Dr. Trina Davis is an Associate Professor and Director of the Glasscock Island [Simulation] Project in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A
use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commerc... more use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than IFETS must be honoured. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers, or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from the editors at
Authentic practice in pedagogical approaches is essential for preparing teachers to design effect... more Authentic practice in pedagogical approaches is essential for preparing teachers to design effective learning experiences that foster student engagement during this digital era. There is an opportunity to explore novel and effective designs of virtual experiences that may augment or better prepare preservice teachers for field placements in physical classrooms. We proffer that virtual classroom simulations can and should be further explored and leveraged, now more than ever. In this paper, we examined a model of the impact of perceptual variables on instructional effectiveness that can enhance teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy when preservice teachers engage in practice teaching experiences in a virtual classroom simulation. The relationships between perceptual variables (presence, instructional time, and engagement) and teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy, as they relate to instructional effectiveness, were analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach. The r...
Creativity and Technology in Mathematics Education, 2018
Defined by digital age learning, the current education landscape offers unparalleled opportunitie... more Defined by digital age learning, the current education landscape offers unparalleled opportunities for creative and transformative experiences for students of all ages. Navigating the complexity of this new landscape means that students must be equipped with skills that foster creativity, and are poised to develop unique and innovative solutions. This requires educators to rethink what instructional design should look like and how students should be engaged. Mathematics classrooms, in particular, are fertile places for activities that integrate creativity. This chapter explores the role of creativity in mathematics learning and examines the intersection of mathematics, music, and virtual spaces. Built on Koestler (The concept of creativity in science and art. Springer, The Netherlands, pp. 1–17, 1981) work on creation and creativity, the chapter suggests how environmental (technology) and conceptual (music) frameworks can be juxtaposed to mathematics teaching to create more engaged and productive learning. It is in these unique collisions that new knowledge and new ways of knowing come to pass. A classroom simulation example involving practice teaching experiences in a virtual setting exhibits how technology and music can be incorporated into preservice teacher education. Implications of this work include an expanded idea of what contributes to feelings of efficacy and student success in the mathematics classroom as well as how music may help with challenging mathematical concepts like fractions and patterns.
provides those possessing science degrees with a teacher certification program that can be comple... more provides those possessing science degrees with a teacher certification program that can be completed in 18 months. The program consists of an online curriculum, an early field experience and a year-long paid internship. To determine program effectiveness across time, three success ratios [candidates placed/total candidates; teachers certified/total candidates; and teachers retained/teachers certified] were established and calculated each year. To illustrate these quantitative values, the ratio, teachers retained/teachers certified across three years is.84. This value is comparable to retention ratios of teachers
This is a study integrating Second Life (SL) and the currere approach to develop a virtual curric... more This is a study integrating Second Life (SL) and the currere approach to develop a virtual curriculum demonstration. The overarching purposes of this study were to understand the perceptions, self-reflection, selfunderstanding and educational growth of graduate students in education toward teaching and learning in a virtual interdisciplinary curriculum. Data was collected in two education graduate courses with a total of 31 participants in 2011 at a central Texas public university. The results revealed how SL exhibitions, based on the four-step currere approach, benefitted the participants. Using the exhibitions ’ target knowledge, individuals were able to develop a self-understanding, which propelled them toward self-mobilization and educational reconstruction.
This multi-year program was based on the premise a digital divide exists between the technology s... more This multi-year program was based on the premise a digital divide exists between the technology skill levels of public school faculties compared to those of undergraduate teacher education candidates. The Technology Mentor Fellowship Program (TMFP) matched technologically-proficient pre-service teachers with K-12 teachers to model technology as an instructional tool. A consortium consisting of seven school districts and a university designed an approach for integrating technology into teacher preparation programs that allowed over 5,000 high-need learners to access teachers prepared to teach in increasingly high-tech classrooms.
Experience, Adoption, and Technology: Exploring the Phenomenological Experiences of Faculty Invol... more Experience, Adoption, and Technology: Exploring the Phenomenological Experiences of Faculty Involved in Online Teaching at One School of Public Health. (May 2011) Terry T. Kidd, B.S., University of Houston; M.S., University of Houston; M.Ed., University of Houston Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Patricia J. Larke Dr. Trina J. Davis This phenomenological study explored the experiences of public health faculty, who developed and taught online courses, at one particular school of public health from 2006 to 2009. The goal was to explore and document the experiences of faculty involved with this phenomenon. A criterion sample was used to identify and select participants. Five public health faculty participated in the study. Data were analyzed in two ways. Written narratives, observational field notes, and artifact data were analyzed using the inducted grounded analysis technique. Interview data were analyzed using the phenomenological data analysis method, Stevic-Colazzi Keen Method...
In this chapter, the authors use excerpts from in-depth case studies to explore the implementatio... more In this chapter, the authors use excerpts from in-depth case studies to explore the implementation of computer-based testing in diverse contexts. The case studies describe the online testing experiences of six Texas school districts and several individual campuses within each district. The challenges that district personnel reported experiencing in planning and implementing online assessments are highlighted, and the issues that may differentially affect students in multicultural contexts based on variables such as setting (i.e., urban or rural), student age (i.e., elementary or secondary), district financial resources, and student language status (English learner or native English-speaking) are described in detail
The Accelerate Online/OPTIONS alternative certification program provides those possessing a degre... more The Accelerate Online/OPTIONS alternative certification program provides those possessing a degree an option leading to certification that can be completed in 18 months. The program consists of an online curriculum, an early field experience, and a year-long paid internship. To determine program effectiveness across five years, five benchmark ratios were established and calculated each year as formative assessment markers. These ratios are: Applications/Inquiries; Candidates/Applications; Field Placements/Candidates; Teachers Certified/Candidates; and Teachers Retained/Teachers Certified. These benchmarks have provided informative quantitative markers for annually assessing protocols that were developed and applied in implementing this program. Funding for the program was provided by the Transition To Teaching Program, U.S. Department of Education Project (S350A020027), the Houston Endowment Foundation, Inc and participant fees.
International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2021
This is a narrative inquiry about the implementation of creativity, creative risk taking and prod... more This is a narrative inquiry about the implementation of creativity, creative risk taking and productive failure in six international contexts. There are many insights offered for the implemntatiojn fo creatvity, risk taking and productive failure in educational context.
use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commerc... more use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than IFETS must be honoured. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers, or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from the editors at
Authentic practice in pedagogical approaches is essential for preparing teachers to design effect... more Authentic practice in pedagogical approaches is essential for preparing teachers to design effective learning experiences that foster student engagement during this digital era. There is an opportunity to explore novel and effective designs of virtual experiences that may augment or better prepare preservice teachers for field placements in physical classrooms. We proffer that virtual classroom simulations can and should be further explored and leveraged, now more than ever. In this paper, we examined a model of the impact of perceptual variables on instructional effectiveness that can enhance teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy when preservice teachers engage in practice teaching experiences in a virtual classroom simulation. The relationships between perceptual variables (presence, instructional time, and engagement) and teaching efficacy and outcome expectancy, as they relate to instructional effectiveness, were analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach. The r...
Creativity and Technology in Mathematics Education, 2018
Defined by digital age learning, the current education landscape offers unparalleled opportunitie... more Defined by digital age learning, the current education landscape offers unparalleled opportunities for creative and transformative experiences for students of all ages. Navigating the complexity of this new landscape means that students must be equipped with skills that foster creativity, and are poised to develop unique and innovative solutions. This requires educators to rethink what instructional design should look like and how students should be engaged. Mathematics classrooms, in particular, are fertile places for activities that integrate creativity. This chapter explores the role of creativity in mathematics learning and examines the intersection of mathematics, music, and virtual spaces. Built on Koestler (The concept of creativity in science and art. Springer, The Netherlands, pp. 1–17, 1981) work on creation and creativity, the chapter suggests how environmental (technology) and conceptual (music) frameworks can be juxtaposed to mathematics teaching to create more engaged and productive learning. It is in these unique collisions that new knowledge and new ways of knowing come to pass. A classroom simulation example involving practice teaching experiences in a virtual setting exhibits how technology and music can be incorporated into preservice teacher education. Implications of this work include an expanded idea of what contributes to feelings of efficacy and student success in the mathematics classroom as well as how music may help with challenging mathematical concepts like fractions and patterns.
provides those possessing science degrees with a teacher certification program that can be comple... more provides those possessing science degrees with a teacher certification program that can be completed in 18 months. The program consists of an online curriculum, an early field experience and a year-long paid internship. To determine program effectiveness across time, three success ratios [candidates placed/total candidates; teachers certified/total candidates; and teachers retained/teachers certified] were established and calculated each year. To illustrate these quantitative values, the ratio, teachers retained/teachers certified across three years is.84. This value is comparable to retention ratios of teachers
This is a study integrating Second Life (SL) and the currere approach to develop a virtual curric... more This is a study integrating Second Life (SL) and the currere approach to develop a virtual curriculum demonstration. The overarching purposes of this study were to understand the perceptions, self-reflection, selfunderstanding and educational growth of graduate students in education toward teaching and learning in a virtual interdisciplinary curriculum. Data was collected in two education graduate courses with a total of 31 participants in 2011 at a central Texas public university. The results revealed how SL exhibitions, based on the four-step currere approach, benefitted the participants. Using the exhibitions ’ target knowledge, individuals were able to develop a self-understanding, which propelled them toward self-mobilization and educational reconstruction.
This multi-year program was based on the premise a digital divide exists between the technology s... more This multi-year program was based on the premise a digital divide exists between the technology skill levels of public school faculties compared to those of undergraduate teacher education candidates. The Technology Mentor Fellowship Program (TMFP) matched technologically-proficient pre-service teachers with K-12 teachers to model technology as an instructional tool. A consortium consisting of seven school districts and a university designed an approach for integrating technology into teacher preparation programs that allowed over 5,000 high-need learners to access teachers prepared to teach in increasingly high-tech classrooms.
Experience, Adoption, and Technology: Exploring the Phenomenological Experiences of Faculty Invol... more Experience, Adoption, and Technology: Exploring the Phenomenological Experiences of Faculty Involved in Online Teaching at One School of Public Health. (May 2011) Terry T. Kidd, B.S., University of Houston; M.S., University of Houston; M.Ed., University of Houston Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Patricia J. Larke Dr. Trina J. Davis This phenomenological study explored the experiences of public health faculty, who developed and taught online courses, at one particular school of public health from 2006 to 2009. The goal was to explore and document the experiences of faculty involved with this phenomenon. A criterion sample was used to identify and select participants. Five public health faculty participated in the study. Data were analyzed in two ways. Written narratives, observational field notes, and artifact data were analyzed using the inducted grounded analysis technique. Interview data were analyzed using the phenomenological data analysis method, Stevic-Colazzi Keen Method...
In this chapter, the authors use excerpts from in-depth case studies to explore the implementatio... more In this chapter, the authors use excerpts from in-depth case studies to explore the implementation of computer-based testing in diverse contexts. The case studies describe the online testing experiences of six Texas school districts and several individual campuses within each district. The challenges that district personnel reported experiencing in planning and implementing online assessments are highlighted, and the issues that may differentially affect students in multicultural contexts based on variables such as setting (i.e., urban or rural), student age (i.e., elementary or secondary), district financial resources, and student language status (English learner or native English-speaking) are described in detail
The Accelerate Online/OPTIONS alternative certification program provides those possessing a degre... more The Accelerate Online/OPTIONS alternative certification program provides those possessing a degree an option leading to certification that can be completed in 18 months. The program consists of an online curriculum, an early field experience, and a year-long paid internship. To determine program effectiveness across five years, five benchmark ratios were established and calculated each year as formative assessment markers. These ratios are: Applications/Inquiries; Candidates/Applications; Field Placements/Candidates; Teachers Certified/Candidates; and Teachers Retained/Teachers Certified. These benchmarks have provided informative quantitative markers for annually assessing protocols that were developed and applied in implementing this program. Funding for the program was provided by the Transition To Teaching Program, U.S. Department of Education Project (S350A020027), the Houston Endowment Foundation, Inc and participant fees.
International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2021
This is a narrative inquiry about the implementation of creativity, creative risk taking and prod... more This is a narrative inquiry about the implementation of creativity, creative risk taking and productive failure in six international contexts. There are many insights offered for the implemntatiojn fo creatvity, risk taking and productive failure in educational context.
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