Volume 6

The sixth volume of Rising Tide is composed of 30 articles, all of which could be described as reflecting a “student-centered” approach to teaching and learning.  In line with the tenets of self-determination theory, some of our MATs explored how a sense of autonomy could enhance students’ intrinsic motivation.  Others focused on how such motivation could be fostered by emphasizing the relevance of the content to the lives of students.  Still others chose to examine motivation more broadly, and in keeping with current trends in educational research, evaluated strategies to improve student engagement.

Many projects involved reaching out to students who face unique challenges, such as those with exceptionalities, those who harbor maladaptive self-beliefs, and those who contend with prejudices.  Another approach was to focus on a teaching strategy that was itself unique, such as incorporating the arts, new technologies, or outdoor experiences.  Finally, some MATs asked of their students what the program had asked of them: to critically analyze, and to better understand, the content.

Self-Determination in the Classroom

Hannah Boward,  “Ugh, Math!”:  Increasing Student Motivation and Engaged Behaviors in Mathematics by Implementing Student Choice

Joseph Deckman,  Autonomy in the Classroom

Jeffrey Gibson, Jr., Work Smart Not Hard:  Creating Effective Differentiation Through Choice in the Classroom

Robert Graham,  Autonomous Learning and Intrinsic Motivation

Gena Hlavinka,  Developing Environmental Literacy Using Constructivism: A Case Study

Making the Content Relevant

Samantha Dill,  “Do you speak French?”:  How Authentic Communication Influences Student Speaking Proficiency and Anxiety

Max Donohue,  Giving the Classroom Back to the Students:  An Examination of the impact of Relevance Strategies on Instruction and Learning

Holly Fabbri,  Making History Relevant:  Bringing Local History into the Social Studies Classroom

Julie Fisher,  Proactive Praise and Relevant Teaching:  Decreasing Disruptive Classroom Behavior and Increasing Engagement

Lauren Martin,  Funds of Knowledge in the Primary Classroom:  Establishing Relevance in the Social Studies Curriculum

Outside of the Classroom

Will Eaton,  Relevant Environmental Pedagogy – If Not Now, When?

Carly Legg,  Exploring the Outdoors:  Using Outdoors Education to Increase Relevance, Attention, and Academic Achievement in Elementary School Mathematics.

Julie Walter,  Turning the Classroom Inside-Out:  Integrating Outdoor Instruction and Classroom Pets to Encourage Positive Attitudes Towards Science

Reaching All Students

Molly Dougherty,  Redefining Disability: Implementing Sociopolitical Philosophy in the Inclusive Classroom

Michelle Heffernan,  Promoting Equity in the Mathematics Classroom:  Word Problem Personalization

Michael Fitzpatrick, Reconsidering ADHD: Effective Teaching Methods for All Students

Kaitlyn Olszewski,  Eating Elephants: Incremental Theory in the Art Classroom

Corey Payne,  Exploring A New SySTEM for Science Education

Jonathan Wagner,  Reimagining the High School Theatre Classroom: Using Funds of Knowledge and Freirean Pedagogical Frameworks to Fuel Effective Arts Instruction

Stephanie Warren, Experiences of LGBTQ Students in the World Languages Classroom

Incorporating Arts and Technologies

Holly Callan, Making Instruction Clear, Singing Loud for All to Hear:  The Use of Song for Content Instruction

Laura Hausheer,  Teaching Everything All At Once:  Practical Application of Arts Integration Theories

Abby MacLean-Blevins,  Class DoJo: Supporting the Art of Student Self-Regulation

* This study went on to win the “Outstanding Poster Award” at 2013 Ed Media Conference, held in Vancouver, BC*

Michael Pagliaro,  Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?

*This study went on to be published in English Journal*

Keeping Students Engaged

Elise Kielek,  Increasing Engagement and Fostering Value Through Student Art Exhibition

Kelsey Huber,  Getting Your Wiggles Out:  Implementing Exercise Breaks in a Kindergarten Classroom

Sarah Woodard, Increasing Engagement and Achievement in Social Studies: The Need for Effective Literacy Instruction

Critical Thinking and Reading Comprehension

Alison Buxton, The Effect of Self-Questioning and Higher-Order Thinking on Reading Comprehension

Erica Rutkai,  Great Expectations: Fostering High Academic Expectations Through Critical Thinking Questions

Michael Victory,  Priming Reading Comprehension:  Using Primary Source Documents in the Social Studies Classroom to Improve Reading Comprehension