Guided Hands-On Activities Can Improve Student Learning in a Lecture-Based Qualitative Biomechanics Course

A qualitative biomechanics (functional anatomy) course is a typical course in kinesiology curriculum. Most evidence suggests that biomechanics learning could be improved with the inclusion of laboratory experiences. However, implementing laboratories into biomechanics curriculum is difficult due to cost and time constraints. This study was conducted to evaluate whether hands-on activities in lecture improve qualitative biomechanics learning. A lecture format was compared to the same course with guided and unguided hands-on activities included during lecture. Test performance and student evaluations were compared between lecture formats to determine if hands-on experiences improve learning. The hands-on group performed better on the same test questions and they evaluated their overall course activities as beneficial to their learning. The findings suggest that guided hands-on experiences may improve learning compared to unguided activities. The hands-on experiences seem to provide an embodied cognitive learning experience, facilitating retention of learned material through three-dimensional and tactile mental representations. Findings from this research are currently shaping how biomechanics is taught to students at this university and could at other universities as well.     

西方职场学习:概念、动因与模式探析

职场学习作为有别于学校教育的学习形式,在提倡终身学习的时代背景下已经成为西方职业教育和学习研究广泛关注的议题。梳理和分析西方职场学习的概念界定、兴起动因和学习模式,对我国职场学习的理论研究和实践具有重要的价值。     

Social and Cognitive Outcomes: A Comparison of Contexts of Learning

This study determines effects of social learning contexts (classroom, school and boards) on social and cognitive outcomes of primary school pupils. Central to this research are the differential effects of attending private and public schools for pupils' math achievement and sense of well-being at school. The relationship between pupil backgrounds, sector, characteristics of classrooms, schools and governing bodies on the one hand and pupil outcomes, on the other, have been analyzed using multilevel analysis (VARCL). The sample consisted of 103 schools and 2023 pupils (grade 8, age 11). After controlling for socioeconomic backgrounds, the results show that indicators of cognitive and social effectiveness are mainly climate factors. Basic elements of cognitive school effectiveness (math) seem counter-productive with respect to pupils' sense of well-being at school.     

Contact and Interactivity: Social Constructionist Pedagogy in a Video-Based, Management Writing Course

In this study of a management writing course delivered via interactive television (ITV) and video streaming (VS), we examine the impact of video-based media on the instructor's pedagogy. Using grounded theory as a methodological lens, we arrive at two core categories, contact and interactivity, and four subcategories, presence, control, dialogue, and liveliness. After a careful analysis of these categories, we claim that video-based delivery deserves attention because it represents a promising component of distance learning writing instruction. Video allows an instructor to reintroduce talking as a means of learning into the arena of distance education, which tends to be dominated by text-heavy, Web-based methods of delivery. In fact, the emergence of liveliness as a category suggests that, for distant students, active learning occurs during spontaneous discussions made possible by video components. Video-based media that complement text-based interactivity can support social constructionist pedagogy in distance learning.     

A Comparative Study of Problem-Based and Lecture-Based Learning in Junior Secondary School Science

The purpose of the study is to compare problem based learning (PBL) and lecture-based learning (LBL) in Hong Kong secondary students’ science achievement. Secondary One students were divided into two groups: group A (n = 37), was taught two topics: “Human Reproduction” and “Density” through PBL; group B (n = 38) was taught the same topics by LBL. Multiple choice questions and short structured response items were used to assess students’ academic performance. Pre and post tests were categorized into three domains: knowledge, comprehension and application according to Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom 1956). The results of this study suggest first that PBL is at least as effective as LBL in gaining the knowledge required to achieve the syllabus’ learning objectives; secondly, the PBL group shows a significant improvement in students’ comprehension and application of knowledge over an extended time. Seemingly, PBL is favored for knowledge retention compared to a more conventional teaching approach, by these early adolescent children in Hong Kong. An ongoing longitudinal study on students’ interactions will further determine whether students taught through PBL develop improved learning in relation to high order skills, in a local situation which still tends to focus on factual recall but where higher skills are being demanded by systemic reform.     

In-service Initial Teacher Education in the Learning and Skills Sector in England: Integrating Course and Workplace Learning

The aim of the paper is to advance understanding of in-service learning and skills sector trainee teachers’ learning and propose ways of improving their learning. A conceptual framework is developed by extending Billett’s (International Journal of Educational Research 47:232–240, 2008) conceptualisation of workplace learning, as a relationally interdependent process between the opportunities workplaces afford for activities and interactions and how individuals engage with these, to a third base of participation, the affordances of the initial teacher education course. Hager and Hodkinson’s (British Educational Research Journal 35:619–638, 2009) metaphor of ‘learning as becoming’ is used to conceptualise the ways trainees reconstruct learning in a continuous transactional process of boundary crossing between course and workplace. The findings of six longitudinal case studies of trainees’ development, and evidence from other studies, illustrate the complex interrelationships between LSS workplace affordances, course affordances and trainee characteristics and the ways in which trainees reconstruct learning in each setting. The experience of teaching and interacting with learners, interactions with colleagues, and access to workplace resources and training are important workplace affordances for learning. However, some trainees have limited access to these affordances. Teaching observations, course activities and experiences as a learner are significant course affordances. Trainees’ beliefs, prior experiences and dispositions vary and significantly influence their engagement with course and workplace affordances. It is proposed that better integration of course and workplace learning through guided participation in an intentional workplace curriculum and attention to the ways trainees choose to engage with this, together with the use of practical theorising has the potential to improve trainee learning.     

Comparing Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction of an Online Algebra-Based Physics Course with a Face-to-Face Course

Journal of Science Education and Technology - This study aimed to compare the online and face-to-face teaching of a required algebra-based physics course for non-physics majors in large-enrollment...     

Learning Through Apprenticeship: Belonging to a Workplace, Becoming and Being

The transition from school to work, in the form of a trade-based apprenticeship, is one with a long history. Recent socio-historical changes include increased use of technology, the changing nature of work and shifting patters in the employment market are influencing both the apprenticeship journey and its destination. In this article, the contemporary apprenticeship experience is described and explored using the metaphoric phases consisting of belonging to a workplace, becoming a baker and eventually being a baker. These phases are derived from a longitudinal case study of 13 baking apprentices as they entered bakery work mainly by happenstance and began to belong to the workplace; became bakers through various processes of skill acquisition, knowledge consolidation, dispositional transformation and occupational identity formation; and continued to be bakers, with many attaining a strong sense of vocation and identification with bakers’ occupation. An updated understanding of apprenticeship may inform the development of entry pathways into apprenticeship; improve workplace learning opportunities; and widen the means for recognition and certification of skill/knowledge attainment and dispositional transformation.     

Course Format and Student Learning Styles: A Comparison of Political Science Courses

ABSTRACT

This study investigates whether differences in learning styles exist between students in online and face-to-face (FTF) sections of political science courses taught by three instructors. Some studies suggest that student preferences regarding online or FTF formats are influenced by their preferred modes of learning. Independent learners, for example, may prefer online courses since they provide individualistic opportunities to study outside of the traditional classroom. This study uses original survey data to assign students one of six learning styles in order to assess whether independent learners are more common in online courses. Our analysis finds no significant differences in independent learners when comparing the two formats. This finding runs counter to studies that argue that independent learners tend to prefer online courses. In fact, the only learning style where we observe a meaningful difference among online and FTF formats is among dependent learners. Contrary to expectation, students enrolled in online versions demonstrated a greater tendency toward dependent modes of learning. Further survey responses suggest that student lifestyle drove course format selection rather than learning style. These findings have important implications for universities that increasingly turn to online courses to address decreasing enrollments and attempt to remedy the high attrition rates associated with those courses.     

The Structure of Work,Patterns of Communication,and Organizational Learning: A Three‐Nation Comparison

National differences in patterns of new product development reflect differences in patterns of communication and delegation within the organization. In mature U.S. corporations, projects are generally controlled by superiors and implemented by subordinates who compete with each other. People making critical decisions may lack critical information while the people responsible for implementation may not have a stake in overall project success. The result is frequent failure. In U.S. startups, smaller Italian companies and in Japanese management groups, work is carried out by cooperative groups. Members have a shared stake in overall project success. Decisions are made to promote overall project success. Differences among small group performance in U.S., Italian, and Japanese companies reflect differences in the scope of group activity. U.S. startups can innovate technologies, business processes, and products. Innovations by small Italian companies are generally restricted to changes that compliment the activities of other firms in their network. Japanese business groups operate within a highly structured corporate environment. Innovations tend to be limited to elaborations in core technologies, processes, and products.     

工作场的学习:概念、认知基础与教学模式

工作场的学习是过去10多年间西方学习科学研究的一个热点.虽然其概念还存在争议,但所有的定义都强调了现场任务与目标、学习者之间以及与指导者之间互动的重要性.工作场的学习的认知机制有别于学校的学习,其认知基础是整体认知理论和社会文化的建构主义,与工作场的学习相适应的教学模式是弹性教学,特别是认知学徒制.深入探讨工作场的学习的意义与过程,对于反思和改进学校教育具有重大价值.     

Situated Learning in Acquisition of a Workplace Genre

For learners in vocational education, acquiring the specialized language of their field is important in facilitating the ability to communicate appropriately with colleagues and customers. Spoken and written discourse in a range of workplace settings has received some attention, but less attention has been given to discourse in vocational education contexts. This article concerns Builders’ Diaries; this is a key written text produced by trainee carpenters, both in an educational setting and once they move into the workplace as apprentices. Writing the Builders’ Diary gives trainees experience in producing a text important also to carpenters in the workplace. An analysis that focuses on language and meaning is used to investigate the purposes served by the Builders’ Diary in educational settings and the meanings expressed in it. Drawing on insights from Applied Linguistics, the analysis uses a small corpus of trainee diaries as well as interviews with qualified carpenters/tutors. It includes a comparison of writing done early on while the trainees are still in an educational setting, and towards the end of carpentry training, once the trainees have moved into the workplace. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of apprenticeship and situated learning in trainees’ acquisition of written workplace discourse.     

在集体学习中嵌入活动:拓展性学习在工作场所学习中的应用

作为一个新的学习隐喻,拓展性学习具有独特的含义与特点。作为认识论基础的集体学习活动、作为方法论指导的形成性干预、作为应用工具包的变革实验室是拓展性学习理论的三大子理论。拓展性学习理论特别强调参与者的主体性和活动的重要性,与工作场所学习理论具有一定的融通性。因此,开展活动式的工作场所学习,采用形成性的工作场所干预,以及创设工作场所的变革实验室,都是拓展性学习应用到工作场所的有效方式。     

Learning in Workplace Simulations in Vocational Education: a Student Perspective

In vocational education, workplace simulations (WPS) have been implemented to ensure a better connection between the educational setting and the labour market. Moreover, WPS are supposed to motivate students and promote self-directed learning. So far, however, not much is known about the way students experience these WPS. The aim of the present exploratory case study was to investigate students’ perceptions and preparedness for WPS and explore what factors they perceive to be relevant for their learning in these simulations. Forty students from three different pre-vocational secondary schools participated. Semi-structured group interviews were conducted and thematic analysis was used to examine the qualitative data. The results revealed that authentic WPS can increase student motivation and engagement. Learner characteristics regarded as relevant in WPS were motivation, responsibility, independence and discipline. For students, the presence and guidance of the teacher played an essential role in their working and learning effectively. They felt limited in making choices to direct their own learning. Assessment criteria were not transparent enough for students. Concluding, we found that students perceived factors closely related to self-regulated and self-directed learning to be relevant for their learning; however, these learning activities and processes have not yet been sufficiently promoted and supported in the investigated vocational schools. The study highlights design dilemmas for vocational practice and offers indications in how to match both learning environmental characteristics and teacher support tailored to learners’ needs.     

教与学的创新:职业教育中的工作场学习

职业教育中工作场学习的内涵包括,相关描述、学习目的与内容、学习境脉以及学习形式.职业教育中,工作场学习是对教与学的创新,工作场学习的实施需要建立系统化的模型,工作场学习的评价要建立"生物链"机制的评价系统.     

Changing Science Outcomes: Cognitive Acceleration in a US Setting

Inquiry is seen as an integral part of science education in the USA; however, few American science programs explicitly focus on the higher order thinking skills that are the precursors to inquiry. In this paper, Australian researchers report the result of using a version of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) program in a school district in Oregon (USA) to address teacher-identified concerns about student competence in scientific inquiry. The substantial effect of CASE on British children’s cognitive development and scholastic achievement has been demonstrated convincingly since its inception in the United Kingdom in 1981. The Oregon CASE project was not a mere replication of the original British CASE research: different instruments were employed, and both the measures of cognitive level and student achievement were Rasch-calibrated. The Oregon CASE teachers received comparatively less professional development than did their British counterparts. Neither did they deliver the entire intervention. The results of the study suggest that many of the benefits of CASE still apply when the intervention is conducted in a sub-optimal setting. Cognitive growth was apparent in participating students and high correlations were found between cognitive level and results in some state-mandated tests.     

Learning Robotics in a Science Museum Theatre Play: Investigation of Learning Outcomes,Contexts and Experiences

Theatre is often introduced into science museums to enhance visitor experience. While learning in museums exhibitions received considerable research attention, learning from museum theatre has not. The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate the potential educational role of a science museum theatre play. The study aimed to investigate (1) cognitive learning outcomes of the play, (2) how these outcomes interact with different viewing contexts and (3) experiential learning outcomes through the theatrical experience. The play ‘Robot and I’, addressing principles in robotics, was commissioned by a science museum. Data consisted of 391 questionnaires and interviews with 47 children and 20 parents. Findings indicate that explicit but not implicit learning goals were decoded successfully. There was little synergy between learning outcomes of the play and an exhibition on robotics, demonstrating the effect of two different physical contexts. Interview data revealed that prior knowledge, experience and interest played a major role in children’s understanding of the play. Analysis of the theatrical experience showed that despite strong identification with the child protagonist, children often doubted the protagonist’s knowledge jeopardizing integration of scientific content. The study extends the empirical knowledge and theoretical thinking on museum theatre to better support claims of its virtues and respond to their criticism.