material led to the research question: “How can teachers best provide writing and speaking opportunities for upper elementary newcomer multilingual students in a content classroom?” A push to have language learners in the content classroom as much as possible regardless of English proficiency and grade level were driving factors in the creation of this fourth grade language arts curriculum project. This curriculum is …
How To Create A Successful Learning Environment For Students With Challenging Behaviors, Kristin Otto
How To Create A Successful Learning Environment For Students With Challenging Behaviors, Kristin Otto
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
As an experienced special education teacher working with a range of school districts, I have observed the need for further training on how to manage challenging behaviors within our schools. Though there are many researched based strategies available for helping educators manage challenging behaviors, there are very few trainings that guide educators to program for students with challenging behaviors. With teacher shortages at all-time high in the state of Minnesota, and schools working hard to provide inclusive classrooms, the need for further training for educators appears to be at the forefront. This project on: How to create successful learning environments …
Cultural Relevance In Art Matters: An Accessible Curriculum, Mary Beth Magyar
Cultural Relevance In Art Matters: An Accessible Curriculum, Mary Beth Magyar
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research shows that allowing students room for their artistic voice is empowering and can help them explore their racial identity. In addition to supporting cultural identities, art can enhance one’s mood. Multiple studies show how visual art can build positive mental health and reduce anxiety. There has been a troubling rise in statistics for teenagers with poor mental health and suicide attempts, particularly in the LGBTQIA+ populations. When these students feel welcome at school their mental health is markedly improved. As the No Child Left Behind Policies grew, access to the visual arts decreased. Art does not test well therefore …
An Intervention To Support Comprehension During Independent Reading Time, Jacob Klis
An Intervention To Support Comprehension During Independent Reading Time, Jacob Klis
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The question that guided this project was: How can using an intervention based on a comprehension strategy increase student reading interest? This question guided research on digital and print texts, student reading interest, and a brief history of balanced literacy. Many schools use a mix of digital and print resources and students need to be prepared to understand each. Using independent reading time at school has shown to give students greater success in literacy and other areas of school. It has shown that dedicated independent reading time is important at school. The goal of this project was to make independent …
Using An Ecojustice Education Framework To Address Conservation In The Upstate, Rebecca Bolich-Wade
Using An Ecojustice Education Framework To Address Conservation In The Upstate, Rebecca Bolich-Wade
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
In an era of complex and overlapping issues, it is critical to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative interdisciplinary methodology within the fields of justice and environmental conservation. One such method is encapsulated in an ecojustice education framework. This capstone project sought to analyze the effectiveness of an ecojustice education framework to address conservation in the Upstate of South Carolina. In the process of this study’s literature review, it is evident that isolating social justice from environmental conservation is ineffective and unresponsive to the needs that historically underserved communities today face in terms of the mitigation of environmental burdens and enhancement …
Cultivating Student Agency Through The Use Of Authentic Science Practices, John Haug
Cultivating Student Agency Through The Use Of Authentic Science Practices, John Haug
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This paper examines a needed shift in teaching secondary science students as more states and school districts adopt the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for assessing student skills and knowledge. The eight practices identified by the NGSS offer an opportunity to incorporate authentic science instruction into the classroom. Research supports that students who gain confidence in authentic science practices have a broader and deeper understanding of the nature of science. Research also supports that students who improve authentic practices are more likely to trust scientific findings and be more apt to take action on social and environmental issues. This shift …
Increasing Student Engagement In Kindergarten Read Alouds, Sydney Cassidy
Increasing Student Engagement In Kindergarten Read Alouds, Sydney Cassidy
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research has shown that when students are given the opportunity to showcase their learnings in various settings, there will be a greater chance of student engagement and motivation when completing various classroom activities. The curriculum designed for this project uses Howard Gardner’s (2006) Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Thomas Armstrong’s (2009) work with integrating these intelligences into a classroom environment to target the various ways that students learn in the classroom that is best suited to the way their brain processes and applies information. The project involved creating a curriculum that was suitable for kindergarten students to engage in various …
Experiencing An Old-Growth Forest: An Immersive Nature And Art Workshop For Environmental Educators, Valerie Ozaksut
Experiencing An Old-Growth Forest: An Immersive Nature And Art Workshop For Environmental Educators, Valerie Ozaksut
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Environmental education seeks to develop an engaged and environmentally literate citizenry for a more equitable and sustainable future (NAAEE). Environmental art education is an interdisciplinary field which utilizes environmental education and art education practices. Addressing environmental issues through artmaking can expand learner understandings and emotional connections to the natural world, fostering environmental literacy. Exploring concepts from environmental education and art education, this capstone project uses the sense of wonder (Carson, 1956), the live creature (Dewey, 1934) and aesthetic empathy (Haskell, 2018) as a framework for study. This professional development workshop for environmental educators is designed to introduce environmental art education …
Unlocking Math Minds: Using Inquiry-Based Instruction To Increase Student Engagement And Learning In A Third Grade Classroom, Eric Swendseid
Unlocking Math Minds: Using Inquiry-Based Instruction To Increase Student Engagement And Learning In A Third Grade Classroom, Eric Swendseid
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This paper and supporting website include research and strategies to answer the research question, How can the implementation of inquiry-based math instruction increase student engagement and learning success in a third grade classroom? Inquiry-based learning is a process where the students are involved in their learning. The classroom is student-centered, not teacher-centered. Using the student-centered or inquiry-based approach, students do not learn through transmission. Instead, they collect information and synthesize the information they find through critical thinking skills. The learning process is considered to be higher-order learning. The research presented in this paper focuses on guided inquiry within a mathematics …
Applying Multiple Intelligences Theory In Esl/Efl Classrooms, Shirin Soltani
Applying Multiple Intelligences Theory In Esl/Efl Classrooms, Shirin Soltani
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The purpose of this project was to create a unit on activities that were inspired by multiple intelligences theory to help English Learners (ELs) develop their language proficiency. The questions explored in this capstone project were: How can language learners develop their multiple intelligences to become proficient language learners through classroom activities? What are ways to create a curriculum that includes both the traditional foundations of language teaching and multiple intelligences theory? I learned English as a foreign language through rote learning. During my teaching experience, I realized that not all ELs learn English the same way and they have …
Best Practices Using Pair Work For English Language Learners, Olivia Meyer
Best Practices Using Pair Work For English Language Learners, Olivia Meyer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project examined English Language (EL) learners and pair work in order to improve English skills and proficiency, answering the question: What are the best ways to use pair work to assist EL students in making English proficiency gains? There are many sources that show that collaboration and in particular, pair collaboration, supports language learning for all ages. One reason for this may be because language learning is most successful when there is plenty of feedback and interaction, creating plenty of opportunities to practice language skills. The project led to creation of a professional development course for educators that teaches …