Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Computers And Young Children, Suzanne M. Parsons

Graduate Research Papers

This study addresses the issue of using computers in early childhood classrooms. Benefits, as well as problems, associated with using computers with young children were discussed. Guidelines for choosing developmentally appropriate software were outlined and conclusions were drawn from literature. Recommendations were made for future computer studies.

Retention In The Schools, Sandy Barry

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to examine grade retention. It looks at the advantages, disadvantages, and the alternatives to retention. This paper discusses factors that increases a child's chance of being retained. Aspects in education that have affected retention are also discussed. In addition, this paper looks at teachers' beliefs and why they hold these beliefs concerning_retention. Finally, the last chapter summarizes this study and draws conclusions from the literature and suggests recommendations for further study.

A Phenomenological Analysis Of An Instructional Systems Design Creative Project, Daniel M. Benson

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper is a phenomenological analysis of a creative project involving University of Northern Iowa undergraduate art students in the planning and creation of visual illustrations, graphic design concepts, .html documents, and imagery for a world wide web intranet/lnternet virtual space.

This analysis looks at instructional design as a creative process and the phenomenology of the UNI Art/Cat (Art Resources Technology/Computer Assisted Training) computer laboratory. The mission, goals, and objectives of the creative project, experiential and experimental philosophies of education, and the phenomenologies of the instructional design process are the main considerations. The methodology of this thesis is primarily …

Home Response Journals : Parents As Informed Contributors In The Assessment Of Their Child's Reading Development, Julie Wilson Morningstar

Graduate Research Papers

When parents are welcomed as partners in their child's "educational team," a bridge connecting the child's home and school environments is created - empowering parents as active participants in their child's reading development.

The Use Of Conflict Resolution To Reduce School Violence, Sabrina L. Taylor

Graduate Research Papers

► A St. Louis student, 14, was stabbed at school.

► An Atlanta student 12 was shot at school by a friend showing off a stolen gun.

► A 5-year-old and two 7-year-old were suspended from school in Rockville, Maryland for bringing knives to school.

► Two Denver, Colorado high school students detonated a pipe bomb outside their school. 2

► A Maryland teacher caught a student with a pistol inside a school restroom. The student shot the teacher.

► A Massachusetts high school student was knifed and clubbed to death during a government class.

► An Atlanta student opened …

Experiencing Poetry Daily In The Classroom: Listening, Reading, And Writing, Carol Wenger

Graduate Research Papers

A second grade teacher provides students with daily poetry experiences based on research of the benefits of using poetry in the classroom. Poems were read for the enjoyment of the words, to further develop topics of study, to notice the use of writing conventions, to improve students' reading skills, and to improve the writing skills of students.

Reading Workshop And Vocabulary Knowledge : Allies In Comprehension, Ellen Cutting

Graduate Research Papers

The Reading Workshop develops a purpose for reading, gives students a greater sense of their own efficacy, broadens understanding of reading strategies, provides a context that supports the student choice of what is read, and allows integration of prior knowledge in what is read (Kletzien & Hushion, 1992). Students are able to construct and direct their own learning in the Reading Workshop by reading books of their independent choice, respond to what is read, and receive mini-skill instruction on reading strategies. Students are invited to be actively involved in a process that is consistent with whole language philosophy (Atwell, 1987). …

Promoting Inference-Making In A First Grade Classroom, Susan E. Flater

Graduate Research Papers

School-age children throughout their life experiences make inferences. Teachers can offer instruction and modeling in inference-making and opportunities for children to make inferences. As a result, children can become accustomed to bringing their prior knowledge to reading experiences, thus extending their thinking-language abilities.

Design, Development And Delivery Of Web-Based Instruction, Isabelle Cowden

Graduate Research Papers

The World Wide Web is becoming an increasingly popular medium for instructional delivery of distance education. Many colleges and universities are offering courses and complete programs of study via the web.

This Graduate Project: "Design, Development and Delivery of Web-based Instruction" includes a brief review of the literature indicating the widespread use of the web in distance education in higher education. It reflects the current practice of web-based instruction in the UNI Educational Technology program. It documents the project including the process for establishing a new section of a currently developed course. It is the intention through this project report …

Integrating Writing Across The Curriculum Enables Special Needs Students To Become Writers, Gretchen Peterson-Kobriger

Graduate Research Papers

Elementary students with language and learning disabilities became independent writers and readers after the classroom instruction changed from a teacher directed, segmented, skill deficit approach which is typically found in special education classrooms to a classroom which embraced whole language philosophies and provided students with the necessary conditions for learning written language. This paper describes the specific changes in teaching philosophy, instructional practices, methods, and strategies which were implemented in my classroom. It demonstrates how individual student challenges were met which enabled the students to increase their self-esteem and awareness of themselves as writers.

Class Size In The Primary School Years (Kindergarten - Grade Three), Tracy L. Goebel-Kelley

Graduate Research Papers

Studies of the effects of class size on children's learning have been conducted throughout the twentieth century involving nearly a million students. This article summarizes the professional literature on the effects of class size on primary grade children's learning and how it corresponds to the NAEYC's developmentally appropriate guidelines. Then, class size reduction policies such as hiring an additional teacher, implementing tutoring programs, or grouping students differently throughout the day to reduce class size during reading and math classes are presented. This article was written to help those who are involved in early childhood programs understand the many benefits that …

Programa De Ensino Da Escola Secundária Brasileira: 1850-1951 [Teaching Programs Of The Brazilian Secondary School: 1850-1951], Karl M. Lorenz, Ariclê Vechia

Education Faculty Publications

O livro e uma coletânea de dezoito documentos que delineiam os conteúdos programáticos ensinados na escola secundaria brasileira de 1850 a 1951. Os documentos correspondem a reformas educacionais efetuadas neste período. Dentre os programas da coletânea, quinze foram elaborados especificamente para o Colégio Pedro II, no Rio de Janeiro. Os outros três foram expedidos pelo Ministério da Educação para serem implementados em nível nacional. Os programas de estudo contem informações sobre os itens de conteúdos das matérias e sua organização nas series, o numero de lições atribuídas a cada tópico, a carga semanal, e referencias a autores e livros textos …

Electronic Job Searching : Suggestions For Educators, Jan Andreesen

Graduate Research Papers

The Internet offers an abundance of resources and information to the job seeker. Because of this great wealth of data, it is important educators are able to assist students in developing a path to take when utilizing the Internet as a job searching tool. When job searching using the Internet, students can go online to determine their interests, research various careers, research various companies, and research general and specific job listings using online job boards and online newspaper classifieds. The Internet also offers information on the various resume formats needed by today's job seeker. These resume formats include those that …

Looking At Children Looking At Art : Teacher Response To Aesthetic Journals In Art, Julie A. Alden

Graduate Research Papers

Although recent trends in art education emphasize a discipline based approach to instruction, the elementary art experience often focuses on the process components of art production, overlooking other significant areas of study (Adams, 1992; Garoian, 1988; Hickman, 1994 ). One way in which educators can help make art experiences more meaningful to students is to use response journals for viewing artwork. Educators have established the use of response journals as a worthy practice by providing students with opportunities to develop greater understanding of content material and by providing teachers with valuable insight into students thinking through shared dialogue (Hall, Crawford …

Designing And Implementing Successful Staff Development, Peggy A. Sheetz

Graduate Research Papers

What staff development factors are vital to ensure successful staff training for the integration of technology into the curriculum? What variability factors must be taken into account when planning and implementing staff development?

In theory, staff development should not take very long, and educators should be able to ascertain the meaning and directions that are given related to technology quite easily. However, the staff development that is thought out and executed well is the staff development opportunity that is effective. Effective staff development requires five factors: time, access, collaboration, training and implementation. Without these factors being considered, success will be …

Androgogy And K-12 Technology Staff Development : Towards Effective Practice, Craig Barnum

Graduate Research Papers

Many K-12 technology staff development programs are based upon pedagogical models. Adult learners require a different set of design and facilitation skills referred to as andragogy. The primary goal of adult education in any arena is to produce independent life long learners. This is particularly valuable in the ever changing realm of technology. To engage this task Knowles and Brookfield each identify six guiding principles that construct a framework for designers and facilitators of adult education programs to follow. The process of meaningfully integrating technology into the schools requires substantial change to current instructional methods. K-12 technology staff development designers …

Inclusion Of An Autistic Child Into A Self-Contained Third Grade Classroom, Arlene M. Belt

Graduate Research Papers

This article describes the disorder of autism in the spectrum of pervasive developmental disorders, the challenges that the autistic child faces, and the inclusion of an autistic child, a nine-year old boy, into a self-contained third grade classroom. Through details of his life, the reader is given an intimate look at the personal and educational issues he faces as he struggles to cope with his disability. In addition to focusing on how the disorder affects an individual, the paper stresses the importance of parents and professionals working together to develop and implement teaching strategies that will assist such a child …

Nurturing Reading Comprehension Of Attention Deficit Students By Improving Their Inferential Skills, Paula Decker

Graduate Research Papers

Inference-making is a necessary component of reading comprehension. Many attention deficit students have shown some degree of reading comprehension deficiencies. Due to the nature of their disability – staying focused, sticking to a task, and noticing details – inference-making may be difficult for them.

This article suggests that by modifying and enhancing existing teaching methods and strategies, the instructional needs of ADD/ADHD students would be met. It offers some lesson and teaching modifications that have shown to be helpful in this author's experience.

When teachers are aware of the characteristics and limitations of students with an attention deficiency, they can …

Looping : An Alternative To Grade Level Promotions, Michelle Block

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper is a study of looping. The purpose of this study was to conduct a review and an analysis of the literature concerning looping. Three questions were asked in the study: 1. What is looping and how does looping differ from multi-age grouping? 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages in looping? 3. What are the guidelines for an effective looping arrangement? The definition of looping was discussed as well as the advantages and disadvantages of looping. Guidelines for an effective looping arrangement were presented. Summary, conclusions, and recommendations were shared with readers.

Developing Industrial Suppliers In Mexico, Abe Camacho

Graduate Research Papers

Research Questions:

1. Will cultural differences influence the effectiveness of developing Mexican industrial suppliers for U.S. international companies? 2. Will understanding the Mexican culture reduce time developing industrial suppliers for U.S. international companies? 3. Will developing Mexican industrial suppliers increase markets for U.S. international companies?

Teachers' Life Histories As Curriculum Context, Rebekah D. Kelleher

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

This qualitative study focuses on the teacher as curriculum enactor. Using life history methodology, the study explores how ordinary teachers' life experiences impact their present classroom decisions. The purpose of the study is three-fold: to give voice to the classroom teacher as curriculum expert; to encourage reflective practice; and to contribute to curriculum knowledge by focusing on the enacted curriculum. Three female middle school teachers participated in structured and unstructured interviews in which they shared their life stories and reflected on the origin of their teacher knowledge and behavior. The researcher reviewed transcripts of interviews and notes from observations of …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: The Newsletter Of The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 2, Winter 1998), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Skill Acquisition And Transfer : The Effect Of Practice On Performance, Tracy Piani

Theses : Honours

This study was designed to examine the effect of amount of training on the specificity of skill acquisition and transfer. Within the theoretical framework of two contemporary theories of skill acquisition, Anderson's ACT" theory (1982, 1987), and Logan's Instance theory of automisation (1988, 1990), the study extends research by Greig and Speelman (in press) that demonstrated skills can be both general (i.e., can apply beyond the training experience) and specific (i.e., are limited to training experiences). The experiment was divided into training and transfer phases. The amount of practice in the training phase was manipulated across three experimental conditions, with …

United States Society For Education Through The Arts Collection, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

Spanning 1947-2005, this collection consists of organizational records for the United States Society for Education through the Arts, including conferences, newsletters, correspondence, expense reports, and periodicals.

Find this collection in the University Libraries' catalog

The Basics Of Teaching Media Literacy, Jill Wurzer

Graduate Research Papers

According to the Media Literacy Online Project (1998), American children and adolescents spend 22-28 hours a week viewing television. By the time today's children reach age 70, they will have spent 7-10 years watching television. Now, more than ever, schools are being called on to deal with the effects of the growing influence of the media in students' lives. Media literacy and media education are even getting attention in the English Language Arts Standards by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). So, what is media literacy? What materials are available to teach it, and how can teachers justify …

Instructional Technology In The School System, Sherri Sue Zanotti

Graduate Research Papers

Analyses of the deployment of technology in schools have tended to note its failure to affect the daily values and practices of teachers and students. This absence is generally regarded as an implementation failure, or as resulting from some temperamental shortcoming on the part of the teachers or technologists. Such a construction is predicated on the assumption that the technology is value free and its implementation a struggling playing field. This paper proposes that no instructional technology is ever neutral. Its value and practices must support the organization into which it is placed. The failures of technology to look and …

Classroom Discussion: A Journey To Decentralizing The Classroom, Mike Suther

Graduate Research Papers

Throughout history of the United States, teachers have instigated classroom discussion about text in hopes that talk enhanced understanding. More recently, Vygotsky (1978) produced evidence of the importance of social talk in learning. It is through this social interaction or discussion that students construct and negotiate meaning of text. What constitutes social interaction or discussion is what leads some teachers to disagree. The literature on discussion has classified it into two types: recitation and discussion.

Perceptions Of Writing In A Community College Composition Course, Rebecca Ann Kamm

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate community college students' and their teacher's perceptions about writing in a beginning composition course. This study explored student and teacher views about composition, possible tensions about ways writing is defined, and ways to resolve tension. Specifically, this study addressed the following questions:

1. How do my perceptions as a writing instructor in a beginning community college composition course compare with my students' perceptions?
2. How do my students and I understand real and perceived consequences that arise from various views about writing?
3. How could my students and I mediate or resolve various views about …