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AN EXPLORATION OF HOW PRE-SERVICE EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS USE EDUCATIVE CURRICULUM MATERIALS TO SUPPORT THEIR SCIENCE TEACHING PRACTICES
Title
AN EXPLORATION OF HOW PRE-SERVICE EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS USE EDUCATIVE CURRICULUM MATERIALS TO SUPPORT THEIR SCIENCE TEACHING PRACTICES.
Creator
Englehart, Deirdre, Boote, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Research indicates that a proportion of elementary teachers are not comfortable teaching science to young children. These teachers are unaware of the best methods of approaching science and don't have the science background knowledge to support teaching through inquiry methods. This case study explores the role educative curriculum materials play in supporting pre-service early childhood education teachers' knowledge with science content and teaching practices. Specifically, I examine...
Show moreResearch indicates that a proportion of elementary teachers are not comfortable teaching science to young children. These teachers are unaware of the best methods of approaching science and don't have the science background knowledge to support teaching through inquiry methods. This case study explores the role educative curriculum materials play in supporting pre-service early childhood education teachers' knowledge with science content and teaching practices. Specifically, I examine how educative materials impact pre-service teacher's content knowledge in science and their pedagogical content knowledge related to inquiry methods. Three pre-service early childhood teachers participated in this research. The teachers were initially interviewed about teaching science based upon three instruments: Views of Science Inquiry, Views of the Nature of Science and the Science Teachers Efficacy Beliefs Inventory. Each subject was observed teaching science in their internship site: the first lessons taught were guided or approved by their teachers and the next lessons were conducted using the support of educative curriculum materials. Finally, the initial instruments were once again administered along with an interview to obtain changes in teacher's knowledge, beliefs and understandings of science and science teaching. Results from this research indicate that educative curriculum was supportive of teachers in a variety of ways. Most importantly, this curriculum helped teachers to target more aspects of scientific inquiry during their science lessons than lessons without the use of educative curriculum. The important considerations regarding the effectiveness of the educative curriculum for these pre-service teachers were their underlying beliefs about how science should be taught, their uses of the curriculum materials and reflective practices regarding their own teaching. Results specifically related to early childhood educators include the level of inquiry implemented with young children and how children communicate their findings. Young children need support in their participation of inquiry learning. Successful implementation of guided inquiry practices occurred in this research. Also, the teachers in this research found insightful ways that directly supported young children in their communication of ideas. Implications for further research are also discussed. Educative materials could further support pre-service early childhood teachers if additional supports were used including accessible curricular rationales, support in classroom management and the specific use of guided inquiry.
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Date Issued
2008
Identifier
CFE0002142, ucf:47520
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002142
Stereotypes, Perceptions of Similarity, and Cultural Identity: Factors That May Influence the Academic Achievement of Immigrant Students.
Title
Stereotypes, Perceptions of Similarity, and Cultural Identity: Factors That May Influence the Academic Achievement of Immigrant Students.
Creator
Fagan, Tamara, Szente, Judit, Eriksson, Gillian, Englehart, Deirdre, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
For decades, the United States has been known as the nation of immigrants due to the increasing number of immigrant students in the public school system. Although the population of immigrant students steadily increases annually, American society still pressures immigrants into acculturation to fulfill the United States ideals of academic achievement despite the United States claim of multiculturalism (Malcolm (&) Lowery, 2011). This research focuses on 1st- and 2nd generation immigrant...
Show moreFor decades, the United States has been known as the nation of immigrants due to the increasing number of immigrant students in the public school system. Although the population of immigrant students steadily increases annually, American society still pressures immigrants into acculturation to fulfill the United States ideals of academic achievement despite the United States claim of multiculturalism (Malcolm (&) Lowery, 2011). This research focuses on 1st- and 2nd generation immigrant students' strife of acceptance in U.S. culture, while sill preserving their own native culture, and the influence it has on academic achievement.The researcher interviewed eight (8) adult participants who are either 1st- or 2nd generation immigrant college students. This qualitative case study research aims to determine if forced acculturation or assimilation using stereotypes and perceptions of similarity effects how immigrant students develop their cultural identity, and the influence it has on academic achievement. Four major themes emerged from the participants' responses: parental approval, peer pressure, environmental influence, and feelings about their ethnic group. Basic findings supported that immigrant students' cultural identity is threatened by stereotypes and perceptions of similarity.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004996, ucf:49554
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004996
Supporting Prekindergarten Teachers Through Appropriate Professional Development Practices
Title
Supporting Prekindergarten Teachers Through Appropriate Professional Development Practices.
Creator
Twyman, Catherine, Hopp, Carolyn, Vitale, Thomas, Boote, David, Culp, Anne, Englehart, Deirdre, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The problem of practice that this dissertation in practice addresses is the creation of a professional development model designed to assist voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) teachers and directors with the implementation of the 2011 Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds; specifically the mathematical thinking benchmark. Because the standards serve as a planning guide to assist teachers and directors of VPK children in the attainment of skills required by the end of their...
Show moreThe problem of practice that this dissertation in practice addresses is the creation of a professional development model designed to assist voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) teachers and directors with the implementation of the 2011 Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds; specifically the mathematical thinking benchmark. Because the standards serve as a planning guide to assist teachers and directors of VPK children in the attainment of skills required by the end of their prekindergarten school year, it is important that those utilizing the Standards have a concrete understanding of their components and how to use them as the foundation for all lesson planning. The pilot study included informal interviews with both VPK teachers and directors concerning their understanding of the 2011 Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds and the assistance they received with the implementation of the standards into their daily lesson plans. An additional survey was administered electronically to a target group of VPK teachers and directors concerning their personal beliefs about preschoolers and mathematics, their confidence in helping preschoolers learn mathematical concepts, and their confidence in their personal mathematics abilities.This dissertation in practice provides a professional development framework, that demonstrates how to facilitate a comprehensive professional development program that addresses all of the essential components including pre-assessment, the use of appropriate practices when working with adult learners, providing coaching and technical assistance to the practitioners, and using communities of practice (CoP) to provide ongoing support for teachers and directors of VPK children. Utilizing a combination of these strategies can help to ensure that those working with this targeted group have an inclusive understanding of the standards as well as a support system to effectively provide VPK students with a developmentally appropriate education.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006407, ucf:51463
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006407
Examining Preservice Teachers' Performances and Pedagogies of Practice in an Urban Classroom Through the Use of a Simulated Learning Environment
Title
Examining Preservice Teachers' Performances and Pedagogies of Practice in an Urban Classroom Through the Use of a Simulated Learning Environment.
Creator
Jennings, Kelly, Szente, Judit, Hopp, Carolyn, Englehart, Deirdre, Dieker, Lisa, Hartle, Lynn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The failure to staff the nation's classrooms with highly qualified teachers, especially those in disadvantaged schools, is a problem in American education. Novice teachers who begin teaching in urban, low-income, diverse schools leave the field of education at alarmingly high rates. Schools are not being provided with the teachers they deserve; new teachers are especially ill-prepared to meet the needs of students in high-need urban settings. In return, these low-income schools are not...
Show moreThe failure to staff the nation's classrooms with highly qualified teachers, especially those in disadvantaged schools, is a problem in American education. Novice teachers who begin teaching in urban, low-income, diverse schools leave the field of education at alarmingly high rates. Schools are not being provided with the teachers they deserve; new teachers are especially ill-prepared to meet the needs of students in high-need urban settings. In return, these low-income schools are not retaining sufficient numbers of the teachers they do recruit. A teacher's performance has a tremendous impact on a child's learning and academic journey. Teacher preparation programs need to increase effectiveness by preparing teachers who perform at a proficient level or higher from the first day they step foot in the classroom. Preservice teachers must have an understanding of how to teach effectively through the use of pedagogical knowledge and culture. Universities can assist prospective teachers to simultaneously learn content and pedagogy through training. The revolving door of teachers leaving impoverished communities must stop. Students are not in warrant of substitute teachers, unqualified or uncertified novice teachers year after year. Teacher preparation programs have a vital role in shaping initial levels of teacher commitment. One way to build this bridge between preparation of teachers for urban or diverse settings is to consider new options for teacher preparation. While teacher preparation programs can offer theories and pedagogies of practice, the use of a virtual reality (VR) environment permits teacher preparation to provide preservice teachers with varied experiences in order to prepare them for a high-need urban setting. This fully immersive environment could allow preservice teachers to create an environment that best supports the needs of their learners, strengthening knowledge gained in coursework to examination in the field. A traditional teacher preparation program cannot offer this understanding of pedagogy in a consistent and constant format. It is the obligation of schools and colleges of education to improve teacher education programs. Universities need to prepare culturally responsive educators who can effectively perform in the urban classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact a simulated learning environment had on preservice teachers' classroom performances as measured by onsite and virtual observations. Pedagogies of practice are described through categories of personal connections, life experiences, engagement and assessment of prior knowledge as demonstrated in reflective writing of preservice teachers who participated in a simulated learning environment versus those who did not. The researcher proposed the use of a VR to provide an expanded view to preservice teacher preparation within a simulated classroom. It was hypothesized this scaffolding of learning beyond typical textbook learning would deepen the knowledge of the preservice teacher, leading to effective performance within a high-need urban setting. A mixed-methods approach of the embedded experimental design was used for collection of both qualitative and quantitative data. The Chi-square Test of Independence, supported by Fisher's Exact Test and Cramer's V used to analyze data measured on a nominal scale for the experimental group and control groups. Data analysis showed a significant difference in teacher indicators in three of the four observations. Specifically the preservice teachers (experimental group) who participated in the simulated learning environment related and integrated the subject matter with other disciplines and life experiences and reviewed previous class material before instruction more often than the control group. Key words in context (KWIC), word count and content analysis were used to identify themes through language as demonstrated in the reflective writing. Underlying patterns were used to form relationships between performance in the urban classroom after participation in a simulated learning environment, followed by reflective writing in the categories of personal connections, life experiences, engagement and assessment of prior knowledge. The preservice teachers in both the experimental and control groups exhibited many of the teacher behaviors needed in a high-need urban setting through their reflective writing. However, the intervention of TeachLivE(TM) continued to be an outlier, which not only strengthened the preservice teachers' reflections but performance in the classroom. The simulated learning environment offered the preservice teachers in the experimental group a medium to learn through doing. Exposure to the tools and methods in TeachLivE(TM), followed by reflective writing, provided opportunities to improve pedagogies of practice, impacting preservice teacher's performances in the urban setting. Future research recommendations based on continued observations to gather further data of the study, improvement of performance over time, and an expanded observational group are presented. Academic achievement of the students in the participant's classrooms who took part in TeachLivE(TM) in order to analyze whether the variable of TeachLivE(TM) impacted preservice teacher performance in the urban classroom could be measured. Finally, faculty mentors at the university could design professional development opportunities for novice teachers in TeachLivE(TM), assisting in coaching and self-reflection of lessons taught, working towards understanding of content and pedagogy. Reflection afterward would be collaborative between novice teachers and faculty mentors based on observations. Scaffolding novice teachers learning while in a simulated environment can be motivating and effective in learning gains.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005187, ucf:50617
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005187