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Full-Text Articles in Education

Training English Language Teachers To Help Adult General English Students With Complex Noun Phrases For Business Writing, Christina Cipriani Oct 2022

Training English Language Teachers To Help Adult General English Students With Complex Noun Phrases For Business Writing, Christina Cipriani

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

An overwhelming number of English Learners (ELs) are motivated to learn English because it can act as a tool to help them achieve career success. However, textbooks, which form the backbone of many General English (GE) courses, do not provide enough information in a number of areas related to success at work. Notably, few textbooks offer models for the language needed in job searching, including complex noun phrases. Since textbooks are not providing this material, teachers have to fill that gap themselves. In order to help teachers fulfill this task, my capstone project investigates the following research question: “How can …


The Impact Of Nature Deficit On Creating Learning Spaces For Children, Kirsten Bergren Oct 2022

The Impact Of Nature Deficit On Creating Learning Spaces For Children, Kirsten Bergren

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Nature deficit disorder is a problem because it causes a disconnect between people and the environment. Adults have their own experiences with nature deficit disorder and that is impacting their ability to design nature rich environments for children. Recognizing their own experiences can help them to create and enrich the learning environment of their students. This project aims to decrease nature deficit disorder and stress and increase overall health and wellness.


Students With Interrupted Formal Education: A Toolbox For Instruction, Mary Palmer Oct 2022

Students With Interrupted Formal Education: A Toolbox For Instruction, Mary Palmer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project is: What are best practices for schools to support students with interrupted schooling? This paper and three-session professional development series showcase ways that content teachers can help facilitate learning for a growing multilingual learner population, students with limited formal education (SIFE). Within the professional development series, there will be three strategies that are highlighted including: Culturally Relevant Teaching, using aspects and background knowledge from a student’s own lived experience to facilitate knowledge acquisition; Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm which bridges the skills that students with limited formal education come to classrooms with to …


A Podcast And Website For Informal Educators And How It Can Disseminate Best Teaching Practices, Graham Charles Oct 2022

A Podcast And Website For Informal Educators And How It Can Disseminate Best Teaching Practices, Graham Charles

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Informal educators face barriers in delivering high-quality educational experiences. As they are not formally connected with teacher training programs, they frequently receive more content-area knowledge than pedagogical instruction. Thus, informal educators are challenged to discover and master best practices in their field on their own. Economic and learning theorists indicate that professionals share best practices through various socially mediated structures, such as peer learning, culminating in a spontaneous intragroup support structure which Wegner termed a community of practice. Many informal educators, however, cannot participate in such communities because they are physically located in different sites from colleagues performing similar work. …


How Adverse Childhood Experiences Affect Children In School And What Protective Factors Can Teachers Provide For These Students, Michelle Moorer Jul 2022

How Adverse Childhood Experiences Affect Children In School And What Protective Factors Can Teachers Provide For These Students, Michelle Moorer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this Capstone Project is: How do adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect children in school and what protective factors can teachers provide for these students? I will start by giving an overview of ACEs, ACEs impact on adulthood, trauma and toxic stress, trauma informed practices, and finally discuss protective factors for children with ACEs. Research shows that having exposure to childhood adversity is connected to negative health and life outcomes. Protective factors against ACEs can be a buffer against the negative effects of ACEs. These factors can be provided in different contexts, for example in relationships, …


Best Practices Using Pair Work For English Language Learners, Olivia Meyer Jul 2022

Best Practices Using Pair Work For English Language Learners, Olivia Meyer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project examined English Language (EL) learners and pair work in order to improve English skills and proficiency, answering the question: What are the best ways to use pair work to assist EL students in making English proficiency gains? There are many sources that show that collaboration and in particular, pair collaboration, supports language learning for all ages. One reason for this may be because language learning is most successful when there is plenty of feedback and interaction, creating plenty of opportunities to practice language skills. The project led to creation of a professional development course for educators that teaches …


Strengthening Early Literacy Skills Through Data-Driven Decision Making, Kaari Bly Jul 2022

Strengthening Early Literacy Skills Through Data-Driven Decision Making, Kaari Bly

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As part of this research, nine professional development sessions and a data workbook were designed to address the research question: how can a school establish a sustainable system for making data-based decisions to strengthen the literacy skills of kindergarten and first-grade students necessary for further educational success? Data-driven decision-making is an essential component of an MTSS framework and is based on the steps of a problem-solving model. Key tenets of a data-driven school include strong leadership, a comprehensive assessment system, easy access to data, time and resources to examine data, and clear connections between data and potential interventions. Often schools …


Creating An Elementary Reading Curriculum That Leads All Students To More Equitable Success, Ian Lyon Jul 2022

Creating An Elementary Reading Curriculum That Leads All Students To More Equitable Success, Ian Lyon

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Each year history repeats itself in the United States with high numbers of elementary students not being able to read proficiently, and an even higher number affecting BIPOC students. To address the opportunity gaps, teachers need an easy-to-follow road map of interventions led by the science of reading, culturally sustaining pedagogies, and student motivational strategies. This professional development capstone project will allow teachers to learn these three topics, one in each half day in the beginning of the school year. The first day will focus on the Science of Reading (SoR) with structured literacy influences from the Simple View of …


How Using Multidisciplinary Approaches To Mainstream Education Can Increase Diversity In Environmental Education And Improve Students’ Environmental Literacy, Nathaniel Nordberg Jul 2022

How Using Multidisciplinary Approaches To Mainstream Education Can Increase Diversity In Environmental Education And Improve Students’ Environmental Literacy, Nathaniel Nordberg

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

For there to be solutions to environmental issues people of diverse perspectives need to be able to critically think and collaborate together to work through possible solutions. Historically, environmental education has been missing many voices from the BIPOC communities in finding creative solutions to environmental issues. This Capstone Project had the driving question of, Can increasing diversity in environmental education improve students' environmental literacy? The literature reviewed showed that environmental education cannot be a stand alone curriculum. Instead, it needs to be a multidisciplinary approach to the curriculum that allows students to critically think about real world issues that society …


How Can Informal Environmental Education Curriculum And Pedagogy Be More Inclusive For Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Students?, Claire Dobie Jul 2022

How Can Informal Environmental Education Curriculum And Pedagogy Be More Inclusive For Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Students?, Claire Dobie

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

It is becoming common for teachers of all subjects to gain training or take courses that specifically help them integrate environmental education (EE) into their core subject (Dada et al., 2018). At times, formal educators will team up with informal environmental educators to offer such opportunities. Informal educators, while well-versed in environmental activities, topics and issues, may not have an understanding of how to teach. This means that those who do not learn well in a traditional classroom may struggle to take part in EE. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are an example of individuals that learn in a …


Integrating Translanguaging Into The Classroom: A Professional Development For Primary Elementary Teachers, Ashli Meyer Apr 2022

Integrating Translanguaging Into The Classroom: A Professional Development For Primary Elementary Teachers, Ashli Meyer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that translanguaging strategies can positively benefit language learners inside schools today. The benefits of translanguaging strategies can be incorporated into the classroom daily. This project incorporates useful strategies and the benefits that are connected to translanguaging into a three session, professional development series for K-2 general educators. The series begins by introducing translanguaging and the benefits aligned with translanguaging along with benefits of bilingualism. Each session will also introduce a new translanguaging strategy that educators can introduce into their classrooms. The three strategies from the framework provided in the CUNY-NYSIEB guide include building a translanguaging classroom, content …


Looking In To Speak Up: How White Educators Can Utilize Literacy To More Confidently And Competently Discuss Race And Racism With Early Elementary Students, Morgan Hanlon Apr 2022

Looking In To Speak Up: How White Educators Can Utilize Literacy To More Confidently And Competently Discuss Race And Racism With Early Elementary Students, Morgan Hanlon

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

literacy to more confidently and competently discuss race and racism with early elementary students? Research indicates children are ready to begin discussing race and racism as early as three or four years old, but that educators tend to avoid these conversations assuming their students are not yet ready to handle these topics. This paper reviews literature on racism in education, understanding bias, developmental readiness, and literacy resources supporting discussions of race. The project created in connection with this research question involves a five session professional development course aimed at supporting educators in feeling more confident and competent in discussing these …


Teaching Growth Mindset In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Katherine Sneider Apr 2022

Teaching Growth Mindset In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Katherine Sneider

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Carol Dweck’s research in fixed and growth mindsets has garnered attention in mathematics education, especially as the frustration of students of mathematics becomes more apparent with new or more difficult content. The literature review and subsequent project seeks to answer the question: How can teaching high school students about growth mindset affect their attitudes toward mathematics learning and academic achievement? Research demonstrates that students with a growth mindset perform better academically than students with a fixed mindset. While these mindsets may be more inherent in nature, students have the potential to develop a growth mindset through classroom learning and skill …


Restorative Justice Practices And Their Impacts In Elementary Classrooms, Mary Miles Apr 2022

Restorative Justice Practices And Their Impacts In Elementary Classrooms, Mary Miles

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone sought to answer the question: What are the most effective ways to implement restorative justice practices into elementary classrooms in order to create a positive learning community? This capstone analyzed the historical need for restorative justice practices in classrooms by describing the detrimental effects of zero tolerance policies and the school to prison pipeline. It analyzed the roots of restorative justice practices in indigenous cultures and examined how culture can influence the way conflict is addressed. This capstone examined the need for interactive staff development on how to implement restorative practices in the classroom. It discussed several restorative …


Implicit Racial Bias And Placement Processes In Education, Alyson Sartain Apr 2022

Implicit Racial Bias And Placement Processes In Education, Alyson Sartain

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The awareness of implicit bias has grown significantly since 1977. Its subconscious and automatic processing effects are found to be significant factors in explicit action and attitudes in schools. There is an increased need for creating an equitable schooling experience for students in schools. Current literature suggests that there is a significance in teacher implicit racial bias in the classroom which leads to the inequity and disproportionality of exceptionality classes. A noted disproportionality in race for exceptionality classes in both Individuals with Disabilities Act and Every Student Succeeds Act urged the question: How can teachers’ recognition of their own implicit …


How Do Schools Assess And Deliver Effective Professional Development To Mainstream Teachers With A Focus On Supporting Multilingual Learners?, Michelle Tornga Apr 2022

How Do Schools Assess And Deliver Effective Professional Development To Mainstream Teachers With A Focus On Supporting Multilingual Learners?, Michelle Tornga

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

A significant educational concern in the state of Minnesota is that there is a substantial achievement gap between native English speakers and Multilingual Learners (MLLs). Despite implementation of federal (ESSA) and state legislation (LEAPS Act) designed to address this issue, an achievement gap still persists and Minnesota educators continue to struggle to support MLLs academically. This capstone project uses a synthesis from a literature review and the creation of a website, survey and pre-selected curated professional development resources in order to answer the question: How Do Schools Assess and Deliver Effective Professional Development to Mainstream Teachers With a Focus on …


Fostering Students’ Sense Of Belonging And Inclusion Through Community Involvement, Rebecca Batchelder Apr 2022

Fostering Students’ Sense Of Belonging And Inclusion Through Community Involvement, Rebecca Batchelder

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This paper examines resource availability and allocation within schools and, through its investigation, identifies the greater community system as an underutilized source of talent. To better understand and use the greater community as a resource, this paper will consider the impact on students’ social-emotional growth. More specifically, how does community involvement in the classroom, specifically through the use of community-based learning practices, impact a student’s sense of belonging and inclusion? Community-based learning practices are rooted in authentic learning experiences where students collaborate with community partners to address community needs and objectives. Students, educators, and members of the greater community all …


How Can Environmental Based Library Programming Benefit Communities?, Samantha Morrison Apr 2022

How Can Environmental Based Library Programming Benefit Communities?, Samantha Morrison

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As technology advances, and cities and population grow, there is a higher need for environmental education. Outdoor education provides many benefits in many different ways. Libraries offer free services to everyone in the community and provide the perfect opportunity to give everyone a chance to learn about the environment. This project focuses on enhancing library programming through nature based learning, asking the question How can communities benefit from environmental education focused library programming? Research shows that there are many different benefits to environmental education and exposure to nature. The literature reviews discusses how outdoor learning is good on mental and …


Scouts Bsa Wood Badge Through The Lens Of Senge’S Disciplines Of A Learning Organization, Wendy Marik Jan 2022

Scouts Bsa Wood Badge Through The Lens Of Senge’S Disciplines Of A Learning Organization, Wendy Marik

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study used researcher participation, participant surveys and participant interviews to explore the presence of the five disciplines of Senge’s learning organization in the training of adult volunteer leaders in Scouts BSA’s Wood Badge in 2021. It also examined how the prevalence of Senge’s five disciplines affected Scouters’ perceptions of Wood Badge training.The study included survey results from 30 participants and interviews with four participants at Northern Star Council’s Wood Badge course in 2021. Findings indicated that all five of Senge’s disciplines were present in Scouts BSA’s Wood Badge course. The study confirmed that Scouts BSA is a …