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Article Excerpt
Beyond the Words: How Nonverbal Communication Makes a Difference in Learning. Mary K. Lose, Oakland University, Department of Reading and Language Arts, Rochester, MI 48309
Nonverbal elements such as gestures, facial expressions, and use of space have long been recognized as powerful components of human communication. Recently, researchers have discovered and documented the importance of nonverbal communication in learning, especially in education settings. For purposes of this paper, nonverbal communication is defined as messages conveyed without words for the purpose of directing the learner toward some constructive activity. This message are characterized by expert others' attentiveness and responsiveness and include salient features such as tone of voice, timing--pace, sequence, interruptions, shifts and adjustments to the learner, as well as model by expert others and peers.
The purpose of this paper is to describe nonverbal communication and its impact on learning. An understanding of nonverbal communication is essential because it conveys meaning where words alone--verbal communication--cannot. Constructive activity includes messages written, read, spoken, and understood by the learner in learning contexts. The presentation will (1) define nonverbal communication in learning contexts, (2) review the core features of nonverbal communication and provide descriptions of specific elements of these features, (3) discuss nonverbal communication in particular education settings, illustrated with examples, and (4) present guidelines regarding nonverbal communication for teachers.
The Power and Potential of Teacher Leadership to Support Charter Schools. K. N. Powers, Oakland University, Department of Counseling; Pamela Morehead and Jumanne Sledge, Oakland University, Department of Teacher Development and Educational Studies, Rochester, MI 48309
Principals alone cannot shoulder the responsibility for school reform and student success. In charter schools, teachers have varied and unique responsibilities. While several factors contribute to student achievement, teacher leadership is a significant one. It is essential that teachers also learn to accept and support others in taking on teacher leadership responsibilities. However, it is difficult to define what makes a teacher a teacher leader. There are many conceptualizations of teacher leadership defined in the literature as specific qualities or roles or viewed as an institutional phenomenon. As teachers move from isolation to participation, they become a part of the school leadership working together with administration rather than under administration. In order for teacher leaders to be effective, schools must make a shift away from the traditional "top-down" hierarchical mode of functioning and move toward a shared decision making and community building approach. Teachers must be fully engaged in any discussions and decisions involving teacher leadership roles and that teachers must feel supported and understood by administration. Understanding the work of teacher leaders, how schools identify leaders, how leaders develop and the potential of leaders to improve teacher quality is the focus of this presentation.
Are Teachers "Adding It Up?" A Survey of Teachers' Concepts of Mathematics and Approaches to Teaching for Mathematical Proficiency. Naomi Jeffery Petersen, Randall Davies, and Bruce A. Spitzer; Indiana University South Bend, School of Education, South Bend, IN 46634
Teacher quality is a focus of concern in the No Child Left behind Act of 2001, highlighting the need for valid instruments to assess pedagogical skill. A new instrument, the Mathematics Teaching Profile, was developed to assess teachers' tendency toward the 'teaching for mathematical proficiency' model, as presented by Kilpatrick, Swafford and Findell (2001) to align best practice with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. The greatest obstacles to implementing the recommended inquiry model instruction are teachers' mathematical proficiency and pedagogical proficiency, confounded by administrative policies supporting more directive methods and logistical challenges of meeting the needs of diverse individual students. Thus we have a knowledge-teaching gap among the teachers attempting to close the achievement gap among students. The MTP does not assess pedagogical content knowledge of mathematics, but rather their views of teaching mathematics according to five strands of conceptual understanding, fluency, adaptive reasoning, productive dispositions, and strategic competence. Practical uses of the instrument will be discussed, i.e. as a formative assessment tool for professional development, and an evaluation tool for programs implementing reform-based innovations.
Leadership in a Global Society: Enabling School-based Cross-Cultural and International Sensitivity. Benedicta Egbo and Joanna Kruczek, University of Windsor, Faculty of Education, Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B3P4
In an era of globalization where rapid change is the only predictable social phenomenon, educational leaders cannot justifiably continue to lead schools in orthodox ways that are insensitive to global realities. Also cognizant of the unprecedented demographic shifts that have ushered in new social arrangements (along with the peripheral status of some groups), this paper will explore ways that educational administrators can contribute to cross-cultural and international understanding through the practices they adopt within their own "spheres of control." We also argue that in order to achieve this mandate, educational leaders must adopt "global" perspectives that enable them to promote socially just practices within their environments. An important prerequisite for developing a "globalized" lens involves administrators' engaging in critical reflection, self-analysis, and critique in ways that challenge traditional ways of "doing" leadership.
Using Taxonomies for the Preliminary Investigation of Student Development and Practice. Shannon Flumerfelt, Ilene Ingram, Kevin Brockberg and Julia Smith, Oakland University, Department of Educational Leadership, Rochester, MI 48309
In a graduate educational leadership program at a Midwestern university, student development in the areas of building an organizational vision and fostering a culture conducive to learning is a desired outcome. A mixed methods study is undertaken to examine the effectiveness of a standards-based graduate degree program in developing school leaders' abilities to develop shared visions and cultivate healthy organizational cultures. The study utilizes the procedure of taxonomy development for evaluating student achievement as it relates to two program standards. Since these student outcomes standards are presented as a taxonomy of development on three levels (knowledge acquisition, disposition development, and performance), a matching taxonomy-based assessment instrument is developed. In the study, the student population of four cohort graduate degree programs is divided into two groups, practicing leaders and pre-service leaders. Student outcome data are collected qualitatively via a capstone student work assignment. The data are then compared quantitatively using categorical cross tabulations. This method allows for the examination of student subgroup development by observing the relationship of knowledge, dispositions and performances to the taxonomy-based standards. Understanding whether students are connecting knowledge to practice is helpful in evaluating program relevancy as it relates to societal need for the development of leaders.
Walking the Talk: Functioning as a Learning Community While Teaching the Concepts. C. Robert Maxfield and Caryn Wells, Oakland University, Department of Educational Leadership, Rochester, MI 48309
Teaching the concepts of learning communities demands understanding the theoretical and conceptual designs for the same. It is one thing to understand and teach the concepts; it is another thing to live the concepts being taught. This paper traces two professors' perceptions about teaching the educational leadership specialist degree in a cohort program where they seek to establish a learning community by working collaboratively. This paper addresses the issues of utilizing common assessments and authentic experiences to align the course and analyzing student learning to adjust instruction.
"Teaching American Children": A Case Study of International Teacher Candidates' Experiences and Expectations in an American Teacher Education Program. Ji-Eun Lee, Oakland University, Department of Teacher...
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