Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Some Modest Uses Of Transnational Legal Perspectives In First-Year Constitutional Law, Neil S. Siegel

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Home Education: Declaring His Power To The Next Generation, Sandra Anderson

Master of Education Program Theses

Home education researchers have studied many facets of home schooling in America. They have studied the academic progress, the social interactions, the college acceptance and the characteristics of adults who were home schooled. But in spite of the fact that many home educators consistently claim they home school because they want to pass on their faith, there are no major studies and few research questions that link the method to religious values acquisition. This action research report discusses the results of an online survey of 1693 home-educated adults and parents of home-educated adults who were asked questions about whether home …

Exchange Faculty Perspectives On International Collaborations, Donal Mchale

Conference Papers

The main purpose of the paper is to document key issues in developing successful transatlantic faculty exchanges and to document perspectives and key learnings’ emanating from the development and implementation of an international exchange process.

Does Changing The Definition Of Science Solve The Establishment Clause Problem For Teaching Intelligent Design As Science In Public Schools? Doing An End-Run Around The Constitution, Ann Marie Lofaso

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] "When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection in 1859, it sparked some of the most contentious debates in American intellectual history, debates that continue to rage today. Although these debates have numerous political ramifications, the question posed in this paper is narrow: Does the Establishment Clause permit a particular assessment of current evolutionary theory – intelligent design (“ID”) – to be taught as science in American elementary and secondary public schools? This article shows that it does not.

To understand current disputes over whether and how to teach the origins of life …

Effective Letter Identification Activities For K-1 Children: A Handbook For Teachers, Luann Nicole Jensen

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide K-1 teachers with a handbook of effective letter identification activities. Letter identification is a pre-requisite reading skill that students must have in order to be successful readers and to prevent reading difficulties later on. This handbook can be implemented by teachers of kindergarten or first grade children who need a letter identification intervention. The lessons in this project were developed to be paired with explicit, intensive teaching during the intervention to help remediate a child's weakness in identifying letters.

Education In The Environment: A Hands-On Student Research And Outdoor Learning Experience: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending May 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Reports (PLI Education)

During the past three months, the focus of the university’s efforts has included the following highlights:

• Forever Earth was scheduled for 18 days and benefited more than 400 individuals.
• Curricula for 5th, 6th, and 7th grades were created for the Forever Earth program; pre- and post-trip activities were also written.
• Activities for 5th and 6th grades were field tested on 7 Forever Earth trips.
• A 1000-gallon fuel donation was contributed to the Forever Earth program by Overland Petroleum Company, St. George, Utah.
• The Forever Earth marketing plan was completed.
• 12 Discover Mojave Outdoor World events were conducted for 104 participants; …

Domestic Life In Dutch New Amsterdam A Social Studies Curriculum For Third And Fourth Grade Children, Michael W. Parrish

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis presents a social studies curriculum for third and fourth grade students on the domestic life of New Amsterdam. Beginning with the geography of the region, the study focuses on the role that the environment has on meeting basic human needs of shelter, food and clothing. Based on a framework of objectives and ideas, the study is divided into three major units: shelter, food and clothing. Meeting each basic need required of New Amsterdam residents a vast amount of time and dedication. As children experience this curriculum, they can begin to understand the effort and many layered processes the …

Technological Literacy – Not Just You And Your Computer, Joseph Scarcella, Susan Daniels

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

One might argue that the word technology is one of the most misunderstood and misused terms in common usage today. Many believe technology to be synonymous with computers, the internet and other high-tech media. This is limited and short sighted view indeed! Technology encompasses both simple and complex artifacts used daily. Pencils, toothbrushes, zippers and toothpicks – not to mention Velcro (!) – for instance, are all examples of what might be considered relatively modern examples of technology. Often, the wonder of “everyday” invention is lost in our current notions of technology. Yet, it is an investigative inquiry into the …

Five Approaches To Literacy In Correctional Education, Thom Gehring, Gary H. Sherwin

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This article introduces literacy from a few “big picture” perspectives, and then reviews five paradigms that have shaped the teaching and learning of literacy in residential confinement institutions for juveniles and adults. The paradigms are specific to correctional education, but they will be familiar to all alternative teachers and advocates of literacy instruction.

The Power Of Visuals: Picture Books As Invitations To Literacy, Mary Jo Skillings

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

When young children are exposed to picture books, they are building important bridges to literacy. Picture books are sometimes defined as a storybook with a dual narrative. That is, the illustrations and text work interdependently, the integration of the visual and the verbal tell the story. The illustrations add a new dimension that extends beyond the words on the page; together, the text and pictures make the story stronger. A well crafted picture book is a feast for the eyes of a young child. The illustrations awaken and develop the child’s visual, mental, and verbal imagination.

In Our Own Backyard: Critical Theory And The Development Of The San Jacinto Center For Environmental Education, Susanna Hamilton, Darleen Stoner, Randall Wright

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This research addresses the topic of nature centers from a critical theory perspective. This research assumed in part, the question: what are the characteristics of a functional and successful nature center that includes environmental education goals and programs? Nature center administrators from across the United States were surveyed and asked to share their opinions on this topic. Six overall characteristics pertaining to management and vision were identified through an exploratory mixed‑method design. Other components of these characteristics were discovered during the analysis of the data, and include factors such as approaches to education. Recommendations for improving nature centers and their …

Aesthetic Knowing: Essential To The Development Of Heart And Mind., Laura Howzell-Young, Susan Daniels

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Children are biologically wired to experience their world through rich sensory, affective, aesthetic, and imaginal experiences. Children thirst for art, music and movement, and these modes are utilized widely to learn the varied languages of literacy: the alphabet, numbers, vocabulary, body-sense and more. Yet, in response to meeting higher and more prescribed standards at the elementary and secondary levels, there is a tendency to narrow the curriculum, to consider art and music expendable, to view social-emotional development as external to the schoolhouse. This narrowing is happening just as our global culture is moving again toward multiple kinds of communication: toward …

Where Visual Literacy And Identity Meet: Adolescents Define Themselves Through Participation In A University Video And Art Enrichment Program, Susan Daniels, Patricia Little, Linda M. Reynolds, Alayne Sullivan

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This article summarizes a project that oriented one hundred and twenty-five gifted and talented middle-school students to university culture through a series of summer workshops that emphasized visual media. Various workshops introduced students to methods of video and art production. The middle-school students created short videos and artistic collages to represent their identity in response to two activities: (a) in-depth explorations of the California State University campus at San Bernardino; and (b) literary reading. Art and video production are revealed as a powerful means of middle-school students’ identity formation and expression; the work summarized herein gains credence through its alignment …

Developing High School Multiple Intelligence Learning Centers: An Action Research Project In History., Jessica Cannaday

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Research that provides results which can be almost instantaneously put into use is looked on by some teachers as a path to better student learning. Accordingly, action research is a form of critical reflection that some experts believe can achieve instant change. Although, action research is sometimes denigrated as lacking in precision, the critical reflection necessary in any well done action research project demonstrates that such research while, not quantitatively rigorous can still be qualitatively useful. As such, the author discusses her own implementation of MI learning centers as a form of action research in the classroom.

Meaningful Assessment Promotes Meaningful Learning, Diane K. Brantley

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Since the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, America’s schools have faced enhanced scrutiny by the public sector. Larger demands have been placed on children to perform at increasingly higher levels of achievement in reading and math, often beginning as early as kindergarten. Teachers and institutions of higher education have also felt the surge of outside pressure to “perform” wash over them.

Studying The Subway: An Interdisciplinary Study Of The New York City Subway For The First Grade, Eve Robinson

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis gives a rationale and overall framework for a four month interdisciplinary study of the New York City subway system for a first grade classroom. The unit will be based around field trips and interviews, where the students will gain hands-on knowledge that will later help them recreate their own "school subway system." Throughout the study, students will investigate all aspects of the subway system, from mapping to mosaics, from fares to fines. The study culminates in a student-led role play where children take on the jobs of subway workers and guide their parents through a system that they …

How Have Teachers Affected The Disinterest Towards Mathematics?, Amy Brown

Senior Honors Projects

In our school system today there is a collective disinterest and lack of enthusiasm towards mathematics as a whole. This apathy is prevalent as early as elementary school and continues through higher education. It is disheartening that so many students avoid mathematics because of their misconception that it is too difficult and has little value in their future. How well prepared are our teachers to deal with this? I began my research by looking at the past perceptions of mathematics and how the reform movement has changed this perspective. I also looked at the changing standards and how the Principles …

A Qualitative Study Of Stakeholders' Beliefs About The Use Of A Standards-Based Academic Reporting System, Gina Gail Berridge

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As school districts across our nation are making changes in curriculum and instruction to comply with the mandates of No Child Left Behind (No Child Left Behind, 2002), new reports to parents about student achievement are emerging. These reports are standards-based and clearly communicate to stakeholders what the student knows and is able to do based on the state standards. This qualitative case study, analyzing data collected in the 2005-2006 school year, describes principals', teachers', and parents' beliefs about the use of a standards-based report card. Through the use of individual interviews, insight was gained about the views and opinions …

Incorporating Nonfiction Into The Primary Grades: A Handbook For K-2 Teachers, Mandee D. Burton

All Graduate Projects

The majority of reading done outside the school setting is primarily nonfiction in nature; however primary teachers continue to emphasize fictional texts in the classroom. Therefore, many students are unprepared for the increase in the use of nonfiction text which begins in the intermediate grades and continues on up through the college years. Students as young as kindergarten benefit from the early exposure to nonfiction in numerous ways including increased background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension. A handbook was created to assist teachers (K-2) in incorporating nonfiction into the primary grades. Eight strategies effective in improving students' comprehension of nonfiction as …

A Curriculum Unit For 8th Grade Students Of Spanish: ¿CóMo Eras Tú De NiñO? (What Were You Like As A Child?), Cheyenne A. Jones

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The following Independent Study, written in partial fulfillment for a Master of Science degree in Middle-Level Education from Bank Street College, is a nine-lesson curriculum unit on the study of imperfect tense verbs in Spanish. The unit, titled ¿Cómo eras tú de niño? (What Were You Like As a Child?) was designed for 8th grade English-speaking students of Spanish.

Moving A Middle School Toward Inclusion: The Principal's Role In Leading The Change Process To Ensure Program Success, Sherri L. Mitchell

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A school's transition to include more special education students in regular classrooms is a fundamental change that impacts all faculty, staff, and students. The purpose of this study was to consider inclusion of middle school special education students in regular classrooms from the perspective of principals, special education teachers and regular education teachers. From these three perspectives, best practices for inclusion, barriers and supports to inclusion, and the principal's role as change agent when moving a middle school towards inclusion were investigated. One-hundred Indiana middle schools were randomly selected. Surveys were sent to the principal, one special education and one …

Supporting Alternate Routes To Teacher Certification: Principals' Perceptions, Joy L. Russell

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine principals' perceptions regarding the importance of six dimensions of support for Traditional and Alternative Route to Teacher Certification (AR TC) graduates. Additionally, this study compares principals' perceived importance of these support dimensions for ARTC graduates to the perceived importance of these support dimensions for Traditionally Certified graduates. Information was also collected regarding the relationship between the support dimensions for AR TC graduates and building grade levels and areas of teaching specialization. A sample population of principals employing one or more graduates from two Eastern Illinois University ARTC programs was used for …

Teaching Time Savers: A Recommendation For Recommendations, Michael E. Orrison Jr.

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

I admit it — I enjoy writing recommendation letters for my students. I like
learning about their hopes and dreams, where they have been and where they want to go. A recommendation letter is an opportunity to remind myself how much my students can grow while they are in college, and how much I have grown as an instructor, advisor, and mentor.

A Pilot Study On A Holistic Model Incorporating A Psycholinguistic Approach Accelerating Second Language Acquisition, Julie C. Catton

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Students learning a second language commonly confront insurmountable obstacles in the language acquisition process, due to the ineffectiveness of traditional, grammar-first methods. This creates detrimental effects on the learner and his or her self-esteem. Existing literature contains information about problems created by traditional approaches, the effectiveness of a natural approach and key elements necessary to establish it. The purpose of this study is to examine the failings of traditional methods and to review some important natural ways that remedy these failings, yet have their own shortcomings. This study reports efforts to improve natural approaches through on-going research at La Catalina …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, Carol C. Harter, Lori Bachand, Cate Weeks, Mamie Peers

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Testing The Test: Item Response Curves And Test Quality, Gary A. Morris, Lee Branum-Martin, Nathan Harshman, Stephen D. Baxter, Eric Mazur, Suvendra Dutta, Taha Mzoughi, Veronica Mccauley

Faculty Articles

We present a simple technique for evaluating multiple-choice questions and their answers beyond the usual measures of difficulty and the effectiveness of distractors. The technique involves the construction and qualitative consideration of item response curves and is based on item response theory from the field of education measurement. To demonstrate the technique, we apply item response curve analysis to three questions from the Force Concept Inventory. Item response curve analysis allows us to characterize qualitatively whether these questions are efficient, where efficient is defined in terms of the construction, performance, and discrimination of a question and its answer choices. This …

Flarr Pages #52: The Language Of Medieval Mystics: Teaching With Hildegard Of Bingen And Catherine Of Siena, Jennifer Deane

FLARR Pages

Between roughly the years 1050 and 1500, a flowering of new spiritual expressions, forms and ideas took root in western Europe. One of these was mysticism,. the belief that one can achieve direct consciousness of (and connection with) the divine through contemplation, intuition and meditation. The compelling stories and writings of medieval female mystics such as Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) and Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) offer unique ideas, images and topics for German, Italian and Latin language instruction.

Looking Back: State Librarian's 1889 Report To Governor Simon B. Buckner, Jonathan Jeffrey

SCL Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Teaching Courses Online: A Review Of The Research, Mary K. Tallent-Runnels, Julie A. Thomas, William Y. Lan, Sandi Cooper, Terence C. Ahern, Shana M. Shaw, Xiaoming Liu

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

This literature review summarizes research on online teaching and learning. It is organized into four topics: course environment, learners’ outcomes, learners’ characteristics, and institutional and administrative factors. The authors found little consistency of terminology, discovered some conclusive guidelines, and identified developing lines of inquiry. The conclusions overall suggest that most of the studies reviewed were descriptive and exploratory, that most online students are nontraditional and Anglo American, and that few universities have written policies, guidelines, or technical support for faculty members or students. Asynchronous communication seemed to facilitate in-depth communication (but not more than in traditional classes), students liked to …

Flarr Pages #53: Teaching Larra: Approaches And Student Reactions, Thomas C. Turner

FLARR Pages

Mariano Jose de Lana was one of Spain's finest journalist of the early nineteenth century. I teach a entire half semester on Lana in a course on reform in Spain. Today's students are still interested in the subject of reform and they do, predictably, compare Larra 's recommendations with what they see on their own trips to Spain as well as with similar issues in 21st century United States culture. As a framework for the course, four basic approaches were designed, which were also the topics for a take--home, mid-term exam.