Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Back Matter

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Editors' Message

Leaping into Uncertainty: Teaching and Learning beyond Logic and Reason

In 1846, Soren Kierkegaard set forth the limits of logical systems and objective truth, neither of which can shed light on the important questions of life. “In logical systems,” the nineteenth century Danish philosophy argues, “nothing may be incorporated that has a relationship to existence, that is not indifferent to existence” (141) because a logical system is purely speculative. Existence is an actuality, a doing. Logical systems cannot account for the necessary leap in life between almost doing something—thinking about doing something (and Kierkegaard’s example is taking the …

Learning About The Natural World Through An Inquiry-Based Residential Experience, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Oliver Ranch Project

The mission of the Red Rock Desert Learning Center is to instill stewardship and respect by increasing knowledge and understanding of the Mojave Desert ecosystems and cultures through a unique experiential discovery program

Red Rock Desert Learning Center & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Newsletter, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Oliver Ranch Project

The mission of the Red Rock Desert Learning Center is to instill stewardship and respect by increasing knowledge and understanding of the Mojave Desert ecosystems
and cultures through a unique experiential discovery program.

Red Rock Desert Learning Center & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Historical Timeline, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Oliver Ranch Project

Historical Timeline of Red Rock Desert Learning Center.

Explorations In Off-Higway Vehicle (Ohv) Recreation: A High School Driver Education Extension, Allison Brody, Jennell M. Miller, Sky Mcclain, Katharine August

Education about the Environment

The lessons within this curriculum have been designed to meet the following goals:

● To increase knowledge about the natural world OHV recreationists will encounter in their exploration of Southern Nevada;

● To increase knowledge of responsible use of OHVs and principles of Tread Lightly! and Leave No Trace (both are nonprofit organizations dedicated to increasing awareness about how to minimize impacts while enjoying public and private lands);

● To increase awareness, knowledge, and understanding of land ethics;

● To allow youth to analyze personal values regarding recreational experiences, including OHV use.

Field Trip Survey Results, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI Education)

Field Trip Survey Results

The Missing Body–Yoga And Higher Education, Judith Beth Cohen

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Using her own yoga practice as a basis, this author argues for more bodily involvement in learning and offers several exercises she has used to accomplish this.

Inclusion Of Students With Mild Disabilities: Accessing The General Curriculum, Cecily Ornelles Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Inclusion in general education classrooms is generally believed to have many benefits for students with disabilities. However, relatively little is known about the process of successful inclusion. The broad purpose of this study was to explore the process of inclusion. It sought to discover the variables that may have contributed to the learning experiences and outcomes of two students with mild disabilities in a general education classroom. The intent was to document the students’ experiences as they related to instruction, their peers without disabilities, and teacher supports in an effort to aid teachers and others in implementing inclusion in classroom …

Spotlight On Inclusion: What Research And Practice Is Telling The Field, Emily C. Bouck Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Inclusive education needs continued exploration, as current research is ambiguous. This paper presents data across three related studies regarding inclusive education for secondary students with high incidence disabilities. One study represents a survey of curriculum and instructional environments for secondary students with mild mental impairment and learning disabilities, another presents data that explored interactions across inclusive and pull-out educational settings between students with mild mental impairment and their peers and adults, and the final study explored education in pull-out educational settings for students with cross-categorical disabilities. Overall the studies revealed that inclusive education is not a clear solution and must …

Toronto's Korean Canadian Community: 1948-2005, Cam Cobb

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Ethnicity, the influence of stereotyping – whether it is overt or not - and personal identity intersect on a daily basis. But what is ethnicity? One could argue that it is a flexible idea, or as Weber (1968) notes, a matter of “subjective belief” (p. 389). According to Troper and Weinfeld (1987) “the definition of an ethnic group involves a sense of shared history, real or imagined (p. 106).” I include these two definitions of ethnicity because they both acknowledge the subjective nature of ethnic identity. Reflecting on subjectivity, however, raises questions concerning the interplay between ethnicity and stereotyping. To …

Challenges To Education In Tajikistan: The Need For Research-Based Solutions, Sarfaroz Niyozov, Stephen Bahry

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

Education in Tajikistan today is acknowledged by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Tajikistan and by international agencies as facing many challenges. Infrastructure and materials need replacement or repair; curriculum needs to be adapted to changing conditions; professional development for teachers is required, while means to retain experienced teachers and attract new ones need to be found. At the same time, children's' meaningful access to education has been threatened by various factors that reduce their attendance and participation in education, keeping some youth out of school altogether. This chapter argues that research in education in Tajikistan and the …

Finicky Fish Finish... Last! Pre-Visit Lessons -- Support Materials (Grade 5), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

In “Finicky Fish Finish…Last!” students explore what has happened to the Colorado River and the reasons why it is so difficult for the razorback sucker to thrive in a changed environment. Working as ichthyologists (fish biologists) at Lake Mead, students collect water quality data such as temperature, pH, and clarity -- to determine whether current habitat conditions are sufficient for survival of young razorback suckers. Students observe and identify non-native fish in Lake Mead as they learn how the razorback sucker interacts with these neighbors. Students assess whether Lake Mead is still a good habitat for razorback suckers. Using the …

Curricular Development For A Desert Learning Center, Angie Lara, Michael Reiland

Curriculum materials (RRLC)

The Red Rock Desert Learning Center, formerly known as Oliver Ranch, is a 300-acre parcel acquired by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1993 and incorporated into the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The Desert Learning Center is being designed to teach participants about the natural world through inquiry-based experiential and interdisciplinary methods in a residential outdoor setting in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, located outside metropolitan Las Vegas, Nevada. The intent is for students, teachers, and researchers to gain an appreciation of desert ecosystems and to begin to apply and connect their knowledge to world ecological …

21st Century Literacies: Transforming Education For Next Generation Learners, Patricia A. Iannuzzi

Library Faculty Presentations

- 21st Century Literacies

- Millennials as Learners

- Engaging the Digital Native

- A Vegas Perspective

Assessing “Discover Mojave” Instrument Development And Analysis: Final Report, Lori Olafson, Gregory Schraw, Michelle L. Weibel

Reports (DM)

We developed curriculum and a comprehensive assessment plan to determine whether hands-on outdoor recreation events promote knowledge, attitudes, and performance among at-risk urban children. Knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed, refined and conducted through various stages based on cultural and language barriers as well a variety of age groups participating within the events. Findings revealed that knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased substantially as a result of participating in the outdoor recreation events. We conclude that the implementation and assessment of the program is strong. We also make several recommendations for future programs.

Review Of After Education: Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, And Psychoanalytic Histories Of Learning By Deborah Britzman, Marla Morris

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

This review was published in the Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies.

The Evaluation Of The Use Of Technology/Electronic Media In Teaching Or Delivering Instructions/Lectures At A Florida University: History, Philosophy And Practices, Iwasan D. Kejawa

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

According to the previous survey conducted by Florida Atlantic University Student Academic Affairs department in 2001, it was indicated that faculty uses of teaching and learning technologies/electronic instruction media to teach and deliver their lectures at the college were lacking.

With the current research study, investigations were thoroughly made and suggestions are provided on the improvement of faculty performance in the use of technologies at the institution to teach and convey knowledge to their students. In this report, the institutional personnel and its administration are made aware whether all existing technologies are being optimally used by faculty. This study also …

Inside Unlv, Erin O'Donnell, Carol C. Harter, Cate Weeks, Nancy Syzdek

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Inside Unlv, Erin O'Donnell, Carol C. Harter, Holly Ivy De Vore, Diane Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Special Education Students' Placement Preferences As Shown In Special Education Journals, Maurice Miller Ph.D., Pamela Garriott Ph.D., Deanna Mershon Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The purpose of this review was to determine what has been found about placement perceptions and preferences of those who are most impacted by LRE placement decisions—the students themselves. Eleven studies were found in recent issues of most frequently-read special education journals. While a variety of preferences were found, the number who expressed strong preference for the general education classroom was noteworthy. Student preference is considered to be an influential variable in the performance of the students.

A Study Of School Headship In The Context Of Inclusion Of Learning Disabled Students As Perceived By School Staff In Mainstream Secondary Schools In Israel, Tsafi Timor Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The study aims to investigate staff perceptions of school headship in relation to the inclusion of learning-disabled students. The main question is whether head teachers perceived to be leaders develop an inclusive vision towards learning-disabled students more than those who are perceived to be managers. The study relies on the perceptions of head teachers, counselors and teachers in five secondary schools in the Tel-Aviv area, Israel. The method of enquiry that was applied was the interpretive approach which allowed for an analysis via interviews, and elements of the survey approach and documentary analysis. The analysis and conclusion indicated that an …

Efficacy And Perception Of Inclusion At The Secondary Level For Students With Mild Disabilities: A Review Of The Literature, Tracy Blankenship Ph.D., Cecil Fore, Iii Ph.D., Richard T. Boon Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the published literature on the efficacy and perception of inclusion for students with mild disabilities at the secondary level. In this review, ten studies were obtained, reviewed, and synthesized. The studies reviewed indicated mixed results have been found regarding the differential efficacy of an inclusive environment to a resource environment on a number of different dependent variables. Further concerns and challenges are raised regarding aspects of implementation of inclusive programs. Future research issues and implications for both teachers and students with mild disabilities at the secondary level are discussed.

Becoming A Teacher Of Literacy: The Struggle Between Authoritative Discourses, Mindy Legard Larson, Donna Kalmbach Phillips

Faculty Publications

This study describes and analyzes the influence of an ideological conflict between a teacher education program and a school district upon one pre-service teacher’s emerging identity as a teacher of literacy. Using poststructural feminism as the theoretical framework and a single case study analysis, the study illustrates how the discourse of the school district’s scripted reading program and the discourse of the university’s comprehensive literacy positions Claire, the pre-service teacher. The data analysis demonstrates how being positioned between these two competing and authoritative discourses conflicts with her understanding of reading and reading instruction. Reflecting upon the data, the research becomes …

Inclusion: Where We've Been, Where We Are, Where We're Going, Marie S. Farmer Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

In 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was enacted and its pressure to have all students achieve academically has caused many teachers and administrators to reconsider whether mentally retarded children should be included in regular classes. The purpose of this study was to survey experienced professionals in the field of special education to get their insight about the future role of inclusion for students with mild intellectual disabilities. Members of the Georgia Council on Exceptional Children members were surveyed to find out their expectations for the future of the education of mentally retarded children in the next ten years. While …

Jaepl, Vol. 11, Winter 2005-2006, Kristie S. Fleckenstein, Linda T. Calendrillo

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Essays

Kami Day. We Learn More Than Just Writing.

In a composition class, students learn a great deal more, for good or ill, than just strategies for writing. This article shows that, as students and teachers learn to recognize and value their own inner teachers, they can also develop relationships with each other that nourish their spirits as well as their intellects.

Gina DeBlase. 'I Have a New Understanding': Critical Narrative Inquiry as Transformation in the English-History Classroom.

This case study highlights what roles classroom discussion and activity around literature, history, and society play in developing one student’s …

Headstands, Writing, And The Rhetoric Of Radical Self-Acceptance, Geraldine Deluca

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

By emphasizing the importance of patient practice as an end in itself, yoga offers a model teaching and learning writing that can help students move forward in a context of self-acceptance and find the sources of their own talents and values.

Front Matter

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Editors' Message

Inner Work: Teaching and Learning (from) Within

”There lives the dearest freshness deep down things,” Gerald Manley Hopkins writes in God’s Grandeur, capturing in this line, as he sought to reveal through the marvelously unique sounds and rhythms of his poetry, the “inscape” or the unique inner essence of all natural things. “The dearest freshness deep down things” is also Parker Palmer’s focus in The Courage to Teach, where he argues for a teacher’s and a learner’s inner work: exploring “the inner landscape of the teaching self” because “[t]he more familiar we are with our inner …

What Happens When We Read: Picturing A Reader’S Responsibilities, Laurence Musgrove

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

A graphic representation of reading as a process enables students to respond more fully and responsibly to literature by attending to what they contribute to the act of reading, what the world to the text can offer, what kinds of responses are available to them, and what they can do to make sure they have responded as thoughtfully as possible.

Poetry And The Art Of Meditation: Going Behind The Symbols, Stan Scott

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Combining reader-response theory with spiritual teachings, this article explores how reading poetry may serve as an introduction to the art of meditation.