Browsing by Subject "Curriculum planning"
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Item A comparison of audio-only versus audio-visual second language instruction in first-year university-level Spanish(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Ware, Tina LynnDuring the second half of this century, the study of language acquisition has changed from its original emphasis on language teaching methodologies. Since the late 1960s (Ellis, 1995), a number of studies have focused on second language learning, which "introduced a new research agenda and gave definition to the field that has come to be known as second language acquisition" (Larsen-Freeman & Long, 1991, p. 5). This new research agenda looks closely at learner styles and the learning process. Researchers have learned much of what we know about language acquisition in the three decades since the introduction of the field of second language acquisition, or SLA (Dulay, Burt & Krashen, 1982; Ellis, 1995). Gass (1989) uses Ellis' (1985) definition of second language acquisition, which is "the study of how learners learn an additional language after they have acquired the mother tongue" ( p. 499). The findings of second language research aid foreign language instructors in the classroom because teachers who use these ideas are better able to meet the needs of their students. When referring to a language other than the first language, usually a distinction is made between a second language and a foreign language. A second language is a language being acquired in the milieu in which it is the native tongue, such as English being studied by a Korean in England. A foreign language is a language acquired outside of an environment where it is the native tongue, such as a Spaniard's study of French in Spain. Although some researchers choose to differentiate between a second language and a foreign language, "SLA has really come to mean the acquisition of any language(s) other than one's native language" (Larsen-Freeman & Long, 1991, p. 7).Item A teacher's perceptions of the library media specialist as instructional consultant(Texas Tech University, 1998-08) Cate, Gwendolyn LandrumLibrary media literature has recommended that library media specialists provide instructional consultation to classroom teachers in public schools. This study investigates the perceptions of a fifth grade teacher concerning instructional consultation as she worked with a library media specialist. The research design and implementation are grounded in the theory of cognitive development and learning developed by Lev Semenovich Vygotsky. The study draws on Vygotsky's theory to inform existing literature on consultation. Three models of consultation as found in library media literature are discussed and applied to the naturalistic site of a public elementary school. The site for the research was an elementary school set in the southwestern United States in an agricultural community. The research spanned an entire school year with a social studies teacher as she worked with three sections of the fifth grade and the library media specialist. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews and documents. The constant comparative method of analysis was utilized to compare participant observations fieldnotes, video recordings of classroom and library media center instruction, and audiotaped interviews. One core category, growth, emerged from the analysis along with three complementary categories: growth of a relationship, growth of an environment and growth of persons. These three categories are discussed as framed by the literature, particularly the library media specialist literature and Vygotsky's learning theory. These findings have both practical and theoretical significance for the library media community. Primarily, they serve as a guide for library media professionals in the field. Also, they provide the library media community with a theoretical framework for instructional consultation. This study has also extended the work of Vygotsky as it adds to the knowledge base on adult learning theory.Item An art course curriculum for non-art majors to meet college general curriculum requirements in Taiwan(Texas Tech University, 1995-12) Hsiao, Bao-LingCollege non-art majors in Taiwan are relatively well-informed about Western culture and tend to value it over traditional Chinese cuhure. They tend to know little about art in general and Chinese traditional art in particular. The thesis of this dissertation is that Western art can be an effective way to cause nonart major students in Taiwan to come to understand and value Chinese traditional arts. Therefore, an Art-Based Arts Curriculum (hereafter referred to as "ABAC") developed in general education is a particularly effective plan for such a curriculum. The ABAC is an interdisciplinary approach interrelating the visual arts with non-visual arts and a crosscultural method comparing Chinese and Western arts traditions focusing on aesthetic considerations. For example, the ABAC model developed in the study compares Chinese and Western art in a paralleled period (e.g., early Ching dynasty [1644-1796] and Western art: Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical periods [1600-1850]). Furthermore, the ABAC model interrelates visual arts with music, poetry, and dance to compare their aesthetic modes (i.e., literal qualities, formal quahties, and expressive qualities). The ABAC development follows a three-level pedagogical logic as follows: (1) to establish Chinese students' self-esteem sufficient to develop an open-minded approach to new art concepts; (2) to exhibit the merits of Chinese and Western arts; and (3) to encourage Chinese students to appreciate Chinese arts through an interdisciplinary and cross-cuhural approach.Item Curriculum development and implementation for physiological chemistry laboratory (Chem 3402): an open-ended laboratory approach(Texas Tech University, 1996-05) Porter, Mark ChristopherThis thesis describes a successful method for teaching the laboratory component of a one semester biochemistry course for nonscience majors. This method involves the use of an open-ended design which gives students a general outline of the procedure and allows the students to develop their own step-by-step instructions. This is in direct contrast to the highly structured procedures which the students used in previous laboratory courses. The open-ended approach enables students to actively participate in their own learning because they write up their own procedures and engage in discourse with other students in cooperative learning communities. The course provides students an adequate survey of most of the major concepts of a one semester biochemistry course. The effectiveness of this open-ended approach was evaluated by weekly observation of one lab section, a student survey, and instructor feedback. The design of the course and its outcomes are described in detail.Item From the textbook to the classroom: are teachers of students with severe and profound disabilities implementing a functional, age-appropriate curriculum in the classroom?(Texas Tech University, 1997-08) Clem, Karen JanNot availableItem Integrated curriculum: an approach to collegiate preservice teacher training using the fine arts in the elementary classroom(Texas Tech University, 1998-05) McCullar, Caia KentCurrent pedagogical practices, supported by recent research data, emphasize the importance of an integrated approach to curriculum in creating the optimum learning environment for students. Effective integration programs must have carefully conceived design components and must provide both discipline-based and interdisciplinary experiences. The dissertation examines five areas of relevant research: (1) the human brain and human learning, (2) individual learning preferences, (3) instructional strategies that address individual student need according to ability and interest, (4) integrated curriculum models, and (5) contributions of fine arts experts who emphasize the importance of intellectual and artistic stimulation in early childhood. Using this research, the study establishes guidelines for incorporating the fine arts in an integrated model with the core subject curriculum at the elementary level. The outcome is a college course model design used in preservice teacher training for elementary education majors that demonstrates how the fine arts enhance learning and understanding of the core subject disciplines. Four topical units from language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, with the fine arts elements of music, art, and physical education/movement as integrating components, are introduced as examples of an integrated teaching approach at the elementary level. Each unit is accompanied by a specific individual lesson plan. Syllabi used in an integrated fine arts college course model for preservice teacher training are included. In addition, important issues emanating from the use of an integrated or interdisciplinary design are examined in detail. Many instructional models are currently being proposed, implemented, and evaluated for effectively addressing the individual and collective needs and interests of students. The fine arts, offered both as specialized courses and as integrated aspects of the general curriculum, are essential in equipping students with attitudes and skills necessary for productive living in the 21st century.Item Survey analysis: Facilitating teacher conceptualization of spatial thinking and geospatial technologies in career and technical education courses(2012-05) Carpenter, Penny; Todd, Reese; Duncan, Susan; Mulligan, Kevin; Myers, SusanCareer and Technical Education (CTE) programs offer courses that build career skills to ensure a qualified workforce. Integrating the use of geospatial technology tools such as GIS, GPS, and remote sensing promotes critical thinking and technical skills desired by industry. This study developed, pilot-tested, and submitted a survey to a sample of CTE teachers to identify the cognitive and behavioral constructs necessary to conceptualize spatial thinking and geospatial tool use in CTE courses. Data was collected about CTE teacher’s spatial ability, geospatial self-perception, geospatial tool teaching self-efficacy, general teaching self-efficacy, and spatial thinking characteristics. Additionally, the Geospatial Technology Integration Survey (GTIS), items within the survey, presented spatial thinking concepts using geospatial tool examples. The GTIS items were evaluated for correctness to produce a GTIS score. Five predictor variables were regressed to the GTIS score for teachers who had prior geospatial tool knowledge (n = 34) and those who did not (n = 97). The regression model for CTE teachers who had prior knowledge of geospatial tools had an adjusted R2 of .182, and was not statistically significant. The regression model for CTE teachers who had no prior knowledge of geospatial tools had an adjusted R2 of .216, and was statistically significant, (p < .05). The strongest predictor variables were spatial ability and general teaching self-efficacy. Additionally, teaching strategies that promote inquiry-based learning correlate to the change in pre-post GTIS scores (p < .05). CTE teachers were better able to conceptualize the use of geospatial tools after exposure to the GTIS.Item The assessment and design of an agricultural communications curriculum at the master's level: a Delphi study(Texas Tech University, 2003-08) Simon, Leslie AnnNot availableItem The development of enhancement curriculum for junior high writing classes(Texas Tech University, 2000-12) Fell, Valli MarieThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this writing curriculum as implemented in one writing class by comparing the TAAS outcomes of the class with those of students who did not have the class. The goals of this class were to assure that students develop their innate writing ability and consequently, pass the TAAS writing test. The content of this course was also designed to help the students develop a positive attitude toward improvement of written communication skills by focusing on writing skills useful in the real world. Students learned and practiced basic skills and then applied these skills so as to enable 'them to better understand the relationship ofhese basic skills to the real world.Item Toward the development of a decision support system for curriculum design(Texas Tech University, 1982-12) Mahmood, Mohammad AbdullahNot availableItem Toward the wisdom of practice : curricular decision making among novice primary grade teachers in standards-based schools(2010-05) Bauml, Michelle Marie; Goldstein, Lisa S., 1963-; Field, Sherry L.; Salinas, Cynthia; Svinicki, Marilla; Brown, KeffrelynCurricular decision making is foundational to teachers’ practice—every facet of the instructional process is the result of teachers’ decisions. For new teachers, learning to make curricular decisions that will satisfy institutional, public, and professional demands and facilitate learning in their classrooms can be especially challenging given today’s standards-based educational climate. In the primary grades, teachers find themselves having to manage competing demands of accountability and their own beliefs about effective instruction for young children. Despite the field’s renewed interest in studying teachers’ thinking as it relates to post-NCLB curricular decision making, few studies examine curricular decision making among beginning primary grade teachers who share the same accountability issues as their more experienced colleagues. Utilizing case study methodology, this investigation explored how five novice primary grade teachers approached curricular decision making for the core content areas within accountability-driven Texas public schools. Data included classroom observations, interviews and post-observation conversations, lesson planning think-alouds, and curricular documents. Cross-case analyses indicate that participants' curricular decision making was characterized by professional judgment in response to various dilemmas they encountered while attempting to address personal, professional, administrative, and organizational expectations. In many ways, the standards-based contexts in which participants taught made teaching especially difficult for these teachers who were only beginning to accumulate the wisdom of practice. Findings also suggest that participants' curricular decisions were informed by a combination of internal and external influences. Most significantly, curricular decisions were deeply rooted in who teachers are and who they hope to become as professional educators. Professional identity permeated all five teachers' approaches to curricular decision making, from the types of decisions they chose to address to the actual decisions they made in the classroom. Concomitantly, these teachers' conceptions of the teaching profession helped shape the nature of their curricular decisions. The study also reveals that professional colleagues played a strong role in guiding curricular decisions among the participants, although not all support offered to novices was necessarily beneficial for their development as effective decision makers. Finally, the study raises questions about incongruities between teacher preparation programs and the expectations graduates will face as beginning teachers.