Education Commons^™

From Workshop To Wind Turbines: Inspiring Middle School Stem Education, Janet Stramel, Paul Adams

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This initiative was the result of a grant provided by the Kansas NASA Space Grant Consortium (KSGC). Middle school teachers (grades 6-8) in western Kansas actively engaged in a workshop designed to broaden their understanding of wind energy, solar power, and the power grid, aiming to enhance their students' proficiency in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Through the incorporation of the Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas related to earth and space science, along with the integration of the Standards for Mathematical Practice, and the practical applications of science education activities developed by the NASA Science Mission Directorate, …

Leveraging The Epistemic Emotion Of Awe As A Pedagogical Tool To Teach Science, M. Gail Jones, Julianna Nieuwsma, K. Ren Rende, Sarah Carrier, Emma Refvem, Cesar Delgado, Jill Grifenhagen, Pamela Huff

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Awe is a complex emotion theorised to impact science learning and practice. In science education, awe has the potential to motivate explanation-seeking, promote conceptual change, and instill feelings of connectedness to the natural world. This exploratory study examined teachers’ experiences with awe as well as their uses of awe in their science instruction. Thirty-four elementary (grades 4-5; n =14) and middle school (grades 6-7; n = 20) teachers completed a survey of awe perceptions and experiences and participated in a semi-structured interview. Results showed that science teachers report using awe-invoking classroom experiences in a variety of science disciplines with the …

Accelerating High School Students’ Science Career Trajectories Through Non-Formal Science Volunteer Programs, K. Ren Rende, M. Gail Jones, Emma Refvem, Sarah J. Carrier, Megan Ennes

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Extensive research shows that non-formal science education programs effectively build and sustain long-term interest and persistence in science careers. Framed by expectancy-value theory, this study examined the academic and career outcomes of students who participated in a multi-year volunteer program at a science museum. Twenty-one participants were interviewed about their motivations for volunteering and the impact of participation on their science career trajectories. Data were coded for factors related to expectancy-value including goals, motivations, previous non-formal science experiences, and family attitudes towards science and STEM. Results showed participants of the volunteer program pursued science careers at higher rates than the …

We Can Update Our Own Stories: Trans*-Informed Principles For Gender-Inclusive Science Teaching., K. Ren Rende

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Across the United States, Anti-LGBTQ curriculum laws are being passed in staggering numbers, impacting an estimated 25 million children. At a time where a majority of LBGTQ students report feeling unsafe at school, a significant education challenge is how to meet the needs of these students while addressing and dismantling the way the institution of science education continues to uphold systems of oppression. While there have been waves of LGBTQinclusive science education reform, these movements have been stymied by a lack of cohesive guidelines for practice and are generally limited in their inclusion of considerations that attend to the needs …

Field Experience Reimagined: Integrating Microteaches To Foster Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Jennifer L. Lemke, Andrea Karpf, Paula M. Jakopovic, Sheryl Mcglamery

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on teacher preparation programs. With field experiences being among the most effective pathways to connect theory to practice and contributing significantly to preservice teachers’ self-efficacy development, teacher preparation programs have had to reimagine these experiences. In this article, the authors share how their teacher preparation program incorporated microteaches to continue fostering self-efficacy during pandemic times and the potential implications of these programmatic adaptations.

Supporting And Retaining Early Career Mathematics Teachers Using An Online Community Of Practice, Paula M. Jakopovic, Travis Weiland, Maria Campitelli, Lorraine Males, Lisa Amick

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This study reports on efforts over several years to design and implement a yearlong intervention intended to support secondary mathematics teachers in their early years of teaching. The intervention is designed to retain early career mathematics teachers in the professions by engaging them in the development of meaningful professional relationships with a school-based mentors, and by creating an online community of practice for support with other professionals. The intervention itself consists of early career teachers and their mentors participating in monthly professional learning activities such as online meetings, videoconferencing panels with experts, and collaborative reading and discussing timely, purposeful, and …

Bilingual Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Educational Climate And Policies In The United States And Spain, Miguel Fernández Álvarez, Amanda Montes, Other Co-Authors

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Access to high-quality bilingual education is critical and has evolved in many different ways during the last decades. Given recent efforts to enhance bilingual education, it is important to examine the perceptions of the current education workforce who serve students in bilingual education programs. A hundred and sixty-four bilingual education professionals from Spain and the U.S. participated in the research. They completed a questionnaire about the effect of educational climate and policies in their own countries. Findings show that teachers from Spain rate bilingual education higher than teachers from the U.S. There are significant differences in their general perceptions and …

Stem Teaching And Learning In Rural Communities: Exploring Challenges And Opportunities An Introduction To Volume 12, Issue 2 Of Tpre, Janet Stramel, Earl Legleiter

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This special issue of Theory & Practice in Rural Education highlights STEM Teaching and Learning in Rural Communities. The articles selected represent both theory and practice and explore the complexities, practices, challenges, and opportunities facing rural schools and universities as they design and implement STEM teaching and learning. Articles from the field have related rural school success stories of how rural districts have overcome challenges to have effective and rich STEM teaching and learning in rural schools. Article submissions crossed a variety of topics, and three main themes emerged throughout the articles: (1) making STEM teaching relevant, (2) promising practices, …

The Privilege Of Low Pay: Informal Educators’ Perspectives On Workforce Equity And Diversity, K. Ren Rende, K. Fromson, M. G. Jones, M. Ennes

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Despite attempts to diversify the informal science education workforce, institutions like museums, zoos, and aquariums continue to be places of privilege where few can afford to make education a life-long career. This exploratory study examined informal science educators’ perspectives on workforce equity, diversity, and professionalization. Through a nationwide survey and selective interviews, educators (n = 132) were asked about their career motivations and personal and professional challenges faced before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results show that 59% of informal science educators surveyed were considering academic or career changes, citing workplace practices and cultures that perpetuate overwork and underpay …

Faculty Of Color And Collective Memory Work: An Examination Of Intersectionality, Privilege, And Marginalization, Rochonda L. Nenonene, Novea A. Mcintosh, Ramon Vasquez

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

As a means of highlighting new possibilities for interrupting White privilege, and supporting and honoring critical community building among faculty of Color in teacher education programs, this paper offers the theoretical and methodological resources of collective memory work as a tool for interrogating teacher education's entanglements in the complex, yet normalized, processes of White privilege. This paper, written by three faculty members of Color, aims to provide hope for an escape from the construction of hierarchies, taxonomies, and White/non-White binaries that establish and enforce arbitrary boundaries that prevent people from different racialized groups from working together to disrupt White privilege …

Salient Experiences In Student Development: Impact Of An Undergraduate Stem Teacher Preparation Program, Amie Sommers, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Paula M. Jakopovic, Julio Rivera, Neal Grandgenett, John A. Conrad, William Tapprich, Christine Cutucache

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The need for a comprehensive, high-quality pipeline for the development of undergraduate pre-service teachers, especially those that represent a diverse student body, within STEM disciplines is acute. Here, we studied the Noyce SCIENCE program to determine the most impactful experiences offered to undergraduates through the lens of student development theory. We used qualitative coding to analyze data collected from journals written by students of varying backgrounds, and at varying levels within the program (i.e., the Scholar and Intern level) over a 3-year program running period. We observed that faculty mentorship, the ability of undergraduates to mentor others, volunteer experiences, and …

Supporting Teaching And Learning Reform In College Mathematics: Finding Value In Communities Of Practice, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Paula M. Jakopovic, Christine Von Renesse

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Improving college STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) student learning outcomes is an ongoing area of focus in Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). This reform includes challenging, changing, and adapting both teaching practices and the learning environment. Communities of practice (CoPs) can support faculty in making these shifts; however, creating large-scale instructional changes in STEM education requires a more careful look at the existing systems and structures in place. In this paper, we investigate a network of regional CoPs composed mainly of mathematics faculty from IHE focused on teaching with inquiry methods. Understanding what faculty need and value to support their …

Synergies: University-Museum Collaborations, K. Ren Rende, Stephanie Teeter, Lewis Owen

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of this report is to provide documentation of the University-Museums Synergies Initiative between a Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences and a Museum of Natural Sciences. The goals of this initiative were to 1)identify specific projects and opportunities might be developed to strengthen the collaboration between institutions and 2) gain a better understanding of MEAS researchers’ and Museum employees' perspectives on university-museum partnerships.

Learning Assistantships In College Mathematics: Value For Preservice Teacher Development, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Paula Jakopovic, Janice Rech, Angie Hodge-Zickerman

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Increasing the participation and achievement of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) from early grades to college coursework continues to be at the forefront of educational transformations and research. Faculty members at Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) plan, implement, and investigate how program structures might aid in the development, retention, and overall success of undergraduate students in STEM. Active learning classrooms, especially in mathematics, are one way IHE are reforming student learning experiences, and these environments also provide a unique opportunity to engage undergraduate learning assistants with faculty to support near - peer students and deepen their own …

The Next Generation Of Science Educators: Museum Volunteers, Emma Refvem, M. Gail Jones, K. Ren Rende, Sarah Carrier, Megan Ennes

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

There is a growing need for science educators and communicators who can support public understanding of complex science issues. Furthermore, little is known about how to nurture career aspirations for teaching science. This study examined the influence of youth volunteer experiences on career aspirations through a lens of science identity. Twenty-one participants were interviewed about high school volunteer experiences at a science museum. Data were coded for factors related to science identity (recognition, competence, and performance) and career aspirations. Results showed that the museum program contributed to the development of youth volunteers’ science identities through experiences that bolstered individuals’ science …

Coaching To Develop Teacher Professional Noticing: Planning With Students And Mathematics In Mind, Paula M. Jakopovic

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Purpose

This paper examines how intentional mathematics coaching practices can develop teacher professional noticing of “ambitious teaching practices” (NCTM, 2020) through connected, collaborative coaching cycles.

Design/methodology/approach

Narrative analysis is used to examine observations of a mathematics coach and novice teacher to better understand the role of the coach in helping teachers attend to ambitious mathematics teaching (AMT) practices.

Findings

The initial findings of this study suggest that intentional use of focused goals, iterative coaching cycles and a gradual release model of coaching can support shifts in noticing of AMT from being led by the coach to being facilitated by the …

Multilingualism, Nation Branding, And The Ownership Of English In Kazakhstan And Uzbekistan, Madina Djuraeva

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This study examines the ownership of English and linguistic (in)security of multilingual English learners in two post-Soviet nation-states. Using the chronotopic and scalar analysis of discourse, I examine students’ ideologies of English vis-à-vis their linguistic repertoires in the context of national imaginary and globalization. I utilize the concept of ‘nation branding’ to trace the relationship between language ideologies and broader sociopolitical factors, including neoliberalism. The analysis of 60 individual student interviews revealed that the state-circulated nation-branding discourse is a powerful tool for instilling the sense of linguistic ownership. The findings showed that students in Uzbekistan regard English as opportunistic and …

Campus Stem Innovation From A Foothold In Mathematics: Lessons Learned From A Place Where It Happened, Angie Hodge-Zickerman, Janice Rech, Kelly Gomez Johnson

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

A metropolitan university, has had a productive journey in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which eventually led to a campus STEM priority, endowed STEM Community Chairs, an increase in external grants, disciplinary degree pathways for high school teachers and even a Citywide STEM Ecosystem organization. Much of this journey surfaced from collaborations originating in mathematics education, which then synergized into campus wide efforts. This article describes one campus’ journey into STEM and how transforming the mathematics teacher education program represented a “springboard” for formalizing STEM collaboration and innovation. It is offered to aid other institutions who want to make …

Beyond Traditional Teacher Preparation: Value-Add Experiences For Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers, Paula Jakopovic, Kelly Gomez Johnson

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The current pool of highly qualified secondary mathematics teachers is woefully inadequate to address the needs of schools across the United States and other countries internationally. In STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) areas, providing quality instruction in a changing world requires continuous change and innovation as programs prepare and train teachers. University teacher preparation programs wrestle with ways to provide wider professional experiences (WPE) within social learning environments called communities of practice (CoP). This qualitative study examines a university-led undergraduate scholarship program, aimed at recruiting, training, and retaining highly qualified secondary preservice mathematics teacher candidates. With increased exposure to mathematics …

Accessing School Content Using Multiple Languages In Early Childhood, Selina L.P. Mushi

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This study examined use of multiple languages in learning school content in early childhood. Data were collected from 25 classrooms in five schools in Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Dar es Salaam regions in Tanzania. The data collection process included structured classroom observations of teacher-student interactions, parent questionnaire responses and interviews notes, and teacher interview notes. These sets were analyzed separately and then triangulated to determine convergence of the study findings. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 15.0) was used to summarize numerical data and to correlate variables (age, gender, number of languages spoken, school location and performance ratings by parents). …

Multilingualism In Young Children: Parents' And Teachers' Views On Effectiveness Of Communication And School Performance, Selina L.P. Mushi

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The research conducted focuses on children's use of
multiple languages in their natural environments at
home and at school. The study examined factors that
triggered use of, and fluency in multiple languages, and
how fluency in different languages related to thought
processes, communication, and school performance.
Parents’ and Teachers’ views were the main sources of
information. Data were collected in 3 schools from
Kilimanjaro, and Arusha in Tanzania. The 3 schools
were determined to include multilingual children; with
all languages (two or more) being used on a regular
basis. The data included parent questionnaire
responses, parent interview notes, and teacher …

Fostering Meta-Cognitive Skills In Young Children, Selina L.P. Mushi

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This research report is on fostering young children's metacognitive skills. The study was conducted at a private early childhood education center in a Midwestern city in 2020. The design of the study was a mixed approach including Time Series experimentation naturalistic observation and interviews. Children aged 3-4 years were exposed in alternate weeks to pre-read-aloud prompts which engaged them in their own thinking about the story that was about to be read to them. The children tried to make predictions about the story before the story was read. After the story was read, the children were assessed on their abilities …

Math Escape Rooms: A Novel Approach For Engaging Learners In Math Circles, Janice F. Rech, Paula M. Jakopovic, Hannah Seidl, Greg Lawson, Rachel Pugh

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Engaging middle and high school students in Math Circles requires time, planning and creativity. Finding novel approaches to maintain the interest of a variety of learners can be challenging. This paper outlines a model for developing and implementing math escape rooms as a unique structure for facilitating collaborative problem solving in a Math Circle. These escape rooms were designed and hosted by undergraduate secondary mathematics education majors. We provide possible structures for hosting escape rooms that could translate to a range of settings, as well as reflections and lessons learned through our experiences that could inform practitioners in other settings.

Administrators As Math Leaders: Professional Learning Strategies Through Change, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Tamara Williams, Matthew Scott

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Learning To Lesson Plan: A Mentor’S Impact On Pre-Service Teachers, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Connie L. Schaffer, Lela E. Nix, H. Emily Hayden

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Lesson planning is considered an essential skill of teachers. As pre-service teachers first encounter the fundamental principles of planning for instruction, the complexity of planning to support the rigorous learning goals of content, curriculum, and individual student needs could be daunting. The mixed methods study explored how mentoring influenced early-program pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) and progression through stages of concerns (Fuller, 1969) in relation to lesson planning. Participants, secondary early-program pre-service teachers enrolled in a Midwestern teacher preparation program, included a target group who received mentoring and a comparison group who did not. Using constant comparison techniques guided by …

Conceptualizing Culture How Preservice Teachers In The Rural Midwest Confront Subjectivities, Anne Karabon, Kelly Gomez Johnson

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This qualitative study examined how elementary and secondary preservice teachers in the rural Midwest conceptualize “culture” and how preservice teachers’ subjectivities and conceptions of culture shape their pedagogical practices. Thirty-six preservice teachers participated in a course on effective planning designed to address topics such as special education, English language learners, race, those living in difficult circumstances, and gender representation. Results reveal that despite exposure to reflections and discussions on privilege and hegemony to confront biases and deficit perspectives, ethnocentrism persisted.

More Than An Anniversary - A Preview Of William Frantz Public School: A Story Of Race, Resistance, Resiliency, And Recovery In New Orleans, Connie Schaffer, Meg White, Martha Graham Viator

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

William Frantz Public School: A Story of Race, Resistance, Resiliency, and Recovery in New Orleans will be released by Peter Lang in 2020. The book examines issues related to public education through events at the iconic William Frantz Public School, one of the first New Orleans public schools to be desegregated in 1960. The book covers important topics such as the resegregation of public schools, systemic racism, poverty, school accountability movements, and proliferatoin of charter schools.

Habitus And Imagined Ideals: Attending To (Un)Consciousness In Discourses Of (Non)Nativeness, Madina Djuraeva, Lydia Catedral

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This study responds to scholarship that has examined “folk concepts” of (non)nativeness through the lens of imagined ideals of the native speaker, by proposing a framework that integrates both ideals and habits. We operationalize these concepts by drawing from the theoretical notions of chronotope, scale, and habitus. Using data from interviews with Central Asian transnational migrants, we demonstrate how attending to both the habitual and idealized aspects of speakers’ metalinguistic commentary offers a more holistic approach to the study of multilingual repertoires and speakers’ social positionings in relationship to (non)nativeness. Our findings demonstrate how identification as a “(non)native” speaker may …

A Charge To Educational Action Researchers, Dusty Columbia Embury, Cherese Childers-Mckee, Melissa Parenti

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

We conceive of education broadly and see it occurring in a diverse set of places and spaces, in classrooms and communities. We want to challenge our educational researcher colleagues to leverage the power of action research to better effect change within their schools and communities. We will point to constructive steps for this new way of working in the papers of the special issue we introduce.

Attending To Conditions That Facilitate Intercultural Competence: A Reciprocal Service-Learning Approach, Rachel M. B. Collopy, Sharon Tjaden-Glass, Novea A. Mcintosh

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Although service-learning can support the development of intercultural competence, it has also maintained power differentials, reinforced privileged perspectives, and strengthened deficit thinking. Recent research has investigated the conditions within service-learning associated with positive change in diversity-related attitudes. We extend that work, conceptualizing a reciprocal service-learning (RSL) approach that integrates conditions posited by contact theory and the process model of intercultural competence into service-learning’s core features of reflection and reciprocity. In an RSL approach, transformational reciprocity at the participant level supports cultural awareness, interdependence, and parity between participant groups. We created an RSL experience and measured change in three attitudes fundamental …