Catastrophe Models for Cognitive Workload and Fatigue

We reconceptualised several problems concerning the measurement of cognitive workload – fixed versus variable limits on channel capacity, work volume versus time pressure, adaptive strategies, resources demanded by tasks when performed simultaneously, and unclear distinctions between workload and fatigue effects – as two cusp catastrophe models: buckling stress resulting from acute workload, and fatigue resulting from extended engagement. Experimental participants completed a task that was intensive on non-verbal episodic memory and had an automatically speeded component. For buckling stress, the epoch of maximum (speeded) performance was the asymmetry parameter; however, anxiety did not contribute to bifurcation as expected. For fatigue, the bifurcation factor was the total work accomplished, and arithmetic, a compensatory ability, was the asymmetry parameter; R2 for the cusp models outperformed the linear comparison models in both cases. A research programme is outlined that revolves around the two models with different types of task and resource configurations

Changing Attitudes: Writing Center Workshops in the Classroom

In a recent WPA-L discussion thread initiated by a “newbie writing center director,” Christopher Ervin offers the following suggestion: “I guess my best advice, if you want to grow your writing center, is to develop relationships with various potential stakeholders across campus. Doing so would help you do a lot that you might find more difficult if you don't branch out.” Ervin’s advice is practical and valuable for a writing center director, but it is also a daunting task for new faculty members. Trying to understand the historical, political, social, and economic landscapes of a new university is difficult enough, but add to that the administrative work and relationshipbuilding necessary to effectively run or develop a writing center, and new directors can feel like they have an insurmountable challenge ahead of them. However, with a combination of inquiry-driven conversations and effective demonstrations of writing center practices, a writing center director can forge relationships with faculty across campus that lead to productive and engaged conversations about writing. In doing so, writing center directors are positioned to move their centers beyond the image of the “fix-it” shop and into a cultivator of intellectual engagement on campus. Using my interactions with a business faculty member, I hope to offer other writing center administrators and practitioners a trajectory to follow as they begin to create their own networks on campus.University Writing Cente

Beyond Sharing the Pen: Dialogue in the Context of Interactive Writing

The purpose of this design study was to examine how two teachers revise their instructional methods in response to student outcomes and how students learn strategies of writing through classroom discourse in the context of interactive writing. The study was designed to explore the role of teacher and student in socially situated writing environments and reveal how conversation affects student learning and instructional decision-making. Throughout the study I was an active participant observer continually modifying the intervention with the input of the classroom teachers. This study was based on the theoret ical model of reading as a meaning-construction process described by Ruddell and Unrau (2004). According to this model, the reader, or in this case the writer, the text, and the teacher negotiate meaning within the social setting of the classroom. Two first grade classrooms served as the bounded units of analysis for this case study with an emphasis on formative experiment. Data collected included classroom observations and transcripts, transcripts of afterschool planning and reflecting meetings, transcripts of teacher and student interviews, teacher reflection logs, written artifacts, and student assessments. Data analysis was based on Wells‟ (1999) progressive discourse analysis. Progressive discourse refers to the process of building knowledge through conversation. Dialogue is a tool used to gain new knowledge and modify existing knowledge. The two participating teachers in this study were able to revise their instructional methods based on the individual needs of their students to varying degrees. The students in the more successful teacher‟s classroom had more significant academic gains in reading and writing by the end of the intervention. The findings from this study suggest that it is important to understand the prior beliefs of teachers, their knowledge of the reciprocal relationship between reading and writing, and their preferred avenues of reflection when attempting to implement an interactive writing intervention. For student learning outcomes it may be important to consider the need for explicit literacy instruction, interactive dialogic moves, student engagement, and the opportunity for students to take on the role of teacher to their peer

Education and Achievement: A Focus on Latino "Immigrant" Children

Describes the Institute for Teaching English Language Learners' comprehensive program to boost English language learners' academic achievement by optimizing the environment, supporting teachers, increasing learning opportunities, and engaging families

Making Space for Student Agency: A Multilayered Exploration of Agency and Writing in a First‐Grade Classroom

Early literacy learning is crucial for later success in reading and writing. We have a limited understanding of generative writing (i.e., expressing ideas in writing) in first grade and further research is warranted. The socially situated nature of writing justifies a study of student agency during writing. In this study, data were collected before, during, and after 10 writing sessions in a first-grade classroom. Students took a pre- and post-survey that revealed their self-perceptions of their agency and confidence as literacy learners. The participating teacher was interviewed three times and the teacher’s talk was recorded during all 45- to 60- minute writing sessions. Pictures and observational notes of students’ writing and actions were taken during the writing sessions. Data were analyzed through the calculation of students’ survey scores and frequency counts of teacher discourse. In addition, multiple read-throughs of the data sources led to the development of several descriptive categories and the identification of key themes. Results showed that opportunities for students to choose and exercise agency arose when the teacher asked open-ended questions and gave encouragement to students that prompted them to act. When students’ made choices about what and how they wrote, they seemed empowered and to grow as individual writers

Escape rooms in the EFL classroom: An action research study

This thesis investigates the implementation of gamified tasks through an educational escape room on student engagement in a 6th grade EFL Norwegian class, containing 27 students. Action research was utilized as the research method in this study, with focus on whether a gamified lesson could be implemented in an average classroom. It was also selected due to the researcher’s aspiration of reviewing and bettering their own teaching practice. Lastly, it was selected in order to conduct the study in a natural environment, with students familiar to the researcher. The study aimed to explore whether the design of glossary and grammar exercises can affect student motivation and whether implementing these exercises in a meaningful context can aid the learners in acquiring vocabulary. The study found that gamification can enhance student engagement and motivation in language learning when tasks have been carefully designed to learners’ abilities. The study highlights the importance of effective student collaboration, task design and storytelling when creating engaging lessons that align with learning objectives. This thesis aimed to contribute to the knowledge of implementing educational escape rooms, gamification and action research in a practical setting. Additionally, it intended to gain a perspective regarding actively utilizing student feedback in lesson design

CE 615 Syllabus: Group Therapy and Practice

In this course students are introduced to the theory and practice of group counseling. The course will provide students with an academic/theoretical overview of groups and group work as well as the opportunity to develop group leadership skills through experiential learning activities

CE 615 Syllabus: Group Therapy and Practice

In this course students are introduced to the theory and practice of group counseling. The course will provide students with an academic/theoretical overview of groups and group work as well as the opportunity to develop group leadership skills through experiential learning activities