Educational Methods Commons^™

Fear Not The Trunchbull: How Teaching From A Humorous Outlook Supports Transformative Learning, Kathleen J. Cassity

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Empirical and historical evidence suggest that humor is a key tool for discovering ways in which learning can become transformative.

Book Reviews, Judy Halden-Sullivan, Karen Walker, Timothy Shea, Julie Nichols, Edward Sullivan

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Book Reviews

Judy Halden-Sullivan - Making the Familiar Unfamiliar

Karen Walker - Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison. Making Thinking Visible. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011.

Timothy Shea - Jobrack, Beverlee. Tyranny of the Textbook. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2012.

Julie Nichols - FitzGerald, William. Spiritual Modalities: Prayer as Rhetoric and Performance. University Park, PA: Penn State Press, 2012.

Edward Sullivan - Quesada, Donna. The Buddha in the Classroom: Zen Wisdom to Inspire Teachers. NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 2011.

Lecciones Quijotescas De La Vida: Teoría Y Práctica - Quixotic Life Lessons: Theory And Practice, Julia Kennedy

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study focuses on the life lessons in Don Quijote de la Mancha, written by Miguel de Cervantes in 1605 (First Part) and 1615 (Second Part). Literary classics can be applicable in current situations to teach valuable life lessons to people in any culture, society, and at any age. The goal was to first analyze and later modify certain episodes in the novel to teach several important, age-appropriate values to children: friendship, acceptance, gender equality, and knowing oneself. Short fables were written about each value using characters and episodes from the novel. During February, using the fables as a central …

The Influence Of University Personnel Upon Students' Spirituality At Selected Adventist Universities In West Africa, Isaiah Ola Abolarin

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a deep concern for youth and young adults' spirituality. Hence the church established institutions of higher learning with the aim of restoring in youth and young adults the image of God in which they were created. There are programs and activities in these institutions to accomplish the aim, but there is still concern among church leaders and parents that young people will abandon their faith and exit the church. This study explored the influence of interactions between students and university personnel in selected Adventist universities in West Africa that, apart from programs …

Evolving: Using Science Fiction To Engage Students In Evolutionary Theory, Chad Rohrbacher

Publications

Evolutionary biology is not well-understood by a majority of the population. Many misperceptions and misconceptions exist as well as outright resistance to the theory. Various teaching and learning strategies have been tried in an attempt to involve students in exploring the theory, with mixed results. The use of science fiction to engage students in this area has been sparse, and virtually no quantitative assessment of learning with the method has been done. Using Origins, an anthology based on evolution, we created an interdisciplinary teacher’s resource manual that will be offered free to teachers. This paper examines some of the difficulties …

The Silent Lesson, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

One day during my second semester as a part-time seminary teacher, a student named Mindy came into class and asked, “Brother Hilton, are we going to do a silent lesson this year?” When I told her that I had never heard of a silent lesson, she said, “Brother Kirkham just taught a silent lesson, and I heard it was really awesome. You should ask him how to do it.” Wanting to be a good seminary teacher, I approached Brother Kirkham and asked him to teach me about silent lessons. He obliged, and I began regularly using them in a variety …

Integrating Disciplinary Literacy Into Middle-School And Pre-Service Teacher Education, Jaime Colwell, David Reinking

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This case describes a summary of a formative experiment, a framework specific to educational design research, simultaneously conducted in a middle-school history classroom and a university social studies methods course. The purpose of the study was to refine an intervention to promote disciplinary literacy in history. The intervention provided middle-school students and pre-service teachers with explicit strategies to promote disciplinary literacy, while participating in a collaborative blog project engaging them in disciplinary literacy. Conclusions suggest practical consideration for implementation of disciplinary literacy into history. The case outlines the five phases of the formative experiment and briefly overviews modifications made during …

Deliberate Use Of Creative Problem Solving In Art Making, Rebecca Dame-Seidler

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project explores the productivity of the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) tools in the visual art making process. The project offered the opportunity for high school student volunteer’s to participate in an after school program called Creative Art Group Experience (CAGE). Volunteers learned and made use of CPS tools to guide their art making. The project researched the effectiveness of using CPS tools in art making documenting volunteer progress and feedback. As an art educator, I had the opportunity to evaluate the impact of using CPS tools with the art-making process. The results of CAGE will benefit how CPS tools …

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Let's Get Real: Using Usability To Connect Writers, Readers, And Texts, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The article discusses the application of the concept of usability and user-centered design in the interaction between the writers and the readers in the English classroom. It is inferred that the interaction with readers is essential during the process of writing. The elements of effective lessons on usability and user-centered design are highlighted.

Involve Me: Using The Orff Approach Within The Elementary Classroom, Amanda Long

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Musical independence, improvisation, and composition are important skills that teachers should include within an elementary music curriculum. The musical concepts that accompany these skills can be difficult for teachers to convey and for students to understand due to the difficulty and complexity of teaching musical independence. This study consists of a literature review pertaining to the history and development of the Orff Approach, application of Orff concepts to the creation of lesson plans and classroom activities, action research with elementary students, and conclusions. Three different lesson plans were created implementing Orff techniques specific to the following grade ranges: two-four, four-six, …

Using The Environmental History Of The Commonwealth To Enhance Pennsylvania And U. S. History Courses, Charles A. Hardy Iii

History Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Drama As Method : Recontextualizing Project Learning For Hk Secondary Schools, Yuen Fun, Muriel Law

Lingnan Theses

This doctoral study is grounded in the work of cultural studies and its concern for pedagogy and education. The study investigated a local pedagogical issue— Independent Enquiry Study (IES)—a specific form of social inquiry in the core subject Liberal Studies (LS) in Hong Kong senior secondary schools. It took a designated IES classroom as the point of intervention and as the basis for exploring transformed pedagogical practices in Hong Kong secondary school education. My vantage point of the intervention rested on participant-observation through action research and critical contextual analysis of the action-research site and its relations to the wider social …

Women Empowerment Through Higher Education In Gilgit-Baltistan, Khush Funer Murtaza

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

The growing social awareness across the globe has brought a number of issues to the fore among which gender equality and empowerment of women are very significant. Discrimination against women in the form of male-female differentiation constitutes the core of the gender-biased system. Education is the biggest liberating force and rise in the levels of education, which nourishes progressive outlook, and the advent of industrialization and moderanization have effected a sea change in the attitudes and thinking pattern of the people. The empowerment is not essentially political, in the fact, political empowerment will not succeed in the absence of economic …

Adventures In The Classroom Creating Role-Playing Games Based On Traditional Stories For The High School Curriculum, Csenge Virág Zalka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to develop a template for turning traditional stories into role-playing games for the high school curriculum. By developing 3 sample games based on Greek mythology, Arthurian legends, and a widespread folktale type, I explored the process of creating games that fit the limits of secondary classrooms and can be used to address specific educational standards. The sample games were tested with groups of high school and college students, and the results of the testing sessions evaluated in a narrative case study format. Feedback from the testing sessions was incorporated in the template, the final …

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Are You A Writing Bully? Considerations For Teachers And Students, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The article focuses on discussing the implications of bullying in writing when teaching professional writing in English classrooms. It states some of the forms of bullying include through memorandums with threatening and aggressive languages, forwarded emails aiming to embarrass, and general directives. The authors relate their experiences of being bullied and as a bully to others. It presents examples to help students consider issues related the audience, format, and timing in writing.

From Seed To Mighty Tree: Susan Blow And The Development Of The American Kindergarten Movement, Madelyn Silber

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

St. Louis is home to the first continuously running public kindergarten in the United States. In 1873, Susan Blow began teaching a small group of students at the Des Peres School using the methods of German educator Friedrich Froebel, “the father of the kindergarten.” Despite the rejection of Froebel’s ideas in Germany, Blow studied his pedagogy and implemented his curriculum into classrooms in America. Her first class was known as the kindergarten “experiment,” which would later become a standard in schools across the nation. Froebel’s kindergarten curriculum was unique because it was based on learning through play, an understanding of …

Grammar Workshop: Systematic Language Study In Reading And Writing Contexts, Leah A. Zuidema

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Responding to claims that grammar instruction has become too limited, Zuidema describes field notebooks, mentor text, show-and-tell essays, and other strategies for engaging students in systematic language analysis.

Young Adult Literature In The High School Classroom: Explanation And Application Of Teacher/Scholar: Student/Scholar Pedagogy, Colleen Barnes Herndon

Theses & Honors Papers

This thesis investigates the ways in which literature is taught in high school English classes. The author expresses frustration with current methods and advocates an increase in teaching Young Adult Literature to high school students in order to encourage the students’ enjoyment of reading. She goes on to discuss how she has taught Young Adult literature in the classroom and includes example lesson plans.

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Literature-Based Professional Writing: An Oxymoron Whose Time Has Come, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema, Kelley R. Newhouse, Michele L. Propper, Ruth M. Riedel, Barbara S. Teitelzweig

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The article discusses a study regarding the integration of professional writing in English classes. It mentions the proposal of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in its annual convention on associating professional writing with literature. It also states that connecting literature with technical writing in English classrooms provides students with opportunities to absorb real life writing experiences.

The Power Of Music: Song Serves As An Effective Recall Cue In Children, Tanisha Dews

McCabe Thesis Collection

Song, in some cases, can facilitate learning and recall. The experiments in this thesis demonstrate that information is better recalled when it is heard as a song rather than as speech or through lecture. This study further proves that when a combination of song and speech are taught to children, the retrieval of information is even greater. When the group of the second condition was tested, they were more successful in recalling the information learned. This study also recognizes that song can infuse difficulty due to music's rich structure and makeup of rhythm, tempo, and stress patterns. The overall paper …

Writing Yogis: Breathing Our Way To Mindfulness And Balance In Embodied Writing Pedagogy, Christy I. Wenger

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Breathing exercises constitute a method for helping students to attain a state of mindfulness in their writing—and their lives.

Connecting, Helen Walker, Carl Vandermeulen, Louise Morgan, Jill Moyer Sunday, Tony Mayo

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Connecting

Helen Walker - Trust, and Gaps

Carl Vandermeulen - Proverbs for Poetry Class

Louise Morgan - TJ, Whom I Like Very Much

Jill Moyer Sunday - History Lesson 101

Tony Mayo - Shawn

Outside The Box And Onto A Dusty Trail, Richard Leo Enos

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Archeological exploration has redefined research since this scholar became the Indiana Jones of rhetorical studies.

Book Reviews, Judy Halden-Sullivan, Lauren Dipaula, William Archibald, Noam Scheindlin, Martin Cockroft

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Book Reviews

Judy Halden-Sullivan - Paradigm Shifts

Lauren DiPaula - Price, Margaret. Mad At School: Rhetorics of Mental Disability and Academic Life. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2011.

William Archibald - Thomas, Douglas and John Seely Brown. A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. Charleston, SC: CreateSpace, 2011.

Noam Scheindlin - Vandermeulen, Carl. Negotiating the Personal in Creative Writing. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, 2011.

Martin Cockroft - Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. and Bruce Novak. Teaching Literacy for Love and Wisdom: Being the Book and Being the Change. NY: Teachers College Press, 2011.

Reflections On Accidental Testimonies And Spectacular Witnesses, Lavinia Hirsu

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

When unplanned-for testimonies occur in class, how do instructors turn a disruptive moment into a teachable one?

Gatekept: Inviting Creative Community Literacy, Shelly Sanders, B. Cole Bennett

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Creative writing becomes a vehicle for community outreach in a Writing Center setting, bringing together town and gown.

The Communally Focused Writing Center, Tom Truesdell

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Can writing center administrators prepare student tutors to help transform faculty-student relations? Should they?

Renovating My Academic Administration, Elizabeth Vander Lei

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

A department chair dons a hard hat and begins to see her position through the lens of spiritual rebirth and figured worlds—as a portrait of Calvin looks on.

The Rainbow Connection: Theorizing The Efficacy Of Private Texts, Liz Rohan

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Texts written privately often find new contexts, new uses, if writers become mindful of Bakhtin’s notion of “great time.”

Jaepl, Vol. 18, Winter 2012-2013, Joonna Smitherman Trapp, Brad Peters

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Essays

Douglas Hesse - Writing and Time, Time and the Essay

Liz Rohan - The Rainbow Connection: Theorizing the Efficacy of Private Texts

Christy I. Wenger - Writing Yogis: Breathing Our Way to Mindfulness and Balance in Embodied Writing Pedagogy

Lavinia Hirsu - Reflections on Accidental Testimonies and Spectacular Witnesses

Heather Trahan - Queers, Cupid's Arrow, and Contradictions in the Classroom: An Activity Theory Analysis

Shelly Sanders & B. Cole Bennett - Gatekept: Inviting Creative Community Literacy

Out of the Box

Richard Leo Enos - Outside the Box and onto a Dusty Trail

SPECIAL SECTION: Administration, Ethics, and Spirituality

Paul …