The education of learners with CHARGE syndrome

CHARGE syndrome, although a low incidence condition, is now recognised as a leading cause of congenital deafblindness among genetic conditions. Anecdotal reporting has suggested that learners with CHARGE syndrome are distinct from the wider deafblind population. This study investigates the education of learners with CHARGE syndrome, while also examining what the similarities and differences might be between this group of learners and the wider deafblind population. The findings of this study support the identification of potential learning characteristics of individuals with CHARGE syndrome, and also indicate that educational deafblind practice is applicable for this group of learners, although alternative or additional strategies may be required. Both commonalities and distinctions were found, but it was concluded that educationally there may be something unique and distinct in learners with this condition.     

Computer self‐efficacy,academic self‐concept,and other predictors of satisfaction and future participation of adult distance learners

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model of satisfaction of adult learners in a Web‐based distance education course and their intent to participate in future Web‐based distance education courses. The factors examined were computer self‐efficacy, academic self‐concept, age, gender, academic status, years of computer use, frequency of computer use, computer training, Internet experience in a class, and participation in a workshop for a Web‐based course. Computer self‐efficacy was the only predictor variable that was statistically significant. There was a positive relationship between learners' satisfaction with their Web‐based distance education courses and their intent to participate in future Web‐based courses.     

The use of assessment in the development of higher-order thinking skills

Abstract

In an increasingly complex and specialised society, it is imperative that individuals think critically and creatively. This kind of thinking is also required to achieve the critical outcomes as stated in the Revised National Curriculum Statement for South Africa. It seems, however, that higher-order thinking is unlikely to occur unless learners are engaged in activities that deliberately promote this kind of thinking. They should also be guided on how to engage in these complex thinking tasks. The aim of this article is to reflect on the use of assessment to promote learners' higher-order thinking skills. The role of assessment has implications for the nature of teacher training programmes. If lecturers model the way assessment can be done to develop higher-order thinking skills, it is hoped that teachers will have little difficulty in adapting it to their unique classroom situations. Examples from language modules of an in-service teacher training programme are used to show how assessment can be implemented to help learners develop higher-order thinking skills within the framework of outcomes-based education and the Revised National Curriculum Statement.     

Looking others in the eye: rights and gender in South African education policy

In this paper we examine relations between education policy and local practice. Situating our work within the literature on the local implementation of education policy, we develop a pedagogical perspective for understanding relations between policy and local practice. We argue that policy‐makers’ attempts to enact policy can be viewed as a form of teaching and that local educators can be seen as learners from policy. This pedagogical perspective provides a theoretical frame for the papers in this volume. We trace the evolution of this pedagogical perspective in our work, and we preview the contribution the papers in this volume make to developing this frame. We also present details of our research methods.

     

Teachers as Facilitators in a Computer‐supported Learning Environment

ABSTRACT

This paper argues that teachers in this technology‐rich era have a new role to play in their classrooms. As a knowledge facilitator, rather than a knowledge presenter, the job of the teacher is to create a computer‐ supported learning environment where learners are encouraged to think critically and creatively and to develop personal ownership and appreciation of the knowledge constructed. Classroom examples are given in this paper to provide evidence that the teacher's role is crucial in a successful computer‐ based learning environment. The implications of computer‐supported learning environments to teacher development and education are also discussed.     

Fred outdoors: An initial report into the experiences of outdoor activities for an adult who is congenitally deafblind

Abstract

Outdoor Education has long been used with groups that could be described as having “special needs”. Research in this particular area has in the past concentrated on adaptations to equipment and activities, allowing access for people with physical disabilities, and expanding the learning and development opportunities available to those with learning difficulties. This article documents the initial observations made of the experiences of a man, who is congenitally deafblind, when given the opportunity to experience outdoor activities. The article highlights a number of areas, which appear particularly relevant to this specific target group, and may be worthy of further investigation. The use of video technology is also demonstrated to be a valuable research tool when working with people who have multisensory impairments.     

Meeting Student Needs Through the Levels Program and Grade Weighting

Action research is often included in teacher education programs to improve teacher reflection and practice; however, there is little indication of its impact on students. In this article, the authors examine action research conducted by 114 experienced teachers enrolled in a masters of education program. The teachers came from a range of disciplines and grade levels. Based on their investigation, the authors determined that action research provided a vehicle for teachers to (a) establish more personal relationships with students, (b) develop a better understanding of students as learners, and (c) give students a voice in the classroom. The authors illustrate these themes with three portraits of exemplar teachers.     

EDUCATIONAL TUITION‐WAIVER POLICIES: A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT IN VIRGINIA

Abstract

In the last decade, a majority of states has developed legislation or centralized policy directives which encourage the participation of older adults in institutions of higher education through tuition‐reduction or tuition‐waiver. However, very little research has been conducted to assess their impact on participation and program development. This paper is intended to analyze the awareness and impact of tuition‐waiver policies among older adults and institutions of higher education in the state of Virginia. In addition, this paper is intended to provide an expository framework for the synthesis of secondary data sources which address state policy issues in gerontology and higher education.

Results from the analysis indicate a high level of awareness among administrators at the institutional and state level in higher education and among state legislators, while somewhat less awareness is evident among older adults. In terms of impact, results indicate that older adult participation remains extremely low, and the priority of cost in participation decisions is not well understood. The actual financial burden on institutions is still relatively small; however, with no tuition or state reimbursed funds, the incentives for program development remain insufficient.

Several additional policy and research questions follow from the analysis. Questions must be raised concerning who is benefitting from the legislation and who should be benefitting, what kinds of incentives are necessary for institutions to develop programs, and what role the state should play in facilitating program development. Additionally, a re‐evaluation of tuition‐waiver policies versus other kinds of financial incentives is recommended.     

The reflection integration model: A process for facilitating reflective learning

Abstract

One of the goals of teacher education is to develop each preservice teacher into a reflective educator. A reflective educator is a lifelong learner who perceives every experience as an opportunity for growth, change, and development of understanding. As a result of our teaching experiences in the College of Education, we have developed a process that helps students become reflective learners. In this article we discuss this process, the Reflection Integration Model (RIM). The four components of the model are (a) pre‐experience, (b) experience, (c) reflection, and (d) integration. While the model is germane to any experiential‐based learning, in this article it is applied to a field experience for preservice teachers.     

Recognising and exploring action-theories: A reflection-in-action approach to facilitating experiential learning

Abstract

Outdoor education has typically presented itself as a specific approach to experiential learning. This article proposes that experiential learning can be understood as a process in which learners recognise and develop their action-theory and that the aim of outdoor development programs — whether in mainstream education, corporate training or therapy — is to facilitate this process. After introducing the notion of action-theory, I will present a particular approach to facilitation, which can be understood as a reflection-in-action approach. I conclude by situating this approach in the wider range of facilitation models in the literature on outdoor education and adventure therapy.     

The Impact of First Computer Encounters on Mathematics Teachers’ Computer Competence

ABSTRACT

Twenty‐seven United Kingdom teachers of secondary mathematics were interviewed about information technology (IT) and its influence on their teaching of mathematics. A common factor to emerge was the nature of their first experience of computers and the impact it had on their subsequent professional activity. The analysis identified four ways in which teachers first encountered computers; as learners at school, university or colleges of education, as teachers undertaking in‐service training, as self‐taught adult learners, or as employees or researchers engaged in computer‐based activity prior to becoming teachers. A significant issue to emerge was that similar initial encounters are likely to have different and lasting professional consequences depending on the persons involved and their perceptions of mathematics, computers, the relationship between the two, and a range of other personal and institutional factors. Some implications for both pre‐service and in‐service training are discussed.     

Stories about teaching: Using qualitative data to promote reflective practices

Abstract

In this article two teacher educators describe an approach they have used with preservice early childhood and early childhood special education majors. They explain how the approach that they call “stories about teaching” resembles, yet differs from case study methods. The authors explain the process they used to develop, pilot, and use stories derived from qualitative data that they gathered in various early childhood settings. They explain how discussions based on the stories have provided their students opportunities to explore real‐life teaching situations from multiple perspectives, increase the depth of their reflections, and link theory to practice. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.     

Alternative Assessment Portfolios for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: A Case Study

Abstract

Twenty‐eight classroom teachers identified students in their rooms who were low achievers, at‐risk learners; low achievers, not at risk; average achievers; and special education students. We videotaped these students during reading lessons conducted by their teachers. Using a stimulated recall procedure, we interviewed teachers and asked them to report their thought processes during instruction, especially those that pertained to the target children. We found that teachers reported significantly more negative thoughts about at‐risk learners' than about average achievers' attending behavior and ability‐performance. Furthermore, at‐risk learners received a greater number of comments focused on the need to monitor their performance. Special education students received significantly more positive and negative comments about attending than did average achievers. In addition, they received more miscellaneous positive comments than did low, not at‐risk, and average achievers. Finally, teachers reported making more classroom modifications for this group than for average students. Implications for prereferral classroom interventions are discussed.     

Faculty planning for distance teaching

Abstract

How faculty in higher education plan instruction is an area about which little is known. The purpose of this study was to describe instructional planning by faculty teaching adult learners via interactive telecommunications technology and to identify their principal concerns when designing distance instruction. Qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze data on planning by eleven full‐time faculty members teaching on an audio‐graphic distance network. Their distance instruction planning process was characterized by three features: term rather than day‐to‐day planning, a primary emphasis on content rather than process, and reliance on the syllabus as the focal point of planning.     

Composing dialogues to express self‐differentiation and Burke's rhetoric: A way to comprehend multilevel inner growth

This essay responds to the fact that many gifted learners choose to compose dialogues to express and enact the self‐differentiation that accompanies multilevel inner growth. By discussing the level of consciousness at which dialogue composition begins and by recognizing the characteristics of gifted learners who compose dialogues, the essay also discusses why and how Burke's rhetoric of empathic identification offers them an interpretation practice that meets their educational and emotional needs. The discussion unfolds several questions for further research.     

Science education and affect

Thought experiments are tools often used by physicists. Learning authentic physics then also means that students need to develop a familiarity with the reasoning processes of thought experiments. This study examines the nature of learning processes that involve communication about image‐based micro‐worlds in optics. The results of this study show that students’ investigations often have the structure of thought experiments. Thought experiments that use computer‐based microworlds are powerful because they capitalize on the human capability for imagery that allow learners to ‘see’ the physical processes and construct qualitative understandings. In this study, the structure of students’ activities as thought experiments arose from their collective efforts which started with the construction of an optics simulation. In the course of the activities, students’ understanding evolved from fragmented views of optical situations to system views that included multiple components. Collaborative thought experiments are therefore emergent phenomena, triggered by the events as a whole rather than being pre‐designed. In the course of the activities, students who participated in collective problem solving gradually adopted shared graphical representations and meanings.     

A five year follow‐up study of the Nebraska project: Still a long way to go...

Numerous projects funded by the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act in 1989 contributed to answering important questions in the field of gifted education. However, little evaluation has examined how their findings are used or linked to current educational practices. This pilot‐study followed up on 18 students, identified as potentially gifted during the 1992 Javits‐sponsored Nebraska Project which used a teacher observation protocol. This follow‐up study examined the students' current status in gifted education programs, academic performance, and social/behavioral attributes, and the stability of the attributes associated with able/creative students over the past five‐year period. Results indicate a continued use of traditional identification practices in the school districts studied, and a presence of underachieving behaviors in students believed to be gifted during the Nebraska Project but not recognized as such currently by their school districts. The attributes associated with able/creative students in 1992, however, were found to be stable over the five year period. Results are discussed in light of the paradigm shift in gifted education practices and possible suggestions for reducing perpetual research‐practice gaps.     

Value for learning during this time of transformation: the first-year students’ perspective

ABSTRACT

Formal education was used by the apartheid government to prepare black South Africans for manual labour, thus there was little curricular focus on the development of higher-order cognitive skills. With the abolition of apartheid in 1994, the education system was re-valued and re-evaluated to provide wider access to quality education; the focus of education policies moved towards the development of self-regulation and higher-order cognitive skills for all learners. There is now a generation of learners who have experienced their schooling in the transformed education system, and it would be useful to understand, from their perspective, what they value in their development of learning within the higher education space. This study answers the question ‘Post-apartheid, what learning methods and resources do first-years perceive to be valuable to their learning when they enter university?’ Participants included 344 students taking a Biology course provided to medical science students at a South African university in 2018. Two questionnaires were administered towards the end of a six-week lecture period, responses were evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. The first survey, comprised of Likert-style questions, was conducted to determine the students’ views on the mechanisms which they used to support their learning. The second questionnaire comprised open-ended questions and focused on the students’ perception of their learning experience in the course. The findings show that there was a significant (p?<?.001) percentage of first-years who thought that rote-learning would suffice for examination preparation at university, and preferred to engage with their peers and the textbook before they engaged with their lecturers when navigating challenging concepts. Schwartz's model of social values is used to show that more needs to be done for the development of higher-order thinking and self-regulation when students enter university, and to mitigate alienation between students and staff.     

Learners’ Perceptions and Experiences of Two Chemistry MOOCs: Implications for Teaching and Design

ABSTRACT

Most Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) research studies have focused on students’ demographics, surveys, and retention data, while little attention has been paid to the authentic voices of the learners: the expressions of experiences, perceptions, and emotions in the MOOC students’ own words. In this paper, we conducted and analyzed in-depth interviews with learners from two MOOCs on the same subject. Findings confirm that learners enrolled in MOOCs for career and/or personal purposes. Learners’ expressions of feeling a human connection to the instructor in videos had important implications for video editing decisions. Many of the reasons given for dropping out of active participation in MOOCs were related to the learners’ lack of time because of other commitments. We expect the results from this study to provide a new understanding of MOOC learners and their perceptions of the courses; key insights should guide video editing considerations and encourage the use of instructor communication pathways such as regular emails to students in future MOOC offerings.     

General studies in the pre‐employment course: The Ballymun experience, 1971–1981

Abstract

In this paper we use the lens of an emerging research method in education called “design research” to address questions raised by Sugrue and Uí Thuama (1994) about the lack of strong linkages between research and classroom practice in Irish education. We provide context for this question by contrasting it with similar discussions in the US and UK about research quality in education. Next we elaborate a framework from one member of the design research community in educational research (Bannan‐Ritland, 2003) to show why some varieties of educational research may have little to offer practice at least directly and in the short term. Finally, we offer insight from Lesson Study in Japan (Lewis, 2002) as one possible solution to the problem of research and practice alignment.