Journals.uncc.edu (North Carolina's Urban Research University)
Not a member yet
968 research outputs found
Sort by
Preschool Teachers\u27 Sensitivity to Early Literacy Milestones in Play
No full textTeachers must be attuned to the way play supports children’s progress towards meeting developmental milestones, such as those described in Early Learning and Developmental Standards (ELDS), given that play is a primary vehicle for learning in early childhood classrooms. Using a semi-structured interview protocol, eight early childhood educators were shown two vignettes of children at play, asked to identify evidences of literacy development, and asked which ELDS those evidences indicated. Teachers were also asked to develop an instructional extension based on the achievement and needs noted in the vignettes. Teachers were largely able to identify evidence of literacy development using vignettes and envision evidence-based pedagogical extensions to advance children’s learning, though this was most evident in the areas of phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge and least evident in areas related to engagement and comprehension. Implications for teacher education and professional development are provided
What are Convergence and Divergence in How Parents and Educators Interpret Child Development When Preschoolers Transition to Kindergarten?
No full textThis study investigated the interrater agreement between parents of young children and the early childhood professionals working with their family as they transition from preschool to kindergarten. The goal of this research is to identify clusters of greatest congruence and divergence. We examined clusters of agreement between 24 parent and educator dyads from rural Head Start programs in the Midwest. Differences in parent and professional assessment are represented, as well as areas where there are strong convergence. Results draw attention to the items where parents and professionals have greatest difference in the assessment. This study has implications for co-production of services for children and their families with professionals
Improving Student Outcomes and Study Habits Using Technology to Promote Engaged Pre-Class Textbook Reading
No full textDiscusses survey results showing student sudy habits, the outcome of an intervention requring reading before class, and the design of a new digital textbook which allows points to be rewarded for completing chapter readings. 
Innovative Pedagogies Beyond the Pandemic: UNC Faculty Fellowship Program 2023
No full textThe UNC System Faculty Fellowship is an interdisciplinary initiative to enhance faculty understanding of the landscape of public higher education, place system-level and university administrative decision making into context, support System-wide initiatives in service to the seventeen constituent institutions, and sharpen faculty expertise. This supports key areas of the UNC Strategic Plan: Student Success, Student Access, and Excellent and Diverse Institutions.
The fellowship focus area for calendar year 2023 is “Innovative Pedagogies Beyond the Pandemic.”
Pre-pandemic teaching and learning practices already had been undergoing profound changes, but the pandemic has induced a seismic shift, especially in learning technologies. The past two years of emergency remote teaching left gaps in study skills and college-level preparation for many high school and college students. Our current undergraduates, especially those who encountered the pandemic in their sophomore or junior high school year, could benefit from pedagogies that develop productive study habits and facilitate learning missing content.
The 2023 Faculty Fellows are identifying and developing innovative pedagogies, such as open pedagogy, culturally relevant pedagogy, and metacognitive teaching to help students better connect to instruction and take ownership of their learning. We are especially focusing on learning experiences that support our diverse undergraduate student populations. We collectively seek to build shared teaching and learning strategies in an evolving and new “normal.”
If the experience of the 2021-22 first-year cohort is any indication, future incoming cohorts are going to need more guidance than ever before. Our fellowship theme is timely, as campuses across the system are all scrambling to address our “pandemic student” needs. Although Fellows represent three campuses of different sizes and student populations, we seek to broaden our perspective with feedback from faculty and instructional support staff systemwide.
Creative Thinking Activities & Assessments for Use in Any Course to Grow Students\u27 Creativity
No full textFirst-year students at NC State University who take the course Critical & Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences work in small groups of four throughout the semester to solve problems, work through case studies, and design a project. A common thread found throughout the course with the lens of life science, the scientific method, and doing science, is creative thinking. In the course, scientific creative thinking is discussed, intellectual standards used, and various activities employed to grow students’ creative thinking over the semester. A pre and post-semester survey, quiz, and creative assessment are given to students to measure gains. Both the format of the course and the activities used will be provided in this session. Additionally, a brief overview of the results found over the past 2 years will be provided along with patterns detected with demographics and intended majors
Innovate UNC: A Study of Technology-Enhanced Spaces Supporting Innovation Across the UNC System
No full textThe 2022 UNC Faculty Fellows present their reseach project on physical spaces supporting innovation across the UNC System with an emphasis on makerspaces and design studios, entrepreneurship centers, and unique classrooms
Using Digital Book Clubs during the COVID-19 Pandemic to Minimize the Distance of Social Distancing
No full textDue to COVID-19, making transitions from in-person to remote learning has been challenging, especially for educators who work with historically marginalized populations. For the duration of the pandemic, the authors have used books that center social justice in order to facilitate asynchronous and synchronous digital book clubs to build and sustain communities. In doing so, they have supported readers’ literacies while also focusing on building readers’ sense of agency, advocacy, and emotional well-being. The authors used their combined experiences in ways that were culturally sustaining and emotionally responsive to the needs of vulnerable populations consisting of both formerly incarcerated adults and young adults in alternative school districts. Using transactional theories and culturally sustaining pedagogies, this article provides an overview of how the authors facilitated these experiences as healing and nurturing spaces that sustain readers’ literacies while also providing them with coping strategies and opportunities for connections during a global pandemic. 
I’s Tired Boss: Reflections of a Southern Black Woman Higher Education Professional
No full textHistorically white institutions (HWI) have long benefited from the labor of the enslaved. The stronghold of institutional racism remains and the fight for equity is a constant battle. For Black women, their knowledge, voice, and presence are often overlooked and silenced. This reflection article shares the experiences of a southern Black woman higher education professional and her counterstories of resistance while working at a HWI through a critical race theory lens. As the increase of racial unrest weighs heavily on the souls of Black folk in the United States, this article will highlight the author’s reflections of moving towards acts of resistance and her thoughts for holding institutions accountable to dismantle institutional racism