Sustained shared thinking in an early childhood setting: an exploration of practitioners' perspectives

Sustained shared thinking (SST) has been identified in the Teachers Standards (Early Years) (2013) as contributing to good progress and outcomes by children. In this paper, I define SST and discuss the outcomes of a study of practitioners' understandings of SST, its challenges and benefits. Writing frames, questionnaires and focus group interviews were used with 19 practitioners. SST was considered a child-initiated interaction with links to co-construction. The interaction occasioned deep-level learning in children, who were often totally absorbed and showed learning which was ‘sustained’ over time. Implications are highlighted, especially the need for additional training in using SST.     

Evaluation of creative problem-solving abilities in undergraduate structural engineers through interdisciplinary problem-based learning

For a structural engineer, effective communication and interaction with architects cannot be underestimated as a key skill to success throughout their professional career. Structural engineers and architects have to share a common language and understanding of each other in order to achieve the most desirable architectural and structural designs. This interaction and engagement develops during their professional career but needs to be nurtured during their undergraduate studies. The objective of this paper is to present the strategies employed to engage higher order thinking in structural engineering students in order to help them solve complex problem-based learning (PBL) design scenarios presented by architecture students. The strategies employed were applied in the experimental setting of an undergraduate module in structural engineering at Queen’s University Belfast in the UK. The strategies employed were active learning to engage with content knowledge, the use of physical conceptual structural models to reinforce key concepts and finally, reinforcing the need for hand sketching of ideas to promote higher order problem-solving. The strategies employed were evaluated through student survey, student feedback and module facilitator (this author) reflection. The strategies were qualitatively perceived by the tutor and quantitatively evaluated by students in a cross-sectional study to help interaction with the architecture students, aid interdisciplinary learning and help students creatively solve problems (through higher order thinking). The students clearly enjoyed this module and in particular interacting with structural engineering tutors and students from another discipline.     

Classroom learning environment,critical thinking and achievement in an interdisciplinary subject: a study of Hong Kong secondary school graduates

Although the relationship between the classroom learning environment and academic achievement has been explored in subject-free and disciplinary subject contexts, research into this relationship is still lacking in the context of interdisciplinary subjects. This study investigated the relationship between the classroom learning environment and student achievement in an interdisciplinary subject (i.e. liberal studies) in Hong Kong secondary schools. The mediating role of critical thinking was also explored. The participants were 410 Hong Kong secondary school graduates. The structural equation modelling analyses indicated that (1) the Content aspect of the classroom learning environment had an effect on the achievement in liberal studies, and this effect was not mediated by critical thinking; (2) the Pedagogy aspect predicted critical thinking skills, which in turn predicted the achievement in liberal studies; (3) the Relation aspect had no significant effects on critical thinking skills and student achievement in liberal studies. Suggestions on enhancing students’ high-order thinking skills and achievement in interdisciplinary subjects were provided.     

The educational design of textbooks: a text for being interdisciplinary

This paper provides insights into both the educational design of textbooks and interdisciplinary education. The author introduces two educational principles for textbook design – instructional alignment and balancing diversity and meaningful guidance for readers – and applies them to writing his own textbook chapter for being interdisciplinary. The two broad conclusions are: textbook design can be a new area of study in higher education, illuminated by curriculum design and reflective practice; and textbooks can provide a useful method of interdisciplinary education.     

Learning relations of knowledge transfer (KT) and knowledge integration (KI) of doctoral students during online interdisciplinary training: an exploratory study

ABSTRACT

Interdisciplinary training for doctoral students is an emerging scenario in higher education. The learning relations of knowledge transfer (KT: transferring knowledge from one person to another) and knowledge integration (KI: integrating or synthesizing perspectives from different disciplines) built by doctoral students play an important role in the process of interdisciplinary training. This study explores how doctoral students from a wide range of disciplines build learning relations of KT and KI during online interdisciplinary training. A mixed-methods approach was applied. First, longitudinal social network analysis (SNA) was employed to investigate the patterns of KT and KI relations over a seven-month training period. Subsequently, interviews were conducted to triangulate the SNA findings. SNA results show that the establishment of KI relations is significantly less than that of KT. Qualitative results show three themes explaining the challenges of KI relations, including challenges of online settings, the design of the training modules, and student involvement. Practical implications are drawn for the improvement of online interdisciplinary training, such as suggestions to promote KI and strategies for group learning.     

A multidimensional approach to examine student interdisciplinary learning in science and engineering in higher education

Preparing science and engineering students to work in interdisciplinary teams necessitates research on teaching and learning of interdisciplinary thinking. A multidimensional approach was taken to examine student interdisciplinary learning in a master course on food quality management. The collected 615 student experiences were analysed for the cognitive, emotional, and social learning dimensions using the learning theory of Illeris. Of these 615 experiences, the analysis showed that students reported 214, 194, and 207 times on, respectively, the emotional, the cognitive, and the social dimension. Per learning dimension, key learning experiences featuring interdisciplinary learning were identified such as ‘frustrations in selecting and matching disciplinary knowledge to complex problems’ (emotional), ‘understanding how to apply theoretical models or concepts to real-world situations’ (cognitive), and ‘socially engaging with peers to recognise similarities in perceptions and experiences’ (social). Furthermore, the results showed that students appreciated the cognitive dimension relatively more than the emotional and social dimensions.     

Personalising and localising knowledge: how teachers reconstruct resources and knowledge shared online in their teaching practice

ABSTRACT

Online platforms that enable teachers to share knowledge and resources with other teachers are increasingly common mechanisms for supporting teachers’ learning. Despite their growing presence, there remains limited understanding of how teachers engage with and utilise the resources and knowledge they gain online in their teaching practice. This study employs qualitative methods to investigate the processes through which teachers engage with, interpret and utilise teacher-created teaching resources and curriculum materials that are shared on two online platforms. A three-stage knowledge reconstruction model is proposed, with teachers progressing from the selection of resources online, through the modification and implementation of the resources and knowledge, and finally to the evaluation and embedding of resources and knowledge in their practice. The findings further explore the factors that shape teachers’ behaviour and actions, and the learning that occurs at all three stages of the knowledge reconstruction process.     

Pedagogical content knowledge reconceived: Bringing curriculum thinking into the conversation on teachers' content knowledge

This article contributes to a reconceptualization of pedagogical content knowledge through exploring what is entailed in teachers' understanding of content within the framework of the institutional curriculum, with a central concern for the development of human powers (capacities or abilities, ways of thinking, understanding worlds). The contribution is made by way of a curriculum making framework and through examining the capabilities approach and Bildung-centered Didaktik. The central thesis is that a teacher necessarily interprets the content contained in the institutional curriculum, identifying its elementary elements and ascertaining its educational potential. The interpretation calls for curriculum thinking informed by a theory of content.     

Investigating critical thinking and knowledge construction in an interactive learning environment

Critical thinking and knowledge construction have become essential competencies for people in the new information age. In this study, we designed an interactive learning environment involving three forms of interaction: individual reflections, group collaboration and, class discussions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the three forms of interaction promoted students' critical thinking and knowledge construction. Seventeen students at National Institute of Education of Singapore participated in this study. Their reflections and discussions were analyzed by following a content analysis approach. Results showed that writing reflections had potential to promote critical thinking but, not all students thought critically. Knowledge construction in groups and in class discussions happened at lower levels. This paper presents the conceptual framework, design specifications and evaluation results of the ILE. Implications of the results are discussed.     

Outdoor learning: primary pupils' experiences and teachers' interaction in outdoor learning

This paper draws upon research undertaken for the Outdoor Pedagogies project and explores the processes of teaching and learning at one outdoor residential education centre with children and staff from ‘Oliver’ Primary School. Data were collected through ethnographic research and include participant observation, interviews with teachers and centre staff and group interviews with pupils. Whilst the interviewed children reflected positively on the experience, we highlight the importance of the teachers' interaction with the children in providing for democratic, shared positive learning through the presentation of an extreme or ‘critical’ incident. We raise the issue of professional development for school teachers working with primary school children in outdoor, residential situations.     

Effect of a blended learning environment on student critical thinking and knowledge transformation

With the development of information technology and popularization of web applications, students nowadays have grown used to skimming through information provided through the Internet. This reading habit led them to be incapable of analyzing or integrating information they have received. Hence, knowledge management and critical thinking (CT) have, in recent years, become important topics in higher education. However, there are many web applications that may serve as effective teaching and learning tools. This study therefore proposed a blended learning environment that incorporated useful web applications within a knowledge transformation model to create an educational environment capable of improving CT and knowledge transformation for student users. A semester-long experiment was then conducted to evaluate this learning environment. Results revealed that the proposed approach was effective in improving student CT and knowledge transformation. Students were also satisfied with the courses and teaching methods used by the proposed learning environment which also effectively improved their learning motivation.     

Social interaction in the acquisition of knowledge

A review of features and results of a research program concerning social interaction in knowledge construction that covers more than 10 years of research is given. Starting from a Vygotskian theoretical background, interactive dimensions are considered as an instrument for curriculum change in different domains and, subsequently, as an experimental treatment in young children's education. In particular, arguing within school settings appears to be a crucial tool for learning to reason and to explain: Knowledge domains become characterized by epistemic procedures, which are implemented in arguing, and by shared reasoning within adequate educational settings.     

Bringing knowledge back in: perspectives from liberal education

From the vantage point of liberal education, this article attempts to contribute to the conversation initiated by Michael Young and his colleagues on ‘bringing knowledge back’ into the current global discourse on curriculum policy and practice. The contribution is made through revisiting the knowledge-its-own-end thesis associated with Newman and Hirst, Bildung-centred Didaktik and the Schwabian model of a liberal education. The central thesis is that if education is centrally concerned with the cultivation of human powers (capacities, ways of thinking, dispositions), then knowledge needs to be seen as an important resource for that cultivation. A theory of knowledge is needed that conceives the significance of knowledge in ways productive of this cultivation. Furthermore, a theory of content is needed that concerns how knowledge is selected and translated into curriculum content and how content can be analysed and unpacked in ways that open up manifold opportunities for cultivating human powers.     

基于知识管理的教学资源网站建设的设计与研究

本文主要分析了教学资源网站建设存在的主要问题,提出了基于知识管理视角的教学资源网站建设思路,并对具体实施过程中的设计思路和技术实现方案进行了讨论。     

Lifting the cover: developing an analytical tool to unravel environmental education resources

Abstract

Evaluations of environmental education (EE) programmes and resources are becoming increasingly visible and important. While benefits accrue through evaluation, many programmes and resources have yet to realise these. Issues such as a lack of clear objectives, reliance on traditional, summative approaches and inattention to context have prevented rigorous evaluation occurring. This paper reports on the development of an analytical tool designed to unravel EE resources. Its theoretical basis is a socially acute questions (SAQ) approach and educational configurations teachers use when implementing this approach. Using these configurations, a series of interrogatory questions were developed to unravel a resource writer’s education intent – what type(s) of knowledge are valued, the view of science presented and the view of learning. Two contrasting resources were analysed to test this tool. This analysis revealed that one resource viewed knowledge as universal, had a scientistic epistemic posture and a doctrinal/pragmatic didactic approach whereas the other viewed knowledge as contextualised, had a relativistic epistemic posture and a problematising/doctrinal didactic approach. Consequently, this tool showed that it was able to unravel a resource writer’s intent, identify gaps so teachers could adapt a resource and build capacity for didactics of EE and its evaluation.     

Plants have a chance: outdoor educational programmes alter students' knowledge and attitudes towards plants

Outdoor educational programmes are generally believed to be a suitable alternative to conventional biology settings that improve participants' environmental attitudes and knowledge. Here we examine whether outdoor educational programmes focused solely on practical work with plants influence participants' knowledge of and attitudes towards plants. It was found that mean scores of participants' attitudes towards and knowledge of plants significantly increased after the outdoor programme. These effects remained significant even after three months' post‐testing. No similar patterns were found in the control group. Interestingly, the proportion of participants who liked biology as a school subject also significantly increased after the outdoor programme in the experimental group. Females showed better knowledge of plants than males, but attitudes towards plants were similar between genders. Having a garden at home was not associated with better knowledge or attitudes towards plants. Our results reveal that outdoor programmes significantly relieve ‘plant blindness’ and make biology more attractive to pupils.     

Effects of a professional development program on science teacher knowledge and practice,and student understanding of interdisciplinary science concepts

Situated in the context of an in-service professional development (PD) program focused on Interdisciplinary Science Inquiry, this quantitative study tests the validity of and further explores the theoretical model adapted from Desimone's (2009), Educational Researcher, 38, 181–199 conceptual framework on effectiveness of PD. The participants include 204 teachers and 5,581 students within 12 local public schools from 2012 to 2016. The multilevel models indicate that PD participation, school-, and teacher-level factors influence teacher pedagogical content knowledge and inquiry instruction in different ways. Furthermore, the inquiry instruction significantly relates student understanding of interdisciplinary science concepts (ISCs) through a few mediators. Therefore, this study reinforces calls to provide teachers with high quality PD and contributes to current knowledge base of the mechanisms of how inquiry instruction influences students' understanding of ISCs.     

Online professional development for environmental educators: strategies to foster critical thinking and social interactions

Abstract

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer opportunities for professional development of environmental educators globally, yet we lack understanding of participants? cognitive and social learning processes and of how instructors can enhance these processes. Based on the Community of Inquiry framework, we used a survey and coded participant discussion board and Facebook posts to examine the cognitive, social, and teaching presence in the Environmental Education: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Addressing Wicked Problems MOOC, offered by Cornell University. Rather than train educators in a specific curriculum, the goal of the MOOC is to expand educators? critical and transdisciplinary thinking about the field of environmental education and to enhance social interactions to support learning, educators, and knowledge co-creation. Results indicate that cognitive presence is higher on the discussion board whereas social presence is higher on Facebook. Over half of cognitive posts focused on exploration, a lower level of learning, whereas just less than a fifth reflected higher level integration, suggesting room for enhancing cognitive learning. Our results suggest strategies to encourage higher levels of thinking and more meaningful social interactions to foster learning, educator support, and co-creation of knowledge, thereby improving online professional development.