Educational Methods Commons^™

Hungary And The United States: A Comparison Of Gifted Education, Julianna Connelly Stockton

Mathematics Faculty Publications

There is a lot that can be learned about a country based on the programs and provisions it has for mathematically talented students. While it is difficult to identify a single U.S. "program" or "approach" for gifted education, in general the trend is to put mathematically talented students through the standard mathematics sequence, just starting at an earlier age. In Hungary, on the other hand, the focus is on enrichment over acceleration. This paper explores how some very different historical, cultural, and political forces have shaped these two countries’ different approaches to educating mathematically talented students.

Are The Math Scores Of Students Who Are Taught Mathematics Utilizing The Methods Endorsed By The Alabama Math, Science, And Technology Initiative Affected?, Brenda Elise Jolly

Dissertations

Eighth-grade mathematics scores from 21 schools were compared pre-inception and post-inception of the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI). Only the scores from schools which had 80% of their mathematics and science teachers trained at one Summer Institute were used, as these were considered to be true AMSTI schools. Results found the effects of AMSTI to be not statistically significant.

The second part of this research was conducted based upon 256 surveys from teachers attending their second Summer Institute of ASMTI training. Results found many school systems may hamper teachers' ability to plan and execute AMSTI lessons due to …

South Mississippi Public Elementary School Teachers' Implementation Of And Attitudes Toward Inquiry-Based Science, Thomas Franklin Sumrall

Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine the relationship between the dependent variables of K-5 elementary teachers' attitudes toward inquiry-based science, implementation of National Science Education Standards concerning inquiry-based science, and the number of inquiry-based lessons taught with the predictor variables of gender, school district teaching, ethnic group, educational level, experience, grade level teaching, and number of science courses taken. Four hundred thirty teachers of grades K through 5 from seven school districts in south Mississippi were surveyed using the Revised Science Attitude Scale (Bitner, 1994), Inquiry Beliefs and Practices survey (Jeanpierre, 2006), and a demographic questionnaire. A total of …

Team Teaching High School Science: Game Plan For Success, Ed Linz, Mary Jane Heater, Lori A. Howard

Special Education Faculty Research

Recently team teaching has become more prevalent in high school classes. These teams often pair a general education teacher with content knowledge with a special education teacher. Due to a lack of detailed knowledge/experience in the other’s area of expertise, many team teachers in science courses are confronted with unique challenges. In this article, a general education science teacher and a special education teacher share how they successfully developed their “team.” Through the use of a sports related metaphor, “the game plan,” these teachers provide insight into how successful co-teaching relationships can be fostered. Both teachers describe the importance of …

Comparing Science Instruction Methods In The High School Classroom Setting: A Case Study In Inquiry-Based Methods., Sarah Sawyers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The science education system currently in place in the United States does not adequately prepare students to compete well with international students. The development of new teaching methods is essential to ensure improvement of the system and provide its students with better scholastic achievements and employment opportunities. Various methods have been studied, with one implemented in a high school classroom to compare the results of the new method with the traditional method of instruction. Rather than the traditional lecture-based approach, Honors Chemistry students learned the theory of the gas laws using inquiry-based methods and hands-on activities. The students were then …

Effects Of Nonfiction Guided Interactive Read-Alouds And Think-Alouds On Fourth Grader's Depth Of Content Area Science Vocabulary Knowledge And Comprehension, Tania Tamara Henderson Hanna

Dissertations

Effects of nonfiction guided interactive read-alouds and think-alouds as a supplement to basal science textbooks on three vocabulary measures, definitions, examples, and characteristics, and one multiple-choice comprehension measure were assessed for 127 fourth graders over three time periods: pretest, posttest, and a 2-week delayed posttest. Two of three fourth grade elementary science teachers implemented a series of 12 content enhanced guided interactive scripted lessons. Two of these teachers implemented two treatments each. The first condition employed basal science textbooks as the text for guided interactive read-alouds and think-alouds while the second treatment employed basal science textbooks in conjunction with nonfiction …

Robots That Teach: Developing An Integrated Curriculum For Middle School Math, Antoinette P. Bruciati

Education Faculty Publications

Keeping middle school students interested in mathematics and motivating them to succeed are challenges that continually present themselves to even the most seasoned teachers. Students will be drawn to mathematics if they are able to connect it to exciting careers. This paper describes a research-based curriculum model for teachers, grant writers, and others interested in incorporating Lego robotics technologies into an existing middle school mathematics curriculum. The model is based on data gathered from a three year research study in which approximately 150 sixth grade students per year and their teachers collaborated with a middle school Math Coordinator, a school …

Fourth Year Evaluation Of Tennessee Charter Schools, 2006-2007, Steven M. Ross, Aaron J. Mcdonald, Linda Bol

STEMPS Faculty Publications

In 2002, Tennessee passed its first Public Charter School legislation. Four schools were successful in gaining approval to begin operating in the 2003-2004 academic year. The second cohort of three charter schools began operation during the 2004-2005 academic year, with the third cohort of five schools starting up during the 2005-2006 academic year. No new schools were added during the 2006-2007 academic year. According to the charter school law, these charter schools were granted "maximum flexibility" to achieve alternative ways for public schools to educate school children. Though the flexibility granted to these schools is considered an advantage, previous research …

Integrating The Wasl Into The High School Algebra Curriculum, Kent Stafford Pearsons

All Graduate Projects

Most Algebra courses in Washington are supplemented with Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) material. However, in the last two years, little more than half of Washington sophomores passed the math portion of the WASL; for about half of tenth graders the extra worksheets did little to no good. Students need relevant WASL material that correlates with the current math they are studying. In this manner, even though questions may be phrased differently, the material is familiar and so answering questions are more possible. Also, since new worksheets have multiple choice, teachers can discuss how most wisely to answer this …

How Geometer’S Sketchpad Improves Student Learning, William George Awe

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This study investigated whether dynamic software improves learning and reviews different types of dynamic software. The study then narrows its focus to one type of dynamic software, Geometer’s Sketchpad and studies how Geometer’s Sketchpad, in itself, improves student learning. The researcher identified what dynamic software is, the importance of dynamic software and different types of dynamic software. The researcher also identifies how dynamic software is utilized in schools and researches how to improve the use of dynamic software in schools. Dynamic software, and Geometer’s Sketchpad, In particular, was found to improve learning across grade levels and with different levels of …

Models Of Interdisciplinary Research And Service Learning At Hope College, Aaron A. Best, Matthew Dejongh, Amanda J. Barton, Jeff R. Brown, Christopher C. Barney

Publications

"Children love to explore the world around them. In doing so they are not aware of disciplinary boundaries or even of disciplines. They move freely from watching ants (biology) to building structures (engineering) to counting rocks (mathematics and geology) to seeing what things dissolve in water (chemistry). Only as they go to school do they learn that humans divide up the way we learn about the universe and start to think within disciplinary boundaries. In doing so, those children, who are now us, lose the ability to think broadly and use the insights of various ways of thinking to solve …

Evaluation Of An Adult Education Technology Program, Iwasan D. Kejawa

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adult education technology program at a chartered alternative adult education center in Florida. The adult education center had a low rate of students passing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This study examined the impact of the use of computer technology in an effort to improve student learning in mathematics, reading, and science. Computers at the institution were used by all students for tutorials to prepare them for the FCAT and to obtain a high school diploma. The research questions for this study were as follows: 1. Is the education technology …

Breaking The Math Barrier, Bilqees Patel

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Successful And Unsuccessful Students’ Problem Solving In Stoichiometry, Ozcan Gulacar

Dissertations

In this study, I investigated how successful and unsuccessful students solve stoichiometry problems. I focus on three research questions: (1) To what extent do the difficulties in solving stoichiometry problems stem from poor understanding of pieces (domain-specific knowledge) versus students' inability to link those pieces together (conceptual knowledge)? (2) What are the differences between successful and unsuccessful students in knowledge, ability, and practice? (3) Is there a connection between students' (a) cognitive development levels, (b) formal (proportional) reasoning abilities, (c) working memory capacities, (d) conceptual understanding of particle nature of matter, (e) understanding of the mole concept, and their problem-solving …

Recycle Please: Teach Your School To Recycle, To Care, And To Help Solve The Climate Crisis, Ted Wells

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This Independent Study offers one developmentally-appropriate way in which the elementary school teacher can help alleviate the current global warming crisis by leading students to organize a school-wide recycling program carried out in the spirit of service learning. The reader will learn that this recycling work is two-pronged: the physical labor of recycling and the educational outreach to the school community through marketing, using posters, assemblies, videos, and more. A philosophy of education underlying this work is described in detail, as is the journey of the author in discovering this pedagogy that includes tapping into a personal environmental activism for …

Interactive And Textbook Lessons In Science Instruction: Combining Strategies To Engage Students In Learning, Christina Puentes

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Students in elementary classrooms are not receiving science instruction that is engaging and challenging. The review of the literature indicates that the way that the information is presented has more of an impact on the students than simply whether they comprehend the information. Studies show that hands-on science instruction allows success beyond the classroom, hands-on activities excite students about leaning and science in general, and that the hands-on activities create confidence in the children. Research also indicates that students who receive textbook based lessons earn scores similar to students who learn through hands-on lessons. This study explores the effects of …

Guerrilla Puzzling: A Model For Research, Marc Zimmer

Chemistry Faculty Publications

There are two main settings for puzzle solving in higher education: graduate programs, with professors and both graduate and postdoctoral students; and predominantly undergraduate institutions, with professors and students. Research programs at large universities are well-oiled puzzle-solving machines. Graduate students there work long, hard hours in the laboratory, under the supervision of postdocs and professors. Students at predominantly undergraduate institutions, on the other hand, can rarely devote more than 10 hours a week to research during the academic year, what with course work; extracurricular activities, like sports; jobs; and other commitments. In this article, the author describes "guerrilla puzzling," a …

Using Dragonflies As Common, Flexible, And Charismatic Subjects For Teaching The Scientific Process, Paul Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Experiential Programs: Best Practice: Effective Programs Are Experiential, Allison Brody

Education about the Environment

“Teaching by pouring in” refers to a medieval belief that we could teach people by drilling holes in the human head and, with a funnel, pour information into the brain. We laugh at this idea, yet we still see educators and interpreters use passive instruction to “fill up” the brains of their audiences.

Think back on how you learned to ride a bicycle. You took an action, saw the consequences of that action, and chose either to continue or to take a new and different action. What allowed you to master the new skill of riding a bicycle was your …

Age-Appropriate Programs: Best Practice: Effective Programs Are Designed To Match The Developmental Stages Of The Learner, Daphne Sewing, Allison Brody

Education about the Environment

Children and adults learn in completely different ways. Too often, however, children’s programs are developed from an adult’s perspective, rather than that of a child. The best children’s environmental education programs are designed with children’s abilities, developmental needs, interests, and learning styles in mind. Different programs should be created to appropriately meet the needs of different age groups and their respective cognitive development, attention spans, coordination abilities, interests, and ways of interacting with nature.

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Synecdoche And Surprise: Transdisciplinary Knowledge Production, Anne Dalke, Elizabeth Mccormack

Literatures in English Faculty Research and Scholarship

Using contemporary insights from feminist critical theory and the literary device of synecdoche, we argue that transdisciplinary knowledge is productive because it maximizes serendipity. We draw on student learning experiences in a course on “Gender and Science” to illustrate how the dichotomous frameworks and part-whole correspondences that are predominant in much disciplinary discourse must be dismantled for innovative intellectual work to take place. In such a process, disciplinary presumptions interrogate and unsettle one another to produce novel questions and answers.

Community Service-Learning In Statistics: Course Design And Assessment, Debra L. Hydorn

Mathematics Articles

Service-learning projects are a useful method for students to learn both the practice and value of statistical methods. Effective service learning, however, depends on several factors and can be implemented according to a variety of models. In this article, different models for incorporating service-learning in statistics courses are presented along with example statistics courses. Principles for good service-learning practice will also be presented as a means for assessing the quality of a service-learning course component.

Math Anxiety: What It Is And How It Can Be Prevented By Elementary Classroom Teachers, Amy Christenson

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

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 …

Matrices And The Game Of Chutes And Ladders, Katherine Jedlicka

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Squeezing In Constructivist Mathematics: A Second Grade Curriculum, Deborah Potvin

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This curriculum consists of a collection of mathematics activities intended to complement a standard second-grade curriculum. The activities within this collection focus on the topics and concepts addressed by a traditional curriculum; however, they allow the students to approach the subject from a slightly different angle. The problems, projects, and games create situations in which students can create their own understanding of numbers.

By providing ready-to-use, well-organized activities designed to promote constructivist learning, this collection aims to make constructivist mathematics accessible to teachers working within a more traditional curriculum. The inspiration for the activities within this curriculum comes from a …

Academic Content Instruction And The High School English Language Learner: A Series Of Lessons That Model An Approach To Content Instruction In Science In A Multi- Level English As A Second Language High School Classroom, Juliet M. Parry

MA TESOL Collection

This paper presents a series of lessons on biology that model an approach to content instruction Biology in a multi-level English as a second language high school classroom. It includes background information on the course, lesson plans, explanation of and rationale behind them, historical perspective on the shift from content instruction in the native language to content instruction in the new or target language.

Standards Based Interactive Bilingual Math Centers For The Kindergarten Classroom, Laura Berge

All Graduate Projects

Statistical data from various research sources indicate a large discrepancy between mathematical achievement levels of Hispanic students. The project is significant in that it integrates current research on early learners, educational pedagogy, ELL teaching strategies, and mathematical learning to ensure success in mathematics for young Hispanic students. Toward this end, the purpose of this project was to develop bilingual math centers using a constructivist approach and the latest research on second language acquisition and teaching for the early childhood classroom. This project is also unique because it supplements current math curriculums used throughout the state while providing the necessary scaffolds …

Using A Robotic Arm To Evaluate The Programming Ability Of K-12 Educators, Antoinette P. Bruciati

Education Faculty Publications

This usability study measured the ability of educators to master advanced computer programming concepts through the OWI Robotic Arm Trainer and PC Interface. Research findings revealed that the lack of prior computer programming experience did not impact the ability of each participant to successfully program his/her robotic arm. However, the absence of a detailed instructional manual detracted from the product’s usability. Future directions for research and the suitability of the robotic arm for use in an online teacher preparation course in robotics technologies are discussed at the conclusion of this paper.