Education Commons^™

Leveraging Collaboration And Challenging Dominant Discourses: Editorial Remarks, Penny A. Bishop, James F. Nagle

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Finding Lost & Found: Designer’S Notes From The Process Of Creating A Jewish Game For Learning, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

This article provides context for and examines aspects of the design process of a game for learning. Lost & Found (2017a, 2017b) is a tabletop-to-mobile game series designed to teach medieval religious legal systems, beginning with Moses Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (1180), a cornerstone work of Jewish legal rabbinic literature. Through design narratives, the article demonstrates the complex design decisions faced by the team as they balance the needs of player engagement with learning goals. In the process the designers confront challenges in developing winstates and in working with complex resource management. The article provides insight into the pathways the team …

Connections Through Clubs: Collaboration And Coordination Of A Schoolwide Program, Wendy Logan, Janna L. Scarborough

Janna L. Scarborough

The "Connections Through Clubs" program provides all students with the opportunity to participate in a small-group extracurricular activity and mentoring experience led by school faculty, staff, and community members during the school day throughout the academic year. This schoolwide program was developed in response to identified school needs and as a means to facilitate a strengths-enhancing school environment and to promote the developmental competencies of all students, both of which have been linked to academic and personal success. The purpose of this article is to describe the inception, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of the Connections Through Clubs program. In addition, …

The Effectiveness Of K-12 Principal’S Digital Leadership In Supporting And Promoting Communication And Collaboration Regarding Ccss Implementation, Lin Zhong

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Technology plays an important role in supporting successful College-and Career- State Standards (CCSS) implementation, which requires principals and educators effectively communicate and collaborate at the local, state, and national level. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of digital leadership in supporting communication and collaboration regarding CCSS implementation in K-12 schools. In this study, 254 public school teachers from five school districts in Mississippi were surveyed. Results showed that principals were most effective in supporting professional development and digital citizenship. In addition, teachers’ age and teaching grades have an impact on the effectiveness of principals’ digital leadership strategies. Implications are …

Navigating Middle Of The Road Reforms Through Collaborative Community, Andrea J. Bingham, Patricia Burch

Democracy and Education

The current wave of educational reform is complex and situated in market-based initiatives coupled with a renewed emphasis on local autonomy, deliberation, and community—middle-of-the-road reforms. In practice, schools are challenged to develop organizational forms that can support collaboration and community engagement, alongside the bureaucratic and accountability-driven reforms that demand more oversight, transparency, and demonstrable results. Our intent in this paper is to begin to map the emerging contradictions and opportunities that the complex reform climate presents for practitioners through a case study of a personalized learning charter school. In so doing, we illustrate how a community of teachers within a …

Padres Activos, Ninos Creativos/Active Parents, Creative Children 2017, Judith Aguilera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There is a high percentages of monolingual Spanish speaking parents who do not know how to navigate the school systems, especially in the East Salinas. Therefore, it is very difficult for parents to collaborate with schools without having the basic information that each parent must have in order to navigate the school systems. I did my capstone project at Building Healthy Communities in Salinas, CA. In 2009 Building Healthy Communities became one of The California Endowment’s 14 initiatives. BHC is a ten-year initiative with four focus campaigns where it collaborates directly with different non-profit organizations. BHC is committed to improve …

An Examination Of Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding The Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities In Central Minnesota Public Elementary Schools, Patricia Held

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

The focus of this research is in the area of professional learning community (PLC) implementation in public elementary schools in central Minnesota. Such a study is important in order to ascertain the perceptions of elementary teachers in the successful implementation of PLCs in their schools. While there is research describing the perceptions of school district administrators in actualizing professional learning communities in their districts, there was no research found describing the perceptions of public elementary school teachers in central Minnesota regarding their participation in PLCs. The research approach adopted in this dissertation included a quantitative study utilizing an online survey …

The Effects Of Collaboration On Teacher Empowerment, Brittany Kay Feinauer

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research project was to measure the effects that collaborative curriculum planning had on three early childhood classrooms in a private Montessori school. The study population included six early childhood teachers who collectively designed a curriculum and helped collect data for the first seven weeks of the intervention. Each participant filled out a teacher feedback form which was based on Spreitzer’s (1995) psychological empowerment scale to measure changes in perceptions of four different aspects of empowerment: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact. The primary researcher also analyzed data from individual teacher journals, notes from weekly discussions, and …

Intention, Questions, And Creative Expression: An Antidiscriminatory Diversity Statement, Hannah S. Bright

Scholarship and Engagement in Education

Supporting education that reflects diversity involves maintaining awareness of one’s personal positionality, creating safe and inclusive learning communities, and using creativity and choice to empower and honor student voice and individual development. When working in educational settings, teachers may involve students in selecting relevant materials, and follow their lead in creating critical dialogue about salient factors of identity.

The Effectiveness Of General And Special Education Collaboration In Middle Schools, Kerri L. Olore

Educational Studies Dissertations

With the recent mandates involving students with disabilities, there has been ongoing debate regarding the effectiveness of inclusive programs in today’s public schools. Recent research has demonstrated that teacher collaboration is an essential component to the success of inclusive education programs (Hernandez, 2013). There is an abundance of research done on the topic of teacher collaboration, but little has examined the effectiveness of general and special education teachers working together. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to examine the degree to which general and special educators value collaboration with one another, the ways in which they collaborate, and …

Imsa: Innovating Stem Education, Britta W. Mckenna

Publications & Research

The mission of IMSA, the world’s leading teaching and learning laboratory for imagination and inquiry, is to ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific minds that advance the human condition.

We Did It! A Collaborative Collection Development Project At The Ku And Ksu Libraries, Lea H. Currie, Mira Greene

Kansas Library Association College and University Libraries Section Proceedings

For many years, the KU and KSU Libraries have looked for a method of combining their resources to create a collaborative collection development project. When KSU joined YBP as their main book vendor, it became evident that such a project might get off the ground since KU Libraries were longtime customers of YBP. Since Proquest was the main vendor for e-books for both schools and YBP sold e-books from Proquest, KU and KSU decided to approach their e-book specialist with Proquest to find out if a collaborative demand-driven (DDA) e-book project was possible. Proquest negotiated with the publishers the two …

The Impacts Of Preservice Action Research In A Rural Teaching Residency, Ann K. Schulte

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Preliminary data was collected as part of the program assessment of a yearlong teaching residency program in rural California where preservice teachers conducted action research as the culminating activity for a Masters degree. Focus groups and survey data from program graduates were analyzed and compared to findings from the research literature. Themes from the data indicate that the residency program prepared graduates to feel confident about their ability to reflect on their teaching and to collaborate with other professionals. Graduates report that having conducted action research in their preservice program had many benefits to their experiences as a teacher of …

From Collaborative Initiatives To Collaborative Culture, Lynn D. Akey, Karen A. Boubel, Margaret A. Healy, Rene Hersrud

Lynn D. Akey, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Teacher Educator Identity In A Culture Of Iterative Teacher Education Program Design: A Collaborative Self-Study, Aurora Chang, Sabina Rak Neugebauer, Aimee Papola-Ellis, David Ensminger, Ann Marie Ryan, Adam Kennedy

Ann Marie Ryan, PhD

Faculty in the School of Education at our institution have collaborated to re-envision teacher education at our university. A complex, dynamic, time-consuming and sometimes painstaking process, redesigning a teacher education program from a traditional approach (i.e., where courses focus primarily on theoretical principles of practice through textbooks and University-based classroom discussions), to a model of teacher education that embraces teaching, learning and leading with schools and in communities is challenging, yet exciting work. Little is known about teacher educators’ experiences as they either design or deliver collaborative field-based models of teacher education. In this article, we examine our experiences in …

Collaborative Practices In Special Education: An Exploratory Study, Evelyn Tang, Blanka Pentek, Laura Greiss Hess, Katherine Sadoff

Student Research Posters

Professional collaboration in special education is essential for student success (Barnes & Turner, 2000). However, IDEA legislation does not guide how such collaboration should take place (Pub. L. 108–446). The Conceptual Model for Collaboration (CMC) created by Czuleger and colleagues (2016) described professional collaborative practices of a transdisciplinary team at a special education center. The purpose of this study was to examine the CMC in a broader context.

Bridging The Communication And Collaboration Gap: A Project On Improving School Culture And Student Achievement, Sophia Raffaelle

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to analyze the impact communication and collaboration between special and general educators have on student achievement and school culture through a literature review. Additionally, the project was implemented to evaluate how different forms of communication can be used to begin to bridge the communication and collaboration gap that currently exists in a large-scale suburban school setting. The literature review defines and examines communication and collaboration and their implications in various settings, further specifying an educational setting. Furthermore, this project establishes meaning for the author, both professionally and personally, and its applications as well as …

The Chameleon Characteristics: A Phenomenological Study Of Instructional Designer, Faculty, And Administrator Perceptions Of Collaborative Instructional Design Environments, Papia Bawa, Sunnie Watson

The Qualitative Report

While several professionals, organizations and departments may be a part of the instructional designing process usually faculty, instructional designers, and administrators are key stakeholders and collaborators. Although there are some studies related to the process of instructional designing, there is little by way of research that has investigated the stakeholders’ perceptions of the key characteristics of effective collaboration within instructional designing projects. Thus, there is a gap in our understanding of the phenomenon of instructional designing project collaboration. This hermeneutic phenomenological study seeks to add to the literature by sharing the perceptions of seven stakeholders in different roles, who have …

Reinventing Translation: Toward A Common Language For Scholar-Practitioners, Ann Kowal Smith, Karen R. Nestor

Engaged Management ReView

Translation starts in one language, and converts to a second. But it doesn't change the languages or the people who "speak" them. We propose – instead of translation – the joint development of theory and practice that becomes a common language – a common language of a community of scholar-practitioners. This paper describes the work of two scholar-practitioners committed to addressing a pressing problem of practice: the educational attainment and skills required for positive outcomes in the 21st century workplace. This paper considers the original design and implementation of an innovative, theory-based workplace learning initiative (Books@Work) and, arising from this …

Hybrid Plcs: Building Collaboration Among Teachers In Different Schools, Laura Robertson, Pamela Cromie, Lindsay Lester, Jennifer Hill, Diana O'Neal

Laura Robertson

How do highly motivated teachers from different schools collaborate? We formed a hybrid PLC that included face-to-face meetings and online interactions to improve student learning.

Google Tools: Google's Not Just For Searching Anymore, Jennifer Kelley

Jennifer Kelley

Learn how to use several of Google's free online tools and applications to write papers on the go, work on group projects from a distance, collect information from the internet automatically, and much more. After creating a Google account, attendees will learn how to set up a public calendar in Google Calendar, draft a document and collaborate using Google Documents and collect content from blogs and online news services using Google Reader.

Implementation Of The National Partnership For Action To End Health Disparities: A Three-Year Retrospective, Oscar Espinosa, Brandon Coffee-Borden, Mpp Coffee-Borden, Mpp, Alexis Bakos, Phd, Mph, Rn, D. Bakos, Phd, Mph, Rn, Onyemaechi Nweke

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

In April 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) launched the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA) to increase the effectiveness of efforts to eliminate health disparities by coordinating partners, leaders, and stakeholders committed to action. At its core, the NPA is an experiment in collaboration that relies heavily on those on the front line who are actively engaged in minority health work at multiple levels. It gives them the responsibility of identifying and helping to define core actions, new approaches, and new partnerships that ultimately will help to …

Lagim Tehi Tuma/Thinking Together: Between Risk, Restriction, And Learning In A U.S.-Ghana Collaborative, Alice Lesnick

Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice

As U.S.-based colleges and universities seek to globalize education with experiential learning, the risk of reinforcing assumptions about Western superiority, white supremacy and the “neediness” of “developing” countries increases. This essay discusses the rationale for a program that wrestles with questions of power, communication, and creativity by engaging students from the two U.S. liberal arts colleges (a consortium) and a Ghanaian university in a summer action research project. The program takes place in part on campus in the U.S. and in part in a village in Northern Ghana in partnership with three grassroots educational organizations: a community radio station, an …

Teaching And Learning Courageous Followership: An Action Research Study, Karen Walker Schwab

Theses & Dissertations

Followership has been shown to be a developmental stage of leadership. Yet, there is a lack of followership theory in the health-care context. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore how introducing Chaleff’s dimensions of courageous followership influences the undergraduate nursing students’ views of the follower role and informs their nursing practice. Secondary research questions asked how knowledge of these dimensions influences the nursing students’ views while advocating, collaborating, and addressing lateral violence. Using purposeful sampling, 12 participants were recruited for this study. After attending a followership seminar, they completed online reflections and participated in individual …

Developing Communities Of Practice In Tertiary Education: Improving Teaching And Learning, Aileen Cotter, Rose Leahy, Michele Mcmanus, Mary Oldham, Nollaig O'Sullivan

Dept. of Marketing & International Business Conference Material

There is considerable evidence that the development of Communities of Practice (CoP) in education results in improvements in teaching and learning. The reality far too often, however, is that academics remain isolated in their practice with a culture of individualism rather than collaboration the norm. Adopting a case study approach, this research explores the perspectives of academic staff in one department in Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) on CoP. Specifically, the research explores how communities of practice might develop in a third level teaching environment; the type and nature of communities of practice that might develop and if those communities …

Academic Libraries And Non-Academic Departments: A Survey And Case Studies On Liaising Outside The Box, Amy Wainwright, Chris Davidson

Collaborative Librarianship

Partnering with non-academic departments allows academic libraries to create new programming ideas and reach more students. According to the results of a national survey, academic librarians at institutions of all sizes are partnering with many different types of non-academic departments. These partnerships offer efficiencies through shared cost and staffing and offer additional benefits to all groups involved. This article identifies the non-academic departments that these libraries are partnering with, highlights potential events to raise awareness of services, and describes ways in which these partnerships help engage with students.

Pedagogy For A Plugged-In Age, Independent Study 2017, Andrew Hladkyj

Publications and Scholarship

This is an independent study for Hladkyj's graduate studies in Strategic Foresight and Innovation (MDes) at OCAD University. The study’s goal is to establish a “lay of the land” informing how technology and pedagogy might be designed in the Web Design Graduate Certificate program Hladkyj spearheaded at Sheridan College.

The research consists of a literature review validated by primary sources, composed of four 30-minute, semi-structured expert interviews with college-level design educators, administrators, and students (both current and former).

A modified, “human-centred” STEEP V (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Values) framework provides context to the findings.The output is actionable and threefold: …

Mining Capstone Project Wikis For Knowledge Discovery, Swapna Gottipati, Venky Shankararaman, Melvrivk Goh

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Wikis are widely used collaborative environments as sources of information and knowledge. The facilitate students to engage in collaboration and share information among members and enable collaborative learning. In particular, Wikis play an important role in capstone projects. Wikis aid in various project related tasks and aid to organize information and share. Mining project Wikis is critical to understand the students learning and latest trends in industry. Mining Wikis is useful to educationists and academicians for decision-making about how to modify the educational environment to improve student's learning. The main challenge is that the content or data in project Wikis …

Multimodal Literacy: Journey Through The Collaborative Transmediation Of Wordless Picturebooks, Catherine Todd Thomson

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

With a shift towards 21st century literacy practices and a greater variety of literature, the mere definitions of literacy and text are shifting. The focus on traditional text that heavily relies on words and supporting pictures to convey meaning has changed to text of multiple modes. Teachers are now charged with fostering new skills in students in order to help them engage with these texts effectively and to allow them to make meaning of the multimodal texts that surround them (Siegel, 2006).

In this qualitative case study, the primary investigator assumed a dual role as the classroom teacher and researcher …

Collaborative Leadership In Action, Maureen Scully, Katie Bates

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The 46 fellows in the 2017 cohort of the UMass Boston Emerging Leaders Program worked with seven community partners on projects of strategic importance to these nonprofit and government organizations. The fellows contribute their professional skills and discover collaborative leadership through practice. The theme of our public symposium is “Collaborative Leadership in Action.” The fellows shared their insights about what collaborative leadership involves – its challenges and benefits – and what they take back to their workplaces.