A Collection of Individual Research Projects
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A Collection of Individual Research Projects Researched and Written by the Members of the Masters in Teaching Program 2008 Cohort During Winter Quarter 2008 February 29, 2008 Masters in Teaching Program The Evergreen State College Olympia, Washington Forward The 36 papers that comprise this book are the collective work of students in the middle of the second year of their rigorous two-year Masters Degree/Teacher Certification Program. This book was written at a point in the program when students were between two full-time student teaching experiences. The purpose of the project that culminated with this book was to give students opportunities to learn more about topics that were particularly relevant to their development as teachers in light of needs and interests that emerged during their first student teaching experiences. Each student was asked to individually select a topic that was highly interesting and very relevant to her/his future teaching and to prepare a summative paper to share the results with present and future colleagues. Students were encouraged to use whatever sources were most appropriate to their topics: including research articles from professional journals, articles from non-research journals, books, teacher interviews, and classroom observations. The students and faculty met regularly throughout the quarter in seminar format to share progress, consult with each other, and to give and receive formative feedback. In addition to these papers, students also prepared and taught 30 minute lessons related to their chosen topics, as an additional way of sharing insights gained from their research. This peer teaching experience was one of the culminating events of the quarter, a time dedicated to reflection on recent practice and preparation for a second student teaching experience and soon-to-follow first year of teaching. These lessons were taught during a two day conference, on March 3 and 4, 2008. I would like to acknowledge the many hours of work the students put into this project and confess my own satisfaction in seeing them demonstrate, through their enthusiastic effort and significant learning, the importance of interest in education. As editor, I also would like to dedicate this book to the children and adolescents who will be in front of these soon-to-be-certificated teachers, since they are the ones, unseen though they may be now, who have been the true inspiration behind all the efforts being made by students and faculty during this project and throughout the past two years. Finally, I want to thank my colleagues, Jacque Ensign and Gery Gerst for so beautifully exemplifying, in their work with these future teachers and with me, what it means to be collaborative, student- centered, and anchored in the ideal of social justice. Scott Coleman February 29, 2008 2 Table of Contents Stacee Anderson – Sing and Shout: Music in the Elementary Classroom ..................... 4 Danielle Beamish – Love and Logic ................................................................................ 83 Justin Becker – Craving Conflict .................................................................................... 89 Rachel Bishop – Using Art Projects to Support Mathematics Teaching ....................... 97 Christina Brady – Integrating Visual Art into Elementary Classrooms ..................... 107 Robert Cahill – Social Activism Within a Multicultural Framework ......................... 114 Jennifer Clement – Understanding Content: ELL Methods for the Multilingual Classroom ....................................................................................................................... 122 Rich Coker – Equity in Education Legal Database ..................................................... 133 Kacie Dill – Re-Teaching Algebra: Discovery Process ................................................ 134 Jeff Ennett – Facilitating Group Success in Lower Elementary Grades .................... 142 Mikki Fredrickson – Implementing Learning Groups in Early Childhood Education ......................................................................................................................................... 149 Chelsea Hull – Strategies for Supporting Students' Independent Work ..................... 163 Jennifer Kamrar – Grammar for Social Justice: Empowering Linguistically Marginalized Students Through Standard English ...................................................... 171 Joyce Kilner – Developing Thought-Full Students ...................................................... 181 Jerad Koepp – Native History Curriculum .................................................................. 188 Richard Lasso – Using Inquiry to Foster Critical Thinking in Social Studies ........... 192 Monica Lloyd – Moving Toward Expeditionary Learning .......................................... 198 Lauren Locke – Grammar: What's It Good For .......................................................... 215 Sarah McGreevy – The Danger of Jolly Ranchers: Motivating Students Without Rewards ........................................................................................................................... 223 Connie Monaghan – Managing E/BD .......................................................................... 229 Leah Montange – Second Language Acquisition ........................................................ 235 Joyce Norwood – Gramma-Rama ................................................................................. 243 Jana Ortis – Strategies for Effective Communication Between Schools and Families ......................................................................................................................................... 247 Robert Preston – Connected Mathematics 2: A Closer Look ...................................... 254 Angela Preston-Mortinson – Multiple Intelligences ................................................... 262 Kellee Raines – Games: Taking the Drill out of Skill .................................................. 269 Lynn Risenhoover – Improving Reading Through Assessment .................................. 284 Caitlin Robertson – Advocating for High Quality Arts Programs in Schools ............ 309 Greg Saunders – Building a Democracy-Based Learning Community ...................... 315 Heather Schuiling – Teaching and Guiding Students with ADHD ............................. 329 Bill Shea – Applicable Behavior Management Techniques ......................................... 336 Zack Siegel – Alternative Education: Theory, Desig ................................................... 362 Christopher Stockmann – Authentic Final Grading: The Methods Teachers Use ... 386 Heather Valenzuela – Classroom Meetings as a Major Component of a Democratic Classroom Management Plan ........................................................................................ 393 Leia Vandersnick – Transitioning Techniques in the Primary Classroom ................ 402 Seth Vanzant – Tips for Successful Groupwork Design .............................................. 407 3 Sing and Shout: Music in the Elementary Classroom Stacee Anderson “Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!” J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 1997 People throughout time have recognized the importance of music. It’s often a manifestation of the human spirit, similar to language. Some of music’s greatest practitioners have evoked emotions not possible to say in any other language. I have enjoyed playing the piano for the past 30 years and have given private piano lessons for 12 years. I have also enjoyed participating in choirs and community singing. I have attended numerous musical events and have always been amazed at the feeling that music evokes. The Benefits of Music and Song Since starting the Master in Teaching program I have been interested in the use of music and songs in the classroom. I have read a number of reports that attest to the connection between music and academic achievement. One study was conducted with fourteen year-old students in seventeen countries. All the countries include music throughout the curriculum from kindergarten through high school. The academic achievement of the Hungarian students, especially in math and science, was outstanding (Dickinson, 1993). The Netherlands began their music program in 1968, and Japan followed suit by learning from the experience of other countries. The academic success in these countries is phenomenal. A study at Strathclyde University shows that brainpower increases when students are listening to music. This study indicates that playing the latest popular songs in a classroom may increase students’ academic achievement (Gregory & Chapman, 2007). The research was conducted after Russian studies showed that medical patients recovered more quickly when they listened to music. Another report revealed that the schools who produced the highest academic achievement in the United States today are spending 20 to 30% of the day on the arts, with special emphasis on music. One of these schools, St. Augustine Bronx Elementary School, was about to fail in 1984 and then implemented an intensive music program. Today 90% of the students are reading at or above grade level. Other reports show the Davidson School in Augusta, Georgia (grades 5-12), which began its music and arts program in 1981, as rated number one academically in the country (Brown, 1997). The research from the cognitive sciences gives useful information to explain these connections. Brain imaging techniques can