Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Chemistry Happy Hour: Simple And Smart Spectrometry, Karen Ye

Professional Learning Day

In this session, educators will engage in an activity in which they utilize a free color app on a smartphone to analyze the transmittance and absorbance of light through colored solutions. This hands-on activity is a simple and inexpensive way for chemistry students to explore absorption spectrometry concepts and can be implemented for virtual learning or used in any classroom with limited or no access to spectrophotometers. Suggested materials for this session include: 5 clear 9 oz. Plastic cups, 2 cup glass measuring cup, ¼ cup measuring cup, 2 cup mason jar, food coloring (red or blue) smartphone with the …

Integrated Inquiry: Three-Act Stem Tasks, Lindsey Herlehy

Professional Learning Day

Mathematicians and scientists view their subjects within interesting and natural contexts. In this session, participants will engage in a STEM-integrated Three-Act Task; a story-telling pedagogical strategy that elicits student curiosity, collaboration, and questioning. Beginning with a rich problem, this instructional approach redefines real-world applications and clarifies the role that the student plays in the learning process. Participants will receive resources to access Three-Act tasks appropriate for middle and high school grade levels.

The G-Suite Life, Cassandra Armstrong, Karen Ye

Professional Learning Day

As we continue to navigate a world of remote and hybrid learning options, teachers are continuously seeking new ways to give and receive information from students. In this session, we will explore four unique teaching method/resources that are available through Google G-Suite. Topics include: making and sharing drag and drop activities using Google Slides, using the Document Studio Excel Add-on, creative uses for Google Jamboard, and using Google Slides as an organizational tool.

Treasure Or Forgery: A Challenge In Basic Measurements, Patrick Young

Professional Learning Day

Chinese antiquities may be readily found for sale on eBay. Ancient coins may be purchased for very reasonable prices. Are these authentic artifacts, or modern forgeries? An investigation will include measurements and calculations to identify the metals involved. Using only inexpensive, school-grade equipment, students are challenged to solve the mystery. Success will hinge on careful technique, thoughtful reasoning, and a considerations of measurement uncertainty.

Teaching Physics And Engineering Remotely (And What We Plan To Keep When We’Re In Person), Peter Dong, Mark Carlson

Professional Learning Day

Physics and engineering pose special challenges for remote learning, but the process of re-inventing a class provides an opportunity for looking at teaching and assessment in a new light. We share some of the techniques we used, including analysis of the physics of YouTube clips, pursuing hands-on projects and labs at home, and submitting videos explaining problems--some of which worked, some of which didn’t, and some of which were good enough to continue even when we’re back in person.

Biofilms: Impacts On Humans, The Environment, And Infrastructure, Elizabeth Martinez

Professional Learning Day

Biofilms are having a greater impact on human health, the environment, and modern infrastructure; thus, they are receiving more attention from the science community and media. Background on biofilms and their impacts will be discussed. A lab, resources, and how to incorporate the topic into your biology curriculum will also be shared.

Jcctl Mailer – February 26, 2021, Josef Brandauer

JCCTL Mailers

Updates on training and support and useful pedagogical resources compiled and sent by the JCCTL on February 26, 2021.

Contents:

Moodle-related PSA: Formatting PDF files in Apple Preview

Readings & Resources

• Three things that the workload dilemma might really be about
• How to use student feedback to improve your online course
• Teaching and mentoring resources from the JCCTL

Upcoming Events:

• Friday Forum: Faculty and Student Perspectives on Open Education at Gettysburg College

Grants and other Funding Opportunities

• Johnson Creative Teaching Summer Grant
• Johnson Teaching Grant
• Digital Literacy Assignment Grant
• The Johnson Center Teaching with Special Collections Grant
• Mellon Grant Opportunity …

All It Takes Is One Click To Join Me On A "Meet": The Positive Impact Of Technology On Peer Observations In The Virtual Learning Environment, Jamie Silverman

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Abstract

Physically stepping foot into the middle and high school classroom is the opportunity teacher candidates (TCs) look most forward to as they enter their final year in our middle and secondary teacher preparation program. It is in this internship year when TCs practice the theory they have learned and start making their own pedagogical choices. The internship year and its experiences are recognized by AMLE Standard 1: “Middle level teacher candidates understand, use, and reflect on the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to young adolescent development and use that knowledge in their practice” (AMLE, 2012). The question …

Planning For Middle Level Clinical Experiences During A Crisis, Kent Divoll, Kelly Moore

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This article describes the trials and tribulations that a middle level education program faced during the global pandemic and recommendations that others can take away from these experiences. The provided suggestions for middle level teacher education programs are specifically for the current pandemic, but can be used for other disasters as well. We advocate that educator preparation programs develop a plan to deal with possible school closers or other disruptions to their field placements to prepare for the next disaster. Some of the recommendations include: (a) create an emergency plan, (b) cultivate relationships, (c) prepare your candidates in the best …

Teaching Candidates To Assess Student Learning: A Covid Collaboration With Arts And Sciences Faculty, Nancy B. Ruppert, Jessica Pisano

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

In the fall of 2020, due to COVID, our candidates did not have access to student work samples early in the semester. In order to learn how to assess student learning I reached out to an Arts and Sciences faculty who teaches a freshman course. The Arts and Science faculty was a former middle school teacher who was scheduled to talk about the teaching of writing in our methods class. We decided to add using work samples from her current students to provide an assessment experience. This exercise allowed candidates to create a one-point rubric, analyze student work, give feedback, …

Mediated Field Experiences During Worldwide Pandemic: Adjusting Pedagogies To A Changing Climate, Holly H. Pinter

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This paper explores the use of a mediated field experience (MFE) for teacher candidates in a middle school setting a small laboratory school. This work focuses on adjustments made for the MFE to function in an online environment during remote instruction caused by a worldwide pandemic. Teacher candidates completed a learning cycle focused on experiencing mathematics as a learner, planning for mathematics instruction, implementing mathematics instruction, and analyzing teaching episodes alongside a mathematics teacher who is also the mathematics teacher educator for a methods course. Teacher candidates reflected on this experience positively, noting the benefits of learning how to teach …

Uncharted Waters: Sustaining A Meaningful Student Teaching Experience Amidst A Global Pandemic Via An Online Stem Curriculum, Nanette I. Marcum-Dietrich, Cindy Stunkard, Zachary Krauss, Steve Kerlin

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

Field experience is the culminating experience for pre-service teacher training. As COVID-19 closed schools across the country, pre-service teachers’ field experiences were disrupted. This case study examines how a student teacher, a team of mentor teachers, and a university supervisor at a regional public university adapted to remote learning. The findings suggest that there were gains and losses in terms of the pre-service teachers’ ability to develop essential skills; classroom management skills suffered while formative assessment practices, innovative lesson delivery, and reflection on instruction were enhanced. The transition to remote learning also caused the way student teachers’ skills were valued, …

The Evolving Middle School Concept: This We (Still) Believe, Lisa Harrison, Penny A. Bishop

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The Successful Middle School builds upon many decades of commitment to the middle school concept. The fifth edition of AMLE’s landmark position paper amplifies the importance of responding both to young adolescents’ developmental needs and to their social identities. The edition’s release amidst a global pandemic and increasing protests against racial injustice reminds us that responding to the full diversity of student experience is not optional. It is critical to helping young adolescents--and indeed the world--to thrive, now and in the future.

Introduction: Alternate Field Experiences, Amanda Wall

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The articles in this issue of Current Issues in Middle Level Education share examples of ways that teacher education programs have responded to the ongoing challenges from COVID-19. At the time that this issue is published, it has been about a year since K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities transitioned to a variety of different models of instruction. Teacher educators have redesigned and reimagined field experiences and other aspects of teacher education to meet new realities. Throughout, a concern for health and safety of students, teachers, other school partners, teacher candidates, university supervisors, and others remains paramount. I …

Pre-Service Teachers As Curriculum Makers: What Could Social Justice Look Like In A Middle School Curriculum?, Brittany A. Aronson, Emily Culberson, Britt Hochstetler, Suzanne Lowman, Ash Mccartney, Jocelyn Mcminimy, Emily Murphy, Ralph Newlin, Emily Santen, Rachel Sutphin, Megan Terlau, Nicholas Vrzal, Imani Wheeler

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

In this article, we answer the questions 1) What could social justice look like in the middle school curriculum; 2) How do we help young adolescents recognize and repudiate racism and other forms of social injustice; and 3) What are some lessons learned from a middle level teacher preparation with a focus on social justice ? By presenting three examples of social justice curriculum created by pre-service teachers in their teacher leadership education course, we argue for spaces that allow pre-service teachers to be curriculum-makers if we are truly seeking social justice educators in schools. We conclude, through the perspective …

Teaching Inquiry-Based Science Through The Critical Lens Of Social Justice, Tonya D. Jeffery, Isaac Aldrich, Jordan Anderson, Bailey Bettencourt, Lucy Castillo, Lily Carriger, Tosha Hawkins

Diversity Conference

In this session, the first presenter who is a teacher educator from a historically marginalized group, share their own experiences about what led them to teach their science methods course through the critical lens of social justice and through the theoretical frameworks of culturally responsive education. In addition, the presenter will discuss the tools and strategies utilized for teaching this course and for creating a safe space for preservice teachers’ dialogue and critical reflections about their own lives and experiences, identity, racism, biases, and the systemic and structural oppression among various groups in K-12 education.

Six (6) preservice teachers participated …

An Ethical Framework For Interprofessional Social Work Education And Practice With Clients And Professionals, Misty G. Smith, Felicia Law Murray

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Social work students must interface with other professionals amid diverse disciplines and settings. While aspects of their work requires independent practice, students also encounter practice environments that require cross-system approaches that can create ethical conflicts and dilemmas. Interprofessional collaboration and ethical decision making are specific behavioral outcomes students must demonstrate to achieve competency upon social work degree completion. In social work education, scholarship that highlights the benefits of exposing students to interprofessional education (IPE) is an emerging area. Gastmans’ Dignity Enhancing Care Model and the Generalist Social Work Practice Framework have been adapted to create an integrated framework, the Generalist …

Everyone Matters: Eliminating Dehumanizing Practices In Physical Education, Brian Culp

Faculty Articles

Recently, discussions regarding how to create a positive school climate where all can be successful has come to the forefront. Healthy schools support student learning, well-being, time, space to be active, and opportunities for social and emotional growth. However, a host of numerous trends suggest that the school climate is becoming increasingly hostile towards students who are from immigrant, LBGTQ, and ethnic minority groups. What is often seen as disrespectful behavior toward these students is in fact actions that can be more accurately defined as dehumanization. This article overviews the practice of dehumanization, the implications for learning, and introduces proactive …

Enhancing Cultural And Linguistic Responsiveness In Argument Writing Pedagogy Through Effective Adaptations For English Learners: Insights From C3wp Resource Analysis And Three Experienced Teachers’ Practices, Katelyn Walsh, Katey Robinson, Rachel Deacon, Zuzana Tomaš

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article examines recommended adaptations for English Learners (ELs) in the nationally-recognized C3WP argument writing program through the lens of effective EL literacy practices and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. We present an analysis of C3WP EL tips and EL notices and argue that when evaluated from the second language literacy and linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogy perspectives, the C3WP program could be enhanced by adding guidance for 1) specific instructional supports designed to increase ELs’ access to the resources and 2) helping teachers leverage these learners’ multicultural and multilinguistic capital. To help imagine how such effective additional guidance could …

Exploring Actions Toward Supporting English Language Learners In A Rural Remote Secondary Setting, Annamarie Valdez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ESL students make a small population in rural, remote secondary schools. One ESL student can have a profound impact on the academic measures taken on state accountability tests. The gap between an ESL student’s achievement and that of native English-speaking peers is disproportionate. The actions of principals and campus leaders directly impact the teacher’s ability to support English language learners’ (ELL) ESL needs. A problem exists on what principals and campus leaders can do to help ESL students’ needs in a rural, remote secondary setting. The purpose of this exploratory single case study was to identify the actions campus leaders …

Jcctl Mailer – January 28, 2021, Josef Brandauer

JCCTL Mailers

Updates on training and support and useful pedagogical resources compiled and sent by the JCCTL on January 28, 2021.

Contents:

Upcoming Events:

• An effective first day of class

Readings & Resources

• Are we assigning too much work to our students?
• Resource guides: Rethinking the syllabus and "derailment prevention"

Grants and other Funding Opportunities

• Open Educational Resources (OER) Grants
• Faculty-Created Working Group

Needs Analysis In Teaching Chinese For Special Purposes: From Theory To Practice, Zhongqi Shi

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

As a critical component of curriculum creation and syllabus design, needs analysis has not been widely used in the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. To address some common misconceptions, this article discusses various aspects of need analysis with the goal of structuring a more comprehensive picture of this approach. Based upon that, a variety of needs analysis methods are introduced through examples, aimed at enabling frontline Chinese teachers to effectively use needs analysis in their own classrooms and ultimately improving their instruction.

Problem Centered Teaching By Tomorrow, Cassandra Armstrong

Publications & Research

Problem Centered Instruction is a great way to engage students, integrate content, and inspire learning. However, true problem centered instruction requires a major shift in both teaching and learning, requiring the one thing teachers don't have: time. In today's session, we will look at some simple strategies that teachers can put to immediate use within the classroom to help start the shift towards a student-led, problem centered learning environment.

Jcctl Mailer – January 19, 2021, Josef Brandauer

JCCTL Mailers

Updates on training and support and useful pedagogical resources compiled and sent by the JCCTL on January 19, 2021.

Contents:

Upcoming Events:

• What you say and how you say it: The Syllabus as a guiding document
• Derailment prevention: Course design strategies for fostering respectful dialogue
• Understanding our students’ lives outside the classroom
• An effective first day of class

Readings & Resources

• 8 Strategies to Prevent Teaching Burnout, Flower Darby
• What do we do and say on the all-important first day of class

Grants and other Funding Opportunities

• Open Educational Resources (OER) Grants
• Faculty-Created Working Group

Expressive Writing As An Intervention For Math Anxiety In Middle School Students, Angela Ruark

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

Math anxiety is a serious concern for educators and students. Students who may otherwise be successful can find themselves incapacitated to think and perform to their abilities due to this issue. Math anxiety negatively affects academic performance and deters students from pursuing math-based careers. This is particularly true for female students. Effective interventions are needed to address these issues. Expressive writing is one such intervention that has shown promise in reducing math anxiety with older students. This study investigated the impact of expressive writing on the math anxiety levels of middle school students according to group and gender. An experimental, …

Jcctl Mailer – January 14, 2021, Josef Brandauer

JCCTL Mailers

Updates on training and support and useful pedagogical resources compiled and sent by the JCCTL on January 14, 2021.

Contents:

Upcoming Events:

• What you say and how you say it: The Syllabus as a guiding document
• Derailment prevention: Course design strategies for fostering respectful dialogue

Grant and other Funding Opportunities

• Open Educational Resources (OER) Grants
• Faculty-Created Working Group

Other Recommended Resources

• How to Teach a Good First Day of Class, James M. Lang
• First Day of Class, Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching
• Leading Lines podcast
• National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity, Spring Webinar Schedule

Are We There Yet? Educators As Lgbtq Advocates And Book Clubs As Professional Development, Alexis Marie Egan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines Rainbow Advocates: An Educator’s Book Club, a book club study designed for educators wherein they read three works of LGBTQ young adult literature in Summer 2020. Purposes of the book club study include a consideration of how participating educators’ experiences with LGBTQ youth, literary materials, and training compare to past research. This dissertation includes an assessment of their readiness to handle LGBTQ issues in school sites and an evaluation of book clubs and reading LGBTQ young adult literature as a method of professional development for educators. In doing so, this dissertation draws on reader responses as per …

Corequisite Mathematics: A Program Analysis At The College Level, Shannon Miller-Mace

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Many incoming college freshmen who do not meet minimum standardized exam cut-score requirements are often determined to be not ready for college-level coursework and registered for pre-requisite, multi-semester, remedial course sequences. The goal of pre-requisite courses is to prepare students for college-level courses prior to enrollment in college-level classes. However, based on multiple studies, traditional, pre-requisite developmental education has become a barrier to student success. In contrast, the co-requisite instructional model enrolls students into their college-level, credit-bearing course in their first semester on a college campus, improving the likelihood of success in those courses and beyond. The purpose of this …

Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series. Vanuatu: Interim Report 1, Elizabeth Cassity, Jacqueline Cheng, Debbie Wong

Education Analytics Service

The Government of Vanuatu is undertaking significant primary education reforms, including major curriculum changes, to improve equitable access to and the quality of education. Since 2016, a new primary education curriculum has been introduced by stages, accompanied by a suite of in-service teacher training. The new curriculum promotes teaching practices that support new pedagogies focused on student-centred learning and community support, language transition and class-based assessment practices. These reforms are being supported by the Australian Government, through its Vanuatu Education Support Program (VESP). The Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has commissioned a study to investigate how …

Seik: Sustainable Event Industry Knowledge, Creating Oers For Event Management Students, Samantha Morris

Case Studies

Presentation describing the Sustainable Events Industry Knowledge project funded by TU Dublin Impact, National Forum of Teaching and Learning and the Higher Education Authority. Presented at the EdTech 2021 Conference hosted by The Irish Learning Technology Association.