Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Using Data, Conversations And Observations For School Improvement, Kathryn Moyle

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

Conversations and observations about school-based data and individual improvements in classroom practices can form some of the more powerful parts of a school’s overall approach to professional learning deliberately aimed at gaining improvements. The success of such strategies depends on the development of a school culture of trust, and the use of effective communication strategies. In this paper Professor Kathryn Moyle outlines the steps school leadership can take in establishing a basis for conversations and observations, conducting coaching and mentoring conversations and building a culture of trust. The focus in this paper is on the professional learning purposes of using …

Building Quality In Teaching And Teacher Education, Nan Bahr, Suzanne Mellor

Australian Education Review

AER 61 discusses the contemporary influences on initial teacher education, with particular attention to the notion of quality teaching, and the role of teacher education and teacher educators in the development of quality teachers. Section 1 introduces the key concept of ‘quality’ and explores the notion of quality in teaching. Section 2 reviews the context of education in Australia with discussion of the organisation and management of the educational systems, with particular attention to the different roles Federal and State/Territory governments play. Section 3 considers teaching as a profession by examining the nature of teachers’ work, working contexts and demands, …

Ceteal News, July/August 2016, Ceteal, Coastal Carolina University

CeTEAL Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Preparing Future Faculty Program (Pff) Program Annual Report, 2015-2016, Wie Yusuf

Career Pathways

It is the mission of the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program at Old Dominion University (ODU) to introduce graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to the diverse roles, the responsibilities, and the rewards of an academic career. In doing so, it focuses particularly on the teaching and service roles sometimes not included in doctoral training. Fundamental research skills, such as grant writing, publishing, and academic job searching, are also addressed.

The PFF program offers a ‘Preparing Future Faculty Certificate’ to graduate students who document completion of specific activities related to preparing for an academic career. Any ODU and NSU degree-seeking graduate …

Intersecting Asset-Based Service, Strengths, And Mentoring For Socially Responsible Leadership, Lindsay J. Hastings

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Grounded in a youth leadership and mentoring program, this chapter discusses the value of asset-based community development from the service-learning literature and the concept of generativity from the leadership development literature.

College students are frequently engaged in the community through local mentoring programs, as mentoring youth has become an increasingly popular service-learning pedagogical strategy among many higher-education institutions (Schmidt, Marks, & Derrico, 2004; Wells & Grabert, 2004). While many mentoring programs are designed to build resiliency in at-risk youth, mentoring has been identified as an effective practice in leadership development (Day, 2000; Dziczkowski, 2013).

This chapter will discuss the value …

Teacher Awareness Of Social Emotional Learning Standards And Strategies, Mary Reynolds

All Capstone Projects

This study investigated teacher knowledge and attitudes of both special education and general education teachers towards social emotional learning. A total of twenty-five certified special education teachers and twenty-five certified general education teachers were surveyed regarding their familiarity with the State of Illinois Social Emotional Learning Standards. Teachers’ perceptions of the competency of their higher education preparation and professional development to meet their students’ social emotional needs were solicited. The data gathered from this study suggests that universities should prepare teachers more adequately in the areas of social emotional learning. The data also supports that there is a need for …

Adapted Physical Education: Where Does It Stand?, Danielle M. Wilkins

All Capstone Projects

Sixty-six teachers were surveyed regarding adapted physical education. The three types of teachers surveyed were physical education, special education, and general education. The teachers' perceptions to the importance and necessity of adapted physical education were analyzed. The findings showed most physical education teachers felt training was inadequate in their preservice program, as well as in professional development to teach students with disabilities. Discussion of the results and implications for further research are provided.

Student Perceptions Of The Check-In/Check-Out Intervention, Kara Noland

All Capstone Projects

This study investigated student perceptions of the Check-In/Check-Out intervention. Twelve students, who participated in the Check-In/Check-Out intervention were surveyed regarding their opinions and understanding of procedures. The data gathered from this study suggests that educators should look closer at the implementation of Check-In/Check-Out as well as those students who are unresponsiveness to the intervention. Educational implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Using Atlas.Ti To Facilitate Data Analysis For A Systematic Review Of Leadership Competencies In The Completion Of A Doctoral Dissertation, John Kennedy Lewis

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

The author used ATLAS.ti to conduct a systematic review of the literature on leadership competencies in fields undergoing rapid change to complete his dissertation. Studies were imported to ATLAS.ti for first, second and third stage analysis which led to the creation of final themes and concepts. The use of ATLAS.ti for coding encouraged a cyclical and iterative approach to data analysis that would have been difficult to accomplish through note cards, word processing, or spreadsheet applications. ATLAS.ti assisted with using meta-ethnography as the means of synthesizing both qualitative and quantitative research. ATLAS.ti provided the ability to make chains of multiple …

A Study Of Home Emergent Literacy Experiences Of Young Latino English Learners, Guy Trainin, Stephanie Wessels, J. Ron Nelson, Patricia Vadasy

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

This empirical study explored the home environment literacy practices of young Latino English learners and their families. The participants were 217 incoming Kindergarten Latino EL students and parents. The data collection included a completed HLEQ by the parents. In addition, children were administered the PPVT, the pre- LAS, the PALS-K screening, the Woodcock Reading Mastery assessment, and the Wide Range Achievement test. All of the literacy assessments given to the children provided the researchers with comprehensive look at their literacy knowledge base. The results of this study indicate that there were two significant paths for students’ achievement: availability of books …

The Explorations Program: Benefits Of Single-Session, Research- Focused Classes For Students And Postdoctoral Instructors, Jeremy L. Hsu, Anna M. Wrona, Sarah E. Brownell, Waheeda Khalfan

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We present an update to Explorations, a program at Stanford University that allows undergraduates in an introductory biology course to explore specialized topics in the biological sciences while providing graduate students and postdoctoral scholars the unique opportunity to develop and teach single-session, research-focused classes. We provide an assessment of eight iterations of the program, using program attendance, student and instructor evaluations, senior exit surveys, course grades, and completion of undergraduate honors theses to assess the impact of our program on students and instructors. Students rated their experiences highly, and most reported that the program had a positive impact on their …

Examining Bridges Between Informal And Formal Learning Environments: A Sequential Mixed Method Design, Dagen L. Valentine

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this sequential mixed method study was to identify schools implementing a technology-based engineering design intervention in a way that connects or bridges formal learning environments of the school-day to informal learning environments such as afterschool programs. Further, this study investigated educators’ decisions that enabled or facilitated bridging between formal and informal learning environments. This cooperation and/or linking between informal and formal learning time is bridging. Participants included public schools (n=16) in Eastern Nebraska that incorporated the Nebraska Wearables Technology (WearTec) program at their school, club or Out-of-School-Time program during the 2015-2016 school year. Three of the schools …

Cultivating A Learner’S Stance For Engagement In Teacher-Inquiry: An Aim For Writing Pedagogy Education, Jessica Rivera-Mueller

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation argues that writing teacher educators (WTEs) can more purposefully advance their commitment to sponsoring inquiry-oriented teacher development by helping pre-service and practicing writing teachers examine how they are developing as inquirers. Building from scholarship in Composition and English Education and the findings from a narrative-based qualitative study that included four secondary and post-secondary teachers of writing, I have named this attention to how teachers learn and grow their inquiry processes a learner’s stance for engagement in teacher-inquiry. This stance is a readiness to see and engage professional work with an eye toward growing one’s ability to engage …

Transitioning From Elementary To Junior High: Action Research At Bark River-Harris School District, Jason B. Lockwood

All NMU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this action research was to identify factors related to attendance and academics that contribute to student failures and absenteeism in a rural school district. Comparing data between 2012-2013 through 2014-2015, the school district administration recognized a trend in failing grades and absenteeism in the middle school grades. Using a mixed methods design, data was collected from an on-line survey, focus group interviews, teacher interviews and student records. The seventh grade class of 57 students were recruited with twenty-four students participating. The key findings included both teacher behaviors and student behaviors which contributed to the trend in …

Transitioning Students From The Area Model To The Number Line Model When Developing Fraction Comparison Strategies, Joann Elaine Barnett

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In this study, 21 participants (control and treatment) were examined based on differences between their abilities to use a variety of strategies to compare fractions after considering the fractions' approximate positions on a number line. A pre-post test and interviews were conducted in Fall 2015 and Spring 2016. Results showed greater gains for the treatment group than the control group in their ability to correctly estimate a fractions' position on the number line and to count fractional intervals on the number line. Even after students in the treatment group developed the ability to correctly place fractions on a number line, …

A Descriptive Case Study Investigating The Perceptions Of Year-Round Education, Chelsea Nicole Wallace

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated potential perceptions of educators from a Southwest Missouri school district regarding a transition from a traditional school calendar to a year-round school structure. Through semi-structured interviews, reflective field notes, and researcher observations, this study descriptively interpreted data from nine individual interviews. Analysis provided a comprehensive review of the salient themes uncovered in hope of informing the affected district and those interested in current teacher perceptions of this educational change and acting as a catalyst for further dialogue surrounding the concept of year-round education. In this study, participating educators indicated their favor of year-round education as an …

The Impact Of Shortening A Long Survey On Response Rate And Response Quality, Daniel Stephen Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Many factors influence the response rate of a survey or questionnaire. The BYU alumni questionnaire was initially a lengthy survey with over 200 questions. After a short version of the questionnaire was created and administered, response rates appear to have increased substantially. Male respondents appear particularly more inclined to respond to the shortened version compared to the long version. The questionnaire is examined through various statistical analyses and compared between the short and long versions. Results are presented in the context of existing research on response rates and response quality.

A High School Biology Teacher's Development Through A New Teaching Assignment Coupled With Teacher-Led Professional Development, Lorien Young Francis

Theses and Dissertations

This self-study examined the learning that emerged from a change in teaching assignment coupled with self-initiated, teacher-led professional development in order to understand a high school science teacher's development as a teacher. The two participants in the study were the teacher/researcher, an experienced high school biology teacher who was taking up a new assignment teaching biotechnology, an advanced science course; and a first-year teacher assigned to teach biotechnology, who served as collaborator in the professional development and critical friend in the study. In order to uncover the teacher/researcher's learning and thinking, self-study of teaching practice methodology most clearly met the …

Teaching Students Struggling With Trauma: A Qualitative Investigation Of Impact Upon Curricular Goals, Michael Emmart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to understand the impact of childhood trauma upon curricular goals for elementary school teachers in the northeastern United States. A qualitative effort was employed in an effort to examine the lived experiences of teachers working with students affected by trauma. Data were collected from interviews with six female elementary school teachers (mean experience: 18.3 years) working within what might be characterized as a small urban district, with the interview transcripts analyzed according to processes provided by Moustakas (1994). All of those interviewed were able to identify numerous students within their classrooms (past …

Adjunct Faculty Perceptions On Professional Development Offered And Needed By Institution Type And Career Cluster, Mark Parrish

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the perceptions of adjunct faculty in higher education to gather their opinion on professional development that was offered and the professional development they feel is needed and whether institution type or career cluster was significant in determining their perception. This causal-comparative, quantitative research study utilized an online survey and included 220 adjuncts from within the United States. The study utilized one-way ANOVA to determine if there were statistically significant differences in means between the institution types and career clusters of adjunct faculty related to professional development offered and needed. It was found that there were statistically significant …

What Is Being Said About Historical Literacy In Literacy And Social Studies Journals: A Content Analysis, Kiera Beddes

Theses and Dissertations

The Common Core State Standards and the National Council for the Social Studies (C3 Framework) have recently prompted renewed emphasis on literacy, particularly in history, therefore it is important to analyze and compare what exactly the teacher educators of leading journals are saying about historical literacy. This study examines the literacy messages for the history classroom in The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Theory (JAAL) and Research in Social Education (TRSE) from 2010-2015. An emergent, qualitative content analysis was used to analyze data from these journals. Results from this study indicates definitions on historical literacy vary between journals, …

White Teachers’ Experiences Of Working With Black Students Within A Response To Intervention Framework: The Role Of Racialized Deficit Thinking, Sujay Sabnis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a data-based decision-making framework of service delivery that has the potential to improve educational outcomes for all students. Preliminary data appear to bolster this claim. However, it is as yet unclear whether RTI will be able to close the gap in educational outcomes that exists between students of different racial groups. Drawing on theories such as culture of policy (Stein, 2004) and deficit thinking (Valencia, 2010), this study explored the experiences of six White elementary teachers using RTI while working with Black students receiving Tier 2 or Tier 3 instructional supports. Using theoretically driven constant-comparative …

Alternative Assessment And Accountability: A Case Study Of Policy Reform And Teacher Practice At The District Level, Amy Lynn Abbott

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Deliberations on the topic of alternatives to standardized assessments spurred the 2014 Virginia General Assembly legislation (House Bill 930/Senate Bill 306) that removed five, end-of-year Virginia Standards of Learning tests from select elementary and middle school subjects and supplant them with alternative measures (Virginia Department of Education, 2014). In light of the reform, the purpose of this study was to develop a descriptive account of one large Virginia school district’s implementation of alternative, locally developed assessments designed as an intervention to enhance teaching and learning. Emphasis was on the impact of policy change in social studies practice to capture teachers’ …

Navigating The Waters Of Accreditation: Best Practices, Challenges, And Lessons Learned From One Institution, Tracey Covington Hasbun, Amanda M. Rudolph

Faculty Publications

In higher education, as many as 50% of educator preparation programs (EPPs) look to a national accreditation agency as one way to provide evidence of the rigor and quality of their programs. Although a large number of EPPs find value in the self-study and external review that come with the national accreditation process, the process itself can be daunting and time-consuming. Many look to the literature or to the accreditation experiences provided by other institutions as a means to assist their own accreditation journey. The purpose of this article is to discuss one regional, comprehensive EPP’s experiences with national accreditation, …

What About Writing?: A National Study Of Writing Instruction In Teacher Preparation Programs, Sherry Dismuke, Susan Martin

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores how writing instruction is taught to pre-service teachers across the US. Despite growing writing demands in K-12 classrooms, our national survey of literacy teacher educators revealed that colleges and universities rarely offer stand-alone writing instruction courses. Instead instructors are responsible for embedding writing instruction into their reading courses. Equally concerning, our data revealed a lack of confidence among many teacher educators regarding teaching writing. This study highlights the need for greater attention to writing in teacher education and adds to the conversation of why these issues continue to plague higher education.

Modes Of Mindfulness: Prophetic Critique And Integral Emergence, David Forbes

Publications and Research

As mindfulness becomes more secular and popular, there are more arguments about its purpose and use value. Because of its disparate uses, many proponents of any one side often talk past each other and miss their mark. This paper employs an integral meta-theory that accounts for subjective, inter-subjective, objective, interobjective, and developmental perspectives on mindfulness. This helps categorize modes of mindfulness in order to clarify their purposes and functions within a society characterized by neoliberal principles and structures. It adopts the standpoint of a prophetic critique similar to those critiques of McMindfulness and insists on the inseparability of both universal …

Straight Outta K-1: An Authoethnographic Analysis Of A Black Male Teacher's Experience Employing Hip Hop In A Kindergarten-First Grade Classroom, Anthony Broughton

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed the learning outcomes of a Black male kindergarten-first grade teacher’s usage of Hip Hop as an instructional approach using autoethnography as a method. The primary research question that guided this work was, “What can I learn from an examination of the experiences of Black male kindergarten/first grade teacher and students from a retroactive examination of the use of Hip Hop Pedagogy in a kindergarten/first grade classroom of African American children? Data sources for this study included of artifacts (electronic classroom portfolios, videos of classroom instruction, archived teaching evaluations, parents’ e-mails, student assessments, correspondence from administrators, lesson plans …

Faculty Perceptions Of Online Student Disruptive Behavior, Kenneth J. Posner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Limited research and literature address online student disruptive behavior and the effectiveness of conflict management strategies to address these inappropriate behaviors. Through expanded offerings of online education, higher education institutions need to prepare strategically and intentionally for increased instances of online student disruptive behavior. This research study developed and administered an online survey to obtain quantitative and qualitative data. Utilizing the Qualtrics Research Suite and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for quantitative data analysis and MAXQDA for coding the qualitative data this research study examined five research questions identifying online student disruptive behaviors, observed frequencies, and effective …

Belinda Moitt, Belinda Moitt, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

A native of the island of Antigua, Belinda Moitt immigrated to St. Thomas in 1961. After working for several years as a housekeeper and then in several restaurants, she was hired as a cook in the school lunch program.

Esther Izaak, Esther Izaak, Institute Of Child Nutrition. Child Nutrition Archives.

Oral History Project (all interviews)

Esther Izaak was born on the island of Montserrat, where she attended secondary school. She continued her education at the University of the Virgin Islands, as well as studying in the United Kingdom. After several years teaching, she accepted the position of the director of the School Food Authority for St. Thomas and St. John. She is now the training director for St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John.