Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

The Psychology Of Gender, Isabelle D. Cherney

Education Faculty Publications

This chapter presents examples of active learning activities and how these experiential learning exercises are adapted to the course goals and objectives in a psychology of gender course. The focus of the chapter is on how to best integrate new research findings to the students’ existing knowledge base to create a new appreciation of these complex issues and how they influence each individual’s life

Generalization Or Specialization In High School Based Health Careers Transition Programs: What Is The Impact On The Health Care Work Force Shortage?, James Wm. Taylor

Dissertations

Background: Health care experts are predicting major shortages of caregivers as a result of aging demographics and anticipated retirements of health workers. Numerous approaches are being used to increase the supply of health care workers, but little, if any, literature demonstrates the role of secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in helping meet the anticipated demand.

Methods: Data from secondary educational health career programs were obtained from students completing five area programs (Allied Health, Health Occupations, Emergency Medical Technology, Dental Assisting, and Pharmacy Technician). Data analysis was performed on student demographics (chi-square), academic performance on standardized exams (ANOVA), and …

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.

Hiv Education For Youth In Transition To Adulthood, Peter Eugene Gamache

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the role of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) stigma in program implementation. A case study design comprising qualitative methods provided in-depth, context-sensitive comparisons of adult educator (n = 8) and youth (n = 67) perspectives among programs that provide HIV services and those that provide risk reduction services. Nearly half of the youth participants were male, 42% were female, and 6% identified as transgender. Two thirds of participants were Black or African American, one quarter of participants were Hispanic or Latino, and the average participant age was 19. Although program personnel from all youth service programs in this …

A Reflective Exploration Of A Multiyear Elementary School Learning Community Experience, Susan Jean Ganley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study reports a reflection upon the experience of a multiyear elementary school learning community designed for improved teaching and learning. The exploration uses interview data to describe the perceptions and reflections of the principal and teachers directly engaged in this project of educational reform. The goal of this process is to gain a deeper understanding of the experience and to determine to what factors the participants attribute the outcomes of this project.

Through an auto-ethnographic reflective critical practice inquiry and extended interviews, this study describes the context and environment of this learning community and how the participants reflect on …

"Math In A Can": Teaching Mathematics And Engineering Design, Ronald B. Narode

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using an apparently simple problem, "Design a cylindrical can that will hold a liter of milk," this paper demonstrates how engineering design may facilitate the teaching of the following ideas to secondary students: linear and non-linear relationships; basic geometry of circles, rectangles, and cylinders; unit measures of area and volume; solving systems of equations with at least two variables; minimization of area to control materials costs and to prevent heat exchange; packing geometry to minimize space for transportation and storage and for controlling for heat exchange; golden ratio as a design aesthetic; ergonomic factors in design including considerations of comfort …

Exploring Instructional Strategies And Learning Goals In Undergraduate Leadership Education, Daniel Jenkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leadership education has been integral to the undergraduate curriculum since the early 1990's. Today, more than 1,000 colleges and universities in the United States offer undergraduate courses in leadership studies and many offer academic credit in the form of a bachelor's degree, academic minor, or certificate. Yet, little is known about those who teach leadership studies courses to undergraduates, the instructional strategies they employ, or the learning goals they set. The purpose of this study was to identify the instructional strategies that are most frequently used by instructors when they teach academic credit-bearing undergraduate leadership studies courses, identify signature pedagogies …

Exploring Us Textbooks’ Treatment Of The Estimation Of Linear Measurements, Kuo-Liang Chang, Lorraine Males, Aaron Mosier, Funda Gonulates

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

Learning to estimate a linear measurement is critical in becoming a successful measurer. Research indicates that the teaching of the estimation of linear measurement is quite open and that instruction does not make explicit to students how to carry out estimation work. Because written curriculum has been identified as one of the main sources affecting teachers’ instruction and students’ learning, this study examined how estimation of linear measurement tasks were presented to students in three US elementary mathematics curricula to see how much and in what ways these tasks were presented in an open manner. The principal result was that …

Creating A “Third Space” In Student Teaching: Implications For The University Supervisor’S Status As Outsider, Alexander Cuenca, Mardi Schmeichel, Brandon M. Butler, Todd Dinkelman, Joseph R. Nichols Jr.

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

The work of teacher education during student teaching typically takes place in two distinct “spaces”: placement sites and college/university settings. The program featured in this article is structured in ways that clearly mark out those two spaces. Yet this configuration led our university supervisors, whose work primarily took place in the field, to feel like “outsiders.” To redress this concern, a third learning space was incorporated into our student teaching seminar. We suggest that “third spaces” in combination with return-to-campus courses not only mitigates the peripherality of university supervisors but also amplifies the influence of a teacher preparation program.

Seriously Popular: Rethinking 19th-Century American Literature Through The Teaching Of Popular Fiction, Lauren Gatti

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

A teacher breathes new life into canonical works—such as those of Hawthorne, Melville, and Longfellow—by asking students to examine the differences and similarities between their own reading tastes and those of 19th-century American readers.

taste. What do our students expect from the books they read? And that question sur faces a related one about readers in Hawthorne's time: What did 19th-century readers expect from their texts and how did Melville's and Hawthorne's work address or interact with those expectations? Curious about the connections between my stu dents' reading tastes and those of 19th-century readers, I read Nina Baym's excellent text …

The Role Of Web 2.0 And Social Media Community In Education As A Form Of Teacher Personal Professional Development, Brandi Evans Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are facing greater technological demands. They are expected to use and teach their students to use various forms of collaborative technology (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2010). Personal professional development is professional development that teachers seek on their own, strictly on a voluntary basis, so that they can meet the needs of their students or address issues that are unique to their classroom. This study used a survey to examine the relationship between how teachers’ reported using social media community in education for personal professional development and the criteria for effective professional development, teachers’ integration practices, teachers’ frequency of …

Conteúdo, Intencionalidade E Prática Docente [Content, Intentionality And Teaching Practices], Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

O trabalho explora a relação entre a prática docente e as fontes de conteúdos acadêmicos e pedagógicos, especificamente o livro didático. Central a essa discussão é a premissa que os compêndios escolares do passado possam oferecer-nos uma ideia da atuação do professor em sala de aula. Através da analise do seus conteúdos pode-se inferir certos comportamentos pedagógicos do professor. Características dos livro escolares, tais como a natureza e organização dos conteúdos de saber; a presença e localização de quadros, tabelas, figuras, ilustrações, problemas e exercícios na obra; o estilo narrativo do texto, as representações sociais de ideias importantes, e as …

The Emerging Scholar Project At Hazel Green High School, Elizabeth Cole

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Hosting Visiting Residents From Other Institutions, Kimberly Cornwell

Department of Education

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Study Of Instructional Strategies Used By Elementary General Education Teachers In Inclusive Classrooms, Kristen Peterson

Dissertations

It has become evident in recent years that it is not the placement in the general education classroom that makes the difference for the education of students with disabilities, but it is the instructional strategies used by general education teachers (King- Sears, 1997; Vaughn & Schumm, 1995; Zigmond, 2003; Zigmond & Baker, 1995). In the last two decades, considerable progress has been made in designing, implementing, and evaluating effective interventions for students with learning disabilities. Although the research on effective instruction is abundant, studies continue to reveal general education teachers minimally change their instruction when students with learning disabilities are …

Cylinders And Spheres : Toddlers Engage In Problem Solving, Rosemary Geiken

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Every day more six million infants and toddlers (children under 3 years of age) enter some kind of out-of-home care, with 22% of this group attending center-based programs. Studies on the quality of care in centers indicate that 40% of these children are in poor quality settings while 51 % are in mediocre to medium quality settings. Two factors contributing to these low ratings are lack of age-appropriate materials and lack of learning opportunities. To address these data Piaget's theory of constructivism guided the design of a study to provide evidence of construction of knowledge that occurred when toddlers were …

Developing And Managing I-O Online: What’S Behind The Virtual Classroom?, Maura J. Mills, Patrick A. Knight, Kurt Kraiger, William F. Mayer, Kathryn Lafontana

Psychology Faculty Publications

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of courses and degree programs offered online. This is particularly true in the field of industrial and organizational psychology, wherein many students are working professionals who, while unable to leave their jobs, are seeking convenient ways to supplement their experience with the necessary education. Despite this surge in student interest, many educators lack explicit training in making the transition to online education. Here, a variety of individuals experienced in various aspects of developing online I-O degree programs—both undergraduate and graduate—discuss best practices for such a program as well as …

Effects Of Animal-Assisted Therapy On Behavior And Reading In The Classroom, Ashley Elizabeth Booten

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research has shown that the presence of a therapy dog in the classroom should elicit a calming effect, reduce stress, and promote positive interactions among peers and adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect a therapy dog has on behavior and reading in the classroom. Specifically, the study will be comparing behavior gradesand reading scores for two groups of students: one that received Animal Assisted Therapy and one that did not receive Animal Assisted Therapy. Data were collected from two fifth-grade classrooms. There were 17 fifth-grade students in the experimental groupand 15 in the control group. …

A Social And Emotional Learning Curriculm Recommendation For Nicollet Public School District, Christina R. Rosamond

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this literature review, curriculum evaluation and subsequent curriculum recommendation is to provide Nicollet Public School District with an overview of a social and emotional learning Program that meets the current needs of the school.

Conference Program [2011], Georgia International Conference On Information Literacy

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

N/A

Common Ground With A Common Faith: Dewey’S Idea Of The “Religious”, Bradley Baurain

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

In A Common Faith, Dewey rejects organized religion and belief in the supernatural, instead arguing for an authentically “religious” attitude which this interpretive essay analyzes in terms of four propositions: 1) Knowledge is unifi ed. 2) Knowledge is democratic. 3) Th e pursuit of moral ideals requires moral faith. 4) Th e authority for moral ideals is experience as explored via inquiry. Th e author responds from the perspective of his own religious faith and outlines conceptual relationships with modern spirituality in education writers. Th e common ground is that the “religious” must be seen as a signifi cant way …

Evolution And Personal Religious Belief: Christian University Biology-Related Majors’ Search For Reconciliation, Mark Winslow, John Staver, Lawrence C. Scharmann

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

The goal of this study was to explore Christian biology-related majors’ perceptions of conflicts between evolution and their religious beliefs. This naturalistic study utilized a case study design of 15 undergraduate biology-related majors at or recent biology-related graduates from a mid-western Christian university. The broad sources of data were interviews, course documents, and observations. Outcomes indicate that most participants were raised to believe in creationism, but came to accept evolution through evaluating evidence for evolution, negotiating the literalness of Genesis, recognizing evolution as a non-salvation issue, and observing professors as Christian role models who accept evolution. This study lends heuristic …

Developing Pck For Teaching Teachers Through A Mentored Internship In Teacher Professional Development, Deborah L. Hanuscin, Deepika Menon, Eun Ju Lee, Suleyman Cite

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

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), according to Shulman (1987), is what makes possible the transformation of disciplinary content into forms that are accessible and attainable by students. This includes knowledge of how particular subject matter topics, problems, and issues can be organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners and presented for instruction (Magnusson, Krajcik, & Borko, 1999). Recently, researchers have argued that a parallel form of PCK exists for science teacher educators (Abell et al., 2009). Nonetheless, little is known about the process through which teacher educators develop their PCK, and more specifically, how doctoral programs …

The Effect Of Repeated Reading With Pairs Of Students In A Large-Group Setting On Fluency And Comprehension For Students At Risk For Reading Failure, John N. Frame

Dissertations

Problem. Some students are failing to develop acceptable reading skills; however, instructional time allocated to reading fluency can increase reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to compare students who received repeated reading with pairs of students in a large-group setting with those who did not in terms of reading fluency, rates of reading fluency growth, and reading comprehension for students at risk for reading failure in a school in a Midwestern mid-sized city.

Method. An experimental pretest-posttest with control group design was used with grade level stratified (2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade) intervention (N = 27) and …

Response To Intervention: Staff Perception Of The Implementation And Development Of A Three-Tier Model Of Intervention, Erika L. Millhouse-Pettis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze a school district's certified staffs' perception and training of its Response to Intervention model (RtI). RtI is a federally mandated initiative that requires school districts to provide high quality research based instruction, universal screenings, on-going progress monitoring, researched-based interventions, and reliable measures that are implemented with fidelity. Research suggests that successful RtI plans are impacted by professional development opportunities rendered to staff members, and the integrity in which the interventions are implemented (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006). This study examined the structure, roles, resources, and trainings that impacted and aided in the implementation …

Post-Correctional Education Interventions: A Phenomenological Case Study Of Empowerment Education Curriculum For Formerly Incarcerated African American Males, Rolanda Jean West

Dissertations

This phenomenological case study describes how a Post-Correctional Education Intervention (PCEI) was developed for a local community-based organization that had recently constructed a transition house for formerly incarcerated adults who converted to Islam while incarcerated. The PCEI was an eight-week course curriculum with 60 hours of direct instruction that included social justice, health and wellness and critical thinking teaching modules and affective teaching and learning methodologies. This research contains experiential data used to assess how a PCEI affected the identity and self-concept of the participants of a reentry program designed to create an atmosphere of empowerment.

An Analysis Of The Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Dibels) Assessment, Lisa Doering

Graduate Research Papers

The inception of the No Child Left Behind Act as well as the report published by the National Reading Panel have caused a sense of urgency in early intervention for students with high literacy needs. Therefore, students are being required more frequently to take high stakes assessments at a younger and younger age. Many schools use the DIBELS assessment, but there are also many other assessments available. This paper presents research as to the validity of the DIBELS assessment as well as describes several other available literacy assessments to use either in conjunction with or in isolation from DIBELS. This …

Parental Involvement In An Urban Minority School District, Senovia Robles

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Nisl Executive Development Program On School Performance In Massachusetts: Cohort 2 Results, John A. Nunnery, Steven M. Ross, Shanan Chappell, Shana Pribesh, Elizabeth Hoag-Carhart

STEMPS Faculty Publications

School leaders are increasingly being asked, whether by rhetoric or policy, to measurably improve student achievement. The resultant need to assist school leaders in their ability to improve teaching and learning for all students in their schools led to the establishment of the National Institute of School Leadership's (NISL's) Executive Development Program. The NISL program emphasizes the role of principals as strategic thinkers, instructional leaders, and creators of a just, fair, and caring culture in which all students meet high standards. The current national focus on the importance of effective, instructional leadership has, in turn, led to calls for principal …

An Exploratory Study Of Students’ Perception Of Their Online Learning Experiences In A Midwestern University, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Online learning programs and online courses have seen a rapid rise in recent years; however, how to improve those online programs to enhance student learning often remains an issue. This study seeks to gain insights into learners’ perceptions of online learning and investigate problems that take place in online learning. 33 students enrolled in online courses offered by a Midwestern university participated in this study. A survey instrument of ten questions targeted three major domains, including course design, instructor facilitation, and social presence. Most students reported positively with course design and instructor facilitation. Interestingly, students demonstrated a relatively ambiguous and …