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Full-Text Articles in Education
Teaching 21st Century Skills: Voices From The Field, Andrew Kitchenham
Teaching 21st Century Skills: Voices From The Field, Andrew Kitchenham
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
This article presents an overview of the 21st century student characteristics based on the professional literature. It then outlines specific pedagogical techniques that can be used to improve literacy in school-aged children. It also includes specific examples of these techniques used in North American classrooms.
Revisiting Teacher Leadership: Perceptions Of Teachers And Principals, Suzanne Harrison, Ginny Birky
Revisiting Teacher Leadership: Perceptions Of Teachers And Principals, Suzanne Harrison, Ginny Birky
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover perceptions of teachers and principals regarding teacher leadership. The researchers investigated how selected Oregon teachers and administrators defined teacher leadership, as well as how they perceived roles, characteristics, and qualities of teacher leaders. Four themes emerged from the results: collaboration, interpersonal relationships, managing the work, and teaching and learning. Results showed that teacher leaders often acted in a collaborative environment and expected colleagues and administrators to be collaborative. Developing and maintaining positive relational skills were of importance, particularly related to caring and serving, as well as the dispositions of honesty, empathy, …
A Co-Inquiry Into What Matters Most In Written Reflections:A Co-Inquiry Into What Matters Most In Written Reflections: Helping Students Integrate Cognition And Affect, Jody Bault, Ray Wolpow, Carmen Werder
A Co-Inquiry Into What Matters Most In Written Reflections:A Co-Inquiry Into What Matters Most In Written Reflections: Helping Students Integrate Cognition And Affect, Jody Bault, Ray Wolpow, Carmen Werder
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Twenty-first century teacher education places increased emphasis on collaborate evaluation of student work. This study provides the voices of a graduate student in teacher education, the professor teaching a literacy methods course, and a university writing instruction support director as they endeavored to develop a rubric to help pre-service secondary teachers improve their reflective writing. Discussion and short essays, guided by that same rubric, provide conclusions on the part of the co-inquirers about the importance of considering both thoughts and feelings in assessing reflective writing and conducting co-inquiry.
Career Coaching Across The Curriculum: Enhancing The Career Competencies Of The 21st Century Learner, Mark W. Slomp, Kerry B. Bernes
Career Coaching Across The Curriculum: Enhancing The Career Competencies Of The 21st Century Learner, Mark W. Slomp, Kerry B. Bernes
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
This article examines the effectiveness of a pilot project offered by members of the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge entitled, ―Career Coaching Across the Curriculum: Integrating Career Development into Classroom Instruction‖. It explores whether this pilot project effectively prepares pre-service teachers to integrate career education into curriculum. It also explores whether this pilot project contributes to the attainment of important career development competencies for students in the Kindergarten-Grade 12 educational system.
School-University Collaboration: Perspectives On A Hybrid Space For Literacy Learning, Nancy A. Place, Antony T. Smith
School-University Collaboration: Perspectives On A Hybrid Space For Literacy Learning, Nancy A. Place, Antony T. Smith
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
This paper examines the ongoing collaboration between a teacher certification literacy course and a local elementary school. Teacher candidates, elementary students, classroom teachers, and university instructors all collaborate to implement a literacy methods course, creating a hybrid space for learning in which university and school personnel work together to the benefit of all participants. The background of this collaboration is described, and literacy learning is explored from the perspective of each participant group. Themes from these perspectives suggest that structured interactions between teacher candidates and elementary students help bridge the gap between literacy concepts and classroom practice, and that participating …
Enhancing Rural Internships: Considering The Post-Intern Voice, Edwin Ralph, Keith D. Walker
Enhancing Rural Internships: Considering The Post-Intern Voice, Edwin Ralph, Keith D. Walker
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
A lingering issue that has faced rural-practicum planners across all the professions relates to enhancing the overall quality of rural internships. In this report, the authors address a key facet of this subject by considering the viewpoint of post-interns regarding their own rural practicum experiences. The authors compare the perspectives of a recent group of Education post-practicum students regarding the quality of rural internships with findings from previous research related to the subject. The post-interns participating in the present study recently completed their 16-week extended practicum in rural schools in one Western Canadian province. They submitted written responses to questions …
Because It’S A Girl Cake!:Because It’S A Girl Cake!: Fostering Dialogue About Gender Identity In Elementary Classrooms, Niko Wacker, Amy E. Ryken
Because It’S A Girl Cake!:Because It’S A Girl Cake!: Fostering Dialogue About Gender Identity In Elementary Classrooms, Niko Wacker, Amy E. Ryken
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
In this documentary account, a kindergarten teacher and teacher educator describe our efforts to explore how young children think and reason about gender expression in and beyond the classroom. We describe our ongoing collaboration to develop a framework for teacher-initiated and student-initiated conversations about gender, which often result from students’ spontaneous remarks and questions about gender norms. We explore the question, How can educators create relevant and engaging learning opportunities to invite young learners to discuss gender norms within the classroom? In this paper we share kindergartners’ conversations about gender and three examples of their writing about this topic. We …
The Perils And Promise Of Personalized Learning, Allyson Fleming
The Perils And Promise Of Personalized Learning, Allyson Fleming
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
In this article I explore the concept of personalized learning, a relatively new concept being promoted by the British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Education as the “new” approach to effective learning through the lens of a practicing professional. I begin by tracing my own emerging understanding of personalized learning as a discourse in BC education and then follow this with a discussion about the dominance of neoliberalism as an ideological frame for thinking about education and schooling. In particular, I consider how the role of the teacher shifts from professional to functionary, and how this shift is reified through two …
Promoting Cross-Cultural Competence And Awareness In Teacher Education: Toward The Integration Of Western And Non-Western Perspectives, Stephen Woolworth, Vidya Thirumurthy
Promoting Cross-Cultural Competence And Awareness In Teacher Education: Toward The Integration Of Western And Non-Western Perspectives, Stephen Woolworth, Vidya Thirumurthy
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Calls for culturally competent teachers persist amidst the ongoing diversification of the P-12 student population (Aud et al. 2010), continued racial homogeneity of the teacher workforce (Boser, 2011), chronic academic achievement disparities between majority and minority student groups (Vanneman et al., 2009), and persistent racial disproportionality in school discipline practices (Losen et al, 2012). In an effort to encourage and promote cross-cultural competence and awareness, we describe a graduate seminar we designed and taught around the integration of western and nonwestern perspectives on cognition, development and learning. We share a number of insights gained from the seminar experience and conclude …
Latinos In Action: Cultivating Academics, Access, Equity, And Future Bilingual Educators, Maria Timmons Flores, Marilyn Chu, Michael Sampson
Latinos In Action: Cultivating Academics, Access, Equity, And Future Bilingual Educators, Maria Timmons Flores, Marilyn Chu, Michael Sampson
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Developing bilingual teachers is critical in closing the achievement gap experienced by bilingual and Latino children. This qualitative case study investigated the benefits of an academically grounded cross-age tutoring program designed to support low-income, bilingual high school students to graduate, pursue higher education, and explore education as a possible career. Data sources included observations, interviews, program artifacts, and quantitative academic indicators. Data were analyzed using grounded theory and narrative analysis. Theoretically framed as social design experiment (Gutierrez & Vossoughi, 2010), the study employs cultural historical perspectives and qualitative research to define underlying principles of transformative practice. Findings demonstrate shifts in …
“Community Building Makes It Nice For Everybody”?: Elementary Teachers’Understandings And Practices Of Classroom Management, Hillary Merk
“Community Building Makes It Nice For Everybody”?: Elementary Teachers’Understandings And Practices Of Classroom Management, Hillary Merk
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
This qualitative research study explored elementary teachers’ understandings and practices of classroom management, particularly in regard to their own and students’ power, race, gender, and social class. In the first theme, the community building framework “makes it nice for everybody”, I work to understand how these white, middleclass teachers embrace this approach due to their race, gender, and class, which engender their desire for pleasantry. The second theme, “hard kids are hard kids”: a common sense ideology of difference, emerged from these teachers’ understandings of how race, gender, social class, and power influence student behavior and their classroom management practices.
Life Changing Events For Students: An Initial Exploratory Study, Michael A. Rousell
Life Changing Events For Students: An Initial Exploratory Study, Michael A. Rousell
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
The purpose of this exploratory study was to discover under what conditions teachers’ comments create transformative moments for students. This study shows that emotional arousal, frequently triggered by surprise, appears to be a catalyst for the spontaneous and profound restructuring of a student’s personal schema or worldview. Our brains evolved to respond to emotionally intense challenges rapidly and reflexively. These challenges are instantly processed by the brain’s innate, stress-driven, conceptual, problem-solving system. Our reflexive brain system is organized to accept the most expedient solution, not necessarily the best one. It’s thus quite vulnerable to making impetuous responses that may generate …
Becoming The Cultural “Other”: Pre-Service Teachers Conducting Ethnographic Projects While Studying Abroad, Maria Dantas-Whitney, Chelsea Cotton, Haley Christensen, Maggie Edwards, Lindsay Freeman, Jessica Wood
Becoming The Cultural “Other”: Pre-Service Teachers Conducting Ethnographic Projects While Studying Abroad, Maria Dantas-Whitney, Chelsea Cotton, Haley Christensen, Maggie Edwards, Lindsay Freeman, Jessica Wood
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
In the summer of 2011 a group of pre-service teachers from Western Oregon University joined a study-abroad program in Argentina. During their approximate two-month stay, pre-service students had the opportunity to take intensive coursework in Spanish, as well enroll in credit-bearing courses leading to an ESOL endorsement (English for Speakers of Other Languages). One of the ESOL courses offered during the program was “Culture and Community in ESOL/Bilingual Classrooms.” This article is written by five of the students who participated in this course, in collaboration with their professor. In particular, the article focuses on an ethnographic course project.
It Hurt Big Time: Understanding The Impact Of Rural Adolescents’ Experiences With Cyberbullying, Robin Bright, Mary Dyck
It Hurt Big Time: Understanding The Impact Of Rural Adolescents’ Experiences With Cyberbullying, Robin Bright, Mary Dyck
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
In the 21st century, the growing use of online technologies has challenged parents and educators to understand the concerns and issues faced by adolescents with cyberbullying both in and outside the school context. The purpose of this study was to examine rural adolescents‘ experiences with cyberbullying in Canada. The participants included 1752 adolescents who attended 16 schools in rural Alberta. The 73-item online questionnaire included the following question: If you have ever known someone to be bullied, been a target of bullying, or ever bullied someone using online communication please describe the situation(s) and what happened as a result. Youth …
Reimagining Partnerships: Using The Co-Teach Model To Prepare 21st Century Teachers, Kathryn E. Picanco, Janine J. Darragh
Reimagining Partnerships: Using The Co-Teach Model To Prepare 21st Century Teachers, Kathryn E. Picanco, Janine J. Darragh
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
The purpose of this article is to describe the co-teaching model for the student teaching internship and its benefits for teacher candidates and the students with whom they work. The partnerships that have emerged from the implementation of co-teaching in eastern Washington state are explained. Co-teaching is in the process of being phased in by all four major universities in the region: Whitworth University, Washington State University, Eastern Washington University, and Gonzaga University. The universities and local districts partnered to form the Eastern Washington Co-teaching Leadership Team to plan and deliver training together. A study was conducted by the Eastern …
The Schools Ain’T What They Used To Be And Never Was – 21st Century Schools, Learners, And Teachers, Colleen Kawalilak, Jim Paul
The Schools Ain’T What They Used To Be And Never Was – 21st Century Schools, Learners, And Teachers, Colleen Kawalilak, Jim Paul
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
This writing presents our views, as university teacher educators and scholars, concerning some issues pertaining to the readiness of contemporary Canadian education to move forward, well, with confidence and competence, into the mid-21st Century. We posit that all which is possible, educationally, lives in the give and take between Canadian education‘s geo-political, economic and linguistic past, the current functioning of contemporary schools as contested learning and teaching sites, and the increasing impacts of globalisation. We draw from guiding adult education principles in support of an enriched and expanded commitment to teacher professional development as a pathway to sustainable education reform.
The Importance Of Using Technology-Enhanced 21st Century Literacy Skills To Support Culture And Diversity In The Classroom, Sonia Isabel Lopez-Lopez, Ibtesam Hussein, Maysoun Ali
The Importance Of Using Technology-Enhanced 21st Century Literacy Skills To Support Culture And Diversity In The Classroom, Sonia Isabel Lopez-Lopez, Ibtesam Hussein, Maysoun Ali
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Teaching in today‘s classrooms is not the same as it has been in the past; that is what teachers claim. There is a new generation of students, with new expectations and capacities, coming into the classroom. The Internet and technology in general are used everywhere to communicate and interact with others. Today, students are looking for different interactions and ways of learning in the classroom. Therefore, technology should be used not only because students are using new technologies ubiquitously outside of the classroom, but also because the use of technology can enrich students‘ understandings of diversity and culture, which can …
Secondary School Students’ Lack Of Mathematics Understanding, Masomeh Jamshid Nejad
Secondary School Students’ Lack Of Mathematics Understanding, Masomeh Jamshid Nejad
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
A study was conducted to investigate the influence of pupils’ beliefs on their performance in problem solving. Twenty-seven students from Grade 8 participated in this study. The findings showed that there is a positive correlation between participants’ belief, some subscales of belief and participants’ performance in problem solving. Further research was then suggested. A study was conducted to investigate the influence of pupils’ beliefs on their performance in problem solving. Twenty-seven students from Grade 8 participated in this study. The findings showed that there is a positive correlation between participants’ belief, some subscales of belief and participants’ performance in problem …
The Efficacy Of Inquiry-Based Learning In Undergraduate Physiology, James Depaepe, Tracy Campion
The Efficacy Of Inquiry-Based Learning In Undergraduate Physiology, James Depaepe, Tracy Campion
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Lecture, where learning is passive, remains a prevalent instructional method of teaching content. Contextualized approaches like Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) where students are more actively engaged remains less common. For 25 years the literature has supported contextualized approaches. Nevertheless, recent papers have claimed IBL to be an unguided approach that has produced content knowledge deficits. Therefore, we tested whether undergraduate physiology content could be learned using IBL. Four groups of undergraduates (mean ages=23, N=60) took a ten-week physiology course using IBL. A content valid pretest and posttest measured content knowledge. A one-way ANOVA indicated no significant differences within or between groups …
What Matters Is Mutual Investment And Evidence-Based Dialogue: Designing Meaningful Contexts For Teacher Learning, Amy E. Ryken, Fred L. Hamel
What Matters Is Mutual Investment And Evidence-Based Dialogue: Designing Meaningful Contexts For Teacher Learning, Amy E. Ryken, Fred L. Hamel
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
How might teachers be supported as professional learners, in activities and conversations that assist, rather than distract from, the complex work they do each day? In this article we describe a public school/university partnership model designed to support practice-oriented communication among educators– where professionals from various roles, institutional affiliations, and experience levels, communicate together about the details of their teaching. We outline the principles behind our approach and describe the specific practices we use to promote communication that engages teachers’ pedagogical thinking. We share how teachers’ own practice can become a centerpiece of professional development, and how authentic questions and …
Teacher As Researcher: An Essential Component Of Teacher Preparation, Kimberly Hill Campbell
Teacher As Researcher: An Essential Component Of Teacher Preparation, Kimberly Hill Campbell
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
This article provides a brief synthesis of research findings from studies of teacher education programs that include attention to teacher research. It then details findings from a study of beginning teachers who learned about and conducted teacher research in their preservice M.A.T. program. Surveys and follow-up interviews show that these beginning teachers (2-6 years in the field) utilize a variety of research strategies, and the data from their classroom inquiry informs and sustains their work. Teacher research is more than just a requirement of their teacher preparation program; it is an essential habit of their classroom practice.
Improving Student Engagement With 21st Century Learning Practices, Thelma M. Gunn, Maurice Hollingsworth
Improving Student Engagement With 21st Century Learning Practices, Thelma M. Gunn, Maurice Hollingsworth
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
There is sufficient evidence to support the importance of adaptive student engagement with respect to improved school behavior, academic achievement, and high school completion rates. Students who are more engaged exhibit high levels of adaptive attention, cognition, and behaviour as well as create social, physical, and intellectual resources (i.e., Appleton, Christenson, & Furlong, 2008; Fredrickson, 2001). A three-year study designed to investigate and track student engagement and academic achievement with Grade 9 and 10 students has demonstrated that 21st century instructional practices have the potential to improve students’ perceptions of community, orientation to school, and in particular, their academic strategies.
The Importance Of Professional Dispositions: A Survey Of Diverse Teacher Educators, Kelly M. Benson, Naomi Jeffery Petersen
The Importance Of Professional Dispositions: A Survey Of Diverse Teacher Educators, Kelly M. Benson, Naomi Jeffery Petersen
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Dispositions are undisputedly crucial for teaching success and academic achievement, but what are they and which ones are most important for candidates to develop before student teaching? Can we identify, define, influence or assess dispositions for a common language among all stakeholders in teacher education? In order to find out if stakeholders from 30 certification areas share common definitions of essential teacher dispositions, and whether their range of opinions can be reduced to major constructs, we surveyed faculty and staff in 30 NCATE-accredited certification programs housed in three colleges of a large public comprehensive university. This article presents the qualitative …
Better Learning Though Augmented Reality: Ar In The Classroom, Alex Manning, Russell Powers, Xan Pedisich
Better Learning Though Augmented Reality: Ar In The Classroom, Alex Manning, Russell Powers, Xan Pedisich
Anthós
This paper reports on the development of an augmented reality (AR) game that immerses students virtually and in their physical environment to view PSU in different ways. Players learn historical information, interact with contributions from previous players, and use language to describe what they see, discovering new and rediscovering old hotspots. By producing knowledge through activity and learning through action, students are engaged in and shape their own education in real scenarios instead of through book work alone. Player experience and dynamics are recorded and assessed with a view toward creating more powerful learning environments.
Points Of Leverage: Navigating Tensions Between Socio-Culturally Relevant Teaching And Accountability Pressures, Kathryn Mcintosh Ciechanowski
Points Of Leverage: Navigating Tensions Between Socio-Culturally Relevant Teaching And Accountability Pressures, Kathryn Mcintosh Ciechanowski
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
This qualitative study explores how an elementary teacher navigated tensions between accountability and bilingual learners‘ needs. Questions included: How did a teacher employ students‘ socio-cultural resources in content areas? How did accountability shape use of resources? What are points of leverage—i.e., promising instructional practices to be further developed and harnessed—to meet student needs? Findings show how Ms. Montclair briefly connected to students‘ resources, focusing on making content comprehensible, transmitting information, staying on pace, and practicing testing. Although familiar with project-based and family/community-oriented learning, accountability measures impacted instruction. Yet promising instruction integrates socio-cultural resources to promote innovation and meaning.
Critical Inquiry And Collaborative Action: Transforming A College Of Education To Recruit And Retain Underrepresented Populations To Teacher Education, Marilyn Chu, David Carroll, Maria Timmons Flores, Kristin French
Critical Inquiry And Collaborative Action: Transforming A College Of Education To Recruit And Retain Underrepresented Populations To Teacher Education, Marilyn Chu, David Carroll, Maria Timmons Flores, Kristin French
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
This documentary account describes how a task force comprised of college of education faculty and university admissions staff from a medium sized comprehensive university engaged in a critical inquiry process to address the issue of recruiting and retaining underrepresented students in teacher education (i.e., men and culturally and linguistically diverse students). The group examined the issues and challenges associated with an education college‘s recruitment, application, selection and retention processes. The paper suggests how critical inquiry groups of higher education faculty and staff may support the transformation of policies, practices and relationships needed to increase the number of teacher candidates from …
Towards Balanced Assessment Of Student Teaching Performance, Keith Roscoe
Towards Balanced Assessment Of Student Teaching Performance, Keith Roscoe
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Assessment practices in schools have undergone dramatic changes over the last decade, and applying this knowledge to the assessment of student teachers is a challenge currently facing teacher preparation programs. K-12 assessment has moved towards a "backwards design" approach, greater student involvement, a wider range of strategies, and assessment systems that balance summative and formative assessment. However, the assessment of student teaching performance during field experiences has often overemphasized summative assessment, collecting data for making judgments, at the expense of formative assessment, gathering information to improve student teacher performance. Recently, one institution recognized the need to reexamine its approach to …
A Model For Professional Development In Elementary Science, David Davison, Kenneth Miller, Michael Scarlet
A Model For Professional Development In Elementary Science, David Davison, Kenneth Miller, Michael Scarlet
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Statements of outcomes for 21st century learners typically include inquiry-based learning as a major goal. In the PRISM Project, 62 elementary teachers in Montana were selected to receive professional development using inquiry science instruction in their classrooms. Participants attended workshops designed to model inquiry lessons, participated in online discussions to help them make their lessons more inquiry-based, and prepared Scoop notebooks containing three lessons demonstrating how they were implementing inquiry in their classrooms. Based on analysis of these data, participants were judged to have met the goal of the project to increase their use of inquiry in the science classroom.
Constructivism In Practice: The Potential Of Ubiquitous, “Low-Tech” Audio Devices For Literacy Development In The 21st Century, Dennis Jablonski
Constructivism In Practice: The Potential Of Ubiquitous, “Low-Tech” Audio Devices For Literacy Development In The 21st Century, Dennis Jablonski
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
In this study, four graduate level preservice teachers used inexpensive, MP3 players preloaded with audiobooks with the objective of increasing the reading fluency and digital literacy of elementary school children. The data collected included preintervention surveys, pre/post oral reading fluency scores, a log of daily listening experiences, and preservice teacher journals. The findings indicated that student-participants‘ oral reading fluency scores improved along with the students‘ confidence in reading. Additionally, both the preservice teachers, and the student-participants reported an increased awareness of how technology can be used for literacy development and enjoyment, suggesting an enhancement of digital knowledge and skills.
Collaborating To Teach Research Methods In Education, Todd Milford, Catherine Etmanski
Collaborating To Teach Research Methods In Education, Todd Milford, Catherine Etmanski
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
The purpose of this paper is to describe a pedagogical collaboration between two research methods instructors in a Faculty of Education in Canada. Both instructors represent different paradigms in the classic quantitative vs. qualitative dichotomy in that they were trained in vastly different ways and have tended to approach their research along these same lines. However, despite these differences the paper explores how they each viewed this as a potential limitation in their methods teaching and how through crossing over to each other’s classrooms were able to both expand their own understanding as well as offer a more balanced and …