Episodic and semantic memories of a residential environmental education program

This study used a phenomenological approach to investigate the recollections of participants of an environmental education (EE) residential program. Ten students who participated in a residential EE program in the fall of 2001 were interviewed in the fall of 2002. Three major themes relating to the participants’ long‐term memory of the residential EE program were identified: (a) recollections were highly influenced by actions taken by the students; (b) program content/subject matter was retained by all of the students to varying degrees; and (c) emotional reactions to the experience were present. The results seem to support the notion that active experiences have an important role in episodic recall. Results also suggest semantic memory was achieved. The authors offer a potential model of learning for residential EE programs that is structured on episodic/semantic memory systems and is reflective of the results of this study as well as current research in cognitive sciences.     

We all as a family are graduating tonight: a case for mathematical knowledge for parental involvement

The researchers in this study investigated the impact of mathematics-focused parental involvement on Kindergarten to Grade 8 children and parents as well as factors prompting that impact. Qualitative analysis consisting of parent, child, and teacher interviews and 3-year quantitative testing showed significant improvements in students’ mathematics understanding and achievement. Moreover parents and teachers improved on measures of content knowledge. We hypothesize that improved parent content and pedagogical knowledge and improved parent-child interactions around mathematics stimulate children to learn at school. Furthermore, we found aspects of parent knowledge and dispositions gained to be analogous to teacher MKT; we termed these aspects Mathematical Knowledge for Parental Involvement. Such aspects include content knowledge, valuing students’ own strategies, and listening to students’ explanations and may boost student achievement in mathematics.     

Father gander nursery rhymes

These rhymes are excerpted from the book Father Gander Nursery Rhymes.It may be ordered by sending a check for $14.45 (includes postage and handling) to Advocacy Press, P.O. Box 236 Dept. RP, Santa Barbara, CA 93102. Proceeds from Father Gander Nursery Rhymeshelp to support The Girls Club of Santa Barbara.     

The adoption of student-centered teaching materials as a professional development experience for college faculty

Efforts to promote the use of student-centered learning environments in STEM education have been tempered by a lack of professional development strategies that help faculty overcome common barriers to reform. This study investigated the impact that adopting a suite of student-centered teaching materials had on the teaching practices and beliefs of eight geoscience faculty at a variety of US institutions. Each instructor adopted 18 class lessons that were developed as part of the InTeGrate (Interdisciplinary Teaching about the Earth for a Sustainable Future) project into a semester-long course. The Teaching Practices Inventory (TPI) and Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) were used to collect data on teaching practices whereas instructor beliefs were captured with the Teacher Beliefs Interview (TBI). Data were collected over three semesters, a control semester using traditional materials, a pilot semester using the new materials, and a final treatment semester. While the TPI survey showed no self-reported changes in the practices, RTOP observations recorded the incorporation of more student-centered teaching practices. TBI results confirm that most of the instructors also made at least moderate shifts toward more student-centered beliefs about teaching and learning. These findings demonstrate that the adoption of well-crafted, student-centered instructional materials can have a positive impact on both the teaching practices and beliefs of college faculty.