Supporting computer-mediated learning: A case study in online staff development and classroom learning environment assessment

The rapid growth of online learning has led to the development of staff inservice evaluation models that are geared towards improving degree programs. Based on best practices in student online assessment, the Online Faculty Development and Classroom Learning Environment Assessment course was designed to serve the dual purpose of staff development and classroom learning environment assessment. Results of analyses showed that the course maximised the potential of online staff development for encouraging staff to reflect on Curriculum and Teaching Capacities (CTC). Implications are discussed in terms of emphasising the process of online CTC learning and incorporating perspectives to capture a comprehensive view of staff teaching attitudes and their association with student perceptions of the classroom learning environment.     

Insights into user engagement on social media. Case study of a higher education institution

ABSTRACT

The interactions of users in social networks have been analyzed in the literature as sources of information on their ability to generate engagement among stakeholders in higher education institutes, which make more tactical than strategic use of social networks. This study helps identify which variables generate greater participation in Instagram users, providing strategic proposals for digital marketing. From the codification of all the publications published by a university in a social network site during the period of one year, a comparative analysis was carried out through a multivariate model. The results provide important and timely implications for both universities and higher education professionals. Our findings suggest that higher education marketing specialists should develop stronger and more consistent communication strategies to establish more valuable relationships with stakeholders. The administrators of the social networks of higher education institutions can find patterns in those publications that generate a greater participation in this study.     

Hacia un lenguaje gráfico en la enseñanza

En este trabajo se parte del supuesto de que el uso de recursos gráficos, además de ser positivo, está creciendo continuamente en la enseñanza. Con el fin de facilitar la utilización de recursos gráficos en la realización de transparencias, mapas mentales, mapas conceptuales, resúmenes, etc., se proponen unas reglas básicas que constituyen en sí mismas un lenguaje gráfico     

Estrategias de conteo implicadas en los procesos de adición y sustracción

Resumen

A lo largo del presente trabajo se analizan las diferencias existentes entre los diversos procesos puestos en juego por los sujetos a la hora de cuantificar lo real, destacando de entre ellos el subproceso de cuantificación extensiva métrica y uno de los esquemas básicos que lleva aparejados: el esquema de conteo. A continuación se pasa a analizar las diferentes estrategias utilizadas por nuetros escolares de 1°, 2°, 3° y 4° de E.G.B. cuando aplican este esquema para la resolución de algoritmos de adición y de sustracción, destacando la vinculación entre el desarrollo de las estrategias de conteo y la eficiencia en la solución de estos algoritmos.     

Action research through lesson study for the reconstruction of teachers’ practical knowledge. A review of research at Málaga University (Spain)

ABSTRACT

This article aims to set out our discussions, reflections and research at Málaga University (Spain) in relation to Lesson Study (LS), as a cooperative action research process. The paper aims to summarise the main findings of ten years of research, addressing the concepts and dilemmas found both in forming teachers’ practical thinking and in the complex processes of reconstruction through LS. The results of our research provide evidence that it is a useful way to deal with the reconstruction of teachers’ practical knowledge in teacher training. Teachers’ practical knowledge should be more broadly seen as an active combination of theoretical knowledge, procedural knowledge and skills, attitudes, emotions, believes, and values: i.e. teachers’ practical thinking. Most of these personal and professional resources are unconscious, or rather sub-conscious. Changes in teachers’ practical thinking require more practical experience and reflexion: a dialectical process based around two key components: theorisation of practice and experimentation of reconstructed theory. The results of our research show that these dialectical process could be developed with LS as a particular way of developing AR, adding a complex, systematic, flexible and cooperative way of dealing with specific and contextual curricular innovation projects. We therefore conclude that LS could be a very useful path to follow in reconstructing teachers’ practical thinking from within, strengthening the professional teaching community.     

The influence of the family,the school,and the group on the environmental attitudes of European students

The attitudes of young people arise from an intense interaction with their social groups of reference, and in this work we examine the extent to which this background conditions the individual environmental attitudes of the young. Using data provided by the PISA 2006 survey for the European Union, we test for the influence of the family, the characteristics of the school, and the social interactions or school peer group on attitudes toward the environment. The existence of social interactions, as well as the important role of family characteristics and school activities, are confirmed. The results allow us to emphasize the importance of the social context of the adolescent, and the need to take this into account as a channel that amplifies the influence of specific environmental education strategies.