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Full-Text Articles in Education

How Does Enriched Differentiated Small-Group Instruction At The Middle-School Level Accelerated Learning And Promote Community?, Kathleen A. Bernard Oct 2019

How Does Enriched Differentiated Small-Group Instruction At The Middle-School Level Accelerated Learning And Promote Community?, Kathleen A. Bernard

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The question addressed in this capstone project was guided by the demanding need for customized differentiated enriched learning experiences at the middle-school level. It documents why providing customized enriched learning experiences through small-group instruction for all students is necessary to help close educational opportunity gaps, improve academic growth and to create stronger communities of understanding and connectedness. It is founded in the learning and understanding of differentiation and self-determination theory. The frame of the project guides middle-school teachers through the process of understanding the importance of small-group instruction, provides them with structural classroom framework options and cultivates time for collaboration …


Implementing Growth Mindset Learning In The Special Education English Language Arts Classroom, Jody Brenteson Oct 2019

Implementing Growth Mindset Learning In The Special Education English Language Arts Classroom, Jody Brenteson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The capstone question investigated in this project was, how can a growth mindset curriculum be successfully integrated in a special education English language arts classroom? It catalogues one teacher’s formation of an English Language Arts growth mindset curriculum intended for use in small group, special education ELA classrooms. The curriculum was designed by the author with the objective of developing a growth mindset in the guiding audience. Described herein is the proposed use of the curriculum as well as measurements of effectiveness and future implications on a teacher’s career, classroom development, and educational progress of her socioeconomically disadvantaged students.


How To Improve High-Risk High School Student Achievement And Well-Being Through Using Best Practices, Particularly In An Alternative Setting, Laura Lopez Dahl Oct 2019

How To Improve High-Risk High School Student Achievement And Well-Being Through Using Best Practices, Particularly In An Alternative Setting, Laura Lopez Dahl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Many high-risk students struggle in education and find it difficult to be successful in mainstream educational settings. Alternative educational programs (AEP) are used as an intervention for students who are struggling in the mainstream setting and are at risk for failure. Students in AEP programs have an opportunity to overcome their barriers and achieve graduation as opposed to dropping out or getting their general education diploma (GED). Many of the students in these programs struggle with adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and have had negative educational experiences. This capstone project addresses the research question: How to improve high-risk high school achievement …


A Coaching Framework: Supporting Mainstream Teachers In Incorporating Academic-Language Development For English Learners, Sarah K. Holty Oct 2019

A Coaching Framework: Supporting Mainstream Teachers In Incorporating Academic-Language Development For English Learners, Sarah K. Holty

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

It is challenging to meet the linguistic needs of English learners in mainstream classrooms, even for experienced and trained English-language-development teachers, and many mainstream teachers are minimally equipped to address language needs in the context of content instruction. Because English learner success in the mainstream classroom depends upon mastery of content together with proficiency in academic English, mainstream teachers need further professional development, tools, and resources in order to support English learners in their classrooms. This project proposes embedded professional development within a coaching structure focused on implementing academic-language development in mainstream instruction. Research shows that an instructional coaching model …


Technology Based Interventions Impact On Phonemic Awareness Growth, Je'naya D. Brown Oct 2019

Technology Based Interventions Impact On Phonemic Awareness Growth, Je'naya D. Brown

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question that was addressed in this project was What impact do technological based interventions have on student’s phonemic awareness growth? It followed the author’s desire to discover a supplemental online literacy tool that would be beneficial to their kindergarten students and help them progress through the early stages of reading. According to Saine (2012), when students are exposed to digital literary activities, they do not see the activities as school work, but as new and exciting tools for learning. The author looked at two online literacy tools and created a tool for teacher use that focused on components …


Mindfulness-Based Interventions: The Implications For Stress Management And Academic Performance In Undergraduate Students, Kathryn Johnson Oct 2019

Mindfulness-Based Interventions: The Implications For Stress Management And Academic Performance In Undergraduate Students, Kathryn Johnson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Johnson, K. Mindfulness-Based Interventions: The Implications for Stress Management and Academic Performance in Undergraduate Students (2019). Mindfulness activities and programs are becoming increasingly popular in post-secondary settings. At the same time, stress and mental health of students is an increasing concern at institutions of higher learning. This capstone sought to answer the research question: how do mindfulness-based intervention programs impact students’ stress management and academic performance? The culminating project is a website that provides an overview for post-secondary educators interested in implementing a mindfulness program with undergraduate students. The website includes information on mindfulness programs, ways of implementing a mindfulness …


Using Diverse Literature Along With Critical Literacy Strategies To Support Diversity And Equity In Spanish Immersion Classroom, Claudia Milena Noguera Yara Oct 2019

Using Diverse Literature Along With Critical Literacy Strategies To Support Diversity And Equity In Spanish Immersion Classroom, Claudia Milena Noguera Yara

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

In the capstone project, the following research question was addressed: How can diverse literature be used along with critical literacy strategies to support diversity and equity in Spanish immersion classrooms? The purpose of this capstone is to support teachers from K-6 when incorporating diverse literature books in their curriculum and how the use of critical literacy strategies can benefit students when analyzing topics using a critical lens. The use of critical literacy strategies allow students to have a multiple perspective of topics or aspects related to other cultures that will connect them with their own cultures and their identity will …


Engaging The Safety System Of The Brain: Training For Teachers Of Immigrants Who Have Experienced Trauma, Lindsey Grace Crifasi Oct 2019

Engaging The Safety System Of The Brain: Training For Teachers Of Immigrants Who Have Experienced Trauma, Lindsey Grace Crifasi

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that trauma makes changes in our brain chemistry. In the space of teaching and learning, these changes can inhibit students from reaching their goals effectively. This research focused on addressing the questions: What are the key aspects of trauma-informed teaching, specifically for the immigrant population? What happens to the brain when it is dealing with trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or grief and how does that affect learning? With inspiration from Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, Body and the Healing of Trauma and studies into the Polyvagal Theory …


How Can Zoo Educators Help Individuals In A Community Develop A Deeper Connection To Wildlife, Conservation And The Environment Through Specific Education Programming?, Allison Budnick Oct 2019

How Can Zoo Educators Help Individuals In A Community Develop A Deeper Connection To Wildlife, Conservation And The Environment Through Specific Education Programming?, Allison Budnick

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that as early as the 1960s, zoos have begun to shift their primary focus from a recreational standpoint to one that is deeply rooted in education, conservation and environmental awareness. Education programming has become an avenue for zoo visitors to gain reliable information about animals, develop awareness about critical species, and understand the human impact on the environment and how our actions can effect change. The curriculum designed for this project enables zoo educators to present a meaningful educational experience in a zoo setting. Each program focuses on a different animal species, allowing for diversity within the …


Incorporating Linguistic Analysis And Processes Into English As A Second Language Instruction, Signy Kirsten Sherman Oct 2019

Incorporating Linguistic Analysis And Processes Into English As A Second Language Instruction, Signy Kirsten Sherman

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this paper and project was: how can an online professional development resource and community for teachers support understanding of using Linguistic Analysis and processes to deepen an educators understanding of a student’s native language (L1) in order to develop more effective instruction in the second language (L2)? Key influences included Jim Cummins and Maggie Tallerman (2015) Understanding Syntax from which the descriptive approach adopted was derived from. Additional influences included, case studies conducted by researchers such as Ronald Sheen and Lin and Chuan has shown that students can benefit from instruction informed by information derived …


Using English Language Arts As An Outlet For Addressing And Defining Student’S Past Trauma, Dalton J. Pieske Oct 2019

Using English Language Arts As An Outlet For Addressing And Defining Student’S Past Trauma, Dalton J. Pieske

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research supports the notion that trauma can have a list of negative social, psychological, neurophysiological, emotional and physical ramifications on at-risk adolescents. Research has also shown that trauma-occurrence is affected based on racial demographics and geographical location. Therefore, this capstone project intends to answer the question: How can ELA teachers use their classes as an outlet for addressing and defining ethno-racial minority and U.S. born student’s trauma? There has been an increase in mental health professionals in schools to address increasing student trauma but this project argues the English Language Arts classroom can provide students an outlet for building skills …


A Better Understanding Through The Use Of The Nature Journal, Carol L. Anderson Oct 2019

A Better Understanding Through The Use Of The Nature Journal, Carol L. Anderson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This paper examines the positive impact that spending time in the natural world has on students. In reviewing the history of environmental education in the United States, the importance of nature on human development, and the impact that journaling and reflective thought processes have in education, this capstone sought to expand upon the research and encourage using nature journals to affect children’s perceptions of the natural world and their place within it. While journaling can facilitate communication, self-expression and personal development, it is also a way to enhance learning by connecting background knowledge to new information, analyzing and synthesizing ideas …


How To Say Nothing And Everything At The Same Time: A White Teacher, Students Of Color, And The Trial And Error Of Building Relationships Of Opportunity With Envoy, Melissa Bougie Oct 2019

How To Say Nothing And Everything At The Same Time: A White Teacher, Students Of Color, And The Trial And Error Of Building Relationships Of Opportunity With Envoy, Melissa Bougie

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project focuses on how ENVoY classroom management might impact student teacher relationships and academic success in diverse high school classrooms. The project takes the form of a blog that outlines ENVoY classroom management techniques as well as discusses the philosophy of educational equity that exists behind the techniques. It includes my own analysis and research as well as interviews of ENVoY Demonstration Teachers. Due to the opportunity gaps between white students and students of color that often exist in diverse high schools, it is important to consider what might contribute to closing these gaps. Classroom management is one …


Creating A Nature-Based Environmental Connection To At-Risk Ebd Students In A Self-Contained Classroom, Timothy L. Thayer Oct 2019

Creating A Nature-Based Environmental Connection To At-Risk Ebd Students In A Self-Contained Classroom, Timothy L. Thayer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that most students in conventional classrooms lack exposure to the natural world in the midst of the complete school day. Looking more specifically at students who have Emotional Behavior Disorders and being in a self-contained classroom can prevent ideal opportunities for the therapeutic benefits of exposure to what the outside environment can provide. The driving focus for this project is creating a nature-based environmental connection to at-risk EBD students in a self-contained classroom. Relying on the influence of biophilic design, this project utilizes many aspects of how natural features can benefit the students both emotionally and educationally. …


Social Justice Teaching In The Elementary General Education Classroom, Chandra Turner Oct 2019

Social Justice Teaching In The Elementary General Education Classroom, Chandra Turner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was: what are effective strategies for teaching social justice to elementary students and how will using them affect elementary students’ attitudes toward and knowledge of social justice? This capstone describes the research behind, development of, and the results of using a toolkit for elementary teachers looking to implement social justice education in an effective way. The toolkit includes web resources, lesson plans, children’s literature regarding social justice, teacher reference books, ideas for active service learning projects, and potential journal prompts for students about social justice. The research behind the project included research into …


Supporting Twice Exceptional Students Within The General Education Classroom: Strategies For General Education Teachers, Rebecca Levi Oct 2019

Supporting Twice Exceptional Students Within The General Education Classroom: Strategies For General Education Teachers, Rebecca Levi

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed by this project is How can educators best support and challenge twice exceptional students within the general education classroom? The purpose of exploring this topic was to help identify strategies for classroom teachers to implement to help their gifted and talented students with learning disabilities feel successful in school. The project reviews studies and articles written by experts in gifted and talented studies as well as experts in learning disabilities in order to provide a better understanding of what it means to be twice exceptional and help provide educators with a guide for how to serve …


How Can General Education Teachers Learn To Build Positive Relationships With El Students By Integrating El Best Practice Strategies Into Their Teaching?, Philip Dennison Oct 2019

How Can General Education Teachers Learn To Build Positive Relationships With El Students By Integrating El Best Practice Strategies Into Their Teaching?, Philip Dennison

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, how can general education teachers learn to build positive relationships with EL students by integrating EL best practice strategies into their teaching? This project involves a teacher’s creation of a project directed at educating other teaching staff on how to create and develop positive relationships with language learner students. The project made use of Knowles best practices in adult education to make the most effective use of time when addressing adult learners. The author describes the process of building and then delivering the project content. He also reflects on the successes, limitations, …


Incorporating Multicultural Literature Into The Upper Elementary Language Arts Classroom, Elizabeth M. Burgos Oct 2019

Incorporating Multicultural Literature Into The Upper Elementary Language Arts Classroom, Elizabeth M. Burgos

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Read-aloud is a strategy that is used in many fifth-grade language arts classrooms, although more often than not it is used to fill time and the only expectation of students is to listen passively. Therefore, the research question addressed in this capstone focused on how to make read-aloud in language arts engaging to students in a fifth-grade classroom. Components and best practices to create an effective read-aloud were explored so that students can participate more actively through different responses during read-aloud. A complete read-aloud guide including sixteen lessons to lead a class through the book The War That Saved My …


Culturally Responsive Curriculum And Literature For Primary Grade English Learners, Katherine Behrend Oct 2019

Culturally Responsive Curriculum And Literature For Primary Grade English Learners, Katherine Behrend

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning is being implemented in many school districts to better meet the needs of all students. Using culturally authentic literature is equally important. Research demonstrates the need for culturally authentic texts so students can see themselves mirrored and see windows to other cultures during school. English learners (ELs) benefit from seeing their culture in the texts they are exposed to as well as culturally responsive learning strategies, or protocols. According to the CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2019), non-majority ethnicities represent a small percentage of all children’s literature …


A Culturally Relevant Earth Science Curriculum: Engaging Students In Socioscientific Issues Through Socratic Seminars, Colin Matthew Gettle Oct 2019

A Culturally Relevant Earth Science Curriculum: Engaging Students In Socioscientific Issues Through Socratic Seminars, Colin Matthew Gettle

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project is: How can Socratic seminars be used as a culturally relevant tool to increase student engagement and science literacy? This capstone project is based largely off the work of Gloria Ladson-Billings, who promoted the critical idea of culturally responsive teaching in all classrooms to promote equity and social engagement. Through the lens of culturally responsive pedagogy, this project aims to address the large engagement gaps that exist in many diverse academic settings. Specifically, the project is a set of three 8th grade Earth science units. Each unit addresses Minnesota State Eighth Grade …


Sheltered Secondary Slife And Effective Instruction, Mackenzie Burkstrand Oct 2019

Sheltered Secondary Slife And Effective Instruction, Mackenzie Burkstrand

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Within the population of English language learners, there is a unique subgroup of students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). These students bring with them unique qualities to school, balancing the need for English language acquisition and learning a new culture. Through this capstone project, I sought to answer the question, what are the key components to effective instruction to use with students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) at the secondary level? Throughout this capstone project, the main themes that arose in research were culturally relevant instruction and trauma informed pedagogy. The information I have learned in …


Increasing Opportunities For Academic Talk For English Learners In The General Education Classroom, Brianna Pontinen O’Brien Oct 2019

Increasing Opportunities For Academic Talk For English Learners In The General Education Classroom, Brianna Pontinen O’Brien

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project is to address the question, how can teachers increase opportunities for quality academic talk for English Learners in the general education classroom? This was answered by researching data pertaining to the population of English learners in United States public schools, as well as, how historical context, issues of social justice, and sociolinguistic factors all affect English learners. Included in the research is also theories, definitions, and the importance of academic talk for productive learning. Several methods for increasing academic talk in the general education classroom are discussed, specifically Accountable Talk with Talk Moves ( …


Fostering Student Interest And Motivation In Second Grade Writing, Nicholas Dorow Oct 2019

Fostering Student Interest And Motivation In Second Grade Writing, Nicholas Dorow

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, how can writing curriculum offer choices for second grade students in a manner that increases interest and growth? It documents one teacher’s creation and implementation of a fifteen-lesson writing curriculum focused on offering student choice. The lessons were developed based primarily upon the research of Carol Dweck, Bill Meyer, Naomi Haywood, Darshan Sachdev, and Sally Faraday; in connection with second grade, Common Core Standards. The author details the implementation of the lesson, including both successes and difficulties in the process. The author concluded that the implementation of the student choice writing curriculum …


Slife Students And Teacher Preparedness, Makayla Marie Bozoian Oct 2019

Slife Students And Teacher Preparedness, Makayla Marie Bozoian

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project aims to solve the issue that many English Language Learner Teachers face when it comes to their English Language Learners. Many immigrant students also come from a home where the language usually spoken is one other than English, or who speak a language other than English but also have experienced interrupted schooling, also known as SLIFE students (MN Department of Education, 2019). Using the works of EL methodology to best prepare teachers though the practices of the Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm (MALP), along with culturally relevant ideas to approach vocabulary and assessment instruction used by Beck and Gottlieb …


A Family Approach To Family Literacy With Latino Parents, Jessica L. Davies-Lopez Oct 2019

A Family Approach To Family Literacy With Latino Parents, Jessica L. Davies-Lopez

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project is, How can Latino parent involvement and direct teaching of literacy skills help to improve their child’s reading skills? Over the years, research has demonstrated the importance of parent involvement in the success of students’ achievement. Furthermore, Latino parent involvement has demonstrated benefits that far exceed expectations. When families and schools work together utilizing different Family Literacy programs, students and families succeed. This Capstone reviewed different literature to help understand Latino family involvement, in addition to reviewing different family literacy programs to help answer the research question. The Capstone also included a project …


Promoting Student Metacognition To Aid The Writing Process, Jessica Kramar Oct 2019

Promoting Student Metacognition To Aid The Writing Process, Jessica Kramar

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Writing is a process that occurs over multiple steps; this may seem both excruciating and tedious to students. By encouraging metacognition throughout the process, teachers can create more autonomous learners. This capstone uses reflective strategies that address the question How can educators use independent and group reflection processes to help students assess their understanding and mastery of writing state standards? Research concludes that guided interaction with feedback increases student accountability and understanding of effective writing. Through a series of reflective strategies, modeling, and both critical and positive feedback, teachers can shift the way students think about their own writing, benefiting …


Social Emotional Learning And Literacy In The Primary Grades: An Integrated Approach, Kaitlynn Cline Oct 2019

Social Emotional Learning And Literacy In The Primary Grades: An Integrated Approach, Kaitlynn Cline

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is essential to school success. This capstone was developed around the guiding question: How can primary grade level teachers teach Social Emotional Learning skills as an integrated approach through literacy? There are a number of SEL curricula available to educators, some of which have had a greater impact than others. There have also been a large number of policy changes in the United States related to academic achievement and standards that have impacted what is taught in the early years of elementary education. This capstone explored SEL curricula that are currently used, policies that have impacted …


Transformational Leadership Professional Development Website For Leaders Of Urban, Voucher Schools, Christina Lundberg Oct 2019

Transformational Leadership Professional Development Website For Leaders Of Urban, Voucher Schools, Christina Lundberg

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Teachers in the United States are leaving the classroom at alarming rates (Ingersoll, Merrill & Stuckey, 2014). In order to give all students access to high-quality education, this issue of teacher retention needs to be addressed. The professional development website designed for this capstone project focuses on answering the research question: What effects does a principal’s transformational leadership style have on teacher retention at an urban, voucher school? There has been a great deal of research dedicated to the causes and solutions to teacher attrition (Darling-Hammond, 2003); however, there is little research specifically on how transformational leadership affects the retention …


An Equitable Educational Experience For All: Strategies For Secondary General Education Teachers To Meet The Learning Needs Of Special Education Students Learning In Their Classrooms, Joseph Z. Walker Oct 2019

An Equitable Educational Experience For All: Strategies For Secondary General Education Teachers To Meet The Learning Needs Of Special Education Students Learning In Their Classrooms, Joseph Z. Walker

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project focuses on the issue of providing equitable educational experiences for all students. More specifically, the project examines the most effective strategies for secondary general education teachers to provide modifications, accommodations, and differentiation for special education students in the areas of instruction and assessment. A central tenet of contemporary special education policy is the principle of inclusion. In accordance with this principle, students with special needs are increasingly learning in the general education classroom among their peers. This places an additional responsibility upon general education teachers to ensure that they are meeting the unique learning needs of special …


How Can Second-Grade Students Learn Algorithmic Thinking And Pattern Recognition Through Collaborative Learning?, Christine Walth Oct 2019

How Can Second-Grade Students Learn Algorithmic Thinking And Pattern Recognition Through Collaborative Learning?, Christine Walth

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

In today’s technology-filled world, employers seek applicants with strong computational thinking (CT) skills and computer science (CS) backgrounds. The demand for CT education reaches all the way to the elementary level. Wing (2006) states “computational thinking is a fundamental skill for everyone, not just for computer scientists” (p. 33). Though researchers are continuing to define all aspects of CT, the major elements include: algorithmic thinking, pattern recognition, decomposition, and abstraction. The digital age has also caused an increase in screen time, time children spend in front of a device, which has prompted studies on the negative physical and psychological effects …