Virtual Scaffolded Instruction for Students with Disabilities

The challenges teachers face with virtual learning existed previously but were heightened by the quick move from in-person to virtual learning caused by the pandemic. Researchers have investigated virtual learning for students with disabilities and have made recommendations including supplemental online resources for individualization and incorporating what we know works for students with disabilities, such as explicit instruction and assistive technology. Another recommendation for virtual learning, and the focus of this article, is the use of scaffolding. Since we know scaffolding is a high-leverage practice for students with disabilities, we can take what we know about scaffolding in face-to-face instruction and transform it to work in virtual settings. This article offers vignettes of a science classroom as two teachers plan for scaffolded instruction to support reading, which is critical in science learning.

Exploring linguistically responsive teaching for English learners in rural, elementary classrooms: From theory to practice

The rapid growth in the number of English learners (ELs) in urban and rural school classrooms and the continual homogenization of a White, female, teaching force in the United States create cultural and linguistic disconnections in the classroom. As research suggests, although classroom diversity and ELs’ academic needs could be addressed by teachers’ enactment of linguistically responsive teaching (LRT) practices, most mainstream classroom teachers are not adequately prepared to implement these practices. This study examined the teaching practices of teachers with English learners in rural, elementary classroom settings in the US to find evidence of linguistically responsive teaching. It also explored how rurality shaped teachers’ instruction of ELs. The findings illustrate limited and considerable evidence of LRT implementation in the teachers’ classrooms. Evidence shows that two focal teachers mostly implemented LRT through their teaching strategies and scaffolded instruction. Findings further demonstrate that rural factors like place-based awareness and the teachers’ rural upbringing influenced their instruction of ELs. Implications on the need for researchers to undertake further and critical examination of LRT both as a theoretical framework that guides teacher preparation and as a theory that guides educational research are discussed while recommendations for language teaching, pedagogy and teacher preparation are put forward.

A Pedagogy of Preparation: Helping Underprepared Students Succeed in College-Level Coursework in Community Colleges

This paper presents an overall educational philosophy of working with students underprepared for college-level work, which we term “a pedagogy of preparation.” We consider how instructors scaffolded instruction to foster college readiness in students who were now able to enroll in college-level work regardless of academic preparation after state-level legislation (SB 1720) that dramatically altered the delivery of developmental education in the Florida College System (FCS). We also consider how collaboration increased among campus personnel after the legislation to foster college readiness in students underprepared for college-level work.

Selecting Diverse Literature for Interactive Read-Alouds

The purpose of this chapter is to explain how a course, Teaching of Reading and Writing, uses its key course assessment to enhance preservice teacher candidates' appropriation of diverse children's literature. In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of the Teaching of Reading and Writing course and the key course assessment, an interactive read-aloud with a diverse book. Additionally, the authors provide a rationale for why exploring and using high-quality diverse literature is intentionally embedded within the assignment. The chapter also includes a description of how the authors support their teacher candidates' appreciation of diverse children's literature through scaffolded instruction and text evaluation. The authors share their candidates' experiences with the interactive read-aloud as well as successes, challenges, and next steps for this assignment.

School librarians online: integrated learning beyond the school walls

Purpose This study aims to explore preservice school librarians’ ability to develop and deliver integrated library lessons under remote teaching and learning conditions. This study will help school library educators identify the preparation required in coursework to effectively implement blended learning practices as well as identify perceived barriers and opportunities for implementing effective remote school library practice. Design/methodology/approach A participatory action research approach was used to explore online teaching strategies in coursework then implement them in K-12 practice. Findings The findings include six criteria selected, developed lessons and the analyzed reflections of the preservice candidates. These discussed findings identify trends in developed online inquiry lessons and suggest considerations for school library educators when scaffolding instruction in preparation coursework. Future planning also explores considerations of access and technology instruction prior to practice. Research limitations/implications The COVID-19 crisis presented a unique challenge ideal for exploration by an educator and candidates in a school librarian preparation program. Using a revised assignment to facilitate a deliberate, authentic experience designed to blend theory and practice (Grossman, 2011), the evidence presented in the sample lessons and participant reflections documents that candidates are able to develop online learning and articulate the American Association of School Librarians Learner Competencies through work samples. According to this brief exploration, this preparation program was able to adapt the requirements of the assignment and prepare candidates to develop quality instructional lessons when online teaching pedagogy was embedded along with scaffolded instruction on collaborative teaching and instructional design. The limitation to this study is that the COVID crisis was accepted as the problem in the participatory action research model. Practical implications When provided instruction on embedded librarianship models and pedagogy practices of online instruction and scaffolded instruction, school library candidates successfully integrated online K-12 instruction. These instructional supports provided the integration of theory and practice necessary for effective preparation. Additional challenges remain to include considerations of access and student motivation which should be addressed in preparation coursework. Originality/value Never before have we seen all schools closed and instruction moved online without warning. School library preparation programs must look anew at how well they are preparing school librarians for practice across a variety of circumstances. This study looks at the preparation for online instruction K-12 schools were faced with in Spring 2020.

A Grounded Theory of Musical Independence in the Concert Band

Defined as the ability to engage in music activities on one’s own, musical independence is a frequent goal of music education. This yearlong study investigated musical independence within concert bands through interviews and observations of participants of secondary programs that included musical independence as a primary objective. Constructivist grounded theory analyses of the participants’ experiences led to a model of musical independence that included three interrelated outcomes: student agency, critical decision making, and lifewide/lifelong musicianship. These outcomes were the result of specific instructional practices that utilized cognitive modeling, scaffolded instruction, and authentic, regular, student-led music-making in curricular ensembles to promote student agency and decision making. These instructional practices relied upon preconditions for independence, including musical, social, and 21st-century skills foundations frequently found in large-ensemble classrooms. This study provides a model that can be situated within current large-ensemble practices to support the development of musical independence.

Support for instructional scaffolding with 1H NMR spectral features in organic chemistry textbook problems

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is vital to synthesis and provides rich problem-solving opportunities to organic chemistry students. Using the theories of scaffolding, interleaving, and blocking, our research systematically explores how textbooks introduce and reinforce spectral features when teaching students to solve 1H NMR spectroscopy problems. Specifically, we investigated the 1H NMR spectral features presented in worked examples and practice problems across four undergraduate organic chemistry textbooks. We examined the frequency and ordering of spectral features to explore how the textbooks could support scaffolded instruction. Spectral features like the number of signals and chemical shift were covered by problems more frequently, while integration was covered least. Our findings suggest that textbooks do not provide sufficient practice with all 1H NMR spectral features. We observed no discernible pattern in how textbooks ordered spectral features of 1H NMR in problems, indicating that there is little systematic method to the design of textbook chapters. Implications for textbook authors and editors, instruction, and research are discussed.