<p> The Responsive Parenting Program curriculum combines recent developments in neuroscience, mindfulness, child development and positive parenting to provide vulnerable families with information, guidance and a group experience designed to support them in adopting a responsive approach to parenting. Parents who have experienced adverse conditions in childhood and continue to experience difficulty in getting their needs met as adults, often have adopted a survival approach to living. It is especially important to support these parents in making sense of their own experience so that they may build the capacity to better understand, nurture and protect their own children.</p><p> It is intended that all of the materials for this curriculum will exist in the public domain. In addition to the curriculum handbook, this includes links to recommended video segments, information sheets related to child growth and development, and suggestions for supportive practices to nurture healthy development and relationships.</p>

<p>This study focused on how physics teachers develop and implement activities that promote creative thinking strategies in the standards based physics classroom. A particular focus was placed on every day or little `c? creativity, which can be taught in the high school classroom. The study utilized a multiple case study design, which allows for in-depth study in a variety of settings. Four participants from various high schools were identified utilizing administrator recommendations. Data were then collected via interviews, observations, and documents. The data were coded and analyzed for emerging themes. The themes were then merged to determine findings to the stated research questions. The research demonstrated the importance of modifying activities for student interest and understanding through effective use of scientific inquiry. The past experiences and professional development of the participants served as a vital piece to the development of their educational pedagogy especially concerning inquiry and questioning strategies. It was also established that an unstructured, positive classroom environment is a vital aspect of teaching while supporting creative thinking skills.

<p> Implementation of the common core state standards began in 2010 for public school districts across the United States, and research about the impact of these standards on teaching and learning in smaller rural schools is limited. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to describe how K-12 English language arts teachers in rural remote schools integrated the common core state standards into curriculum, as defined by Aoki&rsquo;s theory about planned and lived curriculums, which formed the conceptual framework for this research. Participants included 8 K-12 English language arts teachers from 2 rural remote public school districts located in a western state. Research questions addressed curricular and instructional alignment, and data were collected from individual teacher interviews and reflective journals, observations of instructional lessons, and curriculum documents. Data were coded and categorized to determine themes and discrepant data (Charmaz, Merriam, and Miles, Huberman, and Salda&ntilde;a). A content analysis was used for documents. Results indicate that teachers aligned curriculum with common core state standards by using previously adopted textbooks, developing alignment documents to address standards, creating unit and lesson materials independently, and participating in limited collaborative planning with colleagues. Recommendations include continued investigation into rural teachers&rsquo; professional development needs, collaborative planning practices, and use of curriculum materials within and across grade levels. This study contributes to positive social change because improved rural education impacts rural remote students, communities, and educators, who play a valuable role in developing a national curriculum.</p>

<p> In recent years, there has been increased attention on teacher quality and on teacher candidate development (Cochran-Smith &amp; Zeichner, 2005; Schuster, 2012). Demands on teachers are growing (Darling-Hammond &amp; Bransford, 2005) with an expanding diversity and needs of students (Villegas &amp; Lucas, 2002; Walsh, 2012). Now, more than ever, it is important to understand how candidates are prepared for the teaching profession (Ladson-Billings, 2001). This study examined one vital aspect of teacher education: the role of teacher educators in preparing candidates to partner with families. In spite of substantial evidence of a positive correlation to students&rsquo; academic success with increased partnerships between the home and school (Dearing, Kreider, Simpkins, &amp; Weiss, 2006; Epstein &amp; Sheldon, 2002; Henderson &amp; Mapp, 2002; Hoover-Dempsey, Battiato, Walker, Reed, DeJong, &amp; Jones, 2001; Jeynes, 2007), teacher candidates still lack the necessary skills to work with families (Caspe, Lopez, Chu, &amp; Weiss, 2011). This study used critical pedagogy as a theoretical framework to investigate how teacher educators applied family-school partnership (FSP) modules into their courses. Through a qualitative phenomenological research design, interview and survey data were collected and analyzed on 11 teacher educators and 200 candidates over a two-year period of time. The constant comparative method (Merriam, 2009) was conducted to analyze multiple interviews of the teacher educators, which was triangulated (Stake, 2004) with surveys of teacher candidates. Findings indicated that (a) teacher educators&rsquo; FSP beliefs were positively influenced by piloting of FSP modules, (b) teacher educators&rsquo; locus of control affected their ability to apply FSP content into their courses, and (c) teacher candidates&rsquo; one-sided views of family-school relationships could be changed to one of &ldquo;partnerships.&rdquo; The implications of this research affirm the need to support teacher educators in preparing their candidates to work with families.</p>

<p> In this thesis, I propose a curriculum for first year composition (FYC), called the Game Studio curriculum, in which students learn writing through experiences playing, analyzing, and designing games. In Chapter 1, I review the ways in which many students are already learning in video game spaces and argue that the study of games has potential to alter FYC instruction for the better. In Chapter 2, I frame the scholarship behind the Game Studio using James Paul Gee&rsquo;s <i>What Video Games Have to Teach us About Learning and Literacy</i> and Jesse Schnell&rsquo;s <i>The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses.</i> I also provide context for Middle Tennessee State University&rsquo;s &ldquo;Literacy for Life&rdquo; objectives and discuss how the Game Studio curriculum supplements these objectives. In Chapter 3, I provide a detailed list of introductory projects designed to give both students and instructors a running knowledge of game jargon and game design concepts. In Chapter 4, I provide details for the final two projects, which involve the development of student-designed games. I conclude in Chapter 5 with my reflections on student responses to an exit survey at the end of the Game Studio semester.</p>

<p> Utilizing the frameworks of critical race theory and culturally relevant pedagogy, this research illustrates ways in which hip-hop pedagogy can create a more liberating educational experience for Black and Latina/o students than currently offered in urban schools. The current literature on hip-hop pedagogy mainly focuses on how hip-hop makes standardized subjects more appealing to urban students while vaguely referencing its relevance to youth living in urban communities. Much less research has specified how hip-hop, within the classroom, can address the issues directly affecting Black and Latina/o youth. Consequently, some may wonder if hip-hop is actually being used to transform education, or merely to help students excel based on the standards of dominant culture (Au, 2005). The purpose of this thesis is to understand contemporary issues facing underprivileged Black and Latina/o youth, effective teaching methods that can be implemented in schools using hip-hop pedagogy, and areas of study relevant to hip-hop culture.</p>

<p> The aim of the study is to examine high school mathematics teachers' lesson plan development and implementation practices used in the border region of Mexico and USA. The study also attempts to determine how a transition from Mexico (Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua) to the U.S. (El Paso, TX) impacts high school mathematics teacher&rsquo;s lesson plan development practices incorporating the Borderland Pedagogy. The Borderland Pedagogy theoretical framework (Cline &amp; Necochea, 2006; Romo &amp; Chavez 2006; Fiume, 2005) was developed to explore educational experiences of teachers situated within border regions. The framework highlights key characteristics of Borderland Pedagogy that influence lesson plan development and implementation practices. The framework was used to design multiple case studies research to examine and understand teaching practices on both sides of the border in general, and pedagogical experiences of transitioning teachers in particular. Elbaz-Luwish (2007) and Sabar (2004) defined teacher transition as an adaptation of a teacher to a new language, culture, and new educational system. Scholars (Shimizu, 2008; Diazgranados et al., 2008; Lit and Lit, 2009) suggest that lesson plans are designed according to teachers&rsquo; experiences, knowledge about the subject matter, and beliefs about teaching, and learning. The study is built on understanding that teaching on the border impose unique requirements on lesson plan development practices reflecting flexibility, cultural and linguistic diversity. The research sample included two Mexican teachers, two US teachers, and one transitioning teacher. The design of the study is operationalized based on the following data sources: (1) teacher-developed lesson plans, (2) classroom observations, and (3) structured interviews. Data was analyzed using frequency-based initial and focus coding scheme. The key observation in lesson plan development among participating Mexican and US teachers revealed complexity and uniqueness of borderland teachers&rsquo; practices in recognizing, addressing, and implementing national/ state standards and curriculum (Secretar&iacute;a de Educaci&oacute;n P&uacute;blica, Texas Education Agency). Results of the study suggest that the Borderland Pedagogy could serve not only as a framework but also as an instrument to document and interpret transformative pedagogical practices of teachers teaching on the border.</p>

<p> Many teachers describe teaching as a vocation. Similar to a priest, rabbi, imam, nun or monk, a teacher may feel morally justified to break policy or go against curriculum that they feel is immoral or oppressive. The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which teachers resist or rebel in their classrooms when the policies or curriculum go against their beliefs. Furthermore, I aim to understand the implications of their resistance or rebellion. This study&rsquo;s findings are taken from observations and interviews with two elementary teachers. The results demonstrate that in order to help their students succeed, teachers may work around or silently disobey policy and curriculum. As this study highlights, the impact of resistance or rebellion is felt in different ways by schools, teachers, and students.</p><p>

<p> The present study focused on the pedagogical content knowledge of the classroom of three male culturally diverse educators (CDEs) instructing culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDS) in North Las Vegas; focusing on teachers&rsquo; funds of knowledge. Funds of knowledge are historically accumulated and culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills essential for individual functioning and well-being. The researcher employed a qualitative portraiture methodology to construct and illustrate five portraits. The study was guided by the following research question: How do culturally diverse educators' funds of knowledge shape their ideologies and teaching practices? CDEs&rsquo; data was supplied through interviews and classroom observations, this served to construct three portraits. The school setting and a brief snapshot from the perspective of the artist served to construct the remaining two portraits. Funds of knowledge was used as a macro lens, while Vygotsky&rsquo;s sociocultural conceptual framework was used as a micro lens to analyze data. The sociocultural framework focused on CDEs&rsquo; <i>perezhivanie</i>, as Vygotsky defines the lived emotional experiences of these educators and <i>obuchenie </i>, Vygotsky&rsquo;s term for the dialectical unity of school teaching and learning to teach. The conclusion holds that teachers&rsquo; perezhivanie shape the teachers&rsquo; funds of knowledge whereas CDEs&rsquo; family and community based funds of knowledge developed obuchenie, which drove curricular decisions in the classroom to meet CLDS&rsquo; needs. In addition, findings point to the fact that bridging the gap between academic research on funds of knowledge and classroom practices can serve to assist CLDS in their learning process.</p><p>

<p> Foster youth or former foster youth face many educational, social, and emotional struggles in the classroom. Through a lens of self-determination, this study investigates the perceptions of foster youth or former foster youth about teacher autonomy support in the classroom, as well as how they perceive that teacher autonomy support affects their motivation and achievement. The five themes that arose from research question one in this study are: Theme 1&mdash;Acceptance, Respect, Understanding, Family-Like Atmosphere; Theme 2&mdash;Confidence, Trustworthiness, and Encouragement; Theme 3&mdash;Understanding the Goal of the Class; Theme 4&mdash;Comfortable Learning Environment for Dialogue and Listening; and Theme 5&mdash;Choices and Options in the Classroom. These themes suggest ways that teachers can provide for the needs of foster youth while also improving their motivation and academic performance. The four themes which emerged from research question two are: Theme 1&ndash;Confidence, Theme 2&ndash;Motivation; Theme 3&mdash;Inspiration; and Theme 4&mdash;Emotional State. These themes concern the effect on the foster child of having autonomy supportive requirements met.</p><p>