Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Our Academic Sandbox: Scholarly Identities Shaped Through Play, Tantrums, Building Castles, And Rebuffing Backyard Bullies, Denise Mcdonald, Cheryl Craig, Carrie Markello, Michele Kahn

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents four teacher educators’ stories that explore their scholarly identity development through an Academic Sandbox metaphor where Play, Tantrums, Building Castles, and Rebuffing Backyard Bullies, serve as creative constructs for describing their experiences of triumphs and challenges in academia. The authors share how a professional learning community (Faculty Academy) functioned as the safe space for “participatory sense-making” (See De Jaegher & Di Paolo, 2007) where situated agency emerged and became strengthened through the telling of the teachers’ stories (Archer, 2003; Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Kligyte, 2011; McGann, 2014; McLean, Pasupathi, & Pals, 2007). Stories representative of each metaphorical …

Extending Wid To Train Mechanical Engineering Gtas To Evaluate Student Writing, Nancy Barr

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Publications

Beyond first-year composition, the typical undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum provides few opportunities to develop writing skills without a concerted effort by faculty to incorporate writing into their courses. One underutilized path for BSME students to strengthen those skills is the required sequence of laboratory courses, where students write several lab reports, evaluated by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), many of whom speak English as a second language. Historically, engineering GTAs have not been trained in evaluating student writing in a way that helps students improve their technical communication skills, a method known as formative assessment. Formative assessment can be a key …

Constructing Online Communities Of Practice, Marvin Cohen, Babette Moeller, Michelle Cerrone

Occasional Paper Series

The authors document the ways in which online communities of practice enable teachers to have meaningful conversations sharing practices and discussing the nuances of teaching math.

Creating Meaningful Learning Opportunities Online, Hafdís Guðjónsdóttir, Svanborg R. Jónsdóttir, Karen Rut Gísladóttir

Occasional Paper Series

This paper describe the ways in which the authors have used digital pedagogy to address the loneliness of the distance learner by making their online course more inclusive and interactive.

Activating Emotional & Analytic Engagement In Blended Learning: A Multicultural Teacher Education Example, Ramona Maile Cutri, Erin Feinauer Whiting, Stefinee E. Pinnegar

Occasional Paper Series

The authors share their experience in designing a blended multicultural education course that they hoped would increase the likelihood that the teachers they were educating would take up socially just dispositions. They examined their own learning using a critical friend relationship with a colleague experienced in developing technological responses that honor relational aspects of teacher education within a framework of sociocultural theory.

Teaching Science Teachers In An Online Context With A Constructivist Approach, Frederick W. Freking, Jenny D. Ingber

Occasional Paper Series

The authors discuss the development of an online STEM-based teacher education program, providing a template for the inclusion of constructivist practices, such as course activities and student teaching.

Preparing Teachers As Literacy Leaders In A Hybrid Classroom, Tamara Spencer

Occasional Paper Series

The author describes and analyzes how she developed a course (Literacy in the Elementary Grades) in hybrid format—50% online and 50% face-to-face teaching. First, she draws upon two overlapping frameworks in literacy studies—sociocultural theory and new literacy studies to describe the broader theoretical framework that grounds both the course design and the approach to literacy taken with the course. From there, the author provides a detailed analysis of the course, the objectives, overall content and assignments, and how she modified the course to be hybrid.

Statistical Analysis Of A Risk Factor In Finance And Environmental Models For Belize, Sherlene Enriquez-Savery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of the study are to review and evaluate four basic risk models that are commonly used in investment science; statistically investigate the risk factor in Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) that is used to reflect the safety of an investment decision in stocks; explore the statistical distribution of monthly precipitation in Belize and to forecast tourist arrivals using statistical time series modelling techniques.

The risk models are the Capital Asset Pricing Model (Sharpe-Linter Version), Capital Asset Pricing Model (Conditional Version), Arbitrage Pricing Theory, and Fama–French three-factor model adopted in empirical investigations of asset pricing. The underlying assumptions of …

An Analysis Of The Formal And Informal Professional Learning Practices Of Middle And High School Mathematics Teachers, Kelly Elizabeth Mccarthy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although there has been a substantial amount of research on the topic of teacher professional development, few studies adequately captured the types and frequency of formal and informal professional learning teachers undertake to improve as educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of activities middle and high school mathematics teachers engaged in to improve their abilities as educators, analyzed by the participants’ school setting, years of teaching experience, level of education, degree major, certificate type, and their school’s Title I status.

Teachers from two large school districts in Florida participated. The Teachers’ Opportunity to Learn (TOTL) …

Engaging Families To Focus On Intervention Strategies, Carol M. Trivette

ETSU Faculty Works

Young children with disabilities have better outcomes when their families are actively involved in supporting their child’s learning. This session will help Early Interventionists, private therapy providers, and other professionals working with young children with disabilities think about their interactions with the child's family and how those interactions strengthen a family’s ability to support their child’s learning.

In this 90 minute session participants will:

1. Learn about strategies to increase parent participation in their child’s Early Intervention home visits and/or therapy sessions
2. Explore possible strategies that can be used to engage a deployed parent in home visits and/or therapy sessions
3. Observe …

Professional Development For The Integration Of Engineering In High School Stem Classrooms, Jonathan E. Singer, Julia M. Ross, Yvette Jackson-Lee

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the U.S. is in transition. The recently published A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas as well as the Next Generation Science Standards are responsive to this call and clearly articulate a vision that includes engineering practices as key components. This shift presents significant challenges to school districts owing to a stark lack of research-based engineering-focused instructional materials and corresponding teacher professional development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a professional development program on high school STEM teachers’ ability to enact design-based …

Revisiting The Definition Of A Virtual Manipulative, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Johnna J. Bolyard

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

In 2002, Moyer, Bolyard and Spikell defined a virtual manipulative as an “an interactive, Web-based visual representation of a dynamic object that presents opportunities for constructing mathematical knowledge” (p. 373). The purpose of this chapter is to revisit, clarify and update the definition of a virtual manipulative. After clarifying what a virtual manipulative is and what it is not, we propose an updated definition for virtual manipulative: an interactive, technology-enabled visual representation of a dynamic mathematical object, including all of the programmable features that allow it to be manipulated, that presents opportunities for constructing mathematical knowledge. The chapter describes the …

Preservice Teachers Engaged In Professional Learning Community To Explore Critical Literacy, Vanessa Casciola

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As demographics change, our school populations are ever changing. Preservice teachers (PSTs) need to be aware of how to meet the needs of all of their future students. Teacher education programs have been charged with the duty of preparing these PSTs for the diverse school population they will encounter. This qualitative multiple case study focused on the influence of specific work with PSTs in the inquiry process within a learning community to make sense of critical literacy. The following research questions guided this study: (1) How do elementary PSTs engaged in practitioner inquiry make meaning of critical literacy instruction within …

Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Learning Through Practice: The Case Of Rudy, Theodore John Rupnow

Theses and Dissertations

In this study I investigated teachers’ learning through practice. Teachers learn in teacher preparation programs and in professional development, but the most personal learning occurs in practice. Teachers spend much of their time isolated from colleagues, participating in classroom communities instead of professional communities. If teacher educators want to understand the potential for learning in the space where teachers spend much of their time it is necessary to investigate the learning that is occurring in classroom practice. To pursue this end, I explored one secondary mathematics teacher’s learning in practice. I observed and video-recorded this teacher’s classroom practice for one …

Urban English Language Arts Teachers’ Stories Of Technology Use: A Narrative Inquiry, Bridget Abbas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Technology use in high-minority, low-income middle school ELA classrooms is defined by traditional instructional practices (Applebee & Langer, 2013; Attewell, 2001; Boser, 2013; Cuban, 2001; Lankshear & Knobel, 2008), barriers to access (O’Dwyer et al., 2005; Purcell et al., 2013; Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010), and inequalities in use (Banister & Reinhart, 2011; Beers, 2004; Gorski, 2009; Makinen, 2006; Powell, 2007; Reinhart et al., 2011; Dijk, 2003, 2006; Warschauer et al., 2004). This characterization, or grand narrative, of technology use is echoed and challenged by this narrative inquiry. Here the stories of two ELA teachers frequently using technology in instruction and …

Subtext Of Decisions: Literacy Practices In The Context Of Coding, Julia Hagge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I present findings from a qualitative case study of five early adolescents engaged in an online programming community. As a researcher, I was interested in how early adolescents designed digital media as they learned how to code within an online programming community known as Scratch. My research was guided by two questions: (1) What are the literacy practices and processes embedded in the design and collaboration of products created within an online programming community? (2) In what ways do participants make decisions in the design of their projects created in Scratch? The data collected for …

Making Room For Play: Preschool Center Choices, Hailey S. Morelos

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the learning center choices of preschool students who received special education services and preschool students who did not receive special education services in order to identify the preference of teacher-led vs. student-led learning centers. Both children who receive special education services and children who do not receive services displayed a wide range of choosing student led and teacher led centers. It is hypothesized that there will be a difference between the student led center vs. teacher led center between children who receive special education services and children who do not. The study …

Learning To Be Brave Within And Beyond Partnership, Anita Ntem

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Practicing Virtue In Teaching And Learning, Carola Binder

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Leaping And Landing In Brave Spaces, Clara Abbott

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Striving Toward A Space For Equity And Inclusion In Physics Classrooms, Kerstin Perez

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Belonging And Brave Space As Hope For Personal And Institutional Inclusion, Miriam Perez-Putnam

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Creating Brave Spaces Within And Through Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnerships, Alison Cook-Sather

Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

In The Service Of What? A Phenomenological Exploration Of African American High School Students' Self-Efficacy In Service Learning, Charemi A. Jones

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored how African American high school students from a large Midwestern city make meaning of their service learning experiences within the framework of mandated service learning participation required for high school graduation, and how their lived experiences inform their self-efficacy development. Scholars have previously posited, “student voice in service learning projects positively correlated with improved self-concept, political engagement, and tolerance” (Morgan and Streb, 2001). Within this context, voice is synonymous with students’ self- reflection.

One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted utilizing a pre-printed protocol consisting of open- ended questions designed to elicit authentic responses, allowing the voice of …

Calming End-Of-Year Stress, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

For many teachers and students, nearing the end of the school year can be a time of mixed feelings, sometimes including fear and anxiety. Students who walk through our doors with what Dr. John Seita and Dr. Larry Brendtro call "family privilege" look forward to time with friends and family, summer outings, and a freer schedule. These students are entering summer break "feeling felt and accepted" within their home environments. Their secure attachment with caregivers allows for expression, mistakes, and freedom to explore their self. Family privilege is defined as an invisible package of assets and pathways that provide us …

Undergraduates Crossing The Threshold: Assessing Library Interns Using The Framework, Carly Marino, Sarah Fay Phillips

Library Instruction West 2016

As librarians and educators we are committed to student learning as our highest goal. To be prepared for a competitive job market, undergraduate students benefit from the opportunity to produce work that is available and impactful to a global audience. Internships in libraries provide students an opportunity to work collaboratively with their peers and learn from multiple points of view. Using an internship program in Humboldt State University Library's Special Collections as a case study, we will explain how students construct meaning and knowledge as they create digital exhibits using the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. By engaging …

The Impact Of Collaboration On Clinical Practice In Teacher Education: A Pilot Study, Christina L. Wilcoxen

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

This article shares one university’s work with two metropolitan districts to support preservice teachers during clinical practice through the use of a common language. The pilot merged the concept of co-teaching and coaching to the clinical practice experience. The study was completed over a year’s time and connected preservice teachers’ last methods class placement to their clinical practice placement. Preservice teachers participating in this pilot were paired with a cooperating teacher for an entire year as opposed to a semester experience. Preliminary findings yielded a positive outcome.

Trail Guide For New Teachers: Working With Graduate Teaching Practicum Students In First-Year Writing, Sara M. Whitver

Library Instruction West 2016

Come hear how one instruction coordinator librarian used the writing across the disciplines tradition to move beyond inviting new writing teachers to participate in one-shot library instruction to developing deep and lasting teaching collaborations. By assigning reading homework and conducting freewriting exercises during visits to the practicum class, librarians can engage new teachers in critically examining the crossover between writing and information literacy during their first-year as writing instructors. By assuming this role of co-educator, librarians have the opportunity to help first-time writing teachers develop collaborative relationships with librarians early in their teaching experience in order to lay the groundwork …

Building Up Stem: An Analysis Of Teacher-Developed Engineering Design-Based Stem Integration Curricular Materials, Siddika Selcen Guzey, Tamara J. Moore, Michael Harwell

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Improving K–12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has a priority on numerous education reforms in the United States. To that end, developing and sustaining quality programs that focus on integrated STEM education is critical for educators. Successful implementation of any STEM program is related to the curriculum materials used. Educators increasingly recognize the challenge of finding quality curriculum materials for integrated STEM education. In this study, 48 teachers participated in a year-long professional development program on STEM integration, and they designed 20 new engineering design-based STEM curriculum units. Each STEM curriculum unit includes an engineering challenge in which …

Professional Development: Teacher As Learner For Differentiated Instruction, Marilyn L. Castellano

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study sought to investigate a sample of urban Catholic school teachers' perceptions of how an exploration of differentiated instruction through embedded professional development changed their traditional one-size-fits-all pedagogical practices to a model that addressed students diverse academic needs. Research studies provide evidence that a one-size-fits-all recipe of instruction continually fails to build students’ capacity to learn. Interviews are the primary source to elicit teachers' perceptions of changed pedagogical practices. In conjunction with classroom observations, a focus group formed to better understand the rationale for the principles of differentiated instruction, make sense of the practice, and determine if …