Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Ai Tools For Intelligent Teaching And Learning, Dr.Phadmakar Patankar

Professional Learning Day

Discover the power of free AI tools designed to enhance teaching and learning! In this interactive session, we will explore tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Khanmigo, setting up access and experimenting with their features. While the session will showcase examples in math instruction, educators are encouraged to test these tools across various subjects such as science, English, and history. This workshop empowers teachers to integrate cutting-edge AI tools into their classrooms, fostering creativity, efficiency, and engagement.

Design Thinking: Empathetic Problem Solving, Cassandra Armstrong

Professional Learning Day

Design thinking is the intersection of engineering design and social-emotional learning. Today’s learners must be empathetic problem solvers capable of defining problems and designing appropriate solutions to meet the user's needs. Participants will experience design thinking through literature-based scenarios appropriate for early learners in this session. They will analyze and compare their models to those of others and compose a lesson that will engage students in the design thinking process.

2025 Teaching Leadership In The Classroom: Leadership Theory, Activism, And Unsd Goals, Emma Wilson Parker

Professional Learning Day

IMSA’s Leadership Education & Development (LEAD) program is a student-led course focused on developing leadership skills for sophomores. Students explore leadership theories, models,and global impact through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and activism.Peer discussions, hands-on activities, and group work challenge students to think critically about leadership. Join us for an interactive experience packed with leadership activities perfect for the classroom!

The Titration Olympics, Joseph T Golab, Hoitung (Terry) Leung

Professional Learning Day

The “Titration Olympics” is the capstone experiment at the end of the Spring semester’s Advanced Chemistry Acid-Base-Buffer unit. In this lab exercise, students compete to determine the concentration of an unknown acid solution using a sodium hydroxide solution they prepare and standardize using KHP. The winner is determined using a rubric that accounts for (a) overall lab time, (b) preparation and general lab technique, (c) data table, (d) quality of the phenolphthalein endpoints, (e) accuracy of the unknown acid’s molarity, (f) use of significant figures, and (g) clean up skills. Students enjoy the competitive spirit of the experiment and realize …

Teaching With A Full Deck: Card Activities In Mathematics, Lindsey Herlehy

Professional Learning Day

Card sorts encourage students to do what we value most: talk and reason. Beyond simple matching, card sorts allow students to classify, rank, sequence, and map out ideas, creating a natural context for critical thinking and discussion. Join me for a series of math-focused card sorts where students will engage in activities like sorting equations by type, sequencing steps for solving multi-step problems, analyzing characteristics of graphs, and collaborating to solve clothesline math problems. This easy-to-prep tool will help students deepen their understanding of math concepts, fostering algebraic reasoning, graph analysis, and collaborative problem-solving skills.

(Virtual) Radians: Units Are Important And Why The Unit Circle Is Not, Matthew Mccutcheon

Professional Learning Day

Have you ever wondered why we have radians as a unit of measure for angles? Aren't degrees good enough? I like them. After all, a right angle is a nice, round 90degrees – so why complicate things? While degrees are useful, radians bring a unique significance. Units matter, even in the world of mathematics!

Understanding The European Union: Why You Don’T Teach It But Should, Dr. Lee Eysturlid

Professional Learning Day

Border crisis, currency crisis, populism, culture wars, real war? No, that is the European Union (EU). This session will introduce the basic history and functional elements of the EU's intent, structure, and function (dysfunction?). Based on work and travel with the Center for EU Studies, attendees will get everything they need to teach the topic.

Getting Students To Do Authentic Academic Research, Dr. Peter Dong

Professional Learning Day

Most classroom experiences bear little resemblance to actual research, and aspiring scientists and other researchers have no exposure to authentic academic work, in many cases, until graduate school. Giving high school students genuine research experience is possible and helpful for their understanding. This session will share lessons learned from IMSA's research programs and discuss ways, both big and small, that teachers and their schools can get students involved in real research.

Focus Over Frenzy: An Educator’S Guide To Strategic Opportunity Selection, Charity Freeman

Professional Learning Day

Is your professional plate overflowing with commitments? This session challenges common productivity and time management myths while introducing practical tools for making decisions about your time and energy. Learn why "switch tasking" might make you feel productive but drains your cognitive resources. In this session, explore a comprehensive framework for evaluating opportunities that come your way, from aligning with your core priorities to assessing stakeholder dynamics. Leave with concrete strategies for saying "yes" or "no" confidently, setting meaningful boundaries, and making choices that support your effectiveness as an educator.

Build Your Own World!, Sarah Robertson, Felicia Maxa

Professional Learning Day

You will be introduced to an activity that allows you to create a unique planet and learn about earth and space science in the process! In making your planet, you will use knowledge of formation, plate boundaries, landforms, weather, climate, wind currents, and more. You will sketch out planetary details and create a raised relief map that shows aspects of your planet. If you love Earth Science and project-based learning, this is the session for you. Bring a pencil and a positive attitude!

Quantum Cryptography In Physics Class, Anastasia Perry

Professional Learning Day

Do you want to bring more modern physics content, beyond the photoelectric effect, into your physics classroom? Quantum mechanics has bizarre phenomena such as probabilistic measurement, uncertainty principle, and entanglement. Using quantum objects like photons can benefit cryptography and secure communication. This lesson will model the BB84 quantum key generation protocol using hands-on activity. Additional simulation activities and resources will be shared. This activity can be used in a high school physics class during the modern physics unit. Basic algebra skills and limited school supplies are needed. Interested CS teachers or middle school science teachers can use it as an …

Ai: What It Can And Can’T Do, Dr. Micah Fogel

Professional Learning Day

For those with no AI experience. Come find out what AI is, how it works, and how you can get started using it. Your students are already using AI, so you should learn how to use it to help them learn! Bring your laptop and play along!

With Or Without Highways?, David Hernandez

Professional Learning Day

Can you imagine your life without your GPS (Global Positioning System)? Although GPS seems to be an automatic and standard service for all users. The users alone contribute to at least 30% of the program’s ability to work accurately. Join us in exploring a model representing the calculations performed by navigational devices that predict travel times and the optimal roads for this travel time. If you get lost on the way to this presentation, use the GPS.

Reflections On Light: Exploring Geometrical Optics With Precalculus Tools, Dr. Anderson Trimm

Professional Learning Day

In this session, the presenter will discuss the mathematical modeling of reflection and refraction of light as an engaging and accessible application of several concepts from precalculus. By presenting this topic with a greater emphasis on the underlying mathematics, students of physical science can make deeper connections with their mathematics coursework. The presenter will share a lesson appropriate for Algebra 2 or precalculus that integrates Desmos and PhET simulations and discuss differentiation opportunities. Attendees should bring a laptop to access the simulations.

Teaching And Normalizing Digital Accessibility For Students In The Chemical Sciences, Stefano C G Biagini

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Digital accessibility is the inclusive practice of ensuring that all people can equally access digital information. However, this good practice has yet to be fully embraced by practitioners and educators in the chemical sciences. This article will describe and explain the key requirements of digital accessibility and how they apply to educators in the chemical sciences, with the emphasis on supporting visually impaired students; it will illustrate a case study of training students in adopting digital accessibility good practices in order to enable a culture change of greater inclusivity for the next generation; and finally illustrate low cost laboratory adaptations …

Secondary Mathematics Teacher Recruitment Campaign 2.0: Implementation Guide, Diane Barrett, Liza Bondurant, Tim Deis, Brittney Falahola, Dana Franz, Cheryl Ordorica, Derek Sturgill, Lexi Kornblum, Jeff Ranta, Ed Dickey

CoE Publications

This guide is designed to help faculty members and others within mathematics or STEM teacher education programs maximize their impact on teacher candidate recruitment. ...Intended to serve as a campaign implementation handbook for teacher recruitment for mathematics and other STEM fields, the elements in this guide were compiled to address general principles of marketing. Each module is designed to stand-alone addressing a specific recruitment topic, but with sufficient knowledge carry-over from one module to the other to allow those interested in recruitment to implement a comprehensive campaign.

Training For Tomorrow: Ensuring School Staff Are Ready For Medical Emergencies, Lisa Garamella

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This project explores the implementation of a training curriculum for emergency response team (ERT) members in schools. Using a pre-and post-test questionnaire to assess knowledge aims to increase the understanding of identifying emergencies and responding to school personnel. Emergencies can happen at any time or place. School districts need to ensure they are prepared to respond appropriately to help during these situations. Having a plan in place to manage medical emergencies will help lessen the impact of a medical event (Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], 2010). Most school staff are not thoroughly trained to assist students, staff, or visitors during …

Exploring Service Quality In Gambian Public Universities In The Dawn Of Massification: Perceptions Of Internal Authorities, Yankuba Yabou, Precious Nyoni

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of our study was to explore the perceptions of internal authorities of public universities in The Gambia—with a focus on the University of The Gambia (UTG)—on service quality amid massification and thereby elicit their recommendations.

Method: This qualitative case study of service quality in public universities in the Gambia employed content analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews to ascertain categories.

Results: The results showed an unfavorable view of the quality of all the factors observed—physical environment quality, core educational quality, and transformative quality. Despite efforts of the university administration to enhance the quality of education, the …

Nature Journaling: A Tool For Designing A Responsive Science Methods Course For Adult Learners, Meenakshi Sharma, Divya Gangadin, Francy Gomez

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

We examined an outdoor, experiential learning approach within a science methods course for nontraditional adult learners who are often career changers or individuals transitioning into teaching later in life. Through immersive, nature-based experiences, the course connected adult learners to science via direct engagement with the natural world. We include reflections from two nontraditional learners who participated in a 6-week nature journaling process, showcasing how they embraced inquiry-based experiences in natural settings. These reflections reveal a supportive learning environment that values diverse learning styles and life experiences and encourages exploration. Insights from these experiences can guide science teacher educators in developing …

Advising Tools For Student Success, Ingrid Washington, Jimmy Wright

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Ingrid Washington on February 18, 2025.

Models Of Mastery Learning For Computing Education, Claudia Szabo, Miranda C. Parker, Michelle Friend, Johan Jeuring, Tobias Kohn, Lauri Malmi, Judithe Sheard

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The application of mastery learning, where students progress through their learning in a self-paced manner until they have mastered specific concepts, is considered appealing for teaching introductory programming courses. Despite its growing popularity in computing and its extensive use in other disciplines, there is no overview of the design of courses that use mastery learning. In this position paper, we present an overview of five mastery learning models and discuss examples of how these can be applied in practice, both in foundational programming as well as more advanced courses. Our analysis focuses on the student progression through the course, the …

Building The Cyber Pipeline: Providing Cs Education For Rural K-12 Schools, Nathan H. Bean, Joshua Levi Weese, Russell Feldhausen, David S. Allen, Michelle Friend

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In the push to broaden participation in computer science (CS) within the United States, there have been a number of highly successful efforts to engage urban high schools and communities. As urban areas often have high concentrations of poverty and underrepresented populations, these efforts meet a well-known need, and have a strong potential impact. However, urban audiences are not the only ones to lack adequate computer science education opportunities. In the United States, 1 in 5 people live in a rural area [19], and studies consistently show that rural areas offer fewer opportunities for students to engage with computer science …

A Call To Threaten Systemic Inequities Through Critical ‎Crosscultural Communicative Competence In Future Teachers: ‎Engaging Els In Stem Using A Critical Conceptual Framework, Abdelilah Salim Sehlaoui, Hassan Zaid

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

This article shares a critical conceptual framework to threaten ‎systemic ‎inequities through computer-assisted language learning (CALL) using a critical ‎crosscultural communicative competence (C⁵) and equity literacy to engage English ‎learners (ELs) in ‎Science, ‎Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The proposed critical conceptual framework is compatible with ways of thinking in STEM-based problem solving (English, 2023). To achieve this goal, a theory adaptation ‎critical research design was used with a sociocultural analysis and a modified transactional ‎epistemology critical approach. The paper argues for building a critical conceptual framework that is based fundamentally on a critical view of equity literacy …

Sowing The Seeds Of Confusion To Reap Content Mastery, Rebecca Mcgrail

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Engaged Pedagogy And The Three C'S: Incorporating Student Emotions Within Institutions Of Higher Education, Kathryn Mattingly Flynn

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Getting Students Excited About Chemistry, Jovita Daraezinwa

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Section Two - Graddegree+ Pedagogy Development Track Reflections, Ashley Sorrell

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Overcoming Students' Resistance To The Flipped Classroom, Koji Tanno

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Pathways To Discover: Exploring Transdisciplinary Learning With Primary Sources, Matthew Strandmark

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Varied Uses Of Class Time: A Case Study Of Epe 301, Zitsi Mirakhur, Spencer Crawford, Wyatt Driskell

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.