Curriculum planning

This study investigates the impact of the Trinidad and Tobago Panyard steelpan experiences on the development of the secondary school, forms one to three (middle school), music teachers’ pedagogical implementation, and how these pedagogical practices are represented in today’s classroom or not. The case study exploration acknowledges that while the instrument was being developed in formal educational systems, there was already a history of teaching and learning of the steelpan in the community Panyard contributing to its global growth. The symbiosis among instructional practices in the Panyard, the K-12 system, and postsecondary institutions continues to be the fertile space for understanding steelpan curriculum and instruction. Using the lenses of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Decoloniality and Legitimation Code theory I analyzed these Panyard steelpan experiences and their impact on teachers’ pedagogical practice. I used some of the data to map the observed integrative knowledge building using the Autonomy dimension of Legitimation Code Theory. “Within-group cultural practices” and “common, across-group cultural practices” (Paris, 2012, p. 95) were also analyzed iteratively, contributing to the growth of both the researcher and participants. This study intentionally provided opportunities to understand Steelpan's histories and social constructs better. Moreover, participants’ backgrounds, biographies and experiences also provided contextual evidence for their pedagogical perspectives (Greene, 2001).

To address learning needs and learning interests among college level history students, a curriculum reliant on critical pedagogical and critical thinking and historical thinking exercises was explored. These exercises combined to form critical historical analyses. Critical historical analyses are reports on current and relevant sociological problems influenced from historical factors. Such reports reflect developed historical literacy. In this research, six critical historical analyses exercises were combined into a curriculum and instructional toolbox that was utilized to strengthen the historical literacy of two groups of college students enrolled in separate sections of an American history course. Once students engaged with critical pedagogical and critical thinking and historical thinking exercises featured in the critical historical analyses exercise toolbox, new learning emerged that gave students opportunities to develop critiques and conduct
dialogic and writing activities using history content.
Pedagogical exercises involved the history instructor engaging students initially in dialogic exercises and then moved to writing content. The history curriculum prompted non-history major college students, divided into advanced dual enrolled high school students and traditional state college students, to learn how to think in depth about societal issues linking the past and the present. Students then strengthened habits in how to identify relevant problems rooted from history and how to practice constructing modern solutions to problems.
The aim was to help students establish their critical voices and enhance their historical literacy to ultimately cultivate critical historical literacy. Critical historical literacy among these students reflected abilities to interpret historical data through critiquing lenses that focused on social justice and societal progression while developing skills to construct defensible critical narratives with historical evidence. In the process, students cultivated critical historical literacy on the foundation of engaging with the six critical historical analyses toolbox exercises on which this study centered.

We have developed a method of quantifying multiple-choice test items in an
introductory physical science course in terms of the various tasks required to solve
the problem. We assign a numerical level of difficulty to each task so that any
question can be assigned a degree of difficulty, which is the sum of the individual
levels of difficulty associated in each steps. Using the questions and results from the
tests we have investigated the relationship between the degree of difficulty of each
question and the corresponding discrimination index. Our results indicate that as the
degree of difficulty increases so does the capability of the item to discriminate
between students with different abilities. There is a maximum degree of difficulty
beyond which the discrimination starts to decrease. At that point, test items become
too difficult. Thus, it should be possible in future to design items that will provide
optimum discrimination.

The purpose of this study was the development of
a one trimester calculus course to meet the special
needs of management majors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University. A traditional calculus course was previously
required of these students and the traditional course
provided subjects for the control group in a pretestposttest
quasi-experimental design.
The experimental course that was developed was
different from the traditional course that it was designed
to replace in several major respects. The slope
of a tangent line and the area under a curve as motivation
for the derivative and definite integral, respectively,
in the traditional course were replaced with examples
that seem more relevant to management students. The
concept of a limit is nearly eliminated from the experimental course. Intuitive arguments are used instead of
formal proofs as are given or cited in a traditional
course.
The achievement of an experimental group who took
the experimental course was compared with the achievement
of a control group who took the traditional calculus
course offered for management majors. Achievement was
measured by final examination scores and course grades.
When these measures of achievement were statistically
adjusted for initial differences in the control and
experimental groups, using prerequisite course grades,
the experimental group was significantly above (p < .01)
the control group.

This qualitative case study investigated how six National Board Certified secondary mathematics teachers integrate knowledge of students into their practice to create socio- academic spaces for learning. Individual audiotaped interviews were utilized to generate data about what knowledge these teachers had of their students, how they gathered this knowledge, and how this knowledge of students influenced their decisions related to curriculum and instruction. The data were used to form an understanding of the nature and function of the socio- academic spaces that teachers create in planning for and delivering instruction. The study revealed that as teachers interact independently with the curriculum, they create spaces for analysis and reflection. In addition, as they interact with their students around the curriculum, they create spaces for their students to practice, to make connections, to communicate, and to apply and experience math.

Multicultural education has been mandated in the state of Florida as part of State
Mandate 1003.42. In order for this mandate to be implemented, it is necessary for
teachers to know what effective multicultural education is and how it is to be
implemented. This study was designed to find out what English teachers know about the state mandate and multicultural education and how they use multicultural education in their classrooms. High school English teachers in one South Florida school district
participated in an online survey, and 11 of those respondents also participated in a
follow-up personal interview. According to multiple scholars, there are three categories
for multicultural education: Recognition, Transformation, and Action, with Recognition
serving to recognize and respect other cultures without any change to the mainstream
curriculum and instruction, Transformation serving to transform the curriculum and
instruction to reflect students and their various cultures while introducing them to others and meeting the various instructional needs of the students, and Action motivating students to take action to bring about social justice. Overall, high school English teachers’ understanding of effective multicultural education is on the Transformation level. The survey found that high school English teachers use multicultural education on the Action level; however, the follow-up interviews did not support that finding. Also based on the interviews, teachers are willing and eager to learn more and would like the district to implement their suggestions to help with their learning.

Numerous studies examining bullying among elementary school students and anti-bullying curricula and programs are available in educational literature. However,
little research examines the perceptions of elementary teachers and guidance counselors regarding implementing the curriculum. To address this gap in the literature, my case study focused on three elementary schools and 21 participants (18 teachers and three guidance counselors) in South Florida and their perceptions on bullying and the antibullying curriculum implemented during the 2011 school year. The data collected
included approximately 50 hours of interviews and the disaggregation of each school’s
discipline summary report. There were two major themes that emerged from the study. The first theme (elementary school bullying) addressed the individuals responsible for addressing bullying, the outcomes of bullying, the characterisitcs of a bully, the locations of bullying, and the reasons why bullying occurs. The second theme (elementary school
anti-bullying curriculua) addressed the professional development offered and what is
needed, the components within an anti-bullying curriculum and what is needed, and the
ways in which special needs students are addressed through an anti-bullying curriculum.

The purpose of the current outcome study was to investigate the difference in grade 9 completion rate and student engagement between grade 9 students in the treatment group who received the Student Success Sills (SSS) classroom program (Brigman & Webb, 2010) and grade 9 students in the comparison group who did not receive the SSS classroom program. The sample consisted of grade 9 students enrolled in Intensive Reading classes, a required course for all high school students in the state of Florida who are below reading proficiency. School A served as the treatment group (n=98) and School B served as the comparison group (n=99). Certified school counselors in the treatment group implemented five, 45 minute SSS lessons and three booster lessons after being trained in the manualized use of the program and other related study procedures. A quasi-experimental pretest posttest research design was employed to
examine the impact of the SSS classroom program on grade 9 completion rate and student engagement. The unit of analysis was individual grade 9 students. Grade 9 completion rate was measured by academic credits. Student engagement was measured by attendance rate and the Student Engagement in School Success Skills (SESSS) instrument.

Computers are increasingly a part of college and university instruction. Interactive hypermedia applications are being introduced throughout much of the curriculum as a possible solution to both improving educational outcomes and expanding educational horizons. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of an interactive hypermedia application and a section of text on a measure of learning and understanding called concept mapping. The inter-rater reliability of concept map scores has not been reported previously in the literature. Results in this study concerning the reliability of concept map scoring procedures indicated that the continued improvement of inter-rater reliability is desirable if concept mapping is to actualize its potential as a practical, useful, and unique learning tool. Results suggest that concept mapping appears capable of assessing: (a) baseline knowledge, (b) meaningful learning, (c) the construction of new knowledge, and (d) knowledge change. Its usefulness in these areas and as an alternative or addition to standardized assessment is contingent, however, upon demonstrations of validity and reliability. Suggestions for further concept map research included: (a) replicating the present study with other measures of cognitive style across a wide variety of interactive hypermedia software applications, (b) doing longitudinal studies of concept mapping, (c) improving the reliablity of concept map scoring and evaluation, (d) looking at other aspects of cognition and information processing related to concept mapping, (e) using computer-based concept mapping tools, and (f) using concept maps as templates for the organization and integration of hypermedia elements.

The purpose of this paper is to share the design, development, and implementation of an Elementary Education/ESOL Endorsement integrated program which targets undergraduate students working towards a bachelor's degree and state certification in the State of Florida. This paper attempts to answer the following three research questions: (1) What is the need for an elementary education with built-in ESOL endorsement program in southeast Florida? (2) What theoretical framework was used to develop the program? and, (3) What are the design features of an elementary education plus ESOL integrated program? The findings show that there is a great need for an Elementary Education/ESOL endorsement program in southeast Florida.