Educational Methods Commons^™

Tipping The Balance Towards 21st Century Skills Through Peer-To-Peer Learning: A Cross-Disciplinary Pilot Of Peer Review Software, John Mccormick, Liv Cummins, Lisa Spitz

Staff Scholarship

There is growing recognition that many college students enter the workplace lacking “21st Century Skills” such as critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Peer-to-peer feedback provides a large number of benefits, including these “lifelong learning” skills valued by industry. Peer review, however, poses many challenges: for instructors; these include management of the process and poor quality of peer feedback; and for students, socioemotional barriers. Key socioemotional challenges are learners’ lack of trust in the process, in their peers, and in themselves as reviewers. This paper describes a pilot of a web-based peer review software called “Peergrade”, which was found highly effective …

Listening To High School Students: Purposefully Designed Spaces And The Impact On Students’ Engagement In Learning, Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz, Dalane E. Bouillion, Lizzy Asbury

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Scholars have generally accepted the notion that context and students’ response to the environment influence their engagement in learning. Hence, a qualitative study was conducted to explore the impact purposefully designed learning spaces have on student engagement in a career-inspired high school. Focus groups were conducted before and after the move to a new high school. Through the group interviews, students engaged in discourse about the impact purposefully designed learning spaces have on their engagement in learning. The findings indicate that the students recognized the instructional importance and the impact of their new spaces. The student voices provide educators and …

Engaging Students To Improve Research Competencies, Sam Bardarik, Mlis, Paul Hunter, Dmd, Mlis, Gary Kaplan, Mslis, Ahip

Thomas Jefferson University Faculty Days

By increasingly incorporating a variety of student engagement methods into instruction sessions, librarians will be able to build on basic skills (remembering, understanding, applying) and develop students’ higher order learning skills (analysis, evaluation, and creation). For example, a skill librarians have recently introduced is critical appraisal of the literature, one component that ensures students effectively incorporate evidence-based practice into patient care. Librarians also aim to assess student learning and make appropriate iterative modifications to ensure these methods effectively set up students for success. Together, librarians and faculty are laying the groundwork to facilitate lifelong learning in Jefferson students.

Dramatic Monologues And The C3 Framework: An Oscar-Winning Pair, Rebecca Macon Bidwell

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Dramatic monologues offer an innovative tool for social studies teachers to integrate exciting teaching practices that align with the C3 Framework published by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS, 2013). The author describes a form of dramatic monologues called historical brags and whines. These types of monologues engage students by allowing them to play the roles of historical figures. Students investigate and write in the voices and mannerisms of people from the past. These activities described in this article help students practice skills such as research and analysis as described in the C3 Framework. The necessary steps to …

An Argument For Delayed, Indirect, Embedded Praise, Cindy Campbell

Journal of Applied Social Science Research and Practice

This case study examines the implementation of an early alert intervention system designed to enhance retention and student course engagement at a large suburban, public two-year degree-granting college. The focus of the study was to investigate the work-flow process and labor requirements for operationalizing the in-house intervention protocol, utilizing a Success Coach model. This paper documents the intervention procedures and reports findings pertaining to faculty time commitment and participation, frequency and prevalence of raised alert flags, and labor requirements for conducting student outreach. Cost efficiency and effectiveness are discussed, as are alternative approaches for implementation, including the use of automation …

Data Diving Into “Noticing Poetry”: An Analysis Of Student Engagement With The “I Notice” Method, Scot Slaby, Jordan Benedict

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This paper explores students’ engagement in reading poems, examining data on their self perceptions of their confidence and competence in reading poems before, during, and after using the “I Notice” methodology as adapted from The Academy of American Poets’ unit plan, “Noticing Poetry” (Slaby, 2017). The data was collected over the course of a month from January 9 through January 30, 2018 and involved five classes of one hundred general English tenth grade students across three teachers’ classrooms at Shanghai American School’s Puxi High School Campus. Data indicates that the “I Notice” method and the “Noticing Poetry” unit and its …

The Teacher's Role In Student Engagement, Anita Grove

Education Dissertations and Projects

This research study examines teacher expectations and perceptions and provides an understanding of the teacher’s role in student engagement. A wide array of factors—both within and beyond the classroom—can influence student engagement. To begin the process of improving student engagement, it is essential for educators to reflect on the elements that contribute to student engagement. Research questions addressed associations between the variables of teacher expectations, teacher perceptions, and student engagement measured by a Likert Item Teacher Survey; Teacher Expectations, Perceptions and Instructional Practices Questionnaire; and a Student Engagement Observation Tool. The results indicate there is a need for resources and …

Revoicing In Undergraduate Physics Education: A Case Study, Elizabeth Noël Olson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

When an instructor repeats or "revoices" the words or ideas that a student has just said, what is the instructor's goal? What results can this tactic bring? In order to lay the groundwork for a broader investigation of these questions, video recordings were viewed of one-on-one interviews of students populating a discussion-based modern physics-like course taken by non-physics science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at a medium-sized public university. This work focuses on a one particular interview which reveals several functions of this revoicing technique. For the interview in question, revoicing instances were identified and put into three inflection …

Evaluating The Way Forward In Online Student Engagement., Patricia Schmaltz, Julia Carpenter, Dan J. Petersen

Publications

Several factors make up the successful instructional experience in online higher education classes. With the advanced offerings in online learning, educational institutions are compelled to innovate all aspects of their online classes (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). The innovation can lead to a higher caliber learning environment. This paper advances a simple model for Instructors to follow, an Instructional Online Model (IOM), with the intent of improving student engagement, knowledge retention, leading to increased business profit. Instructors who model the discussed techniques may find increased student’s satisfaction with their courses, leading to the students pursuing further online education. Technological advancement …

Teaching Practices That Improve Performance, Attainment And Engagement: Results From A Longitudinal Study Of High School Students In Nsw, Ian Mccarthy, Brianna Mccourt, Victoria Ikutegbe, Jin Zhou

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This report builds on a body of evidence showing the positive effect of teaching and classroom practices on engagement, wellbeing and academic outcomes. Using two student cohorts in NSW government schools, Years 7 to 9 and Years 10 to 12, we have quantified the effects of quality instruction and other effective classroom practices as drivers of student outcomes (see Figure 1, p. 54). A common theme across both cohorts was the positive impact on key academic outcomes of teachers having high expectations and appropriately challenging all their students (as measured through the NAPLAN tests and Year 12 completion). Modelling also …

Student Engagement In A Team-Based Capstone Course: A Comparison Of What Students Do And What Instructors Value, Op Mccubbins, Thomas H. Paulsen, Ryan Anderson

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Student engagement is an important consideration across all levels of education. The adoption of student-centered teaching methods is an effective way to increase student engagement. Student engagement is at risk when instructor expectations and student participation in purposeful engagement activities are not aligned. Traditionally, student engagement is measured at the institutional level, which proves less than useful to instructors who wish to gauge engagement in specific courses in higher education. In this study, we sought to determine classroom level engagement in a capstone farm management course recently converted to the team-based learning format by comparing student perceptions regarding participation in …

A Case Study For A Broadened Definition Of Arts Integration In Instructional Methods, Maria Rosario-Regan

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Arts integration is a research-based strategy that has revealed positive outcomes in student achievement (Catteral,1999). In this study student achievement is described as students acquiring knowledge, skills, attitudes, and learning behaviors that will prepare them to lead successful lives. Studies have discovered that arts integration, an interdisciplinary method of connecting two disciplines supports to transform the learning environment. Students’ attitudes towards learning particularly for students of disadvantaged backgrounds has fostered self-efficacy, student engagement, attendance, motivation to learn, and improving school culture and climate (Stevenson & Deasy, 2005; Walker, Tabone, & Weltsek, 2011).

The purpose of the qualitative study was to …

When Students Design Their Own Games: A Failed Experiment In A First-Year Seminar, Chad Raymond

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

This paper compares indicators of student engagement across different sections of a first-year seminar taught in Fall 2017. As part of an active learning pedagogy, students in the author’s sections of the course were clustered into teams that designed and played games on refugee migration, aid, and resettlement. Students in seminar sections taught by other faculty members experienced traditional forms of instruction that did not include game design. Data from a survey administered to students in different seminar sections did not indicate an association between game design and student engagement. Further investigation revealed substantial declines in the results of student …

Does Teacher Immediacy Matter? The Relationship Among Teacher Immediacy, Student Motivation, Engagement, And Cognitive Learning, Jessica Rene Stilwell

Education Dissertations and Projects

According to the Academic Development Institute (Walberg, 2010), elementary and middle school students linger behind students from other economically advanced countries on achievement tests and fall further behind during the school years. With a need to improve classroom instruction and enhance cognitive learning for students, this study focuses on immediate communication behaviors of the classroom teacher, both verbal and nonverbal, and student academic motivation as factors in improving learning proficiency in both math and reading. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher immediacy behaviors and teacher/student rapport on student motivation, engagement, and academic growth.

The …

Visual Thinking Routines: A Mixed Methods Approach Applied To Student Teachers At The American University In Dubai, Alain Petro Gholam Dr.

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Visual thinking routines are principles based on several theories, approaches, and strategies. Such routines promote thinking skills, call for collaboration and sharing of ideas, and above all, make thinking and learning visible. Visual thinking routines were implemented in the teaching methodology graduate course at the American University in Dubai. The following study used mixed methods. It was guided by two research questions: 1). To what extent did visual thinking routines implemented in the Math/Science methodology course offered at the Graduate School of Education at the American University in Dubai inspire learning in the classroom and made time for students’ questions, …

Inquiry Based Learning From The Learner’S Point Of View: A Teacher Candidate’S Success Story, Caroline Johnson Caswell, Derek J. Labrie

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The goal of this paper is to review current research on Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) and shed some light, from a student's perspective, on the challenges and rewards of this pedagogy. The first part of the article provides an extensive review of the literature on IBL. The second part focuses on one student's experiences in an IBL classroom.

In particular, a graduate secondary mathematics student reflects upon his experiences in a college mathematics class where the instructor implemented an Inquiry Based Learning model. His experience is validated by current research on IBL educational methodology which structures the classroom environment for …

Student Engagement And Post-College Outcomes: A Comparison Of Formative And Reflective Models, Courtney Sanders

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Student engagement is a complex construct that is thought to be related to positive outcomes during and after college. Previous research has defined engagement in diverse ways and there are inconsistencies in the models that are used to measure this construct. Many studies have used a reflective measurement model (i.e., exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis), wherein changes in a latent construct are thought to precede and in some sense, explain variation in observed variables. Others have argued that engagement is best measured using a formative model in which the relationship flows in the opposite direction. In other words, within formative …

Engaging Students In A Synchronous Distance Setting: Asking Online Questions, Christopher J. Hartwell

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

One major challenge in higher education is engaging student in the learning process, and this challenge is of particular concern in synchronous broadcast classes, where students are geographically dispersed. This paper argues that the use of online questions, that students can respond to using their electronic devices, is an effective way to increase student participation and engagement in such settings. Personal experience with one particular online question platform – Poll Everywhere (www.polleverywhere.com) – is used to illustrate potential capabilities, question types. Both advantages and challenges of using online questions are discussed.

Building Positive Student-Instructor Interactions: Engaging Students Through Caring Leadership In The Classroom, Oscar J. Solis, Windi D. Turner

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

When instructing and managing classrooms in university settings, instructors face numerous challenges such as student disengagement and managing course expectations. In this article, we offer new and revised techniques and strategies to engage students through the art of caring leadership. We accomplish this through three defining characteristics: knowing students’ names, managing course expectations, and the use of technology. These intentional strategies create positive student-instructor interactions in both small and large classrooms which in turn enhances student learning and engagement.

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 1, Issue 1

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

For our inaugural issue, we reviewed the feedback from our 2016 ETE faculty conference—an event for USU faculty hosted every August on the USU main campus. We identified several of the presenters who received high marks in post-session surveys and invited them to submit a proceedings paper for their presentation. Many responded, and their papers now comprise the majority of this issue. Because most of the articles began as stand-up presentations for a conference, several adopt a first-person narrative style in which the authors share examples of things they have tried in their teaching that have worked. In the process …

In “Kahoots” With Student Engagement In The Classroom, Kim Nehls

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

In a recent classroom survey, 95 percent of my students recommended additional use of Kahoot. One student remarked that he was more likely to complete the reading in advance and participate in class if he was going to be part of a friendly competition. Kahoot is an exciting and fun way to utilize the cell phones and tablets already in play in the classroom.

Faculty Perceptions Of Instructional Strategies That Foster Student Engagement In Online Courses, Sharon M. Hope

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Developing online instructional strategies for increasing student engagement and success is significant locally and nationally due to growth in the online field, advances in technology, and the need for colleges to maximize student success. This study stemmed from the desire of administrators at an upstate New York private college to discover additional ways to design and deliver effective online instruction. The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to discover faculty perceptions of and experiences with instructional strategies that they used to foster student engagement in online learning. Kearsley and Shneiderman's engagement theory formed the study's conceptual framework. Ten …

Facilitating Student Documentary Projects Toward 21-Century Literacy And Civic Engagement, Steven Goodman

Occasional Paper Series

The author describes how he uses video making as a way to engage students in high-needs schools. Goodman believes video making projects can help counter the ways minority students are made invisible by school curriculum and the culture of testing. More importantly, creating video documentaries allows students to use multiple literacies and does not exclude those who struggle with the written word.

A Correlational Study Of Teacher Efficacy And Culturally Responsive Teaching Techniques In A Southeastern Urban School District, Roberta F. Callaway

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the level of personal and general teacher efficacy of teachers from three high schools within a southeastern urban school district. Additional research questions focused on correlational relationships between teacher efficacy and culturally responsive teaching, instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management as measured by the Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES), Culturally Responsive Teaching Techniques (CRTT) Scale, and Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES).

This study was conducted in a large urban school district located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States; three of the five high schools in the district participated. The CRTT Scale and TSES were …

Vertical Examination Of Reading Environment And Student Engagement In 1st-3rd Grade Classrooms, Lauren Reed

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between instructional environment and student engagement during reading instruction. Environment is composed of three key elements: teacher attributes, instructional methods, and the physical classroom setting (Blair, Rupley, & Nichols, 2007; De Naeghel, Van Keer, Vansteenkiste, & Rosseel, 2012; Guthrie, Hoa, Wigfield, Tonks, & Perencevich, 2006; Housand & Reis, 2008). This study examined a first, second, and third grade classroom in one East Tennessee school. Qualitative data was collected using a combination of instructional observation and teacher interviews in order to examine existing practices for successfully engaging young readers. Teachers for …

The Adolescent Brain: Leaving Childhood Behind, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

There isn't a more profound scene in the film Inside Out than the death of Bing Bong, Riley’s imaginary friend. As the main character approaches her 12th birthday, her brain is beginning to develop in ways that leave her imagination behind. This is the time when children between the ages of 10 and 14 begin dying to their childhoods to be born into their adolescence.

Creating Core Memories In The Classroom, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

We all create core memories. When we encounter an experience with heightened emotion, our memory systems remember the experiences because of the intense emotions associated with the event. We know that memories can become diluted or distorted with time and distance. When we remember an event from our past, our brains secrete the same chemicals from the same neurotransmitters called forth when the experience happened, creating the same feelings.

Energy And Calm: Change It Up And Calm It Down!, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Unlike the sequels to movies, I hope that part two of last year's Energy and Calm post will continue to strengthen your understanding of how our brains naturally learn, think, and behave. So let's return to the calming yet energizing zone of focused attention practices and brain breaks, a place that would greatly benefit students -- and their teachers -- when revisited frequently.

Brain Labs: A Place To Enliven Learning, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Although emotion and cognition originate in different parts of the brain, they interact and play a powerful role in learning and memory. According to neuroscientists like Eric Jensen, priming the brain for particular states of engagement -- such as curiosity, intrigue, surprise, suspense, a bit of confusion, skepticism, and the feeling of safety -- prepares the mind to learn. Furthermore, incorporating emotion into our instruction and content supports long-term memory. This might not be news to teachers, but not enough students know how to optimize their brain for learning. That's why every child should have the opportunity to explore …

Flipping In A Technological Rich Classroom, John W. Budge

EDL Sixth Year Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore eighth grade students’ perception of a flipped classroom environment. It is difficult to engage and motivate eighth grade students. This study was created in order to determine if a flipped classroom would spark more interest and therefore eventually lead to an increased ability. More specifically, this study investigated how students perceive their learning is progressing in a flipped math classroom, and how engaged are they using the technology compared to the traditional classroom setting. The classroom environment was switched to a flipped classroom at the start of a new unit in October. …