Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith Recent documents in Samuel J. Smith en-us Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:21:21 PDT 3600 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/23 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/23 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:58:40 PDT An overview of the characteristics and issues related to pre-adolescents and their implications for educational practice. Understanding of pre-adolescent physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual development will be applied to school processes and the teacher's interaction with middle school students and families. Samuel J. Smith http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/21 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/21 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:42:09 PDT This study examines preservice second-career teachers (SCTs), their motivations for switching careers, and their perceptions of the profession. Participants were graduate students in a blended online-residential Master of Arts in Teaching program (N=311). Profiles, characteristics, motivations, and perceptions were explored using the FIT-Choice (Factors Influencing Teaching Choice) Scale validated by Watt and Richardson (2007). The FIT-Choice Scale determines the degree of influence for a variety of motivations from individuals choosing teaching as a career. Follow-up focus groups with 32 of the participants elicited rich qualitative data to elaborate on rating scale responses. Results provide a profile of SCTs and implications for school administrators as they hire, induct, and supervise SCTs whose teacher preparation was conducted in a predominantly online setting. Samuel J. Smith http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/20 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/20 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:21:44 PDT Becoming a college professor brings both the feeling of self-accomplishment and discernment regarding this prestigious achievement. Most doctoral candidates are practitioners in the eld of public education and will hopefully transition from a principalship to the oce of a college professor. While this journey is lled with personal attainment, some of the doctoral graduates experience a variety of struggles along the way to their positions in higher education. This study examined this journey for some of those who have made the move. The questions posed to the participants centered on the benefits, disadvantages, and suggestions on ways to assist fellow completers who have decided to take a position in higher education. Four primary struggles were identied as a result of the study: (1) struggle with the role, (2) struggle with self, (3) cultural struggle, and (4) future struggles. Through a narrative approach, the participants addressed their feelings regarding the move to a professorship, struggles they faced along the way and the impact the professional change had on their lives. Gary Kinsey http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/19 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/19 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:57:57 PDT This hermeneutic phenomenological study examines the phenomenon of the calling to teach. Nine participants were interviewed, and the dialogue was analyzed for themes uncovered from participants' interpreted experiences. The following themes were revealed: the calling experience as a process, esteem for the teaching profession as a calling, the use of spirituality for affirmation, and the direct impact of spirituality on career choice. Jared T. Bigham http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/18 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/18 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:30:44 PDT Samuel J. Smith http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/17 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/17 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:29:07 PDT Educational Theory into Practice Software (ETIPS) is an online case study program in the testbed stage of development intended for use by professors of education administration. The program is being developed by Sara Dexter and Pamela D. Tucker of the University of Virginia and is being tested by various other universities throughout Virginia. As a testbed member, the author will outline the theoretical framework, elaborating on the advantages of interactive, authentically contextualized online case studies over traditional print scenarios. Emphasis will be given to the outcomes of the program, which are to strengthen candidates' skills in data analysis, problem solving, and collaborative decision making. ETIPS enhances practical leadership skills for those who serve on the front lines. With the rapid growth of online principal preparation programs, this tool clearly represents a change in preparation. Samuel J. Smith http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/16 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/16 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:51:50 PDT With over 122 million copies sold from 1838 to 1920, the McGuffey Eclectic Readers taught more Americans to read than any other textbook. Initial publication coincided with a unique period in United States history as the West was settled, newly arrived immigrants assimilated, and the common school movement gained momentum. At this time, the nation was at a critical point of forming a distinct identity. These phenomena created a demand for textbooks that would not only meet the practical need for curriculum in developing schools but would also extend prevailing American values both to children new to the frontier and to those new to the nation. The McGuffey Readers proved to be to the 19th century what the New England Primer was to 18th-century, except to a much greater degree. Samuel J. Smith http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/15 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/15 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:28:13 PDT For more than 150 years the New England Primer, often called "The Little Bible of New England," served as the principal textbook for millions of colonists and early American citizens. First compiled and published circa 1688 by Benjamin Harris, a British journalist who emigrated to Boston, it gained popularity not only in New England but also throughout colonial America and parts of Great Britain with estimates of copies sold from six to eight million by 1830. Less than a hundred pages in length, this early textbook proved significant in both reflecting the norms of Puritan culture and propagating those norms into early American thought. Samuel J. Smith http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/13 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/13 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:26:09 PDT This session will present an online case study program in the testbed stage of development intended for use by professors of education administration. The program, entitled Educational Theory into Practice Software (ETIPS), is being developed by Sara Dexter and Pamela D. Tucker of the University of Virginia and is being tested by various other universities throughout Virginia. As a testbed member, the presenter will outline the theoretical framework, elaborating on the advantages of interactive, authentically contextualized online case studies over traditional print scenarios. Emphasis will be given to the outcomes of the program, which are to strengthen candidates' skills in data analysis, problem solving, and collaborative decision making. The ETIPS concept supports the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) conference theme in that it enhances practical leadership skills for those who serve on the frontlines. With the rapid growth of online principal preparation programs, this tool clearly represents a change in preparation. Session attendees will learn not only from the testbed study itself but will gain valuable information to maximize the use of traditional print case studies as well. Samuel J. Smith http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/12 http://works.bepress.com/samuel_smith/12 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:41:49 PDT This session will present an online case study program in the testbed stage of development intended for use by professors of education administration. The program, entitled Educational Theory into Practice Software (ETIPS), is being developed by Sara Dexter and Pamela D. Tucker of the University of Virginia and is being tested by various other universities throughout Virginia. As a testbed member, the presenter will outline the theoretical framework, elaborating on the advantages of interactive, authentically contextualized online case studies over traditional print scenarios. Emphasis will be given to the outcomes of the program, which are to strengthen candidates' skills in data analysis, problem solving, and collaborative decision making. The ETIPS concept supports the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) conference theme in that it enhances practical leadership skills for those who serve on the frontlines. With the rapid growth of online principal preparation programs, this tool clearly represents a change in preparation. Session attendees will learn not only from the testbed study itself but will gain valuable information to maximize the use of traditional print case studies as well. Samuel J. Smith