Education Commons^™

K-12 Teachers And Parents: How Do Length And Frequency Of Serial Arguments Affect Perceived Resolvability In The Parent-Teacher Relationship?, Jimena Galvan, Selena Pang, Paula Pearl, Justin Villasenor, Miranda Wall

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This paper aimed to study the relationship between length of serial arguments and perceived resolvability and number of serial arguments and perceived resolvability in the K-12 setting. Role theory explains people’s predictable behaviors based on the roles they take on; thus, it explains the role of parents and teachers in their unique relationships and how roles play into the level of involvement teachers and parents have in the education of children, which can inadvertently result in serial arguments. Role theory was chosen for this study because it works hand-in-hand with identifying predictable behaviors teachers and parents have that contribute to …

Education As Formation, David J. Mulder

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Most all of us have had a "long internship" in school--from kindergarten through high school--and we think we know what teachers do. Teaching is a very public profession, after all. But there is more to being a teacher than sharing information."

Posting about the formative nature of education from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/education-as-formation/

Online Professional Development: Criteria For Selection By Teachers And Evaluation By Administrators, Joshua C. Elliott

Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current qualitative case study was to explore which criteria administrators in a mid-sized public school district in Connecticut use when evaluating whether an online professional development program meets the needs of both the district and the teachers. The study also explored which criteria teachers use when they are selecting an online professional development program. The first research question was, what criteria do school administrators use in evaluating online professional development programs as effective professional development for teachers? The second research question was, what criteria do teachers use in selecting online professional development programs? Data were collected …

Dialoging About English Learners: Preparing Teachers Through Culturally Relevant Literature Circles., Amy J. Heineke

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this paper, I describe how culturally relevant children’s literature allowed teachers and teacher candidates to explore the lived realities of diverse students. Through my qualitative investigation of 23 literature discussions of undergraduate and graduate students across five academic semesters, I found that texts written by culturally and linguistically diverse authors gave participants new ways to articulate ideas and beliefs about English learners. I discovered specific factors that opened or closed opportunities for dialog and learning in literature circles, including implementation of reader response strategies and various participant groupings. Results hold implications for preparing and supporting teachers to recognize and …

Understanding Teacher Perceptions Of Bullying And Effectiveness Of An Anti-Bullying Policy: A Case Study Of Suburban High School Teachers In The Southwestern U.S., James Isom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple-case study was to understand teacher perceptions of bullying and the effectiveness of the current anti-bullying policy of a suburban district in the southwestern U.S. Teacher perceptions will be generally defined as what teachers personally believe about bullying and how they perceive the effectiveness of the district's anti-bullying policy. Data was collected from three sources, interviews, teacher journals, and observations. Cross case synthesis was used to treat each case separately and then combine identified themes across cases. Data showed that teachers perceive the policy to be somewhat effective. However, significant gaps exist that need to be …

Teach Next Year – Curriculum & Instruction Department, Lisa M. Gonsalves, Alicia Savannah

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The NOYCE Phase II project aimed “to increase the number of highly qualified STEM graduates entering the teaching profession, to prepare those teachers to be able to teach a wide range of urban students, and to build a continuum of teacher development for those teachers in their early teaching careers.” A report contained commendations and recommendations for the UMASS Boston TNY Program, based on analysis of data collected from the 2013 EOY survey that addressed the five NOYCE Phase II goals, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Competency Standards for teachers.

Situational Interest In Professional Development, Jean Stevens

Honors College

In this case study we look at three cases of situational interest during a teacher professional development workshop. The cases were selected because they illustrate events where multiple teachers exhibited spontaneous interest in a geologic feature or phenomena. This research was conducted at a three-day professional development workshop on the seashore in the northeastern part of the United States. The professional development involved 17 middle school teachers who spent the three days at three different locations learning about the geologic history at those locations. In this study, we express the signs of interest shown by the teachers in each case …

Negotiating Language Policy And Practice: Teachers Of English Learners In An Arizona Study Group, Amy J. Heineke

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

Arizona language policy now requires English learners to enroll in English language development classrooms for four hours of skill-based, English-only instruction. In this article, I describe Arizona teachers’ interpretation and negotiation of language policy and practice during this time of change to more restrictive mandates. I conducted this qualitative case study with a teacher study group comprised of six English language development teachers and one instructional coach from an urban elementary school during the first semester of language policy implementation. Using discourse analysis of individual interviews, study group dialog, and institutional documentation, I investigated teachers’ talk as they grappled with …

Teachers Who Care And Carers Who Educate. Professional Status Issues And Differences In Pay And Conditions Are Resulting In A Tale Of Division Within Our Early Childhood Community, Doireann O'Connor, Christine Mcgunnigle, Tracy Treasure, Serena Davie

Education Conference Papers

This paper presents the findings of a research project that investigated the views of a group of pre-service teachers both before and after their exposure to practice within professional Childcare. A mixed methods approach was employed. Thirty students in their third year of a four year teaching degree at The University of Notre Dame, Australia were surveyed and interviewed before and after embarking on a ten week practicum within the Childcare sector.

A key finding of the study was that there is currently great division within the Western Australian Early Childhood Education sector. This division has arisen following a recent …

Playing For High Stakes: Findings From The Irish Neighbourhood Play Research Project And Their Implications For Education, Doireann O'Connor, M Mccormack, P Maclaughlin, J Angus, V O'Rourke

Education Conference Papers

The Irish Neighbourhood Play Research Project included almost 1700 families and 240 communities throughout Ireland. The findings hold clear implications for educational policy and practice. Using surveys, interviews and naturalistic observation, data was secured on how children in modern Ireland aged 0 - 15 are playing. An all-island approach was taken incorporating cities, towns and rural areas across a variety of socio-economic groupings. Interesting findings arose from the data relating to generational differences in levels of freedom, play, exercise, engagement with risk, with nature, with scheduled/timetabled extracurricular activities, with homework, with electronics, with creative activities and with traditional play types …

We Are All Educators...Or Are We? Changes In Perceptions Of The Childcare Sector By Australian Pre-Service Teachers Following Professional Exposure To Educational Practice Within Childcare Settings, Doireann O'Connor, Christine Mcgunnigle, Tracy Treasure, Serena Davie

Education Conference Papers

This paper presents the findings of a research project investigating the perceptions and expectations held by pre-service teachers regarding the childcare sector. It presents the views of a group of pre-service teachers both before and after their exposure to practice within childcare following a ten week practicum. The personal experiences of the research participants impacted greatly on their evolutionary understanding of and attitude towards the Childcare Sector.

It offers a contribution to the developing body of research relevant to the Australian Government policy that requires qualified teachers to be employed in Childcare Services by 2014. This policy evolved as a …

Shall We Play Us And Them Or All Together Now? Leadership Opportunities For Cohesiveness And Unity Within A Fractured Western Australian Early Childhood Education Sector, Doireann O'Connor, Christine Mcgunnigle, Tracy Treasure, Serena Davie

Education Conference Papers

This paper presents the qualitative and quantitative findings of a research project that examines the perceptions and expectations held by pre-service teachers regarding the Childcare sector. It presents the experience based position of a group of pre-service teachers both before and after their exposure to practice within Childcare following a ten week practicum.

It offers a contribution to the evolving body of research relevant to a recent Government decision that requires the employment of qualified teachers in all Childcare Services by 2014. This decision came about as a response to the 2006 report by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and …

The Seven Messages Of Highly Effective Reading Teachers, Brian L. Cambourne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In 1982, the late, great NZ reading researcher Marie Clay identified a group of children having difficulty learning to read as "tangled tots (with) reading knots". She was referring to children who, despite having no condition that potentially affected their ability to learn, didn't seem to benefit from reading instruction. She hypothesised that such children "had tangled the teaching in a web of distorted learning which blocked school progress".

School Culture And Mentoring Relationships, Crucial To Developing Confidant Professional Identities Among Lbote Pre-Service Teachers, Lynn D. Sheridan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the AARE-NZARE 2014 Conference, 30 November-4 December, Brisbane, Australia

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Ielts As A Gateway To The Professional Workplace: The Case Of Employers Of Overseas Trained Teachers, Jill Murray, Judie Cross, Kenneth E. Cruickshank

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on a qualitative study which explored stakeholder perceptions of the IELTS test as a gateway to the professional workplace for teachers in Australia and New Zealand. The goal of this study was to research perceptions of school principals as regards teachers who have entered the profession through IELTS or other English language proficiency test pathways and how the changing language demands of teaching may have impacted on these perceptions. Three research questions were addressed, with data for the study collected from 21 principals through their participation in one-to-one interviews and/or face-to-face focus groups. Five IELTS sample Speaking …

Improving Awareness, Attitudes And Uptake Of The Australian Physical A Ctivity G Uidelines Among Primary School Students, Their Teachers And Parents, Lyn Phillipson, Danika Hall

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the International Social Marketing Conference 2014, 17-18 July 2014, Melbourne, Australia

The Portrayal Of Teachers In Children's Popular Fiction, Nancy Niemi, Julia B. Smith, Nancy Brown

Education Faculty Publications

This study explores cultural messages about teachers and teaching, as delivered by current children's literature. Our findings confirmed that teachers are still portrayed, in text and picture, as White, kind, conservative, women who teach for the love of children. More surprisingly, we also found that: 1) the stories conveyed strong themes of students acting as agents of teachers’ identity work, 2) that students often position teachers as sex objects, and 3) that teachers’ social class is characterized as working class. The results imply ambivalence about teachers’ identities and suggest that the teaching profession keeps women in a powerless and objectified …

Preparing Globally Minded Teachers Through The Incorporation Of The International Baccalaureate, Ann Marie Ryan, Amy J. Heineke, Caleb Steindam

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this articles, we describe the initiative of one university's teacher education program to incorporate the International Baccalaureate Teacher Certificate. Responding to the growing number of public and private International Baccalaureate World Schools in urban and suburban settings in our region, the program aims to prepare teachers to meet the needs of diverse learners within a rigorous and global approach to curriculum and instruction. Writing for teacher educators considering the integration of the internationally minded teaching and learning framework, we explain the redesign of our teacher preparation program that was intended to target and integrate the principles and practices of …

The Chicago Teachers Strike And Its Public, Amy B. Shuffelton

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

On The Fault Line: A Qualitative Exploration Of High School Teachers’ Involvement With Student Mental Health Issues, Kate L. Phillippo, Michael S. Kelly

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

School-based mental health (SBMH) research often underplays the crucial role that teachers play in supporting student mental health, even as teachers often find themselves encountering student mental health issues. Further, teachers’ and school-based mental health practitioners’ (SBMHPs) work with shared students has historically tended toward distance rather than collaboration. This article explores the virtual fault line where SBMHPs’ and teachers’ work intersect, concerning student mental health issues. Drawing on qualitative data gathered at three high schools that, to varying degrees, required teachers’ involvement with student mental health issues, this study analyzes the nature of teachers’ work in this area. In …

Teacher Candidates And Latina/O English Learners At Fenton Elementary School: The Role Of Early Clinical Experiences In Urban Teacher Education, Ambareen Nasir, Amy J. Heineke

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study investigates how early clinical experiences impact teacher candidates’ learning and experiences with Latina/o English learners in a field-based program housed in a multilingual, urban elementary school. We draw on multiple-case study design and use discourse analysis to explore cases of three candidates. Findings reveal exploration of additive language policies, use of cultural tools in academic contexts, and linguistic validity in assessments.

Generating Procedural And Conceptual Knowledge Of Fractions By Pre-Service Teachers, Mohan Chinnappan, Patricia Forrester

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Knowledge that teachers bring to the teaching context is of interest to key stakeholders in improving levels of numeracy attained by learners. In this regard, the centrality of, and the need to investigate, the quality of teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching mathematics has been gaining momentum in recent years. There is a general consensus that teachers need a robust body of content and pedagogical knowledge related to mathematics and that one impacts on the other. However, in current debates about this interconnection between content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, there is limited analysis about the procedural-conceptual nature of content knowledge …

Responding To The Evidence: Synthetic Phonics In Action: Final Report: Keys To Unlocking The Future 2012-2013, Deslea Konza

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This project aimed to develop the capacity of primary teachers and School Support Officers (SSOs) to deliver a synthetic phonics program to beginning and struggling readers in 12 primary schools in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. It was designed to ‘value-add’ to the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) project which had been implemented in the region over the previous three years, and to build a critical mass of skilled teachers in a region that usually scored below average in reading on NAPLAN assessments.

A synthetic phonics program refers to one that teaches the alphabetic code or …

Australian Youth Work Education: Curriculum Renewal And A Model For Sustainability For Niche Professions, Trudi Cooper, Judith Bessant, Robyn Broadbent, Jen Couch, Kathy Edwards, Jayne Jarvis, Cath Ferguson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The four main purposes of this project were to:

• Renew the curriculum for Australian youth work professional education, applying the approach to curriculum outlined by Barnett and Coate (2005)

• Investigate the potential for cross-institutional sharing of courseware and educational materials that will facilitate future benchmarking, inter-sectoral and inter-professional pathways, and international qualification recognition

• Promote long-term change through the establishment of a cross-sectoral youth work educators network

• Suggest starting points for a sustainability model for other niche professions.

Strategies For Overcoming Common Obstacles In The Online Environment: Issues In Virtual School Teaching, Michael K. Barbour, Kelly L. Unger

Education Faculty Publications

K-12 online learning or virtual schooling has seen substantial growth in the United States over the past two decades. While the practice of virtual schooling has exploded, the availability of research-based best practices to guide teachers working in these environments is lacking. This chapter presents four cases from Michigan Virtual School (MVS) teachers that examine a variety of issues that virtual school teachers face when facilitating K-12 student learning in the online environment, including strategies to provide substantive feedback in English Language Arts, methods for addressing the demonstration of mathematical computations, using Web 2.0 tools to increase interaction in an …

Teachers Or Psychologists : Who Should Facilitate Depression Prevention Programs In Schools?, Melanie S. Wahl, Jill L. Adelson, Margarete A. Patak, Patrick Possel, Martin Hautzinger

Faculty Scholarship

The current study evaluates a depression prevention program for adolescents led by psychologists vs. teachers in comparison to a control. The universal school-based prevention program has shown its efficacy in several studies when implemented by psychologists. The current study compares the effects of the program as implemented by teachers versus that implemented by psychologists under real-life conditions. A total of 646 vocational track 8th grade students from Germany participated either in a universal prevention program, led by teachers (n = 207) or psychologists (n = 213), or a teaching-as-usual control condition (n = 226). The design includes baseline, post-intervention, and …

Opportunities To Personalize Teacher Learning: Innovative Approaches To Bridge Evaluation And Professional Development For Continuous Improvement, Laura Kassner

MERC Publications

The following seven innovative approaches to personalize teacher learning are explored as possible mechanisms to bridge evaluation and professional development: individual or peer portfolios; National Board Certification; computer-mediated content management; peer evaluation and coaching; computer -mediated coaching; unconferences; and virtual learning communities (VLCs). Relevant research studies on these approaches are summarized, strengths and weaknesses are presented, and recommendations for consideration are discussed.