Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Using Student Generated Qualitative Ecological Models, J. Scott Blackwood, Marion Dresner, Hang-Kwang Luh

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this activity, students construct qualitative models of an ecosystem and use the models to gain a better understanding of direct and indirect ecological interactions. Qualitative modeling is described for use in two procedures, each with different educational goals and student backgrounds in mind. Part 1 is designed with the non-major or beginning ecology student in mind, and is intended both to improve student understanding of the ecosystem of interest and to provide a framework for the instructor to assess student learning. Part 2 is designed for more advanced students of ecology and involves the use of modeling software (POWERPLAY) …

Reconceptualising The Professional Development Of In-Service Science Teachers In Pakistan, Nelofer Halai

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

Pakistan is a society in transition in more ways than one: politically it is still trying to find its place in the democratic nations of the world; economically it is taking steps to move closer to a market-based economy; and socially it is nurturing a more liberal and just society by reining in the religious extremists. In the aftermath of 9/11 stress has been on educational reform in a number of areas including – updating curriculum, improving access to schooling and developing teacher education. Teacher as the agent of reform is slowly gaining currency in Pakistan. The Institute for Educational …

International Perspectives On Citizenship, Education And Religious Diversity, Sarfaroz Niyozov

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

What Is Required To Optimise Professional Development Opportunities For Academic Staff In A Specific College In The Further Education Sector?, Anne O'Donohue

Theses

The main aim of this research was to identify what was required to optimise professional development for the academic staff of Liberties College, a college in the further education sector. This research was a case study, focusing on the micro, one case on one site, with the emphasis on understanding the unity and the wholeness of this particular case. The theoretical perspective applied therefore, was constructionist and the research methods interpretive in design.

The research design was mainly qualitative though there was also a quantitative element in part of the questionnaire which was followed up by semi-structured interviews. The relevant …

Can Blending Face-To-Face Teaching With E-Learning Support The Development Of Phase 4 Apprentices In Mathematics: A Formative Evaluation Research Study, Peter Hinch

Theses

This thesis is a formative evaluation research study_ Its purpose is to establish if

blending face--to-face and e-leaming delivery methods can support the development of

Phase 4 apprentice plumbers in mathematics in the Department of Construction Skills in

the Technologicl University Dublin. The study also included the design, development

and evaluation of a mathematics web site called Plumatics 4 U which is grounded in

established theoretical criteria for effective blended delivery within third level

education. This web site is currently in use by Phase 4 apprentice plumbers and is

delivered through WebCT. The CD accompanying this thesis contains a short …

Can Blending Face-To-Face Teaching With E-Learning Support The Development Of Phase 4 Apprentices In Mathematics? A Formative Evaluation Research Study., Peter Hinch

Theses

This thesis is a formative evaluation research study. Its purpose is to establish if blending face-to-face and e-learning delivery methods can support the development of Phase 4 apprentice plumbers in mathematics in the Department of Construction Skills in the Technologicl University Dublin. The study also included the design, development and evaluation of a mathematics web site called Plumatics 4 U which is grounded in established theoretical criteria for effective blended delivery within third level education. This web site is currently in use by Phase 4 apprentice plumbers and is delivered through WebCT. The CD accompanying this thesis contains a short …

Challenges To Education In Tajikistan: The Need For Research-Based Solutions, Sarfaroz Niyozov, Stephen Bahry

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

Education in Tajikistan today is acknowledged by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Tajikistan and by international agencies as facing many challenges. Infrastructure and materials need replacement or repair; curriculum needs to be adapted to changing conditions; professional development for teachers is required, while means to retain experienced teachers and attract new ones need to be found. At the same time, children's' meaningful access to education has been threatened by various factors that reduce their attendance and participation in education, keeping some youth out of school altogether. This chapter argues that research in education in Tajikistan and the …

Best Practice: Long-Term Commitment To An Organization, Philip A. Reed, G. Eugene Martin (Ed.), Christopher M. Martin (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Best Practice: Classroom Teachers Who Publish, Philip A. Reed, G. Eugene Martin (Ed.), Christopher M. Martin (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Best Practice: Identifying Exemplary Technology Teachers, Philip A. Reed, G. Eugene Martin (Ed.), Christopher M. Martin (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Best Practice: Contextual Learning, Philip A. Reed, G. Eugene Martin (Ed.), Christopher M. Martin (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Best Practice: National Board Certification, Philip A. Reed, G. Eugene Martin (Ed.), Christopher M. Martin (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Preparing High Quality Teachers: New Teachers' Perceptions Of The Value Of Service-Learning, Donna Moucha Brackin

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study exam ines a teacher education specific service- leam ing project conducted at a m id-sized M ississippi River delta university. Participants were preservice teachers in their final m ethods course who worked with at-risk students in small group settings. Participants engaged in the entire teaching process under the supervision o f a university professional. Focusing on concerns o f preservice teachers before the final sem ester o f their education program, after participation in the service-leam ing project, and during their first year as a new teachers, the study asked participants to evaluate the service-leaming project …

Will Using A Constructivist Approach Improve Laboratory Work For Phase 6 Electrical Apprentices?, Francis Ashworth

Theses

This study used action research to implement a constructivist approach in the delivery of the electronics and measurements laboratory classes for a phase six group of electrical apprentices in the Electrical Services Engineering Department of the Technologicl University Dublin. The aim of the study was to investigate if the constructivist approach adopted, with a research group, could improve the effectiveness of the two labs. The research group consisted of sixteen, phase six, male electrical apprentices for both the electronics and measurements labs. The students ranged in ages between eighteen and twenty five years of age and were a randomly selected …

Inside Unlv, Erin O'Donnell, Carol C. Harter, Holly Ivy De Vore, Diane Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Support Mechanisms As Influences Of Success In The Certification Process Of The National Board For Professional Teaching Standards, Emily B. Hundley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the types of support received by National Board Certified Teachers, the importance of the support, and the relationship between receipt of support and achievement of certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Qualitative and quantitative methods of gathering data were used during this study. Six National Board Certified Teachers were interviewed by telephone and emergent category analysis was performed on these data to determine the types of support these teachers received. The results were used to create the survey for this study which was sent to a random sample of teachers who had completed the …

Teacher Quality And Preparation, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act mandates that states require all teachers to earn full certification and demonstrate competency in the subject area in which they teach. But do these requirements really produce effective teachers— teachers who actually improve student learning and achievement? The existing research base is decidedly mixed, highly politicized, and often just plain confusing. Some experts maintain that teachers’ pedagogical knowledge shows even stronger relationships to teaching effectiveness than their subject matter knowledge (Darling-Hammond, 1997; Darling-Hammond & Youngs, 2002); others insist that teachers’ expertise in their content area is a far better predictor of student achievement …

Education Week’S Report On Arkansas, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

As schools open their doors for the spring 2005 semester, many legislatures around the nation are meeting to discuss accountability standards, equity and adequacy issues, and the link between money and student performance. While the education issues of 2005 are not unique, in that they have been discussed for years, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) deadline for schools to begin performing at higher standards increases the urgency. In addition to the increased standards, state policymakers are facing difficult legal challenges to their school funding systems. In an attempt to gauge the status of the nation and each state, Education …

Alternative Certification, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The term “alternative certification” has been utilized to describe programs ranging from immediate issuance of emergency certification to well-developed, highly professional training programs designed to bring new people into the profession. Because of the mandate to place highly qualified teachers in every classroom, the issue of alternative certification has become even more prominent and there is now more consistency in the academic rigor of alternative certification program across the nation. In this state, TeachArkansas serves as a clearinghouse for the various programs that enable an individual who did not out to be a teacher to become certified (see www.teacharkansas.org).

Coaching For Metacognitive Instructional Practice, Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

One way to identify students who are becoming accomplished readers and writers is to observe the degree to which the examples of coaching presented in this chapter are taken from my research as a participant in a statewide literacy professional development initiative: the Literacy Specialist Project (Kinnucan-Welsch, 2003a, 2003b; Rosemary, Grogan, et al., 2002).

The central aim of the Literacy Specialist Project, launched in 2000 by the Ohio Department of Education, is to provide professional development to educators in the state of Ohio that supports enhanced understanding in the teaching of reading and writing. The professional development incorporates foundational knowledge …

Critting The Crit In The Education Of Architects: From Bauhaus To Bolton Street, Patrick Flynn

Theses

This investigative study is concerned with examining the current methods of assessment of architecture students in the system known as the “crit” and the associated methods of giving students feedback on their designs in a public forum. The aim of the research is to identify the main weaknesses of the crit system and to explore alternatives which perhaps would have more sustainable and transparent methods of assessment and feedback. Personal motivation for the research sprang from concerns regarding both the effectiveness of the crit from the pedagogical perspective of student learning and from concerns about it as a transparent and …

The Impact Of Training On Educators' Reporting Of Child Abuse And Neglect, Carrie Smith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study addressed the question: Does a training workshop developed by a local child welfare agency have an impact on teachers’ and other school personnel’s knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviour with respect to reporting child abuse and neglect? Previous studies (mainly in the U.S.) have shown that teachers have a high rate of underreporting, which may leave children at risk of further harm. Few Canadian studies have been conducted and consequently this study offers a uniquely Canadian perspective. In total, 61 teachers and other school personnel from a large South-Western Ontario school board participated in the study. The sample was …

The Cadre Project: A Retention Study, Sheryl Mcglamery, Nancy A. Edick Dr.

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

I his article describes the findings of a study of leachcr retention and the effectiveness of one induction program, the Career Advancement and Development for Recruits and Experienced teachers (CADRE) Project, in helping teachers remain in the profession. National statistics report teacher attrition rate to be 40 percent over five years. CADRE participants have a retention rule ol 89 percent over five years.

Occupational Decision-Making And Career Choice Among School-Leavers In Ireland 2002-2004 With Particular Reference To A Career In The Hotel And Catering Industry, Clement H. Ryan

Theses

No abstract provided.

Improving Student Learning Through Theme Based Curriculum Design And Team Teaching: An Action Research Study, Brenda Dermody

Theses

This study is concerned with improving the design and delivery of the curriculum on a four year BA in Design Visual Communication programme in the Technologicl University Dublin. The study examines how aspects of curriculum design and delivery affect some of the key stakeholders - the students and academic staff – involved in the programme. It looks at how the design and delivery of the curriculum can be improved with a view to achieving two main aims. The first aim is to promote a deep approach to learning among visual communication students. The second aim is to promote a deep …

Why Do Students Abandon Programs Prior To Completion?: An Investigation Into The Phenomenon Of Dropout Students From The Diploma In Hotel And Catering Management, Dit., Ann Teresa

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to examine how students experience education at the Dublin Institute of

Technology. What happens to them that influences their decision to leave their course of choice and what can we do to help? In this thesis I have looked at the phenomenon of dropout students from the Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management in DIT and the factors that influence their choice of course and then subsequent withdrawal from this course. I have interviewed a student who has left another course to pursue the Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management to examine if her …

A Study Of The Perceived Relationship Between Mentoring And Job Satisfaction Among Selected New Teachers In Independent Schools, Randy Kleinman

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Teaching Transitions: Techniques For Promoting Success Between Lessons, Kent Mcintosh, Keith Herman, Amanda K. Sanford, Kelly Mcgraw, Kira Florence

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Presents suggestions on how teachers of exceptional children can help students transition from one activity to another. Enhancement of classroom management with explicit instruction and practice in behavioral expectations and routines; Planning for transitions; Revisiting and reviewing instruction.

Adult Esl Oral Reading Fluency And Silent Reading Comprehension, Kristin Lems

Dissertations

A descriptive study of second language adults studying ESL at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels in a post-secondary academic program revealed that their oral reading fluency had a significant, low-to-moderate correlation with scores on a measure of silent reading comprehension. The correlation was slightly stronger for measures of accuracy than speed, and strongest for miscue ratio. The correlation increased as proficiency level increased. Among different first language groups, the correlation was highest for Hispanic learners, and lowest for Chinese. Furthermore, all fluency measures correlated better with a listening measure than with the silent reading comprehension measure. When a system …

Elementary School Meets University, Rachel M. B. Collopy, Patsy Bowman

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

When school districts and universities combine their strengths, both benefit. Like teaching hospitals associated with medical schools, professional development schools (PDSs) train future practitioners, develop state-of-the-art practices, and nurture professional growth. Schools benefit from sustained professional development focused on their unique needs. Teacher preparation programs benefit from exemplary placements for student teachers and the wisdom of current practitioners. Both gain from joint research into innovative practices and the cross-fertilization of ideas.