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Equitable and Inclusive Dance Assessment Resources
Get PDFThis capstone inquires, how can the Minnesota K-12 Dance Standards (revised 2018) lay a practical framework for dance educators to create equitable and inclusive assessments for student success? A dance teacher addresses the need to expand how standards and success are defined in educational dance, noting circumstances where students of dance outside the dominant culture in the United States experience fewer feelings of inclusion and success when dance standards, curriculum, and assessment do not encompass what success looks like for them given their historical and cultural identities, hindering student ability to become self-actualized and wholistically educated artists. Through a review of literature in the areas of general education pedagogy, culturally relevant pedagogy, and dance pedagogy, this capstone applies Historically Responsive Literacy, Culturally Relevant Teaching, and Universal Learning Design, to propose a resource that teachers working in diverse dance settings can utilize to facilitate equitable and inclusive assessments for success
Serving Together: A Phenomenological Study Of The School Resource Officer And Principal Partnership
Get PDFNelson, E. (2023). Serving Together: A Phenomenological Study of the School Resource Officer and Principal Partnership The increased presence of school resource officers (SROs) in schools places them in direct contact with school principals. This study examined how SROs and principals in six Minnesota public secondary schools describe their partnership. Data was collected using a series of semi-structured interviews between pairs of partners representing rural, suburban, and urban school districts. Participants identified challenges related to a lack of partnership vision, role clarity, and critical preparation and training prior to partnering. Participants reported that their partnership increased the sense of safety in school, provided needed resources, and increased positive connection between law enforcement and students. These findings suggest that SRO and principal partnerships benefit from clarifying roles, engaging SROs in non-law enforcement functions while in schools, including principals in SRO selection, separating SROs from school policy enforcement, engaging in mutual professional development, and utilizing meaningful program evaluations
Empowering and Educating LGBTQ+ Middle Schoolers Through Intentional Instruction of Queer Topics in GSA Clubs
Get PDFFor decades, GSA clubs have provided LGBTQ+ students with a safe space within their schools to connect with other queer students, and seek guidance from the club adviser(s). GSA clubs offer a vital learning opportunity for students to learn more about queer topics, which often are not discussed with their families at home. However, there is a considerable lack of accessible and ready to use curriculum for GSA clubs, particularly at the middle school level. This capstone creates a cohesive and logically sequenced curriculum of ten lessons about LGBTQ+ topics to be used for middle school GSA clubs. The lessons were created while considering the research question, how can middle schools establish school as a site of learning and empowerment through GSAs to help LGBTQ+ students navigate their understanding of identity and queerness? All ten lessons work together to educate young students on these topics in an effort to help them live and grow into happy, healthy, authentic people, regardless of their identities
Utilizing a School Garden to Promote Ecoliteracy in Elementary Aged Children
Get PDFEnvironmental education is a key component to building ecoliteracy in childhood. Due to the current climate crisis, developing a sense of ecoliteracy in the next generation is essential to slowing the effects of climate change. When students are given the opportunity to interact with nature on a regular basis, the connection between humans and their environment becomes that much stronger. Unfortunately, in the current public education system, little to no importance is placed on teaching science, let alone environmental science. A school garden offers an opportunity to provide students with more outdoor learning opportunities. This capstone uses a combination of surveys, literature reviews, and reflections to help address the research question, How can implementing a school garden promote ecoliteracy in elementary aged children? The booklet is presented in the form of a printable guide that shows how to properly build and implement a school garden.The research shows the link between outdoor learning opportunities and ecoliteracy
When the Healer Needs Healing: A Study of Medical School Students and How Universities Answer the Call for Wellbeing
Get PDFAbstract
Burnout and anxiety among medical school students is prevalent and recognized by experts in both the medical and educational setting. This research project aims to answer a primary research question: How do medical school students describe their general state of emotional wellbeing (or emotional state) while pursuing a medical degree? as well as secondary research questions that include What do medical school students\u27 descriptions of emotional wellbeing reveal about the nature and presence of burnout? And, What types of support do medical school students suggest the medical school provide to enhance their emotional wellbeing?
The research methods include a secondary analysis of a 2016 - 2019 survey created by medical school administrators for students to complete. The response outcome from the survey are included in this study as well as a series of qualitative interviews with current medical school students. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed to reveal a deeper understanding of the student experience. The key findings included a need to streamline administrative processes as well as curricular changes where self care and stress management are emphasized during the pursuit of a medical degree. These key findings led to recommendations where faculty and administrative leaders could implement topics about how to handle stress into the current curriculum. This study also notes that the recommendations are applicable and appropriate for organizational leaders whether they are in the field of education or otherwise
Improving Science Literacy Using Photographic Documentation of Laboratory Activities
Get PDFDigital photography is a valuable educational tool which has been shown to improve language acquisition and vocabulary usage. Photography can also be used to enhance hands-on laboratory activities in high school science classes. This study examined the impact of photographic documentation of lab activities on students’ literacy in science. In this convergent, mixed methods investigation, 9th grade biology students took photographs during a lab activity, which they used to create collaborative photo projects based on the activity. Changes in literacy were measured by assessing the students’ usage of scientific vocabulary terms before and after the photo project, and assessing the writing in the students’ lab reports. The scores on the lab reports which were written using the photo projects were compared to those written on a related lab activity that the students did not photograph. The results showed that when students used photographs to document their lab activities, the quality of writing in their lab reports improved, as did their ability to define and use scientific vocabulary terms. The findings suggest that photographic documentation of lab activities does improve science literacy in high school biology students
The Use of Universal Design for Better Inclusion of People Who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing or Have Other Invisible Disabilities in Environmental Education
Get PDFThere are specific auditory and programmatic challenges outdoor and environmental education face due to the realities of non-formal outdoor teaching. While there are often adapted programs for specific disability groups, these challenges can prevent people with invisible disabilities from being fully included in both adapted and non-adapted programs. This capstone sought to answer the question: How can Universal Design be used to create more inclusive environmental education for people who are deaf/hard of hearing and students with other invisible disabilities? The tenets of Universal Design for Learning are offering multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression. This capstone project was to create a workbook that analyzed acoustic conditions, discussion routines, and sensory activities that along these tenets were used to develop worksheets that help educators implement more inclusive programming
Curriculum Design that Supports Multilingual Learners\u27 Literacy Development: Pairing the Science of Reading and Oral Language Development Utilizing Read-Alouds
Get PDFThe curriculum designed for this project focuses on combining the science of reading with oral language development through read-alouds, with a focus on understanding text structure. The purpose of this study is to determine best practices for teaching multilingual learners how to read and to give teachers concrete materials to use in the classroom. Research suggests that phonics-based instruction supports the reading development of multilingual learners more than whole language instruction. Researchers also recommend teachers focus on more than just decoding, especially for multilingual learners as it connects to comprehension. Additionally, research emphasizes the importance of developing oral language in young children to support reading proficiency. This is the reasoning behind focusing the curriculum on oral language development that should be paired with phonics-based instruction. Furthermore, multiple studies support the use of read-alouds to develop oral language and research explains that text structure is important to teach students because it supports comprehension. Therefore, the goal of this curriculum is for multilingual learners to gain oral language proficiency, ultimately supporting their reading proficiency and comprehension skills
How Equitable Teaching Practices Impact the Mathematical Identity of English Language Learners from Teachers’ Perspectives
Get PDFThis mixed method research study examined the teacher’s perspectives on how equitable teaching practices impact the math identity of English language learners. A quantitative research survey instrument including five major themes that was generated from the frameworks in the literature review was used, and then followed by semi-structured interviews to address the research question. The data collected from the survey indicated that participants do believe that equitable teaching practices would impact the math identity of ELLs via: conveying high expectations, language support, modifying lessons, mathematical tasks and mathematical tools. Building on the survey results, interviewees furthermore informed that all these factors have presented influence on the math identity of ELLs in their classrooms. The results also show that there is a need to validate using mathematical tools in the math classroom
The Effective Use of Technology in Faith Formation Programs
Get PDFTechnology has been underutilized in nontraditional academic settings like faith formation programs, but there is a place for it if implemented appropriately. While traditions of the Catholic Church uphold certain aesthetic standards and ways of participating in Mass, nothing says the ways in which children are taught about the Mass have to remain stagnant. This research revolves around the evolution of formal faith formation in church settings and how technology can play a role in its growth to engage youth in churches. The findings indicate a need for further change in faith formation in order to fully connect with the youth it tries to impact. The project is a mobile app developed specifically for youth groups and youth group leaders to adhere to policies in a safe environment while connecting with one another online. The goal of the app is to bridge the gap between the tradition of churches and their elders and the modernity of the youth that inhabit the spaces through the provision of a platform in which students can interact with religious content and ask the questions they may not have the resources to ask otherwise