Education Commons^™

The Anything Writing Project In First Grade, Stephanie J. Koplitzharty, Konnie Serr

NALS Journal

This article gives an overview of varying levels of engagement observed in the Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School First Grade classroom during “Anything Writing” writing workshop. Children in first grade at Grace B. Luhrs are encouraged to use topics of their own choosing when creating their written work while at the same time following basic steps in the writing process.

The “Anything Writing” approach offers differentiated instruction opportunities for diverse learners within a community of writers. Observations by university faculty, university students and the first grade teacher are included along with student writing samples. This article is the result …

Leading Professional Learning Communities Toward Efficacy, Laura S. Witherington

Administrative Issues Journal

As Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), defined by DuFour et al (2008), continue to sweep into schools across the nation, school administrators need the tools to assess the productivity of the teachers’ collaborative teams. PLCs provide the structure for teachers to analyze student achievement data and design common formative assessments. The PLC Efficacy Rubric discussed in this presentation was developed for use in the College Ready in Mathematics and Physics Partnership grant funded by the National Science Foundation to provide school administrators the tools to evaluate teachers’ collaborative work and guide them to increased success. This presentation introduces the five indicators …

“I Didn’T Always Perceive Myself As A Science Person”: Examining Efficacy For Primary Science Teaching, Caroline F. Mansfield, Amanda Woods-Mcconney

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher efficacy has become an important field of research especially in subjects teachers may find challenging, such as science. This study investigates the sources of teachers’ efficacy for teaching science in primary schools in the context of authentic teaching situations with a view to better understanding sources of teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Twenty-four teachers participated in focus group interviews to enable in-depth exploration of the sources of efficacy for teaching science. Data was analysed using a content analysis approach guided by a conceptual framework for efficacy in science teaching. Findings show efficacy to be influenced by mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, physiological …

The Story Of Mentoring Novice Teachers In New York, Kimberly A. Roff

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This case study addressed a gap in literature by focusing on how teachers perceived the impact of mentoring programs on the support and collaboration of teachers. A qualitative case study design was conducted using semistructured interviews and documents. A sample of 16 teachers from two different school districts in New York State participated. The main findings indicated that mentoring benefitted all of those involved in the program. Mentees and mentors in both school districts benefitted from lesson planning, collaborating, and supporting each other. Findings of this study may foster additional support and collaboration for mentees and mentors and possible improvements …

An Investigation Of Using Wikis As A Collaborative Tool For Teaching In A Non-Western Tertiary Education Classroom, Chun-Min Wang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Wikis are innovative Web 2.0 tools that allow users to create, expand, and edit content collaboratively. This makes wikis promising for online collaborative learning, but further exploration is required to determine if using wikis can achieve learning goals efficiently and appropriately. With increasing globalization, it is useful to determine how students from non-Western cultures respond to using wikis in the learning environment. In this study, the author compares two Taiwanese undergraduate classes with different instructional design and peer assessment strategies to understand Taiwanese student online behaviors and learning preferences in a learning environment using wikis. The results …

Improving Maine’S Future Through Education: Overcoming Challenges And Learning To “Row” Together, Linda Silka, Karen Hutchins, Meredith Jones, Chris Rector

Maine Policy Review

Although people agree that education is a crucial ingredient in the mix of factors that will improve Maine’s economic prospects, we often come at the problem from different angles and develop different methods to improve educational outcomes. In this article, Linda Silka, Karen Hutchins, Meredith Jones, and Chris Rector assert that progress in securing a bright future for Maine requires working together across disciplines and areas of expertise to support education. The authors present nine recommendations for strengthening Maine’s educational systems.

Review Of International Students And Academic Libraries: Initiatives For Academic Success, Rick Stoddart

Collaborative Librarianship

No abstract provided.