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

An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of A Professional Development Program On Teacher Knowledge And Practice To Address Adolescent Health Issues, Narima Aliya Shahabudeen

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Grade 7 Native Americans, Bryan Fierson

Social Studies

This lesson on Native American life will be a three-day lesson that includes, among other differentiated elements, a hook sparking the students' imagination through fantasy, a direct instruction session, two anchor activities, a group reading activity, a creative writing exercise, and performance tasks to measure student comprehension and learning.

Whytry? A Program Evaluation, Tammie Knick

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In Minnesota, one out of every five students fail to graduate from high school (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009). Long before students decide to drop out of school, a host of risk factors or early predictors undoubtedly emerged in childhood. The purpose of this research pilot project was to determine the efficacy of the WhyTry? program in helping to reduce some of those risk factors such as: Truancy, Behavior problems in school, Low academic achievement, and School disengagement. The WhyTry? Program uses a strengths-based approach to help youth overcome their challenges and improve their outcomes at school. WhyTry? is based …

The Impact Of Coteaching On Regular Education Eighth Grade Student Achievement On A Basic Skills Algebra Assessment, Misty B. Rigdon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Coteaching strategies have been implemented in many of the inclusion math classrooms in an attempt to improve the achievement of students. Math achievement continues to be a concern as reported by the National Mathematics Advisory Council in 2007. Educators and previous research reported that coteaching does not improve student achievement. The purpose of this study and the research question was designed to investigate, determine, and examine if coteaching has an impact on regular education students' achievement on an algebra assessment in the eighth grade. This concurrent mixed methods design used test data from a convenience sample of 70 eighth grade …

Middle School Teachers' Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction : The Complexity, Tonya Rae Vitense Keefer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The needs of students in American schools are increasingly more varied as the school population becomes more diverse. Ensuring that all students receive access to an appropriate education becomes vital to our future. Differentiated instruction has been suggested as one way to provide that access. Differentiated instruction does this by using planning that explicitly addresses students' diverse interests, learning preferences, and abilities. There is plentiful information on what differentiated instruction is and what it looks like in the classroom, but there is little research on the process of teachers implementing differentiated instruction.

Over a seven-month period, this research sought to …

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science: Teaching Physics In Context, William Robertson

Selected Works Temporary Series

Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science, a curriculum supplement which consists of video instruction and classroom activities is an example that focuses on the physical science concepts found in the areas of forces, motion, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and simple machines. The use of familiar activities, situations and objects, such as skateboarding and bicycle motocross (BMX), around which students can explore and explain scientific concepts can be defined as action science. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science is an example of transformative education, a student-centered curriculum supplement built around interesting content linked to specific physic knowledge and skills in science. The videos and classroom …

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science: Teaching Physics In Context, William Robertson

Departmental Papers (TE)

Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science, a curriculum supplement which consists of video instruction and classroom activities is an example that focuses on the physical science concepts found in the areas of forces, motion, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and simple machines. The use of familiar activities, situations and objects, such as skateboarding and bicycle motocross (BMX), around which students can explore and explain scientific concepts can be defined as action science. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science is an example of transformative education, a student-centered curriculum supplement built around interesting content linked to specific physic knowledge and skills in science. The videos and classroom …

It Takes A Village: Educating 21st Century Students For College Success, Ann Marie Smeraldi

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

12-13 Transition . . . 21st Century skills . . . PreK through 20 . . . These buzz words appear in email subject lines and on websites . . . they pop up in articles, but what does it all mean for school library media specialist and academic librarians? Come explore how library media specialists and academic librarians can forge new alliances and collaborate to prepare today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders. Participants will learn about one academic librarian’s experiences serving as a high school liaison and working with college freshmen.

To Blend Or Not To Blend: Online-Only And Blended Learning Environments, Rachel M. B. Collopy, Jackie Marshall Arnold

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Increasing curricular demands and the desire to provide meaningful, engaging instruction have pressed teacher educators to review and revise their programs. Many have viewed the assets of online learning as a potential solution to meet the seemingly ever increasing state- and accreditation-mandated course content and competencies. Universities have explored the inclusion of Web based courses for students for several decades. According to Martyn (2003), over 90% of higher education institutions use some type of electronically enhanced learning or “e-learning” option.

These options vary between courses that are offered completely “online” to those that include a blend of differing amounts of …

Meeting The Need For K-8 Teachers For Classrooms With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students: The Promise And Challenge Of Early Field Experiences, Amy Strage, Susan Gomez, Kari Knutson-Miller, Ana Garcia-Nevarez

Faculty Publications

The writers present the findings of their study focused on teacher learning through early fieldwork experiences to address the problem of teachers working with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population. Data were analyzed from an archive collected from approximately 500 students enrolled in six undergraduate child development courses at three state university campuses located in urban areas of California. Findings suggest that early field experiences provide participants with opportunities for career goal clarification, and the context of field experience is significant and may lead to outcomes beyond the initial goal of the experience.

Art & Technology [6th-8th Grade], Elizabeth A. Bendele

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit was designed to meet several needs in the art classroom: a.) to expose students to digital art and design; b.) to reveal instances where technology has altered the path of artists, c.) to integrate technology standards in the art curriculum. The central understandings for this unit are: a.) Art evolves as technology develops; and b.) Technology has provided a venue for the widespread production and mass viewing of art. Essential questions are: a.) In what ways has technology changed art? b.) Has art advanced/improved or declined/deteriorated with the advent of new technology? c.) Is the value of an …

Proportional Relationships [7th Grade], Sabrina Bennett, Courtney Bryand

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit students will discover how everyday situations can be represented mathematically through proportional relationships. They will explore the use of ratios, rates and proportions as a problem solving tools. Students will examine proportional relationships in a variety of situations including percents, scaling, and purchasing situation (tax, tip, discount, best value etc). This unit provides two levels of learning activities. The seventh grade activities incorporate the seventh grade standards, and seventh grade pre-AP/GT activities compacts the seventh grade curriculum to incorporate both seventh and eighth grade standards. Pre-AP/GT activities can also be used as extension to the 7th grade …

Photographic Eye: Capturing The Moment Through Personal Narrative [8th-9th Grade], Amy Anderson

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Students will explore the connections between the writing process, art and memory. Through the lens of photography and art, they will refine and publish a “moment in time” personal narrative. This unit was created for the beginning of the school year, and serves the dual purpose of reviewing the writing process and helping students create meaningful connections with each other. Learning culminates as students produce and present a literary magazine celebrating their work.

Earth Sun Moon Phenomena: Seasons, Lunar Cycle, Tides [7th-8th Grade], Theodore Risinger

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit focuses on the interactions and motions of the earth, sun, and moon that cause seasons, the lunar cycle and tides on earth. Most middle school age students have misconceptions of these topics. The primary goal of this unit to correct any misconceptions students may have on these topics. Secondly, to further their understanding of how and why things on earth happen the way they do. For each of the topics covered no one single rule or individual event will cover all the aspects involved in the great question of “Why?”. Students will be challenged because they will have …

Reading Music-Abc’S, 123’S, Do Re Mi’S [6th Grade], Jessica Koppe

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will get an introduction to reading music at the middle school level in choir. This unit is theory intensive and meant to help students strengthen their basic music reading skills to provide a strong foundation for the ensemble and its ability to do more difficult music. This unit is not preparing students for a concert, so it may need to be spread out depending on the school’s needs and required performances. Activities are meant to keep students engaged in theory. By the end of the unit, students will be able to sing a major scale using …

What Section Do I Go To In Barnes And Noble? [7th Grade], Carol Cagnoni

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The following unit is based upon the 7th grade reading TEKS and College and Career Readiness Standards for TEXAS. In this unit, students will explore a variety of genres. Through group discussion, lectures, and self-discovery, students will be able to better understand how to choose a book in a genre that interests them. The unit ends with students reading a self-selected book based on criteria tailored to them. Finally, after reading a book, the students will create a brochure advertising the book they completed as well as share their opinion with their peers.

Making Writing Personal [6th Grade], Kathleen Fenske

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will view nonfiction and fiction as a commentary on an author’s personal life and on society, particularly the life of a migrant worker. Students will also begin to view writing as a process and as a reflection of self. Students will begin the unit by delving into the following questions: How does literature reflect a culture or time period? What can we learn from the past? To what extent can fiction reveal truth? Should a story teach you something? Why write? Why share personal experiences in writing? What makes writing worth reading? Through these questions, students …

Getting The Message [7th Grade], Vanessa Sanchez

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit will serve as an introduction to Advanced Contemporary Literacy in the seventh grade. ACL is centered on the forms of media and media’s purpose, message, and construction. Through the use of real world examples, students will begin to gain an understanding of media, what it represents and how they can interpret it beyond the surface.

Assessing Problem-Solving Dispositions: Likelihood-To-Act Survey, Kien Lim, Osvaldo Morera, Mourat Tchoshanov

Selected Works Temporary Series

This paper reports an ongoing study that is aimed at developing an instrument for measuring two particular problem-solving dispositions: (a) impulsive disposition refers to students’ proclivity to spontaneously proceed with an action that comes to mind, and (b) analytic disposition refers to the tendency to analyze the problem situation. The instrument is under development and consists of likelihood-to-act items in which participants indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 how likely they are to take a particular action in a given situation. The instrument was administered to 318 college students, mainly pre-service teachers. Statistical analysis indicates that likelihood-to-act items …

Mathematical Habits Of Mind, Kien Lim, Annie Selden

Selected Works Temporary Series

The idea of “mathematical habits of mind” has been introduced to emphasize the need to help students think about mathematics “the way mathematicians do.” There seems to be considerable interest among mathematics educators and mathematicians in helping students develop mathematical habits of mind. The objectives of this working group are: (a) to discuss various views and aspects of mathematical habits of mind, (b) to explore avenues for research, (c) to encourage research collaborations, and (d) to interest doctoral students in this topic. To facilitate the discussion during the working group meetings, we provide an overview of mathematical habits of mind, …

Assessing Problem-Solving Dispositions: Likelihood-To-Act Survey, Kien Lim, Osvaldo Morera, Mourat Tchoshanov

Departmental Papers (Math)

This paper reports an ongoing study that is aimed at developing an instrument for measuring two particular problem-solving dispositions: (a) impulsive disposition refers to students’ proclivity to spontaneously proceed with an action that comes to mind, and (b) analytic disposition refers to the tendency to analyze the problem situation. The instrument is under development and consists of likelihood-to-act items in which participants indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 how likely they are to take a particular action in a given situation. The instrument was administered to 318 college students, mainly pre-service teachers. Statistical analysis indicates that likelihood-to-act items …

Rules, What Rules ? (Linear Equations, Y=,X/Y Tables, Graphing) [8th Grade], Catherine Risinger

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The students will be introduced to linear equations. The main understandings that I want my students to develop is that even though there are multiple ways to solve problems, each way and representation can convey the same information. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of linear equations by solving them using a situation, algebraically, graphically, and using a table. Students will be able to generate a different representation of data given another representation of the same data. Students will explore real world examples of linear equations and discuss when different representations of linear equations are better models to use even though …

Manipulatives In Mathematics Instruction, Jessica Strom

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This paper is a review of research pertaining to the use of manipulatives in middle and secondary school mathematics instruction. It covers the research on the rationale for using manipulatives, the psychology behind learning with manipulatives, the common mistakes when teaching with manipulatives, and the suggested process to follow when using manipulatives in the classroom. There is a large amount of research and information on manipulatives in the classroom. One of the most prevalent topics addresses that the concrete characteristics of manipulatives allow students to progress through a natural learning process on their way to an abstract understanding of mathematical …

Getting Boys To Read: A Look At The Research And The Books They Love, Carrie Lynn Cooper, Kathy Cox Watson

Library Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

This session focuses on what the research says about males as readers and introduces the audience to great boy books and other types of text that appeals to male readers. The presenters have chosen titles from the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards program that are of interest to young male readers. Presenters also introduce and promote Kentucky’s children’s choice reading program, the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards. To misquote George Ella Lyon, the presenters would like to get boys to "shake hands with a book."

Using The Four Agreements To Reduce Student Stress In A Zero Tolerance School, William Suarez

Theses and Dissertations

As the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 increased academic pressure on students, the Guns Free Schools Act of 1994 required school districts to implement zero tolerance discipline policies that called for expulsion of students who bring weapons to school or commit drug offenses on school property. The zero tolerance policy forced students to deal with punishments and requirements that many educators feel are unevenly meted out (National Association of School Psychologists, 2008). This resulted is a stressful climate for students.

The Four Agreements are part of an esoteric Toltec philosophy that emphasizes stress-free interpersonal interactions (Ruiz, 1997). By …

An Analysis Of Feedback Given To Strong And Weak Student Writers, Janet L. D. Dinnen, Rachel M. B. Collopy

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Improvement-oriented feedback has been shown to be more effective at raising writing achievement than simple evaluative feedback. This study investigates whether teachers differ in the feedback they give to weak and strong writers as well as how feedback differs across grades. Interviews were conducted with 15 teachers about the feedback they gave students on their writing. Contrary to expectations, analyses indicate that both weak and strong writers received minimal improvement-oriented feedback. However, strong writers received more positive evaluative feedback while weak writers received more negative evaluative feedback. This research has implications for both teacher education and the professional development of …

Reforming Education In Pakistan – Tracing Global Links, Sajid Ali, Malik S. A. Tahir

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper is about tracing global links in national education reforms in Pakistan. The paper tries to describe globalization and its general effects on national policies. It particularly highlights the effects of globalization on education reforms, which are: competitiveness-driven, finance-driven and equity-driven. In light of these global education reform patterns the paper explores the major educational reforms being pursued in Pakistan since 1990s. The paper argues that globalization has seriously challenged the national reform policies, which are now becoming more and more globally driven. Rather than out rightly rejecting all global policies, engaging critically with them is the stance of …

Managing Conflict In The Classroom, Saima Khalid, Syeda Imrana Raza

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Educational Leaders Perceptions Of Emotional Intelligence And How It Effects Their Professional Practice, Yaffa Krugliak Lahat

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Researchers argue that Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays a key role in effective and successful leadership (Goleman et al., 2004; Rosete & Ciarrochi, 2005; Chan, 2007). Although other researchers claimed that these assertions lean "little empirical support" (Ciarrochi, Deane & Anderson, 2002), Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2004) assert that EI is essential for leadership because leaders work through emotions and their primal job is emotional. With most of this research done in the business world, this study focuses on the role of EI in educational leadership. The purposes of this study are to explore and to construct new knowledge regarding educational …

Exploring Writing Of English Language Learners In Middle School: A Mixed Methods Study, Robin L. Danzak

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

The study's purpose was to assess, through mixed methods, written linguistic features of 20 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in middle school. Students came from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Participants wrote two expository and two narrative formal texts, each in Spanish and English, for a total of eight writing samples each. Additionally, students developed 10 journal entries in their language of choice, and 6 randomly selected, focal participants were interviewed for the qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis involved scoring formal texts at the lexical, syntactic, and discourse levels. Scores were analyzed using Friedman's 2-way ANOVA by ranks, …