This study documented the curricular and pedagogical adaptations of equity-centered teachers in h... more This study documented the curricular and pedagogical adaptations of equity-centered teachers in high-poverty secondary schools in the Washington, DC-metro region. The participating teachers provided survey data, audio-recorded interviews, and curricular artifacts to describe adaptations made within unique classroom environments. Thematic analysis of the data suggests that some teachers’ adaptations align with theories such as: thoughtfully adaptive teaching, equity pedagogy, culturally relevant pedagogy, and critical pedagogy. The results contribute real-world examples of equity-centered teaching, and can be used to contextualize discussions about how teachers can create equitable opportunities for students across the content areas.
A one-size-fits-all model of instruction cannot provide equitable access to education for all stu... more A one-size-fits-all model of instruction cannot provide equitable access to education for all students. Research demonstrates that thoughtfully changing instruction to support student learning during a lesson, known as adaptive teaching, is an important component of effective literacy instruction. To understand this dynamic dimension of effective instruction, our research team created an observation protocol to capture different adaptations made by literacy teachers, as described in the extant literature. This manuscript focuses on the development and refinement of the Adaptive Teaching Observation Protocol (ATOP), an instrument designed to enhance research and professional development.
Researchers recognize adaptive teaching as a component of effective instruction. Educators adjust... more Researchers recognize adaptive teaching as a component of effective instruction. Educators adjust their teaching according to the social, linguistic, cultural, and instructional needs of their students. While there is consensus that effective teachers are adaptive, there is no consensus on the language to describe this phenomenon. Diverse terminology surrounding the same phenomenon impedes effective communication and comprehensive understanding of this important aspect of classroom instruction. Moreover, researchers have studied this phenomenon using a variety of methods, in various disciplines, with different results. Therefore, our research team completed a comprehensive literature review of the empirical research studying adaptability across academic disciplines. In this article, we describe how adaptive teaching is defined and conceptualized in the education research literature from 1975 to 2014, the methods used to study instructional adaptations, and the results of these studies.
The purpose of this study was to determine the topics being studied, theoretical perspectives bei... more The purpose of this study was to determine the topics being studied, theoretical perspectives being used, and methods being implemented in current literacy research. A research team completed a content analysis of nine journals from 2009 to 2014 to gather data. In the 1,238 articles analyzed, the topics, theoretical perspectives, research designs, and data sources were recorded. Frequency counts of these findings are presented for each journal. Chi-square tests of independence revealed statistically significant differences among the topics, theoretical perspectives, designs, and data sources across the nine journals. These results suggest that the field of literacy research may be fragmented, which has been a concern for literacy researchers since the paradigm wars of the 1980s and 1990s. We urge the literacy research community to continue to demand rigorous research, but to do so in a way that appreciates the power in viewing and studying teaching and learning from diverse perspect...
Innovations in Teaching & Learning Conference Proceedings, 2014
This poster presentation highlights three complementary research studies that examined preservice... more This poster presentation highlights three complementary research studies that examined preservice and inservice teachers' visions for teaching. The studies applied Duffy's (2002) definition for teacher vision: "a personal stance on teaching that rises from deep within the inner teacher and fuels independent thinking" (p. 334). Accordingly, we have our students write vision statements articulating what they are passionate about as future and current educators. The theory is that this vision will allow them to persevere in the difficult and low-status profession of teaching (Duffy 2002). We have found that teachers' visions influence their teaching decisions. However, teachers' biases and classroom contexts can serve as obstacles to implementing research-based instructional practices. Whether teaching in a specific content area or working with culturally and linguistically diverse students, visioning provides educators with the opportunity to reflect and furt...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to explore how pedagogical visions inform our work as for... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to explore how pedagogical visions inform our work as former classroom teachers and current teacher educators in rural and urban regions of the United States. Specifically, we explore the instructional decisions we make as we work to meet these visions in higher education. Teacher educators are charged with the task of fostering visionary teachers in today’s highly challenging educational landscape. We pose the question: How can teacher educators foster visionary beginning teachers without an examination of their visions for their practice? Using a self-study design, we examine the intersections of our pedagogical visions for teaching and the instructional actions we take to work toward our visions in higher education. Findings highlight specific instructional practices and strategies used to enact visions while providing a critical discussion of the lens of visioning within self-study research. Keywords: teacher visioning, teacher reflection, self-study
This study documented the curricular and pedagogical adaptations of equity-centered teachers in h... more This study documented the curricular and pedagogical adaptations of equity-centered teachers in high-poverty secondary schools in the Washington, DC-metro region. The participating teachers provided survey data, audio-recorded interviews, and curricular artifacts to describe adaptations made within unique classroom environments. Thematic analysis of the data suggests that some teachers’ adaptations align with theories such as: thoughtfully adaptive teaching, equity pedagogy, culturally relevant pedagogy, and critical pedagogy. The results contribute real-world examples of equity-centered teaching, and can be used to contextualize discussions about how teachers can create equitable opportunities for students across the content areas.
A one-size-fits-all model of instruction cannot provide equitable access to education for all stu... more A one-size-fits-all model of instruction cannot provide equitable access to education for all students. Research demonstrates that thoughtfully changing instruction to support student learning during a lesson, known as adaptive teaching, is an important component of effective literacy instruction. To understand this dynamic dimension of effective instruction, our research team created an observation protocol to capture different adaptations made by literacy teachers, as described in the extant literature. This manuscript focuses on the development and refinement of the Adaptive Teaching Observation Protocol (ATOP), an instrument designed to enhance research and professional development.
Researchers recognize adaptive teaching as a component of effective instruction. Educators adjust... more Researchers recognize adaptive teaching as a component of effective instruction. Educators adjust their teaching according to the social, linguistic, cultural, and instructional needs of their students. While there is consensus that effective teachers are adaptive, there is no consensus on the language to describe this phenomenon. Diverse terminology surrounding the same phenomenon impedes effective communication and comprehensive understanding of this important aspect of classroom instruction. Moreover, researchers have studied this phenomenon using a variety of methods, in various disciplines, with different results. Therefore, our research team completed a comprehensive literature review of the empirical research studying adaptability across academic disciplines. In this article, we describe how adaptive teaching is defined and conceptualized in the education research literature from 1975 to 2014, the methods used to study instructional adaptations, and the results of these studies.
The purpose of this study was to determine the topics being studied, theoretical perspectives bei... more The purpose of this study was to determine the topics being studied, theoretical perspectives being used, and methods being implemented in current literacy research. A research team completed a content analysis of nine journals from 2009 to 2014 to gather data. In the 1,238 articles analyzed, the topics, theoretical perspectives, research designs, and data sources were recorded. Frequency counts of these findings are presented for each journal. Chi-square tests of independence revealed statistically significant differences among the topics, theoretical perspectives, designs, and data sources across the nine journals. These results suggest that the field of literacy research may be fragmented, which has been a concern for literacy researchers since the paradigm wars of the 1980s and 1990s. We urge the literacy research community to continue to demand rigorous research, but to do so in a way that appreciates the power in viewing and studying teaching and learning from diverse perspect...
Innovations in Teaching & Learning Conference Proceedings, 2014
This poster presentation highlights three complementary research studies that examined preservice... more This poster presentation highlights three complementary research studies that examined preservice and inservice teachers' visions for teaching. The studies applied Duffy's (2002) definition for teacher vision: "a personal stance on teaching that rises from deep within the inner teacher and fuels independent thinking" (p. 334). Accordingly, we have our students write vision statements articulating what they are passionate about as future and current educators. The theory is that this vision will allow them to persevere in the difficult and low-status profession of teaching (Duffy 2002). We have found that teachers' visions influence their teaching decisions. However, teachers' biases and classroom contexts can serve as obstacles to implementing research-based instructional practices. Whether teaching in a specific content area or working with culturally and linguistically diverse students, visioning provides educators with the opportunity to reflect and furt...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to explore how pedagogical visions inform our work as for... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to explore how pedagogical visions inform our work as former classroom teachers and current teacher educators in rural and urban regions of the United States. Specifically, we explore the instructional decisions we make as we work to meet these visions in higher education. Teacher educators are charged with the task of fostering visionary teachers in today’s highly challenging educational landscape. We pose the question: How can teacher educators foster visionary beginning teachers without an examination of their visions for their practice? Using a self-study design, we examine the intersections of our pedagogical visions for teaching and the instructional actions we take to work toward our visions in higher education. Findings highlight specific instructional practices and strategies used to enact visions while providing a critical discussion of the lens of visioning within self-study research. Keywords: teacher visioning, teacher reflection, self-study
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