The effects of cooperative learning in a physical science course for elementary/middle level preservice teachers

Although many studies have shown the effectiveness of cooperative learning in a variety of settings in grades K–12, relatively few have focused on higher education. This study compared two physical science laboratory sections in a course for elementary/middle level preservice teachers. One section was taught in the traditional method, and the other was instructed using the Learning Together technique of cooperative learning. Comparisons between the two laboratory sections assessed any differences in student achievement and collaborative skills. In addition, the cooperative learning group completed a questionnaire that assessed their perception of the effectiveness of cooperative learning compared to more traditional methods of instruction, and their attitudes toward the laboratory section. Although no significant differences were observed in achievement, the cooperative learning group exhibited significant gains in collaborative skills. By the end of the course, cooperative learning students indicated a high comfort level for the laboratory.     

Coach learning to help teachers learn to enact conceptually rich,student-focused mathematics lessons

The past decade has witnessed a strong, standards-based call for improving what mathematics is taught and how it is taught. In the USA, districts have hired instructional coaches to help teachers shift their teaching from algorithm-based instruction to instruction that is more student-centered and conceptually focused. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the field’s understanding of (a) the specific coaching practices that help teachers enact more conceptual-based forms of instruction; and (b) how coaches learn to enact those practices. Using a design-based implementation research approach, we trained coaches using a particular model for one-on-one coaching (Content-Focused Coaching); the coaches then worked with teachers to plan lessons aligned with the coaching model. Data consisted of videotapes of pre-lesson conferences that were transcribed and coded according to the model. Analyses of 32 coaches’ practice over a 2-year period suggest that each of the three components of our coaching model (attention to student thinking, pedagogy, and mathematics) demonstrated statistically significant improvement over time. An illustrative analysis of five coaching sessions of one coach revealed a progression over five sessions from planning discussions that stayed at the level of general strategies to more specific conversations about teaching a particular task and then to deeper discussions that integrate attention to mathematical concepts, student thinking, and pedagogical moves. We view this delineation of coach learning as an important first step in laying the groundwork for the design of future coach training.

     

The effect of problem-based learning on the environmental attitudes of preservice science teachers

This study attempted to investigate the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on the environmental attitudes of preservice science teachers. In the study, an experimental design was used with a pre-test and post-test control group. In all, 51 junior preservice science teachers participated in the study. The study was carried out over 10 weeks within the scope of an environmental science course. During the study, lessons in the experimental group were processed using a PBL approach while lessons in the control group were processed using a traditional teaching approach. Data were collected through a personal information form and environmental attitudes inventory. Data were then analysed using PASW Statistics 18 (SPSS Inc.). The findings of the study revealed a statistically significant increase in favour of the experimental group preservice science teachers’ environmental attitudes. An increase in environmental attitudes was also found in the control group; however, this increase was not statistically significant. As a result, PBL was found to be more effective than the traditional teaching approach in the development of environmental attitudes in preservice science teachers.     

How teachers learn: the roles of formal,informal, and independent learning

A qualitative study of math and science teachers at two middle schools identifies how their system for learning to integrate technology into their teaching goes beyond what school leaders typically consider when planning for teachers’ learning. In addition to (a) the district-initiated, or formal, system of professional development (PD) and professional learning communities (PLCs), it includes (b) teacher-initiated, or informal, learning with colleagues as well as (c) teachers’ independent learning activities. Analysis of why and how they form their system highlights how by only supporting the formal PD activities and PLCs, the district not only loses the valuable collective knowledge of the districts’ teachers derived from their informal and independent learning activities, but also diminishes the learning teachers derive from the formal PD activities since informal collaborations and independent work after formal PD activities often helps to bring the learning from the training room to the classroom. We present teachers’ insights and then discuss implications for the design of a holistic approach to facilitate teachers’ formal, informal, and independent learning that is tied together and supported by technology. While research on formal, informal and independent teacher learning exists, with technology frequently mentioned as a potential support for each of these three modes, these approaches have not been considered together as interdependent parts of the same holistic system for teacher learning nor has the way technology might knit these modes of teacher learning together been imagined as a part of that system.     

Helping preservice teachers learn to assess writing: Practice and feedback in a Web-based environment

Writing is a highly valued skill that is often neglected in the classroom; one reason is that teachers often do not receive adequate training in writing assessment and instruction. Teachers, particularly preservice teachers, need practice making detailed assessments of student writing and to build their confidence for assessing student writing, but practical issues of time and resources often constrain the frequency and quality of training they receive. This mixed method study focused on the design and evaluation of an online tool for building preservice teachers’ writing assessment skills and self-efficacy for writing assessment. In the study, teacher education students interacted with actual 4th-graders’ writing samples via a Web-based critical thinking tool. They received scaffolded practice in assessing multiple student papers and justified their assessments using analytic criteria. After each paper, they received feedback that included access to expert assessments and those of their peers, along with both teacher and peer rationales for their ratings. Participants significantly improved in ability to accurately assess student writing using an analytic approach and in knowledge of the writing traits. They also showed significantly greater self-efficacy for assessing student writing and high levels of satisfaction with the Web-based tool and their overall learning experience.     

Probing personal knowledge: The use of a computer-based tool to help preservice teachers map subject matter knowledge

This paper reports on the use of a HyperCard^TM-based tool to create and modify concept maps about science related subject matter. The tool was trialed with seventy-one preservice teachers who were planning to teach a science topic to a primary school class. Data gathered from interviews, journals and analysis of concept maps indicated that the concept mapping tool was easy to use because it generated little cognitive load and quickly became transparent to the users. This allowed preservice teachers to focus their attention upon the construction of their maps and to organise their cognitive frameworks into more powerful integrated patterns. It was also found that the process of concept map construction may enhance preservice teacher thinking about effective teaching.     

The effect of incorporating cooperative learning principles in pair programming for student teachers

Based on their quantitative and qualitative investigations, the authors conclude that pair programming as a strategy for teaching student teachers could be made more effective through the incorporation of principles associated with cooperative learning. They substantiate this claim by referring to a literature study about the advantages and disadvantages of pair programming as a teaching-learning strategy, by then discussing five principles of cooperative learning, and by presenting the findings of their empirical study. Second year student teachers taking a Delphi programming module participated in an experiment conducted over a two year period. In 2005, the participants did computer programming in pairs without the application of principles associated with cooperative learning. In 2006, a similar group of participants also programmed in pairs, but in their case, certain principles associated with cooperative learning were incorporated in the strategy followed by the facilitator. According to a comparison of the module examination marks, the 2006 group outperformed the 2005 group. This finding was confirmed by qualitative investigations.     

The effect of formal,nonformal and informal learning on teachers’ promotion to middle leadership roles in schools

ABSTRACT

The study examined the effect of teachers’ formal, nonformal and informal learning experiences on their promotion to middle leadership roles in schools during their first ten years of work. Analyses were based on data from two cohorts of Israeli teachers who completed their pre-service programs in the years 2005–2006 (N = 4208). They were followed for ten years until 2015. Results showed a differential effect. The effect of formal learning was the most influential factor of teachers’ promotion to leadership roles throughout the years. Informal learning was the second influential factor. Nonformal learning had the lowest effect.     

小组合作学习在英语阅读教学中的应用

英语阅读是英语语言学习者获取信息的重要途径,然而冗长的阅读内容和枯燥的阅读学习方法让学习者对英语阅读的学习产生了厌倦。采用小组合作学习方法有利于改善课堂气氛,提高学生学习的积极性。在小组学习中,采用形成性评价也打破了传统的考试模式,学习者不再是以考试为目的学习。本文旨在探讨小组合作学习在英语阅读教学中的应用。     

The impact of a short-term international experience for preservice teachers

Using a qualitative approach, this article investigates elementary teacher candidates’ perceptions of the effects of a week-long international teaching experience. Preservice teachers traveled to Mexico and taught in a bilingual school, as well as touring cultural and historical sites. Pre- and post-questionnaires and interviews were conducted, along with a 1-year follow-up. The teacher candidates reported lasting effects of this experience upon their teaching as well as their personal lives.     

合作学习在高校英语精读课中的运用

合作学习是一种具有创新意义的教学模式,在实践过程中有着一定的实践意义。在英语精读课中通过合作学生模式可以有效的提高学生的学习质量与效率,可以有效的优化课堂教学模式,在根本上提高了学生的阅读能力以及口语表达能力。对此本文对合作学习在高校英语精读课中的具体运用进行了探究与分析。     

合作学习法在日语泛读课中的应用

传统的日语泛读课的授课方式过多地注重语法、词汇的教学,忽略了对学生阅读篇章分析能力的培养,学生渐渐失去了学习的主动性和参与性。合作学习是一种在小组活动中展开生生互动的学习方式,将其引入课堂教学,会是对日语泛读教学改革的有益尝试。     

How do teachers help children to learn? An analysis of teachers' interventions in computer-based activities

In British schools, educational software is normally used by children working under the supervision of a teacher, who will have set them specific tasks and organize them to work at the computer in pairs or groups. However, those theories of learning which have most influenced research into the design and use of educational software have been essentially concerned with individualized learning, and are insensitive to the nature of teaching and learning as a communicative, culturally-based process. The present paper discusses an alternative theoretical perspective, one derived from the work of Vygotsky. This is used in an analysis of interventions made by teachers in the computer-based activities of their pupils, using observational data gained from video-recordings of primary school classrooms. The usefulness of the theoretical perspective is evaluated, and implications for the development of computer-based activities are discussed.     

Why some teachers easily learn to use a new virtual learning environment: a technology acceptance perspective

After a decade of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in higher education, many teachers still use only a minimum of its affordances. This study looked at how academic staff interacted with a new and unknown VLE in order to understand how technology acceptance and support materials influence (perceived and actual) task performance. In an experimental design, 36 participants were split into a control (online help) and experimental (instructor video) condition and completed five common teaching tasks in a new VLE. In contrast to most technology acceptance model research, this study found that perceived usefulness of the VLE was not related to (perceived) task performance. Perceived ease of use was related to intentions and actual behaviour in the VLE. Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the two conditions, although the experimental condition led to a (marginal) increase in time to complete the tasks.     

合作学习在高中英语阅读中的应用初探

合作学习是一种先进的教学模式,学生们在小组内互相合作,从而习得知识并掌握方法。因为学生要升学,传统的高中英语教学倾向于教师讲学生听,而这只能培养答题的"机器",不利于学生综合能力的养成。利用合作学习的方法有利于培养学生的合作意识,增强学习者学习英语的积极性。