Improving school attendance: can participation in outdoor learning influence attendance for young people with social,emotional and behavioural difficulties?

The link between good attendance in school and academic performance has been acknowledged for some time now. However, improving school attendance for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) or pupils at risk of exclusion can be a challenging task for educational leaders. This paper begins with a discussion of earlier studies on outdoor learning and school attendance. It adds to the discourse by presenting findings from a one-year outdoor learning programme situated within an English special school for young people with SEBD. The research reported here is part of a larger study that used an action research design. The paper concludes that although improvements in attendance can be achieved, the factors affecting attendance are complex and that improvements may be restricted to programmes that utilise an outdoor learning approach rather than being achievable across the whole school curriculum.     

Approaches to the Enhancement of Tertiary Teaching

Recent research in the areas of cognitive psychology and student learning involves changed conceptions of the natures of learning and of teaching, with promising implications for the enhancement of tertiary teaching. A model of learning is presented, proposing that the teaching context, students' approaches to learning, and the outcomes of learning, form a system in a state of equilibrium. Three approaches to enhancing teaching follow from the model: additive, interactive, and contextual. Additive approaches ignore both students' approaches to learning and the institutional context, and are relatively ineffective. Genuine improvements in student learning involve interactive and contextual approaches to teaching, which can be activated through appropriate staff development.     

Classroom teacher effectiveness research: a conceptual critique

Teacher effectiveness research now informs the rationale of much Australian education policy aimed at redressing student under‐achievement. The approach draws a ‘straight line’ between teacher practice and student outcomes, ‘controlling’ for and ultimately dismissive of other possible influences. The paper calls into question this conception of teaching–learning relations, particularly the extent to which teaching practice can be reasonably quantified and improvements in students' academic achievement can be solely attributed to and/or sole responsibility placed on the pedagogic strategies employed by teachers. Drawing on the theoretical resources of Foucault and Bourdieu, the paper argues further that teacher effectiveness research is flawed in both means and ends. It concludes that in its ranking of student and teacher performance, such research actually works against the purposes of education; specifically, authentic teaching and learning.     

Dyslexia and learning style – a note of caution

In a recent issue of BJSE , Sioned Exley published the outcomes of her school-based research into effective teaching strategies for students with dyslexia 'based on their preferred learning styles'. She reported improvements in performance and attainment in spelling and recommended a more wide-scale adoption of approaches focused on learning styles.
In this article, Tilly Mortimore, author of a recent book on dyslexia and learning style, and lecturer in inclusion at the University of Southampton, argues for caution. She suggests that practitioners need to look more closely into recent research into learning style and dyslexia before committing themselves to dramatic shifts in their ways of working. She presents here a review of the research context for learning styles and some reflections on Exley's selection of a research focus. While welcoming practitioner research, Tilly Mortimore suggests ways in which the theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of small-scale enquiries could be strengthened in order to increase their impact upon policy and practice.     

Umbrella action research projects as a mechanism for learning and teaching quality enhancement

ABSTRACT

Umbrella action research projects link together a number of small action research projects under a common organizational and thematic umbrella. This article provides an example of an umbrella action research project, which aimed for teaching quality enhancement. There are two mechanisms by which teaching quality can be enhanced. The first of these is through the improvements initiated in the small projects, which are normally conducted by teachers in the courses they teach. The second mechanism is that of the collective reflective discussions of the whole project team. The collective umbrella that over-arches the individual projects provides a mechanism for participants to collectively transform their understanding of the common thematic issue. There is, therefore, the possibility of an emancipatory transformation, so that the whole achieves more than the sum of the individual projects. This article substantiates the impact of umbrella action research projects by presenting case studies from an overall project that focused on online learning. The cases highlight our reflective discussions on promoting student engagement in online learning. They show how our collective understanding of engagement in online learning was advanced and some of the means tried in the small projects to encourage student engagement. As there is evidence of teaching quality enhancement through the umbrella action research project, we discuss the possibility of redirecting some of the resources currently devoted to quality assurance to quality enhancement through encouraging action research projects.     

What campus-based students think about the quality and benefits of e-learning

There is a trend in Irish universities to utilise the benefits of the e‐learning as a mechanism to improve learning performance of campus‐based students. Whilst traditional methods, such as face‐to‐face lectures, tutorials, and mentoring, remain dominant in the educational sector, universities are investing heavily in learning technologies, to facilitate improvements with respect to the quality of learning. The technology to support reuse and sharing of educational resources, or learning objects, is becoming more stable, with interoperability standards maturing. However, debate has raged about what constitutes effective use of learning technology. This research expands upon a study carried out in 2003 examining students’ perceptions of e‐learning in a large undergraduate accounting class environment. As a result, improvements were made to the instructional design of the course, to enable students to engage interactively with content. The subsequent study, reported in this paper, adopted a broad range of techniques to understand students’ learning experience in depth. The findings of this research provide an insight into how these students really work and learn using technologies, if at all. It is hoped that our findings will improve the experience for both students and lecturers who engage in teaching and learning through this medium.     

论高职院校学生学习力的培养

高职院校学生学习力的建设,是为了适应社会发展、劳动力市场变化带来的职业变化和岗位变化的需求,提高高职院校学生就业竞争力、职业适应性及其终身发展能力的重要课题,要培养高职院校学生的学习力,应该在分析高职院校学习学生特性和学习现状的基础上,在优化学习规则、深化教学改革、营造学习氛围方面下功夫,以使学生真正理解职业教育、明确学习目标、养成学习习惯、掌握良好方法、遵从学习纪律、取得学习成效,逐步提高学习力培养水平。     

Learning about friction: group dynamics in engineering students’ work with free body diagrams

In educational research, it is well-known that collaborative work on core conceptual issues in physics leads to significant improvements in students’ conceptual understanding. In this paper, we explore collaborative learning in action, adding to previous research in engineering education with a specific focus on the students’ use of free body diagrams in interaction. By looking at details in interaction among a group of three engineering students, we illustrate how they collectively construct a free body diagram together when learning introductory mechanics. In doing so, we have focused on both learning possibilities and the dynamic processes that take place in the learning activity. These findings have a number of implications for educational practice.     

Research on teacher–student relationships and learning environments: Context,retrospect and prospect

The program of research on teacher–student relationships described in this issue is an important part of the field of classroom learning environments, although it has its own distinctive and significant features. The questionnaire on teacher interaction (QTI), the main instrument used in this research, follows the strong tradition in learning environments research of using the perceptions of the participants in the classroom. Although this research program originated in the Netherlands, it now is truly international and the QTI has been translated into and validated in over a dozen languages. Not only has past research consistently replicated the advantages of positive teacher–student relationships in terms of promoting improved student outcomes, but positive teacher–student relationships also are worthwhile process goals of education. In the future, it would be desirable for the QTI to be used more frequently by teachers as a feedback instrument for guiding improvements in their classroom relationships with their students, and that qualitative data-collection methods are used more often in conjunction with the use of the QTI in research on teacher–student interaction.     

What Happens After the Age of 14? Mapping Transitions for Pupils with Profound and Complex Learning Difficulties

This article reports on part one of a three-part national survey of provision for pupils aged 14 and older, in England and Wales, who have profound and complex learning difficulties. The survey is part of the Enhancing the Quality of Life (EqoL), a three-year research project jointly awarded to Skill: the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, and the University of Cambridge School of Education. The aim of the project is to construct a framework for learning which will support improvements in the quality of life for these young people. It is funded by the National Lottery Charities Board.     

如何认识探究学习与研究性学习的关系

开设研究性学习课程是我国本次课程改革的一个重要措施。然而 ,这一课程又同时被理解为一种学习方式 ,从而使人们对研究性学习与探究学习的关系产生了种种模糊认识。一些人认为 ,这两种学习方式是完全一样的 ,只是名称不同 ;而另一些人认为 ,研究性学习是比探究学习更加“高级”的学习方式 ,它应该包含探究学习。本文提出 ,应该将研究性学习看成是探究学习的特殊形式 ,主要用于面向跨学科的现实问题的研究性学习课程中 ;除了在研究性学习课程中促进学生探究学习以外 ,还应该在学科教学中采用灵活多样的方式促进学生开展探究学习     

Investigating the use of student perception data for teacher reflection and classroom improvement

This article reports a study involving: (1) developing and validating a learning environment instrument, (2) investigating whether reflection on feedback generated using the instrument led to improvements in the learning environment and (3) examining how teachers used the feedback. For the new learning environment instrument, validity was supported for a sample of 10,345 secondary students over 3 years (2,042 students in 2008, 4,467 in 2009 and 3,836 in 2010). To investigate whether reflection on feedback from this instrument led to improvements in the learning environment, multivariate analysis of variance and effect sizes were used to examine pre–post differences. Statistically significant improvements in students’ views of the learning environment were found for 8 of the 11 scales. Finally, we examined how teachers used the student feedback. Of the 459 teachers, 45 focus teachers used the feedback as part of a formal action research approach involving entries in reflective journals, written reports, discussions and participation at a forum. These data were analysed to provide an overview of the ways in which the information was used, and to provide a more detailed account of the journey of one of the teachers.     

The value and valuing of continuing professional development: current dilemmas,future directions and the case for action research

This paper explores and challenges the rationale for current, mainstream approaches to teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) within schooling systems. Such approaches are significantly influenced by neoliberal and managerial pressures, evident in advocacy for generic, individualistic models of teacher learning, often focused on specific state-sanctioned domains. The paper draws upon a précis of recent action research literature, and empirical research from Sweden, to argue for an alternative paradigm, based on the practices and principles of participatory and collaborative action research. Action research is not presented as a simplistic ‘method’ which can be ‘applied’ regardless of context, but is explicitly focused on situated, specific, local sites. While more managerial and neoliberal practices can close down debates necessary for effecting real improvements in practice, evidence suggests action research, in its emancipatory iterations, enables a rich conception of educational practice which cannot be ‘managed’ into existence by a simplistic application of ‘what works.’     

Assessment for learning and Teacher Learning Communities: UK teachers’ experiences

In this paper, I explore the experiences of secondary teachers in four London schools [UK] who participated in Teacher Learning Communities, defined as meetings in which professional learning was supported as they learned about Assessment for Learning (AfL). The claim for these communities is that they lead to sustained improvements in teaching and learning, where the following design principles are adhered to: where leaders respect and value a need that has been identified by participants as of importance to themselves; they are school-based and integral to school operations; there is teacher collaboration; and there is input from within and beyond the school to support teachers’ theoretical as well as practical learning. The findings from this research project suggest that Teacher Learning Communities’ benefits were compromised specifically: where they were imposed on teachers; where they were not accommodated sufficiently within other school commitments; where leaders were too directive; where meeting formats were adhered to inflexibly; and where practice was emphasized at the expense of theories. My conclusion is that both AfL and Teacher Learning Communities rely for their success on sustained critical reflection among their participants, which can be inhibited where the above limitations apply.     

Case study: use of problem-based learning to develop students' technical and professional skills

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy that has attracted attention for many biomedical engineering curricula. The aim of the current study was to address the research question, ‘Does PBL enable students to develop desirable professional engineering skills?’ The desirable skills identified were communication, teamwork, problem solving and self-directed learning. Forty-seven students enrolled in a biomedical materials course participated in the case study. Students worked in teams to complete a series of problems throughout the semester. The results showed that students made significant improvements in their problem-solving skills, written communication and self-directed learning. Students also demonstrated an ability to work in teams and communicate orally. In conclusion, this case study provides empirical evidence of the efficacy of PBL on student learning. We discuss findings from our study and provide observations of student performance and perceptions that could be useful for faculty and researchers interested in PBL for biomedical engineering education.     

Engaged pedagogy: a study of the use of reflective journals in accounting education

This paper provides a report on a study of innovation in postgraduate education in which a reflective learning journal was used for formal assessment purposes in a management accounting course. Prompted by the discourse on the shortcomings of accounting education in terms of learning processes, learning experiences and learning outcomes, the reflective journal was designed to address concerns related to poor uptake of teaching and learning innovations in the discipline and recognised deficiencies in the generic competencies of accounting graduates. Utilising action research methods, the incremental approach to the implementation of the assessment activity is described and evaluated based on an analysis of 73 journal submissions across a five‐year period. The results, while based on a sample of limited size, indicated a dichotomy in surface versus deep approaches to learning in reference to the assessment task, but with improvements in student performances and learning outcomes when more radical change to the learning journal assessment item was introduced.     

Effective teaching and learning strategies in outdoor education: findings from two residential programmes based in Australia

This paper aims to contribute to on-going discussion about the teaching and learning strategies used in effective outdoor education programmes. A naturalistic inquiry was conducted with two schools that participated in 28-day outdoor education programmes facilitated by the same outdoor provider in Australia. Data were collected through five semi-structured interviews with the school teachers and programme leaders and five focus groups conducted with the students. The Life Effectiveness Questionnaire was also administered to 261 students pre- and post-programme and results confirmed that the outdoor education programmes were producing desired improvements in the students’ perceptions of their general life skills. The findings of the qualitative analysis confirmed the importance of carefully sequenced activities, a facilitative teaching style, and active engagement as teaching and learning strategies. More research is needed to confirm the teaching and learning strategies that should be prioritised in the education of future outdoor education leaders.     

Effectiveness of experiential learning in improving cognitive Planning and its impact on problem solving and mathematics performance / Eficacia del aprendizaje experiencial para mejorar la Planificación cognitiva y su repercusión en la resolución de problemas y el rendimiento matemático

This study is based on PASS theory, which suggests that the cognitive process of Planning is responsible for developing metacognitive strategies. The aim is to verify the effect of stimulating the cognitive process of PASS Planning on secondary school students using two different methodologies, with experiential learning (inductive) being applied in one group and deductive learning in the other. The study also aims to verify if improvements are observed in student grades in maths and problem solving. A quantitative study with a quasi-experimental design was carried out with two experimental groups of 59 and 57 students and a control group of 57. The results confirm significant improvements in both experimental groups in relation to their capacity to plan after the stimulations sessions, regardless of the methodology used. Nevertheless, improved grades in maths and problem solving were only found in the group who were administered the experiential learning (inductive) method. The conclusion drawn is that these kinds of methodologies need to be promoted for the stimulation of Planning to have the desired effect on mathematics performance.