<p> Four decades of university-based teacher education reform has failed to yield favorable outcomes in teacher effectiveness in P-12 schools. A rising tide of reform and criticism from governmental agencies and neo-liberal reformers has resulted in one-dimensional, structural approaches to impacting teacher effectiveness, based on the assumption that teacher effectiveness is universal across all school contexts. This study suggests that for university-based teacher education programs to impact teacher effectiveness, particularly in high-needs, high-minority schools, they must: a) define teacher effectiveness, b) contextualize the impact of high-needs, high-minority schools on teacher effectiveness, and c) provide the knowledge, structure and disposition to be effective teachers in the high-needs, high-minority context. To meet this task, this study boldly employs a post-modern theoretical positioning of the university-based teacher educator, one with professional experience or service in high-needs, high-minority schools, as the leading change agent in impacting teacher effectiveness in high-needs, high-minority schools. </p><p> Through a qualitative research design, this study utilizes phenomenology to uncover the lived experiences of qualifying teacher educators, those with experience and service in high-needs, high-minority schools, to define teacher effectiveness, effective teacher characteristics, and the uniqueness of the high-needs, high-minority urban school context. Through semi-structured, open-ended interviews, the lived experiences of qualifying teacher educators were gathered and analyzed using the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method of analysis to describe the shared experience of teacher effectiveness in high-needs, high-minority urban schools. </p><p> Findings suggest three themes that align respectively with each research question. When determining the effectiveness of teacher educators for preparation of pre-service teachers to enter high-needs, high-minority schools, <i> dispositions matter.</i> When conceiving teacher effectiveness within high-needs, high-minority urban schools, <i>responsiveness matters</i>. When reflecting on what makes the high-needs, high-minority urban learning environment different from what is thought of as the traditional school environment, findings suggest that <i>people matter.</i> What emerges as the composite experience of effectiveness in the high-needs, high-minority urban schools, is the significance of the <i>counter-narrative</i> focus. </p>

<p> Mariachi programs have gained interest and acceptance among music educators in most regions of the United States. Successful mariachi programs are energizing students and creating positive relationships between the schools and their communities. Mariachi programs are growing as more students identify and connect with this Mexican folkloric music. An example of a flourishing mariachi program can be found in the Las Vegas Clark County School District, which has seen its program grow from 250 students to over 3,000 since 2002. Considering that the Hispanic population is expected to reach about 106 million in 2050, about double what it is today, the potential for mariachi instruction in public schools will likely follow these growing population trends. However, due to the highly stylized idiomatic music that is mariachi, music educators not familiar with its innate teachings might hinder the art form at a pedagogical level. This research paper explores three current approaches to mariachi pedagogy in U.S. public education: informal, formal, and a hybrid approach between the two aesthetics. The hybrid approach will be the basis of rehearsal practice in preparing for &ldquo;Se&ntilde;or Trompetas&rdquo; in my graduate recital to test its efficacy to teaching authentic mariachi music.</p>

<p> Much of the operatic music of the eccentric French composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) is overlooked, especially from his first full opera <i>Benvenuto Cellini.</i> This is due in part to many misconceptions surrounding Berlioz&rsquo;s vocal compositional style, which stem from the political atmosphere at the time of the opera&rsquo;s premiere in 1838 Paris when ill-willed critics renamed it <i>Malvenuto Cellini.</i> A general ignorance of this work and its music pervades the world of vocal pedagogy, having been excluded from the standard repertoire anthologies, where it can ironically be the most useful. The research presented in this project comprises original data from pedagogical and aesthetical surveys, as well as analytical comparisons of numerous arias and scenes.</p><p> The pedagogical surveys demonstrate that the work is mostly discounted or unknown among nationally respected pedagogues, who almost never assign any of these arias or scenes to their students. Yet, the aesthetical surveys show an appreciation of the music from an unbiased populous. Additionally, a study of the international production history of this opera, including cost and revenue statistics, supports the perpetuated trend of undeserved negativity towards <i>Benvenuto Cellini</i> when these supposed deterrents do not inhibit productions of other highly expensive or lesser-known operas. A microcosmic analysis of audition data furthers the idea that the world of vocal pedagogy is married to a canon of arias, which leaves little room for repertoire diversity or experimentation for voice students and creates an educational gap in their lack of exposure to this music. As pedagogical tools, respected voice professors almost universally use specific styles of arias and scenes from different eras and cultures to teach their students technical, musical, and dramatic stage concepts. In the case of nineteenth-century French Romanticism, the diverse music from <i>Benvenuto Cellini</i> fulfills these needs and also incorporates Italianate influences, while simultaneously serving as a reference point for succeeding Germanic declamatory style. It encapsulates Romantic thought and factors into the plethora of works that feature the life of Renaissance Mannerist sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571). Comparative analyses of arias and scenes from Berlioz&rsquo;s opera to the works of other composers included in the standard repertory, such as Mozart, Rossini, Meyerbeer, Donizetti, and Verdi, elucidate the equivalent quality and invaluable importance of this music.</p>

<p> High school capstone projects are adopted so students can increase their learning capacity and be better prepared to think critically and problem solve in the 21^st Century. However, it was not known how educational stakeholders, including students, parents, and educators, perceived the relationship between a senior capstone project and student capacities in regards to critical thinking, inquiry, problem solving, and autonomy. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how educational stakeholders at Walter High School, including students, parents, and educators, perceived the relationship between a senior capstone project and student capacities in regards to critical thinking, inquiry, problem solving, and autonomy. Five learning theories guided the study including: Bloom&rsquo;s taxonomy of learning theory, Bloom&rsquo;s mastery learning theory, cognitive and affective learning theory, 21^st century learning theory, and constructivist learning theory. The study&rsquo;s sample and methodology consisted of interviews with 12 parents, a focus group with 10 educators, and analysis of 12 student capstone projects. Stakeholders perceived that as students applied critical thinking, inquiry, and problem solving, they also became more engaged, organized, and empowered as a result of completing the senior capstone project. In terms of student autonomy, perceptions from stakeholders indicated the capstone project made students more independent and determined; parents thought their students were better leaders.</p>

<p> Schools are seeking to understand how to build positive school environments that help students learn and become good citizens in the school community. One practice used in charter schools is merit and demerit systems. The literature indicates that positive and negative reinforcements acts as punitive discipline that only works when adults are around students to enforce policies, rules, and expectations. One particular charter high school that used a merit and demerit system to discipline students was studied to understand the implications of such systems for students of color living in a low-income community. Using the principles of critical pedagogy, the study connected and drew inferences between teacher perceptions of discipline and how the merit and demerit system impacted student referral and punishment. A total of 12 teachers (ninth and 10th grade) participated in this qualitative study. Through classroom observations and focus groups, trends were triangulated and presented in this study. A major finding of this study involves the teacher understanding that the concept of a merit and demerit system is beneficial, but ultimately leads to a loss of student agency. The discussion focuses on explaining an authoritarianperspective and the perceptions and reality of the implementing a merit and demerit system at the high school level. Implications for educators to understand and improve school discipline policies that support students and rethink punitive and authoritarian practices are discussed. Recommendations for future research in the study are presented and summarized.</p>

<p> This ministry model project will equip families in creating a Christian home environment built on biblical principles for the student ministry of Gray United Methodist Church in Gray, Georgia. The researcher will facilitate this project with a minimum of ten families participating in a six-week program evaluating the results of infusing biblical teaching into the home setting through prayer, Bible study, family activities and worship. The model will consist of daily family home sessions, weekly group training, practical application and worship. The classroom praxis of mixed methodology will include sermons, videos, in home activities, journaling group discussions and individual assessments. </p>

<p> Basic nursing education is no longer sufficient to meet the escalating demands of today&rsquo;s complex healthcare environment. Recognizing the need for the advanced cognitive skills incurred by these demands, increasing numbers of registered nurses (RNs) have been enrolling in online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. The problem identified in the RN to BSN degree completion program at a large Midwestern university was the lack of information as to how online teaching and learning strategies were experienced by students. Research has demonstrated that the online community of inquiry (CoI) model facilitates higher order thinking through collaborative learning strategies and the interaction of teaching, social, and cognitive presence. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to investigate the perceptions of RNs enrolled in the program about a recently completed course utilizing a 34-item CoI survey and semi-structured interviews. The data from 109 completed survey responses were analyzed via descriptive statistics and indicated that student perceptions of social and teaching presence were lower than perceptions of cognitive presence, meaning that the perceived establishment of online relationships and instructor engagement were not as high as were the perceived experiences of higher order thinking. Interviews with 15 purposefully selected students were analyzed for emergent themes and suggested limited online collaboration, which is considered to be fundamental to higher order learning. Based on these findings, a faculty development workshop was designed using the CoI model to encourage collaboration. A potential increase in RN proficiency in higher order thinking fostered by the CoI model will optimize the quality of patient-related decisions, minimize medical errors, and provide the impetus to challenge the status quo in health care.</p>

Thesis (M.A.I.S.)--Oregon State University, 2001. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

<p> This study examined the use of teaching aids to support or remediate left and right hand setup in beginning string students. 148 teachers of beginning strings students were surveyed to examine what commercial and homemade aids, props or devices they use to help their students establish or correct setup of the left wrist position, left hand fingering, right hand bow hold, and the ability to bow straight. Teachers were also asked to rate the perceived effectiveness of the teaching aids used. A catalog of all teaching aids described in the study is included in the appendix. </p><p> 82.2% of teachers surveyed did not use teaching aids to establish or correct the left wrist position, although the teachers who did use teaching aids for this purpose considered the aids effective. For developing the left hand position and intonation, the surveyed teachers were almost unanimous in their use of teaching aids: 99.4% used teaching aids for this purpose, and 93% of those teachers indicated that the aids were effective. 79.3% of survey respondents used teaching aids to develop or remediate the bow hold, and 98.3% of those teachers indicated that the bow hold teaching aids they used were effective. Only 59.3% of respondents reported that they used teaching aids to help students develop the ability to bow straight, although 97.7% of those teachers considered that the teaching aids were effective for this purpose. More than half of the teachers surveyed were considered &ldquo;experienced&rdquo; (eleven or more years of teaching) and were the largest group of users of teaching aids for all four set-up areas. The use of teaching aids did not seem to be contingent upon the number of students taught at a time. </p><p> Experienced and less-experienced teachers used both commercial and homemade teaching aids when teaching any size of group, from individual students to large ensembles. Many creative ideas for homemade aids were shared by the respondents and are included in the comprehensive catalog of teaching aids described in the study.</p><p>

<p>Most students have negative opinions about writing or have a hard time brainstorming. Engaging the students to write through creative drama activities, like edu-larp (educational live action role playing) is heavily under-researched, but edu-larp is an educational game that could potentially motivate students to write. This mixed method case study aimed to examine how students experience language through edu-larp and what implications there are in teaching creative writing with edu-larp and other creative drama activities. In a small Midwestern rural school district, twelve students were asked to write a historical fiction short story while performing creative drama activities and then participated in an edu-larp activity of their main character. After the activity students revised their short story. The analysis of the responses and writing examples from the students led the researcher to imply the benefits of creative drama and edu-larp for students include: a change in language/word usage, engagement in writing, character and plot development and also an improvement in communication and social skills, problem solving skills through situated learning, and writing skills. Overall, there is a need for creative drama activities and edu-larp in the classroom when the teacher has very clear and specific objectives for the activities. The case study shows how to achieve this with resources included. Keywords: creative drama, edu-larp, creative writing, historical fiction, character development, plot development, communication and social skills, situated learning, writing skills, language development