Deidre Sessoms - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Deidre Sessoms
Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, 2005
Journal of Educational Computing Research, Jun 1, 2005
This paper describes a collaborative professional development model in which faculty in a College... more This paper describes a collaborative professional development model in which faculty in a College of Education partnered with a local school district to design and implement a year-long project in an effort to increase effective integration of technology in instruction by K-8 classroom teachers, university teacher preparation faculty, pre-service teachers and novice teachers graduating from that teacher preparation program. A brief description of the project, its accomplishments and dilemmas, analysis of the project design and experiences of participants through the lens of situative professional development for teachers is presented. Lessons for structuring professional development such that subsequent improvements in technology use within partnership schools and teacher preparation programs can occur are discussed. RUNNING HEAD: A COLLABORATIVE MODEL 3 With the advent of the World Wide Web and the Internet, the possible educational uses of computer technology by K-12 students greatly expanded. National and state standards were adopted that covered technology integration in the classroom(California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2001; International Society for Technology in Education, 2000, 2002). Federal and state programs to support technology integration in classroom instruction were designed and funded (e.g. the federal Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology [PT3] grants, California Technology Assistance Program [CTAP]). Classroom teachers who believed there were unique educational opportunities presented by computer and Internet technology became early adopters of technology use in classrooms (Ringstaff, Yocam, & Marsh, 1996; Rogers, 1995). These early adopters joined national leaders as advocates for integration of technology as one approach to educational reform.
Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with des... more Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with desired outcomes in teacher retention, persistence, and practices; however, evaluation of such programs has, to date, consisted almost solely of participant accounts, with little to no triangulation with additional sources of data. The STAR Program is a nine-week paid summer research experience for pre and early career K-12 STEM teachers. This study triangulated data collected from STAR alumni and a comparison group of teachers with data collected from supervisor/observer interviews and student assessments in an effort to identify the program’s impact, if any, on teacher retention, persistence, and practices. While clear demarcations between the alumni and the comparison group were not readily apparent in initial survey data, the interview data did indicate that research experiences may impact teachers in ways not found through surveys alone and beyond the study’s research questions, fueling the possibilities for future research.
Research in Practice: Preparing and Retaining K-12 STEM Teachers in High-Need School Districts
For over a decade, the STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Program has been supported by the Natio... more For over a decade, the STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Program has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program along with other funders to provide paid summer research experiences for preservice and early-career science and mathematics teachers at national laboratories and other research facilities. Research into teacher research experiences (TREs) often includes self-report data from program participants, with few studies looking at impacts on students or longer-term impacts. We present results from a set of three Noyce Track 4 Research studies regarding the impact of the STAR Program on teacher effectiveness and productive mind-set. The first study compared eight STAR and non-STAR classrooms and found measurable differences both in how teachers describe their classroom practices and in how students perceive these practices and their own interests and skills, specifically in STEM career awareness, perception of the value of ST...
Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with des... more Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with desired outcomes in teacher retention, persistence, and practices; however, evaluation of such programs has, to date, consisted almost solely of participant accounts, with little to no triangulation with additional sources of data. The STAR Program is a nine-week paid summer research experience for pre and early career K-12 STEM teachers. This study triangulated data collected from STAR alumni and a comparison group of teachers with data collected from supervisor/observer interviews and student assessments in an effort to identify the program’s impact, if any, on teacher retention, persistence, and practices. While clear demarcations between the alumni and the comparison group were not readily apparent in initial survey data, the interview data did indicate that research experiences may impact teachers in ways not found through surveys alone and beyond the study’s research questions, fueling the possibilities for future research.
Research experiences are becoming popular as teacher training experiences but little is known abo... more Research experiences are becoming popular as teacher training experiences but little is known about their long-term impacts on teachers’ classroom practices, retention, leadership, and student achievement. Limited research on these experiences are often self-report and lack strong theoretical foundations. Our study addressed these gaps using a new theoretical framework, which synthesizes activity theory (Engeström, 2015) with identity as negotiated through communities of practice (Wenger, 1998), and collecting data from teachers, supervisors, and students. The framework allowed us to view the influence of traditional components of multiple activity systems, in accordance with third generation activity theory, on both the direct objects of each system and the shared object of a constellation of systems, in this case, the teachers’ identities. The premise was that enhancing teachers’ identities as researchers might lead to observably distinct classroom practices from those teachers who had not participated. Utilizing this framework proved to be a productive lens to analyze data related to outcomes for teachers who participated in research, allowing us to synthesize their research experience with the contributions from other activity systems to better understand their classroom practices. Data analysis has revealed that teachers’ research experiences mediate their future classroom practices in meaningful and observable ways.
Research experiences are becoming popular as teacher training experiences but little is known abo... more Research experiences are becoming popular as teacher training experiences but little is known about their long-term impacts on teachers’ classroom practices, retention, leadership, and student achievement. Limited research on these experiences are often self-report and lack strong theoretical foundations. Our study addressed these gaps using a new theoretical framework, which synthesizes activity theory (Engeström, 2015) with identity as negotiated through communities of practice (Wenger, 1998), and collecting data from teachers, supervisors, and students. The framework allowed us to view the influence of traditional components of multiple activity systems, in accordance with third generation activity theory, on both the direct objects of each system and the shared object of a constellation of systems, in this case, the teachers’ identities. The premise was that enhancing teachers’ identities as researchers might lead to observably distinct classroom practices from those teachers who had not participated. Utilizing this framework proved to be a productive lens to analyze data related to outcomes for teachers who participated in research, allowing us to synthesize their research experience with the contributions from other activity systems to better understand their classroom practices. Data analysis has revealed that teachers’ research experiences mediate their future classroom practices in meaningful and observable ways.
National Alliance for Broader Impacts Summit, 2019
Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with des... more Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with desired outcomes in teacher retention, persistence, and practices; however, evaluation of such programs has, to date, consisted almost solely of participant accounts, with little to no triangulation with additional sources of data. The STAR Program is a nine-week paid summer research experience for pre and early career K-12 STEM teachers. This study triangulated data collected from STAR alumni and a comparison group of teachers with data collected from supervisor/observer interviews and student assessments in an effort to identify the program’s impact, if any, on teacher retention, persistence, and practices. While clear demarcations between the alumni and the comparison group were not readily apparent in initial survey data, the interview data did indicate that research experiences may impact teachers in ways not found through surveys alone and beyond the study’s research questions, fuelin...
Online Submission, Apr 1, 2006
This paper describes a collaborative professional development model in which faculty in a College... more This paper describes a collaborative professional development model in which faculty in a College of Education partnered with a local school district to design and implement a year-long project in an effort to increase effective integration of technology in instruction by K-8 classroom teachers, university teacher preparation faculty, pre-service teachers and novice teachers graduating from that teacher preparation program. A brief description of the project, its accomplishments and dilemmas, analysis of the project design and experiences of participants through the lens of situative professional development for teachers is presented. Lessons for structuring professional development such that subsequent improvements in technology use within partnership schools and teacher preparation programs can occur are discussed. RUNNING HEAD: A COLLABORATIVE MODEL 3 With the advent of the World Wide Web and the Internet, the possible educational uses of computer technology by K-12 students greatly expanded. National and state standards were adopted that covered technology integration in the classroom(California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2001; International Society for Technology in Education, 2000, 2002). Federal and state programs to support technology integration in classroom instruction were designed and funded (e.g. the federal Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology [PT3] grants, California Technology Assistance Program [CTAP]). Classroom teachers who believed there were unique educational opportunities presented by computer and Internet technology became early adopters of technology use in classrooms (Ringstaff, Yocam, & Marsh, 1996; Rogers, 1995). These early adopters joined national leaders as advocates for integration of technology as one approach to educational reform.
Experimental Mycology
... Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701 Accepted for publication August l, ... more ... Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701 Accepted for publication August l, 1986 SESSOMS, DB, AND LILLY, WW 1986. ... In Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hansen mutant analysis has provided evidence for the involvement of specific proteolytic activities in protein ...
Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, 2005
Journal of Educational Computing Research, Jun 1, 2005
This paper describes a collaborative professional development model in which faculty in a College... more This paper describes a collaborative professional development model in which faculty in a College of Education partnered with a local school district to design and implement a year-long project in an effort to increase effective integration of technology in instruction by K-8 classroom teachers, university teacher preparation faculty, pre-service teachers and novice teachers graduating from that teacher preparation program. A brief description of the project, its accomplishments and dilemmas, analysis of the project design and experiences of participants through the lens of situative professional development for teachers is presented. Lessons for structuring professional development such that subsequent improvements in technology use within partnership schools and teacher preparation programs can occur are discussed. RUNNING HEAD: A COLLABORATIVE MODEL 3 With the advent of the World Wide Web and the Internet, the possible educational uses of computer technology by K-12 students greatly expanded. National and state standards were adopted that covered technology integration in the classroom(California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2001; International Society for Technology in Education, 2000, 2002). Federal and state programs to support technology integration in classroom instruction were designed and funded (e.g. the federal Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology [PT3] grants, California Technology Assistance Program [CTAP]). Classroom teachers who believed there were unique educational opportunities presented by computer and Internet technology became early adopters of technology use in classrooms (Ringstaff, Yocam, & Marsh, 1996; Rogers, 1995). These early adopters joined national leaders as advocates for integration of technology as one approach to educational reform.
Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with des... more Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with desired outcomes in teacher retention, persistence, and practices; however, evaluation of such programs has, to date, consisted almost solely of participant accounts, with little to no triangulation with additional sources of data. The STAR Program is a nine-week paid summer research experience for pre and early career K-12 STEM teachers. This study triangulated data collected from STAR alumni and a comparison group of teachers with data collected from supervisor/observer interviews and student assessments in an effort to identify the program’s impact, if any, on teacher retention, persistence, and practices. While clear demarcations between the alumni and the comparison group were not readily apparent in initial survey data, the interview data did indicate that research experiences may impact teachers in ways not found through surveys alone and beyond the study’s research questions, fueling the possibilities for future research.
Research in Practice: Preparing and Retaining K-12 STEM Teachers in High-Need School Districts
For over a decade, the STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Program has been supported by the Natio... more For over a decade, the STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Program has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program along with other funders to provide paid summer research experiences for preservice and early-career science and mathematics teachers at national laboratories and other research facilities. Research into teacher research experiences (TREs) often includes self-report data from program participants, with few studies looking at impacts on students or longer-term impacts. We present results from a set of three Noyce Track 4 Research studies regarding the impact of the STAR Program on teacher effectiveness and productive mind-set. The first study compared eight STAR and non-STAR classrooms and found measurable differences both in how teachers describe their classroom practices and in how students perceive these practices and their own interests and skills, specifically in STEM career awareness, perception of the value of ST...
Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with des... more Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with desired outcomes in teacher retention, persistence, and practices; however, evaluation of such programs has, to date, consisted almost solely of participant accounts, with little to no triangulation with additional sources of data. The STAR Program is a nine-week paid summer research experience for pre and early career K-12 STEM teachers. This study triangulated data collected from STAR alumni and a comparison group of teachers with data collected from supervisor/observer interviews and student assessments in an effort to identify the program’s impact, if any, on teacher retention, persistence, and practices. While clear demarcations between the alumni and the comparison group were not readily apparent in initial survey data, the interview data did indicate that research experiences may impact teachers in ways not found through surveys alone and beyond the study’s research questions, fueling the possibilities for future research.
Research experiences are becoming popular as teacher training experiences but little is known abo... more Research experiences are becoming popular as teacher training experiences but little is known about their long-term impacts on teachers’ classroom practices, retention, leadership, and student achievement. Limited research on these experiences are often self-report and lack strong theoretical foundations. Our study addressed these gaps using a new theoretical framework, which synthesizes activity theory (Engeström, 2015) with identity as negotiated through communities of practice (Wenger, 1998), and collecting data from teachers, supervisors, and students. The framework allowed us to view the influence of traditional components of multiple activity systems, in accordance with third generation activity theory, on both the direct objects of each system and the shared object of a constellation of systems, in this case, the teachers’ identities. The premise was that enhancing teachers’ identities as researchers might lead to observably distinct classroom practices from those teachers who had not participated. Utilizing this framework proved to be a productive lens to analyze data related to outcomes for teachers who participated in research, allowing us to synthesize their research experience with the contributions from other activity systems to better understand their classroom practices. Data analysis has revealed that teachers’ research experiences mediate their future classroom practices in meaningful and observable ways.
Research experiences are becoming popular as teacher training experiences but little is known abo... more Research experiences are becoming popular as teacher training experiences but little is known about their long-term impacts on teachers’ classroom practices, retention, leadership, and student achievement. Limited research on these experiences are often self-report and lack strong theoretical foundations. Our study addressed these gaps using a new theoretical framework, which synthesizes activity theory (Engeström, 2015) with identity as negotiated through communities of practice (Wenger, 1998), and collecting data from teachers, supervisors, and students. The framework allowed us to view the influence of traditional components of multiple activity systems, in accordance with third generation activity theory, on both the direct objects of each system and the shared object of a constellation of systems, in this case, the teachers’ identities. The premise was that enhancing teachers’ identities as researchers might lead to observably distinct classroom practices from those teachers who had not participated. Utilizing this framework proved to be a productive lens to analyze data related to outcomes for teachers who participated in research, allowing us to synthesize their research experience with the contributions from other activity systems to better understand their classroom practices. Data analysis has revealed that teachers’ research experiences mediate their future classroom practices in meaningful and observable ways.
National Alliance for Broader Impacts Summit, 2019
Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with des... more Current trends in teacher education imply that research experiences positively correlate with desired outcomes in teacher retention, persistence, and practices; however, evaluation of such programs has, to date, consisted almost solely of participant accounts, with little to no triangulation with additional sources of data. The STAR Program is a nine-week paid summer research experience for pre and early career K-12 STEM teachers. This study triangulated data collected from STAR alumni and a comparison group of teachers with data collected from supervisor/observer interviews and student assessments in an effort to identify the program’s impact, if any, on teacher retention, persistence, and practices. While clear demarcations between the alumni and the comparison group were not readily apparent in initial survey data, the interview data did indicate that research experiences may impact teachers in ways not found through surveys alone and beyond the study’s research questions, fuelin...
Online Submission, Apr 1, 2006
This paper describes a collaborative professional development model in which faculty in a College... more This paper describes a collaborative professional development model in which faculty in a College of Education partnered with a local school district to design and implement a year-long project in an effort to increase effective integration of technology in instruction by K-8 classroom teachers, university teacher preparation faculty, pre-service teachers and novice teachers graduating from that teacher preparation program. A brief description of the project, its accomplishments and dilemmas, analysis of the project design and experiences of participants through the lens of situative professional development for teachers is presented. Lessons for structuring professional development such that subsequent improvements in technology use within partnership schools and teacher preparation programs can occur are discussed. RUNNING HEAD: A COLLABORATIVE MODEL 3 With the advent of the World Wide Web and the Internet, the possible educational uses of computer technology by K-12 students greatly expanded. National and state standards were adopted that covered technology integration in the classroom(California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2001; International Society for Technology in Education, 2000, 2002). Federal and state programs to support technology integration in classroom instruction were designed and funded (e.g. the federal Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology [PT3] grants, California Technology Assistance Program [CTAP]). Classroom teachers who believed there were unique educational opportunities presented by computer and Internet technology became early adopters of technology use in classrooms (Ringstaff, Yocam, & Marsh, 1996; Rogers, 1995). These early adopters joined national leaders as advocates for integration of technology as one approach to educational reform.
Experimental Mycology
... Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701 Accepted for publication August l, ... more ... Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701 Accepted for publication August l, 1986 SESSOMS, DB, AND LILLY, WW 1986. ... In Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hansen mutant analysis has provided evidence for the involvement of specific proteolytic activities in protein ...