Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Helping Faculty Build New Teaching And Learning Models, Pat Reid, Donalee Attardo

Teaching and Learning Technologies Presentations

For many years we have struggled with effective student learning. At Purdue we have implemented a program which supports faculty with course redesign targeted at student-centered teaching and learning. This presentation provides details on our approach and some preliminary reports of the successes we are seeing.

Toward Resonant, Imaginative Experiences In Ecological And Democratic Education. A Response To "Imagination And Experience: An Integrative Framework", Michael Derby, Sean Blenkinsop, John Telford, Laura Piersol, Michael Caulkins

Democracy & Education

In this response to Fettes's "Imagination and Experience," the authors further consider the varieties of educational experience that inspire ecological flourishing and a living democracy. The essential interconnectedness of encounter-driven and language-driven ways of knowing are explored with particular reference to the authors' involvement in a research project at an innovative elementary school in British Columbia, Canada.

A Call To Action: Why We Need More Practitioner Research. A Response To "A Teacher Educator Uses Action Research To Develop Culturally Conscious Curriculum Planners", Kimberly H. Campbell

Democracy & Education

As teacher-educators we need to embrace practitioner (action) research of our own classroom practice. Such research serves to improve our practice, inform the teaching profession, and serve as modeling for future teachers to become practitioner researchers in support of their efforts to meet the learning needs of the students with whom they work as well as have a voice in policy decisions that impact their professional lives.

Critical Democracy Audits. A Response To "Teacher, Researcher, And Accountability Discourses: Creating Space For Democratic Science Teaching Practices In Middle Schools", Kathleen Greene

Democracy & Education

Educators frequently claim that the projects in which they are involved are democratic. However, considering the multiple and often conflicting notions of democracy and democratic education, are there any shared understandings of what either of those notions means? Does the claim that a project is democratic carry with it any shared assumptions, commitments, or obligations? In this response, I extend the conversation started by the authors of that article by proposing a critical democracy audit of their education project, and I offer a preliminary collection of questions, developed from recent literature on democratic education, that might be considered for use …

A Teacher-Educator Uses Action Research To Develop Culturally Conscious Curriculum Planners, Muriel Simms

Democracy & Education

Experienced teachers need to have opportunities to discuss and plan curriculum in ways that meet the academic needs of a demographically changing student population. According to the experienced teachers in this study, these opportunities did not occur in their teaching environments or in their teacher preparation courses. Moreover, the literature on multicultural education supported the experienced teachers’ claims. To address the problem of the lack of opportunities to discuss and plan a multicultural curriculum, this teacher-educator used a self-study approach to experiment with action research as a way to change her own curriculum to be multiculturally based.

Teacher, Researcher, And Accountability Discourses: Creating Space For Democratic Science Teaching Practices In Middle Schools, Cory A. Buxton, Shakhnoza Kayumova, Martha Allexsaht-Snider

Democracy & Education

This study explores the role of competing discourses that shape current practices in U.S. schools and how professional development efforts can support teachers and researchers in finding ways to reinsert more democratic processes into their collaborative work. We examine the case of one research and professional development project with the goal of supporting middle school science and ESOL teachers in fostering more meaningful science learning for all their students but especially their English language learners. Using Gee’s notion of big-D discourses and Fairclough’s notion of interdiscursivity, we trace how the Discourse of accountability, the Discourse of science teaching, and the …

An Assessment Of The Needs Of Georgian Secondary Agricultural Educators, Jason Peake, Dennis W. Duncan, Brian Parr, John Ricketts, Jennifer Williams

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This purpose of this study was to determine the perception of secondary educators involved in Future Farmers of Georgia (FFG) schools throughout the country of Georgia concerning their needs for furthering the existing framework of agricultural education. The researchers used a modified focus group method to meet the aformentioned purpose of this study. The population for this study consisted of the high school agricultural education teachers and their administrators who were participating in the FFG Program (n=14). Qualitative data collected from the probe (first round) was used to generate a series of 46 statements. In the second round participants were …

Nefdc Conference Program, Fall 2013, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Conference Programs

New England Faculty Development Consortium

The Interactive Classroom: Collaboration and Learning in Higher Education

Conference Program

November 15, 2013

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Keynote address: Eric Mazur

A Study Of Stimulating Versus Non-Stimulating Visuals In A Preschool Classroom, Bolin R. Stephanie

Education Undergraduate Research

This was a qualitative research study with the purpose of examining characteristic and/or behavior changes in children ages two and a half to four based on stimulating and nonstimulating room décor. The data in this study was collected while observing twelve children at the Kiddie Kampus Daycare in Collegedale, Tennessee. Changes in mannerisms, behavior, character traits, and attention span were logged first in the typical, non-stimulating room, and then logged again using the same twelve children, in the same room, during another week of observation after the addition of visually stimulating decorations. Most children exhibited clear reactions to the visual …

Integrating Music Into Samoan Primary Schools: Teachers’ Perceptions And Potential Benefits, Jennifer Fortin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study explores the knowledge-base of teachers’ beliefs and practices of music integration in Samoan primary schools, as well as the potential benefits it provides for young developing minds. Current Samoan teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of music are analyzed in light of data proving these benefits in Primary Education. Children gain only as much as teachers incorporate. Social benefits include a more positive learning environment, improved attention and attitude, as well as inspiration and motivation, along with academic benefits of increased verbal memory, abstract reasoning and reading development. Data was collected through a series of interviews, surveying, observation and …

Integrating Instructional Technology Into A Teacher Education Program: A Three-Tiered Approach, Elizabeth Truesdell, Rebecca Birch

Collected Faculty Scholarship

This project description examines how a teacher education program integrated new instructional technology through the creation of a Technology Facilitator position in the department. The project proceeded through a three-tiered system of learning literacy to establish a knowledge base amongst faculty members, augmenting required courses to model the use of instructional technology, and finally the transformation of the credential program where the activity of learning can only be accomplished through leveraging technology. As a professional program housed in a liberal arts institution, this project combines aspects of the essential learning outcomes of the 21st century with the professional skills required …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 32, Fall 2013), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

The Challenges Of Implementing Best Practices: Implications For Teachers And Teacher Education, Jacquelyn Urbani

Education | Faculty Conference Presentations

One of the most challenging aspects of teacher education is translating theory and research into practice for emerging teachers. As teacher educators, we are responsible to stay abreast of research and articulate how to implement interventions and strategies within the classroom. This session will review how research intended to bring best practices to special education classrooms revealed significant gaps in both knowledge and practical experience in teacher education programs.

The study was undertaken to investigate a specific shared reading intervention, dialogic reading, for the purposes of addressing the unique needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students (hereafter DHH) in …

Ua64 Cebs Magazine: The College Of Education And Behavioral Sciences At Wku, Charles S. Evans Dean, Pam Pierce, Editor-In-Chief, Wku College Of Education & Behavioral Sciences

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Attending To The Act Of Reading: Critical Reading, Contemplative Reading, And Active Reading, Paul T. Corrigan

Selected Faculty Publications

How students read influences how they learn. In particular, in order for students to learn to read more deeply or on a /oig/oer level, they need to learn to read actively. While many scholars and teachers appear to take active reading for granted, possibly assuming students will come into such “study skills” on their own, I propose that we should make concerted efforts to help students understand and adopt such habits as underlining, writing comments in the margins, asking questions, rereading, and so forth. In this essay, I survey recent work on critical reading, contemplative reading, and active reading and …

A Primer For Mathematical Modeling, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

With the implementation of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recommendations and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, modeling has moved to the forefront of K-12 education. Modeling activities not only reinforce purposeful problem-solving skills, they also connect the mathematics students learn in school with the mathematics they will use outside of school. Instructors have found mathematical modeling difficult to teach. To successfully incorporate modeling activities I believe that curricular changes should be accompanied by professional development for curriculum developers, classroom teachers, and higher education professionals. This article serves as an introduction to modeling by …

Fostering Learner Self-Awareness In Adolescent Hispanic Esl Students, Tamara S. Morrill, Dr. J. Merrell Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Hispanics currently make up the largest minority in America, surpassing even African-Americans. And “Hispanics aged 14-19 are 50 percent less likely than non-Hispanics to complete high school.” As an aide at a high school in Provo, Utah, I developed an interest in and concern for the Hispanic high school students that I know and interact with daily. These students come from varied backgrounds, culturally and educationally. Their lack of English poses a challenge for all of them. But while some need only the ability to express their knowledge in the language of the dominant culture, others need to play catch-up …

Ell High School Students Of Mexican Ancestry: A Phenomenological Study Of Language Ideologies, Kristine Sudbeck

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

The formation of languages and dialects is frequently considered a social process (Gal & Irvine, 1995). As such, humans form their own ideologies about particular language varieties, placing values on certain ones in a given context more than others (Greenfield, 2010). The development of a person’s language ideology can be influenced by the profit of distinction, which Pierre Bourdieu (1984) describes as the “noted margin of difference for usefulness and prestige of a particular language” (p. 55). It is through the process of misrecognition (Bourdieu, 1984) that a particular language is “recognized as legitimate and appropriate for discourse in official …

Erasing Ethnocentrism: Analysis Of The District Of Columbia’S Coverage Of International Relations In Public High School Curriculum, Erin Robinson, Dr. J. Merrell Hanson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Although the study of international relations is essential to undermining racism and ensuring an economic edge, many scholars cite its deficiency in America’s public high schools. This analysis surveyed high schools in Washington, D.C. to evaluate their international relations topics coverage.

Understanding The International Student Experience, Ayse Begum Aydinol

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Although there are many international students in U.S. higher education institutions, they still experience problems related to social and academic life, as the international student experience is not adequately understood. This may be because of a general lack of awareness relating to the international experience, which can often increase the magnitude of the international students’ problems. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to provide an overview of the experiences of international students from their own perspectives. Six international graduate students were interviewed for approximately one hour in order to understand their stories in the U.S. Each participant’s story …

Inclusion: Problems And Potential Solutions In Mathematics Instruction, Lynnea Marie Salscheider

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was (1) to identify and describe the attitudes and beliefs of general and special education teachers about inclusion and (2) to identify significant recommendations based on teacher attitudes for improving the teaching of mathematics to special needs students using inclusion.

Differentiated Instruction In The High School Mathematics Classroom, Sherri Kruger

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The purpose of this research paper is to address the challenges of instruction within a classroom whose census is a diverse mixture of student mathematical abilities. The diverse ability of low and high achieving students all required to master the different strands of mathematics creates problems for instructors and students to stay engaged and actively moving forward deepening and widening their knowledge base. This paper will focus on differentiated lessons, assessments, and projects of a mathematics classroom in a public high school.

Connecting Multiculturalism, Sustainability, & Teacher Education: A Case For Linking Martin Luther King Streets & The Power Of Place, Charlane Starks

Benerd College Faculty Articles

In "The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America," Kozol (2005) asked a question that many educators and other education stakeholders still wonder about in regards to the educational progress for many urban school students in the United States, "What do we need to do to alter these realities?" (p. 215). Altering realities requires new questions and creatively connecting educational issues such as multiculturalism, education for a sustainable living, and teacher education in different ways. In this article author Charlane Starks ascribes an urban location to multiculturalism, sustainability, and teacher education to draw attention toward transforming …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions Of The Feedback They Receive And Their Teaching Efficacy In High-Performing Schools, Joshua D. St. John

Open Access Dissertations

As reform efforts are prescribed in every state through mandates and regulations in an effort to better prepare students to compete in a global economy, and as states like Indiana implement new evaluation plans for teachers based on a rigorous rubric and objective measures of student achievement, close attention to the ripple effects must be involved. While efforts such as professional learning communities and instructional coaches are aimed at building teacher capacity, maximum results can only be achieved when school leaders balance how they leverage their evaluative power while promoting these formative experiences. Absent in the drive for heightened accountability, …

Alternative Teacher Certification: Secondary School Principals' Perceptions In Indiana, Jane Corinne Newblom

Open Access Dissertations

As teacher recruitment intensifies to locate qualified teachers for our nation's classrooms, alternative teacher certification programs are becoming prevalent. Initially these programs were designed to attract professionals and college graduates to enter urban classrooms. However, what has occurred is that over 140 alternative certification programs are available to teacher candidates. Some of these programs are well designed with education courses and content area methodology along with pre-service teaching internships while others may not provide the opportunities for new teachers to be successful in their first years of teaching. This study investigated the perceptions of secondary school principals regarding the effectiveness …

The Effect On Cumulative Language Acquisition Increase For English Language Learner Students In Kindergarten Through Third Grade Who Attended Multiple Years Of Summer Remediation Programs, Gregory Anthony Baker

Open Access Dissertations

Baker, Gregory A. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2013. The Effect On Cumulative Language Acquisition Increase For English Language Learner Students In Kindergarten Through Third Grade Who Attended Multiple Years Of Summer Remediation Programs. Major Professor: Marilyn A. Hirth

Already academically at risk, students in the rapidly growing English Language Learner (ELL) student population in the United States face additional challenges due to regression of English language acquisition over the average ten-week agrarian summer break when they return to homes in which Spanish was the primary language spoken. While the influence of summer learning loss has been investigated in different contexts …

Examining Teachers' Perspectives On An Implementation Of Elementary Engineering Teacher Professional Development, Nikki Kim Boots

Open Access Dissertations

The emphasis on engaging young learners in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professions is driving calls for educational reform. One movement that is gaining momentum is exposing K-12 learners to engineering. With the advent of the Next Generation Science Standards (2012b), engineering is being more formally integrated into standards for the K-12 level. As a result, in-service elementary teachers will need to become familiar with the core concepts of engineering to effectively teach aspects of the subject in their classrooms. Elementary engineering teacher professional development (EETPD) has been identified as a method to disseminate engineering content knowledge to elementary …

Educational Standards, Teacher Preparation, And Metacognition Instruction For Elementary Students: Studies In Pre-College Engineering Education, Ronald Lee Carr

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is a compilation of three separate works representing a wide range of issues related to pre-college engineering. Each work addresses multiple levels of concern for educators from national policy to specific classroom intervention. Although presenting different styles of writing - due to different journals requirements - and various methods of research, all purpose to further research and instruction in pre-college engineering.

The research detailed in these papers has been inspired by the current STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education movement and in particular, by the National Academy of Engineering's leadership in promoting the integration of engineering into …

Incorporating The Aesthetic Dimension Into Pedagogy, R. Scott Webster, Melissa Wolfe

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

One of the dimensions of learning experiences, which is not often given much attention outside of the creative arts, is the aesthetic dimension. In this paper we report on a study we conducted which explores the importance of learning through aesthetic experiences as identified by Dewey. While there is literature available which engages with the significance of such experiences (Hinchliffe, 2011; Nakamura, 2009) there is little which explores the nexus between this and specific practices in classrooms. Through examining pedagogical practices and beliefs of some exemplary teachers (as identified by their community), our study uncovered some approaches which offer alternate …

Teacher Professional Learning In A Neoliberal Age: Audit, Professionalism And Identity, Nicole Mockler

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper examines the current shape of teacher professional learning, or in-service teacher education, in Australia. Increasingly, teacher professional learning is positioned as both a sure-fire solution to some of the intransigent educational problems of our time, as well as a policy problem in and of itself. In this paper I explore some of the dominant discourses surrounding teacher learning, such as those related to professional standards, teacher professionalism and teacher quality, which regard teacher learning predominantly as about skill acquisition and competency development. I argue that the civil society aspirations of the Melbourne Declaration will better be met by …