Educational Methods Commons^™

Thinking About Students' Learning: Metacognition Across The Disciplines, Saryn R. Goldberg, Jennifer Gundlach, Amy M. Masnick, Jennifer A. Rich, Jessica R. Santangelo

Hofstra University Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series

The ability to think about one’s own thinking—metacognition—is identified as one of the keys to subject mastery in most, if not all, disciplines. It is clear that being able to be one’s own critic — assessing and reassessing one’s understanding — is of critical importance to learning. Rarely, however, is metacognition explicitly taught or discussed as a centerpiece of learning in a content-heavy classroom, even with the best intentions of the professors.

A panel of Hofstra faculty from the disciplines of psychology, biology, law, engineering and writing studies will share results from their ongoing research about the impact of integrating …

Implementation Of A Biology Summer Bridge Program For First-Year Biology Majors, Madelyn Aittama

Honors Theses

Students are entering higher education at an escalated rate, but many are unprepared for the rigorous coursework that lies ahead of them. As nationwide programs are continuously being implemented throughout high schools to better prepare students for college life, many students are still not equipped with the skills necessary to succeed in obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Many students feel discouraged and inadequate when they perform below their academic expectations, and for a large portion of students pursuing higher education, this results in discontinuing their education. While retention rates amongst STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students are particularly low, the …

High School Outside The Norm: A Case Study Of North Point Academy, Harold Wallace

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Harold Wallace on April 18, 2017.

An Inventory Of Selected Mentor And Protégé Motivational And Effectiveness Characteristics At The United States Air Force Academy (Usafa), David Huston

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the mentoring culture at USAFA in terms of selected mentor and protégé motivational and effectiveness characteristics of faculty and administrative personnel (referred to as permanent party members) (mentors) and cadets (protégés). Results offer evidence which support the presence of a somewhat healthy culture in that those who indicated they were currently mentoring cadets were more generative, altruistic, and wanted to mentor cadets more compared to those who indicated they were not mentoring cadets. However, those who were currently mentoring cadets did not necessarily possess better emotional intelligence compared to non-mentors. Also, cadets …

The Missouri Student Transfer Program, Howard E. Fields Iii

Dissertations

In 1993, the state of Missouri passed the Outstanding Schools Act. This law was created as a means to ensure that “all children will have quality educational opportunities, regardless of where in Missouri they live.” Section 167.131 of this law states that an unaccredited district must pay the tuition and transportation cost for students who attend an accredited school in the same or adjoining district. This portion of the law became known as the Student Transfer Program.

The Riverview Gardens School District (RGSD) was one of three unaccredited school districts in the state of Missouri in 2013. With close to …

Listening To The Voices Of Teacher Candidates To Design Content Area Literacy Courses, Ellen S. Friedland, Elizabeth G. Kuttesch, Susan E. Mcmillen, Pixita M. Del Prado Hill

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

While teacher candidates take courses which prepare them to deliver content in secondary content area classrooms, they often lack the knowledge necessary to help their future students learn discipline-specific information through the use of literacy strategies. In many cases, content area teacher candidates do not view themselves as literacy educators, believing instead that English teachers or elementary level educators are responsible for developing the reading and writing skills of students. However, development as teachers of literacy is possible. Through a content area literacy course taken as part of a teacher preparation program, secondary content area teacher candidates reported changes in …

The Effects Classroom Experiences And Student Conduct Have On A Teacher's Self-Efficacy In Schools With Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports (Pbis), Lorena G. Medina

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods phenomenological study was to describe elementary school general education teachers’ perceptions of how their efficacy, as teachers, was affected by their experiences in implementing the PBIS framework. This study also sought to determine a better understanding of the skills necessary to impact all students while increasing teachers’ efficacy and their ability to carry out their obligations in facilitating student academic success and student discipline.

Methodology: Consistent with a mixed-methods approach, the instruments used in this study collected descriptive data and perceptual data from a group of elementary general education teachers from Riverside County, California. …

Columbus Preparatory Academy: A Case Study, Chad R. Carr

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Chad R. Carr on April 14, 2017.

Exploring The Use Of Technology To Support Literacy Of Sixth Grade Students With Reading Disabilities, Jaime R. Inman

Dissertations

University of Missouri-St. Louis

College of Education

Ed.D. Learning Community of Practice

Curriculum and Instruction

Exploring the Use of Technology to Support Literacy of Sixth Grade Students with Reading Disabilities

Jaime R. Ball-Inman

Abstract

The degree to which the utilization of technology supports the academic achievement of sixth grade students with reading disabilities was examined using a quantitative research design. The data analysis involved the results from the Educational Technology Assessment Program to measure achievement. The Standardized Test for the Assessment of Reading (STAR) provided 2015-2016 scores regarding academic accomplishment of middle school students with reading disabilities. The central research …

Group Encouragement: Action Research On Cooperative Learning, Sarah Miller

Honors Projects

Cooperative learning groups help students develop twenty-first century skills. Teachers may choose to constantly change the memberships of the cooperative learning groups so that students rarely work with the same people or teachers may choose to use a home group structure in that students always work with the same people. In this action research with two fifth grade math and science classes, it was found that most students enjoyed working with short-term groups and long-lasting home groups, but there was a large minority of students who did not enjoy working with their home groups following the three-month time period that …

Images, Speech Balloons, And Artful Representation: Comics As Visual Narratives Of Early Career Teachers, Julian Lawrence, Ching-Chiu Lin, Rita Irwin

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

The ways in which teachers adjust to challenges in the process of becoming professionals are complicated. Teacher mentorship, however, is an important step to creating and sustaining a strong professional career. This article discusses new understandings from a Canadian research project: Pedagogical Assemblage: Building and Sustaining Teacher Capacity through Mentoring Programs in British Columbia. Through our use of an a/r/tography informed methodology in teacher mentorship, we have come to understand how the use of comics permits an unfolding of visual narratives as a unique way of contextualizing the complex stories of teaching and learning. Our motivation in employing comics as …

Teaching Critical Looking: Pedagogical Approaches To Using Comics As Queer Theory, Ashley Manchester

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Given the challenging depth of queer theoretical concepts, this article argues that one of the most effective ways to teach the complexities of queer theory is by utilizing comics in the classroom. I focus on how college-level instructors can use the content, form, and history of comics to teach students how to enact and do queer theory. By reading and making comics, students learn concrete and theoretical tools for combatting oppressive discourses and modes of meaning making. Teaching comics as queer theory promotes both innovative critical thinking and critical looking skills by centralizing both the rich history of queer comics …

Using Superheroes To Visually And Critically Analyze Comics, Stereotypes, And Society, Mike P. Cook, Ryle Frey

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

The purpose of this article is to provide teachers and students useful methods for utilizing the power of comic books as literacy sponsors in ELA classrooms. Given the continued boom in the popularity of comics in popular culture, this provides a relevant way to introduce students to visual and critical analysis. Engaging in meaningful analysis of comic superheroes can help students develop the skills required to critically analyze the stereotypes and social issues both within comics and within the world that surrounds them. Through the study of traditional and contemporary comic book heroes, students can critique society and begin to …

Review Of Captain Marvel And The Art Of Nostalgia, By Brian Cremins, Sean Kleefeld

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Different Teaching Methods On Student Attitude And Achievement In Calculus Recitations, Jocelyn Noelle Rios

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

Many universities offer recitation sections in their calculus sequences; however, little research has been conducted on TA best practices in the recitations.This study first aimed to observe the different teaching methods that TAs employed in their recitations and then measure their efficacy in improving student course attitudes and achievement, focusing on student-centered and concept-based instruction. In addition, this study aimed to assess the quality of professional development offered to recitation leaders. Using a quantitative-dominant mixed methods design, 12 TAs were observed throughout the semester and TAs and calculus students were surveyed. This study found that student-centered instruction was positively correlated …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Collegiate Preparedness, Tanya T. Macmartin

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and describe collegiate PBL high school student graduates’ perceptions of their preparedness for their first year of college and the impact of how the BIE’s eight essential components of PBL (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2015b) contributed to their first year of college preparedness. A secondary purpose was to explore and describe the alignment of the students’ perceptions of the impact of how the BIE’s eight project-based components (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2015b) contributed to their first year of college preparedness as defined by Conley’s (2012) college readiness indicators.

Methodology: …

Professor Q+A: Jim Brau, Annie Pond

Marriott Student Review

Get to know Brigham Young University's Joel C. Peterson Professor of Finance, Jim Brau.

A Dber Approach To Writing To Learn, Brian M. Waters

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Goals for today’s talk

My research shift into DBER

Pilot studies in Scientific Writing and Communication

Research interests

Scientific Writing Help Desk

Conclusions: • Student knowledge and skill in scientific writing improved after taking “Scientific Writing and Communication” • “Writing my drafts” and “Revising my drafts…” were ranked as the most effective activities. This feedback suggests that a full-semester course with multiple drafts, peer review, and revisions is more effective than a workshop or short course without writing practice • Student confidence in the ability to write scientific manuscripts increased after taking this course. This improvement could lead to increased …

"A Narrower Than Necessary Focus": Jason Ellis And Benjamin Kearl On Special Education History: A Multilogue Response To Benjamin Kelsey Kearl And Jason Ellis, Donald Warren

Education's Histories

Donald Warren reads Benjamin Kearl's examination of special education history as an advance on the reconceptualization project,not a distraction from the historiographical work Ellis recommends.

High School Student Concussion Recovery Program: Teacher Involvement In Student Academic Transitions To Classroom And To Sports, Brittany K. Diego

Scholarship and Engagement in Education

Many symptoms of concussions can substantially interfere with the cognitive abilities and skills students use in school. Although students may have similar symptoms they experience concussions differently. Students returning to the classroom from a concussion often have different needs and abilities.

Research shows that a formal, individualized protocol to treat suspected concussions, both academically and physically, is vital to the successful recovery of each student. Much research is available on concussions for professional athletes, specifically related to recovery and returning to their sport. However, there is little research about high school students regarding concussions. Concussion recovery programs for high school …

Making Inventions Using Scamper And Animal Adaptation Ideas With Elementary Students, Mahjabeen Hussain

Annual Graduate Student Symposium

This study explores to what extent the SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Rearrange) technique combined with animal adaptation ideas learned through form and function analogy activities can help fourth graders generate creative ideas while augmenting their inventiveness. The sample consisted of 24 fourth grade students (14 female, 10 male) ages 9-10 at a suburban Midwestern elementary school. A repeated-measures design involving all participants alternately in the two conditions measured students under each treatment condition. In the experimental condition, students used SCAMPER charts with animal adaptation ideas to generate ideas to improve a product using …

Identifying Ebook Pedagogies For Literacy Instruction: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Jamey Twitchell Herdelin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Students in K-6 support becoming digital learners but many lack the digital skills needed to engage with ICTs such as eBooks. Some educators lack the technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to adjust instruction and meet students’ needs. This study examined the extant body of research on the use of eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction to address the perceived lack of effective evidence based practices needed to build self-efficacy. The goal: identify effective TPK regarding when, how, and why to integrate eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction. The research questions: According to the extant literature, what types of K-6 literacy practices and engagements …

Identifying Ebook Pedagogies For Literacy Instruction: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Jamey T. Herdelin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Students in K-6 support becoming digital learners but many lack the digital skills needed to engage with ICTs such as eBooks. Some educators lack the technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) to adjust instruction and meet students’ needs. This study examined the extant body of research on the use of eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction to address the perceived lack of effective evidence based practices needed to build self-efficacy. The goal: identify effective TPK regarding when, how, and why to integrate eBooks with K-6 literacy instruction. The research questions: According to the extant literature, what types of K-6 literacy practices and engagements …

Digital Poetry Practicum: Preservice English Language Arts Teachers’ Dispositions Of New Literacies, Katie Dredger Ph.D., Susanne Nobles Ph.D., Jenny M. Martin Ph.D.

Teacher Education Program Faculty Scholarship

This qualitative study investigated how graduate preservice teachers (PSTs) engaged in a digital practicum experience with a geographically distant secondary English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. The graduate PSTs, enrolled in a Masters of Arts, English Education program at a university in the mid-Atlantic United States, mentored the 9th-grade students in the online spaces of a course wiki and video conferencing. In this portion of a larger study, PSTs mentored the students during a poetry unit organized by the ELA cooperating teacher and housed in the ELA classroom. A goal of this practicum was building PSTs’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Shulman, 1986) …

The Student Experience Of Sexual Education In Maine Public Schools, Grace Nevins, Michael Johnston

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The modern sexual climate of the Unites States often contradicts the moral values taught to young people in sexual education classes in the public school system. Studies have shown that the traditional “abstinence only” method, which was made popular during the 1990’s, was ineffective in the prevention of young pregnancy and the reduction in sexually transmitted diseases (Schwarz, 2007). Teenagers are increasingly exposed to more sexualized content through a variety of media; however, this often contradicts the messages they receive in schools, particularly the “abstinence only” educational model.

What’S In A Game? Exploring The Depth Of Concept Teaching Games In The Math Classroom And The Use Of Games As A Tool For Beginning Constructivist Teachers, Leah Silver

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This project explores the definition and depth of Concept Teaching Games in the elementary classroom. A series of four experiences, crafted for new teachers, lays out different elements of Concept Teaching Games and provides justification for their use. The first experience includes learning the definition of Concept Teaching Games, exploring their use as a tool for teaching new concepts to teachers. The second experience is a closer look at specific games and how they relate to the concrete to abstract spectrum. Learning where games fall on this spectrum helps beginning teachers evaluate the use of games in their classroom. The …

Cultivating Awareness Of Identities And Ideologies In Academic Writing, Josh Gauthier, Trish Hodgkins, Katelyn Parsons, April Tarmey, Vic Schalk

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

We set out to explore the level to which faculty consider and explicitly discuss writing as an apprenticeship into an ideology. Due to our interactions with both students and faculty, the Writing Center is ideally situated to bring awareness of writing ideologies to the entire university campus. Additionally, the Writing Center can and should also engage in dialogue with students about the roles of identity and ideology in writing thereby enabling them to :

• approach the writing process with awareness and intention,

• be more conscious of the ideologies of their context, and

• accept or challenge those ideologies …

Stem Integration: Math, Meet Biology!, Lindsey Herlehy, Karen Togliatti

Publications & Research

Join us for three hands-on, inquiry-based activities integrating mathematical and scientific thinking. First, explore patterns in the powers of ten and use this information to sort a set of images and design a scale model of an E. coli's DNA. Then, simulate a colorful biotechnology application using new tools and laboratory skills. Art, science, and math intersect in an activity merging coordinate geometry, symmetry, and biotechnology skills. NGSS and CCSS practice standards will be demonstrated.

The Effects Of Inclusion And Positive Reinforcement Within The Classroom, Danielle Morin

Honors Program Contracts

The concepts of inclusion and positive reinforcement in classrooms has been prevalent within many schools for a number of years, both practices slowly becoming more universal as research is released. Separate, these practices have significant positive effects on students, and when they are treated as a duo inclusion and positive reinforcement have tangible results on both students with and without disabilities. Several studies and interviews were conducted in pursuit of the significance of each practice, with one study in particular linking the two to provide for a successful, positive general education classroom environment. The research found indicates that both practices …

Early Childhood Educators' Perspectives Of Play In Preschool Classrooms, Michelle Lois Edwards

Dissertations

This study examines early childhood educators’ perceptions of play as a developmentally appropriate practice in preschool classrooms. Through selective sampling, 10 preschool teachers were chosen. These teachers were identified because of their experience, education, and the lead they take on various projects, as well as the author’s personal knowledge of their work ethic and dedication to the education profession. The teachers were interviewed using an extempore, semi-structured configuration about their beliefs relating to play, how they implement play in their classrooms, and their viewpoint on hurdles to play. They identified the supports required to implement play as a developmentally appropriate …