Elementary Education Commons^™

Academic And Social Effects Of Waldorf Education On Elementary School Students, Christian Zepeda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

As society becomes more critical of public education, alternative education systems are becoming more popular. The Waldorf education system, based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, has increased in popularity and commonality each decade. Currently, 23 Waldorf institutions exist in California. With this increase in popularity, it is important to analyze and examine the effectiveness of this education philosophy. An examination of Waldorf education, through research and interviews of Waldorf teachers and administration, will provide parents and teachers with an understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, Waldorf education provides a positive environment for students, yielding positive effects but this …

Benefits Of Educational Services For Students With Disabilities, Miguel Zazueta-Ruiz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone research project examines the benefits of educational services that schools offer to students with disabilities for a smooth transition from elementary school level to middle school and high school level. Federal and state laws, e.g. the Re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) of 2004, ensure that students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) specifically designed to provide services to meet the needs of individual student with disabilities through the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Through the use of relevant literature review and surveys …

Understanding Student Perception Of Failure To Promote Self Worth, Stephanie Grubaugh

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Teachers strive to create a safe learning environment where students can learn from their mistakes and/or failures. Even though teachers are creating safe spaces for learning, many students will not engage in activities that might be challenging to the point of that students experiencing failure. The purpose of this qualitative action research study is to examine what perceptions students have about failure in order to help teachers find non-material incentives or reward structures to help give students self-worth. The research method involved the collection of data through surveys, a guided research project about the failures of famous people and an …

Effects Of Social-Emotional Instruction On The Behavior Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Kelsey Olson

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Students with learning disabilities who spend the majority of the school day in a general education classroom often struggle to appropriately deal with feelings of frustration and anxiety. There is currently a gap in understanding how special education teachers can support the social and emotional inclusion of students with learning disabilities when they are in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study is to explore the results of implementing a social-emotional curriculum both in a pullout setting and in the general education setting and examine the effect of the program on the behavior of students with learning disabilities …

A New Model For Creative Education, Carolina Schnapp R.

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project explored the design of a pedagogical model for the development of creativity, targeted for teachers and educational institutions. The development of creativity has become highly relevant over the past few decades, especially with the emphasis given to 21st Century Skills and the responsibility that schools have on fostering these skills. In this project, you will find the ideas based on research and experience, that were the foundation for the model, the creative process behind the design of the model, and the final version. The project was shared with experts who validated parts of the model and opened space …

A Phenomenological Study On Teacher Perception Of Change In School Culture As A Result Of The Implementation Of Mindfulness, Justin Penley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the phenomenon of teacher perception of change in school culture as a result of the implementation of mindfulness. This study used a phenomenological methodology, enabling the researcher to gather information by focusing on and describing the impact of mindfulness on school culture in a deep comprehensive manner.

The investigator was able to extract meaning and code data, leading to the emergence of themes that supported and aligned with the study’s research questions and thus led into a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. This was accomplished through data analysis of rich, in-depth interviews, onsite …

Building Conceptual Understandings Of Equivalence, Kelli Rich

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The equal sign is prevalent at all levels of mathematics however many students misunderstand the meaning of the equal sign and consider it an operational symbol for the completion of an algorithm (Baroody & Ginsburg, 1983; Rittle-Johnson & Alibali, 1999). Three constructs were studied through the lens of the Developing Mathematical Thinking (Brendefur, 2008), Relational Thinking, Spatial Reasoning and Modes of Representation. A review of literature was conducted to examine the effects of mathematics instruction on the development of students’ conceptual understanding of equivalence through the integration of spatial reasoning and relational thinking. The Developing Mathematical Thinking (DMT) curricular resources …

Positive Discipline As A Part Of Effective Classroom Management, Allison Stevens

Honors Theses

This study was driven by the researcher’s interest in learning more about classroom management, and in particular, how experienced teachers thought about positive discipline as part of a management system. The researcher was a teaching intern in an elementary suburban school, where she interviewed 5 teachers and the building principal about classroom management and positive discipline. Interviews were transcribed, and patterns across responses were sought. Findings revealed common pieces of effective classroom management: 1) setting clear expectations and rules, 2) consistency in applying rules and expectations, and 3) having good parent communication. All teachers used tangible extrinsic rewards to motivate …

Teaching The Civil War With An Interdisciplinary Approach, Megan Riehle

Honors Projects

When creating a unit for middle school students in Social Studies, getting students to do more than memorize facts and dates is always my number one goal. Students need more than memorization of facts to fully grasp and have a handle on historical content that is vastly multifaceted. The Ohio standards have deemed eighth grade as the point when students intensely study the Civil War. However, how teachers instruct students on the Civil War is entirely up to them. There is an immeasurable amount of ways to go about teaching such a heavy and difficult topic; however, I chose to …

Impact Of Literacy On Student Readiness In Math And Science Classroom, Mackenzie Alexandra Rittner

Honors Projects

Lack of literacy, specifically disciplinary literacy, is an epidemic in education today. Here, I will illustrate how this problem presents itself in our student’s reading every day in every class. Within a literature review, many accounts are detailed about the impact literacy has on a student’s educational career. From the outset, literacy is a key factor in a student’s success in school. A research study was conducted that asked students to give varied definitions of the word ‘volume’ based on prior experience. These results showed that direct instruction in how a word can change based on its context had an …

Recess Preparation And Reflection For Supporting Social Connectedness, Elizabeth Teasdale Wells

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

This project examines the effects of how recess preparation and reflection can be focused on providing students an opportunity to connect socially and strengthen overall happiness. By investigating the role social satisfaction plays in a child’s life during recess, educators may gain knowledge about how to foster social connectedness for every child. While most studies about recess focus on a child’s level of physical activity or negative behaviors, researchers have yet to investigate recess as a place to improve a child’s well-being and social satisfaction. This study was conducted at an elementary school through qualitative interviews and observations. Teachers, administrators, …

Stronger Together: Team Teaching As A Strategy To Curb Burnout, Boost Teacher Efficacy, And Increase Student Engagement, Jenna Degan

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

The focus of this study was to determine impacts of team teaching on teacher efficacy, burnout, and student engagement in the elementary school setting. Few if any studies have examined the relationship between team teaching and elementary school teachers’ feelings of efficacy and burnout. The purpose of this study was to determine if team teaching was a viable and workable approach for teachers in the elementary school settings. In other words, is this a strategy that teachers enjoy? The methods employed in this study were qualitative. Three participants who were currently team teaching from the same elementary school were interviewed …

Lucy Takes The Stage: A Story For Children With Anxiety, Rachel Beckman

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Childhood anxiety is explored through the lens of child development as well as children’s literature. The book written for this integrated masters project was created to help engage children around age 5, recognizing that it could be for ages 5-7, in thinking about anxiety. Anxiety disorders in children can take many different forms, but the major distinction between a disorder and normal worries is that it causes stress that disrupts normal functioning. Additionally, read-alouds are a common and beneficial way to introduce children to literature in schools. Young children can learn to read, take another’s perspective, as well as gain …

Inquiry-Based Learning: Effects On Student Engagement, Kimberly Wheatley

Honors Projects

Inquiry-based learning is an approach to science instruction that has been around for over 40 years and has many positive aspects, including: critical thinking, student achievement, positive attitudes towards science, and student engagement. Inquiry-based learning has four different levels and is an instructional method that provides a problem or question which allows students to complete an investigation. This action research project will explore how inquiry-based learning affects student engagement and how student’s feel about inquiry. Students were taught with two days of traditional instruction, two days inquiry-based instruction, and then given a pre-survey and post-survey, and observed using an engagement …

Review Of "The Age Of The Crisis Of Man: Thought And Fiction In America, 1933-1973", Tim Lacy

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

Using Landscapes To Tell Spatial Stories, Sandra Schmidt

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This paper repurposes the concept of landscape as a useful way of thinking how we narrate abstract and concrete space. I explore an assignment in my class wherein student embody and narrate a concrete space. I analyze it through landscapes and consider how that discussed positionality, presentation, and layers. I conclude with exploring how the landscape can similarly be used to think critically about how we discuss faraway places in geography classes.

Strengthening Geography Pedagogy With Authentic Intellectual Work, Prentice Chandler Ph.D., Danielle Munch

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article examines the use of Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) as a teaching framework in the geography classroom. Authentic Intellectual Work focuses on 1) construction of knowledge, 2) disciplined inquiry, and 3) value beyond school as criteria to inform and drive classroom instruction. This article highlights the applicability of AIW to current geography reform efforts and enacted inquiry pedagogy. Sample teaching ideas are provided.

The Green Book: Race, Geography, And Critical Understanding, Mark Pearcy Ph.D.

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies teachers face a number of disciplinary challenges--for instance, insufficient geographic knowledge, fewer opportunities for critical analysis amid shrinking instructional time--and, in terms of confronting discrimination and disparity, an increasingly racially segregated society. Teachers can, however, make excellent use of historical resources and modern mapping tools to empower students in their analysis of the Jim Crow era and segregation in American daily life. This article describes the use of The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide produced from 1937 to 1963 for African-American drivers which detailed American businesses which catered to black travelers. Using the data from these books, …

Review Of "1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed", Jessica Mills

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

Teaching The First American Civilization Recognizing The Moundbuilders As A Great Native-American Civilization, Jack Zevin

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The Moundbuilders are a culture of mystery, little recognized by most Americans, yet they created farms, villages, towns, and cities covering as much as a third of the United States. Social studies teachers have yet to mine the resources left us over thousands of years by the native artisans and builders who preceded the nations European explorers came into contact with after 1492. Several of the Moundbuilder cities grew to sizeable proportions and one in particular, Cahokia, Illinois, not far from East St. Louis became a kind of center for the many peoples inhabiting the surrounding tributaries of the Mississippi …

Introduction, Mark Newman

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Discussion Protocols In Social Studies, Prentice Chandler Ph.D., Suzanne Ehrlich Ed.D.

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article examines the use of protocols to improve discussion pedagogy in social studies. Discussion protocols, defined as a method of guided discussion, empowers students to engage with social studies content by providing specific and clear roles for participation. This article highlights the pedagogical relevance as well as the practical application of protocols for improved discussion in social studies. Sample protocols and further resources are provided.

Cross Curriculum Lesson With The Aid Of Google’S Ngram, Peggy Hopper, Lindon Ratliff, Willie Brown

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The paper examines the use of Google's Ngram in the social studies classroom. With the rise of common core standards and a renewed focus for using technology with all of its benefits in the classroom, middle school teachers have the opportunity to embrace the strengths of technology through a relatively new database, Google Ngram. The purpose of the article was to explore Ngram and how it can assist everyday public school teachers. A sample lesson plan is provided.

Review Of "Eclipse Of Man, Human Extinction And The Meaning Of Progress", Michael Palmer

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

The End Of A War And The Rise Of A Nation: A Lesson On The American Revolution, Joshua Kenna, William Russell Iii

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

History is a means to categorize past events in order to create meaning for present circumstances. However, teachers; particularly at the elementary level, are not equipping students with the appropriate skills to master and understand history. This article establishes the necessity of incorporating the process of historical inquiry, especially for the upper elementary grades (e.g. 4th and 5th), and it provides a sample lesson on the American Revolutionary War.

Integrating Creative, Critical, And Historical Thinking Through Close Reading, Document- Based Writing, And Original Political Cartooning, John H. Bickford Iii

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

State and national education initiatives prescribe diverse thinking through age-appropriate content area literacy tasks at all grade levels. History education researchers encourage teachers to intentionally integrate content, methods, and assessment in discipline-specific ways. This paper—targeting middle level and secondary students—proposes a fusion between scrutiny of juxtaposed texts, evidentiary writing, and creative expression of newly generated understandings. This model elicits students’ content area literacy through close reading and text-based writing; it evokes students’ criticality through historical thinking and creation. Interested teachers are offered a representative sample of student work.

Review Of "A War For The Soul Of America: A History Of The Culture Wars", Tim Lacy

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

No abstract provided.

Assisting Novice Teachers With Promoting Democratic Education In The Social Studies Classroom, Rory Tannebaum, Margaret Peterson, Molly Tierney

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The purpose of this essay is to provide new social studies teachers with an array of effective and plausible strategies for infusing a democratic education into their classrooms. The presented lessons are grounded in the theories and ideals taught at the university level, but they have been constructed in a practical and realistic manner as such that the often-overwhelmed teacher who is removed from their academic backgrounds can achieve the oft-referenced aims of the field of education. In this sense, the article seeks to bridge the gap between the theories and practices of social studies education and, in doing so, …

Social Studies And English Unite: Teachers Collaborate To Promote Literacy, Kayla Davenport Logan

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Collaboration among teachers of social studies and English can yield positive effects for students and professionals alike. Back-to-basics reading strategies such as oral reading and think-alouds are beneficial to the development of critical thinking and writing confidence in both subjects.

Using Sources To Examine The American Constitution And Events Leading To Its Construction, Daniel Cowgill Ii, Scott Waring

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

In this article, the authors present an approach for how history educators can teach students about the United States Constitution through the use of the SOURCES framework. With the SOURCES framework, students are asked to critically examine the past in a structured way that replicates the methods conducted by historians and other social scientists. Students were given the opportunity to analyze conflicting information from a variety of sources, identify multiple perspectives about how the Constitution should be constructed, explore multiple avenues of causality, and draw conclusions about how and why the Constitution was actually written.