Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Teachers' Preferences On The Qualities And Roles Of A Mentor Teacher, Donetta Cothran, Nate Mccaughtry, Sara Renee Anderson Smigell, Alex Garn, Pamela Hodges Kulinna, Jeffrey J. Martin, Roberta Faust

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Research Note: From the preface: "The purpose of this investigation was to address the gap in professional development literature related to mentoring, specifically as it applies to nontraditional cases, beyond new teacher induction. In particular, we examined teachers' preferences on mentoring characteristics and practices to determine whether nontraditional mentoring (owing to grade level changes, subject area changes, and newly adopted school district curricula) would be consistent with or contradict models of mentoring based primarily on the induction of new teachers. This report is part of a larger investigation that explored a curricular change initiative in a large urban school district …

Blessed Unrest: The Power Of Unreasonable People To Change The World, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Publications & Research

In her keynote address at the 2008 NCSSSMST Professional Conference, Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall addresses what work can be done with the collective resources of its Consortium members which beg to be shared and connected--and also explores what the source of "...our Blessed Unrest that will give us the courage to become unreasonable advocates for our children and for STEM transformation?"

The Mass. Memories Road Show: Some Notes On Bridging And Bonding, Joanne M. Riley

Joseph P. Healey Library Publications

Four years ago, the Mass. Studies Project at UMass Boston launched a cultural heritage project that we dubbed the “Mass. Memories Road Show,” a real-world mashup of PBS’s Antiques Road Show (people bring their personal stuff to a local event for professional perusal) and the Library of Congress’ American Memory Project (digitize historic stuff and share it with the world). Our ambitious goal was – and still is! – to visit each of the 351 communities in Massachusetts, inviting residents to bring in photographs that reflect themselves and their families in that community. At the public “Road Show” events, we …

Examining 4-H Robotics In The Learning Of Science, Engineering And Technology Topics And The Related Student Attitudes, Bradley S. Barker, Gwen Nugent, Neal Grandgenett, Amy Hampton

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Youths’ natural fascination and identification with robots make them an ideal teaching and learning platform. Robots would seem to be excellent hands-on tools to teach science, engineering and technology (SET) concepts. However, while research supports their use to increase interest and motivation, the effectiveness of robots to directly teach science, engineering, and technology concepts is less clear. The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of a 4-H robotics program to support the learning of specific SET concepts and to examine related student attitudes towards science. This study compared the pretest and posttest scores on an assessment of …

Working With Beginning Teachers: What Effective Strategies Do Principals Use?, Binbin Jiang, Tak Cheung Chan

Faculty Articles

The purpose of this study was to examine principals’ perception on what beginning teachers can do to ensure success in schools and what principals can do to assist them. Principals claimed that they assisted beginning teachers in mentoring, supervision, and performance evaluation. They advised beginning teachers for successful practices in effective teaching strategies, working with diverse learners, interacting with parents and guardians, handling disciplinary issues, confidentiality of student information, and continuing professional development.

New Teachers' Perceptions On Their Preparation, Rosemary Cleveland

Dissertations

In this study, I inquired into new public school teachers' perceptions of how well prepared they were during their first year of teaching to handle a range of classroom and discipline situations by examining what percentages of new teachers felt that they were well prepared in classroom management. I also investigated whether there were possible variations in those percentages based on teacher gender, teacher level, and the percentage of minority students enrolled in school. Furthermore, I examined the relationship between new teachers' perceptions on their preparation in classroom management and their job satisfaction as well as their commitment to the …

Inside Unlv, Shane Bevell, Mamie Peers, David Ashley, Diane Russell, Michelle Mouton, Grace Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Critical Components To Improve Literacy Learning For All Students, Marcia Harriet Kaye

Dissertations

The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand the critical components to improve literacy learning for all students. The central focus of the study involved looking at principles for classroom instruction in reading and writing that are essential for students to become good readers and writers. According to Allington and Cunningham, the following principles are critical: (a) the amount of time students spend on reading and writing each day, (b) the explicit teaching of comprehension strategies, (c) modeling writing and reading daily, (d) student engagement in thoughtful literacy learning, and (e) literate rich classroom environments.

Six classrooms were …

All “Homework” And No Play…, Shamsah Raheem Dhanani

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Entering The Virtual Teacher’S Lounge: The Efficacy Of Community In Computer-Mediated Communication Based Environments For Professional Educators, Randall S. Dunn

Faculty Dissertations

This study seeks to illuminate an understanding of naturally forming online communities of professional educators in the context of off-line communities. Essentially, an online discussion forum for educators is evaluated for the purpose of determining whether the forum provides a “space” conducive for the development of a community of professional educators as benchmarked against an understanding of offline community formation and existence. The foundational works of Ferdinand Tonnies, James Coleman, and Ray Oldenburg are used to develop 13 characteristics of community - as understood in the context of informal social communities as opposed to the types related to more formal …

Meeting The Needs Of Ells: Acknowledging The Schism Between Esl/Bilingual And Mainstream Teachers And Illustrating That Problem's Remedy, Edmund T. Hamann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Nationwide, education researchers, policy makers, and school reformers agree that the education of English language learners (ELLs) is an increasingly important issue as (1) more students in more districts fit in that category (Ruiz-de-Velasco, 2005; Suarez-Orozco & Suarez-Orozco, 1999; Wortham, Murillo & Hamann, 2002); as (2) they, in aggregate, continue to fare less well than most other student populations (August & Hakuta, 1997; Callahan & Gindara, 2004; NCES, 1997); and as (3) policy compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act holds their schools accountable for their cumulative average yearly progress (Abedi, 2005; Crawford, 2004). There is also an emerging …

Successful Schooling For Ells: Principles For Building Responsive Learning Environments, Maria Coady, Edmund T. Hamann, Margaret Harrington, Samboen Pho, Jane Yedlin

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Guiding Questions

• What are the goals of schooling in general and for ELLS in particular?
• What roles do language and culture play in teaching, in learning, and in the assessment of learning?
• How do we measure the successfulness of schooling for ELLs?
• What factors besides the quality of classroom instruction impact the education of ELLs? How?
• In addition to research-based, age-appropriate literacy instruction, what more do ELLS need in order to develop good literacy skills?
• What is the importance of parental and community involvement in the education of ELLs?

While measurable academic gains in …

Determining The Role Of Technology In Supporting The Professional Growth Of Administrative Leadership Candidates, Antoinette P. Bruciati, Gail Nordmoe

Education Faculty Publications

School improvement planning that is guided through data-driven decision making has been recognized as a “best practice” among educational leaders for many years. Although national standards for school administrators routinely incorporate educational and information technology components, state boards of education do not currently mandate technology training for those enrolled in programs leading to administrative certification. As a result, many school administrators may not be adequately prepared to use computer and information technologies supportive of their roles and responsibilities. This investigation examined the perceptions and current technological literacy of individuals enrolled in a university-level Administrative Leadership Program. Research focused on the …

Robots That Teach: Developing An Integrated Curriculum For Middle School Math, Antoinette P. Bruciati

Education Faculty Publications

Keeping middle school students interested in mathematics and motivating them to succeed are challenges that continually present themselves to even the most seasoned teachers. Students will be drawn to mathematics if they are able to connect it to exciting careers. This paper describes a research-based curriculum model for teachers, grant writers, and others interested in incorporating Lego robotics technologies into an existing middle school mathematics curriculum. The model is based on data gathered from a three year research study in which approximately 150 sixth grade students per year and their teachers collaborated with a middle school Math Coordinator, a school …

The Tuition Culture, Bilqees Patel

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

An Abstract Subject, Mashooque Ali Samo

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

School-Wide Screening And Programs Of Pbs: Informing Universal Interventions, Michelle Marchant, Darlene Anderson, Paul Caldarella, Ben Young, K. Richard Young, Adam Fisher

Faculty Publications

School-Wide Intervention Planning: Implications for classroom behavior; Improving social interactions on the playground; Proactive approach to addressing unusual behavior patterns.

Validation Of The Ssbd In Secondary Schools: Student And Parent Correlates, Michael Richardson, Paul Caldarella, Ben Young, Ellie L. Young

Faculty Publications

Why Screen for Behavior Problems? Screening allows for prevention and early intervention efforts, which reduce the need for more intensive services. One of the most difficult challenges teachers and administrators face is behavior and emotional problems in students.

School-Based Mentoring: An Effective Intervention With Students At Risk For Ebd, Paul Caldarella, Shauna Valentine, K. Richard Young, Michael Adams

Faculty Publications

EBD Students experience fewer positive outcomes, more frequent removal from class, and less academic instruction than any other group of students with disabilities; Years of academic failure and peer rejection before evaluations and diagnoses are begun. (Lane, Gresham, & O’Shaugnessy, 2002;Jolivette, Stitchter, Nelson, Scott, & Liaupsin, 2000)

Effects Of Peer Praise Notes On Socially Withdrawn Adolescents: A Classroom Intervention, Julie Nelson, Natalie Webb, Paul Caldarella

Faculty Publications

Socially Withdrawn Students: Students find interactions with withdrawn students to be aversive or less rewarding than interactions with other students (Stormshak, et al., 1999).; Many students avoid interactions with students who have behavioral or emotional disorders (McDowell, 1988; Myerson & Hale, 1984); Students who are socially withdrawn or isolated have difficulty learning appropriate social conduct which places them at risk for difficulties later in life (Oden, 1980; Patterson, Reid, & Dishion,1992); Children who are avoided, neglected, or teased are at high risk for developing behavioral and emotional disorders (Gresham, Macmillan, & Bocian, 1998).

Min-Lin Lo Tssa Fall 2007, Min-Lin Lo

Teaching Skills Study Awards (TSSA) Reports

Enhances faculty's teaching by attending a conference devoted to university teaching, a high-impact practice, evidence-based practice or a newly developing teaching practice.

Educational Professionals’ Knowledge And Acceptance Of Evolution, Louis S. Nadelson, Gale M. Sinatra

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study sought to determine if we could identify a cadre of educational professionals with sufficient knowledge and acceptance of biological evolution to objectively evaluate the merits of the emerging discipline of evolutionary educational psychology. Members of APA and AERA were recruited to complete surveys measuring demographic characteristics, evolution knowledge (specifically natural selection), and evolution acceptance. We tested a model representing propensity toward open-minded examination of the merits of evolutionary educational psychology. Results showed evolution knowledge and acceptance, personal beliefs, academic and research experience, were key indicators of willingness to engage in objective evaluation of this new discipline. …

Sue Tettleton, Sue Tettleton, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Sue Tettleton worked in the Nutrition and Education Training Program at the University of Mississippi, beginning in the 1960s, training state school lunch personnel. Sue is now retired from the North Mississippi Regional Center, a former member of the faculty at the University of Mississippi in the Department of Home Economics, Family and Consumer Sciences, and a member of the NET Program in Mississippi.

Crazy About Teaching, Kausar Waqar

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Challenges And Strategies Of Medical School Expansion, Sarah A. Bunton, William T. Mallon

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The early twenty-first century will be known as a period of great expansion of medical education in the United States. Current projections indicate at least a 20 percent increase in the number of M.D. matriculants in U.S medical schools by 2013 over the 2002 benchmark.Most of this planned expansion has come from larger enrollments at existing medical schools. This Analysis in Brief explicates the major models of expanding class size at existing medical schools and examines several challenges of medical school expansion.

“Starting Off On The Right Foot” A Guide For Elementary Physical Education Teachers To Assist Them In Successfully Beginning The School Year, Carrie Boers

All Graduate Projects

This guide was created to assist new elementary physical education teachers in successfully beginning the school year. The Federal Way School District currently has no guide or established procedure readily available to assist with the transition of teachers into elementary physical education programs. This project examines the necessary components of a successfully managed elementary physical education program. The author chose to create this guide after the difficulties she encountered transitioning from the junior high school physical education (P.E.) program to an elementary level P.E. program. Physical education teachers are often placed in environments that are unfamiliar to them; therefore, this …

Motivating Students: Identifying And Motivating Reluctant Learners To Reach Their Academic Potential, Kim Yeager

All Graduate Projects

Motivation plays an important role in determining how well a child will perform in school (Philips & Lindsay, 2006). Regardless of how intelligent or capable a student may be if the student is not motivated to do well then their academic performance will be less than it could have been with some motivation. Teachers need to understand why some students are motivated to try hard in school and why some students are not. This understanding will lead teachers to understand why their students are not reaching their academic potential. The purpose of this project was to design a guide that …

University Students’ Conceptualization And Interpretation Of Topographic Maps, Douglas Clark, Stephen Reynolds, Vivian Lemanowski, Thomas Stiles, Senay Yaşar-Purzer, Sian Proctor, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Charlotte Stromfors, James Corkins

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study investigates the strategies and assumptions that college students entering an introductory physical geology laboratory use to interpret topographic maps, and follows the progress of the students during the laboratory to analyze changes in those strategies and assumptions. To elicit students’ strategies and assumptions, we created and refined a topographic visualization test that was administered before and after instruction to 26 students during the first semester of the study and to 92 students during the second semester. To more deeply understand how students think about and conceptualize topographic maps, we focused on eight individual students who were interviewed about …

Staff Perceptions Of Structure, Process, And School Readiness Outcomes In Private South Florida Child Care Centers, Deborah Mazzeo

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The quality of child care centers and school readiness outcomes continue to be important topics in the State of Florida since policymakers, school districts, and child care centers, in August 2005, began to implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program. The problem area of child care is whether various characteristics of child care center programs result in different outcomes for children's development.

Qualities of child care centers can be attributed to structure and process variables. A theoretical framework that is grounded in Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory is discussed. The structure-process-outcome model of quality and Spady's outcome-based education model were combined to explain the …

Character Traits In Newbery Award Literature 1997-2007, Julie Beth Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the character example elements in the Newbery Award winning books from 1997-2007. Content analysis was used to identify the pertinent character traits identified by the researcher using the acronym C.H.A.R.A.C.T.E.R. These example elements include: (a) caring/compassionate, (b) helpfulness, (c) acceptance, (d) respect, (e) ambition, (f) citizenship, (g) trustworthiness, (h) encouragement, and (i) responsibility. Using a coding system developed for this study, four readers read and discussed the books to attempt consensus as to the character traits identified. The researcher sought answers to the following questions: (a) Do the Newbery Award winning books …