Education Commons^™

Experiences Of Middle School Teachers Implementing The Flipped Classroom Method With Lack Of Student Preparedness: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Kristine K. Hickman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of middle school teachers in the United States implementing the flipped classroom model (FCM) when students are not coming to class prepared. The FCM is a framework in which students engage in passive learning activities at home by watching videos uploaded by their teachers so that they can engage in active learning activities in the classroom. The theory guiding this study is Vygotsky’s social-constructivism theory as it promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills through collaboration, which are very important skills required of today’s 21st century learners. …

Threats And Opportunities To Critical Thinking Development Students Encounter In A Christian College Environment: A Case Study, Mark Edward Schwartz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this single unit case study was to describe the efforts of Small Christian University (SCU) to develop critical thinking skills and dispositions amongst its students. The theory guiding this study was Fowler’s stages of faith theory, which explains the role of experiences and crises in developing faith, a process which parallels closely with the process of developing critical thinking skills. This study examined interviews with students, a focus group with faculty and documents recording assessments of completed student assignments to describe how effective SCU’s efforts were in developing students who could think critically and were disposed to …

I Would Have Never Thought Of That On My Own: Using Peer Feedback To Motivate And Shape Pre-Service Teachers’ Critical Thinking, Alexandra Vasile, Alexandra Anton

TFSC Publications and Presentations

Second Annual University of Arkansas Teaching and Learning Symposium: Sharing Teaching Ideas

The presentation reports the results of implementing a peer review feedback strategy in an elementary education program. To prepare teacher candidates for field experiences, the program uses coursework such as projects. We examine the awareness and perspectives of preservice teachers (n = 38) to providing and receiving feedback from their peers on their project ideas, and - in particular - their motivation and readiness to assimilate peer feedback. Data includes initial and final project ideas, answers to reflective questions, and the peer feedback each participant received.

The study …

Using Feedforward To Improve Pre-Service Teachers’ Academic Writing And Critical Thinking Skills, Sandra Baroudi, Serena Aoun, Doaa Hamam

All Works

Literature to date indicates that constructive, timely, and personalized instructor feedback to student work boosts their academic performance. Peer feedback has been investigated extensively for the past three decades and has demonstrated its effectiveness where students were trained to give quality feedback. Little, however, is known about the use of feedforward as a strategy that focuses on future assignments and paves the way to improved performance. This study followed an action research design using a mixed-method approach to examine the impact of feedforward on developing pre-service teachers’ performance on two main skills: critical thinking and academic writing. The teacher researcher …

Student Reflections On Information Literacy Experiences In School Settings, Hope Y. Kelly Phd

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

During an undergraduate “Digital Technology & Communication” class offered for three years, students engaged in a discussion forum where they reflected on how information literacy skills were developed in K-12 settings. Using a content analysis protocol developed for online discussion forums, an analysis of critical thinking on the topic is presented.

Objectives/Takeaways

• Examine the application of a content analysis protocol as applied to online discussion forums to evaluate indicators of critical thinking among students.

• Review the perceptions of K-12 information literacy instruction amongst students that attended Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson and Orange public schools in Virginia.

Additional Information: …

Five Grade 7 Learners' Understanding Of Comprehension Skills At A Quintile 5 School In South Africa, Nomonde Ntshikila, Janet L. Condy, Lawrence Meda, Heather N. Phillips

All Works

Background: Research into language and reading scores show that South African learners struggle to read for meaning. Many local researchers report on the inadequate teaching training programmes. Teachers cannot teach basic comprehenion skills. Objectives: This research identifies a gap in the research and records an intervention programme designed to engage learners and develop their higher-order comprehension abilities. This research analyses responses from five learners who engaged in a variety of literacy activities to extend their zones of literacy abilities to become independent critical thinkers. Method: An interpretivist paradigm, within a qualitative approach, using a case study design was devised and …

Challenging And Confronting: The Role Of Humanities In Fostering Critical Thinking, Cultural Competency And An Evolution Of Worldview In Enabling Education, Lydia Edwards, Brendan Ritchie

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Humanities discourse forms part of several Australian academic enabling programs, either embedded within the broader curriculum, or as part of a standalone unit. Within Edith Cowan University’s UniPrep course, an introductory Humanities unit is offered to students as one of two electives alongside three other core units. The unit introduces students to key concepts within the Humanities, exploring disciplines such as ethics, philosophy, language, history, religion, politics, law, Indigenous studies and fine arts. In addition to offering students an understanding of these disciplines, studying Humanities within the context of an academic enabling program can provide students with several other benefits. …

Using Sociological Images To Develop The Sociological Imagination, Georgiana Bostean, Lisa A. Leitz

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

We present a two-assignment series that developed students’ sociological imaginations and that could be done in a face-to-face or online course. The series used the Sociological Images blog and students’ own visual images (e.g., photographs) to meet course learning goals: (1) link sociological theories and concepts to social events/trends, (2) apply these ideas to real life by identifying sociologically relevant images in daily life, and (3) communicate sociological analysis in academic and popular written forms. The use of a blog encourages students to embrace public sociology. We present faculty and student assessment data (pretest from nonequivalent comparisons group) from six …

Framing The Guides Transforming Libguides Creation Through Conceptual Integration With The Acrl Framework, Brooke Duffy, Kelleen Maluski, Gina Levitan

Publications

This chapter will discuss how one small liberal arts school utilized the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, a year after it was filed, to build LibGuides as they adopted the software for the first time. The goal being to create guides that would not simply be topical lists of resources but conceptual starting points for discipline-specific research that also integrated the ACRL Framework. As work on the guides continued and staffing transitions occurred the intention to utilize guides as instructional tools was solidified so that they could be used as a way to introduce threshold concepts in …

Information Literacy In A Post-Truth Era, Catherine Baird, Jonathan Howell

Sprague Library Scholarship and Creative Works

The founders of American democracy believed it could not survive without an “informed citizenry”. What does an informed citizenry look like in today’s world? And what role do we have as educators and students to support it?

First, we look at the significant challenges to institutional and media legitimacy that emerged in the second half of the 20th century, which rightfully called attention to the ways longstanding Western knowledge practices excluded marginalized communities and silenced important histories. We ask about the status of norms and mores in the aftermath of this challenge, in an era often called “post-truth.”

Second, we …

Research On Effects Of Grading, Heather J. Leslie Phd

Learning Design Center: Staff Scholarship

I believe we have shared goals for our students to become happy, ethical, caring, compassionate, independent, self-motivated, curious critical thinkers and lifelong learners. Decades of research on the effects of grades and grading undermines those goals. This executive summary presents just some of research on how grading affects students’ mental health, intrinsic motivation, critical thinking, and relationships with teachers and peers. Student survey results are included from a course taught without the use of grades.

Promoting Thinking Routines In Indian Classrooms, Divya Kapoor

Teacher India

In this article, Divya Kapoor shares some examples of thinking routines that practitioners can introduce in their own classrooms.

Teacher Resources On Higher Order Thinking Skills, Anannya Chakraborty

Teacher India

Teaching higher-order thinking skills right from school can bridge the education and employment skills gap. Our ACER experts share a list of free teaching resources on higher order thinking skills.

Covid-19: The Need For Teacher Development In Critical Thinking Pedagogy, Maya Menon

Teacher India

The pandemic has intensified the learning crisis and highlighted several educational challenges. Maya Menon describes why it is important to invest in teacher development so that teachers are empowered to deliver the skills required by NEP 2020.

Media And Information Literate Citizens: Think Critically, Click Wisely!, Alton Grizzle, Carolyn Wilson, Ramon Tuazon, Chi Kim Cheung, Jesus Lau, Rachel Fischer, Dorothy Gordon, Kwame Akyempong, Jagtar Singh, Paul R. Carr, Kristine N. Stewart, Samy Tayie, Olunifesi Suraj, Maarit Jaakkola, Gina Thésée, Curmira Gulston

All Works

Can we improve our societies by clicking wisely?

Content providers such as libraries, archives, museums, media and digital communications companies can enable inclusive and sustainable development. However, they do not always live up to these ideals, which creates challenges for the users of these services. Content providers of all types open up new opportunities for lifelong learning. But at the same time, they open up challenges such as misinformation and disinformation, hate speech, and infringement of online privacy, among others.

Media and information literacy is a set of competencies that help people to maximize advantages and minimize harms. Media and …

Mentoring Prospective Engineering Students Through The After School Program "Girls In Engineering" Focused On Building An Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle, Vukica M. Jovanović, Deborah Marshall, Jeff Warren Larson Jr., Abdul Rahman Badawi, Neil R. Stclair, Otilia Popescu, Murat Kuzlu, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Linda Vahala, Michael Anthony Crespo

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

A number of studies by engineering education researchers have pointed out that all-female teams, rather than mixed teams, result in better forms of participation and interaction in engineering related after-school programs and clubs. In particular, for after-school programs or clubs that form in response to a STEM competition, all-female teams have better chances of developing. One such competition, which will be discussed in this paper, is a regional Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) competition in which students from Blind_Review High School have been participating for many years.For each year’s competition, an all-female team of students enrolled in the Career and …

Improving Higher-Order Comprehension Skills Of Grade 3 Learners In A Second Language At A Quintile 2 School, In Cape Town, South Africa, Vuyokazi Fatyela, Janet Condy, Lawrence Meda, Heather Phillips

All Works

Background: Developing higher-order comprehension skills of learners in primary schools is a challenge that faces many countries. South Africa is no exception. Primary school learners in South Africa have particularly low literacy and comprehension skills: many learners struggle to read for understanding. There is little published scholarship that focuses on developing the comprehension skills of Grade 3 learners in a second language. A lack of practical classroom knowledge in this area is what this article seeks to address. Objectives: To improve the higher-order comprehension skills of Grade 3 learners in a second language. Method: A qualitative approach, using a case …

Implementing 21st Century Learning And Innovation Skills In Classrooms, Amber Soderlund

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review depicts strategies educators can implement to facilitate 21st century learning and innovation skills in classrooms: collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. One challenge educators currently face with implementing these skills in the classroom is being required to move to online learning or other learning formats as safety and health remain a top priority during the pandemic. This has caused teachers to reinvent the way they teach their students to communicate, work with one another, and display critical thinking and creativity skills. Many educators are reinventing teaching in schools without an increase in resources and guidance from the …

Assessment Of General Capabilities: Skills For The 21st-Century Learner. Final Report, Claire Scoular, Dara Ramalingam, Daniel Duckworth, Jonathan Heard

Assessment and Reporting

This report describes a project of the Centre for Assessment Reform and Innovation (CARI) at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to develop an approach for teaching and assessing general capabilities, also known as 21st century skills, in the classroom. The report is divided into two parts. Part one presents an overview of ACER’s approach to skills development. This approach is underpinned by the identification of three evident needs: to understand development, to monitor growth, and to ensure alignment across curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy. Part Two outlines how the approach is applied in the context of assessment. An assessment …

Critical Thinking: Skill Development Framework, Jonathan Heard, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Dara Ramalingam, Ian Teo

Assessment and Reporting

The ACER critical thinking framework has been developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing critical thinking. While there are many definitions of the skill, which are outlined in the first part of this document, few provide a means to operationalise critical thinking in the classroom. This framework outlines critical thinking processes along prescribed strands and aspects informed by a sound evidentiary basis. The aspects contained within the framework are designed to provide foci for teaching and the basis of assessment. This paper is divided into three parts. Part 1 explores the development of critical thinking as an …

Student Self-Assessment: Boon Or Bane?, Ashtamurthy Killimangalam

Teacher India

Student self-assessment can help to improve learning outcomes, but only if used as a formative exercise, as Ashtamurthy Killimangalam explains.

How Much Difference Can We Make? Assessing The Change In Students’ Critical Thinking In A Private Political Science Program In Egypt, Yasmin Khodary

Political Science

The purpose of this study is to determine the change in students’ levels of critical thinking (CT) through comparing the results of second- and fourth-year students. The study also investigates the factors that are statistically significant in explaining the change, if any, in students’ CT. In doing that, the study determines whether or not the use of assessment criteria that encourage CT influences or triggers any change in students’ CT. The study employs mixed methods, combining quantitative methods with qualitative ones. Quantitative data were collected using the California CT Skills Test in order to investigate the change in students’ levels …

Critical Thinking: Definition And Structure, Jonathan Heard, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Dara Ramalingam, Ian Teo

Assessment and Reporting

The development of critical thinking as an essential skill in 21^st century learning is uncontested within educational and professional settings. The degree to which it is operationally defined, taught and assessed, however, remain at large. This incongruence complicates efforts to develop critical thinking in students, as well as devise intervention techniques and assessment tools. This framework has been developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing critical thinking. While there are many definitions of the skill, as outlined in the first part of this document, few definitions provide a means to operationalise critical thinking in the classroom. …

Export Of Peter Taylor's Website, Peter John Taylor

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publication Series

The attached file is an export of Peter Taylor's website from January 28, 2020. Peter Taylor passed away on October 29, 2019.

To access the archived version of Professor Taylor's website, download and export the zipped/compressed file, and click on the "index.html" file in the folder "peter-taylor-website."

Supporting Examination Reform In Nepal, Mee Young Han

Teacher India

ACER is helping to ensure that school assessment in Nepal focuses on testing higher-order thinking skills.

A Dialogical Exercise For Honors Students, J. Robert Baker

Honors in Practice Online Archive

To expand students’ abilities to think critically, honors instructors ask them to step aside from their objections to a passage in The Handbook of Epictetus to consider how that passage makes sense to Epictetus.

Teaching Students How To Think, Not What To Think: Pedagogy And Political Psychology, Gabriel Velez, Seamus A. Power

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Academia is often critiqued as an “ivory tower” where research, thinking, and teaching are isolated from the complexity and everyday experience of so many people. As instructors of political and other psychology courses, we strive to break down these barriers and engage with the dynamic and nuanced nature of phenomena as situated in lived social and political contexts. In this report, we unpack and detail how we strive to achieve this goal by expanding on Plous’ articulation of action teaching (2012). We first define our pedagogical focus on active engagement, critical thinking, and staying on the move between multiple perspectives. …

Instructional Strategies To Prepare Students For Success In Informal Learning Environments: Leveraging Metacognition And Critical Thinking To Develop Self-Regulated Learning Skills, Carolyn P. Commiso

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper looks at how learning is evolving in the 21st century and what skills learners need to be successful in that environment. Based on existing research into the topic, this paper focuses on how learning is increasingly taking place in informal settings, through the lens of the Social Cognitive Learning and Cognitive Constructivism theories. The hypothesis is that students can be successful in these settings by mastering self-regulated learning strategies which can be developed through critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills. It assesses what instructional strategies can be used to develop these skills and enable continued learner success. In addition, …

Critical Thinking And Problem-Solving, Amy Lightfoot

Teacher India

How can teachers help learners become critical thinkers and problem solvers while ensuring that they acquire the necessary knowledge for each subject?

Risky Honors, Andrew J. Cognard-Black

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Most educators today are likely to proclaim a commitment to teaching critical thinking. Willingness to take intellectual risks such as questioning orthodox teachings or proposing unconventional solutions is an important component of critical thinking and the larger project of liberal education, yet the reward structures of educational institutions may actually function to discourage such risk-taking. In light of the extra importance placed on grades and high-stakes entrance exams in an increasingly competitive educational marketplace, this problem might presumably be magnified among honors students. This essay concludes by calling on honors educators and other interested parties to contribute their voices, their …