Education Commons^™

Exploring The Impact Of A Positive Psychology And Creative Journal Arts Intervention With Latina/O Adolescents, Javier Cavazos Vela, Wayne D. Smith, Keely Rodriguez, Yvette Hinojosa

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

A creative journal arts and positive psychology intervention was utilized to explore resilience, personal recovery attitudes, and symptoms of depression in Latina/o adolescents. The impact of a seven-week group counseling experience conducted with adolescents was analyzed and revealed positive improvements for participants in all three areas. Benefits for Latina/o youth participating in this type of group are discussed and guidelines for school counselors and clinical mental health counselors are revealed.

Identidades Públicas Y Privadas De Mujeres Jóvenes Transfronterizas, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Iris Rubi Monroy Velasco

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Este capítulo va a discutir las vicisitudes que hay entre las identidades culturales de la juventud transfronteriza, específicamente en el noreste de México en su frontera con Texas en Brownsville; donde se trabajó con grupos de discusión con estudiantes mexicoamericanas y mexicanas.

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This chapter aims to account for the cultural identities of cross-border youth, specifically in northeastern Mexico on its border with Texas in Brownsville, where work with discussion groups with Mexican American and Mexican students.

Transformation Or Resistance? A Case Study Of Pre-Service Teachers Engaged In Technology Integration, Leticia De Leon, Janet Martinez, Zulmaris Diaz, Michael Whitacre

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This case study examined the context of one social studies methods course and its use of technology in instruction. The purpose was to determine to what extent pre-service teacher views and practice transformed to embrace technology use in their own teaching. The lens of Transformative Learning Theory (Mezirow, 2012) was used to analyze and describe the results of this embedded single case study. Results suggest that some transformation of beliefs occurred among participants, but that more sustained exposure and experience is needed for practice to change.

Project Access: High School Student Learning Of Academic Vocabulary In The Rio Grande Valley, Angela M. Chapman

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Academic language can be a major obstacle to students’ learning in science and math. For English Language Learners this challenge can be even greater. One reason this challenge prevails is the persistent deficit perspective toward students whose native language is Spanish. One way to address this issue is to leverage students’ knowledge of Spanish and personal culture to develop a deeper understanding of academic vocabulary in high school math and science courses. Project ACCESS (Acquisition of Curricular Content for Exceptional Success in STEM) seeks to challenge the assumptions and biases toward students in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) who have …

Raced Encounter On A Hilltop: A Call For Soulful Justice Alongside Social Justice Work, Pauli Badenhorst

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This provocation begins with an emotionally charged interracial encounter during peak-hour Cape Town traffic. It goes on to consider the manner in which emotional orientations constitute everyday, internal white supremacist structures often camouflaged under the guise of caring. Later, it calls on white educators to earnestly do the work of emotional excavation to avoid the reification, reinforcement, and reproduction of subtle, well-intentioned forms of racism. Ultimately, this piece contends that soulful justice work needs to accompany the social justice investments of white educators.

Pass The "Idea": Following Bilingual Mathematics Discussions [Pásame La "Idea": Siguiendo Discusiones Matemáticas Bilingües], Gladys Krause, Melissa Adams Corral, Luz A. Maldonado

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study we document how a mathematical idea, shared by a student, changes the development of the class discussion. Our work characterizes the flexible and open dynamics in mathematics instruction that a teacher adopts to give her students control of their own mathematical ideas. Our work argues that this flexibility is necessary for teachers to engage in instructional practices that respond to students' mathematical thinking. To demonstrate the teacher's flexibility we use the analogy of soccer, relying on the literature of Game Sense coaching approach, which suggests that the coach (the teacher in our context) is positioned to manipulate …

Learning Productive Mathematical Talk Moves Through Mix-Reality Simulation: The Case Of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers In A Hispanic Serving Institution, Jair J. Aguilar, James A. Telese

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teacher preparation programs require pre-service teachers to engage in field experiences that include participation in classrooms (Freeman, 2010). Mix-Reality Simulation (MRS) is a technological tool that can be implemented to provide pre-service teachers opportunities to develop pedagogical techniques such as providing feedback, conducting discussions, integrating technology with instruction while at the same time exploring different environments (Hixon & So, 2009). This paper presents preliminary results of a first-stage research in the implementation of a MRSs’ into an elementary teacher education program at a large Hispanic-Serving Institution. The purpose of the study was to determine whether differences existed between the groups …

Human Rights, Think Aloud Protocols And Magic Drums: Revealing Character In Pre-Service Teachers, Leticia De Leon, Kara Bennett

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes a qualitative study that examined how preservice teachers engaged in a Second Life activity intended to help them reflect on how knowledge of human rights may affect their professional practice. This process utilized a problem-solving strategy to determine their goal-oriented character traits. Therefore, the research question explored was, how do preservice teachers create a character that respects human rights? Through a symbolic introspective journey, participants engaged in think aloud protocols to reveal goal-oriented behavior guided by a strong moral compass. Data analysis utilized a means-end process, and results were recorded along two dimensions: stability and change and …

Exploring Latino Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes And Beliefs About Learning And Teaching Science: What Are The Critical Factors?, Maria E. Diaz

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative study explores the in- and out-of-school experiences that could have influenced elementary preservice teachers’ beliefs and attitudes toward learning and teaching science. Participants were 126 Latina/o EC-6 preservice teachers in the context of a 16-week undergraduate level elementary methods course. Data sources consisted of written reflections and semi-structure interviews. Findings show that preservice Latino teachers’ views about science can be determined by multiple factors, being the most important, their science teachers’ attitudes and the type of instruction they received as students from elementary through high school. Participation in science activities with their families and media influence were other …

Critical Early Childhood Mathematics For Children Of Color, Melissa Adams Corral

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Early Childhood mathematics education often focuses only on counting, cardinality, and pattern recognition. Through a university/school partnership, we detail how a veteran prekindergarten teacher of color, working in a school serving a community of color in the United States, utilized democratic and inquiry-based early childhood pedagogical frameworks to mathematically empower her 4 and 5-year-old students. In this project session, we focus on the impact that a critical approach to mathematics education had on this veteran teacher’s school and practice, with reflective discussion led by the teacher herself.