Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Using Web 2.0 Technology To Support Collaborative Learning In Distance Education, Sarah E. Ling

Graduate Research Papers

Distance education continues to grow in popularity with higher education institutions across the country. A shift in pedagogy towards collaborative learning activities within the online learning environments is designed to bring students together as a group. This review of research investigates how Web 2.0 technology has proven to be useful in these collaborative activities. Various issues and obstacles are addressed which may arise in the use of this social software for collaborative learning within a distance education setting. The introduction of Web 2.0 software to distance education may hold the key to creating powerful collaborative learning experience for students who …

Effective E-Learning Environments For Adult Learners, Lois A. Lindell

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this literature review is to examine the types of instructional strategies that are appropriate and effective in e-learning environments for today's adult learners. To identify the best practices among instructional strategies in e-learning environments, three specific questions were addressed. These areas include: adult learning, instructional design and future developments in e-learning.

The literature reviewed highlights the importance of learner-centered instructional strategies that use authentic learning experiences, collaboration, and real-world problem solving applications. Continued research is called for to further refine and expand on the best instructional practices. Institutions engaged in distance education need to provide for training …

Rapid Elearning : Its Impact On Instructional Design In The Corporate World, Stephen W. Acheson

Graduate Research Papers

Rapid eLearning is a present and growing phenomenon in the world of corporate training that is challenging traditional instructional design ideas. The concept of Rapid eLearning represents a class of easy-to-use eLearning development tools, methods designed to shorten course development timelines, and techniques intended to enhance learner understanding and retention. Companies are adopting Rapid eLearning as a way to reduce costs and shorten the time it takes to disseminate new information and concepts to employees in geographically diverse locations. New software tools and instructional design methods are being developed to address the goals of Rapid eLearning.

To gain a broad …

Music And The Brain, Kimberly D. Madison

Graduate Research Papers

A great deal of literature focuses on the subject of music and the brain and how music can affect learning. Music stimulates brain patterns, and therefore should be considered essential in an academic setting. This review was written to provide an analysis of the published literature and studies in the area of music and cognitive development, to examine how the brain is wired for music, and to determine whether music is an effective tool in enhancing environmental and cognitive learning conditions in classrooms.

Motivating Middle Level Students : Strategies To Help Reach And Teach Middle Level Students, Lisa L. Munsey

Graduate Research Papers

This review of literature focused on the strategies educators use for motivating the young adolescent in the middle level classroom.

Anderman and Maehr (1994) found motivation could be improved through a variety of methods by focusing on specific areas: developmental changes, intrinsic versus extrinsic, middle level transformation and classroom practice. Along these same lines, Curwin (2006) found motivation can be enhanced with practices in the middle level classroom through four main areas: (1) welcoming students to school and class, (2) stressing the effort students put forth, (3) increasing homework completion, and (4) turbo charging classroom lessons.

This paper focused on …

Barriers Of Technology Integration In Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade, Theressa Northouse

Graduate Research Papers

Many teachers understand the benefits of integrating technology in K through 5th grade classrooms, however, technology is not being effectively integrated. The purpose of this review is to identify the barriers of technology integration in kindergarten through 5th grade and discuss ways in which to remove those barriers. This review includes many research articles, books, websites, a blog, and an interview.

For the purposes of this review, the barriers to integration have been divided into two categories: first and second-order barriers. First-order barriers are extrinsic to the teacher and include issues such as lack of time, money, and technical support. …

Promoting Student Success In Online Courses, Cecilia Ruhlmann

Graduate Research Papers

This review examines the factors promoting student success in online courses. The first part of the study examines how prevalent the dropout rate is in secondary education, not only in the United States but also in Asia and Europe. The second part examines how online courses differ from face-to-face courses. The third part covers skills that are essential for succeeding in an online environment. The skills discussed are self-regulation, self-efficacy, motivation, and depth of learning. The fourth part of the study discusses what can be done to strengthen online courses.

Implementing Electronic Portfolios, Courtney Rogne

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review addresses the topic of assessing students with the use of electronic portfolios. The purpose of the review is to document for educators the advantages of electronic portfolios, the media selection options, as well as implementation procedures. Electronic portfolios are an alternative authentic assessment method that invites active student learning and provides an opportunity for instructors to design assessment strategies based on desired student-learning outcomes.

The review also found that many media options are available to meet the needs of the individual courses; however the web-based options are the easiest to use and modify. The review recommends that …

Effective Homework In The Middle School, Kelly J. Simon

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review examines the studies and research of the best practices and most effective implementation of homework in the middle school classrooms. It is found that parental involvement, teacher design and proper implementation of the homework are the most important factors for homework to have the desired effect on an adolescent's success in a subject. There are significant differences of opinion on many homework related issues, especially with regard to the overall contribution of homework academic success. However, one aspect that is universally agreed upon is that students, teachers, and parents are all important in determining the degree to …

Importance Of Teaching Reading Comprehension With Nonfiction Texts, Valeria Jo Frey

Graduate Research Papers

Can comprehension strategies be taught as a learning skill for expository text reading in content area? What strategies in combination best benefit the reading comprehension of students who struggle with reading? How can reading comprehension strategies be taught so that skills are maintained and transferred across settings? In her book Exploring the Literature of Fact, Barbara Moss (2003) suggests that the items needed to be successful in reading nonfiction include accessing quality literature, learning reading strategies, understanding the use of text structure, and responding to the literature.

The following literature review will define reading comprehension using nonfiction material. The research …

A Case Study On The Effectiveness Of Kurzweil Software On Improving Participation And Comprehension With Special Education Students In The Science Classroom, Christina Glaub

Graduate Research Papers

This research project addresses using Kurzweil electronic text software as an accommodation with special education students. The research questions addressed were: Is Kurzweil an effective accommodation for special education students with reading deficits? and Will using Kurzweil improve special education students' participation and comprehension?

A review of literature provided more in-depth information about: (a) electronic text, specifically Kurzweil, (b) the benefits of integrating electronic text into the general education classrooms, and (c) the recommendations or considerations for teachers considering using electronic text. The research based on the literature review shows that the use of electronic text may lead to improved …

Technology Integration Within The Elementary Classroom Setting, Krista K. Krebsbach

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to examine technology integration in the elementary classroom setting. Technology is now considered to be an important part of a child's educational experience. Research has determined that students do not learn the same way they did years ago, thus schools are changing their methodologies on how to best serve the 21st century student. However, technology integration can not happen all at once; there are many barriers to technology integration. Some examples would be environmental barriers, curriculum issues, and the personal beliefs of the teachers.

School districts are addressing these problems to ensure that their …

Gaming Towards Academic And Physical Success, Eric Burt

Graduate Research Papers

This review addresses the potential of serious video games and the benefits that serious video games can have on a student academically as well as physically. Serious video games require strategic thinking, problem solving, planning and decision making. Serious video games enable learners to experience ~eal world situations without the real-life consequences. Exergaming provides potential for combining gaming and exercise, this type of video game has tremendous upside. This review of research.investigates how video games can be used to engage learners and help students learn. Research is needed to determine which features of games and simulation~ are important for learning …

Technology Integration Into The Elementary School Curriculum, Yulia Vladimirovna Koreshkova Poblete

Graduate Research Papers

A new generation of students born after 1985 – the Net Generation or Digital Natives – is now entering public schools. Historical overview shows the picture of growing computer use by children in homes and in schools for the past 10 years. ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) literacy skills and tools help students to acquire the skills needed to use the technologies within the classroom. National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and NETS performance indicators provide guidelines for teachers of what students should know and be able to do with technologies by the end of every grade level.

This paper describes …

21st Century Teaching, Learning, And One-To-One Computing, Sarah Davison

Graduate Research Papers

The rapid dissemination of technology is changing teaching and learning in the twenty-first century. Use of technology integration and one-to-one computing can meet the diverse and evolving needs of twenty-first century students and enrich learning opportunities in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to examine teaching and learning in the twenty-first century and how one-to-one computing can enrich learning environments.

The sources used were scholarly journal articles, a technical research report, a periodical and a chapter of a book. Effective technology integration and one-to-one computing can enrich teaching and learning for students' needs in the digital age. Current …

Preparing Instructors Of Adult Learners To Address The Needs Of Minority Students, Travell Unique Brock

Graduate Research Papers

In predominately Caucasian educational systems, diversity in the classroom is becoming a fast-growing phenomenon. With this new phenomenon, adult instructors now have a new challenge of facilitating learning in an environment where the learners not only have different learning capabilities, but also language and cultural differences. The reviewer answers the following questions: what are the important considerations for instructors to prepare diverse adult learners for corporate work environments, higher education, and K-12 professional development? And what are the appropriate cultural specific media and literature resources to include in training?

The literature collected focused on resources related to teaching adult minority …

Restructuring A Secondary Business Curriculum For The 21st Century, Eric Springer

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews what secondary business educators can do to restructure a business curriculum for the 21 st century and how they can do it effectively. It was written to describe today's workplace, the skills that employers are expecting workers to have, the current trends and reform evolving in high school business education, and the projects, strategies, and tools that can be used by business teachers to prepare students for success in the workplace. The literature review discusses the state of Iowa's 21 st century skills curriculum that was established in recent years. The skills curriculum includes employability skills, financial …

Using High Interest Reading Material To Motivate Struggling And Reluctant Readers, Nicoles C. Hoover

Graduate Research Papers

One of my great challenges as a second grade teacher is getting students who struggle with reading to become engaged, motivated, and enthusiastic about reading. This paper will look at different literature findings about using strategies that involve high interest reading materials to motivate readers. It will seek to determine the values of these practices for all students, but especially those who struggle as readers. It will also look at different types of high interest materials that could potentially motivate readers. This paper will provide resources to others looking to use high interest materials to motivate readers.

The Benefits Of Collaboration And Co-Teaching In The Elementary Grades, Katherine Kelley Hoover

Graduate Research Papers

Collaboration between educators is an older concept that has become popular again in recent years. Due to the recent federal and state mandates, schools are implementing new teaching methods to raise school achievement and benefit all students. When collaborating, special education students are generally included in the general education classroom with two teachers co-teaching to meet the needs of the students. This paper will explore the importance of collaboration between general education and special education teachers and the benefits to all learners in the classroom.

Tree Identification And Age Project, Mark Jensen

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the Tree Identification and Age Project is to use authentic learning activities to extend the current curriculum to include learning that takes place at high levels of cognition. The methods employed integrate higher-order thinking into learning through a hands-on, problem-based approach to authentic scientific investigation. Using a problem-based approach, the learners apply knowledge and skills to solve real problems. The process involves focusing on the problem, identifying relative information, categorizing, critically analyzing, synthesizing that information and effectively communicating the results.

Collaborative Teaching : How Can Co-Teaching Be Implemented Effectively In The Classroom?, Elizabeth Lea Kelly

Graduate Research Papers

A huge issue in education today is that of inclusion. There is a wide spectrum of beliefs on whether or not all students should be fully included in the general classroom. According to K.S. Stout (2001) in Special Education Inclusion, a solution to this major issue is collaborative or co-teaching. With a push for least restrictive environment, collaborative teaching has become a very important part of the education system. The big question is: How can teachers implement co-teaching into their instruction effectively?

A Literature Review Of The Think-Aloud Reading Comprehension Strategy For Teacher Use In The Classroom, Cindy Kathryn Kauder

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review focuses on the classroom use of a research based comprehension strategy called Think-Aloud. This is a strategy that readers of all abilities and ages can incorporate into their daily reading habits in order to more fully engage in text of all types. This is a fairly new strategy that has come to awareness and more widespread use within the last few years. Teachers need to provide direct instruction and model this strategy so that students correctly practice and use it alone and with partners. The final goal of the Think-Aloud strategy is that readers will become more …

Use Of Social Stories For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Alicia Ann Karwal

Graduate Research Papers

Social stories have been widely used as an intervention for children on the Autism Spectrum. Educators and other service providers of students diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder are continually looking for strategies that will allow for their students to have more typical social experiences and greater quality of life. Some controversy exists concerning the success of social stories as an effective intervention. This paper will briefly examine characteristics of individuals diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. It will then explore using social stories with children affected by an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Finally, it will consider a variety of purposes …

Communication Between Classroom Teachers And Reading Recovery Teachers : A Study Of Teacher Perceptions, Erika Northey Lentz

Graduate Research Papers

This research project investigates teacher communication between first grade teachers and Reading Recovery teachers who are jointly responsible for providing literacy education to students. This study compared the effects of regularly scheduled meetings between Reading Recovery (RR) teachers and classroom teachers relative to achievement.

Additional issues examined included classroom teacher and RR teacher perceptions of student performance at the beginning, middle, and end of the scheduled RR program.This paper also describes recommendations for further research on teacher communication between classroom teachers and Reading Recovery teachers.

Think-Alouds : Thinking Beyond The Text To Increase Reading Comprehension, Jennifer Marie Lee

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review focuses on how the Think-Aloud strategy can be implemented in order to help readers comprehend text. This strategy is one that will allow all readers to visualize and verbalize what is taking place during the decoding of the text. Teachers need to provide direct instruction in forms of modeling and scaffolding when implementing the Think-Aloud strategy. This helps to aid in the students' ability to effectively gain a full understanding of what the strategy looks like. In the end, it is expected that the students will begin to utilize the Think-Aloud strategy automatically when comprehending any type …

Assistive Technology : An Instructional Tool To Assist College Students With Written Language Disabilities, Isandra Martinez-Marrero

Graduate Research Papers

In their practice, instructional designers develop instructional materials and learning environments that address the individual needs of learners. However, little research has been conducted on how to address the needs of learners with disabilities, especially in post-secondary education. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the literature regarding the use of Assistive Technology as an instructional tool to assist college learners with written language disabilities. Implications for instructional designers are presented.

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (Siop) : A Model For English Language Learners, Edith L. Bakley

Graduate Research Papers

With so many second language learners entering our public schools, it is imperative that educators prepare themselves with training and strategies to best meet the needs of these students. The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol, or SIOP Model, has been developed for the purpose of instructing English Language Learners (ELL) in mainstream classrooms and bestow effective methods for teaching all content areas, while promoting fluency of the English language. In this literature review, the components involved in the SIOP Model will be examined as well as the effects it has on second language learners and their ability with language fluency.

Home And School Literacy Partnerships : Building Stronger Tomorrows Hand In Hand, Tera Bockenstedt

Graduate Research Papers

This project aims to bring quality literacy interactions into homes of young children. These literacy interactions are important because research has shown that quality literacy experiences during the early childhood years impact a child's emergent literacy learning. Because children are not yet in formal schooling, many of these interactions can take place in home so family involvement is critical. The project is threefold: (a) to increase the quantity and quality of literacy interactions in the home, (b) to help parents become more informed contributors of their children's emergent literacy development, and (c) to promote more family involvement and two-way communication …

Practice What You Preach : A Look At Retention Research And Classroom Practice, Angela R. Carpenter

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review examines the subject of grade level retention. A comprehensive overview of the history, trends, and current practices involving retention will provide the background to the research base. Looking at the common reasons students are retained and the short and long-term effects of retention decisions will help answer the question of whether retention research guides school practice. Alternative solutions that can be implemented in lieu of grade level retention or social promotion practices will also be addressed. The majority of grade level retention and social promotion researchers found the practices of retention and social promotion to be unfavorable. …

Motivation For Leisure Reading : A Model Camp Adventure Curriculum, Nicole Beth Geopfert

Graduate Research Papers

Much research has consistently revealed that the percentage of young children choosing to engage in leisure reading is declining. Instead, potential young readers are consumed many other forms of leisure activity such as video games, Internet, computer games, movies, and more. To become lifelong learners, children ought to be motivated to read. The questions explored in this paper are: what are the obstacles to developing avid independent readers and how can we help young children become engaged, recreational readers? This paper presents a review of the literature on reading motivation, reading attitude, and the gender gap in reading.

The information …