Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

The Sound Of Steam, Rodney Harshbarger, Denise Harshbarger

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This field note describes how teachers and students developed an integrated STEAM unit around sound. The project involved dynamic interactions between concepts in math, science, and music.

Call For Submissions

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Of Thresholds And Springboards: Teaching Them, Teaching Each Other, Erin Williams, Frank Farmer

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

In the fall of 2010, the authors were given the task of co-teaching the practicum for new graduate teaching assistants at the University of Kansas. One of the authors was, at the time, a doctoral student in rhetoric and composition. The other author was a senior faculty member in the same field. While such pairings are not uncommon, they are rarely addressed in the vast literature on the writing practicum.

In this article—written as a dialogue focusing on the themes of locations and tensions—the authors conclude that such teaching arrangements as theirs offered valuable insights into student resistance, and encouraged …

Where Writing Happens: Elevating Student Writing And Developing Voice Through Digital Storytelling, Jane M. Saunders

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

A Late Adopter's Chance To Take An Esl Program Multimodal, Erin K. Laverick

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article outlines an ESL program's journey in revising its curriculum to include multimodal compositions as a means to help non-native speakers of English improve their language proficiency by offering them greater means to communicate with wide audiences. The article also discusses means to provide faculty with the proper rhetorical and technology training, so they could use multimodalities in their own teaching.

Writing For The Audience That Fires The Imagination: Implications For Teaching Writing, Denise K. Ives, Cara Crandall

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Great authors embody their audiences through the language of their texts. Good readers learn to recognize and respond to the cues such writers embed in their texts about the kind of audience they are expected to be. They also learn from other authors how to fictionalize in their minds audiences like those they have experience being. In this article through an analysis of two texts, we showcase how two middle school writers through their texts, embody their audiences and cue readers to the roles they are expected to play. We then trace the rhetorical moves made by the writers to …

“This Erstwhile Unreadable Text”: Deep Time, Multidisciplinarity And First-Year Writing Faculty Mentoring And Support, Denise K. Comer

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Despite the otherwise rich multidisciplinary terrain of writing studies, the strategies most often used with first-year writing teacher teaching mentoring and support tend to remain discordantly anchored to a comparatively narrow version of writing pedagogy. I argue in this article that the geologic concept of deep time offers a way of infusing a multidisciplinary dimension into first-year writing faculty teaching mentoring and support that will enrich the ways faculty and students think, write, and talk about first-year writing. This article discusses deep-time pedagogy, providing specific strategies for infusing multidisciplinary dimensions into first-year writing faculty teaching mentoring and support. Such a …

Re-Thinking Personal Narrative In The Pedagogy Of Writing Teacher Preparation, Mary M. Juzwik, Anne Whitney, April Baker Bell, Amanda Smith

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

How can teacher educators mobilize contemporary understandings of personal narrative -- as socially and dialogically shaped in the context of culture and as instrumental to sociocultural processes of self-authoring -- in the teaching of narrative writing and, more specifically, in the work of teaching teachers to teach narrative writing? Rarely do teachers teach strategies that might result in good narratives. Rarely do narrative texts written in school (or any other kinds of texts written in school, for that matter) actually go anywhere beyond the teacher, thus failing to offer students experience in negotiating meanings with readers, working out the versions …

First-Year Composition And The Common Core: Educating Teachers Of Writing Across The High School-College Continuum, Justin A. Young

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article will discuss the implications of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) on the education of writing instructors at the college level. The article suggests that, with the adoption of the CCSS, the most effective models of the training of writing teachers in higher education will now include collaboration with educators at the K-12 level. A model for this kind of collaborative work is described, based on an effort the author is currently leading as the Director of English Composition at my institution. A brief overview of the CCSS, and the shifts in the teaching and learning of English …

Reframing Responses To Student Writing: Promising Young Writers And The Writing Pedagogies Course, Michael B. Sherry, Ted Roggenbuck

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article describes an attempt to provide future teachers with an opportunity to practice evaluating and responding to student writing through a collaboration among members of an NCTE committee, a blended writing pedagogies course composed of education, creative writing, and professional writing students, and middle school teachers and their students in two states. Students’ texts were drawn from the NCTE’s “Promising Young Writers” contest, for which college students acted as judges and provided feedback to the middle school writers. We argue that the experience of responding to actual student writers about the texts they had submitted provided potentially important opportunities …

Teaching/Writing, Winter/Spring 2014 - Full Issue

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

The Grand Challenge: Helping Teachers Learn/Teach Cutting-Edge Science Via A Pbl Approach, Peggy A. Ertmer, Sarah Schlosser, Kari Clase, Omolola Adedokun

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

A mixed-methods research study was designed to examine teachers’ knowledge and confidence for implementing a STEM-based problem-based learning (PBL) unit in their 6–12 grade science and math classrooms. Twenty-one teachers (7 in-service and 13 pre-service) participated in an intensive two-week summer workshop during which they engaged in, and then created, an immersive PBL unit related to sustainable energy. Data were collected through a pre-post content knowledge test and two pre-post surveys—one measuring knowledge and confidence for implementing PBL and one measuring science teaching efficacy. Daily reflections and focus group interviews provided additional data regarding teachers’ changing knowledge and confidence related …

Class(Ed)Room: Individualized Student Disciplinary Policies As Ignoring The Current Economic Order, Nicole H. Awwad

Capstone Collection

Students are socialized into the institution of education at an early age. Obedience to authority is the objective of much of the learning done in school. Teacher expectations and perceptions of students affect student behavioral and academic performance within the context of school. Student economic and material conditions affect their availability for learning in the school setting. This research questions the application of discipline policies across a student body with diverse academic, economic and social histories. In this case study of one rural Vermont school - tracking, teacher expectations and student economic, academic and behavioral history are assessed for correlation. …

Crises In Efl Proficiency And Teacher Development In The Context Of International Donation And Transformation Discourses, Dereje Tadesse Birbirso

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since 2000, Ethiopia has been working to come out of social crises, modernise itself and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Although provided with billions of dollars by the West and their international agents, little has been changed and the crises seem never to abate, especially in the educational system. This study, thus, critically analysed a paradox of Ethiopia’s educational problems: the crisis in teachers’ EFL proficiency, on the one hand, and the discourses of international aids and transformation of her educational system, on the other. The main participants are 25 randomly selected EFL teachers and teacher educators from all corners …

The Impact And Effectiveness Of Student-Centered Classroom Structure, Amie P. Westberg

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of student-centered learning as an alternative classroom structure. It is important that we continually reflect on our teaching methods and explore alternatives that can help give our students the best chance to succeed. While the literature is mixed with regard to which classroom style is best, there are many sources showing the benefits of student-centered instruction over a strictly teacher- centered classroom. Sources also showed that teachers do not need to choose exclusively one style of teaching, and that a blended classroom using a variety of teaching styles can be …

What Is So Negative About Negative Exponents?, Geoffrey D. Dietz

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

While teaching college-level mathematics (from College Algebra to Calculus to Abstract Algebra), I have observed that students are often uncomfortable using negative exponents in calculations. I believe the fault partially lies in the manner in which negative exponents are taught in Algebra 1 or Algebra 2 courses, especially in rigid instructions always to write answers using only positive exponents. After reviewing a sample of algebra texts used in the United States over the last two centuries, it appears that while attitudes toward negative exponents have varied from author to author over time, the current trend is to declare explicitly that …

Fearless: Professor Hakim Williams, Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams

SURGE

With his consistently energetic and enthusiastic personality, his progressive teaching methods using discussion and debate in the classroom, and his desire for his students to develop more comprehensive understandings of the problems facing education in a global context, Dr. Hakim Williams fearlessly uses his passion for change and justice in education to enlighten his students, sharpen their critical thinking skills, and change their outlooks on the future. [excerpt]

Using “Expert Employees” To Identify Duties And Tasks For Cadd Technicians In North Central Idaho: Lessons Learned From A Modified Dacum Process, Raymond A. Dixon Ph.D., Linda S. Stricklin Ph.D.

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Objective: We conducted a job analysis to identify the competency profile of an entry level CADD technician in North central Idaho. Background: In 2011, the Clearwater Economic Development Association and NIMA collaborated with Lewis-Clark State College and the University of Idaho in a project to strengthen the capacity of Career and Technology Education (CTE) teachers to teach computer aided drafting and designing (CADD). An application to the National Science Foundation, Advanced Technology Education (NSF ATE) program was made and funding began July of 2011. Method: A modified DACUM was used. A total of seven expert workers from …

"What Does This Graph Mean?" Formative Assessment With Science Inquiry To Improve Data Analysis, Andrea Dawn Leech

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the use of formative assessment to improve three specific data analysis skills within the context of a high school chemistry class: graph interpretation, pattern recognition, and making conclusions based on data. Students need to be able to collect data, analyze that data, and produce accurate scientific explanations (NRC, 2011) if they want to be ready for college and careers after high school. This mixed methods study, performed in a high school chemistry classroom, investigated the impact of the formative assessment process on data analysis skills that require higher order thinking. We hypothesized that the use of evaluative …

Eury Value-Added Experience Model: A Case Study On The Collective Learning Culture Of A Suburban Middle School In The Southeastern Region Of The United States, Timothy Merrell Reed

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to test the Eury Value-Added Experience Model as a theoretical model to measure and evaluate the collective learning culture of a school organization. The Eury Value-Added Experience Model is based upon five domains of the theoretical model: (1) dispositions, (2) professional experiences, (3) structure, (4) shared decision making, and (5) assessment and reflection skills. This mixed-method case study used the five domains to focus on the collective learning culture of a suburban middle school in the western region of the State of North Carolina. Limited research exists on the use of the Eury Value-Added Experience Model …

Skill Builders: Perceived Skills Enhanced By Students Through Participation In High School Extracurricular Activities, Jonathan H. Hayes

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine what skills or characteristics high school students felt they enhanced through participating in school-based extracurricular activities that might lead to academic success. Various extracurricular activities are offered in high schools, and participation often requires large amounts of student time and effort. Social, academic, and honorary clubs and activities as well as athletic teams were included in this research.

The writer gathered qualitative data from student surveys regarding school-based extracurricular involvement to examine the skills enhanced through participation. All tenth-, eleventh-, and twelfth-grade students completed a survey identifying their participation in school-based extracurricular activities while …

Leadership Practices: Perceptions Of Principals And Teachers Of A Small Rural School District In Western North Carolina, Randy Mann

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences of the teachers' perceptions and principals' perceptions of the principals' leadership practices in public schools of a small rural county in western North Carolina. The participants in this study included 207 certified teachers and 11 building-level principals. The researcher used the survey method of data collection in which the teacher participation was 70% and the principal participation was 92%.

The instruments used to collect data included a demographic survey and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (Kouzes & Posner, 2003a). The demographic survey was used to obtain teacher demographic characteristics. The …

The Impact Of Instructional Rounds Professional Development On Teacher Self-Efficacy, Melessa B. Widener

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of instructional rounds professional development on teacher self-efficacy. The scope of this study was a qualitative case study including interviews with teachers who had participated in instructional rounds professional development in a rural district in the foothills of North Carolina. The methodology included interviews with two teacher leaders from all elementary schools implementing Responsiveness to Instruction (RtI) and teachers at the Early College who participated in instructional rounds professional learning through the New Schools Project. The findings include teachers' quotes from the transcriptions of the interviews as supporting the research …

An Investigation Of Factors Affecting Student Performance In Algebraic Word Problem Solutions, Jerry Eugene Wright

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to investigate the potential significance of several student algebraic word problem solving skills. The solution of an algebra word problem (AWP) requires the creation and solution of an equation based on the problem context. Common Core State Standards in both English Language Arts and Mathematics emphasize student learning and proficiency in algebra word problem contexts. Eight factors of student mathematical ability were proposed, and three of those eight factors were studied in depth to determine their significance. Similar research supported the theory that the translation phase of the solution process presented the student with the most …

Child–Senior Relationship Training: Adaptation Of Cprt For Kindergarten Students, Angela Yoder, Danessa Carter, Breanna Way, Bobbi Ward, Alyssa Swan, Amy Allison

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Child–senior relationship training (CSRT) is an adaptation of child–parent relationship therapy (CPRT), a highly effective intervention for children, where trained senior citizen volunteers provide free play sessions for children whose parents are unable or unwilling to participate in CPRT. This study explored the effects of CSRT on kindergarten children and the senior volunteers’ effectiveness with children following training. The researchers propose CSRT provides benefits to busy school counselors by closing the gap between the high number of students needing services and the historically low number of providers. Although CPRT has been shown to be more effective when used with parents, …

Program Evaluation Of A Writing Strategies Curriculum For High School Students With Disabilities, Lisa J. Dejarnette

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a writing strategies curriculum designed for use with high school students with disabilities. Specifically, this curriculum incorporates both the cognitive/motivational theory of writing and the social/contextual theory of writing, and was presented in a two-year program. Expected outcomes were improved written expression skills and improved student perceptions of their writing abilities and of themselves as writers. Results of this evaluation indicated that participation in a program using a writing strategies curriculum improved the written expression skills of the students in this study while self-efficacy beliefs remained stable.

Outliers In Educational Achievement Data: Their Potential For The Improvement Of Performance, Tooba Farooqui, Isba Mustafa, Thomas Christie

Examination Board

Statistical outliers (Barnett and Lewis, 1994) have customarily been identified as either potential threats to data integrity (Cook, 1977) or as potential distortions of estimates of central tendency (Strutz, 2010). In both circumstances outliers are treated as having nuisance value. On the other hand, Gladwell (2008) views outliers as success stories. The study adopts the latter approach to reach to classrooms and teachers which add value in student’s academic capabilities. Scores of 86207 students from 423 government schools in 2010 middle school (Grade VI to VIII) promotion examinations are analysed to explore the possibility of identifying gifted teachers.
The study …

Beyond The Content And Pedagogy : A Step Forward Towards Value Based Teacher’S Professional Development, Sharifullah Baig

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

This paper reviews the contemporary literature of human values and valuation processes, and proposes a re-conceptualized model of a teacher’s professional development. This paper suggests a thorough analysis of the teacher’s personality and devises alternative, well thought-out strategies and approaches to alter self-knowledge, values, valuation processes, and beliefs to imbed the desired impact on their teaching practices. This paper supports the use of deliberate attempts to alter the basic motivation level of teachers and to deliberately expose them to available knowledge to modify their values, attitudes, and actions in their respective professions, organizations, and formal associations. Hence, such professional development …

Ap And Ib Instructional Practices For Students Who Demonstrate Advanced Proficiency In Spanish, Carol Mable Andersen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Linguistically gifted and talented students often do not receive appropriate instruction in the classroom. Little research has been conducted about how teachers of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses provide instruction to students who demonstrate advanced proficiency in a second language. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how teachers of these courses provided instruction for students who demonstrate advanced proficiency in Spanish. The conceptual framework was based on Krashen's second language acquisition theory and Gardner's multiple intelligences theory. Participants included 2 teachers from 2 high schools in 1 county in a western state. Data were collected …

The Impact Of Peer Accountability Groups In A Mathematics Classroom, Leslie Russell

Honors Projects

This research study will examine student goal attainment through self- and peer analysis. The participants of this study will be students in an eighth grade mathematics class. Research was conducted through Google forms where students were able to list their goals, ideas for reaching those goals, and respond to weekly prompts. Overall, the peer accountability groups tended to be beneficial for most students.