UMBC Education Department

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/36

UMBC’s Education Department offers students undergraduate and graduate programs of study leading to teacher certification recognized in Maryland and 30 other states. It also offers programs leading to a Master’s degree in teacher leadership with concentration in mathematics, science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The Department of Education is committed to providing students with experiences in diverse settings. These are provided through Professional Development Schools and other partnership arrangements with schools in the Baltimore-Washington corridor.

Teaching is a complex and dynamic process requiring a creative synthesis of knowledge and a respect for learners and learning. Mastery of this process demands the development of a broad intellectual perspective on academic, policy and pedagogical issues coupled with extensive and diverse experience in the classroom. The members of the faculty are committed to developing future educators by sharing their extensive backgrounds and experiences in the field of education policy and practice and in major content disciplines.

The UMBC Department of Education offers programs at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels in the areas of Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, ESOL/Bilingual Education, and Training Systems.

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Besties with bots: GenAI as a lesson plan evaluator for preservice teachers
(Taylor & Francis, 2025-03-07) Yang, Shuling; Appleget, Carin
In this study, two literacy teacher educators developed a lesson plan activity to be completed during a focus group interview. Protocols for the focus group were developed using the AI literacy framework. The purpose of the study was to explore preservice teachers’ (PSTs) interactions with GenAI and how GenAI functioned as evaluators of their lesson plans. Analysis revealed PSTs’ varying levels of engagement with the chatbots, highlighting the need for teacher educators to guide effective communication with GenAI technologies. Additionally, PSTs found chatbots’ feedback helpful, viewing them as “besties.” Results showed a blend of human and machine feedback offered significant implications for teacher educators, suggesting the potential benefits of integrating blended feedback systems in teacher preparation programs.
Strengthening Workforce Education: Excellence in Programming Securely (SWEEPS)
(ACM, 2025-02-18) Kariuki, Deborah; Ngambeki, Ida; Dai, Jun; Bishop, Matt; Sun, Xiaoyan; Dark, Melissa; Daugherty, Jenny; Lowrie, Alex; Geissler, Markus; Nico, Phillip; Noor, Arshad
This paper presents and advocates for an initiative to expand access to secure programming education. The Strengthening Workforce Education: Excellence in Programming Securely (SWEEPS) initiative, funded by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program, seeks to advance secure programming and help achieve security aims. SWEEPS establishes a secure programming curriculum and workforce development coalition of seven institutions across two CAE (Center of Academic Excellence) regions (Northeast and Southwest) and five states (California, Massachusetts, Maryland, Indiana, and North Carolina). This coalition includes industry-based stakeholders collaborating with the US Army and government agencies on various projects. SWEEPS draws on prior work establishing critical concepts in secure programming, assessment tools, learning aids, and system infrastructure. The initiative offers a series of interconnected, stackable learning experiences tailored for early to mid-career professionals looking to enhance their cybersecurity skills. These experiences, which include practical one-day workshops and comprehensive year-long graduate certificates, provide a reassuring path for upskilling in secure programming. This paper recommends the efficacy of stackable training approaches in secure programming by exploring the practices of targeting and training individuals with diverse proficiency levels of programming experience who would benefit from increased knowledge and training.
Home Literacy and Mathematics in Bulgaria, Israel, Spain, and the U.S.: How Do Preschool Parents Socialize Academic Readiness?
(Springer Nature, 2025-02-08) Stites, Michele; Sonnenschein, Susan; Aram, Dorit; Karabanov, Galia Meoded; López-Escribano, Carmen; Shtereva, Katerina; Krasniqi, Besjanë; Gursoy, Hatice
Previous research shows that preschool parents in the United States (U.S.) prioritize literacy over mathematics, despite the importance of both subjects for their child's future academic success. However, less is known about how parents in other countries socialize the literacy and mathematics skills of young children. This paper examines the beliefs of preschool parents from Bulgaria (N=103), Israel (N=167), Spain (N=138), and the U.S. (N=183). These countries were selected due to differences in location, economics, religions, languages, and alphabet. Specifically, we examine the importance parents place on home literacy and mathematics, the time spent in the home on those activities, and parents' confidence in supporting their child's learning in both domains. We also examined the type of support and resources parents in each country would value receiving from their child's teacher. The results indicated the importance of expanding research from just U.S. participants. Parents from all four countries valued home literacy and mathematics but viewed literacy as significantly more important. While parents from all four countries viewed literacy as more important, differences between countries were noted when it came to the time spent on different subjects, with Spain and the U.S. spending more time on literacy and Bulgaria and Israel spending more time on mathematics. Parents from the U.S. indicated significantly higher levels of confidence in supporting literacy than parents in the other three countries; however, no differences were noted in confidence for supporting mathematics. The types of resources that parents would like to receive also varied by country.
Increasing Access to Multicultural Books in Early Childhood Classroom Libraries: An Evaluation of the Diverse Books Project
(Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities, 2024-12-20) Godwin, Karrie E.; Kumaravelan, Praveen; Aquino, Ana Katrina; Baker, Linda; Mata-McMahon, Jennifer
This work evaluates the Diverse Books Project, a program of the Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities, through the analysis of archival data on teachers� program participation and anticipated use of the program resources (Study 1). We also gathered retrospective data on teachers� perception of the program抯 utility (Study 2) to help inform future iterations of the program and to provide guidance to other institutions or schools that aim to create similar programming. The Diverse Books Project was designed to provide teachers with access to multicultural children抯 books for their classroom libraries. The program delivered over 1,700 copies of books to more than 100 teachers. The data suggest teachers perceived important benefits from the program for both themselves and their students. Recommendations are provided for future program iterations and lessons learned are offered for institutions who aim to create similar community-school partnerships.
Enhancing AI Literacy: A Collaborative Self-Study of Elementary Teacher Educators
(Taylor & Francis, 2024-12-19) Yang, Shuling; Banks, Amanda
This self-study highlights the collaborative journey of two elementary teacher educators from a rural institution as they navigated the integration of Generative AI (GenAI) into teaching and research. To grow their AI literacy, they engaged in reflective practices, collaborative discussions, and hands-on implementation of GenAI technologies. Through this process, they documented their experiences with AI-driven chatbots, offering insights into their learnings and concerns. Their reflections underscored the importance of understanding GenAI’s role in education, the challenges of integrating GenAI tools effectively, and the potential of GenAI in teaching and learning. The educators concluded that while GenAI can augment human capabilities, it cannot replace human expertise due to its limitations. By capturing their journey, this study contributed to the growing discourse on AI literacy among teacher educators, emphasizing the need for upskilling and ongoing professional development in the face of rapidly evolving technologies.
Mathematics Discourse in Secondary Teacher Candidates’ Lessons: A Mixed Methods Analysis
(MDPI, 2024-11-25) Schmidt, Ashley; Rakes, Christopher; Bush, Sarah B.; Ronau, Robert N.; Soni, Siddhi; Fisher, Molly; Amick, Lisa; Viera, Julian; Safi, Farshid
(1) Background: Meaningful discourse in the mathematics classroom involves creating a learning community that empowers students to articulate their reasoning and make sense of the contributions of their peers while advancing the learning of mathematics for the entire class. This study assessed the degree to which secondary mathematics (Grades 7–12) teacher candidates incorporated discourse into their lessons and the factors influencing their decisions. (2) Methods: An explanatory mixed methods design was used, in which data were collected sequentially. Lesson videos were analyzed, followed by interviews of teacher candidates with high-discourse lessons. (3) Results: This study found that participants showed significant growth in their use of effective teaching practices from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester, including mathematics discourse. The interviews revealed four contributing factors: intentional effort, learning experiences, professional relationships, and pedagogical knowledge. (4) Conclusions: Understanding the experiences of teacher candidates during their own learning of mathematics, their mathematical identities, and beliefs about mathematics could help generate knowledge regarding the implementation of mathematics discourse and other reform-based practices in teacher instruction.
Using Postmodern Picture Books as Mentor Texts for Critical Writing Pedagogy
(NCTE, 2024-09-01) Tondreau, Amy
Using the framework of critical writing pedagogy, this study explores how five elementary students utilized craft moves from postmodern picture books in their own writing.
Sustainability of a dual language program during and beyond COVID-19 challenges
(Taylor & Francis, 2024-10-28) Mata-McMahon, Jennifer; Williams, Sabrina; Daramola, Adebola; Kruse, Lance; Hossain, Shahin
This study evaluates the Dual Language Program (DLP) implemented at a Title I public school in Baltimore City during the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school years. Building on previous research, the DLP's implementation, sustainability, and effects on students’ learning outcomes were examined. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study’s second phase included participants from the school’s mainstream, English-only program (MP), enriching the overall understanding of the school community’s perception of the program. Data were collected through surveys, classroom observations, and standardized assessments—the DIBELS and the iReady Diagnostic assessments. Findings showed challenges with curriculum standardization and prevalent misconceptions about bilingualism. Nevertheless, the program's successes were evident in DLP students’ enhanced engagement, parental involvement, and community support. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DLP demonstrated its capacity for scaleability and sustainability. During the 2020–2021 school year, regardless of virtual learning, DLP students not only maintained but, in the case of Cohort 1, showed greater growth in reading skills compared to MP students, with Cohort 3 DLP students improving to reach statistically similar performance levels to their MP peers. Findings indicate that the DLP has the potential to serve as a sustainable educational program, fostering both dual language proficiency and academic outcomes.
Maximizing Student Agency through Individualized Instruction
(Taylor and Francis, 2024) Tondreau, Amy; Rabinowitz, Laurie
This chapter focuses on independent literacy learning, offering strategies for maximizing student engagement in independent reading and writing. Beginning with a discussion of independent reading, the chapter encourages educators to create a classroom culture that promotes student agency and provides tools to build executive function skills that support the enactment of that agency. This approach includes fostering student choice in reading materials through culturally sustaining book tastings and pairing independent reading texts for students to think about the intersectionality of character identities. The chapter then moves into independent writing activities, outlining practices and structures that can make writing more accessible—including the development of topic banks to spark ideas as well as tactile and visual timers. The next section covers different structures for one-on-one conferences that include progress monitoring and goal-setting, emphasizing critical considerations for how to take up these practices in Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP)/Disability Sustaining Pedagogy (DSP)-informed ways. Next, the chapter includes two Teacher Voices which demonstrate the flexibility of dynamic independent literacy learning, particularly related to student agency in lesson direction and content. The chapter concludes by outlining a nuanced approach to celebrations of student work that infuses CSP/DSP principles as a means of recognizing student identities influencing the final product.
On bicultural identities construction: daughter and mother’s counterstories in an Asian American immigrant family
(Taylor & Francis, 2024-10-26) Yang, Shuling; Hu, Yuyan Julia
This piece answers the call to explore mother-and-daughter relationships in immigrant families. It uses narratives to humanize the Asian American experiences in and out of schools. Guided by AsianCrit theory, the paper centers on the counterstories of a first-generation immigrant mother and her 2nd generation U.S. -born adolescent in a Chinese American family. The mother and the daughter each narrate their lived experiences and reflect collaboratively on how their counterstories construct their bicultural identities collectively and respectively under the tenets of Asianization and transnational context. We hope our narratives will add to the current literature to dismantle the stereotypes of Asian Americans being viewed as model minorities and honorary whites. By discussing the hyper-in/visibility of Asian Americans, we urge classroom teachers and teacher educators to amplify the voices of these marginalized groups in their daily instructions to promote the positive identity development of Asian Americans.
Curriculum Mapping with Jennifer M. Harrison and Vickie Rey Williams
(Intentional Teaching Podcast, 2024-05-21) Bruff, Derek; Harrison, Jennifer M.; Williams, Vickie
Jennifer M. Harrison and Vickey Rey Williams are the authors of the book A Guide to Curriculum Mapping: Creating a Collaborative, Transformative, and Learner-Centered Curriculum, published by Routledge in late 2023. Jennifer is the associate director for assessment at the Faculty Development Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (or UMBC), and Vickie is a senior lecturer in education at UMBC.
The Use of Guided Reflections in Learning Proof Writing
(MDPI, 2024-10-04) Hoffman, Kathleen; Williams, Tory; Kephart, Kerrie
We investigated written self-reflections in an undergraduate proof-writing course designed to mitigate the difficulty of a subsequent introductory analysis course. Students wrote weekly self-reflections guided by mechanical, structural, creative, and critical thinking modalities. Our research was guided by three research questions focused on the impact of student self-reflections on student metacognition and performance in the interventional and follow-up class. To address these questions, we categorized the quality of the students’ reflections and calculated their average course grades within each category in the proof-writing, the prerequisite, and the introductory analysis courses. The results demonstrated that writing high-quality self-reflections was a statistically significant predictor of earning higher average course grades in the proof-writing course and the analysis course, but not in the prerequisite course. Convergence over the semester of the students’ self-evaluations toward an experts’ scorings on a modality rubric indicates that students improve in their understanding of the modalities. The repeated writing of guided self-reflections using the framework of the modalities seems to support growth in the students’ awareness of their proof-writing abilities.
Teacher Use of Generative AI for Read-Aloud Question Prompts
(Wiley, 2024-10-15) Yang, Shuling; Trainin, Guy; Appleget, Carin
The advent of Generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, in November 2022, necessitated immediate and critical attention from the educational research community. The impact of GenAI in education, though not yet clear, has the potential to be transformative. More specifically, the focus of this paper is on how to integrate GenAI into elementary literacy education. We, as teacher educators, aim to showcase how to prompt ChatGPT to generate high-quality questions during a read-aloud. We discuss the easy access teachers have to GenAI tools and stress the pivotal role they have in decision-making. We encourage teachers to explore, learn, and understand how to work with GenAI tools to get the most out of it and thus facilitate their agency, teaching, and learning.
我抓在手里捏成棉花糖，什么烦恼不能忘: Learning Mandopop Lyrics to Promote Bilingualism and Biliteracy Development
(Taylor & Francis) Yang, Shuling
Guided by heritage language and translanguaging theory, this ethnographic case study explores how a young second-generation Chinese American student used Mandopop lyrics to enhance her heritage language learning at home. Over six months, the mother, also the researcher collected 61 audio recordings of the student’s readings and singing of Mandopop, as well as translingual conversations between them. Supplemented with the researcher’s field notes, the analysis revealed significant improvements in the student’s pronunciation, Mandarin word recognition, oral language skills, and vocabulary. These improvements subsequently increased her oral translingual practices. Additionally, discussions about Mandopop lyrics enhanced the student's higher-level thinking and understanding of her heritage culture. Overall, Mandopop lyrics effectively promote the student’s bilingual and biliteracy development. This study underscores the role of Mandopop lyrics in incorporating deep cultural elements, fostering bilingualism, and enhancing biliteracy. By engaging with Mandopop, the student connects with her heritage culture and improves her linguistic abilities in a meaningful and enjoyable way, highlighting the potential of music as a valuable tool in heritage language education.
Translanguaging for biliteracy: Book reading practices in a Chinese bilingual family
(Taylor & Francis, 2021-04-20) Yang, Shuling; Kiramba, Lydiah Kananu; Wessels, Stephanie
This is a qualitative case study that explores conversational interactions during book-reading practices in a Mandarin-speaking Chinese American family between the mother and her two young children. The study employs a sociocultural lens and the concept of translanguaging to describe the characteristics of interactional practices during book readings in a bilingual family with young children. Through discourse analysis of the book reading interactions, we found that translanguaging acted as a bridge to comprehension and served as a window to mental imagery that allowed participants to refine their understanding of the texts. We draw implications for teachers working with emergent bilingual children, particularly on the role of heritage languages in promoting biliteracy development in young emerging bilingual children.
Her Chinese name means beautiful: culture, care and naming practices
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2023-07-04) Yang, Shuling; Ward, Natalia A.; Hayden, Emily
Purpose Naming practices reflect culture, language and identity considerations. This study aims to explore Chinese American naming choices, revealing nuanced and complex linguistic, cultural and pragmatic considerations for teachers of literacy. Design/methodology/approach The authors interviewed Chinese parents who are now living with their school-aged children in the USA on the naming choices of their students. By using content analysis, this study found patterns and themes from the interview data. Findings The findings of this study suggest Chinese parents named their US school-aged children by taking into consideration of both Mandarin and English linguistic features, traditional and pop culture and the transnational identity of their children. Originality/value The findings of this study can help teachers and teacher educators better understand the naming traditions of Chinese American families and connect these traditions to literacy instruction in the classroom. This study proposes practical suggestions suitable for both monolingual and multilingual students to explore all children’s names and help build inclusive, culturally sustaining classrooms.
Biography Writing Encourages Bilingual Adolescent’s Heritage Language Learning And Passing Down Of Family Stories
(Wiley, 2022-04-07) Yang, Shuling
Understanding Culturally Sustaining Practices Through the Lens of Chinese Immigrant Families in the United States
(Taylor & Francis, 2023-11-27) Yang, Shuling; Ward, Natalia A.; Hayden, Emily
Discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic re-exposed racist tropes about Asian Americans, with verbal and physical attacks on people of AAPI heritage. There is much to learn about the people and cultures within the AAPI designation, yet only recently has research acknowledged this. Schools can be fertile spaces for improving knowledge and dispelling myths. First, a nuanced analysis of school experiences of AAPI families is needed. Using culturally sustaining pedagogy, we developed a qualitative online survey to investigate Chinese immigrant parents’ perceptions of their U.S.-born children’s public school experiences. Parents voiced an urgent need for an enhanced understanding of AAPI cultures in schools. They expressed hope that their children would have space to sustain their culture and utilize their full linguistic repertoires in schools. We propose methods for leveraging parents’ expertise as cultural insiders, enhancing culturally sustaining practices in classrooms, and developing multilingual ecologies in U.S. public schools via translanguaging pedagogy.
An exploration of preservice teachers’ perceptions of Generative AI: Applying the technological Acceptance Model
(Taylor & Francis, 2024-07-01) Yang, Shuling; Appleget, Carin
Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model, the researchers designed a Google Form survey to explore elementary preservice teachers’(PSTs’) perceptions of using Generative AI (GenAI) as part of an authentic literacy methods course activity. Following the activity, responses to a qualitative survey were analyzed to learn about PSTs’ experience of using GenAI in developing questions for a read-aloud. Findings indicated that many PSTs perceived GenAI as a useful teaching tool. In addition, they shared their concerns that GenAI may limit creativity and teacher agency. We also found a positive correlation between the use of GenAI in the activity and PSTs’ intentions to use GenAI in the future. The study adds to the current literature about TAM with GenAI and underscores the value of GenAI in promoting critical reasoning among PSTs. Pedagogical implications for teacher educators are also discussed.
Towards an educational linguistics for peace
(Linnaeus University, 2024-09-09) Hult, Francis M.
The world is facing a confluence of crises, from poverty, misinformation, and intolerance to disease, climate change, and geopolitical conflict. In 2015, the United Nations set an ambitious agenda for worldwide sustainable development to accomplish by 2030 in the form of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Halfway to this deadline, only 15% of SDG targets to inter alia reduce poverty, enhance education, advance equality, ensure health and well-being, and preserve natural resources are on track (United Nations, 2023). It is easy to feel despair and hopelessness. What can educational linguists and language teachers do in the face of such daunting challenges?Since its inception, it has been a central tenet of educational linguistics to be theme-based and problem-driven (Hornberger, 2001; Hult, 2010a). That is to say, we begin with a practical problem and look to relevant principles, theories, and methods that allow us to investigate and address it (Hornberger, 2006). There is, perhaps, no greater thematic challenge today than the threat to peace. In their work on peacebuilding in language education, Oxford et al. (2021) emphasize that peace is not simply the absence of violence and war but the positive presence of equitable social structures that foster human rights for everyone and that language educators have a pivotal role to play in cultivating peace (cf. Skutnabb-Kangas, et al., 2009).Accordingly, I argue that peace studies (e.g., Curtis, 2022; Manojlovic, 2018) is a useful addition to the fields and disciplines that inform educational linguistics. In particular, I examine how Oxford’s multidimensional Language of Peace Approach (Oxford et al., 2021), which includes inner peace, interpersonal peace, intergroup peace, intercultural peace, international peace, and ecological peace, aligns with the intellectual roots of educational linguistics as a way to account for the socially situated nature of language (in) education (e.g., Douglas Fir Group, 2016; Hornberger, 2003; Hult, 2010b, 2019; Hult & King, 2011; Spolsky, 1972; Van Lier, 1994, 2004). To that end, I discuss how my own work and that of others applying ecology of language and nexus analysis (Hult, 2013, 2017; cf. Scollon & Scollon, 2004) can advance an educational linguistics for peace. I describe how language education policy and practice can be leveraged to foster peace and how educational stakeholders as social actors can become agents for peace. As we search for hope in turbulent times, we can begin looking right in our own classrooms.

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