This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Sheryl L. Stump, Beth Tarasawa, Joan Dabrowski, Sean J. Smith, Nell K. Duke, Kathleen M. Lord, Nicole C. Ralston, Amy Petersen Jensen, Joel A. Bryan, and Bridgette Slevin.
(2016). Nine Strategies for Helping Middle School Students Weather the Perfect Storm of Disability, Diversity, and Adolescence, American Secondary Education. This article examines instructional strategies that middle school educators can use in inclusive settings in order to support the unique needs of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional (CLDE) students. These nine strategies are appropriate for both typical and atypical learners in a whole group setting, but they are particularly useful for helping adolescent students meet the challenges associated with diversity and disability in an environment that is generally geared toward their White, typically developing peers. [More] Descriptors: Middle School Students, Change Strategies, Teaching Methods, Inclusion
(2016). How about Teaching Literacy with Science? Strategies Employing Whiteboards Can Be Used to Address "Common Core" Literacy Standards While Including Science Practices, Science and Children. To an outside observer, there is nothing really novel about whiteboarding. An observer passing a classroom would see students using dry-erase markers to write and sketch their ideas on large, dry-erase-type boards. However, like so many things in education, the subtleties that an outside observer might not notice are the precise things that make whiteboarding a powerful strategy for supporting student learning in science and literacy. First, students generate (or are presented with) some sort of prompt or question and they use the whiteboards to write about and/or draw their initial ideas (usually in pairs or in small groups). Second, students share their initial ideas by presenting their whiteboards in front of the class and by talking about their ideas. This portion of the lesson always includes questions from the audience and responses from the presenters. Third, the teacher and students synthesize the big ideas that emerged from the sharing time and make decisions about "next steps." Finally, whiteboards are used to capture and share any data collected or ideas generated during the "next steps." This cycle can be repeated as many times as needed. This article highlights the authors' whiteboarding cycle using a vignette-type description of a fourth-grade science lesson focused on weathering. The lesson that they describe is the first lesson in a four-day unit on weathering and erosion. [More] Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Literacy Education, Science Instruction, Prompting
(2016). Project-Based Instruction: A Great Match for Informational Texts, American Educator. In a project-based learning approach, students work over an extended time period for a purpose beyond satisfying a school requirement–to build something, to create something, to respond to a question they have, to solve a real problem, or to address a real need. For example, students might work to plan, plant, and cultivate a garden to help feed the hungry in their community; develop a guidebook for visitors at a nature preserve; study the problem of wasting food and then develop a plan to reduce waste in the school cafeteria; or research and write a history of their local community. Along the way, teachers build knowledge and teach skills, but in students' minds, the knowledge and skills serve to meet the project's goal (while in the teacher's mind, they may also address specific state standards and meet district curriculum requirements). In this article the author begins by explaining why project-based and similar approaches that have been around since the early 1900s are especially well suited for education today. She goes on to demonstrate why project-based learning works, how to include it in the school day, how to design project-based units, and how to structure project-based units to develop information reading and writing. [More] Descriptors: Active Learning, Student Projects, Instructional Effectiveness, Instructional Design
(2016). Abstract Algebra for Algebra Teaching: Influencing School Mathematics Instruction, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. This article explores the potential for aspects of abstract algebra to be influential for the teaching of school algebra (and early algebra). Using national standards for analysis, four primary areas common in school mathematics–and their progression across elementary, middle, and secondary mathematics–where teaching may be transformed by teachers' knowledge of abstract algebra are developed. In each of the four content areas (arithmetic properties, inverses, structure of sets, and solving equations), descriptions and examples of the transformational influence on teaching these topics are used to depict and support ways that study of more advanced mathematics can influence teachers' practice. Implications for the mathematical preparation and professional development of teachers are considered. [More] Descriptors: Algebra, Teaching Methods, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematical Concepts
(2016). Influencing Public School Policy in the United States: The Role of Large-Scale Assessments, Research Papers in Education. The authors review the influence of state, national and international large-scale assessments (LSAs) on education policy and research. They distinguish between two main uses of LSAs: as a means for conducting research that informs educational reform and LSAs as a tool for implementing standards and enforcing accountability. The authors discuss the influence of the international TIMSS study on US mathematics standards and the development of the Common Core as an example of LSA's potential for research-based reform. They also examine how the controversy over using assessments to evaluate teacher performance suggests some of the problems with using LSAs as a lever for policy. They conclude by suggesting that the "assessment to inform policy" model may be more promising (and yield greater long-term fruits) than an "assessment as policy" model. [More] Descriptors: Public Schools, Educational Policy, Student Evaluation, Group Testing
(2016). Case in Point: A Statewide Blended Learning Initiative for Students with Disabilities: What Makes It Work? A Director's Perspective, Journal of Special Education Leadership. When the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) began their experiment with a blended statewide Occupational Course of Study (OCS) (see ncvps.org/ocs-blended-learning) program for high school students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, it was with great ambition and optimism. Born of necessity to address highly qualified requirements, efforts sought to engage virtual content area teachers with face-to-face special educators. The belief and overall mindset was that students with intellectual and developmental disabilities would benefit from higher expectations, a focus on academic skill development, and the demands of the Common Core. To have this happen, however, required efforts from an entire team of educators, particularly the general education content teacher and his or her special education partner. Beyond accommodations, the blended learning experience has forced teachers to appreciate the differences associated with virtual instruction and, in turn, has altered perspectives in order to provide instructional practices needed for the blended OCS student. For the OCS special educators, challenges in the blended approach have been more aligned with content than with technology differences. Many of the high school special educators had never been involved in the implementation of content aligned with the Common Core requirements. Instead, previous energies focused on adaptive and functional content. Raising the bar on academic outcomes required the virtual content teacher to assist the face-to-face special educator in determining what data to collect and how to implement the virtual lessons. The special educator needed to be the eyes and ears for the virtual teacher, gauging the balance between content and expectations. This balance has been incredibly difficult for special educators who were not content experts and the virtual teacher who had limited knowledge of this population of students. Add the virtual delivery and distant collaboration, and yes, this team has learned a great deal since the program's inception. Although these blended efforts are not perfect, students' access to the academic-based content and the promising outcomes indicate that the blending learning experience is a positive one. [More] Descriptors: Blended Learning, Technology Uses in Education, Educational Technology, High School Students
(2016). Checking in Update: More Assignments from Real Classrooms. K-12 Practice. Equity in Motion Series, Education Trust. This follow-up report provides a revised Literacy Assignment Analysis Framework that incorporates discussion and teacher scaffolding. This new framework serves as a guidepost for studying sets of assignments across multiple days or weeks within a single classroom, school, or district. A closer look at more assignments from real classrooms provides a helpful lens for thinking about five key areas related to standards implementation: (1) Common Core Alignment; (2) Discussion; (3) Teacher Scaffolding; (4) Text and Task Complexity; and (5) Motivation and Engagement. The assignments represent a range of middle school grades and subjects, and were collected from schools with different student demographics. They fall within the low, mid, and high range on the framework. Assignments that fall within the high range are worthy of careful consideration as they–and "assignments like them"–hold much promise for middle school students. For each assignment, the authors first note how it scores on the framework, and then list the details that support the scoring. In the second half of the annotation, particular key areas of the assignment that stood out are highlighted, and questions are posed for consideration. While not every assignment addresses every indicator in the framework, practitioners must consider how often students work on extended tasks that align with the rigor of the Common Core; gather and cite textual evidence; think at high cognitive levels when they read, discuss, and write about texts; and receive support from teachers as they engage in interesting and meaningful tasks. Contains notes. [This report was written with Keith Dysarz. For the first report in the "Equity in Motion" series, see "Checking In: Do Classroom Assignments Reflect Today's Higher Standards?" (ED566668).] [More] Descriptors: Middle School Students, Reading Assignments, Writing Assignments, Literacy
(2016). A Technological, Pedagogical, Arts Knowledge Framework, Arts Education Policy Review. This article invites media arts and technology educators to find synergies in their classroom curriculum and practice. Encouraging the use of the National Media Arts Standards it summons teachers to develop a useful framework for technological practice that utilizes arts knowledge and pedagogies. [More] Descriptors: Technological Literacy, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Art Education, Teaching Models
(2016). Concurrent Validity of the Independent Reading Level Assessment Framework and a State Assessment, Journal of At-Risk Issues. This study investigates the use of screening assessments within the increasingly popular Response to Intervention (RTI) framework, specifically seeking to collect concurrent validity evidence on one potential new screening tool, the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) framework. Furthermore, this study builds on existing literature by disaggregating the validity evidence across grade, program, and race/ethnicity to better understand how the assessment functions amongst varying demographic categories. We add to the limited research base of evidence that the IRLA tool may be an important instrument for bridging the gap between screening and providing intensive, systematic instruction as detailed by the What Works Clearinghouse (Gersten et al., 2008). [More] Descriptors: Validity, Independent Reading, Reading Tests, Measurement
(2016). Teaching through Trade Books: What We Do with Ideas, Science and Children. Creative thinking is important to scientists and engineers as they frame their work and engage in the practices of their fields. Elementary-age children need opportunities to think about and develop an idea from its inception through to its conclusion to expand their thinking and engage in scientific processes. Generating and expanding on ideas allows children to consider problems or questions they want to solve through experimentation, and it requires perseverance and practice. This column includes activities focusing on allowing students to expand their thinking around simple objects and ideas while maintaining a science focus. In the grades K-2 lesson, students engage in a creative-thinking strategy called SCAMPER as they consider how to use items in different ways. In the grades 3-5 lesson, students brainstorm different ideas when presented with a problem. [More] Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Creative Thinking, Concept Formation, Thinking Skills
(2016). The Development of a Cognitively-Diagnostic Formative Assessment of the Early Concept of Angle, ProQuest LLC. Students' development of conceptual understandings is a central goal of mathematics education (CCSS-Mathematics, 2010). Such a challenging, yet ambiguous, goal cannot be achieved without empowering teachers with the knowledge and tools critical for their ability to adequately convey the content, and assess and interpret students' performance. This study explicates the early concept of angle in terms of cognitive attributes that underlie children's performance on angle-related mathematical tasks. The purpose of this study is to address the following gaps that were identified in the theory and research literature: the absence of a comprehensive description of the angle concept at early grades; the lack of developmental theory integrating the various aspects of angle competency and conceptualization near and at the grades in which the angle is first formally introduced; as well as the need for good formative assessments in mathematics. Specifically, the study investigates the early concept of angle -the angle-related knowledge, skills, and understandings appropriate and relevant for elementary students in grades 3 through 5 (the grade levels at which the concept is formally introduced). First, the synthesis of relevant cognitive models of conceptual development (e.g., Piaget, Greeno & Riley, Godino), theories of mathematical learning (e.g., Piaget, Mitchelmore & White, Sarama & Clements), Common Core Standards, and extant research was be used to describe the early concept of angle in terms of the cognitive attributes (knowledge, processes, and skills) that signify the mastery of the concept. Second, a Q-matrix theory and a combination of qualitative (item/task analysis and student interviews) and quantitative (Rule-Space Method) analyses guided the creation a formative assessment of the early concept of angle. The developed assessment was administered to 170 elementary students in grades 3, 4, and 5 from an elementary school in Southern California. A Rule-Space Methodology (Tatsuoka, 2009) was used to analyze the data and revise the Item and Attribute Sets. The use of the Rule-Space Methodology allowed for the identification, selection, and validation of the "best" items and "strongest" attributes to represent the concept form the conceptual, statistical, and psychometric standpoints. The classification procedure of the rule-space helped identify the various learning paths that students take towards the mastery of the concept. The study resulted in the definition of the early concept of angle in terms of 16 cognitive attributes and the development of a corresponding cognitively-diagnostic assessment of students' competency levels with these attributes. In addition, the analysis of the collected empirical cross-sectional data revealed the various learning paths that students take towards the mastery of the concept. One "standard" and four "alternative" learning paths have been identified. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Mathematical Concepts, Concept Formation, Mathematics Instruction, Geometric Concepts
(2016). On the Money: High School Mathematics Activities to Build Financial Literacy, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. As high school students make more and more important decisions, their need for financial literacy increases significantly. To succeed in life, they need both an understanding of financial issues and the math skills to make financially sound choices. With all the requirements and standards to be met in high schools today, how can teachers find room to include financial literacy? The key is to integrate financial topics into mathematics instruction, using everyday topics to bring math concepts to life. This book's ten chapters provide lessons and activities on important financial skills to handle such experiences as making investments, buying insurance, understanding a credit score, leasing or buying a car, and choosing and paying for education after high school. The related mathematical skills include analyzing and representing data, evaluating probabilities, modeling real-life situations, creating functions, and more. Each chapter includes: (1) a "Balance Sheet" summing up the mathematical and financial literacy knowledge that students will take from the lesson; (2) relevant Common Core mathematics standards and practices and Jump$tart financial literacy standards; (3) a full lesson plan, complete with sections on the "Sales Pitch," the "Fine Print," and "Closing the Deal"; (4) activity sheets and other classroom material, which are also available for download at NCTM's More4U website; and (5) suggestions for extended learning, including references and resources. The book begins with a Foreword by Neale Godfrey, an Introduction, and ten chapters divided into three parts. Part 1: Algebra and Functions, contains– Chapter 1: Your Best Interest: Finding the Right Place to Save Money; Chapter 2: Grow Me the Money! Evaluating Investment Options; and Chapter 3: Fast Cash: Pawnshops and Payday Loans. Part 2: Modeling, contains– Chapter 4: Know the Score: Measuring and Reporting Creditworthiness; Chapter 5: Unraveling the Mystery of Credit Card Payments; and Chapter 6: Learning to Appreciate Depreciation. Part 3: Data Analysis and Statistics, contains: Chapter 7: Investigating Investments: Which Is Better?; Chapter 8: Wall Street Apples: Following Stock Values over Time; Chapter 9: To Educate or Not to Educate: Is Postsecondary Education Worth It?; and Chapter 10: Risky Business: Insurance and Probability. Appended is Financial Literacy Resources. [For "On the Money: Math Activities to Build Financial Literacy Grades 6-8," see ED566539.] [More] Descriptors: High School Students, Money Management, Mathematics Skills, Common Core State Standards
(2016). Making STEM Connections, Mathematics Teacher. Integrated approaches to education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), especially those set in the context of real-world situations, can motivate and deepen students' learning of the STEM subjects (National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council 2014). This article describes two integrated investigations used with mathematics and science teachers of grades 5-12 who participated in a three-year mathematics and science partnership called Engineering STEM Success. The coauthors, two science educators and one mathematics educator, describe how the investigations were used to deepen teachers' knowledge of mathematics and science and make connections among STEM content areas. The investigations incorporated the first three phases–Engagement, Exploration, and Explanation–of the 5E learning cycle model (Bybee et al. 2006) used for teaching science through inquiry. These three phases are synonymous with the Launch-Explore-Summarize teaching and learning model found in middle school mathematics curriculum materials (Lappan et al. 2014). In this article, the authors describe what happened in these three phases of the investigations and also offer commentary on what they learned. This article includes suggestions for using the investigations with secondary school students. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Teachers, Science Teachers, STEM Education, Elementary Secondary Education
(2016). Establish Time for Learning: Finding Time to Collaborate Takes Creativity and Commitment, Journal of Staff Development. The major challenge with time is finding it. Current school-day schedules and school-year calendars are leaner than ever because of budget reductions. States and districts have implemented furlough days to balance lean-and-mean budgets that show no sign of improving. Few are willing to take the leap toward reducing instructional time to improve learning because of the illogical nature of that proposition. Yet across the nation and around the globe, instances exist where increasing time for educator collaborative professional learning that incorporates developing and analyzing assessment data, instructional planning, designing and implementing interventions, giving and receiving feedback, and reflecting on practice has positively influenced student achievement. The logic is simple: Better instruction leads to better learning. This article offers the "Learning Forward" workbook to guide districts and schools as they develop, vet, and implement recommendations for increasing collaborative learning time for educators, and then evaluate the effectiveness of the change. [More] Descriptors: Time Factors (Learning), Time Management, Time on Task, Cooperative Learning
(2016). Social Studies Concepts: An Analysis of the NAEP and States' Standards, Journal of Research in Childhood Education. This study examined the 4th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments (history, geography, and civics) and 3rd- and 4th-grade social studies standards from nine randomly selected states and organized the content around three global concepts (conflict, movement, discovery) and six specific concepts (war, rebellion, immigration, migration, exploration, invention). The extent to which additional related concepts appeared in both documents was recorded, and alignment between the NAEP and standards was determined. Findings revealed that 3rd- and 4th-graders are learning social studies content that represent these global and specific concepts. However, there is variability among states' standard documents and inconsistencies between what is assessed on the NAEP and what is presented in the standards. In addition, much instruction for these concepts takes place during 4th grade, the same year the NAEP is administered. Implications of these findings, including the urgent need for conceptually based social studies instruction to meet students' knowledge and achievement gaps, are discussed. [More] Descriptors: Social Studies, National Competency Tests, Common Core State Standards, Grade 4