Education Commons^™

What Information From Pisa Is Useful For Teachers? How Can Pisa Help Our Students To Become More Proficient?, Juliette Mendelovits, Dara Searle, Tom Lumley

Juliette Mendelovits

A frequent objection to large-scale testing programs, both national and international, is that they are used as an instrument of control, rather than as a means of providing information to effect change. Moreover, concerns about large-scale testing often take the form of objection to the specific characteristics of the assessments as being prescriptive and proscriptive, leading to a narrowing of the curriculum and the spectre of 'teaching to the test' to the exclusion of more important educational content. Taking PISA reading literacy as its focus, this paper proposes, on the contrary, that a coherent assessment system is valuable in so …

Exploring Some Inattended Affective Factors In Performing Nonroutine Mathematical Tasks, John Douglas Butler

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Describes students' attempts to solve nonroutine math problems and explores possible correlates of their performance, focusing on inattended (i.e., intentionally avoided) dimensions underrepresented in the literature, including attitudes, interests, values, aesthetics, metacognition, and representation. Analyzes objective and subjective data gathered from a sample of 9th-grade students at a high school in Rhode Island. Finds strong evidence of students' math-aesthetics in problem solving.

Teaching Shakespeare In The 21st Century: A Guide For Secondary Educators, Deborah Heilmer

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This project explains how the integration of innovative methods for teaching Shakespeare's works, and the works of other canonical authors, can increase motivation and achievement among 21st century students in the secondary classroom. It provides a rationale for the continued use of Shakespeare's works as part of the secondary curriculum, as well as an overview of common problems associated with teaching Shakespeare today. Issues addressed include cross generational, sociocultural translation and modern-day relevance, as well as assessment authenticity. The project consists of a research paper and unit guide constructed for the purpose of bridging the gap that often exists between …

Enhancing Student Learning With Brain-Based Research, Ted Bonnema

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This paper discusses brain-based learning and its relation to classroom instruction. A growing quantity of research currently exists regarding how the brain perceives, processes, and ultimately learns new information. In order to maximize their teaching efficacy, educators should have a basic understanding of key memory functions in the brain, and how these functions relate to student learning. In this paper, the author surveys current literature to identify foundational instructional strategies that are supported by brain-based research. A Microsoft PowerPoint© presentation is included that is intended for use at an in-service training with the goal of providing participants with (1) an …

Illuminating Adolescent Voices: Identifying High School Students’ Perceptions Of Teacher Caring, Ruben Garza, Gail Ryser, Kathryn Lee

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The purpose of the current study was to identify teacher behaviors that secondary students perceived as demonstrating caring. The questions that guided this inquiry were (a) what teacher behaviors do high school students perceive as caring? and (b) what teacher behaviors do high school students perceive as the most important aspects of caring? Whereas previous studies clearly have documented the power and influence of caring teachers on adolescents’ success, we posit that knowing what students perceive as caring behaviors can be used as a springboard to shape the context of caring for all students, especially those who are marginalized, feel …

An Exploratory Study Of Mathematics Engagement Of Secondary Students, Tracy Thomas Brown

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

An Exploratory Study of Mathematics Engagement of Secondary Students by Tracy Thomas Brown A large proportion of American students are not psychologically connected or engaged to what is occurring in their classes; in addition, they fail to take school seriously, have lost interest in school, and do not value or seek out success (Steinberg, Brown, & Dornbusch, 1996). In addition, the relationship in a mathematics classroom between schooling and engagement from the student’s perspective is not well known (Cothran & Ennis, 2000). The purpose of this study was to investigate engagement in order to describe students’ constructs of student engagement, …

Undergraduate Commencement Exercises Program, May 16, 2009

Bryant University Commencements

Commencement Exercises Program, May 16, 2009.

Graduate School Commencement Exercises Program, May 14, 2009

Bryant University Commencements

Graduate School Commencement Exercises Program, May 16, 2009.

Teacher Educators' Computer Technology Integration At Utah State University, Jiayi Wan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research is to develop a deep understanding of Utah State University teacher educators' perceptions and lived experience with computer technology integration. Ten methods course instructors in secondary education participated. Data were collected using the phenomenological research method: (1) conducting one-on-one in-depth interviews, (2) classroom observations of the four participants, and (3) examining artifacts, such as syllabi and presentation evaluation forms used by the participants.

The findings of this research show that the subjects regard computer technology as a powerful instructional tool. They also realize it is important to prepare preservice teachers with computer technology for their …

Classroom Management Techniques For Adhd Students: A Teaching Guide For Secondary Teachers, Troy A. Stevens

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

"Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) occurs in 3% to 5% in school age children" (Sherman, Rasmussen, & Baydala, 2006, p. 1). This figure continues to grow due to diagnoses of ADHD, which were not identified earlier in young children. This increase in the number of students with ADHD effects educators and how they manage their classroom. The success of an educator is based on how well his or her students learn and how that educator manages the classroom environment. Typically, ADHD students disrupt the learning environment consistently, which effects the overall learning environment. Educators are provided with instructional and behavioral …

Curriculum Reform In American Public High Schools And Its Impact On Minority Students, Jayesh D'Souza

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

It seems like the high school curriculum reform effort in the United States has come full circle. While its development has taken place over time, statistical differentials in academic performance among racial/ethnic groups makes one question, the adequacy of the modern day high school curriculum in addressing the needs of all segments of society. After all, progress in the evolution of the high school curriculum has been slow and no matter what changes were made to it, there always seemed the need for further development. The early stages of educational reform can be traced back to the early nineteenth century …

E Is For Elephant, J Is For Jackass: The Role Of Politics In Education, Michael Miles

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

K-12 institutions find themselves under the realm of No Child Left Behind. A central question is, “What does this really mean in terms of the educational world?” State legislatures are more and more influencing the organization and operation of institutions of higher education. It seems that the roles assumed by individuals in education and the roles assumed by individuals in politics have taken drastic, if not cataclysmic changes. No Child Left Behind and state-mandated funding formulas (to mention only a few) are not the only times in which educators and institutions have found themselves inundated by politics. The days of …

The Perceptions Of Secondary Teachers And Students About The Implementation Of An Inclusive Classroom Model For Students With Mild Disabilities, John O’Rourke, Stephen Houghton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This research used qualitative methods to gather the perceptions of regular classroom teachers and students with and without mild disabilities (MD) about an inclusive program implemented in three separate classrooms and designed to enhance both the academic and social engagement of a small number of students with MD. Teachers acknowledged that these strategies resulted in improvements in their classroom approach and in positive outcomes for students. Two of the three teachers considered that the strategies resulted in limited academic gains, but provided opportunities for students with MD to enhance their social experience. All students were positive about certain changes to …

Enhancing Students' Attitude Towards Nigerian Senior Secondary School Physics Through The Use Of Cooperative, Competitive And Individualistic Learning Strategies, Akinyemi Olufunminiyi Akinbobola

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The study was conducted to find out the attitude of students towards the use of cooperative, competitive and individualistic learning strategies in Nigerian senior secondary school physics. The design selected for this study was quasi-experimental. A total of 140 students took part in the study and they were selected by a random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire titled Students’ Attitude Towards Physics Questionnaire (SATPQ) on 4-point scale was used to collect the data. The Students’ Attitude Towards Physics Questionnaire (SATPQ) was validated and trial-tested to establish reliability using Cronbach Alpha. The instrument had a coefficient of internal consistency of 0.86. …

Parts Of The Whole: Is Everything Equally Important?, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

Two strategies are proposed for sorting out priorities and goals in education. At the college level the column argues that goals, and therefore requirements, should be set based on the desired knowledge base of the entire population rather than the individual. At the scale of a single K-12 classroom the column argues that priority be given to content requiring most instructor intervention, describing how the structure of class time and school activities would change as a result. Implementation of these strategies would lead to more efficient use of teacher’s time and effort, better allocation of systemic resources, and clarity of …

A Grounded Theory Model For Final Grade Decisions Made By Secondary Teachers In Suburban Central Alabama, Ronald Wesley Dodson

All ETDs from UAB

The use of single letter grades from A to F to report academic progress from school to home remains a core practice in American secondary schools despite calls for reform extending back more than three decades. One possible reason for the failure of such reform to catch on at this level is that adequate attention has not been given to understanding how teachers at this level are using grades to accomplish things beyond the reporting of simple achievement. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to discover the decision-making process associated with the assignment of final term grades by …

How To Make After School Programs Work: A Study Of Successful After School Programs In Five States, Caitlin Laboissonniere

Honors Projects

Explores the factors that make a high school after school program successful. Eight programs from five states participated by completing a voluntary survey. Half of the programs are categorized as being a success, with results indicating that the types of activities offered to teens is the most important aspect in ensuring a successful after school program.

So Tell Me, What's Different But The Skin I'M In? Seven Adolescent Black Girls Making Sense Of Their Experiences In An Online School Book Club Featuring African American Young Adult Literature, Benita Rutonya Dillard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Believing the claim made by Black feminist research and scholarship that Black women writers and Black female social networks were safe spaces for Black females to come to voice, this qualitative multiple case study examined how seven adolescent Black females enrolled in a public virtual charter high school positioned themselves as they responded to contemporary realistic young adult fiction written by African American female authors in an online single-gendered book club. This study captured participants as some interacted in Tuesday's group and the others in the Thursday's group. Interpretivist methods are used to specifically examine the ways in which the …

What Information From Pisa Is Useful For Teachers? How Can Pisa Help Our Students To Become More Proficient?, Juliette Mendelovits, Dara Searle, Tom Lumley

Dr Tom Lumley

A frequent objection to large-scale testing programs, both national and international, is that they are used as an instrument of control, rather than as a means of providing information to effect change. Moreover, concerns about large-scale testing often take the form of objection to the specific characteristics of the assessments as being prescriptive and proscriptive, leading to a narrowing of the curriculum and the spectre of 'teaching to the test' to the exclusion of more important educational content. Taking PISA reading literacy as its focus, this paper proposes, on the contrary, that a coherent assessment system is valuable in so …

Learning Mathematics For Life : A Perspective From Pisa, Jan De Lange, Alla Routitsky, Kaye Stacey, Ross Turner, Margaret Wu, Andreas Schleicher, Claire Shewbridge, Pablo Zoido, Nicola Clements

Dr Alla Routitsky

People from many countries have expressed interest in the tests students take for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This book examines the link between the PISA test requirements and student performance. It focuses specifically on the proportions of students who answer questions correctly across a range of difficulty. The questions are classified by content, competencies, context and format, and the connections between these and student performance are then analysed. This analysis has been carried out in an effort to link PISA results to curricular programs and structures in participating countries and economies. Results from the student assessment reflect …