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Investigating the Impact of Beliefs, Norms, and Culture on Teachers in Both a Comprehensive Middle School and STEM-focused Middle School

Investigating the Impact of Beliefs, Norms, and Culture on Teachers in Both a Comprehensive Middle School and STEM-focused Middle School PDF Author: Raul J. Madera
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 50

Book Description
Teacher perception of control, teacher beliefs, and school culture are important variables in shaping a STEM classroom. This pilot study explores the connectedness of classroom practice, teacher perceptions, and school culture through observational case studies of two classrooms, one in an urban public school and another in a suburban private school. Evidence including classroom observations, teacher interviews, and examining documentation was evaluated by using an established observation protocol called the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol, or RTOP (Sawada, Pibum, Judson, Turley, Falconer, Benford,, & Bloom, 2002). Interview data suggests that both teachers had similar perceptions of effective STEM education, yet their classroom practice was very different. While teacher's perceptions were similar, the school culture as portrayed by the school websites and documentation was very different. The urban public school was focused on student character development and standardized test preparation, while the suburban private school focused more on fostering student thinking. This small glimpse into the relationship between beliefs, practice, and norms could suggest that different school cultures may influence the teachers' practices.

Investigating the Impact of Beliefs, Norms, and Culture on Teachers in Both a Comprehensive Middle School and STEM-focused Middle School

Investigating the Impact of Beliefs, Norms, and Culture on Teachers in Both a Comprehensive Middle School and STEM-focused Middle School PDF Author: Raul J. Madera
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 50

Book Description
Teacher perception of control, teacher beliefs, and school culture are important variables in shaping a STEM classroom. This pilot study explores the connectedness of classroom practice, teacher perceptions, and school culture through observational case studies of two classrooms, one in an urban public school and another in a suburban private school. Evidence including classroom observations, teacher interviews, and examining documentation was evaluated by using an established observation protocol called the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol, or RTOP (Sawada, Pibum, Judson, Turley, Falconer, Benford,, & Bloom, 2002). Interview data suggests that both teachers had similar perceptions of effective STEM education, yet their classroom practice was very different. While teacher's perceptions were similar, the school culture as portrayed by the school websites and documentation was very different. The urban public school was focused on student character development and standardized test preparation, while the suburban private school focused more on fostering student thinking. This small glimpse into the relationship between beliefs, practice, and norms could suggest that different school cultures may influence the teachers' practices.

A Case Study of the Impact of the Learning Focused Schools Model on Culture in a Middle School Setting

A Case Study of the Impact of the Learning Focused Schools Model on Culture in a Middle School Setting PDF Author: Jonathan Fitzgerald Kay
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational leadership
Languages : en
Pages : 206

Book Description
This dissertation was designed to evaluate the impact of the Learning Focused Schools model on culture in a middle school setting. The school used in this study is a Title I school with low student achievement. The Learning Focused Schools model was implemented to provide comprehensive school reform strategies and solutions based on exemplary practices and research-based strategies. These practices and strategies focus on five areas: Planning, Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and School Organization. The study analyzed the effects of the Learning Focused Schools model on the school culture and how that, in turn, affects the academic achievement of the students. -- The researcher compiled and analyzed data from the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Surveys that were administered before, during, and after the full implementation of the Learning Focused Schools model. The Learning Focused Impact Survey was developed and administered to teachers at the school to gain insight into the culture of the school and how much of an effect on that culture occurred due to the implementation of the Learning Focused Schools model. North Carolina Report Card Standardized Test Score data were used to measure the impact of the Learning Focused Schools model student achievement at the school. -- The findings of the Teacher Working Conditions survey and the Learning Focused Impact survey indicate that the Learning Focused Schools model had a positive impact on the school's culture. There was no evidence that the implementation of the Learning Focused Schools model had any impact on student achievement.

Research and Resources in Support of This We Believe

Research and Resources in Support of This We Believe PDF Author: Vincent A. Anfara
Publisher: National Middle School Association
ISBN: 9781560901433
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 84

Book Description


A Comparison of the Efficacy and Beliefs of Middle School Math Teachers and Science Teachers Towards STEM Education

A Comparison of the Efficacy and Beliefs of Middle School Math Teachers and Science Teachers Towards STEM Education PDF Author: Kenneth Lamar Deal (Jr)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 107

Book Description
Little research exists in the attitudes and efficacy of middle school math teachers and science teachers toward Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. STEM education refers to an integrated approach to teaching math and science that incorporates problem solving, problem-based learning, and discovery rather than teaching these disciplines in isolation. Teachers’ efficacy and beliefs, outcome expectancy beliefs, and the use of STEM instructional strategies may vary by discipline. Each of these aspects are important in designing professional learning to meet the teachers’ needs as well as their capacity to implement integrated, problem-based learning into the classroom. Research suggests teacher efficacy and attitude has an impact on the implementation of innovative instructional practice such as those used in STEM education and on student achievement. This quantitative research study follows a causal comparative design to compare mean scores on the Teacher Efficacy and Attitude toward STEM (T-STEM) Survey among two groups of middle school teachers. The two groups are math teachers and science teachers from middle schools that are in the First District Regional Education Association in Georgia. The total sample size was 136 participants. A Mann-Whitney U test was conducted as an analysis to determine if there is a difference between the efficacy and beliefs toward STEM of middle school math teachers and science teachers. The data collected did not reflect any statistically significant differences between the personal teaching efficacy and beliefs, teacher outcome expectancy beliefs, and use of STEM instructional practices between middle school math and science teachers.

Equity & Cultural Responsiveness in the Middle Grades

Equity & Cultural Responsiveness in the Middle Grades PDF Author: Kathleen M. Brinegar
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1641136758
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 371

Book Description
While developmental responsiveness is a deservingly key emphasis of middle grades education, this emphasis has often been to the detriment of focusing on the cultural needs of young adolescents. This Handbook volume explores research relating to equity and culturally responsive practices when working with young adolescents. Middle school philosophy largely centers on young adolescents as a collective group. This lack of focus has great implications for young adolescents of marginalized identities including but not limited to those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQ youth, and those living in poverty. If middle level educators claim to advocate for young adolescents, we need to mainstream conversations about supporting all young adolescents of marginalized identities. It empowers researchers, educators, and even young adolescents to critically examine and understand the intersectionality of identities that historically influenced (and continue to affect) young adolescents and why educators might perceive marginalized youth in certain ways. It is for these reasons that researchers, teachers, and other key constituents involved in the education of young adolescents must devote themselves to the critical examination and understanding of the historical and current socio-cultural factors affecting all young adolescents. The chapters in this volume serve as a means to open an intentional and explicit space for providing a critical lens on early adolescence–a lens that understands that both developmental and cultural needs of young adolescents need to be emphasized to create a learning environment that supports every young adolescent learner.

The Science of Learning and Development

The Science of Learning and Development PDF Author: Pamela Cantor
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 100039977X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 245

Book Description
This essential text unpacks major transformations in the study of learning and human development and provides evidence for how science can inform innovation in the design of settings, policies, practice, and research to enhance the life path, opportunity and prosperity of every child. The ideas presented provide researchers and educators with a rationale for focusing on the specific pathways and developmental patterns that may lead a specific child, with a specific family, school, and community, to prosper in school and in life. Expanding key published articles and expert commentary, the book explores a profound evolution in thinking that integrates findings from psychology with biology through sociology, education, law, and history with an emphasis on institutionalized inequities and disparate outcomes and how to address them. It points toward possible solutions through an understanding of and addressing the dynamic relations between a child and the contexts within which he or she lives, offering all researchers of human development and education a new way to understand and promote healthy development and learning for diverse, specific youth regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or history of adversity, challenge, or trauma. The book brings together scholars and practitioners from the biological/medical sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, educational science, and fields of law and social and educational policy. It provides an invaluable and unique resource for understanding the bases and status of the new science, and presents a roadmap for progress that will frame progress for at least the next decade and perhaps beyond.

Development of Teacher Beliefs Through Online Instruction

Development of Teacher Beliefs Through Online Instruction PDF Author: Sissy S. Wong
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 13

Book Description
Understanding teachers' beliefs is important because beliefs influence teacher decisions. In science, teacher beliefs have an impact on how science curriculum is interpreted and implemented in the classroom. With the push for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States, it is also critical to examine the beliefs of teachers who integrate science in the classroom. This study of 21 U.S. middle school science and mathematics teachers found that teachers' participation in the first year of a two-year graduate online program that emphasised inquiry-based instruction and student-centred frames of mind influenced participants' beliefs. Overall, participants moved toward holding more student-centred beliefs. When types of beliefs were disaggregated, participants' beliefs about teaching and about learning both moved toward a more student-centred position. Further, teachers' beliefs significantly changed regardless of their years of teaching experience. One surprising finding was that science teachers' beliefs changed significantly, while those of mathematics teachers did not. The findings from this study support the notion that formal knowledge has an impact on teacher beliefs.

A Case Study of Teacher Beliefs about Student Achievement in a Suburban Middle School

A Case Study of Teacher Beliefs about Student Achievement in a Suburban Middle School PDF Author: Christine A. Hunt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 108

Book Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and beliefs of teachers at a Midwestern suburban middle school about students, student learning, and about teacher's beliefs of their collective abilities to achieve the task of school improvement. Saddleback Middle School (SMS) has experienced low standardized test scores since the implementation of NCLB. Of the school district's five middle schools, SMS consistently had the lowest scores in math and reading. The researcher sought to understand the relationship between teacher beliefs and student academic achievement. Eight volunteer teachers from SMS were interviewed twice and observed twice in their classroom settings. The findings of the interviews, observations, and information from teacher lesson plans and grading procedures were analyzed through the lens of Bandura's theory of collective teacher efficacy (CTE). With knowledge of the collective beliefs of the faculty, the leadership of the school could implement plans to improve faculty CTE and student achievement. Analysis of the data indicated a difference between what teachers thought of their teaching practices and how they actually performed in the classroom. They expressed knowledge of positive instructional practices to improve student learning but did not practice those strategies regularly in their classrooms. Participants tended to have a critical view of poor performing students and of the abilities of some of their colleagues. Findings indicate a need for future research regarding school culture and how it relates to CTE in school improvement and the limitations of case study research alone in investigating CTE beliefs of a faculty.

"It's Our World Too"

Author: Beverly A. Busching
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
Full of practical assistance for teachers who want to help students learn to investigate, conduct thoughtful dialogue, and speak and write with conviction and authority.

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Culturally Responsive Teaching PDF Author: Geneva Gay
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807750786
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
The achievement of students of color continues to be disproportionately low at all levels of education. More than ever, Geneva Gay's foundational book on culturally responsive teaching is essential reading in addressing the needs of today's diverse student population. Combining insights from multicultural education theory and research with real-life classroom stories, Gay demonstrates that all students will perform better on multiple measures of achievement when teaching is filtered through their own cultural experiences. This bestselling text has been extensively revised to include expanded coverage of student ethnic groups: African and Latino Americans as well as Asian and Native Americans as well as new material on culturally diverse communication, addressing common myths about language diversity and the effects of "English Plus" instruction.