More Like this

1. Effect of Labeling Simulated Students as Having Special Learning Needs on the Simulated Teaching Behaviors of K-12 Educators

   Knezek, Gerald ; Christensen, Rhonda ( July 2024 , Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE))

   Bastiaens, T (Ed.)

   Fifty-five (55) K-12 teachers in two US states completed five repetitions of a 15-minute simulated teaching lesson in which six of their 12 simulated students in a class were labeled as having special learning needs while the other six were not labeled. Analysis of three measures of differential focus in instructional attention revealed that educators teaching within the simulator tended to increase attention (p < .05) in the areas where they perceived the greatest needs. That is, they tended to focus increased guidance toward the simulated students that were labeled as having special learning needs. Findings provide credible evidence of the fidelity of the simulated teaching environment as perceived by actual teachers, in that teachers focused actions in the simulator comparable to the manner in which teachers commonly focus guidance in real classrooms, targeting extra assistance where they perceive it is needed. This finding has reconfirmed preliminary indications from a smaller participant pool (n = 40) studied in a previous year and has expanded confirmation of the effect to additional types of special learning needs labels in addition to English Language Learner (ELL). 

   more » « less
2. Using a Simulated Teaching Environment to Improve Teaching Effectiveness as Measured by Core Teaching Standards

   Knezek, G. ; Christensen, R. ( April 2023 , Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference)

   Langran, E. (Ed.)

   Twenty-seven teachers and teacher candidates completed two to five iterations of a simulated teaching module in simSchool, an online “flight simulator for teachers” environment. The system recorded instances of pedagogical practices as educators completed each trial. Analysis of data revealed that as a group, gains in addressing core teaching standards across simulated teaching trials where significantly (p < .05) improved, when judged by changes in aggregate scores from first trial to last. Further analysis indicated that three trials are good, but five trials are better for maximizing gains. Limitations of the study include the small sample size (n = 27). Replication with a larger group of participants is planned. 

   more » « less
3. Impacting student perceptions of engagement and student voice through equity-focused teacher professional development in a simulated teaching environment

   Christensen, Rhonda ; Knezek, Gerald ( July 2024 , Journal of interactive learning research)

   Ferdig, R ; Gandolfi, E ; Baumgartner, E (Ed.)

   Student engagement, cultural identity and voice in school have been shown to have measurable influence on student learning. While many factors may affect student dispositions, teachers likely have the most direct impact on the dispositions related to classroom engagement and student voice. Measures of student perceptions of their teachers’ cultural engagement, cultural teaching practices and the students’ own engagement and voice in schooling are included in this paper. Data from 822 grade 3 – 12 students of teachers who participated in a simulated teaching environment intended to improve equitable teaching practices revealed significant pre-post changes for measures of voice and engagement. The data also showed significant differences by gender and ethnicity. 

   more » « less
4. Instructional practices in secondary science: How teachers achieve local and standards‐based success

   https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21869  

   Covitt, Beth A. ; de los Santos, Elizabeth Xeng ; Lin, Qinyun ; Morrison Thomas, Christie ; Anderson, Charles W. ( June 2023 , Journal of Research in Science Teaching)

   This article reports on analyses of the instructional practices of six middle‐ and high‐school science teachers in the United States who participated in a research‐practice partnership that aims to support reform science education goals at scale. All six teachers were well qualified, experienced, and locally successful—respected by students, parents, colleagues, and administrators—but they differed in their success in supporting students' three‐dimensional learning. Our goal is to understand how the teachers' instructional practices contributed to their similarities in achieving local success and to differences in enabling students' learning, and to consider the implications of these findings for research‐practice partnerships. Data sources included classroom videos supplemented by interviews with teachers and focus students and examples of student work. We also compared students' learning gains by teacher using pre–post assessments that elicited three‐dimensional performances. Analyses of classroom videos showed how all six teachers achieved local success—they led effectively managed classrooms, covered the curriculum by teaching almost all unit activities, and assessed students' work in fair and efficient ways. There were important differences, however, in how teachers engaged students in science practices. Teachers in classrooms where students achieved lower learning gains followed a pattern of practice we describe asactivity‐based teaching, in which students completed investigations and hands‐on activities with few opportunities for sensemaking discussions or three‐dimensional science performances. Teachers whose students achieved higher learning gains combined the social stability characteristic of local classroom success with more demanding instructional practices associated withscientific sensemakingandcognitive apprenticeship. We conclude with a discussion of implications for research‐practice partnerships, highlighting how partnerships need to support all teachers in achieving both local and standards‐based success.

    

   more » « less
5. How a Research-Practice Partnership Refined its Strategy for Integrating CS/CT into K-5 Curricula: An Experience Report

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3478431.3499281  

   Adrion, W. Richards ; Bevan, Katie ; Foster, Paul ; Matuszczak, Denise ; Miller, Rachel ; Rita, Laura ; Sullivan, Florence R. ; Veeragoudar, Sneha ; Wohlers, Scott ; Zeitz, Melissa ( March 2022 , SIGCSE ’22)

   Massachusetts defined K-12 Digital Literacy/Computer Science (DLCS) standards in 2016 and developed a 5-12 teacher licensure process, expecting K-4 teachers to be capable of teaching to the standards under their elementary license. An NSF CSforAll planning grant led to the establishment of an NSF 4-year ResearchPractice Partnership (RPP) of district and school administrators, teachers, university researchers, and external evaluators in 2018. The RPP focused on the 33 K-5 serving schools to engage all students in integrated CS/CT teaching and learning and to create a cadre of skilled and confident elementary classroom teachers ready to support their students in learning CS/CT concepts and practices. The pandemic exacerbated barriers and inequities across the district, which serves over 25,000 diverse students (9.7% white/nonHispanic, 83.7% high needs). Having observed a lack of awareness and expertise among many K-5 teachers for implementing CS/CT content and practices and seeing barriers to equitable CS/CT teaching and learning, the RPP designed an iterative, teacher-led, co-design of curriculum supported by equity-focused and embedded professional learning. This experience report describes how we refined our strategies for curriculum development and diffusion, professional learning, and importantly, our commitment to addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond just reaching all students. The RPP broadened its focus on understanding race and equity to empower students to understand how technology affects their identities and to equip them to critically participate in the creation and use of technology 

   more » « less