Abstract not available.

This multi-case study creates a better understanding of the relationship between four museum educators' personal theories of teaching and their practice in university museums. The question that frames this study is, "How, in a university museum setting, do museum educators' personal theories of teaching relate to their educational practices?" The aim was to produce an account of museum educators' personal theories and practices in university museums and interrogate what factors may influence the relationship between the two. While there is some literature about the personal theories and practices of museum educators, no studies have been found that examine museum educators working in university museums in the United Kingdom. This study addresses this gap by exploring four museum educators' personal theories and practices in three museum educational programmes in two university museums in a university city. This study is positioned within a qualitative tradition. Data for this study was collected using semi-structured interviews and observations. In total four pre-interviews, 24 observations and 24 post-interviews were conducted with four museum educators in two university museums in a UK city. Thematic analysis was the approach taken for the analysis of each case study. Findings in relation to the museum educators' personal theories suggest that there were important similarities in the museum educators' personal theories. All the museum educators' personal theories consisted of elements relative to knowledge, learning and learners, and the facilitation of a positive learning environment. The museum educators' personal theories of teaching relative to the nature of knowledge, learning and learners, varied per the discipline of the museum they taught in. It was found that personal theories were influenced by the museum educators' shared background as former school teachers and, for some, their accumulated experience teaching in university museum settings. Thus, they tend to foster educational settings with characteristics typical of formal learning environments. The key finding in relation to the research question of this study, is that in a university museum setting, the personal theories of teaching of the museum educators were often aligned with their practices; in some cases, they were not. Whether the museum educators could align their practices with their personal theories of teaching appeared to depend on the sociocultural context they worked in. Despite, as previously noted, similarities in the four personal theories of teaching (i.e. relative to knowledge, learning and learners and the facilitation of a positive learning environment), there were differences in how these were translated into practice by each museum educator. This research contributes to the field of museum education by: i) enhancing our understanding of museum educators' personal theories of teaching and practice in university museums; ii) providing fresh insights into the relationship between the personal theories of teaching and practice of museum educators working in university museums and; iii) adding to our understanding of the breadth of learning environments in museum education. The findings of this study are significant because they enrich the empirical knowledge and understanding of museum educator teaching in university museums. This study provides insights that may benefit the training and professional development of museum educators in university museums.

<p>This dissertation suggests that metaphors are a powerful learning tool in education and a way to develop as a professional educator. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of how teachers utilize metaphors during reflection. I addressed their experience with metaphors, how they use metaphors, how metaphors play a critical role in their teaching, how students benefit from their use of metaphors, why they use metaphors, and if through technology they are able to use metaphors to reflect. I, individually, interviewed educators to understand the overall process and the emotions they encounter because they are teaching our students. My involvement in this project led me to discover that metaphors are a way of addressing social justice and expanding the following: (a) an ethic of choice, (b) an ethic of virtue, (c) an ethic of identity and above all else, and (d) an ethic of care. All of my participants expressed both literally and metaphorically that utilizing metaphors validated students individually, allowed them to connect on a personal level, and above all else showed an ethic of care towards student learning. Our educators are leading the way in a metaphorical world that must be taught literally as well. </p><p> <i>Key Words:</i> metaphor, reflection, educators, students, education. </p>

<p> Undocumented students have fought for the ability to attend institutions of higher education, but research has often overlooked their experiences outside of the classroom. Weaving together Freirean critical pedagogy and photovoice to create a type of advocacy participatory action research, this project followed eight undocumented Latina/o undergraduates at a Research I institution over the course of one academic year. Using critical pedagogy, the participants and I co-created a class in which we explored the intersections of race, class, educational access, and citizenship. By using critical pedagogical methods the students in the project were able to dictate the direction of both the class and the research itself. During this time the participants also used photovoice to create photo diaries of their lives, exploring what it means to be undocumented college students. They determined that while research had been conducted concerning undocumented students in higher education, their particular experiences as undocumented persons had not been fully captured. As such, this project sheds valuable light on the ways in which being undocumented affected these students' personal relationships with family, friends, and lovers.</p>

<p> Se analizaron los discursos docentes en tres clases de nivel universitario. La teor&iacute;a que se propone destaca la importancia de una identidad discursiva de negociaci&oacute;n para crear las condiciones que favorezcan la construcci&oacute;n de significados. Los discursos docentes flexibles y democr&aacute;ticos contribuyen a aumentar la motivaci&oacute;n de los estudiantes para crear discursos propios, negociar normas socio matem&aacute;ticas y crear una cultura de reflexi&oacute;n e investigaci&oacute;n. Estas caracter&iacute;sticas de los discursos promueven la discusi&oacute;n de argumentos intersubjetivos que contribuyen a una comprensi&oacute;n compartida de los temas bajo estudio. Los silencios reflexivos, el tono coloquial, la pregunta ret&oacute;rica y el lenguaje social inclusivo, entre otros aspectos, contribuyen a consolidar un proyecto de influencia mediante el cual se promueven las construcciones de conocimiento. En el caso espec&iacute;fico de la noci&oacute;n de variaci&oacute;n, las construcciones de los estudiantes se pueden apoyar con un discurso simple y directo que se ancle en procesos de tanteo y error, con atenci&oacute;n al registro semi&oacute;tico num&eacute;rico y a la negociaci&oacute;n de palabras claves para describir el cambio.</p>

<p> This hypothesis-generating study initially sought to understand teacher and student supportive interactions within a literacy classroom. The researcher began with a thorough examination of three reading instructional methodologies that purported to be based on teacher support. Questioning the Author, Reciprocal Teaching, and The Scaffolded Reading Experience were reviewed, because the researcher had anticipated witnessing such scaffolds within literacy lessons. Data were then gathered in a small group, fourth-grade, reading class. Following data collection and analyses, however, the researcher recognized supportive instructional interactions derived from teacher and student academic discourse rather than predetermined reading programs purporting to be based upon foundations of teacher scaffolds. Due to this finding, the researcher narrowed the study's focus and questioned the nature of student and teacher supportive interactions, namely academic discourse, while engaged in fourth-grade small group literacy time. Four episodes from this reading lesson were intensively investigated. Exploratory talk and presentational discourse were two primary talk types evidenced. Based on transcript analysis and triangulation of data, findings from this qualitative study generated two hypotheses that addressed classroom concerns. Analyses of data suggested supportive academic discourse may enhance student inquiry when reading challenging texts in class, and classrooms in which exploratory talk is prompted may lead to increased conceptual learning. The researcher proposes altering the nature of a traditional and hierarchical academic discourse pattern to one based upon democratic principles. A less structured discourse pattern consisting of the sequence <i>inquire, wait, think,</i> and <i>share</i> may offer students authentic learning opportunities that intrinsically inspire inquiry.</p>

<p> This thesis articulates the importance of the use of efficient and effective student data documentation systems as classroom teachers determine the next instructional steps to support their students' abilities to demonstrate independent proficiency within grade level academic material. While operating under the broader structure of a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework, action research methodologies were used to address the question: How can deliberate documentation systems enhance the ongoing performance of an RTI program in a K-4 elementary school setting? This research examines various student data documentation systems, tracks student academic growth, explores the opinions of highly experienced classroom teachers, and discusses the characteristics of effective student data documentation systems. This thesis introduces the pedagogical process of Student Need-Based Education, in which educational decisions are intentionally structured according to the current academic, social-emotional/behavioral, or physical needs of students.</p>

<p> Given the large homogeneous workforce of predominately White, middle-class female K&ndash;12 educators combined with the rising population of diverse students in the United States and the disproportionate achievement gap of students of color compared to their White peers, I sought to discover how new millennial educators defined and used empathy to build their own cultural competencies as well as discover how these teachers used empathy to strengthen the teacher-student relationships across cultural differences. Using the conceptual frameworks of Paulo Freire&rsquo;s (1970) pedagogy and Wang et al.&rsquo;s (2003) definition of ethno-cultural empathy, I conducted a critical narrative inquiry of five first-year teachers who did not share the racial or ethnic background of the majority of their students of color. From the participants&rsquo; stories, six major themes surfaced: (a) the role of empathy in the teacher-student relationships, (b) the struggle between empathy and sympathy, (c) their contrasting views on empathy and content, (d) the relationship between empathy and cultural competency, (e) the importance of empathy related to trauma, and (f) the personal limitations of empathy. I present a proposal for a new theoretical framework resulting from the symbiotic relationship of ethno-cultural empathy and critical pedagogy, called <i> Critical Empathy,</i> as well as recommendations for teacher formation institutions to prioritize an empathy formation that focuses on critical empathy development, self-awareness, administrative management, and self-care strategies. </p><p>

Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.