Relations between teachers' approaches to teaching and students' approaches to learning

This paper reports on an empirical study which shows that qualitatively different approaches to teaching are associated with qualitatively different approaches to learning. More specifically, the results indicate that in the classes where teachers describe their approach to teaching as having a focus on what they do and on transmitting knowledge, students are more likely to report that they adopt a surface approach to the learning of that subject. Conversely, but less strongly, in the classes where students report adopting significantly deeper approaches to learning, teaching staff report adopting approaches to teaching that are more oriented towards students and to changing the students conceptions. The study made use of a teaching approach inventory derived from interviews with academic staff, and a modified approach to learning questionnaire. These conclusions are derived from a factor and cluster analysis of 48 classes (involving 46 science teachers and 3956 science students) in Australian universities. The results complete a chain of relations from teacher thinking to the outcomes of student learning. Previous studies have shown relations between teachers' conceptions of teaching and learning and their approaches to teaching. Numerous studies have shown correlations between students' deeper approaches to learning and higher quality learning outcomes. The results reported here link these two sets of studies. They also highlight the importance, in attempts to improve the quality of student learning, of discouraging teacher-focused transmission teaching and encouraging higher quality, conceptual change/student-focused approaches to teaching.     

Enhancing students' learning through differentiated approaches to teaching and learning: a Maltese perspective

Within the context of Malta, differentiated teaching pervades the National Minimum Curriculum (NMC) published in 1999 , in 11 of 15 principles that the NMC supports. The study seeks to explore how well prepared and equipped the teachers are with the necessary skills to fulfil a differentiated teaching approach. The aim of this research study was to explore the current pedagogical procedures teachers are adopting in order to ensure curriculum access to all students, and to what extent these actually reflect differentiated instructional strategies.
Data was collected through questionnaires. All teachers in the school were asked to participate and the response rate was high. The results are therefore representative of this particular school but cannot be generalised to the whole teaching population.
It was found that many teachers were taking an individualised role to teaching, and in the future the school will need to adopt policy decisions and a School Development Plan (SDP) which feature differentiation. Such an approach will be needed in order to encourage the teachers to utilise strategies that reflect a differentiated approach to teaching within a whole school context. In-service training will be required to enable teachers to be made aware of the varying ways of responding to the needs of all students through differentiated teaching approaches in order to provide paths to learning so that the classroom becomes a 'good fit' for varied learners.     

Science students' approaches to learning

A small group of science students were closely followed through their under-graduate course. The problems and issues which arose as they came to terms with university are described. The notions of course-focussed and interest-focussed behaviour are introduced as ways of characterising the degree of independence the student demonstrated in relation to his learning objectives. These notions are discussed and further employed to indicate various attitudes and approaches to study which students adaptively developed in relation to their university work.Formerly of the Centre for Educational Technology, University of Sussex.     

Students' Perceptions of Teaching and Learning: The influence of students' approaches to learning and teachers' approaches to teaching

Nearly 500 secondary students in 24 classes were surveyed and four students in each class interviewed concerning their approaches to learning and perceptions of their classroom environment. While interviewed students with deep approaches to learning generally demonstrated a more sophisticated understanding of the learning opportunities offered to them than did students with surface approaches, teaching strategies also influenced students' perceptions. When teachers focused strongly on actively engaging students and creating a supportive environment, students with both deep and surface approaches focused on student-centred aspects of the class. In contrast, when traditional expository teaching methods were used exclusively, students with deep and surface approaches both focused on transmission and reproduction.     

寻找有效反思点 培养学生反思能力

本文总结了课堂教学中引导学生在常态学习、主干知识学习、还原思考过程、最近发展区、活动体验等几个方面寻找反思点的具体做法，为帮助学生进行有效反思、培养反思能力提供依据。     

On the dynamics of students' approaches to learning: The effects of the teaching/learning environment

This study investigates the effects of the learning/teaching environment on students' approaches to learning (i.e. combination of intention and learning strategies) and compares a lecture based to a student-activating setting within the first year of elementary teacher education. Data collection (N = 790) was carried out using a pre-test/post-test method by means of the Approaches to Learning and Studying Inventory (ALSI). Though students' approaches were similar at the start of the course, a clear distinction was found after experiencing the lecture based and student-activating teaching/learning environments. However, the direction of change was opposite to the premise that student-activating instruction deepens student learning. Instead, the latter pushed students towards a Surface Approach to learning and students' Strategic Approaches suffered significant lowering.     

The Nominal Group Technique: extending the evaluation of students' teaching and learning experiences

Obtaining and evaluating student opinion about their teaching and learning experiences can, if taken seriously, be a complex process. There are not many approaches available for student evaluations, and there has in our view, been an over dependence on course evaluation questionnaires. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a less widely used approach, which this paper argues provides a potential way of extending the evaluation of students' experiences of courses. The paper specifically considers the use of the NGT in the context of an evaluation of the first three cohorts of students on a new degree course. The strengths and weaknesses of the approach as they have emerged in this evaluation are considered. Attention is also paid to evidence concerning the use of the NGT in other contexts. The paper concludes that the NGT has much to offer within the portfolio of student evaluation methods currently being used in higher education. Its particular strengths are assessed in relation to certain possible shortcomings, and its usefulness is considered in relation to various possible contexts. The arguments are illustrated by data taken from our current evaluation study.     

使用自建教学网站引领学生自主学习

本学科教学网站是配套广东省初级中学信息技术第一册（上）开发的网络课程教学资源。它是教学活动和成果展示的平台．本教学网站能提供目标导航、知识技能、任务引领、视频教程、上交作业和拓展延伸等功能供老师和学生教与学。可通过此网站学习广东省初级中学信息技术第一册（上）所涉及的章节内容,并配套相应的视频与文字教程,引领学生通过网站自主探究学习。     

University teachers' experiences of academic leadership and their approaches to teaching

The study examined associations between university teachers' experiences of academic leadership, their perceptions of a specific academic context and their approaches to teaching in a particular subject that was taught in that context. The sample consisted of 439 lecturers in Australian universities in four fields of study. Lecturers completed surveys of their experiences and approaches. Structural equation models derived from student approaches to learning theory were developed and tested. The experience of leadership for teaching and a collegial commitment to enhancing student learning were found to be associated with the experience of the context of teaching and to lecturers' approaches to teaching.     

Dimensions of motivation and approaches to learning in British and Hungarian secondary schools

This study compares two contrasting conceptualizations of motivation in relation to approaches to studying. The Hungarian conceptualization involves three domains of school motivation — affective, cognitive, and moral — which have been operationalized through a Likert-type inventory. A British and Swedish conceptualization has identified differing approaches to learning which are associated with contrasting forms of motivation — intrinsic, extrinsic, achievement, and fear of failure. Again these constructs were operationalized in terms of an inventory. Modified parallel versions of these inventories have been given to samples of secondary school pupils in Britain and Hungary. Factor analyses showed almost identical factor structures, in line with the two initial conceptualizations, but with little overlap between them.     

Reflection: issues related to improving professors' teaching and students' learning

We describe here the outcomes of our research on the reflection of six professors considered exemplary in their teaching. For instance, we found that they all held and used considerable knowledge about learners, as groups and as individuals, and used this knowledge in reflecting on the impact of their teaching. We use this information to elaborate on the role of reflection in the construction of teaching knowledge. Lastly, we address how the model of reflection we developed helps us understand the factors influencing one's ability to effectively reflect on teaching.     

提高体育院校学生学习积极性的教学改革研究

能否调动学生的学习积极性,是教学是否成功的关键。从近年来对我国体育院校学生学习积极性的现状调查来看,学生学习积极性普遍不高,这也在很大程度上阻碍了我国体育教学改革的发展继承。因而进行提高体育院校学生学习积极性的教学改革探索十分必要的,本文分析了进行提高学生学习积极性教学改革必要性,对造成学生学习积极性受挫的因素进行深入剖析,并在此基础上,提出了一系列的改革措施。     

Assessing the impact of learning environments on students' approaches to learning: comparing conventional and action learning designs

This study investigated whether students' approaches to learning were influenced by the design of university courses. Pre‐ and post‐evaluations of the approaches to learning of the same group of students concurrently enrolled in a conventional course (lectures and tutorials) and an action learning‐based course (project work, learning groups) were conducted. Students who reported themselves as more ‘typically deep’ in their approach to learning were consistent in their approaches across the different environments. However, students who reported themselves as more ‘typically surface’ were influenced to adopt deeper processing strategies in the action learning design. Students explained this ‘deep shift’ in terms of the greater expectations of learner activity and responsibility in the action learning design.     

Institutional learning and teaching strategies in English higher education

In 1998 the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)commissioned a survey of the extent to which institutional learning andteaching strategies were being used in English higher education. Thesurvey was seen by HEFCE as a necessary precursor to the enactment ofits policy decision to allocate a component of institutional funding onthe basis of the possession of (and subsequent activation of) aninstitutional learning and teaching strategy. Responses from 116institutions showed considerable variation in the extent to which theyhad developed a strategic approach to learning and teaching.Over the coming years there is likely to be a marked increase in thelevel and sophistication of strategic planning to develop learning andteaching across whole institutions. The article concludes by drawingupon the organisational development literature to suggest some ways inwhich this shift might be facilitated.     

采用趣味教学激发学生学习数学的兴趣

初中数学课程,不是每个同学都能学好,也不是每个同学都有兴趣,尤其是学习基础差的学生。但是如果有好的教学方法,主动去吸引学生,就会调动学生学习的积极性。对此,我认为趣味教学是一种比较好的教学方法。     

Chinese students' assessment and learning experiences in a transnational higher education programme

Abstract

Chinese universities are increasingly entering into transnational higher education partnerships with institutions in primarily English-speaking countries. With this increase in programmes, there is a growing body of research investigating both policy and practice. Our study contributes insight into how students in a China–Australia programme experienced assessment drawing on theorisations of sustainable assessment. We present findings from interviews with 10 Chinese students who shared stories and reflections of their experiences of assessment and learning that reveal the complex ways students negotiated qualitatively different assessment experiences, while displaying sophisticated levels of agency, between Chinese and Australian universities. In making sense of the interviews in relation to sustainable assessment, we evoke notions of cultural ignorance to illuminate aspects of a cross-cultural ignorance in teaching and learning practices. In doing so, we argue that conversations about cultural ignorance combined with principles of sustainable assessment can create space to support partners to better plan and coordinate for meaningful assessment and learning experiences for students in cross-cultural articulation programmes.     

阅读教学有效提高学生自主学习能力的策略研究

如何在阅读教学中提高学生的自主学习能力,要对新课程标准正确解读,教师实施科学的课堂导学策略,还原阅读教学的本质找来症结,建设大阅读环境,落实多样化阅读评价方式。     

University teacher approaches to design and teaching and concepts of learning technologies

This study investigates the experience of teaching of 19 teachers who are teaching on university courses involving face-to-face and on-line learning. The teachers are asked about how they think about learning technologies and how they approach the design and teaching of their courses across these two contexts. Results show that there are qualitatively different ways of thinking about learning technologies that relate logically and positively to qualitatively different ways of designing and teaching using learning technologies. The results have implications for teachers and those interested in maximising the likelihood of learning for university students when teachers teach with learning technologies.     

灵活运用英语教法 激发学生学习兴趣

如何激发学生学习英语的兴趣是每个教师必须认真思考的问题。在教学实践中,我总结出通过背诵绕口令记忆单词。通过翻译诗歌翻译技能,通过看图说话深入学习语法。通过课文剧表演,提高英语综合能力的教学方法．并取得了良好的教学效果。