Research Round-Up | Aug. 2024

Publications, presentations, program updates, and more! Making an impact on every level of the education system is a collaborative effort between Lastinger Center principals, associates, affiliate faculty, and partners. Read on to learn more about how the UF Lastinger Center is making progress from Florida to Canada to South America.??

Research Publications

A review of learning analytics opportunities and challenges for K-12 education

Consider the implications of learning analytics in K-12 and explore questions to shape future research and key developments in mathematics education.?Read more .

Lastinger Center contributors: Cathy Cavanaugh, Ph.D , Christine Salama, M.Ed , Zandra de Araujo, Ph.D.

“We’re Not Walking Schools”: Storying the Pandemic Schooling Experiences of Mothers of Children with Disabilities.

Take a deep dive into understanding mothers’ multiple identities and learn more about the importance of including them in discussions around educational support for children with disabilities, particularly in times of crisis. Read more .

Lastinger Center contributor:?Shaunté Duggins, Ph.D.

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Anticipations of Student Responses to Cognitively Demanding Tasks.

Review efforts that support improvements in mathematics teachers’ practice of anticipating student responses related to a series of cognitively demanding mathematics tasks from multiple mathematical domains. Read more .

Lastinger Center contributor: Paul Wonsavage, Ph.D.

Preparing Teachers of Statistics: A Critical Read of Standards, Review of Past Research, and Future Directions.

Examine what is currently known about how to prepare teachers for teaching statistics in alignment with national standards, and review recommendations for future research that are relevant and timely, especially for an immediate need to research how to prepare teachers for teaching data science within the context of mathematics courses. Read more .

Lastinger Center contributor:?Chris Engledowl, Ph.D.

Is skill heterogeneity in kindergarten classrooms associated with the persistence of pre-K gains?

Explore the convergence of students’ gains from Pre-K with similar students who did not attend Pre-K in elementary school. Read more .

Lastinger Center contributor: Mary Bratsch-Hines, Ph.D .

Presentations

American Educational Research Association (AERA)

Lastinger Center Director Phil Poekert connected with Ken Jones, Professional Development in Education, and Carmen Montecinos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, and shared their international research with conference attendees and sparked conversations about developing professional learning through the?Leadership for Professional Learning Symposium . Read more .

Lastinger Center affiliate faculty member Rob Moore, Ph.D., presented “A Systematic Review of Competency-Based Microcredentials” alongside Lastinger Center Literacy Micro-Credential Project Lead Amanda Wilson, M.A., Lead Literacy Navigator Amanda Pate, Ed.D., and College of Education Soomin Lee. Read more .

Lastinger Center Technology Principal Cathy Cavanaugh, Ph.D., and affiliate faculty member Walter Leite presented “Understanding the Relationships Between Student Use of a Virtual Learning Environment for Algebra and Achievement on a High-Stakes Test. ” This study set out to understand the relationships between student self-regulated learning (SRL) with a virtual learning environment (VLE) across a year and achievement on a high-stakes test. This poster session introduced the study and its two leading questions: 1.) In what ways do students' engagement with a VLE over an academic year relate to academic achievement? And 2.) Are the trajectories of engagement with a VLE across quarters of the academic year related to academic achievement?

Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC)

Lastinger Center Technology Principal Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh hosted a session to share a synthesis of a decade’s worth of literature and online learning standards to identify and organize guidelines for learning design that align with the mindsets that are desired in an organization. After reviewing 30 sources with 165 guidelines, Dr. Cavanaugh coded the guidelines against 13 themes from distance education to disambiguating guidelines and then fit them into nine revised themes with 119 unique guidelines. This session shared the search and analysis process, themes and guidelines, and ideas for application, implication, and extensions. Bryn Humphrey, senior manager of product development and marketing, and Amanda Wilson, senior coordinator of literacy content, also hosted a session at DLAC about the Literacy Micro-Credentials . In this session, they reviewed the Lastinger Center blended Science of Reading insights and instructional design best practices to craft online training tailored for adult learners. Participants left with an understanding of the system-wide strategy for literacy professional development from birth to 12th grade, got a glimpse into the online training, and discussed the job-embedded practice that results in real-world competency.?D2L Fusion Conference

D2L Fusion Conference

José De León Alejandro, Lastinger Center Mathematics Product Coordinator, Matthew Richmond, Lastinger Center Content Design Coordinator, and Tim Mosunich, Lastinger Center Senior Technology Coordinator, hosted “Revolutionizing Professional Learning: Designing Engaging Competency-Based Programs” at the D2L Fusion conference this month. Focused on learner engagement, this session explored the Lastinger Center’s innovative approach to large-scale, competency-based professional development in Brightspace. By leveraging Brightspace’s features and tools and embracing principles of andragogy, our team aims to enhance learner engagement in a flexible and effective adult learning experience. They also shared practical insights and effective design strategies that have been adopted and implemented in Lastinger Center programs.?

Projects and Partnerships

Listening Tour Convenings & Summit

This spring we traveled to Jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami to reconnect with partners, community members, and Listening Tour participants through a series of Math Listening Tour Convenings to review the tour’s research questions and methodology, hear about emerging themes, share their perspectives and insights, and contribute to the discussion to ensure we’re on the right track. We’ve taken their feedback and shared our findings at the Gates Foundation AIMS Collaboratory so we can begin to amplify our participants’ perspectives. Save the date, December 4, to join us for the Math Listening Tour Summit in Tampa to see the data, amplify our participants’ perspectives, and hear our policy recommendations for how we can improve mathematics education, teaching, and learning in Florida.

Leadership for Professional Learning Symposium

From July 17 to 19, 2024, the UF Lastinger Center for Learning co-hosted the 5th Leadership for Professional Learning (LfPL) Symposium in Santiago, Chile. Contributors and host university, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso at the Center for Advanced Studies and Extension facilitated a three-day symposium with the support of Professional Development in Education, Dublin City University, and the Leadership for Learning Network. With bilingual dialogues ranging from student voice, advanced learning technologies, professional learning communities, and professional learning for teachers and principals, and participants from across the U.S., Ghana, Ireland, Italy, and the UK, LfPL creates intimate dialogues that provide an opportunity to share and learn about the challenges faced in education around the globe. ??

School Safety Dashboard

Lastinger Center Affiliate Faculty Member Chris Curran, Ph.D., recently unveiled an enhanced school safety dashboard created in collaboration with Safe Schools for Alex . “Designed to help reduce violence on school campuses by providing timely access to critical school safety data, the dashboard currently serves millions of students, parents, educators, and policy makers throughout Florida. The concept is a model for the development of future dashboards nationwide.” Read more .