The Lions Quest Program in Turkey: Teachers' Views and Classroom Practices

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Gol-Guven, Mine

2016-01-01

This is a pilot study to explore the classroom implementation of the Lions Quest Program in Turkey. Teachers of first through eighth grades at two elementary schools who applied the program were interviewed about the program and their classroom practices while they were also observed and their classrooms were also observed. Considerable program…

The Teacher's Role in the Establishment of Whole-Class Dialogue in a Fifth Grade Science Classroom Using Argument-Based Inquiry

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Benus, Matthew J.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of dialogue that were established and emerged in one experienced fifth-grade science teacher's classroom that used the argument-based inquiry (ABI) and the ways in which these patterns of dialogue and consensus-making were used toward the establishment of a grasp of science practice. Most…

Effects of a Classroom-Based Yoga Intervention on Cortisol and Behavior in Second- and Third-Grade Students: A Pilot Study

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Butzer, Bethany; Day, Danielle; Potts, Adam; Ryan, Connor; Coulombe, Sarah; Davies, Brandie; Weidknecht, Kimberly; Ebert, Marina; Flynn, Lisa; Khalsa, Sat Bir S.

2015-01-01

This uncontrolled pilot study examined the effects of a classroom-based yoga intervention on cortisol concentrations and perceived behavior in children. A 10-week Yoga 4 Classrooms® intervention was implemented in one second- and one third-grade classroom. Students’ salivary cortisol responses were assessed at three time points. Classroom teachers also documented their perceptions of the effects of the intervention on students’ cognitive, social and emotional skills. Second, but not third, graders showed a significant decrease in baseline cortisol from before to after the intervention. Second and third graders both showed significant decreases in cortisol from before to after a cognitive task, but neither grade showed additional decreases from before to after a single yoga class. The second-grade teacher perceived significant improvements in several aspects his/her students’ behavior. The third-grade teacher perceived some, but fewer, improvements in his/her students’ behavior. Results suggest that school-based yoga may be advantageous for stress management and behavior. PMID:25412616

Practices in the Teaching of Listening in Grade 9 EFL Classrooms of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was designed to examine the practices in the teaching of listening in Grade 9 EFL classrooms of Mote Secondary School. The study employed a descriptive survey design to attain the objective. The research used 108 Grade 9 students and 6 English language teachers who were teaching English as subjects of ...

Creative Endeavors: Inspiring Creativity in a First Grade Classroom

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Cress, Susan W.; Holm, Daniel T.

2016-01-01

With an emphasis on high-stakes testing and a focused curriculum, it would seem at times, the joy of creativity is missing from the classroom. This article describes a curricular approach the children named "Creative Endeavors", as implemented by a first grade teacher. The approach is described in three phases. In the exploratory stage…

Mathematics and Gender Stereotypes in One Jewish and One Druze Grade 5 Classroom in Israel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Mittelberg

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We report findings from qualitative case studies of two grade 5 classrooms in Israel, one Jewish and one Druze. The aim was to identify classroom factors contributing to the differences in the gendered patterns of mathematics outcomes for Jewish and Arab Israeli students. Marked differences were found in the teachers' gender-related interactions with students, and their beliefs and expectations of boys' and girls' mathematical capabilities. The Jewish teacher held conventional gender-stereotyped beliefs of male mathematical superiority. The Druze teacher believed that girls required affirmative action to overcome implied gender biases in favour of males in the Druze community. The findings support earlier research and theoretical perspectives on gender-related issues in the mathematics classroom. In particular, when teachers hold gender-biased beliefs and expectations, students' classroom experiences and mathematics learning outcomes are impacted along gender lines.

Implementing the Finnish Literacy Curriculum in a First-Grade Classroom

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Räisänen, Sari; Korkeamäki, Riitta-Liisa

2015-01-01

This study investigated the first author's process of implementing new literacy practices as a teacher in a Finnish first-grade classroom from a poststructuralist perspective by using nexus analysis (NA). We concentrated on two essential concepts in NA, Bourdieu's habitus and Goffman's interaction order, which we linked to Grundy's curriculum…

Teacher Use of Creativity-Enhancing Activities in Chinese and American Elementary Classrooms

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Hartley, Kylie A.; Plucker, Jonathan A.

2014-01-01

The purpose of these exploratory studies was to examine Chinese and American elementary teachers' perceptions of how various classroom activities contribute to student creativity, and how often teachers report engaging their students in these activities. Third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers in the Midwestern United States (N = 51) and in…

First grade classroom-level adversity: Associations with teaching practices, academic skills, and executive functioning.

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Abry, Tashia; Granger, Kristen L; Bryce, Crystal I; Taylor, Michelle; Swanson, Jodi; Bradley, Robert H

2018-05-24

Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development and a model-building approach, the authors examined direct and indirect associations between first-grade (G1) classroom-level adversity (CLA), G1 teaching practices, and student (N = 1,073; M = 6.64 years; 49% girls; 82% White) academic skills and executive functioning in G1 and third grades (G3). Teachers reported the prevalence of adversity among their students (e.g., poor home/family life, poor academic/social readiness). Observers rated G1 teaching practices: teachers' classroom management, controlling instruction, and amount of academic instruction (classroom observation system). Children completed literacy and math assessments at 54 months, G1, and G3 (Woodcock Johnson Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems), and executive functioning at G1 and G3 (Tower of Hanoi). Direct associations emerged between CLA and controlling instruction (positive), classroom management, and academic instruction (both negative). In addition, CLA was related to G1 literacy (but not math) directly and indirectly via classroom management (negatively) and controlling instruction (positively). The addition of G3 outcomes revealed a negative direct longitudinal association between CLA and G3 executive functioning, and indirect associations with G3 literacy and math through G1 teaching practices and literacy. Results support the notion that collective student characteristics influence student outcomes in part through teaching practices and suggest that teachers and students may benefit from the diffusion of high-adversity classroom compositions when possible. Moreover, in high-adversity classrooms teachers and students may benefit from supports targeting classroom management and foundational student competencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Does Class Size in First Grade Relate to Children's Academic and Social Performance or Observed Classroom Processes?

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Allhusen, Virginia; Belsky, Jay; Booth-LaForce, Cathryn L.; Bradley, Robert; Brownwell, Celia A; Burchinal, Margaret; Campbell, Susan B.; Clarke-Stewart, K. Alison; Cox, Martha; Friedman, Sarah L.; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathryn; Houts, Renate M.; Huston, Aletha; Jaeger, Elizabeth; Johnson, Deborah J.; Kelly, Jean F.; Knoke, Bonnie; Marshall, Nancy; McCartney, Kathleen; Morrison, Frederick J.; O'Brien, Marion; Tresch Owen, Margaret; Payne, Chris; Phillips, Deborah; Pianta, Robert; Randolph, Suzanne M.; Robeson, Wendy W.; Spieker, Susan; Lowe Vandell, Deborah; Weinraub, Marsha

2004-01-01

This study evaluated the extent to which first-grade class size predicted child outcomes and observed classroom processes for 651 children (in separate classrooms). Analyses examined observed child-adult ratios and teacher-reported class sizes. Smaller classrooms showed higher quality instructional and emotional support, although children were…

Transfer of Active Learning Strategies from the Teacher Education Classroom to PreK-12th Grade Classrooms

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Pepper, Kaye; Blackwell, Sarah; Monroe, Ann; Coskey, Shawn

2012-01-01

In this study, researchers investigated the influence of modeling active learning strategies in an introductory foundations teacher preparation course: 1) on teacher candidates' perceptions of participating in active learning in the college classroom, 2) on participants' acquisition of course content, and 3) on participants' later use of active…

The Teacher as Colleague in Classroom Research. Occasional Paper No. 4.

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Florio, Susan; Walsh, Martha

This paper traces the evolving relationship of a teacher and a researcher who shared life in a kindergarten/first-grade classroom for an academic year. Their relationship became the basis for new ways of thinking about the social and academic competencies of children in the classroom, and for new ways of thinking about the aims and conduct of…

Is there a correlation between students' perceptions of their middle school science classroom learning environment and their classroom grades?

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Snyder, Wayne

The purpose of this study was to determine if the marking period grades of middle school science students are correlated with their perception of the classroom learning environment, and if so could such an indicator be used in feedback loops for ongoing classroom learning environment evaluation and evolution. The study examined 24 classrooms in three districts representing several different types of districts and a diverse student population. The independent variable was the students' perceptions of their classroom learning environment (CLE). This variable was represented by their responses on the WIHIC (What Is Happening In This Class) questionnaire. The dependent variable was the students' marking period grades. Background data about the students was included, and for further elaboration and clarification, qualitative data was collected through student and teacher interviews. Middle school science students in this study perceived as most positive those domains over which they have more locus of control. Perceptions showed some variance by gender, ethnicity, teacher/district, and socio-economic status when viewing the absolute values of the domain variables. The patterns of the results show consistency between groups. Direct correlation between questionnaire responses and student grades was not found to be significant except for a small significance with "Task Orientation". This unexpected lack of correlation may be explained by inconsistencies between grading schemes, inadequacies of the indicator instrument, and/or by the one-time administration of the variables. Analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data led to the conclusion that this instrument is picking up information, but that revisions in both the variables and in the process are needed. Grading schemes need to be decomposed, the instrument needs to be revised, and the process needs to be implemented as a series of regular feed-back loops.

The influence of classroom aggression and classroom climate on aggressive-disruptive behavior.

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Thomas, Duane E; Bierman, Karen L; Powers, C J

2011-01-01

Research suggests that early classroom experiences influence the socialization of aggression. Tracking changes in the aggressive behavior of 4,179 children from kindergarten to second-grade (ages 5-8), this study examined the impact of 2 important features of the classroom context--aggregate peer aggression and climates characterized by supportive teacher-student interactions. The aggregate aggression scores of children assigned to first-grade classrooms predicted the level of classroom aggression (assessed by teacher ratings) and quality of classroom climate (assessed by observers) that emerged by the end of Grade 1. Hierarchical linear model analyses revealed that first-grade classroom aggression and quality of classroom climate made independent contributions to changes in student aggression, as students moved from kindergarten to second grade. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. © 2011 The Authors. Child Development © 2011 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Problems Faced By Elementary School Second Grade English Subject Matter Teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belgin Bal Incebacak

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The objective of thisstudy isto determine the problems experienced by subject matter teachers while instructing English lessons in the second grade of elementary school. What are the problemsfaced by English subject matter teachers when they instruct in 2nd grade lessons? In this research the descriptive modeling, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was employed. In accordance with this objective, we worked with 8 subject matter teachers from 5 different schoolsinAtakum and Ilkadim districtslocated in downtown Samsun, through easily accessible case sampling. The semi-structured “English Course Interview Form’’was applied to the teachers. In the study, descriptive survey model was employed, since it was aimed to reveal the current status of qualitative research methods.According to the results obtained from the research, the content was configured and presented under 5 themes. They were categorized as: 1. the problems experienced in classroom management, 2. the problems in physical and cognitive readiness, 3. the problems experienced in the learning and teacher process, 4. the problems seen in counseling, 5. the problems experienced in assessment and evaluation. In conclusion, the teachers stated that they had problems with managing the classroom, especially with the second grade students, whom are younger than others. It is observed that the change for teaching English at a younger age has been appropriate. Our teachersstated that they required in-service training so as to adapt to this aforementioned change.

Literacy events during science instruction in a fifth-grade classroom: Listening to teacher and student voices

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Deal, Debby

Concern with science literacy and how to achieve it has a long history in our education system. The goals and definitions established by the National Science Education Standards (1996) suggest that if we are to successfully prepare students for the information age, science education must blend the natural and social sciences. However, research indicates that connections between hands-on science and literacy, as a tool for processing information, do not regularly occur during school science instruction. This case study explored the use of literacy by a second year teacher in a fifth grade class during consecutive science units on chemistry and liquids. The research questions focused on how and why the teacher and students used literacy during science and how and why the teacher and selected focus students believed literacy influenced their learning in science. Data was collected through classroom observations and multiple interviews with the teacher and selected focus students. Interview data was analyzed and coded using an iterative process. Field notes and student artifacts were used to triangulate the data. The study found that the teacher and students used reading and writing to record and acquire content knowledge, learn to be organized, and to facilitate assessment. Although the teacher had learned content literacy strategies in her pre-service program, she did not implement them in the classroom and her practice seemed to reflect her limited science content knowledge and understanding of the nature of science. The focus students believed that recording and studying notes, reading books, drawing, and reading study guides helped them learn science. The findings suggest the following implications: (1) More data is needed on the relationship between teaching approach, science content knowledge, and beliefs about science. (2) Elementary student voices make a valuable contribution to our understanding of science learning. (3) Pre-service candidates should have

Movement integration in elementary classrooms: Teacher perceptions and implications for program planning.

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Webster, Collin A; Zarrett, Nicole; Cook, Brittany S; Egan, Cate; Nesbitt, Danielle; Weaver, R Glenn

2017-04-01

Movement integration (MI), which involves infusing physical activity (PA) into regular classroom time in schools, is widely recommended to help children meet the national guideline of 60min of PA each day. Understanding the perspective of elementary classroom teachers (ECTs) toward MI is critical to program planning for interventions/professional development. This study examined the MI perceptions of ECTs in order to inform the design and implementation of a school-based pilot program that focused in part on increasing children's PA through MI. Twelve ECTs (Grades 1-3) from four schools were selected to participate based on their responses to a survey about their use of MI. Based on the idea that MI programming should be designed with particular attention to teachers who integrate relatively few movement opportunities in their classrooms, the intent was to select the teacher who reported integrating movement the least at her/his respective grade level at each school. However, not all of these teachers agreed to participate in the study. The final sample included two groups of ECTs, including eight lowest integrating teachers and four additional teachers. Each ECT participated in an interview during the semester before the pilot program was implemented. Through qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts, four themes emerged: (a) challenges and barriers (e.g., lack of time), (b) current and ideal resources (e.g., school support), (c) current implementation processes (e.g., scheduling MI into daily routines), and (e) teachers' ideas and tips for MI (e.g., stick with it and learn as you go). The themes were supported by data from both groups of teachers. This study's findings can inform future efforts to increase movement opportunities for children during regular classroom time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Teacher-Support Programs on Teacher Attrition in a Rural Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade Public School System

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Thomas, Carol R.

2013-01-01

Many new teachers are leaving the profession during their first 3 years in a rural pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public school classroom in the southeastern United States. This study reviewed the teacher-support programs typically used in this school that assisted new teachers and encouraged their retention. This work is important because…

Teacher coaching supported by formative assessment for improving classroom practices.

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Fabiano, Gregory A; Reddy, Linda A; Dudek, Christopher M

2018-06-01

The present study is a wait-list controlled, randomized study investigating a teacher coaching approach that emphasizes formative assessment and visual performance feedback to enhance elementary school teachers' classroom practices. The coaching model targeted instructional and behavioral management practices as measured by the Classroom Strategies Assessment System (CSAS) Observer and Teacher Forms. The sample included 89 general education teachers, stratified by grade level, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions: (a) immediate coaching, or (b) waitlist control. Results indicated that, relative to the waitlist control, teachers in immediate coaching demonstrated significantly greater improvements in observations of behavior management strategy use but not for observations of instructional strategy use. Observer- and teacher-completed ratings of behavioral management strategy use at postassessment were significantly improved by both raters; ratings of instructional strategy use were significantly improved for teacher but not observer ratings. A brief coaching intervention improved teachers' use of observed behavior management strategies and self-reported use of behavior management and instructional strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Teacher Perceptions of the Classroom Behavior of Reflective and Impulsive Children

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McKinney, James D.

1975-01-01

Four second-grade teachers completed the Classroom Behavior Inventory for every student in their class (N=101). Subjects were classified as either reflective (N=32) or impulsive (N=32) by using the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF). (Author)

The perception of science teachers on the role of student relationships in the classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Mattison, Cheryl Ann

With the increased accountability of educators comes the responsibility of the entire educational community to find ways in which we can help our students succeed in the classroom. In addition, it is important to discover what it takes to keep those students in school Many science teachers enter the profession unprepared to handle the regular classroom routine. Classroom management, grading, lesson planning, setting up labs, and the myriad of other obligations, can leave teachers overwhelmed and sometimes can get in the way of actually helping students be successful. This study investigated how science teachers viewed the importance of developing strong teacher/student relationships to the increase of student success in a science classroom. I attempted to answer 4 major questions: · How do science teachers in a select high school community view the role of interactive relationships in their classrooms and how that might impact their students? · How do science teachers in a select high school community believe they establish successful interactive relationships with their students? · What do science teachers in a select high school community believe are some of the outcomes of those relationships? · What do science teachers suggest to increase the teacher's ability to form good relationships with their students? A qualitative research method was used including observations, interviews and group discussions of 5 high school science teachers in a small urban school.

Exploring grade 3 teachers' resistance to `take up' progressive mathematics teaching roles

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Westaway, Lise; Graven, Mellony

2018-03-01

This article addresses the question: Why teachers of mathematics have yet to `take up' progressive roles? Drawing on the philosophy of critical realism and its methodological equivalent, social realism, we analyse interview and observation data of four grade 3 teachers, with the view to identifying the mechanisms conditioning the expression of teachers' identities. In so doing, we show how post-apartheid changes in systemic roles of teachers create contradictory tensions for teachers as these bring their own mathematical learning and teaching experiences into contradiction with the new post-apartheid roles they are mandated to enact. We examine how this contradiction, together with beliefs about mathematics, pedagogy and learners, is expressed in the teaching of grade 3 mathematics. We maintain that the complementarity between teachers' beliefs and old systemic roles provides an explanation for why teachers of grade 3 mathematics have yet to `take-up' progressive roles. The implications point to the need for teacher development that creates enablers that lead to changes in classroom practices that align with policy-designated, progressive roles in teaching mathematics.

Child perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior and associations with mathematics achievement in Dutch early grade classrooms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zijlstra, H.; Wubbels, T.; Brekelmans, M.; Koomen, H.M.Y.

2013-01-01

This study analyzed children's generalized perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior in terms of two dimensions, control and affiliation, referring to the degree of teacher leadership/management and teacher friendliness/cooperation in the classroom, respectively. An adapted version of the

Chinese Teachers' Perceptions of Students' Classroom Misbehaviour

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Ding, Meixia; Li, Yeping; Li, Xiaobao; Kulm, Gerald

2008-01-01

This study focuses on Chinese teachers' perceptions of students' classroom misbehaviour. A questionnaire was designed to assess teachers' general concerns about classroom management, teachers' perceptions of the most frequent and troublesome types of misbehaviour, and teachers' perceived needs for help with improving classroom management. A total…

Supporting students' strategic competence: a case of a sixth-grade mathematics classroom

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Özdemir, İ. Elif Yetkin; Pape, Stephen J.

2012-06-01

Mathematics education research has documented several classroom practices that might influence student self-regulation. We know little, however, about the ways these classroom practices could be structured in real classroom settings. In this exploratory case study, we purposefully selected a sixth-grade mathematics teacher who had participated in a professional development program focussed on NCTM standards and SRL in the mathematics classroom for extensive classroom observation. The purpose was to explore how and to what extend she structured classroom practices to support strategic competence in her students. Four features of classroom practices were found as evidence for how strategic competence was potentially supported in this classroom: (a) allowing autonomy and shared responsibility during the early stages of learning, (b) focusing on student understanding, (c) creating contexts for students to learn about strategic learning and to exercise strategic behaviour, and (d) helping students to personalise strategies by recognising their ideas and strategic behaviours.

Relating Teacher PCK and Teacher Practice Using Classroom Observation

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Barendsen, Erik; Henze, Ineke

2017-09-01

Science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has been researched in many studies, yet little empirical evidence has been found to determine how this knowledge actually informs teachers' actions in the classroom. To complement previous quantitative studies, there is a need for more qualitative studies to investigate the relationship between teacher knowledge (as formulated by the teacher) and classroom practice, especially in the context of an educational innovation. In this study we explored a possible way to investigate this relationship in an in-depth and systematic fashion. To this end, we conducted a case study with a chemistry teacher in the context of the implementation of a context-based science curriculum in The Netherlands. The teacher's PCK was captured using the Content Representation form by Loughran, Mulhall, and Berry. We used an observation table to monitor classroom interactions in such a way that the observations could be related to specific elements of teachers' PCK. Thus, we were able to give a detailed characterization of the correspondences and differences between the teacher's personal PCK and classroom practice. Such an elaborate description turned out to be a useful basis for discussing mechanisms explaining the relationship between teachers' knowledge and teachers' actions.

Attitudes towards Teachers' Motivation, and Classroom Strategy, in English Language Classrooms

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Pahlavanpoorfard, Samira; Soori, Afshin

2014-01-01

This study aimed at investigating the attitudes of Iranian EFL students towards teachers' motivation and classroom strategy in English classroom. The subjects of the study included a sample of 235 students in their classes. The findings of this study revealed that teachers' motivation and classroom strategy used by teachers have effects on the…

Does a Teacher's Classroom Observation Rating Vary across Multiple Classrooms?

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Lei, Xiaoxuan; Li, Hongli; Leroux, Audrey J.

2018-01-01

Classroom observations have been increasingly used for teacher evaluations, and it is important to examine the measurement quality and the use of observation ratings. When a teacher is observed in multiple classrooms, his or her observation ratings may vary across classrooms. In that case, using ratings from one classroom per teacher may not be…

Improving 6th Grade Climate Literacy using New Media (CLINM) and Teacher Professional Development

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Smith, G.; Schmidt, C.; Metzger, E. P.; Cordero, E. C.

2012-12-01

The NASA-funded project, Improving 6th Grade Climate Literacy using New Media (CLINM), is designed to improve the climate literacy of California's 450,000 6th-grade students through teacher professional development that presents climate change as an engaging context for teaching earth science standards. The project fosters experience-based interaction among learners and encourages expressive creativity and idea-exchange via the web and social media. The heart of the CLINM project is the development of an online educator-friendly experience that provides content expert-reviewed, teacher-tested, standards-based educational resources, classroom activities and lessons that make meaningful connections to NASA data and images as well as new media tools (videos, web, and phone applications) based on the Green Ninja, a climate-action superhero who fights global warming by inspiring personal action (www.greenninja.info). In this session, we will discuss this approach to professional development and share a collection of teacher-tested CLINM resources. CLINM resources are grounded in earth system science; classroom activities and lessons engage students in exploration of connections between natural systems and human systems with a particular focus on how climate change relates to everyone's need for food, water, and energy. CLINM uses a team-based approach to resource development, and partners faculty in San José State University's (SJSU) colleges of Science, Education, and Humanities and the Arts with 6th-grade teachers from local school districts, a scientist from NASA Ames Research Center and climate change education projects at Stanford University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and the University of Idaho. Climate scientists and other content experts identify relevant concepts and work with science educators to develop and/or refine classroom activities to elucidate those concepts; activities are piloted in pre-service science methods courses at SJSU and in

Learning to write in science: A study of English language learners' writing experience in sixth-grade science classrooms

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Qi, Yang

Writing is a predictor of academic achievement and is essential for student success in content area learning. Despite its importance, many students, including English language learners (ELLs), struggle with writing. There is thus a need to study students' writing experience in content area classrooms. Informed by systemic functional linguistics, this study examined 11 ELL students' writing experience in two sixth grade science classrooms in a southeastern state of the United States, including what they wrote, how they wrote, and why they wrote in the way they did. The written products produced by these students over one semester were collected. Also collected were teacher interviews, field notes from classroom observations, and classroom artifacts. Student writing samples were first categorized into extended and nonextended writing categories, and each extended essay was then analyzed with respect to its schematic structure and grammatical features. Teacher interviews and classroom observation notes were analyzed thematically to identify teacher expectations, beliefs, and practices regarding writing instruction for ELLs. It was found that the sixth-grade ELLs engaged in mostly non-extended writing in the science classroom, with extended writing (defined as writing a paragraph or longer) constituting roughly 11% of all writing assignments. Linguistic analysis of extended writing shows that the students (a) conveyed information through nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbial groups and prepositional phrases; (b) constructed interpersonal context through choices of mood, modality, and verb tense; and (c) structured text through thematic choices and conjunctions. The appropriateness of these lexicogrammatical choices for particular writing tasks was related to the students' English language proficiency levels. The linguistic analysis also uncovered several grammatical problems in the students' writing, including a limited range of word choices, inappropriate use of mood

An exploratory study of the influence of national and state standards on middle school science teachers' classroom assessment practices

Science.gov (United States)

McWaters, Kathy Jean

2001-07-01

Classroom assessment practices of middle school science teachers were identified and the influence of national and state science standards on these practices was examined. In Phase I of this study a mail questionnaire was sent to 450 middle school (grades 5,6,7 and 8) science teachers in 17 parishes in Louisiana to obtain information about their classroom assessment practices. In Phase II, nine middle school teachers in eight departmentalized classrooms, two classes at each grade, participated in a qualitative study. Data were collected through questionnaires, classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. Data analysis revealed three major categories of classroom assessment targets: (a) student achievement, (b) student attitudes and, (c) student products. Results indicated that most teachers are using different assessment methods when assessing different achievement targets, as recommended by science reform documents. It was also determined that many teachers are using appropriate methods to assess student learning. While teachers reported that students spend an inordinate amount of time engaged in assessment activities, classroom observations suggested that the activities were not always written tests or graded activities. Another key finding is that there is a disconnect between the quality of teaching and the quality of assessment. Teachers who teach the material recommended by science reform documents and use recommended instructional strategies were observed to stop teaching and engage students in a "test rehearsal" geared towards rote memorization of factual information. Data suggest that the national and state science content standards are influencing the content and the format of teacher-made tests. Teachers' reported using the standards during assessment construction or selection in a wide variety of ways. The most direct use of the standards reported was to select content, format and cognitive level for test items. A more circumspect approach

Differentiation practices in grade 2 and 3 : Variations in teacher behavior in mathematics and reading comprehension lessons

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ritzema, Evelien S.; Deunk, Marjolein I.; Bosker, Roel J.

2016-01-01

This study focused on the differentiation practices of second- and third-grade teachers in mathematics and reading comprehension lessons. Preconditions for differentiation, classroom organization, and how teachers dealt with students of different ability levels were investigated through

Reading Sacred Texts in the Classroom: The Alignment between Students and Their Teacher's Interpretive Stances When Reading the Hebrew Bible

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Hassenfeld, Ziva R.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the voices of students interpreting Hebrew Bible texts in one fourth-grade classroom. Through think-alouds on the Biblical text with each student, exit interviews, teacher interviews, and classroom observations, this study found that those students whose interpretive stances were more aligned with the teacher's were given…

Modern Scientific Literacy: A Case Study of Multiliteracies and Scientific Practices in a Fifth Grade Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, Elizabeth; Goldston, M. Jenice

2018-01-01

This study investigates the convergence of multiliteracies and scientific practices in a fifth grade classroom. As students' lives become increasingly multimodal, diverse, and globalized, the traditional notions of literacy must be revisited (New London Group 1996). With the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013a) in many states, either in their entirety or in adapted forms, it becomes useful to explore the interconnectedness multiliteracies and scientific practices and the resulting implications for scientific literacy. The case study included a fifth grade classroom, including the students and teacher. In order to create a rich description of the cases involved, data were collected and triangulated through teacher interviews, student interviews and focus groups, and classroom observations. Findings reveal that as science activities were enriched with multiliteracies and scientific practices, students were engaged in developing skills and knowledge central to being scientifically literate. Furthermore, this study establishes that characteristics of scientific literacy, by its intent and purpose, are a form of multiliteracies in elementary classrooms. Therefore, the teaching and learning of science and its practices for scientific literacy are in turn reinforcing the development of broader multiliteracies.

Company Men: Tracing Learning from Divergent Teacher Education Pathways into Practice in Middle Grades Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Conklin, Hilary G.

2012-01-01

In this comparative, longitudinal case study, the author investigates the two different pathways that have been most strongly advocated for certifying middle school social studies teachers: the specialized middle school and subject-specific secondary pathways. Drawing on classroom observations, interviews, documents, teacher and student work…

Teachers' Grading Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Isnawati, Ida; Saukah, Ali

2017-01-01

This study investigated teachers' grading decision making, focusing on their beliefs underlying their grading decision making, their grading practices and assessment types, and factors they considered in grading decision making. Two teachers from two junior high schools applying different curriculum policies in grade reporting in Indonesian…

To grade or not to grade: balancing formative and summative assessment in post-16 teacher trainee observations

OpenAIRE

Matthews, Richard; Noyes, Andrew

2016-01-01

The issue of whether trainee teachers in the post-16 sector should have their classroom practice graded has been debated for a number of years. The case for training courses retaining an emphasis on written and verbal ‘developmental’ feedback at the expense of ‘judgements’ appears to be lost. This article is set within the context of an ever-growing culture of performativity in English further education colleges, where grading is regarded as an essential requirement to ensure high quality tea...

Third and Fourth Grade Teacher's Classroom Practices in Writing: A National Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Brindle, Mary; Graham, Steve; Harris, Karen R.; Hebert, Michael

2016-01-01

A random sample of teachers in grades 3 and 4 (N = 157) from across the United States were surveyed about their use of evidence-based writing practices, preparation to teach writing, and beliefs about writing. Teachers' beliefs included their efficacy to teach writing, their orientations to teach writing, their attitude about teaching writing, and…

Primary Teachers' Beliefs about Scientific Creativity in the Classroom Context

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shu-Chiu; Lin, Huann-shyang

2014-01-01

While a number of studies have investigated people's perceptions or conceptions of creativity, there is a lack of studies looking into science teachers' views. The study aimed to explore the meanings of scientific creativity in the classroom context as perceived by a selective group of upper primary (Grades 3-6; student ages 8-12) science teachers…

Visual arts and the teaching of the mathematical concepts of shape and space in Grade R classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dianne Wilmot

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This article addresses the need for research in the areas of Grade R curriculum and pedagogy, Grade R teacher professional development, and early years mathematics teaching. More specifically, it responds to the need for teacher professional development in Grade R mathematics teaching of the geometric concepts of space and shape. The article describes a study about teachers’ understanding of how visual arts can be used as pedagogical modality. The study was prompted by the findings of a ‘Maths and Science through Arts and Culture Curriculum’ intervention undertaken with Grade R teachers enrolled for a Bachelor of Education (Foundation Phase degree at a South African university. Post-intervention, teachers’ classroom practices did not change, and they were not using visual arts to teach mathematical concepts. The lessons learned from the research intervention may contribute to the wider debate about Grade R teaching and children’s learning.

The influence of fidelity of implementation on teacher-student interaction quality in the context of a randomized controlled trial of the Responsive Classroom approach.

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Abry, Tashia; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E; Larsen, Ross A; Brewer, Alexis J

2013-08-01

This study examined the direct and indirect effects between training in the Responsive Classroom® (RC) approach, teachers' uptake of RC practices, and teacher-student interaction quality, using a structural equation modeling framework. A total of 24 schools were randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions. Third- and fourth-grade teachers in treatment schools (n=132) received training in the RC approach, whereas teachers in control schools (n=107) continued "business as usual." Observers rated teachers' fidelity of implementation (FOI) of RC practices 5 times throughout the year using the Classroom Practices Observation Measure. In addition, teachers completed self-report measures of FOI, the Classroom Practices Teacher Survey and Classroom Practices Frequency Survey, at the end of the school year. Teacher-student interactions were rated during classroom observations using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System. Controlling for teachers' grade level and teacher-student interaction quality at pretest, RC training was expected to predict posttest teacher-student interaction quality directly and indirectly through FOI. Results supported only a significant indirect effect, β=0.85, p=.002. Specifically, RC teachers had higher levels of FOI of RC practices, β=1.62, pteacher-student interaction quality, β=0.52, p=.001, R2=.32. Discussion highlights factors contributing to variability in FOI and school administrators roles in supporting FOI. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning Context When Studying Financial Planning in High Schools: Nesting of Student, Teacher, and Classroom Characteristics

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Danes, Sharon M.; Rodriguez, Michael C.; Brewton, Katherine E.

2013-01-01

Grounded in social construction theory, the current study investigates the learning context when studying financial planning in high school by analyzing the nesting of student, teacher and classroom characteristics. Key findings were that three student characteristics (initial financial knowledge, gender, senior grade level), one teacher variable…

Teacher Tweets Improve Achievement for Eighth Grade Science Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carol Van Vooren

2013-02-01

Full Text Available In the Digital Age teachers have fallen far behind the technical skills of their "digital native" students. The implementation of technology as a tool for classroom communication is foreign for most teachers, but highly preferred by students. While teenagers are using Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks to communicate, teachers continue to respond through face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, and email messaging. Twitter, a platform for short message service text, is an online social network site that allows users to send and receive messages using 140 characters or less called Tweets. To analyze the relationship of the teacher's use of Twitter with student academic achievement, a correlation study conducted by Bess collected data from two matched samples of eighth grade science students: one utilizing Twitter and one not utilizing Twitter to reinforce classroom instruction. Two tests matching the science standards were given to both samples of students. The results of the tests were used as primary data. The findings suggested a positive correlation between the use of Twitter and student performance on the standardized tests. Implications for this study indicate that young teenagers may prefer Twitter as a mode of communication with their teacher, resulting in higher academic achievement in a middle school science class.

Teachers grading practices : an analysis of the reliability of teacher-assigned grade point average (GPA)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Lans, R. M.; van de Grift, W. J. C. M.; van Veen, K.

2015-01-01

In previous research, teachers report that they use a hodgepodge of factors when grading students. This has led researchers to suspect that teacher-assigned grades are inflated by teacher-student interactions; the hodgepodge hypothesis. Teachers also are reported to differ in grading leniency; the

Science teacher orientations and PCK across science topics in grade 9 earth science

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Campbell, Todd; Melville, Wayne; Goodwin, Dawne

2017-07-01

While the literature is replete with studies examining teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), few studies have investigated how science teacher orientations (STOs) shape classroom instruction. Therefore, this research explores the interplay between a STOs and the topic specificity of PCK across two science topics within a grade 9 earth science course. Through interviews and observations of one teacher's classroom across two sequentially taught, this research contests the notion that teachers hold a single way of conceptualising science teaching and learning. In this, we consider if multiple ontologies can provide potential explanatory power for characterising instructional enactments. In earlier work with the teacher in this study, using generic interview prompts and general discussions about science teaching and learning, we accepted the existence of a unitary STO and its promise of consistent reformed instruction in the classroom. However, upon close examination of instruction focused on different science topics, evidence was found to demonstrate the explanatory power of multiple ontologies for shaping characteristically different epistemological constructions across science topics. This research points to the need for care in generalising about teacher practice, as it reveals that a teacher's practice, and orientation, can vary, dependent on the context and science topics taught.

Testing the Efficacy of INSIGHTS on Student Disruptive Behavior, Classroom Management, and Student Competence in Inner City Primary Grades

OpenAIRE

McClowry, Sandra Graham; Snow, David L.; Tamis-LeMonda, Catherine S.; Rodriguez, Eileen T.

2009-01-01

A prevention trial tested the efficacy of INSIGHTS into Children?s Temperament as compared to a Read Aloud attention control condition in reducing student disruptive behavior and enhancing student competence and teacher classroom management. Participants included 116 first and second grade students, their parents, and their 42 teachers in six inner city schools. Teachers completed the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory (SESBI) and the Teacher?s Rating Scale of Child?s Actual Competence ...

The Benefits of Departmentalization in Upper Elementary Grades for Students and Teachers

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Johnson, Malissa Lee

2013-01-01

This study addressed the benefits of departmentalization in upper elementary grades for students and teachers. The variables of gender and classroom structure (departmentalized versus self-contained) were considered for student participants (n = 125). Results for students were evaluated on pre-test and post-test data using the following measures:…

Classroom Research by Classroom Teachers, 1992.

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Tanner, Michael, Ed.

1992-01-01

This volume celebrates teachers as life-long learners of the art of teaching, by presenting 21 action research studies designed and implemented by classroom teachers. A "How To Get Started" section outlines action research steps and offers worksheets. Descriptions of the research studies begin with ethnographic studies, which include "Adopt a…

Hierarchical Effects of School-, Classroom-, and Student-Level Factors on the Science Performance of Eighth-Grade Taiwanese Students

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Tsai, Liang-Ting; Yang, Chih-Chien

2015-05-01

This study was conducted to understand the effect of student-, classroom-, and school-level factors on the science performance of 8th-grade Taiwanese students in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 by using multilevel analysis. A total of 5,042 students from 153 classrooms of 150 schools participated in the TIMSS 2011 study, in which they were required to complete questionnaires. A 3-level multilevel analysis was used to assess the influence of factors at 3 levels on the science performance of 8th-grade Taiwanese students. The results showed that the provision of education resources at home, teachers' level of education, and school climate were the strongest predictor of science performance at the student, classroom, and school level, respectively. It was concluded that the science performance of 8th-grade Taiwanese students is driven largely by individual factors. Classroom-level factors accounted for a smaller proportion of the total variance in science performance than did school-level factors.

An accomplished teacher's use of scaffolding during a second-grade unit on designing games.

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Chen, Weiyun; Rovegno, Inez; Cone, Stephen L; Cone, Theresa P

2012-06-01

The purpose of this study was to describe how an accomplished teacher taught second-grade students to design games that integrated movement and mathematics content. The participants were one physical education teacher; a classroom teacher, and an intact class of 20 second-grade students. Qualitative data were gathered through videotaping of all lessons, descriptions of 20 children's responses to all lesson segments, and interviews with all participants. In keeping with constructivist principles, the teacher used a progression of tasks and multiple instructional techniques to scaffold the design process allowing children to design games that were meaningful to them. Contrary to descriptions of scaffolding fading across a unit, in this study the scaffolding was a function of the interaction between learners' needs and task content.

Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections. A Video Course for Grades K-12 Teachers and School Counselors

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Annenberg Learner, 2012

2012-01-01

Exciting developments in the field of neuroscience are leading to a new understanding of how the brain works that is beginning to transform teaching in the classroom. "Neuroscience & the Classroom: Making Connections" brings together researchers and educators in a dialog about how insights into brain function can be harnessed by teachers for use…

Teacher characteristics, social classroom relationships, and children's social, emotional, and behavioral classroom adjustment in special education.

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Breeman, L D; Wubbels, T; van Lier, P A C; Verhulst, F C; van der Ende, J; Maras, A; Hopman, J A B; Tick, N T

2015-02-01

The goal of this study was to explore relations between teacher characteristics (i.e., competence and wellbeing); social classroom relationships (i.e., teacher-child and peer interactions); and children's social, emotional, and behavioral classroom adjustment. These relations were explored at both the individual and classroom levels among 414 children with emotional and behavioral disorders placed in special education. Two models were specified. In the first model, children's classroom adjustment was regressed on social relationships and teacher characteristics. In the second model, reversed links were examined by regressing teacher characteristics on social relationships and children's adjustment. Results of model 1 showed that, at the individual level, better social and emotional adjustment of children was predicted by higher levels of teacher-child closeness and better behavioral adjustment was predicted by both positive teacher-child and peer interactions. At the classroom level, positive social relationships were predicted by higher levels of teacher competence, which in turn were associated with lower classroom levels of social problems. Higher levels of teacher wellbeing were directly associated with classroom adaptive and maladaptive child outcomes. Results of model 2 showed that, at the individual and classroom levels, only the emotional and behavioral problems of children predicted social classroom relationships. At the classroom level, teacher competence was best predicted by positive teacher-child relationships and teacher wellbeing was best predicted by classroom levels of prosocial behavior. We discuss the importance of positive teacher-child and peer interactions for children placed in special education and suggest ways of improving classroom processes by targeting teacher competence. Copyright © 2014 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temperament in early childhood and peer interactions in third grade: the role of teacher-child relationships in early elementary grades.

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Rudasill, Kathleen Moritz; Niehaus, Kate; Buhs, Eric; White, Jamie M

2013-12-01

Children's interactions with peers in early childhood have been consistently linked to their academic and social outcomes. Although both child and classroom characteristics have been implicated as contributors to children's success, there has been scant research linking child temperament, teacher-child relationship quality, and peer interactions in the same study. The purpose of this study is to examine children's early temperament, rated at preschool age, as a predictor of interactions with peers (i.e., aggression, relational aggression, victimization, and prosociality) in third grade while considering teacher-child relationship quality in kindergarten through second grades as a moderator and mediator of this association. The sample (N=1364) was drawn from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Results from structural equation models indicated that teacher-child conflict in early elementary grades mediated links between children's temperament and later peer interactions. Findings underscore the importance of considering children's temperament traits and teacher-child relationship quality when examining the mechanisms of the development of peer interactions. © 2013.

Support teachers who experience passive aggressive behaviour in the Grade 9 classroom : the role of the educational psychologist

OpenAIRE

2013-01-01

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) The inclusive education shift, in South Africa, has caused classroom teachers to take on many more responsibilities than was expected from them in previous years. These increased expectations, stress and anxiety becomes heavy burdens and has a negative influence on teacher well-being. Factors such as the emotionally intense working environment, lack of time, space and resources, as well as student misbehaviour has a great negative impact on the classroom envi...

Predicting Pre-Service Classroom Teachers' Civil Servant Recruitment Examination's Educational Sciences Test Scores Using Artificial Neural Networks

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Demir, Metin

2015-01-01

This study predicts the number of correct answers given by pre-service classroom teachers in Civil Servant Recruitment Examination's (CSRE) educational sciences test based on their high school grade point averages, university entrance scores, and grades (mid-term and final exams) from their undergraduate educational courses. This study was…

Teacher Attitudes, Perceived Influences, and Self-Reported Classroom Behaviors Related to School Nutrition Environments

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Girard, Beverly Lawler

2010-01-01

This study determined attitudes of kindergarten through fifth grade teachers about school nutrition environments, their perceived influence on school nutrition environments, and self-reported classroom behaviors. Specific objectives were to: (a) identify perceived factors that influence the school nutrition environment, according to teachers…

Teacher cognition and the teaching of EFL reading in Norwegian upper primary classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trine Mathiesen Gilje

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This article is about a qualitative study of teacher cognition and the teaching of EFL reading in Norwegian upper primary classrooms. Teacher cognition, defined by Borg (2003, p.81 as ‘what teachers think, know, and believe and the relationships of these mental constructs to what teachers do in the language teaching classroom’, is a relatively new field of research, with few studies focussing on its link to the teaching of EFL reading skills in state schools or in young language learner classrooms. The study therefore aimed to explore upper primary EFL teachers’ reading-related materials and practices, what knowledge, attitudes and beliefs formed the basis of their choices, and the role of teacher education in this context. The method was semi-structured interviews with eight randomly selected 6th grade EFL-teachers. The study showed that the teachers primarily based their teaching of EFL reading on textbooks, used them in similar ways, but also used additional reading materials to varying extents. The teachers thus appeared to be heavily guided by their textbooks, in addition to intuition and routines. The impact of formal teacher education varied from teacher to teacher. Nevertheless, it was argued that pre-service and in-service teacher education will play an important role in helping future EFL teachers make and understand the choices they make about reading materials and pracices, so that they can meet the demands of increasingly diverse classrooms due to differences in linguistic, social and national backgrounds between pupils.

The impact of the Good Behavior Game, a universal classroom-based preventive intervention in first and second grades, on high-risk sexual behaviors and drug abuse and dependence disorders into young adulthood.

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Kellam, Sheppard G; Wang, Wei; Mackenzie, Amelia C L; Brown, C Hendricks; Ompad, Danielle C; Or, Flora; Ialongo, Nicholas S; Poduska, Jeanne M; Windham, Amy

2014-02-01

The Good Behavior Game (GBG), a method of teacher classroom behavior management, was tested in first- and second-grade classrooms in 19 Baltimore City Public Schools beginning in the 1985-1986 school year. The intervention was directed at the classroom as a whole to socialize children to the student role and reduce aggressive, disruptive behaviors, confirmed antecedents of a profile of externalizing problem outcomes. This article reports on the GBG impact on the courses and interrelationships among aggressive, disruptive behavior through middle school, risky sexual behaviors, and drug abuse and dependence disorders through ages 19-21. In five poor to lower-middle class, mainly African American urban areas, classrooms within matched schools were assigned randomly to either the GBG intervention or the control condition. Balanced assignment of children to classrooms was made, and teachers were randomly assigned to intervention or control. Analyses involved multilevel growth mixture modeling. By young adulthood, significant GBG impact was found in terms of reduced high-risk sexual behaviors and drug abuse and dependence disorders among males who in first grade and through middle school were more aggressive, disruptive. A replication with the next cohort of first-grade children with the same teachers occurred during the following school year, but with minimal teacher mentoring and monitoring. Findings were not significant but generally in the predicted direction. A universal classroom-based prevention intervention in first- and second-grade classrooms can reduce drug abuse and dependence disorders and risky sexual behaviors.

Reflections on Teaching and Learning the Arts: A Middle-Grade Classroom and a High School for the Arts

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Barilla, Rosemary; Brown, Tina Boyer

2015-01-01

Rosemary Barilla, a middle-grade language arts teacher, inspired by her own dedication to the arts, describes the ways she integrates the fine arts into her classroom program that is designed to teach reading and writing. Tina Boyer Brown, a founding teacher at The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts®), describes the school as a place where…

Teachers' Beliefs and Their Intention to Use Interactive Simulations in Their Classrooms

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Kriek, Jeanne; Stols, Gerrit

2010-01-01

In this pilot study, we sought to examine the influence of the beliefs of Grade 10 to 12 physical science teachers on their intended and actual usage of interactive simulations (Physics Education Technology, or PhET) in their classrooms. A combination of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Technology Acceptance Model and the Innovation Diffusion…

Exploring paraprofessional and classroom factors affecting teacher supervision.

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Irvin, Dwight W; Ingram, Paul; Huffman, Jonathan; Mason, Rose; Wills, Howard

2018-02-01

Paraprofessionals serve a primary role in supporting students with disabilities in the classroom, which necessitates teachers' supervision as a means to improve their practice. Yet, little is known regarding what factors affect teacher supervision. We sought to identify how paraprofessional competence and classroom type affected the levels of teacher direction. We administered an adapted version of the Paraprofessional Needs, Knowledge & Tasks Survey and the Survey for Teachers Supervising Paraprofessionals to teachers supervising paraprofessionals in elementary schools. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the link between paraprofessional competence and classroom factors affecting the level of teacher supervision. Our results indicated that when teachers perceived paraprofessionals as being more skilled, they provided more supervision, and when more supervision was provided the less they thought paraprofessionals should be doing their assigned tasks. Additionally, paraprofessionals working in classrooms with more students with mild disabilities received less supervision than paraprofessionals working in classrooms with more students with moderate-to-severe disabilities. Those paraprofessionals in classrooms serving mostly children with mild disabilities were also perceived as having lower levels of skill competence than those serving in classrooms with students with more moderate-to-severe disabilities. By understanding the factors that affect teacher supervision, policy and professional development opportunities can be refined/developed to better support both supervising teachers and paraprofessionals and, in turn, improve the outcomes of children with disabilities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Departmentalized and Self-Contained Classrooms on Fifth-Grade Students' Achievement in Science on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test

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Koch, Lisa S.

2013-01-01

Elementary instruction of fifth grade classrooms was found to be primarily in two organizational models in a school district northwest of Atlanta, Georgia. The self-contained classroom provided a generalist teacher responsible for the instruction of all academic subjects to one group of students throughout the day, while departmentalized…

Teacher Classroom Practices, Student Motivation and Mathematics Achievements in High School: Evidence from HSLS:09 Data

OpenAIRE

Yu, Rongrong

2015-01-01

The present study explored the direct influences of teacher classroom practices, including teacher support, conceptual teaching, and procedural teaching, on 9th grade students' mathematics achievement, and the indirect influences of these teacher variables on student mathematics achievement through students' mathematics self-efficacy and interest in mathematics courses. The base year data of High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS: 09) was used for this study. Structural equation modelin...

Sexual Harassment in the Classroom: Teacher as Target.

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Tochterman, Suzanne; Barnes, Fred

1998-01-01

Discusses teachers as victims of sexual harassment in their classrooms. Includes examples involving preservice and new teachers. Discusses the impact of harassment on teachers themselves and on classroom performance. Offers strategies to support and intervene with new teachers who have been victims of sexual harassment. (MKA)

Children's behavioral regulation and literacy: The impact of the first grade classroom environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Day, Stephanie L; Connor, Carol McDonald; McClelland, Megan M

2015-10-01

Classroom learning environments are an important source of influence on children's development, particularly with regard to literacy achievement and behavioral regulation, both of which require the coordination of task inhibition, attention, and working memory. Classroom observations were conducted in 18 schools and 51 first grade classrooms for 500 children. The non-instructional activities were recorded for each student in the classroom. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that children with weaker fall behavioral regulation were more likely to attend classrooms where more time was spent in disruptions and wasted instructional time over the course of the school year, such as waiting for the teacher to gather materials before beginning instruction. For literacy outcomes, children who were in classrooms where more time in disruptions, transitions, and waiting was observed showed weaker literacy skill gains in the spring compared to children in classrooms with lesser amounts of such unproductive non-instructional time and this effect was generally greater for students with initial weaker skills. These results also reveal that the classroom environment and the incoming characteristics of the students themselves influence students' development of behavioral regulation and literacy. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Differentiating Instruction "in the Regular" Classroom: How To Reach and Teach All Learners, Grades 3-12.

Science.gov (United States)

Heacox, Diane

This book provides a wide variety of strategies for differentiating instruction for students in grades 3-12. Chapter 1 presents an overview of differentiated content, process, and product, and the role of the teacher in a differentiated classroom. Chapter 2 focuses on the first step of differentiation: gathering information about students. Chapter…

The effect of fifth grade science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge on their decision making and student learning outcomes on the concept of chemical change

Science.gov (United States)

Ogletree, Glenda Lee

This study investigated the science pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) among teachers as they taught the concept of chemical change to fifth grade students. The purpose was to identify teachers' PCK and its impact in middle grade science classrooms. A second purpose was to investigate the possible relationship of teachers' science PCK to teacher actions and student learning outcomes in the classroom. The instruments used to capture PCK were background and demographic information, Content Representations (CoRe), and Professional and Pedagogical experience Repertoire (PaP-eR). The study investigated CoRe and PaP-eR with seven classroom teachers as they planned and taught chemical change to fifth grade students. Four levels of a Pedagogical Content Knowledge rubric were used to describe varying levels of PCK. The four levels were content knowledge of chemical change; knowledge of students' thinking; knowledge of how to represent chemical change to promote student learning; and professional development, collaboration, and leadership roles in science. The Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) described and evaluated science teaching performance levels of the teachers. In this study, 176 students were assessed to determine understanding of chemical change. There was a significant correlation between teachers' PCK scores and student achievement. The study also determined that a significant correlation existed between teachers' PCK scores and their RTOP scores revealing that RTOP scores could be predictors of PCK. Through this approach, understandings of PCK emerged that are of interest to university preservice preparation programs, research in understanding effective teachers and teaching, and the planning and implementation of professional development for teachers of science with middle grade students.

Profiles of classroom behavior in high schools: associations with teacher behavior management strategies and classroom composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Pas, Elise T; Cash, Anne H; O'Brennan, Lindsey; Debnam, Katrina J; Bradshaw, Catherine P

2015-04-01

Although there has been considerable attention to the issue of classroom management and processes in educational reform models, there has been relatively limited research on these factors in high schools. The current study utilized observational data from 1262 classrooms in 52 high schools to examine teacher classroom management strategies and ratings of student compliance, engagement, and social disruption. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to examine specific patterns of classroom-wide student behavior in relation to teachers' use of classroom management strategies and classroom composition. The LPA revealed three distinct classroom behavioral profiles where students consistently met behavioral expectations (71%), inconsistently met expectations (23%), and were noncompliant (6%). Analyses indicated a functional association between patterns of student behavior and teachers' classroom management. In classrooms where students consistently met expectations, teachers provided more opportunities to respond and less disapproval and reactive behavioral management. Classrooms with noncompliant students had teachers who used the most disapproval and reactive behavior management. In addition, classrooms characterized as consistent had fewer males and more White students than classrooms characterized by inconsistent and noncompliant behaviors. These findings highlight the link between student patterns of behavior and teacher classroom management and have important implications for screening and professional development. Copyright © 2014 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Classroom Climate among Teacher Education Mathematics Students

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Polemer M. Cuarto

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Classroom climate has gained prominence as recent studies revealed its potentials as an effective mediator in the various motivational factors as well as an antecedent of academic performance outcome of the students. This descriptive-correlational study determined the level of classroom climate dimensions among teacher education students specializing in Mathematics at Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology. Employing a self-structured questionnaire adapted to the WIHIC (What Is Happening In this Class questionnaire, the surveyed data were treated statistically using Pearson’s r. Result showed that there was high level of classroom climate among the respondents in their Mathematics classes in both teacher-directed and student-directed dimensions specifically in terms of equity, teacher support, cohesiveness, involvement, responsibility and task orientation. Also, it revealed that equity and teacher support were both positively related to the students-directed classroom climate dimensions. With these results, teachers are seen to be very significant determinants of the climate in the classroom. Relevant to this, the study recommended that faculty should develop effective measures to enhance classroom climate dimensions such as equity and teacher support to address the needs of diverse studentsdespite large size classes. Moreover, faculty should provide greater opportunitiesfor the students to achieve higher level of responsibility, involvement, cohesiveness, and task orientation as these could motivate them to develop positive learning attitude, perform to the best of their ability, as well as maximize their full potential in school.

Effects of the learning cycle upon student and classroom teacher performance

Science.gov (United States)

Marek, Edmund A.; Methven, Suzanne B.

A great deal of research has been done regarding science in-service education and the conclusion can be drawn that positive results were generally achieved in workshop-participant attitude and implementation of instructional approaches into the classroom. One of the most important effects of an in-service workshop is upon the students of the teachers participating in an in-service program, but rarely, if ever, is this parameter assessed in the in-service evaluation design. This study investigated the relationships among (1) teacher's attitudes and implementation of in-service workshop developed science materials (learning cycles) and (2) elementary school student's conservation reasoning and language used to describe properties of objects. Data were gathered from over 100 students from grades K-5 and 16 teachers who had participated in an in-service program. A representative comparison group of students and teachers was selected which generally matched the teachers participating in the in-service workshop except for one variable--the comparison group taught science traditionally, that is, by exposition. Data from the research indicated that the teachers involved in the science in-service workshop implemented the workshop-developed learning cycles into their science classes. Significantly greater gains in conservation reasoning and language usage occurred with the students of the teachers participating in the science in-service workshop as compared to students in the exposition classrooms.

Teacher classroom practices and Mathematics performance in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Mathematics teacher questionnaire, administered as part of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011, comprised questions pertaining to the classroom practices of Teacher Clarity, Classroom Discussion, Feedback, Formative Assessment, Problem Solving and Metacognitive Strategies, ...

Understanding Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment within Eighth Grade Science Classrooms for Special Needs Students

Science.gov (United States)

Riedell, Kate Elizabeth

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) cemented the fact that students with disabilities must be placed in the least restrictive environment and be given the necessary supports to help them succeed (Lawrence-Brown, 2004). This provides significant challenges for general education teachers, especially in an era of standards based reform with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSSI, 2014) by most states, along with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013). While a variety of methods, strategies, and techniques are available to teachers, there is a dearth of literature that clearly investigates how teachers take into account the ability and motivation of students with special needs when planning and implementing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Thus, this study sought to investigate this facet through the lens of differentiation, personalization, individualization and universal design for learning (UDL) (CAST, 2015), all of which are designed to meet the needs of diverse learners, including students with special needs. An embedded single-case study design (Yin, 2011) was used in this study with the case being differentiated and/or personalized curriculum, instruction and/or assessment, along with UDL for students with special needs, with each embedded unit of analysis being one eighth grade general education science teacher. Analyzing each sub-unit or case, along with a cross-case analysis, three eighth grade general education science teachers were observed over the course of two 10-day units of study in the fall and spring, as they collected artifacts and completed annotations within their electronic portfolios (ePortfolios). All three eighth grade general education science teachers collected ePortfolios as part of their participation in a larger study within California, "Measuring Next Generation Science Instruction Using Tablet-Based Teacher Portfolios," funded by the National Science Foundation. Each teacher

The Classroom Environment Study: Teaching for Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Lorin W.

1987-01-01

The IEA's Classroom Environment Study, implemented in grades 5-9 in 9 countries, examined effects on student outcomes of home, community, school, teacher, and student characteristics and classroom practices. Across countries, course content varied widely, but teachers relied on relatively few classroom behaviors. Student learning was affected by…

Teachers' Views of the Challenges of Teaching Grade 9 Applied Mathematics in Toronto Schools

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Stoilescu, Dorian; McDougall, Douglas; Egodawatte, Gunawardena

2016-01-01

Mathematics teachers, mathematics department heads, curriculum leaders, and administrators from 11 schools in four school boards from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, participated in a project to improve the teaching and learning in grade 9 mathematics classrooms. In each of these schools, an implementation team was created, so that at least three…

Understanding Teachers' Routines to Inform Classroom Technology Design

Science.gov (United States)

An, Pengcheng; Bakker, Saskia; Eggen, Berry

2017-01-01

Secondary school teachers have quite busy and complex routines in their classrooms. However, present classroom technologies usually require focused attention from teachers while being interacted with, which restricts their use in teachers' daily routines. Peripheral interaction is a human-computer interaction style that aims to enable interaction…

Teachers'Perceptions of Teaching Grammar in Young Learners'Classroom%Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching Grammar in Young Learners' Classroom

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

余媛

2016-01-01

The present essay studies the role of grammar in young learners' classroom, perceived by the English teachers in China. The study gives a detailed description of what the role of grammar is like in young learners' classroom, by interviewing primary school teachers both from a city in a developed coastal city and a less developed city in central China. It highlights the differences in the perceptions of teachers on the prominence of grammar in their classes. These differences may indicate regional disparity and potential factors for teachers' teaching approaches to grammar instruction.

Use of Medical Students in a Flipped Classroom Programme in Nutrition Education for Fourth-Grade School Students

Science.gov (United States)

McEvoy, Christian S.; Cantore, Kathryn M.; Denlinger, LeAnn N.; Schleich, Michele A.; Stevens, Nicole M.; Swavely, Steven C.; Odom, Anne A.; Novick, Marsha B.

2016-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a flipped classroom progamme, designed and implemented by medical students, in communicating nutrition education to fourth-grade school students aged 9-10 years and to characterise teachers' assessments of the progamme, which was designed to minimise the burden placed on…

Question Asking in the Science Classroom: Teacher Attitudes and Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Eshach, Haim; Dor-Ziderman, Yair; Yefroimsky, Yana

2014-02-01

Despite the wide agreement among educators that classroom learning and teaching processes can gain much from student and teacher questions, their potential is not fully utilized. Adopting the view that reporting both teachers' (of varying age groups) views and actual classroom practices is necessary for obtaining a more complete view of the phenomena at hand, the present study closely examines both cognitive and affective domains of: (a) teachers' views (via interviews) concerning: (1) importance and roles of teacher and student questions, (2) teacher responses, and (3) planning and teacher training; and (b) teachers' actual practices (via classroom observations) concerning: (1) number and (2) level of teacher and student questions, as well as (3) teachers' responses to questions. The data were collected from 3 elementary, 3 middle, and 3 high school science teachers and their respective classroom students. The findings lay out a wide view of classroom questioning and teachers' responses, and relate what actually occurs in classes to teachers' stated views. Some of the study's main conclusions are that a gap exists between how science researchers and teachers view the role of teacher questions: the former highlight the cognitive domain, while the latter emphasize the affective domain.

Bringing Reality to Classroom Management in Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenman, Gordon; Edwards, Susan; Cushman, Carey Anne

2015-01-01

Learning how to manage a classroom effectively is a difficult task for preservice teachers. This is compounded by the lack of attention that classroom management receives in many teacher preparation programs and in the field of education in general. This article offers a rationale for the lack of attention to classroom management in teacher…

Comprehending Elementary School Teachers' Classroom Management Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Sahin, Ali E.

2015-01-01

This study intends to determine elementary school teachers' degree of classroom control, which constitutes the consistency in their classroom management and discipline-related behaviour. The major research question was as follows: Is the control approach adopted by teachers related to certain variables (gender, age, subject area, experience)? The…

Teacher Support, Peer Acceptance, and Engagement in the Classroom: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study in Late Childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Weyns, Tessa; Colpin, Hilde; De Laet, Steven; Engels, Maaike; Verschueren, Karine

2018-06-01

Although research has examined the bivariate effects of teacher support, peer acceptance, and engagement, it remains unclear how these key classroom experiences evolve together, especially in late childhood. This study aims to provide a detailed picture of their transactional relations in late childhood. A sample of 586 children (M age  = 9.26 years, 47.1% boys) was followed from fourth to sixth grade. Teacher support and engagement were student-reported and peer acceptance was peer-reported. Autoregressive cross-lagged models revealed unique longitudinal effects of both peer acceptance and teacher support on engagement, and of peer acceptance on teacher support. No reverse effects of engagement on peer acceptance or teacher support were found. The study underscores the importance of examining the relative contribution of several social actors in the classroom. Regarding interventions, improving both peer acceptance and teacher support can increase children's engagement, and augmenting peer acceptance can help to increase teacher support.

Jordanian Social Studies Teachers' Perceptions of Competency Needed for Implementing Technology in the Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Al Bataineh, Mohammad; Anderson, Sharon

2015-01-01

This study used a cross-sectional, ten-point Likert-type scale survey design, to examine the perception of Jordanian seventh to twelfth-grade social studies teachers of the competency needed for technology implementation in their classrooms. The instrument for this study was a modified version of a survey developed by Kelly (2003) called the…

The impact of technology on the enactment of inquiry in a technology enthusiast's sixth grade science classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Waight, Noemi; Abd-El-Khalick, Fouad

2007-01-01

This study investigated the impact of the use of computer technology on the enactment of inquiry in a sixth grade science classroom. Participants were 42 students (38% female) enrolled in two sections of the classroom and taught by a technology-enthusiast instructor. Data were collected over the course of 4 months during which several inquiry activities were completed, some of which were supported with the use of technology. Non-participant observation, classroom videotaping, and semi-structured and critical-incident interviews were used to collect data. The results indicated that the technology in use worked to restrict rather than promote inquiry in the participant classroom. In the presence of computers, group activities became more structured with a focus on sharing tasks and accounting for individual responsibility, and less time was dedicated to group discourse with a marked decrease in critical, meaning-making discourse. The views and beliefs of teachers and students in relation to their specific contexts moderate the potential of technology in supporting inquiry teaching and learning and should be factored both in teacher training and attempts to integrate technology in science teaching.

Pre-Service Teachers and Classroom Authority

Science.gov (United States)

Pellegrino, Anthony M.

2010-01-01

This study examined the classroom practices of five pre-service teachers from three secondary schools in a large southeastern state. Through classroom observations, survey responses, reviews of refection logs, and focus-group interview responses, we centered on the issue of developing classroom authority as a means to effective classroom…

Teacher Pupil Contact in Junior Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Boydell, D.

1974-01-01

The purpose of the exploratory study reported here was to examine the nature of teacher-pupil contact in informal junior classrooms in terms of the teacher's method of talking to children and the teacher's conversational approach. (Author/RK)

Classroom-Level Teacher Professional Development and Satisfaction: Teachers Learn in the Context of Classroom-Level Curriculum Development

Science.gov (United States)

Shawer, Saad

2010-01-01

This qualitative study examined the impact of classroom-level teacher professional development (CTPD) and curriculum transmission on teacher professional development and satisfaction. Based on work with English-as-a-foreign-language college teachers and students, data analysis showed that CTPD significantly improved student-teacher subject,…

Classroom Profiling Training: Increasing Preservice Teachers' Confidence and Knowledge of Classroom Management Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Cliff; Simoncini, Kym; Davidson, Mark

2013-01-01

Classroom management is a serious concern for beginning teachers including preservice teachers. The Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE) has developed the Essential Skills for Classroom Management (ESCM), a system of positive and pro-active strategies for maintaining supportive learning environments. In addition, the…

Coping Styles as Mediators of Teachers' Classroom Management Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Ramon; Roache, Joel; Romi, Shlomo

2011-01-01

This study reports the relationships between coping styles of Australian teachers and the classroom based classroom management techniques they use to cope with student misbehaviour. There is great interest internationally in improving educational systems by upgrading the quality of teachers' classroom management. However, the relationship between…

Teacher Self-Efficacy and Classroom Management Styles in Jordanian Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Abu-Tineh, Abdullah M.; Khasawneh, Samar A.; Khalaileh, Huda A.

2011-01-01

Two main purposes guided this study. The first was to identify the degree to which Jordanian teachers practise classroom management styles in their classrooms and their level of teacher self-efficacy. The second purpose was to explore the relationships between classroom management styles and teacher self-efficacy. This study is quantitative in…

The Influence of Group Training in the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program on Preschool Teachers' Classroom Management Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, John S.; Tiret, Holly B.; Bender, Stacy L.; Benson, Laurie

2011-01-01

This study examined changes in preschool teachers' perceptions of classroom management strategies following group training in the recently revised Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program (C. Webster-Stratton, 2006). The authors used a pre/post follow-up design across 2 groups that each met for 8 sessions over an 8-10-week period for…

Classroom Teacher Leadership: Service-Learning for Teacher Sense of Efficacy and Servant Leadership Development

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Trae

2012-01-01

Improved student achievement requires the distribution of leadership beyond one individual. Given their daily connection to students, leadership opportunities distributed to classroom teachers are key to school improvement. Complicating the development of classroom teacher leaders are attrition rates and low teacher efficacy among novice…

Classroom Management and Teachers' Coping Strategies: Inside Classrooms in Australia, China and Israel

Science.gov (United States)

Romi, Shlomo; Lewis, Ramon; Roache, Joel

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the degree to which recently reported relationships between the classroom management techniques and coping styles of Australian teachers apply in two other national settings: China and Israel. Little is known about which teacher characteristics relate to their approach to classroom management, although researchers in Australia…

The Contributions of Teachers' Emotional Support to Children's Social Behaviors and Self-Regulatory Skills in First Grade

Science.gov (United States)

Merritt, Eileen G.; Wanless, Shannon B.; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E.; Cameron, Claire; Peugh, James L.

2012-01-01

The present observational study used hierarchical linear modeling to examine predictors of children's social and self-regulatory outcomes in first-grade classrooms. Specifically, goals were the following: (1) to explore relations between emotionally supportive teacher-child interactions and children's social behaviors (aggression with peers,…

Influence of teacher-directed scientific inquiry on students' primal inquiries in two science classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Brian Andrew

Scientific inquiry is widely used but pervasively misunderstood in elementary classrooms. The use of inquiry is often attached to direct instruction models of teaching, or is even passed as textbook readings or worksheets. Previous literature on scientific inquiry suggests a range or continuum beginning with teacher-directed inquiry on one extreme, which involves a question, process, and outcome that are predetermined by the teacher. On the other end of the continuum is an element of inquiry that is extremely personal and derived from innate curiosity without external constraints. This authentic inquiry is defined by the study as primal inquiry. If inquiry instruction is used in the elementary classroom, it is often manifested as teacher-directed inquiry, but previous research suggests the most interesting, motivating, and lasting content is owned by the individual and exists within the individual's own curiosity, questioning and processes. Therefore, the study examined the impact of teacher-directed inquiry in two elementary fourth grade classrooms on climate-related factors including interest, motivation, engagement, and student-generated inquiry involvement. The study took place at two elementary classrooms in Arizona. Both were observed for ten weeks during science instruction over the course of one semester. Field notes were written with regard for the inquiry process and ownership, along with climate indicators. Student journals were examined for evidence of primal inquiry, and twenty-two students were interviewed between the two classrooms for evidence of low climate-related factors and low inquiry involvement. Data from the three sources were triangulated. The results of this qualitative study include evidence for three propositions, which were derived from previous literature. Strong evidence was provided in support of all three propositions, which suggest an overall negative impact on climate-related factors of interest, motivation, and engagement for

Beginning German in Grade Three: MLA Teacher's Guide. A Course of Study Including Methods, Materials, and Aids for Teaching Conversational German to Third-Grade Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Wittman, Nora E.; And Others

This guide is planned to help the FLES teacher develop pleasurable language learning experiences in spoken German for children at the third-grade level. Experiences included in this guide present German in life situations, as well as insight into German culture. The guide offers suggestions for classroom procedures, and detailed directions are…

Understanding Teacher Behavior in the Classroom: A Must for Sound Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Lorin W.

1986-01-01

More information is necessary about constraints placed on teachers before sound classroom performance evaluations can be conducted. Results of an observational instrument utilized in South Carolina, "Describing Practices and Intentions of Classroom Teachers," isolates classroom factors associated with appropriateness of teachers'…

Classroom Quality and Student Engagement: Contributions to Third-Grade Reading Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Ying; Connor, Carol McDonald; Tompkins, Virginia; Morrison, Frederick J.

2011-01-01

This study, using NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development longitudinal data, investigated the effects of classroom quality and students’ third-grade behavioral engagement on students’ third-grade reading achievement (n = 1,364) and also examined the extent to which students’ third-grade behavioral engagement mediated the association between classroom quality and children's reading skills. SEM results revealed that controlling for family socio economic risk and students’ first-grade reading achievement, classroom quality significantly, and positively predicted children's behavioral engagement, which in turn predicted greater reading achievement. Higher levels of children's behavioral engagement were associated with higher reading achievement. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. PMID:21779272

Authentic Research in the Classroom: NITARP Teachers Connect Astronomy with NGSS.

Science.gov (United States)

Pruett, Lee; Gibbs, John; Palmer, Robert; Young, Diedre; Gorjian, Varoujan

2016-01-01

The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) uses authentic astronomical research to bring the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into the classroom. The creation of the NGSS was a collaborative effort between teams composed of teachers, scientists and other professionals from twenty-six states. These standards provide a framework for the change in how science is taught at all levels from kindergarten to twelfth grade in participating states. Scientific concepts are grouped into broad categories (physical, biological and earth sciences), and call for an interdisciplinary approach to content, along with the integration of engineering practices into the curriculum. This approach to the teaching of science has led educators to place more emphasis on authentic learning and problem-solving in their curricula. Project-based learning is a strategy that can effectively allow students to learn core scientific concepts within the context of a focused and complex scientific problem.The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) pairs teams of teachers and students with NASA astronomers. These teams are immersed in an astronomy research project over the course of the year, and are responsible for writing a project proposal, doing original research and presenting that research at a professional conference. The students who are involved in the NITARP research are provided with a rich hands-on experience that both exposes them to a deep understanding of an astronomical problem (and the core physics and math behind it), as well as the process of doing real science. The NITARP program offers a unique opportunity to bring project-based learning into K-12 science classrooms. We will highlight the ways in which this program has been implemented in classrooms across the country, as well as the connections to the NGSS.This research was made possible through the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) and was funded by NASA Astrophysics Data Program.

"All White Americans in the County" and Other Loaded Subjects: Race, Community, and Morality in a Second Grade Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Schaenen, Inda L.

2010-01-01

This teacher research inquiry is a critical discourse analysis of second grade classroom talk about racial identity and dialect difference within the theoretical framework of moral philosophy. Participants in the study, which took place in an urban public district in a Midwestern United States city, included ten African American students and a…

Classroom management, student-teacher relationships and quality in education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Mette Vedsgaard

Knowledge about classroom management is crucial for both teachers’ and students’ well-being and educational success. Studies have indicated that teaching and learning cannot take place effectively in poorly managed classrooms (Jones & Jones, 2012; Marzano, Marzano & Pickering, 2003), and research...... classroom management strategies and teacher-student relations, and by adjusting and applying insights from theory in pedagogical practice, we have introduced new ways of managing learning environments....... unanimously concludes that the competence to establish and maintain good teacher-student relations is a central teacher competence (Nordenbo et al., 2008;Cornelius Whiite, 2007; Mitchell, 2008; Hattie, 2009).This paper presents the findings from recent research and development projects concerning classroom...

Does perceived teacher affective support matter for middle school students in mathematics classrooms?

Science.gov (United States)

Sakiz, Gonul; Pape, Stephen J; Hoy, Anita Woolfolk

2012-04-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the importance of perceived teacher affective support in relation to sense of belonging, academic enjoyment, academic hopelessness, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in middle school mathematics classrooms. A self-report survey was administered to 317 seventh- and eighth-grade students in 5 public middle schools. Structural equation modeling indicated significant associations between perceived teacher affective support and middle school students' motivational, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. The structural model explained a significant proportion of variance in students' sense of belonging (42%), academic enjoyment (43%), self-efficacy beliefs (43%), academic hopelessness (18%), and academic effort (32%) in mathematics classrooms. In addition to providing the basis for a concise new measure of perceived teacher affective support, these findings point to the importance of students' perceptions of the affective climate within learning environments for promoting academic enjoyment, academic self-efficacy, and academic effort in mathematics. Copyright © 2011 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Teacher Questions in the Chemistry Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Dohrn, Sofie Weiss; Dohn, Niels Bonderup

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how a chemistry teacher's questions influence the classroom discourse. It presents a fine-grained analysis of the rich variety of one teacher's questions and the roles they play in an upper secondary chemistry classroom. The study identifies six different functions for the teacher's questions:…

Visual, Critical, and Scientific Thinking Dispositions in a 3rd Grade Science Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Foss, Stacy

Many American students leave school without the required 21st century critical thinking skills. This qualitative case study, based on the theoretical concepts of Facione, Arheim, and Vygotsky, explored the development of thinking dispositions through the arts in science on the development of scientific thinking skills when used as a conceptual thinking routine in a rural 3rd grade classroom. Research questions examined the disposition to think critically through the arts in science and focused on the perceptions and experiences of 25 students with the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) process. Data were collected from classroom observations (n = 10), student interviews (n = 25), teacher interviews ( n = 1), a focus group discussion (n = 3), and artifacts of student work (n = 25); these data included perceptions of VTS, school culture, and classroom characteristics. An inductive analysis of qualitative data resulted in several emergent themes regarding disposition development and students generating questions while increasing affective motivation. The most prevalent dispositions were open-mindedness, the truth-seeking disposition, the analytical disposition, and the systematicity disposition. The findings about the teachers indicated that VTS questions in science supported "gradual release of responsibility", the internalization of process skills and vocabulary, and argumentation. This case study offers descriptive research that links visual arts inquiry and the development of critical thinking dispositions in science at the elementary level. A science curriculum could be developed, that emphasizes the development of thinking dispositions through the arts in science, which in turn, could impact the professional development of teachers and learning outcomes for students.

Antecedents of teachers' emotions in the classroom: an intraindividual approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Eva S; Keller, Melanie M; Goetz, Thomas; Frenzel, Anne C; Taxer, Jamie L

2015-01-01

Using a preexisting, but as yet empirically untested theoretical model, the present study investigated antecedents of teachers' emotions in the classroom. More specifically, the relationships between students' motivation and discipline and teachers' enjoyment and anger were explored, as well as if these relationships are mediated by teachers' subjective appraisals (goal conduciveness and coping potential). The study employed an intraindividual approach by collecting data through a diary. The sample consisted of 39 teachers who each participated with one of their 9th or 10th grade mathematics classes (N = 758 students). Both teachers and students filled out diaries for 2-3 weeks pertaining to 8.10 lessons on average (N = 316 lessons). Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that students' motivation and discipline explained 24% of variance in teachers' enjoyment and 26% of variance in teachers' anger. In line with theoretical assumptions, after introducing teachers' subjective appraisals as a mediating mechanism into the model, the explained variance systematically increased to 65 and 61%, for teachers' enjoyment and anger respectively. The effects of students' motivation and discipline level on teachers' emotions were partially mediated by teachers' appraisals of goal conduciveness and coping potential. The findings imply that since teachers' emotions depend to a large extent on subjective evaluations of a situation, teachers should be able to directly modify their emotional experiences during a lesson through cognitive reappraisals.

Geography Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Classroom Management

Science.gov (United States)

Dikmenli, Yurdal; Çifçi, Taner

2016-01-01

This study scrutinizes geography teachers' attitude and belief levels regarding classroom management. As a matter of fact, classroom management is one of the prominent areas emphasized by all educators. Descriptive correlational survey model was used in the study. Study group includes 58 geography teachers working in Sivas province during the…

Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Oberle, Eva; Schonert-Reichl, Kimberly A

2016-06-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the link between classroom teachers' burnout levels and students' physiological stress response. Drawing from a stress-contagion framework, we expected higher levels of teacher burnout to be related to elevated cortisol levels in elementary school students (N = 406, 50% female, Mean age = 11.26, SD = .89). Classroom teacher burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory modified for teachers. Salivary cortisol was collected as an indicator of students' hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) functioning. We collected salivary cortisol in children at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 2 p.m. in the classroom setting. Using Multilevel Modeling, we found that children's morning cortisol levels significantly varied between classrooms (10% variability). Higher levels of classroom teacher burnout significantly predicted the variability in morning cortisol. Teacher burnout reduced the unexplained variability in cortisol at the classroom level to 4.6%. This is the first study to show that teachers' occupational stress is linked to students' physiological stress regulation. We discuss the present findings in the context of potential stress contagion in the classroom, considering empirical and practical relevance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are All Program Elements Created Equal? Relations Between Specific Social and Emotional Learning Components and Teacher-Student Classroom Interaction Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Abry, Tashia; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E; Curby, Timothy W

2017-02-01

School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are presented to educators with little understanding of the program components that have the greatest leverage for improving targeted outcomes. Conducted in the context of a randomized controlled trial, the present study used variation in treatment teachers' (N = 143) implementation of four core components of the Responsive Classroom approach to examine relations between each component and the quality of teachers' emotional, organizational, and instructional interactions in third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms (controlling for pre-intervention interaction quality and other covariates). We also examined the extent to which these relations varied as a function of teachers' baseline levels of interaction quality. Indices of teachers' implementation of Morning Meeting, Rule Creation, Interactive Modeling, and Academic Choice were derived from a combination of teacher-reported surveys and classroom observations. Ratings of teacher-student classroom interactions were aggregated across five observations conducted throughout the school year. Structural path models indicated that teachers' use of Morning Meeting and Academic Choice related to higher levels of emotionally supportive interactions; Academic Choice also related to higher levels of instructional interactions. In addition, teachers' baseline interaction quality moderated several associations such that the strongest relations between RC component use and interaction quality emerged for teachers with the lowest baseline interaction quality. Results highlight the value of examining individual program components toward the identification of program active ingredients that can inform intervention optimization and teacher professional development.

Life Skills from the Perspectives of Classroom and Science Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Kurtdede-Fidan, Nuray; Aydogdu, Bülent

2018-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine classroom and science teachers' views about life skills. The study employed phenomenological method. The participants of the study were 24 teachers; twelve of them were classroom teachers and the remaining were science teachers. They were working at public schools in Turkey. The participants were selected…

Stop and Freeze: The Negotiation of Social and Physical Space in a Kindergarten/First-Grade Classroom. Occasional Paper No. 26

Science.gov (United States)

Shultz, Jeffrey; Florio, Susan

Microethnographic techniques are used to study and describe the salient aspects of the social competence acquired by children in a kindergarten or first-grade classroom. The role of the school and the teacher in the socialization process is examined through investigation of both verbal and nonverbal communication and interaction patterns. (LH)

The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Doug

2012-01-01

This is a must-have resource for all K-12 teachers and administrators who want to really make the best use of available technologies. Written by Doug Johnson, an expert in educational technology, "The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide" is replete with practical tips teachers can easily use to engage their students and make their…

Teacher-Perceived Supportive Classroom Climate Protects against Detrimental Impact of Reading Disability Risk on Peer Rejection

Science.gov (United States)

Kiuru, Noona; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Pakarinen, Eija; Siekkinen, Martti; Ahonen, Timo; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2012-01-01

This study examined the role of a supportive classroom climate, class size, and length of teaching experience as protective factors against children's peer rejection. A total of 376 children were assessed in kindergarten for risk for reading disabilities (RD) and rated by their teachers on socially withdrawn and disruptive behaviors. The grade 1…

Science Informational Trade Books: An Exploration of Text-based Practices and Interactions in a First-grade Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Schreier, Virginia A.

Although scholars have long advocated the use of informational texts in the primary grades, gaps and inconsistencies in research have produced conflicting reports on how teachers used these texts in the primary curriculum, and how primary students dealt with them during instruction and on their own (e.g., Saul & Dieckman, 2005). Thus, to add to research on informational texts in the primary grades, the purpose of this study was to examine: (a) a first-grade teacher's use of science informational trade books (SITBs) in her classroom, (b) the ways students responded to her instruction, and (c) how students interacted with these texts. My study was guided by a sociocultural perspective (e.g., Bakhtin, 1981; Vygotsky, 1978), providing me a lens to examine participants during naturally occurring social practices in the classroom, mediated by language and other symbolic tools. Data were collected by means of 28 observations, 6 semi-structured interviews, 21 unstructured interviews, and 26 documents over the course of 10 weeks. Three themes generated from the data to provide insight into the teacher's and students' practices and interactions with SITBs. First, the first-grade teacher used SITBs as teaching tools during guided conversations around the text to scaffold students' understanding of specialized vocabulary, science concepts, and text features. Her instruction with SITBs included shared reading lessons, interactive read-alouds and learning activities during two literacy/science units. However, there was limited use of SITBs during the rest of her reading program, in which she demonstrated a preference for narrative. Second, students responded to instruction by participating in guided conversations around the text, in which they used prior knowledge, shared ideas, and visual representations (e.g., illustrations, diagrams, labels, and captions) to actively make meaning of the text. Third, students interacted with SITBs on their own to make sense of science, in

Classroom Assessment in Malawi: Teachersâ Perceptions and Practices in Mathematics

OpenAIRE

Susuwele-Banda, William John

2005-01-01

This study investigated teachersâ perceptions of classroom assessment in mathematics and their current classroom assessments practices. Specifically, the study sought to gain an understanding of the extent to which teachers use different classroom assessment methods and tools to understand and to support both the learning and teaching processes. The following three questions guided the study: 1) How do primary school teachers perceive classroom assessment in mathematics? 2) What kinds of a...

Teaching and Learning Science in Authoritative Classrooms: Teachers' Power and Students' Approval in Korean Elementary Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jeong-A.; Kim, Chan-Jong

2017-09-01

This study aims to understand interactions in Korean elementary science classrooms, which are heavily influenced by Confucianism. Ethnographic observations of two elementary science teachers' classrooms in Korea are provided. Their classes are fairly traditional teaching, which mean teacher-centered interactions are dominant. To understand the power and approval in science classroom discourse, we have adopted Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Based on CDA, form and function analysis was adopted. After the form and function analysis, all episodes were analyzed in terms of social distance. The results showed that both teachers exercised their power while teaching. However, their classes were quite different in terms of getting approval by students. When a teacher got students' approval, he could conduct the science lesson more effectively. This study highlights the importance of getting approval by students in Korean science classrooms.

Teachers' development and reflection in the flipped classroom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Triantafyllou, Evangelia; Timcenko, Olga; Kofoed, Lise

2017-01-01

The flipped classroom is an instruction method that has gained momentum during the last years due to technological advances allowing the online sharing of teaching material and learning activities. Bishop and Verleger defined the flipped classroom as “...an educational technique that consists...... of two parts: interactive group learning activities inside the classroom, and direct computer-based individual instruction outside the classroom” (Bishop & Verleger, 2013). So far, research on flipped classroom has mostly concentrated on student perceptions, engagement and achievement level, e...... course in order to adjust it to the flipped classroom model. We have also seen that these considerations have forced teachers to also reconsider the learning objectives of specific activities. Another aspect that promoted reflection was the production of video lectures. Finally, teachers reflected...

Teachers' goal orientations: Effects on classroom goal structures and emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hui; Hall, Nathan C; Goetz, Thomas; Frenzel, Anne C

2017-03-01

Prior research has shown teachers' goal orientations to influence classroom goal structures (Retelsdorf et al., 2010, Learning and Instruction, 20, 30) and to also impact their emotions (Schutz et al., 2007, Emotion in education, Academic Press, Amsterdam, the Netherlands). However, empirical research evaluating possible causal ordering and mediation effects involving these variables in teachers is presently lacking. The present 6-month longitudinal study investigated the relations between varied motivational, behavioural, and emotional variables in practising teachers. More specifically, this study examined the reciprocal, longitudinal relations between teachers' achievement goals, classroom goal structures, and teaching-related emotions, as well as cumulative mediational models in which observed causal relations were evaluated. Participants were 495 practising teachers from Canada (86% female, M = 42 years). Teachers completed a web-based questionnaire at two time points assessing their instructional goals, perceived classroom goal structures, achievement emotions, and demographic items. Results from cross-lagged analyses and structural equation modelling showed teachers' achievement goals to predict their perceived classroom goal structures that, in turn, predicted their teaching-related emotions. The present results inform both Butler's (2012, Journal of Educational Psychology, 104, 726) theory on teachers' achievement goals and Frenzel's (2014, International handbook of emotions in education, Routledge, New York, NY) model of teachers' emotions in showing teachers' instructional goals to both directly predict their teaching-related emotions, as well as indirectly through the mediating effects of classroom goal structures. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

The Elephant in the Classroom: The Impact of Misbehavior on Classroom Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Ratcliff, Nancy J.; Jones, Cathy R.; Costner, Richard H.; Savage-Davis, Emma; Hunt, Gilbert H.

2010-01-01

The research discussed here is based on a one year study of 34 second and fourth grade teachers and their 588 students. Data were collected in 40 minute observational segments; six unannounced observations took place in each teacher's classroom for a total of 240 minutes per teacher. The data were analyzed in SPSS as quantitative data. Half of the…

Teacher practices as predictors of children's classroom social preference.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikami, Amori Yee; Griggs, Marissa Swaim; Reuland, Meg M; Gregory, Anne

2012-02-01

Students who do not get along with their peers are at elevated risk for academic disengagement and school failure. Research has predominantly focused on factors within such children that contribute to their peer problems. This study considers whether teacher practices also predict social preference for children in that classroom. Participants were 26 elementary school teachers and 490 students in their classrooms followed for one school year. Results suggested that teachers who favored the most academically talented students in the fall had classrooms where children had lower average social preference in the spring after statistical control of children's fall social preference and externalizing behavior problems. Teachers who demonstrated emotionally supportive relationships with students in the fall had classrooms where children had greater possibility of changing their social preference from fall to spring. Although children with high externalizing behaviors tended to experience declining social preference over the course of the school year, teachers' learner-centered practices attenuated this progression. However, teachers' favoring of the most academically talented accentuated the negative relation between externalizing behaviors and social preference. Implications for school psychology practitioners are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GLOBAL EDUCATION: WHAT TEACHERS CAN DO IN THE CLASSROOMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia Eka Rini

1999-01-01

Full Text Available This article will give examples of what teachers of second language can do to implement global education, especially peace and environmental education in the classrooms in university level. This is an attempt to give a new meaning to the same materials used in the classrooms. Besides enabling the students to acquire and use a second language, teachers can make the students aware of the importance of environment. Moreover, teachers can initiate to spread peace in the small world of a classroom and a chain reaction is expected to happen from this small world to the bigger world outside the classroom. The skill and content courses used as examples here are taken from the ones used at English Department at Petra Christian University.

The Effect of Classroom Walkthroughs on Middle School Teacher Motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Dickenson, Karen Nadean

2016-01-01

The purpose of this pretest-posttest control group experimental study was to see the effect of classroom walkthroughs on middle school teacher motivation. The independent variable was; classroom walkthroughs and the four dependent variables were teachers' self-concept of the ability to affect student achievement, teachers' attitude toward the…

Roles of Teachers in Orchestrating Learning in Elementary Science Classrooms

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Zhai, Junqing; Tan, Aik-Ling

2015-01-01

This study delves into the different roles that elementary science teachers play in the classroom to orchestrate science learning opportunities for students. Examining the classroom practices of three elementary science teachers in Singapore, we found that teachers shuttle between four key roles in enabling student learning in science. Teachers…

Student Teachers' Management Practices in Elementary Classrooms: A Qualitative Study

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Hildenbrand, Susan M.; Arndt, Katrina

2016-01-01

This qualitative study of four student teachers completing certification in elementary and special education investigated the classroom management practices of the student teachers. This is an important area of study because management practices are essential for an effective classroom, and student teachers often lack confidence and skill in the…

Developing a protocol for evaluating teachers' classroom management styles

OpenAIRE

Đigić, Gordana; Stojiljković, Snežana

2011-01-01

The paper first defines the concept of classroom management and highlights the key-elements and presuppositions of successful classroom management. Further follows a description of different styles based on views of Martin and Baldwin who stress three dimensions of classroom management: personality (the teacher's convictions about the student's personality and actions based on them), teaching (what the teacher does to initiate and maintain class activities) and discipline (the procedures the ...

The Prosocial Classroom: Teacher Social and Emotional Competence in Relation to Student and Classroom Outcomes

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Jennings, Patricia A.; Greenberg, Mark T.

2009-01-01

The authors propose a model of the prosocial classroom that highlights the importance of teachers' social and emotional competence (SEC) and well-being in the development and maintenance of supportive teacher-student relationships, effective classroom management, and successful social and emotional learning program implementation. This model…

Preparation of student teachers for multicultural classrooms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Karen Bjerg

2017-01-01

indicate that teachers are in need of professional training to better prepare them for working in multicultural and multilingual classroom settings. The aim of this article is to briefly investigate how curriculum in the 2013 reform of Danish teacher education suggests that student teachers address...

Intervention effects on kindergarten and 1st grade teachers’ classroom food practices and food-related beliefs in American Indian reservation schools

Science.gov (United States)

Arcan, Chrisa; Hannan, Peter J.; Himes, John H.; Fulkerson, Jayne A.; Rock, Bonnie Holy; Smyth, Mary; Story, Mary

2013-01-01

Prevalence of obesity among American Indian (AI) children is higher than the general US population. The school environment and teachers play important roles in helping students develop healthy eating habits. The aim of this prospective study was to examine teachers’ classroom and school food practices and beliefs and the effect of teacher training on these practices and beliefs. Data were used from the Bright Start study, a group-randomized, school-based trial on the Pine Ridge AI reservation (Fall 2005 to Spring 2008). Kindergarten and first grade teachers (n=75) from 14 schools completed a survey at the beginning and end of the school year. Thirty-seven survey items were evaluated using mixed-model analysis of variance to examine the intervention effect for each teacher-practice and belief item (adjusting for teacher type and school as random effect). At baseline, some teachers reported classroom and school food practices and beliefs that supported health and some that did not. The intervention was significantly associated with lower classroom use of candy as a treat (p=0.0005) and fast food rewards (p=0.008); more intervention teachers disagreed that fast food should be offered as school lunch alternatives (p=0.019), that it would be acceptable to sell unhealthy foods as part of school fund-raising (p=0.006), and that it would not make sense to limit students’ food choices in school (p=0.035). School-based interventions involving teacher training can result in positive changes in teachers’ classroom food practices and beliefs about the influence of the school food environment in schools serving AI children on reservations. PMID:23885704

Evaluation of Teachers' Opinions About Effective Classroom Management Practices

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Soner DOĞAN

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to evaluate teacher behaviour in creating an effective classroom management process with regard to the views of the teachers working in primary and secondary schools. This is a qualitative study in which the case study design was used. The related literature was scanned and 9 open-ended questions were prepared. These questions that based on maximum variation sampling method were posed to 18 teachers. The data were collected by interview forms and were examined by descriptive and content analysis methods. According to the findings obtained, teachers have stated that pre-determination of classroom rules, asking for students' advices, lecturing in a planned manner, planned teaching, various methods, communication skills, time management, being a model and transitions between activities affect the process of classroom management positively; while punishment affects it in a partly positive way and the differences among the discipline perceptions affect the classroom management negatively

Teacher characteristics, social classroom relationships, and children's social, emotional, and behavioral classroom adjustment in special education

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Breeman, L.D.; Wubbels, T.; van Lier, P.A.C.; Verhulst, F.C.; van der Ende, J.; Maras, A.; Hopman, J.A.B.; Tick, N.T.

2015-01-01

The goal of this study was to explore relations between teacher characteristics (i.e., competence and wellbeing); social classroom relationships (i.e., teacher-child and peer interactions); and children's social, emotional, and behavioral classroom adjustment. These relations were explored at both

The effects of departmentalized and self-contained classrooms on fifth-grade students' achievement in science on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test

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Koch, Lisa S.

Elementary instruction of fifth grade classrooms was found to be primarily in two organizational models in a school district northwest of Atlanta, Georgia. The self-contained classroom provided a generalist teacher responsible for the instruction of all academic subjects to one group of students throughout the day, while departmentalized classrooms were structured utilizing one teacher for the instruction of one or two content areas, and students rotated throughout the day for each of the academic subjects. The majority of studies looking at the effect of instructional organization were concentrated in the content areas of mathematics and reading. This quantitative study, utilized an ex post facto methodology to determine whether fifth grade students attending departmentalized schools or self-contained classrooms had higher student achievement in science as measured by the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The statistical data was collected through the Georgia Department of Education and included raw mean scores of over 500 students attending departmentalized schools and 500 students attending self-contained classrooms, along with the various subgroups such as gender, ethnicity status, English language learners (ELL), and students with disability (SWD) placement. This data was analyzed to show if a significant statistical difference emerged from either instructional organization. The overall results that emerged from the archival data suggested no significant difference in student achievement existed for almost all subgroups tested of the total 1000+ participant scores used in the study. The results also did however, showed the departmentalization model of instruction had a slight advantage over self-contained classrooms for male students with disabilities.

Flipped Classroom in Organic Chemistry Has Significant Effect on Students’ Grades

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Caroline Cormier

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The flipped classroom as a form of active pedagogy in postsecondary chemistry has been developed during the last 10 years and has been gaining popularity with instructors and students ever since. In the current paradigm in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, it is widely recognized that active learning has significant positive effects on students’ grades. Postsecondary organic chemistry is a difficult course for students, and the traditional way of teaching does not foster students’ active involvement. Implementation of active pedagogy could increase students’ achievement in this course. However, few quantitative data are available on the impact of active pedagogy in general, or flipped classrooms in particular, on learning in organic chemistry at a postsecondary level. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the gain on final grade scores in organic chemistry after implementing a flipped classroom approach to promote active learning in this course. We encouraged students to be active by having them watch educational videos before each class and then having them work during class time on problems that focused on applying the concepts presented in the videos. Exams were the same as those completed by students in the traditional classrooms of our college. In an a posteriori analysis of our students’ grades, we compared final grades in traditional classrooms (control group, N = 66 and in flipped classrooms (experimental group, N = 151. The sample was stratified in three categories depending on students’ academic ability in college, from low-achieving to high-achieving students. Our results show that students in the experimental group have significantly higher final grades in organic chemistry than those in the control group, that is, 77% for students in the active classroom vs. 73% in the traditional classroom (p < 0.05. The effect was the greatest for low-achieving students, with final scores of 70% in

Tenured Teachers & Technology Integration in the Classroom

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Cox, Jerad

2013-01-01

This article explores teachers' technology integration in the classroom through 2 means: 1) what researchers are saying about emerging trends and best practices as well as, 2) the author's research assignment regarding the technology integration experiences of longer tenured teachers. More tenured teachers are different than their younger…

Use of Fitness Bands by Teachers in the Classroom

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Ertzberger, Jeff; Martin, Florence

2016-01-01

Wearable technologies are increasingly gaining attention. Gadgets such as Smartwatch, Fitband, Google Glass, and similar healthcare devices can be worn by the consumer and have several benefits in various contexts. This study examined teachers perception on fitness bands and if they have any benefits to classroom teachers. 28 classroom teachers…

The role of teacher questions in the chemistry classroom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dohrn, Sofie Weiss; Dohn, Niels Bonderup

2018-01-01

, the students become highly accomplished in recalling facts but have difficulties when higher order thinking is required. The findings suggest that an interactive classroom can be created by using many engaging teacher questions. The six different categories of questions promote the students' learning process......The purpose of this study was to investigate how a chemistry teacher's questions influence the classroom discourse. It presents a fine-grained analysis of the rich variety of one teacher's questions and the roles they play in an upper secondary chemistry classroom. The study identifies six...... different functions for the teacher's questions: Student Knowledge, Request, Monologic Discourse, Clarification, Relations and Interaction of Contexts. Overall, these questions create a safe and interactive learning environment. However, the questions are predominantly closed in form. As a result...

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD: Primary school teachers' knowledge of symptoms, treatment and managing classroom behaviour

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Beryl Topkin

2015-05-01

Full Text Available ADHD is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood. Teachers are a valuable source of information with regard to referral and diagnosis of the disorder. They also play a major role in creating an environment that is conducive to academic, social and emotional success for children with ADHD. The aim of this study was to examine primary school teachers' knowledge of the symptoms and management of children in their classrooms who were diagnosed with ADHD. The participants were 200 South African primary school teachers (178 female, 22 male; mean age = 43 years of children enrolled in Grades One to Four. A self-administered questionnaire, the Knowledge of Attention-Deficit Disorder Scale (KADDS, which measures the misperceptions and understanding of the disorder, was used to collect the data. The results indicated that overall, 45% of the teachers correctly identified the responses to the items asked in the questionnaire. The "don't know responses" accounted for 31% of responses, while 22% of the responses were incorrectly identified. Furthermore, teachers were more knowledgeable of the general associated features of ADHD than of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. A majority of teachers indicated that they had received training. These findings suggest a need to consider improving evidenced-based classroom interventions for ADHD among South African teachers.

TEACHER-STUDENTS DISCOURSE IN ENGLISH TEACHING AT HIGH SCHOOL (CLASSROOM DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

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Alamsyah Harahap

2015-12-01

Full Text Available English classroom's process of teaching and learning is an important aspect of successful English teaching and learning. The analysis of classroom discourse is a very important form which the classroom process research has taken place. The present study focuses on SMA (high school English classroom discourse. The microethnography of Spradley was the research method deployed. Through a detailed description and analysis of the collected data referring to Sinclair and Coulthard’s classroom discourse analysis model, the problem of patterns of the classroom discourse is made clear. On the basis of the discourse patterns' problem found, a few strategies for high school English teachers are put forward through the teacher training in order to improve English teaching and learning at high school in Indonesia. The research results showed that teacher talk highly dominated the English classroom discourse; 94% of teacher-students talk. IRF Model of Sinclair and Coulthard was not found in the English classroom (only IF pattern and no lesson achieved.

Toward Understanding the Nature of a Partnership between an Elementary Classroom Teacher and an Informal Science Educator

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Weiland, Ingrid S.; Akerson, Valarie L.

2013-01-01

This study explored the nature of the relationship between a fifth-grade teacher and an informal science educator as they planned and implemented a life science unit in the classroom, and sought to define this relationship in order to gain insight into the roles of each educator. In addition, student learning as a result of instruction was…

Examining First Grade Teachers' Handwriting Instruction

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Arslan, Derya

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the first grade teachers' practices of handwriting instructions in terms of teaching, evaluation and handwriting difficulties. From qualitative research patterns, phenomenology was used. The study was applied to the 54 First grade teachers who work at central Burdur and Burdur county centre primary education…

Get These Questions Right and Your Teachers Make the Grade.

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Ellis, Nancy H.

1989-01-01

A properly structured job-enrichment program can help motivate classroom teachers and encourage them to remain in the classroom. Offers examples of programs for enhancing the professional lives of teachers and cites pitfalls to avoid in designing a program. (MLF)

Girls Doing Science: A Case Study of Science Literacy in All-Female Middle Grade Classrooms

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Faller, Susan Elisabeth

In the face of low adolescent literacy rates (NCES, 2012), concerns about the nation's prospects of remaining competitive in science and technology (Hill, Corbett, & St. Rose, 2010), a persistent gender gap in science (NCES, 2012; Reilly, 2012), and the continued rollout of college- and career-ready standards, there is a need to focus on adolescent girls' science literacy. Such science literacy involves not only general knowledge about science, but also the ability to engage in the advanced reading and writing practices fundamental to doing science (Norris & Phillips, 2003). In this thesis, I present three articles with findings that respond to this need. They are the results of a multiple-case embedded (Yin, 2009) study that I conducted over the course of 7 months in four science classrooms (grades 5 through 8; 50 students) taught by a single teacher in a small all-female middle school. I collected in-depth data focused on science literacy from multiple sources, including (a) fieldnotes (Emerson, Fretz & Shaw, 2011), (b) videorecorded classroom observations (102 classes, 113 hours, recorded on 29 days), (c) a survey of all students, (d) semi-structured interviews with the subsample of 12 focal students (ranging from 18 to 37 minutes) and (e) photographs of classroom artifacts and student work. In the first article, I provide a window into standard literacy practices in science classrooms by examining the reading and writing genres to which students are exposed. In the second article, I examine how a teacher's language and instructional practices within her classrooms, and popular images of science from the world beyond their classrooms might shape adolescent girls' science identities. Finally, in the third article, I explore different aspects of science identity using the words of three case study students. Taken together, these studies fill gaps in the literature by investigating science literacy in an understudied context, all-female classrooms. In addition

Cooperative Teaching: A Model for Teacher Collaboration.

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Bohlmann, Natalie L.

1998-01-01

A third grade teacher examines the effects of cooperative teaching in a two-teacher classroom. After discussing teacher roles in such classrooms, the paper describes how the advantages of such a system greatly outweigh the disadvantages. The paper presents keys to a successful teaching partnership and describes several models for lesson…

The Effect of Using Flipped Classroom Strategy on the Academic Achievement of Fourth Grade Students in Jordan

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Shereen Mazen Elian

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at investigating the effect of flipped classroom strategy on the academic achievement in the subject of science among fourth grade students in Jordan. The study population consists of all fourth grade students in the Directorate of Private Education in Amman area, totaling 2134 students during the second semester of the academic year 2015-2016. The study sample consists of 44 male and female students who were chosen purposely from the study population. The study sample was distributed into two groups: the experimental group that consisted of 22 students, who has studied according to flipped classroom strategy, and the control group that consisted of 22 students, who has studied in the ordinary method. To achieve the objectives of the study, an achievement test was prepared and its validity and reliability were checked. ANCOVA, Means, and Standard Deviations were used to analyze the collected research data. The study deduced the following results: 1 There are statistically significant differences in the Means on the educational achievement test attributed to the teaching strategy, in favor of the members of the experimental group, and 2 there are no statistically significant differences in the Means on the academic achievement test attributed to gender. In light of the findings, the study recommended encouraging science teachers to teach students using teaching strategies emanated from the use of modern technologies, particularly the flipped classroom strategy. In addition, the study suggested that colleges of education should train prospective teachers on the use of teaching strategies stemming from modern educational theories and strategies such as the flipped classroom strategy during the period of preparing them to teach. Furthermore, the study recommended re-applying this experience and identifying its effectiveness at other schools stages and other subjects in other content areas.

How Junior High School English Teachers in Bengkulu City Utilise Published Textbooks in the Classroom: A Classroom Observation Study

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Safnil Safnil

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to find out: (1 how the junior high school English teachers in Bengkulu city exploited the commercially published textbooks for classroom use; (2 if there was a difference in the way the experienced and the inexperienced English language teachers exploited the commercially published textbooks in the classroom; and (3 whether the teachers adapted textbooks or produced their own materials for classroom use. Twelve English teachers (6 experienced and 6 inexperienced teachers from four different junior high schools or SMPs (2 favourite and 2 non-favourite in Bengkulu city were the participants in this study. Data were obtained through a questionnaire, classroom observations, and sample lesson plans. The results of the study revealed that: first, the junior high school English language teachers (ET and IT; (1 used the commercially prescribed textbooks to a large extent; (2 there was not much difference between the way experienced teachers and inexperienced teachers exploited the textbooks; (3 both groups of teachers adapted the textbooks or produced their own teaching materials.

Learning about static electricity and magnetism in a fourth-grade classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, David Roy

Students begin to develop mental models to explain electrostatic and magnetic phenomena throughout childhood, middle childhood and high school, although these mental models are often incoherent and unscientific (Borges, Tenico, & Gilbert, 1998; Maloney, 1985). This is a case study of a classroom of grade four students and the mental models of magnetism and static electricity they used during a six-week science unit. The 22 students studied magnetism and static electricity using inquiry activities structured to create an environment where students would be likely to construct powerful scientific ideas (Goldberg & Bendall, 1995). Multiple data sources, including students' writing, student assessments, teacher interviews, student interviews, teacher journals, and classroom video and audio recordings were used to uncover how fourth grade students made sense of static electricity and magnetism before, during, and after instruction. The data were analyzed using a social constructivist framework to determine if students were able to develop target scientific ideas about static electricity and magnetism. In general, students were found to have three core mental models prior to instruction: (1) Static electricity and magnetism are the same "substance"; (2) This substance exists on the surface of a magnet or a charged object and can be rubbed off, and (3) Opposite substances attract. During the activities, students had many opportunities to observe evidence that contradicted these core mental models. Using evidence from direct observations, the students practiced differentiating between evidence and ideas. Through group and class discussions, they developed evidenced-based (scientific) ideas. Final assessments revealed that students were able to construct target ideas such as: (1) static electricity and magnetism are fundamentally different; (2) there are two kinds of static "charge;" (3) magnet-rubbed wires act like a magnet; and (4) opposite substances move toward each

Teachers beliefs and technology use in kindergarten and elementary classrooms

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Majedah Fawzi Abu Al Rub

2015-12-01

Full Text Available With the increased availability of technology in today’s schools, concerns arise over whether teachers are effectively incorporating technology tools into their instruction in order to advance student learning and engagement. This project was designed to examine the types of educational technology practices that kindergarten and elementary teachers in Denver, Colorado, USA, implement in their classrooms and their beliefs concerning the implementation of educational technology in their classrooms. Teacher participants were interviewed to evaluate the types of technology they utilize in their lessons and their beliefs concerning the implementation of technology. The researcher found that teacher participants integrate a variety of technology into their classrooms. The results also showed that the participants are committed to utilize technology because they strongly believe that it benefits students. However, the results showed that there is a distinct difference concerning how technology is utilized in the classroom among the participants.

Examining the Knowledge and Capacity of Elementary Teachers to Implement Classroom Physical Activity Breaks

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Danae M. DINKEL

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study examined teachers’ zone of proximal development for classroom physical activity breaks by assessing teachers’ knowledge and capacity for implementing classroom physical activity breaks. Five school districts of various sizes (n=346 teachers took part in a short online survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated and chi-square analyses were used to identify differences between districts. Almost all teachers utilized classroom physical activity to some extent. A third of teachers who stated they implemented classroom physical activity, experienced barriers to implementation. A majority of teachers were interested in learning more about classroom physical activity. There were significant differences between districts on the number of days per week classroom physical activity was integrated, the frequency of collaboration that occurred between teachers, the percentage of teachers who experienced barriers, and preferred delivery method of professional development. These findings support the importance of identifying teachers’ zone of proximal development to increase the use of classroom physical activity breaks. Understanding teachers’ knowledge and capacity for implementing classroom physical activity breaks can allow educational professionals to shift the implementation of classroom physical activity beyond sporadic use by isolated teachers and schools to a more systematic and consistent delivery across classrooms and throughout districts.

What successful math teachers do, grades 6-12 80 research-based strategies for the common core-aligned classroom

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Posamentier, Alfred S (Steven); Jaye, Daniel I

2013-01-01

The math teacher's go-to resource-now updated for the Common Core! What works in math and why has never been the issue; the research is all out there. Where teachers struggle is the "how." That's the big service What Successful Math Teachers Do provides.  It's a powerful portal to what the best research looks like in practice strategy by strategy-now aligned to both the Common Core and the NCTM Standards. For each of the book's 80 strategies, the authors present A brief description A summary of supporting research The corresponding NCTM and Common Core Standards Classroom applications Possible pitfalls Recommended reading and research.

A Closer Look at Teacher-Child Relationships and Classroom Emotional Context in Preschool

Science.gov (United States)

Lippard, Christine N.; La Paro, Karen M.; Rouse, Heather L.; Crosby, Danielle A.

2018-01-01

Background: Children's early classroom experiences, particularly their interpersonal interactions with teachers, have implications for their academic achievement and classroom behavior. Teacher-child relationships and classroom interactions are both important aspects of children's early classroom experiences, but they are not typically considered…

Classroom Noise and Teachers' Voice Production

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Rantala, Leena M.; Hakala, Suvi; Holmqvist, Sofia; Sala, Eeva

2015-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to research the associations between noise (ambient and activity noise) and objective metrics of teachers' voices in real working environments (i.e., classrooms). Method: Thirty-two female and 8 male teachers from 14 elementary schools were randomly selected for the study. Ambient noise was measured during breaks…

Grounding formative assessment in high-school chemistry classrooms: Connections between professional development and teacher practice

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Cisterna Alburquerque, Dante Igor

This study describes and analyzes the experiences of two high-school chemistry teachers who participated in a team-based professional development program to learn about and enact formative assessment in their classrooms. The overall purpose of this study is to explain how participation in this professional development influenced both teachers' classroom enactment of formative assessment practices. This study focuses on 1) teachers' participation in the professional development program, 2) teachers' enactment of formative assessment, and 3) factors that enabled or hindered enactment of formative assessment. Drawing on cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and using evidence from teacher lessons, teacher interviews, professional development meetings as data sources, this single embedded case study analyzes how these two teachers who participated in the same learning team and have similar characteristics (i.e., teaching in the same school, teaching the same courses and population of students, and using the same materials) differentially used the professional development learning about formative assessment as mediating tools to improve their classroom instruction. The learning team experience contributed to both teachers' development of a better understanding of formative assessment---especially in recognizing that their current grading and assessment practices were not appropriate to promote student learning---and the co-creation of artifacts to gather evidence of students' ideas. Although both teachers demonstrated understanding about how formative assessment may serve to promote student learning and had a set of tools available to utilize for formative assessment use, they did not enact these tools in the same way. One teacher appropriated formative assessment as mediating tool to verify if the students were following her explanations, and to check if the students were able to provide the correct response. The other teacher used the mediating tool to promote

Comparison of voice-use profiles between elementary classroom and music teachers.

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Morrow, Sharon L; Connor, Nadine P

2011-05-01

Among teachers, music teachers are roughly four times more likely than classroom teachers to develop voice-related problems. Although it has been established that music teachers use their voices at high intensities and durations in the course of their workday, voice-use profiles concerning the amount and intensity of vocal use and vocal load have neither been quantified nor has vocal load for music teachers been compared with classroom teachers using these same voice-use parameters. In this study, total phonation time, fundamental frequency (F₀), and vocal intensity (dB SPL [sound pressure level]) were measured or estimated directly using a KayPENTAX Ambulatory Phonation Monitor (KayPENTAX, Lincoln Park, NJ). Vocal load was calculated as cycle and distance dose, as defined by Švec et al (2003), which integrates total phonation time, F₀, and vocal intensity. Twelve participants (n = 7 elementary music teachers and n = 5 elementary classroom teachers) were monitored during five full teaching days of one workweek to determine average vocal load for these two groups of teachers. Statistically significant differences in all measures were found between the two groups (P vocal loads for music teachers are substantially higher than those experienced by classroom teachers (P vocal load may have immediate clinical and educational benefits in vocal health in music teachers. Copyright © 2011 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Teaching With(out) Technology: Secondary English Teachers and Classroom Technology Use

Science.gov (United States)

Flanagan, Sara; Shoffner, Melanie

2013-01-01

Technology plays an integral role in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom today, yet teachers and teacher educators continue to develop understandings of how technology influences pedagogy. This qualitative study explored how and why two ELA teachers used different technologies in the secondary English classroom to plan for and deliver…

Child Behavior Problems, Teacher Executive Functions, and Teacher Stress in Head Start Classrooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman-Krauss, Allison H; Raver, C Cybele; Neuspiel, Juliana M; Kinsel, John

2014-01-01

The current article explores the relationship between teachers' perceptions of child behavior problems and preschool teacher job stress, as well as the possibility that teachers' executive functions moderate this relationship. Data came from 69 preschool teachers in 31 early childhood classrooms in 4 Head Start centers and were collected using Web-based surveys and Web-based direct assessment tasks. Multilevel models revealed that higher levels of teachers' perceptions of child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of teacher job stress and that higher teacher executive function skills were related to lower job stress. However, findings did not yield evidence for teacher executive functions as a statistical moderator. Many early childhood teachers do not receive sufficient training for handling children's challenging behaviors. Child behavior problems increase a teacher's workload and consequently may contribute to feelings of stress. However, teachers' executive function abilities may enable them to use effective, cognitive-based behavior management and instructional strategies during interactions with students, which may reduce stress. Providing teachers with training on managing challenging behaviors and enhancing executive functions may reduce their stress and facilitate their use of effective classroom practices, which is important for children's school readiness skills and teachers' health.

Secondary Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of an Ideal Classroom Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Bartelheim, Frederick J.; Conn, Daniel R.

2014-01-01

The classroom environment can impact students' motivation and engagement, and can influence students' academic learning. In some cases, pre-service teachers' influence on the classroom environment may not always be conducive for student learning. This exploratory study investigated pre-service teachers' perceptions of an ideal classroom…

Teacher's Guide for Earthworms.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, Merle S.; And Others

This teacher's guide on earthworms includes four major sections: (1) introduction, (2) caring for earthworms in the classroom, (3) classroom activities, and (4) the appendix. The introduction includes information concerning grade level, scheduling, materials, obtaining earthworms, field study, classroom clean-up, and records. Caring for earthworms…

Understanding Mathematics Classroom Instruction Through Students and Teachers

OpenAIRE

Schenke, Katerina

2015-01-01

High quality instruction is necessary for students of all ages to develop a deep understanding of mathematics. Value-added models, a common approach used to describe teachers and classroom practices, are defined by the student standardized achievement gains teachers elicit. They may, however, fail to account for the complexity of mathematics instruction as it actually occurs in the classroom. To truly understand both a teacher’s impact on his/her students and how best to improve student learn...

Science Teacher Beliefs and Classroom Practice Related to Constructivism in Different School Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Savasci, Funda; Berlin, Donna F.

2012-01-01

Science teacher beliefs and classroom practice related to constructivism and factors that may influence classroom practice were examined in this cross-case study. Data from four science teachers in two schools included interviews, demographic questionnaire, Classroom Learning Environment Survey (preferred/perceived), and classroom observations and…

Pluralist Discourses of Bilingualism and Translanguaging Talk in Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Durán, Leah; Palmer, Deborah

2014-01-01

This paper examines student and teacher talk in a first grade classroom in a two-way immersion school in Central Texas. Drawing on audio and video data from a year-long study in a first grade two-way classroom and using a methodology that fuses ethnography and discourse analysis, the authors explore how pluralist discourses are constructed and…

Classroom interactions: exploring the practices of high- and low-expectation teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubie-Davies, Christine M

2007-06-01

Early research exploring teacher expectations concentrated on the dyadic classroom interactions of teachers with individual students. More recent studies have shown whole class factors to have more significance in portraying teachers' expectations. Recently teachers having high or low expectations for all their students have been identified. The aim of the current investigation was to explore whether the classroom exchanges of high- and low-expectation teachers differed substantially and might be considered a mechanism for teachers' expectations. The participants were 12 primary school teachers from eight schools who had been identified as having expectations for their students' learning that were either significantly above or below the children's achievement level. The teachers formed three groups called high-expectation, low-expectation and average-progress teachers. The participants were observed twice in the academic year during half-hour reading lessons. Two people observed each lesson, one completing a structured observation protocol and the other a running record and audiotape. In contrast to the average progress and low expectation teachers, the high-expectation teachers spent more time providing a framework for students' learning, provided their students with more feedback, questioned their students using more higher-order questions, and managed their students' behaviour more positively. There appear to be important differences in the classroom environments for the students of high-expectation, average-progress and low-expectation teachers. The differences apply to both the instructional and socioemotional environments of the classroom. Such disparities may act as mechanisms for teacher expectation effects.

A Study on Teacher Candidates' Competencies in Classroom Management

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Selçuk, Gülenaz; Kadi, Aysegül; Yildirim, Remzi; Çelebi, Nurhayat

2017-01-01

The objective of this paper is to examine competencies in classroom management of teacher candidates. Research design was determined as pre-experimental research design. Research was conducted with 388 teacher candidates. In this research, these were found; Attitudes of students about competencies in classroom management differ according to…

Teachers' Facility with Evidence-Based Classroom Management Practices: An Investigation of Teachers' Preparation Programmes and In-Service Conditions

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Ficarra, Laura; Quinn, Kevin

2014-01-01

In the present investigation, teachers' self-reported knowledge and competency ratings for the evidence-based classroom management practices were analysed. Teachers also reflected on how they learned evidence-based classroom management practices. Results suggest that teachers working in schools that implement Positive Behavioural Interventions and…

Teachers' and students' perceptions of seventh- and eighth-grade science education in a selected Seventh-day Adventist Union Conference

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Sargeant, Marcel Andre Almont

Problem. Science education has long been a great concern in the United States, where less than one-third of the students perform at or above the proficient level. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of the science program in a selected Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist school system. Specifically, this study investigated the perceptions of teachers and students regarding the extent to which the science program meets the criteria of the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st century and to what extent these criteria are related to academic performance as indicated by Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) science scores. Method. Two questionnaires designed by the researcher were used to get responses from 424 students in seventh and eighth grades and 68 teachers to see how this school system compares to the criteria of National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21 st century. Three classroom configurations were investigated in this study, namely: (a) multigrade, (b) two-grade, and (c) single-grade. Crosstabulation, one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, and linear regression were used to analyze the four research questions of this study. Results. The single-grade classroom configuration received a better rating for the science criteria (p century. Conclusions. The differences in teaching practices explained the discrepancies in the three classroom configurations. Schools can therefore develop policies and strategies to improve the practices in the teaching and learning process in science education that were identified as being deficient by the criteria of National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st century.

A Model for Online Support in Classroom Management: Perceptions of Beginning Teachers

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Baker, Credence; Gentry, James; Larmer, William

2016-01-01

Classroom management is a challenge for beginning teachers. To address this challenge, a model to provide support for beginning teachers was developed, consisting of a one-day workshop on classroom management, followed with online support extending over eight weeks. Specific classroom management strategies included (a) developing a foundation…

Exploring Literacy and Numeracy Teaching in Tanzanian Classrooms: Insights from Teachers' Classroom Practices

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Mmasa, Mussa; Anney, Vicent Naano

2016-01-01

The study investigated the literacy teaching practices in Tanzanian classrooms in the provision of Primary education. It comprehensively assessed why primary school leavers are graduating without skills of reading, writing and numeracy competencies. Three objectives guided this study, first, was to explore teachers classroom practices in the…

Question Asking in the Science Classroom: Teacher Attitudes and Practices

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Eshach, Haim; Dor-Ziderman, Yair; Yefroimsky, Yana

2014-01-01

Despite the wide agreement among educators that classroom learning and teaching processes can gain much from student and teacher questions, their potential is not fully utilized. Adopting the view that reporting both teachers' (of varying age groups) views and actual classroom practices is necessary for obtaining a more complete view of the…

The Teacher Technology Integration Experience: Practice and Reflection in the Classroom

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Dana Ruggiero

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Previous studies indicated that the technology integration practices of teachers in the classroom often did not match their teaching styles. Researchers concluded that this was due, at least partially, to external barriers that prevented teachers from using technology in ways that matched their practiced teaching style. Many of these barriers, such as professional support and access to hardware and software, have been largely diminished over the last twenty years due to an influx of money and strategies for enhancing technology in primary and secondary schools in the United States. This mixed-methods research study was designed to examine the question, “What technology do teachers use and how do they use that technology to facilitate student learning?” K-12 classroom teachers were purposefully selected based on their full-time employment in a public, private, or religious school in a Midwestern state in the United States, supported by the endorsement of a school official. There were 1048 teachers from over 100 school corporations who completed an online survey consisting of six questions about classroom technology tools and professional development involving technology. Survey results suggest that technology integration is pervasive in the classroom with the most often used technology tool identified as PowerPoint. Moreover, teachers identified that training about technology is most effective when it is contextually based in their own classroom. Follow-up interviews were conducted with ten percent (n=111 of the teachers in order to examine the relationship between teachers’ daily classroom use of technology and their pedagogical practices. Results suggest a close relationship; for example, teachers with student-centric technology activities were supported by student-centric pedagogical practices in other areas. Moreover, teachers with strongly student-centered practices tended to exhibit a more pronounced need to create learning

Teachers' Perceptions of Effective Classroom Management within an Inner-City Middle School.

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Turner, Catana L.

This study was undertaken to obtain descriptive information about teachers' perceptions of effective classroom management within an inner-city middle school. Thirteen teachers in one such school in Tennessee were interviewed about their classroom management behaviors. Teachers appeared to have an elaborate system of beliefs related to the themes…

Classroom Composition and Measured Teacher Performance: What Do Teacher Observation Scores Really Measure?

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Steinberg, Matthew P.; Garrett, Rachel

2016-01-01

As states and districts implement more rigorous teacher evaluation systems, measures of teacher performance are increasingly being used to support instruction and inform retention decisions. Classroom observations take a central role in these systems, accounting for the majority of teacher ratings upon which accountability decisions are based.…

Profiles of Teacher Grading Practices: Integrating Teacher Beliefs, Course Criteria, and Student Characteristics

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Wiley, Caroline Rose Hummel

2011-01-01

The majority of the research on grading practices thus far examines teachers' perceived grading practices through Likert-type surveys and vignettes regarding generic students. This study is unique because it proposes a more systematic method of qualitative inquiry to examine how teachers perceive grading on an individual student basis by asking…

Departmentalized Classroom Environments versus Traditional Classroom Environments in Second through Fourth Grades: A Quantitative Analysis

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Ray, Staci Janelle

2017-01-01

Since No Child Left Behind was introduced, kindergarten through 12th-grade educators have seen a dramatic increase in accountability, rigor of standards, and responsibilities in the classroom (New America Foundation, 2015). In order to meet the increased demands of federal education regulations in second through fourth grades, many administrators…

Assessment practices of third- and fifth-grade science teachers: A comparison to the style/format, process, and content of Ohio's proficiency tests

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Janson, David C.

This descriptive study is addressed to policy-makers, textbook publisher, teachers, principals, and curriculum directors. It compares the assessment practices of ten elementary teachers over a period of 11 weeks with Ohio's fourth and sixth grade science Proficiency Tests. Results show that the teachers' assessment practices were not aligned with Ohio's Proficiency Test. The tests used in the participants' classroom contained a disproportionate number of items characterized as low-level in terms of their cognitive function. Classroom test items generally fell into three categories---true/false, completion, and matching. The remaining items were predominantly low-level multiple-choice items requiring simple recall of information. The teachers in this study showed a heavy reliance on the packaged assessments that accompanied their adopted textbook series with little use of teacher-designed instruments. This differs from the findings of previous researchers who reported that most teacher assessments were done with teacher-made tests. The lack of alignment between classroom tests and Ohio's Proficiency Test is a concern because previous researchers and the teachers in this study believe that aligning classroom tests with high-stakes assessment improves student performance. Other research shows teachers teach what they test suggesting that the curriculum would be better aligned with State expectations if classroom tests were more in line with the proficiency tests. This study found that textbooks and their assessment packages are not aligned to most state standards and that teachers need help developing better assessments. The results of this study suggest directions school administrators might take to facilitate inservice training for current teachers and could be helpful to textbook publishers as well as educators serving on adoption committees. Since high-stakes testing of students in the nation's public schools and school accountability seem destined to remain a

The Relationship of Student Teachers' Bureaucratic Orientation to Verbal Classroom Behavior.

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Sturm, Dieter W. F.

1979-01-01

Determines the relationship of student teachers' commitment to values, attitudes, and behaviors characteristically fostered by bureaucratic organizations and their verbal classroom behavior while teaching. Findings reveal no difference in verbal classroom behavior of student teachers high and low in bureaucratic orientation, and no difference in…

An exploration of the relationship between teacher beliefs and practices: Lessons from a self-study of a fourth- and fifth-grade science teacher

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Connell, Shelley Sha'ron

2007-12-01

This study was an investigation of the relationship between teacher beliefs and teaching practices. The relationship was explored to address reported inconsistencies among teacher beliefs, teaching practices and reform goals reported over the past 30 years. A self-study methodology was employed to collect data in a fourth-grade (n = 12) and a fifth-grade (n = 7) class at a private elementary school. Data were collected using a reflective journal and the Traditional Versus Inquiry-Based Classroom Behaviors instrument. Self-data were triangulated with critical judgment data from focus groups and interviews with students, parents, and a peer teacher observer. Data were collected and analyzed in four segments: (a) teacher beliefs, (b) teaching practices, (c) congruency between teacher beliefs and teaching practices, and (d) factors that influence congruency. Teacher beliefs were listed at the start of the school year and analyzed in narrative format. Teaching practices were recorded in the journal and analyzed through coding. The relationship between beliefs and practices was explored on two levels, following Haney & McArthur's (2002) modified theory of planned behavior. First, congruency between beliefs and practices was determined, yielding beliefs that were either central (congruent with practices) or peripheral (incongruent with practices) to the author's belief system. Second, congruency between central beliefs and two categories of teaching principles was determined, yielding three subdivisions: constructivist core (congruent with constructivist principles), emerging core (congruent with general principles) and conflict core (incongruent with constructivist principles) beliefs. Data analysis showed 16 central beliefs (those congruent with practice) in operation. The study finding was that teacher beliefs and practices were largely congruent for this one teacher. This contrasted most published reports. Coupling application of the TPB and modified TPB, congruence

Procedures for Classroom Observations: 1973-1974. Technical Report #19.

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Miley, Alan

This report describes classroom observation techniques used to record the behavior of educational specialists (teachers) and students in a kindergarten and a first grade classroom of the Kamehameha Early Education Program (KEEP). Classroom behavior was observed and recorded daily during the 1973-1974 school year. Each student was observed three…

Literacy practices in multi-graded classrooms in the context of the National Pact for Literacy at the Right Age (PNAIC

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Carolina Figueiredo de Sá

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This case study aimed to analyze the literacy practices in a multi-graded rural classroom of a PNAIC participating teacher. As methodological procedures, we conducted classroom observations and semi-structured interviews, analysed through Bardin’s (2002 content analysis. We carried out a diagnostic class evaluation through written words, which were analyzed based on the theory of Psychogenesis of written language, and document analysis of PNAIC education notebooks - Rural Education (2013 edition. We noticed some “marks” of PNAIC during the observations, particularly concerning to the pedagogical perspective (CHARTIER, 2002 in working with literature books, literacy games and the appropriation of methodological appropriation of projects and didactic sequences.

Testing the Efficacy of INSIGHTS on Student Disruptive Behavior, Classroom Management, and Student Competence in Inner City Primary Grades.

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McClowry, Sandra Graham; Snow, David L; Tamis-Lemonda, Catherine S; Rodriguez, Eileen T

2010-03-01

A prevention trial tested the efficacy of INSIGHTS into Children's Temperament as compared to a Read Aloud attention control condition in reducing student disruptive behavior and enhancing student competence and teacher classroom management. Participants included 116 first and second grade students, their parents, and their 42 teachers in six inner city schools. Teachers completed the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory (SESBI) and the Teacher's Rating Scale of Child's Actual Competence and Social Acceptance (TRS) at baseline and again upon completion of the intervention. Boys participating in INSIGHTS, compared with those in the Read Aloud program, showed a significant decline in attentional difficulties and overt aggression toward others. Teachers in INSIGHTS, compared to those in the attention control condition, reported significantly fewer problems managing the emotional-oppositional behavior, attentional difficulties, and covert disruptive behavior of their male students. They also perceived the boys as significantly more cognitively and physically competent.

English Teachers Classroom Assessment Practices

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Saefurrohman; Balinas, Elvira S.

2016-01-01

The new language assessment policies in the Philippines and in Indonesia have impact on English teachers' assessment practices. Classroom assessment; as mandated in the current curriculum of both countries swifts from sources of information to the inseparable process of teaching and learning. This study describes Filipino and Indonesian high…

Classroom climate in Serbia: The perspective of primary school teachers

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Ševkušić Slavica

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The goal of this research is to gain insight into the classroom climate in schools in Serbia from the perspective of teachers. To realize this goal, we set up two research questions: (1 How do teachers assess the importance of certain aspects of the classroom climate and their own engagement in creating favourable climate, and (2 which factors determine the quality of classroom climate. We considered four dimensions of classroom climate: equality in communication, social relationships between students, respect for students’ feelings and the organizing group work. The sample consisted of primary school teachers in Serbia (N=1441, who completed a questionnaire made for our research needs. The results of factor analysis confirmed the initial assumption that the selected dimensions are related in terms of their belonging to the same construct and sufficiently different to be considered as selfcontained. The obtained results show that teachers in Serbia highly value the importance of all researched aspects of the classroom climate and believe that they are engaged to a large extent in creating a positive classroom climate. Also, it was shown that teachers’ gender and the teaching level are the most important determinants of classroom climate quality. Bearing in mind the limitations of the applied instrument it is concluded that the results should be considered with caution and that future research should include students’ perspective, direct class observation and qualitative methods to gain a more objective and more comprehensive understanding of the classroom climate. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179034: From encouraging initiative, cooperation and creativity in education to new roles and identities in society i br. 47008: Improving the quality and accessibility of education in modernization processes in Serbia

Exploring Teachers' Knowledge of Classroom Management and Control

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Ayebo, Abraham; Assuah, Charles

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper presents the results of a study that sought to determine teacher conceptions of classroom management and control. The study explored classroom management knowledge of participants, and how the knowledge was gained. It also investigated the extent to which participants held various conceptions, including rule-based, dominance…

An Energy History of the United States. Grades 8-9. Interdisciplinary Student/Teacher Materials in Energy, the Environment, and the Economy.

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National Science Teachers Association, Washington, DC.

This instructional unit contains eight classroom lessons dealing with a history of energy in the United States for use in grade eight and nine social studies, science, and mathematics courses. The lessons were developed by teachers. The overall objective is to help students understand the present necessity to reexamine and perhaps alter our…

International classroom teachers in need of professional development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Karen M.

International classroom teachers in need of professional development: Outcomes of the IntlUni Erasmus Academic Network project 2012-15 The IntlUni Erasmus Academic Network (2012-15) has addressed the opportunities and the challenges of the multicultural (international) classroom where higher educ...... and challenges in the multilingual and multicultural learning space. Final document of the IntlUni Erasmus Academic Network project 2012-15. Aarhus: IntlUni. http://intluni.eu/uploads/media/The_opportunities_and_challenges_of_the_MMLS_Final_report_sept_2015.pdf...... and reflect on their teaching processes and negotiate the learning processes with their students as well as manage and leverage diversity in the classroom. Therefore, one of the IntlUni Recommendations is for the higher education institutions to provide the necessary professional development and teacher...... sources (e.g. Gregersen-Hermans, 2016), all pointing towards the need for more professional development and training of higher education teachers teaching multicultural student cohorts. Based on these very recent sources, the paper will discuss and offer examples of how such activities may be organized...

Effects of Teacher Consultation on Evidence-Based Classroom Management Strategies: Teacher and Student Behavior

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Funk, Kristin M.

2013-01-01

The American Psychological Association (APA) conducted the online 2005-2006 Teacher Needs Survey wherein 52% of first year teachers, 28% of teachers with two to five years of experience, and 26% of teachers with 6 to 10 years experience ranked classroom management as their greatest need. Difficulty managing student behaviors leads to higher stress…

Comparing levels of school performance to science teachers' reports on knowledge/skills, instructional use and student use of computers

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Kerr, Rebecca

The purpose of this descriptive quantitative and basic qualitative study was to examine fifth and eighth grade science teachers' responses, perceptions of the role of technology in the classroom, and how they felt that computer applications, tools, and the Internet influence student understanding. The purposeful sample included survey and interview responses from fifth grade and eighth grade general and physical science teachers. Even though they may not be generalizable to other teachers or classrooms due to a low response rate, findings from this study indicated teachers with fewer years of teaching science had a higher level of computer use but less computer access, especially for students, in the classroom. Furthermore, teachers' choice of professional development moderated the relationship between the level of school performance and teachers' knowledge/skills, with the most positive relationship being with workshops that occurred outside of the school. Eighteen interviews revealed that teachers perceived the role of technology in classroom instruction mainly as teacher-centered and supplemental, rather than student-centered activities.

CLASSROOM INTERACTION STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY ENGLISH TEACHERS AT LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

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Nunung Suryati

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This article reports a study on teachers’ use of interaction strategies in English Language Teaching (ELT in lower secondary level of education. The study involved eighteen teachers from Lower Secondary Schools in Malang, East Java. Classroom observation was selected as a method in this study by utilizing Self Evaluation Teacher Talk (SETT as the instrument. SETT, developed by Walsh (2006, was adopted as the observation protocol as it characterises teacher-student interaction. Thirty lessons taught by 18 teachers were observed. The findings revealed that much of the teacher student interaction in Lower Secondary Schools centred on the material mode, skill and system mode. The most frequent strategies were initiation response feedback (IRF patterns, display questions, teacher echo, and extended teacher turns, while students’ extended turns were rare. It is argued that in order to improve the Indonesian ELT, there is a need to provide an alternative to ELT classroom interaction. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of adopting some classroom interaction strategies that are more facilitative to students’ oral communicative competence.

Effective Oral Language Development Strategies for Elementary Teachers

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Kohler, Karen L.

2016-01-01

This action research study explored first and second grade classroom teachers' knowledge of oral language development and interventions for students at-risk of an oral language delay. This was accomplished through collaboration between a speech-language pathologist and classroom teachers. The data was aligned with assessments, the Response to…

· Attitude towards Computers and Classroom Management of Language School Teachers

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Sara Jalali

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Computer-assisted language learning (CALL is the realization of computers in schools and universities which has potentially enhanced the language learning experience inside the classrooms. The integration of the technologies into the classroom demands that the teachers adopt a number of classroom management procedures to maintain a more learner-centered and conducive language learning environment. The current study explored the relationship between computer attitudes and behavior and instructional classroom management approaches implemented by English institute teachers. In so doing, a total of 105 male (n = 27 and female (n = 78 EFL teachers participated in this study. A computer attitude questionnaire adapted from Albirini (2006 and a Behavior and Instructional Management Scale (BIMS adopted from Martin and Sass (2010 were benefitted from for the purpose of collecting the data. The results of the Pearson Correlation Coefficient revealed that there were no significant relationships between attitude and behavior and instructional management across gender. However, it was found that the more male teachers experience tendency toward using computers in their classes, the more teacher-centered their classes become. In addition, the more female teachers are prone to use computers in their classes, the more student-centered and lenient their classes become.

Engaging Nature of Science to Preservice Teachers through Inquiry-Based Classroom

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Nuangchalerm, Prasart

2013-01-01

Inquiry-based classroom is widely distributed in the school science based on its useful and effective instruction. Science teachers are key elements allowing students to have scientific inquiry. If teachers understand and imply inquiry-based learning into science classroom, students will learn science as scientific inquiry and understand nature of…

Analysing Mentoring Dialogues for Developing a Preservice Teacher's Classroom Management Practices

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Sempowicz, Tracey; Hudson, Peter

2011-01-01

A key concern for preservice teachers is classroom management, including student behaviour management, which also has been a factor associated with teachers leaving the profession within the first five years. This study investigates the mentoring practices used to guide the mentee's classroom management. Using multiple data sources (e.g., lesson…

Teaching Grade Eight Science with Reference to the Science Curriculum

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Rasel Babu

2016-08-01

Full Text Available A mixed methodological approach was used to explore to what extent the science curriculum was being reflected in science teaching-learning of grade VIII students in Bangladesh. 160 students were randomly selected and 10 science teachers were purposively selected as study respondents. Fifteen science lessons were observed. Data were collected via student questionnaires, teacher interviews, and classroom observation checklists. Grade VIII science teaching-learning activities were not conducted according to the instructions of the science curriculum. Most teachers did not adhere to the curriculum and teacher's guide. Teachers mainly depended on lecture methods for delivering lessons. Learning by doing, demonstrating experiments, scientific inquiry, rational thinking, and analysing cause-effect relationships were noticeably absent. Teachers reported huge workloads and a lack of ingredients as reasons for not practising these activities. Teachers did not use teaching aids properly. Science teaching-learning was fully classroom centred, and students were never involved in any creative activities. 

Where Do I Look? Preservice Teachers' Classroom Observation Patterns

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Young, Teresa; Bender-Slack, Delane

2011-01-01

During field experiences, preservice teachers are typically required to observe mentor teachers in schools, but what exactly are they seeing? This research examined the patterns and variations that existed with regard to preservice teachers' classroom observations during recent field experiences. Data were collected from 24 preservice teachers…

Speaking comfort and voice use of teachers in classrooms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brunskog, Jonas; Pelegrin Garcia, David

2010-01-01

Teachers suffer from voice problems more often than the rest of the population, as a consequence of the intensive use of their voices during teaching. Noise and classroom acoustics have been defined as hazards eventually leading to voice problems. In order to make a good classroom acoustic design...... to preserve the teachers’ voices and maximize their comfort, it is necessary to understand the underlaying relationship between classroom acoustics and teachers’ voice production. This paper presents a brief summary of investigations looking into this relationship. A pilot study, carried out in different...... located at various distances, in rooms with very different acoustics. A field study in schools of southern Sweden found out that teachers with and without voice problems, during actual teaching, are affected differently by the support of the classroom. A last laboratory experiment was carried out...

Foundational Aspects of Classroom Relations: Associations between Teachers' Immediacy Behaviours, Classroom Democracy, Class Identification and Learning

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Kwitonda, Jean Claude

2017-01-01

This study focused on foundational aspects of classroom relations. Specifically, relationships between teachers' immediacy (interpersonal) behaviours, classroom democracy, identification and learning were considered. Previous work suggests that these variables can be used as a foundation to shape classroom climate, culture and learning outcomes…

An Evaluation of Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs Levels on Classroom Control in Terms of Teachers' Sense of Efficacy (The Sample of Biology Teachers in Turkey)

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Kurt, Hakan

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate biology teachers' attitudes and belief levels on classroom control in terms of teachers' sense of efficacy. The screening model was used in the study. The study group was comprised of 135 biology teachers. In this study, Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and The Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control…

Google Tools in the Classroom

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Albee, E. M.; Koons, P. O.; Schauffler, M.; Zhu, Y.; Segee, B. E.

2009-12-01

The Maine Learning Technology Initiative provides every seventh and eighth grade student in the state with MacBook laptop computers. Limitless education possibilities exist with the inclusion of Google Tools and laptops as learning tools in our modern classrooms. Google Applications allow students to create documents, spreadsheets, charts, graphs, forms, and presentations and easily allows the sharing of information with their fellow classmates and teachers. These applications invite the use of inquiry and critical thinking skills, collaboration among peers, and subject integration to teach students crucial concepts. The benefits for teachers extend into the realm of using Google sites to easily create a teacher website and blog to upload classroom information and create a communication connection for parents and students as well as collaborations between the teachers and University researchers and educators. Google Applications further enhances the possibilities for learning, sharing a wealth of information, and enhancing communication inside and outside of the classroom.

Teachers' Reported Knowledge and Implementation of Research-Based Classroom and Behavior Management Strategies

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Moore, Tara C.; Wehby, Joseph H.; Oliver, Regina M.; Chow, Jason C.; Gordon, Jason R.; Mahany, Laura A.

2017-01-01

Teachers' reported knowledge about and implementation of research-based classroom and behavior management strategies were examined. A total of 160 elementary teachers from two districts in different regions of the same state completed the researcher-developed "Survey of Classroom and Behavior Management." On average, teachers reported to…

The Role of Physical Educators in Helping Classroom Teachers to Promote Physical Activity

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Russ, Laura

2015-01-01

Elementary classroom teachers are an increasingly important constituency in school-based physical activity promotion. This article situates the need for classroom teacher physical-activity promotion at the intersection of what we know about teacher actions, what informs those actions, and what recent research has uncovered. Recommendations are…

Measuring teacher self-report on classroom practices: Construct validity and reliability of the Classroom Strategies Scale-Teacher Form.

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Reddy, Linda A; Dudek, Christopher M; Fabiano, Gregory A; Peters, Stephanie

2015-12-01

This article presents information about the construct validity and reliability of a new teacher self-report measure of classroom instructional and behavioral practices (the Classroom Strategies Scales-Teacher Form; CSS-T). The theoretical underpinnings and empirical basis for the instructional and behavioral management scales are presented. Information is provided about the construct validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and freedom from item-bias of the scales. Given previous investigations with the CSS Observer Form, it was hypothesized that internal consistency would be adequate and that confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of CSS-T data from 293 classrooms would offer empirical support for the CSS-T's Total, Composite and subscales, and yield a similar factor structure to that of the CSS Observer Form. Goodness-of-fit indices of χ2/df, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation, Goodness of Fit Index, and Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index suggested satisfactory fit of proposed CFA models whereas the Comparative Fit Index did not. Internal consistency estimates of .93 and .94 were obtained for the Instructional Strategies and Behavioral Strategies Total scales respectively. Adequate test-retest reliability was found for instructional and behavioral total scales (r = .79, r = .84, percent agreement 93% and 93%). The CSS-T evidences freedom from item bias on important teacher demographics (age, educational degree, and years of teaching experience). Implications of results are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Primary Physical Education (PE): School Leader Perceptions about Classroom Teacher Quality Implementation

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Lynch, Timothy; Soukup, Gregory J., Sr.

2017-01-01

Quality physical education (QPE) in primary school optimises children's well-being. However, international research indicates that the preparation of classroom teachers is impeded by systemic barriers, resulting in low-classroom teacher confidence, competence and subsequent interest. This empirical research investigates school principal…

Classroom Activity Structures and the Generalizability of Teacher Behavior.

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Anderson, Lorin W.; Mandeville, Garrett K.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of several instructional formats (e.g., lecture, discourse, seatwork) on the generalizability of teacher behaviors. Two structured observation instruments were used to observe two samples of teachers: 42 fifth grade science teachers on eight occasions, and 87 fifth grade mathematics teachers…

Growing Language Awareness in the Classroom Garden

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Paugh, Patricia; Moran, Mary

2013-01-01

For four years, Pat Paugh, a university teacher educator, and Mary Moran, a teacher researcher, collaborated on action research by systematically studying literacy development connected to the latter's third-grade community gardening and urban farming curriculum. Their goal was to support an existing classroom culture that valued…

Refugee-Teacher-Train-Refugee-Teacher Intervention Research in Malaysia: Promoting Classroom Management and Teacher Self-Care

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O'Neal, Colleen R.; Gosnell, Nicole M.; Ng, Wai Sheng; Ong, Edward

2018-01-01

Given the current refugee crisis, the development of sustainable postconflict refugee education systems and supports is essential. The present study reports Resilient Refugee Education (RRE) intervention effects on refugee teacher confidence and knowledge of classroom management, in addition to refugee teacher self-care in Malaysia. We compared…

The Problems of Novice Classroom Teachers having Regular and Alternative Certificates

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Taneri, Pervin Oya; Ok, Ahmet

2014-01-01

The purposes of this study are to understand the problems of classroom teachers in their first three years of teaching, and to scrutinize whether these problems differ according to having regular or alternative teacher certification. The sample of this study was 275 Classroom Teachers in the Public Elementary Schools in districts of Ordu, Samsun, and Sinop in the Black Sea region. The data gathered through the questionnaire were subject to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Res...

Planning and Enacting Mathematical Tasks of High Cognitive Demand in the Primary Classroom

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Georgius, Kelly

2013-01-01

This study offers an examination of two primary-grades teachers as they learn to transfer knowledge from professional development into their classrooms. I engaged in planning sessions with each teacher to help plan tasks of high cognitive demand, including anticipating and planning for classroom discourse that would occur around the task. A…

An Inquiry-Based Approach to Critical Literacy: Pedagogical Nuances of a Second Grade Classroom

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Beach, Pamela; Cleovoulou, Yiola

2014-01-01

This case study explores the pedagogy and practices of an elementary school teacher who combines inquiry pedagogy and critical literacy. The authors gathered data for this analysis by conducting two interviews with a classroom teacher and observing classroom practices 12 times over a 6 month period. Through a general inductive approach to…

Supporting primary school teachers in differentiating in the regular classroom

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Eysink, Tessa H.S.; Hulsbeek, Manon; Gijlers, Hannie

Many primary school teachers experience difficulties in effectively differentiating in the regular classroom. This study investigated the effect of the STIP-approach on teachers' differentiation activities and self-efficacy, and children's learning outcomes and instructional value. Teachers using

The Interplay among Emotional Intelligence, Classroom Management, and Language Proficiency of Iranian EFL Teachers

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Hadi Hamidi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The present study was an attempt to investigate the interplay among Iranian EFL teachers’ emotional intelligence, classroom management, and their general English language proficiency. The result of the data analysis showed that: 1 there was a statistically significant relationship between the emotional intelligence and the classroom management of Iranian EFL teachers, 2 there was a statistically significant relationship between the emotional intelligence and the language proficiency of Iranian EFL teachers, and 3 there was a statistically significant relationship between the classroom management and the language proficiency of Iranian EFL teachers. Teacher trainers, researchers in teacher education, and language teachers may benefit from the findings of the present research.

Senior science teachers' experience of teaching in a changing multicultural classroom: A case study

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Ryan, Mark

Demographic changes within the US are bringing significant changes in the cultural make-up of the classrooms in our schools. Results from national and state assessments indicate a growing achievement gap between the science scores of white students and students from minority communities. This gap indicates a disconnect somewhere in the science classrooms. This study examines the teacher's perspective of the changing learning environment. The study focuses on senior teachers with traditional Midwestern backgrounds and little multicultural experience assuming these teachers had little or no education in multicultural education. Senior teachers are also more likely to have completed their science education within a traditional Universalist perspective of science and likewise have little or no education in multicultural science. The research method was comparative case studies of a purposeful sample of nine science teachers within a community experiencing significant demographic change, seven core senior teachers and two frame of reference teachers. The interviews examined the teachers' awareness of their own cultural beliefs and the impact of those beliefs on classroom practices, the teachers' understanding of cultural influences on the students' academic performance, and the relationships between the teachers' understanding of the cultural aspects of the nature of science and their classroom practices. Analysis of the interview data revealed that the teachers maintain a strong, traditional Midwestern worldview for classroom expectations and they are generally unaware of the impact of those standards on the classroom environment. The teachers were supportive of minority students within their classroom, changing several practices to accommodate student needs, but they were unaware of the broader cultural influences on student learning. The teachers had a poor understanding of the nature of science and none of them recognized a cultural element of NOS. They maintained a

Differences in the classroom: learning about practices of two science teachers

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Elaine Soares França

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In this research, a case study, we adopted ethnography as logic of inquiry to learn about teaching for diverse groups in middle school science classrooms. Multiple data sources were used: participant observation, video and audio records, field notes and semi-structured interviews. We analyzed interviews with two teachers, as well as classroom episodes to construct, through contrast, a characterization of two types of practice involving diversity in the classroom. The first teacher show concerns with introducing students in school culture. She tried to “translate” terms that students do not understand, explaining their meanings. In this process, teaching subject matter knowledge (SMK is a secondary goal. The other teacher emphasized SMK, trying to establish connections between science content and students’ everyday life experiences. Both teachers do not acknowledge significant influences in science learning related to gender, social class, and ethnicity.

Identifying Canadian Teacher Candidates' Needs for Training in the Use of Inclusive Classroom Assessment

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Lin, Pei-Ying; Lin, Yu-Cheng

2015-01-01

To identify teacher candidates' needs for training in inclusive classroom assessment, the present study investigated teacher candidates' beliefs about inclusive classroom assessments for all students educated in regular classrooms, including those with special needs and English language learners. An innovative theoretical assessment model,…

Tracing Growth of Teachers' Classroom Interactions with Representations of Functions in the Connected Classroom

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Morton, Brian Lee

The purpose of this study is to create an empirically based theoretic model of change of the use and treatment of representations of functions with the use of Connected Classroom Technology (CCT) using data previously collected for the Classroom Connectivity in Promoting Mathematics and Science Achievement (CCMS) project. Qualitative analysis of videotapes of three algebra teachers' instruction focused on different categories thought to influence teaching representations with technology: representations, discourse, technology, and decisions. Models for rating teachers low, medium, or high for each of these categories were created using a priori codes and grounded methodology. A cross case analysis was conducted after the completion of the case studies by comparing and contrasting the three cases. Data revealed that teachers' decisions shifted to incorporate the difference in student ideas/representations made visible by the CCT into their instruction and ultimately altered their orientation to mathematics teaching. The shift in orientation seemed to lead to the teachers' growth with regards to representations, discourse, and technology.

An International Perspective on Classroom Management: What Should Prospective Teachers Learn?

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Wubbels, Theo

2011-01-01

Drawing upon a review of relevant literature, this paper provides an overview of the treatment of classroom management in teacher education and teaching around the world. Six approaches to classroom management are distinguished: classroom management approaches that focus on external control of behaviour, on internal control, on classroom ecology,…

The Relationship between EFL Teachers' Beliefs and Actual Practices of Classroom Management

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Aliakbari, Mohammad; Heidarzad, Mohsen

2015-01-01

This study aimed at analyzing Iranian EFL teachers' beliefs toward classroom management and the relationship between teachers' beliefs and their actual practices of classroom management in regard with individual variables such as gender, education degree, and teaching experience. The data were collected using a behavior and instructional…

Teacher-child relationships as dynamic systems.

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O'Connor, Erin

2010-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine factors associated with the quality of the teacher-child relationship from first through fifth grade using data from phases I, II and III of the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a prospective study of 1364 children from birth through sixth grade. On average, children evidenced moderately high quality relationships with teachers in fifth grade. However, there was extensive variation in fifth grade relationship quality across children. Children who received more support and stimulation at home and whose parents had higher quality interactions with the school had higher quality relationships. Additionally, children in classrooms with more positive environments and better management had higher quality relationships. Lastly, females, European-American children, children with lower levels of behavior problems and children who had higher quality relationships with their teachers in kindergarten also had higher quality relationships with teachers. On average, children evidenced decreases in the quality of their relationships with teachers from first through fifth grade. Interestingly, children whose parents had more contact with their schools, who were in schools where teachers received higher salaries and in classrooms that had more positive emotional climates and that were better managed evidenced slower rates of decline in relationship quality. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Teachers' Perceptions of Classroom Behaviour and Working Memory

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Alloway, Tracy Packiam

2012-01-01

Working memory, ability to remember and manipulate information, is crucial to academic attainment. The aim of the present study was to understand teachers' perception of working memory and how it impacts classroom behaviour. A semi-structured interview was used to explore teachers' ability to define working memory, identify these difficulties in…

Action Research to Support Teachers' Classroom Materials Development

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Edwards, Emily; Burns, Anne

2016-01-01

Language teachers constantly create, adapt and evaluate classroom materials to develop new curricula and meet their learners' needs. It has long been argued (e.g. by Stenhouse, L. [1975]. "An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development." London: Heinemann) that teachers themselves, as opposed to managers or course book writers,…

An Exploratory Survey of Teachers' Attitudes toward Sex-Stereotyping.

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Minix, Nancy A.; And Others

This survey examined the attitudes of teachers in southwestern Kentucky toward sex-stereotyping in the classroom. A random sample of 35 teachers of grades kindergarten through adult completed a written survey instrument that asked them to read statements regarding sex-stereotyping and to rate themselves regarding their own classroom practices.…

Child Behavior Problems, Teacher Executive Functions, and Teacher Stress in Head Start Classrooms

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Friedman-Krauss, Allison H.; Raver, C. Cybele; Neuspiel, Juliana M.; Kinsel, John

2017-01-01

Research Findings The current article explores the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of child behavior problems and preschool teacher job stress, as well as the possibility that teachers’ executive functions moderate this relationship. Data came from 69 preschool teachers in 31 early childhood classrooms in 4 Head Start centers and were collected using Web-based surveys and Web-based direct assessment tasks. Multilevel models revealed that higher levels of teachers’ perceptions of child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of teacher job stress and that higher teacher executive function skills were related to lower job stress. However, findings did not yield evidence for teacher executive functions as a statistical moderator. Practice or Policy Many early childhood teachers do not receive sufficient training for handling children’s challenging behaviors. Child behavior problems increase a teacher’s workload and consequently may contribute to feelings of stress. However, teachers’ executive function abilities may enable them to use effective, cognitive-based behavior management and instructional strategies during interactions with students, which may reduce stress. Providing teachers with training on managing challenging behaviors and enhancing executive functions may reduce their stress and facilitate their use of effective classroom practices, which is important for children’s school readiness skills and teachers’ health. PMID:28596698

Preparing Preservice Teachers for Inclusive Classrooms: Does Completing Coursework on Managing Challenging Behaviours Increase Their Classroom Management Sense of Efficacy?

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O'Neill, Sue C.

2015-01-01

Preservice teacher education courses provide an opportunity for the development of knowledge, skills, and confidence in classroom and behaviour management. This study reports the change in classroom management sense of efficacy (CMSE) of a small cohort of Australian preservice primary teachers at 4 time points (precoursework, preprofessional…

Teacher characteristics, social classroom relationships, and children's social, emotional, and behavioral classroom adjustment in special education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Breeman, L.D.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/390776114; Wubbels, T.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/070651361; van Lier, P.A.C.; Verhulst, F.C.; van der Ende, J.; Maras, A.; Hopman, J.A.B.; Tick, Nouchka|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/298678012

The goal of this study was to explore relations between teacher characteristics (i.e., competence and wellbeing); social classroom relationships (i.e., teacher–child and peer interactions); and children's social, emotional, and behavioral classroom adjustment. These relations were explored at both

How Elementary Teachers' Beliefs About the Nature of Science Mediate Implementing Prescribed Science Curricula in Their Classrooms

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Giglio, Kathleen Rose Fitzgerald

This is an in depth study of two elementary school teachers, who are generalists because they teach multiple subjects to their classes, in addition to science, respectively in grade 3 and grade 6. The teachers taught and their students learned using a contemporary understanding of the nature of science (NOS), which they learned by actually doing science investigations, rather than being explicitly told about NOS (contrary to what some scholars claim). Neither teacher completed any formal/informal science training/experiences, especially connected to the construct NOS. Even though the teachers did not explicitly reference NOS in the classroom, their teaching about NOS was made possible through their implementation of the FOSS ( Full Option Science System) curriculum. Although their students enthusiastically demonstrated competence in both science process and content, as prescribed by the FOSS curriculum, the teachers' felt undermined by the state mandated assessments and the inclusion of student performance as a criterion for the state teacher evaluation system. This research was designed to answer the following questions: (1) What are elementary teachers' conceptions about NOS? (2) How are the teachers' NOS views manifested in their implementation of the FOSS program and their choices of instructional methods/materials? (3) What factors may have enhanced or hindered how the teachers sustained their NOS conceptions as they implemented the FOSS program? To explicate the relationship between teachers' views of NOS and the extent to which constructivist practices were employed in their science instruction, a multiple research methodology using grounded theory as the foundation and employing both quantitative and qualitative measures, was needed. Sources of quantitative data were written survey results using the Student Understanding of Science and Scientific Inquiry Questionnaire (SUSSI; Liang et al., 2008) Likert scale responses and constructed responses. Face

Teacher and student perspectives on motivation within the high school science classroom

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Pickens, Melanie Turnure

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher and student perspectives on the motivation of high school science students and to explore specific motivational strategies used by teachers as they attempt to enhance student motivation. Four science teachers took part in an initial audio-taped interview, classroom observations with debriefing conversations, and a final audio-taped interview to discuss findings and allow member checking for data triangulation and interpretation. Participating teachers also took part in a final focus group interview. Student participants from each teacher's class were given a Likert style anonymous survey on their views about motivation and learning, motivation in science class, and specific motivational strategies that emerged in their current science class. This study focused on effective teaching strategies for motivation commonly used by the four teachers and on specific teaching strategies used by two of these four teachers in different tracks of science classes. The intent was to determine not only what strategies worked well for all types of science classes, but also what specific motivational approaches were being used in high and low tracked science classes and the similarities and differences between them. This approach provided insight into the differences in motivating tracked students, with the hope that other educators in specific tracks might use such pedagogies to improve motivation in their own science classrooms. Results from this study showed that science teachers effectively motivate their students in the following ways: Questioning students to engage them in the lesson, exhibiting enthusiasm in lesson presentations, promoting a non-threatening environment, incorporating hands-on activities to help learn the lesson concepts, using a variety of activities, believing that students can achieve, and building caring relationships in the classroom. Specific to the higher tracked classroom, effective motivational

Undesirable Behaviors Elementary School Classroom Teachers Encounter in the Classroom and Their Reasons

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E.G. Balcik

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The present study aims to determine how often elementary school teachers encounter undesirable behaviors in the classroom and what their thoughts regarding possible reasons of these behaviors are. The teachers’ opininon about the prevalence of these behaviors and their possible reasons were evaluated according to gender, marital status, level of class being taught, size of class being taught and it was tried to be determined if there were significant differences between variables. The measurement tool was applied to a total of 54 teachers at 5 schools in Gölcük district of the Kocaeli province. The data collection tool is composed of three sections. The first section is for establishing teachers’ personal information. In this study, as a data collection tool, a questionnaire was used. When preparing questions for the questionnaire, following the examination of resources available, the questionnaire prepared by Aksoy (1999 and used in the thesis study entitled “Classroom Management and Student Discipline in Elementary Schools of Ankara” and also used in the thesis study by Boyraz (2007 entitled “Discipline Problems that Candidate Teachers Servicing at Elementary Schools Encounter in the Classroom” was employed. Although the validity and reliability of the questionnaire was tested by Aksoy (1999 and Boyraz (2007, the reliability study for the questionnaire was retested and found to be 0,9. The questionnaire include 42 items. 19 of them are related to the reasons of undesirable behaviors observed in the classroom and 23 of them are related to undesirable behaviors observed in the classroom.

Nurturing Mathematical Promise in a Regular Elementary Classroom: Exploring the Role of the Teacher and Classroom Environment

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Dimitriadis, Christos

2016-01-01

This article presents findings from a case study of an in-classroom program based on ability grouping for Year 2 (ages 6-7) primary (elementary) children identified as high ability in mathematics. The study examined the role of classroom setting, classroom environment, and teacher's approach in realizing and developing mathematical promise. The…

Making Amends: A Restorative Justice Approach to Classroom Behavior

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Erb, Cathy Smeltzer; Erb, Peyton

2018-01-01

Enticed by developing skills that would empower students to solve problems, take responsibility for their own actions within the classroom community, and model real-life processes for resolving conflict, a team of third-grade teachers responsible for nearly 100 students embarked on creating a classroom behavior system titled "Making…

Profiles of Teacher-Child Interaction Quality in Preschool Classrooms and Teachers' Professional Competence Features

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Hu, Bi Ying; Chen, Liang; Fan, Xitao

2018-01-01

This paper investigates early childhood education (ECE) teachers' self-reported and observed teacher-child interaction quality (TIQ) and the associated teachers' professional competence features using a latent profile analysis (LPA) approach to identify the variations in the quality of classroom experiences in Chinese preschools. A total of 164…

Relative Potency of Teacher Attitudes Toward Black and Retarded Children.

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Clifford, Miriam

The attitudes of nine teachers in three graded, open classrooms toward their home-base pupils were measured using Schaefer's Classroom Behavior Inventory (CBI). CBI explores teacher perception of the child's behavior in the area of extraversion-introversion, task orientation-distractability, and hostility-considerateness. The total group of 87…

Artistic Technology Integration: Stories From Primary and Elementary Classrooms

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Steckel, Barbara; Shinas, Valerie Harlow; Van Vaerenewyck, Leah

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to inform teachers about the ways technology can be integrated to add value to literacy instruction. Artistic technology-integrated literacy and disciplinary instruction in preK through grade 4 classrooms is described through the stories of five teachers who were identified as both strong teachers of literacy and…

The Day-to-Day Reality of Teacher Turnover in Preschool Classrooms: An Analysis of Classroom Context and Teacher, Director, and Parent Perspectives

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Cassidy, Deborah J.; Lower, Joanna K.; Kintner-Duffy, Victoria L.; Hegde, Archana V.; Shim, Jonghee

2011-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to examine teacher turnover comprehensively by triangulating the experiences of teachers, directors, parents, and children through actual, "real-time" turnover transitions. We intentionally examined turnover with a small sample size (N = 13 classrooms) to facilitate comprehensive data collection utilizing…

Pre-Service Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers' Classroom Management Styles in Turkey

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Yilmaz, Kursad

2009-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine Pre-service secondary science and mathematics teachers' classroom management styles in Turkey. In addition, differences in pre-service secondary science and mathematics teachers' classroom management styles by gender, and field of study were examined. In the study, the survey model was employed. The research…

Conflict Resolution, Can It Really Make a Difference in the Classroom: Conflict Resolution Strategies for Classroom Teachers

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Pollan, Savannah; Wilson-Younger, Dylinda

2012-01-01

This article discusses conflict and provides five resolutions for teachers on managing negative behaviors within the classroom. Acknowledging and implementing conflict resolution strategies in the classroom enables every student to fully participate in the learning process.

Responding to Reading Instruction in a Primary-Grade Classroom

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Mokhtari, Kouider; Porter, Leah; Edwards, Patricia

2010-01-01

In this article, the authors present a snapshot of how one kindergarten and Reading Recovery teacher organized instruction in her classroom, enabling her to provide constructively responsive reading assessment and instruction for her developing and struggling readers. (Contains 2 figures.)

Exploring Teachers' Use of Technology in Classrooms of Bilingual Students

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Daniel, Mayra C.; Cowan, John E.

2012-01-01

This article presents results of an investigation that documents teachers' perceptions of the contribution of technology use in classrooms of bilingual learners. Study questions asked how teachers perceive teacher-made digital movies impact learning, and what situational factors delimit technology infusion. Data gathered in focus groups and…

Analysis of teacher relations with teaching in classroom with prospects to be inclusive.

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Angela Meneghello Passos

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article presents a proposal for the analysis of teaching relationships in the classroom with prospects of being inclusive, having as theoretical support an instrument called 3x3 matrix. This matrix enables us to understand the actions of the teacher in the classroom based on the relationship with knowledge, teaching and learning in epistemic, personal and social dimensions. The main question that guided this research was: What teacher relationships is possible to see in a classroom with prospects of being inclusive? The methodological procedures were based on discursive textual analysis. Among other, results provided by this research are: the evidence that there is an increase in teaching tasks in the classroom with prospects to be inclusive; the need to expand the 3x3 matrix to accommodate the new teacher relations; and that the presence of the student with disabilities changes the classroom setting and stimulates the concern of the teacher with learning leading him to pay attention to the social dimension of the relationship with knowledge.

The Living Classroom: Writing, Reading, and Beyond.

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Armington, David

This book describes the special way one teacher, Jeanette Amidon, approaches children's thinking, with a particular focus on reading and writing instruction. The root value of her first-grade classroom in Massachusetts is respect for children's ideas, with the children's art and writing as visible signs of the teacher's respect for their thinking.…

Hearing the voices of alternatively certified teachers in Texas: Narratives of teaching English language learners in urban secondary mainstream classrooms

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Zannou, Yetunde Mobola

In Texas, nearly half of all new teachers are alternatively certified (AC) whilst English language learners (ELL) are over one-third of the public school population in some districts. As this trend continues, the likelihood that AC teachers will teach ELLs increases and alters what Texas teachers must know upon entering the classroom. This research explores teacher knowledge and beliefs about teaching ELLs through constructivist and narrative lenses. Four AC science teachers in two diverse school districts participated in in-depth interviews and reflective interviews following classroom observations to answer the research questions: (1) how do AC teachers describe and interpret their acts of teaching ELLs in mainstream classrooms; and (2) how do AC teachers describe and interpret their learning to teach ELLs in mainstream classrooms. Data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic narrative methods. This study found that participants saw ELL instruction as: (1) "just good teaching" strategies, (2) consisting primarily of cultural awareness and consideration for student comfort, and (3) less necessary in science where all students must learn the language. The most experienced teacher was the only participant to reference specific linguistic knowledge in describing ELL instruction. Many of the teachers described their work with ELL students as giving them an opportunity to improve their lives, which was consistent with their overall teaching philosophy and reason for entering the profession. Participant narratives about learning to teach ELLs described personal experience and person-to-person discussions as primary resources of knowledge. District support was generally described as unhelpful or incomplete. Participants portrayed their AC program as helpful in preparing them to work with ELL students, but everyone desired more relevant information from the program and more grade-appropriate strategies from the district. Participant narratives reveal AC teachers

Teacher Classroom Management Practices: Effects on Disruptive or Aggressive Student Behavior

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Oliver, Regina M.; Wehby, Joseph H.; Reschly, Daniel J.

2011-01-01

Despite the large research base grounded in behavioral theory for strategies to increase appropriate behavior and prevent or decrease inappropriate behavior in the classroom, a systematic review of multi-component universal classroom management research is necessary to establish the effects of teachers' universal classroom management approaches.…

A Self-Regulatory Approach to Classroom Management: Empowering Students and Teachers

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Alderman, M. Kay; MacDonald, Suzanne

2015-01-01

Development of motivation and self-regulated learning skills can take classroom management beyond the role of maintaining order in the classroom to empower students and teachers for lifetime learning. The authors describe self-regulated learning, student strategies, and the classroom structure that supports motivation and self-regulation.

The social status of aggressive students across contexts: the role of classroom status hierarchy, academic achievement, and grade.

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Garandeau, Claire F; Ahn, Hai-Jeong; Rodkin, Philip C

2011-11-01

This study tested the effects of 5 classroom contextual features on the social status (perceived popularity and social preference) that peers accord to aggressive students in late elementary school, including classroom peer status hierarchy (whether within-classroom differences in popularity are large or small), classroom academic level, and grade level as the main predictors of interest as well as classroom aggression and ethnic composition as controls. Multilevel analyses were conducted on an ethnically diverse sample of 968 fourth- and fifth-graders from 46 classrooms in 9 schools. Associations between aggression and status varied greatly from one classroom to another. Aggressive students were more popular and better liked in classrooms with higher levels of peer status hierarchy. Aggressive students had higher social status in Grade 5 than in Grade 4 and lower social preference in classrooms of higher academic level. Classroom aggression and ethnic composition did not moderate aggression-status associations. Limitations and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

What Can You Learn about Writing in School?: A Case Study in an Elementary Classroom.

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Florio, Susan; And Others

A two-year study investigated writing in the elementary school. Data collected included field notes from observation of a second/third grade classroom, videotapes of selected classroom activities, weekly journals kept by the teacher reflecting her thoughts on teaching in general and on writing in particular, interviews with the teacher about the…

Digital Instructional Strategies and Their Role in Classroom Learning

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Yarbro, Jessica; McKnight, Katherine; Elliott, Stephen; Kurz, Alexander; Wardlow, Liane

2016-01-01

Research that examines technology use in the context of daily classroom practices is needed to support the effective digital conversion of classrooms. In this study, 65 seventh- through 10th-grade Mathematics and English Language Arts teachers from six districts across six states logged information about digital strategies they incorporated into…

Cell Phones in the Classroom: Teachers' Perspectives of Inclusion, Benefits, and Barriers

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Thomas, Kevin M.; O'Bannon, Blanche W.; Bolton, Natalie

2013-01-01

Historically viewed as a disruption by teachers, cell phones have been banned from 69% of classrooms (Common Sense Media, 2009). The increased ubiquity and instructional features of cell phones have prompted some teachers to re-evaluate the ban and consider the benefits associated with allowing cell phones in the classroom. This study surveyed 79…

Connections between voice ergonomic risk factors in classrooms and teachers' voice production.

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Rantala, Leena M; Hakala, Suvi; Holmqvist, Sofia; Sala, Eeva

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate if voice ergonomic risk factors in classrooms correlated with acoustic parameters of teachers' voice production. The voice ergonomic risk factors in the fields of working culture, working postures and indoor air quality were assessed in 40 classrooms using the Voice Ergonomic Assessment in Work Environment - Handbook and Checklist. Teachers (32 females, 8 males) from the above-mentioned classrooms recorded text readings before and after a working day. Fundamental frequency, sound pressure level (SPL) and the slope of the spectrum (alpha ratio) were analyzed. The higher the number of the risk factors in the classrooms, the higher SPL the teachers used and the more strained the males' voices (increased alpha ratio) were. The SPL was already higher before the working day in the teachers with higher risk than in those with lower risk. In the working environment with many voice ergonomic risk factors, speakers increase voice loudness and use more strained voice quality (males). A practical implication of the results is that voice ergonomic assessments are needed in schools. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Establishing Mathematics for Teaching within Classroom Interactions in Teacher Education

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Ryve, Andreas; Nilsson, Per; Mason, John

2012-01-01

Teacher educators' processes of establishing "mathematics for teaching" in teacher education programs have been recognized as an important area for further research. In this study, we examine how two teacher educators establish and make explicit features of mathematics for teaching within classroom interactions. The study shows how the…

The LiiNK Project®: Effects of Multiple Recesses and Character Curriculum on Classroom Behaviors and Listening Skills in Grades K–2 Children

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Deborah J. Rhea

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Unstructured, outdoor play combined with character development instruction has shown preliminary associations with improved cognitive functioning and classroom behaviors. The purpose of this study was to further evaluate these components of the LiiNK Project (Let’s inspire innovation ’N Kids when including intervention and comparison school children. The intervention consists of four 15-min recesses, scheduled throughout the day in combination with four 15-min character development lessons taught weekly to improve the elementary classroom learning environment. The second year of this longitudinal study included grades kindergarten through second grade students (N = 405 from two demographically comparable private schools in the southwest region of the United States. One school implemented the intervention, while the other school maintained current protocols. The intervention teachers adhered to the four play breaks at a rate of 92% over the course of the intervention. Transitions from classroom to playground and back dropped from 4 min each way to less than 1 min each way. The results of comparing the two schools showed classroom off-task behaviors such as fidgeting and moving around the room decreased significantly, while attentional focus improved significantly as a result of the intervention. LiiNK Project results from grades kindergarten and 1 in the same schools last year are congruent with the results of this study. Next steps will include public school expansion to explore student diversity among rural, urban, and suburban environments with the play and character intervention.

Enacting understanding of inclusion in complex contexts: Classroom practices of South African teachers

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Petra Engelbrecht

2015-08-01

Full Text Available While the practice of inclusive education has recently been widely embraced as an ideal model for education, the acceptance of inclusive education practices has not translated into reality in most mainstream classrooms. Despite the fact that education policies in South Africa stipulate that all learners should be provided with the opportunities to participate as far as possible in all classroom activities, the implementation of inclusive education is still hampered by a combination of a lack of resources and the attitudes and actions of the teachers in the classroom. The main purpose of this paper was to develop a deeper understanding of a group of South African teachers' personal understanding about barriers to learning and how their understanding relates to their consequent actions to implement inclusive education in their classrooms. A qualitative research approach placed within a cultural-historical and bio-ecological theoretical framework was used. The findings, in this paper, indicate that the way in which teachers understand a diversity of learning needs is based on the training that they initially received as teachers, which focused on a deficit, individualised approach to barriers to learning and development, as well as contextual challenges, and that both have direct and substantial effects on teachers' classroom practices. As a result, they engage in practices in their classrooms that are less inclusive, by creating dual learning opportunities that are not sufficiently made available for everyone, with the result that every learner is not able to participate fully as an accepted member of their peer group in all classroom activities.

Understanding children's science identity through classroom interactions

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Kim, Mijung

2018-01-01

Research shows that various stereotypes about science and science learning, such as science being filled with hard and dry content, laboratory experiments, and male-dominated work environments, have resulted in feelings of distance from science in students' minds. This study explores children's experiences of science learning and science identity. It asks how children conceive of doing science like scientists and how they develop views of science beyond the stereotypes. This study employs positioning theory to examine how children and their teacher position themselves in science learning contexts and develop science identity through classroom interactions. Fifteen students in grades 4-6 science classrooms in Western Canada participated in this study. Classroom activities and interactions were videotaped, transcribed, and analysed to examine how the teacher and students position each other as scientists in the classroom. A descriptive explanatory case analysis showed how the teacher's positioning acted to develop students' science identity with responsibilities of knowledge seeking, perseverance, and excitement about science.

Teacher Grading Decisions: Influences, Rationale, and Practices

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Kunnath, Joshua P.

2017-01-01

This mixed-methods study applied a decision-making theoretical framework to an investigation of teacher grading in a large urban school district in California. A sample of 251 high school teachers of core subjects were surveyed, and 15 teachers participated in four focus group interviews in order provide data on the influences, rationale, and…

Teacher perceptions of usefulness of mobile learning devices in rural secondary science classrooms

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Tighe, Lisa

The internet and easy accessibility to a wide range of digital content has created the necessity for teachers to embrace and integrate digitial media in their curriculums. Although there is a call for digital media integration in curriculum by current learning standards, rural schools continue to have access to fewer resources due to limited budgets, potentially preventing teachers from having access to the most current technology and science instructional materials. This dissertation identifies the perceptions rural secondary science teachers have on the usefulness of mobile learning devices in the science classroom. The successes and challenges in using mobile learning devices in the secondary classroom were also explored. Throughout this research, teachers generally supported the integration of mobile devices in the classroom, while harboring some concerns relating to student distractability and the time required for integrating mobile devices in exisiting curriculum. Quantitative and qualitative data collected through surveys, interviews, and classroom observations revealed that teachers perceive that mobile devices bring benefits such as ease of communication and easy access to digitial information. However, there are perceived challenges with the ability to effectively communicate complex scientific information via mobile devices, distractibility of students, and the time required to develop effective curriculum to integrate digital media into the secondary science classroom.

Teachers' perceptions of effective science, technology, and mathematics professional development and changes in classroom practices

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Boriack, Anna Christine

The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' perceptions of professional development and changes in classroom practice. A proposed conceptual framework for effective professional development that results in changes in classroom practices was developed. Data from two programs that provided professional development to teachers in the areas of technology, mathematics, and science was used to inform the conceptual framework. These two programs were Target Technology in Texas (T3) and Mathematics, Science, and Technology Teacher Preparation Academies (MSTTPA). This dissertation used a multiple article format to explore each program separately, yet the proposed conceptual framework allowed for comparisons to be made between the two programs. The first study investigated teachers' perceptions of technology-related professional development after their districts had received a T3 grant. An online survey was administrated to all teachers to determine their perceptions of technology-related professional development along with technology self-efficacy. Classroom observations were conducted to determine if teachers were implementing technology. The results indicated that teachers did not perceive professional development as being effective and were not implementing technology in their classrooms. Teachers did have high technology self-efficacy and perceived adequate school support, which implies that effective professional development may be a large factor in whether or not teachers implement technology in their classrooms. The second study evaluated participants' perceptions of the effectiveness of mathematics and science professional development offered through a MSTTP academy. Current and former participants completed an online survey which measured their perceptions of academy activities and school environment. Participants also self-reported classroom implementation of technology. Interviews and open-ended survey questions were used to provide further insight into

Relationship among science teacher personality characteristics and degree of teacher classroom implementation after in-service workshop

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Sechler, Phares Lochiel Coleman

State departments of public instruction require that teachers periodically update their licenses throughout their teaching careers. Various professional development events such as in-service workshops, university offerings, and special innovative programs provide opportunities for novice and experienced teachers to grow professionally. The "Team Science" workshop was designed from models supported by research that described guidelines for successful workshop strategies. In evaluating the workshop, the question was asked "Why did not all teachers implement the ideas from the workshop in their science classrooms?" This study investigates the possible relationship between teacher personality characteristics and implementation of technology innovations. Team Science was an extensive workshop program planned to develop science teachers' expertise in using computer and video technology to teach in physical science, chemistry, and physics classrooms in rural school in North Carolina. Upon evaluating the four-year effort, it was found that the 23 participants implemented the technological strategies at various levels. At the higher end of the range of technology use, some teachers exhibited complete integration of the computers and interfacing devices into both the laboratory work and the classroom inquiry. At the lower end of the range, some teachers used the technology very little. The resulting question emerged from the data collected: Do specific teacher personality characteristics (independent variables) correlate with the degree of implementation (dependent variable) of the innovative ideas and tools used in the teacher's science classroom after the in-service workshop? To determine if there were any significant personality traits, each teacher was given five personality tests. The tests were Hunt's Conceptual Development Test, the Paragraph Completion Test; James Rest's Defining Issues Test; Simmons Personal Survey, an emotional tendency test; the Myers-Briggs Type

Observations of Children’s Interactions with Teachers, Peers, and Tasks across Preschool Classroom Activity Settings

OpenAIRE

Booren, Leslie M.; Downer, Jason T.; Vitiello, Virginia E.

2012-01-01

This descriptive study examined classroom activity settings in relation to children’s observed behavior during classroom interactions, child gender, and basic teacher behavior within the preschool classroom. 145 children were observed for an average of 80 minutes during 8 occasions across 2 days using the inCLASS, an observational measure that conceptualizes behavior into teacher, peer, task, and conflict interactions. Findings indicated that on average children’s interactions with teachers w...

Strategies for Teachers to Manage Stuttering in the Classroom: A Call for Research.

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Davidow, Jason H; Zaroogian, Lisa; Garcia-Barrera, Mauricio A

2016-10-01

This clinical focus article highlights the need for future research involving ways to assist children who stutter in the classroom. The 4 most commonly recommended strategies for teachers were found via searches of electronic databases and personal libraries of the authors. The peer-reviewed evidence for each recommendation was subsequently located and detailed. There are varying amounts of evidence for the 4 recommended teacher strategies outside of the classroom, but there are no data for 2 of the strategies, and minimal data for the others, in a classroom setting. That is, there is virtually no evidence regarding whether or not the actions put forth influence, for example, stuttering frequency, stuttering severity, participation, or the social, emotional, and cognitive components of stuttering in the classroom. There is a need for researchers and speech-language pathologists in the schools to study the outcomes of teacher strategies in the classroom for children who stutter.

A Review of Literature on Teacher Efficacy and Classroom Management

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Dibapile, Waitshega Tefo Smitta

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper was to review the literature on teacher efficacy and classroom management. The conceptual framework of this paper was based on the theories of Rotter (1966) and Bandura (1977). The review of literature indicated that teacher efficacy helps teachers plan effective instructional strategies, increases performance, and…

Developing Elementary Science PCK for Teacher Education: Lessons Learned from a Second Grade Partnership

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Bradbury, Leslie U.; Wilson, Rachel E.; Brookshire, Laura E.

2017-06-01

In this self-study, two science educators partnered with two elementary teachers to plan, implement, and reflect on a unit taught in second grade classrooms that integrated science and language arts. The researchers hoped to increase their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for elementary science teaching so that they might use their experiences working in an elementary context to modify their practices in their elementary science method instruction. The research question guiding the study was: What aspects of our PCK for elementary science teaching do we as science educators develop by co-planning, co-teaching, and reflecting with second grade teachers? Data include transcripts of planning meetings, oral reflections about the experience, and videos of the unit being enacted. Findings indicate that managing resources for science teaching, organizing students for science learning, and reflecting on science teaching were themes prevalent in the data. These themes were linked to the model of PCK developed by Park and Oliver (Research in Science Education, 38, 261-284, 2008) and demonstrate that we developed PCK for elementary science teaching in several areas. In our discussion, we include several proposed changes for our elementary science methods course based on the outcomes of the study.

Using food as a tool to teach science to 3 grade students in Appalachian Ohio.

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Duffrin, Melani W; Hovland, Jana; Carraway-Stage, Virginia; McLeod, Sara; Duffrin, Christopher; Phillips, Sharon; Rivera, David; Saum, Diana; Johanson, George; Graham, Annette; Lee, Tammy; Bosse, Michael; Berryman, Darlene

2010-04-01

The Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource (FoodMASTER) Initiative is a compilation of programs aimed at using food as a tool to teach mathematics and science. In 2007-2008, a foods curriculum developed by professionals in nutrition and education was implemented in 10 3(rd)-grade classrooms in Appalachian Ohio; teachers in these classrooms implemented 45 hands-on foods activities that covered 10 food topics. Subjects included measurement; food safety; vegetables; fruits; milk and cheese; meat, poultry, and fish; eggs; fats; grains; and meal management. Students in four other classrooms served as the control group. Mainstream 3(rd)-grade students were targeted because of their receptiveness to the subject matter, science standards for upper elementary grades, and testing that the students would undergo in 4(th) grade. Teachers and students alike reported that the hands-on FoodMASTER curriculum experience was worthwhile and enjoyable. Our initial classroom observation indicated that the majority of students, girls and boys included, were very excited about the activities, became increasingly interested in the subject matter of food, and were able to conduct scientific observations.

Teachers' Conflict Management Styles: The Role of Attachment Styles and Classroom Management Efficacy

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Morris-Rothschild, Britta K.; Brassard, Marla R.

2006-01-01

Constructive conflict management strategies are important in maintaining a positive classroom environment yet little is known about interpersonal or school variables associated with teachers' use of such strategies with students. Teachers high in self-reported classroom management efficacy (CMEFF) and security of attachment (low on avoidance,…

Korean EFL Teachers' Perceptions of the Impact of EFL Teacher Education upon Their Classroom Teaching Practices

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Yook, Cheongmin; Lee, Yong-hun

2016-01-01

This study employed qualitative data collection and analysis methods to investigate the influence of English as a foreign language teacher education programme on Korean teachers' classroom teaching practices. Six in-service secondary-school teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the data collected…

The Teacher as Applied Measurer: Realities of Classroom Measurement and Assessment.

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Airasian, Peter W.; Jones, Ann M.

1993-01-01

The perspective of classroom measurement and assessment is broadened by providing a general description of classroom context and the measurements and assessments teachers use. A particular focus is how informal assessment is used to inform daily classroom decisions, and how these decisions spill over into formal measurement and assessment. (SLD)

An ongoing collaborative teacher training through action research. A way of changing classroom practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raúl A. Barba-Martín

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The ongoing education training for teachers can be done through different models that could only report or also accompany the process of implementing innovations. The training through reflection processes is presented as essential to make changes in the classroom; also, if it is done collectively with other teachers or between centers, transformations will not only occur in the classroom, but in the whole context. One way leading to a collaborative ongoing education is through action research groups, considering a set of ethical practices whose characteristics allow participants to be trained according to their needs, and through support with other teachers, in order to transform the context. The research we present here is framed in a Teaching Innovation Project, University of Valladolid, through which teachers from three schools that have been trained in inclusive education through action research implementing in their classrooms interactive groups. This collaborative process played by teachers themselves has changed the thinking of teachers, their classroom and their educational contexts in which they work.

Teamwork Evaluation by Middle Grade Students in Inclusive Classrooms

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Strom, Paris S.; Thompson, MaryEllen; Strom, Robert D.

2013-01-01

Teamwork skills are considered essential in a work environment characterized by diversity and interdependence. Consequently, middle grade teachers arrange cooperative learning so students can acquire experience with solving problems in groups. Teachers also acknowledge that they are frustrated because appropriate instruments are lacking to track…

Do student self-efficacy and teacher-student interaction quality contribute to emotional and social engagement in fifth grade math?

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Martin, Daniel P; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E

2015-10-01

This study examined (a) the contribution of math self-efficacy to students' perception of their emotional and social engagement in fifth grade math classes, and (b) the extent to which high quality teacher-student interactions compensated for students' low math self-efficacy in contributing to engagement. Teachers (n = 73) were observed three times during the year during math to measure the quality of teacher-student interactions (emotional, organizational, and instructional support). Fifth graders (n = 387) reported on their math self-efficacy at the beginning of the school year and then were surveyed about their feelings of engagement in math class three times during the year immediately after the lessons during which teachers were observed. Results of multi-level models indicated that students initially lower in math self-efficacy reported lower emotional and social engagement during math class than students with higher self-efficacy. However, in classrooms with high levels of teacher emotional support, students reported similar levels of both emotional and social engagement, regardless of their self-efficacy. No comparable findings emerged for organizational and instructional support. The discussion considers the significance of students' own feelings about math in relation to their engagement, as well as the ways in which teacher and classroom supports can compensate for students lack of agency. The work has implications for school psychologists and teachers eager to boost students' engagement in math class. Copyright © 2015 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Secondary science teachers' view toward and classroom translation of sustained professional development

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Lewis, Elizabeth Blake

This study concerns the phenomenon of secondary science teacher learning and enacting instructional strategies learned at the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) teacher professional development events, as well as teacher perception of, and relationship to, this year-long professional development program. The CISIP program teaches science teachers how to build scientific classroom discourse communities with their students. Some of the science teachers were previous participants in the professional development, and acted as mentor teachers. The research design employed an integrated conceptual framework of situated learning theory with an analytical lens of teachers' professional, institutional and affinity, identities. A multi-method approach was used to generate data. Throughout the 2007-2008 academic year, the teachers' fidelity to the professional development model was measured using a classroom observation instrument aligned with the professional development model. From these observation data a longitudinal model, using hierarchical linear modeling, was constructed. In addition, surveys and interview data were used to construct both whole group and case studies of two high school science teachers who taught biology at the same school. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between previous and new participants; specifically, the longer teachers had participated in the professional development, and adopted a mentorship role, the greater their fidelity of classroom instruction to the CISIP model. Additionally, the case study teacher who developed a CISIP model-aligned affinity identity implemented more of the instructional strategies than the teacher who maintained his school-based institutional identity.

Undergraduate Teacher Candidate Perceptions Integrating Technology in Classroom Instruction

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Anderson, Charlise Askew

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze undergraduate teacher candidates' perceptions on integrating technology in the classroom. The study was embedded in the "Technology Pedagogical Content Knowledge" theoretical model. A sample of 143 undergraduate teacher candidates participated in the study. They were asked to address items on a…

Managing Student Behavior in Dual Immersion Classrooms: A Study of Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams.

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Hansen, Blake D; Caldarella, Paul; Williams, Leslie; Wills, Howard P

2017-09-01

Classroom management in dual immersion classrooms includes unique challenges. The teacher must instruct and correct in the L2 language, in which students are beginning learners, and effective classroom management strategies appropriate to the L2 context. Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a positive classroom management program that teaches social skills and uses group contingencies to improve behavior. The present study examined the ability of French immersion teachers to implement CW-FIT in the L2, including the effects of CW-FIT on teacher praise and reprimand rates and as well as on students' classroom behavior. Social validity was also assessed. A single-subject multiple baseline design with embedded reversals was used to evaluate impact in second-, third-, and fourth-grade dual immersion classrooms. Results indicated that dual immersion teachers were able to implement CW-FIT in L2 with fidelity. The intervention significantly increased teacher praise and improved classroom on-task behavior. Changes in teacher reprimand rates were inconsistent. Students and teachers reported CW-FIT to be socially valid.

Digital Technology and Teacher Preparation: The Instructional Role of Social Media Among Pre-Service Teachers

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Trytten, Bria Klotz

As social media use becomes more prevalent among teachers, it becomes vital to understand how teachers are using social media and what effects it has, if any, on teaching practices in the classroom. This study sought to explore the relationship between pre-service teachers' use of social media and their perceptions of inquiry-based science education, an important teaching best practice. This study is unique in that it explores pre-service teachers' use of three social media platforms--Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest--and how pre-service teachers plan to apply them to classroom education. Previous studies focused on only one social media platform, usually Twitter or Facebook. This study surveyed 113 pre-service teachers in their 3rd or 4th year of school at one of two teacher colleges. The survey employed multiple choice, open-ended, and Likert-type questions to assess pre-service teachers' use of social media as well as their attitudes surrounding inquiry-based instruction. In order to better explain and analyze survey results, fourteen survey participants were interviewed with follow-up questions to elaborate on both social media use and inquiry attitudes. Findings indicated that the pre-service teachers used social media, and overwhelmingly Pinterest, to find lesson plans and classroom organizational ideas. Cited reasons for this practice included convenience, variety of lesson planning, and easily searchable databases. The study found statistical significance in that teachers who aspire to teach lower grade levels will turn to social media to find lesson plans more frequently than those who aspire to teach higher grade levels. The study found social media use had no statistically significant effect on the level of inquiry-based teaching that the participants aimed to achieve in their future classrooms.

Predicting Academic Achievement from Classroom Behaviors

OpenAIRE

Flynt, Cynthia J.

2008-01-01

PREDICTING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FROM CLASSROOM BEHAVIORS by Cynthia J. Flynt Nancy Bodenhorn & Kusum Singh, Co-Chairs Counselor Education (ABSTRACT) This study examined the influence of behaviors exhibited in the classroom on reading and math achievement in the first, third and eighth grades; and the influence of teacher perceptions on reading and math achievement of African-Americans versus White students and male versus female students. Lastly, the study examined te...

Teachers' Experiences Providing One-on-One Instruction to Struggling Readers

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Liebfreund, Meghan D.; Amendum, Steven J.

2017-01-01

This study examined the experiences of 12 kindergarten, first-, and second-grade classroom teachers who provided one-on-one intervention instruction for struggling readers within the general classroom context. Teachers were interviewed at the end of the project. Interview statements clustered into four themes: Managing One-on-One Intervention,…

Exploring Teacher Knowledge about Dyslexia and Teacher Efficacy in the Inclusive Classroom: A Multiple Case Study

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Sicherer, Mati

2014-01-01

Researchers have found that teachers seem to lack information about dyslexia which can influence teaching efficacy and behavior. Because inclusion has caused children with dyslexia to spend the majority of their day in general education classrooms, general education teachers are mainly responsible for educating these students. These teachers must…

What Can a Teacher Do to Support Students' Interest in Science? A Study of the Constitution of Taste in a Science Classroom

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Anderhag, Per; Hamza, Karim Mikael; Wickman, Per-Olof

2015-10-01

In this study, we examined how a teacher may make a difference to the way interest develops in a science classroom, especially for students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. We adopted a methodology based on the concept of taste for science drawing on the work of John Dewey and Pierre Bourdieu. We investigated through transcripts from video recordings how such a taste is socially constituted in a 9th grade (ages 15-16) science classroom, where there was evidence that the teacher was making a positive difference to students' post-compulsory school choice with regard to science. Salient findings regarding how this teacher supported students' interest are summarized. For example, the teacher consistently followed up how the students acknowledged and enjoyed purposes, norms, and values of the science practice and so ensuing that they could participate successfully. During these instances, feelings and personal contributions of the students were also acknowledged and made continuous with the scientific practice. The results were compared with earlier research, implications are discussed, and some suggestions are given about how these can be used by teachers in order to support student interest.

Digital Devices in Classroom--Hesitations of Teachers-to-Be

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Lam, Paul; Tong, Aiden

2012-01-01

More and more teachers are facing the decision whether they should allow or promote students the use of technology in the classroom. The decision is difficult as there are apparently both advantages and disadvantages in doing either way. In terms of positive impacts, research revealed that the use of digital devices in the classroom setting was…

The Effectiveness of Rule-Governed Democracy Classroom Management Style on Self-Esteem of 3rd-grade High School Male Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Nazari

2015-06-01

Full Text Available By utilizing classroom management styles, teachers will be able to get rid of possible students’ misconducts and promote a friendly atmosphere which will in effect promote students’ participation in learning activities. Additionally, increased self-esteem, which is an achievement of such utilization, will influence various aspects of students’ future lives. Taking this point into consideration, the present study aimed at determining the efficacy of rule-governed democracy classroom management style on self-esteem of 3rd-grade high-school male students. All 3rd-grade high-school male students of Abdanan city in the academic year 2013 comprised the statistical population to this study. Using convenience sampling, 38 subjects were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The research design was pretest-post-test. Cooper Smith's self-esteem questionnaire was used as the research instrument which was administered to the two groups at the outset. The experimental group was given seven 90-minutes sessions of treatment and twice-a-week. The two groups were asked to fill out the same questionnaire for the post-test stage afterwards. Descriptive statistics, including the analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that the utilization of rule-governed democracy classroom management style in the classroom had significantly increased the self-esteem (public-family-social- and scholastic-professional of male students in the post-test (p<0/001.

The Relationship between Teachers' Knowledge and Beliefs about Science and Inquiry and Their Classroom Practices

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Saad, Rayana; BouJaoude, Saouma

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between teachers' attitudes toward science, knowledge and beliefs about inquiry, and science classroom teaching practices. Specifically, the study addressed three questions: What are teachers' beliefs and knowledge about inquiry? What are teachers' teaching related classroom practices? Do…

Children's perceptions of the classroom environment and social and academic performance: a longitudinal analysis of the contribution of the Responsive Classroom approach.

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Brock, Laura L; Nishida, Tracy K; Chiong, Cynthia; Grimm, Kevin J; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E

2008-04-01

This study examines the contribution of the Responsive Classroom (RC) Approach, a set of teaching practices that integrate social and academic learning, to children's perceptions of their classroom, and children's academic and social performance over time. Three questions emerge: (a) What is the concurrent and cumulative relation between children's perceptions of the classroom and social and academic outcomes over time? (b) What is the contribution of teacher's use of RC practices to children's perceptions and social and academic outcomes? (c) Do children's perceptions of the classroom mediate the relation between RC teacher practices and child outcomes? Cross-lagged autoregressive structural equation models were used to analyze teacher and child-report questionnaire data, along with standardized test scores collected over 3 years from a sample of 520 children in grades 3-5. Results indicate a significant positive relation between RC teacher practices and child perceptions and outcomes over time. Further, children's perceptions partially mediated the relation between RC teacher practices and social competence. However, the models did not demonstrate that child perceptions mediated the relation between RC practices and achievement outcomes. Results are explained in terms of the contribution of teacher practices to children's perceptions and student performance.

The Student Teachers Perceptions On Teaching Practice Supervision In Zimbabwe Is It A Process Of Grading Or Improvement Of Teaching Skills

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Dr Sylod Chimhenga

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Supervisors are expected to observe how student teachers prepare deliver the lesson and conduct themselves as members of teaching profession and are expected to advise the students on how to improve their teaching skills. The present study is a descriptive survey which sought to analyze student teachers perception towards teaching practice as an exercise for grading or improvement and examine student teachers perception towards student-supervisor comments during discussion after classroom assessment. The sample comprised of 50 second year Diploma in Education who had undergone teaching practice in 2016. The students were purposefully sampled. In purposeful sampling the researcher selects the participants because they possess particular characteristics or knowledge being sought. A questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. The findings indicated that majority of student teachers who participated in the teaching practice perceived that the supervisors gave grades which did not reflect the comments made about the teaching performance of the student teacher. Based on the findings recommendations were made among others that assessment should match the comments on areas needing improvement and meaningful accompanying comments should be made to guide student teachers in the desired directions during teaching practice encourage student teachers to try harder or to give credit for work done well.

Japanese Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers' Lived Experiences: Self-Disclosure in the Classroom

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Katadae, Ayako

2008-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of Japanese family and consumer sciences teachers' self-disclosure in the classroom. Twelve secondary school teachers were interviewed, beginning with this primary question, "Think about a specific time and space when you self-disclosed in the classroom. Would you…

Teachers' Literal and Inferential Talk in Early Childhood and Special Education Classrooms

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Sembiante, Sabrina F.; Dynia, Jaclyn M.; Kaderavek, Joan N.; Justice, Laura M.

2018-01-01

Research Findings: This study examined preschool teachers' literal talk (LT) and inferential talk (IT) during shared book readings in early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood special education (ECSE) classrooms. We aimed to characterize and compare teachers' LT and IT in these 2 classroom contexts and determine whether differences in LT…

Teacher-to-Teacher Consultation: Facilitating Consistent and Effective Intervention across Grade Levels for Students with ADHD

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Gormley, Matthew J.; Dupaul, George J.

2015-01-01

Teacher-to-teacher consultation (TTC) is an extension of standard behavioral consultation that seeks to transfer an established and effective intervention across a grade-level transition by including teachers from both grade levels as conjoint consultees at the beginning of the second school year. The purpose of the current study was to determine…

Teacher's Approaches in Teaching Literature: Observations of ESL Classroom

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Mustakim, Siti Salina; Mustapha, Ramlee; Lebar, Othman

2014-01-01

This study aimed to identify the approaches employed by teachers in teaching Contemporary Children's Literature Program to upper primary school. Using classroom observations and interview as research instruments, this paper evaluates the approaches of five ESL teachers teaching Year 5 students and examines the various challenges faced by them in…

Transfer of Online Professional Learning to Teachers' Classroom Practice

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Herrington, Anthony; Herrington, Jan; Hoban, Garry; Reid, Doug

2009-01-01

Professional learning is an important process in enabling teachers to update their pedagogical knowledge and practices. The use of online technologies to support professional learning has a number of benefits in terms of flexibility and scalability. However, it is not clear how well the approach impacts on teachers' classroom practices. This…

Examining Teacher Framing, Student Reasoning, and Student Agency in School-Based Citizen Science

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Harris, Emily Mae

This dissertation presents three interrelated studies examining opportunities for student learning through contributory citizen science (CS), where students collect and contribute data to help generate new scientific knowledge. I draw on sociocultural perspectives of learning to analyze three cases where teachers integrated CS into school science, one third grade, one fourth grade, and one high school Marine Biology classroom. Chapter 2 is a conceptual investigation of the opportunities for students to engage in scientific reasoning practices during CS data collection activities. Drawing on science education literature and vignettes from case studies, I argue that the teacher plays an important role in mediating opportunities for students to engage in investigative, explanatory, and argumentative practices of science through CS. Chapter 3 focuses on teacher framing of CS, how teachers perceive what is going on (Goffman, 1974) and how they communicate that to students as they launch CS tasks. Through analysis of videos and interviews of two upper elementary school teachers, I found that teachers frame CS for different purposes. These framings were influenced by teachers' goals, orientations towards science and CS, planning for instruction, and prior knowledge and experience. Chapter 4 examines how students demonstrate agency with environmental science as they explore their personal interests across their third grade classroom, school garden, and science lab contexts, through the lens of social practice theory (Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, & Cain, 1998). Through analysis of classroom observations, student interviews, teacher interviews and important moments for three focal students, I found that student agency was enabled and constrained by the different cultures of the classroom, garden, and science lab. Despite affordances of the garden and science lab, the teachers' epistemic authority in the classroom permeated all three contexts, constraining student agency. In

The Development of Statistical Literacy Skills in the Eighth Grade: Exploring the TIMSS Data to Evaluate Student Achievement and Teacher Characteristics in the United States

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Mills, Jamie D.; Holloway, Charles E.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between student achievement in statistics and factors at the student and teacher/classroom levels using the US 8th-grade Data and Chance content domain from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, 2007 (TIMSS, 2007). Using variables that have been linked to mathematics and statistics…

Classroom planning and organizing as tasks for the home economics teacher at secondary schools / Lesley Ann Greyvenstein

OpenAIRE

Greyvenstein, Lesley Ann

1986-01-01

Classroom management, as part-discipline of Educational Management, is a function of the teacher in his role of teacher-manager, consisting of the specific regulative tasks or actions performed by the teacher to facilitate the achievement of effective education within the classroom. The four major classroom managerial tasks for the teacher are the planning, organizing, leading and controlling actions, each consisting of numerous sub-tasks, which, although researched as separ...

Arts in the Classroom: What One Elementary Teacher Can Do.

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Ambler, Nancy Morison; Strong, Barbara R.

This monograph, one in a series, describes ways in which elementary teachers have brought arts to the classroom. Descriptions of what teachers are doing are organized by themes. The first theme is the use of the arts in basic skill development. One teacher in Casper, Wyoming, produces rebus books for her students. These books offer a means of…

A 'blended' in-service arrangement for classroom technology integration: impacts on teachers and students

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voogt, Joke; Almekinders, M.P.; van den Akker, Jan; Moonen, B.H.

2005-01-01

Many studies report that the implementation of technology in education is a complex innovation. Particularly teachers lack skills to integrate technology in their instructional processes. Therefore the potential of technology in the classroom is hardly realized. Teacher learning on classroom use of

Teachers' Preparation Needs for Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Jackson, Barcus C.

2013-01-01

School districts across the country are charged with preparing the next generation for competing in a global economy and have spent billions of dollars on technology acquisition and Internet use. However, teachers do not feel prepared to integrate technology in the classroom. To prepare teachers for technology integration, the most common approach…

A Chinese EFL Teacher's Classroom Assessment Practices

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Wang, Xiaoying

2017-01-01

This article reports on a case study of how an experienced EFL teacher assessed her students in her oral English course at a university in China. Data were collected over one semester through document analysis, classroom observation and recording, interviews, and student journals. Analysis revealed that the teacher assessed her students through…

Teaching and nature: Middle school science teachers' relationship with nature in personal and classroom contexts

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Ball, Nadine Butcher

2000-10-01

This qualitative study describes three middle-school science teachers' relationship-with-nature in personal and classroom contexts. Participating teachers had more than 7 years experience and were deemed exemplary practitioners by others. Interview data about personal context focused on photographs the teacher took representing her/his relationship-with-nature in daily life. Interview data for classroom context explored classroom events during three or more researcher observations. Transcripts were analyzed using a multiple-readings approach to data reduction (Gilligan, Brown & Rogers, 1990; Miles & Huberman, 1994, p. 14, 141). Readings generated categorical information focused on portrayals of: nature; self; and relationship-with-nature. Categorical data were synthesized into personal and teaching case portraits for each teacher, and cross case themes identified. Participants indicated the portraits accurately represented who they saw themselves to be. Additional readings identified sub-stories by plot and theme. Narrative data were clustered to highlight elements of practice with implications for the relationship-with-nature lived in the classroom. These individual-scale moments were compared with cultural-scale distinctions between anthropocentric and ecological world views. Cross case themes included dimensions of exemplary middle-school science teaching important to teacher education and development, including an expanded conception of knowing and skillful use of student experience. Categorical analysis revealed each teacher had a unique organizing theme influencing their interpretation of personal and classroom events, and that nature is experienced differently in personal as opposed to teaching contexts. Narrative analysis highlights teachers' stories of classroom pets, dissection, and student dissent, illustrating an interplay between conceptual distinctions and personal dimensions during moments of teacher decision making. Results suggest teachers

The effect of training on teachers' knowledge of effective classroom ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effect of training on teachers' knowledge of effective classroom management strategies in Jos metropolis. ... Global Journal of Educational Research ... A single group pre-post test design was used, with a one-day training on classroom management techniques as the independent variable and the number of strategies ...

The Development of Novice Teachers' Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Practice

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Patish, Yelena

2016-01-01

While extensive research has been conducted on classroom management little research exists on culturally responsive classroom management. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how four novice teachers developed their culturally responsive management practice (CRCM) to better meet the needs of their students. My analysis was…

Speech-Language Pathologists' and Teachers' Perceptions of Classroom-Based Interventions.

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Beck, Ann R.; Dennis, Marcia

1997-01-01

Speech-language pathologists (N=21) and teachers (N=54) were surveyed regarding their perceptions of classroom-based interventions. The two groups agreed about the primary advantages and disadvantages of most interventions, the primary areas of difference being classroom management and ease of data collection. Other findings indicated few…

Teachers' Experience in Implementing Cooperative Learning in the Classrooms (Phenomenological Research at Junior High School Classrooms in Ponorogo, East Java, Indonesia)

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Harjali

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the teachers' perception toward the implementation of cooperative learning in the classroom. The research applied a qualitative phenomenological design that used a purposeful sample of six teachers at Junior High School Classrooms in Ponorogo, East Java, Indonesia. Data collected via in-depth interviews, participant…

Teacher Tweets Improve Achievement for Eighth Grade Science Students

OpenAIRE

Carol Van Vooren; Corey Bess

2013-01-01

In the Digital Age teachers have fallen far behind the technical skills of their "digital native" students. The implementation of technology as a tool for classroom communication is foreign for most teachers, but highly preferred by students. While teenagers are using Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks to communicate, teachers continue to respond through face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, and email messaging. Twitter, a platform for short message service text, is an online...

Classroom Simulation for Trainee Teachers Using 3D Virtual Environments and Simulated Smartbot Student Behaviours

OpenAIRE

Alotaibi, Fahad Mazaed

2014-01-01

his thesis consists of an analysis of a classroom simulation using a Second Life (SL) experiment that aims to investigate the teaching impact on smartbots (virtual students) from trainee teacher avatars with respect to interaction, simulated behaviour, and observed teaching roles. The classroom-based SL experiments’ motivation is to enable the trainee teacher to acquire the necessary skills and experience to manage a real classroom environment through simulations of a real classroom. This ty...

Trading Places: When Teachers Utilize Student Expertise in Technology-Intensive Classrooms.

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Ringstaff, Cathy; And Others

Utilizing self-report data from 32 elementary and secondary teachers, this longitudinal, qualitative study examines the role shifts of both teachers and students as they adapted to teaching and learning in educational, technology-rich, Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow environments. At first, teachers in these instructionally innovative classrooms…

Teachers' Emotional Labour, Discrete Emotions, and Classroom Management Self-Efficacy

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Lee, Mikyoung; van Vlack, Stephen

2018-01-01

Extending research on teachers' emotions beyond general educational contexts and Western samples, we examined how teachers' emotions correlated with their emotional labour strategies and classroom management self-efficacy with an East-Asian sample in an English teaching context (127 Korean English teachers). Surface acting (emotional expressions…

Language practices in school-based Grade R classrooms | Lenyai ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The investigation on language practices aimed at establishing how the language of learning policy formulated by the Department of Education in South Africa was interpreted at classroom level. The study focused on language activities in schoolbased Grade R classes to observe how learners' home language was used as ...

Observations of Children's Interactions with Teachers, Peers, and Tasks across Preschool Classroom Activity Settings.

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Booren, Leslie M; Downer, Jason T; Vitiello, Virginia E

2012-07-01

This descriptive study examined classroom activity settings in relation to children's observed behavior during classroom interactions, child gender, and basic teacher behavior within the preschool classroom. 145 children were observed for an average of 80 minutes during 8 occasions across 2 days using the inCLASS, an observational measure that conceptualizes behavior into teacher, peer, task, and conflict interactions. Findings indicated that on average children's interactions with teachers were higher in teacher-structured settings, such as large group. On average, children's interactions with peers and tasks were more positive in child-directed settings, such as free choice. Children experienced more conflict during recess and routines/transitions. Finally, gender differences were observed within small group and meals. The implications of these findings might encourage teachers to be thoughtful and intentional about what types of support and resources are provided so children can successfully navigate the demands of particular settings. These findings are not meant to discourage certain teacher behaviors or imply value of certain classroom settings; instead, by providing an evidenced-based picture of the conditions under which children display the most positive interactions, teachers can be more aware of choices within these settings and have a powerful way to assist in professional development and interventions.

Teacher Logs: A Tool for Gaining a Comprehensive Understanding of Classroom Practices

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Glennie, Elizabeth J.; Charles, Karen J.; Rice, Olivia N.

2017-01-01

Examining repeated classroom encounters over time provides a comprehensive picture of activities. Studies of instructional practices in classrooms have traditionally relied on two methods: classroom observations, which are expensive, and surveys, which are limited in scope and accuracy. Teacher logs provide a "real-time" method for…

Student explanations of their science teachers' assessments, grading practices and how they learn science

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del Carmen Gomez, María

2018-03-01

The current paper draws on data generated through group interviews with students who were involved in a larger ethnographic research project performed in three science classrooms. The purpose of the study from which this data was generated, was to understand science teachers' assessment practices in an upper-secondary school in Sweden. During group interviews students were asked about their conceptions of what were the assessment priority of teachers, why the students were silent during lecturing and their experiences regarding peer- and self-assessments. The research design and analysis of the findings derives from what students told us about their assessments and learning sciences experiences. Students related that besides the results of the written test, they do not know what else teachers assessed and used to determine their grades. It was also found that students did not participate in the discussion on science because of peer-pressure and a fear of disappointing their peers. Student silence is also linked with student conceptions of science learning and student experiences with methodologies of teaching and learning sciences.

My Classroom: Philippines

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Santoro, Cerise

2017-01-01

In his first teaching assignment, as a fifth-grade English teacher, Edgar Manaran had only 20 desks for 48 students. Yet he was able to apply productive classroom strategies throughout his 25-hour teaching week. Some of his students sat on plastic chairs due to the shortage of desks, but that did not change the dynamic of Mr. Manaran's classes. He…

Teacher Learning in the Workplace: A Study of the Relationship between a Novice EFL Teacher's Classroom Practices and Cognition Development

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Kang, Yan; Cheng, Xiaotang

2014-01-01

This article reports on an in-depth case study of a novice middle school EFL teacher's cognition development during the process of learning to teach in the workplace. Data was collected mainly through classroom observations and interviews. Results indicate that the teacher exhibited a considerable amount of change in her classroom practices, which…

Teaching reading in a multi-grade class: Teachers’ adaptive skills and teacher agency in teaching across grade R and grade 1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Labby Ramrathan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The skill of reading is regarded as the cornerstone of literacy learning in the foundation phase. Although it is the most complex skill to master, it forms part of literacy teaching. Most learners begin schooling without having any kind of exposure to reading. This lack of exposure introduces a number of challenges, which are consequently exacerbated if teachers have to teach in multi-grade classes. This case study was conducted in two primary schools in the Ndwedwe Circuit in KwaZulu-Natal. It is framed within the interpretive epistemology embedded in a qualitative research methodology. Empirical data were generated from two rural schools where multi-grade teaching was undertaken. To produce data, two teachers teaching multi-grade classes (incorporating both grade R and grade 1 were observed during an isiZulu Home Language reading period. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were used to elicit more data for corroboration of findings. The findings show that teacher agency is crucial in making adaptive decisions. These decisions are based on the intersection of formal knowledge, situational knowledge and experiential knowledge that the teachers have acquired over time.

Creating a Classroom Where Readers Flourish

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Miller, Donalyn

2012-01-01

Numerous research studies prove that wide reading improves children's comprehension, background knowledge, vocabulary, fluency, and writing. The author, a sixth-grade language arts teacher, describes the classroom conditions and instructional practices that encourage wide reading and increase her students' reading motivation such as choice in…

Anxiety in the Classroom: Implications for Middle School Teachers

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Moran, Kristen

2016-01-01

Anxiety is a prevalent mental health concern in children and adolescents that can have a negative effect on their personal relationships as well as their academics. Teachers are in a position to assist in recognizing the signs of anxiety and supporting students in the classroom. Practical suggestions on how teachers can support middle school…

Two Heads Are Better than One: Influencing Preservice Classroom Teachers' Understanding and Practice of Classroom-Library Collaboration

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Moreillon, Judi

2008-01-01

Two Heads Are Better than One: The Factors Influencing the Understanding and Practice of Classroom-Library Collaboration proposed to identify the factors involved in educating future K-8 classroom teachers about collaboration for instruction with school library media specialists (SLMSs). This longitudinal study monitored the growth of teacher…

Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing Instructional Games in Mathematics Classrooms: Examining the Quality of Teacher-Student Interactions during the Cover-Up and Un-Cover Games

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Heshmati, Saeideh; Kersting, Nicole; Sutton, Taliesin

2018-01-01

This study explored the design and implementation of the Cover-up and Un-cover games, two manipulative-based fraction games, in 14 fifth-grade classrooms. We examined how the fraction concepts were integrated into the game design and explored the nature of teacher-student interactions during games using lesson videos. Our examination showed that…

Agriculture & the Environment. Teacher's Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

McMurry, Linda Maston

This teacher's guide offers background information that teachers can use to incorporate topics related to agriculture and the environment into the curriculum. Classroom activities to bring these topics alive for students in grades 6-9 are suggested. Chapters include: (1) Pesticides and Integrated Pest Management; (2) Food Safety; (3) Water…

Pre-Service Teachers: An Analysis of Reading Instruction in High Needs Districts Dual Language Classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Whitacre

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Pre-service teachers need opportunities to apply theory and connect to best practices as they teach in classroom settings be it, whole or small group. For many pre-service teachers often times their experience is limited to simply watching instruction or working with small groups of students (Pryor & Kuhn, 2004. The student teaching experience is a critical component of the teacher preparation program. Through the use of the English Language Learner Classroom Observation Instrument (ELLCOI, and researcher observation the hope is that these will aid in bringing to light the instructional activities used by pre-service teachers during reading instruction with ELLs. This study explores how pre-service bilingual teachers connect theory into practice by examining their instruction in the following categories: Instructional Practices, Interactive Teaching, English-Language Development, and Content Specific to Reading as listed in The English Language Learner Classroom Observation Instrument (ELLCOI developed by Haager, Gersten, Baker, and Graves (2003. To capture these instructional events video tape recordings of eight South Texas pre-service teachers were taken during a reading language arts lesson in order to observe instruction in high need districts’ dual language/bilingual classrooms. Data were compiled to capture the nature and quality of instruction on key essential elements, as well as reading instructional practices specific to the teaching/learning process in the dual language classroom. The findings portray the results of the ELLCOI with bilingual/ESL pre- service teachers and how they make sense of their instructional practices as a means to instruction in one-way dual language public school classrooms.

THE USE OF MOTHER TONGUE IN EFL CLASSROOMS WITH YOUNG ENGLISH LEARNERS IN KORÇA, ALBANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorela KAÇAUNI KONOMI

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to show to what extent English teachers speak the MT (Albanian in the EFL classrooms when they teach Young English Learners in a public school in Korça, Albania. To achieve this, the researcher analyzed the data collected from four classroom observations in grades 3 up to 6. Three English teachers were interviewed and compared to show how much they used Albanian and reasons why they used it. The data obtained from the classroom observations and interviews showed that all the teachers used Albanian in the EFL classrooms in different extents and for different reasons.

Teacher perspectives on science literacy in multilingual classrooms –multidisciplinary explorations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hajer, Maaike; Nielsen, Birgitte Lund; Tytler, Russell

using Clarke & Hollingworth (2002) (referred to as C&H) model for analyzing teacher development as connections between teachers personal domain of knowledge and beliefs, practice domain of experimenting in the classroom, domain of consequence including salient student outcomes and the external domain...... that requires multidisciplinary cooperation. The Swedish Science and Literacy Teaching (SALT)project focuses on the questions How do science teachers address literacy skills in classes with secondary students in a multilingual classroom? and How can an explicit focus on literacy development become an integrated...... part of science teachers’ practice and thinking? The multidisciplinary team includes expertise in applied linguistics (text analysis, second language teaching), science pedagogy and teacher professional development. Having gathered the SALT data, the challenge in this phase is in the analysis. How can...

Early-Adolescents' Reading Comprehension and the Stability of the Middle School Classroom-Language Environment

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Gámez, Perla B.; Lesaux, Nonie K.

2015-01-01

This study examined teachers' language use across the school year in 6th grade urban middle-school classrooms (n = 24) and investigated the influence of this classroom-based linguistic input on the reading comprehension skills of the students (n = 851; 599 language minority learners and 252 English-only) in the participating classrooms. Analysis…

Community of Learners, Carnival, and Participation in a Punjabi Sikh Classroom.

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Toohey, Kelleen; Waterstone, Bonnie; Jule-Lemke, Allyson

2000-01-01

Examines classroom activities engaged in by more and less experienced Punjabi-Sikh Grade 1 speakers of English and discusses how relationship between those speakers are implicated in their speech activities. Three occasions in this classroom are examined: A common, teacher-directed interaction; an excerpt of children at play; and a playful…

Teachers' Views about the Education of Gifted Students in Regular Classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neşe Kutlu Abu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate classroom teachers’ views about the education of gifted students in regular classrooms. The sample of the study is composed of ten primary school teachers working in the city of Amasya and had gifted students in their classes. In the present study, phenomenological research design was used. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed descriptively in the QSR N-Vivo package program. The findings showed that teachers did not believe a need for differentiating curriculum for gifted students; rather they expressed that regular curriculum was enough for gifted students. Based on the findings, it is clear that teachers need training both on the need of differentiated education for gifted students and strategies and approaches about how to educate gifted students. Teachers’ attitudes towards gifted students in regular classrooms should be investigated so that teachers’ unsupportive beliefs about differentiation for gifted students also influence their attitudes towards gifted students.

Exploring PE Teachers' "Gut Feelings": An Attempt to Verbalise and Discuss Teachers' Internalised Grading Criteria

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Svennberg, Lena; Meckbach, Jane; Redelius, Karin

2014-01-01

Research shows that teachers' grading is influenced by non-achievement factors in addition to official criteria, such as knowledge and skills. Some grading criteria are internalised by the teacher, who is sometimes unable to verbalise the criteria used and refers to what is called a "gut feeling". Therefore, transparency, validity and…

Instructional quality of lower grades natural science classes: the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... classes: the case of primary schools linked to Kemise College of Teacher Education. ... the quality of natural science education classroom instruction in lower grade ... on pedagogical and subject matter issue, closer support and supervision.

Conceptual systems and teacher attitudes toward regular classroom placement of mildly mentally retarded students.

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, D; Altman, R

1985-01-01

The effects of a teacher personality construct (abstract vs. concrete conceptual system) and two pupil variables (race, school behavior) on 454 regular classroom teachers' attitudes toward mainstreaming were determined. Following administration of the Conceptual Systems Test, teachers were randomly assigned a profile of a mildly mentally retarded student that held pupil IQ and school achievement constant while varying pupil's race and school behavior. Subjects responded on an integration inventory comprised of three subscales: social-psychological classroom environment, self-actualization, and classroom cohesiveness. Results revealed a significant main effect on the behavior variable and a significant Personality X Race interaction on all inventory dimensions, suggesting that these teachers perceived maladaptive behavior of mainstreamed retarded students as a significant threat to a conducive instructional atmosphere and the capability of nonretarded students to achieve to their potential. These results have implications for inservice training for teachers based on the pupil race and teacher conceptual system findings.

Using Theory to Support Classroom Teachers as Physical Activity Promoters

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Egan, Catherine A.; Webster, Collin A.

2018-01-01

Recently, there has been growing attention on the importance of the staff involvement component of a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP). In particular, classroom teachers (CTs) are increasingly being called upon to promote physical activity (PA) in their classrooms as part of the PA during school component of a CSPAP.…

Teachers' classroom management variables and students' academic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Teachers' classroom management variables and students' academic achievement in French in Cross River State, Nigeria. JU Emeh, CA Agbor. Abstract. No Abstract. Global Journal of Humanities Vol. 4(1&2) 2005: 25-27. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD ...

"Unwalling" the Classroom: Teacher Reaction and Adaptation

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Deed, Craig; Lesko, Thomas

2015-01-01

Modern open school architecture abstractly expresses ideas about choice, flexibility and autonomy. While open spaces express and authorise different teaching practice, these versions of school and classrooms present challenges to teaching routines and practice. This paper examines how teachers adapt as they move into new school buildings designed…

Educating English Learners: What Every Classroom Teacher Needs to Know

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Nutta, Joyce W.; Strebel, Carine; Mokhtari, Kouider; Mihai, Florin M.; Crevecoeur-Bryant, Edwidge

2014-01-01

In "Educating English Learners," Joyce W. Nutta and her colleagues offer practical tools for helping schools and teachers successfully integrate English learners into mainstream classrooms. Drawing on the One Plus model presented in their award-winning book, "Preparing Every Teacher to Reach English Learners," the authors now…

Predicting Teacher Participation in a Classroom-Based, Integrated Preventive Intervention for Preschoolers.

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Baker, Courtney N; Kupersmidt, Janis B; Voegler-Lee, Mary Ellen; Arnold, David H; Willoughby, Michael T

2010-01-01

Preschools provide a promising setting in which to conduct preventive interventions for childhood problems, but classroom programs can only be effective if teachers are willing and able to implement them. This study is one of the first to investigate predictors of the frequency of teacher participation in a classroom-based, randomized controlled trial of an integrated prevention program for preschoolers. The intervention was designed to promote school readiness with an integrated social and academic program, to be implemented by teachers with the support of classroom consultants. The current study is part of a larger project conducted with Head Start and community child care centers that serve primarily economically disadvantaged families; 49 teachers from 30 centers participated in this study. Overall, teachers conducted approximately 70% of the program activities. Participation decreased significantly over time from the first to the final week of the intervention, and also decreased within each week of the intervention, from the first to the final weekly activity. Teachers working at community child care centers implemented more intervention activities than did Head Start teachers. Teacher concerns about the intervention, assessed prior to training, predicted less participation. In addition, teachers' participation was positively related to their perception that their centers and directors were supportive, collegial, efficient, and fair, as well as their job satisfaction and commitment. Teacher experience, education, ethnicity, and self-efficacy were not significantly related to participation. In multi-level models that considered center as a level of analysis, substantial variance was accounted for by centers, pointing to the importance of considering center-level predictors in future research.

Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education: STEM Graduate Students Bring Current Research into 7th-12th Grade Science Classrooms

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Radencic, S.; Dawkins, K. S.; Jackson, B. S.; Walker, R. M.; Schmitz, D.; Pierce, D.; Funderburk, W. K.; McNeal, K.

2014-12-01

Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE), a NSF Graduate K-12 (GK-12) program at Mississippi State University, pairs STEM graduate students with local K-12 teachers to bring new inquiry and technology experiences to the classroom (www.gk12.msstate.edu). The graduate fellows prepare lessons for the students incorporating different facets of their research. The lessons vary in degree of difficulty according to the content covered in the classroom and the grade level of the students. The focus of each lesson is directed toward the individual research of the STEM graduate student using inquiry based designed activities. Scientific instruments that are used in STEM research (e.g. SkyMaster weather stations, GPS, portable SEM, Inclinometer, Soil Moisture Probe, Google Earth, ArcGIS Explorer) are also utilized by K-12 students in the activities developed by the graduate students. Creativity and problem solving skills are sparked by curiosity which leads to the discovery of new information. The graduate students work to enhance their ability to effectively communicate their research to members of society through the creation of research linked classroom activities, enabling the 7-12th grade students to connect basic processes used in STEM research with the required state and national science standards. The graduate students become respected role models for the high school students because of their STEM knowledge base and their passion for their research. Sharing enthusiasm for their chosen STEM field, as well as the application techniques to discover new ideas, the graduate students stimulate the interests of the classroom students and model authentic science process skills while highlighting the relevance of STEM research to K-12 student lives. The measurement of the student attitudes about science is gathered from pre and post interest surveys for the past four years. This partnership allows students, teachers, graduate students, and the public to

Relations between third grade teachers' depressive symptoms and their feedback to students, with implications for student mathematics achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

McLean, Leigh; Connor, Carol McDonald

2018-06-01

Recent studies have observed connections among teachers' depressive symptoms and student outcomes; however, the specific mechanisms through which teachers' mental health characteristics operate in the classroom remain largely unknown. The present study used student-level observation methods to examine the relations between third-grade teachers' (N = 32) depressive symptoms and their academic feedback to students (N = 310) and sought to make inferences about how these factors might influence students' mathematics achievement. A novel observational tool, the Teacher Feedback Coding System-Academic (TFCS-A), was used that assesses feedback across 2 dimensions-teacher affect and instructional strategy, which have been shown to be important to student learning. Multilevel exploratory factor analysis of TFCS-A data suggested 2 primary factors: positive feedback and neutral/negative feedback. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that positive feedback was related to higher math achievement among students who began the year with weaker math skills and that teachers who reported more depressive symptoms less frequently provided this positive feedback. Results offer new information about a type of instruction that may be affected by teachers' depressive symptoms and inform efforts aimed at improving teachers' instructional interactions with students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Does Professional Development Reduce the Influence of Teacher Stress on Teacher-Child Interactions in Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms?

Science.gov (United States)

Sandilos, Lia E.; Goble, Priscilla; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E.; Pianta, Robert C.

2018-01-01

The present study examines the extent to which participation in a 14-week professional development course designed to improve teacher-child interactions in the classroom moderated the relation between teacher-reported job stress and gains in observed teacher-child interaction quality from the beginning to the end of the intervention. Participants…

Co-Constructed Identities and Literacy Practices: How Identities of One Teacher and Her First Grade Students Are Enacted and Co-Constructed through Literacy Practices and a Third Space

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Ramlal, Sasha R.

2014-01-01

This dissertation explored how identities of students and a teacher in a first grade classroom were co-constructed through various literacy practices and within a third space. Drawing on research that documented the strong connection between literacy and identity and its socio-cultural connections, this qualitative study incorporates ethnographic…

The Great Depression and Elementary School Teachers as Reported in "Grade Teacher" Magazine

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Field, Sherry L.; Bellows, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

This study focuses on elementary school teachers during the Great Depression and the role that they played to sustain everyday school activity. The authors draw evidence primarily from the pages of "Grade Teacher" magazine, through teachers' letters written to its editor, Florence Hale, and her responses to them. Opportunities to study…

Connected to Learn: Teachers' Experiences with Networked Technologies in the Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Matthew; Riel, Richard; Germain-Froese, Bernie

2016-01-01

To get a better understanding of how networked technologies are impacting teachers and their teaching practices, in 2015 MediaSmarts partnered with the Canadian Teachers' Federation to survey 4,043 K-12 teachers and school administrators who were teaching in classroom settings across the country. The survey explored the extent to which networked…

Bilingual Identity Negotiation in Practice: Teacher Pedagogy and Classroom Interaction in a Bilingual Programme

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Fielding, Ruth

2016-01-01

This paper discusses how teachers in a bilingual education programme see their pedagogies and interactions influencing student connection to the languages of the bilingual programme. The teacher perception of the classroom is explored because the classroom is one of the principal settings in which the students negotiate their bilingual identities.…

Equipping Preservice Elementary Teachers for Data Use in the Classroom

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Reeves, Todd D.

2017-01-01

Current preservice teacher education practice related to data use has been deemed inadequate, in that it is unevenly distributed and often superficial. In response, this article describes a course-based classroom assessment data-literacy experience for preservice elementary teachers. Grounded in extant theory and research concerning data literacy…

Creativity in the Early Childhood Classroom: Perspectives of Preservice Teachers

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Eckhoff, Angela

2011-01-01

This study examined how preservice teachers view the nature and role of creativity in light of the complexities of contemporary early childhood classrooms. A multiple methods approach was utilized and data were collected with the Questionnaire Examining Student Teachers' Beliefs about Creativity (Diakidoy & Kanari, 1999) survey instrument and…

Layers of Experience: Forms of Representation in a Waldorf School Classroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholson, David W.

2000-01-01

Examines why a sixth-grade teacher in a Waldorf classroom selected the particular forms of representation for the lessons in a thematic unit. States that the teacher represented the lessons in ways that would bring about experiences, feelings, and imagination (such as story telling, visual arts, and singing.) (CMK)

Technology and At-Risk Young Readers and Their Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Blachowicz, Camille L. Z.; Bates, Ann; Berne, Jennifer; Bridgman, Teresa; Chaney, Jeanne; Perney, Jan

2009-01-01

This study examined the ways in which 18 first-grade teachers and their students in 11 high-risk urban schools began to use literacy-focused technology. The goal of the study was to observe the technology in use by the students, to observe the classroom dynamics and teachers' instructional choices centered around technology use, to look at student…

Effects of a Play-Based Teacher Consultation (PBTC) Program on Interpersonal Skills of Elementary School Teachers in the Classroom

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Carlson, Sarah E.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a play-based teacher consultation (PBTC) program on individual teachers' interpersonal classroom behaviors and teacher-child relationships. The research questions addressed the application of child-centered play therapy principles and PBTC increasing teacher responsiveness, decreasing…

Everyday classroom assessment practices in science classrooms in Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, María del Carmen; Jakobsson, Anders

2014-12-01

The focus of this study is to examine to what extent and in what ways science teachers practice assessment during classroom interactions in everyday activities in an upper-secondary school in Sweden. We are science teachers working now with a larger research project on assessment in science education that seeks to examine teachers' assessment practices in the upper-secondary school. Framing questions include: are teachers performing an integrated assessment of students' skills as the national curriculum mandates? If so, what do the instructional discourses look like in those situations and what are students' experiences regarding their agency on learning and assessment? We emphasize the social, cultural and historic character of assessment and sustain a situated character of learning instead of the notion that learning is "stored inside the head". Teacher led lessons in three science classrooms were video-recorded and analyzed by combining ethnographic and discourse methods of analysis. Both methods are appropriate to the theoretical foundation of our approach on learning and can give some answers to questions about how individuals interact socially, how their experience is passed on to next generations through language and how language use may reveal cultural changes in the studied context. Making the study of action in a classroom the focal point of sociocultural analysis supports the examination of assessment processes and identification of the social roles in which teachers and students are immersed. Such an approach requires observations of how teachers act in authentic teaching situations when they interact with their students in classroom making possible to observe negotiation processes, agencies when both teachers and students are involved in every-day activities. Our study showed that teachers mostly ignored students' questions and that students solved their own problems by helping each other. Teachers did not provide opportunities for students to discuss

Interactive whiteboards in third grade science instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Rivers, Grier

Strategies have been put into place to affect improvement in science achievement, including the use of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) in science instruction. IWBs enable rich resources, appropriate pacing, and multimodal presentation of content deemed as best practices. Professional development experiences, use of resources, instructional practices, and changes in professional behavior in science teachers were recorded. Also recorded were differences in the engagement and motivation of students in IWB classrooms versus IWB-free classrooms and observed differences in students' problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Using a mixed-method research design quantitative data were collected to identify achievement levels of the target population on the assumption that all students, regardless of ability, will achieve greater mastery of science content in IWB classrooms. Qualitative data were collected through observations, interviews, videotapes, and a survey to identify how IWBs lead to increased achievement in third grade classrooms and to develop a record of teachers' professional practices, and students' measures of engagement and motivation. Comparative techniques determined whether science instruction is more effective in IWB classroom than in IWB-free classrooms. The qualitative findings concluded that, compared to science teachers who work in IWB-free settings, elementary science teachers who used IWBs incorporated more resources to accommodate learning objectives and the varied abilities and learning styles of their students. They assessed student understanding more frequently and perceived their classrooms as more collaborative and interactive. Furthermore, they displayed willingness to pursue professional development and employed different engagement strategies. Finally, teachers who used IWBs supported more instances of critical thinking and problem-solving. Quantitative findings concluded that students of all ability levels were more motivated

The Impact of Years of Teaching Experience on the Classroom Management Approaches of Elementary School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Unal, Zafer; Unal, Aslihan

2012-01-01

This study provided a basis for answering the following essential question: Does the years of experience affect teachers' classroom management approaches? Data were collected from 268 primary school teachers. The findings of this study demonstrated that experienced teachers are more likely to prefer to be in control in their classrooms than…

Implementing Technology in the Classroom: Paths to Success and Failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Glen; And Others

This paper discusses the change process experienced by teachers participating in a study of a computer-based language arts instructional program for the early elementary grades--the Apple Learning Series: Early Language (ALS-EL). The study explored ways in which the teachers were implementing ALS-EL in their classrooms before attempting to…

Visual Arts Teaching in Kindergarten through 3rd-Grade Classrooms in the UAE: Teacher Profiles, Perceptions, and Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Buldu, Mehmet; Shaban, Mohamed S.

2010-01-01

This study portrayed a picture of kindergarten through 3rd-grade teachers who teach visual arts, their perceptions of the value of visual arts, their visual arts teaching practices, visual arts experiences provided to young learners in school, and major factors and/or influences that affect their teaching of visual arts. The sample for this study…

Energy Tracking in Classrooms - A Real Time Experiment with Grade 5 Students

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Lam, H. M.; Ho, F.

2015-12-01

ISF Academy, a K-G12 school in Hong Kong with over 1500 students and currently spanning 3 buildings, is retrofitting the school with an energy tracking system in three phases. The first phase during the fall of 2015 will include retrofitting eight Grade 5 classrooms. This new program will show the daily energy usage data from these classrooms. The Grade 5 students receive feedback on their energy use in real time as they compete over two months in their homeroom classes to lower their electrical use, and subsequently their carbon footprint. This competition style initiative will teach the 180 Grade 5 students about their energy usage in a fun and informative manner. ISF Academy has over 400 air-conditioners and we have already determined that the air conditioners are the largest single use of energy in the school. The energy tracking system installed and maintained by from Global Design Corporation utilizes uniquely identified current detectors attached to circuit breakers, to monitor electrical use of individual circuits. These detectors will also monitor the energy used for classroom lighting, fans and plugs, as well as the air conditioners. The system has been installed and the Grade 5 classrooms averaged between 40 kWh and 120 kWh of usage in May 2015. This data will be used as the baseline for the competition. Further analysis can also be done with the data, such as calculating the carbon emissions reduction throughout the school year, providing possible class learning activities and also aiding in future energy use and carbon footprint predictions. The data collected will help refine phase 2 and 3 of the installation, expanding the system to more buildings and also giving insight to the rollout of the system to the whole school when the systems are fully in place.

The Effects of Teacher Collaboration in Grade 9 Applied Mathematics

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Egodawatte, Gunawardena; McDougall, Douglas; Stoilescu, Dorian

2011-01-01

The current emphasis of many mathematics education reform documents is on the need to change the environment of mathematics classrooms from the transmission of knowledge by the teacher to the transaction of knowledge between the teacher and the students which promotes mathematical investigation and exploration. In this article, we discuss the…

Relationships between Prospective Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs and TPACK

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Smith, Ryan C.; Kim, Somin; McIntyre, Leighton

2016-01-01

As technology become more ubiquitous in the classroom, teachers need to overcome two types of barriers to use it effectively: access to resources (including the development of knowledge) and the development of appropriate beliefs. To assist teachers in overcoming these barriers, we must understand the relationships that exist among them. We…

Teachers' Uses of the Target and First Languages in Second and Foreign Language Classrooms.

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Turnball, Miles; Arnett, Katy

2002-01-01

Reviews recent theoretical and empirical literature regarding teachers' uses of the target (TL) and first languages (L1) in second and foreign language classrooms. Explores several issues related to teachers' use of the L1 and the TL in the classroom; exposure to TL input, student motivation, cognitive considerations, code switching, and…

Teacher Activities and Adolescent Students’ Participation in a Colombian EFL Classroom

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Jefferson Caicedo

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The present study concerns the activities teachers develop and ninth-graders’ participation in responses to those activities. The objectives of this study were to identify and describe the types of teaching activities developed and how students respond to them and to show how the target language is used in the classroom. The data collection was conducted through daily field notes and a diary. The findings show that in the classroom, the teacher develops twelve types of activities, and the percentage of use of the target language is low.

Fear and Efficacy Appeals in the Classroom: The Secondary Teachers' Perspective

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Putwain, David W.; Roberts, Christine M.

2012-01-01

Previous research has examined the use of classroom fear and efficacy appeals from a student perspective, but little is known about teachers' views towards fear and efficacy appeals. In this preliminary study, we conducted a survey of 234 secondary school teachers. Results showed that teachers held mixed views towards the use of fear appeals and…

Classroom Management through the Eyes of Elementary Teachers in Turkey: A Phenomenological Study

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Akin, Sibel; Yildirim, Ali; Goodwin, A. Lin

2016-01-01

This study aims to explore Turkish elementary teachers' (1) perceptions of classroom management, (2) classroom management problems they experience, (3) factors causing these problems, and (4) their classroom management practices. The study employed phenomenological research design in the qualitative tradition. The participants included 15…

Secondary Science Teachers Making Sense of Model-Based Classroom Instruction: Understanding the Learning and Learning Pathways Teachers Describe as Supporting Changes in Teaching Practice

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Hvidsten, Connie J.

Connie J. Hvidsten September 2016 Education Secondary Science Teachers Making Sense of Model-Based Classroom Instruction: Understanding the Learning and Learning Pathways Teachers Describe as Supporting Changes in Teaching Practice This dissertation consists of three papers analyzing writings and interviews of experienced secondary science teachers during and after a two-year professional development (PD) program focused on model-based reasoning (MBR). MBR is an approach to science instruction that provides opportunities for students to use conceptual models to make sense of natural phenomena in ways that are similar to the use of models within the scientific community. The aim of this research is to better understand the learning and learning pathways teachers identified as valuable in supporting changes in their teaching practice. To accomplish this aim, the papers analyze the ways teachers 1) ascribe their learning to various aspects of the program, 2) describe what they learned, and 3) reflect on the impact the PD had on their teaching practice. Twenty-one secondary science teachers completed the Innovations in Science Instruction through Modeling (ISIM) program from 2007 through 2009. Commonalities in the written reflections and interview responses led to a set of generalizable findings related to the impacts and outcomes of the PD. The first of the three papers describes elements of the ISIM program that teachers associated with their own learning. One of the most frequently mentioned PD feature was being in the position of an adult learner. Embedding learning in instructional practice by collaboratively developing and revising lessons, and observing the lessons in one-another's classrooms provided a sense of professional community, accountability, and support teachers reported were necessary to overcome the challenges of implementing new pedagogical practices. Additionally, teachers described that opportunities to reflect on their learning and connect their

No differences in grades or level of satisfaction in a flipped classroom for neuroanatomy.

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Whillier, Stephney; Lystad, Reidar Petter

2015-10-01

The intensive nature of a 5- or 6-week teaching block poses unique problems for adequate delivery of content. This study was designed to compare the delivery of a unit of undergraduate neuroanatomy in a short summer school period, as a traditionally taught unit, with a rendition given in the form of the "Flipped Classroom." The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom in the intensive mode classroom. The flipped classroom encompassed the same learning outcomes, but students were responsible for covering the content at home in preparation for tutorials that applied their acquired knowledge to higher levels of thinking. The main outcome measures were the final course grades and the level of satisfaction with the course. There were no significant differences between the 2 cohorts in final grades (p = .259), self-rated knowledge (p = .182), or overall satisfaction with the course (p = .892). This particular design of the flipped classroom did not add value to the intensive mode experience. It may be that this mode of delivery is ill suited to intensive classes for subjects that carry a lot of content. The use of the flipped classroom requires further research to fully evaluate its value.

Technology Integration in Elementary Classrooms: Teaching Practices of Student Teachers

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Liu, Ping

2016-01-01

This study examines how and why student teachers integrated technology to enhance instruction in elementary classrooms. The participants were 31 student teachers who completed an assignment of eight weeks. Multiple data sets including observation notes of 347 lessons were obtained from three key groups for data triangulation. Results reveal that…

Classroom-Based Professional Expertise: A Mathematics Teacher's Practice with Technology

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Bozkurt, Gulay; Ruthven, Kenneth

2017-01-01

This study examines the classroom practice and craft knowledge underpinning one teacher's integration of the use of GeoGebra software into mathematics teaching. The chosen teacher worked in an English secondary school and was professionally well regarded as an accomplished user of digital technology in mathematics teaching. Designed in accordance…

Observations of Children’s Interactions with Teachers, Peers, and Tasks across Preschool Classroom Activity Settings

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Booren, Leslie M.; Downer, Jason T.; Vitiello, Virginia E.

2014-01-01

This descriptive study examined classroom activity settings in relation to children’s observed behavior during classroom interactions, child gender, and basic teacher behavior within the preschool classroom. 145 children were observed for an average of 80 minutes during 8 occasions across 2 days using the inCLASS, an observational measure that conceptualizes behavior into teacher, peer, task, and conflict interactions. Findings indicated that on average children’s interactions with teachers were higher in teacher-structured settings, such as large group. On average, children’s interactions with peers and tasks were more positive in child-directed settings, such as free choice. Children experienced more conflict during recess and routines/transitions. Finally, gender differences were observed within small group and meals. The implications of these findings might encourage teachers to be thoughtful and intentional about what types of support and resources are provided so children can successfully navigate the demands of particular settings. These findings are not meant to discourage certain teacher behaviors or imply value of certain classroom settings; instead, by providing an evidenced-based picture of the conditions under which children display the most positive interactions, teachers can be more aware of choices within these settings and have a powerful way to assist in professional development and interventions. PMID:25717282

Exploring gender differences in the EFL classroom

OpenAIRE

Norma Constanza Durán

2011-01-01

This article aims to describe a case study which explores teacher and students' conceptions about gender in an EFL setting and the way they are manifested in their discourse patterns. This exploratory case study was carried out with a group of eleventh grade students and an English teacher at Liceo de la Universidad Católica high school in Bogotá Colombia. The data collected included direct observation of classroom interaction, audio and video recording of the teacher and students' interactio...

The 21st Century Physics Classroom: What Students, Teachers, and Classroom Observers Report

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Sunal, Dennis W.; Dantzler, John A.; Sunal, Cynthia Szymanski; Turner, Donna P.; Harrell, James W.; Simon, Marsha; Aggarwal, Mohan D.

2016-01-01

Before we can effectively apply specific interventions through professional development, it is important to determine what is occurring in our high school physics classrooms. This study investigated common professional practices in physics teaching among a representative sample group of schools and teachers from a diverse, geographically large…

Teacher's scaffolding over the year to develop norms of mathematical inquiry in a primary classroom

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Makar, Katie; Bakker, A.; Ben-Zvi, Dani

2015-01-01

Developing mathematical inquiry practices requires that teachers are explicit about classroom norms that support these practices. In this study, we asked: How can a teacher scaffold the development of norms and practices in mathematical inquiry over time? Analysis of classroom video over a year

Integration of Collaborative Learning in Grade K-5 EFL Classrooms

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Shahamat, Ailar; Mede, Enisa

2016-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of integrating collaborative learning in Turkish elementary (primary) classrooms where English is acquired as a foreign language. Specifically, it aimed at shedding light on how the participating students and teachers perceive such language classes, what are the effects of integrating this particular…

Teacher and Student Perceptions on High School Science Flipped Classrooms: Educational Breakthrough or Media Hype?

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Hunley, Rebecca C.

For years educators have struggled to ensure students meet the rigors of state mandated tests. Challenges that often impede student success are student absences, school closings due to weather, and remediation for students who need additional help while advanced students can move ahead. Many educators, especially secondary math and science teachers, have responded to these issues by implementing a teaching strategy called the flipped classroom where students view lectures, power points, or podcasts outside of school and class time shifts to allow opportunities for collaborative learning. The purpose of this research was to evaluate teacher and student perceptions of high school flipped science classrooms. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to observe 3 high school science teachers from Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee selected through purposeful sampling who have used the flipped classroom method for a minimum of 2 years. Analysis of data from an online survey, direct observation, teacher interviews, and student focus groups helped to identify challenges and benefits of this teaching and learning strategy. Findings indicated that teachers find the flipped classroom beneficial to build student relationships but requires a significant amount of time to develop. Mixed student reactions revealed benefits of a flipped classroom as a successful learning tool for current and future endeavors for college or career preparation.

Teacher-Child Interaction Training: A Pilot Study With Random Assignment.

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Fernandez, Melanie A; Adelstein, Jonathan S; Miller, Samantha P; Areizaga, Margaret J; Gold, Dylann C; Sanchez, Amanda L; Rothschild, Sara A; Hirsch, Emily; Gudiño, Omar G

2015-07-01

Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT), adapted from Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), is a classroom-based program designed to provide teachers with behavior management skills that foster positive teacher-student relationships and to improve student behavior by creating a more constructive classroom environment. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate TCIT in more classrooms than previously reported in the literature, with older children than previously reported, using random assignment of classrooms to TCIT or to a no-TCIT control condition and conducting all but two sessions within the classroom to enhance feasibility. Participants included 11 kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers and their 118 students from three urban, public schools in Manhattan, with five classrooms randomly assigned to receive TCIT and six to the no-TCIT control condition. Observations of teacher skill acquisition were conducted before, during, and after TCIT for all 11 teachers, and teacher reports of student behavior were obtained at these same time points. Teacher satisfaction with TCIT was assessed following training. Results suggested that after receiving TCIT, teachers increased rates of positive attention to students' appropriate behavior, decreased rates of negative attention to misbehavior, reported significantly less distress related to student disruptive behavior, and reported high satisfaction with the training program. Our study supports the growing evidence-base suggesting that TCIT is a promising approach for training teachers in positive behavior management strategies and for improving student disruptive behavior in the classroom. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Preschool Teachers' Views about Classroom Management Models

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Sahin-Sak, Ikbal Tuba; Sak, Ramazan; Tezel-Sahin, Fatma

2018-01-01

This survey-based quantitative study investigates 310 Turkish preschool teachers' views about classroom management, using the following six models of disciplinary strategy: behavioral change theory, Dreikurs' social discipline model, Canter's assertive discipline model, the Glasser model of discipline, Kounin's model, and Gordon's teacher…

Students' Positioning in the Classroom: a Study of Teacher-Student Interactions in a Socioscientific Issue Context

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Bossér, Ulrika; Lindahl, Mats

2017-07-01

The integration of socioscientific issues (SSI) in science education calls for emphasizing dialogic classroom practices that include students' views together with multiple sources of knowledge and diverse perspectives on the issues. Such classroom practices aim to empower students to participate in decision-making on SSI. This can be accomplished by enhancing their independence as learners and positioning them as legitimate participants in societal discussions. However, this is a complex task for science teachers. In this study, we introduce positioning theory as a lens to analyse classroom discourse on SSI in order to enhance our knowledge of the manners by which teachers' interactions with students make available or promote different positions for the students, that is, different parts for the students to play as participants, when dealing with SSI in the classroom. Transcripts of interactions between one teacher and six student groups, recorded during two lessons, were analysed with respect to the positioning of the students as participants in the classroom, and in relation to the SSI under consideration. The results show that the teacher-student interactions made available contrasting student positions. The students were positioned by the teacher or positioned themselves as independent learners or as dependent on the teacher. Furthermore, the students were positioned as affected by the issue but as spectators to public negotiations of the issue. Knowledge about the manner in which teacher-student interactions can function to position students seems important for dialogic classroom practices and the promotion of student positions that sustain the pursuit of intended educational outcomes.

The Use of Triadic Dialogue in the Science Classroom: a Teacher Negotiating Conceptual Learning with Teaching to the Test

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Salloum, Sara; BouJaoude, Saouma

2017-08-01

The purpose of this research is to better understand the uses and potential of triadic dialogue (initiation-response-feedback) as a dominant discourse pattern in test-driven environments. We used a Bakhtinian dialogic perspective to analyze interactions among high-stakes tests and triadic dialogue. Specifically, the study investigated (a) the global influence of high-stakes tests on knowledge types and cognitive processes presented and elicited by the science teacher in triadic dialogue and (b) the teacher's meaning making of her discourse patterns. The classroom talk occurred in a classroom where the teacher tried to balance conceptual learning with helping low-income public school students pass the national tests. Videos and transcripts of 20 grade 8 and 9 physical science sessions were analyzed qualitatively. Teacher utterances were categorized in terms of science knowledge types and cognitive processes. Explicitness and directionality of shifts among different knowledge types were analyzed. It was found that shifts between factual/conceptual/procedural-algorithmic and procedural inquiry were mostly dialectical and implicit, and dominated the body of concept development lessons. These shifts called for medium-level cognitive processes. Shifts between the different knowledge types and procedural-testing were more explicit and occurred mostly at the end of lessons. Moreover, the science teacher's focus on success and high expectations, her explicitness in dealing with high-stakes tests, and the relaxed atmosphere she created built a constructive partnership with the students toward a common goal of cracking the test. We discuss findings from a Bakhtinian dialogic perspective and the potential of triadic dialogue for teachers negotiating multiple goals and commitments.

Investigating Classroom Teaching Competencies of Pre Service Elementary Mathematics Teachers

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Gokalp, Murat

2016-01-01

The study has sought answers to two major questions: What is the current situation in Elementary Mathematics Education programs at Faculty of Education in terms of classroom teaching competencies? To what extent do pre service teachers acquire these competencies? The research was conducted on 202 senior pre service teachers studying at the…

Literacy for All? Using multilingual reading stories for literacy development in a Grade One classroom in the Western Cape

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Prosper, Ancyfrida

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on a literacy pilot project which investigated the use of multilingual reading books and the pedagogical strategies that were employed by one bilingual teacher and her assistant to teach literacy in a linguistically diverse Grade 1 classroom in a primary school in the Western Cape, South Africa. Data were collected by means of classroom observations and semi-structured interviews to understand the teacher’s literacy instruction, reflecting her understanding of the multilingual pedagogical approach as a means of fostering learners’ biliteracy skills. Through the lens of the social constructivist theory and the notion of biliteracy, this paper argues that bilingual competence does not necessarily translate to biliteracy if the teaching approaches and learning materials are not systematically and adequately used to support learners’ listening, oral, reading and writing skills in different languages in an integrated and holistic manner in multilingual classrooms. It concludes that, despite the progressive South African Language-in-Education Policy which supports additive multilingualism, classroom practices continue to reinforce monolingualism in English, which deprives the majority of learners of meaningful access to literacy in different languages as they do not exploit the socio-cultural and cognitive capital embedded in the learners’ home languages for additive bilingual and biliteracy competence.

The Potential of General Classroom Observation: Turkish EFL Teachers' Perceptions, Sentiments, and Readiness for Action

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Merç, Ali

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine Turkish EFL teachers' attitudes towards classroom observation. 204 teachers from different school settings responded to an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed according to three types of attitudes towards classroom observation: perceptions, sentiments, and readiness for action. The findings revealed…

Pre-School Teachers' Classroom Management Competency and the Factors Affecting Their Understanding of Discipline

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Buyuktaskapu Soydan, Sema; Alakoc, Pirpir; Ozturk Samur, Ayse; Angin, Duriye Esra

2018-01-01

Purpose: This research was carried out to determine the classroom management competency and the levels of perception of understanding of discipline among preschool teachers, the effect of their classroom management competency and understanding of discipline on child-teacher relationship, the relationship between interpersonal problem-solving and…

The Current Status of Classroom Inclusion Activities of Secondary Agriculture Teachers

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Hoerst, Caryn M.; Whittington, M. Susie

2009-01-01

The current status of classroom inclusion activities among agriculture teachers in comprehensive secondary agricultural education programs in Ohio is reported. The researchers describe secondary agriculture teachers' needs related to teaching learners with special needs in inclusion classes, given legislative mandates. Specifically, the…

Teacher Leaders' Perceptions of the Use of Humor in the High School Classroom

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Kosiczky, Bonnie

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher leaders' perceptions of the use of humor in the high school classroom. For the purposes of this qualitative research the case study method was used. The question of what makes teachers successful with their use of humor in the classroom has been divided into four categories: climate,…

An overview of Grade R literacy teaching and learning in inclusive classrooms in South Africa

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Mohangi, Kesh

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Pre-school literacy teaching in Early Childhood Education (ECD inclusive classrooms is crucial in preparing learners for the transition to formal literacy teaching and learning. This article describes a collaborative exploratory research project between a university in South Africa and one in China, in order to gain an overview of early literacy teaching and learning in the two countries. In the case of South Africa, the focus was on Grade R literacy teaching and learning. Teacher participants in three rural schools, three township schools and four inner city schools in Mpumalanga and Gauteng were purposively selected. Data were gathered by means of open-ended questions in a questionnaire, individual interviews with Heads of Departments (HOD and classroom observations. Coding, categorising and identifying themes were manually conducted. Persistent challenges were identified of which limited resources, low socio-economic conditions, English as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT, inadequate teaching strategies used to implement the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS and barriers to learning were highlighted. This overview of early literacy teaching and learning in South Africa served as a precursor for the second phase of the project between the two countries.

Relationship between Academic Optimism and Classroom Management Styles of Teachers--Case Study: Elementary School Teachers in Isfahan

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Moghtadaie, L.; Hoveida, R.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between classroom management styles of the teachers and their academic optimism. In this study, three types of classroom management styles (interventionist style, interactionist style, and non-interventionist style) have been considered. Research community is all public primary school…

Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE) Brining STEM Research to 7th-12th Grade Science and Math Classrooms

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Radencic, S.; McNeal, K. S.; Pierce, D.

2012-12-01

The Initiating New Science Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE) program at Mississippi State University (MSU), funded by the NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK12) program, focuses on the advancement of Earth and Space science education in K-12 classrooms. INSPIRE currently in its third year of partnering ten graduate students each year from the STEM fields of Geosciences, Engineering, Physics and Chemistry at MSU with five teachers from local, rural school districts. The five year project serves to enhance graduate student's communication skills as they create interactive lessons linking their STEM research focus to the state and national standards covered in science and math classrooms for grades 7-12 through inquiry experiences. Each graduate student is responsible for the development of two lessons each month of the school year that include an aspect of their STEM research, including the technologies that they may utilize to conduct their STEM research. The plans are then published on the INSPIRE project webpage, www.gk12.msstate.edu, where they are a free resource for any K-12 classroom teacher seeking innovative activities for their classrooms and total over 300 lesson activities to date. Many of the participating teachers and graduate students share activities developed with non-participating teachers, expanding INSPIRE's outreach of incorporating STEM research into activities for K-12 students throughout the local community. Examples of STEM research connections to classroom topics related to earth and ocean science include activities using GPS with GIS for triangulation and measurement of area in geometry; biogeochemical response to oil spills compared to organism digestive system; hydrogeology water quality monitoring and GIS images used as a determinant for habitat suitability in area water; interactions of acids and bases in the Earth's environments and surfaces; and the importance of electrical circuitry in an electrode used in

Student's Second-Language Grade May Depend on Classroom Listening Position.

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Hurtig, Anders; Sörqvist, Patrik; Ljung, Robert; Hygge, Staffan; Rönnberg, Jerker

2016-01-01

The purpose of this experiment was to explore whether listening positions (close or distant location from the sound source) in the classroom, and classroom reverberation, influence students' score on a test for second-language (L2) listening comprehension (i.e., comprehension of English in Swedish speaking participants). The listening comprehension test administered was part of a standardized national test of English used in the Swedish school system. A total of 125 high school pupils, 15 years old, participated. Listening position was manipulated within subjects, classroom reverberation between subjects. The results showed that L2 listening comprehension decreased as distance from the sound source increased. The effect of reverberation was qualified by the participants' baseline L2 proficiency. A shorter reverberation was beneficial to participants with high L2 proficiency, while the opposite pattern was found among the participants with low L2 proficiency. The results indicate that listening comprehension scores-and hence students' grade in English-may depend on students' classroom listening position.

Smiles count but minutes matter: responses to classroom exercise breaks.

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Howie, Erin K; Newman-Norlund, Roger D; Pate, Russell R

2014-09-01

To determine the subjective responses of teachers and students to classroom exercise breaks, and how responses varied by duration. This mixed-methods experimental study included focus groups with teachers (N = 8) and 4(th)- and 5(th)-grade students (N = 96). Students participated in 5-, 10-, and 20-minute exercise breaks and 10 minutes of sedentary activity. In an additional exploratory analysis, video-tapes of each condition were coded and compared for positive affect. Students and teachers discussed multiple benefits, but teachers discussed barriers to implementing regular breaks of 5-minutes or more. Students exhibited higher positive affect during each exercise condition. Classroom exercise breaks are an enjoyable way to increase physical activity, but additional support may be needed to encourage teachers to implement breaks of 5 minutes or longer.

PUPIL-TEACHER ADJUSTEMENT AND MUTUAL ADAPTATION IN CREATING CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.

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FOX, ROBERT S.; AND OTHERS

AN ANALYSIS OF THE DYNAMICS OF THE LEARNING SITUATIONS IN A VARIETY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOMS WAS UNDERTAKEN. THE PROJECT MADE A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE PATTERNS OF COOPERATION OR ALIENATION AMONG PARENTS, TEACHERS, PEERS, AND INDIVIDUAL PUPILS. THE PATTERNS CREATE LEARNING CULTURES OF DIFFERENT PRODUCTIVITY IN VARIOUS CLASSROOMS. THE DATA…

Effect of Integrated Feedback on Classroom Climate of Secondary School Teachers

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Patel, Nilesh Kumar

2018-01-01

This study aimed at finding out the effect of Integrated feedback on Classroom climate of secondary school teachers. This research is experimental in nature. Non-equivalent control group design suggested by Stanley and Campbell (1963) was used for the experiment. Integrated feedback was treatment and independent variable, Classroom climate was…

Evaluation of Mathematical Game Design Skills of Pre-Service Classroom Teachers

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Pilten, Pusat; Pilten, Gülhiz; Divrik, Ramazan; Divrik, Fatma

2017-01-01

The purpose of the research is to evaluate the games prepared by pre-service classroom teachers within the scope of "Mathematics Teaching 1" and "Mathematics Teaching 2" courses, which are included in the undergraduate classroom teaching programs in Turkey, and to make predictions on the game design skills of pre-service…

Special Education in General Education Classrooms: Cooperative Teaching Using Supportive Learning Activities.

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Johnson, Robin R.; And Others

1995-01-01

Supportive learning activities were implemented in a multiple-baseline time series design across four fifth-grade classrooms to evaluate the effects of a cooperative teaching alternative (supportive learning) on teaching behavior, the behavior and grades of general and special education students, and the opinions of general education teachers.…

Social Inclusion: Teachers as Facilitators in Peer Acceptance of Students with Disabilities in Regular Classrooms in Tamil Nadu, India

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David, Ruffina; Kuyini, Ahmed Bawa

2012-01-01

This study examined the impact of classroom teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education, teachers' self-efficacy and classroom practices on the social status of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms in Tamil Nadu, India. Questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations were employed to gather data. The data analysis included…

Teacher Representations of English as a Foreign Language: Case Study of Two Teachers in Turkey

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Sultan Turkan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In a developing nation like Turkey, the English language plays a significant role in educational and socioeconomic mobility. English is acquired and taught as a foreign language (EFL primarily in the classrooms. However, the ways in which English language is represented in classroom instruction have been hardly examined and understood. With that, this paper aims to depict two teachers’ representations of the English language as influenced by a university entrance English language test administered in 2008 in Turkey. The two teachers’ representations of the English language are projected from a 12th grade classroom at an Anatolian Lycee located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Doyle's task framework is employed, specifically in order to map what content representations emerged out of the teachers' classroom practices. Data sources include biweekly teacher logs, biweekly interviews, and biweekly classroom observations. The paper highlights that the two teachers' classroom representations of English were entrenched with the idea of highstakes test preparation for university admissions as they deemed test preparation as a major part of their classroom instruction. That is, representations of the English language were contracted to tested structures and items. The paper illustrates the teachers’ representations of reading and grammar with the insight that division of labour, though not in the form of collaboration, made it possible for the teachers to cope with the contraction effect of test preparation

Classroom Conversation Analysis and Critical Reflective Practice: Self-Evaluation of Teacher Talk Framework in Focus

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Ghafarpour, Hajar

2017-01-01

The uniqueness of the Language Classroom and its complexity raises a need for foreign language teachers to develop necessary skills and knowledge to observe, analyse and evaluate their classroom discourse. Hence, interactional awareness of language teachers is an integral part of pedagogical and practical knowledge. In this article, the…

Interactive Whiteboard Integration in Classrooms: Active Teachers Understanding about Their Training Process

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Pujol, Meritxell Cortada; Quintana, Maria Graciela Badilla; Romaní, Jordi Riera

With the incorporation in education of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB), emerges the need for a proper teacher training process due to adequate the integration and the didactic use of this tool in the classroom. This article discusses the teachers' perception on the training process for ICT integration. Its main aim is to contribute to the unification of minimum criteria for effective ICT implementation in any training process for active teachers. This case study begins from the development of a training model called Eduticom which was putted into practice in 4 schools in Catalonia, Spain. Findings indicated different teachers' needs such as an appropriate infrastructure, a proper management and a flexible training model which essentially addresses methodological and didactic aspects of IWB uses in the classroom.

A Professor Returns to the Classroom in a Professional Development School.

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Lyman, Lawrence

This paper describes one professor's sabbatical leave, when he returned to a third/fourth grade classroom as a teacher. It examines logistical arrangements necessary for success and insights gained. He worked in a Professional Development School (PDS) for 1 year, mentoring a PDS intern, 2 student teachers in the traditional preservice program, and…

Creating a Classroom Team: How Teachers and Paraprofessionals Can Make Working Together Work

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American Federation of Teachers (NJ), 2004

2004-01-01

Respect and communication. That's what teachers and paraprofessionals say makes an effective classroom team. In speaking with paraprofessionals and teachers, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has gathered several tips about how to make working together work. These tips include: (1) Creating a healthy, open relationship between teacher and…

Investigating teacher and student effects of the Incredible Years Classroom Management Program in early elementary school.

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Murray, Desiree W; Rabiner, David L; Kuhn, Laura; Pan, Yi; Sabet, Raha Forooz

2018-04-01

The present paper reports on the results of a cluster randomized trial of the Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management Program (IY-TCM) and its effects on early elementary teachers' management strategies, classroom climate, and students' emotion regulation, attention, and academic competence. IY-TCM was implemented in 11 rural and semi-rural schools with K-2 teachers and a diverse student sample. Outcomes were compared for 45 teachers who participated in five full day training workshops and brief classroom consultation and 46 control teachers; these 91 teachers had a total of 1192 students. A high level of teacher satisfaction was found and specific aspects of the training considered most valuable for early elementary teachers were identified. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated a statistically significant intervention effect on Positive Climate in the classroom (d=0.45) that did not sustain into the next school year. No main effects on student outcomes were observed, although a priori moderator analyses indicated that students with elevated social-behavioral difficulties benefitted with regard to prosocial behavior (d=0.54) and inattention (d=-0.34). Results highlight potential benefits and limitations of a universal teacher training program for elementary students, and suggest strategies for future delivery of the IY-TCM program and areas for future research. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Digital Technologies in Mathematics Classrooms: Barriers, Lessons and Focus on Teachers

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Sacristán, Ana Isabel

2017-01-01

In this paper, drawing from data from several experiences and studies in which I have been involved in Mexico, I reflect on the constraints and inertia of classroom cultures, and the barriers to successful, meaningful and transformative technology integration in mathematics classroom. I focus on teachers as key players for this integration,…

The Teacher as Colleague in Classroom Research.

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Florio, Susan; Walsh, Martha

The structure and quality of classroom interaction and the ways in which children learn how to interact appropriately was the initial focus of the research and field work described in this paper. The site was a kindergarten/first grade class in a suburban Boston Title I elementary school with many students from second and third generation…

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Preservice Teachers' Responses to the Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control Inventory.

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Henson, Robin K.; Roberts, J. Kyle

This study examined the factorial invariance of scores from the Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control Inventory (ABCC) (Martin and others, 1998) for 243 undergraduate preservice teachers. Although the original ABCC was developed with inservice teachers, use of the instrument to study the classroom beliefs of preservice teachers had not been…

The Impact of a Research-Based Teacher Training Program on Indonesian Teachers, Classrooms, and Students.

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Djalil, Aria; Anderson, Lorin W.

1989-01-01

Results of a study of 30 Indonesian fifth-grade teachers support the value of intensive, research-based teacher training programs in changing teacher behavior and increasing teacher effectiveness. The effect of such programs appears limited to those behaviors and outcomes which reflect the primary focus or emphasis of the program. (IAH)