Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Using Hlm To Analyze On-Going Teacher Professional Development And Implementation Of Scientific Classroom Discourse Community Strategies, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Dale R. Baker, Brandon Helding, Michael Lang

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Presentations

One-hundred-and-sixty classroom observations of secondary science and language arts teachers were made throughout the 2007-2008 academic year to determine the extent of their use of professional development, specifically using strategies to construct a scientific classroom discourse community (SCDC). Each observation was scored using a 36-item instrument of various SCDC instructional strategies designed to match the professional development. These observation scores and teacher demographic information were used to build a hierarchical linear model to explore for statistically significant relationships over time. The length of time that the teachers received professional development was chosen as the exclusive predictor of teacher change because …

Elementary Teachers’ Conceptions Of Flooding Before And After Professional Development, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Katrien J. Kraft, Nievita Bueno Watts, Meredith J. Wilson, Dale R. Baker, Michael Lang

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Presentations

This study focuses on elementary teachers' conceptions of flooding before and after inquiry-based Earth science content-based professional development. Several misconceptions emerged from the science content two tier pre-post test, some of which persisted throughout the institute while others led to evidence of teachers' conceptual change. On the post-test some teachers' ideas emerged as hybrid conceptions as they applied newly acquired academic language to prior conceptions. There was a significant increase (n = 17, mean gain = 4.3 (SD = 3.27, t (17) = 5.69, p < .000) from the pre- to post-test. The concepts most resistant to change from pre- to post-test were analyzing an overall topographic region, reading a map image, and hydrograph interpretation. The highest frequency of hybrid conceptions occurred as teachers attempted to add new academic language, such as storm surge and discharge, to their prior understandings. Teachers’ greatest conceptual change occurred in understanding the probability and role of ground conditions in flooding events. Teachers demonstrated significant growth in their understanding of flooding concepts through scaffolded inquiry lessons modeled through the professional development. Teachers who had greater levels of prior knowledge showed the most change to a normative view of flooding. This speaks to the importance of building teachers' background knowledge before initiating professional development with complex science concepts.

The Communication In Science Inquiry Project (Cisip): A Project To Enhance Scientific Literacy Through The Creation Of Science Classroom Discourse Communities, Dale R. Baker, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Senay Purzer, Nievita Bueno Watts, Gita Perkins, Sibel Uysal, Sissy Wong, Rachelle Beard, Michael Lang

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

This study reports on the context and impact of the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) professional development to promote teachers’ and students’ scientific literacy through the creation of science classroom discourse communities. The theoretical underpinnings of the professional development model are presented and key professional development activities are described. Data are provided on teachers’ fidelity of implementation of the CISIP instructional strategies, their understanding of the nature of science communication, and their ability to write scientific investigation reports. Student data includes an analysis of scientific arguments and the perception of their classroom as a science classroom discourse community. Two …

Teacher Investment In Learner Identity, Jenelle Reeves

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

From a sociocultural perspective, teacher identity is constructed in relation to others, including other teachers and students. Drawing on positioning theory and the concept of investment, this study analyzed the case of a secondary English teacher who negotiated his teacher identity in relation to English language learners (ELLs). Findings indicated that the teacher made an investment in ELLs’ identity by positioning them as like any other student. The desired return on the teacher’s investment was a strengthened self-positioning as a natural and highly competent teacher. The implications of teacher investment in learner identity for teacher practice, learner identity construction, and …

Developing Creative Writing Skills In Early Childhood: A Case Study From Pakistan, Nilofar Vazir, Shairoz Ismail

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

The study explores how a teacher of Early Childhood teaches young children creative writing skills in a community-based school in Karachi, Pakistan. A qualitative case study method was used to examine the practices of the teacher and four early years’ learners (seven to eight years). Data was generated through semi-structured interviews; classroom observations and document analysis. Findings reveal that current practices of teaching and learning creative writing as development of language and literacy skills are highly influenced by how the teacher herself perceives creativity and creative writing in young learners. The teacher selects the topic for the children to write …

Lessons From The Believing Game, Tim Doherty

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

My essay reflects on different lessons I have learned in using the believing game to promote deliberative dialogue in first-year writing courses. I have learned that it helps not to be in a hurry: spending enough preparation time with students thinking about belief itself, listening to students' stories and sense of attachment to beliefs, and playing the game repeatedly. I also explore the believing game as a mode of play, especially the fruitful way that role-play can be integrated into the believing game.

Back Matter

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

No abstract provided.

The Believing Game In Mathematics: Stories In A Discipline Of Doubt, Shelly Sheats Harkness, Catherin Pullin Lane, Sue Mau, Amber Brass

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Many people view mathematics as a discipline of certainty and rigidity. Answers are either right or wrong, and, when they are wrong, it is easy to play the doubting game. We invite readers into our mathematics classrooms as we story our attempts to play the believing game. We provide a lens into how we suspended our own logic, assumptions, and interpretations until we first tried to "unpack, " understand, and honor our students' logic, assumptions, and interpreta· tions. Within our individual stories, elements of tension, surprise, and wonder emerged as collective themes.

A Reflection On Habitual Belief And Habitual Doubt, Irene Papoulis

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Some people are habitual "believers" while others are habitual "doubters." I' m a believer, but doubting others helps me believe myself I explore the idea that examining our individual habitual relationships with believing and doubting helps us think better and relate better to others and to ourselves.

A Highly Incomplete Bibliography, Peter Elbow

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

I’m nervous to include this because I’ve not read a lot of these books and articles, and the whole thing is so inadequate for such a large topic. Many are titles I’ve jotted down for when I “have time.” But the list also includes a few suggestions from the authors in this issue, though this list mostly doesn’t duplicate the valuable Works Cited sections they’ve put with each of their essays. I’m risking the amateur quality of this enterprise in hopes that it can help others to pursue an important issue. (At the end, I’ve listed my various essays about …

Sojourners In Mexico With U.S. School Experience: A New Taxonomy For Transnational Students, Víctor Zúñiga, Edmund T. Hamann

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

There are many school-age children involved in the transnational movement of peoples between the United States and Mexico. Among those currently in Mexico (typically regarded as a sending country rather than a receiving country), most expect to return to the United States someday, although not necessarily permanently, and they variously identify as Mexican, Mexican American, or American. This suggests that the prospect of enduring geographic mobility affects the complicated work of identity formation and affiliation. Central to this negotiation are Mexican schools, which, like U.S. schools, are not deliberately designed to consider the needs, understandings, and wants of an increasingly …

A Sociocultural Perspective On Esol Teachers’ Linguistic Knowledge For Teaching, Jenelle Reeves

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

Within a sociocultural frame, teacher knowledge finds its origin in the entirety of teachers’ lived experiences, not just those experiences within teacher preparation. Teachers’ biographies, including their experiences as language learners, shape their knowledge base for teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). This study interrogates one element of that knowledge base: teachers’ linguistic knowledge for teaching. Cases studies of two early career ESOL teachers with similar language learner biographies, that of first language (L1) Center English speakers with limited second language (L2) learning experienee, provided insight into the ways participants’ language biographies informed their linguistic knowledge for teaching. …

Beginning Teacher Induction At Three Elementary Schools In China: A Case Study, Juan Miao

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

It is urgent to study teacher induction programs to generate data-rich results that improve current practice and ultimately help beginning teachers become competent teachers and face the challenges in their profession in the 2lS century. The purpose for this study was to explore how beginning teachers at three elementary schools in Baoding, Hebei province, China were inducted The design of this study was non-experimental and descriptive. The researcher conducted this study primarily using qualitative research methods. Information on the three participating schools' profiles and 15 teachers were presented and discussed to help readers understand the context and conditions in which …

Early Childhood Education: The Sustainability Of The Benefits Of Preschool Participation In Abbott Districts, Norma Fernandez

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Effects Of A Technology Treatment On Student Scores On The Standardized Grade 8 Proficiency Assessment (Gepa) In New Jersey, Triantafillos Parlapanides

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Study Of Seton Hall University And The Attributes Of Organizational Adaptation Employed In Fashioning Its Catholic Identity And Mission In The Post-Vatican Ii Era (1966-2006), Nicholas F. Mazza

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This thesis is the first fully developed and published study of Seton Hall University. It specifically examines the organizational structures of Seton Hall University over a forty year period in light of the tumultuous changes in the Catholic Church and Catholic academia post-Vatican 11. Of particular importance is change that influenced the Catholic identity and mission of the university. The author examines the central problems arising from the changes influenced by the actions of the Vatican Council as well as the concerns expressed by Catholic academic, namely, academic freedom and the issues of higher education governance. These two factors spearheaded …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Attending An Electronic Technology Rich Program On The Teaching Styles Of Senior Student Teachers, Joseph J. Martinelli

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether attending an electronic technology rich program had an impact on the teaching styles of senior student teachers. It is clear from this research that senior student teachers have benefits from attending such a program. Three research questions were used to guide this study: what ways teachers are currently using technology; how are teachers in this study using technology in their planning of the learning experience; how teachers' technology attitudes, understandings and skills change over time. A web based survey tool, which was delivered electronically to senior student teachers both in elementary …

The Use Of 360-Degree Feedback Compared To Traditional Evaluative Feedback For The Professional Growth Of Teachers, Jo-Anne Mahar

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Relationship Of Electronic-Grade Book Access To Student Achievement, Student Attendance, And Parent-Teacher Communication, Mark S. Mathern

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Detection And Assessment Of Quality Indicators Of Visual Based Learning Material In Engineering Education Programs For Grades 7-12, Petros Katsioloudis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to detect the quality indicators of visual-based learning material in technology education for grades 7-12. A three-round modified Delphi method was used to answer the following research questions: RQ1: What indicators should quality visual-based learning material in technology education have to be effective and efficient in transmitting information for grades 7-12? RQ2: What are the indicators of the learner’s characteristics that impact the selection of visual-based learning material in technology education for grades 7-12?

Reading And Responding To Children’S Books About Bullying, Kathy Everts Danielson, Jan Labonty

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Which of the following scenarios is an example of bullying?

A. Older boys repeatedly steal a second-grader’s lunch money.
B. A group of girls start and perpetuate vicious rumours about a shy classmate.
C. On a daily basis, a boy makes fun of a peer’s old-fashioned clothes.
D. During recess, bigger kids push, shove, and taunt smaller children.
E. All of the above.

If you guessed E, you not only know a lot about test construction, you also understand the classic definition of bullying: “Bullying is a deliberate attempt to hurt another that is repeated over time,” (Craig, 1997, p. …

Teacher Candidates' Attitudes Toward Immigration And Teaching Learners Of English As A Second Language, Midena M. Sas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While in theory, democratic ideals promise the equal participation of all its citizens in the decisions that affect them, in practice some populations, i.e., those who do not possess membership to the dominant cultural group, often miss out on the privileges a democratic society is supposed to ensure. Critical theorists pointed out that "democracies like ours exhort equal opportunity but often ignore ways in which our schools operate unconsciously and unknowingly to guarantee that there will be no real equality" (McLaren, 2007, p. 176). In the education arena, inequitable treatment has received significant attention, perhaps due to the glaring repercussions …

New Teacher Isolation And Its Relationship To Teacher Attrition, David S. Sleppin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies suggest that many promising new teachers who experience isolation do not reach their full potential and may leave the teaching profession prematurely. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the experience of isolation among new teachers and the potential for teacher attrition in an urban school district in the northeastern U.S. Grounded in constructivist theory, the phenomenological research design examined in-depth interview data collected from 8 new public elementary school teachers with three or less years experience. A coding procedure began by extracting key phrases and statements from the raw data and reduced information …

Exploring The Factors That Influence Attitudes And Achievement When Students Take Computerized Tests, Jessie E. Kilgore Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Currently, a problem exists in K-12 education related to the use of technology for the assessment of student learning. Specifically, due to the lack of access to and infrequent use of computers for middle school students, the rise in the use of high stakes computer-based tests may negatively impact student test scores in poor, urban schools. The conceptual framework of this study was informed by Albert Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, the work of The National Center for Fair and Open Testing regarding ending the misuses and flaws of standardized testing, and James Popham's research on quality assessment. The central research …

The Impact Of Collaborative Analysis Of Student Work On Student Achievement Among Third Graders In The Area Of Writing: An Action Research Study, Jami A. Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Georgia Writing Assessment scores revealed that there were third grade students at an elementary school in rural Southeast Georgia struggling to meet the state standards. This pre-experimental, action research study examined the impact of collaborative analysis of student work on student achievement among third graders in the area of writing through a one-group pretest-posttest design. The pretest phase of this quantitative study was comprised of the collection of scored student writing samples followed by professional development training for teacher participants on collaborative analysis of student work. The posttest phase of the study included the collection of scored student writing samples. …

Effects Of Mentoring Preservice Teachers On Inservice Teachers In Professional Development School Environments, Marianne Pratschler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Colleges and universities collaborte with P-12 public schools in professional development school (PDS) partnerships to improve teacher training, provide professional development for inservice teachers, improve student achievement, and promote action research. Most research has been done on advantages for preservice teachers and for students in classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand inservice teachers' mentoring experiences in order for a local college to support and enrich the professional lives of inservice teachers. Research questions addressed inservice teachers' perceptions regarding mentoring interactions, effects on their own classroom practices, and professional growth. The purposeful sample was comprised of …

The Relationship Between Vocabulary Development, Low Socioeconomic Status, And Teacher Discourse, Amy M. Pritts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary students from low socioeconomic households often begin and remain behind other socioeconomic groups in vocabulary knowledge. Many reasons for this gap, including cognitive, environmental, and educational, have been researched. The current study examined the relationship between vocabulary knowledge, socioeconomic status, and type of teacher discourse within an early elementary setting not yet explored within the research. This concurrent mixed-method research study investigated this relationship using study groups, taped classroom lessons, and the DIBELS word use fluency assessment measure. Interpretative analysis was used for the qualitative data, and correlational analysis was used to determine relationships between the discourse types and …

The Impact Of Looping On Academic And Social Experiences Of Middle School Students, Brad S. Gregory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Georgia school districts have been concerned with the social and academic outcomes of looping middle school students. School district administrators need research-based findings to determine the effectiveness of middle school looping programs which place middle school students and teacher(s) together for 2 or more consecutive years. The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze standardized testing data and perceptions of 240 middle school students. This study was grounded in the social development theory as it pertains to the academic and social outcomes of adolescent middle school students. The research questions for this study focused on social experiences, conduct, and …

Nsu Fischler School Of Education And Human Services Undergraduate Education [2009], Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

Nsu Fischler School Of Education And Human Services Teacher Education [2009], Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.