ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Enablers and Inhibitors to English Language Learners' Research Process in a High School Setting
Author: Kim, Sung Un
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English Language Learners,Student Research,High School Students,Barriers,Information Seeking,Search Strategies,English Teachers,Science Teachers,Biology,Questionnaires,Surveys,Interviews,Observation,Vocabulary,Teaching Methods,Information Utilization,Secondary School Teachers,Student Needs

This researcher sought to examine enablers and inhibitors to English language learner (ELL) students' research process within the framework of Carol C. Kuhlthau's Information Search Process (ISP). At a high school forty-eight ELL students in three classes, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, and a biology teacher participated in the study while the students conducted a research project in English. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, process surveys, interviews, and observations. The findings indicated that at the end of the research process more students reported difficulties looking for specific information, understanding hard vocabulary, evaluating (or selecting) information, summarizing, and writing than they did in the middle stage of the research process. To develop a solid grasp of vocabulary and concepts about their topics, some students searched resources in their native languages first, but did not use the content of these resources in the final product. To overcome the addressed challenges, the students wished for someone who knew the project and the subject, prompt help in finding precise information and looking up vocabulary and pronunciation, more background knowledge on their topics, sufficient time to complete the project, and a sample research paper. This study provided instructional strategies the teachers used to teach ELL students, and included discussions about information behaviors of ELL students, instructional strategies to support ELLs, and research instruments.
Performance-Based Evaluation and School Librarians
Author: Church, Audrey P.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Performance Based Assessment,Personnel Evaluation,Librarians,School Libraries,Elementary Secondary Education,Public Schools,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Federal Programs,Federal Aid,Program Evaluation,Online Surveys,Educational Objectives,Academic Standards,Knowledge Level,Evaluation Criteria,State Standards,Documentation,Demography

Evaluation of instructional personnel is standard procedure in our Pre-K-12 public schools, and its purpose is to document educator effectiveness. With Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind waivers, states are required to implement performance-based evaluations that demonstrate student academic progress. This three-year study describes the implementation of performance-based evaluations for school librarians in Virginia. Participants completed an online survey at the end of the 2011-2012, 2012-2013, and 2013-2014 school years. Findings indicate that the majority of participants were evaluated using teacher-performance standards and that the majority write teaching goals as opposed to program goals. Further research should be conducted to describe the implementation process in other states, to compare performance-based evaluation of school librarians from state to state, and to explore the use of student performance data that is collected to demonstrate academic progress to also provide local evidence of the school librarian's impact on student learning.
Introducing an Information-Seeking Skill in a School Library to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Using Video Modeling and Least-to-Most Prompts
Author: Markey, Patricia T.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Information Seeking,Skill Development,School Libraries,Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Video Technology,Prompting,Modeling (Psychology),Program Effectiveness,Middle School Students,Peer Teaching,Program Evaluation,Library Skills,Library Automation,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Likert Scales,Student Surveys,Case Studies

This study investigated the effectiveness of a video peer modeling and least-to-most prompting intervention in the school library setting, targeting the instructional delivery of an information-literacy skill to students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Research studies have evaluated the effectiveness of video-modeling procedures in the acquisition of social initiation, conversational skills, perspective-taking, appropriate play, and functional skills. However, the literature is limited on the acquisition of academic skills in library instructional programs as effected by video modeling with least-to-most prompting. This single-case, multiple baseline design across five middle school students with ASD used a descriptive approach to measure baseline, video peer-modeling intervention, and withdrawal phases. The results suggest that video modeling with least-to-most prompting was successful in teaching the five participants to access the online library catalog to help them select books for academic and leisure activities. Findings from the current study add to the literature on the use of video-modeling procedures in improving academic skills in students with ASD and can be applied in library instructional programs to strengthen existing educational programs and services for children with ASD.
Action Research Empowers School Librarians
Author: Robins, Jennifer
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Action Research,Empowerment,School Libraries,Librarians,Librarian Attitudes,Feasibility Studies,Improvement,Professionalism,Activism,Mixed Methods Research,Theory Practice Relationship,Portfolio Assessment,Statistical Analysis,Competence,Credibility,Librarian Teacher Cooperation,Reputation,Personnel Evaluation,Literature Reviews,Surveys

Successful school library programs occur through careful planning and reflection. This reflective process is improved when it is applied in a systematic way through action research. The action research described in this paper enabled school librarians to reflect based on evidence, using data they had collected. This study presents examples of the types of projects chosen by the librarians, aggregate outcomes from 156 action research projects conducted by thirty-nine school librarians over a two-year period, and the results from a follow-up survey completed by nineteen of the thirty-nine participating school librarians. This study was designed to determine whether the school librarians viewed their action research as being feasible, valuable, and empowering. The review of literature and the Implications section of this report are framed using Susan E. Noffke's concept that there are three families of action research: the professional, the personal, and the political.
Turning Teacher Education Upside Down: Enacting the Inversion of Teacher Preparation through the Symbiotic Relationship of Theory and Practice
Author: Gelfuso, Andrea
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Reflection,Theory Practice Relationship,Supervisors,Supervision,Partnerships in Education,Field Instruction,Educational Theories

Recent calls for a shift to clinically-based models of teacher preparation prompt a research focus on the quality of classroom experiences in which pre-service teachers engage and the level to which theory and practice connect to inform those experiences. Developing a theoretical framework to conceptualize an approach to this work is an essential step in teacher preparation reform. Linking Dewey's (1933, 1938) work on reflection with empirical studies on pre-service teachers' reflection practices, and with Vygotsky's notion of a &quot;knowledgeable other,&quot; we propose an approach to conducting clinical practice through a theoretical framework. Based on these frames, we argue that the role of the university &quot;supervisor&quot; must shift from one of observation and immediate feedback to one of deep analysis and coaching within the frame of the content being taught. From this, we offer insight on how to further develop both theory and practice within the teacher preparation reform movement and support pre-service teachers as they develop &quot;warranted assertabilities&quot; from their practice.
Moving from Traditional Teacher Education to a Field-Based Urban Teacher Education Program: One Program&apos;s Story of Reform
Author: Waddell, Jennifer
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,Teacher Education Programs,Field Experience Programs,Urban Teaching,Educational Change,Early Childhood Education,Elementary Education,Alignment (Education),Partnerships in Education,College School Cooperation,Accountability,Theory Practice Relationship

In recent years, teacher education has been charged with reforming programs to better align curriculum, clinical practice, and accountability. The sense of urgency for reform has been heightened by competition from alternative routes to teaching that jump straight to practice, often criticized for foregoing essential knowledge and theory. This paper details one institution's journey of reforming its early childhood and elementary programs toward practice-based teacher education. Reform efforts have been guided by a clear theoretical framework and philosophical stance and include careful alignment of curriculum and clinical practice, increased partnerships with local schools, and a focus on accountability and program integrity. The focus is on answers to practical questions regarding the application of theory in a field-based teacher education model and is intended to support other programs in their own journey of reform.
A Whale of an Interest in Sea Creatures: The Learning Potential of Excursions
Author: Hedges, Helen
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Field Trips,Preschool Children,Knowledge Level,Inquiry,Science Instruction,Animals,Preschool Teachers,Kindergarten,Case Studies,Parents,Focus Groups,Photography,Preschool Curriculum,Curriculum Design,Interviews

Excursions, or field trips, are a common component of early childhood programs, seen as a means of enriching the curriculum by providing experiences with people, places, and things in the community. Although excursions have been used as a framework for research on children's memory development, research on the efficacy of excursions in terms of their potential to extend young children's learning is rare. This article discusses 4-year-old children's knowledge and inquiry resulting from an excursion to an &quot;Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World.&quot; Children's knowledge and interest in sea creatures and penguins, features of the excursion setting's construction, learning orientations toward science and technology, and further inquiry stimulated by the excursion are illustrated. Dialogue opportunities and children's and teachers' subject content knowledge are highlighted as contributors to meaningful learning resulting from the excursion experience.
Correlates of Family Routines in Head Start Families
Author: Churchill, Susan L.
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Intervention,Disadvantaged Youth,Family Environment,Family Influence,Correlation,Scores,Standardized Tests,Mothers,Depression (Psychology),Gender Differences,Behavior Problems,Child Behavior,Interviews,Questionnaires,Preschool Teachers,Preschool Education,Check Lists,Student Characteristics,Teacher Attitudes,Parent Attitudes,Statistical Analysis

The popular parenting literature places great importance on the role of routines in children's lives. Empirical research on family routines, however, is limited. This study examined correlates of family routines in a Head Start population in order to better understand their significance in the lives of families. Weak correlations were found between family demographic characteristics and the number of established routines in the home. No correlations were found between family routines and teacher and observer ratings of child outcomes and standardized test scores for the full sample. Mothers' reports of their depression levels and their children's behavior problems were correlated with the number of routines in the home. Interesting sex differences emerged, in that teachers' and observers' ratings of girls' outcomes and mothers' ratings of girls' behavior were related to the number of family routines, but boys' behavior was not.
Early Childhood Education as Risky Business: Going beyond What's &quot;Safe&quot; to Discovering What's Possible
Author: New, Rebecca S.
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Risk,Curriculum Development,Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Young Children,Kindergarten,Culture,Cultural Pluralism,Animals,Democracy,Cooperation

Much has been learned about the possibilities of early childhood education from nations that have long invested in high-quality early care and educational programs. These new understandings are now being used by U.S. early childhood advocates to help parents, policy makers, and others better understand children's vast learning potentials, to acknowledge the deep intellectual work of teachers, and to recognize the rights of parents to help determine the essential features of a challenging and beneficial early childhood curriculum. What is less well acknowledged are cross-cultural insights into the potentials of a &quot;risk-rich&quot; curriculum, one in which both adults and children explore new topics and unfamiliar terrains, including those traditionally identified as developmentally inappropriate and beyond the reach of young children. In this article, the potentials of a &quot;risk-rich&quot; curriculum are explored using examples from the cross-cultural research literature as well as two classrooms of young children--one of 3- and 4-year-olds, the others from a kindergarten class. Teachers' reflections on what they learned about themselves and the children they teach are presented as they reveal untapped potentials of early childhood settings as sites for new discoveries and new relationships.
Reconstructing Teacher Education to Prepare Qualified Preschool Teachers: Lessons from New Jersey
Author: Lobman, Carrie
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Education,Preschool Teachers,Court Litigation,Educational Finance,Urban Schools,Preschool Education,Preschool Children,Teacher Certification,National Standards,Schools of Education,Interviews

New Jersey provides a unique context from which to explore the issue of preschool teacher certification and preparation because of the 1998 and 2000 Supreme Court decisions related to the Abbott districts. These decisions ruled that the 30 poorest districts were to create systems of high-quality preschool for all 3- and 4-year-old children beginning in the 1999-2000 school year. This paper reports on the state's efforts to create a new system of preschool teacher certification and explores how current practices compare to national standards for the content and capacity of high-quality teacher preparation. The findings from this study indicate that it is possible, in a relatively short period of time, to put in place a system of early childhood teacher preparation that has the capacity to upgrade the credentials of the state's workforce. Lessons from this case suggest that policy makers and teacher educators must focus on the coordination of human and financial resources to ensure equity and quality of teacher education programs.
Getting from Here to There: To an Ideal Early Preschool System
Author: Gallagher, James J.
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Preschool Education,Child Care,Program Development,Holistic Approach,Disadvantaged Youth,Federal Programs,Educational Legislation,Federal Legislation,Disabilities,Equal Education,Educational Quality,Access to Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Agency Cooperation,Early Intervention,Financial Support,Educational Change,Barriers,Change Strategies,Court Litigation,State Regulation

The development, care, and education of children from birth to age 5 has been the focus of rapidly increasing public interest, and numerous early childhood public policy initiatives have focused attention on a major problem of coordination and collaboration of services for young children. Four segments of services for young children--(1) child care, (2) Head Start, (3) services for children with disabilities, and (4) preschool programs--have all been major players in providing services for differing, and sometimes overlapping, populations of young children. Each group has a similar mission: to help children (most often with special needs or limited opportunities) master the skills and knowledge needed to adapt effectively to kindergarten at age 5. Each group has its own history and has developed more or less independently of the others. Because the groups developed independently, they have overlapping personnel preparation programs, evaluation efforts, and data systems. This paper explores some strategies for moving from independent and overlapping services toward a seamless system of early child care and nurturance provided by these four diverse players. Voluntary collaborations between these players seem unlikely because of self-interest and bureaucratic challenges. Barriers to reform exist in institutional, psychological, sociological, economic, political, and geographic domains. This paper proposes that four engines of change--legislation, court decisions, administrative rule making, and professional initiatives--be energized to move toward a seamless system. Such collaboration can begin by merging support systems such as personnel preparation, technical assistance, and evaluation. The paper concludes with specific recommendations for achieving an integrated early childhood system.
Telling Stories with Blocks: Encouraging Language in the Block Center
Author: Heisner, Janie
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Dramatic Play,Language Acquisition,Vocabulary Development,Toys,Intervention,Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Preschool Teachers

A large body of research documents the positive impact of sociodramatic play on children's language development. Through the social interaction that takes place during sociodramatic play, children develop the ability to express thoughts in a logical sequence, share ideas about events in which there is not shared context, and develop vocabulary. Previous research on the relationship between sociodramatic play and language development in the preschool setting primarily has been conducted in the dramatic play center. However, some children prefer other activity areas that also are conducive to this beneficial form of play. The block center is one such area. With its open-ended activities and constructive play opportunities, the block center provides an area in which children can use their imagination to create fanciful structures with their friends and then take on roles as they interact with their creations and their peers. The impact of a specific effort to incorporate toys from the block center into shared storybook reading in order to promote sociodramatic play in the block center is discussed in this essay as well as observations and recommendations for promoting more of this important type of interaction throughout the classroom.
Looking at the Trees around Us
Author: Bellous, Karen
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Young Children,Forestry,Laboratory Schools,Outdoor Education,Student Projects,Teaching Methods,Field Trips,Elementary School Students

This article describes a tree project undertaken by a class of 5- to 7-year-old children in the Child Study Centre at the University of Alberta. Following a description of the school and the children, the article discusses how the project evolved and discusses the three phases of the project. Photographs taken during the project are included.
Mentoring for Change: A Time Use Study of Teacher Consultants in Preschool Reform
Author: Ryan, Sharon
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Teachers,Mentors,Coaching (Performance),Faculty Development,Use Studies,Court Litigation,Factor Analysis,Time Management,Consultants,Educational Finance,Urban Schools,Interviews,Demography

out new ideas within their own classroom contexts and with the help of skilled colleagues. Professional development from this perspective, therefore, not only involves teachers attending training sessions such as workshops or conferences but also receiving on-site technical assistance and mentoring in new instructional techniques. To ensure that preschool teachers receive this kind of training, policy makers in early education have begun to create different types of teacher consultant positions such as mentors and curriculum coaches. This paper reports the findings of a time use study of 35 teacher consultants whose role was to provide curriculum assistance and professional development to preschool teachers in response to a court mandate. Using the retrospective time diary method, the teacher consultants were asked to account for all of their activities in a 24-hour period. On average, teacher consultants worked a 7-hour day, distributing this time primarily among 13 activities. Most of the teacher consultants' time was spent on teacher development activities such as providing classroom assistance, planning, and giving workshops. A factor analysis shows that if teacher consultants spend time in activities connected to working with teachers in classrooms, they are less likely to plan or give workshops to teachers. To ensure that teacher consultants can have their intended impact, policy makers are advised to provide specialized training and limit the number of responsibilities associated with this role.
How Do Children Tell Us about Their Childhoods?
Author: Samuelsson, Ingrid Pramling
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Young Children,Communication (Thought Transfer),Theory Practice Relationship,Online Searching,Databases,Child Development,Teacher Student Relationship,Interpersonal Relationship,Interpersonal Communication

Noting that quality in early childhood education is related to the quality of communication and interaction among teachers and children, this article explores how teachers can facilitate children's telling others about their perspectives of the world. The paper asks the questions: &quot;How do we as researchers and teachers interpret the child and his or her learning? How do we participate in the process of making the child's view visible?&quot; Using transcriptions of conversations, videotape of interactions, and photographs, the article illustrates how children communicate and interact with each other and adults. The article concludes that teachers can facilitate children's expression of their opinions or perspectives by becoming competent in listening and directing children's attention toward important values, skills, and knowledge.