ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Learning to Learn Cooperatively
Author: Byrd, Anne Hammond
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learning Strategies,Cooperative Learning,Teaching Methods,Thinking Skills,Critical Thinking,Self Esteem,Interpersonal Relationship,Group Activities,Accountability,Interaction,Interpersonal Competence,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language)

Cooperative learning, put quite simply, is a type of instruction whereby students work together in small groups to achieve a common goal. Cooperative learning has become increasingly popular as a feature of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) with benefits that include increased student interest due to the quick pace of cooperative tasks, improved critical thinking ability, and the opportunity to practice both the productive and receptive skills in a natural context. The array of benefits extends beyond increased language learning to include increased self-esteem and tolerance of diverse points of view. Although cooperative learning has numerous variations, Johnson and Johnson (1999) indicate five features of a successful cooperative learning activity: (1) students learn that their success depends upon working together interdependently; (2) students are individually accountable while achieving group goals; (3) students support and assist one another's success through face-to-face interactions; (4) students develop social skills by cooperating and working together effectively; and (5) students as a group have the opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of working together. When these principles are realized, cooperative learning creates a rich environment for students to learn language and simultaneously develop their capacities for collaborative twenty-first-century communication and problem solving. Students can reap all of these benefits by working cooperatively in the classroom, so it is no wonder that teachers desire to pool the resources in the classrooms, namely the students, to maximize student learning through cooperative learning opportunities. In this article, the author offers language teachers hoping to implement successful cooperative learning activities with young learners seven suggestions for helping students.
Journals in the Language Classroom
Author: Baxter, Scott J.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Foreign Countries,Diaries,Journal Writing,Teaching Methods,Second Language Instruction,College Students,Writing Assignments,Writing Skills

In this article, the author describes some of the ways that journals can be used as teaching tools in the language classroom; in fact, the suggestions he makes could be applied to the use of journals in teaching just about any subject. He begins by describing the concept of writing to learn, which is the theoretical foundation that journals are based on. After that, he gives practical advice for using journals in the classroom. Next, he shares his own advice and presents feedback about journals from students at the American University of Bulgaria. Finally, he ends with specific suggestions for how journals might be used at different moments during a lesson.
Michigan: The Great Lakes State
Author: McKay, Sandra Lee
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary Secondary Education,Geography,United States History,Tourism,Industry,Agricultural Occupations

Although Michigan is often called the &quot;Wolverine State,&quot; its more common nickname is the &quot;Great Lakes State.&quot; This name comes from the fact that Michigan is the only state in the United States that borders four of the five Great Lakes. Also referred to as the &quot;Water Wonderland,&quot; Michigan has 11,000 additional lakes, 36,000 miles of streams, and 199 waterfalls. It is said that someone could stand anywhere in Michigan and be within six miles of a lake or stream and within 85 miles of the Great Lakes. The name Michigan itself comes from the Chippewa word, &quot;michi-gama,&quot; meaning &quot;large lake.&quot; This article provides information on the geography, history, major commerce and industry, tourist attractions and activities, and state symbols of Michigan. (Contains 4 online resources.)
Using Progressive I-Can Statements to Promote Learner Confidence in Writing
Author: MacDuff, Fife
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Basic Writing,Writing Skills,Language Skills,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Writing Instruction,Self Esteem,Teaching Methods,Spelling,Sentences,Writing Assignments

The challenges of teaching writing and encouraging students to write are many. However, one of the most difficult issues to deal with is students' reluctance to write in any language, even their home language. Because of this reluctance, being asked to write in English as a foreign or second language can feel like a double burden. Learners of English often are not confident that they have the basic writing skills or the language skills needed to compose a piece of writing in English. This article suggests ways to build students' confidence in their ability to write in English. One way to address the issue is by creating opportunities for students to state what they perceive they are able to do. The statements students produce about their perceived abilities can be referred to as I-can statements, such as "I can write names of foods in English" or "I can write about daily activities in English." This approach is most effective when students are given a target so that even before they begin, they have a sense of what they are expected to accomplish. In this article, the authors present a series of basic writing activities that demonstrate how I-can statements can be used. While the activities are appropriate for young learners, they can benefit students of any age who are in the beginning to lower-intermediate stages of learning English.
Write that Professional Article!
Author: Burk, Anne Marie
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English Departments,Newsletters,Writing for Publication,Lesson Plans,Teacher Collaboration,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Learning Activities

Everyone benefits when teachers share their "best practice" ideas with one another; novice and seasoned teachers alike are delighted to add successful lessons to their repertoire. Besides giving teachers something tried and true to work with, successful lesson plans help teachers reflect upon what makes an approach to language teaching effective in the classroom. An excellent way to share a successful idea with colleagues is to write down detailed step-by-step procedures to implement the lesson and then hand them out to colleagues. Teachers often eagerly collect such materials; some collections of classroom activities are preserved for years and adapted by other teachers for students of all ages and abilities. One of the more formal ways to share an idea is to write an article for publication in the English department's newsletter or in a professional teacher's journal. Often teachers feel at a loss as to how to transform a lesson plan into a publication. In this article, the author describes five essential steps to prepare an article for publication. (Contains 1 figure.)
Looking for the Big Picture: Macrostrategies for L2 Teacher Observation and Feedback
Author: Salas, Spencer
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Supervisory Methods,Observation,Reflective Teaching,Supervisors,Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Self Concept,Supervisor Supervisee Relationship,Second Language Instruction,Teacher Supervision,Teacher Improvement

While an extensive body of literature in TESOL studies the different paradigms that drive second language (L2) teachers' conceptualizations of their professional identities and practice, there is still a need for more research into how L2 supervisors construct the realities of supervision and how their interpretations of those realities inform their interactions with teachers. Often, supervisors charged with improving teacher practice through a collaborative cycle of formal observation, feedback, and evaluation use their memories of experiences with supervisors as a guide. Unfortunately, the memories that supervisors typically work from derive from a vertical top-down supervisor-teacher relationship. Consequently, both parties commonly frame observation and post-observation exchanges as a time for the supervisor to identify and correct what was "wrong" in that particular classroom on that particular day--hopefully with little protest on the part of the teacher. The authors believe that L2 teacher observation and feedback can and should be much more. In this article, they argue that rather than a checklist of what was "right" or "wrong" and a prescription for fixing those errors, teachers need broader strategies to make their instruction respond dynamically to the changing contexts and circumstances of classrooms. Referring to L2 teachers and the L2 classroom, Kumaravadivelu (1994) calls these big ideas about teaching "macrostrategies". The authors contend that supervisors need macrostrategies too--big ideas about teaching and big ideas about working for and with teachers. This article enumerates six macrostrategies which are specifically directed toward supervisors. At the same time, however, the authors believe that teachers working by themselves or wanting to work better with their colleagues can consider how these guidelines might enrich their own reflective practice.
Ten Great Low-Cost Teaching Tools
Author: McCaughey, Kevin
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Classroom Techniques,Class Activities,Creativity,Art Activities,Creative Teaching,Games

In this article, the author describes ten of his favorite tools and explains how they can be employed in various ways: (1) to manage the classroom better; (2) to jump into fun activities with little or no preparation; or (3) to promote student-created art and materials. All of these teaching tools are affordable--even cheap. In the event that some might not be available in one's region, the author has added a few do-it-yourself alternatives. (Contains 1 table.)
Football: Action on the Gridiron
Author: McIntosh, Phyllis
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Team Sports,College Athletics,Athletes,High Schools,School Community Relationship,Vocabulary,Web Sites,Athletics

On any fall weekend across the United States, football reigns as the nation's favorite sport. Thousands of high school teams, the pride of communities from coast to coast, compete under the lights on Friday nights. Saturdays feature the tradition and pageantry of college football. Sundays belong to the 32 professional teams that play in the major metropolitan areas. A rough and tumble game of sometimes violent physical contact, American football is not for the faint of heart. Although it has roots in soccer and rugby, the sport as it is played today is purely American, having evolved through countless rule changes over the past 150 years. But football in the United States is more than a game. For legions of fans, it is a source of school pride, a social event, and an integral part of holiday celebrations. This article provides information on the history of football and describes the football fundamentals and some of the terms used in football. (Contains 4 online resources.)
Principal Succession and the Micropolitics of Educators in Schools: Some Incidental Results from a Larger Study
Author: Meyer, Matthew J.
Date: 2011-02-07
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Principals,Administrative Change,Politics of Education,Constructivism (Learning),Tenure,Interviews,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Organizational Change,Change Agents,Change Strategies,Foreign Countries,Educational Administration,Educational Policy

Principal turnover has the potential to impact seriously school morale and values as teachers attempt to adjust to new administrators and their possible shifts in focus. In an era of mandated school improvement, teachers in schools with new administrators have to deal not only with changes in district, state and/or provincial policies, but also with adapting to the new principal. To understand the process of adaptation, this article presents an exploration of micro-politics between teachers and principals at the time of administrator succession and notions of the changing interplay between power and authority. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [&quot;Principal Succession and the Micropolitics of Educators in Schools: Some Incidental Results from a Larger Study&quot; was written with Shawn K. Northfield.]
Creating Inclusive Space for Aboriginal Scholars and Scholarship in the Academy: Implications for Employment Equity Policy
Author: Roland, Karen A.
Date: 2011-02-24
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Canada Natives,Disproportionate Representation,Equal Opportunities (Jobs),Personnel Policy,College Faculty,Faculty Recruitment,Teacher Persistence,Faculty Mobility,Scholarship,Social Justice,Case Studies,Foreign Countries

Many Canadian universities report an under-representation of Aboriginal scholars in their professoriate. Employment equity policy seeks to redress the under-representation of marginalized groups in the Canadian workforce, including Aboriginal peoples. This article presents the findings of a case study which sought to examine, from the perspective of Aboriginal scholars, the under-representation of Aboriginal scholars in the Ontario professoriate, specifically, why Aboriginal scholars stay, or leave the academy. The study findings illustrate the need for employment equity policy to equitably promote the recruitment of Aboriginal scholars, and further, to support their retention through the valuation of Aboriginal scholarship. The study highlights the need for Canadian universities to embrace their role as societal &quot;agents of change,&quot; and as part of their social justice mission, to promote diversification in the professoriate by creating inclusive space for Aboriginal scholars and scholarship in the academy. (Contains 1 figure.)
An Exploration of the Implementation of Restorative Justice in an Ontario Public School
Author: Reimer, Kristin
Date: 2011-03-11
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Public Schools,Foreign Countries,Program Implementation,Case Studies,Performance Factors,Questionnaires,Content Analysis,Interviews,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Justice,Functional Behavioral Assessment,Program Effectiveness,Critical Incidents Method,Educational Administration,Discipline Policy,Educational Practices

This qualitative case study explores the implementation of restorative justice within one Ontario Public School. Restorative justice is a philosophy and a process for dealing with harmful behaviour, viewing such behaviour as a violation of relationships, not rules. My research seeks to present how restorative justice has been implemented in one school, reaching beyond an examination of the effectiveness of restorative justice to an exploration of how teachers and administrators think and feel about, and actually employ, restorative justice practices. My findings suggest that while there is a personal commitment to the practice of restorative justice on the part of both teachers and administrators, if necessary structures and cultural systems are not in place, then it is difficult to sustain the restorative justice program. This study identifies factors needed to sustain a transformative reform such as restorative justice. (Contains 1 table.)
The Pasternak Case and American Gender Equity Policy: Implications for Canadian High School Athletics
Author: Beaubier, Dean M.
Date: 2011-04-06
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High Schools,Governance,Foreign Countries,Sex Fairness,Equal Education,Civil Rights,Females,Court Litigation,Twins,Team Sports,Educational Policy

In 2004 twin sisters Amy and Jesse Pasternak competed for the prospect of playing high school hockey, vying for the boys' team rather than the girls'. The sisters' opportunities were negated by the Manitoba High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). This paper examines the 2006 decision by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission and a 2008 judgment by the provincial Court of Queen's Bench regarding an application for judicial review. We argue that these decisions imply that Canadian high school governance bodies should study gender equity policies and the judicial decisions surrounding similar high school challenges in the United States. This ultimately has implications for future such circumstances. (Contains 1 footnote.)
You Asked Open-Ended Questions, Now What? Understanding the Nature of Stumbling Blocks in Teaching Inquiry Lessons
Author: Inoue, Noriyuki
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Teacher Response,Teacher Educators,Teacher Education,Reflection,Problem Solving,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Education,Prior Learning,Mentors,Undergraduate Study,Higher Education,College Mathematics,Case Studies,Mathematical Concepts

Undergraduate preservice teachers face many challenges implementing inquiry pedagogy in mathematics lessons. This study provides a step-by-step case analysis of an undergraduate preservice teacher's actions and responses while teaching an inquiry lesson during a summer math camp for grade 3-6 students conducted at a university. Stumbling blocks that hindered achievement of the overall goals of the inquiry lesson emerged when the preservice teacher asked open-ended questions and learners gave diverse, unexpected responses. Because no prior thought was given to possible student answers, the preservice teacher was not equipped to give pedagogically meaningful responses to her students. Often, the preservice teacher simply ignored the unanticipated responses, impeding the students' meaning-making attempts. Based on emergent stumbling blocks observed, this study recommends that teacher educators focus novice teacher preparation in the areas of a) anticipating possibilities in students' diverse responses, b) giving pedagogically meaningful explanations that bridge mathematical content to students' thinking, and c) in-depth, structured reflection of teacher performance and teacher response to students' thinking. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure and 1 footnote.)
Secondary Mathematics Teacher Differences: Teacher Quality and Preparation in a New York City Alternative Certification Program
Author: Evans, Brian R.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Majors (Students),Mathematics Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Secondary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Mathematics Teachers,Alternative Teacher Certification,Secondary School Mathematics,Teacher Competencies,Preservice Teacher Education,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Urban Schools,Teacher Background

Providing students in urban settings with quality teachers is important for student achievement. This study examined the differences in content knowledge, attitudes toward mathematics, and teacher efficacy among several different types of alternatively certified teachers in a sample from the New York City Teaching Fellows program in order to determine teacher quality. Findings revealed that high school teachers had significantly higher content knowledge than middle school teachers; teachers with strong mathematics backgrounds had significantly higher content knowledge than teachers who did not have strong mathematics backgrounds; and mathematics and science majors had significantly higher content knowledge than other majors. Further, it was found that mathematics content knowledge was not related to attitudes toward mathematics and teacher efficacy; thus, teachers had the same high positive attitudes toward mathematics and same high teacher efficacy, regardless of content ability. (Contains 6 tables.)
Sense Making as Motivation in Doing Mathematics: Results from Two Studies
Author: Mueller, Mary
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Qualitative Research,Educational Research,Teacher Student Relationship,Motivation,Mathematics Achievement,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Education,Self Efficacy,Academic Achievement,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students

In this article, we present episodes from two qualitative research studies. The studies focus on students of different ages and populations and their work on different mathematical tasks. We examine the commonalities in environment, tools, and teacher-student interactions that are key influences on the positive dispositions engendered in the students and their interest and engagement in mathematics. In addition, we hypothesize that these positive dispositions in mathematics lead to student reasoning and, thus, mathematical understanding. The resulting framework is supported by other educational research and suggests ways that the standards can be implemented in diverse classrooms in order to achieve optimal student engagement and learning. (Contains 6 figures.)
An Alternative Method to Gauss-Jordan Elimination: Minimizing Fraction Arithmetic
Author: Smith, Luke
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Equations (Mathematics),Arithmetic,Teaching Methods,Mathematics Instruction,Problem Solving,Matrices,Conventional Instruction,Secondary School Mathematics,College Mathematics

When solving systems of equations by using matrices, many teachers present a Gauss-Jordan elimination approach to row reducing matrices that can involve painfully tedious operations with fractions (which I will call the traditional method). In this essay, I present an alternative method to row reduce matrices that does not introduce additional fractions until the very last steps. The students in my classes seemed to appreciate the efficiency and accuracy that the alternative method offered. Freed from unnecessary computational demands, students were instead able to spend more time focusing on designing an appropriate system of equations for a given problem and interpreting the results of their calculations. I found that these students made relatively few arithmetic mistakes as compared to students I tutored in the traditional method, and many of these students who saw both approaches preferred the alternative method. (Contains 8 figures.)