Elementary Education Commons^™

Adolescent Literacy: Bridging Literacy Gaps In Georgia's Social Studies Classrooms A Call For Disciplinary Literacy In Secondary Education, Kimberly N. Miles

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

This article advocates integrating disciplinary literacy into secondary Social Studies instruction, arguing that the content area is critical to strengthening adolescent reading skills, particularly in alignment with the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). Drawing from the "Bridging Literacy Gaps" presentation, the paper asserts that literacy is not merely a prerequisite for studying history but the very methodology by which students learn to read, write, and think like historians.

The article details three high-leverage strategies for Social Studies educators:

1. Disciplinary Literacy and Multimodal Text Integration: Teaching students how experts analyze primary and secondary sources, and integrating diverse media (e.g., political cartoons, …

   ---

   Go to article

The Monster Consuming American Education: An Ethnodramatic Exploration Of Standardized Testing And Student Stress, Jennifer Bagley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study looks at how elementary students experience Standardized Testing, focusing on the emotional and physical effects of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS). Most research on high-stakes testing focuses on scores, accountability, and policy, but fewer studies look at how students actually describe these experiences. Grounded in Cultural Studies and informed by Critical Pedagogy, this study examines how students interpret and make meaning of their testing experiences within the broader culture of accountability and standardized assessment. This study focuses on student voices to better understand what testing feels like for them and how they make sense of it in …

Exploring Teacher Perceptions: A Comparative Analysis Of Departmentalized And Self-Contained Instructional Models In First And Second Grades, Jason R. Trotter

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative multiple-case study examined the perceptions of first- and second-grade teachers who have taught in both the departmentalized and traditional self-contained instructional models. The study explored teachers’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of each model, examined how their experiences within each model influenced instructional strategies and classroom management approaches, and assessed their perceived impacts on student engagement and learning outcomes. Each grade level was a bounded case. This study was conducted at a Title I elementary school in Southeast Georgia, where both models were implemented.

Guided by social constructivism, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven teachers (four first-grade and three …

Another Day's Journey: Birthing Brilliance Through Culturally Relevant/Responsive/Sustaining Pedagogies, Letitice Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the implementation of culturally relevant/responsive/sustaining mathematics using hip-hop pedagogy with special education students. The theoretical frameworks for this include with Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), Culturally Responsive Teaching (Gay, 2018), and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (Paris & Alim, 2014). Utilizing an autobiographical case study methodology, I examined the use of culturally relevant math tasks and hip-hop pedagogy with 3^rd grade students with disabilities. From this study, the following findings emerged: (1). Learning environments characterized by hope, empathy, and critical agency can be cultivated through the use of community resources and structured classroom norms that promote support, collaboration, …

Intervention For Struggling Learners In K-5 Social Studies: Exploring A Tiered Model Of Support, Joshua M. Duggan

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

The K-5 social studies curriculum introduces students to foundational knowledge in civics, geography, economics, and history. Social studies is also a vehicle through which students: (a) synthesize content knowledge which in turn supports reading comprehension, (b) learn about community structures around them, and (c) build social-emotional skills through an in-depth understanding of the human condition. Yet, instructional time allocated to social studies has decreased over the past few decades, and scores on national social studies assessments indicate that most students do not attain proficiency in acquiring social studies knowledge. Furthermore, there is an absence of a robust system of intervention …

Breaking The Pipeline: Exploring Exclusionary Discipline, Restorative Justice, And The Attitudes And Beliefs Of Educators, Ericka J. Varnedoe

Honors College Theses

This study explores the connection between exclusionary disciplinary practices and the school-to-prison pipeline. It highlights how exclusionary discipline, including suspensions and expulsions, disproportionately affects marginalized groups such as students of color, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ youth, further contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline. In contrast, restorative justice, a non-punitive approach, offers a promising alternative. Initially adopted from the criminal justice system, restorative justice has been integrated into school environments to foster positive school climates, improve experiences, and mitigate challenging behaviors. This research examines educators' attitudes toward both exclusionary and restorative practices, as well as their awareness and implementation of restorative …

Becoming, Being, And Belonging: Exploring The Intersections Of Black Manhood, Sexuality, And Rural Education Through Self-Study Using Ethno-Dramatic Renderings, Javious Canty

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Studies that center Black male teachers often lack nuance and tend to look at them as a monolithic group. This dissertation uses Quare theory (Johnson, 2001), African American Male Theory (AAMT) (Bush & Bush, 2013), along with self-study methodology represented through fictionalized ethno-dramatic scenes to examine the teaching practices of a queer Black male teacher in a rural context and the impact he has on the achievement of his rural Black students. One finding from this study is that breaking through Quare barriers using community, resilience, and cultural awareness leads to success. Another finding is that rural spaces carry educational …

Teaching Literacy: The Intersection Of Social Studies And Language Arts Through Integration- Lesson Plan Exemplar, Pamela Mccabe, Jennifer Shiers, Christopher D. Moore, Jeremy Nix

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

This lesson plan exemplar, based on third grade GSE ELA and social studies standards, demonstrates how teachers can best integrate social studies and ELA content to maximize instructional time and increase litearcy and social studies background knowledge.

Exploring Brain Breaks, Nathan Swanson

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Do you have times when students are disengaged? Are they too squirrely to sit still? Or too tired to pay attention? During this session we examine how best in the moment to assess what kind of brain break your students need. We also look at how to build brain breaks into your classroom lessons and routines in order to increase student engagement and academic retention

Organizing Your Teacher Life For Maximize Management And Instruction, Mark Gibson

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Lesson plans, meetings, and bus duty...Oh My! The first few years of teaching can be overwhelming as new educators struggle to find a balance between work, life, and self. This session is aimed at equipping participants with practical and effective strategies to feel confident, empowered, and capable as new classroom teachers. Join veteran educator and Instructional Specialist Mark Gibson in an engaging opportunity to maximize what you can as a new educator.

Prison Walls To College Halls- How To Win With The Most Challenging Students, Floyd D. Lyles

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Prison Wall to College Halls- How to WIN with your most challenging students is about teaching educators about how to work with at-risk, and challenging students. I believe all students need a champion. Are you a champion for every kid in your building? I will teach you the winning formula and how to be successful with the most challenging, difficult students. You must be Willing to Invest your time and Never give up.

Mindfulness: The Missing Link In Education, Ashley L. Baer

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Were you asked to pay attention or behave in school? As educators, we must stop expecting focus and self-regulation, and instead we must teach it. Learn how in this experiential session to connect and regulate students using the breathing ball, games, breath, and movement. Let’s practice!

Classroom & Building Wide Calming Spaces: A Safe Place To Learn Self-Regulation., Nathan Swanson

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

We will explore how classroom calming spaces are a pivotal tool helping students learn to manage their stress, regulate their emotions, and calm their behavior. Have you tried a calming corner in your classroom, and it didn’t work? We will troubleshoot some of the most common pitfalls and concerns surrounding classroom calming spaces. Also, the benefits of building-wide adoption will be highlighted.

Engaging Teacher-Student Relationships With All Students, Jess Teal

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Positive teacher-student relationships are essential for a safe classroom that promotes academic achievement and social/emotional development for all children. Teachers need specific practices and resources to support them in establishing positive teacher-student relationships with all their students. All students deserve a consistent adult connection and to call school a safe place to learn and grow.

Defusing Escalating Situations, Louis Lamont Fletcher Phd, David Allen Watson

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

The Executive Director of Facilities and Operations and the Director of Safety and Security for a Colorado School district with 28,000 students will share tools, techniques, and experiences with conflict resolution. The presenters will outline the recognizable precursors to conflict, the importance of the individual's initial reaction, and provide tools to facilitate de-escalation. This interactive presentation provides relevant tools to de-escalate conflicts between peers, supervisors and subordinates, teachers and students, teachers and parents, school security officers and students, superintendents and board members, and school districts and community members.

Bridging The Gap: An Analysis Of Elementary Literacy Instruction, And Proposed Solutions To Exponentiate Literacy Skills, Avery E. Gray

Honors College Theses

The reading achievement gap is generally identified as the increasing disparity between higher-level students and lower-level students within the same grade or school level. Student data presented in the form of secondary reading assessment scores were analyzed for the state of Georgia, as well as nationally, for student achievement regarding reading skills in public schools from grades 3-5. Interviews conducted with educational professionals were conducted to reveal anecdotal manifestations of what the presented data looks like in terms of student ability, and how the teaching practice has reacted to such manifestations. The evaluation of these consistencies and explanations given to …

Get To Know The Georgia Council For History Education, Joann Wood

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

Find out about the Georgia Council for History Education by exploring with colleagues a deeper understanding of history and improving the teaching and learning of history.

In What Ways Does The Entertainment Industry Impact Georgia?, Ariel Cornett

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

In addressing the compelling question - In what ways does the entertainment industry impact Georgia?, students will be able to define and give examples of human labor in the entertainment industry (i.e., economics) as well as describe how location plays a role in the entertainment industry (i.e., geography). Furthermore, student responses to the compelling question will reinforce prior geographic and economic knowledge from grades K-2. Some prior geographic concepts that will be reinforced with the compelling question include explaining that a map is a drawing of a place (i.e., showing a view from above with land and water features), describing …

Perspectives On Movement In The Classroom And Strategies That Keep Students Engaged, Darley Desormo

Honors College Theses

Within this study, the question of “what are teachers’ rationale for incorporating kinesthetic learning in the elementary classroom '' will be addressed. The purpose of this study is to gain insight from elementary teachers’ perceptions and their rationale on the use of movement-based learning in the classroom. To examine further into this research, interviews were conducted. Participants of the study were elementary classroom teachers. During seven online meetings, the researcher interviewed using consistent guiding questions asking elementary teachers about their implementation and rationale of movement-based learning in their classroom experiences. The researcher also asked questions to gain an understanding of …

Building Classroom Community In Elementary Literacy Methods Courses, Kathleen M. Crawford, Heather M. Huling

Elementary & Special Education: Faculty Publications

In this article, two elementary teacher educators provide a novel approach to building relationships and classroom community in their face to face elementary literacy methods courses. The authors present their classroom practice entitled “Tell Me Time” (TMT), mirroring morning meetings in K–12 settings, as the staple of building classroom community in their courses. They describe how TMT has been used to build student relationships with each other and with instructors through providing unique, personalized opportunities to socialize and connect through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Threaded throughout, the authors detail specific feedback from students and highlight how TMT has helped …

Out With The Old, In With The New: Digital Interactive Journals In An Elementary Language Arts Methods Course, Kathleen M. Crawford, Heather M. Huling

Elementary & Special Education: Faculty Publications

In this article, two elementary literacy teacher educators provide elementary language arts content and methods by implementing digital interactive journals in a face-to-face classroom setting. The authors present how this practice evolved from traditional interactive journals pre-COVID to an innovative and engaging learning experience post-COVID. Interactive journals provide students with opportunities to explore and apply content and methods, while also learning a teaching strategy that pre-service teachers can implement in their own elementary classrooms. The authors describe the design and development of digital interactive journals along with student work samples and instructional steps to transfer and implement this strategy across …

Mindfulness In Education: Why Every School Should Be Teaching It, Ashley L. Baer

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Were you ever asked to pay attention in school? As an educator have you asked students to pay attention? Compare that to how many times you were taught or taught a student to pay attention. Most likely the answer is never. Mindfulness is explicit attention building and emotional regulation. Learn how and why you should create a mindful breathing culture through short experiential practices, activities, and games including breathing activites, and movement.

Problems Are A Gift- How To Turn Challenging Behaviors In The Classroom Into Opportunities For Growth And Connection, Lindsey Kealey

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Lindsey Kealey discusses practical ways apply a trauma-responsive approach to helping children and adults solve problems in the classroom. When you unwrap problems with students in productive, rather than punitive ways, you will find that problems are not just fires to put out or issues that weight us down. Rather, problems can be a gift to ourselves and the students we teach.

Creative Learning With Music And Mathematics: Reflections On Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Graham Johnson, Alesia Mickle Moldavan

Elementary & Special Education: Faculty Publications

Culturally responsive content, accessible and inclusive tools, and meaningful interdisciplinary tasks can aid in developing equitable and creative learning environments. Music and mathematics are ideal disciplines for interdisciplinary creative learning. In this article, we reflect on our experiences engaging in interdisciplinary music and mathematics tasks with preservice teachers. In particular, we highlight specific efforts taken to design and implement a creative music and mathematics workshop for use in a mathematics methods course. Guided by these experiences, we offer examples of tools and practices that have helped preservice teachers collaborate, engage in inquiry, improvise, develop empathy, and take intellectual and social …

Strengthening The Academic Progress Of Students Within Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support, Leslie Dial

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Leadership in education is thinking, communicating, and modeling to maximize student growth and achievement. This quantitative research study explored how leadership can strengthen the academic progress of students within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). When implementation of MTSS is guided by adaptive school leadership, educators will be prepared, communication will occur, interventions will be established, and data will be evaluated. Adaptive leaders who build efficacy will ensure fidelity and continuous improvement of student achievement.

Survey research was conducted to analyze the operational level of MTSS regarding the domains of Leadership, Building Capacity for Instruction, Communication and Collaboration, Data-Based Problem-Solving, Tiered …

Assessing The Fidelity Of School-Level Professional Learning Community Implementation, William W. Thigpen Ii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

As schools face increasing accountability, many have turned to professional learning communities (PLCs) as a possible solution. The challenge is that many schools are not implementing PLCs with fidelity. It is imperative that school leaders assess PLC practices to ensure that critical components are being implemented effectively. This research provides a framework for school leaders to assess school leader, teacher, and support staff perceptions of various PLC dimensions. Descriptive statistics were used to determine levels of agreement with statements related to six PLC dimensions. A one-way univariate analysis of variance tests (ANOVA) was used to analyze differences in mean …

A “Post” Pandemic(S) Village Check-In: Pulse Checks And Recommendations For A Hard Re-Set In Education, Jarvais J. Jackson, Alesia Mickle Moldavan, Anne Valauri

Elementary & Special Education: Faculty Publications

Utilizing the lens of the “pandemic as portal” (Roy, 2020; Souto-Manning, 2021) and the need for a “hard re-set” (Ladson-Billings, 2021) of our current education system, this literature synthesis engages with head, health, and home to consider what a new normal could look like as we take a “village check-in” of each area. For head, we consider the systemic barriers to equitable academic achievement that have long been in place for Black and Brown students. When considering health, we look at the impact of the pandemic on teacher well-being and how this may impact their ability to teach effectively and …

Role Play: Actualizing The Iep Meeting For Pre-Service Teachers, Courtney A. Toledo

Elementary & Special Education: Faculty Publications

Teacher preparation programs provide numerous teaching and learning opportunities for pre-service teachers; however, participating in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting is not an experience that can be guaranteed. Leading and participating in IEP meetings are a responsibility that all special education teachers will be held accountable for, but many pre-service teachers will never be able to observe a real IEP meeting before entering the field. In this qualitative case study, the researcher utilizes a simulated IEP meeting to provide pre-service teachers with experience in participating in an IEP meeting prior to entering the profession. The case study method is …

Using Historical Thinking Strategies For Improving Elementary Students’ Content Knowledge And Attitudes Towards Social Studies, Lydia Burnett, Joshua Cuevas Dr.

Georgia Educational Researcher

Instructional time spent on elementary social studies is often marginalized due to the emphasis placed on other content areas. Therefore, social studies teachers must employ meaningful instructional strategies that will engage students while promoting content acquisition. This quasi-experimental study responds to this challenge by guiding a sample of 44 fifth grade students to use the historical thinking skills of sourcing, contextualizing, and corroborating that encourage engagement with a variety of primary sources through the lens of Jerome Bruner’s learning theories. The control group used traditional instructional methods including close-note taking, vocabulary review, and independent reading from social studies texts. Both …

Differentiated Instruction And Kindergarten Through 5th Grade Teachers, Aslihan Unal, Zafer Unal, Yasar Bodur

Georgia Educational Researcher

The purpose of this article is to examine Kindergarten through 5th-grade teachers’ understanding of differentiated instruction and perception of their ability to implement differentiated instruction in their classrooms. Differentiated instruction is a critical factor for children’s success. Thirty-one K-5 teachers from the state of Georgia participated in this study. The teacher survey on differentiated instruction developed by Tomlinson (2001) and modified by Page (2007) was used in this study. The researchers also included two open-ended, differentiated instruction questions and seven demographic questions. Study results suggested that while teachers mostly agree that differentiation is an important instructional strategy, they are faced …