Learning to Teach Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Through Research and Practice
Learning to Teach Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Through Research and Practice publishes manuscripts that address curricular innovations, thoughtful discussion of current issues for practice, or essays that inform, advocate for a position or persuade. Manuscripts must address subject-matter specific interactions of teachers and learners. Aims —The aims of this journal are to provide an outlet for the initial publication by preservice and beginning teachers and to disseminate these works to current and future colleagues. Audience — The primary audience is current and future licensure candidates in all subject areas, grades PK to 12. This journal is also of interest to local teachers and school administrators, program and university faculty, and college administration. Submission Guidelines —Manuscript style is APA. Abstracts are 120 words. Manuscript length is 2000 to 2500 words, excluding abstract, tables, figures, and references. Figures must be in jpg format. Tables and figures must represent original work of the author. Photographs that include people other than the author will not be published. Frequency — Published yearly each August; distributed electronically with limited print copies. Acceptance Rate — 60-65%
This paper focuses on how current social studies teachers can improve discourse in the classroom regarding controversial topics. Social studies is a subject that involves many different topics for educators to cover. This includes current events such as the presidential elections, the legalization of substances, bans on abortions, and border control. Teachers need to be prepared to have these conversations and teach these lessons in their classrooms. Things like professional development, modeling respectful dialogue, and making sure the discourse between students is respectful are all ways teachers can keep their classroom a safe and beneficial place for students to be.
Teaching Reasoning within Mathematics to Students with Severe to Profound Needs
Teaching reasoning within mathematics to students, specifically students with severe to profound special needs; requires student adaptive pedagogy, the use of discourse, and a focus on increasing motivation. This manuscript will explore some methods to promote and encourage discourse within mathematics, with a focus on how to do so in a practical and meaningful way for students with severe to profound special needs. All of this must be done by considering the individual needs of each student to increase intrinsic motivation which will help promote both generalization and maintenance of the skills learned.
The Importance of Scientific Literacy in Modern Classrooms
To thrive in modern classrooms, students must be equipped with scientific literacy skills that enable them to understand, evaluate, and communicate scientific information effectively. The internet and digital resources present a unique challenge, as not all online information is scientifically accurate or unbiased. This article aims to demonstrate how the internet and digital resources contribute to misinformation and disinformation in the classroom. It will also highlight the benefits of increased scientific literacy for students and explore various strategies educators can use to enhance these skills. The primary goal of this research is to identify effective methods to boost students' scientific literacy and overall success.
Integrating Reform Math Instruction in the Special Education Classroom
Over the past twenty years, the goals of mathematics education have evolved. While procedural knowledge remains important, there is now a greater emphasis on reasoning, problem-solving, and discourse. The direct instruction approach, commonly used for students with learning disabilities, has not kept pace with these new expectations and does not adequately develop the conceptual knowledge and reasoning skills emphasized by the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. By combining the reform-math approach, which is preferred in general education, with direct instruction, students with learning disabilities can achieve deeper understanding and improved generalization of their math skills, leading to holistic development. This paper will provide information on improved learning outcomes for students with learning disabilities when these two approaches are integrated.
Using Methods to Facilitate an English Classroom Environment that Motivates All Students to Learn
In this paper, I delve into strategies that English teachers can use to build a classroom environment that inspires all students to learn, regardless of their backgrounds. I draw on motivation and belongingness theories to emphasize the significance of positive peer interactions and strong student-teacher relationships in cultivating a supportive learning space. Furthermore, I explore how community engagement initiatives can help tackle broader social issues that affect student motivation and engagement. By focusing on these elements, English teachers can establish a classroom atmosphere that motivates every student to excel.
Reading and writing are both critical skills students need to be successful both in and out of the classroom. Researchers have devoted much attention to understanding predictors of reading success and effective instruction. The purpose of this article is to provide teachers with information and research that supports using writing to improve reading comprehension. This article first examines the research as to why writing is such an important skill and how reading and writing correlate. It will examine different types of reading and writing instruction, and offer suggested approaches based on research findings. The article will conclude with a look into whether or not teachers are prepared to teach reading and writing the way research suggests it should be done.
Using Student-Generated Artwork as a Form of Social Studies Assessment
Making visual artwork like paintings, photographs, and prints can act as a valuable assessment tool in the social studies classroom. Secondary social studies educators can implement art creation to assess students throughout the learning process, in both formative and summative assessments. Art creation has unique benefits, and it can be a supplement or replacement to traditional written assessments. It offers opportunities for differentiated instruction, where students interact with the material in different ways. Art also gives an outlet for students to make new connections without the use of text. Educators can also design and implement art-based assessment as an authentic form of assessment in a visual world. Social studies teachers should implement art as an assessment tool at the secondary level.
Improving the Writing Process and Making it Accessible to All
We live in a time where writing is ever-present in our world. Communication often happens in the form of writing and the majority of jobs require the skill of writing. The problem at hand is that not everyone has equal access to formal writing. In the history of education, writing has been taught as a corrective process, in which some students are “called out” for writing and speaking improperly. Most often these students are those who speak a stereotyped language, such as African American Vernacular. The corrective method creates further roadblocks for students to grow in their writing. The solution to this problem is the teaching of code-switching, in which students learn to “flip” from the informal to the formal.
Social Action Activities, Service Projects, and Civic Engagement
Social studies educators need to understand the impact or assigned social action activities and service projects on student learning so they can best meet the goals of social studies education. A major goal of social studies education is to create good citizens, and a key aspect of being a good citizen is being civically engaged. Studies show that assigned social action activities and service projects can positively impact civic engagement in the areas of community issue awareness, character development, and social responsibility. Assigned social action activities or service projects should be utilized in the secondary social studies classroom to improve civic engagement and achieve a major goal of social studies education, creating responsible citizens.
Navigating Discourse through Controversy in the Classroom
Social studies is an evolving subject that encompasses controversial issues including abortion, gun control, substance legalization, LGBTQ, civil rights issues, and more. To elevate discourse, teachers have a myriad of ways to elicit thought-provoking discussions among students. Strategies for discussing controversial issues include creating a positive environment where students do not feel judged for expressing their views, cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching, debate, and discussion. Cooperative learning forces individuals to respect the viewpoint and work habits of classmates. Debate and discussion are also effective discourse methods because students must accurately represent positions on issues. This is done through research of reputable sources guided by teacher instruction and moderation to facilitate an inclusive and productive discussion. Instruction and moderation are demonstrated below.
Cultivating Empathy in Students Within an English Language Arts (ELA) Classroom Through Literary and Narrative Texts
The relationship between empathy and literature is understudied in the English language arts context. English language arts (ELA) educators wonder if reading can produce skills beyond those of comprehension and other ELA skills within students. Although empathy can be difficult to measure, some in the English language arts education community have begun to investigate whether they can cultivate empathy, perspective-taking, and open-mindedness within their students. Through research of some studies and articles surrounding this topic, it appears that empathy can be cultivated within students through literature when paired with discussion, writing, and reflection, and that cultivating empathy within students is integral to developing critical thinking, informed, and open-minded individuals.
Culture’s Place in the Foreign Language Classroom
This paper will first outline what culture is and what exactly is meant by intercultural communication in the foreign language (FL) classroom by analyzing theoretical texts on the topic. Then, this paper will discuss many studies on learning tasks that integrate culture from both foreign language classrooms in English-speaking countries as well as English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms in other countries. This paper will describe each task and then demonstrate how they bolster students’ proficiency in writing or listening and speaking. Additionally, this paper will show that these tasks create a marked increase in students’ motivation and excitement to learn a new language.
Section on Language Arts: Focus on Second Language Learning
Science Labs and Their Positive Impacts on Students’ Understanding of Science Concepts
Laboratory experiments are an important aspect of science students' educational journeys. This paper demonstrates that when students perform labs in their science classes, they have an increased understanding of the associated science concepts, and they are better able to learn science as a result. Laboratory experiments give students the opportunity to enhance their discourse skills, work collaboratively with their peers, and connect science concepts to real life scenarios. Furthermore, laboratory experiments are learner-centered, and they are a tool science teachers can use that result in their students having increased understanding of abstract science concepts. All these aspects of laboratory experiments result in students having a better understanding of the content and an increased ability to learn science effectively.
The Benefits of Interdisciplinary Instruction in English Language Arts and Social Studies Classrooms
Interdisciplinary instruction using objectives based on English language arts and Social Studies standards has many benefits for students. It strengthens their content area knowledge through inquiry, close reading, the interpretation of multiple sources, authentic writing tasks for an audience or purpose, and critical thinking. Examples of strategies that have produced positive results are presented here in the form of data and analysis from previous case studies. The results of these studies demonstrate how this specific type of interdisciplinary instruction can help students understand that content area knowledge can be transferred and used in innovative ways in fields that may not seem obviously related. This contributes to the advancement of research-based instruction in each of these core content areas of education.
Experiments engage students and improve their academic performance. Studies support this claim through the use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Research also suggests that there is an emotional component to the benefits of experiments. Qualitative results showed an increase in student interest and engagement for students that participated in the experiment. Quantitative results showed an increase in academic achievement for students that participated in the experiment. Scientific discourse also showed to be a valuable component of experiments as the scientific discourse creates a stronger scientific discipline. New programs and research are also generating new ways to analyze the scientific discourse, turning qualitative data to quantitative data. Overall, experiments are useful tools to generate interest and increase academic success.
Methods for Teaching Literacy to Early Elementary English Learners
This paper focuses on the need for current and pre-service educators to learn how to effectively use instructional strategies to teach literacy to English learners. Research centers on methods that target the emergent literacy skills of English learners enrolled in kindergarten through grade three. Currently, data demonstrates that English learners are entering American public schools at an increasing rate. Early elementary educators are the first teachers that will encounter the new influx of these students. The following information examines two methods that early elementary educators can use to instruct English learners effectively and improve their language and literacy capabilities. English learners require strong emergent literacy skills to find academic success as they ascend grade levels and encounter more advanced texts.
Structured Literacy: An Effective Approach for All Students
Learning to read is an essential skill that allows students to increase their knowledge of any topic they desire. Many students struggle to learn to read and teachers are tasked with the challenge of ensuring all students, including students with reading disabilities, are successful readers. This paper examines the structured literacy approach as a successful method to teaching all students to read. It gives a clear description of the components of a structured literacy approach and the benefits it has over using typical literacy practices, such as balanced literacy or whole language approaches, to teach reading. Teachers are responsible for ensuring that all students succeed and are called to advocate for the structured literacy approach in their schools. Keywords: structured literacy, phonics, explicit & systematic, typical literacy practices
The Correct Way to Use Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom
Technology use in the education setting is an ongoing controversy and there are mixed reviews on its positivity and negativity of exposure and use in early childhood classrooms. Because technology is prevalent in society today, exposure at young ages is important for children to succeed. Instead of asking if technology should be used in early childhood classrooms, we should model the correct way to use it there. The use of technology in the early childhood classroom should include tools and experiences used to prepare students for formal classroom instruction and the development of their different domains of learning. It will additionally help facilitate scaffolding and extension of learning while supporting connections between school and home. Keyword: DATU
More than 70 million Americans have learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia - that’s 1 in 5 people who learn and think differently (Understood For All, 2014). Dyslexia is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one’s age. Problems may include difficulties in reading, rhyming, spelling, identifying common words, phonetic pronunciation and comprehension, or struggle with writing assignments. This paper will examine the history of dyslexia, successful intervention programs for dyslexic learners, and discuss the need for adequate training programs for teaching personnel.
The Academic Benefits of a Play Based Pedagogy in Elementary Education
Children learn naturally through exploring their environment. There are many academic benefits for young children in a play-based classroom. The benefit of play supports children’s development in five domains: physical, language, social, emotional, and cognitive. Teachers can support a deeper level of learning by implementing a play-based learning classroom. A teacher’s perspectives and roles have a significant impact on their student’s learning. There are many innovative types of play that can be implemented in the classroom. When children can make choices in their learning it will indirectly increase their cognitive academic skills. Play is holistic and supports the whole child and their individual needs. Keywords: play-based pedagogy, developmental domains, implementation and facilitating play, teachers’ perspectives and roles, theorists
The Case for Media Literacy Implementation in the Social Studies Curriculum
Media literacy is a subject that is worthwhile for implementation in social studies classrooms for students in the internet-age. Because of the wealth of information available at any given time, there is a serious need for the education of students on how to find reputable information throughout all the messaging that is spread throughout the media environment. It is now more difficult than ever to procure media information that is not laden with bias, so students need to be informed on how to consume and create media responsibly. Students must be given structure in how they can effectively sift through information that they both consume and propagate as creators, especially in the realm of social media.
Conceptual Change in Science Teaching and Learning
Conceptual change, defined as learning that requires the revision of prior knowledge and the acquisition of new concepts, is essential for learning in science. Research has often been framed in the context of misconceptions that need to be corrected. Conceptual change is difficult and essential and should be approached intentionally by recognizing that all learners (including students and teachers) bring pre-instructional conceptions to the classroom. A renewed emphasis for conceptual change research on practical classroom implementation of instructional strategies is necessary for science education to improve. This article builds on the theoretical work done by decades of researchers, while focusing on the real classroom research that has been done on intentional conceptual change.
High Level Discourse in the ELA Classroom: Analyzing and Assessing Author’s Purpose
The aims of this manuscript are to analyze the definitions and practices of discourse as they exist in English language arts classrooms currently and to identify why sophisticated discourse is a necessary tool in assessments. Sophisticated discourse is the most efficient and impactful method for ELA educators to assess the ways in which their students are understanding author’s purpose in complex pieces of literature. Sophisticated discourse is inclusive and does not discount any persons’ ideas surrounding the text. It allows for educators to evaluate all students’ understanding of complex ideas in a text more efficiently, and it prepares and encourages students to think more deeply about the literature and how to apply it to real life scenarios. Keywords: sophisticated discourse, author’s purpose, literature
The Universal Goals of a Democratic Classroom
The field of social studies education is rooted in citizenship education. With this in mind, social studies teachers should implement to the best of their capabilities a “democratic classroom” as an incubator and laboratory in which students can learn about, practice, and build values as democratic citizens. To do this, teachers should work with students to design and operate within democratic classroom structures, encourage discussion and deliberation, foster self-trust and mutuality, and engage in critical analysis.
Project-Based Learning and the Impact it can Make in Social Studies Content
The purpose of this manuscript is to explore the benefits of project-based learning (PBL), specifically regarding the content area of social studies. It is important for teachers to understand the benefits of incorporating this method. When students are active in the learning process, they are more engaged and curious. Incorporating project-based learning into the classroom can help make the experience more memorable and in result, help the students achieve the learning objectives. This manuscript will address the benefits of this method and provide real-world examples to use within a classroom.
Explicitly Teaching Empathy in Social Studies Content to Support a Humanitarian Worldview
Empathy is the ability to view, feel, or understand what another person is or has experienced from their perspective or frame of reference. While this is not a new concept, the impact that teaching empathy, specifically in social studies content, has on a student’s worldview may be underestimated. Utilizing empathy-based teaching strategies to learn social studies content can result in a more humanitarian worldview which benefits everyone in society. In a society with such divisive cultural and political issues, mutual understandings are few and far between. If our goal as social studies teachers is for our students to understand how these social issues affect people differently, explicitly teaching them how to use empathy is a critical component.
Intertextuality and Its Role in the Classroom
Within the English language arts classroom, our students come to us with a background of different experienceS or lack of such experiences. They have all read different books, seen different movies, been to different places, and lived vastly different lives. When a student approaches a new text, they bring to it all their previous experience and interactions. This manuscript will explore the ways in which these experiences, and the idea of intertextuality, can be used within the English language arts classroom in order to enhance things like student engagement and reading comprehension. We will look at ways in which it can be integrated within curriculum and used to the student’s advantage.
The Importance and Usefulness to Incorporating Argumentation in Science Education to Prepare Students to Interact with Science in their Daily Lives
Argumentation is a language of science that promotes critical thinking and reasoning skills. While it is a vital form of discourse used within the scientific community, it is also essential in preparing students to interact with science in their daily lives. Incorporating argumentation skills into the science classroom holds a usefulness in preparing students to be able to engage in socio-scientific issues they will face and in promoting scientific literacy. Science educators becoming aware of the importance of including argumentation will benefit students by encouraging critical thinking, reasoning, and communication. It will give students the skills necessary to be able to engage in discussions about issues faced in their lives and back their discussion with evidence.
Utilizing Culturally Relevant Texts in the English Language Arts Classroom
Maintaining students’ engagement and assessing their reading comprehension is very challenging. Today, students have a difficult time connecting what they learn in class with their daily lives based on the texts that have been commonly used for years in the classroom. English language arts teachers introduce students to characters that they believe their students will relate to, however, every student comes from different cultural, socioeconomic, and diverse backgrounds that need to be taken into account when choosing texts to read in class. This paper explains why culturally relevant texts are important for English language arts teachers to incorporate into their classrooms to help students remain engaged and strengthen their reading comprehension.
Using Readers Theater to Differentiate Instruction
Regardless of grade level, English Language Arts (ELA) teachers are faced with the challenge of providing effective reading instruction to students that represent a variety of skill and interest levels. While no “one-size-fits-all” approach exists, research shows that using drama-based literacies such as Readers Theater help differentiate instruction and contribute to increased levels of fluency, engagement, and comprehension for pre-K-12 learners. This article will provide the reader with an understanding of Readers Theater, explore the current research regarding its impact, and provide suggestions for implementation in an ELA classroom.