Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Call For Special Issue Proposals, Michael M. Grant

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

IJPBL is seeking proposals for upcoming special issues in 2018 and 2019.

Teachers Exploring Mobile Device Integration: A Case Study Of Secondary Teachers’ Responses To Ipads In The Classroom, Joshua Myers, Steven Lesky

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This qualitative study seeks to understand and resolve the difficulties that teachers encounter when integrating mobile devices in classrooms. To address the issue of teacher receptiveness, three undergraduate researchers collaborated with an education professor in spring 2012 to complete a qualitative study with a two-fold purpose: 1) to investigate how two secondary teachers in an independent school responded when adopting a class set of iPads throughout one school cycle (six school days); and 2) to elucidate what a school could do better to support teachers who are piloting mobile device integration. Although previous studies have commonly focused on the impact …

The Relationship Of Self-Awareness To Leadership Effectiveness For Experienced Leaders, Patricia Sullivan Sullivan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between leaders’ self-awareness and their effectiveness. The population included leaders with at least five years of experience in a leadership role. Participants were recruited by snowball sampling methods; the researcher used a diverse network of professionals to recruit other leaders from diverse industries. Each leader completed a 35-survey questionnaire along with demographic questions (gender, education, years in leadership role, industry), and was required to ask at least four direct reports to complete the 35 questions about observed behaviors of their leader. After removing incomplete responses, the final sample included N …

The Values Grounded Learning Environment: Developing A Positive School Culture And Student Success, Michael J. Redivo Ph.D., Lynn Coleman

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

The Values Grounded Learning Environment training provides educators with a comprehensive positive behavior management model, including basic strategies for effective limit setting and positive reinforcement. It is a user friendly model that can be implemented in a variety of educational settings and provides a framework for thoughtfully responding to student behaviors and emphasizing student and staff accountability.

The Intentional Student: Strategies To Help Students Of Low-Socioeconomic Status Succeed At Post-Secondary Institutions, Patrick L. Phillips

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

The Intentional Student: Strategies to Help Students of Low Socioeconomic Status Succeed at Post-Secondary Institutions, is structured in three phases: The Prerequisites, The Process and The Exodus. Attendees will take a journey in the same manner students navigate the college experience. (The Prerequisites)-areas that are completed and mastered before college, (The Process)-tasks and areas that are mastered while in college and (The Exodus)-areas mastered upon conclusion of college to obtain gainful employment. The target audience is educators, school counselors, mentors, therapist, and school social workers.

How Cinema Excerpts Enhance A Culturally Relevant Responsive-Value Driven Pedagogy, Sunni Ali

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract

Most certainly “good styles of teaching” match the needs of students. As technology distractions within society grow more and more tearing students away from a classroom’s pedagogy, it becomes even more important today for teachers to find effective ways to engage students. Cinema clips is one-way educators can apply a cultural value driven pedagogy to connect students to lessons. For one, the use of cinema clips allows teachers to use multi-media resources to translate or deconstruct a lesson through video and auditory mechanism. Furthermore, it offers a differentiated style of teaching for students. What makes the use of …

Book Review - Teaching African American Learners To Read, Tiffany A. Flowers

Journal of Research Initiatives

No abstract provided.

Educators Voices From Integrated Writing And Problem Solving Common Core Workshop, Karen T. Jackson, Penny Wallin, Anna K. Lee

Journal of Research Initiatives

This article provides an opportunity to discuss and examine information gathered during a focus group of K-12 educators involved in an integrated writing and problem solving workshop. Findings demonstrate that some educators are frustrated by the culture of testing versus the culture of learning that exist as a result of the Common Core Standards implementation. Educators are eager to learn and implement new ways of learning in order to promote deeper learning and critical thinking skills. Strategies and recommendations for providing support and resources for educators to meet the expectations to prepare students to be college and career ready are …

Sole (Self Organized Learning Environment) Time!, Hope Fuss

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Welcome to SOLE Time! Imagine how your student’s perception of school would change if they were able to end each day choosing topics and creating amazing learning experiences with peers. SOLE (Self Organized Learning Environment) Time can improve student motivation and achievement levels in your classroom/school. The presenter will show how she took her elementary school through the implementation process of SOLE Time. Participants will leave with an overview of SOLE Time, implementation timelines, possible school schedules, and an online unit where they can begin their own SOLE journey and collaborate with colleagues.

Teaching And Modeling Social Justice In University Teacher Education Programs And The Communities They Serve, Bryan P. Gillis

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

The presentation will engage participants in discussion describing how a university teacher education program and the schools it serves collaborates through community partnerships to teach and model action for social justice. Research, instructional strategies, and practical examples will demonstrate ways to advocate for the inclusion of social justice in classrooms.

Session E-5: Diy Microbial Fuel Cells, Peter Clancy, Mark Carlson

Professional Learning Day

Energy is a ubiquitous concept that cuts across scientific disciplines and is well represented among standards. As part of a unit on alternative energy we use to satisfy NGSS Engineering standards, we build microbial fuel cells. While standard kits exist, their cost can become significant. We will lead participants in the creation of their own microbial fuel cells. They will also be given some of the more inaccessible electrode material to take with them.

Session E-2: Sharing Analogies And Demonstrations To Reinforce Chemistry Concepts, Dave Devol, Angela Ahrendt

Professional Learning Day

Chemistry concepts can often be difficult for students to understand, in part due to the fact that we are discussing with students things that cannot be seen (atoms and molecules!). Analogies that relate chemistry concepts to things that students are more familiar with can be a powerful way to help them understand concepts, as can demonstrations that make concepts come to life visually. We will share a few of our favorite analogies/demos, and ask that each participant share one of their favorite analogies or demos. As we realize it would be difficult for visiting teachers to bring what they need …

Session E-4: Labs For Next Generation Science Standard: Waves And Electromagnetic Radiation, Brooke Schmidt

Professional Learning Day

Participants will have the opportunity to participate in two labs aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards for Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation. The first explores the relationship between the speed, frequency, and wavelength of a wave while changing the medium, and the second lab demonstrates the wave nature of light through interference.

Session C-3: The Black Hawk War, Eric Smith

Professional Learning Day

The Trail of Tears was but one of the many removal programs undertaken by an expansive and industrializing United States. The Black Hawk War offers a number of documents that help promote historical thinking by considering accounts of the events by both sides in the conflict.

Session F-2: More Than Meets The Eye, Christine L. Moskalik, Carmela Jones

Professional Learning Day

What your eyes take-in and report to your brain is not necessarily exactly what you have seen. The eye is an important sensory organ allowing for vision but without light, vision is impossible. This session will engage participants in elementary lessons that introduce the physics of color and light and illustrate various aspects of human visual perception. Properties of light will be investigated by mixing the primary light colors (not pigments) and simple tests will be performed to measure peripheral vision and explore depth perception, pupil constriction/dilation, and the blind spot. Do you “see” yourself coming to this session?

Session D-5: Informal Comparative Inference: What Is It?, Karen Togliatti

Professional Learning Day

Come and experience a hands-on task that has middle-school students grapple with informal inferential reasoning. Three key principles of informal inference – data as evidence, probabilistic language, and generalizing ‘beyond the data’ will be discussed as students build and analyze distributions to answer the question, “Does hand dominance play a role in throwing accuracy?” Connections to the CCSSM statistics standards for middle-school will be highlighted.

Session D-2: Don’T Overdose The Patient: A Unit Conversion Literacy Project, Gary M. Baker, David Anim-Addo, Patrick Young

Professional Learning Day

General chemistry for non-science majors is often a prerequisite course for students pursuing degree programs in allied health fields, such as nursing. A core nursing skill is medicine management, which includes correctly calculating drug dosage volumes administered by I.V. or injection. Such calculations are nothing more than general chemistry problems involving concentration units and dilution. Our data show, however, that more than 90% of students lack this skill after taking a traditional general chemistry course. This presentation will focus on documenting this curricular gap and how we, as teachers, can address it.

Session D-1: Lies, Damn Lies, And Statistics, Peter Dong, Joseph Traina

Professional Learning Day

The crucial and sometimes difficult areas of data analysis and statistics can be made clearer by looking at examples of how they can be done badly - examples which, unfortunately, are easy to find. We share our experience teaching a short course which examines disingenuous graphs, biased surveys, deliberately misworded statements, and other methods of misrepresenting data. The negative examples provide an opportunity to discuss how statistics should properly be done, and explain what can happen when statistics are used incorrectly. We include a discussion of the failure of polls to predict the outcome of the presidential election.

Session D-3: Robotics Programming Using Java, Pat Patankar

Professional Learning Day

I will discuss how to program NXT kit with various sensors using Java programming language.

Session B-2: Forensic Metallurgy – 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, participants will be challenged to solve the mystery. Success will hinge on careful measurement, deductive reasoning, and a thoughtful consideration of experimental uncertainty.

Session B-5: Planning Your School's New Innovation/Makerspace, Britta W. Mckenna

Professional Learning Day

Are you thinking about or moving forward with plans for your school to host a makerspace, entrepreneurship or innovation area? Take a tour of IN2, IMSA's new 6,400 square food innovation center and makerspace and get tips from IMSA's Chief Innovation Officer, who spent three years studying best practice, designing the center, hiring the staff, furnishing and launching programs. The session includes a 30 minute tour and 30 minutes of sharing lessons learned and answering questions from participants.

Session B-1: Current Events In Biology, Crystal Randall, Don Dosch, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Professional Learning Day

Teaching fundamentals, while important, can sometimes take a toll on our motivation and enthusiasm for our subject because there are rarely significant changes in the content we might present from year to year. However, keeping up with the current progress of our field, what’s new and exciting in research, and how current advancements can impact our health, well-being, and society in the future can keep us inspired, and help us continue to inspire our students. Come discuss what’s happening in biology news today, hear what we’re excited about and bring your own ideas to share!

Session B-4: Why Study War? The Importance Of Teaching Military History, Justin Riskus

Professional Learning Day

This session will provide educators with the means and methods of incorporating American military history into the classroom, and how its study fosters critical thinking skills. A global perspective of American military power {Civil War, Cold War, War on Terror), and ideas on how to teach such perspectives, will be explored.

Session B-2: Pirates: Past And Present, Kitty Lam

Professional Learning Day

Piracy has endured for as long as maritime trade has existed. From the ancient Mediterranean world to the modern-day Somali coast, pirates have threatened merchant ships. The legacy of piracy has inspired countless songs, poems, novels, and movies. Who were pirates? What did they want? Where did they go? How did they interact with states? Students have internalized stereotypes about pirates from popular culture, but rarely consider these questions about piracy. This workshop will examine the significance of piracy in world history through texts and visual material. Case studies will be global, but focus on the early modern period.

Session A-4: Makerspaces In The School: Understanding And Creating An Educational Makerspace, Erik Swanson

Professional Learning Day

This session will cover the process of opening and running a school-based Makerspace, using our Makerspace’s journey as the lens. The learning outcomes for this seminar will be as follows: understanding what a Makerspace is, and how it fits into the school environment; figuring out what equipment you need; how to tailor your space to your situation; and what it takes to run and upkeep a Makerspace. Additionally we will tour IMSA’s IN2 Makerspace, and end with a Q&A session to address any specific inquiries.

Session A-3: Three-Act Math Tasks, Lindsey Herlehy

Professional Learning Day

Participants will engage in a Three-Act Math task highlighting the application of properties of geometrical figures. Developed by Dan Meyer, an innovative and highly regarded mathematics instructor, Three-Act Math tasks utilize pedagogical skills that elicit student curiosity, collaboration and questioning. By posing a mathematical problem through active storytelling, this instructional approach redefines real-world mathematics and clarifies the role that a student plays in the learning process. Participants will be given multiple resources where they can access Three-Act Math tasks appropriate for upper elementary grades through Algebra and Geometry courses.

Session A-2: Use Your Noodle – Tips From Neuroscience To Sauce Up Your Lessons, Nicole Ross

Professional Learning Day

How many times in a day do you look at your students and internally scream for them to use their noodle while hiding the fact that your internal waters are boiling? Turn the heat down and join us for an interactive and informative session exploring ways to engage your students to use their noodles and save yours from being cooked. We will experience activities designed to engage the brain, and explore the research behind why these technique may work to enhance learning. Leave with tips from the neurosciences that are easy to reproduce in your classroom.

Session A-1: Bca Method, Focusing On Mole Ratios In Stoichiometry, Carmela Jones, Deb Scarano, Anita White

Professional Learning Day

Traditionally stoichiometry is done using dimensional analysis. Although effective, it is confusing, messy, and does not focus on mole ratios. On the other hand, the BCA method (Before-Change-After), is clear, clean, and highlights the mole ratios in a chemical reaction. Participants will collect mass data in an experiment and learn how to use a BCA table. Teachers will bring the BCA method back to their classrooms and provide an extremely useful tool for the next generation of chemistry savvy students.

Session C-1: Modeling Stem Activities Into Classroom Practice, Sowmya Anjur

Professional Learning Day

Students understand concepts better when they have had a chance to work hands on with relevant material. Examples will be presented from my classroom where difficult concepts have been modeled into simple experiments with considerable success in enhancing student understanding. Special focus will be given to selected topics that students seem to have the most difficulty grasping. The objective is to enable students to transfer their understanding to solve complex problems with considerable ease and apply their understanding to real world scenarios on assessments. Suggestions will also be provided for implementation of various concepts into the high school classroom.

Session A-3: The Yin And Yang Of U.S.-China Relations 1840-Present, Diane Haleas

Professional Learning Day

The United States and China have experienced both difficult relations and positive relations. For over 150 years these interactions between the United States and China have resulted in significant influences on political, economic, and cultural decisions in both countries. This presentation will offer an overview of time periods, emphasize crucial events, and analyze the implications for U.S.-China relations today and in the future. Lesson plan ideas will be included.