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Eric.ed.gov – Some Strategies in Dealing with High-Stakes Testing and the Death of Social Studies Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The pressure of high-stakes testing has virtually eliminated the teaching of history and the other social studies from many urban elementary schools. The author has heard it directly from many Philadelphia (Pa.) teachers in numerous classes where he teaches graduate social studies pedagogy courses to graduate student teachers who are pursuing Masters degrees or state certification. Many of these graduate student teachers describe enormous stress on them and their students to meet the established Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), as indicated by standardized test results. Graduate student teachers also describe the pressure they face to eliminate altogether the teaching of subjects other than reading/language arts and math. Over the past two years more than forty graduate student teachers have related receiving similar directives from their supervisors. Moreover, the… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Finding “Mathematics”: Parents Questioning School-Centered Approaches to Involvement in Children’s Mathematics Learning

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper reports on a study of parental involvement in children’s mathematics learning in the context of a series of workshops carried out in four primary schools in the United Kingdom. Previous research suggests that, while there are high correlations between parental involvement and positive student outcomes, it can be difficult to raise student achievement via parental involvement interventions. We suggest that part of the reason for this, at least in relation to mathematics, is that parents experience considerable difficulties in negotiating school-centered definitions of and approaches to mathematics. We employed a design and analytic approach informed by Derridean concepts including decentering and différance. We encouraged parents to work with their children to “find the math” in everyday life and activity. A significant component of the discussion… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Centered on Results: Assessing the Impact of Student-Centered Learning

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: While many of the concepts and approaches that comprise student-centered learning have deep roots in learning theory, the cognitive sciences, and youth and child development, empirical research on student-centered learning’s impact in K-12 classrooms remains limited. This report offers highlights from three studies commissioned by Nellie Mae, researched by Education Connection, American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) to examine student-centered learning in depth–what it looks like, and how students may benefit. Together, these studies strengthen the evidence base for those seeking to identify practices that will produce the greatest benefits for students. Furthermore, they provide new insights into how to achieve the highest outcomes equitably. These studies look at how to ensure that all students–including those in underserved groups–get… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – High School Peer Buddy Program: Impact on Social and Academic Achievement for Students with Disabilities

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this study was to examine the Peer Buddy Program at a high school for students with disabilities (i.e., learning and behavior disabilities) in academic and social achievement. Two specific questions were addressed: Do students with learning and/or emotional/behavioral disabilities, who are participating in the Peer Buddy Program, show improvement in their use of social skills according to self-report, special and general curriculum teacher ratings on a standardized social skill rating scale? and 2) Do students with learning and/or emotional/behavioral disabilities, who are participating in the Peer Buddy Program, show improvement in academic skill use according to past to present year comparisons on grade point averages, and special education informal assessments (Fast Math, System 44, and Acuity)? Student, special and general education teachers’ ratings on… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – From the Mouths of Experts: Relationship-Building Advice from Immigrant & Refugee Families

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: As the population of English language learners (ELLs) in schools increases, school leaders seek to build more culturally and linguistically sustaining school communities. Often, the first step in these efforts is to intentionally invite ELLs and their families to school-based events with the hope of involving parents in their children’s formal education. School leaders might partner with teachers to organize family math nights, arrange transportation to teacher-parent conferences, or hire a translator to make the school newsletter linguistically accessible. Yet, educators frequently end up frustrated that immigrant and refugee (IR) families do not show up for these events or that these events seem to have little effect on the academic outcomes of ELLs in their schools. This article shares how teachers worked with the Natural Helpers to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Empowering Teachers with Low-Intensity Strategies to Support Instruction: Within-Activity Choices in Third-Grade Math with Null Effects

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Instructional choice is a low-intensity strategy that can improve academic engagement. In this study, we investigated the effects of within-activity choices offered during math by third-grade teachers to participating students with behavioral and academic needs. We utilized a professional development model to train teachers to implement instructional choice in the classroom while collecting direct observation data on student’s academic engagement. Teachers were able to implement practices with high levels of integrity and collect momentary time sampling data on one student with high levels of reliability. Using a withdrawal design, we found no clear functional relation between instructional choice and increases in student’s academic engagement. However, some students demonstrated an increase in level upon the introduction of the intervention. Both teachers and students rated the intervention goals, procedures,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Investigating Students’ Perceptions of Motivating Factors of Online Class Discussions

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: One of the goals of teacher education is to prepare our citizens to communicate in a variety of ways. In our present society, communication using digital media has become essential. Although online discussions are a common component of many online courses, engaging students in online discussions has been a challenge. This study queried 86 educators in a math/science teacher education graduate program to examine their perceptions on the factors that motivate them to participate in online discussions. The results revealed a pragmatic outlook on online education. In terms of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, the participants’ main motivation to participate in online class discussions was extrinsic (85.88%), specifically so that they could earn an acceptable participation grade. With regards to discussion grouping formats, they preferred small group discussions… Continue Reading