Teacher students’ meaningful learning in widening learning worlds

ABSTRACT

This qualitative metasynthesis investigated students’ meaningful learning experiences amid andragogical teacher education programmes. The programmes catered to the specific learning needs of adult students in the context of university-based teacher education. This study aimed to provide a wider picture of the frames of students’ meaningful learning in andragogical teacher education programmes. The findings revealed three major learning worlds of adult students’ meaningful learning, which formed a common system widening from the professional awakening to the transformative community and agency in society. Based on the findings, this study argues that in andragogical teacher education, which emphasises collaboration and networking in accordance with the current trend in higher education, teacher students may become empowered participants and active agents in society. The findings can be used in planning curricula, and developing programmes of higher education in general and teacher education in particular.     

Relationships between students' meaningful learning orientation and their understanding of genetics topics

This study explored factors predicting the extent to which high school students (N = 140) acquired meaningful understanding of the biological topics of meiosis, the Punnett-square method, and the relationships between these topics. This study (a) examined mental modeling as a technique for measuring students' meaningful understanding of the topics, (b) measured students' predisposed, generalized tendency to learn meaningfully (meaningful learning orientation), (c) determined the extent to which students' meaningful learning orientation predicted meaningful understanding beyond that predicted by aptitude and achievement motivation, (d) experimentally tested two instructional treatments (relationships presented to students, relationships generated by students), (e) explored the relationships of meaningful learning orientation, prior knowledge, instructional treatment, and all interactions of these variables in predicting meaningful understanding. The results of correlations and multiple regressions indicated that meaningful learning orientation contributed to students' attainment of meaningful understanding independent of aptitude and achievement motivation. Meaningful learning orientation and prior knowledge interacted in unique ways for each topic to predict students' attainment of meaningful understanding. Instructional treatment had relatively little relationship to students' acquisition of meaningful understanding, except for learners midrange between meaningful and rote. These findings imply that a meaningful learning approach among students may be important, perhaps as much or more than aptitude and achievement motivation, for their acquisition of interrelated, meaningful understandings of science.     

The Meaningful Learning Theory and English Class Teaching

Based on the theory of meaningful learning set up by David.P.Ausubel,this paper discusses how to change current learning situation of students by creating affective circumstance for meaningful learning in order to increase students’ enthusiasm in English study.     

When Collaborative Learning Meets Nature: Collaborative Learning as a Meaningful Learning Tool in the Ecology Inquiry Based Project

This research suggests utilizing collaborative learning among high school students for better performance on ecology inquiry-based projects. A case study of nine 12th grade students who participated in collaborative learning sessions in the open field and in class is examined. The results show that the students concentrated on discussing the methods of measurement and observation in the open field, rather than the known methods from class or from the laboratory. Another major part of their discussions concentrated on knowledge construction. Knowledge construction occurred between students with same or similar learning abilities. The role of the teacher in these discussions was crucial: she had to deal with and dispel misconceptions; and she had to bridge the gap between low-ability and high-ability students, for enabling meaningful learning to occur. The article ends with a number of recommendations for using collaborative learning as a tool for achieving meaningful learning in high school ecology inquiry-based projects.     

学习的维度模型及对教学的启示

现代教学突出学生的主体性,要求教师将注意力集中于学生的学习。学习包括5个维度:态度和看法、获取和整合知识、扩展和更新知识、有意义地应用知识、有成效的思维习惯。这就启示教师帮助学习者对课堂和学习抱积极的态度和看法、主导学生的学习、给学习者提供真实的有意义的环境、培养学生的批判性思维和创造性思维。     

高校体育教学中"尝试教学"的运用研究

高校体育教学中运用“尝试教学”,能使学生产生“有意义学习”,激发学习需求和练习兴趣,有利于动作技能的掌握,培养学生创新能力．     

Facebook: An online environment for learning of English in institutions of higher education?

Facebook (FB) is currently considered as the most popular platform for online social networking among university students. The purpose of this study is to investigate if university students consider FB as a useful and meaningful learning environment that could support, enhance and/or strengthen their learning of the English language. A survey was carried out with 300 undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang. It was found that the students believed FB could be utilized as an online environment to facilitate the learning of English. Nevertheless, teachers or language instructors have to integrate FB as an educational project with pre-determined learning objectives and outcomes for the learning experience to be meaningful. It is suggested that future research should focus on the meaningfulness of FB to students' language learning experiences.     

文学作品在外语教学中的应用

文学作品作为真实而有意义的外语教学材料,能激发学生的学习兴趣,提高学生的语言和语用能力,培养学生的跨文化意识,熏陶学生的审美情趣,增强学生的批判性思维。因此,在外语教学中,选用满足学生需要的文学作品能促进教师的教学与学生的学习。     

Reflective practicum in higher education: the influence of the learning environment on the quality of learning

Sustaining students in becoming reflective practitioners is considered as a valued outcome of higher education. The paper aims to evaluate the impact of the learning environment conditions inspired by Schön’s theory of reflective practicum, by discussing a case study of a master’s degree class. The learning environment was designed to sustain reflective practice and meaningful engagement through professional practice simulation, problem-based learning and reflective writing. Unlike much of the research into reflective learning, the quality of learning was evaluated by assessing the use of reflective practice in students’ weekly journaling, rather than measuring students’ satisfaction or perceptions of effectiveness. Two hundred and six journal entries of 23 students were assessed and used in a quantitative analysis based on a linear mixed-effects model. Findings indicated that the reflective practicum has an incremental effect on students’ reflective practices and that reflective practice is dynamic and sensitive to specific learning environment conditions. In conclusion, students’ co-responsibility of the learning environment allowed by the professional practice simulation appears to foster meaningful and reflective learning. Conversely, conditions that stimulate only cognitive engagement have little impact or even inhibit reflective practices. Practical implications of the use of reflective journal are discussed.     

The DIYLab project (Do It Yourself in Education: Expanding Digital Competence to Foster Student Agency and Collaborative Learning) / El proyecto DIYLab (Do It Yourself in Education: Expanding Digital Competence to Foster Student Agency and Collaborative Learning)

The DIYLab project aims to promote lifelong learning by expanding students’ digital competences, autonomy and creativity through collaborative and meaningful learning. DIYLab locates students at the centre of the learning experience, turning them into the producer of their own learning material. This three-year-old project has been implemented in primary schools, secondary schools and universities in three European countries, where students create digital products that are subsequently published through a Hub or digital centre.     

Facilitating active social presence and meaningful interactions in online learning

Online learning has minimized many barriers and constraints that are common in traditional learning environments. However, due to the absence of face-to-face contacts, students and instructors are usually faced with the lack of active social presence and meaningful interactions in online learning. This article explores a review of the literature on social presence and various types of interactions in online learning environments in the context of a class project. The findings suggest need for online instructors to explore effective ways to design and facilitate active social presence and meaningful interactions in online learning.     

Learning strategies for making sense out of expository text: The SOI model for guiding three cognitive processes in knowledge construction

This article examines learning strategies that promote meaningful learning from expository text as evidenced by problem-solving transfer. The teaching of learning strategies involves decisions concerning what to teach, how to teach, where to teach, and when to teach. The teaching of learning strategies also depends on the teacher's conception of learners as response strengtheners, information processors, or sense makers. Three cognitive processes involved in meaningful learning are selecting relevant information from what is presented, organizing selected information into a coherent representation, and integrating presented information with existing knowledge. Finally, exemplary programs for teaching of learning strategies are presented. The most effective method for teaching students how to make sense out of expository text is for students to participate in selecting, organizing, and integrating information within the context of authentic academic tasks.     

Teacher beliefs about the cognitive diagnostic information of classroom‐ versus large‐scale tests: implications for assessment literacy

Classroom teachers are in the front line of introducing students to formal learning, including assessments, which can be assumed to continue for students should they extend their schooling past the expected mandatory 12 years. The purpose of the present investigation was to survey secondary teachers’ beliefs of classroom and large‐scale tests for (a) providing information about students’ learning processes, (b) influencing meaningful student learning, and (c) eliciting learning or test‐taking strategies for successful test performance. Secondary teachers were surveyed because a majority of large‐scale tests are developed for secondary students (e.g., PISA, TIMSS). Results suggested that in comparison to large‐scale tests teachers believe classroom tests provide more information about student learning processes, are more likely to influence meaningful student learning, and are more likely to require learning over test‐taking strategies. The implications of these results for assessment literacy are explored.     

Initial development of the Meaningful Learning with Technology Scale (MeLTS) for high-school students

With the rapid developments in emerging technologies and the emphasis on technologies in learning environments, the connection between technologies and meaningful learning has strengthened. Developing an understanding of the components of meaningful learning with technology is pivotal, as this may enable educators to make more informed decisions about classroom interventions and pedagogies for the effective use of technologies to foster learning. The main aim of this study was therefore to address the research gap in exploring the components involved in meaningful learning with technology through the development of the Meaningful Learning with Technology Scale (MeLTS) instrument, developed to assess high-school students’ understanding of meaningful learning and the specific roles of technologies in learning. The results obtained from exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis support the nine-factor structure of MeLTS.     

论新世纪下大学英语读写课背景知识补充与意义学习

大学英语读写课的课堂设计应增加背景知识的补充,丰富课堂内容,开阔学生视野,托宽学生的知识面,增加课堂的生动性、趣味性,激发学生学习的热情,促进意义学习,提高学习效率。     

运用问题解决教学策略促进学生有意义学习的初探

“问题解决”是一个被多学科领域所重视和研究的课题。教学中发现，学生在解遗传题时，习惯于运用数理逻辑推理，却容易忽视减数分裂与遗传规律的联系。根据奥苏伯尔的观点，这有悖于有意义学习的目的。为此，本研究着重探讨：通过问题解决教学策略的实施，能否促进学生对于减数分裂与遗传规律关系的理解，从而实现有意义的学习。研究结果表明，问题解决教学策略可以促进学生的有意义学习，其基本过程可以概括为：创设问题情境→拓宽问题空间→进行合作学习→完成知识迁移。     

Designing innovative learning environments to foster communities of learners for students in initial vocational education

In this study, the concept of ‘community of learners’ was used to improve initial vocational education. The framework of a ‘community of learners for vocational orientation’ that we present offers both a theoretical understanding of teaching–learning processes in initial vocational education and heuristics for the design of innovative learning environments for optimising these processes. In a design research study, we investigated if, and how, learning environments designed on the basis of these heuristics fostered communities of learners for vocational orientation, in which students experience to learn in a shared, meaningful, reflective and transfer-oriented way. We examined students’ perceptions of the learning environment and their learning activities during eight curriculum units specifically designed to foster the communities of learners. During almost all of the units that we designed, students found themselves learning in a more shared, meaningful, reflective and transfer-oriented way than during regular units. We conclude that the proposed heuristics had been useful starting points for the design of innovative learning environments that foster communities of learners for vocational orientation. In addition, we show how the heuristics can be elaborated for a particular school, based on practical and pedagogical content knowledge of teachers, as well as students’ perceptions of the learning environment and their learning activities.     

Students’ Perception of Interdisciplinary,Problem‐Based Learning in a Food Biotechnology Course

Abstract: Students’ perception of 8 criteria (rationale of the problem; interdisciplinary learning; facilitator asked essential questions; learner's skills; assessments; facilitation procedures; team's use of resources [team collaboration], and facilitator within a problem‐based learning context) were assessed for a food biotechnology course that was part of a 3rd year biotechnology program. The mean score for “perceived learner's skills” was the lowest whereas those for “facilitation” and “facilitator” were the highest. Selected qualitative comments from students were also analyzed. This study demonstrated interdisciplinary learning as the students could make meaningful connections across different science disciplines. Further investigation is needed to develop possible strategies to accommodate the challenges in making meaningful connections across science disciplines as well as to develop a defined hybrid method for analysis of students’ responses.     

Inquiry learning behaviors captured through screencasts in problem-based learning

This study examined the types of learning behaviors students demonstrated while performing inquiry tasks. It also explored the relationship between the learning behaviors and students’ domain knowledge. We observed fourteen students in five groups during a ninth-grade biology course. Three types of learning behaviors (inquiry, collaborative, and minimally productive behaviors) were identified and time on each type was measured. The results suggest that students demonstrated different patterns according to the types of learning behaviors. Correlation analysis revealed that learning outcomes had a strong positive correlation with the inquiry behaviors but a strong negative correlation with the minimally productive behaviors. The results suggest that attention should be paid to facilitate the more meaningful inquiry behaviors while reducing minimally productive behaviors.     

任务型教学法在大学英语教学中的应用

在大学英语课堂教学中运用任务型教学法,主要是通过主题教学把学生组织到有意义的学习活动中,围绕学生感兴趣的主题安排综合语言知识训练,让学生在体验主题性经验的同时完成语言学习任务。实践证明,任务型教学法能吸引和组织学生积极参与大学英语教学过程,最终提高学生综合运用语言的能力。