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Eric.ed.gov – Mobile Learning and Early Age Mathematics

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The ability to develop engaging simulations and constructive learning experiences using mobile devices is unprecedented, presenting a disruption in educational practices of historical proportions. In this paper we describe some of the unique virtues that mobile learning hold for early age mathematics education. In particular, we describe how object-based learning, any place/anywhere learning, collaborative learning, gamified learning, customized learning, and adaptive learning, come to play in our work on “SlateMath.” SlateMath is a richly indexed portfolio of hundreds of instructional units, designed to support the teaching and learning of mathematics at the elementary school level (kindergarten through sixth grade) using mobile devices. SlateMath is cross-platform, multi-lingual, and freely available for schools and teachers world-wide. [For the complete proceedings, see ED557171.] Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Teaching EcoJustice in STEM Methods Courses

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This article provides concrete critical and ethical responses to dominant educational policies promoting the teaching of STEM fields. Recognizing how dominant discourses of modernity (Martusewicz, et al. 2015) work discursively to constitute STEM, this paper examines and exposes how STEM education is prioritized via funding in teacher education. As well, STEM is prioritized throughout state teacher licensure policies, to the effect that, e.g., all licensed elementary teachers are required to take STEM methods courses. This article provides an example whereby the space that mainstream STEM creates can then be appropriated for radical, EcoJustice Education (Martusewicz et al., 2015). Specifically, this paper shares conceptual research theorizing the inclusion of Ecojustice Education in elementary science methods and elementary math methods courses. Building on the work of social justice education,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Content, Predictive Power, and Potential Bias in Five Widely Used Teacher Observation Instruments. REL 2017-191

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: School districts and states across the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic Region and the country as a whole have been modifying their teacher evaluation systems to identify more effective and less effective teachers and provide better feedback to improve instructional practice. The new systems typically include components related to student achievement growth and instruments for observing and rating instructional practice. Many school districts and states are considering adopting commercially available instruments for the instructional practice component of their evaluation systems. Yet little data are available to help districts and states choose among available instruments or determine which dimensions of instructional practice merit the greatest emphasis. Most existing data comparing different observation instruments, including their statistical characteristics and their relationship to student achievement, come from the Bill & Melinda… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – What Works? Common Practices in High Functioning Afterschool Programs across the Nation in Math, Reading, Science, Arts, Technology, and Homework–A Study by the National Partnership. The Afterschool Program Assessment Guide. CRESST Report 768

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In an effort to identify and incorporate exemplary practices into existing and future afterschool programs, the U.S. Department of Education commissioned a large-scale evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) program. The purpose of this evaluation project was to develop resources and professional development that addresses issues relating to the establishment and sustainability of afterschool programs. Fifty-three high functioning programs representative across eight regional divisions of the nation, including rural and urban programs, community-based and school district related programs, were identified using rigorous methods. Exemplary practices in program organization, program structure, and especially in content delivery were studied. The findings were synthesized into the Afterschool Toolkit that was made available to programs nationwide via the world-wide-web. Professional development was conducted consistently and extensively throughout the… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Mentoring Early Career Teachers in Urban Alaska: Impact Findings from the Investing in Innovation (i3) Evaluation of the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project Urban Growth Opportunity

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In 2011, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) received an Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant through the U.S. Department of Education. UAF applied for the grant to expand the predominantly rural-serving Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP) to urban settings. ASMP is a professional development initiative that supplies fully released, highly trained mentors to early career teachers (ECTs). UAF’s i3 grant, The Urban Growth Opportunity (UGO), included five districts: Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and Sitka. This is the final report for the grant conducted over four years (2011 2012 to 2014 2015). The research team randomly assigned 556 ECTs to treatment (UGO) and business as usual (BAU) groups. UGO ECTs received an ASMP mentor for two years; BAU ECTs received their districts’… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Prevalence or Absence of Attention to Adolescent Literature in the Initial Preparation of Secondary Content Teachers

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study examined uses of adolescent literature included secondary teacher preparation in English, math, science, and social studies education at 12 institutions. Analyses revealed programs emphasized adolescent literature in a variety of ways and most often in courses for English majors. Only two institutions required that prospective math, science, and social studies teachers take literacy courses. References to adolescent literature in syllabi other than English/literacy education courses were almost nonexistent. Adolescent literature was primarily used (a) to ensure knowledge of texts, (b) to address issues of diversity in the classroom, and (c) as a means of effective classroom instruction. (Contains 1 table.) Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Provoking Mathematical Thinking: Experiences of Doing Realistic Mathematics Tasks with Adult Numeracy Teachers

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This action research project looks at what happened when a small group of adult numeracy teachers with widely different experiences of learning and teaching mathematics explored their own informal numeracy practices and undertook a series of collaborative mathematical tasks. Evidence from qualitative data collected during the enquiry suggests that “realistic” tasks can provoke a range of mathematical thinking and learning responses which allow us to identify ways in which “procedural” and “conceptual” thinking is being used, and to track learning journeys through different stages of problem-solving. Although more experienced numeracy teachers could move between and within their “real worlds” and “maths worlds” with intent and ease, others had less integrated experiences, often valuing perceived mathematical powers over their own intuitive powers, with mixed success. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Tracking Growth: Studying First-Year Teacher Development under a High-Stakes Evaluation System

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Students who have more effective teachers are more likely to attend college, earn a higher salary, and live in higher socioeconomic neighborhoods (Chetty, Friedman, & Rockoff, 2012). As such, teacher effectiveness is critically important, and identifying teachers who demonstrate high potential for growth in their first year of teaching could be a real asset to the districts in which they teach. The purpose of this project is to determine which teachers seem to measurably improve their instructional practice over the course of their first-year, measured via a series of observations conducted by normed observers using a common rubric. Data came from 965 first-year teachers recruited and trained by alternative certification programs in 15 geographic regions: Delaware; Baltimore; Washington, DC; Chicago; Charlotte; Nashville; Memphis; Texas (Fort Worth, Dallas,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Code-Switching Explorations in Teaching Early Number Sense

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: New semiotic perspectives about the role of language in mathematics education indicate that teachers have a fundamental role in communicating and teaching the language that carries mathematical meaning. However, little is known about how educators of young children understand and use the language of mathematics. This study addresses this void. Supported by the understanding that mathematics has its own language (Pimm, 1987), the study focuses on code switching–the mixing of words from two languages–by educators as they shift between the language of instruction and the language of mathematics. A qualitative multiple case study approach utilizing discourse analysis was used to explore three early years teachers’ math talk. Findings indicate that these educators code-switched to the mathematics register when they talked about numbers, number words and counting, to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Cluster Randomized Trial of a Large-Scale Education Initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Pilot Year Impacts on Teacher Development

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: A wealth of research, primarily in high income countries, has accumulated in recent years evaluating teacher effectiveness and the processes through which teachers’ performance and job satisfaction can be improved (e.g., Pianta, Mashburn, Downer, Hamre & Justice, 2008; Ross, 1992; 1995). Much less is known about how these processes operate for teachers in low-income countries, where schools may be located in high conflict areas with low resources that can pose strains on teachers, students and their interactions. In the past several years, there has been a growing interest in rigorous evaluation research in developing countries to help inform policy and practice. This paper applies rigorous methodology to consider the question of whether and how an intervention can improve teachers’ motivation, job satisfaction and professional development in the… Continue Reading