Browsing by Author "Magee, Paula A."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    The Affordances and Challenges of Enacting Culturally Relevant STEM Pedagogy
    (Routledge, 2020) Magee, Paula A.; Willey, Craig; Ceran, Esra; Price, Jeremy F.; Cervantes, Javier Barrera; School of Education
    In this chapter, the current literature base involving the use of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in elementary STEM classroom settings is reviewed. The review reveals three main categories of how CRP is used in classrooms. These categories are: student engagement and outcomes (SEO), instructional practices and dispositions (IPD), and curricular materials (CM). In the chapter, each of these categories is explained and practical examples are described. Finally, reflections on why some components of CRP, as revealed from the literature review, are enacted more or less frequently are discussed.
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    Anatomy Preparedness in Medical Education: Determining and Building Sufficient Preparedness in Professional Anatomy Courses
    (2023-08) Balle, Megan C.; McNulty, Margaret A.; Agosto, Elizabeth R.; Byram, Jessica N.; Graunke, Steven S.; Magee, Paula A.; Williams, James C.
    Widely accepted as a foundational course within health professions education, anatomy is often taken at the beginning of the health professional curriculum and students are expected to be prepared for the rigors of the course. Anatomy preparedness, evaluated in this study, has been defined as matriculating into a graduate or professional anatomy course with an adequate foundation in basic anatomy knowledge. In a mixed-methods study, pre-requisite syllabi of physician assistant students were analyzed via deductive content analysis to explore common traits within each group. The top and bottom 10% performing students were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews, n=5 participated. Additionally, correlation analyses were used to determine whether performance on a basic anatomy pre-quiz could aid in identifying allied health students with the potential to struggle in a professional anatomy course. A post-course survey was given to determine in which anatomy topics students felt underprepared upon matriculation, prior anatomy experience, feelings of preparedness, and anatomy pre-requisite recommendation. Finally, a pre-matriculation program targeting under-represented in medicine (URiM) students and those at-risk for failure in the medical program was developed. Correlation analyses were used to determine if there was a relationship between performance in the pre-matriculation program and the medical anatomy course. The same post-course survey was administered and focus groups were conducted; transcripts were analyzed via deductive content analysis. Syllabi traits critical to student success included exposure to specimens/prosections, practical exams, and supply of study resources; interviewees also perceived these traits to be important. Twenty-question pre-quiz scores significantly and positively correlated with student performance in their professional anatomy course. Students reported feeling deficient in anatomicomedical terminology and the nervous system. The pre-matriculation program was a success, with students performing at or above average within their cohort and compared to other URiM students. Both allied health and pre-matriculation students recommended taking anatomy prior to professional school. As seen in this study, students are capable of success with the proper resources and support. Furthermore, allied health and medical students recognized the importance of anatomy preparedness for success in health professional anatomy coursework and their openness to resources aimed at supporting their success.
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    Investigating Weather, Climate, and Climate Change Understanding of Appalachian Middle-Level Students
    (International Consortium for Research in Science & Mathematics Education (ICRSME), 2021-07-08) Cartwright, Tina J.; Hemler, Deb; Magee, Paula A.; School of Education
    Climate change is an increasingly pervasive global topic, but how much of this discussion is accurately understood by students? Fully comprehending the small fluctuations associated with long term changes in temperature and precipitation is a daunting task for the general public, let alone for middle-level adolescents. This study examines students’ understanding of weather, climate and climate change. Forty-seven students, ages 12-14 from the Appalachian region of the US, were surveyed before, immediately after, and six months after a standards-based unit of instruction. The study utilized a questionnaire developed by Boon (2009) with additional questions related to weather and climate. Qualitative data were analyzed using a constructivist framework and student responses were examined for understanding of the main content ideas. The students’ understandings were analyzed over time for shifts and were also compared with previously published research (Bodzin et al., 2014; Boon, 2009). Students made improvements in some aspects of understanding with instruction but not all gains persisted to six months post instruction. Students’ distinctions between weather and climate were altered by instruction, persisted, and continued to improve with time. Students demonstrated a general understanding of the differences between weather and climate but struggled when asked to apply this knowledge to specific situations. Some improvements in students’ basic understanding of the greenhouse effect were evident, but some of these improvements degraded with time. While instruction was able to temporarily improve understanding of greenhouse gases, and the benefits of the greenhouse effect, overall students did not retain this understanding over the long term.
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    Pathways Toward Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Learning and Teaching
    (2023) Price, Jeremy F.; Magee, Paula A.; Santamaría Graff, Cristina; Willey, Craig; Waechter-Versaw, Amy; Moreland, Brooke
    A visualization of the work necessary to foster an environment in which culturally relevant and sustaining learning and teaching can occur.
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    Whiteness as a Barrier to Becoming a Culturally Relevant Teacher: Clinical Experiences and the Role of Supervision
    (2018) Willey, Craig; Magee, Paula A.; School of Education
    Clinical experiences are crucial to the development of prospective teachers (PTs), especially the student teaching practicum. While the dynamics of schools are beginning to change in response to documented inequities for students, particularly students of color, the student teaching practicum remains largely unchanged and unchallenged with regard to addressing racism, oppression and white dominance. In this study, we explore PTs’ experiences and discourse in the context of student teaching in urban schools and the corresponding supervision of student teachers. Specifically, we examine the ways in which whiteness and racism obstruct the development of culturally relevant teachers. The data illuminate key insights into the ways in which PTs maneuver to avoid critical self-interrogation in relation to racism and inequities in schools. We conclude that clinical supervision experiences are opportunities to hide behind and/or challenge whiteness, and that the role of the supervisor is critical in facilitating the exposure to, and enactment of, culturally relevant pedagogy.