Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Constructivist Versus Traditional Methods In Language Education, Emma Agola

Perspectives In Learning

My experience as a teacher in a British oriented system of education equipped me with the skills needed to approach teaching from what is called the traditional classroom curriculum. I was introduced to constructivism as an alternate method of teaching through a course in Improved Teaching of Secondary School Language arts. At first I thought this was a great idea and felt that we ought to toss all traces of the traditional approach out the window and fully adopt the constructivist approach. However, this was before I was faced with the practicality of applying all that I had learned in …

Addressing Diversity Through The Utilization Of Team-Teaching In Teacher Education Field Experiences, Rita Mitchell, Bonita Williams, Paulina Kuforiji

Perspectives In Learning

The inclusion model for the delivery of special education services, the services of support personnel, reading, media, and technology specialists for example, and the use of paraprofessionals and volunteers in the classroom are common structures in place in elementary and middle schools today. Pre-service teachers should be prepared to work in such increasingly more collaborative settings. The growing diversity of the student population in public schools also sets the stage for team-teaching and other collaborative models if indeed we achieve the educational goal of “no child left behind”. In an age of specialization and individualization, some form of teacher collaboration …

Self-Efficacy In College Teaching, Anita Woolfolk-Hoy

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

The essay describes self-efficacy (that is, an instructor’s judgment about his or her capability to promote student learning and motivation) and its application to college teaching.

Taking Self Assessment Seriously, Georgine Loacker

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay provides a framework for students to examine and reflect upon their own performance as a demonstration of learning. It further describes students’ role in directing the ongoing development of their own learning.

Student Plagiarism: Are Teachers Part Of The Solution Or Part Of The Problem?, Chris M. Anson

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay explores ways in which instructors can subvert opportunities for plagiarism by rethinking limited models of writing and engaging students more fully and authentically in the assignments they present.

Flexible Reading Groups For Literacy In A First Grade Classroom, Sharon Ann Parker

All Graduate Projects

The professional literature on the configuration of flexible reading groups for reading instrnction in a regular first grade classroom was examined to determine if flexible grouping yields any benefit to students who have been assessed to be below grade level in reading. The research showed support for the idea that flexible, fluid grouping is an accelerant to producing higher levels of reading improvement. As a result, an instructional handbook was created to aid educators in the implementation of flexible reading group instruction.

Perceived Professional Needs Of Korean Science Teachers Majoring In Chemical Education And Their Preferences For Online And On-Site Training, Taehee Noh, Jeongho Cha, Sukjin Kang, Lawrence C. Scharmann

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

In this study, we investigated the perceived professional needs of Korean science teachers majoring in chemical education, and examined their preferences for online and on-site inservice teacher training programs. The results were also compared with those of preservice teachers. Participants were 120 secondary school teachers and 67 preservice teachers, whose majors were either chemical education or science education with emphasis in chemistry. A questionnaire consisting of a modified Science Teacher Inventory of Need and a section concerning respondents’ demographic information and their use of the Internet was administered. In contrast to previous studies, the perceived needs of Korean inservice and …

The "Huggy Bear" Program: An Effective Means Of Educating Teacher Education Candidates For Diversity, Doyin Coker-Kolo, Paulina Kuforiji

Perspectives In Learning

The “Huggy Bear” program uses a triad approach that links university professors with supervising teachers and teacher candidates to develop effective strategies for mentoring atrisk students. The program is carried out at the primary school level with pupils who have been identified by their teachers as having some deficiencies in social and academic skills. Additionally, the program has a multicultural component. It offers college students the opportunity to work with pupils of different cultural and social economic backgrounds. The “Huggy Bear” program seeks to change how teacher candidates think about working with atrisk students and to provide them with the …

Re-Engineering Public Education: Developing New Technologies In Teaching And Assessment, Paul Hackett

Perspectives In Learning

In the nineteen-nineties, I was principal of a middle school when the accountability issue burst into prominence in the state of Alabama in the form of norm-referenced testing as the main tool to evaluate school performance. Designed by well-meaning educators to meet the requirements of Alabama legislation, the accountability program in Alabama was developed to put some teeth into the curriculum. Schools and systems that performed poorly faced state takeover. The Alabama accountability issue was one face of a national movement predicated on the idea that the public schools in the United States have failed egregiously and that more stringent …

Traditional Versus High-Performance Cooperative Learning, Todd Applegate

Perspectives In Learning

Through the years, millions of students have participated in some version of cooperative learning. As evidenced by the numbers of published papers, several educators have reassessed and revised their cooperative learning techniques, but perhaps very few have done more for the refinement of this form of teaching than Roger and David Johnson, professors at the University of Minnesota and founders of the Collaborative Learning Center. These two educators have been training teachers to use small groups for instructional purposes since 1966 and seem to have the most productive approach to collaborative learning. Cooperative learning has been misused or undervalued, a …

Preface, Volume 22 (2004), Catherine M. Wehlberg

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Preface to volume 22 (2004) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, by Catherine M. Wehlberg of Texas Christian University.

Introduction, Volume 22 (2004)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Introduction to volume 22 (2004) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

From Sgid And Gift To Bbq: Streamlining Midterm Student Evaluations To Improve Teaching And Learning, Margaret K. Snooks, Sue E. Neeley, Kathleen M. Williamson

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Faculty members want feedback about ways to improve learning. Midterm assessments are more useful than end-of-term student evaluations. Not all institutions provide faculty development consultants. This chapter presents an innovative process appropriate for institutions currently without teaching enhancement centers. The Bare Bones Questions (BBQ) process consists of empathic trained colleagues facilitating students’ evaluative discussions. Students and faculty members are overwhelmingly positive about the process piloted for the past three years. Students’ suggestions can include simple changes in classroom environment or enhanced sensitivity to cultural diversity. BBQ may build intra-institutional collegiality by reducing the isolation of teaching.

A Versatile Interactive Focus Group Protocol For Qualitative Assessments, Barbara J. Millis

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

A highly flexible focus group protocol captures efficiently and economically useful data for immediate and longitudinal course and program assessment. Special features include an index card activity that deals with satisfactions levels and a Roundtable/Ranking activity that allows participant-generated judgments about the most positive and the most negative features of a course or program. These latter activities, with data displayed in an Excel histogram and in a colored-coded Word table, can be used for what is called a “Quick Course Diagnosis” (QCD).

A Transformative Model For Designing Professional Development Activities, David J. Langley, Terence W. O'Connor, Michele M. Welkener

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

A new model for professional and organizational development is presented based on concepts derived from Wilber (2000) and Astin (2001). The model consists of an individual/public dimension and a reflection/performance dimension. Four quadrants that result from connecting these dimensions are formed: 1) individual reflection, 2) public reflection, 3) individual performance, and 4) public performance. We believe this model offers faculty developers a framework for designing thoughtful programs to aid faculty in meeting the wide range of internal and external demands that confront higher education institutions.

Problem–Based Service–Learning: Rewards And Challenges With Undergraduates, Kenneth France

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Students in three Abnormal Psychology sections participated in problem-based service learning (PBSL). Desired learning outcomes included humanizing persons diagnosed with mental health disorders and more fully appreciating challenges experienced by such individuals. Students completing the PBSL projects evidenced decreased negative feelings and increased positive feelings toward consumers of mental health services. According to the community partners, students made valuable contributions to both the organizations and the mental health consumers served by those organizations. Students saw the activity as being challenging and rewarding.

Effective Peer Evaluation In Learning Teams, Debbie Williams, Doug Foster, Bo Green, Paul Lakey, Raye Lakey

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Evaluating student performance in learning teams is challenging. This chapter reviews the student learning team and peer evaluation literature. The authors share the results of their experience using four rubrics for peer evaluation in student learning teams. Student learning teams involve forming students into teams for the semester to enhance their active learning. A portion of the course grade is dedicated to team quizzes, activities, and projects. The authors conclude that peer evaluation data should be used both formatively and summatively to enhance team cohesion and accountability and provide their preferred rubric for the peer evaluation process. Usage of forced …

An International Perspective On Assessing Group Projects, Deborah Willis, Barbara J. Millis

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

The value of group work for enhancing learning is well documented. However, to maximize the impact of group work on student learning, faculty should carefally consider course design and assessment. This chapter draws on research, policy, and practice from the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to emphasize the importance of adopting an integrated approach to group work through careful planning. Guidelines emphasize ways to provide for the responsive, responsible assessment of group projects.

The Hesburgh Certificate And Portland State University's Faculty Development Approach To Supporting Service Learning And Community–University Partnerships, Kevin Kecskes, Amy Spring, Devorah Lieberman

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Service learning now has a prominent home in hundreds of diverse campuses across the nation. Developing service-learning expertise and other community-campus partnership enhancement strategies for faculty requires innovation. Recently, Portland State University’s Center for Academic Excellence received the Theodore M. Hesburgh Certificate of Excellence for Community-University Partnerships. This chapter outlines the center’s three-tiered approach to supporting and sustaining civic engagement practices that are sensitive to individual needs on campus and in the community, while also working toward ongoing departmental and institutional transformation.

Making Adjunct Faculty Part Of The Academic Community, Karen R. Krupar

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Hundreds of adjunct faculty in four-year colleges and universities teach over 45% of the courses, especially in the general education programs, but few institutions have chosen to construct adjunct faculty development programs that integrate these faculty into the instructional community. Metropolitan State College of Denver, recipient ofa Title III grant to build an adjunct development program received a TIA-CREF Hesburgh Award of Excellence in 2001 for its innovative adjunct support activities. This chapter articulates the features of this successful program and its effect on the adjunct faculty cohort at the college.

Bibliography, Volume 22 (2004)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Bibliography for volume 22 (2004) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

doi: 10.3998/tia.17063888.0022.023

Preface, Volume 23 (2004), Sandra Chadwick-Blossey

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Preface to volume 23 (2004) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, by Sandra Chadwisk-Blossey of Rollins College.

About The Authors, Volume 23 (2004)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

About the authors of articles in volume 23 (2004) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

Introduction, Volume 23 (2004)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Introduction to volume 23 (2004) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

Transforming The Environment For Learning: A Crisis Of Quality, Lion F. Gardiner

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This chapter addresses academic leaders and summarizes research findings on the conditions needed to produce learning and student development in higher education at the level required by society, and our relative success in doing this. It attempts to make clear the urgency for change that exists in the way in which we conduct our educational affairs. It describes the causes of less-than-optimal learning, outlines 10 key elements for effectively managing learning in complex institutions, presents eight steps required to lead a successfull transformation in an institution or unit, and provides resources with detailed information and guidance.

The Institutional Change Agency: The Expanding Role Of Academic Support Centers, Robert M. Diamond

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Higher education is going through significant changes stimulated by the rapid growth of the internet, tht increasing globalization of hightr education, and the ever-pressing question of institutional quality. New modts of educational dtlivery through virtual networks art breaking the traditional mold of instructional provision. New players, new pedagogies, and new paradigms are redefining higher education. The rules art changing, and there is increased pressure on institutions of higher education to evolve, adapt, or desist.

Leading Change: Creating A Culture Of Assessment, Patricia M. Dwyer

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In Leading Change, John Kotter (1996) outlines an eight-step process to effect major organizational change. At Shepherd College, the assessment process that evolved into a culture of assessment mirrors the sttps that Kotter describes. In 1998, Shepherd College found itself in a predicament that many colleges and universities can relate to: slated for an accreditation visit in 2002 with campus assessment efforts stalled at every turn. A new director organized an assessment task force, established a template for assessment plans and reports, and began grassroots education about assessment. Over the four years, a vision that aligned assessment with improving student …

Evidence Of The Transformational Dimensions Of The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning: Faculty Development Through The Eyes Of Sotl Scholars, Connie M. Schroeder

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This analysis began ftom two unlikely starting points: a favorite Marcel Proust quote below that has nothing to do with faculty development, but could, and Pat Hutchings (2000) descriptive quote, “The scholarship of teaching and learning [SoTL]is characterized by a transformational agenda” (p. 8). Do SoTL faculty development programs faster transformation? Is there evidence of a transformational process and transformative learning? The project summaries of eight SoTL scholars were analyzed for evidence of transformation. The evidence for transformation of landscapes of learning, teaching, scholarship, and self are explored ftom SoTL scholars’ perspectives in a faculty development program, providing insight into …

The Roles Of Teaching And Learning Centers, Alan C. Frantz, Steven A. Beebe, Virginia S. Horvath, Joann Canales, David E. Swee

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This chapter shares findings from a survey of teaching and learning centers on college and university campuses in the United States. Topics addressed include organizational infrastructure, assessment and accountability, factors/challenges contributing to successful implementation, and a list of functions and program offerings found in teaching and learning centers across the country.

Looking At Ourselves: The Quality Of Life Of Faculty Development Professionals, Kathleen T. Brinko, Sally S. Atkins, Marian E. Miller

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Responses to a questionnaire revealed that faculty development professionals typically juggle several roles—which they find to be energizing—and typically balance multiple challenges and stressors—which they feel they handle well. These faculty developers are enthusiastic about and, in many cases, sustained by their work because they find opportunities for lifelong learning, professional growth, and meaningful work.