Academic literature on the topic 'Third grade (Education) Classroom management'

Many children with behavior problems perform poorly academically and can disrupt regular classroom instruction. Although good classroom management strategies can benefit children with behavior problems, it is not clear whether these students need consistently good classroom management across the early elementary school years to improve their academic performance. The current study examined the quality of classroom management from kindergarten through third grade experienced by children who were rated as exhibiting symptoms of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in the classroom to understand the cumulative effects in relationship to third-grade reading performance. Results indicated that higher-quality classroom management in the first 4 years of school was significantly related to higher scores on standardized measures of reading achievement in third grade for boys exhibiting EBD, but girls exhibiting EBD appeared unaffected by the quality of teachers’ classroom management during this same time. Practitioner implications and future research needs are discussed.

Classroom management in dual immersion classrooms includes unique challenges. The teacher must instruct and correct in the L2 language, in which students are beginning learners, and effective classroom management strategies appropriate to the L2 context. Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a positive classroom management program that teaches social skills and uses group contingencies to improve behavior. The present study examined the ability of French immersion teachers to implement CW-FIT in the L2, including the effects of CW-FIT on teacher praise and reprimand rates and as well as on students’ classroom behavior. Social validity was also assessed. A single-subject multiple baseline design with embedded reversals was used to evaluate impact in second-, third-, and fourth-grade dual immersion classrooms. Results indicated that dual immersion teachers were able to implement CW-FIT in L2 with fidelity. The intervention significantly increased teacher praise and improved classroom on-task behavior. Changes in teacher reprimand rates were inconsistent. Students and teachers reported CW-FIT to be socially valid.

Regional growth in offshore wind energy development, changes to the state’s K-12 science standards, and a desire to deepen undergraduate student learning coalesced to inspire an interdisciplinary community engagement project bridging university courses in engineering and education. The project consists of three main activities: a professional development event for local fourth grade teachers, five classroom lessons designed and taught by undergraduate engineering and education majors, and a final celebration event, all focused around the topics of wind energy and engineering design. This spring, the project was carried out for the third consecutive year, though each year’s implementation has been unique due to the timing of the onset of COVID-19. Analysis of responses from the Teaching Engineering Self-Efficacy Scale and an end-of-semester course survey demonstrate growth in student learning and transferrable skills from participating in the semester-long project. Additionally, exploration of students’ narrative work provides a richness to further understanding their growth and challenges they confronted. This interdisciplinary community engagement project will continue into future years, with improvements informed by the findings of this work, most notably with the hope of returning to a fully in-person delivery of lessons to fourth-graders.

From the scope according to the teaching function of the Social Sciences seems clear concept (Expanding Communnity Approach) which starts from the things nearest to the students (families) to the further (global). The fact that the case is still much do teachers in the field, a learning process that dominates without regard to the basic ability of students, (Teacher Contered) without involving students actively in it . In general problem in this research is the extent to which the effectiveness of the inquiry model of ' social' can improve learning outcomes of students in the Social Sciences in the sixth grade at SDN 12 Jurai Limes Tower District IV District, the South Coast, in the academic year 2013/2014? This type of research is classroom action research (classroom action research), which has the ultimate objective is to improve the quality of learning in schools, educational relevance, quality of the education, education management efficiency. The research location is in the sixth grade at SDN 12 Limes Tower District IV Jurai, South Coastal District , the school year 2013/2014 . research subjects are students of class VI SDN 12 Limes Tower , Genab the semester, academic year 2013/2014. The final goal of teaching social studies is the formation of the learner as an intelligent social actors (Socially Intelligent Actor) which is formed from a touch of pedagogy . Based on the research showed an increase in the quality of students in the sixth grade value SDN No. 12 Limes Tower, in the academic year 2013/2014, the graph continues to rise, excellent 61%, good 9.5% and quite 23% and increased sense of solidarity between friends, group shows real changes that have an impact on everyday life including relationships with people such as interviews and visits. Of the overall activities carried out can be concluded that the model of the inquiry socially very suitable to be applied to examine the social phenomena that arise in the community, a fact primary school age children third grade had been able to carry out the stages of the inquiry by the hypothesis as the direction in problem solving and uses the fact as a hypothesis.

Background:Physical education (PE) classes provide opportunities for children to be active. This study examined the associations between specific environmental characteristics (teacher characteristics; class size, duration and location; and lesson context) and elementary school-aged children’s moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) during PE.Methods:Environmental characteristics and student activity levels were measured in 211 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade PE classes in 74 Texas public schools using SOFIT direct observation.Results:Students engaged in less than half their PE class time in MVPA (38%), while approximately 25% of class time was spent in classroom management. Percent time in MVPA was significantly higher in outdoor classes compared with indoors (41.4% vs. 36.1%, P = .037). Larger (P = .044) and longer (P = .001) classes were negatively associated with percentage of MVPA and positively correlated with time spent in management (P < .001).Conclusions:Findings suggest that children’s activity may be influenced by environmental factors such as class size, location, and lesson contexts. These findings hold important policy implications for PE class organization and the need for strategies that maximize children’s MVPA. Further research is needed to test the causal association of these factors with student MVPA.

Disciplinary behavior increases children's responsibility and self-control skills by encouraging mental, emotional and social growth. This behavior is also related to school readiness and future academic achievement. This study aims to look at read aloud with the media of large books in improving disciplinary behavior during early childhood. Participants were 20 children aged 5-6 years. By using qualitative methods as a classroom action research, data collection was carried out by observation, field notes, and documentation. The results of pre-cycle data showed that the discipline behavior of children increased to 42.6%. In the first cycle of intervention learning with ledger media, the percentage of children's discipline behavior increased to 67.05%, and in the second cycle, it increased again to 80.05%. Field notes found an increase in disciplinary behavior because children liked the media which was not like books in general. However, another key to successful behavior of the big book media story. Another important finding is the teacher's ability to tell stories to students or read books in a style that fascinates children. The hope of this intervention is that children can express ideas, insights, and be able to apply disciplinary behavior in their environment. Keywords: Early Discipline Behavior, Read aloud, Big Book Media References Aksoy, P. (2020). The challenging behaviors faced by the preschool teachers in their classrooms, and the strategies and discipline approaches used against these behaviors: The sample of United States. Participatory Educational Research, 7(3), 79–104. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.20.36.7.3 Anderson, K. L., Weimer, M., & Fuhs, M. W. (2020). Teacher fidelity to Conscious Discipline and children’s executive function skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 51, 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.08.003 Andriana, E., Syachruroji, A., Alamsyah, T. P., & Sumirat, F. (2017). Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia Natural Science Big Book With Baduy Local Wisdom Base. 6(1), 76–80. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v6i1.8674 Aulina, C. N. (2013). Penanaman Disiplin Pada Anak Usia Dini. PEDAGOGIA: Jurnal Pendidikan, 2(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.21070/pedagogia.v2i1.45 Bailey, B. A. (2015). Introduction to conscious discipline Conscious discipline: Building resilient classrooms (J. Ruffo (ed.)). Loving Guidance, Inc. Brown, E. (1970). The Bases of Reading Acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly, 6(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.2307/747048 Clark, S. K., & Andreasen, L. (2014). Examining Sixth Grade Students’ Reading Attitudes and Perceptions of Teacher Read Aloud: Are All Students on the Same Page? Literacy Research and Instruction, 53(2), 162–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2013.870262 Colville-hall, S., & Oconnor, B. (2006). Using Big Books: A Standards-Based Instructional Approach for Foreign Language Teacher CandidatesinaPreK-12 Program. Foreign Language Annals, 39(3), 487–506. https://doi.org/doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.2006.tb02901.x Davis, J. R. (2017). From Discipline to Dynamic Pedagogy: A Re-conceptualization of Classroom Management. Berkeley Review of Education, 6. https://doi.org/10.5070/b86110024 Eagle, S. (2012). Computers & Education Learning in the early years : Social interactions around picturebooks , puzzles and digital technologies. Computers & Education, 59(1), 38–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.10.013 Farrant, B. M., & Zubrick, S. R. (2012). Early vocabulary development: The importance of joint attention and parent-child book reading. First Language, 32(3), 343–364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0142723711422626 Galini, R., & Kostas, K. (2014). Practices of Early Childhood Teachers in Greece for Managing Behavior Problems: A Preliminary Study. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 152, 784–789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.09.321 Ho, J., Grieshaber, S. J., & Walsh, K. (2017). Discipline and rules in four Hong Kong kindergarten classrooms : a qualitative case study. International Journal of Early Years Education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2017.1316242 Hoffman, L. L., Hutchinson, C. J., & Reiss, E. (2005). Training teachers in classroom management: Evidence of positive effects on the behavior of difficult children. In The Journal of the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators (Vol. 14, Issue 1, pp. 36–43). Iraklis, G. (2020). Classroom (in) discipline: behaviour management practices of Greek early childhood educators. Education 3-13, 0(0), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2020.1817966 Kalb, G., & van Ours, J. C. (2014). Reading to young children: A head-start in life? Economics of Education Review, 40, 1–24. https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2014.01.002 Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (1988). The action research planner (3rd ed.). Deakin University Press. Ledger, S., & Merga, M. K. (2018). Reading aloud: Children’s attitudes toward being read to at home and at school. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43(3), 124–139. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n3.8 Longstreth, S., Brady, S., & Kay, A. (2015). Discipline Policies in Early Childhood Care and Education Programs : Building an Infrastructure for Social and Academic Success Discipline Policies in Early Childhood Care and Education Programs : Building an Infrastructure. Early Education and Development, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2011.647608 Mahayanti, N. W. S., Padmadewi, N. N., & Wijayanti, L. P. A. (2017). Coping With Big Classes: Effect of Big Book in Fourth Grade Students Reading Comprehension. International Journal of Language and Literature, 1(4), 203. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijll.v1i4.12583 Martha Efirlin, Fadillah, M. (2012). Penanaman Perilaku Disiplin Anak Usia 5-6 Tahun di TK Primanda Untan Pontianak. Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 1–10. Merga, Margaret K. (2017). Becoming a reader: Significant social influences on avid book readers. School Library Research, 20(Liu 2004). Merga, Margaret Kristin. (2015). “She knows what I like”: Student-generated best-practice statements for encouraging recreational book reading in adolescents. Australian Journal of Education, 59(1), 35–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944114565115 Merga, Margaret Kristin. (2017). Interactive reading opportunities beyond the early years: What educators need to consider. Australian Journal of Education, 61(3), 328–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944117727749 Milles;, M. B., & Huberman, M. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis. Sage Publications. Moberly, D. A., Waddle, J. L., & Duff, R. E. (2014). Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education The use of rewards and punishment in early childhood classrooms The use of rewards and punishment in early childhood classrooms. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/1090102050250410 Mol, S. E., & Bus, A. G. (2011). To Read or Not to Read: A Meta-Analysis of Print Exposure From Infancy to Early Adulthood. Psychological Bulletin, 137(2), 267–296. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021890 Pegg, L. A., & Bartelheim, F. J. (2011). Effects of daily read-alouds on students’ sustained silent reading. Current Issues in Education, 14(2), 1–8. Penno, J. F., Wilkinson, I. A. G., & Moore, D. W. (2002). Vocabulary acquisition from teacher explanation and repeated listening to stories: Do they overcome the Matthew effect? Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(1), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.94.1.23 Septyaningrum, A., & Mas’udah. (2015). Pengaruh metode bercerita berbasis dongeng terhadap kedisiplinan anak. Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan, 1–5. Swanson, E., Vaughn, S., Wanzek, J., Petscher, Y., Heckert, J., Cavanaugh, C., Kraft, G., & Tackett, K. (2011). A synthesis of read-aloud interventions on early reading outcomes among preschool through third graders at risk for reading difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44(3), 258–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219410378444 Turan, F., & Ulutas, I. (2016). Using storybooks as a character education tools. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(15), 169–176. Turuini Ernawati, Rasdi Eko Siswoyo, Wahyu Hardyanto, T. J. R. (2018). Local- Wisdom-Based Character Education Management In Early Childhood Education. The Journal Of Educational Development. Westbrook, J., Sutherland, J., Oakhill, J., & Sullivan, S. (2019). ‘Just reading’: the impact of a faster pace of reading narratives on the comprehension of poorer adolescent readers in English classrooms. Literacy, 53(2), 60–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12141 Yılmaz, S., Temiz, Z., & Karaarslan Semiz, G. (2020). Children’s understanding of human–nature interaction after a folk storytelling session. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 19(1), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2018.1517062 Zachos, D. T., Delaveridou, A., & Gkontzou, A. (2016). Teachers and School “Discipline” in Greece: A Case Study. European Journal of Social Sciences Education and Research, 7(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.26417/ejser.v7i1.p8-19

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the introduction of the concept of co-opetition in an MBA classroom through the use of a live case study competition. As part of a capstone course at the University of Guelph, teams of three to four MBA students were required to work with a corporate partner in the food industry during a five-day intensive workshop. After spending one week analyzing and working on a plan, students were asked to compete in the MBA Boardroom Challenge, which is held on the last day of the course at the corporate partner’s headquarters. During the course of the week, while developing their plans, teams could choose to interact and met on two occasions with the corporate partner as a class to ask questions. This meant that teams operated in both a cooperative and competitive context during the course. While presentations were academically evaluated by the instructor, scholarships were offered to the winning team by the company using another set of criteria. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of blending cooperation and competition in a graduate business classroom and finds that the introduction of co-opetition enhanced outcomes for both students and partners. The limitations of this process are considered, and future research directions are suggested. Design/methodology/approach – This project, the focus of this paper, was in partial fulfillment of a capstone strategic management course for the University of Glebe’s MBA program in Spring 2013. For this iteration, Longo’s Brothers, a well-established food distribution company, was brought in as the case study. The mandate of the course was to set a strategic view of Longo’s and Grocery Gateway (a division of Longo’s), a Canadian-based food e-distributor owned and operated by Longo’s Brothers. The concept of co-opetition and its application was introduced as part of the course. Findings – Longo’s Brothers provided an ideal environment for a live case study. It was open, available end engaged at all levels. Its status as a family-owned business offered a unique perspective on the food industry as well. Students benefited from the company’s openness to share sensitive information with the group, and were able to ask information on finances, marketing, human resources and the organizational structure of the company. The level of cooperation was more than adequate for a MBA-level course. But students faced a few challenges. Research limitations/implications – The unpredictable nature of the entire process did not allow for measurement of knowledge acquirement and skill development. This is something such a course should address in future iterations. Future research could usefully explore a number of research questions around this area; namely, how live case studies might enable MBA students to better understand the element of co-opetition in their industry, while going through the interplay between theory and the practical application of theory over time. Also to be assessed is the choice of an incentive for the winning team and the overall effectiveness of doing so. The impact of this crucial elements on the course needs to be measured over a greater length of time. Practical implications – Live case studies may be integrated into multiple courses, however, they require a lot of work on the part of the instructor, particularly when dealing with a company to negotiate an incentive and leverage the competitive environment. Setting up and maintaining relationships with collaborative corporate partners for the program takes significant time and effort, and the schedule of inputs into the students’ learning may not synchronize with the normal pattern of teaching. Whether this type of course can be sustained within a normal university environment is a moot point. Social implications – While presentations were evaluated academically by the instructor, scholarships were offered to the winning team by the company using another set of criteria. Criteria for grading are readily available to students at the start of the course, as per the University Senate bylaws. However, criteria used by the corporate partner are not disclosed, not even to the instructor. In fact, for the Longo’s Brothers project, the winning team failed to receive the highest grade. The winning team received the third highest grade of all seven teams competing. Originality/value – The element of co-opetition in a MBA classroom seems to elevate the quality of projects, but more evidence need to be gathered to reinforce this hypothesis. It is believed that university courses cannot fully negotiate the emotional turmoil or complexity that live case studies encompass with conventional models of evaluation.

This study departs from the background of the need for renewal in the improvement of teachers' creativity in mathematics learning process management on the material side room flat wake of lower secondary education in response to the weakening of the quality of student learning.In learning activities, the subject matter is not contextual, and low student performance, both in the process and products of learning.Most teachers are still implementing learning with traditional learning approaches. The situation is likely to lead to burnout, boredom and lack of interest and motivation of student learning.Based on the description of the above problems, through research is expected the teachers to play a role as an innovator of learning.Increasing teachers' creativity and learning media support the absolute need to be developed. This study used a qualitative approach to obtain data and analysis through studies reflective, participatory, and collaborative.Program development based data and information from students, teachers and classes are naturally social setting through the three stages of the cycle of action research. In order to improve learning outcomes and learning activities of students in the room woke flat side of classroom action research conducted using a combination of cooperative learning approaches and media jigsaw original object.The research was done in class IX SMP Negeri 2 Shaded by three cycles.In the first cycle, the majority of students not yet accustomed to the conditions jigsaw cooperative learning by using media the original object, so that action by explaining to the students about the principles of cooperative learning jigsaw. In the second cycle, students and teachers have started to understand the implementation of cooperative learning jigsaw and showing satisfactory results. From observation result of student activity increase. While the learning outcomes of students geometrical flat side showed an increase from an average of 53 in the first cycle to 79 in the second cycle and 80 cycles third. Mastery learning students also showed an increase of 43% in the first cycle to 87% in the second cycle and 90% in the third cycle of the value of a minimum completeness criteria 60. In terms of implementation of action research, the cycle of the first, second, and third it can be concluded that a combination of approaches cooperative learning jigsaw and original objects media to improve learning outcomes wake flat side room and activity of students in class IX students of SMP Negeri 2 Bayang.

<p>The communication ability possessed by humans, especially Christians, is used to realize God's will. One of them is in carrying out the real Great Commission in the field of education, especially in the learning process. Learning in the classroom must take place effectively so that learning objectives are achieved through the realization of effective communication. Often, teachers have not been able to build effective communication because teachers are not able to manage the class properly through the delivery of appropriate information and according to the characteristics of student development, so that many students are less serious and disciplined in learning. Therefore, this article aims to discuss the importance of delivering the right information in building effective communication to third grade elementary school students as research subjects in this paper. Based on the results of the study, it was found that teachers experienced problems in managing the class, especially in attracting students' attention, giving instructions, conveying and applying class rules and procedures so that effective communication in classroom management had not been achieved, while in delivering subject matter, effective communication was quite built because students actively involved. Submission of appropriate information is very important for teachers to do, especially in building effective communication because it really determines the success or failure of learning activities by considering the characteristics of student development. Christian teachers also act as facilitators who reflect Christian values in every teaching they do.</p><p><strong>BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: </strong>Kemampuan berkomunikasi yang dimiliki oleh manusia terutama orang Kristen digunakan untuk mewujudkan kehendak Tuhan. Salah satunya dalam menjalankan Amanat Agung yang nyata dalam bidang pendidikan khususnya dalam proses pembelajaran. Pembelajaran di dalam kelas harus berlangsung dengan efektif agar tujuan pembelajaran tercapai melalui terwujudnya komunikasi efektif. Sering kali, guru belum dapat membangun komunikasi efektif tersebut karena guru tidak mampu mengelola kelas dengan baik melalui penyampaian informasi yang tepat dan sesuai karakteristik perkembangan siswa, sehingga banyak siswa yang kurang serius dan disiplin dalam belajar. Oleh karena itu, artikel ini bertujuan untuk membahas mengenai pentingnya penyampaian informasi yang tepat dalam membangun komunikasi efektif kepada siswa kelas III SD sebagai subjek penelitian dalam makalah ini. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian tersebut, ditemukan bahwa guru mengalami kendala dalam mengelola kelas khususnya dalam menarik perhatian siswa, memberi instruksi, menyampaikan dan menerapkan peraturan<em> </em>dan prosedur kelas sehingga komunikasi efektif dalam pengelolaan kelas belum tercapai, sedangkan dalam penyampaian materi pelajaran, komunikasi efektif cukup terbangun karena siswa terlibat aktif. Penyampaian informasi yang tepat sangatlah penting untuk guru lakukan khususnya dalam membangun komunikasi efektif karena sangat menentukan berhasil atau tidaknya kegiatan pembelajaran dengan mempertimbangakan karakteristik perkembangan siswa. Guru Kristen juga berperan sebagai fasilitator yang mencerminkan nilai-nilai Kristiani dalam setiap pengajaran yang dilakukannya.</p><div><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /></div>

Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the discourse expectations of formal classroom lessons in order to provide an informational base for curriculum-based language intervention. Samples of oral communication exchanges between general education teachers and their students in five classrooms each at first-, third-, and fifth-grade levels (15 total) were audiotaped. Grade level changes included significant increases in the syntactic complexity of teachers' language from third- to fifth-grade level, as well as findings that fifth-grade teachers conveyed content more frequently than first-grade teachers and that first-grade teachers called on students by name more often than either third- or fifth-grade teachers. Ten rules were generated from these discourse samples and from prior research to summarize the expectations that students must infer in order to participate successfully in formal lessons. Implications for students with communicative disorders are considered.

Urban Education
Ed.M.
Corporal punishment is a common practice that has been employed in classrooms in Jamaica for many years. This practice, as it is used to manage classroom behavior, although viewed as valuable by some, presents extremely detrimental effects. This study outlines positive approaches to classroom management to provide Jamaican classrooms with alternatives to corporal punishment. This is done by investigating the effectiveness of two Applied Behavior Analysis techniques, the Good Behavior Game and Differential Reinforcement of Low Rate Response, on disruptive behavior in a third grade classroom in a rural school in Jamaica. Results from the implementation of both procedures display positive outcomes and reveal that positive approaches to classroom management are effective in improving disruptive behavior. These procedures demonstrate the effectiveness of promoting positive behavior and refrain from utilizing corporal punishment. Such strategies also motivate students, increase instructional time, are cost efficient, and can be easily implemented by teachers.
Temple University--Theses

After becoming interested in the beauty of numbers and the intricate patterns of their behavior, the author concluded that it would be a good idea to make the subject available for students earlier in their educational experience. In this thesis, the author developed four units in combinatorics, namely Fundamental Principles, Permutations, Combinations, and Pascal's Triangle, which are appropriate for third grade level.

Students’ mathematics identity has become a more prominent concept in the research literature (Jackson & Wilson, 2012). The experiences of African Americans are still underreported, with African American elementary students receiving the least attention. This dissertation uses a case study method to explore two learners’ experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore African American third grade students’ classroom interactions with mathematics in order to better understand factors that promote positive mathematics identities. This research study explored the mathematics classroom influences on three third grade African American learners’ mathematics identities in a K-8 school in a north central Midwestern city in the United States. The school was classified as 100% free and reduced lunch and served approximately 900 students, with the vast majority of students classified as African American. The three student participants and their teacher were all African American. The student participants wore glasses that video recorded their perspectives. A stationary camera was also used to capture the wider classroom environment. Each student participant completed three interviews (Seidman, 2013). The teacher participant completed one interview. Additionally, the student participants completed a mathematics interest questionnaire. Findings showed the importance of an explicit focus on the Standards for Mathematical Practice, a growth mindset, and positioning for promoting positive mathematics identities. In one case study, Janae’s experiences in lessons about fractions highlight the relevance of the Standards for Mathematical Practice, specifically attending to precision and making sense of and persevering in solving problems. In both the classroom and in interviews, she shows the importance of making sense of problems and persevering in solving them and of attending to precision. In the second manuscript, I explore Jaane and Kayla’s different experiences. Janae was positioned more positively and faces limited resistance in maintaining a positive mathematics identity. Kayla, on the other hand, regularly rejected and renegotiated the positions offered to her as she aimed for success and a positive mathematics identity. Kayla’s growth mindset and negotiation of positions offered to her in the classroom were critical factors in how she maintained a positive mathematics identity.

Educators have been challenged for many years to engage their students, but often students still seem to be disengaged (Klem & Connell, 2004). Research indicates student engagement is critical to student achievement and success in school (Appleton, 2008; Connell, Spencer, & Aber, 1994; Easton, 2008; Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). Student engagement is imperative in all subject areas, yet, after considering the research, writing is a particularly significant school subject that may be impacted by student engagement. Considering the research on engagement and the need to improve students’ literacy achievement, there is a compelling reason to know how and when students are engaged in writing. The aim of this study was to investigate the intersection of engagement theory and students’ engagement. Specifically, this inquiry focused on the students’ perceptions of engagement while identifying indicators of engagement and factors affecting engagement related to the student, task, or context within the writing classroom. My study addressed the following questions: (a) How can student’s engagement in a writing classroom be described? and (b) What are students’ perceptions of their engagement in a writing classroom? The findings of this study prompt educators to consider the importance of focusing on engagement in our classrooms. Students identified factors that promoted their engagement: importance of choice, making connections and teacher modeling. This study also found engagement and attitude influenced each other resulting in a positive classroom environment. Finally, this research identified the significance of student voice and how students are able to ascertain their level of engagement, if asked.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008.
The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 12, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Since the publication of the National Science Education Standards in 1996 efforts have been made to include inquiry into school science programs. An addendum on inquiry to these standards was published in 2000 presenting five essential features of classroom inquiry as indicators of the active use of inquiry in a science lesson. The purpose of this content analysis was to examine and identify the presence of these five essential features of classroom inquiry within publisher-identified inquiry activities found in the 2000 and 2010 teacher's editions of the third grade science textbooks published by Scott Foresman. The textbooks were read and coded using each of the five essential features of classroom inquiry as a priori categories. Data from both textbook editions indicated that although these activities were identified as inquiries, only a few contained all five essential features, while about half contained none. Approximately half of the publisher-identified inquiries were partial inquiries, containing less than five of the essential features. Teachers who use these resources should be aware of the presence or lack of the essential features in order to supplement the science curriculum. Publishers need to be more explicit in including these features and further research should be conducted in more textbooks to better understand the quality and quantity of inquiry activities found within these resources.

The purpose of this study was to determine if an association existed between student achievement scores and classroom practices used among third-grade teachers in Upper East Tennessee. The variables included classroom environment, instructional context, and social context, employing developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). Teacher characteristics, including type of degree, highest degree, years of experience, level of DAP knowledge, and degree granting institution, were analyzed for characteristics influencing developmentally appropriate practices. The instrument, Assessment of Practices in Early Elementary Classrooms (APEEC), was used to gather information; the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP/CRT) Reading/Language and Mathematics scores were used to determine student' achievement level. A demographic survey was used to collect teacher characteristic information. An initial analysis of data incorporated simple descriptive statistics in the form of frequency tables. Independent samples t tests, analyses of variance (ANOVAs), and Pearson Product moment correlation coefficients were used to determine if there were associations in DAP levels among teacher characteristics. Finally, one-way-analysis of variance assessed the associations between the dependent variables (TCAP/CRT scores) and independent variables (environment, instruction, and social context). The analysis of the data indicated that the majority of the third-grade teachers were certified in elementary education. Over half of the sample had master's degrees or above. Six had not taught any grades except third. The third-grade teachers had less experience in teaching kindergarten and more experience in first and second grades. An independent-samples t test indicated no significant differences in APEEC scores between teachers with early childhood degrees and teachers with other degrees; no significant differences in APEEC scores between teachers with a bachelor's degree and teachers with a master's or higher degree; and no significant differences between degree granting institutions. Correlation coefficients indicated APEEC scores were not significantly affected by teachers' years of experience. ANOVAs indicated significant differences in APEEC physical environment and social environment scores among teachers having a great deal of DAP knowledge but not in classroom instruction. ANOVAs indicated significant differences in classroom instruction and student achievement scores in Reading/Language, but not in Math. No significant differences were found in APEEC social and physical context scores.

In this account of a fifth grade classroom teacher embarking with her class into the world of mobile learning, three university researchers collaborated to describe her first year experience using iPads in a one-to-one setting. As Ms. G set out to effectively infuse mobile devices into her classroom pedagogy, the authors detail some of the key decisions that led to her successfully managing the iPads while seamlessly adjusting her classroom management strategies to meet the needs of her students and classroom routines. The exploratory case study findings offer practicing educators and teacher educators, alike, helpful suggestions for introducing mobile devices into their classroom and begin a dialogue about the various practices and classroom management implications for a variety of uses of mobile devices in K-6 settings.

This chapter chronicles the planning and classroom management practices of the first-year implementation of a 1:1 iPad initiative in a suburban, co-educational, independent, PreK-4th grade elementary school in the United States that was examined through a mixed methods QUAL ? QUAN case study. Findings demonstrate that the school's administrators and teachers engaged in pre-planning activities prior to the implementation of the iPad initiative, teachers viewed the iPads as tools in the planning process (iPads were not perceived as the content or subject to be taught/learned), and teachers flexibly employed different classroom management techniques and rules as they learned to integrate iPads in their classrooms. Additionally, the findings reveal the need for continuous formal and informal professional development that offers teachers multiple and varied opportunities to share their planning and classroom management practices, build their confidence and expertise in effective integration of iPads, and learn with and from one another.

This chapter outlines an approach to whole learner education in an elementary school literacy classroom by building upon the work of scholars in Disability Studies in Education (DSE) and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP). It begins by introducing the connections between whole learner education, DSE, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and CSP, demonstrating how these theoretical frameworks overlap and how they can be used in tandem to enhance the work already done in each field. After providing this theoretical background, the chapter outlines the components of a balanced literacy block in a third grade classroom, demonstrating how elementary school educators can work to meet the individual learning needs of developing readers in the various areas of balanced literacy (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension), while also attending to student identities and making instruction accessible to students with learning variations.

Oftentimes, elementary students are not provided with rich, investigative lessons that support computation thinking (CT) and critical analysis through the use of tools. The purpose of this study was to explore how programming educational robotics (ERs) support third grade gifted students' CT skills in the context of Taxicab geometry focusing on data processing abilities and time estimation skills. Using qualitative case study methodology, data were gathered though classroom interviews, observations and document analyses. Results indicated that ERs provided students with opportunities for both learning programming in early grades and applying mathematical knowledge and skills through a meaningful task that supported content commonly emphasized in mathematics. Specifically, there was growth in student understanding in terms of abstraction, decomposition, algorithmic thinking, evaluation, and generalization. The findings also suggested that working with ERs supported students' estimation and data processing skills. Implications are provided for the integration of ERs as a tool for primary gifted students' learning of mathematics in technology-mediated environments emphasizing CT.

The current research aimed at designing a proposed curriculum in career education for business secondary schools students and measuring its effectiveness on developing career knowledge management domains and professional thinking skills. To achieve the desired goal, the researcher applied the system approach in designing the suggested career education curriculum, the developmental research methodology for developing the instructional materials and media, and the quasi-experimental design to measure the effectiveness the proposed curriculum on a sample of the third grade business secondary school students in Egypt. The suggested curriculum contains four main stages/phases: 1) career knowledge generation; 2) career knowledge organization; 3) career knowledge utilization; and 4) career knowledge distribution. These phases were integrated into one system to develop both career knowledge management skills and professional thinking among the target sample. The units of the curriculum were designed in an interactive way according to the principles of the blended-units approach that concentrates on knowledge and knowledge applications for achieving career requirements needed to joining 21st century business and administration jobs. A sample of 50 students enrolled in a business secondary school were selected randomly and divided equally into two groups: the experimental group (n= 25) and the control group (n= 25). The researcher developed two main instruments: 1) an achievement test; and 2) a professional thinking scale. The achievement test included two parts: 1) measuring the professional knowledge, and 2) performance measuring of the skills of designing professional portfolio. In addition, a rubric was used to evaluate the production of the professional portfolio. The findings revealed that the suggested curriculum was effective in developing both career knowledge management domains and professional thinking skills; as there were significant statistical differences between the two groups in favor of the experimental group. A set of educational recommendations were suggested.

Cano and Smurr became co-teachers and developed a social emotional learning (SEL) supplementary curriculum to use along their mandated English Language Arts curricula in their seventh and eighth grade classes. Through a process of research and development, their primary purpose was to identify the effectiveness of social emotional learning curriculum. This chapter will expand on the implementation and the impact of SEL curriculum created by Cano and Smurr; this curriculum was developed and implemented throughout the 2018-2019 school year and demonstrated student responsiveness towards learning and personal well-being. The SEL curriculum is strongly based off CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) standards: self-efficacy, growth mindset, self-management, social awareness, and self-awareness. The assignments impacted student learning in multiple areas such as an avenue of advocacy for learning needs, normalized stigmatized topics in the classroom, and assistance in student self-reflection and metacognition skills.

As a first-year teacher, I sometimes felt that I was learning more than my students. I learned more about teaching and how people learn in my first year of teaching than I had in my five years of college education. Maybe that’s because some of my training at two different universities actually conflicted with OC philosophy. My training had taught me that my students really couldn’t learn unless I was in total control of my classroom, but the more control I used in my classroom, the less my students learned (and the less fun we all had). I remember giving a lesson that I thought went really well during my student teaching at another school. Later, an experienced teacher told me that I had not been strict enough in enforcing the classroom rules, because some of the students were reaching into their desks or fidgeting with things while I was up in front teaching. So I put into practice the “listening position,” an idea I had heard about in my management class. The “listening position” had four rules that every student had to follow while anyone was up in front of the class. First, everyone needed to be sitting flat on their bottom on their chair, with the chair on all four legs and under the desk as far as it would go. Second, the tops of the desks had to be completely clear, leaving no room for distractions. Third, everyone’s hands had to remain on the desk at all times. If a student needed an item in his desk (even a pencil or text book), he needed to raise his hand and ask permission. Fourth, all eyes had to be looking forward. A very natural way to learn, don’t you think? I am sure it felt more like being in a prison. The consequence for not being in “listening position” was getting your name on the board. As subsequent infractions occurred and checks were added to your name, things started to happen— phone calls to your parents, being removed from class, being taken to the principal’s office, and so on.

Cooperative learning involves students working in groups on problems or projects such that it fosters positive interdependence, individual accountability, leadership, decision making, communication, and conflict management skills (Johnson, Smith, & Smith, 1991). Felder and Brent (1983) indicate that cooperative learning also enhances short-term mastery, long-term retention, understanding of course material, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Recent literature suggests a number of cooperative learning strategies; however, many of these strategies may not be as effective or practical in large classes because of the larger number of students. Teaching a large class itself is challenging. Introducing cooperative learning strategies in large classes is even more challenging. Felder has described some innovative techniques including cooperative learning strategies for effectively teaching large classes. This article describes some other cooperative learning strategies that were used in large classes and provides results of student feedback on those strategies. The second section describes the results of a local survey on large class offerings in science education in some institutions in the western part of Nigeria. The third section describes cooperative learning strategies that were used inside or outside of a classroom. The results and conclusions are given in the fourth and fifth sections, respectively.

Material Science is known to first year mechanical engineering students as one of the fundamental courses with high work load. The knowledge of the complex science of materials enables students to select appropriate engineering materials in different designs due to acquired knowledge on the correlation of materials properties, microstructure and their intended manipulation. These abilities are not well constituted in one final exam. Therefore peer-to-peer lecture film supported inverted classroom szenarios were estabilished to work in the course. These were accompanied by a newly developed moodle course following the blended learning approach that gives students the chance to cumulative accomplish micro-grades via multiple activities, such as tests, lectures, presentations, forum discussions, written homeworks and glossary entries. These grades are summed to obtain the overall course grade. Improved learing outcomes are demonstrated in high quality class discussions and most -important to students- in better grades (average 43/60=B) compared to those being assessed by one final exam only (average 39/69=C+). The majority of students agreed on enhanced study skills when forced to study throughout the entire semester instead of learing intensely towards the end of the semester. This paper introduces the learning structure as well as graded activities, evaluates the course and compares activity results to former class results.

The present paper explores the use of the professional social network LinkedIn in the teaching of official masters. It is based on two projects of teaching innovation that are based on the information contained in the alumni profiles of the Master in Hotel Companies Management of the Complutense University of Madrid. Thanks to its analysis, valuable information about the insertion and career of the master’s graduates is obtained, while it implies a greater interrelation between the academic and labour world. In this way, the quality of the teaching-learning process can be verified and improved with the approach of the labour world and the incorporation of the experiences of alumni to the classroom as an enrichment of regulated teaching.

The sense of efficaciousness for teaching diverse learners was examined with twenty-four pre-service teachers concurrently enrolled in a junior-level Creative Arts methods course and a field experience course with placements in K-2 general education classrooms. The pre-service teachers participated in music and literacy activities in their university class, then planned and implemented standards-based music activities in literacy lessons with their young students. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, including a teacher self-efficacy scale, an attitude survey, written reflections, interviews, open-ended responses, and lesson plans. Results demonstrated a significant increase in the pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in pre-post ratings analysis and indicated that this project contributed to their efficacy for meeting needs of diverse learners in the elementary classrooms. The pre-service teachers demonstrated proactive classroom management and reflected upon their students’ increased focus in class. The pre-service teachers indicated that their success with these types of projects encouraged them to plan for similar implementation with their future diverse learners, potentially contributing to a positive impact on their future performance. Additionally, this project emanated Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by encouraging self-reflection; examining and applying effective teaching strategies; and advancing the field of teacher education. Keywords: Self-Efficacy, Diverse Learners, Music Integration, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Abstract Lean Thinking is a philosophy which principles were redesigned from Toyota Production System (TPS) by Womack and Jones of MIT. Currently, Lean Thinking principles are taught in the academy and are applied in all sectors, from production to services. Services is what is provided to students in a university. Teachers provide a service to them, and they are the clients of this service. As so, teachers want to provide the best service, adding value to the “client” product. In order to do so, they search for new methods that create flow in the way students learn what they need to learn. Lean Thinking have been providing tools to the classroom to obtain such flow. This paper intends to present a tool, an A3 report, which was used by engineering students to analyze, interpret and report a published case study. This was a team assignment task among others. This task was assessed as a component for the final grade of a course of third year of Master Integrated of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM). The presentations, A3 reports and discussions results were analyzed and compared using Bloom taxonomy levels and 3H taxonomy to infer about students learning. Main findings obtained were very positive.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.

Attention to safety and health are of ever-increasing priority to industrial organizations. Good Safety is demanded by stockholders, employees, and the community while increasing injury costs provide additional motivation for safety and health excellence. Safety has always been a strong corporate value of DuPont and a vital part of its culture. As a result, DuPont has become a benchmark in safety and health performance. Since 1990, DuPont has re-engineered itself to meet global competition and address future vision. In the new re-engineered organizational structures, DuPont has also had to re-engineer its safety management systems. A special Discovery Team was chartered by DuPont senior management to determine the “best practices’ for safety and health being used in DuPont best-performing sites. A summary of the findings is presented, and five of the practices are discussed. Excellence in safety and health management is more important today than ever. Public awareness, federal and state regulations, and enlightened management have resulted in a widespread conviction that all employees have the right to work in an environment that will not adversely affect their safety and health. In DuPont, we believe that excellence in safety and health is necessary to achieve global competitiveness, maintain employee loyalty, and be an accepted member of the communities in which we make, handle, use, and transport products. Safety can also be the “catalyst” to achieving excellence in other important business parameters. The organizational and communication skills developed by management, individuals, and teams in safety can be directly applied to other company initiatives. As we look into the 21st Century, we must also recognize that new organizational structures (flatter with empowered teams) will require new safety management techniques and systems in order to maintain continuous improvement in safety performance. Injury costs, which have risen dramatically in the past twenty years, provide another incentive for safety and health excellence. Shown in the Figure 1, injury costs have increased even after correcting for inflation. Many companies have found these costs to be an “invisible drain” on earnings and profitability. In some organizations, significant initiatives have been launched to better manage the workers’ compensation systems. We have found that the ultimate solution is to prevent injuries and incidents before they occur. A globally-respected company, DuPont is regarded as a well-managed, extremely ethical firm that is the benchmark in industrial safety performance. Like many other companies, DuPont has re-engineered itself and downsized its operations since 1985. Through these changes, we have maintained dedication to our principles and developed new techniques to manage in these organizational environments. As a diversified company, our operations involve chemical process facilities, production line operations, field activities, and sales and distribution of materials. Our customer base is almost entirely industrial and yet we still maintain a high level of consumer awareness and positive perception. The DuPont concern for safety dates back to the early 1800s and the first days of the company. In 1802 E.I. DuPont, a Frenchman, began manufacturing quality grade explosives to fill America’s growing need to build roads, clear fields, increase mining output, and protect its recently won independence. Because explosives production is such a hazardous industry, DuPont recognized and accepted the need for an effective safety effort. The building walls of the first powder mill near Wilmington, Delaware, were built three stones thick on three sides. The back remained open to the Brandywine River to direct any explosive forces away from other buildings and employees. To set the safety example, DuPont also built his home and the homes of his managers next to the powder yard. An effective safety program was a necessity. It represented the first defense against instant corporate liquidation. Safety needs more than a well-designed plant, however. In 1811, work rules were posted in the mill to guide employee work habits. Though not nearly as sophisticated as the safety standards of today, they did introduce an important basic concept — that safety must be a line management responsibility. Later, DuPont introduced an employee health program and hired a company doctor. An early step taken in 1912 was the keeping of safety statistics, approximately 60 years before the federal requirement to do so. We had a visible measure of our safety performance and were determined that we were going to improve it. When the nation entered World War I, the DuPont Company supplied 40 percent of the explosives used by the Allied Forces, more than 1.5 billion pounds. To accomplish this task, over 30,000 new employees were hired and trained to build and operate many plants. Among these facilities was the largest smokeless powder plant the world had ever seen. The new plant was producing granulated powder in a record 116 days after ground breaking. The trends on the safety performance chart reflect the problems that a large new work force can pose until the employees fully accept the company’s safety philosophy. The first arrow reflects the World War I scale-up, and the second arrow represents rapid diversification into new businesses during the 1920s. These instances of significant deterioration in safety performance reinforced DuPont’s commitment to reduce the unsafe acts that were causing 96 percent of our injuries. Only 4 percent of injuries result from unsafe conditions or equipment — the remainder result from the unsafe acts of people. This is an important concept if we are to focus our attention on reducing injuries and incidents within the work environment. World War II brought on a similar set of demands. The story was similar to World War I but the numbers were even more astonishing: one billion dollars in capital expenditures, 54 new plants, 75,000 additional employees, and 4.5 billion pounds of explosives produced — 20 percent of the volume used by the Allied Forces. Yet, the performance during the war years showed no significant deviation from the pre-war years. In 1941, the DuPont Company was 10 times safer than all industry and 9 times safer than the Chemical Industry. Management and the line organization were finally working as they should to control the real causes of injuries. Today, DuPont is about 50 times safer than US industrial safety performance averages. Comparing performance to other industries, it is interesting to note that seemingly “hazard-free” industries seem to have extraordinarily high injury rates. This is because, as DuPont has found out, performance is a function of injury prevention and safety management systems, not hazard exposure. Our success in safety results from a sound safety management philosophy. Each of the 125 DuPont facilities is responsible for its own safety program, progress, and performance. However, management at each of these facilities approaches safety from the same fundamental and sound philosophy. This philosophy can be expressed in eleven straightforward principles. The first principle is that all injuries can be prevented. That statement may seem a bit optimistic. In fact, we believe that this is a realistic goal and not just a theoretical objective. Our safety performance proves that the objective is achievable. We have plants with over 2,000 employees that have operated for over 10 years without a lost time injury. As injuries and incidents are investigated, we can always identify actions that could have prevented that incident. If we manage safety in a proactive — rather than reactive — manner, we will eliminate injuries by reducing the acts and conditions that cause them. The second principle is that management, which includes all levels through first-line supervisors, is responsible and accountable for preventing injuries. Only when senior management exerts sustained and consistent leadership in establishing safety goals, demanding accountability for safety performance and providing the necessary resources, can a safety program be effective in an industrial environment. The third principle states that, while recognizing management responsibility, it takes the combined energy of the entire organization to reach sustained, continuous improvement in safety and health performance. Creating an environment in which employees feel ownership for the safety effort and make significant contributions is an essential task for management, and one that needs deliberate and ongoing attention. The fourth principle is a corollary to the first principle that all injuries are preventable. It holds that all operating exposures that may result in injuries or illnesses can be controlled. No matter what the exposure, an effective safeguard can be provided. It is preferable, of course, to eliminate sources of danger, but when this is not reasonable or practical, supervision must specify measures such as special training, safety devices, and protective clothing. Our fifth safety principle states that safety is a condition of employment. Conscientious assumption of safety responsibility is required from all employees from their first day on the job. Each employee must be convinced that he or she has a responsibility for working safely. The sixth safety principle: Employees must be trained to work safely. We have found that an awareness for safety does not come naturally and that people have to be trained to work safely. With effective training programs to teach, motivate, and sustain safety knowledge, all injuries and illnesses can be eliminated. Our seventh principle holds that management must audit performance on the workplace to assess safety program success. Comprehensive inspections of both facilities and programs not only confirm their effectiveness in achieving the desired performance, but also detect specific problems and help to identify weaknesses in the safety effort. The Company’s eighth principle states that all deficiencies must be corrected promptly. Without prompt action, risk of injuries will increase and, even more important, the credibility of management’s safety efforts will suffer. Our ninth principle is a statement that off-the-job safety is an important part of the overall safety effort. We do not expect nor want employees to “turn safety on” as they come to work and “turn it off” when they go home. The company safety culture truly becomes of the individual employee’s way of thinking. The tenth principle recognizes that it’s good business to prevent injuries. Injuries cost money. However, hidden or indirect costs usually exceed the direct cost. Our last principle is the most important. Safety must be integrated as core business and personal value. There are two reasons for this. First, we’ve learned from almost 200 years of experience that 96 percent of safety incidents are directly caused by the action of people, not by faulty equipment or inadequate safety standards. But conversely, it is our people who provide the solutions to our safety problems. They are the one essential ingredient in the recipe for a safe workplace. Intelligent, trained, and motivated employees are any company’s greatest resource. Our success in safety depends upon the men and women in our plants following procedures, participating actively in training, and identifying and alerting each other and management to potential hazards. By demonstrating a real concern for each employee, management helps establish a mutual respect, and the foundation is laid for a solid safety program. This, of course, is also the foundation for good employee relations. An important lesson learned in DuPont is that the majority of injuries are caused by unsafe acts and at-risk behaviors rather than unsafe equipment or conditions. In fact, in several DuPont studies it was estimated that 96 percent of injuries are caused by unsafe acts. This was particularly revealing when considering safety audits — if audits were only focused on conditions, at best we could only prevent four percent of our injuries. By establishing management systems for safety auditing that focus on people, including audit training, techniques, and plans, all incidents are preventable. Of course, employee contribution and involvement in auditing leads to sustainability through stakeholdership in the system. Management safety audits help to make manage the “behavioral balance.” Every job and task performed at a site can do be done at-risk or safely. The essence of a good safety system ensures that safe behavior is the accepted norm amongst employees, and that it is the expected and respected way of doing things. Shifting employees norms contributes mightily to changing culture. The management safety audit provides a way to quantify these norms. DuPont safety performance has continued to improve since we began keeping records in 1911 until about 1990. In the 1990–1994 time frame, performance deteriorated as shown in the chart that follows: This increase in injuries caused great concern to senior DuPont management as well as employees. It occurred while the corporation was undergoing changes in organization. In order to sustain our technological, competitive, and business leadership positions, DuPont began re-engineering itself beginning in about 1990. New streamlined organizational structures and collaborative work processes eliminated many positions and levels of management and supervision. The total employment of the company was reduced about 25 percent during these four years. In our traditional hierarchical organization structures, every level of supervision and management knew exactly what they were expected to do with safety, and all had important roles. As many of these levels were eliminated, new systems needed to be identified for these new organizations. In early 1995, Edgar S. Woolard, DuPont Chairman, chartered a Corporate Discovery Team to look for processes that will put DuPont on a consistent path toward a goal of zero injuries and occupational illnesses. The cross-functional team used a mode of “discovery through learning” from as many DuPont employees and sites around the world. The Discovery Team fostered the rapid sharing and leveraging of “best practices” and innovative approaches being pursued at DuPont’s plants, field sites, laboratories, and office locations. In short, the team examined the company’s current state, described the future state, identified barriers between the two, and recommended key ways to overcome these barriers. After reporting back to executive management in April, 1995, the Discovery Team was realigned to help organizations implement their recommendations. The Discovery Team reconfirmed key values in DuPont — in short, that all injuries, incidents, and occupational illnesses are preventable and that safety is a source of competitive advantage. As such, the steps taken to improve safety performance also improve overall competitiveness. Senior management made this belief clear: “We will strengthen our business by making safety excellence an integral part of all business activities.” One of the key findings of the Discovery Team was the identification of the best practices used within the company, which are listed below: ▪ Felt Leadership – Management Commitment ▪ Business Integration ▪ Responsibility and Accountability ▪ Individual/Team Involvement and Influence ▪ Contractor Safety ▪ Metrics and Measurements ▪ Communications ▪ Rewards and Recognition ▪ Caring Interdependent Culture; Team-Based Work Process and Systems ▪ Performance Standards and Operating Discipline ▪ Training/Capability ▪ Technology ▪ Safety and Health Resources ▪ Management and Team Audits ▪ Deviation Investigation ▪ Risk Management and Emergency Response ▪ Process Safety ▪ Off-the-Job Safety and Health Education Attention to each of these best practices is essential to achieve sustained improvements in safety and health. The Discovery Implementation in conjunction with DuPont Safety and Environmental Management Services has developed a Safety Self-Assessment around these systems. In this presentation, we will discuss a few of these practices and learn what they mean. Paper published with permission.