Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Student Centered Language Teaching: A Focus On Student Identity, Rachel Mano

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of essays that describe what the writer has come to see as essential topics in second language acquisition. It begins with a professional environment piece, and then a teaching philosophy statement focused on student identity and interaction in the classroom. This is followed by an essay on observations of teaching. The next two sections focus on pragmatic resistance among advanced learners and the importance of preparing learners for peer interaction. The portfolio concludes with an annotated bibliography outlining the main concepts associated with Communicative Language Teaching, a method that is commonly employed in second language …

Examining General Education Teacher Perceptions Of Individualized Education Program Accommodations, Riley Johnson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study examines general education teacher perceptions of IEP accommodations and their suggestions for relevant training to support diverse learner needs. Accommodations have been defined as adaptations or changes to educational environments and practices designed to help students overcome challenges presented by their disabilities. An electronic survey was sent to general education teachers across the four high schools in Cache County School District. The survey included a variety of questions regarding teachers’ perceptions of accommodations and their involvement in the IEP process. The results showed a variety of explanations and expand the knowledge base of various perceptions of this important …

A Research Project To Investigate The Instructional Preferences Of Alternatively Certified Career And Technical Education Teachers, Jessica Deceuster

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Industry career workers that have transitioned to teaching within the education sector have the knowledge base to develop “what” needs to be taught in Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum; however, they do not have adequate knowledge about instructional strategies or “how” the curriculum content should be taught. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to document the instructional strategies, techniques, and coursework that were taught through the Utah State University Career and Technical Education Academy, to Career and Technical Education teachers that have transitioned from industry to education, and to assess how well the instructional strategies, techniques, and coursework …

Meeting The Needs Of Adult Language Learners: A Focus On Communication And Literacy, Jessica Hercules

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of the author’s perspectives and reflections about teaching and language acquisition during her time in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. The portfolio includes samples of writing on a variety of topics surrounding second language teaching and acquisition developed through study and teaching experience.

This collection of papers begins with the author’s perspectives on teaching, including a description of her desired professional environment, a reflection on her experiences observing other language teachers, and the author’s teaching philosophy statement. In the second section, the author presents two research papers and …

Effects Of Professional Development Delivered In A Blended Format On General Education Elementary Teachers' Knowledge Of The Response To Intervention Process, Laura Jensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Research within the last decade suggests that in-service general education elementary teachers’ understanding of and skills in administering Response to Intervention (RtI) practices are limited. A review of literature revealed a shortage of professional publications investigating the effects of RtI training for these teachers on their knowledge and skills. This project examined the effects of professional development delivered in a blended format on elementary general education teachers’ knowledge of the response to intervention process. Participants included female general education teachers with a current teaching assignment in grades one or two with a range of teaching experience from preschool through sixth …

Broadening Perspectives: Using Multiple Teaching Approaches To Meet The Needs Of Language Students, Kalen Taylor

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is comprised of research, opinions, and ideas that the author has learned during the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). It is a representation of experiences gained through teaching lower division Spanish courses at USU. In addition to experiences, it is also comprised of research perspectives which were furthered by coursework in the MSLT program.

Contained within the pages is a road map of the author’s journey of learning and research. The portfolio begins with the author’s perspectives on teaching including his philosophy on teaching and how he has developed by observing …

Using Video Modeling To Teach Staff How To Implement Preference Assessments, Megan Weaver

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Identification of reinforcers through preference assessments for individuals with disabilities is an important task because it increases the probability of skill development, including academic tasks, self-help skills, social skills, and behavior modification. Teachers of students with disabilities often experience problems with training paraprofessionals to implement preference assessments using written instructions alone. In this study, researchers will investigate whether video modeling will be more effective than written instruction to staff to implement preference assessments. Participants will include three to five paraprofessionals in a classroom setting with no previous behavior analysis training on preference assessments and three to five students in a …

Student-Centered, Interaction-Based, Community-Driven Language Teaching, Sharon Lyman

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation that highlights some of the author’s accomplished work while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). Organized into sections that reflect the author’s teaching and research perspectives as a MSLT graduate student and instructor, who taught intensive English reading, writing, and conversation courses for the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI).

In the first section, teaching perspectives, the author describes her desired professional environment, shares her personal teaching philosophy statement, and accounts for her professional development through classroom observations. In the second section, research perspectives, two research papers and …

Teaching And Learning In The Spanish As A Foreign Language Classroom, Chemaris Gutiérrez Ethington

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of the author’s beliefs about teaching and learning in the Spanish language classroom. It centers around the teaching philosophy statement emphasizing the author’s beliefs regarding the role of the teacher, the role of the students, and expectations in the second language classroom.

Three research papers are included to support the teaching philosophy statement. The first paper highlight the importance of teaching communicatively in the foreign language classroom with a co-teacher. The second paper explains dual language immersion and its importance in Utah education. The last paper focuses on the teaching of pragmatics in the foreign …

Work Of Heart: Myself As Both Teacher And Learner, Chaille M. Kitchen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This autoethnographic paper explores my role as a teacher-learner. Who am I as a teacher? How has my past and present shaped me into the teacher that I am and want to become? To address these questions, I examine the cultural context into which I fit as a college instructor of English in a college community. I also examine my memories of my own mentors and students, which emphasize how my most valued learning experiences stemmed from mentors who have seen me as an individual, and when I see my own students as individuals. To explore the conditions that produce …

Breaking Traditions: Teaching Efl In The Dominican Republic, Farlin Paulino

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of the author’s beliefs in regard to effectively teaching English as a Foreign Language and Spanish as a Second language. This work was completed for the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. All the work compiled in this portfolio centers on the teaching philosophy statement, which contains what the author believes to be the most important aspects of teaching a second language. In the first section of the portfolio, the author presents the experiences that made him pursue the profession of teaching languages, his personal philosophy of teaching shaped by …

The Effect Of Video Training To Improve The Accuracy Of University Supervisors In-Class Observations, Julia Lyman

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

University supervisors of student teachers are often undertrained as to how to complete in-class observations. This project examined the effects of video training to improve the accuracy of university supervisors’ in-class observations. Participants were student teacher supervisors from various locations across the state who provide supervision for a local university in the Western U.S., and the university student teachers they supervised. Target behaviors included data collection on praise rate, percentage of specific praise, and opportunities for students to respond. The findings suggest that following training the participants collected data with varying results with some areas of high accuracy and others …

Tone Deaf-I: A Practical Application For Amusia And A Reflection On The App-Development Process, Trina Coleen Dayley

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Defense Agenda

• From Concept to Application
• 7 Guidelines for Application Design
• Changes and New Version Demo
• Opportunities for Improvement
• Final Thoughts
• Questions

A Sociocultural Approach To Esl For Adult Learners, Whitney Putnam

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The following portfolio is a collection of work submitted for the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. Within this portfolio is the author's personal philosophy on effective language teaching written with a college-level ESL classroom in mind. Following the teaching philosophy are different artifacts and reflections, all related to the philosophy on teaching, but separate in topic. The three artifacts demonstrate the author's understanding of the role of language, culture, and literacy in a second language classroom. Also included in this portfolio is an annotated bibliography containing the scholarly works which support the writings here.

Factors That Prospective Teachers At Utah State University Considered Important In Their Decision To Enter Teacher Preparation, Kenneth Ray Powell

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A critical shortage of teachers became an acute threat to society following World War II according to Jantzen (1959). Because of the shortage of teachers, many institutions of higher learning and a number of interested groups have discussed and made studies on means of recruiting prospective teachers, as brought out by Riccio(1961). The studies that have been made on prospective teachers expounded mainly on the age students decided to become teachers and influences from parents, relative-teachers, teachers, guidance counselors, and teaching experience.

The Development And Progress Of Advanced Placement Mathematics In Utah High Schools, Marvin C. Golightly

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Since the beginning of public schools, the bright, gifted students have plagued both teachers and administrators alike. The question of what to do with these bright students has caused much concern, and in this time of concern, many varied and different programs have begun. From some of these experimental stages. This is the Advanced Placement Program, as outlined by the College Entrance Examination Board.

A Survey Of Projects Attempting To Provide Experimental Enrichment To Improve Improvement In Reading, Adell H. Thurman

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this complex modern world, reading is a medium of communication and a tool of learning that is an indispensable function in society (Tinker and McCullough, 1962) .

For many years the issues of reading disability were argued in terms of genetic as compared to environmental factors . In the light of research it is now known that the home produces a powerful impact upon the child's ability to learn and that social and cultural disadvantages can depress academic ability.

Over the years educators have been aware of the importance that experience plays in the child's preparation for reading. Hilliard …

A Study To Determine The Attitudes Of Master's Degree Recipients In Elementary Education Toward Courses In The Required Program At Utah State University, Clifford Russell

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

It was believed by this writer that it would be impossible to establish a degree program which would fulfill the needs of and satisfy all students. For this reason; it was impossible to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of the requirements for a Master's degree. However; it seemed that the opinions of recent degree recipients would provide a primary source of information for evaluating the relative merits of required courses and experiences. The Dean of the College of Education at Utah State University indicated that this important source of information about the Master's degree program in elementary education had been largely …

Liahona High School, Its Prologue And Development To 1965, Delworth Keith Young

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Information concerning the Tongan Islands, the Friendly Islands as they are often called, is scant. As an educator teaching in Tonga, the author was very disappointed that so little information was in published form about this island kingdom. Virtually no written information was available concerning the new school assignment.

The author began a quest for information which resulted in this research. The writer held interviews with various missionaries, teachers, and church builders who had been in Tonga and at the newly designed Liahona High School. Some of their observations seemed to be in conflict. All agreed that a written history …