Educational Methods Commons^™

Support For Youth Workers: Slipping On The Social Curve, John K E Tan

Social Space

What are the issues concerning the training of our youth workers? What support exists for them? Are we creating a vacuum where we are grooming an increasing number of youth workers and not providing enough resources to ensure their sustenance? Children-At- Risk Empowerment Association's (CARE Singapore) John K E Tan sheds some light on this matter.

The Challenge Of Educating In A Highly-Connected And Multitasking World, Daniel A. Brazeau, Gayle A. Brazeau

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Today’s students are more connected and more integrated with their world than any past generation and information is readily available today from a multitude of sources. To what extent have these advances improved our students’ ability to become learned pharmacy professionals who are informed not only of the current world and its events but the profession itself?

Case Study Of Connected Knowing In An Online Learning Environment, Jaya Kannan, John Laurence Miller

CTL Publications

This paper reports a single-subject case study designed to investigate the role of group discussion in student learning. The group discussion took the form of contributions to a series of online discussion boards. And our analysis focuses on the contribution of one group member. We argue that this individual came to serve as a catalyst to learning for many group members because of the concomitant roles that she came to occupy.

Practice Writing: Responding To The Needs Of The Bench And Bar In First-Year Writing Programs, Amy Vorenberg, Margaret Sova Mccabe

Law Faculty Scholarship

Do first year legal writing programs really prepare law students for the rigors of practice writing? This article begins to answer this question based on attorney and judge survey results, as well as interviews with judges who had also read student work in preparation for their interview. We found that while legal writing programs do provide a good foundation for legal writing skills, improvement can be made. Important changes that we have made at Pierce Law include shorter, more frequent assignments, variation/flexibility in choice of organizational paradigm, understanding the difference between settled and unsettled areas of law, and increased emphasis …

Digital Learning Objects: A Local Response To The California State University System Initiative, Francis E. Howard, Marci Hunsaker, Shu-Hua Liu, Jennifer Davis

Faculty and Staff Publications

The purpose of this paper is to present a virtual library plan created by library directors of the 23 California State University (CSU) system campuses. The information literacy portion of the project offers a repository of high quality interactive digital learning objects (DLOs) in the MERLOT repository. Therefore, DLOs created locally at the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Library at San José State University (SJSU) focus on topics that supplement the “core” DLO collection.

Media Literacy Education, Elizabeth Etherington Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study offers an analysis of media literacy practices and techniques used at local public middle and high schools in Colorado. Media literacy is an emerging field in education that blends literacy skills such as critical analysis and evaluation with an inquiry-based questioning process that encourages students to process information using cognitive, moral, aesthetic and emotional dimensions. This inquiry-based process is not a new educational approach; it has been used to critically evaluate literature for centuries. However, media literacy scholars argue that applying inquiry-based approaches can enhance learning across all grades and content levels by applying new methodologies.

The literature …

Common Strategies Used By Kindergarten Teachers To Instruct Reading To English-As-A-Second-Language Students, Emma Kaye Penn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research was designed to describe, analyze, and interpret what reading strategies experienced kindergarten teachers believe are essential to instruct English-as-a-Second-Language learners how to read. Through in-depth interviews, experienced kindergarten teachers were given a voice to describe what they consider essential reading strategies to instruct English-as-a-Second-Language learners to learn how to read.

The participants were four licensed, non-probationary kindergarten teachers instructing reading in English to a minimum of 51% English-as-a-Second-Language population. Selected kindergarten programs were consistent in program design. Processes were influenced by the gateway approach. The stories teachers told about their experiences in teaching ELLs how to read was …

The Efficacy Of The Use Of Inquiry Computer Simulation To Generate Understanding And A Positive Attitude Toward The Nature Of Science In Seventh Grade Students, Eleanor Maria Ruiz

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the use of two different modes of instruction, standardized versus computer simulation on the understanding of the nature of science and attitudes toward science in seventh grade students.

Service Learning In Preservice Teacher Preparation: Building Foundations For Engaged Professionalism In The New Millenium, Amy Strage, Susan Gomez, Kari Knutson-Miller, Ana Garcia-Nevarez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Multiple Intelligences In The Classroom, Julia Marie Ramirez

Theses Digitization Project

This qualitative study was designed to examine teacher feedback concerning the application of multiple intelligence methods in their classroom. The study found the theory of multiple intelligences was being implemented throughout the curriculum and students were maintaining an evident level of engagement; in turn teachers found it to be a useful intructional method.

An Exploration Of Playmaking Strategies Resulting In Youth Performance Scripts For Elementary School Audiences, Dana Marie Vazquez

Theses Digitization Project

The author has written four Meet the Masters scripts for schools in the Rim of the World school district in Lake Arrowhead, California. The goal of the performances is to employ children's theater techniques in order to teach elementary school students about an artist's life and work as well as improving learning and retention toward meeting the California State Board of Education Visual and Performing Arts content standards. The project is an important contribution to the field of Theater Education/ Theatre for Youth because it presents a method for utilizing the existing resources in a school district-middle school and and …

Project-Based Learning As Situated Practice, Sandra Jeane Rice

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to explore the dynamics of project based learning (PBL) methodology and how this approach intersects with situated learning and aspects of adult identity negotiation, an important issue in second language acquisition. Another purpose of this thesis is to assess the effectiveness of PBL for adult learners by reviewing literature related to PBL and presenting data that was collected in the context of a PBL project carried out by adult ESL students.

Interaction And Transformation In Virtual Problem-Based Learning Communities, Roisin Donnelly

Papers, presentations and other resources

This brief paper will discuss the harmonizing role of technology and interaction in a qualitative study on blended problem-based learning (PBL) within the context of academic development in higher education. Within academic development, and as both designers and tutors in blended PBL, it is important to seek best practices for how to combine instructional strategies in face-to-face and computer-mediated environments that take advantage of the strengths of each and avoid their weaknesses. A qualitative study of the lived experiences of 17 academic staff participants in a blended problem-based learning module was considered likely to provide a much-needed analysis of current …

Body And Disease 2008: An Integrated Course Teaching Pathology, Pharmacology, Immunology And Microbiology, Janil Puthucheary, Doyle Graham, Charles A. Gullo Phd, Hwang Nina Chih, Lynette Oon, Tan Soo Yong, Sandy Cook

Biochemistry and Microbiology

The Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS) Body and Disease course is a 20-week, integrated course occurring at the end of the first year. The course covers four basic science topics: Pathology, Pharmacology, Immunology, and Microbiology and is modelled after the same course from the Duke University School of Medicine (DSOM) in Durham, North Carolina, USA. The structure of the course, as delivered by DSOM, was adapted to meet the needs and structure of the Duke-NUS programme. In addition, the course was adapted significantly to incorporate the Team-Based Learning methodology. In this paper, we detail how we approached these unique …

Shaping Our Children's Future: Perceived Self-Efficacy In A Montessori Environment, Candace Joan Andrews

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility that students who spend more time in a Montessori environment exhibit higher levels of self-efficacy than children who have more of their school career exposed to traditional education methods. This study used a nonprobability convenience sampling where participants were selected using a volunteer process. The sample included a total of 36 children ranging from 7th to 12th grade who volunteered to participate in this study.

The Mobility Impact: Implications And Solutions For Families On The Move With An Original Book For Children., Sarah Willis

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Examines the relationship between student mobility and achievement. Contains a picture book for children four to six years designed to help with the transition from house or neighborhood into a new one. Includes recommendations for ways families and schools can help children with the moving process.

Building On The Cultural And Linguistic Capital Of English Learner (El) Students, Kathryn Brooks, Katya Karathanos

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

...While our nation has a long history of competing ideologies and political controversies related to English immersion (in which the primary language of instruction is English) programs versus bilingual education, scholars contend that these two educational approaches need not be conceptualized as dichotomous. Rather, when educators consider what approaches and strategies will provide the best opportunities for particular students to learn in particular contexts, they must bear in mind that for EL students, their native languages and cultures are key resources to draw upon for teaching both content and language (Lucas & Katz, 1994). They must also think about how …

Success With Ell's: Writing In The Esl Classroom: Confessions Of A Guilty Teacher, Susan R. Adams

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

"Success with ELLs" suggests effective approaches to teaching English language learners in ways that can be of benefit to all students in mainstream middle and high school English classes.

Working Toward A Third Space In The Teaching Of Elementary Mathematics, Ryan Flessner

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Building on work in the area of third space theory, this study documents one teacher’s efforts to create third spaces in an elementary mathematics classroom. In an attempt to link the worlds of theory and practice, I examine how the work of other theorists and researchers – inside and outside the field of education – can create new lenses for classroom practitioners. In addition, the article provides evidence that third spaces may be more difficult to realize than others have described. Rather than forcing a third space to emerge, what this study finds more important is creating an environment that …

Using The World Wide Web To Educate And Inform The Public About Risk And Agricultural Biotechnology, Douglas A. Golick, Robert D. Peterson, Leon G. Higley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The University of Nebraska and AgBios, Inc. launched the AgBiosafety website (http://agbiosaftzy.unl.edu) with the purpose of educating the public about agricultural biotechnology risk and safezy issues through science-based content. This article discusses the creation ofthe website, its components, and data gathered from usage statistics and a web-delivered survey. Also included is a discussion of the results ofdata gathered and recommendations for future web-based educational efforts in biotechnology safety and risk assessment.

Dispositions Related To Successful Co-Teaching Teams At The Secondary Level: A Case-Based Study Of Three Secondary Co-Teaching Teams, Zabrina U. Cannady

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the dispositions of successful co-teachers in the Houston County school district in order to gain insight into the establishment of successful collaborative relationships. Data for this study was collected through multiple observations and follow up/exit interviews with six teachers participating in the co-teaching model in the Houston county school district. Findings indicated the presence of dispositions identified in the literature as essential for successful co-teachers, to include positive attitude, empathy, insight, and the use of pedagogical strategies. In addition to the four observed categories, the participants also identified administrative support, creativity in …

School, Home, And Community: A Symbiosis For A Literacy Partnership, Karen C. Waters

Education Faculty Publications

With the belief that fertile ground for a literate environment is created through lots of oral language, ancestral anecdotes, and reading a variety of genre in fiction and nonfiction, it is possible to link home and school literacy communities. This chapter describes the connection between district literacy events and functional home activities as the basis for a partnership in developing higher level thinking that transcends the classroom. At monthly get-togethers, families were encouraged to participate in the very activities that were used in the classroom as part of the district's literacy block. In helping families acquire a few basic strategies …

Strategy Instruction And Lessons Learned In Teaching Higher Level Thinking Skills In An Urban Middle School Classroom, Karen C. Waters

Education Faculty Publications

Through a compilation of standards-based lesson plans for small- and whole-group instruction, this chapter offers a humorous and heartbreaking perspective of the author's experiences during a yearlong university partnership “Book Bistro” in a 7th grade classroom with urban adolescent struggling readers. Using a combination of leveled, fictional, nonfictional, and culturally relevant text, the chapter is written as a personal narrative to address higher level thinking through systematic instruction in comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, and structural analysis. A step-by-step implementation procedure for each of the research-based strategies is presented, including concept of definition, discussion web, probable passage, pointed reading, semantic feature analysis, …

Student Performance In Virtual Schooling: Looking Beyond The Numbers, Michael Barbour, Dennis Mulcahy

Education Faculty Publications

Seven years ago the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation began a virtual high school within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Designed primarily to provide courses in specialized areas to students in rural areas, where schools have difficulty in attracting these teachers, there is concern that the opportunities provided by this virtual school are “second rate.” The purpose of the study is to examine the student achievement in standardized public exams and final course scores in the province between different delivery models, geographic location and subject area to determine whether or not students are succeeding in the virtual …

Beyond Volunteerism And Good Will: Examining The Commitment Of Schoolbased Teachers To Distance Education, Michael K. Barbour, Dennis Mulcahy

Education Faculty Publications

Two decades ago Newfoundland and Labrador introduced distance education in the K-12 environment. The program focused upon providing advanced-level courses to rural school students, and worked largely due to the widely known, but rarely documented significant amounts of content-based assistance from school based personnel. In the past seven years the province has moved to a virtual school model of distance education and more rural schools find that they must rely upon this virtual school to offer academic-level courses to students with a wide range of abilities. This has created many new responsibilities for teachers that have also gone undocumented. Studies …

Saying Yes To Freestyle Volunteering: Doubting And Believing, Judy Lightfoot

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

My formerly academic interest in Peter Elbow's work developed fresh relevance a few years ago after a member of my family was diagnosed with schizophrenia. To volunteer "outside the box" with individuals who suffer from mental illness or homelessness, I needed a skeptic's doubt as well as an enthusiast :S belief But the first step was believing.

Reflections From A Grateful Guest Edit, Peter Elbow

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

No abstract provided.

Jaepl, Vol. 15, Winter 2009-2010, Kristie S. Fleckenstein, Linda T. Calendrillo

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Essays

Peter Elbow - Reflections from a Grateful Guest Editor

Sheridan Blau - Believing and Doubting as Hermeneutic Metbod: Reading and Teaching Paradue Lost

Tim Doherty - Lessons from tbe Believing Game

Anne Ellen Geller - The Difficulty of Believing in Writing Across the Curriculum

Shelly Sheats Harkness, Catherine Pullin Lane, Sue Mau, Amber Brass - The Believing Game in Mathematics: Stories in a Discipline of Doubt

Judy Lightfoot - Saying Yes to Freestyle Volunteering: Doubting and Believing

Clyde Moneyhun - Believing, Doubting, Deciding, Acting

Irene Papoulis - A Refiection on Habitual Belief and Habitual Doubt

Stephanie Paterson - Friday …

The Difficulty Of Believing In Writing Across The Curriculum, Anne Ellen Geller

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

What would happen if we tried to consider writing-acrossthe- curriculum work through the lens of Peter Elbows methodological believing? If we were to believe that every faculty person in the university is a writer, thinks about writing, and teaches writing in his or her own way, what virtues would we find that doubting leads us to disqualify?

Cooperative Learning In The Mathematics Classroom, Janine Regnier

Mathematics Graduate Theses

Student interactions are important which provokes the idea that cooperative learning should be incorporated into classrooms. Research states many benefits for incorporating cooperative learning and are included in the literature review. Cooperative groups were introduced and studied by the author, who ultimately concluded that cooperative learning does have a place in Mathematics classrooms and should be used when the lesson lends itself to a cooperative environment. The study results can be found in this paper following the literature review.