Education Commons^™

Assessing The Research Process Improves The Product: Results Of A Faculty-­Librarian Collaboration, Divonna M. Stebick, Janelle L. Wertzberger, Margaret E. Flora, Joseph W. Miller

Janelle Wertzberger

When an education professor and a reference librarian sought to improve the quality of undergraduate student research, their partnership led to a new focus on assessing the research process in addition to the product. In this study, we reflect on our collaborative experience introducing information literacy as the foundation for undergraduate teacher education research. We examine the outcomes of this collaboration, focusing on the assessment of the process. Using a mixed methods approach, we found that direct instruction supporting effective research strategies positively impacted student projects. Our data also suggest that undergraduate students benefit from not only sound research strategies, …

Learning To Teach Mathematics And To Analyze Teaching Effectiveness: Evidence From A Video- And Practice-Based Pre-Service Course, Rossella Santagata, Cathery Yeh

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Although emerging consensus exists that practice-based approaches to teacher preparation assist in closing the distance between university coursework and fieldwork experiences and in assuring that future teachers learn to implement innovative research-based instructional strategies, little empirical research has investigated teacher learning from this approach. This study examines the impact of a video- and practice-based course on prospective teachers’ mathematics classroom practices and analysis of their own teaching. Two groups of elementary prospective teachers participated in the study—one attended the course and one did not. Findings reveal that the course assisted participants in making student thinking visible and in pursuing it …

Middle Level Teacher Preparation: Principals’ Perceptions Of New Teacher Preparedness--Research, Chris M. Cook, Penny B. Howell, Shawn A. Faulkner

Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Drawing on the Framework for Effective Middle Level Teaching(Faulkner, Howell, &Cook, 2012; Howell, Cook, Faulkner, 2013), this interpretive, exploratory study utilized survey methodology to analyze 38 middle level principals’ perceptions of effective teaching practices and the preparedness of newly hired middle level teachers. The findings suggest there is difference in perceptions of new teacher preparedness between principals with middle level teacher certification and principals that were prepared to teach at other grade levels. While both groups acknowledged the need for better teacher preparation, principals with middle level teacher certification reported that newly hired teachers were less prepared for effective middle …

Essential Elements For Preparing Future Teachers In Early Childhood Education Using Common Core Standards--Research, Jaesook L. Gilbert, Susan Griebling

Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this paper is to discuss suggestions on what pre-service teachers need to know in order to be ready to teach in today’s kindergartens where the implementation of the Common Core State Standards reflects best practice. The introduction of the Common Core State Standards in Kentucky has ushered a new culture in kindergarten. Kindergarten used to be seen as a preparation year in which children could be equipped in listening, walking in lines, getting along with others and learning letters. Today, children in kindergarten are expected to

begin reading, writing, adding and subtracting. Rigor begins early in the …

Changing Landscapes And Paradigm Shifts: Integrating The Common Core With Educator Preparation--Commentary, Verna Lowe

Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Educator preparation and P-12 education are on a trajectory of changing landscapes and shifting paradigms to meet the needs of providing a world-class education to our children and youth who will be prepared to thrive in their personal and professional lives in this century. This shift moves from the “yesterday of schooling and educator preparation” involving a system of good intentions that worked for a percentage of learners to a holistic structure designed for all students and stakeholders.

Many Hands Make Light Work: Collaborative Action Research On Flipped Course Design, Mary M. Taft

NERA Conference Proceedings 2013

This mixed-method, collaborative action research project involves graduate students and the professor working together to refine a flipped course model incorporating web-based platforms for dialog and communication. Graduate students collaborated with the professor to refine the delivery of the course through iterative cycles of action research. Collegial collaboration presents a model of empowerment and professionalism to pre-service and in-service teachers, and encourages students to use similar methodologies in preK-12 settings. Data analysis is underway. Initial results suggest that students felt empowered and engaged in critical thinking and the development of professional skills in instructional technology, collaboration, and communication.

Team Teaching: A New Paradigm For Student Teachers, Barbara Rosenfeld, Susan Givner, Nedra Tasimowicz

NERA Conference Proceedings 2013

The typical student teaching practice in schools of higher education with teacher education programs is to place a single student teacher in a classroom with a veteran mentor teacher. This paper discusses a new paradigm for student teachers, placing two student teachers in a classroom with a veteran mentor teacher. Student teachers who were part of a team and their mentor teachers were surveyed to discover their perceptions about this model. The paper discusses the benefits and drawbacks for the student teacher, the cooperating teacher, and the classroom students. Results from past research as well as from this study indicate …

Cebs Magazine: The College Of Education And Behavioral Sciences At Wku, Fall 2013, Charles S. Evans Dean, Pam Pierce, Editor-In-Chief

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Ready2teach: Shifts In Teacher Preparation Through Residency And Situated Learning, Ryan Andrew Nivens

ETSU Faculty Works

Residency models for education in the medical profession have existed for many years. Nationwide, policies are being implemented to bring this model to the field of teacher preparation. How this plays out within education programs is less researched, and there is a need to document the transition from traditional teacher education, that is, education that is based heavily in the college classroom, to a residency model, where preservice teachers spend a significant amount of time in an elementary school classroom. This paper describes how a year-long residency model is implemented and presents the changes in curriculum, scheduling and challenges encountered.

Preparing Teachers – The Importance Of Connecting Contexts In Teacher Education, Misty Adoniou

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Everybody wants quality teachers in schools. How are such teachers developed? In this article a model is presented that describes four contexts crucial to the preparation of teachers: the personal, the university, the practicum and the employment contexts. The ways in which these different contexts can and should work together in the education and development of teachers are discussed. The model was developed as a result of a 16 month inductive study into the first year experience of 14 beginning teachers who were graduates of a Bachelor of Education in Primary teaching in an Australian university. Whilst the findings of …

Systems Of Accountability As A Technology Of Governmentality: Policy, Preparation, And Inclusive Practice, Denise Lavoie Lafrance

Open Access Dissertations

Neoliberal ideology frames the discourse of the current political rhetoric of education as an economic investment in the preparation of students to compete in a global economy. These discourses that emanate from policymakers shape the construct of schooling and control the trajectory of education in the US. As education policy becomes centralized, accountability systems are assumed to be the driver of positive educational outcomes and higher student achievement; however, the impact of these systems of accountability shape teaching practice and may be pushing students with disabilities out of the competition and violating their right to access and participate in general …

“Miss, I Am Not Being Fully Prepared”: Student - Teachers’ Concerns About Their Preparation At A Teacher Training Institution In Jamaica, Carmel G. Roofe, Paul Miller

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The issue of teacher preparation continues to occupy academic discourse relating to student outcomes and student achievement (Stronge, Ward & Grant, 2011). Research has supported the view that there is an inextricable connection between student outcomes, quality of teaching and teachers, and teacher preparation (Darling-Hammond 2005; Grover 2002). Similarly, theories about students’ self efficacy beliefs (e.g. Bandura, 1977; Dweck, 2000) and Institutional Habitus (Bourdieu, 1977) have been advanced in relation to students’ study experience, motivation and coping mechanisms. Using data from a focus group comprising 30 third year students enrolled in a four year teacher training pogramme in Jamaica, this …

Practicing And Preservice Teachers' Sense Of Efficacy For Character Education, Carolyn Lowe

Honors Scholar Theses

This study explored preservice and practicing teachers’ perspectives on their preparation to support students’ character development and their sense of efficacy in implementing classroom practices related to this area of education. The research questions framing the study were as follows: (1) What levels of efficacy around character education do practicing and preservice elementary teachers from the same teacher preparation program report? (2) How do efficacy levels differ between practicing and preservice teachers? (3) What influences on their efficacy for character education do practicing and preservice teachers report? The study involved a survey of 79 practicing and preservice teachers, with similar …

Culturally Proficient Teachers, Lori R. Piowlski

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Action needs to be taken by teacher preparation programs to prepare culturally proficient educators who are able to deliver equitable instruction and inspire all students to strive for greatness if the achievement gap is to be closed. Existing literature mainly describes the importance and urgency to prepare future teachers for the changing demographics with classrooms across the United States. There is not significant literature on how it is being done. Therefore the purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how university teacher education programs are preparing teachers to be culturally proficient. A cross-reference of data collected from Adequate Yearly …

A Comparison Of Legal Literacy Among Teacher Subgroups, Candace Mirabile

Theses and Dissertations

A COMPARISON OF LEGAL LITERACY AMONG TEACHER SUBGROUPS By Candace Partridge Mirabile, Ph. D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013 Charol Shakeshaft, Ph.D., Professor, Educational Leadership, School of Education This study determined the level of legal literacy among classroom teachers in a suburban metropolitan division in Virginia. I have focused on aspects of the law that relate to student safety and student rights, and my operational definition of legal literacy is the understanding of these laws. The results from 239 respondents indicated …

Teaching, Learning And Leading With Schools And Communities: Preparing Sophisticated, Reflective, And Resilient Elementary Stem Educators, Lara K. Smetana, Elizabeth R. Coleman, Ann Marie Ryan, Charles Tocci

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

Loyola University Chicago’s Teaching, Learning and Leading with Schools and Communities (TLLSC) program is an ambitious break from traditional, university-based teacher preparation models. This clinically-based initial teacher preparation program, fully embedded in local schools and community organizations, takes an ecological perspective on the development of sophisticated, reflective, and resilient elementary science educators who are able to prepare and inspire students and act as agents of change in their schools. This paper describes how TLLSC leverages time for science across elementary teacher candidates’ entire program through an emphasis on practitioner inquiry and integrated (inter- and trans-disciplinary) teaching and learning. TLLSC’s innovative …

The Use Of Visual-Based Simulated Environments In Teacher Preparation, Sharon Judge, Jonna Bobzien, Ann Maydosz, Sabra Gear, Petros Katsioloudis

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

While virtual technology for training in the simulation field has a long history in medicine, aviation, and the military, the application of similar emerging and innovative technologies in teacher preparation and education has been limited. TLE TeachLive™ (Teaching Learning Environment, Teaching in a Virtual Environment) [TLE] is an inventive mixed-reality environment (the blending of real and synthetic content) where prospective teachers can interact with a group of virtual students. The purpose of the virtual teaching environment of TLE is to strengthen teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention in education by allowing teachers to improve their skills with virtual students, providing a …

Exploring The Experiences Of Counselor Educators Recognized For Their Excellence In Teaching, Allison E. Buller

Dissertations

Teaching is a deeply held value for counselor educators. Nonetheless, counselor education programs have historically provided only minimal attention to preparing doctoral students to actually teach. Furthermore, little of the research in the field of counselor education addresses the way counselor educators are prepared to teach. Using qualitative methods, this author engaged counselor educators identified as excellent teachers in an examination of meaningful experiences that contributed to their development as faculty in counselor education. By exploring experiences that prepared them to teach, excellent teachers provided the next generation of faculty members with rich descriptive strategies for teacher preparation in counselor …

An Ecobehavioral Assessment Of The Teaching Behaviors Of Teacher Candidates During Their Special Education Internship Experiences, Len Roberson, M Lynn Woolsey, Janice Seabrooks, Gwen Williams

Len Roberson

In the last 20 years, teacher preparation programs have come under close scrutiny by the public and governmental agencies charged with monitoring teacher quality and the academic achievement of American students. Both regular and special education teacher preparation programs struggle with the requirement to collect valid and reliable evidence of teacher candidate performance and their effect on student learning. This study incorporated an ecobehavioral assessment tool (MS-CISSAR) in the evaluation of 13 special education teacher candidates during their internship experiences. Special education teacher candidates taught in deaf education classrooms and self-contained and resource rooms for students with disabilities. Results showed …

Multicultural Dispositions: A Viable Tool For Teacher Training, Franklin Titus Thompson

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The practice of assessing the dispositions of pre-service educators has gained increasing attention among institutions of teacher preparation. Current debate often centers on the needs and views of P-12 children, researchers, and policy makers, at the expense of a forgotten voice—teacher candidates. In particular, this study examines the multicultural portion of the larger dispositional debate. Education majors (N=420) from a Midwestern metropolitan university were asked to rate the viability of 13 selected multicultural dispositions as a training tool. Utilizing a 9-point Likert Scale, respondents gave strong support for multicultural dispositions not only during the posttest (M=8.38) but also the pretest …

Grandchildren In The Classroom: Student Teaching For The Next Generation, Linda Neuzil, J. Michael King

Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) released the Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) report on clinical preparation and partnerships for improved student learning, in November 2010. The report stresses the need for candidates to “blend practitioner knowledge with academic knowledge as they learn by doing” (NCATE, 2010, p. ii), stressing the importance of clinical preparation and P-12 partnerships in teacher preparation. The NCATE BRP Report calls for the transformation of teacher education through the application of clinical practice. Teacher candidates must have additional opportunities to “blend practitioner knowledge with academic knowledge as they learn by doing” (NCATE, 2010, …

Virtual Coaching Of Novice Science Educators To Support Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Dennis Garland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to a multitude of convergent circumstances, students labeled in the disability category of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) experience high rates of academic and behavioral failure. Such failure frequently leads to the students’ dropping out of school, involvement in the judicial system, or a combination of those outcomes. Science is an academic content area that has the potential to enhance behavioral and academic success of students with EBD. Researchers, nonprofits, and business leaders have provided an impetus for nationwide reform in science education. Concurrently, a corpus of legislation has influenced the preparation of new teachers to use evidence-based teaching …

Assessing The Research Process Improves The Product: Results Of A Faculty-­Librarian Collaboration, Divonna M. Stebick, Janelle L. Wertzberger, Margaret E. Flora, Joseph W. Miller

Education Faculty Publications

When an education professor and a reference librarian sought to improve the quality of undergraduate student research, their partnership led to a new focus on assessing the research process in addition to the product. In this study, we reflect on our collaborative experience introducing information literacy as the foundation for undergraduate teacher education research. We examine the outcomes of this collaboration, focusing on the assessment of the process. Using a mixed methods approach, we found that direct instruction supporting effective research strategies positively impacted student projects. Our data also suggest that undergraduate students benefit from not only sound research strategies, …

Increasing Disability Awareness Through Comics Literature, Ewa Mcgrail, Alicja Rieger

Middle and Secondary Education Faculty Publications

When faced with negative attitudes and experiences in communication and interaction in general education classrooms, students with disabilities can exhibit high levels of stress and frustration or even depression, low self-esteem and impaired self-acceptance. These undesirable and destructive feelings, in turn, may affect these students’ social and cognitive development skills and well-being, as well as their academic performance in such environments. The recent scholarship on empathy supports the effectiveness of comics for identifying and fighting negative and stereotypical attitudes towards those with disabilities. This article discusses strategies for educating students about disability and disability issues with the help of comics …

The Use Of A Virtual Guest Speaker As A Catalyst For Deep Learning, Alcione N. Ostorga, Peter Farruggio

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teaching undergraduate students as they prepare to become bilingual teachers is often a challenge due to their maturational development and the logistical limitations of college courses. Nevertheless, teacher educators must foster preservice teachers’ understanding of factors that impact learning and academic success. This article analyses the use of a virtual guest speaker in an asynchronous discussion as a way to promote critical analysis of policy issues which superseded the memorization of concepts taught in the course. Analysis reveals that the virtual guest speaker served as a catalyst for critical thought about the course content.

Connective Capacity: The Importance And Influence Of Dispositions In Special Education Teacher Education, Scot Mcgregor Rademaker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dispositions are a difficult construct to define and assess within teacher education. The problem lies in the relative ambiguity of the term and the subjective manner in which it is applied to the assessment of the performance of preprofessional teachers. Additionally, because certain accreditation institutes including the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) require that dispositions be measured as part of a teacher's professional development, the issues of how dispositions are constructed and gauged becomes an essential part of the foundation related to understanding the effectiveness of teacher education programs. The fact that much of the research …

Transferability And Alignment Of Program Exemplars In Teacher Preparation, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher preparation needs to be revamped to adequately prepare teachers for P-12 classrooms. Public charter schools are experiencing challenges that include high teacher attrition rates and staffing difficulties in a rapidly growing sector, as well as obstacles for teachers to obtain certification. Thus, charter school teachers are seeking a “choice” in teacher preparation to meet the innovative needs of the sector. To address critical shortages of highly effective teachers, states are offering both traditional and nontraditional teacher preparation to earn licensure. The goal of this study was to determine if program exemplars from traditional teacher preparation were transferable to, and …

Preferred Instructional Design Strategies For Preparation Of Pre-Service Teachers Of Integrated Stem Education, Amanda Shackleford Roberts

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the preferred instructional design strategies for the preparation of pre-service teachers who will deliver integrated STEM lessons. The research objectives were threefold and included identifying a preferred definition of integrated STEM education, developing its purpose statement, and creating a list of instructional design strategies that could be used for designing, planning, delivering, and assessing integrated STEM instruction.

The Delphi method was selected as the optimum approach for data collection, since STEM education is still a growing phenomenon lacking consensus in its interpretations of meaning and practice. Gaining group consensus from expert teacher …