Building a bridge between Western and Eastern worlds: reciprocal learning programmes that create reflective practice,hope and prosperity in education

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the Reciprocal Learning Programmes between Western and Eastern educational systems through a Sister School project as well as, a Reciprocal Learning Programme through preservice programs between a Canadian university and a Chinese university. Benefits of the Reciprocal Learning Programs include reflective practice of content and pedagogical learning, cultural and societal learning, globalisation and emotional and social impact. Qualitative documentation demonstrates that educational, social and cultural dimensions are cultivated and nurtured through the Reciprocal Learning programs and have positively affected the students, educators and leaders involved in the project. Criteria for success in the programs included professional and personal commitment, educator inquiry, vulnerability, organisational commitment and multi-dimensional partnerships.     

Development of Adolescents’ Values and Jewish Identities via Experiential Philanthropy Education

ABSTRACT

The values that begin to solidify during adolescence can be steered by experiential education programs designed to inculcate a set of attitudes and behaviors in their participants. One such program, Jewish Youth Philanthropy, socializes adolescents into recognizing the importance of donating both to Jewish causes and within a Jewish framework. This paper examines the relationship between these programs and the development of Jewish and donor identities during adolescence. It suggests that surveyed Jewish youth philanthropy participants are more likely than non-participants to perceive themselves as donors, but that their Jewish identities are viewed as justifications for prosocial behavior, not drivers of it.     

Professional Development for K–12 Math and Science Teachers: What Do We Really Know?

Abstract

As investments in K–12 math and science professional development programs expanded over the past decade, researchers and policymakers have questioned whether and how such programs work to improve student learning. This article summarizes the current knowledge-base and offers a theoretical framework researchers can use to design studies that explore mechanisms through which professional development programs influence teacher knowledge, teacher practices, and ultimately student achievement. We quantitatively pool the most rigorous evaluation research available to determine whether currently held beliefs in the field are supported by the evidence. Although this study does find some support for the guidance propounded by experts, it cautions policymakers and practitioners that the current evidence base is thin. We urge researchers to build on what we have learned through theory and practice to increase the rigor of evaluations on this important topic by incorporating valid and reliable measures of professional development components as well as valid measures of teacher knowledge and practices.     

Designing for impact: a conceptual framework for learning analytics as self-assessment tools

Abstract

Although it is frequently claimed that learning analytics can improve self-evaluation and self-regulated learning by students, most learning analytics tools appear to have been developed as a response to existing data rather than with a clear pedagogical model. As a result there is little evidence of impact on learning. Even fewer learning analytics tools seem to be informed by an understanding of the social context and social practices within which they would be used. As a result, there is very little evidence that learning analytics tools are actually impacting on practice. This paper draws on research in self-regulated learning and in the social practices of learning and assessment to clarify a series of design issues which should be considered by those seeking to develop learning analytics tools which are intended to improve student self-evaluation and self-regulation. It presents a case study of how these design issues influenced the development of a particular tool: the Learning Companion.     

Production Risk in a Subsistence Agriculture

Abstract

Purpose: In this article we illustrate the importance of understanding the risk profiles of new technologies, in addition to the changes in productivity, to be able to determine strategies for agricultural development.

Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on data obtained from a 2002 survey of subsistence farmers in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, and a Just and Pope (1978) framework is used for modeling risk.

Findings: We find that even if extension services do not increase the mean production, it may reduce production risk.

Practical implication and originality/value: During the past decades, agricultural extension and subsidized conventional inputs such as high-yielding seed varieties, fertilizer and pesticides, have become important components of agricultural aid programs in developing countries. However, outcomes of this type of aid are somewhat ambiguous, and many donor countries have reduced their support in response. For the most part, evaluation of these programs employs total factor productivity analysis to estimate the changes in productivity resulting from investment in aid programs. However, risk-averse, small-scale farmers will consider both the variance in output and the expected mean. They may therefore choose input levels that differ from the optimal input levels of risk-neutral producers, who consider only the expected mean. Programs can therefore have a positive effect because they reduce risk, even if the direct impact on production is limited.     

A participatory approach to the evaluation of participatory museum research projects

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we will describe, justify and critique a participatory approach that we have developed in order to evaluate the success of a participatory research project that was exploring ways of making museum learning experiences more inclusive for adults who have a diverse range of access preferences. Because we were researching in a unique space at the intersection of inclusive museum education, inclusive technologies and participatory research, we have needed to develop an original evaluation approach, informed by methods and frameworks derived from other fields. We present examples of the kind of evaluation information that the framework elicited and use this as a basis to critique the strengths and weaknesses of the framework. Our experience of using creative methods for eliciting evaluation data suggest that useful information about participation can be revealed but that further improvements can be made in order to make the research experience more participatory.     

Analyzing teacher narratives in early childhood garden-based education

Learning gardens can provide dynamic learning and developmental experiences for young children. This case study of 12 early childhood teachers explores how teachers describe (1) learning across numerous school readiness domains and (2) how to support this learning by promoting opportunities for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Participants worked at a university-affiliated early education program with a learning garden in the midwestern United States. Data included 19 narrative, photo-elicitation interviews during two growing seasons. Iterative qualitative analyses informed the creation of a Gourd Tee-Pee Model that describes learning across multiple domains and integrates self-determination theory into early childhood garden education. This framework can inform the design and evaluation of early childhood garden education programs.     

Children as an emotional amplifier in Northern Illinois white-tailed deer interactions

ABSTRACT

This pilot study identified and provided initial exploration into the notion that the presence of children can increase or amplify the emotional significance of encounters with white-tailed deer. Qualitative data demonstrated that Northern Illinois natural area decision makers found deer encounters to be more memorable when simultaneously sharing space with children. The theoretical frame was informed by Experiential Learning Theory and the Theory of Emotional Memory. Implications for environmental education practice and research are discussed.     

Evaluation of the 2000 and 2001 Rhode Island early childhood summer institutes

Abstract

This article presents the theoretical basis and methods for the process and outcome evaluations of the Rhode Island Early Childhood Summer Institutes held in 2000 and 2001. The article also discusses the evaluation results that demonstrated the institutes were received as high‐quality inservice professional development programs in which participants made significant knowledge gains. Additionally, the influence of the evaluations on the institute programs held in 2000 and 2001 as well as the impacts on the planning of future institutes are described. These evaluation studies can serve as models to others planning evaluations of professional development programs. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.     

A framework to foster problem-solving in STEM and computing education

ABSTRACT

Background: Recent developments in STEM and computer science education put a strong emphasis on twenty-first-century skills, such as solving authentic problems. These skills typically transcend single disciplines. Thus, problem-solving must be seen as a multidisciplinary challenge, and the corresponding practices and processes need to be described using an integrated framework.

Purpose: We present a fine-grained, integrated, and interdisciplinary framework of problem-solving for education in STEM and computer science by cumulatively including ways of problem-solving from all of these domains. Thus, the framework serves as a tool box with a variety of options that are described by steps and processes for students to choose from. The framework can be used to develop competences in problem-solving.

Sources of evidence: The framework was developed on the basis of a literature review. We included all prominent ways of domain-specific problem-solving in STEM and computer science, consisting mainly of empirically orientated approaches, such as inquiry in science, and solely theory-orientated approaches, such as proofs in mathematics.

Main argument: Since there is an increasing demand for integrated STEM and computer science education when working on natural phenomena and authentic problems, a problem-solving framework exclusively covering the natural sciences or other single domains falls short.

Conclusions: Our framework can support both practice and research by providing a common background that relates the ways, steps, processes, and activities of problem-solving in the different domains to one single common reference. In doing so, it can support teachers in explaining the multiple ways in which science problems can be solved and in constructing problems that reflect these numerous ways. STEM and computer science educational research can use the framework to develop competences of problem-solving at a fine-grained level, to construct corresponding assessment tools, and to investigate under what conditions learning progressions can be achieved.     

Beyond the Classroom: A Framework for Growing School Capacity in a Digital Age

Abstract

Rapid technological advancements promise unprecedented educational opportunities to foster student-centered and personalized learning, yet many schools are underprepared, lacking comprehensive organizational strategies for technology enhanced learning. This study sought to provide a framework to guide K-12 school leaders to build and evaluate digital-age school capacity by identifying essential criteria for digital learning in schools, resulting in the development of the Digital Learning Implementation Framework for Education (D-LIFE). Geographically dispersed digital learning experts contributed to a six-round Delphi study gaining consensus on 148 essential criteria for school administrators and policymakers to appraise strategic evaluation of technology implementation. When compared to prominent frameworks, D-LIFE confirmed high-level alignment with ISTE Essential Conditions, providing a comprehensive evaluation framework for K–12 schooling not addressed in prominent standards or frameworks.     

Social inclusion and active citizenship under the prism of neoliberalism: A critical analysis of the European Union’s discourse of lifelong learning

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the impact neoliberalism has in shaping the discourse of the European Union’s policy of Lifelong Learning. The literature review initially presents the theoretical framework of neoliberalism as the dominant ideological and economic paradigm of our time. Thereafter, it takes a view on how neoliberalism perceives the four objectives of the European Union’s Lifelong Learning policy, namely employability/adaptability, personal fulfillment, social inclusion, and active citizenship. Through the analysis of European Commission’s policy documents on Lifelong Learning, this article explores whether these objectives, with focus on social inclusion and active citizenship, can be realized within the ideological, political, and economic framework set by the neoliberal paradigm. The data underwent Qualitative Analysis using the methods of Critical Discourse Analysis and Qualitative Content Analysis as well as Quantitative Analysis of textual data. The results indicate that only employability and adaptability seem to be compatible with the neoliberal rhetoric since the flexible and adaptable employee better serves the needs of the markets. The role neoliberalism holds for the individual is that of the consumer, product user, and voter. Therefore, the non-economic objectives of Lifelong Learning cannot be equally developed as they constitute the complete antithesis of neoliberalism’s basic principles.     

Are Integrated Learning Systems Good For Teachers Too?

ABSTRACT

The formal evaluation of Integrated Learning Systems (ILSs) in United Kingdom schools has raised questions about the professional development of teachers as they worked with pupils using the system. In this paper we will present evidence to show that by encouraging the use of information technology for more effective management of learning, and through the use of diagnostic material provided by the system about students, the use of ILSs can encourage the professional development of individual teachers.     

Action research – conceptual distinctions and confronting the theory–practice divide in Lesson and Learning Studies

ABSTRACT

The first part of the paper positions the action research movement in the context of other research and development concepts and describes its rationale and some basic quality criteria. Action research is regarded as an umbrella term defined by two generic characteristics: substantial practitioner control of both the practice situation investigated and the research process. These characteristics leave space for considerable variation of action research approaches, depending on the values the two defining criteria take. Selected approaches are described. In the second part, two far-eastern examples of action research are selected that are rapidly gaining ground in western countries: Lesson and Learning Studies. They appear to have potential to not only provide access to practical, mostly tacit routines but to also contribute to reconverting informed knowledge into practical knowledge. A shared characteristic of Lesson and Learning Studies, the iteration of cycles of action and reflection, could be, among other factors, responsible for this transformation. The possible contribution of this feature to overcome the theory–practice divide is discussed.     

The Role of Empirical Research in Informing Debates About the Constitutionality of School Choice

ABSTRACT

Federal constitutional law currently permits choice programs that include religious schools only if they provide parents with “genuine and independent choice”; as the leading federal case demonstrates, whether this test is satisfied is an interesting and difficult empirical question. State doctrine regarding establishment of religion can be similarly empirically informed. School choice programs must also be consistent with the education clauses of state constitutions, which require state education systems to be “public” and to meet quality baselines. Determining whether these requirements are met also raises many questions that empirical school choice research can address. doi:10.1300/J467v01n03_12     

A Computer Achievement Model

Summary

With over two million students projected to be enrolled in higher education distance learning courses by the year 2002, it is imperative that consideration be given to the design of high-quality online programs. Using the framework of grounded design as a context for dealing with the range of design decisions that best facilitate learning outcomes, five areas are discussed: psychological, pedagogical, technical, cultural, and pragmatic (Hannafin, Hannafin, Land, &; Oliver, 1997). Examples are provided of how each area of grounded design can be used, as instructional designers, content experts, and others establish Web-based programs in higher education.     

History skills and the NSW 1986 Two Unit Modern History syllabus part 2: focus on learning experiences and evaluation

ABSTRACT

In exploring the syllabus writers' intentions and in an analysis of the NSW Two Unit Modern History syllabus, selection and organization of learning experiences and evaluation specified in the document were found to be wanting. Learning experiences were to be student-centred with considerable teacher autonomy and hence a lack of specific information on pedagogy. There was indirect advice only on the organization of learning experiences associated with skills development. While skills as processes are set out to be examined, there are considerable difficulties associated with using the specified objectives as the basis for evaluation. This article is a companion piece to Harvey and Maxwell (1996).     

School Variation in General Intelligence

Abstract

One key to effective teaching is the ability to identify and understand the different ways students process information and acquire skills. The purpose of this study was to examine experienced and preservice teachers’ ability to diagnose student learning-style preferences. The subjects were 15 pairs of physical education teachers and their student teachers and 5 randomly selected students from each school site. To determine student learning styles, students completed the Canfield Learning Styles Inventory, and corresponding teachers and student teachers completed the Canfield Learning Styles Profile Assessment on each of their 5 students. The relationship between preservice/experienced teachers’ perceived scores and the students’ actual learning style scores was analyzed by the Pearson product-moment correlation technique. The results indicated that a wide variety of learning styles existed among the students and that neither experienced nor preservice teachers accurately diagnosed the learning styles of their students. The implications of this study are twofold. First, if teachers are going to make informed decisions about the teaching process, then they need to know the learning styles of their students. Second, information about learning styles should be included in the curriculum of professional preparation programs.     

Using Student-Determined Needs to Evaluate Environmental Education Programs

Abstract

All too often, evaluation is not used as the important management tool it could be, because educators feel inadequately prepared to use complex evaluation techniques. “Direct evaluation,” as a research concept, is based on the idea of “research as an intermediate technology,” developed by Steven and Rachel Kaplan in Cognition and Environment (1982: Praeger). Direct evaluation means you ask what you need to know of those who are participants in a program you wish to evaluate. The results, when collated, can be used for justification as well as modification of programs.     

Fostering Critical Reflection through Technology: preparing prospective teachers for a changing society

ABSTRACT

Reflection has been defined in a variety of ways but what seems missing from much of the literature on reflective practice is a theoretical/conceptual framework linking ends and means. The study discussed here was designed to investigate if computer conferencing can be used to foster the development of critical reflection in prospective teachers. Models of adult development provided the guiding theoretical/conceptual framework. Students participated in a structured computer conference that provided them with opportunities to become aware of their own taken‐for‐granted assumptions, acknowledge the validity in perspectives different from their own and reflect on the consequences of the choices they make. Findings suggest that characteristics of computer conferencing make it uniquely suited to generating the kinds of discussions that allow students to begin to develop the habits of mind and dispositions that lead to critical reflection. But findings also suggest that critical reflection cannot be developed in one class with one exercise alone. It is essential to structure programs that incorporate this goal throughout and to assess the degree to which our programs are accomplishing this aim.