Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Voices From On High: Rhetorical Education In A Jewish Women's Writing Center, Andrea Rosso Efthymiou

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This ethnographic dissertation looks at how the mission statement at one institution of higher education--Yeshiva University (YU)--establishes rhetorical education for its undergraduate students. The research site for this study of rhetorical education and institutional mission is the college writing center at YU's women's campus, Stern College for Women. This study defines rhetorical education as the way an institution authorizes written, spoken, and behavioral communication, with the goal of developing its students as civic beings, through its institutional mission. My findings demonstrate how undergraduate writing tutors disidentify with institutional rhetorical education to subvert, resist, and revise institutional rhetorical education, offering alternatives …

The Effects Of Morpho-Phonemic And Whole Word Instruction On The Literacy Skills Of Adult Struggling Readers, Susan Gray

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study investigated the effects of two kinds of word study on the literacy skills of 34 adult struggling readers. Young adults seeking high school equivalency diplomas were randomly assigned to intensive individual tutoring, two hours once a week for four weeks, in either morpho-phonemic or whole word study to learn academic vocabulary from a civics curriculum. Participants were African American and Latino adults in secondary education who had learned English either as their native language or as their second language in early childhood. Those given morpho-phonemic instruction analyzed Latin and Greek word origins, parsed morpheme and syllable structures, and …

Opportunities For Play-Based Experiences In Post "No Child Left Behind" Kindergarten Classrooms: The Role Of Training, Resources, And Accountability Pressures In Meeting Best Practices, Cristina Medellin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB), opportunities for play-based experiences in classrooms have been challenged over the past decade. Despite research demonstrating the educational benefits of child driven play, teachers and schools have been pressured to focus on improving children's success on standardized assessments which may not relate to the developmental achievements expected from activity based experiences. To explore teachers' response to the tension between assessment driven mandates and best early childhood practices, this study investigated which factors influence teacher practices and values. Specifically, how do teacher training and classroom resources influence teachers' values about the appropriateness of …

Temperament And Preschool Children’S Peer Interactions, Ibrahim H. Acar, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Victoria J. Molfese, Julia C. Torquati, Amanda Prokasky

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Research Findings: The current study is an examination of children’s temperament as a predictor of their interactions with peers in preschool, with a particular focus on children’s regulatory temperament characteristics (i.e., inhibitory control and attentional focusing) as moderators of associations between shyness and interactions with peers. Participants were 40 children (19 boys) ages 3 to 5 years enrolled in 8 different preschools in a midwestern city in the United States. Temperament was assessed via parent report when children were approximately 3 years old, and peer interactions were assessed via observations of children during the preschool day (using the Individualized Classroom …

He's Sarcastic And She's Caring: Students' Stereotypes Of The Typical Male And Female Professor, Pamela L. Bacon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Gender stereotypes are prescriptive. For example, if people have a stereotype that women are warm and caring, then they also tend to have a societal prescription that women should be warm and caring. When an individual fails to fulfill a gender prescription, he or she may face social punishment. For example, if a woman is cold and uncaring, then she might be judged more harshly than a man who is cold and uncaring because the woman is violating the gender prescription but the man is not. Research on gender stereotypes suggests that students' perceptions of the best and worst college …

Elementary Teacher Education Program- Vital Statistics, Guy Trainin, Mary Masur

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

This inforgraphic presents data about the students in UNL's Elmentary Teacher Education Program based on data from Academic Year 2013-2014.

Vehicles On The Road To Reform, Julie Thomas, Sandra B. Cooper

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Though elementary teacher educators introduce new, reform‐based strategies in science and mathematics methods courses, researchers wondered how novices negotiate reform strategies once they enter the elementary school culture. Given that the extent of parents’ and veteran teachers’ influence on novice teachers is largely unknown, this grounded theory study explored parents’ and teachers’ expectations of children’s optimal science and mathematics learning in the current era of reform. Data consisted of semi‐structured, open‐ended interviews with novice teachers (n=20), veteran teachers (n=9), and parents (n=28). Researchers followed three stages of coding procedures to develop a logic model connecting participants’ discrete designations of the …

Information Literacy In The “Pathway To Success”, Sharon A. Weiner

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation explored how information literacy contributes to college student success. Examples of how other universities address information literacy illustrated practical and effective strategies. Finally, the speaker suggested ways that information literacy could support strategic initiatives at Indiana State.

A Glimpse Into Secondary Students’ Understanding Of Functions, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Gwyneth Hughes, Robert Ely

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this article we examine how secondary school students think about functional relationships. More specifically, we examined seven students’ intuitive knowledge in regards to representing two real-world situations with functions. We found students do not tend to represent functional relationships with coordinate graphs even though they are able to do so. Instead, these students tend to represent the physical characteristics of the situation. In addition, we discovered that middleschool students had sophisticated ideas of dependency and covariance. All the students were able to use their models of the situation to generalize and make predictions. These findings suggest that secondary students …

Delivering The Parent-Implemented Communication Strategies ( Pics ) Intervention Using Distance Training And Coaching With A Father And His Child Who Is Hard Of Hearing, Marc Daczewitz

Theses and Dissertations

Many children with disabilities (i.e., deaf/hard of hearing; DHH) experience language delays (Sarant, Holt, Dowell, Rickards, & Blamey, 2009). Parents of children who are DHH can mediate their children's language delays with responsive communication (Guralnick, 2011; Pressman, Pipp-Siegel, & Yoshinaga-Itano, 1999; Warren & Brady, 2007). This study is a partial replication of the Parent-Implemented Communication Strategies (PiCS) Project (Meadan, Angell, Stoner, & Daczewitz, 2014). The PiCS project was implemented with 11 parents and their children with various disabilities (e.g., Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder). These parents were trained and coached to use naturalistic teaching strategies (i.e., environmental arrangement, modeling, mand-model, …

Muslim Immigrant Children In The United States: Practical Suggestions For Teachers, Shamah Md-Yunus

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Immigrant children from Muslim communities come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and speak 60 different languages. Some of their religious beliefs, values, and practices have created issues and challenges for Western society. This article provides basic information about Muslim and Islamic practices, issues, and challenges Muslim immigrant children face in schools and offers some suggestions for teachers on how to accommodate Muslim immigrants in the United States.

Muslim Immigrant Children In The United States: Practical Suggestions For Teachers, Shamah Md-Yunus

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Immigrant children from Muslim communities come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and speak 60 different languages. Some of their religious beliefs, values, and practices have created issues and challenges for Western society. This article provides basic information about Muslim and Islamic practices, issues, and challenges Muslim immigrant children face in schools and offers some suggestions for teachers on how to accommodate Muslim immigrants in the United States.

Blogging In Response To Literature: Reading, Writing, And Thinking Through The Digital Medium, Patrice Steller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research inquiry was to investigate what happens when eighth grade students participate in an online classroom blog in response to literature assigned for their English class. The study was conducted in an eighth grade classroom and involved 37 students. The qualitative research paradigm was followed and data collected included student surveys, blog writing samples, classroom writing samples, and observational field notes. Blog posts were analyzed to ascertain their impact on students' levels of thinking through writing. Blogging habits and topics were examined to determine impact of blogging on student interest in reading and writing and quality …

I Want To Read Because...Reading Motivation In A First Grade Classroom, Laurie Ann Powell

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine what makes first grade students motivated to read, which best practices motivated first graders to read, and can first graders say what motivates them to read. The study lasted for thirteen days and all instruction was based on a goal-oriented weather unit. The study was divided into five phases. Each of the first four phases lasted for three days and during each phase a different best practice was put into place. The best practices were student choice, hands-on activities, the use of high interest texts, and peer collaboration. On the final day …

Reflections On My White Privilege And Understanding It: Thoughts From A Teacher Educator, Todd Sloan Cherner

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

The topic of White Privilege continually appears in a variety of contexts. As one of those contexts is teacher education, the author reflects on how he came to understand his White Privilege in this article. To frame his reflection, the author first unpacks the term “White Privilege” by drawing from other scholarly works and then explains how he came to understand its meaning. The author put forward his reflections as a way of sharing his experiences, in hopes they may help other White educators become aware of their own White Privilege and begin living socially conscious lives.

Community Teachers And The Preparation Of Special Education Teachers: A Case Study, John Delport, Christopher Daikos

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

The current context of special education classrooms across America is that of an increasing demographic complexity. There is a disproportionate representation of historically marginalized groups (HMGs) in special education that (re)emphasizes a disconnect between those students, their families, and schools. Coupled with a predominantly White middle-class teaching force not being prepared to effectively teach these students, it furthers the marginalization of HMG special education students. Using a feminist-standpoint theoretical framework, the authors put forward a rationale for special education teacher preparation programs to partner with community teachers working in community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve HMGs. The authors contend that this …

A Case For Community-Based Teacher Education: The Critical Space Between Social Justice-Oriented Teaching And Learning, Jacob Hackett, Ayinde Summers, Tony Coppage, Mecca Handy

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

A case-study analysis is used to examine the relationship between community partners and in-service public high school teachers who co-constructed a culturally responsive informal learning experience. An analysis of a summer literacy and character development camp for adolescent males of color provides a supportive argument for developing the Community-Based Teacher (Murrell, 2001). Culturally responsive informal learning experiences of public school students are the centerpiece of this case study as well as the shared experiential education instruction provided by community partners. Implications for teacher education programs, both traditional and Alternative Routes to Certification (ARCs) that purport mission statements integrating social justice …

Min-Lin Lo Tssa Winter 2015, Min-Lin Lo

Teaching Skills Study Awards (TSSA) Reports

Enhances faculty's teaching by attending a conference devoted to university teaching, a high-impact practice, evidence-based practice or a newly developing teaching practice.

Energy And Calm: Brain Breaks And Focused-Attention Practices, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

When presented with new material, standards, and complicated topics, we need to be focused and calm as we approach our assignments. We can use brain breaks and focused-attention practices to positively impact our emotional states and learning. They refocus our neural circuitry with either stimulating or quieting practices that generate increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, where problem solving and emotional regulation occur.

Education For Compassionate Leadership, Paul Woodruff

Brigham Young University-Public School Partnership Occasional Papers

No abstract provided.

Advocacy Blogging: Writing & Editing For The Public, Leah A. Zuidema

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Presentation given as part of a faculty workshop at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, on January 9, 2015, about advocay blogging which is based on a previously published article (available at http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/wte/vol3/iss1/10/).

The Processes Of Designing And Implementing Globally Networked Learning Environments And Their Implications On College Instructors’ Professional Learning: The Case Of Québec Cégeps, Olivier Bégin-Caouette, Yishin Khoo, Momina Afridi

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Abstract

This study describes the design and implementation processes of globally networked learning environments (GNLEs) in a college environment and discusses how these processes may contribute to instructors' professional learning. A thematic analysis was conducted on five interviews with instructors working in Quebec general and vocational colleges (CEGEPs). The design and implementation processes were mapped out using Fretchling's (2007) logic modeling basic components. Findings suggest that GNLEs in a college context take the form of joint lectures or joint activities. Instructors reported that designing and teaching within a GNLE had led to pedagogical, intercultural and technology-related learning; and that learning …

La Formation Initiale Des Enseignants Au Québec Et En Finlande : Une Étude Comparative, Adriana Morales Perlaza, Maurice Tardif

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Initiée dans les années 1980 aux États-Unis, la professionnalisation de l’enseignement constitue aujourd’hui un mouvement international (OCDE, 2005). Comment a-t-elle marqué les systèmes de formation initiale des enseignants finlandais et québécois? En Finlande, la formation initiale dure 5 ans, tandis qu’au Québec, elle est de 4 ans après deux années d’études postsecondaires au cégep. Dans les deux contextes, les enseignants ont donc 17 ans de scolarité totale. Mais au-delà de cette durée commune, qu’elles sont les similitudes et différences spécifiques entre les programmes de formation des enseignants en Finlande et au Québec? Afin de répondre à ces questions, cette recherche …

Principals' Leadership And Teachers' Motivation : A Study Of The Relationship In The School Reform Era, Charlotte Rognmoe Gilbar

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the relationship between principal leadership behaviors and the level of teacher motivation in a specific region of Virginia, within school divisions that have at least one elementary school designated as a focus school. This study will examine whether the relationship between leadership and motivation differs in elementary schools classified as focus, in-improvement and those with no designation as defined by the flexibility waiver received by Virginia Department of Education. Of particular interest are the specific principal behaviors within each leadership style that support increased levels of motivation in elementary teachers. This study was relevant because there were …

Impact On P-12 Student Learning: Perspectives From Multiple Stakeholders, Xiaoli Wen, Geri Chesner, Ayn Keneman, Arlene Borthwick

NCE Research Residencies

Statement of Research Problem

It is essential for teacher preparation programs to be able to track teacher candidates’ impact on P-12 student learning in school sites in order to fulfill accreditation requirements and measure candidate and program success. Additionally, it is critical for us to understand how candidates’ opportunities to impact P-12 student learning are influenced by their host school sites, including their classroom cooperating teachers. Therefore, we conducted an exploratory study to collect qualitative input from multiple stakeholders, including teacher candidates, cooperating teachers, and school. The perspectives collected in this study has helped our program, the college, and the …

The Threads They Follow: Bank Street Teachers In A Changing World, Linda Darling-Hammond, Ira Lit

Books

This report focuses on graduates of Bank Street College Graduate School of Education teacher certification programs, by examining the quality of their preparation, their teaching practices upon graduation, and the influence they have on their students’ learning. It also looks at the cumulative effects of school-wide practices at schools supportive of the Bank Street approach. The results conveyed here are based on the combined analyses of extensive surveys of graduates and employers; large-scale administrative data related to the impact of program graduates on pupil learning in New York City public schools; in-depth classroom and school observations; and interviews of graduates, …

Professional Learning Community: Thriving While Facing The Challenges Of Faculty Life Together, Deborah A. Sheehy, Heidi R. Bohler, Karen Richardson, Ann Marie Gallo

Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies Faculty Publications

Researchers have begun to focus attention on the participation of teacher educators in communities of practice (CoPs) and the role that participation plays in improving the quality of teacher education. This case study explores an inter-university CoP (sustained for over 10 years) that includes four faculty members at three universities, who work collaboratively on teacher education program development (e.g., accreditation), research, and service. This exploration is situated in the literature on CoPs, professional capital, and teacher educators’ involvement in CoPs. In this paper the evolution of this inter-university CoP and each CoP member’s personal meaning is shared. Key influences of …

A Case Study Of The Impact Of Pbis At Smith Elementary, Amber Halliburton

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine and assess the impact of a Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) program on student behaviors, academic environment, and the total school environment. The study examined and assessed the impact of PBIS on student suspensions, student attendance, and student interactions. Additionally, this study examined the impact of the academic achievement of students and teachers’ instructional delivery time. This study examined the school-wide rules and expectations, school safety, communication, and the school’s response to student positive behaviors. The study took place at a rural elementary school in western North Carolina. The school successfully completed implementation …

Reflections On Building An Ignatian Pedagogy Faculty Learning Community And Creating Possibilities For Ajcu Collaborations, Kimberly R. Connor

Public and Nonprofit Administration

During 2013-2014, the University of San Francisco’s Center for Teaching Excellence launched its first effort to support faculty learning communities (FLC), a professional development opportunity that brings together faculty engaging in an active, collaborative, yearlong program with a curriculum dedicated to enhancing teaching and learning. The Learning Communities Journal (http://celt.miamioh.edu/lcj/) presents the scholarship of teaching and learning devoted to these communities of practice and its editors trained inaugural facilitators at a two day conference. FLCs offer a relationship based (hence implicitly Ignatian) approach to solving problems and incubating ideas, including ideas on how to use Ignatian pedagogy to …

Improving The Mathematical Content Knowledge Of Pre-Service Middle School Teachers, Gregory Hine

Education Conference Papers

The tertiary training of pre-service teachers is pivotal in their professional preparation and formation as qualified educators. Multiple authors posit that teachers require a development of pedagogical content knowledge, or knowing a variety of ways to present mathematical content and to assist students to deepen their understanding (Chick, 2012; Shulman, 1987). Emerick, Hirsch and Berry (2003) argue that high quality teachers must possess appropriate mathematical content knowledge, and must also possess considerable background in communicating effectively to students. There are two aims of this educational research. The first is to investigate the self-perceptions of pre-service middle school teachers enrolled in …