Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Ai: What It Can And Can’T Do, Dr. Micah Fogel

Professional Learning Day

For those with no AI experience. Come find out what AI is, how it works, and how you can get started using it. Your students are already using AI, so you should learn how to use it to help them learn! Bring your laptop and play along!

With Or Without Highways?, David Hernandez

Professional Learning Day

Can you imagine your life without your GPS (Global Positioning System)? Although GPS seems to be an automatic and standard service for all users. The users alone contribute to at least 30% of the program’s ability to work accurately. Join us in exploring a model representing the calculations performed by navigational devices that predict travel times and the optimal roads for this travel time. If you get lost on the way to this presentation, use the GPS.

Reflections On Light: Exploring Geometrical Optics With Precalculus Tools, Dr. Anderson Trimm

Professional Learning Day

In this session, the presenter will discuss the mathematical modeling of reflection and refraction of light as an engaging and accessible application of several concepts from precalculus. By presenting this topic with a greater emphasis on the underlying mathematics, students of physical science can make deeper connections with their mathematics coursework. The presenter will share a lesson appropriate for Algebra 2 or precalculus that integrates Desmos and PhET simulations and discuss differentiation opportunities. Attendees should bring a laptop to access the simulations.

Training For Tomorrow: Ensuring School Staff Are Ready For Medical Emergencies, Lisa Garamella

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This project explores the implementation of a training curriculum for emergency response team (ERT) members in schools. Using a pre-and post-test questionnaire to assess knowledge aims to increase the understanding of identifying emergencies and responding to school personnel. Emergencies can happen at any time or place. School districts need to ensure they are prepared to respond appropriately to help during these situations. Having a plan in place to manage medical emergencies will help lessen the impact of a medical event (Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], 2010). Most school staff are not thoroughly trained to assist students, staff, or visitors during …

Sowing The Seeds Of Confusion To Reap Content Mastery, Rebecca Mcgrail

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Engaged Pedagogy And The Three C'S: Incorporating Student Emotions Within Institutions Of Higher Education, Kathryn Mattingly Flynn

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Getting Students Excited About Chemistry, Jovita Daraezinwa

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Section Two - Graddegree+ Pedagogy Development Track Reflections, Ashley Sorrell

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Overcoming Students' Resistance To The Flipped Classroom, Koji Tanno

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Pathways To Discover: Exploring Transdisciplinary Learning With Primary Sources, Matthew Strandmark

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Varied Uses Of Class Time: A Case Study Of Epe 301, Zitsi Mirakhur, Spencer Crawford, Wyatt Driskell

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

What In The World Can I Do With This Degree? Showcase Profile Assignment, Sarah Kercsmar

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Groupme In The Classroom, Christopher Huggins

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Social Media And The Study Of Feminisms, Frances Henderson

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Meeting Community Need In The Classroom: Creative Collaborations Between Students And Cooperative Extension, Liz Combs, Heather Norman-Burgdolf

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Zines: Radical Tools For Empathy And Introspection, Aanya Chugh

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Conversations By Design: Student Research Using Oral Histories, Jennifer Bartlett, Patrick Lee Lucas

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Section One - Featured Essays From Presenters At The Uk Teaching Excellence Symposium, Trey Conatser

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Innovative Instruction To Cultivate Young Adolescents’ Creativity In A Virtual Environment, Stacie K. Pettit, Christi L. Pace, Dawn Jeffers, Emily Harrison

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The unique needs of high-ability young adolescents should be met just as those students with other diverse needs even when instruction becomes virtual. This paper highlights the work of two teachers who overcame the challenges of remote and hybrid learning to provide quality lessons on creativity, logic, and problem solving. They are accomplishing this for 4th and 5th grade students in their gifted program through project-based learning and other lessons situated around creativity. The strategies presented that encourage students to exercise creativity would be beneficial for all students.

The Everyday Heroism Of A Neurodiverse Teacher In Aotearoa New Zealand, Lindsay Fish, Therese Eberhard

Heroism Science

This article works to demonstrate the utility of everyday heroism as a construct to understand the work of teachers as heroic. The first part of the article makes connections across literature that establish the everyday work of teachers as heroic. This is done by connecting banal heroism, bureaucratic heroism as it is explored in academic literature and film, and the notion of the hero as companion. Teaching as everyday heroism is then demonstrated through a case study of one neurodiverse teacher’s inquiry into her practice. Using three critical moments from an autoethnographic case study, the teacher is shown to be …

Teacher Retention And The Future Of Learning: Alarming Concerns About Preparing The Next Generation Of Citizens, Dejuanna M. Parker, Barbara D. Holmes

Journal of Research Initiatives

Research is robust in detailing the various reasons teachers leave the profession. There is scant literature on why teachers stay and what should be done to improve teacher retention. Teacher retention is a primary concern nationally and internationally. The inability to retain teachers has resulted in a teacher shortage and significantly affects student learning. Sorenson and Ladd (2020) This study yielded three emergent themes related to integral factors of teacher retention: changing attitudes on administrative support, workplace collegiality, and persistence of passion and purpose. Recommendations offered include encouraging administrators to leverage the passion and commitment of the educators to create …

Student-Conscious Practice And Pathways For Student Success, Anthony Walker, Sara Mata

Journal of Research Initiatives

This paper shares evidence of how four programs enhanced students' pathways from high school through bachelor's degrees. Each program expanded students' networks, fostered a sense of belonging, and developed critical thinking skills. Ten years after participation, we looked back to gain insights into key elements that impacted students' learning experience. Data from student voices highlighted the importance of inclusiveness in action, institutional responsibility, and culturally relevant pedagogy in student success and program impact.

Toward A Critical Pedagogy Of Assessment Integrating Social Studies Education: The Proposed Socio-Critical Assessment Integration Framework (Scaif), Caroline O. Alordiah, Regina Arisi

Journal of Research Initiatives

The Socio-Critical Assessment Integration Framework (SCAIF) and its consequences for social studies education are examined in this study. The results emphasize the advantages of developing inclusive learning environments, encouraging comprehensive evaluation procedures, encouraging applicability to the real world, and giving students agency by allowing participation in the evaluation process actively. Teachers can promote social justice, question prevailing narratives, and foster critical discourse in the classroom using a critical pedagogy lens. Student learning outcomes are improved by authentic assessment activities that reflect real-world problems and demand that students use their knowledge in meaningful ways. Inclusive learning settings respect student diversity, encourage …

Factors Influencing Jordanian College Understudies' Impressions Of Learning Through Emergency Distance Learning (Edl), Abdelnaser Sanad Alakayleh

Journal of Research Initiatives

In this study, which used a quantitative and correlational approach, the variables influencing Jordanian university students' perceptions of their education under emergency remote learning scenarios were investigated. An online survey was administered to a sample of 765 male and female education stage students. Jordan offers higher education for both genders and at different levels in different regions. Many criteria connected to perceived learning were taken into consideration when administering the study questionnaire. It was discovered that the economics students had a more positive perception of learning than the education and science students, followed by deep learning, avoiding superficial learning factors, …

Developing Adolescent Word-Level Knowledge: Challenges And Opportunities In Professional Learning With Secondary Educators, Jenelle Williams

Michigan Reading Journal

This article aims to highlight the research base for disciplinary literacy approaches, emphasize foundational literacy components that apply to the majority of adolescent learners, and propose tangible approaches to attend to morphological development in multiple academic disciplines. The article will conclude with a call for additional research into the role of morphological awareness in strengthening adolescent reading comprehension, as well as further study of the implications for systemic approaches across all disciplines in secondary educational settings.

Imagining Better: Requiring Trust And Imagination In Formal Engineering Education, Sneha Rathi, Jacqueline Handley

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Teachers and students bear the brunt of enacting K–12 engineering while having little input into engineering practices or values. In this reflective essay, a high school engineering teacher and an engineering education researcher reflect on a class bridging engineering and social justice. We describe the development of politicized trust with each other and students while partnering around shared commitments at a predominately Black school (e.g., Vakil et al., 2016). We also explore challenges in decentering conceptions of engineering derived from depoliticized, exclusionary practice. We demonstrate an urgent need to center educators and students from marginalized identities in formal engineering education.

Autoethnographic Action Research As A Contemplative Practice: Awareness And Transformation Of Inner And Outer Selves, Jiju Varghese, Bal Chandra Luitel, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

Contemplation as a spiritual practice has taken various forms across different religious traditions and regions worldwide. Over the years, various contemplative practices have evolved and become popular even outside religious traditions to promote the well-being of all for inner and outer selves’ transformation. In education, many scholars worldwide have expounded on the benefits of contemplative practices in the classroom for students and teachers. Contemplative practices have penetrated research practices in the form of contemplative inquiry considering performative, philosophical, and artistic transformations, where researchers enter into a deep, thoughtful, and reflective introspective journey to see the connection between what is seen …

Course Portfolio: Bios 443/843 Immunology, Nicole Sexton

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This course portfolio relates to the Fall 2025 delivery of BIOS 443/843: Immunology, cross listed as MBIO 443 and VMBS 843 and was prepared as part of the Faculty-led Inquiry into Reflective and Scholarly Teaching (FIRST) project. BIOS 443/843 is an upper division course that introduces Immunological concepts but also connects them to up to date literature in the field of Immunology with the intent of preparing students for careers in medicine and biomedical research. In Fall of 2025 this course was restructured to incorporate additional peer-to-peer learning opportunities and more distributed assessment styles, therefore was peer-reviewed to assess the …

Right Choice For Me: An Executive Function (Ef) Focused Intervention Program For Teachers, Brisa E. Kress

Education | Graduate Culminating Projects

In every classroom, students face choices. These choices can look like how to approach a non-fiction text, how to plan a narrative, how to pick the right spot in the room for reading, or how to reflect on their experience during a group project.

Right Choice For Me is an Executive Function (EF) focused toolkit. It follows a flexible 10-week timeline and offers educators of any grade customizable tools and strategies to teach essential EF skills in ways that honor each student's voice, choice, and unique learning style. Right Choice For Me focuses on three core EF strategies:

• Planning/Goal-Setting

• Self-Monitoring …

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