544 research outputs found
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Teaching Time Management in the Proficiency Based Classroom
Get PDFStudents in Maine are currently making the switch to proficiency based education. In transitioning to a grading system based on only academic standards many of the soft skills, such as time management, are often not taught in the classroom as the focus is on only the academic standards. In this action research study, three different time management strategies were introduced to middle school math students in a rural junior high classroom. Each strategy was used for one academic learning standard. Student achievement and perceptions, as well as teacher observations, were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the strategies. The results showed a) an increase in student proficiency through the use of each of the strategies; b) a positive student response to the strategies used; and c) a reported increase in time management skills
Movement in the Classroom: Breaks or Integrated Opportunities?
No full textIncorporating movement in the classroom has been shown to increase cognitive functions, provide better retention of academics, improve focus and concentration, and increase positive affect. In this action research study, both qualitative and quantitative data was collected to investigate whether movement breaks or academically integrated physical activity have a greater effect on student engagement, and to gather student perceptions to see if students prefer one approach over the other. 18 fourth grade students participated in a series of movement interventions and completed surveys about each. Survey results, along with teacher observations, showed that both types of movement made learning easier, although students preferred GoNoodle breaks to movement opportunities incorporating math fact practice
The Effect on Motivation and Confidence of the Art Student of Low Socioeconomic Status
Get PDFThis action-based research study used student and teacher surveys, as well as researcher observations to examine the effect of formative assessment and exploratory art education strategies in a high poverty school district. Both student perception of ability and confidence in the arts is often based on their previous experiences and past exposure to the arts. This research study sought to investigate students’ experience of art class through exploratory learning, along with the use of formative assessment, to best inform students ways to be successful while fostering a growth mindset. Findings supported that student attendance and teacher-student relationships were most critical in the successful use of exploratory learning and formative assessment to increase student motivation and confidence
The Impact of Parent Involvement on Students’ Mathematical Mindset
No full text:The purpose of this study was to examine parent-teacher communication and what impact it had on a student’s mathematical mindset. Previous research has shown that parent involvement impacts student achievement, generates positive attitudes towards learning and school, and increases communication between child and parents. This mixed-methods research project examined student attitudes towards math and whether they identified with a growth or fixed mindset. Parents were surveyed on communication regarding their child’s math homework and curriculum. Findings revealed that parent-teacher communication did not directly impact a student’s mathematical mindset. Parents did report increased school-to-parent communication
Student-Perceived Authenticity of Learning Tasks in Proficiency-Based Education
Get PDFThis study examined the level of authenticity that students perceive in learning tasks. A questionnaire asked about the topic selection and value of topic; impact of topic on school, community, and self; expression of ideas vs. conventions; authentic audience; and level of motivation. The conclusions regarding the level of student-perceived authenticity are: a) a connection between student selection and value of topic and motivation, b) impact on school, community, or self did not impact student motivation, c) focus on conventions did not negatively impact student motivation, and d) authentic audiences connected to lower rates of student motivation
Student Persistence and Factors which Affect Retention in Online Courses at a Small Rural College
Get PDFWith declining enrollment and retention issues among Maine public universities it would be beneficial to try and determine what factors are contributing to online student retention and student persistence to ensure we are meeting the needs of online students which may help lead to better attrition rates, student success, and degree completion. This mixed-methods study sought to determine the various factors which may have contributed to student persistence and retention in online courses and programs at the University of Maine Fort Kent. The research correlated student experiences and perceptions with institutional efforts in order to address any gaps in services which may improve the educational experience and student success for online learners, in turn, helping to improve retention. Analysis of the data revealed that there are identifiable factors within the institution’s control that may help increase retention rates and that using available student information may help to ensure students have the resources they need to be successful in meeting their educational goals
Writing Center Use and Perception at Foxcroft Academy
Get PDFThis mixed-methods study seeks to better understand how teachers, students, and student coaches (tutors) perceive and use the Foxcroft Academy Writing Center. Surveys for each population, as well as interviews with a teacher, a coach, a native-speaker of English and an non-native speaker of English, were conducted in order to gather data about how different members of the learning community view and engage with the writing center. Findings revealed that teachers and students perceive the writing center to be a support service for help with grammar and other technical English conventions, but also believe that the writing center can help students develop their ideas and arguments within their writing. Coaches and teachers agree that idea development is essential, but teachers place far more value on grammar than coaches do. Results also suggest that teacher recommended and required visits drive the majority of the traffic to the writing center. Recommendations include better and more consistent communication between the writing center program and the faculty to facilitate a more accurate understanding of the center\u27s mission, as well as a larger discussion between and amongst faculty about what elements of writing are most valued when grading
Influences to Develop Gifted Students With Math Talent: The Math Affects
No full textThis case study examined characteristics of gifted students with mathematical talent. Research questions consisted of, (1) What contributes to gifted students in rural Maine to successfully develop math talent? and, (2) What role can the teacher play in developing students gifted with math talent? There were two participants in this research study, each a gifted student with a high level of mathematics talent from rural Maine. The data collected in this study consisted of a repossess to questionnaires and in-person interviews. Key characteristics identified in this study were innate motivation, unconditional encouragement from parents and the mathematics of competitions is more engaging than school mathematics for gifted students
Meeting The Technology Demands of The 21st Century Student
Get PDFThis mixed-method research study examines the scale of technology initiatives, funding options, and the implementation of technology in the classroom in grades four and five in schools in the state of Maine. In this research study, an overwhelming percentage of the fifty eight schools that responded to a quantitative google survey, offer one-to-one technology to their 4th and 5th grade students. A high percentage of those schools are funding their technology initiatives with district funds. Forty nine teachers of the represented schools responded to a qualitative google survey, and it was found that technology is being used extensively in the classroom to teach and supplement curriculum. Recommendations for school administrators in Maine, are to create a technology plan that includes funding a one-to-one technology initiative for grades four and five, and also include the provision of professional development opportunities for teachers, in order to best implement the technology initiative into the classroom
Pine vs. oaks revisited: Conversion of Madrean pine-oak forest to oak shrubland after high-severity wildfire in the Sky Islands of Arizona
No full textFire regimes have changed dramatically in most dry woodlands and forests of the American Southwest from frequent surface fires prior to Euro-American settlement, to fire suppression in the 20th century, to a current era characterized by large, higher-severity wildfires. The recent increase in fire activity and consequent changes in forest communities are key management concerns across the region. We use sampling from before and after the 1994 Rattlesnake and 2011 Horseshoe Two Wildfires in the Chiricahua Mountains to address the extent to which higher-severity fire is converting Madrean pine-oak forest to oak shrubland in the Sky Islands of Arizona. Plant communities changed from mixed pine-oak forest before the wildfires to oak shrublands and grasslands by 2016 where fires burned at high-severity. In those sites, nearly all stems were killed above ground, oaks regenerated vigorously, mainly by resprouting, and pines recruited at very low levels. These patterns were consistent after each fire and for up to 14 years after the Rattlesnake Fire. Across the Horseshoe Two Fire, seedling recruitment of pines and oaks declined with increasing fire-severity, but oak resprouting increased. Differential recruitment success of oaks over pines was amplified by their far greater juvenile height and more ramets per resprouting genet. Resprouting in Pinus leiophylla (Chihuahua pine) after top-kill was low, but sufficient to suggest that this behavior may maintain this species at low density after high-severity fire. The impact of fire depended on topography, as less exposed plots (e.g. in drainages) experienced lower-severity fire and less conversion to oak shrublands, suggesting that these sites provided refugia for species, such as pines, sensitive to high-severity fire. Low pine recruitment occurred in all plots, not only in sites subject to high-severity fire, suggesting that vegetation conversion may have been exacerbated by the extreme drought of the past two decades. Given the episodic nature of their regeneration, pine recovery is possible in the future, but projections call for intensification of aridity and fire activity in the Southwest, which could lead to continued transition of Madrean pine-oak forests to more fire- and drought-resilient communities dominated by oaks. The results of this study point to the need for protective vegetation management and restoration experiments targeting pines