Mindfulness has woven through American education for decades as an enduring concept aimed at reforming teachers, students, and classrooms. Signified as a quiet revolution in media and education policy today, our youth have been rebranded and schools remarketed as A Nation at Hope, with promises of mindfulness and contemplative Social Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies. Yet, competing discourses of mindfulness incite youth across various goals and subjectivities. While the predominant global and national mindfulness discourse in education marks out students with preferred characteristics from those deemed insufficiently prepared to experience wellness, connectedness, and success, counter-narratives construct mindful students as transcending dominant social norms and movement toward collective freedom. In considering how such highly politicized discourses are mobilized in SEL curricula, this study problematized the decontextualized circulation of mindfulness discourses in the construction of a silenced and mindful subject. As a White teacher attending to the development of a critical lens that questions curriculum and policy, this study disrupts the researcher’s position as a former SEL trainer in a diverse school district. A critical whiteness studies lens established that several commonly used mindfulness-based interventions apprised a construction of students that works better for mass schooling systems rather than for distinct sociocultural identities. This inquiry provided a different lens on curricular decision- making by working from a local schooling context where stakeholders collaboratively decide on students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs. In drawing on a conceptualization of discourse communities that recognizes how language and agency are mobilized in advocating for community goals, this interpretive case study inquired about community decision-making alongside stakeholders grappling with concepts and power relations to legitimize their work. The case was theoretically bound by critical discourse analysis, which traced the meaning-making of this community across individual andcollective texts. Thus, a collaborative study of individual and collective stakeholder discourse was read alongside the school’s curricular materials for a translocal comparison of discourse across individual and collective responses. This study may explain some ways that anti-racist discourse(s) figure in negotiating mindfulness and SEL for marginalized youth and how practitioners navigate toward humanizing, race-visible responses to mindfulness practices in their communities.

In recognition of this unprecedented challenge, does the curriculum of the teacher education program of secondary school teachers at the College of the Pacific meet the needs of its candidates? Does the secondary teacher education program adequately equip them to make their place in the secondary schools of today? Are they prepared academically and professionally? Are they prepared for community leadership? It is in an attempt to determine how completely the secondary teacher education program of College of the Pacific meets the needs of its graduates that the School of Education of the College of the Pacific has undertaken this study. Hence, this study will attempt to portray the effectiveness of the secondary teacher education program at the College of the Pacific in meeting the needs of its candidates academically, professionally, and in community leadership. In order to determine the effectiveness of this teacher education program, the study will analyze: (1) The education and professional status of the College of the Pacific secondary teacher education graduates.; (2) Guidance in the secondary teacher education program at the College of the Pacific.; (3) The academic education of the secondary teacher education program graduates of the College of the Pacific.; (4) The professional education of the secondary teacher education graduates of the College of the Pacific.; (5) The participation of the secondary teacher education graduates of the College of the Pacific in community activities in the community in which he teaches.

This paper is concerned with the professional preparation of teachers and seek to set forth and evaluate the ideas which teachers in the field think would improve the chances of success for the teachers now in training. Obviously, the person to realize the advantages and disadvantages if the preparation which he has had. It is apparent also, that our present system of educating teachers is out of step with present day needs in some respects. A small number of responses were received from the elementary group and therefore the conclusions which will be set forth in this article are predicated very largely upon the answers received from the others. Nevertheless, a high percentage of the suggestions and criticisms which the survey produced may be applied directly to the elementary schools. Evaluation of answers was made somewhat difficult by the fact that in some cases a given answer was not that or an individual but of a committee of teachers. Of course, such a response is really entitled to more consideration, but to know just how much more is something belonging to speculative rather than mathematical thinking. Many replies did not bear directly upon the question. Where replies do not seem to bear directly on the question considered, these will be placed at the end of each group under the heading of "Miscellaneous Replies". The responses from the committees especially, showed that the thinking was clear, concise and well organized. In many cases several answers were grouped under one heading in the compilation. Perhaps there is a need for further grouping under basic fields, but in some cases we do not have the word or words to name the basic field. This is true especially, concerning basic traits for teachers.

This qualitative study sought to expand what is known about best practice for students with dyslexia in public schools. Despite its prevalence, there is confusion in the education field about what dyslexia actually is, how to identify it, and how to best remediate the difficulties associated with it. An untapped source of educational insight is teachers who have dyslexia and what they have gleaned from their experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of 20 Massachusetts teachers with dyslexia as they reflected on their own experiences in special education. Utilizing semi-structured interviews that included critical incident questions, answers to the following research questions were sought: (a) What did teachers with dyslexia say they learned from their experiences in and out of the classroom setting with respect to self-concept, resilience, and their journey to becoming a teacher? (b) In what ways have teachers’ own experiences as learners and teachers with dyslexia influenced the ways that they currently practice? (c) In what ways did teachers with dyslexia perceive their learning disability affected their ability and capacity to teach students with dyslexia? Participants described traumatic experiences that resulted from teacher misinformation or late diagnoses. Results included strong support for increased teacher knowledge and understanding about dyslexia, including the variability and complexity of the profile, training in scientifically-based reading interventions and carefully chosen classroom placement, and recognition that dyslexia continues across the lifespan. Results were analyzed with feedback from four member check participants and input from three higher education dyslexia experts. The researcher made four conclusions: (1) Teacher training about the dyslexic profile is vital for all teachers; (2) All reading teachers must learn scientifically-based systematic phonetic reading approaches and access to such training must be improved; (3) Candidates and teachers with dyslexia have particular skill and empathy for working with students with dyslexia and should be supported; and (4) Teachers with dyslexia should have opportunities to share their voices in educational decision making.

The purpose of this research was to investigate educator participation in edchats. The research questions addressed were the following: 1. What does an edchat network look like in terms of followership and edchat interactions? 2. What are the different modes of participation in an edchat? 3. What is the ethos of an edchat? 4. How are edchats organized by educators and edchats organized by companies similar to and different from each other? To address these questions, tweet data from 10 edchats was collected and analyzed using a mixed methods approach. Across edchats, social network structures were consistent with the Tight Crowd network structure often found in Twitter learning communities, and members frequently interacted with each other, with several having ties extending beyond a single edchat. Twitter users participated in edchats as moderators and participants through several different modes by tweeting, retweeting, and sharing links and media. Although most participants only tweeted once, a smaller group of participants was especially active. Edchat questions received multiple responses, providing the community with diverse answers to review and if desired, discuss further. Across edchats, communities displayed an ethos of professionality, support, and fun without signs of the hostility known to plague Twitter. Although edchats shared a similar discussion structure and spirit of support and positivity, edchats organized by teachers tended to focus on classroom practice in greater detail than company-organized edchats. Distinguishing a teacher-organized edchat from a company-organized edchat was often complicated due to the presence of companies in teacher-organized spaces as well as an individual’s ability to profit from their social media influence through self-promotion or as a product ambassador. Edchats could provide an additional means of supporting educators by facilitating connection with a community of peers who can provide just-in-time support; however, their quality varies and much depends on the participant, highlighting the need for additional research to develop best practices for structuring and participating in edchats, especially to combat the risk of stealth advertising in these spaces.

Orientador: Maria Isabel Castreghini de Freitas / Banca: Tânia Seneme do Canto / Banca: Angelica Carvalho Di Maio / Banca: Andrea Aparecida Zacharias / Banca: José Gilberto de Souza / Resumo: A maior disponibilidade de programas de mapeamento gratuitos na internet abre possibilidades para trabalhar conceitos e conteúdos geográficos cujo ponto inicial e final seja o espaço de vivência dos próprios alunos. É preciso, pois, estimular e incentivar os educadores pensarem sobre a utilização de geotecnologias em suas práticas no ensino de Cartografia. Dentro desse contexto, o objetivo dessa investigação foi analisar a participação de professores de Geografia em curso de formação continuada como caminho para a elaboração de instrumentos de ensino baseados em geotecnologias sobre a realidade geográfica dos alunos. Foi elaborado e realizado um curso de extensão denominado "GEOPEES: Geotecnologias como instrumentos para pensar o espaço geográfico" direcionado aos educadores de Geografia da Rede Pública Municipal de São Gonçalo/RJ como forma de proporcionar mudanças em suas ações didáticas e empoderá-los para elaborar atividades com o uso de geotecnologias em suas aulas. Para tanto, a fundamentação metodológica dessa investigação baseou-se na PAPe (Pesquisa-ação pedagógica) com o intuito de estimular os educadores reconhecerem-se como autores e protagonistas na Cartografia Escolar. Como forma de avaliação do curso, os professores pesquisados construíram um material educacional com o uso de tecnologias aplicadas ao mapeamento e desenvolveram uma atividade cartográfica numa de suas turmas do 6º ao 9º ano na escola municipal onde lecionam em São Gonçalo. Os educadores mostraram ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The major disponibility of free mapping programs on the internet provides possibilities to work concepts e geographic contents whose starting and ending points the student's own living space. Therefore, it is necessary to estimulate and encorauge educators think about their practices in the teaching of Cartography. In this context, the objective of this investigation was to analyse the participation of geography teachers in process of continuous training as a way to elaborate cartographical tools based on geotechnology about the student's geographic reality. An extension course called "GEOPEES: Geotechnologies as tools to think geographic space" was performed to the educators of Geography of the Municipal Public Schools of São Gonçalo / RJ as a way of providing changes on their cartographic didactic actions and empowering them to elaborate activities with the use of geotechnologies in their classes. Therefore, the methodological basis of this research was based on the PAPe (Pedagogical Action Research) that enables educators to recognize themselves as authors and protagonists in Cartography teaching. As a way of evaluating the course, the teachers researched constructed a teaching instrument with the use of technologies applied to mapping and developed a cartographic activity in one of their classes from 6th to 9th grade classes in the municipal school where they teach in São Gonçalo. Teachers showed engagement, interest to develop an activity in classroom with geotecnologies... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

This dissertation explored the intersection of teacher education, education research and education policy through interviews among stakeholders of teacher education from Oman and the Philippines (i.e., teacher educators, policymakers, student teachers, and in-service teachers) and document analysis of various education policies and documents using a grounded theory approach. The dissertation is composed of three studies: the first two are qualitative studies and the third a mixed methods study. Each study has its own abstract, introduction, review of related literature, methods, results, discussions, implications, and references section. The first study is a qualitative study that explored the perceived characteristics of an ideal teacher among various stakeholders, looking at similarities and differences of perceptions among stakeholders and across countries. The researcher used a combination of a/r/tography, metaphor and inductive coding to analyze qualitative interview data. Findings suggest that even though there were universal characteristics sought for in ideal teachers, there were still cultural variances in how various cultures perceived their “ideal teacher.” The second study is a qualitative study that explored the perceptions of education policy among stakeholders and investigated if there was a difference in how stakeholders interpreted specific education policies as compared to what was indicated in official education policies. Findings suggest that these negative perceptions were rooted from misinterpretation and mis-implementation of the said education policies. The third study is a mixed methods study that explored the association between educational research usage and other demographic factors and how research was used and perceived by stakeholders. The researcher used data collected from a demographic survey and a structured open-ended interview. Qualitative data was analyzed using analytic coding while quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-Square test. Findings suggest that majority of the stakeholders use education research, however the frequency and purpose is affected by the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders. Statistical results showed that there were significant association between frequency of usage and age, educational attainment, years of experience, profession and country. Implications for the various stakeholders and teacher education programs based on the results of the three studies are discussed in the last chapter of this dissertation.

This study was designed to investigate preservice teachers' beliefs and attitudes about teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students. The investigation was designed to analyze the effects on this population of acquiring professional knowledge in a teacher education program and gaining experience in a school with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population. The design selected for this investigation was a cross sectional design. Because the study proposed to investigate the effects of preservice teacher education on teachers beliefs and attitudes about teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners, comparing groups was necessary to document the changes in beliefs and attitudes. All elementary education preservice teachers who had completed the multicultural strand of their program of study (third semester) and all preservice teachers who had not completed the multicultural strand of their program of study (first semester) were sampled. In order to create a ground for comparison, all first semester and third semester preservice teachers from early childhood education program, which did not require multicultural preparation, were sampled. Data were collected using three instruments: Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey (TMAS), analysis of three multicultural vignettes, and an open-ended questionnaire with three questions for each participant and a fourth question for the treatment group (third semester elementary education). Data were collected during Fall 2002 semester. Data obtained from the TMAS were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance to assess the significance of differences between groups. Data obtained from the analysis of three multicultural vignettes and the first and the third questions of the open-ended questionnaire were scored holistically by two outside raters based on the rubric developed by the researcher inductively from a sample of responses. Scores obtained from outside raters were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance to assess the level of mean differences between sampled groups. The second and fourth questions of the open-ended questionnaire were analyzed qualitatively by the researcher and debriefed by a peer. Analysis of the data obtained from the TMAS indicated that there were no significant differences among the groups sampled. Vignette analysis indicated that there were significant differenced between third semester elementary education preservice teachers and first semester elementary and early childhood education preservice teachers. The analysis of the first and the third questions of the open-ended questionnaire resulted in significant difference between third semester elementary education preservice teachers and all other groups. The qualitative data indicated that third semester elementary education preservice teachers relied more on academic coursework and field experience and less on personal experienced than all other groups in defining multicultural education. The analysis of the fourth questions indicated preservice teachers learning in four main areas: cultural awareness, ESOL, teaching and teaching strategies, and child perspective. In light of the existing literature and the overall picture that study depicted, it was concluded that the multicultural preparation that was combined fieldwork and coursework preservice teachers had received impacted their beliefs and attitudes positively. According to the findings of the study, it was recommended that the issues of equality and social justice be more fully integrated into the curriculum. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2003. / October 27, 2003. / Preservice Teacher Education, Multicultural Education / Includes bibliographical references. / Vivian Fueyo, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sande Milton, Outside Committee Member; Charles Wolfgang, Committee Member; John Hansen, Committee Member.

It is argued that teachers must experience inquiry in order to be able to translate it to their classrooms. The National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Research Experiences for Teachers (RETs) offer promising programs, yet scant empirical support documents the effectiveness of these programs. In this study, ten experienced, secondary science teachers were followed back to the classroom after a five-week, marine ecology RET, addressing the questions: How do teachers' conceptions and enactment of classroom inquiry change after the program?; What are the program's goals?; What accounts for these differences?; and What do these findings imply for future RETs? Data collected includes pre and post program questionnaires, audiotapes and videotapes of pre and post program teaching, post program STIR instrument responses, interviews, and field notes. The study found that an extensive, reflective program model, conducted by scientists who are teacher-centered, successfully conveyed the program model of inquiry. Post program, teachers' conceptions of inquiry were more student centered, focused less on assessment and classroom management and more on authentic content, questions, and presentations, and incorporated program language. Question patterns during enactment shifted to fewer teacher questions, more student questions, and increased higher order questions by students and teachers. More procedural questions indicated role shifts. The STIR instrument fostered understanding of enactment and, with critical incidents analyses, highlighted underlying teacher value structures. Teachers with more theoretical sophistication and who had Rationalistic and Egalitarian value structures applied inquiry throughout their teaching and moved beyond contextual constraints. Implications suggest that those who develop and implement RETs need to be masterful "bridge builders" to help transition teachers and their learning back to the classroom. Reflection holds promise for illuminating teachers' underlying values and goals and in gaining an understanding of teachers' enactment. Curriculum materials and theoretical readings can assist teacher change. Assimilation of new knowledge does not necessarily lead to transformation of practices. Rather, this study found that teachers with values and goals that were compatible to the RET, as well as an accompanying high level of theoretical sophistication, moved toward transformational change. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2006. / June 14, 2006. / Professional Development, Teacher Values, Teacher Change, Inquiry, Inquiry-Based Teaching / Includes bibliographical references. / Nancy T. Davis, Professor Directing Dissertation; J. Anthony Stallins, Outside Committee Member; Penny J. Gilmer, Committee Member; Sherry A. Southerland, Committee Member.

Orientador: Silvia Regina Quijadas Aro Zuliani / Co-orientador: Denise Fernandes de Mello / Banca: Eduardo Adolfo Terrazzan / Banca: Sandra Regina Teodoro Gatti / Resumo: A partir dos estudos desenvolvidos no grupo de pesquisa "Ensino de Química, Investigação Orientada, Linguagens e Formação Docente", da Universidade Estadual Paulista "Julio de Mesquita Filho" - Unesp - campus de Bauru-SP, deste trabalho e dos referenciais teóricos utilizados, percebeu-se que grande parte dos professores do Ensino Médio o qual ministravam a disciplina de Física não abordavam o tema Estrutura da Matéria em suas aulas, seja no âmbito geral da disciplina ou na abordagem direta do Currículo do Estado de São Paulo para Ciências da Natureza. Apesar da abordagem direta do conteúdo (Estrutura da Matéria: modelos de átomos e moléculas, quantização da energia, radioatividade e partículas elementares), grande parte da construção destes conceitos, o qual compõem parte da física moderna e contemporânea, inicia-se na Filosofia ou na busca da superação da limitações que a abordagem clássica das ciências impõe. Acreditamos que o ensino de estrutura da Matéria depende diretamente da articulação realizada pelo professor entre os saberes clássicos e contemporâneos das ciências. Esta articulação, por sua vez, depende inteiramente das concepções formadas pelos professores acerca dos conceitos tratados, ou seja, de sua visão ontológica, epistemológica e conceitual do tema. Para tanto, convidamos professores que ministravam a disciplina de Física, no Ensino Médio da região de Bauru-SP, para construírem e discutirem tais conceitos em um curso de formação continuada realizada junto do grupo de pesquisas. Assim, buscou-se, inicialmente, construir com base na História, Filosofia e Filosofia da Ciência os conceitos subjacentes à Estrutura da Matéria, para em seguida realizar uma discussão crítica de sua articulação com o Currículo do Estado de São Paulo e dos fatores que limitavam as aulas que abordassem o tema. Posteriormente às discussões, realizamos um estudo conceitual dirigido e os... / Abstract: From the studies developed in the research group "Ensino de Química", Investigação Orientada, Linguagens e Formação Docente", ou Universidade Estadual Paulista "Julio de Mesquita Filho" - Unesp - campus of Bauru-SP, this work and theoretical frameworks used, it was noticed that most of the high school teachers who teach physics dis not point "structure of matter", in their classes, either within the direct approach of the State of São Paulo Curriculum for Natural Sciences. Although, a direct approach to the content (Structure of Matter: models of atoms and molecules, energy quantization, radioactivity and elementary particles), much of the construction of these concepts, which make up part of modern and contemporary physics, begins in philosophy or in the effort to overcome the limitations that the classical approach of science imposes. We believe that the education Structure of Matter depends directly on the joint carried out by Professor between classic and contemporary knowledge of science. This articulation, in turn, depend entirely on the concepts formed by teachers about the treated concepts, ie its ontological vision, epistemological and conceptual theme. Therefore, we invite teachers who taught the discipline of physics in high shool of Bauru-SP region, to build and discuss these concepts in a continuing education course conducted with the research group. Thus, we sought to initially build on the History, Philosophy and Philosophy of Science the concepts underlying the Structure of Matter, to then perform a critical discussion of its relationship with the curriculum of the State of São Paulo and the factors that limited classes that addressed the issue. Later the discussion we conducted a conceptual study directed and teachers built ta lesson plan that would address the issue. Under the survey, this way inserted at specific times of the training course, enabling the holding of discussion concerning the knowledge of teachers... / Mestre