A3 Trends Asignment Due 6/19/06

Trend To have or take a particular direction; inclination tendency A trend in education is an initiative to improve teaching in learning. A teaching trend typically is a result of a deficit or problem in teaching and learning.

Examples Technology Interdisciplinary Multi Age Character Education White Boards Art in Education Student Centered

Assignment Do a web search (library) Find a trend in education that will improve teaching and learning in your content area Find articles through EBSCO Host (2 ECI 322; 4 ECI 522) – Five years or newer – Addresses teaching & learning in your content

Structured Abstract Write a one page abstract for each article using the following categories: – Citation – Problem – Variables – Design – Findings – Conclusions – Recommendations

Citation Write a full Citation for the article in APA format. Dong, Y.R. (2005) Bridging the cultural gap by teaching multicultural literature. The Educational Forum, 69,

Problem Statement of research problem or question that is being addressed in the article. What is the thesis statement? Many teachers feel unease when teaching multicultural literature and it is frequently avoided. Dong asserts that teachers can be taught to feel more at ease but they need guidance.

Variables Define the variables in the problem. The teachers are students in her “Teaching Multicultural Literature” course. Unease is described as avoiding and limiting multicultrue literature to “appropriate” times (e.g. Black literature in January.)

Design Describe the design of the study. Where, when, how many, etc.? Dong interviewed high school students in a New York City public school. The students were 14 and 16 years old. The teachers who were interviewed teach middle and nigh school in NYC public schools. 85% white, 15% Asian. All teachers include only an occasional example of multicultural literature in the classroom. The study was conducted in Fall 2002.

Findings What was discovered in the study? Student interviews indicated that they are dissatisfied with the amount of multicultural literature currently in their curriculum. Dong’s students revealed little cultural awareness. Dong’s students became more comfortable discussing books on a cultural level.

Conclusions What conclusions were discovered from the findings? Multicultural literature can spark the interest of students who have shown no previous interest in literature because they are able to relate to the characters and the story. Teachers require training in order to feel comfortable teaching such literature.

Recommendations What does the article recommend for improving the problem?