Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Art Play: Stories Of Engaging Families, Inspiring Learning, And Exploring Emotions, M. Susan Mcwilliams, Ashley Brailsford Vaughns, Anne O'Hara, Loretta S. Novotny, Theodora Jo Kyle

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Collage is the ultimate playful technique . . . . When you put it all together, you create something new. It is really about trial and error . . . about trying things and making mistakes. It’s about forgiving yourself when you make mistakes, and playfulness lets you do that. —Hanoch Piven, “Living in a Playful Collage” Hanoch Piven, an internationally known collage-caricature artist, visited Omaha, Nebraska, to conduct arts-based workshops for families, teachers, and children. The workshops were organized by the Omaha Family Literacy Partnership (OFLP). The partnership promotes literacy learning among children and their families through community activities …

Secondary Social Studies Teachers' Experiences Implementing Common Core State Literacy Standards, Krista Webb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of secondary social studies teachers who implemented Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in history/social studies, science and technical subjects in social studies courses requiring End of Course Tests at secondary schools in one suburban district in Georgia. Ten teachers of United States history and economics courses participated in this study. Data was collected through questionnaires, reflective online journaling, documents, individual interviews, and focus groups. Analysis was conducted using transcription, thematic coding, textural and structural descriptions, and a composite description of the essence of the …

A Phenomenological Study Of Inclusive Environments From The Perspective Of Rural Middle School General Education Teachers Of Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, James Barr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study explored the shared experience of rural middle school general education teachers of students diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in inclusive classrooms. The study began by examining related issues associated with inclusive environments. Data analysis was structured around phenomenological organizational methods: that there exists within the phenomenon a descriptive experience, and within that experience there are voids of possible explanation and interpretation. The research incorporated observations, interviews, and documents as forms of data collection. This inquiry sought to uncover the ways in which general education teachers who serve students diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disabilities find …

The Action – Reflection – Modelling (Arm) Pedagogical Approach For Teacher Education: A Malaysia-Uk Project, Joy Jarvis, Claire Dickerson, Kit Thomas, Sally Graham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article presents the Action – Reflection – Modelling (ARM) pedagogical approach for teacher education developed during a Malaysia-UK collaborative project to construct a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree programme in Primary Mathematics, with English and Health and Physical Education as minor subjects. The degree programme was written collaboratively by teacher educators in two Institutes of Teacher Education in Malaysia and in the University of Hertfordshire, UK, to meet the requirements for training Malaysian school teachers to teach in Malaysian schools. A cohort of 120 students studied the programme full-time over four years, graduating in 2010.

The three principles of …

Human Rights And History Education: An Australian Study, Nina Burridge, John Buchanan, Andrew Chodkiewicz

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The place of education for and about human rights within the school curriculum remains contested and this paper reports on the first national cross-sectoral investigation of its place in Australian curricula and more specifically in national and state History curriculum documents. Opportunities for the inclusion of human rights based studies were examined across school learning stages, taking into account explicit and implicit, compulsory or elective, as well as curricular and extra-curricular dimensions. Given the continued importance of History as a learning area there is a need to strengthen the available explicit and mandatory opportunities for students to learn about human …

Enhancing Understanding Of Teaching And The Profession Through School Innovation Rounds, Wendy Moran

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Currently, Australian teacher education programs include professional experiences as a means of enhancing preservice teacher understanding about teaching and the profession. The challenge the programs face is the lack of places available in schools and, at times, the unpredictable quality of the placements as some teachers are time-poor, are not good models of effective teaching practice, and/or lack the skills of articulating their practice. This paper briefly explores features of past models of professional experience before describing a new model that, as an inclusion in a range of field-based placements, addresses many of the challenges in teacher education today. Results …

Health And Physical Education And The Online Tertiary Environment At Two Universities: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceived ‘Readiness’ To Teach Hpe, Jennifer A. Mcmahon, Maree Dinan Thompson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In recent years in tertiary institutions in Australia, there has been a large increase of enrolments in Education courses delivered via an online/external mode. This has raised a number of concerns around the nexus of theory and practice and whether pre-service teachers feel ready to teach after completing Education study online. The purpose of this study is to examine pre-service teachers’ perceived readiness to teach Health and Physical Education (HPE) after engaging with the subject fully in an online tertiary environment. 26 pre-service teachers studying education online from two separate were involved in this study. Upon completion of the University …

Pre-Service Teachers’ Motivation In Using Digital Technology, Alexander S. Yeung, Eng Guan Tay, Chenri Hui, Jane Huiling Lin, Ee-Ling Low

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Digital technology (DT) has a significant role to play in modern education. This study examined motivational goals of student teachers in initial teacher education in Singapore and the influences of goals on their use of DT personally and in the classroom. The participants (N=312) responded to a survey about their motivational goals (learning vs. performance) and DT application (personal vs. classroom application). Results showed that personal use of DT, especially for younger teachers, was clearly more than classroom application. Females were found to have higher performance goal. Structural equation modelling found that learning goals were positively related to …

The Relationship Between Principal Leadership And Teacher Morale In The Elementary Schools In A Northwest Georgia School District, Daniel Webb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the difference between 2012 CRCT math sores based on principal leadership styles and teacher morale, as well as the relationship between teacher morale and 2012 CRCT math scores at each of the 12 elementary schools within a Northwest Georgia county school district. There is a gap in current research regarding the importance of teacher morale and principal leadership at the elementary level, and another gap exists in research that compares teacher morale and student success. Teacher morale was quantified through the use of the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire (PTO), principal leadership practices were quantified through the use of …

The Effects Of Teacher Experience On The Workplace Readiness Of High School Students, Katherine Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over the last decade attention has been placed on the emergent gap between education and the workplace. In response, school systems have provided instructional opportunities such as career pathways to better prepare students with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to be workplace ready. This dissertation sought to review two factors considered essential to this endeavor--teacher experience in business and industry and career and technical education (CTE). In doing so, this causal-comparative study examined 594 high school students in a northwest Georgia school district to see if there was a difference in the ACT WorkKeys® scores of students completing a …

The Sound Of Steam, Rodney Harshbarger, Denise Harshbarger

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This field note describes how teachers and students developed an integrated STEAM unit around sound. The project involved dynamic interactions between concepts in math, science, and music.

Musings From A Year Of Ste[A]M...How It Looks Walking Down The Path, Ruth Catchen

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This is a follow up article to one in the inaugural issue which describes the beginnings of implementing a STE[a]M curriculum in a school with a high at-risk student population. This article discusses the outcomes and the future after a year of STE[a]M.

Session E-4: Teach Students Robotics!, Pat Patankar

Professional Learning Day

In this session, we will discuss how to introduce your students to Robotics. We will talk about the programing environment, the hardware that is required, and the resources you'll need to get your program up and running. We will discuss how to acquire them. A number of them are free - and others can be obtained by the students themselves (in fact they may already have what they'll need!).

Session E-5: Scrumptious Science, Nicole Ross, Renee Anderson

Professional Learning Day

Have fun learning ways to explore science concepts through the use of food. Quick, easy "kitchen science" experiments will be utilized to highlight chemistry and biology concepts in school curricula. A focus on inquiry techniques, the active use of the scientific method, and experimental design will also be included.

Session D-1: Teaching The Indigenous Populations: Prejudice, Stereotyping And Popular Culture, Phyllis M. Henry

Professional Learning Day

This session is a nuts and bolts overview on how Native-Americans are portrayed in Hollywood, advertising and mascots on sports teams. Resources packets with primary sources and reading selections will be provided to all attendees as well as strategies to address the issues of cultural contributions, ethics, stereotypes and prejudice. Handouts will also include tribes indigenous to Illinois and how to incorporate into the Common Core Standards. There will be a free raffle of Native-American resource materials for teachers for their classroom use.

Session D-2: Reconstructing The West, Jean Kadel

Professional Learning Day

Why is the West left out of the Reconsruction unit? There are good reasons to include it. During the Civil War, the West was organized for statehood. The "Indian Question" became the "Indian Problem." Beginning with the First Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1851 and accelerating after Red Cloud's War in 1868, the "unceded" area of the northern plains previously set aside for traditional tribal life was replaced by new policies of well-meaning but forcible capitulation and assimilation. To facilitate the process, the West was organized into military districts or "departments". Although the US Army did not govern these directly, it …

Session D-1: Speed!, Elizabeth Martinez

Professional Learning Day

Varrrrooooooommmmmm!! This hour long session will be over before you know it as we explore the concept of average speed to investigate the use of inquiry to engage student interest and involve them in scientific practices. Attendees participate in an activity that offers a glimpse into the award-winning IMSA FUSION program, and develop ideas to apply the strategies in their own classrooms. Valid driver’s license required. (Just kidding!)

Session D-4: Teaching Quantum Mechanics, Peter Dong

Professional Learning Day

Quantum mechanics is a part of modern life, playing a major role in chemistry, computing, nanotechnology, cryptography, and even biology. Many students are fascinated by the principles of quantum mechanics - and wave-particle duality is now in the Next Generation Science Standards. This course will present a basic introduction to quantum mechanics, accessible to middle or high school students, that will give students a taste of how strange and wonderful the universe really is (while also meeting the new standard). Teachers will be given slides and materials so they can teach the lesson themselves.

Session F-2: Statistics And Probability For Middle-School Math Teachers: Addressing The Common Core, Karen Togliatti

Professional Learning Day

This presentation will focus on the Statistics and Probability Domain of the Common Core Mathematics Content Standards for grades 6 – 8. Discussion of the language of the standards and how this language translates into learning activities for students will be explored. Session participants will be coached on three inquiry-based lessons utilizing interdisciplinary topics for data collection. Additional take-home lessons will be provided as well at each grade level. Connections to the Math Practice Standards, ELA Standards for Science and Technical Subjects, and Next Generation Science Practice Standards will also be investigated.

Session F-3: Using Problem-Based Learning To Integrate Instruction In The Common Core In Math, Science, And Ela, Kathy Schmidt

Professional Learning Day

Problem-based learning (PBL) engages students in deep understanding through relevant, authentic problems. As students progress through the PBL process, they develop 21st Century knowledge, skills and dispositions in self-directed learning, critical thinking, problem-solving, innovative thinking, and collaboration while also meeting the 8 Mathematical Practices and 7 ELA College and Career Readiness descriptions from the Common Core Standards and the 8 Science and Engineering Practices from the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education. In this presentation, we will introduce participants to PBL and discuss how the PBL process integrates Common Core Standards and the Science and Engineering Practices in classroom instruction.

Session F-4: Modeling An Earthquake In Your Classroom, Brian Grublesky

Professional Learning Day

Teachers will model earthquakes using both technology and hands-on inquiry activities. Teachers will have a chance to engineer an “earthquake proof” building and use the engineering process to test and redesign their buildings before being tested on a shake table. We will also discuss how these activities connect not only to the Next Generation Science Standards, but the Common Core State Standards as well.

Keynote Address: New Frontiers In History Education, Ann Durkin

Professional Learning Day

Dr. Keating will bring Chicago history to life as she discusses her latest book “Rising up from Indian Country: The Battle of Fort Dearborn and the Birth of Chicago,” which was released last August to coincide with the bicentennial of the Battle of Fort Dearborn. She recounts the Battle of Fort Dearborn while situating it within the context of several wider histories that span the decades between the 1795 Treaty of Greenville, in which Native Americans gave up a square mile at the mouth of the Chicago River, and the 1833 Treaty of Chicago.

Session C-2: The Middle East In Transition: Questions For U.S. Policy, Steven Buenning

Professional Learning Day

Students explore alternatives for U.S. policy in the region through a newly-revised teaching unit (August 2013) developed by the Choices Program at Brown University. Students acquire knowledge and skills while engaging in a role-play involving four policy options.

Session C-3: From Ink Well To Digital: Innovative Technology In The Classroom, Eugene Tesdahl

Professional Learning Day

What do the National Archives of Canada, the Library of Congress, and the Illinois Council on History Education have in common? That’s right. They all offer rich primary documents just an I-pad tap away. Locating on-line primary documents is only the beginning. In “From ink Well to Digital,” Dr. Tesdahl will not only show attendees where to find useful digital resources online but will offer participants innovative activities to get their students using them.

Session B-3: So What More Is There For My Talented Stem Students?, Britta Mckenna

Professional Learning Day

Take a tour through IMSA STEM offerings for your talented students. Learn about the IMSA Kids Institute school year FunShops and summer camps, IMSA FUSION after-school program (grades 4-8), IMSA online offerings and new RISE course, Mentor Matching Engine, CoolHub STEM collaboration platform, and IMSA TALENT STEM entrepreneurship program for middle and high school students.

Session B-2: Build Student Engagement, Mental Math, And Reasoning With "Math Talks", Sendhil Revuluri

Professional Learning Day

"Math talks" are quick routines that you can implement in your classroom within days. They can raise engagement, build efficient, accurate, and flexible mental math strategies, and help students construct arguments and critique reasoning. We will engage in math talks, analyzing how they can be enacted in the classroom and designed for specific goals or respond to specific misconceptions. Participants will learn about math talks that support understanding of number, algebra, and other domains.

Session B-1: Geometry In Art & Architecture, Julie Dowling

Professional Learning Day

Math is all around us! Discover how to implement geometry lessons using art and architecture that the students see around them every day.

Session B-5: Planetary Science And The Ngss, Eric Hawker

Professional Learning Day

The goal of this session is to use what we understand about other planets and moons in our Solar System in order to get a better understanding of the Earth.

Session B-1: "The Bloody Massacre" -- Whodunnit?, Spiro Bolos, Anne Twadell

Professional Learning Day

Although this activity/project was conceived (originally) for a Special Education section of US History, it can be adapted to any level of students, including honors. Using materials from a primary source reader, I will present a pair of activities which evaluate both textual and visual literacy by having students interpret a single historical event: the Boston “Massacre”. Students are assigned roles based on eyewitness court testimony from the trial of Captain Thomas Preston. After student oral presentations, the same students contribute to and help create a single shared visual presentation, utilizing quotes from the oral presentation.

Session A-3: Personalized Learning With Ementoring, Carl Heine, Jacki Naughton

Professional Learning Day

Discover effective ways to bring together high school students and mentors for personalized distance learning and research in STEM with teacher supervision. This session explores how schools, higher education and businesses use the Mentor Matching Engine, a free resource developed by IMSA, the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition and Northwestern University. Finding mentors for your students has never been easier.