Integrating ‘Outer Space Design’ into Design Curriculum

The imagination of human beings and the exploration of novel ideas have always contributed to developments in science. These developments lead us to re‐examine the existing structures in our environment and society so that they can be further improved. The review of literature regarding science fiction and its place in education also highlights the need for novel topics in design education. Thus, integrating a course in the curriculum of design education that aims to explore futuristic and visionary oriented environments like Mars Colonies, Orbital Space Colonies or Orbital Space Hotels would seem crucial. Such topics would probably not only stimulate the students in their design process, but also develop their imagination, as they require research and synectic thinking. As to whether stimulating imagination should be among the priorities in teaching, in fact, it is the dreams, imagination and creativity that has shaped and will shape human development and social‐cultural contexts.     

Improving Learning and Teaching Through Action Learning and Action Research

The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework for action learning and action research for better understanding and improving university learning and teaching. Action research is conceived as a philosophy, a theory of learning, a methodology and a technique. The philosophy includes theories of action, critical theory and personal construct theory. The learning theory encompasses adult learning, experiential learning and double‐loop learning. The methodology is based in the dialectical epistemology and the non‐positivist paradigm. Examples of action research as a technique are the nominal group technique, the repertory grid technique and other tools aiding reflection and group discussion. It is concluded that action research not only advances knowledge, but also improves practice in higher education by. developing people as professionals and “personal scientists”, and organisations as “learning organisations”.     

COGNITIVE STRUCTURES OF CREATIVITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

While creativity of the order which produces paradigm shifts in a knowledge domain is usually the result of the efforts of creative experts, any novel outcome of the work of a problem solver can be referred to as “creative”, be it process or product Any individual, regardless of level of expertise, is capable of creativity if he or she employs the entire cognitive system differentially and synergistically. Consequently, the aim of instruction aimed at enhancing creativity should be to provide opportunities for learners to use all three knowledge orders for creative problem solving. The paper provides various ways in which this may be done.     

Learning in the real world? Exploring widening participation student views concerning the ‘fit’ between knowledge learnt and work practices

The aim of this research was to explore why workers in health and social services embarked on a Certificate in Community Care Practice and the extent to which they felt knowledge learnt related to their every‐day work practice. The objective was to indicate how useful more academic courses are for health and social care staff, and to find out the kinds of barriers to practicing theory learnt in the classroom students face in their ‘real world’ of work. Data was collected from 25 mature students (over half were between the ages of 41–50 years), 3 of whom were men from a range of professional backgrounds including; support staff working in residential and domiciliary services and informal (unpaid) carers for people with learning disabilities, mental health difficulties as well as older people. Quantitative (an adapted questionnaire) and qualitative (focus group session which was an integral part of classroom learning about research methodology) methods were employed. Data was analysed using SPSS and thematic analysis. Findings indicated that the main motivators for study was to gain a qualification and for personal development. Students reported their increased desire to link theory learnt which they found highly relevant to their everyday practice, but organisational barriers sometimes precluded them from doing so. The paper ends with policy and practice recommendations.     

Exploring the effects of cognitive conflict and direct teaching for students of different academic levels

Despite inconclusive evidence regarding the effectiveness of cognitive conflict, educators still consider it a significant instructional strategy. One of the challenges of current research is to study the conditions under which cognitive conflict is effective. This research examines the notion that cognitive conflict may have dissimilar effects for students of different academic levels. The study compares the effectiveness of teaching the control of variables thinking strategy to students of two academic levels (low vs. high) by two different teaching methods [inducing a cognitive conflict (ICC) vs. direct teaching (DT)]. One hundred twenty‐one students who learned in a heterogeneous school were divided into four experimental groups in a 2 × 2 design. Results show no main effect of teaching method but do show a significant interaction effect between level of students and teaching method. The findings show that students with high academic achievements benefited from the ICC teaching method while the DT method hindered their progress. In contrast, students with low academic achievements benefited from the DT method while the ICC teaching method hindered their progress. The interaction effect was preserved in a retention test that took place 6 months after instruction. The findings show that previous inconclusive findings regarding the effectiveness of the ICC method can be explained by its contradictory effects on students of different academic levels. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 829–855, 2005     

The Goals of Enhancing National and International Cultures. Challenges to Teacher Education?

Can teacher education promote cultural understanding? In the Norwegian context, culture is discussed as a tool to promote change: a crucial theme for teacher educators as a basis for their double role as bearers and communicators of a culture. Among actions undertaken to promote understanding, there are possibilities for cultural exchange in teacher education. A comparative study on INSET in the technical and vocational area in 11 European countries exemplifies a learning process where the individual cultural background had to face interesting challenges to all the participants. Among the proposals: ‘Introduction to cultural knowledge’ as a specific subject matter; reinforcement of foreign language learning and a deeper knowledge in history; research on teacher education as a cultural element; development of competencies among teacher educators to promote knowledge about culture at a national and at an international level; a network of persons and institutions promoting and enhancing the cultural qualifications among teachers and teacher educators.     

Lessons on and from the dihybrid cross: An activity–theoretical study of learning in coteaching

During their training, future teachers usually learn the subject matter of science. However, they are largely left on their own when it comes to figuring out how to teach this subject matter, that is, how to find appropriate pedagogical forms. In this article we present a model of collective teaching and learning, which we term coteaching/cogenerative dialoguing, as a way to build deep learning of science concepts while learning about alternative ways to teach the same subject matter. As praxis, coteaching brings about a unity between teaching and learning to teach; cogenerative dialoguing brings about a unity between teaching and researching. Both are potential sites for deep learning. We articulate coteaching/cogenerative dialoguing in terms of activity theory and the associated first‐person research methodology that has been developed by critical psychologists as a method of choice for dealing with the theory–praxis gap. Our detailed case study highlights opportunities of learning subject matter and pedagogy by university professors who participate in coteaching/cogenerative dialoguing in an urban high school. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 253–282, 2002     

Socio‐economic background,parental involvement and teacher perceptions of these in relation to pupil achievement

Parental involvement and teacher perceptions of parental involvement in the education of children were studied in relation to level of parental education and pupil achievement. A questionnaire was administered to 218 parents and 60 teachers. Correlational analyses and paired‐sample analyses showed teacher perceptions to be weakly related to parental reports of their own involvement and to operate at a different level. Regression analyses and analyses of variance showed teacher perceptions of parental involvement to affect pupil achievement more strongly than parental reports. The results suggest that teacher perceptions of parents may be stereotyped and that such stereotypes can clearly affect academic results.