Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons^™

Professional Preparation, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Part of being a professional is completing quality preparation. But teachers don't necessarily receive rigorous, extended practice as other professions do—and notably, they don't get paid for their work when they do.

The Prepared To Teach Paradigm Shift, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Prepared To Teach exists to help districts, states, and teacher preparation programs find ways to develop sustainable streams of public funding to support high-quality teacher preparation.

Simplifying Improvement, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Initiatives, projects, and structural changes in service of school reform can become overwhelming and complicated. Teacher residencies are a streamlined way of untangling priorities for improvement and creating a unified strategy.

New York State Root Causes, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

When teachers quit, education fails. Teacher residencies can reduce turnover, diversify the teaching profession, and support student learning. New York State has an opportunity to transform teacher preparation.

The 3 R'S Of Sustainably Funded Residencies, Bank Street College Of Education

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

Deep partnerships between universities and districts are essential to the success of locally-grown teacher residencies, in part because of the funding opportunities these relationships unlock. Across the country, partnerships have identified funding strategies that can sustain and scale residencies, including dedicated financial support for aspiring teachers completing their clinical practice placements. Districts rethink staffing to free up dollars and programs find ways to reduce costs. When residencies design and recruit in ways that meet P-12 needs, districts also frequently dedicate additional dollars to the partnership. Together, these approaches offer “3 R’s” for sustainable residency funding.

Curriculum Integration: Twenty Questions- With Answers, Gert Nesin, John Lounsbury

Becoming: Journal of the Georgia Association for Middle Level Education

This is a digital edition of the book Curriculum Integration: Twenty Questions- With Answers, first published in 1999 by the Georgia Middle School Association.

ISBN-13: 978-0967508108
ISBN-10: 096750810X

Memories Of The Teacher: A Reflection Of Enduring Ideals, Katherine Cooke

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In order to educate my students in my first year of teaching, I embarked upon a research project that would allow me to get to know their strengths and needs in addition to identifying my own possible biases and pre-conceived educational ideas. My research spreads from my own life to the lives of three focus students from various populations: one English learner, one student who receives special education services, and one student who has had significant life experiences that might contribute to his academic work. I interviewed all three students and their families to develop an action plan to help …

Using Virtual Reality And Web Conferencing Technologies: Exploring Alternatives For Microteaching In A Rural Region, Raymond A. Dixon, Cassidy Hall, Farjahan Shawon

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Preservice teachers’ views of two types of technologies which provided realistic environments in which to practice microteaching are described: (1) TLE TeachLivE™ Lab, a virtual reality environment that employs avatars as students in a virtual classroom, and (2) web conferencing technology to synchronously teach students in remotely located classrooms. Preservice teachers opined that each technology offers a relatively realistic environment that allows them to interact with virtual and real students. Microteaching through these technologies increases their self-confidence and provided a safe, non-threatening environment for them to reflect on their practice. We concluded these emerging technologies can provide viable alternatives to …

The Masters Of Physics: Critical Thinking Through Skateboarding, William Robertson

Departmental Papers (TE)

This paper focuses on the use of live action and video instruction as a method of content dissemination and to motivate students in learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.  Specifically, this area, dubbed “edutainment”, chronicles different interactions with students, teachers and community members that utilized live action to video as methods of capturing relevant content in student-centered contexts. The fundamental idea is to infuse one's passion into modern methods of teaching, and to inspire others to use their gifts in their education, and thereby connect them to their dreams and aspirations.

Introduction, Amanda Wall

Becoming: Journal of the Georgia Association for Middle Level Education

Introduction

Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions Of Opportunities And Challenges, Shelby Eversole

Masters Theses

This study investigates the perspectives of opportunities and challenges of middle school mathematics’ teachers. To gain these perspectives, an ethnographic study was conducted by interviewing four middle school mathematics teachers in central Illinois. The results of this study imply that teachers of different backgrounds and teaching environments have varying perspectives about challenges and opportunities in the classroom. Limitations of this study include but are not limited to, the researcher having one year to conduct the research, only four teachers from two schools being interviewed, interviewees teaching different grade levels, no rural setting involvement, one educator having little teaching experience, teachers’ …

Does Waldorf Education Offer A Well-Rounded And Integrated Experience That Prepares Students For Higher Grades And Life In General?, Jacqueline A. Stratton

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis research focuses on the study of Waldorf education and how it benefits the whole child. It begins by looking at Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf educational program and its foundational history and then takes an in depth look at the key elements of its rich philosophy and pedagogy. The literature review focuses on the key question, ‘Does this 100 year-old teaching philosophy encourage a more well-rounded and integrated educational experience than traditional public schools?’ The review highlights four broad topics in relationship to Waldorf education. These include: Educating the Whole Child; Education for the Three Stages of Childhood; Early Childhood …

Bully-Victimization, Depression, And School Connectedness In Early Adolescent Students, Irene Gonzalez-Herrer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

During early adolescence, schools play a significant role in the development of students. An issue that continues to be a serious concern for students, parents, teachers, and school officials in the U.S. and around the world is bullying. The primary purpose of this study was to examine school connectedness as a mediator between bully-victimization and depressive symptomatology in early adolescence. The secondary purpose of the study was to explore how gender and bullying classification groups (i.e., bully, victim, bully-victim, and non-involved) may relate to levels of reported school connectedness. The current study found low school connectedness partially mediated the relationship …

Call For Manuscripts

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Copyright And Open Access

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

The Development Of The Wise (Writing To Inspire Successful Education) Writing Mentoring Program: A University-School Collaboration, Bradley H. Smith, Michael S. Mathews, Serrae N. Reed, Michelle Q. N. Tran, Caroline Mousa, Mauricio Lozano, Erica S. Rodriguez, Andrew Hamilton, Jonathan T. Mathews

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a service learning writing mentoring program designed to close the achievement gap in writing proficiency for economically disadvantaged seventh grade students. Compared to writing mentoring studies found in the published literature, this program has three distinguishing components. First, it focused on economically disadvantaged middle school students. Second, it provided writing mentoring through a university-school partnership in which college students provided the intervention in collaboration with a seventh-grade teacher. Third, the program used technology to facilitate the mentoring process. Over the course of an academic year, mentors created videos with feedback on 19 writing …

Science Instruction For Secondary Students With Emotional Or Behavioral Disorders: A Guide For Curriculum Development, Tal Slemrod, Leah Wood, Shelley Hart, William Coleman

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This article provides a step-by-step guide for the organization and development of science lessons and units, to support the academic and behavioral performance of secondary students with challenges with related disabilities. This clinical practice guide provides a process for curriculum development for students with emotional or behavior disorders (EBD) in the science classroom. Steps include recommendations, goals, and examples for administrators and educators to discover appropriate plans and interventions to promote engagement and learning, including supporting success on State mandated High Stakes Assessments.

Implications Of 3-D Printing For Teaching Geoscience Concepts To Students With Visual Impairments, Karen E. Koehler, Tiffany A. Wild, Sean Tikkun

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This article presents the results of a study on the use of 3-D printed models in a science classroom for students with visual impairments and examines whether the use of these models impacts student conceptual understanding and misconceptions related to geosciences concepts, specifically plate tectonics.

Data were collected one week prior to instruction, one week after instruction and throughout the 3-week instructional period. Results showed that students with visual impairments held many of the same misconceptions about plate tectonics as students who are typically sighted. All students in this study had fewer misconceptions after the instructional period than they held …

Student Voices: African American High School Seniors' Perception Of Culturally Responsive Teaching., Whitney M. Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined African-American high school seniors’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching in one public high school within a large urban public-school district in the southeastern region of the United States. It begins with a brief historical overview on the plight of African-Americans in the US public education system and how public school educators have failed to leverage Afrocultural learning orientations as an asset to educate and increase the academic achievement of African-American students in classrooms. The Philosophical Aspects of Cultural Difference Framework (Nichols, 1986, 1995) will guide this dissertation study. The latter part of the dissertation reveals that a …

The Complexity Of Learning To Teach News Media In Social Studies Education, Mardi Schmeichel, Jim Garrett, Rachel Ranschaert, Joseph Mcanulty, Shannon Thompson, Sonia Janis, Christopher Clark, Stephanie Yagata, Briana Bivens

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research reports on data generated through an initial teacher certification program for secondary social studies teachers that introduced a specific and program-spanning focus on news media literacy. Growing out of the urgent need for pedagogies that address and promote critical engagement with the kinds of news media sources upon which civic decisions are made, our project follows teacher candidates from their initial certification coursework through the culminating student teaching semester. Our work with teacher candidates over this time was explicitly intended to intervene in and develop teacher candidates’ understandings of news media literacy, its place in social studies education, …

Book Review: Towards Inclusion Of All Learners Through Science Teacher Education, Greg Stefanich

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

It is a pleasure to receive an invitation to submit a review for the book titled Towards Inclusion of All Learners through Science Teacher Education. The contributors include four wellknown leaders in inclusive science education complemented by a spectrum of authors American and international, in pre-service and graduate science education, pre-service and graduate special education, science research, special education practitioners, classroom teachers, graduate students, and students through case studies and interviews.

The book presents an excellent overview of current practices in schools, descriptions of individual and team efforts to improve practice, and emerging innovations such as the application of Universal …

A Framework For Reflective Practice, Diana L. Moss, Claudia Bertolone-Smith, Teruni D. Lamberg

Journal of Practitioner Research

Teaching involves making constant choices and orchestrating interventions that impact purposeful teaching and learning. Finding time to collect information and develop solutions for a teaching challenge can be problematic. Teachers may feel pressure to shift instructional practices without incorporating purposeful reflection. We developed a reflection framework and tested it in a middle grades classroom over a two-week period, and employed practitioner research to investigate the potential of allowing for deep reflection within the middle school structure. We investigated how the framework impacted the teacher’s ability to reflect and adjust based on student learning in the classroom. We conclude that sophisticated …

How Race And Racism Empower A School's Curriculum, Sunni Ali

Journal of Research Initiatives

Teaching students about race and racism are so multi-faceted and sophisticated, yet it remains the most crucial conversation and lesson to have with young people to empower them. One of the useful ways Americans can attempt to unravel and transform this complicated legacy is to make it a part of a school’s curriculum. Allowing race and racism to remain a hidden-aspect of a school’s curriculum reinforces its trivialization and dysfunction.

Indeed, having constructed, well-thought-out lessons about race and racism “myth-bust” any attempts for future Americans to continually embrace xenophobia and genetic inferiority. In recent years, the institution of education and …

Examining The Myth Of Antebellum Glory Through Confederate Memorials, James D. Nunez

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Recent events surrounding Confederate statues and monuments reveals a serious problem in the way people of differing political beliefs contend with controversial issues. In this manuscript, the author provides steps and resources to utilize Confederate monuments and memorials as a method of developing student political identity through historical thinking. The article demonstrates student examination of primary and secondary resources relating to the motivation for more than 1700 Confederate monuments that are constructed throughout the Southern United States. They use a mural found within the courthouse of a major city in Alabama created in the 1930’s that critics argue is veneration …

Integration Of Project-Based Learning In Elementary Social Studies, Arren Swift

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The marginalization of social studies education in elementary schools has been well documented. To provide meaningful social studies education to elementary students we must find ways to integrate social studies into other content areas. The application of project-based learning complements the process of cross-curricular integration. This article provides a rationale for this approach and a sample lesson to help clarify the process.

Philanthropy At Parkside Elementary School: The Kindness Project, Ron Morris

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Democratic citizenship reflected an underlying philosophy of interactions between competing values such as enculturation, invention, community, individuality, order, and freedom. Students who did not investigate the underlying values of their service learning participated in indoctrination programs an idea repugnant in democratic education. Teachers provided students with opportunities to think and question as they practiced the skills they used as a citizen in the community. Fourth grade students engaged in a service learning project reflected the experience of democratic citizenship. Students navigated these values in service learning project to learn to enrich the commonwealth of their classroom, school, and extended community …

Through Their Eyes: Perspective Taking Activities For Social Studies Classes, William Gary Cole, Gary Padgett

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Perspective taking activities have been shown to yield a number of positive effects for students across disciplines. In this article, the authors provide two ready-to-teach lessons plans that encourage perspective taking through research, critical thinking, and creativity. By asking students to view history through the eyes of the people who lived it, these activities help students think deeply and creatively about social studies content.

Using Trade Books To Identify And Change Discriminatory Practices, Monisha Moore

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Elementary students need opportunities to explore social justice issues in their classrooms. They also need to examine text to analyze historical figures’ values, biases, and beliefs. Using trade books is one method to expose students to multiple perspectives in a diverse world. Having students identify, analyze, and address discriminatory practices through trade books equips them with the skills necessary to build empathy and address oppressive systems.

Exploring Problem-Based Learning For Middle School Design And Engineering Education In Digital Fabrication Laboratories, Monica M. Chan, Paulo Blikstein

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

This is a research study of design and engineering classes that use a problem-based learning (PBL) approach in digital fabrication makerspaces in two middle schools. In these studies, teachers employ a PBL approach and provide an ill-structured problem scenario to facilitate design and engineering lessons in the FabLab (fabrication laboratory). Students in each school tackled different challenges that they defined for themselves in groups. This study provides examples of student-student interactions separated into key themes—defining specifications with teammates, personal exploration, and communication about discoveries. This study also provides examples of teacher-student interactions, and themes include demonstrations with tangible objects, discussing …

Praxis Core: A Systemic Approach To Helping Minority Students, Terrance M. Mcadoo, Danielle A. Harrison

Journal of Research Initiatives

The purpose of this article was to provide potential solutions for teacher education programs with regard to assisting minority students with Praxis Core, a standardized test that’s mandatory for many teacher preparation students throughout the United States. The article not only examined solutions for minority students, especially African American students, but also it highlights the disparities between Caucasian and African American test takers in regard to Praxis Core. A major portion of the article discussed a three point systems that has proven to be effective in helping minority students to successfully pass Praxis Core, and the article explains the structures …