A Case Study on Educators\u27 Perceptions of Leader Behaviors Throughout Response-to-Intervention Implementation ID: 11941

The purpose of this two-case study was to describe the perceptions of middle school administrators and teachers concerning leader behaviors throughout the implementation of Response-to-Intervention (RTI) programs. The theory which guided this study is transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1990) as it related directly to how administrators and teachers perceive leadership behaviors throughout the implementation of RTI programs. The importance of this study is significant to administrators, teachers, and other educational stakeholders as it is directly related to implementation of RTI programs in school, which aid in enhancing student performance. Participants included 2 administrators and 10 teachers who are employed at two public middle schools in Georgia. Photocopying of related program documents with permission, detailed note-taking during semi-structured interviews and focus groups, digital recording and transcription, along with maintaining a chain of evidence were methods used for data collection. Direct interpretation, pattern analysis, cross-referencing of documents and participant responses, and cross-case synthesis were utilized as data analysis methods. The results of the case study revealed perceptions that the importance of consistent and specific RTI communication throughout the implementation process cannot be underestimated when administrators are attempting to implement a school-wide program with numerous intangible and tangible components. Further qualitative studies that examine the impact of the application of transformational leadership characteristics affects on RTI program success are recommended in order for a systematic training approach to be developed for school leaders

Situating Portfolios: Four Perspectives

Yancey and Weiser bring together thirty-one writing teachers from diverse levels of instruction, institutional settings, and regions to create a stimulating volume on the current practice in portfolio writing assessment. Contributors reflect on the explosion in portfolio practice over the last decade, why it happened, what comes next; discuss portfolios in hypertext, the web, and other electronic spaces; and consider emerging trends and issues that are involving portfolios in teacher assessment, faculty development, and graduate student experience.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usupress_pubs/1117/thumbnail.jp

An analysis of student collaboration and task completion through project based learning in a web-supported undergraduate course

Over the past decade calls for reform in higher education have emphasized that education should become less instructor centered with students taking a more active role in their learning. Moreover, there is increasing pressure on university professors to implement student centered teaching strategies that negate time and place restrictions of the classroom by integrating technologies that support the active engagement of students through Internet based applications. The goal of this study was to gain insights into the interactions that occur in online communications in a project-based learning activity. Twenty-one undergraduate students participated in the study while completing a component of a course that incorporated a collaborative project as part of the requirements for completion. A multi-case study was conducted on six collaborative groups, focusing on the types and frequencies of interactions that occurred within each group and the perceptions that students had of their experiences in this type of learning environment. It was found that the interactions that occurred online closely followed established steps in the problem solving process. There were also indications that the type of system used for online communications (asynchronous and synchronous) is an important factor in task appropriateness. The findings of this study also revealed that high and low achieving groups differ in frequency and temporal aspects of their online interactions. Students also differentiated between asynchronous and synchronous systems as to the type of tasks that are best suited for each. Their was a general consensus that asynchronous systems are best for tasks that require reflection time and deeper thought and synchronous systems are best for brainstorming and as a forum for the free flow of ideas. The latter also seems to be more conducive to situations that require solidarity building and group social connection. The findings of this study provide valuable information that contributes to the body of literature in online learning, provided practitioners with insights into the importance of the interactions that occur, and provides researchers with possible future studies that are relevant to this immerging field of education

Towards an Understanding of Existing e-Learning for University Science Education in Taiwan

E-learning is a fast growing trend worldwide but it is still not universally accepted and practice does not always reach national government and tertiary institution expectations, especially in Taiwan. While issues around the effective implementation of e-learning to produce high quality education are being raised internationally, very little research has been undertaken in Taiwanese tertiary institutions, particularly for science education. No research was found that addressed the various perspectives of the stakeholders involved in blended courses which had both face-to-face and online learning components. The link between e-learning practice and views of learning had also received little attention. This study investigated how e-learning practice was perceived and experienced at a national research-based university in Taiwan. The main focus was to identify the challenges, benefits and related success factors of e-learning practice as part of blended learning courses from the perspectives of university administrators, support people, instructors and students. An interpretative methodology using questionnaires and interviews was employed to generate data from these participant groups. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. This study provides empirical evidence that e-learning practice is perceived and experienced as a technology-mediated and collaborative practice that is socially and culturally situated. The study supports the view that e-learning practice as a whole is a socio-cultural system, although when looking at instructor and student preferences for instructional design and learning processes there is a fit with both behaviorist and constructivist approaches to teaching and learning. However, instructors and students need to be active and self-managed to find e-learning efficient and effective. Students, instructors, support people and administrators held very similar perceptions of the benefits of and influences on lecturer and student use of e-learning as a component of blended learning. Based on the findings, an explanatory model for the influences on e-learning practice as part of blended learning in a Taiwan university context was developed. E-learning teaching and learning approaches are initiated by and created within a multi-layered context. At the first level, e-learning practice is accomplished via instructor and student engagement in day to day teaching and learning and as an educational reform it cannot separated from the ICT technologies which mediate their interaction. Put another way, because instructor and student participation in e-learning as part of blended learning is voluntary students are included with instructors and the technology in the core enactment zone for practice. At the next level this three-way instructor-student-technology interaction is affected by and nested within the university instructor professional community and student peer community, which in turn is shaped by and nested in university-wide policies and practices. These three levels are nested in and influenced by the national policy context, external professionals, private enterprise and the public at large. The model and associated suggestions presented in this study are expected to assist governments and universities to play a more constructive role in the development and implementation of e-learning education to improve the quality of courses for students and instructors. The hope is that the findings will contribute to enhanced teaching and learning supported by better administrator decision-making regarding institutional policies and practices including investment in learning technologies and support services for e-learning

Considering the Perspective of Emergency Management Professionals Regarding Radiological Response and School Resiliency

The purpose of the study is to consider the perspective of emergency management professionals regarding need for a radiological response plan and its implications to school resiliency. This study utilizes a three-round, Modified Delphi Method to provide structure for the group process, elicit experts’ opinions, and build consensus regarding radiological response and school resiliency. The experts’ opinions are analyzed at the conclusion of each round and synthesized to create considerations for school systems for a school-system-based radiological-specific response plan. The recommendations align existing school system’s capabilities, roles and responsibilities with required emergency response actions necessary to protect the health and safety of faculty, staff, and students during a disaster such as the release of radioactive substances. Emergent themes surfacing during this study include: (1) training, (2) all-hazard planning, (3) communication, (4) collaboration, (5) medical response, and (6) protective actions. The results and recommendations from this study have generalizability for future practice and implementation of emergency management in a school setting, business and industry and for other local, state federal and tribal organizations. The major finding from this study indicates that an all-hazards plan is sufficient for response to a radiological-specific emergency event

Way of the Ferret: Finding and Using Resources on the Internet

This source-book is designed to aid educators in exploring the Internet.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/educationbook/1000/thumbnail.jp

An evaluation of the procedures used to assess and remediate the perceived writing difficulties of undergraduate students in the Faculty of Education at Edith Cowan University

The standards of written literacy of teacher-education students at Edith Cowan University are perceived by many staff to be inadequate. The Faculty of Education\u27s response to this perceived inadequacy is to carry out a mandatory skills-based remedial writing programme for students whose literacy competencies are judged to be deficient, The instrument used to assess the students\u27 literacy competencies is the English Skills Assessment test. The students\u27 performances in the various skills which the test purports to measure, also determine the area in which they are given remedial instruction if the results of the test suggest this is necessary. However, many Faculty of Education staff are concerned that there are important conceptual, structural, and organisational inadequacies in students\u27 writing which are not identified by the English Skills Assessment test and, therefore, are not attended to in remediation programmes based on the results generated by this test. This study was an evaluation of the remedial literacy programme conducted by the Faculty of Education at Edith Cowan University. The programme was evaluated from two perspectives (a) a theoretical perspective and (b) a practical perspective. Firstly, the study evaluated the procedures used by the Faculty of Education to diagnose and remediate writing difficulties among its first year student intake by comparing the assumptions underlying those procedures to the assumptions underlying a contemporary perspective of writing and the teaching of writing. This comparison revealed that not only were many of the procedures used by the Faculty ineffectual, but also some of the procedures used had the potential to inhibit the literacy development of its students. Secondly, the study investigated whether the English Skills Assessment test was able to identify (a) all the areas in which students experienced difficulties inwriting and (b) the students who were likely to experience the difficulties. The performances of 426 first year primary and secondary teacher education students attending the Mount Lawley Campus of the Edith Cowan University in the English Skills Assessment test were compared with their performances in a research-essay assignment, carried out as a normal part of their course work. The results of this aspect of the study reinforce the findings of an earlier study (Holbrook & Bourke, 1989) which reported that the English Skills Assessment test neither identified all the areas in which tertiary level students experience difficulty in their real writing nor the students likely to experience difficulties, This study shows that Holbrook and Bourke\u27s findings, which related to narrative text, also applied when students wrote expository text. These results challenge the validity of the Faculty\u27s use of the English Skills Assessment test as a means of identifying students with writing problems and show that any remedial writing programme based solely on the areas identified by the test will have a limited impact on the development of students\u27 written literacy. In addition to the data originally sought for this study, other information came to light which showed the limitations of the way in which the Faculty conceptualises students\u27 literacy needs. The emphasis of this programme is diagnosis and remediation. This conceptualisation has produced a literacy unit which is peripheral to the mainstream academic programme and which teaches the surface features of language in decontextualised, skills-based lessons. As a consequence, the unit: (a) is accorded marginal status by lecturers and students alike, ( b ) bears little relationship to what is happening in other units of the course, and (c) contributes little, if anything, to students\u27 literacy development. It is clear from the findings of this study that the Faculty of Educator\u27s remedial literacy programme contains serious flaws which cannot be rectified by attempting to modify the existing programme, The study concludes by recommending that the Faculty of Education should abandon its existing programme, along with its remedial emphasis, and institute a new programme designed to cater for the literacy needs of all its students. That is, all incoming students should be required to undertake a foundation unit which outlines the Faculty of Education\u27s requirements and expectations of students, and teaches them the structures and processes (reading, writing, and thinking) required for successful learning in Bachelor of Arts (Education) courses