Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Gatekeepers And Guides: Preparing Future Writing Teachers To Negotiate Standard Language Ideology, Melinda J. Mcbee Orzulak

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This study of pre-service English teachers suggests benefits for exploring standard language ideology with new teachers of writing, such as increased awareness of the dilemmic positions occupied by teachers of writing and better understanding of the relationship between oral and written language. Implications include the need for writing teacher education to focus on the relationship between ideologies and enactment of specific methods, as pre-service teachers may face dilemmas related to beliefs about standard language and their positions as gatekeepers. Exploring additional subject positions for writing teachers, such as guide or language user, may help support stances that promote equitable writing …

Opening Editorial, Jonathan Bush, Erinn Bentley

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Negotiating Expectations: Preserving Theoretical Research-Based Writing Pedagogy In The Field, Margaret Finders, Virginia Crank, Erika Kramer

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

A collaborative research project examining the challenges facing preservice teachers when placed in settings that may run counter to their notions of theoretical-research-based practices of teaching writing.

Cover And Table Of Contents, Jonathan Bush

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Teaching/Writing -- Winter/Spring 2013 (Full Issue), Jonathan Bush

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Textbook Alternatives: Options For Students And Faculty, Michele D. Behr

Academic Leadership Academy

The issue of course textbooks continues to be a challenge at WMU as well as in all of higher education. For students the primary concern is textbook prices. Students often spend several hundred dollars per semester for required textbooks, at a time when tuition and other costs of attending college are increasing as well. Faculty are of course sensitive to student concerns and frustrations about textbook prices, but may be unaware of other options to cover the same content. Currently there is a movement toward Open Educational Resources (OER) which is a way to provide open access to high quality …

Using Teachliveᵀᴹ To Improve Pre-Service Special Education Teacher Practices, April N. Enicks

Dissertations

Currently, there is a body of research available that clearly specifies effective teaching behaviors and quality indicators of a given behavior (Rosenshine, 2012; Danielson, 2007; Stronge, 2007; Rosenshine, 1983; Brophy, 1979). Research is lacking in defining practices that develop effective teaching behaviors in pre-service teachers. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of various forms of instructional modes, settings, and experiences on students’ ability to demonstrate desired effective teaching behaviors. The secondary objective of this study was to determine if on-going self-reflection coupled with various forms of feedback supported students in becoming more effective reflective practitioners. …

An Inquiry Approach To Reading Instruction: A Case Study Of The Relationship Between Instruction And Motivation, Tammy Turri-Scodeller

Dissertations

This research is a qualitative case study analysis of the experiences of five fifth grade students who were involved in a classroom, action research project. The purpose of this action research was to measure the impact of this method of instruction on reading motivation of the fifth grade class as a whole. From the action research project, five, individual, student cases were purposefully sampled for further in-depth analysis. The objective of the individual student case study analysis was to explain how the behaviors of five students with a low level of reading achievement, activity, and motivation changed, or did not …

Around The World In 180 Days, Laura Rogers

Honors Theses

For years, multicultural curriculum has been accepted as "normal curriculum" sprinkled with various holidays celebrated by non-white cultures and the occasional multicultural book. As a result, many students graduate from high school and college ignorant of the various cultures present in our communities, states, our country, and our world. Myself, and others such as Paulo Friere (educator and author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed) and Susan Piazza (associate professor of literacy studies at Western Michigan University), believe that multicultural curriculum should be much more. For teachers to create a thoughtful, reflective, substantive multicultural curriculum they must intentionally create what Susan …

Building Conceptual Understanding Through Vocabulary Instruction, William H. Rupley, William Dee Nichols, Maryann Mraz, Timothy R. Blair

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Instructional design is an integral part of a balanced approach to teaching vocabulary instruction. This article presents several instructional procedures using research-based vocabulary strategies and explains how to design and adapt those strategies in order to reach desired learning outcomes. Emphasis is placed on research-based principles that guide effective vocabulary instruction and on the importance of incorporating vocabulary instruction into all phases of the reading lesson framework--before, during, and after reading (Blair, Rupley, & Nichols 2007; Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz 2011). Vocabulary instruction should encourage students to make associations and accommodations to their experiences and provide them with varied opportunities …

Great Books For Late Summer Reading, Terrell A. Young, Barbara A. Ward

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

For decades now, reading experts have expressed concern that the competence gained by struggling readers during the academic year is lost during the summer months. While academic enrichment and remediation programs can reduce that loss, one of the best practices to build better readers is by having them read during breaks from school. At least one study clearly supports this suggestion. In his study of 1,600 elementary students in the mid-Atlantic area, researcher James Kim (2009) found that regardless of previous achievement level or race or socioeconomic level, children who read more books performed better on reading comprehension tests in …

The Professional Development Practices Of Two Reading First Coaches, Charlotte A. Mundy, Dorene D. Ross, Melinda M. Leko

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

To establish job-embedded, ongoing professional development recent policies and initiatives required that districts appoint school-based coaches. The Reading First Initiative, for example, created an immediate need for coaches without a clear definition of coaches’ responsibilities. Therefore, the purpose of this case study was to investigate how two Reading First coaches interpreted and enacted their professional development responsibilities. Cross-case analyses identified similarities and differences in coaches’ enactments. Findings revealed that while each coach engaged in similar professional development responsibilities (e.g. modeling, observing, and classroom walkthroughs) their approach to these responsibilities differed — collaborative versus expert driven. These differences in approaches indicate …

Teaching, Writing, Writing Teaching: Reflective Journal Responses From Teaching Engl 1000, Christine Hamman

Honors Theses

A series of reflective journals and responses written to reflect on and improve in the teaching of English. Each journal was written following each class meeting of a Fall 2011 ENGL 1000 course, reflecting on the lesson, activities, and teaching for the day. From these journals, responses were written for 9 of them and lesson plans for those days were revised and added for the purposes of comparison. Using research in best practices in teaching writing, educational training, and personal experience, responses were written to each journal to condense the strengths and weaknesses of my teaching, to chart progress as …

Call For Submissions, Jonathan Bush

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Call for submissions

Competency Vs. Achievement: Why Connections Are So Important In Writing Teacher Education, Kristen Turner

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article focuses on the importance of community in writing teacher education, focusing on the role of the National Writing Project in teacher development.

Promising Connections: Uniting Writing Teachers, Elizabeth Brockman, Ken Lindblom

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article considers work that has brought writing teacher educators together in professional, social, and academic forums and looks towards the future of Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education.

Teaching Writing Together: Joining Stories, Joining Voices, Kirk Branch, Lisa Eckert

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article considers the relationships and common bonds that helps composition specialists and English educators find opportunities for mutually supportive professional relationships and collaboration.

The Future Of Writing Teacher Education, Kia Jane Richmond, M. Kilian Mccurrie

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article provides background for the creation of the journal and suggestions for future submissions and directions.

Opening Editorial: The Next Step In A Disciplinary Journey, Jonathan Bush

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The opening editorial provides context for the journal.

Writing Teacher Education: Past And Present, Michelle Tremmel, Robert Tremmel

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article provides an overview of some of the recent developments in writing teacher education and considers how the journal can add to this community,.

Inaugural Issue (Spring 2012): Full Issue

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The inaugural issue of Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education includes invited articles by key figures within writing teacher education.

Teachers' Sense Of Professional Practices As A Result Of Mentoring, Leadriane L. Roby

Dissertations

Formal mentoring programs focus on the probationary period of new teachers. Providing teachers with mentoring support during the initial years of teaching requires significant commitment and investment from school districts, mentors, and new teachers. Numerous studies argue the merits of mentoring programs, yet the research has been less clear about what happens once mentoring support has ended. The purpose of this study was to explore how mentored teachers, those beyond the formal mentoring experience, created sense and meaning of their teaching roles and developed professional practices after participation in a mentoring program.

There is an assumption that there is a …

Establishment And Maintenance Of Academic Optimism In Michigan Elementary Schools: Academic Emphasis, Faculty Trust Of Students And Parents, Collective Efficacy, Jill Van Hof

Dissertations

In response to heightened standards and calls for accountability, schools have dramatically intensified their work to meet the growing challenges. Schools require strategies for improvement that will transcend demographic factors such as SES. Research has shown the construct of academic optimism as contributing to student achievement despite a school’s socio-economic status (Goddard, LoGerfo, & Hoy, 2004; Goddard, Sweetland, & Hoy, 2000; Hoy, 2002; Hoy & Miskel, 2005; Hoy & Sabo, 1998; Hoy & Tarter, 1997; Hoy, Tarter, & Kottkamp, 1991; Hoy, Tarter, & Woolfolk, 2006; McGuigan & Hoy, 2006; Smith & Hoy, 2001; Tschannen-Moran, Hoy, & Hoy, 2000).

There exists, …

Alternative Ways Of Developing And Assessing Fluency With Basic Facts, Amy Laponsie

Honors Theses

Fluency in mathematics indicates the student has a variety of strategies to use when encountering an unfamiliar or unknown problem. In this study, students were assessed using a one-on-one interview assessment with the researcher. This type of assessment was used to reduce the stress and anxiety students feel during traditional math exams. The students then were grouped based on the correctness of their answers as well as the sophistication of their answers, meaning whether or not they used a strategy or counting to answer the problem. The students participated in thirty minute mini-lessons where they focused on the Making Ten …

Professional Development Experiences Of Indiana K-12 Public School Teachers: Evidence From The Sass 2007-2008, Patrick David Weil

Dissertations

This investigation examines the professional development perceptions and experiences of public school teachers in the state of Indiana. This study is unique in two regards as it: (1) uses restricted data; and (2) exclusively studies the professional development experiences of public school teachers in the State of Indiana. By analyzing a national data set, the 2007--2008 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), this study provides a snapshot of the recent state of professional learning among public school teachers in the State of Indiana. Results of this study may track trends in professional development since the 2003--2004 SASS administration. Researchers can compare …

What Matters: Preparing Teachers Of Reading, Sara R. Helfrich, Rita M. Bean

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A descriptive study was employed to determine differences in knowledge of literacy instruction and perceived preparedness to teach literacy between two groups of teacher candidates enrolled in two different teacher preparation programs at one university. This study investigated which components — coursework, field experience, and collaboration — candidates perceived as best preparing them to teach literacy while enrolled in their program. Data collection instruments included the Survey of Perceptions and the Knowledge Inventory. Both groups of candidates, regardless of program and amount of time in the field, viewed both coursework and field experience as important. Few significant differences were found …

Depictions And Gaps: Portrayal Of U.S. Poverty In Realistic Fiction Children’S Picture Books, Jane E. Kelley, Janine J. Darragh

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Researchers conducted a critical multicultural analysis of 58 realistic fiction children’s picture books that portray people living in poverty and compared these depictions to recent statistics from the United States Census Bureau. The picture books were examined for the following qualities: main character, geographic locale and time era, focal poor character (gender, age, and race), who demonstrated action, and the type of action (individual, community, systemic) demonstrated. Results of the analysis showed that while in some areas the books accurately reflect the reality in the United States today, there are other areas in which poverty is misrepresented. For example, while …

Teachers And Their Struggle With Personal Satisfaction As Young Mothers, Katherine Homer

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore how the day-to-day experiences of teachers who are working mothers of young children shape their level of comfort and satisfaction with the dual role they live. This investigation also explored the dynamics of teacher retention by understanding the dilemmas female teachers with young families encounter. There is limited literature on working mothers who are high school teachers. There are many different issues this study examined to gain a better understanding of the complexities of the lives of women who are high school teachers while raising young children.

This study consisted of six …

African American Male Teachers In K-12 Education: A Limited Quantity, Kelley A. Peatross

Dissertations

This study examined the underrepresentation of African American (A/A) male teachers in three Midwestern school districts. The study sought to determine: (1) the perception of A/A teachers concerning their K-12 teaching experiences when disaggregated by the number of years of teaching, (2) their perception of why they went into teaching when disaggregated by the number of years of teaching, (3) their perception of the need for A/A male teachers, and (4) their perception of value and accomplishments as A/A male teachers in the classroom.

This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological design and was based upon Maslow’s (1970) hierarchy of needs …

An Exploration Of Worldview And Conceptions Of Nature Of Science Among Science Teachers At A Private Christian High School, Kara M. Kits

Dissertations

Both worldview and conceptions of nature of science (NOS) are important components in teaching and learning science. However, few empirical studies have examined the interplay between both of these components for teachers or students. Therefore, this study examines the possible relationship between worldview and conceptions of nature of science for secondary science teachers who currently teach at a Christian school.

Qualitative methodologies developed a rich description of the worldview beliefs and conceptions of NOS for teachers in this study. Eight secondary science teachers employed at a private Christian school participated in the study. A Views of Nature of Science (VNOS) …