Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Advocating For The Development Of The Whole Child: How Public Urban Preschool Teachers Overcome The Pressure Of More Academics In Their Classrooms, Grizel Lopez

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Preschool teachers must overcome the pressure to become more academic in lieu of a whole child development curriculum approach in order to preserve developmentally appropriate practices and shape well-adjusted future citizens of society. In order to achieve this, it is important to give a voice to preschool teachers to better understand their struggle and to find effective resolutions. This is only possible through a qualitative case study that employs observations, interviews, and a focus group with an inductive analysis approach to the data. The development of the whole child will only be attainable through national policies that are supported by …

A Historical Perspective On The Rise Of Educational Film In 20th Century America, Annette Bruff Liskey

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

Abstract

The pedagogical use of film and video in education advanced alongside the technology that enabled it in the 20^th century. Early adopters of educational film adapted feature films or relied upon a catalog of educational films for content. The medium fit with the reform rhetoric of the Progressive Era: by confirming the educational value of film, civic leaders were able to claim influence over the medium. Nearly a century before Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, the invention of sound in film prompted educators to consider the effect of multiple sensory inputs on learning. Early in the 20 …

An Analysis Of A Middle School Curriculum: Through The Lens Of Personal Responsibility, Social Responsibility, And Social Justice, Kristen Ashley Clark

Theses and Dissertations

One of the fundamental goals of 21st century schools is for students to become independent thinkers through the use of comprehensive academic curriculum that merges academic and social skills to prepare students to compete and engage in an increasingly changing world. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the ways in which three of Schwab’s four functions, social responsibility, personal responsibility, and social justice, were embedded and measured within core academic curriculum. The study also examined how teachers perceived students’ behaviors as a result of a social justice mindset.

The study was conducted using a traditional qualitative methodology …

Reflections On Global Competence By Four Design Educators, Philip A. Bulone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This inquiry investigated four design educators’ perspectives and beliefs of global competence teaching and learning, and aimed to inform effective global competence curricula planning and instruction across disciplines. The literature uncovered multiple reasons to warrant design educator reflections: (a) similarities among global competence and design thinking characteristics, (b) design education accreditation emphasis on globally oriented standards, and (c) design thinking as a resource to improve practices across disciplines. Accordingly, the inquiry employed a qualitative design and a multiple case-study approach. Data collection methods included: (a) interviews, (b) image artifacts, and (c) researcher reflective memos. A comparative analysis used systematic coding …

Workshops Toolkit: Tailoring Learning To Schedules And Needs, Zachary W. Elder

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

George Washington University Libraries were tasked with transforming support for graduate students while taking into account increasing numbers of online students, off-campus programs, and students working full-time. In addition, due to librarian turnover and other factors, we needed to accomplish our goal with a reduced workforce and without reducing services and instruction to our undergraduate population. Our solution focuses our graduate instruction on in-person workshops and digital objects (research guides and “How-Do-I?” videos), along with a “toolkit” with scripts, handouts, presentations, and outlines so that, while one librarian may be the expert (e.g. citation management), any librarian can have the …

Aligning Graduate Student Training And Work: Emory’S Digital Scholarship Internship Program, Alan G. Pike

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

While graduate student employment in libraries is nothing new, not every student job in the library is created equally. What would it mean for us to structure graduate student employment with an eye toward professional goals of students while also integrating them into day to day operations? This presentation will discuss how the Digital Scholarship Internship Program, a pilot program for graduate students in the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, part of the Libraries and Information Technology Division of the Robert W. Woodruff Library, might serve as a model for training and professional development for graduate students working with librarians …

Transforming Services: A Year Of Investigating User-Centered Marketing Strategies And Information Literacy Programming For Graduate Students, Lisa M. Martin, Porcia N. Vaughn

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

The University of Houston (UH) is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university that strives to serve more than 7,000 graduate and professional students. Graduate students have been historically underserved by the UH Libraries, however, in recent years the Libraries have made expanding services to graduate students a strategic initiative. UH Library administration has designated targeting specific user groups, including graduate students, with revitalized marketing and innovative programing a high priority.

Two project teams were established within the Liaison Services Department to investigate the role of liaison services in graduate education. Project Team 1 investigated best practices for marketing existing …

The Cantor Set Before Cantor, Nicholas A. Scoville

Topology

A special construction used in both analysis and topology today is known as the Cantor set. Cantor used this set in a paper in the 1880s. Yet it appeared as early as 1875 in a paper by the Irish mathematician Henry John Stephen Smith (1826 - 1883). Smith, who is best known for the Smith normal form of a matrix, was a professor at Oxford who made great contributions in matrix theory and number theory. In this project, we will explore parts of a paper he wrote titled On the Integration of Discontinuous Functions.

Topology From Analysis, Nicholas A. Scoville

Topology

Topology is often described as having no notion of distance, but a notion of nearness. How can such a thing be possible? Isn't this just a distinction without a difference? In this project, we will discover the notion of nearness without distance by studying the work of Georg Cantor and a problem he was investigating involving Fourier series. We will see that it is the relationship of points to each other, and not their distances per se, that is a proper view. We will see the roots of topology organically springing from analysis.

Wellness Reflection, Walker Weyland '17

Examples of Student Work

I have actually become much more aware of my personal wellness in the past year, in the past year I have joined two sports, I have begun making it a priority to eat more healthily, and for the first time since I came to IMSA, I have made sure that I do something fun at least once a week.

Wellness Reflection, Hector Correa '17

Examples of Student Work

The first time that I really committed myself to getting in shape and working out was freshman year at Wheaton Warrenville South. Before then my weight was not the best nor my health. But spending about two hours every day after school for two months at the gym really got me to change. That was the first time I had ever committed myself to going to the gym consistently. I lost weight, I gained some muscle and was certainly in better shape than before. I can honestly say that it felt great.

Parent Involvement In The Middle School, Stephanie Walhof

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project investigated the effects of parental involvement on the education of middle school students. Parents and teachers at Sioux Center Middle School were surveyed on how they viewed the potential impact of parental involvement on student achievement. Parents and teachers were also asked about barriers that might prevent involvement and best practices that would capitalize on effective parental involvement. The results of the survey confirmed that teachers and parents see parental involvement as important for student achievement. Few barriers were noted as inhibiting parental involvement. The best practice of parent-teacher conferences was noted as the most effective …

Institutional Culture In Christian Schools, Jill Friend

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project investigated the institutional culture of Christian schools and its impact on faith formation. The research was a mixed method study with Sioux Center Christian School serving as a case study for the project. A careful literature review was conducted to identify the characteristics of healthy institutional culture in education, business and religious institutions. This list was vetted and prioritized using a focus group of Sioux Center Christian School teachers as well as interviews with several experts on institutional culture and faith formation. These characteristics were then used to develop a survey using the Four Building Blocks …

Reading As A Necessity: Best Practices For Incorporating Reading Into One English Course, Kristin M. Janssen

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project investigated the best practices of teaching reading in a middle school curriculum requiring reading and writing to be combined in one English course. A private middle school in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, was evaluated on its use of the best practices. The participants were 24 teachers of 13 different subjects taught to students in seventh and eighth grade. All middle school teachers were sent a survey including questions about the best practices of reading across the curriculum, integrated instruction, and cooperative learning. The results of this study suggested that best practices of reading instruction …

Bringing Curriculum Outdoors: Implementing Gardening Outdoors, Nicole Aboujaoude

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Traditional public schools are not always giving students access to opportunities to experience innovative approaches to learning like garden-based education. Garden-based education uses the garden in everyday curriculum as well as giving students the opportunity to experience hands-on learning. An outdoor garden can be a tool in promoting outdoor education and positive peer relationships. Through interviews with teachers from the garden program and surveys with students who participate in this program, this Capstone examines the benefits of taking the curriculum outdoors and implementing garden-based education. Students and teachers showed high remarks when taking the curriculum outside in the garden. Having …

Connecting Connectedness, Nicholas A. Scoville

Topology

No abstract provided.

The Exigency Of The Euclidean Parallel Postulate And The Pythagorean Theorem, Jerry Lodder

Geometry

No abstract provided.

Teaching For Transformation: A Tool For Christian Teachers, Rachel Vanden Hull

Master of Education Program Theses

This qualitative research study examined the Teaching for Transformation framework and looked at whether Teaching for Transformation strategies equip teachers to be prepared in nurturing students’ faith and their role in the Kingdom story. Previous literature has shown a need for more emphasis on faith in the curriculum in Christian schools. Literature also shows the need for a framework that will equip teachers in empowering students to become responsive disciples. Teachers were interviewed and surveyed to gather information for this study. Teachers were able to give examples of student work by using the Teaching for Transformation framework, and they were …

Motivation, Mindset, And Grading Systems, Russell J. Vander Molen

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study examines whether students in a standards-based grading environment are more intrinsically motivated than students in traditional grading environment. Additionally, it examines whether students in a standards-based grading environment exhibit more of a fixed or growth mindset compared to students in a traditional grading environment. The participants were 72 sixth grade students in a standards-based grading classroom environment, and 32 students in a traditional grading-based classroom environment. A survey with statements reflecting students’ intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, fixed mindset, and growth mindset was administered to both groups of students. The survey results suggest that the grading environment, …

Cooperative Groups And Student Engagement: Exploring Cooperative Learning Groups In Mathematics, Trisha Reszel

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project explores using cooperative learning strategies, specifically five of the structures designed by Dr. Spencer Kagan within a third grade mathematics classroom for six weeks. There were twenty-three participants in the third grade classroom, ages 8 to 9 years old. Students were given a survey of their opinion of math before the unit started, as well as after for comparison. During the unit, students participated in five different structures (or strategies based on KAGAN’s research) multiple times within each mathematics lesson. To determine if the action research was successful or not, unit scores from the current unit …

Social Justice And Writing In A Math Classroom, Jesica Chaya

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

By intertwining new math concepts with important and relevant social issues, teachers can empower students to recognize the applicable nature of math to problems that their generation will be dealing with for years to come. In doing this, they can also change students’ perceptions of what succeeding in a math class looks like and address a rising necessity for writing across the curriculum by connecting these social justice based plans with writing assignments that encourage and reinforce vocabulary and a deep understanding of the material.

Wellness Reflection, Grace Ryan '17

Examples of Student Work

Until this point to contribute to my wellness, I make an effort but sometimes not as much as I could. I generally go to sleep between 12 and 1, prioritizing my homework earlier in the day. This helps to ensure that I get enough sleep, but sometimes means I don’t get as much done as I had planned to.

Wellness Reflection, Denisse Avalos '17

Examples of Student Work

I didn’t do much physical activity during first semester junior year mainly out of laziness and lack of motivation. On a good week, I’d probably go to the gym twice therefore, I just kept gaining weight and not really burning off the calories. I started working out more when coming back from winter break. I started going to the fitness center almost every day.

Wellness Reflection, Anonymous

Examples of Student Work

For most of my life, I have done little to nothing to improve my level of holistic wellness. I did sports, but never very intensely. After freshman year, which is when I was at my heaviest weight, I became more focused on my health and how it was negatively affecting my self-confidence. That summer, I started going on bike rides. But cardio alone is in no way enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Spring/Summer 2016) [Complete Issue]

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

In this issue:

Forum Articles

An Agenda for the Future of Research in Honors •George Mariz

Research on Honors Composition, 2004-2015 •Annmarie Guzy

A Tradition unlike Any Other: Research on the Value of an Honors Senior Thesis •H. Kay Banks

Research In, On, or About Honors •Marygold Walsh-Dilley

Portz-Prize-Winning Essay, 2015

“Flee from the Worship of Idols”: Becoming Christian in Roman Corinth •Dorvan Byler

National Research Studies

Demography of Honors: The National Landscape of Honors Education •Richard I. Scott and Patricia J. …

Latina/O Adolescents' Funds Of Knowledge Related To Engineering, Amy Wilson-Lopez, Joel Alejandro Mejia, Indhira María Hasbún, G. Sue Kasun

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

According to a growing body of research, many Latinas/os experience dissonance between their everyday cultural practices and the cultural practices prevalent in engineering. This dissonance contributes to many Latinas/os' sense that engineering is "not for me."

The Effect Of A District-Wide Literacy Initiative On English/ Language Arts Standardized Test Scores, Sheri R. Robken

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a District-Wide Literacy initiative that implemented the 18 literacy strategies and Silent Sustained Reading activities incorporated in the 2008 Revised Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum on English/Language Arts standardized test scores. Standardized test scores were obtained for seventh and eighth grade students from a control group (n=204, 2006-2008 tests administrations) and an experimental group (n=185, 2008-2010 test administrations). An Analysis of Variance was used to determine significance (p

Higher Education Leadership And Communication Apprehension Reduction Efficacy, Shane Puckett

Doctoral Dissertations

Universities use public speaking courses to reduce the communication apprehension among the student population of the institution. Previous research connects lower communication apprehension to higher university retention rate and higher student success rates. However, a gap in current research does not explain if communication apprehension reduction is as significant when a student enrolls in a public speaking course taught online as opposed to a public speaking course taught in a traditional face-to-face manner. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of systematic desensitization as it is used in public speaking courses online. This study set-out to answer …

Hostos Online Learning Assessment: A Survey Of Student Perceptions, Kate Wolfe, Sarah Hoiland, Kate Lyons, Carlos Guevara, Kristopher B. Burrell, Jacki Disanto, Sandy Figueroa, Aaron Davis, Iber Poma, Wilfredo Rodriguez, Linda L. Ridley

Publications and Research

The Office of Education Technology (EdTech) at Hostos Community College and faculty members from various departments created the Hostos Online Learning Assessment (HOLA) Task Force to design a survey for gathering and assessing data about students’ perceptions of their online learning experiences. The task force wanted to utilize the survey results to identify strengths and weaknesses in online instruction and student preparedness for the online learning environment. Student perceptions of online learning are integral to building upon current best practices and also gauging the preparedness of the students for the online learning environment, particularly in an urban, Hispanic-serving community college. …

Making An Impact: Empowering Student Via Information Use, Michael Flierl

IMPACT Presentations

Presentation on Purdue's IMPACT program for the First Nations Knowledge Services without Borders Institute gathering at Maskwacis, Alberta in April, 2016.