Education Commons^™

How To Be An Antiracist Educator, Veronica Myers

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Every educator should be antiracist. Racism, both overt and inadvertent, in the classroom leads to students entering the school to prison pipeline, the widening of the opportunity gap, and lack of support for English language learners. This capstone project works to answer the research question: How can educators be antiracist and incorporate antiracist practices into teaching elementary students? Antiracist strategies in the classroom include developing strong and positive relationships with all students, using culturally relevant pedagogy in the classroom, and providing ESL students with language support. This project also provides educators with the opportunity to engage in a series of …

Earning And Learning: Undergraduate Student Employment And The Importance Of Relevant Work, Benjamin Green

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Current trends in undergraduate education show that more students than ever are working part-time jobs during college, and their academics are likely suffering as a result, as a greater number of hours worked correlates with a decrease in grade point average. This is especially problematic as it creates a socioeconomic inequity in academic standing, with students with less financial security or support from parents having to sacrifice their performance and their time in order to supplement their income or even to afford tuition. Relevant, meaningful job placement mitigates some of this effect if students can identify connections between their part-time …

Incorporating Physical Activity In The Kindergarten Classroom, Kendra Buteyn

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Physical activity is something all children need. In today’s world, young children are spending more time on devices and are getting less physical activity at school and home due to busy and overbooked schedules. Research conducted by Abdelbary, Castelli et al., Conyers & Wilson, and Helgelson show that when children move more, they can increase their academic achievement, on-task behavior, and their overall health. Keeping the body active promotes mental clarity by increasing blood flow to the brain, making activity vital to both learning and physical and neurological health (Abdelbary, 2017). The collection of research in this capstone project helps …

Inquiry-Based Learning And Higher-Order Thinking Skills In High School Science, Rebekah Scheiller

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that the use of inquiry-based learning in the classroom will deepen students' learning, teach them valuable skills including problem solving skills, and puts students in control of their own learning. Traditionally, in a science classroom a lecture based strategy is used, but much research has been done to prove that inquiry-based learning engages students to a fuller entext, students retain and understand more content, and lets students explore topics related to their life and the world around them. Inquiry-based learning is designed to teach students essential skills that will help them succeed inside and outside of the …

Service-Learning And Language Acquisition In Secondary English Language Learners, Martha Schultz

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The driving question in this capstone is, how does service-learning promote academic success and language acquisition in secondary English language learners (ELLs)? Research shows service-learning makes learning more meaningful and increases student motivation across disciplines. While a growing number of studies have documented the benefits of using service-learning in the language classroom at the post-secondary level to aid in language acquisition, this pedagogy is not commonly used in the English Language (EL) classroom at the elementary and secondary level. Yet, ELLs across the United States are struggling both academically and socially. The goal of this project is to illustrate how …

More Than White Boys And Their Dogs: Diversity In Children’S Literature Professional Development, Britt Johnson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The creation of this professional development was based upon the research question: What is the best way to decenter whiteness and decolonize elementary literature, while empowering teachers and students to use literature as a tool for social justice? This professional development involves an exploration of the current diversity in children’s literature. It then focuses on developing an understanding of social identities and social justice. Participants will complete a social identity wheel and use their newfound knowledge of social identities to examine their own personal privilege. With this understanding, educators will learn how to assess their classroom library and begin to …

Teaching Primary Aged Students Impacted By Trauma Through Interactive Read Alouds, Amelia Wykes

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question investigated in this project was: How can read-alouds support the learning of primary-aged students who have been affected by early childhood trauma? The experiences of teaching students affected by trauma without a social-emotional curriculum led the author to research how interactive read alouds help students become familiar with social-emotional skills. The research showed how social-emotional learning linked with interactive read alouds can be successful in assisting students in regulating their emotions. The author created ten interactive read-aloud lessons that introduce key social-emotional skills. The topics included in the lessons are self-awareness and self-management. There are six subskills …

Addressing And Supporting Student Behaviors Related To Trauma Through Social-Emotional Learning, Mindfulness, And Restorative Discipline, Alison Sasada

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that Adverse Childhood Experiences can have devastating and lifelong effects on children including changes in brain structure and function as well as problems with behavioral and emotional regulation. With the support of caring adults and appropriate services however, children who suffer trauma can recover and go on to lead happy and successful lives as adults. Educators and school personnel play an important role in this. Trauma-informed practices such as social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and restorative discipline are crucial in working to mitigate the long-term effects of trauma and supporting students who have faced adversity. The research conducted throughout …

The Benefits Of Racial Representation In The Middle School Science Classroom, Samantha Karnes

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has made evident the importance of representation within the classroom, not only for students of color but also for white students. For the means of this project, representation refers to racial representation. There are many methods of increasing representation, such as ensuring staff reflect school demographics and planning more inclusive lessons. An effective method to bring representation into the classroom is by modifying the curriculum that is taught. The curriculum designed for this project is a three-week-long unit developed for the middle school science classroom. This unit is designed to challenge students’ preconceived notions of the scientific community. This …

Dangerous Teaching: An Approach To Difficult Learning In The Theatre Classroom, Tei Ellgen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Over time, social justice theatre has been used to create dialogues surrounding socially relevant issues both specific to the time and prevalent across time. Tectonic Theater Project is a theatre company that focuses on developing works that address such issues, using a method of devising that deconstructs theatre to its bare elements. This process, known as moment work, allows players to create theatre in stages, elaborating on narrative as they work through each element. Tectonic Theater Project’s process for devising using moment work has been implemented in classrooms with students and educators in order to expand understandings about what theatre …

Psych 101: Creating An Equitable Psychology Curriculum To Teach Students Dbt Mental Health Skills In An Alc Setting, Cyrus Butler

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Butler, C. (2021). Psych 101: Creating an Equitable Psychology Curriculum to Teach Students DBT Mental Health Skills in an ALC Setting. The research question addressed in this project was, how can we create an equitable psychology curriculum to teach students DBT skills in an ALC setting? The rising mental health needs of modern teenagers were specified. The historical mistreatment of women, people of color, homosexual people, and transgender people in the field of psychology was detailed. Additionally, mental health outcome disparities and misdiagnosis of disorders for people of color were reported. Historical and current realities of education of marginalized populations …

What Social-Emotional Learning Looks Like In The High School Special Education Setting, And How It Benefits Students With Emotional Or Behavioral Disorders, Emily O’Rourke

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question that this capstone project addressed was, What does social-emotional learning look like in the high school special education setting, and how does it benefit students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders? The research conducted encompassed social-emotional learning theory, special education - the category of emotional or behavioral disorders, and adolescent development. After a number of recent studies done on adolescent students who received social-emotional skill building were read and documented, it was determined that social-emotional learning instruction is beneficial for high school students receiving special education services under the category of emotional or behavioral disorders. Following the research, …

Will Building A Healthy Community In The Elementary Classroom Reduce Disruptive Behaviors?, Samantha Janchan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Community building in the elementary classroom can reduce disruptive behaviors. Elementary teachers wear many different hats during the school day, and managing behavior expectations is one hat. This paper explains the purpose of building relationships with students to reduce disruptive behavior. Teachers will spend time building relationships through activities, routines, and positive feedback. Chapter one provides background knowledge and the author’s personal investment in the subject area of relationship centered classroom management. Chapter two explores research on relationship building and the positive results of a community in the elementary classroom. Chapter three describes the author’s capstone project and the professional …

Teaching The Art Of Writing As An Artist, Yarrow Mead

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

and almost never given the skills they need to do so. Research shows this discouragement is often tied in with race and class issues in our schools and society. This capstone project sets out to answer the question: How specifically can we teach high school students interested in the arts important skills such as grant writing, and artist biography and statement writing, and why should we be teaching those skills? The project set out to create an accessible website for both instructors and students to help them teach and learn the skills of grant, artist biography, and artist statement writing. …

Toxic Math-Masculinity: Changing Harmful Lay Theories Of Mathematics To Improve Student Achievement, Zac Kamm

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Students often come into the secondary math classroom with an implicit understanding of mathematics that negatively affects their performance in the classroom. These lay theories often reinforce an entity theory of mathematical ability that views ability as fixed and unchangeable. In turn, this view of mathematical ability influences students’ goal orientations. Research shows the positive benefits of an incremental theory of mathematical ability and a mastery goal orientation on mathematics student achievement. Much of the research literature focuses on describing or quantifying the connection between incremental theories of mathematical ability and student achievement rather than describing effective strategies for changing …

Engaging Hmong Learners With Oral Storytelling And Flipgrid, Tang Xiong

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, Minnesota had to make the decision to temporarily close schools. Many school districts resorted to online distance learning in order to protect the community from covid-19 spread. There are so many teachers that have not been prepared to teach from an online model. Moreover, teachers were losing engagement from students. Hmong students face a unique challenge where engagement is highly absent due to the switch of an online learning setting. This capstone explored a curriculum design that supports the cultural tradition of oral storytelling using Flipgrid to enhance engagement in the online classroom …

Building Collective Ownership In The School Community Through Authentic Engagement Of Latino Families And Students: A Professional Development For School, Molly Barajas

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has shown that students who have parents that are involved in their education have higher school attendance, school participation and graduation rates. The professional development series developed for this project focuses on the most effective methods teachers and support staff can utilize to authentically engage Latino families in their child's education. In the past, teachers and support staff have expressed frustration at what they perceive as lack of participation in school activities by English Language Learner families. This project discusses traditional and non traditional methods for authentically engaging Latino parents in their children’s education. These methods first require staff …

Cognitively Guided Instruction Strategies For Strengthening Fifth-Grade Students Understanding Of Fraction Concepts, Hao Li

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

An area in mathematics critical for building mathematical knowledge and reasoning is developing children's foundational knowledge of fractions. Understanding fractions is also a building block for developing students' algebraic reasoning and sense-making (NMAP, 2008;) It is very common to see in fifth-grade math classroom there are students who think fraction concepts and procedures seem to have no link to one another and for whom meaning-making in fractions is a challenge (Pitsolantis & Osana, 2013). Therefore, how to design math activities that will increase fifth-grade students' understanding of fraction concepts emerged as research question for this capstone project. History of learning …

Implementing Phenomenon Based Learning Into English Language Development Curriculum, Makenzie Johnson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Finland has one of the most successful education systems in the world, and a significant reason behind that is their utilization of Phenomenon-Based Learning. Students work together to solve real-world problems in project-based learning units, while using language to problem solve alongside their peers. This capstone answers the question, How can a professional development workshop be created that teaches educators in the United States how to build an English Language Development curriculum that is centered around PhenoBL and language domain incorporation while being as culturally inclusive and responsive as possible? Collectively, these pillars of instruction promote a learning environment that …

Raising The Awareness Of Somali Families: The Positive Impact Of Dual Language Education On Student Success, Khaleef Warsame

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Studies have found that dual language education is powerful for all learners and particularly essential for the success of first- and second-generation immigrant learners in the United States. The learning model enhances students’ academic achievement, school participation, and healthy identity development. Students proficient in both their heritage language and culture and their new homeland’s dominant culture and language are also more likely to gain higher upward mobility and enjoy advanced cognitive development. While the benefits of dual language education (DLE) are explicitly illustrated in the literature, there are currently no Somali dual language programs found to be existing in Minnesota …

Predicting Usmle Step 2 Scores Using Results From The Nbme Shelf Exams, Jose Chavez, Michael Machiorlatti, Jose Campo Maldonado, Lori Berry

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Background

In February of 2020 the sponsors of the USMLE examinations, which includes the NBME and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) decided to change the scoring system of the USMLE Step 1 from a three-digit numeric score to a Pass/Fail outcome¹. The basis of this change was made to “address concerns about Step 1 scores impacting student well-being and medical education”². Historically, the three-digit numeric score from Step 1 has been one of the top determining factors for admission into residency³. This change will cause a shift in the priority of objective …

People Manager Mindset Perceptional Influence On Culture At A Large Technology Company, Robert Patterson

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of a growth mindset, meaning an innate desire to learn, persist in the face of setbacks, value failure as essential to learning and regularly seeks feedback to improve by eight people managers in a large technology company (e.g., Microsoft, Alphabet’s Google, Facebook, and Amazon). Utilizing LinkedIn.com, eight people managers were identified and asked to describe their roles in communicating their organization’s culture to their direct reports and the tools supplied by their respective Company to influence their process (e.g., trainings, internal communications, etc.). Additionally, the study documented examples of how …

The Influence Of Concept-Based Instruction On Student Academic Engagement, Amanda Romey

All Theses And Dissertations

Student engagement, including behavior, academic, cognitive, and social/emotional engagement is a complex multidimensional element of students’ overall well-being and success in school. As dropout rates continue to increase along with students feeling disenfranchised from the current educational system, there is a deep need to improve students’ experience in school by having them engaged in their learning. The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the influence, if any, of concept-based curriculum and instruction on student academic engagement. This study examined the multiple elements of student academic engagement by addressing the concept-based learning construct, and student ownership of their learning …

Enlaces In Reflections And (Re)Memberings As Latina Border- Crossers: Journeys Of Childhood And Professional Un/ Welcomings, Ana Carolina Díaz Beltrán, Paty Abril-Gonzalez, Cinthya M. Saavedra, Michelle Salazar Perez

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications

We are humbled to be part of this special issue honoring the life work of Jonathan Silin. His scholarship and activism have opened spaces for future generations, like our own, to share our testimonios. We are straddling between being former early childhood teachers and current teacher educators—between our profe lives and our everyday lived experiences as Latina border crossers. Testimonios, which we engage in for this piece, have herstorically captured intimate tellings that connect individual struggles and strengths to the larger collective (Delgado Bernal, Burciaga, & Flores Carmona, 2012; Latina Feminist Group, 2001). It is in these testimonios that women …

Saint Mary's Magazine - Spring 2021, Saint Mary's College Of California

Saint Mary's Magazine

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological Study On Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Instructional Coaching Support, Shameka J. Brown

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Experiencing instructional supportive structures that help teachers to overcome barriers to meeting the diverse needs of their students is vital to the success of novice teachers (Kraft et al., 2018). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions novice teachers developed while experiencing instructional coaching support. Five novice teachers in elementary Title I schools participated in the study. Two themes emerged from the data analysis and indicated that novice teachers perceived first year success as a result of the instructional coaching support they received. Novice teachers perceived that a collaborative work environment with instructional coaches and …

A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Retention In Project-Based Learning Schools, Elizabeth C. Bielling

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this study was to determine factors influencing teacher retention in project-based learning (PBL) schools. Ascertaining these factors and devising a list of best practices could aid both PBL and non-PBL schools in bolstering their schools’ teacher retention rates. School administrators could examine the research to extrapolate specific practices that would benefit the unique culture of their schools. This mixed-methods study utilized a survey and interviews to address the two research questions. Themes that emerged from interviews with current PBL teachers were colleague interactions, administrative support, student interactions, autonomy, and motivation. Themes emerging from interviews with PBL school …

A Case Study Of Pedagogical Practices That Boost Chinese Students’ Oral English Self-Confidence, Michael D. Knapp

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Practice is necessary for developing oral English proficiency, but many Chinese learners of English lack the self-confidence to practice oral English; furthermore, students’ self-confidence deficiency is perpetuated by insufficient oral English proficiency. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover pedagogical practices that break the cycle of the reciprocal effect of deficiencies in oral English and in self-confidence in Chinese adult PhD non-English major students. Six participants who raised their oral English proficiency and self-confidence during their PhD studies described their English learning journeys by responding to interview questions. Analyzation of data from interview responses developed into two …

The Impact Of Station Rotations In 2nd Grade Reading, Rebecca Draayer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Selecting a classroom approach which engages students and prepares them for success can be challenging for teachers. Educators have to take into account resources available for instruction as well as the demographics of their classroom. This action research study followed second grade students over a four-month period in a reading classroom that utilized the station rotation approach of blended learning. The reason for selecting the station rotation model of blended learning was to improve students' reading scores. It was a goal of this action research to see if a more active approach to teaching would help improve student reading skills. …

Increase Enrollment Of Underrepresented Students In Advanced Mathematics Classes: A School Improvement Plan, Sarah Dougherty

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Providing minority students with the opportunity to engage in advanced mathematics courses affords them access to more engaging learning opportunities, increased motivational beliefs towards mathematics, and potentially higher future earnings dependent on the career they pursue. Examining the present enrollment statistics in math courses at the research site, the need to transform the enrollment in advanced math courses to represent the school population demographics is revealed. In response, a school improvement plan was developed using research-based initiatives. This plan includes teaching a mixture of advanced and non-advanced math courses, teachers advising non-AP and non-IB students to enroll in advanced math …