Making learning visible in kindergarten classrooms: Pedagogical documentation as a formative assessment technique

This study investigated interactions between pedagogical documentation—a formative assessment technique and instructional intervention designed to increase student learning by recording children’s experiences—and kindergarten children, families and teachers in the UAE. The study sample comprised six teachers in six kindergarten classrooms, 141 kindergarten children and 67 parents. The major data-gathering techniques were participant observation, semi-structured individual interviews, focus group interviews and parent questionnaire. The results revealed that pedagogical documentation has the potential to improve children’s learning, contribute to teachers’ awareness of learning processes and help parents gain a better understanding of learning processes in their children’s education.     

Hasse,Cathrine (2015) An anthropology of learning. Springer (Berlin) isbn 978‐94‐017‐9605‐7 320 pp £90 (ebook £72) http://www.springer.com/us/book/9789401796057#

This book combines cultural models with practice‐based learning to develop a new theory of cultural learning. Drawing on insights from anthropology, it argues how collective and social cultures can emerge from an “engaged” learning process. The book opens a new window on human learning; however, you will probably find only parts of it of some interest or use. Mohammad Ali Salmani Nodoushan     

Social media networks and pedagogy at the University of Jordan

This study examined impact of a social media networks course on student use of SNSs performance. Moreover, it examined the associations among course design, course materials, learning experiences and a social media networks course. Survey instrument is used to examine the relationships in the proposed model. A total of 380 questionnaires have been collected from students at the University of Jordan who studied the social media networks course. A structural equation modelling approach based on AMOS 20.0 statistical software is used to study the causal relationships and test the hypotheses between the observed and latent constructs in the proposed research model. The analysis results revealed that course materials and learning experiences directly, positively and significantly impacted the social media networks course, which in turn had a significant impact on students’ use social networks sites performance. Course design, however, did not impact the social media networks course. Our findings have important implications as we demonstrated the validity of the joint two different models and provide information about impact of studying social media networks course on students’ academic performance.     

Integrating Gender and Group Differences into Bridging Strategy

The main goal of this study was to integrate gender and group effect into bridging strategy in order to assess the effect of bridging analogy-based instruction on sophomore students’ misconceptions in Newton’s Third Law. Specifically, the authors developed and benefited from anchoring analogy diagnostic test to merge the effect of group and gender into the strategy. Newton’s third law misconception test, attitude scale toward Newton’s third law, and classroom observation checklists were the other measuring tools utilized throughout this quasi-experimental study. The researchers also developed or used several teaching/learning materials such as gender and group splitted concept diagrams, lesson plans, gender splitted frequency tables, make sense scales, PowerPoint slides, flash cards, and demonstrations. The convenience sample of the study chosen from the accessible population involved 308 students from two public universities. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that the bridging strategy had a significant effect on students’ misconceptions in Newton’s third law whereas it had no significant effect on students’ attitudes toward Newton’s third law.