Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Educational Leadership Preparation: What Supervisors, Candidates, And Mentors Said, J. Eric Tubbs, H. Earl Holliday

Faculty Articles

The findings of this study identified practicum areas that meet the educational demands of candidates while highlighting practicum areas that need improvement. The study contributes to the knowledge base of the field by drawing upon feedback from university supervisors, school mentors and program candidates to evaluate and improve the practicum experience in the educational leadership program. Program candidates are in the best position to discuss their recent experiences of exposure to the real world. Supervisors and mentors can witness from their first hand experience how effective practicum activities work. Responses from supervisors, mentors and candidates regarding leadership practicum experiences are …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, Cate Weeks, Mamie Peers

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Joe Sutliff Sanders Cd Spring 2008, Joe Sutliff Sanders

Innovative Course Redesign Grant Reports

Supports faculty to redesign or develop a course in ways that implement high-impact, evidence-based, and/or innovative teaching strategies to improve student learning.

What's In A Choice? A Study In How Choice In Assignment Affects Student Completion Of Assignments, Christopher J. Croge

Theses and Dissertations

In this action research project, the effects of giving students a choice in their assignments on students' intrinsic motivation were measured. This was done by giving the students an increasing amount of choices for their summative assessment following the end of each of five units studied in World History. Analysis of the data showed that there was some positive correlation between the amount of choices and the likelihood that students completed the assignments. While this correlation was present, it may be possible that other factors influenced this increase in student completion of assignments. These factors include when during the grading …

Rules, What Rules ? (Linear Equations, Y=,X/Y Tables, Graphing) [8th Grade], Catherine Risinger

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The students will be introduced to linear equations. The main understandings that I want my students to develop is that even though there are multiple ways to solve problems, each way and representation can convey the same information. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of linear equations by solving them using a situation, algebraically, graphically, and using a table. Students will be able to generate a different representation of data given another representation of the same data. Students will explore real world examples of linear equations and discuss when different representations of linear equations are better models to use even though …

Poor Are Hurt When Schools Rely On Standardized Tests, Aaron W. Hughey

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Beyond Bullets: Engaging Audiences With Powerpoint, Keith W. Krieger

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

PowerPoint’s strength lies in the use of visual content, but everyone has seen their share of bullet points. Your strength as an educator and communicator lies in story-telling. Using 4 simple techniques, you'll move away from bullet points and enliven your presentation for your audience.

The Art In Teaching Writing, Sally Helene Tooley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the study was to determine how exceptional writing teachers utilize visual images in their teaching of writing. Specifically, the researcher was interested to discover how drawing might be used as a learning tool in the various stages of the writing process. Nine elementary teachers - recognized as exemplary teachers of writing, completed a detailed questionnaire in reference to their writing instruction. All of the teachers surveyed value visuals highly and recognize the potential impact that drawing can have on writing. However, not all of these teachers are utilizing drawing or visual strategies in their writing instruction on …

The Impact Of Collaborative Teacher Teaming On Teacher Learning, Esther B. Dickinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Schools have organized professional learning communities to support teacher learning and hopefully student achievement. An investigation of these learning communities may provide a description of professional teacher learning and suggest implications and implementation processes. The following question guided this inquiry: In collaborative groups, what learning is recognized by teachers and what do teachers think facilitates that learning? The qualitative study investigated how teachers that participate in collaborative teams describe the learning process. The teachers responded to interview questions following observations of team meetings. The findings reveal what teachers perceive about their learning. The findings suggest the qualities of the learning …

Importance Of School Readiness And Early Childhood Education, Amanda L. Moore

All Graduate Projects

The need for childhood education was studied and, based upon experiences garnered as a Kindergarten teacher, Cub Club was created and implemented in order to begin to reduce the achievement gap. The program was designed to educate parents about the importance of family involvement and the benefits, lasting into adulthood, of working with children at home during their early years of learning.

How Do Teachers Learn New Skills For Reading Instruction And Transfer Their Learning Into The Classroom?, Patricia Ann Sharp

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Third grade teachers participated in a study that examined the ways teachers learn new skills for reading instruction and transfer their learning into the classroom on a daily basis. A review of literature included identification of a purpose for teacher learning, how teacher self-perception influenced use of new knowledge and teacher skills, and improved reading achievement. The teachers discussed challenges and barriers for their learning and implementation of new learning, which included reflection of how each has evolved as a reading teacher. Teachers expressed interests for new learning in reading instruction and self-awareness necessary for improvement in their practice.

Manipulatives In Mathematics Instruction, Jessica Strom

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This paper is a review of research pertaining to the use of manipulatives in middle and secondary school mathematics instruction. It covers the research on the rationale for using manipulatives, the psychology behind learning with manipulatives, the common mistakes when teaching with manipulatives, and the suggested process to follow when using manipulatives in the classroom. There is a large amount of research and information on manipulatives in the classroom. One of the most prevalent topics addresses that the concrete characteristics of manipulatives allow students to progress through a natural learning process on their way to an abstract understanding of mathematical …

The Culture Of Poverty: How It Affects Middle School Students, Kaycie Anne Tuttle

All Graduate Projects

In education, teachers are seeing more impoverished students than ever before. With that understanding, teachers need to know how to identify and assist these students so that they are successful in school. The War on Poverty has been going on for years, and with a failing economy, teachers are seeing more impoverished students in their classrooms. To counteract this situation, teachers will be shown a pamphlet, power point presentation, and a workshop on poverty which will help show teachers what their students may be experiencing when away from school. In addition, the pamphlet will provide information of what to look …

Kindergarten Connection: An Early Literacy Intervention Through Home/School/Community Connections, Laurie Card-Roley

All Graduate Projects

Students most at-risk for academic failure are the populations of students classified as English Language Learners; migrant students; special education students; children of poverty; homeless students; students in foster care; children of abuse or neglect; and children with social, emotional, or behavioral concerns. The number of students falling within the at-risk population of students has continued to increase over the years. A program and curriculum called Kindergarten Connection attempts to address these barriers to learning by identifying family, societal and academic concerns prior to kindergarten and connecting families to the school and community resources that will provide the needed support. …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Strategy Based Reading Instruction For Reading Comprehension, Katherine D. Gibson

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Strategy based reading instruction helps teachers differentiate the teaching of reading. It also supports many types of readers by explicitly teaching and modeling reading comprehension strategies. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of strategy based reading instruction for improving student reading comprehension. Additionally, it examines teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of this approach. The review of the literature supports the idea that strategy based reading instruction is an effective way to improve reading comprehension. Teachers in kindergarten through eighth grade were surveyed on their perceptions of strategy based reading instruction's effectiveness for improving reading comprehension. Results …

Classroom Management: Teacher Training, Attitudes And Beliefs, And Intervention Practices, Margaret Catherine Davis Ladner

Dissertations

This study examined the factors that are associated with teacher classroom management with regard to training, attitudes and beliefs, and intervention practices of general and special education teachers in dealing with classroom control. These factors were examined in general and special education classrooms. The participants for this study were teachers of kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade and 3r grade students in three public school districts in a southeastern state. Participants were recruited through a convenience or voluntary sample selection.

The school districts chosen for this sample provide a good cross-section of schools; they were representative of buildings with different percentages …

Teacher Effectiveness In Urban High Schools, Richard Buddin, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

This research examines whether teacher licensure test scores and other teacher qualifications affect high school student achievement. The results are based on longitudinal student-level data from Los Angeles. The achievement analysis uses a value-added approach that adjusts for both student and teacher fixed effects. The results show little relationship between traditional measures of teacher quality (e.g., experience and education level) and student achievement in English Language Arts (ELA) or math. Similarly, teacher aptitude and subject-matter knowledge, as measured on state licensure tests, have no significant effects on student achievement. Achievement outcomes differ substantially from teacher to teacher, however, and the …

Agent And Subject Of Discipline: How The Novice Teacher Experiences The Techniques Of Power, Lynn Anne Murray-Chandler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This phenomenological study explored how five elementary school teachers experienced their first year of teaching as both the subject and agent of discipline. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s conceptualizations of power, discipline, and resistance, the investigator analyzed interview data that focused on questions concerning how novice teachers establish their own classroom management techniques, what norms they followed and resisted, as well as how and when they complied (or did not) in order to gain membership into their school/teacher community. Analysis indicated that, although novice teachers expressed many concerns, they largely complied with the norms established institutionally for managing student behavior, and …

Promoting Social And Emotional Learning In Second Grade Students: A Study Of The Strong Start Curriculum, Paul Caldarella, Lynnette Christensen, Thomas J. Kramer, Kalli Kronmiller

Faculty Publications

The promotion of social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools may help prevent emotional and behavioral problems of students. This study evaluated the effects of a SEL curriculum, Strong Start, on the social-emotional competence of 26 second grade students, using a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design. Results revealed statistically significant and meaningful improvements in teacher ratings of students’ internalizing and peer-related prosocial behaviors, particularly for students at greater risk. Conversely, control group students experienced significant worsening of internalizing behaviors and decreased levels of peer-related prosocial behaviors. No changes were reported in externalizing behaviors for either group. Treatment integrity and social …

Online Course Delivery Standards: Defining Quality, Carine Ullom

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

As a result of training in the Quality Matters course quality process, Ottawa University adopted "Standards for Online Course Design and Development" in October of 2006. However, we felt the need for a separate set of standards that outline institutional expectations for instructor engagement while an online course is in session. In March 2008 Ottawa University, Ottawa Online adopted its first "Standards for Online Course Delivery." The presenter will share the standards and discuss the results following over a year of implementation.

Pushing Past Powerpoint With Web 2.0 Tools, Kathryn Barker

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

This presentation is designed to introduce traditional PowerPoint presentation software users to two Web 2.0-based presentation tools, SlideShare and Issuu. Presentations stored on either site (which serve as web-based publishing archives for your works) can be embedded in an online course or web site. In this session you'll see how a basic PowerPoint presentation will appear using SlideShare or Issuu and can increase accessibility, student engagement, and provide a more polished user interface.

Your Inbox Is Killing Your Productivity, Focus And Time: Getting To An Empty Inbox Everyday, Keith W. Krieger

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

An inbox often controls people instead of people controlling their inbox. The result is an overloaded inbox, warnings from Information Services, important messages being missed, and a feeling of being weighed down by too much email. By managing an inbox effectively, faculty and staff can become more productive, accomplish more, and be free of the issues caused by an overflowing inbox. Simple techniques useful to email users will be demonstrated.

Getting Boys To Read: A Look At The Research And The Books They Love, Carrie Lynn Cooper, Kathy Cox Watson

Library Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

This session focuses on what the research says about males as readers and introduces the audience to great boy books and other types of text that appeals to male readers. The presenters have chosen titles from the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards program that are of interest to young male readers. Presenters also introduce and promote Kentucky’s children’s choice reading program, the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards. To misquote George Ella Lyon, the presenters would like to get boys to "shake hands with a book."

Active Student Engagement By Using Cooperative Learning Strategies, Austin Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore possible solutions to student interaction and product quality in a ninth grade English class by using strategies in cooperative learning. Reciprocal learning, jigsaw, and skills practice were used to promote student interaction and cooperation during a lesson on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." The data reveals that the three student participants have the skills necessary to succeed and excel in cooperative learning strategies, and previous student achievements may not necessarily indicate an ability or inability to master a cooperative learning activity. Implications for using cooperative learning strategies in the classroom are discussed.

Carol W. Shanklin, Carol W. Shanklin, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Carol W. Shanklin, PhD, RD, is professor in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management & Dietetics and Dean of Graduate School at Kansas State University. Carol teaches graduate courses and mentors graduate students’ research in the areas of environmental issues, food safety, customer satisfaction, and dietetics and hospitality education. She has collaborated with several graduate students on research projects in child nutrition. Carol has authored or co-authored several articles in the Journal of Child Nutrition Management and the Journal of the American Dietetics Association. She has been active in the School Nutrition Association, the American Dietetics Association, and other …

An Investigation Of The Support For Literacy Instruction In Elementary Mathematics Textbooks, Wendy Ann Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinds of support offered for integrating literacy strategies into mathematics instruction in elementary mathematics textbooks so that students are given opportunity to achieve the vision NCTM (2000) has for mathematical power for all. The research methodology for this was a qualitative content analysis using a priori codes. Two textbook series were chosen for this study. In each series examples of literacy integration ideas based on Trabasso's and Bouchard's (2002) effective comprehension strategies to teach comprehension were cited and analyzed. The results show that there is support for teachers to integrate literacy …

Motivating Kindergarteners To Write In A Half-Day Setting, Alison C. Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

This research spawned from the observation of two half-day classes of kindergarten students at an elementary school in southern New Jersey. Being urged to write not only their first and last names but also letters, words, and even beginning sentences by the end of the year is a major requirement for New Jersey kindergartens in the year 2009. Noticing a lot of apprehension from the students when they were asked to write and use inventive spelling, methods were brainstormed of ways to encourage self-efficacy and motivation. It was decided to utilize an informal writing activity where the students would use …

Examining The Effects Of Explicit Teaching Of Context Clues In Content Area Texts, Jessie Ruth Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of explicitly teaching students how to recognize and use context clues in content-area texts through a six-week instructional program. Quantitative analyses were performed to reveal any difference between a control and treatment group. Results indicated that students in the treatment group abilities to determine the meaning of unknown vocabulary words were increased significantly more than students in the control group. Students who received the six weeks of instruction more effectively used context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words than students who did not receive the instruction. Recommendations for …

Using Web-Based Tools To Mentor Novice Teachers In Literacy Instruction, Teresa Moore Jordan

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the virtual interactions between novice teachers and their mentor using web-based tools such as blogging and instant messaging. The purpose of the study was to determine the nature of online communication and how web-based tools function in the mentoring process. The mentor/researcher created an online website where novice teachers and their mentor interacted by blogging, instant messaging, and virtually sharing digital resources and ideas for teaching literacy. As the novice teachers interacted on the website, the mentor/researcher conducted an online survey and kept digital records of all blogs and instant message sessions. Later, participants were interviewed and …

Deepening Understanding Of Science Content Through Text Structure Instruction, Karen Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an instructional program designed to explicitly teach text structure awareness to fourth grade students to assist in their understanding of science content in a unit of study on weather. The changes that occurred in teacher thinking and practice were also examined throughout the process of developing and implementing the instructional program. A quantitative analysis was performed to reveal any differences in mean posttest scores between a control group and a treatment group. Results indicated that the treatment group students' science content knowledge was increased significantly more than the students …