Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Session C-2: Problem-Based Mathematics: You Reap What You Sow, Nicole Ross, Lindsey Herlehy

Professional Learning Day

Approach problem-based mathematics through a historical perspective! Join us to learn a fun, hands-on approach to examining the science behind crop rotation systems originally implemented during the Medieval Period. This activity requires students to mathematically evaluate the efficiency of a crop rotation system, strategically complete an integers-based crop puzzle, and evaluate crop yield and profit through data analysis. This activity integrates a variety of middle school mathematics concepts.

Session C-3: Epidemiology, Don Dosch, Crystal Randall

Professional Learning Day

Epidemiology, the study of factors influencing the spread of communicable disease, has become a broadly discussed topic given the recent Ebola virus outbreak in western Africa. Participants in this session will work in the lab to model epidemiology and examine the results through a simple ELISA assay. We will discuss how to use data to identify original patients. Further, we will look at some in-class activities that highlight some well-established case studies in epidemiology (NGSS ESS3.A and LS2.C).

Session C-1: Equilibrium, Deb Scarano, Anita White

Professional Learning Day

Find your balance in this hands-on lab session which will allow teachers to try out several simple lab activities that will enable students to better understand equilibrium.

Session A-1: Implementing Common Core In Middle School Math, Karen Togliatti

Professional Learning Day

This session will focus on implementing Common Core Middle-School Mathematics Standards using student-centered activities. Participants will receive three hands-on activities (one each at grades six, seven, and eight) to take back to their classrooms.

Session A-3: Indian Ocean Trade Basin: Global Trading And The Consequences Of Those Encounters, George Haldaman

Professional Learning Day

Using an interactive website at indianoceanhistory.org, we will examine how history can be more hands on for a time period and region students know very little about. This lesson can be used to explore and compare different time periods in history and are great for comparison and contrast as well as the continuity and change over time essays. The workshop will explore how global economies were developed and the consequences of those encounters.

Session A-1: Interpreting Cold War Origins: Past, Present, Future, Lee Eysturlid

Professional Learning Day

This session will enable attendees to teach the origins of the Cold War for the United States (and world) along with the evolution of American opinion on the topic. This fragmentation of historical opinion (left, right, center) will help attendees see the many possibilities of the topic. Teachers will leave ready to teach the topic.

#Handsonlearning: Lessons From Student "Takeover" Of Csb/Sju Social Media, Tiffany Clements, Kelly Berg

Forum Lectures

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, CSB and SJU communication students "took over" CSB/SJU institutional profiles on Instagram and Vine for six weeks in the spring of 2014. Students in the Communication Department's New Media Applications and Analysis course planned, prepared and shared photos and video for their assigned profile. Groups were responsible for setting goals for their takeover, creating a profile of a target audience and applying lessons learned about effective branding through visual communication.

In this presentation, Associate Professor Kelly Berg and CSB/SJU Social Media Specialist Tiffany Clements discuss learning outcomes from the collaboration and takeaways for future Communications and …

Accountability And Transformative Literacy, Kristin Williams

Theses and Dissertations

In a conceptual study of accountability measures and transformative teaching practices, this extensive literature review investigates the accountability measures in schools such as high-stakes tests and teacher evaluation methods. The study also examines how teachers and schools can meet obligations by federal mandates while still incorporating effective and critical literacy practices using democratic literacy frameworks and approaches toward democratic whole school reform.

Active Learning: Strategies That Help First Graders Transition And Build Literacy Skills, Kacey Weber

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research inquiry was to investigate what happens when first grade students that have not had the benefits of Preschool or Kindergarten education engage in active learning activities. The study was aimed at looking into how such activities can help with the transition into formal education, as well as with building the grounding literacy skills necessary for success in elementary education. The study was conducted in a first grade classroom with 31 students. The qualitative research paradigm was followed and data collected included student surveys, a Sociogram, student work, teacher observations, student interviews, and observational field notes. …

Four Reasons Why Pre-Service And Practicing Teachers Should Present At Professional Conferences, Jana Hunzicker, Teresa Biddison, Megan Hickey, Alyssa Mcclethen

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

During the Fall 2013 semester, two pre-service teachers, one practicing teacher, and a university professor from Peoria, Illinois presented a speed learning session at the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After disseminating information about an innovative classroom partnership, attending and presenting at the conference provided an authentic professional experience for the teacher-presenters. In addition to describing the background, travel planning process, and conference experience itself, this article offers four reasons why pre-service and practicing teachers should present at professional conferences: increased confidence and motivation, classroom applications, connections with fellow professionals, and reciprocal support.

Effects Of Culturally Relevant Teaching On Seventh Grade African American Students, Shawanna M. Paulk, James Martinez, Dawn T. Lambeth

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between culturally relevant teaching and science achievement in seventh grade African American students when compared to standards-based instruction. The study also examined whether the use of culturally relevant teaching improved students’ attitudes toward science, as well as their participation within the science classroom. The intervention was implemented over the course of eight weeks by using a unit test as a pretest and posttest, formative quizzes, a Science Attitude Survey, and field notes to analyze student performance. Although all participants made academic gains when comparing pretest and posttest results, the culturally …

Trust Me On This, Anita L. Bright

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

Successful completion of Algebra I is essential for all students in the United States, and is a high-stakes, gatekeeper course. However, a substantial proportion of students from marginalized groups do not gain access to Algebra I until much later in their academic careers than their middle-class, White, English-speaking, fully able peers. This is not only an issue of tracking individual students, but is also indicative of a more profound, institutionalized set of practices. Using a purposive sample, this research highlights the ways middle school mathematics teachers make tracking and student-placement decisions. Teachers in this qualitative research (n=10) reported a heavy …

Socioeconomic Status And Mathematics: A Critical Examination Of Mathematics Performance In Grades Three Through Eight By Mathematical Objective, Brandon L. Fox, Patricia J. Larke

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

This quantitative research study examined TAKS mathematics performance data across socioeconomic identifiers and found statistically significant differences were observable in grade three across all objectives between students’ not identified as economically disadvantaged and students’ receiving free meals. The highest number of quantifiable differences occurred between the mean scores of students’ identified as not economically disadvantaged scoring significantly higher on objective means than students’ receiving free meals or identified as other economically disadvantaged. After students’ move beyond the third grade, the number of statistically significant differences drastically reduces. By the eighth grade, statistical differences are difficult to locate. An examination of …

Effective Conversations About Literature In Esl, Andrea Ortiz-Soto

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how to facilitate effective conversations about shared texts in English as a Second Language lessons. Since effective instructional talk between students and teachers help English learners develop speaking and listening skills, as well as improve their understanding of written texts, students need lots of opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations about literature. In the course of this study, six bilingual students practiced to express and elaborate their ideas. They learned to ask their teacher and their peers inferential and critical questions, and respond to those in turn. They discussed stories as well …

A Case Study Of Teachers' In Professional Learning Communities In A Campus Preschool, Victoria Jacqueline Damjanovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this multi-case study was to describe and explain teacher learning within school contexts by exploring the nature of teachers' experiences in learning communities. This study explored the ways in which teachers participated in professional development sessions using the project approach as a framework for facilitating and engaging in professional learning communities by answering: What is the nature of teachers' experiences in inquiry-based professional learning communities? In what ways and under what conditions does documentation play a role in teacher learning? For data collection I used semi-structured interviews, audio recordings of professional development sessions, teacher documentation, teacher daily …

Raising The Standard: An Assessment Of Peer Collaboration As An Enhancer Of Speech Evaluation Fidelity, Terrell Kody Frey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the state of speech evaluation training in the basic communication course at Illinois State University. Specifically, a new type of pedagogy known as the "peer workshop" is integrated into the course as a potential supplement to the speech evaluation training procedures. Quantitative and qualitative methods reveal how the course has become engrained into the academic expectations of the student body and identify written peer feedback as a necessary focus of future training in the classroom. Specific theoretical and pedagogical implications, as well as limitations and future directions, are discussed in detail.

Working Together To Foster Candidate Success On The Edtpa, Barbara A. Burns, Julie J. Henry, Jeffrey R. Lindauer

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This action research study examined the effectiveness of one model for supporting candidates in their work in preparing and submitting their edTPA portfolios. Surveys of student teachers and their cooperating teachers were administered and analyzed to determine how the model impacted their experiences with the edTPA. This data can inform implementation efforts at other campuses.

Little By Little The Bird Builds Its Nest: First Steps In Cross Cultural Curriculum Training, Helene Arbouet Harte, Melissa M. Jones, Francis Wray

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

With the goal of raising awareness of child slavery and devastation of the natural environment in Haiti, while simultaneously supporting active teaching strategies, a team of educators collaborated to develop The Respecting Haiti curriculum. Following curriculum development representatives from the team facilitated training of the curriculum in Haiti. The process continues to evolve as participants work to build on strengths and use individual expertise to enhance our collective knowledge and develop an effective and authentic curriculum. This paper provides a brief overview of the development of the draft of a curriculum, and the experiences and lessons learned from the team …

Increasing Effective Service And Support For Students On The Autism Spectrum, Jacquelyn Urbani, Billye Brown, Colleen Arnold

Collected Faculty Scholarship

From a campus workshop focusing on how faculty can more effectively work with students with autism.

Language Development In Kindergarten Students Using Melodic Learning, Tara Hart

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate a non-traditional method of enhancing language through the use of songs, chants, and rhymes. To investigate this, data was systematically collected and then analyzed in order to determine the specific benefits on the development of oral and written language from the use of these strategies. Prior to the study, each student was assessed using the second edition of the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2). Using the Word Analysis assessment, they were tested on their ability to identify uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, rhyme, determine initial sounds of words, and read sight …

Using Echo Reading And Tracking Simultaneously During Small Group Read Alouds With Preschool Children, Erica Knoll

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to observe what skills, social and academic, are positively affected when echo reading and tracking print were incorporated simultaneously into small groups read alouds with preschool children. A group of four preschool students participated, each of varying levels and abilities. The students took turns echo reading a line of print while pointing to the words at the same time. The techniques were used one day per week over the course of four weeks. Each week, a different book was used and paired with two extension activities. Data collection included anecdotal note record sheets, behavioral …

Writer's Workshop: The Results When Ipads Are Used By Kindergarten Students, Ashley Dickol

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine what happens when kindergarten students use iPads during writer's workshop. The iPad was used on a daily basis to help determine what students were capable of when using this tool. Additionally, a series of mini lessons were used to teach various writing skill and traits. Qualitative inquiry strategies such as surveys, student interviews, and observations recorded in my teacher research journal were used to collect data. Upon analyzing the data, the factors that most affected data in this study were related to using new technologies, multiple modes of writing, and attitudes …

Learning Preferences Of Commercial Fishermen, Robert W. Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study surveyed 435 commercial fishermen across eight coastal regions of the United States where commercial fishing takes place. The regions of the study included: Northeast Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Southern Pacific, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. Participants were asked to complete the Commercial Fishing Worker Survey (CFWS), which is a survey instrument consisting of an approved, adapted version of the Index of Learning Styles instrument (ILS) combined with a demographic section which included questions designed to obtain data regarding the four variables of the study: age, education level, captain's license status, and method of fishing. …

Beth Hanna, Beth Hanna, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Beth Hanna, PhD, RD, LD, SNS, is a registered dietician who received her PhD in Food and Lodging Management from Iowa State University.

Her work experience includes serving as Director of Nutrition Services for West Des Moines Community Schools where she managed all aspects of the school nutrition program in compliance with federal and state regulations.

Dr. Hanna also served as an instructor with Iowa State University and a consultant for the Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Food and Nutrition. She reviewed child nutrition programs and offered specialized support in equipment layout and design.

In addition to being a …

Raising The Bar: The Stories Of Ged Graduates Transitioning To Community College, David Weatherspoon

Theses and Dissertations

RAISING THE BAR: THE STORIES OF GED GRADUATES

TRANSITIONING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

David Weatherspoon

216 Pages January 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the educational stories of GED graduates' pursuit of a college degree. The analysis captures the shared experiences of a select number of students' challenges and barriers during their transition to college. This research explores the links between the concepts of social and cultural capital and locus of control (behavior) by examining how these concepts are logically interrelated. The students were purposefully selected to participate based on their involvement in the community college GED transition …

Sjsu Erfa Board Minutes, February 2, 2015, San Jose State University, Emeritus And Retired Faculty Association

SJSU ERFA Minutes

SJSU ERFA Executive Board Minutes

February 2, 2015

Incentivizing Your Class: The Engagement-Based Classroom Management Model, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

When I think of our most struggling and distracted students, I see how social pain and rejection often hijack their ability to be academically focused and successful. Optimal school performance requires positive emotional connections with those students that we want to prosper while feeling capable and competent.

When students and teachers feel this connection, we are all responding from the higher cortical regions of the brain, and our dopamine reward centers are activated by these feelings, these positive emotions. Our interactions with students are intimately connected with our own feelings and agendas. When our efforts in the classroom meet with …

Evidence-Based Teaching And Learning: Putting The Results Of Psychological Research To Work In Our Classrooms, Sarah Grison

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Workshops

If our pedagogical solutions are based on research they will have a high impact on student learning! Using evidence-based teaching methods will help student read and comprehend text, engage students in the classroom and with course materials, and improve student performance on tests. Methods addressed include assigning reading activities, repeated testing, and student response systems.

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, University College

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Comprehensive Individualized Curriculum And Instructional Design, Samuel Sennott, Sheldon Loman, Kristy Lee Park, Luis F. Pérez, Michael J. Kennedy, John Romig, Wendy J. Rodgers

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This online textbook addresses the population of individuals with disabilities that experience complex lifelong needs across multiple areas in their lives. Drs. Sennott and Loman drafted this book (along with the help from some friends) with the hope of providing pertinent, practical, and current resources to future special educators who plan to serve individuals with complex disabilities.

Chapter 1: Guiding Principles for Developing Comprehensive and Meaningful Instruction for Individuals with Complex Needs by Sheldon L. Loman, provides readers with practical resources to develop their repertoire of tools for designing supports for individuals with significant needs.

Chapter 2: Naturalistic …