1,720,978 research outputs found
Multiple Intelligences in Third Grade Mathematics
No full textTeaching and Learning Department capstone projectToday's American schools are in a constant battle. In the context of standardization and accountability, educators must attempt to produce measurable results on State-mandated tests, while at the same time educating the whole child. Standardized tests often focus on the skills needed for Language, Literacy, and Mathematics achievement. In 1983, Howard Gardner introduced the Theory of Multiple Intelligences in his book, Frames of Mind. Gardner (1983) purposed that human beings possess eight different capacities for processing information--eight different ways of being "smart". Gardner defined each "intelligence" as the capacity to solve problems or create products. While Gardner never intended for his theory to be a curriculum model, the idea of students being smart in different ways provides many implications for classroom practice. This paper investigates the implications of Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences in a third grade Mathematics classroom. An overview of the theory provides a brief definition and background information about each of the eight intelligences. Then, the paper applies the Theory of Multiple Intelligences to the teaching and learning of third grade Mathematics as prescribed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). The paper analyzes practical applications of the theory to learners and learning, learning environments, curriculum and instructional strategies, and assessment. Through a glance at schools actively using the Multiple Intelligences Theory, the paper analyzes the ways in which schools can individualize instruction and allow students to use their many intelligences in order to prepare students for their futures, both in and out of school. The research finds that educators can apply the Theory of Multiple Intelligences to the area of Assessment by allowing students to show evidence of learning in multiple ways, but that further research needs to occur in order to show the true effectiveness of the theory on classroom practice.Peabody College of Education and Human DevelopmentDepartment of Teaching and Learnin
At ease! : letting go of the rank, responsibility, and regalia : a case study of U.S. Marines and their tenuous transition to civilian life.
No full textMarines face a difficult decision to separate from the Marine Corps or to continue in their career when they reach the end of their first contract. The decision for U.S. Marines to continue their career means enduring the demanding schedules, stressful training regimens, and time away from family. Leaving the Marine Corps means starting a whole new career while trying to match the compensation level of military service. Career transition is a crossroad every Marine faces, but many find themselves remorseful of their decision to leave. Therefore, it is critical to explore the issues and decisions made by U.S. Marines during their transitional time and discover the reasons that guided them back to military service. This single case study explored the stories of six U.S. Marines after they decided to rejoin military service after leaving active duty. Their stories are unique, and their reasons for returning to the military vary. Every participant shared their story through a series of questionnaires and a video conference call. The participants' stories are essential to study so future Marines can contextualize their options as they will one day have to separate from the Marine Corps. This study used Schlossberg's 4S model theory of adults in transition as a theoretical framework to explore the insights and perspectives of the six participants. Participants held several roles in the Marine Corps and varied in their backgrounds as well as their current family situations. Most participants indicated they experienced financial hardships in supporting their families, and the overwhelming cost of health insurance exacerbated the struggle. Other participants found their loss of the military culture too much and chose to return to military service. The study found that military service members would benefit from more extended coverage in health insurance after their service time ends. This study also showed that the military separation courses would be more effective by expanding to include a more significant number of challenges the military servicemembers will face upon separating from the military
Teaching in the era of COVID-19 : a case study exploring the power load margins and lived experiences of elementary school educators.
No full textThe coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) disrupted classroom and school systems across the globe in March 2020. Educators found themselves teaching in unprecedented classroom settings in efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, thus requiring educators to pivot their teaching practices. Educators who taught during the COVID-19 global pandemic felt subjected to significant distractions, stressors, and complex working conditions, yet attempted to create meaningful ways to build relationships with their students. The study explored the lived experiences of four elementary school educators from Roadrunner Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as they taught during the COVID-19 global pandemic. They taught remotely and in-person, with strict mandates and restrictions from March 2020–August 2022. McClusky's (1963) Power Load Margin (PLM) Theory informed this case study by exploring educators' power and load experiences as they navigated teaching during the global pandemic. The theory depicts the margin as the relationship between the load necessary for living and teaching and the power needed to carry the load concerning what educators experienced (Main, 1979). The Power Load Margin Theory provided a valuable lens for analyzing educators' power and load through their lived experiences. The findings of this study highlight the overwhelming stressors, such as anxiety, the uncertainty of the pandemic, issues with technology, and lack of balance due to the abruptness of the pandemic as an imbalance between power and loads. Additionally, educators indicated that distractions like lack of access, highly dysregulated students, broken school systems, students not fully engaged, and a loss of preparation significantly impacted educators' heavy workloads and negatively impacted and increased their load. This study found that the pandemic's complex logistics, including excessive paperwork, conflicting mandates, negative public opinions, and the uncertainty of the pandemic, decreased the participant's ability to carry their professional and personal loads. However, the educators noted that finding ways to create meaningful, innovative, and positive relationships with their students and families increased their power due to having the autonomy to teach and embracing time and circumstances positively
A Charter School Topology: Descriptions of Charter School Legislation, Characteristics, and Outcomes in the State of Texas
No full textTeaching and Learning Department capstone projectCharter schools have recently become a popular vehicle for urban school reform. The historical and ideological roots of the charter school movement are presented below. Charter schools are not a federal policy; rather, states must pass their own charter school legislation. As a result, charter schools can vary extensively from state-to-state. Thus, this writing will focus on a single state’s charter school legislation. The birth and evolution Texas charter school legislation, how it has played out in reality, and the outcomes that have resulted will be discussed.
Texas charter school legislation emerged from the intersection of the accountability, decentralization, and neoliberalism reform movements. After a number of revisions, four categories of charter schools remain: home-rule, open-enrollment, campus, and university charter schools. Originally considered to offer considerable autonomy to charters, Texas legislation has evolved and now offers less autonomy.
The majority of charter schools in Texas are open-enrollment charter schools. In general, charter schools are smaller and younger than their traditional counterparts. They also receive less funding. Charter schools are more likely to serve “at-risk” students, low-income students, and students of color. Teachers at charter schools have less experience, are more likely to be people of color, and have a higher turnover rate than their counterparts at traditional public schools. Curriculum and instruction can be more innovative at charter schools, but a substantial number of charter schools do not identity such innovation in their missions.
Two outcomes of the charter school movement discusses below are student “achievement” and influence on traditional public schools. Campus charter schools are outperforming traditional public schools on standardized achievement tests, but open-enrollment charter schools are lagging behind. Both types of charter schools are behind their peers in graduation and advanced course completion rates. One study indicates that high concentrations of charter schools are increasing student achievement in traditional public schools.Peabody College of Education and Human DevelopmentDepartment of Teaching and Learnin
The relationship between professional development and teacher self-efficacy at Protestant Christian K–12 schools : a quantitative correlational cross-sectional survey.
No full textChristian K–12 schools are under pressure to improve the quality of teaching and learning due to burgeoning school choice options. The increasing numbers of charter schools, homeschooling options, and online schools offer greater competition for students, often for less cost than private schools. In addition, prospective Christian school parents increasingly prioritize teaching quality over shared religious values, thus reducing private Christian schools' value proposition. As a result, private Christian school leaders are looking for ways to improve the quality of teaching and learning within their schools to attract and keep students. Although teacher quality is difficult to measure, one factor associated with effective teaching is teacher self-efficacy, which is the belief that one can influence student learning. While self-efficacy beliefs are malleable and can improve through high-quality professional development (PD), research shows that many Christian K–12 schools do not offer teachers effective PD. This quantitative correlational study explored the relationship between Protestant Christian K–12 school teachers' PD activities, years of teaching experience, certification status, and self-efficacy. Using a web-based questionnaire, I surveyed teachers at Christian School International member schools across the United States. Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy theory, a subset of his social cognitive theory (1977), served as the theoretical framework for the study. According to Bandura (1997), teachers with a strong sense of self-efficacy believe they can influence student learning and are more likely to engage in behaviors associated with quality teaching. Expanding on Bandura's theory, Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2001) developed the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES). The TSES measures teacher efficacy beliefs in three dimensions: instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. Correlation results show that teachers with more experience have higher levels of self-efficacy. In addition, regression analyses reveal that the best predictor of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs for student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management is the form of teacher professional learning activities, specifically mentoring. Implications for these results apply to Christian school leaders seeking ways to improve teaching and learning through enhancing teacher self-efficacy. Recommendations for these leaders include prioritizing mentoring and staying abreast of current research into teaching and learning
Leadership, teacher retention, and growth in independent schools : a case study.
No full textTeacher retention is a complex and critical issue. A wide range of causes contribute to teacher retention, attrition, and heightened teacher stress. Retention indicates teachers remaining in the teaching profession, and attrition refers to teachers leaving the education field (Arroyo, 2021). Schools need help to retain high-quality teachers due to increasing teacher shortages in the United States (Banghart, 2021; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Darling-Hammond & Hyler, 2020; Podolsky et al., 2019). Teachers leave the profession primarily because of working conditions, stress (Redding et al., 2019), teacher training, and the campus population (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019). Lack of support encompassing professional learning, mentorship, induction, and resources negatively impact teacher retention (Darling-Hammond & Hyler, 2020; Podolsky et al., 2019). With this qualitative case study, I aimed to illuminate the perceived influence relational leadership has on teacher retention, professional growth, and development. The study presents a qualitative single case study approach to tell the individual lived experiences of participants (Creswell & Poth, 2018; Stake, 1995; Yin, 2018). Data collected through semi-structured interviews and supporting artifacts illuminated three key themes that influence teacher retention: intentional professional support, purposeful behavior, and empowerment. I used a thematic analysis based on Hollander and Julian's (1969) relational leadership theory. Implications of the study include creating teacher support through flexibility in scheduling and workload. Budget and staffing adjustments establish opportunities to shift work schedules and teaching loads. Additional training opportunities for school leaders through the regional accrediting agency regarding ways to influence teacher retention are crucial. Future research recommendations include exploring how political correctness explicitly and implicitly shapes school decisions and impacts school culture. A second recommendation includes expanding the study to include multiple independent schools to compare cases across a broader participant pool. Finally, exploring the addition of relational leadership training to pre-service teacher and administrator courses is an additional research recommendation. Relational leadership training creates a foundation for developing collegial relationships and a relational school culture, thus positively influencing teacher retention
The impact of andragogy on increasing the effectiveness of professional development for teachers : a quantitative study.
No full textDespite millions of dollars spent annually on professional development (PD) for teachers, most training proves ineffective in changing teacher practice or improving student outcomes on a large scale. The ineffectiveness comes from a lack of content specificity, poor training design and delivery, misalignment of local needs compared to external mandates, and single-dose practices with little follow-through (Gulamhussein, 2013; Jacob & McGovern, 2015; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2019). More importantly, PD designers lack recognizing the needs and interests of teachers (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Guskey, 2021). These include ensuring that training starts with assessing the needs of its participants, creating a conducive environment, and providing voice and choice in selecting PD courses. Furthermore, conventionally delivered PD limits participants' ability to collaborate and reflect, lacks engagement with activities that are problem-based and immediately applicable in practice, and devalues evaluation of outcomes and future needs. This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of including adult learning theory (ALT), specifically andragogy, in the design and delivery of PD. Andragogy is a theoretical framework of six assumptions or principles of adult needs and interests that impact learning (M. Knowles et al., 2020). It also includes a conceptual framework for applying these assumptions through eight instructional design and delivery elements. The study took place during a voluntary day of PD presented convention-style where participants could choose courses spread out over six 45-minute sessions. Unknown to the teachers, many of the classes were conventional (control), and others contained andragogical principles and design elements (treatment). After each course, participants could complete a Likert-style inventory to rate their satisfaction with each of the fourteen factors. Parametric tests proved statistically significant. In every case, participants rated their satisfaction with the ALT-enhanced courses higher than their conventional counterparts. In addition, the results parsed out four design elements that could predict participant satisfaction with PD effectiveness. Finally, the participants' ages and teaching experience impacted their satisfaction with andragogical PD. Implications from the results include advocating for and crafting PD to better meet teachers' needs and interests. Doing so may increase both teacher retention and student achievement
Lafayette's legacy in secondary social studies education : a case study in inquiry-based learning.
No full textIn late 1776, a young French aristocrat negotiated for himself a position in the Continental Army. Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette ("Lafayette"), would in the months that followed, acquire a ship, furtively leave France defying his family and Louis XVI, sail across the Atlantic Ocean, learn to speak English, and ultimately present himself to the newly-formed United States Congress for confirmation of his rank of major-general in the Continental Army. Lafayette's involvement in the American Revolution was integral to the success of the American cause. Using the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies as a foundation and applying the Inquiry Arc as advocated by the National Council for the Social Studies in The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies, this thesis explores how Lafayette's legacy can be revitalized in social studies education through the method of inquiry-based learning
The impact of educators' social emotional competence : a mixed methods explanatory sequential study.
No full textIn this explanatory sequential mixed methods study I aimed to understand elementary educators' social emotional competence and stress levels in a large suburban school district in the Midwest. A recent study that Kotowski et al. (2022) conducted revealed that over 70% educators report high daily stress. In 2020 the COVID-19 global pandemic brought unprecedented challenges, especially to educators (Diliberti et al., 2021). The challenges that the pandemic brought increased the high levels of stress that educators were already experiencing. Diliberti et al. (2021) found that over half the educators that left the profession for reasons other than retiring left due to the increased stress brought on by the pandemic. Educators with higher levels of stress have lower levels of social emotional competence (SEC; Jennings et al., 2017; Richards, 2012). Increasing educator SEC is a key factor in reducing overall educator stress (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Lozano-Pena et al., 2021; Schonert-Reichl, 2017). The focus of the study is to understand educators' social emotional competence and stress levels simultaneously and determine if being a novice or veteran teacher has a significant impact on those levels. This study included three phases, quantitative, and qualitative, and concluded with the integration of the mixed methods phase. In the quantitative phase data collection consisted of electronic administration of the Profile of Emotional Competence (Brausseur et al., 2013) and the Perceived Teachers' Stress Scale (Serrano et al, 2008) to assess educators self-reported SEC and stress levels. The second phase, the qualitative phase, explained the quantitative results with participants' narratives and explanations related to their SEC and stress levels. The final phase examined both sets of data and integrated findings for a joint analysis. This research found that veteran educators experience lower levels of stress and exhibit higher levels of SEC compared to novice educators. The participants reported that experience on the job resulted in more perspective as well as development of social emotional skills that helps manage their stress levels. Additionally, participants reported that peer support is one of the most important social emotional skills when it comes to managing stress on the job
- …
