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Full-Text Articles in Education
The Importance Of Social And Emotional Learning In The Classroom, Kayla Bilotta
The Importance Of Social And Emotional Learning In The Classroom, Kayla Bilotta
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Life changes on a daily basis and that includes the lives of students in the classrooms. Many students seem to be struggling with social and emotional skills that help them be successful in learning and in life. I created this capstone with the purpose of learning how the implementation of social and emotional learning (SEL) can benefit and impact students, with an end focus on students at the elementary school level. I created a professional development presentation for elementary educators that provided the same information I collected during my research stage. My project also includes an example of ten free-standing …
Linguistic Identity Construction And Cultural Inclusivity, Jessica Quiñonez
Linguistic Identity Construction And Cultural Inclusivity, Jessica Quiñonez
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
With a growingly diverse population of non-white and immigrant students and a great disparity in demographics in school staff in rural southern Minnesota, there is an increasing need for a school environment that is inclusive of all students, their experiences, and their identities. This capstone project addresses many important factors that impact adolescent non-white and immigrant students in southern Minnesota schools and answers the question: How can I help high school staff in an increasingly diverse rural community foster a more culturally inclusive learning environment for racially, culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students? In answering this question, this capstone delves …
What Effect Does Social And Emotional Learning Have On Elementary Students Using The Second Step Curriculum?, Britteny Wolterstorff
What Effect Does Social And Emotional Learning Have On Elementary Students Using The Second Step Curriculum?, Britteny Wolterstorff
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
“Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions” (The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2020). This capstone was developed around the guiding question: W hat effect does social and emotional learning have on elementary students using the Second Step Curriculum? D ue to the lack of teaching SEL in our district even though they purchased Second Step curricula in 2017 for kindergarten through fourth grade students; I wanted to know more …
Impact Of Implementing Differentiated Spelling Curriculum On Student Spelling Ability Using Words Their Way (2012), Kaleigh Fuchs
Impact Of Implementing Differentiated Spelling Curriculum On Student Spelling Ability Using Words Their Way (2012), Kaleigh Fuchs
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Spelling is an area that can be overlooked within the subject of English Language Arts, and deemed unnecessary by some due to modern technology. When spelling is taught, it is often taught traditionally using rote memorization with the whole class working on the same word list. These words are considered difficult for some students and simple for others. This capstone looks at the concepts of differentiation and developmental spelling word study through the spelling program Words Their Way (2012). This capstone project uses literature as well as action research results to provide insight on the focus of the capstone, differentiated …
Using Ipads In A Readers' And Writers' Workshop, Megan Engfer
Using Ipads In A Readers' And Writers' Workshop, Megan Engfer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Many classrooms around the country and world are using technology to enhance student learning. An increase in technology use in the classroom allows students more educational opportunities when meaningful tasks are created by teachers and curriculum writers. When meaningful tasks are created teachers may have an increase in student engagement. This capstone uses a variety of resources to help answer the research question: What do teachers need to know about using iPads for engagement in a readers’ and writers’ workshop? Research concludes that teachers need additional resources and time to fully understand how to effectively use iPads in the classroom …
Developing A Growth Mindset Through Teacher Training, Pedagogy Development, And Community Reform, Kailtyn Joyce
Developing A Growth Mindset Through Teacher Training, Pedagogy Development, And Community Reform, Kailtyn Joyce
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
A consistent problem in teaching has been keeping students engaged and motivated in their studies. Typically these problems were equated to either a student’s inability to make a connection to the information, the material being too difficult, or a student feeling inadequate. To promote a deeper understanding and discover ways to ease these issues, this capstone project used the following question as a focal point, what drives students’ motivation to achieve and what steps can be taken to develop a growth mindset in students? This project was centered around growth mindset as it has shown to be an effective tool …
Assessment Best Practices: A Review Of Current Best Practices At The Secondary And Local Level, Amanda Reed
Assessment Best Practices: A Review Of Current Best Practices At The Secondary And Local Level, Amanda Reed
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Assessment is a critical component of being an educator. Research has shown that educators put more of their trust in their local assessments’ data, rather than that of state mandated testing. Therefore educators must be well educated on the best practices that surround assessments, in order to ensure that the data in which they are trusting is the most accurate and appropriate measure of their student’s success. This capstone project reviews the current literature surrounding such practices in order to answer the question: Is it possible to extend the knowledge of current research, to educators, through the form of a …
Conferring With Elementary Students To Enhance Literacy Skills, Kelsey Patricelli
Conferring With Elementary Students To Enhance Literacy Skills, Kelsey Patricelli
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how does conferring improve the literacy skills of elementary students? The author describes the process of researching and creating a professional development for the purposes of informing educators of conferring, demonstrating its benefits, and modeling how to best implement it into their educational spaces. Research around conferring, specifically by Serravallo (2019), Allen (2009) and Calkins (2013) helped break down the three aspects of conferring - assessment, individualized instruction and goal setting. These separate components were then broken down to help determine the benefits conferring has on the literacy growth of students. This …
Utilizing Mentor Texts In Elementary Literacy Instruction, Allie Duellman
Utilizing Mentor Texts In Elementary Literacy Instruction, Allie Duellman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can elementary teachers utilize mentor texts in elementary literacy instruction? This project documents how teachers can select mentor texts and utilize them in literacy instruction. The literature review focused on five main topics. These topics were, the definition of mentor texts, selecting mentor texts, role of mentor texts, student engagement with mentor texts, and student achievement with mentor texts. Additionally, research (Bates & Morgan, 2018) was done on creating professional developments. The literature review showed that utilizing mentor texts is a successful way to teach young writers. In addition, it showed …
Culturally Relevant Small-Group Strategies To Increase Engagement In African-American Students, Kimberly Haley
Culturally Relevant Small-Group Strategies To Increase Engagement In African-American Students, Kimberly Haley
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Minority groups of students are oftentimes expected to convert to the eurocentrism set up of education. However, the demographics of students in education continues to grow and evolve. Teachers are expected to keep up with this evolution of change, but aren’t necessarily provided with the correct resources. Due to this, educators are seeing reduced levels of engagement, particularly in African American students. This capstone is a professional development for staff showcasing some culturally responsive strategies created by Dr. Sharroky Hollie. These strategies can easily be placed into lessons in order to support the different rings of cultures within students, while …
Equity In Social And Emotional Learning In The Elementary Classroom: An Introduction For Educators, Kirsten Hoffer
Equity In Social And Emotional Learning In The Elementary Classroom: An Introduction For Educators, Kirsten Hoffer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research has demonstrated that social and emotional learning is key in early elementary education, and that a lack of social and emotional skills has many negative implications for the lives of students in the future. It is also widely accepted that the education system in the United States has a great deal of work to do in regards to equity. The course designed for this project pulls together texts that encourage educators to examine their own teaching practice through a lens of equity, to identify places where white supremacy culture is prevalent in their subtle messages to and actions toward …
Implementing An Effective Instructional Coaching Program To Benefit The Teacher As A Learner, Amber Bentley
Implementing An Effective Instructional Coaching Program To Benefit The Teacher As A Learner, Amber Bentley
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Professional development opportunities are not created equally, especially in their ability to achieve sustainable growth in both teachers and students. This paper examines the benefits of an effective instructional coaching program for teachers as the learner and develops the idea that instructional coaching is the best form of differentiated professional development that is built upon a culture of conversation and reflection. Chapter one of this paper provides the author’s investment into the topic of instructional coaching and the need for a differentiated approach to professional development in order to reach the needs of an adult learner. Chapter two explores the …
Best Practices For Professional Development Of Alc Teachers To Assist Gifted And Talented Students, Julia Wallner
Best Practices For Professional Development Of Alc Teachers To Assist Gifted And Talented Students, Julia Wallner
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
According to the Minnesota Department of Education, most recent statistics suggest that 11,180 of Minnesota’s students attended an Alternative Learning Center (MDE, 2018). An Alternative Learning Center (ALC) provides a safe learning environment for students who are either at risk of not graduating, or struggling to strive in a traditional public schooling system amongst a plethora of other reasons personal to a student. Many ALCs provide less traditional learning options such as project based learning and experiential learning such as work based learning opportunities (Owens, 2016). Many people think of an ALC as a place where at-risk or failing students …
El Considerations For Refugee Students, Kelly Palmer
El Considerations For Refugee Students, Kelly Palmer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Many advances have been made considering English learners within the US school system. Laws, policies, assessments, curriculum, and pedagogy have all been affected by the need to provide differentiated educational programs. Refugees are a distinct subset of EL students whose experiences have created a unique set of needs which prompted the study and assessment of approaches educators can use to meet them. This capstone conducted a comprehensive review of literature in the areas of poverty, trauma, and SLIFE to answer the question, What are effective practices for meeting the unique educational needs of refugees as EL learners? The results of …
A Year Of Curiosity, Wonder, And Imagination: Intentionally Connecting Play With Learning In Kindergarten, Adrienne Burns
A Year Of Curiosity, Wonder, And Imagination: Intentionally Connecting Play With Learning In Kindergarten, Adrienne Burns
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research has shown that children in Kindergarten learn best when they learn through play. This guide is intended to provide a handbook for Kindergarten teachers on how to incorporate play within the Kindergarten classroom while meeting academic standards. The guide designed for this project focuses on using the Reggio Emilia philosophy and the vast body of research on playful learning and guided play to incorporate developmentally appropriate play in the Kindergarten classroom. The guide includes research-backed talking points that Kindergarten teachers can share with parents, administrators and other stakeholders on the importance of children learning through play in Kindergarten. Another …