No description available.

<p> This quantitative research conducted in Southern California validated Lake and Billingsley&rsquo;s (2000) Grounded Theory regarding factors causing conflicts in special education. This study found that discrepant views of a child or child&rsquo;s needs, knowledge, service delivery, constraints, valuation, reciprocal power, communication, and trust, were associated with the perception of conflicts. Generally, the bivariate correlation coefficients indicated that all the predictors were statistically significant except use of power. The regression model evidenced significant association of knowledge, services, valuation, and trust. The comparison of the models for three subgroups of 194 Participants indicated that for parents, service delivery and valuation were significant factors of conflicts. For administrators and service providers, trust was a significant factor of conflicts. There was sufficient evidence to conclude that service delivery, valuation, and trust were associated with conflicts after the partial out of the other constructs. </p>

Published Article / Mathematics teachers need an uncomplicated yet effective programme that they can use to type documents that contain mathematical symbols and notation. Many such programmes exist on the market, but are costly and in most cases, difficult to use. Microsoft Word's Equation Editor provides a solution to this problem in that it is easy to use and readily available in the Microsoft package. An investigation into how third-year education students respond to the presentation and use of this programme was made. The research was executed in the form of a case study, as only third-year mathematics students from the School of Teacher Education at the Central University of Technology, Free State, participated. It was found that these students grasped the concepts needed to use the Equation Editor quite easily, although the level of application by the academically stronger group of students was much higher than the level reached by the weaker academic group.

<p> This mixed methods study utilized a survey and semi-structured interviews to investigate upper elementary teacher knowledge for teaching reading to struggling readers to determine what a sample of third through fifth grade teachers knew and understood about the myriad factors that may have contributed to their students&rsquo; reading difficulties.</p><p> Quantitative findings revealed that the teachers possessed the strongest knowledge in the areas of comprehension, vocabulary, and reading fluency, and that their knowledge was the weakest related to foundational reading skills such as phonics and morphological awareness. Quantitative analyses also suggested that participation in certain types of professional development, most notably learning communities, may have improved the teachers' knowledge, but that in general, variables such as education, teaching experience, and professional development, had very little, if any, significant effect on the teachers' knowledge.</p><p> Qualitative findings included five themes, or five areas of teacher knowledge: knowledge about struggling readers&rsquo; foundational skills difficulties; knowledge gained from working with colleagues; knowledge gained from learning communities; knowledge about diagnosing students&rsquo; reading weaknesses; and knowledge about the effects of struggling readers&rsquo; lack of confidence. In each of these areas, teachers discussed the specific knowledge they felt they possessed or lacked, as well as the most significant sources from which they had developed this knowledge.</p><p> Comparisons of the quantitative and qualitative data suggested that experience teaching primary grades, effective work with reading specialists, and participation in learning communities may each have helped the teachers develop the knowledge needed to work with struggling readers. The quantitative and qualitative data comparison also indicated that while teachers did not always possess adequate knowledge for teaching foundational reading skills, they felt that this was an area of knowledge they needed and wanted to develop so that they could more effectively help their struggling readers.</p><p> This study concluded with a discussion of the implications of its findings, as well as recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. This study&rsquo;s findings may provide preservice and inservice teacher educators with valuable information they can use to inform their curriculum and support programs for upper elementary teachers.</p>

<p> In an international university in Thailand, with students coming from 92 different countries, faculty members reported a need for professional development (PD). The purpose of this study was to understand faculty members&rsquo; needs and preferences in the undergraduate department to help the administration offer appropriate PD programs. In accordance with the situated cognition theory, professional learning was approached as a social process embedded in workplace interactions. Research questions pertained to teachers&rsquo; perceptions about their learning needs, program preferences, and the relationship between PD and student learning outcomes. In this descriptive case study, data were collected from fulltime faculty members via a focus group of 5 participants and 8 individual face-to-face and email interviews. In accordance with a maximum variation sampling strategy, the sample included faculty members from varied academic and cultural backgrounds and diverse lengths of experience in the university. Thematic coding analysis revealed 4 themes: (a) a desire to learn specific content such as classroom management techniques, pedagogy for university-level students, assessment design, and instructional technology; (b) a desire to observe and apply new techniques to better engage diverse students in large classes; (c) a desire to learn collegially to share context-relevant information; and (d) expectations from the university administration. As a result of this study, tailored recommendations for this university were derived to contribute to social change. Appropriate PD programs can enable faculty members to hone their pedagogical skills and improve student learning experience in this multicultural setting.</p>

<p> This study investigated the relationship between attention to student thinking during lesson planning and the level of cognitive demand at which tasks are implemented for six pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher education program that focuses on attention to student thinking during planning and instruction. Lesson plans were examined for attention to student thinking using two coding schemes, and samples of student work were examined to assess the level of cognitive demand at which tasks (associated with the enacted lesson plans) were implemented during instruction. Other planning related data sources were qualitatively drawn upon to support the extent to which pre-service teachers focused on student thinking with regard to planning. </p><p> One of the lesson planning coding schemes provides numerical scores indicating different degrees of attention to six elements of student thinking. The level of cognitive demand of task implementation for each lesson was able to be coded as high or low. In particular, the quantitative analysis suggested a trend that as overall attention to student thinking during lesson planning increases the odds of high level task implementation become greater compared to the odds of low level task implementation. Given a small sample size the quantitative results need to be considered within their limitations.</p><p> Qualitative analysis examining attention to student thinking during planning and task implementation supports the quantitative trend. In particular, the qualitative analysis suggests three findings. The first finding is that the two pre-service teachers who demonstrated the most attention to student thinking with regard to planning were the only pre-service teachers who implemented all of their tasks at a high level of cognitive demand. The second finding is that when receiving specific planning based support for a lesson as part of a university assignment, all the pre-service teachers were able to implement the task at high level of cognitive demand. The third finding is that a large majority of lessons using tasks accompanied by detailed planning support sources were implemented at high levels of cognitive demand.</p>

<p> A Case Study of Initiating Mentoring in an Urban Charter School Most states exempt public charter schools from state policy that regulates the mentorship of new teachers. Regardless, there are charter systems that develop teacher mentor programs on their own. These system-created programs can create a dichotomy between charter expectation and mentor/mentee experience. Utilizing a case study approach, this dissertation offers a unique view into this phenomenon, by examining the inaugural year of a mid-sized urban charter system&rsquo;s effort to design and implement a teacher mentoring support program. Data include interviews with 15 teachers (paired and unmatched mentors and mentees) and administrators, meeting observations, and reviews of program documents and artifacts. Findings note challenges related to support, guidance, and expectations, in addition to a cautious optimism about future charter mentor endeavors. Miller&rsquo;s (1976) Relational cultural theory was used as a theoretical lens to explore teacher experiences in mentoring. </p><p> The results of this study enhance understanding of urban public charter school teachers engaged in the mentoring process by: (a) identifying clear mentoring program expectations, administrative involvement, and professional development as influential factors in mentoring relationships; (b) recognizing mentor experience, shared subject matter of mentor and mentee, and ability to meet in person as powerful predictors of mentor relationship success; and (c) illustrating how school context can and does affect the mentoring process in an urban public charter school. </p><p> <i>Keywords</i>: mentoring, charter schools, beginning teachers, teacher development</p>

<p> When considering closing the achievement gap, full-day kindergarten (FDK) is a viable contender. The implementation of specific teacher strategies enhances the FDK experience and elicits gains among the students. The literature clearly articulates a strong correlation between poverty and poor achievement and supports the notion that the relationship between the teacher and student is a positive factor in closing the achievement gap. However, the research is insufficient when it comes to digging deep into teacher perceptions regarding the importance of the relationship that exists between the teacher and the student. The foundation for which this study is built stems from John Bowlby&rsquo;s attachment theory and emphasizes the importance of the relationship between the child and adult. This study provides profound insight into the perceptions of FDK teachers and the strategies, or concepts they believe have the greatest influence on student achievement among students of poverty. The qualitative phenomenological study revealed intimate and personal thoughts of nine FDK teachers discovered through the coding and analysis of 18 semi-structured interview transcripts. Substantial findings exposed four themes with great clarity and obvious patterns. The themes in order of the greatest number of responses to the least, are: classroom atmosphere, instructional strategies, student management, and the relationship between the teacher and the student. </p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and describe the most important factors that motivate or deter teachers in deciding to take on the informal or formal role of teacher-leader in Riverside County elementary school districts. </p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> Endemic of a Delphi method, the instruments used within this study collected data from an expert panel of elementary school teacher leaders from Riverside County, California through electronic surveys in a four-round process. The expert panel consisted of teacher leaders in formal and informal roles as selected by elementary site administrators using criteria established by the researcher. The researcher collected data and tabulated frequency distribution, percentages of participant responses on the level of importance, median scores, and factors reaching 70% consensus. </p><p> <b>Findings:</b> The research data showed that increasing student achievement, making a difference, creating a collaborative community, being informed, and informing others are the most important factors motivating teachers in deciding to become a teacher leader in a formal or an informal role. Additionally, making decisions was important in a formal role, and recognition and respect were important in an informal role. The most important deterrents for a formal and an informal teacher leader role were lack of time, lack of support, lack of direction or goal, and increased responsibility. Another deterrent in a formal role was fear; for an informal role, it was not having enough pay. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings support the need to build a collaborative culture of authentic decision-makers through distributive leadership. The lack of time, support, and direction that teachers experience must be addressed by building teacher-leadership capacity. </p><p> <b>Implications for Action:</b> Districts should train teachers in the Teacher Leadership Model Standards, provide teacher pre-service coursework in leadership skills and distributed leadership, train or hire administrators and teachers who support an authentic collaborative leadership culture, recognize and monopolize individual&rsquo;s areas of expertise, re-examine job titles, change the traditional school calendar, create or change support personnel positions to be housed at the site level where teacher leaders can support teachers on-site.</p>

<p> Changes in the field of education require teachers&rsquo; acquisition of specific knowledge of technology and the skills of its effective use in the classroom. With the expansion of the traditional classroom to include virtual learning environments, concern still exists regarding characteristics necessary for quality teaching and learning.</p><p> This research is an examination of pre-service teachers&rsquo; needs relevant to integrating technology in an online learning environment. It is a first step toward acknowledging the responsibility teacher preparation programs have in the formation of educators equipped to instruct in dual learning environments, thus providing pre-service teachers with opportunities and experiences to become fluent in the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) required for online learning environments as well as the traditional face-to-face instruction. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to determine if active engagement with content of an online instruction module would affect the attitudes, knowledge and skills, and instructional centeredness of pre-service teachers&rsquo; towards technology integration in an online learning environment. A mixed-methods concurrent triangulation design procedure was utilized to measure characteristics of pre-service teachers in a teacher preparation program. A two-way within-subjects analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the effect of engagement with the content of the online instruction module for all three domains. Participants began the intervention with limited knowledge and skills of technology integration and online learning environments; however, they made statistically significant gains upon completion of the intervention. The implementation of an intervention such as this online instruction module may support other teacher preparation programs in identifying strengths and weaknesses of their pre-service teachers and provide valuable information necessary to guide program goals.</p>