Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Don't Forget Your Parachute: Using The Ubd Framework To Guide Unit Planning, Angela Hines, Nicole Ludwa

Instructional Modules for Professional learning Responding to Opportunities and Valuing Educators (IMPROVE)

The audience for this module includes educators at all levels of all subject matters. This module is designed for educators interested in increasing student understanding and in creating more effective curricula and assessment through unit planning, beginning with the end in mind. Thinking about what to teach and how to teach it is a matter of habit, thinking about the learning outcomes leads to appropriate teaching and is how backwards planning works. Lessons should be created by the results sought, not the activities with which a teacher is most comfortable. Many times teachers are focused on the inputs rather than …

Using An Iceberg Intervention Model To Understand Equivalent Fraction Learning When Students With Mathematical Learning Difficulties Use Different Manipulatives, Arla Westenskow, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examined variations in 43 fifth-grade Tier II students' learning of equivalent fractions using physical and virtual manipulatives during intervention instruction. The overarching research question focused on how different manipulatives types support learning fraction sub-concepts during mathematics intervention instruction for students with mathematical learning difficulties. Over a three-week period, students participated in ten small group sessions using different manipulatives during instruction (physical, virtual, and combination). Data were collected from pre/post testing and daily monitoring assessments. An Iceberg Intervention Model was used to document student learning for five equivalent fraction sub-concepts and nine general fraction sub-concepts. Results showed that physical …

Exploring And Examining Quantitative Measures, Jonathan D. Bostic, Erin Krupa, Michele Carney, Jeff Shih

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this working group is to bring together scholars with an interest in examining the research on quantitative tools and measures for gathering meaningful data, and to spark conversations and collaboration across individuals and groups with an interest in synthesizing the literature on large-scale tools used to measure student- and teacher-related outcomes. While syntheses of measures for use in mathematics education can be found in the literature, few can be described as a comprehensive analysis. The working group session will focus on (1) defining terms identified as critical (e.g., large-scale, quantitative, and validity evidence) for bounding the focus …

Variations In The Intensity Of Specialized Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) High Schools, Colby Tofel-Grehl, Carolyn M. Callahan

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Educators and policymakers in the United States advocate the development of specialized STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) schools, but little is known about the unique features and practices of these schools. Because no meaningful differences have been found attributable to model type (Tofel-Grehl & Callahan, 2014), the current study purposefully sampled 6 specialized STEM schools in the United States that provided different levels of STEM experiences for students related to highly varied goals and missions using a grounded theory approach. Schools were found to fall into two categories, high and low STEM intensity, based on five major traits. Schools …

Mentoring Relationships, Tori Hill, Lori Nanney, Kimberly Perry, Amanda Edwards Whatley

Instructional Modules for Professional learning Responding to Opportunities and Valuing Educators (IMPROVE)

The purpose of this module is to establish a framework for successful mentoring practices in order to enhance the teaching and learning process. The module addresses the importance of the Four Pillars as a framework for building successful mentor/mentee relationships. The framework pillars are identified as pedagogical competencies,relationship building, reflection, and administrative support. Each pillar is defined with research provided to support the importance of each as a foundational element of successful mentor/mentee relationships. Additionally the module provides reflection activities and additional resources for consideration and site-level implementation.

The learning module is intended for use by …

Differentiated Instruction, Kelly Campbell, Tina Whitten, Karen Hester

Instructional Modules for Professional learning Responding to Opportunities and Valuing Educators (IMPROVE)

The purpose of this professional development module is to strengthen the understanding of differentiated instruction and strategies for implementation. After completing this professional development, teachers will be empowered to use research based differentiated instructional strategies to differentiate for all students in the classroom.

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Academic Vocabulary Strategies, Ginger Black, Lashay Conley, Shamona Fernanders, Katrissa Fisher

Instructional Modules for Professional learning Responding to Opportunities and Valuing Educators (IMPROVE)

This module will provide K-12 educators, in various content areas, with research-based academic vocabulary strategies that can be used to inform their instructional practices. The module explains the term academic vocabulary in depth and addresses the importance of students being able to read, interpret, and analyze vocabulary in context. After viewing several research-based strategies, the module will provide educators with tools to plan for and assess the implementation of the vocabulary strategies.

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Analyzing The Relationship Of Voluntary Student Participation In Optional Exam Review Sessions With Academic Self-Efficacy And Academic Performance, Christine Stamm Griffin, Robert K. Gable

Higher Education

Much research has been conducted on the topic of self-efficacy and its relationship to student performance. In alignment with the theory of self-efficacy and research performed by Bandura (1993), Schunk (1989, 1991), Zimmerman (1985, 1990), Multon, Brown and Lent (1991); and others, the purpose of this action research study was to determine the relationship of student voluntary attendance at a minimum of one of two optional exam review sessions and whether or not it resulted in a feeling of increased confidence about their potential performance on the exam compared to those students who did not attend the review. Additionally, the …

Integration Of Place-Based Education Into Science Classes From Prekindergarten Through Grade 5, Terri A. Wade-Lyles

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Abstract In a large urban district in Ohio, 29.2% of Grade 5, 28.7% of Grade 8, and 45.7% of Grade 10 students passed the state test in science. School district administrators formed a community partnership with local science institutions in order to provide students with hands-on place-based learning experiences intended to improve science academic achievement in PK-Grade 5. The purpose of this qualitative program evaluation was to determine the level of implementation of that place-based program by examining the efficacy of the teachers’ embedded professional development and their experiences with the training components. Bruner’s theory of cognitive development was used …

How Affordances And Constraints Of Physical And Virtual Manipulatives Support The Development Of Procedural Fluency And Algorithmic Thinking In Mathematics, Jennifer Such, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine how the affordances and constraints of physical and virtual manipulatives influence the development of students’ algorithmic thinking when learning algebra and rational number concepts. Thirty-six third-grade students participated in two weeks of instruction using physical and virtual manipulatives as instructional tools. The primary design of the study was a teaching experiment in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected to provide a holistic examination. Pre- and post-test items were used in the quantitative analysis following a within-subjects crossover repeated measures design. Students’ written work, a user survey, student interviews, field notes, and …

Building Professional Development Opportunities In Data Services For Academic Librarians, Suzanna Conrad, Yasmeen Shorish, Amanda L. Whitmire, Patricia Hswe

Libraries

Research data management represents a significant professional development area for academic librarians –significant for its growing importance to the profession, since researchers are increasingly expected to comply with research data management requirements, and for the extent of competence needed by librarians to support researchers in research data management practices and plans. This article recounts how the Association of College and Research Libraries is fostering professional development opportunities in research data management. The authors describe two key endeavors: (1) the development and deployment of a needs assessment survey, which allowed insight into the types of librarians expressing the most need; and …

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, University College

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Toward A Framework For Reading Lived Experiences As Texts: A Four-Year Self-Study Of Teacher Education Practices, Abby Cameron-Standerford, Christi U. Edge, Bethney M. Bergh

Book Sections/Chapters

No abstract provided.

Communication Practices In Technology Companies., Ruth Casey, Marc Gallagher

Teaching Fellowships

It is contended that the skills or competencies that are required of business graduates by technology companies, range from the ability to communicate complex information about global issues in ways that are accessible to and connect with the general public, to problem-solving and project-based interaction. This represents a shift in the type of communication practice that now characterises the technology company, with its main focus on “agile” frameworks of teamwork. This report examines the context for this development, and explores the role of assessment and pedagogy in preparing the student for these communication competencies, from the perspective of the technology …

Feedbackly – A Tool For Collecting Real-Time Feedback On The Student Experience., Steve Meaney

Teaching Fellowships

In higher education institutes feedback is collected via various formal (e.g. quality assurance processes) and informal (e.g. one-to-one discussion) methods. A core distinction between these approaches is the immediacy of informal feedback set against a slower, but potentially more powerful, formal feedback mechanism. This project aimed to explore a real-time mechanism to explore the student experience, using a simple data entry point connected to a webaccessible dashboard which summarises the data. A prototype was successfully developed and deployed, and collected feedback from students across the College of Sciences and Health. The system was broadly used by students, with more than …

The Planning And Development Of An Education Framework For Practice Educators Within Health And Social Care Professions., Maria Mcneill

Teaching Fellowships

Providing quality placements for students in the hospital setting is an essential component of the BSc in Clinical Measurement Science degree programme at DIT. The practice educator (hospital supervisor) role involves mentoring and supervising students on placement. Prior to 2012 practice educators received no training to support this role. Current training involves one full day of generic education and a second half-day of discipline specific knowledge relating to projects, log books and assessments. The aim of this research is to identify training needs for practice educators across the four disciplines and recommend an education framework to meet those needs. The …

“Scoring History” With The Vanbrugh Quartet: Developing An Online Archive And Teaching Resource., Cliona Doris

Teaching Fellowships

DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama and the National Concert Hall collaborated on a three-year residency for the internationally renowned Vanbrugh Quartet from 2014–2017. Six themed concert series explored a wide range of chamber music, including “Scoring History” curated by composer Ian Wilson, a Haydn and Schubert Series, Mozart and Brahms Chamber Music, the complete cycle of Beethoven String Quartets, Chamber Music of Ireland 1916–2016 and a Russian Season. An online archive and educational resource relating to and deriving from the residency, interweaves archival concert recordings, profiles, interviews and contextual information on the musical works.

Methods For Deriving Individual Marks From Group Work, Miriam Delaney, Lucy Bowe, Breiffni Fitzgerald, Peter Maccann, Christina Ryan

Practitioner Research Projects

Group assessment is a valuable teaching and learning method (Springer et al., 1999). This has been comprehensively demonstrated in the teaching and learning literature both in general (Johnson et al., 1991) and in specific contexts. This assessment practice promotes questioning, discussion and debate and encourages students to become active team players (DIT, 2013). However, when using this form of assessment, it is important to recognise that it is "individuals who graduate and gain qualifications" (Gibbs, 2009, p.4). The problem of freeloading has been identified and one of the suggested methods of reducing this is to incorporate individual assessment into the …

Facilitating Group Work: A Guide To Good Practice, Ronan Mccrea, Irene Neville, David Rickard, Ciara Walsh, David Williams

Practitioner Research Projects

Oakley et al. (2004) and Gibbs (2009) observe that owing to the extensive literature on group work, lecturers searching for a succinct guide on how to facilitate this activity effectively would find it challenging to digest such a large corpus. We extensively reviewed the literature in order to produce a quick and accessible guide for lecturers to use. It is our aspiration that this could be referred to when planning and facilitating group work projects with insights and recommendations informed by our research. Moreover, as this work draws on publications from educators in a wide range of disciplines, we expect …

An Exploration Of Fairness In The Assessment And Process Of Student Group Work, Rita Gibson, Emma Geoghegan, Oscar Macananey, Andrew Hines, Lorraine D'Arcy

Practitioner Research Projects

This project was driven by a motivation to be as fair as possible in the assessment of students' group work. Achieving fairness in assessment is a recurrent them in group project assessment literature (Nordberg, 2009). All authors of this report teach modules with group projects, and acknowledged that discrepancies often exist between a mark assigned to a group and an individual's contribution. Our aims were to (a) collectively enhance our understanding of the issues that need to be considered when assessing a group work project and (b) collectively build our confidence in approaches chosen to overcome these challenges. The findings …

Gamification To Improve First Year Engagement, John Colleran, Aoife Lloyd Mckernan, Julie Ann Naughton, Brian Vaughan

Practitioner Research Projects

The purpose of this project was to examine the role of Gamification in increasing first year student engagement within the third level educational setting. A literature review was carried out in order to explore the teaching philosophy behind gamification in education and review the quantitative and qualitative evidence regarding its use. Gamification can be broadly described as the application of gaming methods and elements in non-gaming contexts in order to improve user engagement and user experience (Deterding et al., 2011). Qualitative analysis suggests these factors result in beneficial emotional and social impacts on students, particularly in the area of increasing …

Discovering How The Pieces Fit Together: An Interdisciplinary Research Project Integrating The Disciplines Of Elementary Education And English, Angela Skrabec

Undergraduate Review

Introduction:
When I began my research project roughly two and half years ago, I had one main goal in mind: to find out the reasoning behind Massachusetts mandating Elementary Education majors, like myself, to have a second major in the sciences or the humanities. My mind was consumed with the fact that I wanted to become an elementary school teacher, so why in the world would the state require me to have two complete undergraduate degrees when I would really only use my degree in education? This question is what sparked the whole idea of performing an interdisciplinary undergraduate research …

Lingering Colonialities As Blockades To Peace Education: School Violence In Trinidad, Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams

Africana Studies Faculty Publications

Book Summary: Bringing together the voices of scholars and practitioners on challenges and possibilities of implementing peace education in diverse global sites, this book addresses key questions for students seeking to deepen their understanding of the field. The book not only highlights ground-breaking and rich qualitative studies from around the globe, but also analyses the limits and possibilities of peace education in diverse contexts of conflict and post-conflict societies. Contributing authors address how educators and learners can make meaning of international peace education efforts, how various forms of peace and violence interact in and around schools, and how the field …

A Guide To Support Coaching And Mentoring For School Improvement, Kathryn Moyle

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

This guide emerged from policies and professional learning practices in the Northern Territory, Australia. Between 2014-2016, six experienced school principals located in remote urban and regional schools met twice a year to share plans, experiences and reflections about how they were using coaching and mentoring conversations to support teachers in their schools.

Literature Review Relating To The Current Context And Discourse Surrounding Indigenous Early Childhood Education, School Readiness And Transition Programs To Primary School, Jacynta Krakouer

Indigenous Education Research

Since the educational experiences of Aboriginal Australians are often framed from a ‘deficit’ perspective, whereby the failures of Indigenous people to engage with the mainstream educational system are seen as the ‘problem’, an alternative approach to Indigenous early childhood education discourse is preferable. This alternative approach highlights the strengths that many Aboriginal children possess when commencing school, strengths that may result from Indigenous child-rearing practices. Consequently, this literature review utilises a strengths-based perspective for Aboriginal early childhood education and school readiness, noting that Aboriginal children are frequently expected to adapt to a foreign educational system whereby school expectations differ from …

Supporting New Teachers: Aligning Professional Development To Educator Evaluation Data, Kathleen A. Torregrossa, Robert K. Gable

K-12 Education

Professional development programs and teacher evaluation systems should go hand-in-hand to support teachers across all career stages (Danielson, 2007). The professional development (PD) opportunities in a K-12 district were examined to determine the extent to which they related to, and supported, the novice teachers’ rating on their evaluations. This district addressed teacher evaluation and teacher professional development jointly with their local and state level teachers’ unions with the collective “conception of teacher evaluation as part of a teaching and learning system that supports continuous improvement” (Darling-Hammond, 2014, p. 5). However, in 2014/15, this district did not have a mentoring/induction program …

The Unemployed Adult In The Liminal Space Of A Job-Training Program: Transformations Of Learner Identities, Anthony Craig Adkisson

ETD Archive

This research addresses the impact job-readiness programs have on the identity of unemployed adults. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the transformational learning that happened for a group of seven unemployed adults seeking employment. The research considered: 1) what meaning do unemployed adults make out of their experience going through job-training programs; 2) what are the liminal aspects of job-training programs; 3) how do aspects of the job-training programs influence the development of their identity; 4) what are the ways the programs shapes their views toward learning; and 5) in what ways was this experience transformative? …

Listening And Negotiation, Janet Callahan, Mary E. Besterfield-Sacre, Jenna P. Carpenter, Kim Lascola Needy, Cheryl B. Schrader

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Negotiation is an important skill for faculty at all stages of their career, but one that research suggests is often uncomfortable for women faculty to employ. This paper focuses on the topic of negotiation, with an emphasis on providing practical ideas and strategies relevant to academic professionals at both entry-level and mid-career who find that they need to negotiate a career opportunity. The paper will review negotiation basics, as well as discuss what can be negotiated, how one might proceed to discuss these, and how listening is critical to negotiation. By viewing negotiation as a "wise agreement"¹ that seeks …

Reducing Math Anxiety In The Secondary Classroom, Haley Scheldorf

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Cooperative Learning Activities In Social Studies Classrooms And The Effect On Self-Determination For Students With And Without Individualized Education Programs (Ieps), Carey Anne Aubrey-Martinez

Wayne State University Dissertations

Students with disabilities are spending significantly more time in the general education setting than they have historically. General education teachers are in need of strategies to enable them to work with these students more successfully. Additionally, research shows that all students could benefit from activities geared toward developing self-determination skills.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to see if the use of cooperative learning activities could improve the self-determination abilities of general education students and students with an Individualized Education Program in a social studies classroom. Students were given the American Institutes for Research Self-Determination Scale as a pretest …