Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Case Studies Of At-Risk Middle Grades Students And Literacy Applications Including Technology, Francine Falk-Rose, Principal Investigator

Cornerstone 1 Reports : Expansion and Enhancements of the Thinkfinity Platform

No abstract provided.

Supporting Native Indian Preschoolers And Their Families Family–School–Community Partnerships, M. Susan Mcwilliams, Tami Maldonado-Mancebo, Paula S. Szczepaniak, Jacqueline Jones

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In this urban midwestern public school district, families of Native Indian students, pre-K through grade 12, attend four multigenerational gatherings like this one during the school year—one of a number of events orchestrated by the Native Indian Centered Education (NICE) program. NICE is a program in the school district that partners with families to provide Native-centric educational opportunities for preschool children. Family events such as the storytelling activity in the opening vignette represent trends in early childhood education: building family-school-community partnerships to enhance learning and build family resources. The all- Native-Indian preschool program is unusual and rare in urban areas. …

Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Physical Education, Scott Ronspies

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The prevalence of obesity and sedentary behaviors among children and adolescents is increasing at an alarming rate. The obesity epidemic is reaching proportions never seen across our nation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine middle school students’ perceptions of coeducational and same-sex physical education classes. The study consisted of 3 girls and 3 boys 12-13 years old. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant to gain an understanding of their perceptions of physical education (P.E.) classes that were coeducational and same-sex in nature. The results indicated that middle school students shared a variety of perceptions concerning …

Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Physical Education, Scott M. Ronspies

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The prevalence of obesity and sedentary behaviors among children and adolescents is increasing at an alarming rate. The obesity epidemic is reaching proportions never seen across our nation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine middle school students’ perceptions of coeducational and same-sex physical education classes. The study consisted of 3 girls and 3 boys 12-13 years old. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant to gain an understanding of their perceptions of physical education (P.E.) classes that were coeducational and same-sex in nature. The results indicated that middle school students shared a variety of perceptions concerning …

Strategies For Teaching 21st Century Skills To Tomorrow's College Students, Ann Marie Smeraldi, Kenneth J. Burhanna, Joanna Mcnally, Jennifer Schwelik

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Today’s first year college students arrive on campus underprepared for the academic demands that await them. Despite the dedicated efforts of high school librarians, research continues to illustrate that students lack basic information literacy skills crucial to their academic success in higher education. In this session high school and academic librarians will explore this issue with participants to identify key deficits in students’ 21st Century Skills.

The presenters will share their insights on college professors’ expectations and offer best practices for educating tomorrow’s college students. Presenters will provide ideas for lesson plans and assessment; actual college assignments will be shared.

Perspectives Of Suburban Public School Teachers On The Characteristics Of Students At-Risk For Dropping Out Of School, Michael J. Sollitto, Robert K. Gable

K-12 Education

This study focuses on a major problem facing today’s educators: high school dropouts. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify the reasons that students drop out of school and programs that may address the needs of students at-risk for dropping out of school. Literature in this area was reviewed to identify what can be learned from these studies. Research questions addressed differences in teacher perspectives of the characteristics of elementary, middle, and high school struggling students. Differences in teachers’ perspectives based on tenure and type of teaching assignment were examined. A sequential, mixed methods approach was taken. The researchers began …

Crisis Preparedness: Do School Administrators And First Responders Feel Ready To Act?, David J. Alba, Robert K. Gable

K-12 Education

A majority of public school districts have developed crisis preparedness plans; however, policy and procedural implementation is inconsistent across schools, districts, and states. Furthermore, while the literature regarding best practice in school safety recommends conducting a variety of drills in conjunction with first responders, there is little research literature that examines the perceptions of the personnel responsible for the planning and implementation of these types of collaborative efforts (Graham, Shirm, Liggin, Aitken, & Dick, 2006; Kano & Bourque, 2007; United States Government Accounting Office, 2007). This study explored the perceptions of 60 Rhode Island school principals, three district-level administrators, and …

Beginning Teachers’ Perceptions Of Preparedness To Differentiate Instruction For Diverse Learners, Michelle K. Casey, Robert K. Gable

K-12 Education

A two-phase, sequential mixed-methods design was used to assess perceptions of Preparedness (28 items, alpha = .96) to differentiate instruction for N = 36 graduates from one MAT teacher preparation program. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and t-test procedures. A focus group with N = 10 purposively selected 2010 graduates and interviews with N = 2 graduates each from the 2008 and 2009 classes, and N = 2 faculty were conducted. The following areas presented challenges to teachers when attempting differentiation: pre-existing ideas of how to teach which contradict differentiation, misinformation regarding differentiation, and classroom management skills. …

A Distance-Delivered Teacher Education Program For Rural Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Teacher Candidates, Gayla Lohfink, Amanda Morales, Gail Shroyer, Sally Yahnke, Cecilia Hernandez

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This article describes a collaborative, distance-delivered, teacher preparation program for rural, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) teacher candidates. Multiple institutions partnered with one university in order to diversify the teaching force in the region and meet the needs of CLD students living there. In describing the program's design and implementation phases, a focus on cultural responsiveness to the candidates ' needs, their rural settings, and high populations of Latino/a students in the rural areas in which they were trained is presented. Assessment of each implementation phase guided program practice for the participants ' training as effective teachers. Relevant discussion indicates …

Feeling, Experiencing, Learning: Environmental Education At Escola Vila, Isabelle Aida Heilman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Teaching children about the importance of the protecting environment is a key step in preparing future generations to solve environmental issues. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze how Escola Vila in Fortaleza, Brazil integrates environmental education into its curriculum to promote positive environmental actions later in the children’s lives. Classroom observations revealed how environmental education is incorporated into the curriculum in an interdisciplinary way. Students at Escola Vila learn about the environment through creative projects, experiential learning, sustainable practices on the campus and human rights education. Interviews with alumni showed that these four ways that Escola …

Teaching Grantsmanship In A Nonprofit Leadership Class, Audrey Falk

Education Faculty Publications

Proposal-writing skills are critical for employees in a wide range of organizations, particularly in challenging economic times which demand diverse funding sources. This paper describes an innovative and multifaceted approach to teaching proposal writing to students enrolled in a nonprofit leadership course at a large, metropolitan university. The approach included a hands-on, field component in nonprofit organizations, in-depth organizational analyses involving interviews with nonprofit leaders, guest speakers including a grant professional and a foundation officer, grantsmanship textbooks loaned to all students for the semester, and review of students’ completed proposals by a grant professional and the course instructor. Students presented …

Western Guide To Professional Master's Programs, Gloria J. Leckie

Purple Guides

This guide is a resource for departments that plan to introduce new Professional Master's (PMA) or Professional Science Master's (PSM) degrees. The guide provides examples of existing programs, describes key criteria that new PSM programs need to meet, reviews issues in the development of new programs, and discusses the types of competencies professional programs promote in order to help their graduates compete on the job market.

Investigative Primary Science: A Problem-Based Learning Approach, Matthew B. Etherington

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study reports on the success of using a problem-based learning approach (PBL) as a pedagogical mode of learning open inquiry science within a traditional four-year undergraduate elementary teacher education program. In 2010, a problem-based learning approach to teaching primary science replaced the traditional content driven syllabus. During the 13 week semester, a cohort of 150 elementary pre-service teachers embarked on a Design and Make project to solve an individually chosen real world problem. Over one week, the pre-service teachers used a problem based mode of learning in conjunction with an open scientific inquiry to showcase individual working models (prototypes) …

Changing Perceptions Of Science In Undergraduate Students: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Cindy S. Larson-Miller

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The purpose of this bounded single-case study was to explore the understanding of the nature and process of science for undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). The study investigated one professor’s methodology to explicitly teach undergraduate students about the nature and process of science, and documented their understanding and perception of science, both pre- and post-course.

Using a mixed method approach, data were collected to provide a better understanding of teaching the nature and process of science. Three main types of data were analyzed: the process of science (TPOS) assessment; survey questions, and the module curriculum.

Participating students …

Technology Use In The Middle School Mathematics Classroom, Heather Prestegord

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This paper will examine the outcomes of using technology in middle school mathematics. The author will find research on how implementing technology affects students’ ability to learn mathematics. The author will also analyze if teachers are incorporating technology effectively and how teachers can be better equipped to successfully use technology in the middle school mathematics classroom.

The Role Of Narrative In Multimedia Learning, Myrna Elyse Diamond

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This descriptive case study investigated the role of narrative in multimedia learning and teaching and observed how teachers applied their understanding of narrative, and new constructivist technologies, to design multimedia presentations for instruction. The study looked specifically at the cognitive strategies, visual narrative concepts, and techniques of representation three teachers used in the course of learning how to design a multimedia instructional presentation. The context of the study was a university graduate instructional design of educational software course. Data sources included visual and verbal elicitation techniques, participant observations, document collection, semistructured interviews, and videotapes in the graduate classroom. Data were …

Enhancing The Cultural Competence Of Women’S Health Nurses Via Online Continuing Education, Ella T. Heitzler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

By 2050, current minority groups will comprise almost half of the US population further challenging healthcare providers and nurses to deliver culturally competent care. Numerous organizations have published documents supporting cultural competence and its incorporation into nursing curricula has been encouraged since 1986. However, practicing nurses, specifically those providing care to childbearing women and families, continue to acknowledge their lack of cultural competence. This is concerning as large health disparities exist between culturally diverse women and cultural competence can lead to greater health equality and better client care. Studies have shown face-to-face education increases the cultural competence of healthcare providers; …

Teaching Social Justice Through The Lens Of Multicultural Education, Alana Cimillo

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

With public school populations growing in socio-economic and racial diversity, as projected by the Census Bureau, there is a clear need for an understanding of this diversity to occur at the early childhood level. In order to truly adopt multicultural education as an integral part of a student’s academic growth, teachers must consider the meaning of “cultural competence”. In the first years of a student’s education, fundamental values can be developed as the building blocks for future culturally responsive human beings. This presentation will review concrete evidence that supports the incorporation of multicultural education early childhood classrooms.

Exemplary High School Teacher's Utilization Of Web-Facilitated Instruction: A Multiple-Case Study, Tracy A. Platt

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Technology and the web are becoming as necessary to the education of “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001) as the textbook. This qualitative multiple case study focused on the manner in which web-facilitated technologies influenced instruction through planning, preparation, and instructional practices of secondary teachers. Three high school teachers were selected as participants based on their administrator recommending them as an exemplary teacher utilizing web-facilitated technology. A multiple case qualitative design was employed where 8 to 9 observations occurred over a 2-month period. Observations were concluded by researcher journaled thoughts, feelings, and general impressions of what was observed. Post observation interviews queried …

An Ethical Dilemma: Talking About Plagiarism And Academic Integrity In The Digital Age, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Kelly Sassi

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

An open, in-depth discussion about academic dishonesty may help students (and teachers) develop ethical approaches to scholarship. Real classroom talk is closely examined and suggestions for teaching students how to avoid plagiarism in the digital age are offered.

A Critical Look At Four Multicultural Reform Efforts In One Urban College Of Education, Mary Gove, Dinah Volk, Kristine Lynn Still, Grace Hui-Chen Huang, Sashelle Thomas-Alexander

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The article describes multicultural reform projects at an urban college of education including analyses of student's descriptions of their experiences in urban schools, the results of a faculty diversity self-study group and issues arising from culturally responsive pedagogy in an early childhood teaching class. The author's assertion that diversity education is an essential part of teacher education is discussed, and the importance of continuous critical analysis of teacher education is emphasized.

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine Of The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 27, Summer 2011), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Generating Keywords Improves Metacomprehension And Self-Regulation In Elementary And Middle School Children, Anique B. H. De Bruin, Keith Thiede, Gino Camp, Joshua Redford

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Metacomprehension accuracy is typically quite poor; however, recently interventions have been developed to improve accuracy. In two experiments, we evaluated whether generating delayed keywords prior to judging comprehension improved metacomprehension accuracy for children. For sixth and seventh graders, metacomprehension accuracy was greater for the delayed-keyword condition than for a control group. By contrast, for fourth graders, accuracy did not differ across conditions. Improved metacomprehension accuracy led to improved regulation of study.

Encouraging Attendence In Tutorials For Quantity Surveying Studies Through Assessment, Dermot Kehily

Conference papers

Construction Economics and Management in Technological University of Dublin (DIT) educates and prepares students to become Quantity Surveyors (Construction Economists) in the Construction Industry. Arguably the most important subject on the course and the cornerstone of the profession is the ability of the students and graduates to carry out a technical function called ‘measurement’ or ‘take off’ from construction plans and drawings. Graduates of Construction Economics and Management may spend up to two years carrying out measurement for their employers before they progress to the more professional practices of Quantity Surveying. The importance of measurement and take off inthe profession …

Personality Temperament's Influence On Instructional Strategy Type Selection By Nebraska And Iowa High School Band Directors In A Concert Band Setting, Matthew Herrick

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The field of education is constantly searching for techniques to efficiently select effective instructional strategies in order to differentiate instruction for students. Why do teachers select the types of instructional strategies they do to promote learning in the music classroom? Most teachers believe a mixture of educational goals, teacher experience, research, student ability, aptitude, interest, and learning style intuitively guide their strategy selection process (Tomlinson et al., 2003). One possible theory is that teachers' personalities are guiding the intuition that selects the instructional strategies. The purpose of this study was to determine if the high school band director's personality temperament …

Connecting Science With Engineering: Using Inquiry And Design In A Teacher Professional Development Course, Louis S. Nadelson, Patricia Pyke, Janet Callahan, Anne Hay, Joshua Pfiester, Mark A. Emmet

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The engineering design process has evolved over time to be the central and effective framework that engineers use to conduct their work. Logically, K-12 STEM professional development efforts have then attempted to incorporate the design process into their work. There has been little in the STEM literature, though, of the explicit measurement of the growth in design process knowledge. Our study presents findings of significant improvements in knowledge of the design process that resulted over the course of a recent summer STEM institute and professional development program among K-5 teachers.

As more emphasis is placed on integrating STEM into the …

Deficient Policy Communication Deficient Outcomes – Capacity Building Policy Under Education Reforms In Sindh, Pakistan, Sajid Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Education decentralisation in Pakistan started from 2001 through an all-out devolution programme of the government across sectors. To strengthen the decentralisation reform and build capacity of district educational managers a USAID sponsored programme Education Sector Reform Assistance (ESRA) was launched in 2003. In order to assess the impact of these capacity building initiatives, a research study was carried out during 2005-2006. The research used qualitative design and was carried out in one of the ESRA target districts in Sindh province. The paper argues the improper communication of policy severely compromised the achievement of intended policy objectives. The research noted that …

Intersections: The Schooling Experiences Of African-American Females Inolved In Long-Term Foster Care And Their Transition Into Womanhood, Sonia Kennedy

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

African-American girls are entering foster care and experiencing longer stays in a system that was not intended to facilitate adolescents transitioning into adulthood. For African American adolescent girls many remain in care indefinitely and move from one temporary foster home, group home and institution to another, with little stability or preparation for the future. Although the Adoption and Safe Families Act (AFSA) of 1994 and other policy reforms were designed to guide the temporary placement of children in foster care, this has not been the case, particularly for African American females. Upon entrance into foster care, African American adolescent females …

Stories And Cultural Humility: Exploring Power And Privilege Through Physical Therapists' Life Stories, Marjorie Hilliard

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how life experiences, set within their social, cultural, and historical contexts, shape the development of cultural humility in physical therapists (PTs). Cultural humility involves health professionals being actively engaged in an ongoing process with patients, colleagues, communities, and themselves to make sense of the complexities of social and culture differences within relationships in practice. Given demographic trends and health care disparities, it has become critically important to better understand the dynamics of developing trusting relationships to provide quality care. This study was influenced by relationship-centered care, sociocultural, and insurgent multiculturalism theories. A …

Enhancing Preservice Elementary Teachers’ 21st Century Information And Media Literacy Skills, Sara Fry, Sara Seely

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This two-semester pedagogical study investigated the effectiveness of an approach to information and media literacy instruction for elementary preservice teachers. Participants were trained in and then used a systematic process of searching for, evaluating, and using journal articles and websites. Two-thirds of the Semester one participants were unsuccessful identifying relevant, high-quality journal articles and ½ inaccurately evaluated the quality of websites. After three opportunities for formative assessment were added to the instruction model in Semester two, participants proficiently evaluated websites and ¾ were able to find relevant journal articles. The results demonstrate the importance of formative assessment and the need …