Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Spicing Up Motor Skill Performance For All, Scott Ronspies

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A School-Wide Behavior Intervention Plan On A Rural Middle School, Patricia H. Rousis

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to collect office referral data from seventh grade students at a rural middle school in order to assess the effectiveness of a school-wide Positive Behavior Support System (PBS). Pre and post implementation data was collected and evaluated.

The results of the paired samples t-test were mixed and allowed for multiple interpretations. The raw data showed that office referrals actually went up for the second half of the year once the PBS was put into action. The causation for this increase is discussed.

Reflection From A Pool Of Knowledge……………….Deep Within, Peter John Wergin

MA TESOL Collection

This paper details the journey of one teacher’s career. Through the lens of reflective practice, the paper focuses on how developing an awareness of the process in one’s teaching is a necessary and relevant condition for understanding the product or “end-result” and how this awareness, in turn, enables one to become a more aware and effective teacher. The writing includes personal reflections and examines the “self” of the teacher and how experiencing both the “highs” and “lows” in one’s teaching contribute to understanding and learning to teach, “who you are” (Parker Palmer). It analyzes the teacher’s “growth” and the pivotal …

Self-Assessment In In-Service Distance Teacher Training, Mihaela-Silvia Dascalu

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is based on my experience as part of a team that designed and implemented a distance-training course for English teachers in Romania. It begins with an overview of the training program. It outlines the importance of distance training for teachers in the Romanian educational system. Later, it focuses on the importance of developing self-assessment and self-evaluation skills as key elements of distance learning. In this paper, I propose some self-assessment techniques and activities based on theories of adult learning and on the specific features of the distance-training course I helped to develop. The final section of this paper …

The Committee On Diversity's Plan Of Action, Rochelle P. Ripple, Jose' Villavicencio

Perspectives In Learning

Recent work of the College of Education’s Committee on Diversity has included plans to provide a curriculum and experiences aimed at increasing all education candidates’ knowledge of, sensitivity to, and strategies and techniques for teaching diverse P-12 students. This comprehensive plan was initiated in the 2002- 2003 academic year with a workshop conducted for faculty, administration, and staff of the COE. The workshop raised awareness of the diverse nature of P-12 students (and connected this awareness with bringing these students to higher levels of learning). Diversity was also defined more broadly to include race, gender, cultural background, religion, geographical area …

Validity, Research, And Reality: Student Ratings Of Instruction At The Crossroads, Jennifer Franklin

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay explores how student ratings of instruction can address the rise of new paradigms of instruction such as active learning strategies and web-based delivery modes.

A Roadmap To Part-Time Faculty Success, Terri A. Tarr

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay offers practical strategies to help part-time faculty navigate the twists and turns of teaching part-time, enhance their teaching effectiveness, and make their roles more personally satisfying.

Teaching Bioethics Through Participation And Policy-Making, Karey A. Harwood

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

The teaching of bioethics calls for a balance between conceptual analysis and the use of concrete cases in order to further students’ ability to reason critically and develop the traits of engaged citizens.

Why Knowing About Disciplinary Differences Can Mean More Effective Teaching, Michele Marinkovich, Jack Prostko

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay explores some of the latest research on how disciplinary differences affect faculty’s teaching in subtle and often unconscious ways.

Books, Blocks, And Bridges: Fostering Early Literacy Development In Child Care Settings, Vikki K. Collins

Perspectives In Learning

Millions of American families with preschool children utilize child care settings each day. Since the number of mothers in the work force has increased drastically in the last two decades (O’Neill & O’Connell, 2001), it is estimated that almost 12 million children younger than age 5 spend part of their days in the care of people other than their parents (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2002). Child care settings include day care homes and day care centers. In Muscogee County, Georgia, there are 99 state-registered day care homes and 62 state-licensed day care centers. In the eight-county …

Eating Disorders In School-Aged Children, Terri Darden, Kelly Hedrick

Perspectives In Learning

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM-IVTR) lists criteria for anorexia nervosa that include refusing to maintain a normal body weight, weighing 85% below normal. Postmenarcheal females can be amenorrheic, having the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. Individuals diagnosed with this disorder have a fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. The DSM-IV- TR reports that 90% of anorexia nervosa cases occur in females (DSM-IV- TR, 2005). Research shows that at some time during their adolescence around half of high school and college age girls and 10% of boys will develop …

Catalogue 2005-2006, Bank Street College Of Education

Graduate School of Education

This course catalog from a past academic year is a resource for referring to previous course offerings, degree requirements, institutional policies, and more.

Serving The Millennial Generation, Todd S. Voss

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

The Pod Network Reading Packets 2004-05: For Use With Consultations, Workshops, Seminars, Classes

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Packet #1 : Alternatives to Traditional Teaching Methods and Learning Strategies

Packet #2: Cooperative/Collaborative Learning, Small Groups

Packet #3: Critical Thinking

Packet #4: Defining and Characterizing Teaching

Packet #5: Diversity Issues

Packet #6: Evaluation and Grading Issues

Packet #7: Improvement of Teaching and Assessment

Packet #8: Introductory Courses / General Education

Packet #9: Motivating Students

Packet #10: The Student/Teacher Relationship

Packet #11 : Change, Renewal, and the Professoriate

Packet #12: Thoughts on the Future

Packet #13: Technology and Related Issues

Packet #14: The Learning Process

Essays On Teaching Excellence: A Fresh Vision, 2004-2005 Catalog

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

2004-2005 Essays on Teaching Excellence

Fall Essays 2004

Transitions: What's Love Got to Do With It? By Kate Brinko, Appalachian State University

The Power of Student Stories: Connections that Enhance Learning, by Peter Frederick, Wabash College

PowerPoint: What is the Point, by Eugene Gallagher & Michael Reder, Connecticut College

Teaching Bioethics through Participation and Policy-Making, by Karey Harwood, North Carolina State University

Spring Essays 2005

Validity, Research, and Reality: Student Ratings of Instruction at the Crossroads, by Jennifer Franklin, California State University-Dominguez Hills

Why Knowing About Disciplinary Differences Can Mean More Effective Teaching, by Michele Marincovich, Stanford University & Jack …

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).

Rock The Vote, Molly Kerby

Gender & Women's Studies Faculty Publications

Rock the Vote (sponsored by MTV) is designed to engage and mobilize young people in the political process by incorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into pre-election activities. The university’s event attracted approximately 1,500 students in fall 2004.

The Effects Of Direct Instruction Reading On The Behavior Referral Rates Of Rural Elementary Students, David Jarman

Theses & Honors Papers

What exactly is effective instruction? This heavily debated question is still at forefront of educational reform. Many factors contribute to effective instruction in the classroom, but it is critical to define effective instruction prior to describing its components. To understand the concept of effective instruction we must operationally define effective instruction as summarized by Rosenshine and Berliner (1978). they viewed effective instruction as those teacher characteristics that had a positive relationship on student achievement. We know that providing students with the most effective instruction will lead to an increase in student academic achievement. We also know these characteristics can be …

Zooming Social Justice: A Teacher Educator’S Hopes And Dreams For Her Students, Theodorea Regina Berry

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Serving Students With Asperger Syndrome In The General Education Classroom, Jennifer Dawn Hendricks

All Graduate Projects

The identification and prevalence of students with Asperger Syndrome (AS) in schools throughout the U.S. appears to be rapidly increasing (Barnhill, 2001a). Lamarine (2001 ), states that, "Epidemiological evidence suggests that AS may affect approximately 7 out of every 1,000 people" (p. 152). Many students identified as having AS are served in both special and general education classrooms. The purpose of this project was to emphasize the necessity of early identification and interventions, to review the characteristics of AS, and delineate best practice strategies for serving these students in the gen\:ral education classroom. The literature concerning teaching and learning for …

Highly Qualified Minority Teachers: Do High-Stakes Teacher Tests Weed Out Those We Need Most?, Julie Esparza Brown

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of standardized teacher tests as demonstration of licensure competencies for diverse candidates in Oregon and nationally. The following four areas and their accompanying questions guide the development of this paper: (1) Why would a diverse teacher workforce help close the achievement gap?; (2) What are the barriers that exist to meeting the need for diverse educators?; (3) What type of research will be needed to validate alternative assessments as viable options?; and (4) What qualities in leaders produce policies for equity? At the conclusion of this paper, the author provides …

Childcare Practices In Three Asian Countries, Shamah Md-Yunus

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Childcare practices such as feeding, toilet training, sleeping arrangement and discipline in three Asian countries (Chinese, Japan, and India) are compared. These countries differ from each other in culture, religion, language and ethnic makeup from Euro-American culture. The differences in childcare practices are broadly related to the differences in family values, traditions, and religions among these countries. Educational implications of sensitivity to cultural differences are also discussed.

Examining User Acceptance Of Computer Technology: An Empirical Study Of Student Teachers, Will W.K. Ma, Robert Andersson, Karl-Oslear Streith

Support & Other Units (THEi)

The use of computer technology in schools has made slow progress since the mid-1980s even though governments have been generous in funding. It is therefore important to understand how and when teachers use computer technology in order to devise implementation strategies to encourage them. This study investigates student teachers' perceptions of computer technology in relation to their intention to use computers. The purpose is to shed light on more effective ways to motivate the use of computer technology in schools. Based on an expanded variation of the Technology Acceptance Model, 84 completed surveys of student teachers were collected at …

Exploring The Relationship Between Espoused Philosophies Of Teaching And Practice, Roisin Donnelly, Marian Fitzmaurice

Papers, presentations and other resources

No abstract provided.

Horton The Elephant Is A Criminal: Using Dr. Seuss To Teach Social Process, Conflict, And Labeling Theory, Angela D. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Research

It is fairly well known that Theodor Geisel (“Dr. Seuss”) often used art and storytelling as political and social commentary, but no one has attempted to interpret his work through the lens of sociological/criminological theory. This paper argues that several of his tales can be used as aids in teaching the basic principles of many sociological/criminological theories. The author analyzes several of his works and uses one, Horton Hears a Who to illustrate his subtle but powerful commentary on the creation and application of laws, the impact of social stratification, the pervasive and dangerous influence of social and political power …

The Power Of Student Stories: Connections That Enhance Learning, Peter Frederick

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Telling and listening to student stories connects our students’ prior experiences and knowledge and their hopes and fears with the core learning goals teachers value and thereby furthers deeper learning.

Powerpoint: What Is The Point, Eugene V. Gallagher, Michael Reder

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay summarizes the literature on PowerPoint as a tool for learning, addresses both its potential problems as well as its possibilities, and offers guidelines on its effective use in teaching.

Transitions: What’S Love Got To Do With It?, Kathleen T. Brinko

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

This essay addresses strategies for managing the transition of new faculty into the academy in order to avoid disenchantment and leaving the academy before tenure.