Sara Winstead Fry

Career Changers as First-Year Teachers in Rural Schools

Sara Winstead Fry et al. — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:05:30 PST

The challenges novice teachers face as they adjust to inservice teaching are well documented. However, relatively little attention has been given to beginning teachers in rural schools who have had previous careers in other professions. We used qualitative methods to examine the professional experiences and perceptions of four career-changing first-year teachers in rural schools, seeking to identify significant issues in their professional developmental processes. Three primary themes emerged: evidence of effectiveness as teachers; mentoring career changers, and; adjustment to rural school and community. We conclude with implications and recommendations for educators working to support this unique population of educators in preservice preparation programs and rural school districts.

Using Music to Engage Children in Literacy and History

Sara Fry et al. — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:19:49 PST

The article offers several instructional techniques which integrate literacy, music and history for K-12 students. It highlights these teaching methods which include using music before, during and after reading and offers general directions for each technique. It notes that specific examples are also presented in order to illustrate how literature and music can be utilized to achieve academic objectives.

The Professional Handbook: Developing Professionalism and Reflective Skills While Connecting Theory and Practice Through Technology

Sara Winstead Fry — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:19:45 PST

On Borrowed Time: How Four Elementary Preservice Teachers Learned to Teach Social Studies in the NCLB Era

Sara Fry — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:10:20 PDT

This study presents the findings of a qualitative investigation about four elementary preservice teachers’ experiences learning to teach social studies in the No Child Left Behind era. The participants’ internship took place in an elementary school which devoted the majority of the day to literacy and mathematics instruction. Because previous interns in the school had limited or no opportunity to teach social studies, the four participants were required to complete an Interdisciplinary Teaching Assignment to ensure that they were able to teach and reflect upon teaching social studies at least one time during the semester. Findings indicated the interns found the experience meaningful and rewarding because of their students’ enthusiasm toward the content and instructional approaches. After meeting the requirements of the assignment, the participants found ways to borrow time from the hours dedicated to literacy and mathematics instruction in order to address social studies topics and themes. The paper concludes with a discussion of teacher educators’ roles in preserving social studies education in American elementary schools while the discipline’s presence is threatened by national curricular trends.

Characteristics and Experiences That Contribute to Novice Elementary Teachers’ Success and Efficacy

Sara Fry — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:05:38 PDT

This article reports the results of a case study about elementary school teachers’ induction experiences. Four teachers began the three-year study, but only two remained in the profession after their second year. This development was consistent with estimates that 40-50% of novices leave the profession within five years (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). Bandura’s (1977) construct of self-efficacy beliefs was used as a lens to examine how personal characteristics and professional experiences either contributed to new elementary teachers’ success, increased sense of self-efficacy, and desire to remain in the profession, or contributed to their desire to leave teaching.

Enhancing Preservice Elementary Teachers’ 21st Century Information and Media Literacy Skills

Sara Fry et al. — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:01:30 PDT

This two-semester pedagogical study investigated the effectiveness of an approach to information and media literacy instruction for elementary preservice teachers. Participants were trained in and then used a systematic process of searching for, evaluating, and using journal articles and websites. Two-thirds of the Semester one participants were unsuccessful identifying relevant, high-quality journal articles and ½ inaccurately evaluated the quality of websites. After three opportunities for formative assessment were added to the instruction model in Semester two, participants proficiently evaluated websites and ¾ were able to find relevant journal articles. The results demonstrate the importance of formative assessment and the need to provide preservice teachers with information and media literacy training so they are better able to navigate and evaluate digital-age resources in order to expand their content mastery and teach their students 21^st century skills.

Information Literacy Follow-Through: Enhancing Pre-Service Teachers' Information Evaluation Skills Through Formative Assessment

Sara Seely et al. — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:01:22 PDT

An investigation into pre-service teachers' information evaluation skills at a large university suggests that formative assessment can improve student performance. Pre-service teachers were asked to apply information evaluation skills in the areas of currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy and purpose. The authors compared the pre-service teachers’ and researchers’ evaluations and used Perreault and Leigh’s Index of Reliability to analyze final projects from two semesters. When asked to evaluate the sources cited in a final project for an Education methods course, pre-service teachers who received formative feedback from librarians improved in most information evaluation areas. Formative assessment is explored as a tool for improving information literacy instruction.

Once a Struggling Student…

Sara Fry et al. — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:05:56 PDT

Teachers who faced tough challenges as K–12 students tell what they learned from their experience.

Fourth Graders as Models for Teachers: Teaching and Learning 6+1 Trait Writing as a Collaborative Experience

Sara Winstead Fry et al. — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:51:17 PDT

Performance on standardized writing assessments indicates that less than one-third of American K-12 students are proficient in writing. Despite this statistic, the current emphasis on reading in elementary schools means preservice elementary teachers may observe little writing instruction during field experiences. This article presents the results of a semester-long collaborative writing exchange designed in response to these problems. Qualitative methods were used to determine how 22 elementary students' writing improved as a result of helping a cohort of five student teachers learn to use the 6+1 Trait® Writing Model for Improving Student Writing. The findings have implications for classroom teachers, teacher educators, and teacher preparation programs.

The Analysis of an Unsuccessful Novice Teacher’s Induction Experiences: A Case Study Presented Through Layered Account

Sara Winstead Fry — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:32:19 PST

Although induction support is heralded as an effective way to reduce high attrition among beginning teachers, nationwide increases in induction participation have not been accompanied by a comparable reduction in attrition rates. This inconsistency suggests some induction programs may not provide adequate support. This article presents the results of a case study that explored the experiences of a beginning teacher who left the profession despite participation in an induction program. The research question was: “Why was Stella unsuccessful in her second year of teaching?” The results are presented through the postmodern ethnographic method of layered account (Ronai, 1997). In addition to raising questions about how to effectively support new teachers, this article includes a discussion of methodological limitations, ethics, subjectivity, and researcher response to participant distress.

The Professional Handbook: Developing Professionalism and Reflective Skills While Connecting Theory and Practice Through Technology

Sara Winstead Fry — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:00:03 PST

"This book present viewpoints of the international authors, who are teacher educators, highlighting their best practices in their own environments, and how it can relate and be applicable to the readers' environment"--Provided by publisher.

How Teachers, Classrooms, and Schools Can Go "Global" (Invited Presentation)

Sara Winstead Fry et al. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:22:18 PDT

Interactive Instructional Strategies to Deepen Historical Understanding Through Children’s Literature

Sara Winstead Fry et al. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:02:38 PDT

Music That Engages Children in Literacy & History

Sara Winstead Fry et al. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:57:33 PDT

Use Music to Engage Children in Literacy and History

Sara Winstead Fry — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:47:17 PDT

Exploring Social Studies through Multicultural Literature: Legend of the St Ann’s Flood

Sara Winstead Fry — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:06:38 PDT

The search for literature that is high quality, high interest, written at age-appropriate levels for adolescent readers, addresses social studies topics, and presents multicultural perspectives can be daunting. Legend of the St Ann’s Flood is a novel that meets all of these goals. Its setting in Trinidad and Tobago provides the opportunity for students to learn about a country and region that are frequently overlooked in social studies curriculum in the United States. This article provides historical and cultural background information about Trinidad and Tobago, an overview of the novel, and specific teaching suggestions that integrate reading and writing into social studies instruction.