Regular Classroom Teachers Research Articles

Longitudinal reading outcomes in response to a book-based, whole class intervention for students from diverse cultural, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to investigate if a universal 24-week oral language and emergent literacy programme delivered to students in the first year of schooling positively impacts reading performance 2years post intervention. Eighty-nine participants were second grade students from three primary schools in low socio-economic status areas. Using a controlled trial, the original study findings revealed larger gains in oral narrative, receptive vocabulary, and phonological awareness amongst students who received the intervention compared to those who received regular classroom instruction. At follow-up, student reading performance was compared using a standardised reading assessment. There were no differences between students who received the intervention and those who did not. To further investigate these findings, the oral language and emergent literacy skills of “average” and “below average” readers at the end of the first year of schooling were compared to assist in tailoring follow-up interventions. The implications for universal classroom-based programmes are discussed.

Teachers as role models for physical activity: Are preschool children more active when their teachers are active?

Teachers are considered important role models for the behavior of children during early childhood. The purposes of this study are to: (a) compare activity levels of preschool children in a structured physical education (PE) class taught by an active or less active teacher; (b) examine the interaction effect of gender, school size, and teacher activity levels on the activity levels of children. The participants were 248 preschool children (134 boys, 114 girls; mean age = 5.5 years) and teachers from 12 preschools in Hong Kong. Regular classroom teachers conducted a 30-min structured PE class, and the participants’ physical activity (PA) levels were measured using pedometers. The recorded step counts of teachers were employed to classify whether children were in the classes taught by active or less active teachers. Factorial analysis of variance was used to examine differences in the pedometer-determined activity regarding gender and school size between the different types of classes. The results indicated that preschool children had higher PA levels in PE classes taught by more active teachers than in those taught by less active teachers (1712 versus 951 steps). Future studies could explore other teacher-related factors that might facilitate appropriate strategies to engage preschoolers in higher PA during PE classes.

Twelve tips for integrating massive open online course content into classroom teaching

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a novel and emerging mode of online learning. They offer the advantages of online learning and provide content including short video lectures, digital readings, interactive assignments, discussion fora, and quizzes. Besides stand-alone use, universities are also trying to integrate MOOC content into the regular curriculum creating blended learning programs. In this 12 tips article, we aim to provide guidelines for readers to integrate MOOC content from their own or from other institutions into regular classroom teaching based on the literature and our own experiences. We provide advice on how to select the right content, how to assess its quality and usefulness, and how to actually create a blend within your existing course.

Which School for Whom? Placement Choices for Inclusion or Exclusion of Dutch Students With Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Difficulties in Primary Education

This study examined which factors were related to placement choices for inclusive regular education or exclusive special education for Dutch students with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD). Students aged 6–11 in three subgroups participated: 45 included and 17 excluded students with SEBD (i.e., educated in regular education classrooms and in a separate setting exclusively for students with SEBD, respectively) and 772 typically developing peers. Before placement choices had been made, we collected data from students and teachers during classroom surveys and individual testing sessions with students with SEBD and from application files. Using Bayesian statistics, we found that included and excluded students with SEBD were similar in student functioning prior to placement, whereas teachers of included students had lower self-efficacy and more positive attitudes toward inclusion than teachers of excluded students. Furthermore, included and excluded students perceived their social–emotional functioning more negatively than typically developing peers. Hence, although considered essential by existing policies, placement choices may not depend on student functioning, but teacher factors may play a role.

Usability Testing of the Teacher Help for Learning Disabilities Program: An eHealth Intervention for Teachers

Use of evidence-based interventions for learning disabilities (LDs) in the classroom is limited by several factors such as teachers’ knowledge of LDs and access to interventions. eHealth interventions (i.e., interventions delivered via the Internet) have the potential to be a powerful tool in overcoming barriers to implementing evidence-based strategies within the classroom. The current article describes the development and usability testing of Teacher Help for LD, an eHealth professional development program that assists classroom teachers in providing evidence-based interventions to students with LDs. Specialists in LDs ( n = 18), consisting of individuals within the educational and health systems, were asked to evaluate the usability of the Teacher Help for LD intervention and provide their feedback. Results from both quantitative and qualitative data suggest that participants were very satisfied with the program and found the program highly usable. Results will help to prepare and modify the program for use with regular classroom teachers in an upcoming cluster randomized controlled trial across Canada.

Acknowledging students\u2019 concerns about evolution: a proactive teaching strategy

BackgroundThe religious or cultural objections by many people to the teaching of evolution in high school biology classrooms can impact both students’ willingness to explore a scientific understanding of evolutionary theory and teachers’ willingness to provide sound instruction on the topic. Pedagogical approaches designed to address this tension in the public or private US high school classroom during regular biology classroom instruction on evolution are needed. We developed a Cultural and Religious Sensitivity (CRS) Teaching Strategies Resource to aid teachers in acknowledging students’ religious and cultural concerns about evolution, introducing the variety of possible relationships between science and religion, and focusing on the nature of science. The resource provides both background information for the teacher and activities to engage students in two 50–75 min directed classroom discussions. The CRS resource is part of a designed-based study, the Teaching Evolution through Human Examples (TEtHE) project that created and field tested four curriculum units for advanced placement high school biology classes that use human examples to teach evolution (Pobiner et al. Evol Educ Outreach. 2018;11:3 2018). Here we describe the design of the CRS resource and qualitative results of student focus groups that explore the extent to which the CRS resource activities helped to create a supportive classroom environment as well as more generally what benefits, if any, students derived from participating in these activities.ResultsFocus groups were conducted with students from five classes of four different teachers in both public and private US high schools. Focus group transcripts were analyzed to identify common themes expressed in relation to the students’ experience of one of the two CRS activities. Benefits of participating in these activities noted by students included reduced tension around the topic of evolution, a recognition that evolution is not necessarily in conflict with religious belief, and an increased understanding of the cultural context of modern and historical views about evolution.ConclusionsThe themes identified through qualitative analyses of focus group transcripts support the conclusion that acknowledging students’ concerns about evolution is a promising pedagogical approach to teaching evolution in conjunction with lessons designed to teach the content of evolutionary theory. The approach merits further research with general introductory high school biology classes.

Public school teachers' perceived sense of self-efficacy in teaching students with disabilities in the United Arab Emirates

Teaching children with disabilities in the regular classrooms can be influenced by the teachers' attitudes towards these children and their perception of their self-efficacy in teaching them. This study examined the regular classroom teachers' perceived sense of teaching self-efficacy in relation to their gender and attitudes towards these children. Participants were 455 UAE public regular classroom teachers. For the study purposes, two scales were completed by teachers to investigate their attitudes towards children with disabilities, and their perceived sense of self-efficacy in teaching them. Results revealed that male teachers viewed their sense of teaching self-efficacy better than females. In all, teachers' attitudes towards inclusion were supportive. Male teachers showed more supportive attitudes towards inclusion than females. In addition, teachers' attitudes toward inclusion became more positive when their sense of teaching self-efficacy was greater. Teachers' positive attitudes towards inclusion and their positively perceived sense of self-efficacy in teaching can be used as predictors of a successful inclusion.

Grunnskólastjórar á öndverðri 21. öld: Hlutverk og gildi

Nútímakenningar um skólastjórnun beina kastljósinu m.a. að sýn skólastjóra á hlutverk sitt, þeim gildum sem hafa áhrif á starfshætti þeirra (Begley, 2004; Branson, 2005) og hvernig þeir forgangsraða verkefnum sínum. Á síðasta aldarfjórðungi hafa höfundar þessarar greinar rannsakað viðhorf skólastjóra í grunnskólum með spurningalistakönnunum, þ.e. 1991, 2001 og 2006 (Börkur Hansen, Ólafur H. Jóhannsson og Steinunn Helga Lárusdóttir, 2008). Hér er greint frá rannsókn á störfum skólastjóra sem gerð var 2017. Sjónum er beint að þeim gildum sem þeir segjast leggja mesta áherslu á og hvernig þeir forgangsraða helstu verkefnum sínum. Gögnum var safnað með spurningalista sem sendur var til allra skólastjóra í grunnskólum landsins vorið 2017. Dregin er upp mynd af aðstæðum í skólunum, þ.e. skólagerð, skólastærð og kennslufyrirkomulagi, og afstaða skólastjóra til mikilvægra gilda sem tengjast skólastarfi er könnuð. Einnig var athugað hvernig þeir forgangsraða verkefnum, svo sem vinnu við námskrárgerð, samskiptum við starfsfólk, nemendur o.fl. sem tengist störfum þeirra. Niðurstöður benda til þess að nokkurs ósamræmis gæti milli yfirlýstra gilda skólastjóra og raunverulegra. Greininni lýkur með samanburði við fyrri rannsóknir höfunda á forgangsröðun viðfangsefna skólastjóra og umræðum um gildi niðurstaðnanna.

The Supporting Effective Teaching Project: 1. Factors Influencing Student Success in Inclusive Elementary Classrooms

The Supporting Effective Teaching project commenced in the early 1990s with studies of how classroom teachers work with students with special educational needs included in their elementary classrooms. Over the ensuing 20 years, the project team prepared and tested a model of the factors that influence student outcomes in inclusive classrooms, with emphasis on the beliefs and practices of regular elementary classroom teachers and on their sense of responsibility for meeting the diverse learning needs of their students. This article provides an overview of the SET project to show how the model evolved and to bring together the findings that were published previously. It takes a different tack from previous papers in that it begins at the most surprising outcome, the importance of teaching practices. Arguably the most significant empirical finding from the project is that teachers who believe it is their responsibility to include students with special education needs are more effective practitioners for all their students. The article then traces the factors that contribute to this finding: quality of instruction, teacher beliefs about ability and disability, teacher beliefs about learning and instruction, and school context. The purpose is to present a comprehensive review of the project findings in the context of recently published research on inclusion.

Testing the keepin' it REAL Substance Use Prevention Curriculum Among Early Adolescents in Guatemala City.

This article describes a test in Guatemala City of Mantente REAL, a linguistically adapted version of the keepin' it REAL universal substance use prevention curriculum for early adolescents that teaches culturally grounded drug resistance, risk assessment, and decision making skills. Academic researchers collaborated with a local non-profit to recruit and randomize 12 elementary schools in Guatemala City to intervention and comparison conditions. Regular classroom teachers were trained to deliver the ten-lesson Mantente REAL (MR) manualized curriculum to sixth-grade students. Parents provided passive consent and students gave active assent for data collection, which occurred between February 2013 and September 2014. Two academic year cohorts of students participated (n = 676; 53% male; M age = 12.2). All students completed a pretest questionnaire before the curriculum lessons began in intervention schools and a posttest (87% matched) 4months later, 1month after the final lesson. We assessed the MR intervention with paired t tests, effect sizes (Cohen's d), and general linear models adjusted for baseline, attrition, non-linear distributions, and school-level clustering. Results indicated that MR can be an effective school-based prevention approach in Guatemala. The MR participants reported pretest-to-posttest changes in desirable directions on substance use behaviors, attitudinal antecedents of substance use, and acquisition of drug resistance skills. The comparison group generally changed in undesirable directions. In linear models, the MR participants, relative to the comparison group, reported less cigarette and marijuana use, less positive drug use expectancies, and greater use of drug resistance skills. Intervention effect sizes were between .2 and .3.

Alunos com TEA como desencadeadores de processos formativos

This study aims to reflect on how the students with autism spectrum disorder can trigger changes in the training processes in regular schools so as to facilitate all the students’ learning. It presents the evolution of the autism spectrum disorder nosology by taking into consideration that the teacher must know each student in order to follow his or her learning process. This nosology also considers that the teacher must distance himself or herself enough to perceive the class demands. The chapter seeks to analyse reports from a research with teachers at elementary schools in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The reports are related to those teachers’ performances in classrooms with at least one student with autism spectrum disorder. It proposes that the assistive technologies, which are used and known mainly by the Special Education teachers, can serve as powerful tools when used by the regular classroom teacher.

مشکلات الواجب المنزلی لدى التلمیذات ذوات صعــوبــات التعلـم فی المـرحلــة الابتـدائیـة Homework Problems among Female Students with Learning Disabilities in Elementary Stage

هدفت الدراسة إلى التعرف على مشکلات الواجبات المنزلية التي تواجه التلميذات ذوات صعوبات التعلم، ومعرفة فوائد استخدام معلمات صعوبات التعلم ومعلمات الصف العادي لمادتي الرياضيات ولغتي للواجبات المنزلية مع التلميذات ذوات صعوبات التعلم، کما هدفت إلى التعرف على أثر عدد من المتغيرات لدى المعلمات والفروق بين تصوراتهن حول مشکلات الواجبات المنزلية. وتکونت عينة الدراسة الحالية من عينة عشوائية، مکونة من (47) معلمة صعوبات تعلم، و(197) معلمة صف عادي، في مناطق شمال المملکة. واستخدمت الباحثة الاستبانة کأداة للدراسة، مکونة من (31) فقرة. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى عدد من النتائج، منها أن هناک موافقة بدرجة متوسطة (3،57) على اثنتي عشرة مشکلة من مشکلات الواجبات المنزلية التي تواجه التلميذات ذوات صعوبات التعلم، من وجهة نظر معلمات صعوبات التعلم ومعلمات الصف العادي، أبرزها: عدم اهتمام التلميذة بالدراسة بشکل عام مما يحول دون أدائها على الوجه المطلوب. وأيضا أن هناک موافقة بدرجة عالية (4،30) على فوائد استخدام معلمات صعوبات التعلم ومعلمات الصف العادي لمادتي الرياضيات ولغتي للواجبات المنزلية مع التلميذات ذوات صعوبات التعلم. ووجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى (0.05) فأقل، في اتجاهات أفراد عينة الدراسة حول مشکلات الواجبات المنزلية التي تواجه التلميذات ذوات صعوبات التعلم في مادتي الرياضيات ولغتي باختلاف متغير طبيعة العمل، لصالح معلمات صعوبات التعلم. This study aimed to recognize homework problems that face female with learning disabilities. It also aimed to know benefits of using homework by learning disabilities teachers and regular classroom teachers of mathematics and Arabic language with female with learning disabilities. The study also aimed to know the effect of some variables in teachers and differences in their perceptions about the problems of homework. The sample of the study was a random sample consisting of (47) learning disabilities teachers and (197) regular classroom teachers in areas of the Northern Region. The researcher used a questionnaire as an instrument in the study. This questionnaire consisted of (31) items. The study revealed a number of findings as follows; Participants in the study agreed with a mean of (3.57) on twelve problems of the problems that face female with learning disabilities from the point of view of learning disabilities teachers and regular classroom teachers. The most important problem is: students do not pay attention to their study and this prevents them from studying as needed. Also, participants of the study strongly agreed with a mean of (4.30) on benefits of using homework by learning disabilities teachers and regular classroom teachers of mathematics and Arabic language with female with learning disabilities. There were statistically significant differences at the level of (<0.05) in the attitudes of participants towards problems that face female with learning disabilities in mathematics and Arabic language according to differences in job nature and these differences were for learning disabilities teachers.

Under the Law

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment, meaning the environment that is as close as possible to that of a regular education classroom. However, the nation’s various circuit courts have used different standards to determine whether a particular placement meets this requirement. Julie Underwood summarizes a recent Sixth Circuit case, L.H. v. Hamilton County Department of Education, in which the court ruled that it was inappropriate for a district to remove a child with Down syndrome from a regular classroom, where he was making academic progress but not achieving the grade-level standard.

Percepciones de los docentes en pre- servicio relativas a la inclusión y la atención a la diversidad

El reconocimiento de la diversidad humana como valor educativo, ha implicado que los docentes de las aulas regulares, reciban preparación para crear espacios de aprendizaje inclusivos. Siguiendo estas tendencias, la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán, incluyó en su reciente reforma a los planes de estudio, competencias docentes vinculadas con la atención a la diversidad y la inclusión. En esta investigación se analizaron las percepciones de los docentes en pre servicio de la UPNFM, relacionadas con los principios teóricos y metodológicos de la atención a la diversidad, la formación recibida en la Universidad en estos ámbitos y finalmente las competencias que valoran como importantes para desarrollar la educación inclusiva. Además de ello se realizó una comparación de estas percepciones por ámbito de estudio y pertenencia a grupo étnico. El estudio es de naturaleza cuantitativa, no experimental y de corte transversal, participaron 470 estudiantes en práctica profesional II.

O LABORATÓRIO DE CIÊNCIAS DO COLÉGIO PEDRO II: UMA AVALIAÇÃO NA PERSPECTIVA DE SEUS DOCENTES

O estudo teve por objetivo avaliar em que medida as atividades do Laboratório de Ciências, dos Anos Iniciais do Colégio Pedro II (CPII), contribuem para aperfeiçoar as práticas pedagógicas realizadas na sala de aula regular. Para tanto, foi desenvolvida uma abordagem teórica, que situou o ensino de Ciências como ‘alfabetização científica’, explicitada a história da criação e desenvolvimento do Laboratório de Ciências nesta instituição, e utilizada uma abordagem avaliativa, centrada nos participantes. Do ponto de vista metodológico, o estudo se desdobrou em duas partes: a primeira, envolveu um grupo focal com docentes do CPII, consideradas experientes no ensino de Ciências, cujas falas depuradas deram origem às categorias avaliativas que seriam posteriormente avaliadas. A segunda, resultou na aplicação de um questionário a um grupo de 12 docentes, todas mais novas no CPII, para avaliar em que medida as categorias avaliativas estavam presentes nas práticas dessas docentes. A análise dos dados, baseada no confronto das falas avaliativas de ambos os grupos, revelou que as docentes mais novas na instituição endossam e ampliam a importância das atividades do Laboratório de Ciências para as práticas pedagógicas das salas de aula convencionais. O grupo mais novo das docentes ampliou significativamente as categorias avaliativas iniciais, oferecendo subsídios à construção de um quadro integrador, o qual poderá servir de base para se determinar a presença dos indicadores ali expressos.

Exploring strong and weak EFL readers’ strategy use after a reading strategy and extensive reading instructional intervention

Abstract After 16 weeks of extensive reading and reading strategy instruction in an English as a Foreign Language class (n = 52) at a junior college in Taiwan, three weak and three strong second language readers were recruited to investigate reading strategy use. Strategies were inferred from verbal reports gained through a think aloud methodology as participants read a text equivalent to those encountered during regular classroom instruction. Results indicated strong readers used more global strategies than weak readers. Strong readers had a more diverse reading strategy repertoire while weak readers tended to lean towards the use of a single strategy. In addition, strong readers tended to combine strategies. These and other results are discussed in terms of the translation-based reading instruction currently dominating Taiwanese secondary school classrooms. Suggestions are also provided on how classroom English teachers should implement reading strategy training in the English language classroom.

Developing Middle School Students’ Interest in Learning Science and Geology Through Slowmation

Given that interest is associated with learning in educational research, understanding how its development can be supported in different learning contexts represents an important line of inquiry. In this study, we investigate the influence of the slowmation construction process on middle school students’ interest in learning science and geology. Both quantitative and qualitative data were generated from four classes of ninth-grade students; two classes participated in the construction of a slowmation about tectonic plate boundaries (n = 52) and two classes experienced a state-mandated programme of instruction (n = 43). The students completed the Student Interest in Learning Science Survey, a Likert-style instrument, which examined their level of situational and individual interest prior to their participation in the study and upon their completion of the construction task or mandated instruction. Statistical analyses of these data revealed that the students who constructed a slowmation demonstrated significant increases in their interest in learning science and geology, while the students who experienced regular classroom instruction demonstrated lower levels of interest by the end of the study. Interview data obtained from students who constructed a slowmation suggest that the construction process afforded opportunities to work and learn in active, hands-on and collaborative ways; to exercise creativity; and to engage with technology. Importantly, increases in students’ interest appeared to emerge from the early attentional and affective stages of their interest development, rather than through a meaningful connection to the geological subject matter, which has theoretical implications for interest research in learning contexts.

Using technology to promote classroom instruction: assessing incidences of on-task and off-task multitasking and learning

Media multitasking is a common artifact of the increasing presence of technologies in classrooms. However, research indicates learning decrements when students engage in inappropriate or “off-task” media multitasking during class time. This is a concern as many innovative teaching practices call for the use of technologies. The present study examined ‘on-task’ (using media technologies to support learning) and ‘off-task’ multitasking when students were required to use online demonstrations as part of a collaborative group work activity within three regular, live classroom sessions. In total, 107 introductory psychology students participated as part of their regular classroom instruction. Both survey measures and direct observation indicated that students engaged in both on-task and off-task multitasking during the online and face-to-face group work components. Fewer students reported going off-task than expected. The proportion of students engaging in multitasking increased over time from the first to third demonstrations. Interestingly, perceived relevance of the online demonstrations predicted on-task behaviors. Overall, outcomes suggested that employing relevant online activities as part of ongoing instruction fostered more on-task behaviours and were perceived to be relevant learning tools. Implications for instruction are discussed.

A survey of Icelandic elementary school teachers’ knowledge and views of autism – Implications for educational practices

This study examined Icelandic elementary school teachers’ knowledge and views of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Teachers (n = 863) answered an online questionnaire including demographic questions, statements about ASDs and statements related to the respondents’ views on the education of children with ASDs. The age distribution and proportion of regular classroom teachers to special education teachers was similar to the general population of teachers. The results show that the teachers’ knowledge of effective teaching methods is fairly good but greater uncertainty was evident in the answers to statements related to the nature of ASDs. Teachers’ views on the suitability of special schools for children with ASDs differed but the majority agreed that their own education did not adequately cover the issues of teaching children with ASDs. The results indicate a need for training and continuing education for teachers working with children diagnosed with ASDs.

Foregrounding Women in the Doctoral Classroom: Mainstreaming and Single-Sex Approaches to Graduate Education

ABSTRACTAn increasing number of published studies have drawn attention to gender disparities in various dimensions of Christian higher education. Although the majority of students on the campuses of member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) are women, and the percentage of women holding faculty and administrative roles has increased, the male-normed environment of the academy continues to be evident in various ways, particularly in these Christian institutions. At the same time, higher education—and doctoral education in particular—is an important pathway to prepare future leaders and professors for Christian organizations. One potential way to begin to shift toward a more welcoming climate that benefits both men and women on CCCU campuses is to “foreground,” or make central, women's issues and concerns as part of regular classroom teaching. Such foregrounding can help counter the historic tendency to treat men's experience and concerns as normative for the human race. In the discipline of missiology, women make up the bulk of the practitioners yet are underrepresented as scholars, making it a pertinent field to challenge the neglect of women's voices and concerns in the academy. This article describes how a missiology classroom has been used to create a climate where women have opportunities to be central and where women's perspectives are treated as equally important as men's perspectives. To do this, I used three key practices: intentionally addressing gendered topics in mixed classes, offering selected single-sex education opportunities for women, and focusing on gender-related topics for research and publication. Using the discipline of missiology as a case study in relation to the importance of giving women's contributions to the field both recognition and voice may also offer transferable insights for doctoral faculty in other disciplines.