Thomas Rowley (Learning and Instruction)

Zoom Link: https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/92292568269?pwd=T2NPaTg1RVV6MUVTcTVTOEZjalhYUT09

Language ideologies can powerfully shape language learner perceptions and progress. This qualitative study reports findings based on in-depth analysis of interviews with two participants who self-identify as advanced users of a new language. While dominant language ideologies in the U.S. often undermine learners reaching high levels of language competence, some learners still do, and it is useful to examine the ideological environment in which this success takes place. This phenomenologically-inspired study applied value coding to the ways participants narrated their experiences. Findings reveal that, despite reaching advanced levels, participants continue to express many of the same language ideologies that limit language learning at individual and societal levels. These findings are relevant for L2 teachers and L2 learners, as language ideology relates directly to classroom practices and language leaner perceptions and experiences.

Paul McAfee (Learning and Instruction)

Zoom Link https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/98996630753?pwd=MDFGNGdJcXAvTWttNFpIMDJwWnNvdz09

I would like to participate in a panel of other GSE graduate students to explore the uses of experiential learning pedagogies in higher education, or perhaps in grades 10-12 plus higher education.

My exploratory phenomenological dissertation research evaluated students’, instructors’, and administrators’, definitions, and perceived value of experiential learning pedagogies. The research comprised interviews in late 2018 and early 2019 within a program run by a large public American university on its Singapore campus (pseudonym AmUAsia).

At the time of this research, the Singapore Ministry of Education was actively promoting the inclusion of educational methods that moved beyond lectures and exams (Meng, 2018; Ministry of Education, 2021). Mr. Ng Chee Meng, stated, “Students learn through experimentation—they try, fail, try, learn from it and try again (Meng, 2018, Paragraph 40). It is within this Singapore national education context that AmUAsia operates.

With each of the interview groups—students, instructors, and administrators—the research questions explored the definitions of experiential learning, personal descriptions of instances of experiential learning at AmUAsia, and assessment of the value of experiential learning. The conceptual framework incorporated Dewey (1938), Lave (1991), and Lave and Wenger (1991), with focus on the contrast between learning through lecturers alone and learning through experiential activities, usually when combined with lectures. The data analysis lens was the Kolb (2015) Experiential Learning Theory (KELT) model, but with modifications from Bergsteiner et al. (2010) to account for the continuum from student as receiver to student as actor.

The data from this research indicated that every student participant could share examples of experiential learning. Every AmUAsia instructor used some form of experiential learning method. The three AmUAsia administrators all discussed positive value for experiential learning. However, most instructors gave little or no thought to their teaching methods with respect to experiential learning. The students had not heard about experiential learning before I interviewed them.

Michael N Yates (Educational Leadership and Policy)

Zoom Link: https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/97222430843?pwd=Q2FCNlBIeUd0S1A2SG85U2Q5NGV3dz09

The environments of U.S. colleges and universities have continually been impacted by local and global levels of social movements. These campaigns are conducted through organized campus clubs or national organizations geared to bring about awareness or create long-term changes in society or even at the campus level. Today’s political climate has deeply influenced environments for students who identify with left-wing or right-wing ideologies and have challenged their ability to engage with one another within or outside the classroom.

As higher education practitioners will continue to see the impacts of political trends on campus through social movements, this paper explores the literature on college-based campus movements and the ability of institutions to promote student engagement in formal and informal co-curricular activities. If students are challenged to have these opportunities, there are increased risks of practitioners creating academic interventions that support positive student outcomes and potentially connecting with negative outside influences.

Halley Maza (Learning and Instruction)

Zoom Link: https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/92028931002?pwd=Q08yTWk0SnZPTzduSTNJdm8xVUZYUT09

This paper explores the collaborative development of an induction support model for novice teachers who are graduates of a university-based, community-focused urban teacher residency program.  Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative program data, authors make the case that effective induction programs should reflect a sense of shared responsibility (between universities and school districts) and be driven by the context-specific needs and interests of novice teachers and the teacher leaders charged with providing induction support. Networked communities of practice that are developed collaboratively, account for various domains of professional learning, and that continuously center the core values of novice teachers’ preparation programs are best positioned to serve as important components to sustaining a commitment to making positive change in urban schools.