Education Commons^™

Influential Experiences: Practices Of Teaching And Learning Successes To Increase Pre-Service Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Amanda L. Steiner, Jennifer Lemke

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

Teaching is a complex yet rewarding career; still, 40% - 50% of teachers leave the field within the first five years of their career (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). Teacher preparation programs are often criticized for the lack of connection between theory and practice. Pre-service teachers who have more pedagogical courses and field experiences built into their coursework display higher levels of self-efficacy in their first year of teaching (Boyd et al., 2009; Clark, 2016). Through the lens of Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy, this case study examines what experiences are most influential in developing pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy.

Teaching Phonics Mastery Through The Use Of Differentiated And Instructional Strategies, Ashley Honeyman

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone reports the effectiveness of using differentiated instructional and assessment strategies to improve student understanding in phonics mastery. Based on pretest data that analyzed understanding of short u consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words, phonics instruction was implemented to meet the needs of students in whole-group and small-group settings. This unit consisted of five whole-group lessons over short u blending and segmentation. In addition to the whole group learning, specific students were pulled for small-group intervention. The unit concluded with a post-assessment that tested student understanding on real and nonsense CVC words; these assessments were implemented to assess if the integration of …

Teaching Animal And Plant Survival With Instructional And Assessment Strategies, Kapri Case

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone study explored the impact of instructional and assessment strategies on students’ achievement in science. The study spanned 6 days, comprising 5 lessons. The students took a 6-item pre-assessment to assess prior knowledge, a 4-item post-assessment at the unit’s conclusion, and a summative assessment to demonstrate their new knowledge.

Instructional strategies were adapted based on pre-assessment results. Analysis of student performance data revealed a marked increase in learning outcomes through the integration of differentiated instruction and assessment strategies. Following the review of the student work, it became evident that the integration of summarizing/note-taking and cooperative learning significantly enhanced post-instruction …

Teaching Three-Digit Addition With Differentiated Instruction And Assessment Strategies, Regan Catterson, Saundra Shillingstad

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project includes a synopsis of the differentiated instructional and assessment strategies that were integrated throughout a second-grade math unit. The unit of instruction focused on three-digit addition with regrouping. The unit was taught over six days between the pre-test and post-test. Students were tested on their understanding of place value with three-digits, regrouping with addition, and solving three-digit addition from an equation. Following the analysis of student data, it was noted that students’ understanding, and performance increased throughout this unit by using a variety of instructional strategies and assessment methods. I collected and analyzed the pre- and post-assessment …

Teaching Story Problems To First-Grade Students Utilizing A Variety Of Differentiated Instructional Strategies And Assessment Methods, Shelby Decker

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project reports the differentiated instructional strategies implemented throughout a math unit in a first-grade classroom. The capstone will report the effectiveness of two instructional strategies and two assessment methods that were integrated into a math unit that focused on students’ understanding of story problems with a missing addend or subtrahend. The math unit had 13 lessons taught over four weeks between the pre- and post-assessment. Based on student data, students’ understanding and performance increased throughout this unit by using a variety of differentiated instructional strategies and assessment methods. In this capstone, I will report what the instructional strategies …

Teaching Time And Graphs With Differentiated Instruction And Assessment Strategies, Catie Tangeman

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone reports the effectiveness of using differentiated instructional and assessment strategies to improve student performance in math. Based on pretest data, instruction was planned and implemented to best meet the needs of each student to help them succeed. This unit started with a pretest, had ten days of lessons and instruction, and then concluded with a post-test. Based on student data, student performance and learning increased by using differentiated instruction and instructional strategies that were adapted to help each student. Using feedback, nonlinguistic representations (a big piece of assessment), think-pair-shares, and physical models/manipulatives, students successfully showed the increase in …

Using Formative Assessment And Linguistic Representation In Math Instruction, Emily Lorenzen, Saundra Shillingstad

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project reports the instructional strategies and formative assessments implemented throughout an elementary mathematics unit. The capstone reports the benefits and effectiveness of two instructional strategies that promote student learning with the content of telling time, creating and analyzing graphs, and word problems. The unit included a pre-test, midpoint check, post-test, and 17 lessons taught over the course of five weeks. I collected and analyzed data from the pre-test, midpoint check, post-test, and various exit tickets throughout the unit.

Teaching The Relationship Between Multiplication And Division Through Differentiated Instructional Strategies, Teagan Vaughan

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project reports the differentiated instructional strategies that were integrated throughout a math unit. The capstone will report the effectiveness of two instructional strategies that were integrated into a math unit that focused on students’ understanding of the relationship between multiplication and division. The math unit had 12 lessons taught over three weeks between the pre-and post-assessment. I will report how the strategies worked and the effect the strategies had on students learning. I collected and analyzed the pre/post-test data and found that nonlinguistic representations and multi-level questioning are effective instructional strategies for increasing student learning.

Keywords: instructional …

Preliteracy Development Of Sound Blending: Teaching Consonant Vowel Consonant Words Through Differentiated Instructional Strategies, Grace Guenther

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project reports the interventions, progress, and results of five elementary students who were identified as ‘at-risk’ for preliteracy reading skill acquisition. The capstone discusses differentiated instructional strategies and the rotation of intervention strategies utilized to increase the preliteracy skills of the students. The capstone discusses the interventions implemented across four weeks between the collection of baseline and final data. This research finds that students at-risk for acquiring preliteracy skills can increase their preliteracy skills through differentiated instructional strategies.

The Covid-19 Impact On Induction Support, Christina L. Wilcoxen

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

For beginning teachers, Fall 2020 provided an unforgettable first year. The previous spring had brought abrupt and unexpected changes to teaching. Schools closed without notice, student teaching experiences stopped midway through, and teachers were thrown into situations they had never been trained to address. This led to difficult decisions and new obstacles as the world fought to manage COVID-19 and the associated fallout. Teacher candidates graduated with incomplete student teaching experiences and gaps in understanding. Induction programs support beginning teachers as they transition into their own classroom and provide guidance in meeting performance standards. As a result, seven local school …

The Influence Of An Early Childhood Endorsement Program On Early Childhood Leadership Competencies, Kanyon Chism

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The call to improve high-quality educational opportunities for children ages birth – eight has received increased attention and federal and local funding opportunities have expanded to provide additional early childhood classrooms and to implement family engagement practices. Unfortunately, systems of support for principals aimed at increasing knowledge and skills necessary to lead an aligned Preschool – third-grade system within an elementary school remain relatively sparse. The purpose of this study is to examine the alignment between an early childhood endorsement program and early childhood leadership competencies.

This study will examine the perceptions of school leaders participating in an early childhood …

Learning From The History Of Language Oppression: Educators As Agents Of Language Justice, Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo, Ferial Pearson

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

There is a long history in this country of language oppression that has led to policies currently in place that affect the way educators are asked to teach. Therefore, educators must understand national and local language policy to know how it affects their students and how they can perform their duties as educators. Even though the U.S. does not have an official language, states have enacted language policies through court decisions and legislation. These policies have led to students being denied access to English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education programs, resources, and accommodations, all of which lead …

Exploration Of School-Based Refugee Mental Health Intervention, Anne Marie Boose

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

ABSTRACT

EXPLORATORY STUDY OF A SCHOOL-BASED REFUGEE

MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT

Anne Marie Boose, Ed.D.

University of Nebraska, 2018

Advisor: Kay A. Keiser, Ed.D.

Immigrant and refugee youth are in our schools in greater numbers than ever. Educators are required to educate all students to the same standards, even though they have often been exposed to violence and other difficulties throughout their journey to a new home. Many continue to face many on-going barriers as they arrive in our schools. Although this population is resilient and has many strengths, for some the burden of trauma is overwhelming, threatening their mental health …

Visual Arts In An Elementary School Classroom, Kathryn O'Connor

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

It is more common nowadays to see a classroom lacking in any creative outlet for their students. Even at such a young, fundamental age funding has stood in the way of introducing the necessities the visual arts gift to students beginning at the age of four or five. With such a heavy push in the direction of academics such as math and reading the concept of imagination has been overpowered by multiplication and division and adjectives and verbs. With an increased fight by educators to promote the arts in their classrooms the benefits speak for themselves. When housing a creativity …

Summer Camp And Experiential Learning – A Qualitative Study Exploring The Perspectives Of Selected Participants, Living In Poverty, While Attending A Sleep-Away Summer Camp In Northern Minnesota, Mary Achelpohl

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Summer breaks vary in length and depth of experiences for many children and families. The summer learning gap has been widely researched as problematic to the cognitive, social, and emotional development for many children, especially children living in poverty. At the same time, best practices in summer learning initiatives have a narrow research scope. This qualitative phenomenological research study explores participants’ perceptions of their time at a sleep-away summer camp in Northern Minnesota. All participants were living in poverty during their time at summer camp. A major focus will examine summer learning opportunities and the importance of creating experiences for …

Voices Across Generations. Volume Two : A Collaboration Between Black Elk Elementary Third Grade, Uno Educational Leadership Graduate Program., University Of Nebraska At Omaha Service Learning Academy, Black Elk Elementary School, Royal Oaks Assisted Living

Voices Across Generations

Dear Reader,

From whom do you seek wisdom? Who do you share your insights with? In activities with multiple generations, new perspectives of information and insight can be shared through conversation and activity. This is exactly what we learned this spring in our 2019 collaborative activity with senior residents, graduate students, and 3rd graders.

In the following pages, you will read advice acrostic and “I Am” poems from the senior residents at Royale Oaks Assisted Living near 50th and Ames Street. You will read “I am” poems from the Black Elk Elementary 3rd grade students, near 180th and Harrison Street. …

Developing Stragic Competence In The Service Of Inquiry Teaching: Assisting Pre-Service Elementary Teachers To Use Inquiry To Achieve Strategic Competence In Science Learning, Sheryl Mcglamery, Victoria Lentfer

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

Abstract: This paper describes the efforts of researchers to examine the understandings of pre-service elementary teachers regarding the role and use of inquiry and strategic competence in science teaching and learning. The pre-service elementary teachers were given multiple exposures to inquiry activities, and field teaching opportunities using inquiry with opportunities to pursue strategic competence in experimentation and problem solving. The findings support the use of inquiry labs and shows how field experience is valuable in helping build an understanding of inquiry and strategic competence.

Voices Across Generations. Volume One : A Collaboration Between Black Elk Elementary Third Grade, Uno Educational Leadership Graduate Program., University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Service Learning Academy, Black Elk Elementary School, Royale Oaks Assisted Living

Voices Across Generations

In Spring 2018, Omaha, Nebraska, third grade students from Black Elk Elementary School met with senior residents of Royale Oaks Assisted Living to learn about school life, past and present. Graduate students from the Educational Leadership program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha helped facilitate these meetings. The resulting book compiles essays written by the third graders about their "senior buddies," color artwork featuring hands and hearts, and quotes from the university students.