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Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 1, Issue 2, Usu Center For Innovative Design And Instruction

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Volume 1, Issue 2 of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, a publication of Utah State University focused on providing a forum for instructors in higher education to share best practices and ideas related to effective teaching.

Stalled At The Gate: Addressing Student Failure In A "Gateway" Course, Susan Rhoades Neel

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

This article is a case study of how student data can guide instructors in course redesign. A significant percentage of students enrolled in an American Civilization course did not successfully complete the course. An examination of ACT scores, GPAs, grades in math and English composition, reading tests, and assignment completion rates indicated that two key obstacles to student success were a lack of student engagement and a disparity between student reading capabilities and the required instructional materials. Following a change in the topical focus of the course, the addition of active learning projects, and supplemental aids to the textbook, course …

Engagement Across The Miles: Using Videoconferencing With Small Groups In Synchronous Distance Courses, Amy Piotrowski, Marla Robertson

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

This article presents suggestions for conducting small group work in synchronous distance courses taught using Interactive Videoconferencing (IVC) systems. One challenge of teaching over an IVC system is getting students involved in class activities. The authors share how they have used a videoconferencing tool to break up IVC classes into small groups for discussion activities and get peer feedback on written work. These activities engage students in applying what they are learning and constructing knowledge through discussion with their peers.

2x1. Uni Teacher Preparation: Iowa Principals’ Perceptions, Victoria Robinson, Mary Losch

Education Summit

In Fall 2015, UNI researchers, teacher educators and College of Education leaders met to design an in-depth interview process to help teacher educators better understand what Iowa principals believe is important for teachers to know, be able to do and be like. This study is an example of how educators in pK-12 settings and higher education are looking for ways to support relationships between educators at all levels. The results of this study provide a variety of principals’ current thoughts about what should be important features of teacher education programs. Seven major themes emerged: Pedagogy­­­­­; Content Knowledge; Relationships; Classroom Management; …

Sjsu Erfa Board Minutes, November 6, 2017, San Jose State University, Emeritus And Retired Faculty Association

SJSU ERFA Minutes

SJSU ERFA Executive Board Minutes

November 6, 2017

Teaching The Presidential Elections Using Media Literacy In The Ld Classroom, Jaclyn K. Siegel

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper examines how an educator at a school for students with learning disabilities (LD) used various types of media to engage her students, to develop their academic and executive functioning skills, and to heighten their awareness of media literacy and the 2012 and 2106 Presidential elections. Teacher-created curriculum materials and activities are provided that support students’ ability to analysis media coverage in the context of a special education history classroom. Both media literacy and academic skills were developed through activities that enabled students to find and select resources from their media use at home.

Digital Media Production To Support Literacy For Secondary Students With Diverse Learning Abilities, April Marie Leach

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Producing digital media is a hands-on, inquiry-based mindful process that naturally embeds Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into literacy instruction, providing options for learning and assessment for a wide array of students with diverse learning abilities. Video production learning experiences acknowledge the cognitive talents of some students labeled “disabled.” For some, the discovery of personal abilities activated when learning through the production process may motivate deeper learning. Although challenges of access, quality of teacher preparation and assessment strategies represent significant challenges, digital media production learning experiences offer diverse learners a rich, socially interactive environment that models open communication and …

Lexical Stress Features Affecting The Recognition Of English Loanwords In Korean By Native English Hearers, Yunhyun Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Unlike some Asian languages (e.g., Korean), English has lexical stress manifested by four acoustic features: duration, intensity, F0 (pitch), and vowel quality. Lexical stress has been known to have significant influences on native English speakers’ recognition of spoken words. According to Cutler (2015), lexical stress has both suprasegmental and segmental features: Suprasegmental features include duration, intensity, and F0 while vowel quality is considered a segmental feature. However, it is still unclear which lexical features are more responsible for spoken word recognition. This study examined which features, suprasegmental features or vowel quality of English, are a more significant influencer in spoken …

An Expert Instructor’S Use Of Social Congruence, Cognitive Congruence, And Expertise In An Online Case-Based Instructional Design Course, Sunnie Lee Watson, Adrie A. Koehler, Peggy Ertmer, Woori Kim, Rudy Rico

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

Promoting and sustaining effective discussion—that which contributes to learning—is a skill that eludes many instructors (Darling-Hammond, 2008; Ge, Yamashiro, & Lee, 2000). This study explored the role and strategies of an expert instructor in an online advanced instructional design (ID) course that utilized a case-based learning (CBL) approach. Discussion posts, as well as interview data, were analyzed and coded to explore how the instructor utilized three strategies noted as being critical to students’ learning during problem-centered discussions: social congruence, cognitive congruence, and content expertise (Schmidt & Moust, 1995; Yew & Yong, 2014). Results showed that facilitation choices were made with …

Do Seniors (50+) Know What Practices Are Appropriate In Physical Education, David C. Barney, Keven A. Prusak, Carol Wilkinson

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate senior (50+) adult’s knowledge of appropriate instructional practices (AIP) in physical education. This study is a continued line of studies assessing certain populations knowledge of AIP. Previous research has been conducted among Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) majors, parents, school administrators, elementary, middle school and high school students. For this study 372 senior adults were surveyed regarding their knowledge of AIP in PE. Surveys were distributed to the participants at the Huntsman Senior World Games. It was found that senior adults misidentified nine instructional practices from the survey. It was found that …

Does Any Good Come From A Coach That Yells? Reflective Experiences From Former Athletes, David C. Barney, Alema Tauiliili

Faculty Publications

Yelling in society is a common occurrence. Parents yell at their children, bosses yell at their employees and coaches yell at their athletes. Yet, in many cases the yelling coach exhibits unkind, loud in nature, and very personal statements. The purpose of this study was to better understand former athlete’s perspectives regarding their thoughts and experiences of their coaches yelling at them. For this study yelling will imply saying loud, unkind, personal comments towards the athlete. For this study 124 former athletes were surveyed regarding their experiences with a yelling coach. Generally, it was found that the former athletes did …

Problem-Based Learning Pedagogies In Teacher Education: The Case Of Botswana, Thenjiwe Major, Thalia M. Mulvihill Dr.

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

The development of primary school teachers is an important aspect of a country’s economic, social, and political well-being. The use of particular pedagogies in teacher education may greatly influence how teachers perform in their classrooms after completing their training programs. This micro-ethnography investigated the extent to which teacher educators in Botswana’s College of Education used problem-based learning (PBL) approaches in the development of preservice primary teachers. While the findings of this micro-ethnography showed that particular teacher educators rarely used problem-based learning approaches, the accompanying insights helped to bring a deeper understanding of what is needed for Botswana’s teacher education program …

Book Review: The End Of College: Creating The Future Of Learning And The University Of Everywhere, Bruce Henderson

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Review of Kevin Carey's The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere.

Increasing Research Requirements For Tenure At Teaching Universities: Mission Creep Or Mission Critical?, Elizabeth Blakey, Crist Khachikian, Daisy Lemus

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

What social forces are driving the increase in research requirements for tenure at teaching universities? Engaging Pierre Bourdieu's field theory, this case study examines a state comprehensive university, at multiple levels of analysis, and via multiple methods. Field theory is a viable alternative to neoinstitutional theory for higher education scholars. The methods used are quantitative content analysis, qualitative discursive analysis and interviews. The study provides a detailed account of whether economic or cultural forces are the stronger influence on the trend to increase research requirements. Economic factors, such as national enrollment trends, do not necessarily have a strong effect on …

Understanding Chinese Students’ College Choice To Increase Chinese Student Recruitment: A Focus On Music Majors, Tamara Yakaboski, Sonja Rizzolo, Lei Ouyang

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

The focus of this study was to understand why 20 Chinese students selected a rural, regionally focused research university. The research sought to (1) offer new, nuanced understanding of how Chinese students selected a university not well-known to international students and (2) advance how an institution of this type could meet its goal of improving and increasing Chinese student recruitment. As a majority of the Chinese students who selected this institution were majoring in music, this study offers implications for niche marketing and recruitment. In addition to the knowledge produced, this study models academic and student affairs collaboration where the …

Story Sharing For First-Generation College Students Attending A Regional Comprehensive University: Campus Outreach To Validate Students And Develop Forms Of Capital, Colby R. King, Jakari Griffith, Meghan Murphy

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

This paper describes a story-sharing program, called Our Stories, in which faculty and staff at a regional comprehensive university share their personal experiences about attending college as first-generation, working class, or financially insecure (FGWCFI) students with an audience of undergraduate students of various backgrounds. Using preliminary qualitative and quantitative data, we find evidence that these programs validate the experience of these student attendees and build their social, cultural, and psychological capital. This paper reviews literature on outreach to first-generation students, provides an overview of the story-sharing program, discusses how these events support student success, and suggests that such outreach efforts …

Relationships Between Self-Concept, Teacher Expectation, And Academic Achievement: An Analysis Of Social-Emotional Well Being And Its Relation To Classroom Performance, Katherine E. Stearns

EDL Sixth Year Theses

As a current teacher at McAlister Intermediate School in Suffield, Connecticut, I am interested in analyzing the relationship between a student’s self-concept, their academic achievement, and the expectations that their teacher holds for them within the classroom. My personal interests lead to a literature review and subsequent study examining existing research surrounding self-concept, teacher expectation, and their relationships to academic achievement.

Ceteal News, November/December 2017, Ceteal, Coastal Carolina University

CeTEAL Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Asking The Tough Questions: Teaching Literature And Nonfiction Through Critical Literacy To Recapture Our Voices, Agency, And Mission, Elsie L. Olan, Wendy Farkas, Kia Jane Richmond

Conference Presentations

Exploding the Myth of Mental Illness

Disrupting Notions Of Stigma While Empowering Voices: Examining Language Identity, Mental Illness, And Disability Through Young Adult Literature, Elsie L. Olan, Wendy Farkas, Kia Jane Richmond

Conference Presentations

Presenter Two will share new research on young adult literature which features characters with mental illness. She will describe strategies for using texts such as Your Voice is All I Hear (2015), Thirteen Reasons Why (2007), and The Impossible Knife of Memory (2014) to analyze and critique representations of mental illness in young adult literature. Drawing on research by Koss & Teale (2009) and Richmond (2014), this presenter will help session attendees interrogate “the power of language choices” and “become empowered to confront the stigma associated with mental illness and confront bullying” (p. 24).

Exploring Historical Empathy In Secondary Education, Melanie Alsene

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis sought to explore the purpose of teaching history, to define historical empathy, to discover if historical empathy is being taught in secondary public schools, and to see what methods of instruction teachers utilize. Research was done by conducting interviews of middle school and high school history teachers from different schools in the area. These interviews sought to find out if teachers could come up with their purpose for learning about history, if they could define historical empathy, and what methods they utilized to teach historical empathy. Some of the teachers were able to define historical empathy and gave …

Awakening Mindfulness In Science Education, Olga Calderón

Publications and Research

Contemplative/mindful education focuses on practices that enable class participants to develop awareness of the events that transpires in the moment in the classroom. Breathing meditation, radical listening, awareness of own and other’s emotions, compassion for others, reflection and conversation, are practices that are used as interventions to manage and ameliorate diverse emotions that often arise in the science classroom. This study took place in a graduate History and Philosophy of Science Education class for pre-service and in-service teachers at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York in the spring of 2014. The goal was to encourage participants to …

Managing Race And Race-Ing Management: Teachers’ Stories Of Race And Classroom Conflict, Sherry L. Deckman

Publications and Research

Little is known about how novice teachers construct and interpret classroom management moments—instances when they perceive their ability to maintain order and promote sanctioned behavior is tested—in a way that contributes to or challenges racial bias. Using data from a hybrid, online/in-person professional development course for beginning teachers, I find two patterns of connecting race and classroom management. Teachers in this study tended to share stories either about “managing race”—narratives about deescalating racial tension or reproaching transgressors of racial colorblindness—or “race-ing management”—stories that read race into incidents in such a way as to reveal latent racial dynamics. Further, these patterns …

Designing Authentic Learning Activities To Train Pre-Service Teachers About Teaching Online, Tian Luo, Alexander Murray, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Online learning is increasingly being used in K-12 learning environments. A concomitant trend is found towards learning becoming authentic as students learn with tasks that are connected to real-world occupations. In this study, 48 pre-service teachers use an online environment to engage in authentic practice as they developed online learning experiences for their future students. Using a design-based research methodology, the researchers were involved in planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the higher education class across two macro cycles. An authentic learning framework was utilized in the development of the class. Findings explicate the design of the course and how it …

The Effects Of Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Team (Cw-Fit) Tier 1 In A Middle School Special Education Classroom, Robyn Katie Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Middle school special education teachers are often concerned about challenging behavior. In recent years, school wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has been shown to be effective in improving students behavior. Class-wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a SWPBS-based program designed to for implementation at the classroom level. CW-FIT utilizes an interdependent group contingency by utilizing social skills training, teacher praise, and positive reinforcement to improve students behavior. Students are taught how to achieve specific social skills and then work in teams, using these social skills, to earn a group reward. CW-FIT has been effective in elementary general education classrooms. It …

The Understanding Of The Formative Assessment Process By Michigan Educators, Victor Bugni

All NMU Master's Theses

Districts purchase assessments to inform teachers as to what students are learning and at which levels they are performing. Black and Wiliam (1998) told us that educators must understand the importance of feedback and student participation in the formative assessment process to enhance learning. Teachers can engage in formative practices to help close the gap between what students know and the learning objectives. This study used a quantitative survey to collect Michigan educators’ awareness of the use of formative assessment components in their classrooms, their skill for the use of these components, their perception of support for using these components, …

Student-Centered Approaches To Teaching Grammar And Writing, Lindsay J. Jeffers

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article questions the continued reliance on traditional approaches to the teaching of grammar, particularly the memorization of parts of speech and grammar rules. Years of studies show that grammar instruction out of the context of writing is detrimental to students. Despite much progress toward student-centered instruction, traditional methods of teaching grammar are still a cornerstone of writing instruction in many English classes. The article suggests more effective, student-centered approaches that focus on students developing as writers and readers. Through modeling and inquiry, students focus on writing as a craft and make choices as writers. It’s essential that research about …

Mitigating The Tensions Of Teacher Evaluation Through Pragmatism, Scott Sheedlo

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

The Five Dimensions of Teaching and Learning (5 D+) model for teacher evaluation is popular among Michigan school districts as the instrument to satisfy state law requiring districts to evaluate teachers. Veteran English Language Arts (ELA) teacher Scott Sheedlo gives a first-hand, narrative account of the questions and tensions implementation of the 5D+ model has caused for him as his district has adopted the model. Sheedlo notes this state mandate has resulted in the typical manifestations of teacher resistance, as the model is at odds with his own metrics for good teaching and includes unfamiliar, research-based practices such as formative …

The Difference Between English And Math High School Teachers' Attitudes And Perceptions Toward The Inclusion Of English Language Learner Students, Ashley Sibert Williamson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Within the last 10 years, the United States experienced an influx of non-English speaking students, which challenged teachers, administrators, and other educational stakeholders on how to successfully accommodate these English Language Learners (ELL). This causal-comparative study examined the attitudes and perceptions of secondary English and math teachers in relation to ELL inclusion. Specifically, the study presented the main question of whether there is a difference between English and math teachers’ attitudes and perceptions toward the inclusion of ELLs. Teacher attitudes have been found to play a role in determining student academic achievement; therefore, assessing teacher attitudes toward ELLs could be …

Cultivating Peace Via Language Teaching: Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs And Emotions In An Efl Argentine Practicum, María Matilde Olivero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to understand the intricate processes involved in second language teacher development, in the last decade studies in second language teacher education (SLTE) have addressed the need to explore pre-service teachers’ beliefs and emotions jointly as they occur in their contexts of teaching. SLTE researchers have referred to the importance of helping pre-service teachers verbalize their beliefs and try to understand and regulate their emotions as they can serve to explain what, how, and why pre-service teachers do what they do during their practicum experience. In addition, considering future teachers will be passing on their beliefs, values, and ways …