<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>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta (Canada), 2000. / Advisers: Swee-Hin Toh, Virginia Cawagas. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Sc. in Environmental Management and Policy)--Lunds universitet, 2004? / Bibliography: p. 68-70.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005.