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Full-Text Articles in Education
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 …
Number Talks For Multilingual Learners, Catherine Neuner
Number Talks For Multilingual Learners, Catherine Neuner
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Educators know that profound learning occurs when students are able to make meaningful connections and engage in academic discourse with their teachers and peers (Kazemi & Hintz, 2014; Moschkovich, 1999; Zwiers, 2008). We know that success in mathematics depends upon a strong foundation of number sense (Boaler, 2015). An interest in synthesising the most promising practices for language acquisition and the most promising practices for mathematics instruction led to the research question: How can Number Talks affect academic achievement and language development of fourth grade multilingual learners? The purpose of this project was to incorporate Number Talks into the fourth …
Embedding Phenomena-Based Learning Practices Into A Middle School Science Curriculum, Allison Kubat
Embedding Phenomena-Based Learning Practices Into A Middle School Science Curriculum, Allison Kubat
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The history of science education has seen dramatic changes since its formal introduction to school curriculum in the last half of the 1800s. Science has moved from a passive learning experience to much more active and student-driven pedagogy. In 2014, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were introduced and states have been adopting these since then. As a way to meet the demands of the NGSS, inquiry-based science lessons have been created. One branch of inquiry-based learning is using phenomena as a way to introduce new content and having students use prior knowledge and models to explain the science behind …
Reading Strategies In A Second Language Spanish Classroom, Wendy Gorman
Reading Strategies In A Second Language Spanish Classroom, Wendy Gorman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Reading in a second language can be a challenge for many students. This project seeks to answer the question ““ What are the most effective reading strategies to use in a middle school comprehensible input Spanish classroom? The project is a website designed to show teachers of Spanish ways to implement reading strategies that word in Spanish in their classrooms. Grounded in research on both language acquisition and reading strategies, this project keeps the basis of several key components in mind at all times- the specific needs of middle school students, how to teach language, how students acquire language skills, …
Using Student-Generated Questions To Promote Curiosity And Student Learning, Todd Larsen
Using Student-Generated Questions To Promote Curiosity And Student Learning, Todd Larsen
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research has shown the power of curiosity in learning. Research has also shown how rare it is for students to ask their own questions. The gap between theory and practice prompted the research question addressed in this project: how might student-generated questions through the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) be used to boost student learning by promoting curiosity? The result of the question is a curriculum unit for an Advanced Placement Human Geography course that uses QFT to support students in creating essential questions, tracking their responses and creating a visual response to their own questions as a summative assessment. Additionally, …
Using Informational Websites To Foster A Connection Between Outdoor Education And State Park Preservation, Amanda Eckart
Using Informational Websites To Foster A Connection Between Outdoor Education And State Park Preservation, Amanda Eckart
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
There is no shortage in research depicting the physical, mental and social benefits that students receive when they participate in outdoor learning. However, there were many barriers preventing classroom educators from taking their lessons into local nature areas. Two of these barriers being educator’s lack of confidence teaching outside and their unfamiliarity with local state parks. This led to the creation of the research question: How can websites and blogs help educators foster a connection between outdoor education and state parks? How can this connection benefit students and state parks? The research used in an attempt to answer this question …
Designing A Discussion-Based Social Studies Curriculum, Sara Schmidt-Kost
Designing A Discussion-Based Social Studies Curriculum, Sara Schmidt-Kost
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Implementing classroom discussions in social studies can be a valuable tool for teachers to increase student engagement, critical thinking skills, and writing skills. Classroom discussions in social studies also help students with historical thinking skills, selecting and evaluating evidence, and crafting arguments. Discussion can be in the form of partner, small group, or whole class discussions. This capstone is a discussion-based curriculum that utilizes many modes of discussion in a five-unit human geography curriculum with the goal to answer the question, How can various forms of student discussion before a writing assignment impact the quality of students’ written work in …
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 …
Creating Environmental Education Programming And Access To Diverse Students, Heidi Hanson
Creating Environmental Education Programming And Access To Diverse Students, Heidi Hanson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The racial diversity of students in environmental education (EE) is minimal for a myriad of reasons. Factors that environmental educators can control in welcoming students to programming is content and teaching. Research on racial diversity, past and present environmental education, students’ land histories and different pedagogies that incorporate culture and address discrimination and justice inform educators how what and how to optimally teach racially diverse students to maintain engagement. Research finds that incorporating students’ cultures into teaching, representing diverse people in lessons, understanding systems of racism, how that impacts people’s actions along with finding ways to change and or confront …
The Importance Of Sleep For Learning And Behavior, Alison D’Antonio
The Importance Of Sleep For Learning And Behavior, Alison D’Antonio
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Sleep is a necessary action humans need in order to survive, yet often it is neglected. The importance of sleep ranges from poor health defects to lack of performance in schools. The research question addressed in this project is “How does sleep affect a student’s behavior and learning?” The rationale for this topic was the lack of information provided about sleep’s importance in schools. The project associated with this capstone is a website. The goal of the website is to enlighten educators and parents/guardians on the importance of sleep and show ways to implement changes within schools and at home. …
A Professional Development Program To Improve Reading Comprehension For Secondary Students, Dayna Hillcrest
A Professional Development Program To Improve Reading Comprehension For Secondary Students, Dayna Hillcrest
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The goal of the literature review and project was to help secondary students improve reading proficiency by identifying influential instructional practice and creating a systematic professional development. The literature review revealed four influential themes that became the pillars of a systematic professional development to be implemented over a three-year period and provide secondary teachers with direct and explicit reading comprehension strategy instruction. Themes were as follows: students need reading comprehension strategy instruction (RCSI) in the content area secondary classroom to learn how to comprehend complex text, teachers need to use direct and explicit strategy instruction with a scope and sequence …
Increasing 4th Grade Student Engagement Through Technology And Other Strategies, Brennan Dickinsen
Increasing 4th Grade Student Engagement Through Technology And Other Strategies, Brennan Dickinsen
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Finding ways to engage students in the classroom can be a challenge over the course of the school year. Over the years the focus and attention of students has seemed to shorten. This has led to teachers having a harder time to find ways to engage students in a lesson for a longer period of time. I have been an educator in fourth and fifth grade classrooms for six years and I have noticed this trend as well. This has motivated me to research and look deeper into this issue. My question is how can technology and other strategies increase …
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 …
The Role Of Restorative Practices In Building Community, Increasing Student Learning And Reducing Racially Disparate Discipline In Secondary Schools, Lawrence Koszewski
The Role Of Restorative Practices In Building Community, Increasing Student Learning And Reducing Racially Disparate Discipline In Secondary Schools, Lawrence Koszewski
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The highly negative outcomes of persistent racially disparate discipline for students and communities of color are well documented and wide-ranging. In response many districts are instituting Restorative Practices in order to reduce the racial discipline gap and mediate negative outcomes for communities. Research of these districts shows a reduction in suspension rates for all students although a racial gap persists. In order to maximize the potential positive benefits of Restorative Practices teachers, administrators and facilitators must fully and properly implement Restorative Practices. To do so will require support through clear, personalized and tangible Restorative resources. This project involved the production …
Creating A Theatre Curriculum For Diverse Upper Elementary Students, Sara Feinberg
Creating A Theatre Curriculum For Diverse Upper Elementary Students, Sara Feinberg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project was created to answer the question how can a theatre curriculum be created for diverse upper elementary students? The paper follows one teacher’s personal journey toward confronting systemic racism and bias in elementary schools today. Through a new world view, the author addresses the physical and cognitive makeup of the upper elementary student and dissects factors that prevent students of color from academic achievement in drama classes and beyond, such as race, income, immigrant status, trauma, and resistant learners. The author then details how a culturally responsive theatre curriculum will help students of color develop their cultural identities …
Implementing Student-Centered Learning Strategies For Multilingual Learners Through A Social Justice Lens, Erik Reynolds
Implementing Student-Centered Learning Strategies For Multilingual Learners Through A Social Justice Lens, Erik Reynolds
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project answers the question, How can we create an equitable student-centered environment through project and problem based learning? The research focuses on student centered learning, specifically project and problem based instruction, while creating an equitable learning environment, along with supporting learnings through differentiated instruction. The project creates a curriculum for a 7th grade Social Studies unit of study of the Foundations of Systems of Power in the United States from 1787 - 1800. Application of this curriculum is a tool that teachers can use to create a safe and equitable learning environment for all of their students.
Incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge To Support Critical Thinking In Environmental Education, Nicholas Koerbitz
Incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge To Support Critical Thinking In Environmental Education, Nicholas Koerbitz
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was how can traditional ecological knowledge be implemented in environmental education? Research indicates that traditional ecological knowledge aids student understanding in environmental education, as it provides holistic viewpoints to problem solving. Available Indigenous teachings from cultures across North America explain the connectedness between all living and nonliving things, yet are very underused resources. This curriculum was created using the Understanding by Design framework consisting of four units including ecology, natural resources, climate change, and current environmental challenges. These lessons include a combination of a teacher centered and student centered classroom, along with provided …
Designing And Implementing Argumentation Through Digital Platform: A Framework For Beginning 3rd-6th Science, Alexandra Melin
Designing And Implementing Argumentation Through Digital Platform: A Framework For Beginning 3rd-6th Science, Alexandra Melin
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Extensive research in science education has underscored the importance of argumentation and discourse as a critical tool for helping students understand the natural world (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Despite these findings, argumentation is used inconsistently across classrooms due to numerous implementation challenges (e.g., limited teacher training, insufficient resources, classroom management difficulties, unique science language and practices). The design and implementation of science argumentation has been further challenged by the growing proportion of English Language Learning students and the shift to online learning, making clear the need for a framework that included support and adaption to both. To address this need, …
Making The Language Of Secondary Math Classrooms More Comprehensible For English Learners, Anna Olivia Zieske
Making The Language Of Secondary Math Classrooms More Comprehensible For English Learners, Anna Olivia Zieske
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Zieske, A. Making the Language of Secondary Math Classrooms More Comprehensible for English Learners (2020) English Learners (ELs) typically score lower than native English speakers on standardized tests in mathematics partially because many math teachers are not equipped to provide language scaffolds for ELs in mainstream math classes. This project is a supplemental curriculum covering the topic of linear equations and graphing lines that can be used in any mainstream algebra 1 class. It is aligned with the 2007 Minnesota Academic Standards for Mathematics. The project consists of eight activities, both teacher and student versions, that provide language supports for …
Impact Of Homework On Learning, James Mcpherson
Impact Of Homework On Learning, James Mcpherson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Homework is a common feature in many middle and high school classrooms around the world, but it is not always utilized effectively. In some instances, homework is assigned with little consideration for its effectiveness and the impact it has on students. Extensive research has been conducted on the topic of homework and its impact on learning and on students. This research indicates that homework can sometimes provide benefit to the student when designed appropriately, but its benefit has a limited impact. This project explores the various reasons that teachers have for assigning homework, such as practice, communication, or as a …
Best Methods For Meeting The Goals Of Environmental And Place-Based Education In Short-Term And Immersive Undergraduate Settings, Henry Whitehead
Best Methods For Meeting The Goals Of Environmental And Place-Based Education In Short-Term And Immersive Undergraduate Settings, Henry Whitehead
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone sought to answer the following question: what are the best instructional methods for meeting the goals of place-based and environmental education in a short-term, immersive undergraduate setting? While place-based education and environmental education have been exhaustively studied for younger learners, a dearth of research exists in their application for college students. Through a review of the literature and the execution of the project, a January interim course for college students studying the Driftless Region, it was determined that several factors influence successful and meaningful learning for college students. Most notably, discussion, experiential learning, and engagement with community members …
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 …
Using The Process Approach To Create An Effective And Efficient Secondary Writing Curriculum For Students And Teachers, Adam Koehler
Using The Process Approach To Create An Effective And Efficient Secondary Writing Curriculum For Students And Teachers, Adam Koehler
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The process approach to writing instruction has become widely used; however, writing assessment practices that emphasize summative feedback may not utilize the strengths of the process approach to instruction. This capstone project answers the question: How can writing instruction and assessment practices be used to create an effective and efficient writing curriculum? The result of the research shows that the instruction methods of specific writing strategies, mentor text analysis, collaborative writing, and sentence combination can be effectively integrated. Research-informed curricula were developed with an emphasis on student-centered formative assessment practices such as writing conferences and peer/self-assessment. These practices effectively support …
What Interactive Strategies Promote Engagement For English Language Learners In A Post-Secondary Science Classroom?, Kristal Newman
What Interactive Strategies Promote Engagement For English Language Learners In A Post-Secondary Science Classroom?, Kristal Newman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The attendance rate of international students has nearly doubled in U.S colleges (Bergey et al., 2019). Many English Language Learners (ELL) are learning the English language while attending regular subject classes, such as biology. There can be many difficult challenges that arise for ELLs in science classes, such as the complex vocabulary of scientific terms. ELL students struggle in science classrooms and have less engagement in the material because of the language barrier and the complexity of the content (Short et al., 2011). Interactive lecturing is a great way to promote engagement in a science classroom with ELLs. Interactive Lecturing …
Three-Dimensional Learning And The Phenomena Based Learning Approach With A Stem Curriculum, Shana Hoglund
Three-Dimensional Learning And The Phenomena Based Learning Approach With A Stem Curriculum, Shana Hoglund
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this capstone project is: How do three-dimensional learning and phenomenon-based learning approaches increase the authentic learning experience for students in elementary STEM classes? The focus of this project was to research the new learning approaches being proposed by the Next Generation Science Standards. Three-dimensional and phenomenon-based learning are utilized in the goal to better understand how these new approaches will be best used in an elementary STEM classroom. The research focuses on the importance and need of STEM education in an elementary setting. The project is a nine-lesson STEM unit on energy conservation for first …
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 …
Co-Teaching Strategies For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Learners In Middle School English Language Arts, Adena Berg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project is: What are the most effective co-teaching strategies for teaching literacy skills in a middle school English Language Arts class that is culturally and linguistically diverse? It documents one teacher’s creation of an ELA-based curriculum that includes strategies for ELD co-teaching, learning activities to increase middle school literacy skills and supports for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Designing the curriculum using the Understanding by Design framework, it is for use when teaching Free? Stories Celebrating Human Rights ( Morpurgo et al., 2015) in a co-taught sixth grade classroom. The overall goal of the …
Components Necessary To Create A Flipped Model Of Instruction For Accelerating 4th-8th Grade Gifted/Talented Students, Samantha Boyd
Components Necessary To Create A Flipped Model Of Instruction For Accelerating 4th-8th Grade Gifted/Talented Students, Samantha Boyd
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research demonstrates that gifted students need to have the option for content acceleration for their intellectual needs, this is especially true for mathematics. The curriculum designed for this project uses the Understanding by Design curriculum planning model, in order to help gifted/talented students accelerate through the pre-algebra (7th grade MN math standards) using a compacting and flipped model of instruction. Gifted and talented students can be identified through many facets, and be identified with a variety of different areas for giftedness. These students who are gifted may need acceleration in order to best meet their academic needs as a …