twentyfourseven

Focus Groups in Ground Theory Studies

• Focus group research involves organised discussion with a selected group of individuals to gain information about their views and experiences of a topic.
• Focus group interviewing is particularly suited for obtaining several perspectives about the same topic.
• The benefits of focus group research include gaining insights into people’s shared understandings of everyday life and the ways in which individuals are influenced by others in a group situation.
• Problems arise when attempting to identify the individual view from the group view, as well as in the practical arrangements for conducting focus groups.
• The role of the moderator is very significant. Good levels of group leadership and interpersonal skill are required to moderate a group successfully.

A Critique of Four Grounded Theory Texts

This article is a review of Discovery of Grounded Theory by Glaser and Strauss, Basics of Qualitative Research by Strauss and Corbin, Constructing Grounded Theory by Charmaz, and Situational Analysis by Clarke across six categories, including the authors’ purposes, structure of the books, practical applications of the books’ methods, how the authors approach theory and data emergence, how the authors judge grounded theory research and finally, if the authors have achieved their purposes.

The Discovery of Grounded Theory – Google Books

Glaser and Strauss original publication introducing grounded theory (Google Books).

Awareness of Dying – Google Books

The book published by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss in 1965 from which the practice of grounded theory was born. Awareness of Dying was the product of Glaser’s and Strauss’ attempt to understand the interactions between people once the expectation of death had become present in a relationship; once the terminal person was aware of his or her impending death.

Grounded Theory: A Thumbnail Sketch

A paper written as a resource document for thesis candidates using grounded theory for data analysis.

What Is Grounded Theory

This is intended as a brief overview. The author tried to provide just enough detail to serve as an overall framework for the way he uses grounded theory.

Grounded Learning: An Application of Grounded Theory In Educational Practice

This working paper describes an emerging study that applies grounded theory principles to both adult and elementary educational practices.

Pushing Into Advanced Mathematics Classes: A Grounded Theory Study of Ability Grouping in Middle Level Mathematics Classes

This study of mathematics ability grouping in middle schools employed the use of classic grounded theory (GT) based on the early work by Glaser and Strauss (1967) and further development by Glaser (1978, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005). GT is a qualitative research method (no a priori hypothesis). This inductive research method is used to generate theory “from data systematically obtained from social research” to insure that the theory will “fit and work” (Glaser & Strauss, 1967, pg. 2-3).

Supervision of Special Education Instruction in Rural Public School Districts: A Grounded Theory

The grounded theory presented in this study describes how the supervision of special education instruction occurs in public elementary schools in rural settings. Grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) was employed in this study. Nine elementary schools in three rural districts in the state of Virginia participated in the study.

A grounded theory of high-quality leadership programs: perspectives from student leadership development programs in higher education

Drawing on the experiences and perspectives of multiple stakeholders closely associated with diverse types of successful student leadership programs, the purpose of this study was to identify the attributes of leadership programs–including the specific actions associated with these attributes–that contribute significantly to undergraduate student leadership development.

One of the courses I am taking this summer (EDCI 646 – Instruction Theory) is coinciding with a summer in our district in which the evaluation of curriculum and instruction is the focus of our professional development work, including training in the district’s new curriculum framework and curriculum management audit training. Upon completion of the training last week and the concurrent studying of the models of teaching presented in this course, several overarching themes arise that reflect the complexity of the teaching and learning process and present problems that educators must reconcile to provide effective learning environments for students. In reading the afterword to Models of Teaching written by Kelly Young, I found myself recognizing some of the perspectives she shared including the desire to move toward action upon completing informational text (Models of Teaching) and, in my case also, some intensive training (Level I Curriculum Management Audit Training) nearly at the same time. Young shares her story of being a successful teacher but not fully understanding why or feeling able to articulate the instructional principles and/or ideas she used with students. She “lacked any deliberate understanding of her success” and relied on intuition and unconscious competence. This certainly was the case for me when I was teaching and, I suspect, for many teachers today.  A more in depth study of teaching and learning did not begin until after I was out of the classroom. This may be a problem at the front end for new teachers as well who don’t go through colleges of education but come to teaching through alternative certification. It was mentioned in our training by a participant that teachers are increasingly coming to our district from alternative certification programs and are even less exposed to instructional principles and models of teaching. Not only do they lack classroom management skills but they don’t have any understanding of pedagogy. I was one of these teachers, and it took more than a few years to combine classroom management skills with the intuition and unconscious competence Young writes about.

One of our challenges in education, and something that is revealed in the study of Models of Teaching, is the need to demonstrate in the classroom that, like there is diversity in learning, there is diversity in teaching. Young, like Joyce throughout the book, discusses the need for teachers to develop a repertoire of teaching methods and instructional strategies. Teaching is a discipline and, as Young notes, approaching it this way gives it more “context and structure, history and grounding, language and focus.” It also provides a great model for students to develop their own learning styles and pursue their own passions in a disciplined way.

Also, among the problems facing educators is how to account for variety in learning styles, paces, cultures, gender, and family economics to provide both equality and equity in educational services. Joyce writes in Chapter 20 that socioeconomic differences are the greatest predictors of success in schools today. He notes that teachers need to “teach so powerfully that socioeconomic status is eliminated as a factor in student learning.” This is at the core of the curriculum alignment ideas we studied in curriculum audit training in our school district last week. Much of this training is pulled from the book by Fenwick English and Betty Steffy, Deep Curriculum Alignment, and is grounded in the idea of closing the achievement gap reflected in socioeconomic status by closing the instructional gaps inherent in the learning environments of schools in which these gaps persist. English and Steffy refer to a gap in access to cultural capital or the lived experiences within a culture including exposure to language, arts, knowledge, skills and a disposition to place value on these things. The extent to which cultural capital is embedded in instructional strategies and assessment instruments and does not align with the experiences of students is reflected in the student achievement gaps usually identifiable by socioeconomic status. Joyce also writes in Chapter 20 that the relationship between socioeconomic status and school success has existed for so long that children who fall into the historically low achieving categories enter school with a predisposition for failure. They have accepted this condition as their own and unbreakable. This presents an even larger problem for schools. Even those addressing the instructional gaps appropriately face challenges in motivating students to embrace learning and school success as achievable. Educators must advocate for students on the low end of learning and achievement gaps. In addition, we must provide equity in education by embracing variety in learning styles, accommodating the variety of cultural capital that students bring to schools, adopting a repertoire of teaching methods to ensure depth and breadth in instruction, and teach students to adopt these methods as their own so that they can become more responsible for their own learning.

• Expanding the 5E Model of Instruction

  This resource is a journal article from The Science Teacher which is published by the National Science Teachers Association. The article proposes expanding BSCS 5E Model of Instruction to include two additional cycles to elicit prior knowledge and extend transfer of learning. The author, Dr Arthur Eisenkraft, is a professor of science at the University of Massachusetts. The resource includes a lesson description using the expanded model

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• Application of the 5E Instructional Model to a Mobile Learning Environment

  This article describes the application of a mobile learning environment into the student-based 5E Instructional Model. The importance of a student-based instructional model is discussed in order to ground an application of the teaching model into the arena of mobile learning. The article was published in The Journal for Computing Teachers, a publication of the Special Interest Group for Computing Teachers that is affiliated with the International Society for Technology in Education.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• 5E Lesson Plan Template – Interactive Multimedia Learning

  This lesson was retrieved from the Department of Computer Science at Duke University and was posted during a workshop for integrating the programming language Alice into middle schools and high schools in the state of North Carolina. The aim of this lesson is to determine students’ learning impact and attitudes toward independent learning and self-paced discovery in science through reading “Invitation to the Game” by Monica Hughes and the use of a computer programming system called Alice. A set of other multimedia tools were employed to create the student-centered learning environment using Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. The lesson is designed using the 5E Model of Instruction

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Origins, Applications, and Effectiveness

  This review was retrieved from the Website of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study which developed the 5E Model of Instruction in the 1980s. The publication of the review was led by Rodger W. Bybee, credited with leading the development of the model. This review centers on the BSCS 5E Instructional Model. The BSCS 5E Instructional Model rests on a foundation of contemporary research on student learning, particularly in science. Several reports from the National Research Council (NRC) form that foundation. The first NRC report, How People Learn (NRC, 1999) synthesized research results on learning and presented various perspectives for applying those findings to practice.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• 5E Model Lesson Plan for Science/Mathematics Models

  This is a lesson plan for science/mathematics methods for elementary/middle school educators developed by Dr. Scott M. Graves of Southern Connecticut State University. This lesson plan was retrieved from the university Web site and was developed in 2004. The lesson begin with a brief overview of the Learning Cycle (elicitation – development – application) and 5E’s (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate) as teaching strategies and explains the project through the phases of the model.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• Analogies and the 5E Model

  This article is published in The Science Teacher, the journal associated with the National Science Teachers Association. The article describes the phases in the 5E model and provides suggestions for using analogies in each phase. Analogies from biology and chemistry classes are used to illustrate the author’s points. It notes that teachers can use the analogies their students create in the ‘Elaborate’ phase to determine students’ current understandings of the concepts. A sample rubric for evaluating student-generated analogies is included. The full article can be access by TAMU libraries.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• 5E Model and Lesson Design

  This resource was developed by Dr. Dave T. Crowther, professor of science education at the University of Nevada-Reno. The resource discussed developing lessons with the 5E Model of Instruction. It includes information about using the model with ESL and LEP students.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• Using the 5E Model of Instruction in Science Education

  This resource is a PowerPoint presentation developed by Laura Saef, Ed.D. of Broward County Public Schools. The presentation was posted at the Florida State University Learning Systems Institute. It is an explanation of how to use the model with students through the examination of third grade science standards. Saef shows teachers how the model might look by modeling the role of teachers and students in an example lesson scenario.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• Implementing Inquiry-Based Teaching Methods — Figure 2.

  This resource is a classroom lesson example of the 5E Model of Instruction.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• Miami Museum of Science-The pH Factor/Constructivism and the Five E’s

  This site is an adaptation of the 5E model developed by BSCS used to introduce students to the pH factor through what they call the Seven E’s. There are interactive buttons for exploration of the cycle components and the rationale behind each one. This resource was posted on the Web site of the Miami Science Museum. There is no developer or author listed. This is not a scholarly resource but an interesting use of the 5E model components to teach a specific objective.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• Action Research Summary – Use of the 5E Model in the Classroom

  This resource is a summary of action research conducted through The Copernicus Project – a program centered in early identification of future science teachers, systematic recruitment from a diverse pool of candidates, high quality and focused teacher preparation beginning at the community college level, and sustained, mentored support of new and veteran teachers through ongoing professional development. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Post-Secondary Education. This study was conducted in a kindergarten classroom with 30 students. This action research project compared the knowledge of 30 kindergarteners as to whether or not they considered themselves to be scientists, before and after the implementation of the 5E instructional model.

  tags: 5EModel, Webography

• Constructivism and the 5E Model Science Lesson

  It seems that every 3 to 5 years a new idea surfaces in the educational community. The topic has been researched, discussed, and argued in institutions of higher learning; however, when it eventually filters down to the teachers in elementary and high school, there is little time invested in explaining and understanding the new theory – they are told, "Just do it!" The latest educational buzzword is constructivism. Teachers are being asked to support this philosophy of teaching and learning, and design instruction accordingly. What does this mean?\nThis WebQuest will help you go beyond the basic definition of constructivism: individuals building their own understanding, to a more thorough explanation of the theory and its various aspects. Examples are provided via the 5 E learning cycle. The 5 E model for designing science lessons is just one method of instruction that supports constructivist teaching/learning. After investigating these resources, you can make your own decision as to the value of the constructivist theory.\n

  tags: Webography, 5EModel

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Reaching all students with teaching requires communication. Gaps between teachers and students are cultural, generational, and, increasingly, digital. Using the Web as a resource for curriculum and instruction is not just about integrating technology into classrooms but is about connecting and communicating with students in ways they understand and with language and tools that engage them in school learning.

• The K-12 Web 2.0 Debate: Learning to Communicate — THE Journal

  tags: no_tag

  • More important and even more difficult to sustain are the cultural differences represented in the different uses of the language. Thus the critical pedagogies and linguistics that have often referred to cultural diversity and inclusiveness in teaching methods (Simon, 1992; Nieto, 2002) in terms of language, race, gender, etc. have now new relevance in the context of generational differences as a result of new technology
  • That is, if teachers want to have a message communicated clearly and instantly to students, it is in their best interest to use language that is relevant and recognizable to students. Additionally, it is also in their best interest to use tools that maximize the connection and lower the time factor involved.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Time magazine published an interesting series of articles “10 Ideas for the Next 10 Years” this week – one of which was entitled, “Bandwidth is the New Black Gold” by Tim Wu. The article is an interesting backdrop as the FCC released its National Broadband Plan this week and many educators grapple with issues related to Web access, online learning, fair use and copyright. Two recommendations in the education section were especially noteworthy as they could help to facilitate a paradigm shift in k-12 education.

Recommendation 11.23: The FCC should initiate a rulemaking to fund wireless connectivity to portable learning devices. Students and educators should be allowed to take these devices off campus so they can continue learning outside school hours.

Recommendation 11.4: Congress should consider taking legislative action to encourage copyright holders to grant educational digital rights of use, without prejudicing their other rights.

Some of the issues schools face in not being able to provide access to the Web for every student could be alleviated if e-rate could be used to provide Web access to students who do not have it at home. 21st century learning environments, by definition, are without boundary so access outside of school is critical for schools and students to realize the full potential of the collaborative and productive potential of the Web. Also, the issue of fair use and copyright is increasingly difficult to manage yet no less important to understand. Speaking as an educator who tries to encourage online learning for educational purposes, bringing focus to the issue for students and teachers makes a great deal of sense.

• National Broadband Plan – Chapter 11: Education

  tags: no_tag

  • The 21st century workplace requires both a better-educated and a differently educated work force.
  • In addition, there is widespread inability to engage students in learning,¹⁰ a lack of standards and assessments that measure learning effectively¹¹ and insufficient access to timely, individualized content for students.
  • These include a scarcity of well-trained teachers in key areas such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM),⁷ inequitable distribution of highly qualified teachers⁸ and a deficit of well-trained principals and administrators.
  • Broadband can be an important tool to help educators, parents and students meet major challenges in education.
  • With broadband, students and teachers can expand instruction beyond the confines of the physical classroom and traditional school day. Broadband can also provide more customized learning opportunities for students to access high-quality, low-cost and personally relevant educational material.
  • Thanks in large part to the $2.25 billion per year in support provided by the E-rate program, virtually every school in the country has Internet access. However, computer and Internet access alone do not produce greater student achievement.¹⁸Access needs to be combined with appropriate online learning content, systems and teacher training and support.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.