Educating teachers about managing classrooms and students

The author defines instruction, classroom management, student socialization, and disciplinary intervention as functions commonly performed by teachers, and suggests guidelines for educating teachers in the latter three functions. A knowledge base reflecting established scientific findings exists to inform teacher education concerning classroom management. No such knowledge base exists concerning student socialization and disciplinary intervention, but principles reflecting a consensus of expert opinion can be identified. The author argues for sustained focus on a single integrated approach, taught as an action system that includes attention not only to propositional knowledge (concerning principles of effective management) but also to procedural knowledge (of how to implement these principles) and conditional knowledge (of when and why to implement them). Other recommended elements include conceptual change teaching designed to confront and correct inappropriate attitudes or beliefs that students may bring with them; emphasizing the basics by concentrating on the most commonly occurring classroom teaching situations; and developing skills as much as possible through the apprenticeship approach (modeling, coaching, scaffolding/fading) but supplementing this as needed with didactic instruction in basic concepts and skills, structured classroom observation and student teaching experiences, and use of case materials and simulation exercises as substitutes for field experiences that cannot be included in the program.     

Cooperative learning in industrial-sized biology classes

This study examined the impact of cooperative learning activities on student achievement and attitudes in large-enrollment (>250) introductory biology classes. We found that students taught using a cooperative learning approach showed greater improvement in their knowledge of course material compared with students taught using a traditional lecture format. In addition, students viewed cooperative learning activities highly favorably. These findings suggest that encouraging students to work in small groups and improving feedback between the instructor and the students can help to improve student outcomes even in very large classes. These results should be viewed cautiously, however, until this experiment can be replicated with additional faculty. Strategies for potentially improving the impact of cooperative learning on student achievement in large courses are discussed.     

Attitudes of high-school students taught using traditional and reform mathematics curricula in middle school: a retrospective analysis

This paper presents findings from a larger research project that provides insight into the attitudes of high-school students who were taught using different types of mathematics curricula when they were in middle school. A total of 44 12th-grade students from 10 high schools in the same urban school district were interviewed. Eighteen (41%) of them had been taught using a reform curriculum in middle school and 26 (59%) had been taught using a more traditional curriculum. Using Di Martino and Zan’s three-dimensional model for attitude, we found that the high-school seniors who had been taught using the reform curriculum in middle school harbored attitudes toward mathematics that differed significantly from the attitudes of those who had been taught using a traditional curriculum in middle school. Our analysis of the student interviews culled seven themes that provide fine-grained information about the students’ attitudes toward mathematics. Significantly greater percentages of reform students than traditional students had a relational Vision of mathematics as opposed to an instrumental Vision; however, there was no significant difference between the proportions of reform and traditional students who had a positive Emotional Disposition toward mathematics or a positive Perceived Competence in mathematics.     

Using argumentation as a learning strategy to improve student performance in engineering Statics

ABSTRACT

Research suggests that a significant reason that a large number of students earn low grades in the fundamental engineering science course Statics is that they may be entering the course with incorrect conceptual knowledge of mathematics and physics. The self-explanation learning approach called collective argumentation helps k-12 students to understand their misconceptions of mathematical principles that often appear abstract to them. This study investigated collective argumentation as an instructional approach that helps engineering students identify and correct their misconceptions of topics taught in Statics. Results suggest that argumentation improves student performance as measured by grades earned on semester exams. Survey and focus group results suggest that students did not understand the argumentation process. Therefore, the students did not like using it as a learning approach.     

High-School Students' Attitudes Regarding Procedural Abstraction

During the last decade a new computer science curriculum has been taught in Israeli high schools. This curriculum introduces CS concepts and problem-solving methods independently of specific computers and programming languages, along with the practical implementation of those concepts and methods encountered in actual programming languages. The advanced study unit of the curriculum, Software Design, introduces the students to various aspects of software systems design through the use of abstract data types (ADTs). One main goal of the unit is to develop abstract thinking skills and problem-solving abilities. More specifically, the unit presents principles such as procedural abstraction, data abstraction, information hiding, modularity, efficiency, and reuse of code.We present the results of a preliminary study whose aim was to assess students' attitudes regarding procedural abstraction. The research population consisted of high-school students who attended the Software Design course (beginners), and a control group of undergraduate CS students (advanced). The results of the study clearly indicated a significant difference between the attitudes of the two groups. We found that the advanced students preferred algorithms that were formulated to some extent with high-level abstraction; however, they encountered a cognitive barrier when dealing with algorithms that they had evaluated as too abstract for them. However, beginners felt more comfortable with algorithms with low-level abstraction. Nevertheless they showed open-mindedness toward some degree of procedural abstraction. The results of the study were used to design scaffolding problem-solving tools for algorithm development, utilizing procedural abstraction techniques that can be adapted to various student populations (Haberman, B. (2002) SIGCSE Bulletin, 34(4), 60–64).     

Using a student‐centred learning approach to teach a discrete information technology course: the effects on Malaysian pre‐service teachers’ attitudes toward information technology

The purpose of this study was to measure pre‐service teachers’ attitudes toward information technology (IT) after completing a discrete IT course taught in a student centred‐learning (SCL) environment during laboratory sessions. Evidence from this study suggests that there was a positive shift in the participants’ attitudes toward IT. Pre‐test results showed that IT‐competent participants who regarded IT as useful had more confidence and less aversion toward IT. Post‐test results showed increased mean scores on all three dependent variables with no differences between IT‐competent and low IT‐competent participants. The results were supported by interviews which indicate that after completing the IT course, participants were more independent, more creative and possessed collaborative learning skills. The results suggest that infusing SCL into a discrete IT course can help promote and enhance positive attitudes toward IT and enable students to be active participants in their own learning process.     

NEW IDEAS ON MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY

In this article, new ideas for mathematics education for engineering are proposed as follows: (1) Mathematics will be taught by introducing several specific engineering themes early in the program. (2) The themes selected are in the engineering field that the student is studying. (3) As students knowledge of mathematics advances, they revisit these engineering themes for further analysis. The author discusses the reasons motivating a search for a new approach to mathematics education and suggests some advantages and disadvantages of the approach outlined here. An example from mechanical engineering is presented.     

Attitudes of Secondary School STEM Teachers towards Supervising Research and Design Activities

Research and design activities are important focus points in international policies for secondary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. It is up to school teachers to implement and supervise these activities in the STEM classroom. However, not much is known about the attitudes teachers hold towards supervising research projects or design projects. In this study, a questionnaire to measure teacher attitudes towards supervising research activities and design activities in secondary school was completed by 130 Dutch teachers who taught the relatively new Dutch STEM subjects O&O (research and design) and NLT (nature, life, and technology). These integrated STEM subjects are project and context based and are taught in a limited number of schools. Important differences between these integrated STEM subjects are their student and teacher populations: NLT is taught in grades 10–12 by teachers with a qualification in a science subject, while O&O is taught in grades 7–12 and can be given by any teacher in secondary school. The results showed that on average, both O&O and NLT teachers had high self-efficacy scores on supervising research and design projects even when they had received no special education in doing so. Furthermore, the teachers in general viewed supervising research projects as a more relevant activity than supervising design. Since research and design activities are becoming more important in (inter)national curriculum standards, STEM teacher education and subsequent professional development should not only familiarize teachers with supervising research projects, but with design projects as well.

     

Examining Engineering Students in Developing Countries: the case for three-part questions

This paper presents a method for assessing the three major objectives in the teaching of vocational and technical courses. These objectives are identified as material assimilation, application to real practical problems and resourcefulness of the student. The method was developed and tested over a period of more than 10 years on the Applied Electricity course, taught to first year engineering students at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Analysis show that with the three-part-question method of examination the distribution of student scores is normal and the information deduced can be useful to both lecturer and student.     

Assessment of the effectiveness of the studio format in introductory undergraduate biology

Kansas State University converted its introductory biology course, previously taught as an audio-tutorial (A-T), to a studio format in 1997. We share with others information about the process involved and present assessment data for the studio format course that address 1) student exam performance in A-T and studio; 2) student course grades in A-T and studio; 3) student and instructor perceptions and attitudes for A-T and studio; 4) student performance in subsequent biology courses for A-T and studio; and 5) gains in student learning for the studio course and other traditional lecture/lab courses. Collectively, these measures demonstrate that the studio format is as effective as or more effective (for some measures) than the A-T approach and traditional approaches in providing an effective learning environment. We discuss the issues involved in comparing course formats.     

Effectiveness of National Board Certified (NBC) teachers in terms of classroom environment, attitudes and achievement among secondary science students

No previous research has employed learning environments criteria in evaluating the effectiveness of the system of teacher certification sponsored by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Because the litmus test of any professional development effort is the extent of the changes in teaching behaviours in participating teachers’ classrooms, our study drew on the field of learning environments in evaluating the effectiveness of National Board Certified (NBC) teachers in terms of their students’ perceptions of their classroom environments. A sample of 443 students in 21 Grade 8 and 10 science classes taught by NBC teachers in South Florida was compared with a matched group of 484 students in 17 classes taught by non-NBC teachers in terms of classroom environment (as assessed by the What Is Happening In this Class?) and students’ attitudes and achievement. Statistically significant differences (with small to medium effect sizes ranging from 0.14 to 0.35 standard deviations) were found in favour of NBC teachers for numerous classroom and environment scales (Teacher Support, Involvement, Task Orientation, Investigation and Cooperation) and for student attitudes.     

Impact of Adaptive Materials on Teachers and their Students with Visual Impairments in Secondary Science and Mathematics Classes

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, important in today’s world, are underrepresented by students with disabilities. Students with visual impairments, although cognitively similar to sighted peers, face challenges as STEM subjects are often taught using visuals. They need alternative forms of access such as enlarged or audio‐converted text, tactile graphics, and involvement in hands‐on science. This project focused on increasing teacher awareness of and providing funds for the purchase of supplemental adaptive resources, supplies, and equipment. We examined attitude and instructional changes across the year of the programme in 15 science and mathematics teachers educating students with visual impairments. Positive changes were noted from pretest to posttest in student and teacher perspectives, and in teacher attitudes towards students with disabilities in STEM classes. Teachers also provided insights into their challenges and successes through a reflective narrative. Several adolescent students resisted accommodations to avoid appearing conspicuous to peers. Teachers implemented three strategies to address this: providing the adaptations to all students in the class; convincing the student of the need for adaptation; and involving the class in understanding and accepting the student’s impairment. A variety of teacher‐created adaptations for various science and mathematics labs are reported. Another finding was many adaptations provided for the student with visual impairment benefitted the entire class. This study supports the claim that given knowledgeable, supportive teachers, and with appropriate accommodations such as tactile or auditory materials, students with visual impairments can be as successful and engaged as other students in science and mathematics.     

DO SCHOOLS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR STUDENTS’ ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES AND AWARENESS? EVIDENCE FROM PISA 2006

The environmental agenda is gaining momentum as an international policy issue. This is reflected in an increase in environmental education research focussing on children’s awareness and attitudes toward the environment. In this study, we focused on this issue from a school effectiveness perspective and evaluated (a) which student characteristics predict environmental attitudes and awareness, (b) whether schools make a difference in their students’ environmental attitudes and awareness and (c) if school effects are different for students with varying levels of science ability. The cross-sectional Flemish data of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment 2006 (4,999 students in 156 schools) were re-analysed using a multivariate multilevel model to address these issues. Results show that gender, immigrant status, socioeconomic status and educational track are important in explaining students’ environmental attitudes and awareness. Furthermore, the results show that schools do matter; schools in which science is taught in a more hands-on manner are associated with higher student environmental awareness whilst environmental learning activities are associated with more pro-environmental attitudes amongst students. After controlling for student characteristics, these school effects do not differ between more science-literate children and their less or average science-literate peers.     

Two-way and one-way video: when is ‘no difference’ significant in distance education?

This study investigated the effects of instructor monitoring on student attitudes in an interactive television course. A comparison was made between learners located at sites with and without video feedback to the instructors. Data were collected for four variables: level of interaction as perceived by the student, value of the content taught, student assessment of gains in knowledge, and overall satisfaction. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results indicated that student perceptions were not affected by the absence of video monitoring. The effect size was estimated to be practically zero and corroborated by the qualitative evidence collected in a subsequent study using interviews in other television (TV) courses. Findings were discussed in relation to instructional characteristics and system improvement priorities. The paper concluded that given appropriate instructional characteristics, partial absence of video feedback to the instructor may be adequately rectified to justify a wider coverage by interactive TV instruction even where real-time video feedback is not feasible.     

Software Engineering Design Principles Applied to Instructional Design: What can we Learn from our Sister Discipline?

The failure of many instructional design initiatives is often attributed to poor instructional design. Current instructional design models do not provide much insight into design processes for creating e-learning instructional solutions. Given the similarities between the fields of instructional design and software engineering, instructional designers could employ the ideas and techniques employed in software engineering to improve their design solutions. Software engineering development and project management methodologies can be employed to develop effective e-learning solutions. Furthermore, software engineering design principles used to develop high-quality software can be applied to planning and enhancing instruction. Fundamental software design concepts, such as abstraction, modularity, reusability, compatibility, extensibility, scalability, and maintainability are all important factors that can potentially lead to the development of high quality instructional solutions. This paper explores the possibility to integrate software engineering design principles into instructional design for e-learning solutions, which not only augment the generic instructional design approach with the best practices from the field of software engineering, but also make the development process more productive and efficient. Finally, this paper illustrates how all of the software engineering design principles are interrelated and can be realized in practice to enhance the quality of instruction.     

Students as ‘catalysts’ in the classroom: the impact of co‐teaching between science student teachers and primary classroom teachers on children's enjoyment and learning of science

This study is an investigation of the impact of collaborative teaching by student‐teachers and classroom teachers on children’s enjoyment and learning of science. The paper describes findings from a project in which undergraduate science specialist student‐teachers were placed in primary schools where they ‘co‐taught’ investigative science and technology with primary teachers. Almost six months after the student placement, a survey of children’s attitudes to school science revealed that these children enjoyed science lessons more and showed fewer gender or age differences in their attitudes to science than children who had not been involved in the project. The authors discuss how this model of collaborative planning, teaching and evaluation can both enhance teacher education and improve children’s experience of science.     

Design principles for the blend in blended learning: a collective case study

This paper reports on a collective case study of three blended courses taught by different instructors in a higher education institution, with the purpose of identifying the different types of blend and how the blend supports student learning. Based on the instructors’ and students’ interviews, and document analysis of course outlines, two major principles, consolidation and extension, differentiating the design of the three courses, are identified. The consolidation principle emphasises designing different types of activities for students to think again, so that their knowledge can be consolidated. The extension principle emphasises the extension of the space of learning and catering the diverse needs of students. There are also design principles commonly found, with the emphases on student autonomy, interaction and feedback, and the awareness of student diversity. The findings contribute to the design of blended learning, especially on how the face-to-face and online components can be combined.     

The use of engineering design scenarios to assess student knowledge of global,societal, economic,and environmental contexts

Product archaeology as an educational approach asks engineering students to consider and explore the broader societal and global impacts of a product's manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal on people, economics, and the environment. This study examined the impact of product archaeology in a project-based engineering design course on student attitudes and perceptions about engineering and abilities to extend and refine knowledge about broader contexts. Two design scenarios were created: one related to dental hygiene and one related to vaccination delivery. Design scenarios were used to (1) assess knowledge of broader contexts, and (2) test variability of student responses across different contextual situations. Results from pre- to post-surveying revealed improved student perceptions of knowledge of broader contexts. Significant differences were observed between the two design scenarios. The findings support the assumption that different design scenarios elicit consideration of different contexts and design scenarios can be constructed to target specific contextual considerations.