Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Teaching Toward Educational Equity: Creating Critical Collegial Communities That Sustain Teacher Transformation And Equitable Outcomes For Students, Susan Adams

Susan Adams

Workshop and panel at the Indiana Urban Schools Association Conference, June 15, 2011.

Use Of Resources In Second Language Writing Socialization, Gulbahar Beckett, Miyoung Nam

Gulbahar Beckett

The Effects Of Ethnic And Gender Specific Curricula When Used As A Targeted Reform Strategy To Improve Academic Achievement And Promote Post-Secondary Matriculation Of African American Male Adolescents, Ona R. Powell

Ona R Powell

With the passing of Brown vs. the Board of Education and the subsequent Civil Rights Movements of the 1960’s, it was perceived that African Americans would be afforded the inalienable right of an adequate and equal education. Although many African Americans took advantage of this right, and excelled both educationally and economically, others fell prey to erosion of the African American community and persistent stereotypical mental model of American society. Since garnering those monumental achievements, the academic achievement levels of African American boys have been in a steady decline, as those of African American girls have soared. To a certain …

A Case Study On Perspectives, Whitney Tallarico

Senior Honors Projects

The Rhode Island Training School becomes a home to juvenile offenders of the law. Home, in so far as it is a place that they sleep, eat, and spend a lot of time in, as well as the atmosphere in which learning and growth occur during the adolescent phase of their lives. There is a very high rate of released inmates who return to the facility for things like running away from group homes, not checking in with their parole officers, or other misdemeanors. It is my belief that this is, at least in part, due to the fact that …

Multicultural Education In The Music Classroom: Definitions, Methods, And Motives, Candace Rhnea Stafford-Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to understand the multicultural teaching experiences of music teachers in the Fayetteville and Springdale public school districts through the lens of James Banks' four approaches to curriculum reform. The research was intended to add to the limited literature presently found on the definition of multicultural music education and how this type of education is implemented. The study also increased knowledge of teacher motives for implementing multicultural education in the music classroom and highlight challenges that lie within implementation. Purposive sampling was used and in an attempt to get an information rich sample, two schools were chosen from …

Does A Co-Learner Delivery Model In A Mathematics Methods Course Affect Pre-Service Teacher Candidates’ Self-Efficacy In Teaching Mathematics?,, John J. Ribeiro, Denise Demagistris

Teacher Education

This study is related to a previous study (Ribeiro, 2009) that examined teachers’ perceptions of teaching self-efficacy. In the first study the sample consisted of two groups of teachers that took the same professional development course in mathematics. The comparison group took the course in their school district with other teachers and the experimental group took the course with pre-service teachers in a university classroom. After completing the course, both groups were measured in three dimensions of teaching self-efficacy: student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom climate. Findings indicated that although both groups had significant gains in self-efficacy toward teaching mathematics …

The Need To Create Culturally Responsive Teachers: Implications For Teacher Education Programs, Cass Griffin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Using nine reflections as a centerpiece, this thesis aims is to inform readers about the power that an international travel experience and/or practica in dual-language environments can have in becoming a more effective teacher, a culturally responsive teacher. From personal experience in a both settings, I think I am now better able to relate to students with culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds because I have been in a similar situation. Students with diverse backgrounds (that are different from their teacher) may have extra difficulty communicating or expressing their thoughts and ideas. Teachers need to recognize these difficulties and respond appropriately …

The Evaluation Of A Mixed Methodological Model To Improve The Productive And Receptive Skills In Spanish As A Fl/Sl: An Experimental Study, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

This present article seeks to provide a mixed methodological model for the development and implementation of a Teaching Module for Spanish as a Foreign Language in the face to face environment. The primary objective is to portray how methodological principles from different language teaching approaches - in this case, task based language teaching and cooperative learning - can be combined effectively in designing activities for face to face contexts. In this regard, empirical evidence is analysed in order to determine the effectiveness of the mixed methodology in the teaching-learning of Spanish as a Foreign Language in the said settings, in …

Relationship To Place: Positioning Aboriginal Knowledge And Perspectives In Classroom Pedagogies, Neil Harrison, Maxine Greenfield

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This project is based on research conducted with 12 schools in New South Wales, Australia. It examines how each school incorporates Aboriginal perspectives in its Kindergarten to Year 6 program with a view to identifying quality practice. As we inter- viewed teachers in these schools, it became clear that there is considerable confusion over the difference between Aboriginal perspectives and Aboriginal knowledge with both concepts being used interchangeably to teach syllabus content and information about Aboriginal people. We endeavour to clarify these concepts and to suggest how teachers might incorporate Aboriginal knowledge in their programs, without recreating some of the …

The Relationship Between Arabic Language Proficiency, English Language Proficiency, And Science Academic Achievement Of 11th Grade Arabic Speaking English Language Learners, Shadia Y. Zamlut

Wayne State University Dissertations

Limited schooling in the first language (L1) has allowed English Language Learners (ELLs) to face obstacles in their second language (L2) and science courses. Therefore, this study examines these variables in the following two hypotheses: (1) there is a significant relationship between Arabic language proficiency and English language proficiency and (2) there is a significant relationship between Arabic language proficiency and science academic achievement. A causal-comparative design was used to examine these hypotheses. The investigator selected sixty 11th grade Arabic-speaking students based on a nonrandom sampling method from one high school in the Metropolitan Schools (pseudonym) in Southeast Michigan. The …

Digital Storytelling In Bhutan: A Qualitative Examination Of New Media Tools Used To Bridge The Digital Divide In A Rural Community School, Khendum Gyabak, Heriberto Godina Phd

Heriberto Godina PhD

This qualitative study examines the use of digital storytelling as an instructional intervention for bridging the digital divide among public school students in rural Bhutan. Primary participants for the study included elementary school children who had never been previously exposed to computer technology and were recipients of a donated classroom set of laptops. Results demonstrated how technology instruction and infrastructure inherently positions ethical and cultural differences between researchers, education personnel, school children and their families. The use of English became an inadvertent gatekeeper for who was chosen to participate in the classroom laptop program. Another major finding examines how Bhutan’s …

Impacts Of A Social Support Intervention For Somali And Sudanese Refugees In Canada, Miriam Stewart, Laura Simich, Morton Beiser, Knox Makumbe, Edward Makwarimba, Edward Shizha

Edward Shizha

The aim of this paper is to design and pilot test a culturally tailored intervention that meets the support needs and preferences of two refugee groups. The study employed a multi-method participatory research design and was conducted in two urban centres in western and central Canada. Support was delivered to Sudanese and Somali refugees (n = 58), by trained peer and professional helpers, in face-to-face groups matched by gender and ethnicity and in telephone dyads. Participants completed three quantitative measures before (pre-test) and following (post-test) the intervention. Group interviews with refugee participants and individual interviews with peer and professional helpers …

Challenges And Barriers To Services For Immigrant Seniors In Canada: "You Are Among Others But You Feel Alone", Miriam Stewart, Edward Shizha, Edward Makwarimba, Denise Spitzer, Ernest N. Khalema, Christina D. Nsaliwa

Edward Shizha

This paper seeks to explore varied interrelated challenges and barriers experienced by immigrant seniors. Senior immigrants representing diverse ethnicities (Chinese, Afro Caribbean, Former Yugoslavian, Spanish) described their challenges, support needs, and barriers to service access. Service providers and policy makers from organizations serving immigrant seniors were interviewed to elicit their views on barriers to access and appropriateness of services for immigrant seniors. Qualitative methods were employed to enhance understanding of meanings, perceptions, beliefs, values, and behaviors of immigrant seniors, and investigate sensitive issues experienced by vulnerable groups. The qualitative data were subjected to thematic content analysis. Findings indicate that seniors …

Health And Wellness In Southern Africa: Incorporating Indigenous And Western Healing Practices, Edward Shizha, John Charema

Edward Shizha

Current healing systems in Southern Africa focus on the holistic approach to the health and wellness of patients. Biomedical approaches and traditional healing systems that incorporate spiritual healing, mental healing, physical and social healing play a crucial and significant role in health delivery systems in Southern Africa. An integrative approach has been accepted as a vital component of holistic healing. Often, biomedicine has been criticized for overlooking the relationship of the social and spiritual being to the body and the effect the former has on the latter. Medicine and healing are cultural practices; hence the process of healing and the …

Book Review Of "Culture, Curriculum, And Identity In Education" By H. Richard Milner (Ed.) (2010), New York, Palgrave Mcmilla., Edward Shizha

Edward Shizha

Identity involves different facets of human self-definition and is unequivocally a vital element of individuals’ lives, especially in diverse societies. Culture and identity are intertwined. In education, culture in the curriculum plays a vital component in students’ identity formations. Supportive school environments provide socially, culturally and linguistically appropriate curricula that legitimize identity formations. Teachers and the curricula they teach are sources of identity formation. Every classroom encounter is largely dictated by the teacher’s role and the perception the teacher has of the students.

Getting To The Heart Of The Matter: Well-Being And Esd 2011, Cresantia Frances Koya Vaka'uta

Cresantia Frances Koya Vaka'uta

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Revisionist History On Pre-Service And In-Service Teacher Worldviews, Franklin Titus Thompson, William P. Austin

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Students sometimes find the study of history to be boring and irrelevant. Many question the accuracy of accounts given. The introduction of revisionist history to a convenience sample of students (A^ =164) from a college of education program located at a Midwestern university made a positive difference in historical learner perspective. Students gained a greater appreciation for the study of the past, as well as a better understanding of how the melodramatic hyping of events and heroes discourages the formulation of a balanced and accurate view of history and its leaders. Pretest-to-posttest changes in mean scores were found to be …

Cultivating Knowledge In The School Garden: New Ways Of Teaching Literacy To Esl Students, Michele Durivage

MA TESOL Collection

My thesis project includes a combination of materials development and classroom-based research. In my paper, I explore existing garden-related curricula, and create original garden-based lesson plans to teach literacy to fourth grade ESL students. This curriculum development project contributes to the field of ESL in its innovative garden-based pedagogy. The field study took place during the spring semester of 2009 at Increase Miller Elementary School in Westchester County, New York. Using nature as inspiration for writing descriptive essays and poetry, the ESL students at Increase Miller produced imaginative writing pieces, using their own voices to express their thoughts. The students’ …

How Esol Teachers Become Aware Of Communicative Peace, Josette Leblanc

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines the implications that the relationship between teacher language awareness and communicative peace may have on educational programs for teachers of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The evaluation begins by analyzing proposals set out by the applied peace linguist Francisco Gomes de Matos, who suggests that ESOL teachers should teach communicative peace as an element of communicative competence, and also that education programs should provide training to support this approach. By juxtaposing current literature on structural and linguistic violence with Gomes de Matos’ classroom techniques, the hypothesis is made that teachers who would teach communicative peace …

Sustained Silent Reading In The Esl Classroom: The Silent Motivator?, Megan V. Ahonen

MA TESOL Collection

This classroom based research paper investigates the use of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) in the ESL classroom. The purpose is to determine if implementing a SSR program would increase students’ interest and desire to read in English outside of the classroom for pleasure. This paper will share background information on the students and school, different reading inventory samples and questionnaires with student responses, and current findings on SSR compared to my own personal findings. The final chapter is devoted to roadblocks and limitations encountered along the way throughout this study

The Efficacy Of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (Siop) In Mathematics Instruction On English Language Learner Students, Jose L. Vidot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies by the National Association for Educational Progress found that English Language Learner (ELL) students perform poorly compared to other students on standardized mathematics exams. The research problem addressed how Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) affected the instructional practices of high school mathematics teachers. The purpose of this evaluative case study approach was to explore the extent to which the implementation of SIOP influenced mathematics instruction in a mid-sized rural high school. The conceptual framework for this study was formed by combining Krashen's i+1 nativist theory for language acquisition through comprehensible input, Long's interactionist theory for acquisition of knowledge and …

Implementing A Sheltered Science Course In An Iowa High School, Erin Holt Johnson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

English Learners (ELs) entering U.S. schools at the high school level face the enormous challenge of acquiring academic literacy as well as secondary-level content in a relatively short period of time. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that a significant number of the ELs entering at the secondary level are students with limited or interrupted formal educations as a result of family migrations, unequal schooling in their home countries, political unrest or even war. In response to this pressing need to teach language and content simultaneously, many school districts are adopting the sheltered instruction (SI) model. This paper will …

Navigating The Waves Of Social And Political Capriciousness: Inspiring Perspectives From Dream-Eligible Immigrant Students, Amanda Morales, Socorro Herrera, Kevin Murry

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This article examines the psychological and sociological impacts of the proposed Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act and instate tuition legislation on DREAM-eligible students in the Midwestern United States. The researchers sought to capture the lived experiences of undocumented immigrant students through their rich interpretations of current immigration policy and how participants described their situation, their identity, and their dreams in relation to the volatility of their external environment.

Resumen: Este manuscrito examina el impacto psicológico y sociológico del propuesto Acto de Desarrollo, Asistencia, y Educación para Menores Extranjeros (DREAM) y la ley de educación para …

The First Child In A Chinese Family Who Could Read Prior To Entry Into Elementary School: A Qualitative Intrinsic Case Study, Shu Ping Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an account of the literacy-related human environment a Chinese girl experienced as the first person in the history of her family who was able to read prior to entry into elementary school. Temporally speaking, the study spanned more than a decade from the initial, tentative research question to the formal, primary research question. Spatially speaking, it crossed three cultures: the Chinese, Korean, and American cultures. The study was inspired by the Zero Project in China, known as the "Project of Quality Education and Implementation for Children Aged Zero (fetus) to Six." The significance of the content issue …

El Colegio Fundación Fernando Borrero Caicedo: Un Sistema Educativo Alternativo En Colombia, Caitlin J. Latta

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the success of the academic program of El Colegio Fundación Fernando Borrero Caicedo, a small private school in Facatativa, Colombia, and the ways in which the school may be a model for other similar private schools both nationally and internationally. Using observation and personal interviews with parents, administrators and students affiliated with El Colegio Fundación Fernando Borrero Caicedo, this thesis discusses the school’s main strength, its close-knit and compassionate community, as it relates to the school’s success.

Internationalizing General Education From Within: Raising The Visibility Of Heritage Language Students In The Classroom, Evguenia Davidova

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article analyzes the findings of a pilot project conducted in 2008–2009 as a partnership between University Studies, Portland State University’s interdisciplinary general education program, and the University’s Russian Flagship Language Partner Program. The project proposes a new approach of integrating non-English speakers’ language skills, culture, and life experiences into classroom activities of general education courses. By engaging the students as facilitators in the exploration of their own cultures and languages, the project offers a model of enriching collaborative student teaching and learning that could be applied to various interdisciplinary courses.

Cross-Cultural Moral Explorations In Plagiarism, Bradley Baurain

Bradley Baurain

No abstract provided.

Morality, Relationality, And Listening Pedagogy In Language Education, Bradley Baurain

Bradley Baurain

Listening pedagogy in language education treats listening proficiency almost exclusively as a function or skill, the purpose of which is to generate products or outcomes desired by language users. Though listening is rhetorically acknowledged to be an active and complex process of making meanings within contexts and relationships, in practice teacher education and pedagogical discourse treat listening simply as a linguistic transaction and listening pedagogy as a technical and instrumental process of skill building, with the goal of enabling learners fluently to perform such transactions. Such a means-to-ends orientation, however, is inadequate or insufficient to encompass holistic moral and relational …

Being The Change We Want To See: Esl And Special Needs Teachers Author Their Past And Their Future, Susan Adams, Jamie Buffington-Adams

Susan Adams

Presentation at the 2011 Indiana Teachers of Writing Annual Conference.

Voices, Identities, Negotiations, And Conflicts: Writing Academic English Across Cultures, Bradley Baurain, Ha Phan

Bradley Baurain

No abstract provided.