Collaborative handheld gaming in education

This project describes the trialling of a new form of cooperative learning strategy, in the form of a game known as EcoRangers. EcoRangers is a multi‐player game designed to run on mobile phones, written specifically for education. EcoRangers is one of the first, if not the world's first, instances of this totally new genre of pedagogical tools (i.e. collaborative handheld educational games). In its current iteration EcoRangers is designed to help students practise skills of relevance to the social studies syllabus for Grades 9 and 10 in Singapore's education system, specifically through the pedagogical strategy known as the ‘structured academic controversy’, in which learners debate an open‐ended problem from a variety of perspectives. The trialling was done in three secondary schools, among 50 Grade 9 students. These students were taken through two distinct fieldwork tasks in March–July 2004, with the game being introduced as part of a post‐fieldwork activity.

Jeux collaboratifs sur portables en éducation

Ce projet décrit l'expérimentation d'une nouvelle forme de stratégie d'apprentissage coopératif sous la forme d'un jeu connu sous le nom d'EcoRangers.EcoRangers se joue à plusieurs.Il a été conçu pour fonctionner sur les téléphones portables et composé spécialement pour L'éducation. EcoRangers est un des premiers sinon le premier exemple au monde de cette catégorie d'outils pédagogiques (celle des jeux éducatifs collaboratifs portables) totalement nouvelle. Sous sa forme actuelle EcoRangers a été conçu pour aider les élèves à pratiquer des savoir faire correspondant au cursus de sciences sociales pour les classes 9 et 10 du système Singapourien(13‐14 ans) et plus particulièrement la stratégie connue sous le nom de « controverse académique structurée » au cours de laquelle les apprenants débatent d'un problème ouvert en partant de perspectives différentes.L'expérience a été menée dans trois écoles secondaires avec 50 élèves de 9^e.Ces élèves ont participé à deux tâches « de terrain » distinctes entre mars et juillet 2004,le jeu étant présenté comme faisant partie d'une activité « d'après‐terrain ».

Gemeinschafliches Spielen auf Handhelds oder Handys als Unterricht

Das Projekt beschreibt den Versuch, eine neue Art von Gruppenlernen zu testen, die auf ein Spiel zurück greift, das EcoRangers genannt wird. Dies ist ein Spiel für mehrere Spieler, das auf Handys abläuft und ein Lernspiel ist. EcoRangers ist eines der ersten, wenn nicht sogar das erste Spiel in der Welt, dieser Art. In seiner gegenwärtigen Fassung hilft EcoRangers den Schuelern, Fertigkeiten im Bereich der Social Studies (Gemeinschaftskunde) einzuueben (Lehrplan für Stufe 9 und 10 in Singapur), insbesondere dadurch, dass die Strategie der ‘strukturierten, akademischen Diskussion’ angewendet wird, bei der die Schueler ein offenes Problem aus sehr unterschiedlichen Perspektiven besprechen. Der Versuch wurde in drei Schulen (Sek.II) durchgeführt, wobei 50 Schueler aus Stufe 9 waren. Diese wurden im Rahmen eines Aufenthalts im Gelaende (Maerz–Juli 2004) mit dem Spiel konfrontiert, das als eine Tätigkeit nach dem Arbeiten im Gelände eingefuehrt wurde.     

Teacher research as professional development for P–12 educators in the USA[1]

This article reviews selected research related to the professional development impact of school-based teacher research programs for P-12 educators in the USA. Following the presentation of a framework that describes the dimensions of variation in P-12 teacher research in the USA, the article examines the results of several studies of school-based teacher research programs and identifies several conditions under which school-based teacher research becomes a transformative professional development activity for teachers.     

The Influence of Class-Size Variations on Cognitive and Affective Learning of College Freshmen

The influence of class-size variations on cognitive and affective learning was measured by use of a 15-concept semantic differential scale and a teacher-made test. A Non-equivalent Control Group design was employed with two groups of college freshmen (N = 320). After attending a weekly lecture, 160 Ss were divided into eight permanent discussion sections (twenty Ss each) for two weekly meetings. Small-group discussions emphasized critical examination of feelings and their impact on evaluation of personal, social, and professional problems. The remaining 160 Ss (serving as a control) were divided into three conventional classes (fifty-five Ss each) for similar purposes. No significant differences were revealed from an ANOCOVA (analysis of covariance) analysis. Within the limits of this study, it appeared that large-group lectures combined with small-group discussions, were as effective as conventional classes of fifty to sixty Ss.     

Emotional arousal of beginning physics teachers during extended experimental investigations

Teachers often have difficulty implementing inquiry‐based activities, leading to the arousal of negative emotions. In this multicase study of beginning physics teachers in Australia, we were interested in the extent to which their expectations were realized and how their classroom experiences while implementing extended experimental investigations (EEIs) produced emotional states that mediated their teaching practices. Against rhetoric of fear expressed by their senior colleagues, three of the four teachers were surprised by the positive outcomes from their supervision of EEIs for the first time. Two of these teachers experienced high intensity positive emotions in response to their students' success. When student actions/outcomes did not meet their teachers' expectations, frustration, anger, and disappointment were experienced by the teachers, as predicted by a sociological theory of human emotions (Turner, J. H. (2007). Human emotions: A sociological theory. London, England: Routledge). Over the course of the EEI projects, the teachers' practices changed along with their emotional states and their students' achievements. We account for similarities and differences in the teachers' emotional experiences in terms of context, prior experience, and expectations. The findings from this study provide insights into effective supervision practices that can be used to inform new and experienced teachers alike. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 50:137–161, 2013     

Why Men Run

The philosophical groundwork of modern (naturalistic) physical education is based on the doctrines of dualism and empiricism—together, empiricistic dualism. Dualism has taught that the intellectual and physical aspects of our experience are qualitatively distinct substances. Empiricism has argued that all knowledge has its origin in, and takes the fundamental form of sensory experience, of experience rooted in bodily sensations. On first inspection, both dualism and empiricism give the impression of promoting a respectful regard for the body and its main expressions, including physical education. They tend to get physical education widely advocated and widely practiced. They do not, however, succeed in promoting a fully humanistic regard for physical education, and they thus prove ultimately unfavorable to its practice. Dualism stands in the way of a balanced interpretation of humanity's intellectual and physical parts; empiricism fails to account for the balanced contributions of reason and sense to human consciousness. The one-sided philosophical basis of modern physical education is therefore opposed to an authentically human practice of physical education and is in the greatest need of reformulation.     

The Relationship Between Academic Major and Environmentalism Among College Students: Is it Mediated by the Effects of Gender,Political Ideology and Financial Security?

Several studies have found a relationship between college students’ academic majors and their environmental attitudes and behaviors. Results from this study of incoming first-year students at a medium-sized public university suggest that students majoring in different programs of study were likely to have different environmental attitudes and behaviors. There were also differences in the proportions of women, political liberals, and financially secure students in each of the different majors. When controlling for the effects of gender, political ideology, and financial security, incoming business majors scored lower on two of the four measures of environmentalism than incoming students in the other majors. The findings in this study suggest that incoming students choose majors that are consistent with their worldviews.