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How Does The Use Of Annotation Affect Reading Comprehension In The Primary Grades Of Immersion Education?
Get PDFThis capstone project is developed to support students’ reading ability and comprehension. I want to improve my students\u27 interaction with texts. I hope for students to not just passively read but to actively engage in their reading which will lead to a deeper understanding and better comprehension. The purpose of this capstone project is to address the following research question: How does the use of annotation affect reading comprehension in the primary grades of immersion education? Through my research and literature review I found that annotation of text has a positive effect on promoting students’ reading ability including improving reading comprehension, supporting student participation in discussions and improving students’ reading confidence. Annotation of text slows down the reading process and creates opportunities for students to intentionally use those cognitive strategies modeled by their teacher. It supports students in their text discussions because they have a visual reminder of the thoughts they had while reading that they can share in a discussion. Language learners need visuals to improve their understanding and short phrases or notes to spark and support the sharing of their ideas in another language. This visual representation of annotation of text is a key that allows language learners in immersion programs and in general to participate in conversations about texts
Finding a Balanced Blend: Designing and Supporting Engaging and Effective Integrated Skills Materials for Adult ESL Blended Learning Classrooms
Get PDFAs technology plays an increasingly critical role in society, responsive classrooms are pushed to innovate in new ways in order to equip students with the skills they need for daily life. Blended learning classes, combining in-person and virtual instruction, went from being a helpful model to a critical need in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Many Adult Basic Education (ABE) English as a Second Language (ESL) programs had not developed robust blended learning programs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to emergency models that, while innovative, were not sustainable. As the field of education moves forward we can consider how blended learning classes can be thoughtfully designed in order to ensure quality outcomes. These considerations led to the research question for this capstone project: What are the necessary components of a blended learning environment to foster increased language fluency and accuracy across all language domains for intermediate Adult Basic Education (ABE) English as a Second Language (ESL) learners? A teacher toolkit was created to provide educators with resources for framing their concept of blended learning, planning blended learning classes, implementing blended learning policies, and supporting students in blended learning classes. These resources can help educators foster multimodal literacies in their adult learners, and provide support for engaging in learning, enhancing learning, and extending learning, in alignment with the Triple E Framework. This resource is intended to support and guide ABE ESL instruction as they plan instruction covering all language domains and multimodal digital literacies in blended learning classes
Alternative Education and Accountability: An Exploration
Get PDFAs schools grapple with the effects of federal accountability under Every Student Succeeds Act, alternative schools are often over-identified as poorly performing. This research brings together current understandings of alternative accountability in the United States to identify which indicators are effective in evaluating school quality in alternative schools. Alternative schools are defined as schools that serve students, aged 16-24 and deemed at-risk and who have not had success in traditional public schools. This research concluded that the typical accountability frameworks that have been set for traditional K-12 schools are inappropriate for alternative campuses whose students are generally behind grade level or who encounter other obstacles their peers in traditional schools do not. Employing academic growth indicators, short-cycle assessments, re-engagement efforts, and allowing input from localized school voices to determine which outcomes would be most appropriate for the students they teach, facilitates a deeper evaluation of alternative schools. Keywords: alternative education, accountability, framework, at-risk yout
Preventing Teacher Stress and Burnout in an Urban Arts Secondary School Context
Get PDFStress and burnout pervade among public school teachers and are heightened in urban schools, where job demands are often high and resources low. Teacher stress and burnout, leading to turnover, is known to be especially high for early career teachers. Many studies have been done that isolate possible contributing factors such as: supervisory support, the classroom emotional climate, student behavior, pupil teacher ratio, access to resources, teacher temporal intelligence, district budgets, job demands and effective classroom practices. Oftentimes, there are multiple contributing factors over periods of time leading to teachers experiencing burnout and consequently leaving the field. In this study, teachers who have worked at an urban arts school were interviewed regarding their experiences in order to learn how to prevent stress and burnout by looking at contributing factors and strategies to combat them. These interviews were analyzed for themes related to prevention of stress and burnout in the urban arts secondary school context
Improving Engagement and Literacy Skills with Choice Literacy Centers
Get PDFAs students transition to middle and high school, opportunities for student choice within curriculum become limited, and there is a need for students to have authentic literacy and decision-making opportunities. Key influences during research of this project include Kelly Gallagher, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, and Linda Gambrell and Lesley Mandel Morrow’s Best Practices in Literacy Instruction. Research indicates that benefits of literacy centers include fostering engagement, literacy skill growth, opportunities for small-group instruction, and developing student autonomy. The curriculum designed for this project took the form of student choice literacy centers. The purpose of this project was to design weekly literacy centers to implement in a seventh grade English Language Arts classroom in order to increase student engagement and autonomy; these improvements then further develop student literacy skills. These centers include at least one activity from each of the following categories: vocabulary, fluency/listening, digital literacy and print concepts, choice reading, choice writing, research, and missing work. There is also small-group instruction for completing needs assessments and to provide supplemental instruction for students identified with reading struggles. This project has students complete a portfolio assessment at the end of term, including tracking cards that indicate their practice at all of the centers throughout the term. This portfolio includes pieces that the student identifies as showcasing their abilities in a variety of literacy skills. These literacy centers are meant to encourage students to be curious and engaged learners
Creating A Flipped Elementary El Classroom That Is Effective And Engaging For Students
Get PDFThe Covid-19 pandemic closure of schools has had and will continue to have an impact on education. In order to keep students equally engaged in a virtual learning environment as an in-person learning environment, different blended learning teaching strategies can be explored and implemented. This capstone helps to answer the research question, How does an EL (English Learner) teacher create a flipped elementary EL classroom that is effective and engaging for students?. Research supports that flipped classrooms are supportive of an engaging community of learners where teachers create flipped classroom lessons that are student centered and collaborative
Code-Switching in the Classroom
Get PDFResearch has shown that code-switching can aid in students’ English learning and help them feel as if their first language (L1) and its culture are valuable; however, many teachers who are not educated in English Language Learner (ELL) best practices can be hesitant to include code-switching in their lessons and might even actively discourage it. The question addressed in this project is: how can code-switching be used in the mainstream high school classroom taught by monolingual teachers to enhance learning for ELL students in the areas of writing fluency and reading comprehension? The paper explores the literature that supports code-switching in the classroom, even when the teacher cannot speak the students’ L1. The project is a series of three professional development sessions in which teachers are introduced to the benefits and limitations of code-switching, learn strategies for implementing code-switching in their classroom, and reflect on their learning. The project also includes sample lesson plans from five different content areas which implement the strategies discussed in the sessions. The goal of this project is to help teachers learn how to use students’ first languages in the classroom in a way that is inclusive and beneficial to their English learning and socioemotional wellness
Building Collective Ownership in the School Community Through Authentic Engagement of Latino Families and Students: A Professional Development for School
Get PDFResearch has shown that students who have parents that are involved in their education have higher school attendance, school participation and graduation rates. The professional development series developed for this project focuses on the most effective methods teachers and support staff can utilize to authentically engage Latino families in their child\u27s education. In the past, teachers and support staff have expressed frustration at what they perceive as lack of participation in school activities by English Language Learner families. This project discusses traditional and non traditional methods for authentically engaging Latino parents in their children’s education. These methods first require staff to understand their own bias towards Latino families and work to understand the cultures and traditions that reflect the ways families choose to engage in their school communities. The main goal of the project is to help all staff build a trusting relationship with the Latino families in their school community which will hopefully in turn support Latino families in being more involved in their children\u27s education. There is also a goal of staff seeing our Latino families as assets to the community not deficits as well as funds of knowledge about their individual cultures
Will Building a Healthy Community in the Elementary Classroom Reduce Disruptive Behaviors?
Get PDFCommunity building in the elementary classroom can reduce disruptive behaviors. Elementary teachers wear many different hats during the school day, and managing behavior expectations is one hat. This paper explains the purpose of building relationships with students to reduce disruptive behavior. Teachers will spend time building relationships through activities, routines, and positive feedback. Chapter one provides background knowledge and the author’s personal investment in the subject area of relationship centered classroom management. Chapter two explores research on relationship building and the positive results of a community in the elementary classroom. Chapter three describes the author’s capstone project and the professional development training to develop a healthy community. Lastly, chapter four provides a reflective look at the learning of creating a cohesive classroom in a three step model. For this reason, the author has created a professional development training for elementary teachers who would like to reduce disruptive behavior and increase instinct motivation
The Formation of Identity Narratives within Racialized Space
Get PDFEvelyn Alphonse and Dr. Ryan LeCount, Department of Sociology, Hamline University 1536 Hewitt Ave, St Paul, MN, 55104
Previous research has made it clear that neighborhoods shape individuals’ experiences, perceptions, and identities. Past studies on neighborhood stigma focused primarily on the perception that communities of color and their residents are dangerous or disadvantaged. Another smaller body of work explored how living in criminalized spaces affects residents themselves. This research primarily looked at how neighborhood stigma has materially affected residents, such as through decreased job opportunities. The present study expanded on the previous literature by investigating how living in stigmatized spaces impacted residents\u27 identities. This study asked how living in a criminally stigmatized neighborhood has affected African Americans’ experiences, perspectives, and values. The research methodology used to answer this question consisted primarily of in-person, semi-structured, qualitative interviews with African Americans over 18. Research participants were members of criminally stigmatized neighborhoods who were recruited through local community organizations and the use of snowball sampling. The results of this study were obtained through careful coding and analysis of the interview transcripts. This study found that residents\u27 identities were influenced by the conditions and local ideologies within their neighborhood, as well as the stigmas surrounding it. However, residents were able to craft alternative narratives to disrupt the messages they receive and change the conditions around them. These findings suggest that residents’ identities were formed through an ongoing negotiation process within the context of structural constraints and individual decision-making