Education Commons^™

Negative Impacts Of Mandatory Standardized Testing On Teachers And Students, Nicole Stefanko

Masters Projects

Mandatory standardized testing was implemented in the United States to hold schools and teachers accountable for students’ growth; however, testing has negatively impacted both teachers and students in the classroom. There is currently not enough research on the benefits to testing and whether there are more effective ways to hold schools and teachers accountable. It is important to further research the effects of heavy test preparation that is done in classrooms as well as how students’ test results can be an inaccurate representation of their abilities. This project explores the negative impacts of standardized testing as well as providing a …

An Examination Of The Role Of Total Instructional Alignment And The Impact On Teacher Confidence And Student Success, Catherine Cushway

Masters Projects

Research has revealed alignment in curriculum and expectations is beneficial to all stakeholders within an educational system. Recent projects have focused on the alignment of standards and curriculum but districts, including Coopersville Area Public Schools, have neglected to put together a strategic plan for total instructional alignment hence seeing adverse effects in both teacher confidence and student success. Total instructional alignment can be reinforced through vertical teaming, professional development, and the use of common language for behavior and academic expectations.

This project explores the importance of total instructional alignment and challenges districts to implement this alignment. This project provides a …

Differentiating Instruction Through One-On-One Literacy Conferences, Rebecca Sue Klenk

Masters Projects

Today's classroom has a wide range of diversity. To meet these needs, students need individualized instruction. Many classrooms today still present instruction through whole-group. However, research has found this does not benefit students the way differentiated instruction can. Differentiated instruction has two significant misunderstandings. One, teachers see it as they must provide different lessons plans for each student's needs. Secondly, teachers think differentiated instruction is only needed for students working below proficiency. However, with the use of one-on-one reading conferences, teachers can meet all their students' diverse needs and provide differentiated instruction.

Conferring is tailoring instruction to meet students' strengths …

Providing High-Quality, Diverse Literature For Kindergarten Classrooms, Tamara Powell

Masters Projects

There is a need to utilize more high-quality, diverse literature in kindergarten classrooms across the United States to ensure that students are being exposed to culturally relevant texts. The purpose of the Diverse Story Kinder Kit is to provide educators with access to authentic, culturally relevant literature that can be shared with kindergarten students to help develop identity, awareness of other cultures, and appreciation of other cultures. The project is framed under the Reader Response Theory and the Critical Literacy Theory to examine how high-quality literature has a positive impact on student response to literature that reflects students own experiences. …

Culturally Responsive Classroom Libraries In Middle School And High School English Language Arts Classrooms, Brandy Coleman

Masters Projects

Research shows that the cultural makeup of students in classrooms today in the United States has changed from classrooms of the past. These changes demand teachers to create classroom libraries that are culturally responsive. Culturally responsive classroom libraries can increase student engagement, shape students’ reading identities, and provide opportunities for students to create meaning with a text. This project examines what research literature has studied regarding how culturally responsive pedagogy impacts student identities, engagement through choice, books as window, mirrors, and sliding glass doors (Bishop, 1990), and instructional practices. Using reader response theory, the project focuses on tools to identify …

Implementation Of Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports Model: Impacting Perceptions Of School Climate, Olivia L. Johnson

Masters Projects

The perceptions of the individuals involved in a school organization shape the overarching view of school climate. School climate shapes the way in which the organization functions, specifically analyzing the attitudes and behaviors of those involved. The opinions of stakeholders are shaped on experiences had, relationships formed, visions portrayed by the organization, and the feeling of safety the school provides. Studies have revealed the need for a program that focuses upon the listed areas, creating a framework for all stakeholders to follow, in order to enhance school climate. This project examines evidence-based strategies surrounding Positive School Interventions and Supports (PBIS) …

Creating A Safe And Supportive School Climate For Transgender Students, Taylor Dewilde

Masters Projects

Research has shown that transgender students do not feel safe at school and as a result experience negative outcomes. An effective teacher training program on transgender students will help these students feel a greater sense of safety at school. Additionally, this project will explore inclusive curricular resources for educators. The research reviewed for this project includes the key findings for why transgender students feel unsafe that included bullying & harassment, untrained and unprepared staff, and unsafe spaces in school. It is imperative for transgender students to feel safe at school so they may have the same opportunities for success in …

A Teacher's Guide To Vocabulary Development Across The Day, Annie P. Spear

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

Carrying The Stories Of Las Mariposas: Literacy As Collective And Transformative, Deborah Vriend Van Duinen

Michigan Reading Journal

Literacy is often understood as the acquisition of individual skills and knowledge. In this essay, I explore different approaches to understanding literacy that focus on social meaning-making and action. Drawing on historical examples of literacy learning and my recent experiences in a community-wide reading program focused on Julia Alvarez’s (1994) In the Time of the Butterflies, I use the concept of “carrying stories” to reflect on how literacy learning can be collective and transformative for self and society.

Grey Clouds And Silver Linings: Professional Learning For Secondary Educators During Covid-19, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

Virtual Coaching: Throughout And Beyond A Pandemic, Kimberly Blumke

Michigan Reading Journal

This article describes the implementation of virtual coaching to overcome barriers encountered with face to face coaching. The author gives an explanation of why virtual coaching was first explored and how it is currently being used with K-3 teachers to promote the use of the K-3 Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy. Additional information and specific documents are shared at the end of the article.

“Does Your Arm Hurt?” A Content Analysis Of Upper Limb Differences In Children's Books, Amber Meyer, Vince Genareo

Michigan Reading Journal

Approximately 1,500 children are born with upper limb differences (ULDs) each year in the United States. Recently, public media attention has brought a greater awareness of individuals with upper limb differences (ULDs), but educational research on the PreK-12 experiences, available curricular materials, and effective educational strategies are lacking for this group of people. Researchers in this study identified and performed a content analysis of 24 children’s books with characters with ULDs. Findings indicated more of these books were being published recently, that they represented a number of genres, and were largely informative about experiences of people with ULDs. Most were …

Policies, Practices, Places, And People: How Elementary Preservice Teachers Learned Literacy Teaching, Chad H. Waldron

Michigan Reading Journal

This article features cases of how elementary education preservice teachers made sense of teaching literacy. Their contexts for teaching varied in policies, curricula, and demands for their literacy teaching, shaped their learning and understanding of literacy instruction and assessment as beginning teachers. The research featured in this article pushes upon conceptualizations of "good" literacy teaching and how mentor teachers serve a critical role in preparing the next generation of elementary literacy teachers. Recommendations are made on how to best support elementary preservice teachers in literacy instruction and assessment.

Teaching Students To Comprehend Cause And Effect Text Structure, Jennifer A. Knight, Angela R. Child

Michigan Reading Journal

Teaching students text structure in expository text is important for comprehension. Text structure is complex and varies depending on the author’s focus. Cause and effect is one of the more difficult text structures for students to read and understand. This article demonstrates how to explain and teach cause and effect text structure for deep analysis and summarization of expository text.

Connecting The Dots Between Academic And Social-Emotional Learning With Literacy, Allison Phillippe

Michigan Reading Journal

This article emphasizes the importance of supporting Social Emotional Learning (SEL) with literacy instruction, which could benefit both the academic and emotional success of students in your classroom. Currently in education there is a growing rate of students who have experienced trauma and could greatly benefit from SEL (Price & Ellis, 2018). The ability to incorporate SEL into current literacy instruction can help ensure we are meeting the individual needs of each student. This article will begin by defining SEL and explain its growing importance in education today. Then, it will discuss how social-emotional and academic learning are connected. Finally, …

The Impact Of Attending Second Language Teaching Conferences, Jay Tanaka, María Díez-Ortega

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Attending a second language (L2) teaching conference is assumed to have a positive impact on teaching practice. Currently, however, there are very few studies that examine empirical evidence of such impacts. Given the substantial cost and effort involved in attending a conference, it is important to clarify the nature of conference impacts, so that both language teachers and conference administrators can reflect on how to best generate meaningful improvements in L2 teaching. Questionnaire and interview data were used to examine L2 teaching conference attendees’ perceived impacts on their teaching practice and beliefs. Results reveal generally positive impacts, in the form …

A New Trend In Pronunciation Teaching, Nguyet Nguyen

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

English pronunciation training helps learners speak more clearly and communicate more smoothly. Online pronunciation learning, which helps connect teachers and students from all parts of the world, has been well-supported by the rapid development of technology. However, teachers need to apply appropriate pedagogical methods to ensure the effectiveness of online pronunciation instruction. This paper overviews specific strategies which could be employed for teaching English pronunciation in a video-based virtual classroom.

Grand Valley Magazine, Vol. 21, No. 1, Summer 2021, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley Magazine

Grand Valley Magazine is a quarterly publication about Grand Valley State University produced by University Communications since 2001.

The Poet X: Disrupting Shakespeare, Healthy Relationships, And Language Dynamics, Carrie M. Mattern

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Anti-racist teaching can be used in a practical manner to disrupt canonical texts. The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo, disrupts William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet through focusing in on racial literacy, healthy relationships, and honoring authentic language.

Culturally Responsive Language Arts Teaching: Refiguring Curriculum With Counternarratives, Claire A. Breiholz, Rebecca Smith

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This paper offers culturally responsive teaching methods for secondary English Language Arts educators to reform curriculum to honor and integrate counternarratives. We provide a sample Herstory unit plan framework for teachers to use as a model for revisioning curriculum to better meet the needs of all students. We offer examples of both traditional canonical and contemporary texts teachers can use to teach counternarratives.

Muffintops, Fat Rolls, And Self Love: Using Fat Young Adult Texts To Promote Body Positivity, Laura M. Davis

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

With the findings of Wood-Barcalow, Tylka, and Augustus-Horwath (2009) as a framework, this essay offers an analysis of two texts portraying fat protagonists: The Summer of Jordi Perez and the Best Burger in L.A. by Amy Spalding and To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin. I examine the authors’ depictions of fat characters to determine if the characters align with Wood-Barcalow, Tylka, and Augustus-Horwath’s (2009) definition of body positivity. Using critical content analysis (Short, 2017), I consider how relationships, environment, and self-concept support and work against body positive attitudes. This essay also includes suggestions for how educators can use these …

Collaborative Inquiry To Support Critically Reading Children’S Literature, Laurie Rabinowitz, Amy Tondreau

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article provides an overview of a qualitative study investigating how K-5 classroom teachers describe their beliefs, concerns, and planning process for enacting read alouds featuring characters with disabilities. The study explored educators' close reading of picture books to elicit the unpacking of beliefs about individuals with disabilities conveyed by children’s literature. Through dialogue about social issues in picture books with colleagues, teachers sharpened their own critical literacy skills to bring into the classroom. Based on our findings, we offer a collaborative inquiry cycle that teacher groups can replicate to critically read children’s literature for different social justice issues.

Graphic Novels For Multimodal Learning: Equity For English Learners, Katherine Suender, Susan Piazza

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article provides a synthesis of current research and theory that makes a case for using graphic novels to improve adolescent literacy achievement through multimodal, equitable learning opportunities for English learners (ELs) while meeting the required English Learner Proficiency Standards (ELPS). Supported by multimodal theory and culturally responsive teaching (CRT) approaches, research shows that graphic novels are inspirational teaching tools for adolescent ELs to engage more deeply with reading and writing. Specific recommendations for classroom use of graphic novels include a focus on a) motivation and engagement, b) discussions, c) visual information, and d) multimodal composition. Educators can make use …

Using Interactive Notebooks To Help Ell Students Find Confidence In Writing, Jessica L. Horne, Rebecca Harper

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Writing can be a challenge for students whose first language is not English. The number of English Language Learners in the United States is increasing exponentially year after year. Educators can easily find themselves overwhelmed and unsure how to help these students with their understanding and ease of use with English. ELLs may find it difficult to write in their non-native language. Due to this issue, these students can lack a sense of confidence in writing if they are not given the adequate support needed to achieve this task. The use of interactive notebooks is a simple, strategic tool to …

Book Review: English In Action 3 (Third Edition), Deniz Toker

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Book review of English in Action 3 (Third Edition) by Barbara H. Foley and Elizabeth R. Neblett; Published by CENGAGE ELT, 2019; ISBN: 9781337905961

Grammar, Grammar, And More Grammar: A Review Of Teaching English Grammar To Speakers Of Other Languages 1st Ed., Grace Irwin

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

N/A

A Tesol Service Learning Program In Rural Michigan: An Innovative Approach To Preparing Pre-Service Teachers, April M. Burke, Sarah Case, Caitlin Hamstra

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Central Michigan University offers a TESOL service learning course that provides pre-service teachers the opportunity to apply their understanding of course content while addressing the needs of school-aged and adult emergent multilinguals. An innovative aspect of the course is that it provides clinical experiences, prior to student teaching, at the university’s English Language Institute and at multiple sites within a rural K-12 school district. To contribute to an understanding of how to prepare pre-service teachers while supporting emergent multilinguals in rural communities, the authors describe the development and research basis of the course, discuss the benefits of the course and …

A Regional Case Study: Effective Administrator Feedback To Inform Teacher Performance, Richard M. Vandermolen, Catherine L. Meyer-Looze

Peer Reviewed Articles

In 2013, the Michigan Department of Education required all public school districts to adopt a state-approved evaluation system. The Department’s rationale for this change was to increase teacher accountability and thus to improve student achievement. Because schoollevel administrators are responsible for implementing district policy and acting as the primary evaluators of teacher performance, the authors conducted a study to identify the type of administrator feedback principals give in observations and evaluations. In this 3-year study, evaluation data were collected from random districts within a rural Michigan Intermediate School District and analyzed for average total score and manner of feedback. Three …

Assessing And Preventing The Risk Of Burnout In The Resident Assistant Position, Caroline Ellen Murray

Masters Projects

Resident Assistants (RAs) are student leaders who serve on the front lines of college student care. Due to the demanding and often conflicting nature of their assigned responsibilities, students who serve in this role do so at high risk for mental and emotional burnout. This project will assess and interrogate the main factors that contribute to RA burnout. These factors include role ambiguity, compassion fatigue, and job severity. This project will also provide intervention strategies that will prevent and mitigate this risk of burnout. These strategies include implementing a mental health-centered RA training, mandating RA-specific counseling services, and implementing an …

Increasing Parental Engagement In Social-Emotional Learning At Home Through Incentive Based Program: A Guideline For Implementation, Shawn P. Kiley

Masters Projects

Current policies and practices strive to increase parental engagement with school activities with varying degrees of success. A lack of clear expectations and guidelines of how parents can engage in social-emotional learning within the home decreases the effectiveness of the social-emotional curriculum and negatively impacts the child’s mental health. This project attempts to create opportunities for parents to engage in social-emotional learning activities within the home while also addressing barriers that often prevent parents from engaging under typical standards. Children whose parents are engaged in their lives and school-based activities feel a better sense of belonging within their family and …