BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:EventsCalendar PRODID:-//hacksw/handcal//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York LAST-MODIFIED:20240422T053451Z TZURL:https://www.tzurl.org/zoneinfo-outlook/America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZNAME:EDT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:19700308T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZNAME:EST TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:19701101T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Arts and Sciences,Lectures and Seminars,Thesis/Disser tations DESCRIPTION:Title:  Stories of Synergy: Collaborative Practices Between Sp ecial and Science Educators for Inclusive Science Education Dissertation A dvisor: Stephen B. Witzig (Education Department) Committee Members:Shakhno za Kayumova (Education Department) and Matthew Taylor (Salve Regina Univer sity) Abstract:  This study employs Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) nar rative inquiry framework to explore the lived school experiences of specia l education teachers and general education science teachers in public incl usion elementary settings as they collaborate to support their shared stud ents with exceptionalities within the general education setting. This rese arch centers around the participants’ stories in situ as they unfolded across the three dimensions of narrative inquiry: the temporality dimensio n, personal/social dimension, and the place or sequences of places dimensi on. Narrative threads reveal that participants story collaboration as a li ved, relational experience shaped by time, institutional contexts, and int erpersonal relationships rather than as the implementation of formal co‑ teaching models. The conceptual framework supports how Clandinin and Conne lly’s (2000) narrative inquiry captures participants’ embodied stories across the three dimensions of the narrative inquiry space. Key substanti ve constructs that guided the study include the storytellers’ preparedne ss to teach science content to students with exceptionalities, the afforda nces and challenges of elementary science education in inclusion settings, the partnerships needed to support students with exceptionalities’ acce ss to rigorous science instruction, and how participants negotiate their r oles and responsibilities when creating and implementing curricular accomm odations. These constructs, in conversation with the history of special ed ucation in the United States and Massachusetts, are present in the tempora lity and place dimensions of narrative inquiry. This narrative inquiry aim s to tell the participants’ narratives of how they live collaboration in real time, including how collaborative practices evolve across sustained partnerships and are disrupted by shifting roles, schedules, and instituti onal constraints. Three pairs of in‑service teachers were interviewed us ing semi‑structured narrative interviews in conjunction with observation of collaborative opportunities and artifact analyses of inclusion science lessons. Participants’ stories highlight how collaboration often occurs informally and “on the fly,” shaped by limited planning time and the marginalization of elementary science relative to tested subject areas, wh ile simultaneously creating flexible, inquiry‑based learning spaces that support multiple entry points for students with exceptionalities. Narrati ve threads illuminated that teachers’ preparedness and collaborative rol es are deeply influenced by institutional structures and professional hist ories rather than individual willingness or expertise alone. Through these storied accounts, collaboration emerges as uneven and continually negotia ted, grounded in trust, shared responsibility, and moral commitment to stu dents with exceptionalities. This qualitative study contributes a narrativ e account detailing in-service educators’ collaborative efforts in inclu sion settings, reframing collaboration as lived relational work rather tha n a technical practice to be implemented. Through the three pairs of in-se rvice educators’ stories, five narrative threads emerged: 1) collaborati on between science and special educators is fluid; 2) collaboration betwee n science and special educators is improvised in constrained places; 3) pa rticipants’ stories position science inclusive education as marginalized ; 4) there is ongoing tension between participants’ aspirational views o f collaboration and their enacted collaboration; and 5) specific instituti onal structures continue to inhibit students with exceptionalities’ acce ss to science content within Massachusetts inclusion classrooms as highly contextual places. These storied experiences hold implications for educati onal policies, in‑service professional development, building‑based sch ool schedules, and pre‑service teacher education.\nEvent page: https://w ww.umassd.edu/events/cms/melissa-cieto---stem-education-dissertation-defen se.php\nEvent link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/91802967143?pwd=tsflWJvunrvYP 0y1ducXPa6c25A2bV.1 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Title: 

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Stories of Syn ergy: Collaborative Practices Between Special and Science Educators for In clusive Science Education

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Disse rtation Advisor:
Stephen B. Witzig (Education Department)

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Co mmittee Members:
Shakhnoza Kayumova (Education Department) and Matthe w Taylor (Salve Regina University)

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Abstract: 

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This study employs Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) narrative inquiry framework to e xplore the lived school experiences of special education teachers and gene ral education science teachers in public inclusion elementary settings as they collaborate to support their shared students with exceptionalities wi thin the general education setting. This research centers around the parti cipants’ stories in situ as they unfolded across the three dimensions o f narrative inquiry: the temporality dimension\, personal/social dimension \, and the place or sequences of places dimension. Narrative threads revea l that participants story collaboration as a lived\, relational experience shaped by time\, institutional contexts\, and interpersonal relationships rather than as the implementation of formal co‑teaching models.

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The conceptual framework supports how Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) n arrative inquiry captures participants’ embodied stories across the thre e dimensions of the narrative inquiry space. Key substantive constructs th at guided the study include the storytellers’ preparedness to teach scie nce content to students with exceptionalities\, the affordances and challe nges of elementary science education in inclusion settings\, the partnersh ips needed to support students with exceptionalities’ access to rigorous science instruction\, and how participants negotiate their roles and resp onsibilities when creating and implementing curricular accommodations. The se constructs\, in conversation with the history of special education in t he United States and Massachusetts\, are present in the temporality and pl ace dimensions of narrative inquiry. This narrative inquiry aims to tell t he participants’ narratives of how they live collaboration in real time\ , including how collaborative practices evolve across sustained partnershi ps and are disrupted by shifting roles\, schedules\, and institutional con straints.

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Three pairs of in‑service teachers were interviewed us ing semi‑structured narrative interviews in conjunction with observation of collaborative opportunities and artifact analyses of inclusion science lessons. Participants’ stories highlight how collaboration often occurs informally and “on the fly\,” shaped by limited planning time and the marginalization of elementary science relative to tested subject areas\, while simultaneously creating flexible\, inquiry‑based learning spaces t hat support multiple entry points for students with exceptionalities. Narr ative threads illuminated that teachers’ preparedness and collaborative roles are deeply influenced by institutional structures and professional h istories rather than individual willingness or expertise alone. Through th ese storied accounts\, collaboration emerges as uneven and continually neg otiated\, grounded in trust\, shared responsibility\, and moral commitment to students with exceptionalities.

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This qualitative study contrib utes a narrative account detailing in-service educators’ collaborative e fforts in inclusion settings\, reframing collaboration as lived relational work rather than a technical practice to be implemented. Through the thre e pairs of in-service educators’ stories\, five narrative threads emerge d: 1) collaboration between science and special educators is fluid\; 2) co llaboration between science and special educators is improvised in constra ined places\; 3) participants’ stories position science inclusive educat ion as marginalized\; 4) there is ongoing tension between participants’ aspirational views of collaboration and their enacted collaboration\; and 5) specific institutional structures continue to inhibit students with exc eptionalities’ access to science content within Massachusetts inclusion classrooms as highly contextual places. These storied experiences hold imp lications for educational policies\, in‑service professional development \, building‑based school schedules\, and pre‑service teacher education .

Event page: https://www.umassd.edu/event s/cms/melissa-cieto---stem-education-dissertation-defense.php
Event link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/91802967143?pwd=tsflWJvunrvYP0y1 ducXPa6c25A2bV.1

DTSTAMP:20260417T034646 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260506T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260506T143000 LOCATION:CCB 115 SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Melissa Cieto - STEM Education Dissertation Defense UID:40086bb39c3eb2b28e99fc583c8be345@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR