Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Tenure Wars: The Litigation Continues, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Teacher tenure is a controversial topic that continues to generate litigation. Parents and advocates of educational reform have filed claims alleging, in part, that school officials violate the rights of students who are not achieving academically largely because of the ineffective instruction the students receive from teachers.

Typically, these suits also claim that conditions in districts where students perform poorly on academic measures are exacerbated by the protection that state tenure laws—in conjunction with union efforts—afford ineffective teachers, thereby making it difficult to dismiss the teachers for incompetence.

In North Carolina Association of Educators v. State (2016), a North Carolina …

It’S All In The Heart: The Influence Of The Personal Values And Philosophies Of Administrators And Teachers On The Methodologies And Effectiveness 
Of Character Education, Rebecca Joy Foxworth

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis sought to determine the influence of educators’ personal values and philosophies on character education, particularly on methodologies and effectiveness. Research consisted of a two-part study of an elementary charter school. Part one of the study consisted of an interview with two administrators from the school, and part two of the study consisted of a survey sent out to the teachers of the school. Both the interview and survey sought to determine the values and philosophies of character education held by the educators, the methodologies the school uses for character education, and how the educators perceive the effectiveness of …

Perceptions Of Educator Preparation In The Field Of English Language Learners, Vivian R. Fry

Selected Honors Theses

This study investigated how well pre-service teachers felt prepared to teach English Language Learners in the areas of second language (L2) acquisition and culture. 62 preservice teachers responded to a survey sent out to education majors at Southeastern University. Majority of the participants in the study indicated that they had less than adequate knowledge in the area of L2 acquisition and were less than adequately prepared to educate ELLs in the area of L2 acquisition. The participants indicated that they wanted professional development opportunities that focused on pedagogy for the specific stages of L2 acquisition. Regarding culture, a little more …

Making All Students "Our" Students: Where To Start?, Frank E. Mullins Ph.D., Janice Murdock Ph.D., Phoebe A. Okungu Ph.D., Deann A. Lechtenberg Ph.D.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

The collaborative team approach is an approach in which general education and special education teachers work together in a single classroom to provide instruction to all students. Neither teacher has more authority than the other.

Education should not be compartments in which one has a mindset of “my students” and “your students”. The mindset must be changed to “our students”. This change in mindsets must begin in pre-service programs in order to carry on to PreK-12 classrooms. As inclusion becomes more and more accepted in public education, educators must be taught strategies that will enable them to work collaboratively with …

What I Didn't Know About Teaching: Stressors And Burnout Among Deaf Education Teachers, J. Lindsey Kennon Ed.D., Margaret H. Patterson M.A.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

No abstract provided.

Humanization Through Action Research As Methodology, Jeffrey D. Radloff, Cole Joslyn, Brenda Capobianco

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this action research study was to critically examine the use of action research as a mechanism to enhance graduate students’ development as emerging qualitative researchers. Although action research has been recognized as an effective means of transforming teaching practices, studies examining its use among graduate students learning to become qualitative researchers are lacking. Participants profiled in this study include two graduate students and one teacher educator. The context of the study was a graduate level course on action research where all three participants identified starting points, employed distinct action strategies, engaged in sustained, critical reflection, and developed …

Leading Without Permission, Robin Hummel

Occasional Paper Series

Author Robin Hummel makes an emphatic, persuasive plea for teachers to seize the reins of instructional leadership and take responsibility - even in the face of recalcitrant administrators and increasingly prescriptive curricula - for their own professional learning and growth. She makes the case for action research as a particularly potent professional development tool, and shows how it serves to liberate teachers from inertia and dependency.

Betla Teacher Leaders: An Unselfish Sense Of Purpose, Lillian Hernandez, Christian Solorza

Occasional Paper Series

Recognizing that much of the leadership in resolving the issues of quality and equity for English Language Learners (ELLs) will fall to teachers themselves, Bank Street's Bilingual/ESL Teacher Leadership Academy (BETLA) has taken on the mission of preparing teachers of ELLs for the intense and unique leadership challenges they will face. Our study of the narrative accounts of nine BETLA teacher leaders was designed to give voice to teachers who have often been silenced and to speak to the positive relevance of teacher leaders in today's schools.

Leadership And Agency As A Novice Teacher, Clara E. Lin

Occasional Paper Series

Tells an inspiring tale of a new teacher who refused to accept the dreary status quo to which beginning professionals are so often consigned. Almost in anger at the assumption that she was supposed to be miserable for her whole first year, she struggled mightily to find innovative ways to solve her most intractable classroom problems, and then turned her energies to whole-school reform.

Making Sense Of Distributed Leadership: A Conversation Among Teacher Leaders, Kathleen Dickinson Rockwood

Occasional Paper Series

As graduate students tell their stories through a threaded internet conversation, it becomes evident that the trust, communication, transparency, and support that make distributed leadership workable and satisfying in some places is so visibly and painfully lacking in others. Not surprisingly, it is the former schools that, for the most part, produce the most fulfilled teachers and successful students.

Empowering Teachers: Developing Meaningful Leadership, Jennifer Groves

Occasional Paper Series

Describes how the author created a framework to empower her colleagues, promote adult development, and help build a school culture that mirrored the priorities she set in her classroom, so that adults were encouraged to inspire each other, to keep the cycle of learning going, and to build teacher leadership into a powerful model within the school.

Ask Not What Fhs Can Do For You, But What You Can Do For Fhs, Jessica Endlich Winkler

Occasional Paper Series

Jessica Endlich brings the reader into intimate contact with the faculty of a small, urban high school which depends heavily on voluntary teacher leadership, and finds itself straining against the limits of capacity. Her candid interviews show vividly the tensions that exist when there is never enough time, support, appreciation, and equity to turn a wonderful idea into reality. She suggests some baseline, common-sense strategies to enable teachers to lead without sacrificing their students or their own personal lives.

Walking A Hall Of Mirrors, Kami Patrizio

Occasional Paper Series

Mentoring requires careful structuring, thorough preparation, and continual monitoring along with a willingness to look inward to confront the elusive issues of identity, empathy, morality, and emotion.

Becoming A Teacher Leader Within Your Classroom: A Dialogue, Jill Stacy, Nayantara Mhatre

Occasional Paper Series

Describes a spontaneous relationship that has equal measures of mentoring, peer coaching, and teaming.

Introduction: Teacher Leaders - Transforming Schools From The Inside, Gil Schmerler

Occasional Paper Series

Describes the issue's purpose, which is a "modest attempt to restore the issue of teacher leadership to the prominence it deserves and requires" -- author.

Promoting L2 Motivation Via Motivational Teaching Practice: A Mixed-Methods Study In The Turkish Efl Context, Zeynep Erdil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The shift toward bilingualism and multilingualism in historically monolingual societies resulting from globalization has positioned second/foreign language (L2) learning research as a significant field. Extensive research in L2 motivation over decades has demonstrated motivation to be a significant determiner of L2 learning achievement and has yielded many sound L2 motivation theories and frameworks. The latest L2 motivation framework is the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) offered by Dörnyei (2005, 2009). Numerous studies have been conducted to validate this theory in different English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts (e.g., in China, Iran and Japan: (Taguchi, Magid & Papi, 2009); in …

Open Education At Unh, Daniel Carchidi, Eleta Exline, Catherine Overson

Open Access Events

Last year UNH faculty helped save students nearly $150,000 by assigning Open Educational Resources in place of expensive textbooks. Find out more about this exciting project!

Using Data-Informed Instruction To Drive Education: Keeping Catholic Education A Viable And Educationally Sound Option In Challenging Times, Kristen Niemeyer, Laura B. Casey, Robert Williamson, Cort Casey, Susan E. Elswick, Tom Black, Denise Winsor

Journal of Catholic Education

This study was conducted to obtain an understanding of the perceptions that Catholic schoolteachers possessed regarding data informed instructional (DII) practices, specifically curriculum based measurement (CBM). The researchers investigated changes in teacher’s perceptions from pretest to posttest to determine the impact of the 90-minute professional development on teacher’s perceptions of DII. Results showed that Catholic schoolteachers did perceive that they lacked sufficient knowledge to effectively implement curriculum-based measures prior to the training. Significant growth was noted with regard to their perceptions of their knowledge in some areas. According to the results of the paired samples t-test, a meaningful change in …

Using An Observation Coaching Checklist To Provide Feedback To Teachers, Michelle Lia

Journal of Catholic Education

Teachers need feedback to make instructional progress. This paper shares how a coaching checklist was used in five Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2014-2015 school year in an effort to provide teachers feedback and support their instruction. This coaching was paired with regular ‘traditional’ professional development paid for through a grant by Big Shoulders Fund in Chicago. The use of the checklist provided more specific feedback than a note-taking method of observation typically used in teacher evaluation. Anecdotally, teachers who wanted feedback and wanted to improve their instruction did just that. An added result was the support …

Introduction To The Focus Section: School Leaders And Contemplative Practice, Merylann "Mimi" J. Schuttloffel Phd

Journal of Catholic Education

Introduction to the Focus Section

Addressing The Needs Of Young Children And Families:Early Childhood Education And Services In Catholic Schools And Catholic Charities, Sandra Barrueco, Shavaun M. Wall, Lynn M. Mayer, Marcela Blinka

Journal of Catholic Education

Nationally, focus is increasing on the developmental experiences of young children (birth to age 8). Twenty four (arch)dioceses in large metropolitan areas participated in a survey identifying the extent and nature of services provided by Catholic schools and Catholic Charities programs to young children and their families. Six hundred and seventy Catholic schools and 100 Catholic Charities programs completed surveys. Key findings suggest that Catholic schools and Catholic Charities programs are engaged in a plethora of early childhood services and educational activities with young children and families. Both entities provide direct education and services to young children, are engaged in …

Trouble With The Edtpa: Sliding From Teaching To Preparing For The Test, Stephanie Cronenberg, Dori Johnson, Alexis Jones, Stacey Korson, Natasha Murray, Michael Parrish, Marilyn Johnston-Parsons

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This paper was written by a group of instructors responsible for preparing 100 elementary/middle school licensure students for the edTPA portfolio assessment. It is an analysis of our experiences doing so in the pilot year. The edTPA is a performance assessment required for teacher licensure. We considered this assessment to have significant advantages over a multiple choice test and we debated for a year how best to implement it. Our plan was to integrate what they needed to know into our courses rather than to prepare them directly for the test. We approached this with a positive attitude but emerged …

Iron Sharpens Iron: Co-Teaching In A Teacher Education Program, Patricia C. Kornelis, Gwen R. Marra, Ed Starkenburg

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Recently the Education department at Dordt College revamped its program. We were implementing co-teaching during our year-long student teaching experience for seniors, but we felt it would be more effective if students had experience with co-teaching before being one of the main participants. As changes were discussed, we were challenged to look for opportunities to implement co-teaching so students would benefit from it as a student as well as seeing it modeled and explained. As a result of this, Ed Starkenburg and Gwen Marra have been co-teaching an undergraduate Children’s and Adolescent Literature course. They will share their experiences of …

Into The Field: Learning About English Language Learners In Newcomer Programs, Cecila Silva Dr., Stephen B. Kucer Dr.

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This research examines the impact of field experiences with English language learners on the conceptual and emotional development of preservice disciplinary students. For one semester, preservice university students worked with English language learners enrolled in middle and high school Newcomer Programs. During this time the university students wrote reflection papers and grand learnings/lingering questions essays linking the field experiences with course readings and in-class activities. A qualitative analysis of these reflections found four critical content-based learnings related to English Language Learners emerged from these field experiences: (1) the distinction between content, language, and activity challenges, (2) conversational versus academic language, …

Mathematics-Literacy Checklists: A Pedagogical Innovation To Support Teachers As They Implement The Common Core, Pixita M. Del Prado Hill 8785617, Ellen S. Friedland, Susan E. Mcmillen

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This article presents two innovative tools – the Mathematics-Literacy Planning Framework and Mathematics-Literacy Implementation Checklist – which are designed to help instructional coaches and specialists support teachers to meet the challenges of the mathematics-literacy integration goals of the Common Core. Developed with teacher input, these instruments serve as cognitive “safety nets” to ensure effective integration of appropriate strategies before, during, and after instruction.

The Attitudes Of University Faculty Toward Humor As A Pedagogical Tool: Can We Take A Joke?, John A. Huss, Shannon Eastep

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Faculty members in a College of Education responded to a mixed methods questionnaire regarding their attitudes toward the use of humor as a pedagogical tool. Quantitative data and coding of open response questions revealed that instructors overall considered humor to be an integral part of their teaching plan and that humor relaxes students, contributes to a more enjoyable classroom climate, and helps students make content connections, in both traditional and web based classes. Despite general acceptance, the feedback suggested instructors could benefit from targeted training in how to effectively and consistently use humor as a teaching strategy, particularly in their …

Fives: An Integrated Strategy For Comprehension And Vocabulary Learning, Mary Shea, Nancy Roberts

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This article describes a strategy that emphasizes the integration of all language and literacy skills for learning across content areas as well as the importance CCSS place on learners’ ability to ask questions about information, phenomena, or ideas encountered (Ciardiello, 2012/2013). FIVES is a strategy that meaningfully integrates research-based methodologies associated with reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing for differentiated disciplinary literacy instruction related to authentic texts and issues. The strategy described can be universally applied across disciplines to develop high levels of competence with literacy processes and content.

Developing Healthcare Practitioners’ Professional Expertise Through Effective Continuing Education: Commentary, Caroline Faucher

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Development of professional expertise is the transition from novice to expert within a profession through deliberate practice with feedback. While this development is actively stimulated during undergraduate studies, encouraging practicing healthcare professionals to pursue their development towards expertise doesn’t seem as obvious. This commentary briefly describes the development of professional expertise and the possible decline in performance that can occur with time. It then gives insight into the roles of continuing professional education in healthcare practitioners’ acquisition and maintenance of professional expertise.

Getting Rid Of Procrastination, Writing Like A Rabbit, Learning To Rewrite: Some Advice About The Writing Process, John C. Bird, Teaching And Learning Center

The Weekly Reader

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Into English Language Instructors' And Students’ Intercultural Awareness, Burcu Yılmaz, Yonca Özkan

The Qualitative Report

The role of English as a global language has been increasing greatly in importance for the past few decades, giving rise to different varieties of English spoken by native and non-native English speakers all around the world. It has pointed to the need to raise intercultural awareness in English language classes. This study aims to reveal teacher and student perspectives of intercultural awareness regarding ownership of English and cultural integration in English language classes in Turkey. A mixed method research investigation was used in this descriptive case study. Questionnaires were employed to collect data from 45 English language instructors and …