Educational Methods Commons^™

Dynamics Of No Child Left Behind Policy Impacting Reading Education Practices In Kindergarten In The United States Of America, Guang-Lea Lee, Joanne K. Sullivan, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The Commonwealth of Virginia is used as a representative case to illustrate the implication of federal policy on reading education practices in kindergarten in the United States of America. While Virginia follows the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy, it allows local school districts to create innovative instructional and assessment practices that can match the needs of each child. Teachers in Virginia experience a wide range of emergent reading skills in kindergarten inclusive classrooms filled with children of diverse backgrounds and abilities. However, highly qualified teachers try to meet the state Standards of Learning through working side-by-side with children. …

The Very Best Teaching: Reaching Out To Individuals, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

The most powerful teaching moments may not always occur in the classroom but rather in other contexts, as teachers directly reach out to students as individuals. Consider this experience of President Thomas S. Monson: When I served as a bishop, I noted one Sunday morning that one of our priests was missing from the priesthood meeting. I left the quorum in the care of the adviser and visited Richard’s home. His mother said he was working at the West Temple Garage. I drove to the garage in search of Richard and looked everywhere but I could not find him. Suddenly …

Maggie And Her Students: Talking And Reasoning In A Reform-Based Mathematics Classroom, Debra Louise Semm Rich

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this qualitative case study, I explored how Maggie, the teacher, and her students used language to advance students' conceptual understanding of mathematics in a reform-based mathematics classroom. Specifically I sought to describe how Maggie's reform-based mathematics classroom environment impacted the quantity and quality of mathematical language spoken by her students. Maggie's eighth-grade mathematics classroom was observed during a course of study on data and statistics. Three semi-structured interviews with Maggie, artifacts provided by her, and fourteen 52-minute classroom lessons, supported with field notes, were analyzed.

Environmental themes were revealed as they related to Maggie, her beliefs, goals, knowledge, and …

Innovative Education In Agroecology: Experiential Learning For A Sustainable Agriculture, C.A. Francis, N. Jordan, P. Porter, T.A. Breland, G. Lieblein, L. Salomonsson, N. Sriskandarajah, M. Wiedenhoeft, Robert Dehaan, I. Braden, V. Langer

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The transdisciplinary field of agroecology provides a platform for experiential learning based on an expanded vision of research on sustainable farming and food systems and the application of results in creating effective learning landscapes for students. With increased recognition of limitations of fossil fuels, fresh water, and available farmland, educators are changing focus from strategies to reach maximum yields to those that feature resource use efficiency and resilience of production systems in a less benign climate. To help students deal with complexity and uncertainty and a wide range of biological and social dimensions of the food challenge, a whole-systems approach …

Active Learning, Isabelle D. Cherney

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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

Differentiated Instruction In The Secondary Classroom: Analysis Of The Level Of Implementation And Factors That Influence Practice, Duane Kiley

Dissertations

Differentiated instruction is designing and implementing instruction to meet the needs of every student. Differentiated classrooms adjust to individual student’s needs through a combination of practices proven effective in teaching at the student’s point of learning acquisition.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which secondary teachers differentiate instruction and whether selected independent variables influence teachers’ use of differentiated instruction. Academic teachers were surveyed to determine the extent to which they utilized differentiated instructional strategies. Focus group meetings were conducted to delve deeper into understanding the information received from the teacher survey. Statistical analysis of the …

Critical Teaching In The Library, Alycia Sellie

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Student Knowledge, Attitudes, And Use Of Evidence-Based Concepts Following An Educational Intervention, Sarah A. Manspeaker, Bonnie Van Lunen, Paula S. Turocy, Shana Pribesh, Dorice Hankemeier

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: While evidence-based practice (EBP) concepts are being taught in health profession education programs, models of instruction and effectiveness of these models are not evident in athletic training.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Evidence-Based Teaching Model (EBTM) in increasing student knowledge, attitudes, and use of evidence-based concepts.

Design: Within subjects design with pre- and post-test evaluations of students' knowledge, attitudes, and intended use using the researcher-developed Evidence-Based Concepts: Knowledge, Attitudes and Use (EBCKAU) survey. Setting: CAATE-accredited undergraduate programs.

Participants: Eighty-two students from a stratified purposeful sample of 9 institutions were enrolled in the study, 78 students (95%) completed …

The Effects Of Tinkerability On Novice Programming Skill Acquisition, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This paper reports on an exploratory study which used a graphical programming environment, Scratch, to facilitate the comprehension of a scripting programming language, ActionScript. Online survey questionnaires were distributed to 34 enrolled students, in a graduate level programming course with a 70% response rate. Findings indicated that Scratch contributed to the understanding of basic programming concepts such as event handling, sequential, and conditional statement but it was less helpful in assisting students’ understanding of more abstract concepts such as variables. This study also suggests that students’ learning style preference and proficiency with programming also make a difference in their perception …

Does Problem Based Learning Deliver The Goods?, Stephen Benson

Research outputs 2011

Much of university teaching is grounded in a traditional or semi-traditional mode, that is it is lecturer centric and at least partly didactic. There are numerous reasons for this which include: a reluctance to change on the part of academics; the changing nature of the student demographic; an increasing emphasis on “education as a service”; risk averse behavior on the part of academics, academic managers fearing adverse student feedback and the financial imperatives which require the maximization of student progress and retention. It has been argued that “safe”, traditional approaches to pedagogy do not prepare students for the world of …

Online Supervisor Compliance Training, Joseph Luca, Mark Mcmahon

Research outputs 2011

Supervisor training for postgraduate research candidates has been recognised as a priority area by the Australian Government and institutional quality auditing agencies for many years. The need for increased Doctoral completions to help bolster the academic workforce is well documented, as is the influence of effective supervision for timely completions. More discussions need to be had about delivering effective supervisor training, and also distinguishing between training for supervisor compliance and training for supervisor best practice.

Small Group Knowledge Management And The Support Of Student Learning, Stuart Garner

Research outputs 2011

Personal knowledge management has been defined to be “A process and strategy for properly using the tools of technology for enhancing information, learning and inquiry skills” [1] and has been applied to student learning by using a model [2] based on that of Dorsey [3]. This paper extends that model to include interpersonal, small group knowledge management in an attempt to better reflect the way in which students are required to collaborate in their production of group projects. The model of small group knowledge management (SGKM) has then been implemented by using wikis and then utilized within an MBA unit …

Wiki Design For Student Assignments: Should It Be Prescribed Or Emergent?, Paul Jackson, Stuart Garner, Jane Klobas

Research outputs 2011

In this paper we examine how to approach the question of information and site design in the use of wikis for student group assignments. The popular literature about Wikis proposes that they allow for “emergent, user-driven design”. We develop a model in order to analyse what approach to design might be appropriate in student group work. We gave one class of students a prescribed assignment layout with clear instructions regarding navigation menus and another group the same assignment with little or no guidance about how to design their site. Initial results show that prescribing the design increases perceptions of self-efficacy. …

Exploring The Use Of Audio-Visual Feedback Within 3d Virtual Environments To Provide Complex Sensory Cues For Scenario-Based Learning, Michael Garrett, Mark Mcmahon

Research outputs 2011

The continuous quest for ever increasing fidelity in 3D virtual worlds is running parallel to the emergence and adoption of low-cost technologies to implement such environments. In education and training, complex simulations can now be implemented on standard desktop technologies. However, such tools lack the means to represent multisensory data beyond audio-visual feedback. This paper reports on a study that involved the design, development and implementation of a 3D learning environment for underground mine evacuation. The requirements of the environment are discussed in terms of the sensory information that needs to be conveyed and techniques are described to achieve this …

Managing Large E-Learning Development Initiatives: Lessons Learnt From The Australian Flexible Learning Toolbox Project, Mark Mcmahon

Research outputs 2011

This paper reports on a research consultancy undertaken for the Flexible Learning Framework in reviewing management processes undertaken as part of Series 13 of Flexible Learning Toolboxes. Toolboxes are e-learning products that cover multiple Units of Competency in National Training Packages. In the 13th iteration of the project a number of initiatives were implemented designed to support the development of 7 Toolboxes. The research explores the role of documentation and communication processes and their impact on the development experiences of key stakeholders such as the designers, developers and managers of the products. Findings identified a number of important factors with …

Enhancing Nutritional Learning Outcomes Within A Simulation And Pervasive Game-Based Strategy [Conference Paper], Mark Mcmahon, Shane Henderson

Research outputs 2011

Games are often seen as a means of enhancing motivation in learning. Despite the rhetoric, however, games that provide quality experiences for learners are hard to find. One reasoning is the focus on the game medium without a clear understanding of the strategy behind it. This paper outlines a game designed to raise primary school-aged children’s awareness of nutritional issues using simulation and pervasive gaming strategies. Nute implements ubiquitous mobile technology and QR Code scanning to allow players to engage in virtual shopping. The effects of their dietary choices are manifest in a simulated character, Nute, who has similar dietary …

The Natives Are Restless: Meeting The Diversity And Needs Of Millennial Students In A Large Undergraduate Unit, Mark Mcmahon, Joo Jung

Research outputs 2011

Today’s students are referred to as ‘digital natives’. But what does it mean to be digitally native? How does the digital nativeness affect the way student learn and we teach? This paper examines the key characteristics of Millennial students, and outlines teaching and learning strategies. A modular structure was implemented in first year undergraduate unit to trial the new strategies. Challenges and successes of the trial are described.

Exploring The Nature Of Immersion In Games To Enhance Educational Engagement, Mark Mcmahon, Shane Henderson

Research outputs 2011

Student engagement is often considered one of the most important determinants of successful learning. An often cited argument for games in learning is their value to be ‘immersive’. Beyond the rhetoric however, a model needs to be developed of immersion to identify the cognitive and affective factors involved and to tie it into existing theories relating to flow and narratology. This paper presents a model of immersion and details findings based upon the development and implementation of a range of levels in a 3D ‘first person shooter’ game which were evaluated according to criteria for immersion. A range of potential …

Using Ipad2 To Assess Students' Live Performances And Actively Engage Students With Tutor And Peer Feedback, Julia Wren, Alistair B. Campbell, John Heyworth, Christine Lovering

Research outputs 2011

Assessing student live performances can be challenging because markers need to make quick and often complex judgements about the learning while at the same time record information and watch the performance. This is further challenged where multiple markers are involved and moderation between markers is required. Maintaining fairness and validity throughout the assessment process can consequently become a significant issue. Moderation of assessment can cause a delay in the turnaround time for student feedback because markers need to meet and review. In addition, the ‘busy type of work’ associated with compiling and sorting individual marks and distributing them to students, …

Integrating The Academic Experience: An Inter-Disciplinary Approach To The Authentic Marketing Research Experience, Gary J. Marchioro, Maria M. Ryan, Timothy J. Perkins

Research outputs 2011

This paper describes the evolution of an innovative inter–disciplinary approach to teaching and learning in a University Faculty of Business. Further, it reviews the implementation of a series of unique, integrated and authentic assessments involving units based in the marketing, urban planning and business communication disciplines. The project has used the production of Revitalization Plans for the University‘s campuses as the basis for integrating student teaching and learning. It has championed an approach which moves away from the traditional ‗silo‘ methods of academic assessment to integrated, contextualised learning which develops both generic and discipline-specific skills such as client/consultation roles, business …

Scaffolding With Video Prior To Sophomore Physics Lab: The Addition And Resolution Of Vectors, David J. Sitar

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Teaching The Infant Toddler Cda, Gwendolyn Brown-Murray

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Discusses some of the highlights of the author's experience teaching the curriculum for the Infant Toddler Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential to a group of women who were culturally, ethnically, religiously, educationally, and socially different from her.

Children‘S Protagonism At The Centro Cultural Da Criança: A Case Study, Claudia Protasio Ceccon

Dissertations

This dissertation provides a thick description and discussion of how child protagonism, participation and autonomy were implemented in an out of school center – The Children‘s Cultural Center – in a favela, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The researcher visited the center for more than two years, twice a week from February 2008 to June 2009, and once a week from June 2009 to July 2010. She conducted in-depth interviews with educators and children, recorded observation sessions in the activity rooms, and observed actualization sessions for educators and family days. This study describes the perspectives and expectations of the Center‘s …

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 …

Teaching Reading In The Secondary Content Area Classroom:Teacher Attitudes And Predictors, Sara L. Norton-Ejnik

Dissertations

Strategic teaching of reading occurs at the elementary level, and students are expected to "read to learn" once they enter high school. The majority of the nation's secondary students do not have all the requisite skills to read and learn from high school texts and materials, and even drop-out rates have been attributed to students' inability to keep pace with the literacy skills demanded by the secondary curriculum. No Child Left Behind legislation now mandates secondary school reading initiatives, from high stakes testing to remediation. Despite the national focus on secondary reading, teachers in America's secondary schools are not teaching …

The Effects Of Using Interactive Word Walls To Teach Vocabulary To Middle School Students, Ledale Southerland

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teaching vocabulary to middle school students requires that educators find the most effective means of instruction to achieve this goal. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of using an interactive word wall as the tool to combine five effective, research-based teaching strategies with social interaction to teach vocabulary to middle school students. In this study, 124 middle school students participated. The control group consisted of 67 eighth grade English students, and the intervention group was comprised of 57 seventh grade English students. The intervention was for a period of four weeks and included specific activities that …