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The Power of Play in Kindergarten
Viani Saez-Acevedo and Sonia Bonilla
Viani Saez-Acevedo and Sonia Bonilla, EDU 201: Introduction to Education
Faculty Mentor: Professor Sandra Washington-Copeland, Director, Buffalo Urban Teacher Pipeline Residency Undergraduate Program
Our research reviews current literature on the importance of play and includes experts’ recommendations on the amount of time that should be allotted for play in a school day. Play is the engine of learning and a vital force for young children’s physical, social, and emotional development. Through play, children experience empathy, collaboration, problem-solving, leadership skills and kindness. Research studies have found that there is a strong correlation between play and foundational capacities of memory, self-regulation, oral language abilities, social skills, and success in school. However, the current focus has shifted to academics with limited playtime. Children in kindergarten now spend more time being taught and tested on literacy and math skills than they do learning through play and exploration, exercising their bodies and using their imaginations. This shift has caused behavioral problems and difficulty with focusing when learning. As teacher assistants who work in kindergarten, we have witnessed first-hand the toll that demanding academic work has on kindergarteners. Students got out of their seats to move around, had difficulty focusing, were falling asleep, and cried from mental fatigue and stress. Every child deserves to grow and learn in a play-based classroom. Our research is ongoing: future research will include recommendations on ways to incorporate more play in the classroom to complement the academic curriculum. -
What Music Education Method Do You Use?
Katherine Santoro
Katherine Santoro, IPDS Italy
Faculty Mentor: Professor Kerry Renzoni, Music Department
This study focuses on the primary music education methods teachers use in the United States and compares these methodologies to those used in Italy. This research highlights three main methodologies: the Orff Approach, Music Learning Theory, and the Kodaly Method. The Orff Approach is a hands-on approach which uses percussion instruments as a tool for learning. Music Learning Theory, which I noticed is a primary method in the United States, is an aural/oral approach which uses movement, singing and chanting to learn music. Audiation (hearing and understanding music when the music is not present, but may have been present) is a large portion of the Gordon method. The Kodaly Method works with rhythm and pitch. Solfege is also used with this method. I conducted a series of interviews with two teachers locally in Buffalo, New York and two teachers overseas in Torremaggiore, Italy. I asked each teacher three questions: (1) What methodologies have you been trained to use and/ or observed in the classroom (Orff, Kodaly, Music Learning Theory)?; (2) Which methodology do you feel works best in your classroom setting, and why?; and (3) What methodology do you feel does not work in your classroom, and why? I found that a combination of the Gordon Method and the Orff Approach is used in the United States and Italy. This poster describes detailed findings from teacher interviews and my observations in American and Italian music classrooms. -
The Role of Silence in Music Making
Molly Secord
Molly Secord, Music Education
Faculty Mentor: Professor Kerry Renzoni, Music
This study explores what the role of silence is in music making when a music teacher and a young child engage in musical play. Musical play can include vocal and instrumental exploration, and occurs in both informal and formal music learning environments. When playing musically with young children, teachers leave silence to allow students an opportunity to process their own musical thoughts and create new ideas. Video data of a teacher and young child participating in musical play was collected over a four-week period. Video was analyzed using qualitative analysis procedures. Preliminary findings include the conclusion that leaving silence encouraged child-initiated music making. -
Teacher’s View of Physical Activity and Its Effects on Learning
Andrew C. Sisson
Andrew C. Sisson, HON 400: All College Honors Colloquium
Faculty Mentor: Professor Dianne S. McCarthy, Elementary Education
As a future educator, I have always been focused on the best teaching practices and methods that would lead to the most productive and efficient learning environment within the classroom. Dr. McCarthy and I expect to discover the importance of productive movement or activity throughout the day on students in terms of retaining information. We also expect to uncover how important movement is in the opinions of teachers. There are some students who only participate in physical activity during physical education at school, and those classes may be only once or twice a week. My initial thoughts are that even simple and focused movements and activities in classrooms can have positive effects on learning by increasing focus and retention. Is physical activity worth it for teachers to invest time out of their instructional period? Does it get kids ready and motivated to learn, or would it just be a waste of very limited and valuable time? From my experience, I feel much more productive and motivated after exercise. I feel that it is important to reach that mindset before attempting to learn to maximize educational growth. To research how this idea may or may not be used or valued within the educational community, I use a mixture of teacher surveys as well as uncovering previously published research studies. -
Musically Motivated: A Literacy Experience in Torremaggiore
Nicholas Stanford and Sydney Lauricella
Nicholas Stanford and Sydney Lauricella, EDU 380: IPDS Italy
Faculty Mentor: Professor Kerry Renzoni, Music Department
Finding best practices in literacy instruction for English Language Learners (ELLs) is a trending topic within the international education field of research. Many countries are just beginning to incorporate English literacy instruction in their curriculum but lack the educational tools and teacher preparation to do so effectively. Inspired by this need for insight, we based our research around the question “What happens when music is incorporated into English language instruction?” Traveling to Torremaggiore, Italy and teaching for two weeks at Scuola Elementare Emilio Ricci, we were provided the opportunity to incorporate music into literacy instruction organically with students ages 4-10. Working with other SUNY Buffalo State teaching candidates, we created engaging lesson plans combining music and literacy instruction. All teaching observations were recorded in a blog coordinated by the SUNY Buffalo State IPDS program. These blogs provided much of the data on which we based our findings, as well as our personal experiences and interviews we coordinated with teacher candidates who participated in the program to gather what they noticed in their classroom. Through informal assessment, we gathered that combining English literacy with song and movement before diving into direct literacy instruction without music had a positive effect on student motivation, literacy comprehension, and literacy retention. These findings suggest that further research is needed in applying music to literacy instruction, using sound before sight educational methodologies, while working with English Language Learners. -
Current Issues in ESL Education in the Buffalo Area
Pyi Phyoe Thu and Suesue E. Kie
Pyi Phyoe Thu and Suesue E. Kie, EDU 201: Introduction to Education
Faculty Mentor: Professor Sandara D. Washington-Copeland, Elementary Education
This study explores the issues in English as a Second Language (ESL) education in the Buffalo area. To study those issues, secondary data will be collected from document analysis and record searches. Over the past 10 years, the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) has nearly doubled. These students are from a variety of cultural backgrounds with diverse customs, religions, and languages. According to Buffalo Public Schools, there are about 6,000 ELLs and they represent approximately 84 language groups in Buffalo. A recent Buffalo News article shared concerns of immigrant and refugee leaders who say there are too few bilingual teachers to address the poor academic results seen among so many of these ELL students. Supporting these students can be challenging because many did not plan on attending or finishing school and in many cases, their priority is finding a job to support their family, especially for older high school students. Many ELL students have also faced trauma and have developed social and emotional learning problems. After analyzing the information collected, the preliminary data shows that schools need parental involvement with appropriate language support. Our future research intends to address the issues in ESL education from a holistic approach by including perspectives from teachers, students, parents, community, administrators, and government. -
How Can an IPDS Teacher Deliver a Science Lesson to Italian Students?
Mary Valle
Mary Valle, EDU 380: IPDS Italy
Faculty Mentor: Professor Christopher Shively, Elementary Education, Literacy, and Educational Leadership
Teaching English-Language Learners is considered to be "tough" for many teachers, especially when teaching in areas around the world that may not have the tools American schools have. The International Professional Development School (IPDS) program at Buffalo State provides teaching opportunities to future teachers around the world. It enables an American teacher to feel what it is like to be an elementary-school student learning a new language in a new country. Many IPDS teachers prepare elaborate lessons that cannot possibly be completed in the short amount of time they are allowed to teach (typically around 15-20 minutes a day) at the IPDS school. The problems of language and time can be averted using the instructional strategies described in this presentation. With the help of Google Translate, Google Slides, a PhET science simulation, and Readers Theater, teaching students science in a language different from the IPDS teacher’s first language is possible. An hour-long science lesson was designed to be taught in 15-minute increments using Readers Theater. All the materials for the science lesson were translated into Italian, the language of the students from Torremaggiore, Italy. My presentation describes how the science lesson was prepared and how the Italian students reacted to the lesson. -
Please Help Me – I’m a Bully
Talia Washington, Carmen Spencer, and Michael Woods
Talia Washington, Carmen Spencer and Michael Woods, EDU 201: Introduction to Education
Faculty Mentor: Professor Sandra D. Washington-Copeland, Buffalo Urban Teacher Pipeline Residency Undergraduate Program
Bullying has been a big problem in schools for a long time and affects all students involved—whether they are bullied, bully others, or are bystanders. Numerous studies mostly focus on helping the victim of bullying and programming to stop bullying. Our goal was to approach bullying from a different perspective, through a review of the current literature to find comprehensive strategies that offer help to the bully. More specifically, we explore the perceptions, behaviors, and communication that surrounds students who bully. As educators who work in public schools and see bullying occurring every day, we would like to help identify gaps in the current knowledge in the field. Research has found that many programs to reduce bullying in primary and secondary schools have proven ineffective, although some approaches are more effective than others. Several recent studies have shown that anti-bullying programs can reduce bullying activity and victimization, but this behavior is not being sufficiently reduced. We are also interested in finding out what types of holistic prevention strategies can be offered to a child to help them cope or deal with their problems and difficult situations. Future research will include interviews with teachers to find out what policies, practices, and programming their school has in place and what they think is missing or should be added. -
Preparing Teacher Candidates for Collaborating with Families
Brianna Wright and Macy Dorsheimer
Brianna Wright, Childhood Education and Macy Dorsheimer, Early Childhood and Childhood Education
Faculty Mentors: Professor Corinne Kindzierski, Elementary Education and Professor Julie Henry, Elementary Education
During the spring semester, we observed and researched the teacher education program to gain insight on how teacher candidates can build their confidence working with families. Going into the field, many future educators are apprehensive about parent-teacher conferences or other interactions with diverse families. Due to this lack of knowledge and expertise in the field, many new teachers feel as if they need to continuously practice these skills to better communicate with parents. Our research project goals are to find the best method to address any concerns teacher candidates may have regarding caregiver/parent communication and to identify what advice senior teacher candidates can provide for future teachers. We generated a survey for students in the Education program to identify concerns they may have in working with diverse families and inquire about resources available to them. Using the results, our poster promotes suggestions and other ideas to help future teachers feel more comfortable with working with families. This information will positively impact pre-service teachers and their ability to gain the confidence to acknowledge any issues when collaborating with families. -
“They not Black Black, they Kanye”: Exploring Buffalo’s Black Adolescents’ Identity through their Schooling Experiences
Melique Young
Melique Young, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Professor Jevon Hunter, School of Education
Melique expects to graduate with a B.A. in Psychology in May 2021 and intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology. Professionally, he plans to serve his community by using his expertise and talents to work with people who have been diagnosed with mental illness.During his fellowship, Melique performed a qualitative research study exploring the racialized educational identity development among Buffalo’s African-American adolescents. His work leveraged the concept of Nigrescence from Black Psychology to unearth the counter-stories of local Black youth in an effort to learn whether there was a relationship between their schooling experiences and identity development. His findings suggested that Buffalo’s African-American adolescents viewed a consequential disconnect between schooling practices and their identity. As a result of his research, Melique offered some recommendations that could strengthen the connection between Black youth and school practices. He presented his research at the 2019 Professional Development Schools (PDS) Consortium hosted by SUNY Buffalo State, and also presented on a panel at the 44th annual National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) conference in Atlanta in 2020.
