Identifying Key Features of Effective Active Learning: The Effects of Writing and Peer Discussion

We investigated some of the key features of effective active learning by comparing the outcomes of three different methods of implementing active-learning exercises in a majors introductory biology course. Students completed activities in one of three treatments: discussion, writing, and discussion + writing. Treatments were rotated weekly between three sections taught by three different instructors in a full factorial design. The data set was analyzed by generalized linear mixed-effect models with three independent variables: student aptitude, treatment, and instructor, and three dependent (assessment) variables: change in score on pre- and postactivity clicker questions, and coding scores on in-class writing and exam essays. All independent variables had significant effects on student performance for at least one of the dependent variables. Students with higher aptitude scored higher on all assessments. Student scores were higher on exam essay questions when the activity was implemented with a writing component compared with peer discussion only. There was a significant effect of instructor, with instructors showing different degrees of effectiveness with active-learning techniques. We suggest that individual writing should be implemented as part of active learning whenever possible and that instructors may need training and practice to become effective with active learning.     

Teaching for understanding and/or self-regulated learning? A video-based analysis of reform-oriented mathematics instruction in Switzerland

In mathematics instruction, can a teacher implement surface features of instruction that foster self-regulated learning as well as achieve quality at the deeper level of instruction, that is, focus on higher-order thinking, problem-solving, and mathematical modeling? An educational reform effort in Switzerland, which is based on constructivist and sociocultural theories of mathematics learning, targets both these dimensions: self-regulated learning and conceptual understanding. We examined the realization of the two dimensions in classroom instruction in a video-based study of 79 eighth-grade math classes using three kinds of data: videotapes of mathematics lessons, student and teacher questionnaires, and achievement tests. As to the surface level of instruction, teachers reported how frequently they provided opportunities for self-regulated learning. With regard to the deeper level of instruction, teachers reported how frequently they provided opportunities for independent problem solving. In addition, we examined the extent to which teachers’ pedagogical beliefs reflected a constructivist orientation. The results showed that teachers implemented the two dimensions relatively independently of one another. Teachers’ constructivist-oriented beliefs influenced only opportunities provided for independent problem solving and did not affect opportunities for self-regulated learning. Opportunities for self-regulated learning had a positive effect on students’ learning experience. Professional development should encourage teachers to take greater account of both surface-level and deeper-level (quality) features of instruction.     

Native Teacher Education in a Community Setting: The Mount Currie Program∗

The planning and implementation of a teacher education programme for the original population of Canada must take into account five important elements: the participation of the community itself, the integration of their language and culture, decentralisation of administration, revision of admission criteria, and the quality of the program. An experiment of this kind, which was a success, was tried out at Mount Currie. The Mount Currie program, even though it could serve as a model for other programs, cannot without any modification be transposed to all the other communities. In fact, the program only corresponds to the particular needs of a particular community and of the persons who make it up.

     

Mobile Agents for Distributed and Heterogeneous Information Retrieval

The heterogeneous, distributed and voluminous nature of many government and corporate data sources impose severe constraints on meeting the diverse requirements of users who analyze the data. Additionally, communication bandwidth limitations, time constraints, and multiple data formats impose further restrictions on users of these distributed data sources. In this paper, we present an Agent-based Complex QUerying and Information Retrieval Engine (ACQUIRE) for large, heterogeneous, and distributed data sources. ACQUIRE acts as a softbot or interface agent by presenting users with a view of a single, unified, homogenous data source, against which users can pose high-level declarative queries. ACQUIRE translates each such user query into a set of sub-queries by employing a combination of planning and traditional database query optimization techniques. ACQUIRE then spawns a set of mobile agents corresponding to these sub-queries, which in turn retrieve the data from various distributed data sources by dynamically optimizing the retrieval strategy as it is carried out. These mobile agents carry with them data-processing code that can be executed at the remote site, thus reducing the size of data returned by the agent. When all mobile agents have returned, ACQUIRE filters and merges the retrieved data and presents the results to the user. While the system is still very much a work in progress, current validation experiments on simulated NASA Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) have demonstrated that complex queries can be effectively decomposed and retrieved by this approach.     

Stability and Change in Student Teachers’ Beliefs about Teaching

This study examined whether teachers prioritize the use of technology. More specifically, this paper focused on how Turkish teachers think about the importance of technology and technological tools for their daily routines. The research design employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The data were collected through document analyses, interviews, and a survey. The results showed that the following factors lead teachers to prioritize the use of technology in the classroom: (a) globalization, (b) society’s needs, (c) technological literacy, (d) student learning, and (e) practicability.