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<p>This project is intended to be of assistance to all teachers of science. Teaching strategies that were developed for this project and used at the Ontario School for the Blind can prove valuable in other areas of teaching. For example, students with low motivation can benefit from a very concrete curriculum. Even teachers at the OAC level will find that tactile diagrams and models are useful in presenting abstract theories. Whether students are blind or sighted, the use of specialized operational tactile definitions can enrich their understanding of concepts and theories and encourage a multisensory approach to gathering information.</p> <p>The process of teaching science to a visually handicapped student is presented and teaching strategies and adaptations are provided to enhance concept development for high school biology, chemistry and physics. Laboratory procedures and safety considerations are also examined and an outline of the use of microcomputers for educating the visually handicapped is included.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

In compliance with NCLB, states receiving Title I funding were to ensure that all teachers of core subject areas, including foreign languages, were highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 academic year. Given that 44 states assess teacher quality through The Praxis Series tests, and 32 of these rely on one of the Praxis II subject-matter tests to gauge foreign language competency (ETS, 2010a), research examining the perspectives of teacher candidates and faculty members regarding these licensure tests is needed. The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the perspectives of teacher candidates and faculty members regarding the Praxis II, (b) determine how their unique perspectives were influenced by their own classroom experiences as language learners, and (c) consider how the Praxis II experience might contribute to curricular reform including suggestions for altering pedagogical strategies, coursework, and the requirement of additional exposure to the target language independent of the four-walled classroom. Lortie’s (1975) framework of “apprenticeship of observation” (p. 61) provides a context to understand the perspectives of the Praxis II tests for licensure in foreign languages. The data revealed that three categories of Spanish teacher candidates emerged: (a) Confident Completer, (b) Surprised Prevailers, and (c) Frustrated Disregarders and each group prepared differently for the Praxis II as a result of their experiences in the language classroom as apprentice observers. Faculty members offered both similar and different perspectives of the Praxis II than did teacher candidates. Data suggested that the Praxis II can also serve to alter the behavior of teacher candidates and faculty members which may improve foreign language teacher preparation. Suggestions including course development and instructional strategies are included to assist teacher candidates in meeting the expectations of the Praxis II.

Program evaluation in the fields of second language acquisition (SLA) and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) has a history dating from the 1960's. The focus of previous program evaluations has been on language achievement at the end of the program of study (Lynch, 1996). However, to improve or maintain program quality, teacher education of future foreign language instructors is essential; thus, improvements in the quality and/or control of teacher education programs is also important. The primary purpose of this study is to propose and test a multi-faceted approach to program evaluation that originates from the administrative side of two graduate programs in Applied Linguistics. This marks the first time in the field that this approach has been implemented. First, time series enrollment models were examined to investigate the overall stability of the two graduate education programs for non-traditional students from 1993 to 2010 (for the Master's programs) and 1995 to 2010 (for the doctoral programs). Second, logistic regression models were examined to investigate the characteristics of the students who did and did not graduate from the programs. Third, event history Cox regression models were examined to investigate the amount of time spent by the graduate students to complete the degree using potential demographic and enrollment pattern factors as predictors. Finally, a dynamic model was formulated and tested to simulate the program's potential future enrollments based in part on the results of the prior model analyses and publically available data. The results indicated the potential for developing a relatively strong time series enrollment prediction model for near future enrollments using the data available in the administrative database. However, the student success/failure models and event history program study time prediction models were relatively weak and the results indicated the difficulty of predicting whether students will successfully complete the graduate programs using data typically collected from the students when they enter the program. The simulation results showed a potential decline in enrollments over the next decade mainly due to the decline of the 18-year-old student population in Japan, the decreasing size of the foreign language teacher population, the long, gradual recession in Japan, and the revision of university faculty employment status by the Japanese Ministry of Education. / CITE/Language Arts

This qualitative study focused on the need for culturally responsive teaching within the southern Appalachian cultural setting. The specific components of this approach to teaching were based on research findings, theoretical claims from proponents of culturally responsive teaching (e.g. Gloria Ladson-Billings and Geneva Gay), and experiences and personal narratives of educators working with students in southern Appalachia. The purpose of this study was to identify aspects of culturally responsive teaching within the Southern Appalachian context by observing instruction and curriculum that sustained the cultural competence of southern Appalachian students and empowered them. As the researcher, I also studied my own efforts as a teacher educator with southern Appalachian roots who was preparing preservice teachers to acquire the knowledge, attitudes and skills to practice culturally responsive teaching. Through narrative inquiry, the study focused on the experiences of an elementary teacher, an elementary principal, and a preservice teacher. The study was conducted within three settings (Holbrook Elementary, Central Elementary and Appalachia College) over a total period of three years. Data collection methods included interviews, observations, participation in school events, fieldnotes, videotapes, photographs, a participant&#146;s journal and other artifacts. The findings identified practices that promoted culturally responsive teaching for southern Appalachia such as including the Appalachian culture in the curriculum, demonstrating caring, building learning communities, and connecting school to home and community by using the cultural backgrounds of southern Appalachian students as conduits for teaching them more effectively. Four characteristics of culturally responsive educators were presented: culturally responsive teaching takes skill; culturally responsive teaching takes inquiry; culturally responsive teaching is a moral craft; and culturally responsive teaching is a way of life, not just a job. / Ph. D.