Lesson study: A collaborative approach to scholarship for teaching and learning in higher education

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning has become an important field of inquiry, focusing on the development of new and critical pedagogic approaches in higher education. It is a broad field leading to the emergence of a number of contrasting perspectives concerning the development of insights into teaching and learning. In this article, we explore the potential for Lesson Study to act as a framework for reflecting on and developing pedagogic practice in the university sector. Originating in Japan over a century ago, Lesson Study is a collaborative tool for analysing and developing understanding of student learning. This makes it an ideal tool for capturing and interrogating new and critical insights into teaching and learning. An outline framework is suggested for developing the use of Lesson Study in higher education and we discuss how it can form a positive methodology for extending the work of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.     

Instructional Procedures for Increasing Skill‐Deficient Fourth Graders’ Comprehension of Syntactic Structures

Comprehension of pronoun‐referent structures has been shown to cause difficulty for children throughout the middle grades. This study investigated the effectiveness of a pronoun‐specific approach using principles of systematic instruction in teaching students to identify pronoun antecedents and to answer factual questions based on this knowledge. This approach was contrasted to both a retell method (where the students practised paraphrasing the text) and a no intervention condition. Forty‐five fourth grade students (identified by a screening test as skill deficient) were randomly assigned to one of these three treatment groups. Students in both the pronoun‐specific and the retell group received 20 minutes of individual instruction per day for three consecutive days. On the day following treatment, all three groups were given two tests, one assessing the identification of pronoun‐referent structures and one requiring the child to answer factual questions based on the comprehension of these structures. Maintenance tests were given two weeks later. All passages in the teaching sessions and the test materials were selected from social studies or science texts currently approved for school district use. Results of an analysis of variance with planned comparisons indicated a significant difference favouring the pronoun‐specific group on the identification of pronoun antecedents. These results were also replicated on the maintenance test. No significant differences were found on measures of factual comprehension.     

Individual and Sociocultural Views of Learning in Science Education

In this paper we consider how theories of learning can inform the practice of scienceteaching in formal settings. We describe two broad strands of learning theory that havebeen drawn upon in science education, namely individual and sociocultural views. Weshow how aspects of both views can usefully inform our understanding of teaching andlearning science in formal settings. A perspective on science learning in formal settingsis presented which draws on and develops features of both individual and socioculturalviews, and the implications of this perspective on science learning for research and practice are discussed. The paper concludes with reflections on some of the recent critiques of so-called `constructivist views of learning' in the light of the perspective developed.     

Careership: a sociological theory of career decision making

In the current discourse on the transition from school to work, career decision‐making has a pivotal but paradoxical position. Sociological literature emphasises the dominance of socially‐structured pathways, whilst policy‐making operates on assumptions of individual freedom to choose. In this paper we draw on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to present a new model of career decision‐making, given the shorthand title of ‘careership’. There are three completely integrated dimensions to the model. These are (i) pragmatically rational decision‐making, located in the habitus of the person making the decision; (ii) the interactions with others in the (youth training) field, related to the unequal resources different ‘players’ possess; and (iii) the location of decisions within the partly unpredictable pattern of turning‐points and routines that make up the life course. This model avoids the twin pitfalls of implicit social determinism or of seeing (young) people as completely free agents.     

Adapting ‘lesson study’ to investigate classroom pedagogy in initial teacher education: what student-teachers think

This paper reports findings from a project that explored the use of a modified form of ‘lesson study’ in a one-year programme of secondary school initial teacher education (ITE). Twelve mentors and student-teachers worked in pairs to design and teach two ‘research lessons’ in the course of two eight-week teaching practice placements as part of a university–school partnership for the preparation of new teachers. Participating student-teachers reported that engagement in this form of lesson study with a mentor was an effective way to help them grow individual teaching skills, knowledge and confidence in teaching placements. In addition, in most cases, it enabled active and creative participation in a community of teacher learners. However, engagement in lesson study not only supported student-teachers to meet ‘qualifying to teach’ standards, but also offered opportunities for holistic study of teaching and learning, leading to growth in what we characterise as ‘pedagogic literacy’.     

Evaluating Web-supported Learning Versus Lecture-based Teaching: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives

A graduate level research methods and statistics course offered on the World-Wide Web was evaluated relative to the traditional lWith their consent, course members were randomly assigned to the two versions of the course for the first block of sessions. For the second block of sessions the groups crossed over to access the alternative version of the course. Quantitative and qualitative outcome data were collected to sample cognitive and affective domains. Improvements in knowledge and reductions in anxiety were apparent following both versions, with no significant differences between versions being detected. Analysis of course member comments indicated less satisfaction with the teaching input on the web-based version but more satisfaction with the peer collaboration that was stimulated. An activity theory framework is applied in conceptualising the findings and generating recommendations for further course development and evaluation.     

Controlled study of the impact on child behaviour problems of intensive interaction for children with ASD

Pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) received 6 months of intensive interaction or treatment as usual. They were assessed for behaviour problems at the start and end of the period, and changes were related to child and parent factors. Intensive interaction did not offer any greater advantages to child behaviour than treatment as usual. However, intensive interaction was more effective for pupils with less challenging behaviour. Levels of depression in mothers were related negatively to changes in child behaviours. These data suggest that intensive interaction may be of limited utility for reducing problem behaviours of pupils with ASD, but that the approach could be effective with less behaviourally challenging pupils and that levels of parent distress may reduce its impact.     

Using automatic machine assessment to teach computer programming

We report on an intervention in which informal programming labs were switched to a weekly machine-evaluated test for a second year Data Structures and Algorithms module. Using the online HackerRank system, we investigated whether greater constructive alignment between course content and the exam would result in lower failure rates. After controlling for known associates, a hierarchical regression model revealed that HackerRank performance was the best predictor of exam performance, accounting for 18% of the variance in scores. Extent of practice and confidence in programming ability emerged as additional significant predictors. Although students expressed negativity towards the automated system, the overall failure rate was halved, and the number of students gaining first class honours tripled. We infer that automatic machine assessment better prepares students for situations where they have to write code by themselves by eliminating reliance on external sources of help and motivating the development of self-sufficiency.     

Ethnicity as a moderator of the theory of planned behavior and physical activity in college students

Most college students do not meet physical activity (PA) guidelines, and ethnic disparities exist. The present study examined the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in explaining PA intentions and behavior in black and white college students and whether any TPB relationships were moderated by ethnicity. Black (n=170) and white (n=180) students completed a baseline TPB questionnaire and PA assessment 2 weeks later Hierarchical latent variable regression analyses showed that affective attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were significant predictors of intention for both ethnic groups, whereas the PBC-intention relationship was significantly stronger for white students. Intention significantly predicted PA for both ethnic groups. Furthermore, common and ethnic-specific beliefs were identified.