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

Shaking Up Assessment: Integrating Low And High Technology Tools, Lenessa Clark, Erin Besser

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Assessment is an important component of education because it communicates whether the academic goals are met within a class. Generally, assessments offer opportunities for educators to target their teaching goals and to measure the extent to which the expected goals are attained (Madani, 2016). Incorporating the right technology provides opportunities to enhance teaching and learning. This article presents several low- and high-tech tools that middle grades educators can integrate into their instructional practice as a developmentally responsive way to facilitate the assessment process.

Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered And Queer (Lgbtq) Youth In Southern Middle Schools, Xiomarra A. Beverly

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

During my experience teaching in a conservative, southern middle school, I have found that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer (LGBTQ) youth are not afforded the same support systems as other minority groups within the classroom. I have noticed that students who self- identified as a member of the LGBTQ community were less engaged, had lower overall grades, and were frequently victimized by both students and faculty at times. I believed that I could increase the overall mental and physical health in the classroom by instilling supportive means that would translate inside and outside of the classroom. From both personal …

Sticky Notes Matter: 3 Ways To Promote Mental Health In The Middle School Classroom, Demisa Gray

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Mental health issues continue to be a prominent concern in middle level education. Adolescence marks a crucial period for developing healthy social and emotional skills to promote mental well-being. Poor mental health can affect grades, relationships, decision-making, and students’ overall health. Building positive rapport and connections with students can protect their mental health. Encouraging students to journal their thoughts and feelings helps students process and recognize their emotions. Students enjoy using bright, colored sticky notes. I recommend that teachers give students opportunities to use sticky-notes to express themselves.

More Than Academic: Texts For Teens, Casey Belli, Rebecca Harper

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Middle and high school students are dealing with many heavy issues and topics daily – and we’re noticing the strain this is putting on their mental health -- yet there are several texts that can be used to help middle grades students develop decision making skills and coping strategies. Teaching reading and writing with books like these in classrooms can help students build a sense of empathy and compassion for others, along with offering them opportunities for contemplation and reflection. Plus, these experiences can also allow students a safe space to invite dialogue and discussion about topics that are part …

Perceptions Of Paraprofessionals On The Grow Your Own Teacher Program In Three Rural School Districts In Eastern North Carolina, Tony Faison

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The Grow Your Own Teacher (GYOT) program addresses the shortage of qualified teachers by recruiting and training community residents to become qualified teachers. These programs look and feel like community-building strategies instead of teacher pipeline strategies. The GYOT initiative is not new, but the mainstream absorption of the GYOT initiative presents an exciting opportunity to link education policy and neighborhood revitalization more closely. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of paraprofessionals on the GYOT program in three rural school districts in eastern North Carolina. The conceptual framework was based on Yosso's (2005) Cultural Wealth Model, …

Student With Twice-Exceptionalities Iep Meeting Assignment Description, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

General education teachers should remember that all students are general education students, first. We need to be prepared to work with students of all abilities in our classrooms. As general education teachers, we have an active role on a child’s IEP team and an active role during the IEP meeting. This assignment asked preservice teachers to develop a script of what they would say at an IEP meeting of one character from four different novels that would be considered a child with twice-exceptionalities.

Creating A Gifted-Friendly Classroom, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

The goal of undergraduate teacher preparation programs is to equip future teachers to work with all learners. Gifted and talented learners are likely found in every classroom regardless of where they reside. According to Rinn et al. (2022), Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Nebraska do not require undergraduate teacher candidates to take university coursework on gifted education. The goal of this presentation is to provide a general overview of gifted education specific to Kansas. This presentation aims to address myths and misconceptions about gifted education and gifted learners, characteristics of gifted learners, a basic overview of a general identification process, …

Policy Analysis: School Clustering Policy, Sajid Ali, Aisha Naz Ansari

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Divergent Representations Of Africa: A Qualitative Analysis Of Georgia Social Studies Textbooks, Bailey A. Brown, Amber R. Reed

Georgia Educational Researcher

The Georgia Department of Education has clearly defined standards for learning about Africa in the seventh grade. However, there exists great variation in how textbooks present this material and address these standards. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, we assess the presentation of Africa in three widely used Georgia social studies textbooks. We document and analyze coverage of Africa across Georgia’s seventh grade world studies learning domains. Our research demonstrates: 1) that, despite widespread calls for decolonization of education and strengthening of multicultural education, Euro-American perspectives on Africa are still prevalent; 2) textbooks vary widely on how they choose to …

Dancing Through The Harlem Renaissance: An Inquiry-Based Unit Plan Exploring Movement And Culture, Marina Tsirambidis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Incorporating movement and physical activity into the K-12, general education classroom has been on the rise. In a study done in 2019, Chloe Bedard deemed physical activity successful within the primary school setting and was determined to examine the benefits of movement integration into the secondary school setting (Bedard et al 2019, as cited in Romar, 2023). Additionally, dance scholars have researched the positive effects of incorporating dance history and movement into the classroom. With these two major advancements in mind, this study will provide a social studies unit that integrates dance movement. This unit aims to teach students about …

Teaching Is Messy: Using Lesson Study To Reimagine Student-Centered Clinical Experiences, Kristina Falbe, Robyn Seglem

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Teacher preparation is dependent on a clinical model of instruction where students apprentice with licensed teachers to gain experience in a classroom. It is not always easy to create these opportunities in schools that are local to the university, especially with a large middle-level program. This qualitative study examines how using lesson study in an early clinical experience can create high-quality experiences and develop innovative thinking around lesson design. This research answers the following questions: (1) What events do the preservice teachers identify as memorable in their interactions with students, peers, and teachers during a clinical experience that uses the …

Resilience In Early Second Career Stem Teachers Employed In Public Secondary Schools, Donald Selway

Theses and Dissertations

A troubling shortage of K-12 Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) teachers exists in the United States. One solution to increase STEM teachers involves recruiting STEM professionals to transition from industry to K-12 teaching. Research indicates that fostering resilience is one way to help new STEM teachers’ retention and persistence in the field. This study explored individual and programmatic factors that increase early career and early second career K-12 STEM teachers’ resilience. Moreover, this research examined how strategic initiatives and programs assisted STEM professionals to build resilience as they transitioned into K-12 STEM educators.

This study utilized mixed-methods design to …

Administrator Feedback To Teachers, Regina Frazier, Candace Wilkerson, Jacquie Cioffi, Patrick Simmons, Makeba Lindsay D'Abreu, Thea Racelis, Amanda Simmons, Melissa Yancey, Deanna Fierro, David B. Naff

MERC Publications

This brief from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) curates peer-reviewed scholarship as well as state and school board policies in Virginia related to administrator feedback to teachers. It explores the following questions: 1) What is the purpose of administrators providing feedback to teachers? 2) How do administrators typically provide feedback to teachers? 3) How do teachers typically receive feedback from administrators? 4) What are research-based strategies for administrators to provide productive feedback to teachers? It concludes with key takeaways and recommendations for how administrators provide feedback to teachers.

The Relationship Of Mentorship And Professional Development On Special Educators’ Intent, Christine S. Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature in special education has examined professional development (PD) and mentorship separately; however, no studies have investigated the relationship between PD and mentorship on special education teachers’ intent. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which participating in PD and mentorship opportunities predicted the likelihood of Early Career Special Education Teachers' (ECSETs) intent to leave the teacher workforce while examining factors related to duration and quality. Based on two conceptual models, Desimone’s (2009) best practices for professional development and Nick et al. (2012) best practices for academic mentoring, this study identified key features and characteristics …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Inclusive Classrooms, Tamara Ann Lipson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined teachers’ perceptions of inclusive classrooms. The specific areas of focus were analyzed by comparing demographic characteristics of the responding teachers to survey questions from the adapted Teachers Attitude towards Inclusive Education (TAIS) in order to determine how teachers perceive inclusive classrooms, how prepared they feel to teach in inclusive classrooms, and if there is any correlation between the workload of the teachers and their perception of inclusive classrooms. Data was collected through a survey completed by 480 teachers from a large, diverse, public school district in Northeast Florida. The findings of this study indicate that these teachers …

Student Teachers’ Initial Professional Identity: A Case In An Efl Teacher Education Program, Uun Muhaji, Didi Sukyadi, Ahmad Bukhori Muslim

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Student teachers enter teacher education programs with existing values, beliefs, and knowledge about teaching. However, little is known about the significant resources that shape this initial professional identity. Additionally, there is a lack of understanding regarding how first-year student teachers depict their initial professional identity in the context of Indonesia. This case study examines the initial professional identity of 23 first-year Indonesian student teachers in an English as a Foreign Language Teacher Education Program (EFLTEP) in Indonesia. Utilizing Esteban-Guitart's Funds of Identity theory, data were collected through participants' narratives via significant circles, self-portrait drawings and interviews. Data were …

Being And Becoming Across Difference: A Grounded Theory Study Of Exemplary White Teachers In Racially Diverse Classrooms, Jane S. Feinberg

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Of the roughly 3.5 million public school teachers in the United States, approximately 80% are White. In contrast, about 51.7% of the nation’s students are African American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian. This mismatch is expected to grow as the number of BIPOC students in our nation’s public schools continues to increase. Studies have shown that strong positive relationships are essential for learning, but often, the relationships between White teachers and BIPOC students are strained at best, leading to poorer learning outcomes. The purpose of this Constructivist Grounded Theory study was to explore an understudied question: How do White teachers …

Application Of Lortie's Apprenticeship Of Observation Model: Evidence Of Iowa Teaching Standards With Amish School Teachers, Jacquelyn R. Burr Moorman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Classroom educators are held to standards of teaching and learning throughout their professional careers. The standards are the expectations laid out by the national and state levels to determine how and why teachers should teach the way they do to increase student achievement (NBPTS, 2016; State of Iowa Department of Education, 2019; CCSSO, 2013). The teaching standards in Iowa align with pedagogy, instruction, and professionalism (State of Iowa Department of Education, 2019).

Some educators learn how to become teachers through their post-secondary education courses. Those teachers who are part of the Amish community do not follow a traditional path to …