Education Commons^™

Stressing Concepts And Teaching In The Classroom: A Low-Technology Approach Using Concept Tests And Classroom Polls, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Electronic student response technologies can be used effectively to increase learning in the classroom. Although these systems are not terribly expensive, their purchase may be out of reach for many departments and institutions. Here we model a low-technology approach that stresses active learning, peer teaching, and testing student understanding of key concepts by using think-pair-share sessions and in-class responses to key concept-test questions.

Questions used in class are chosen carefully to emphasize a concept essential to understanding some aspect of geoscience in an introductory geology course. Each class involves the introduction of a key concept question or questions followed by: …

Editorial: Enhancing Teaching Performance: Managing Student Feedback Exercises, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

When I was an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in the mid-1980s, student feedback exercises were introduced. They were manually conducted via pen-and-paper mode, with administrative staff taking about 10±15 minutes at the start of a lecture class every day in a designated week (usually the last or penultimate week of semester), distributing questionnaires and collecting the completed forms in boxes to have the responses scanned and totted up. This represented the ®rst time that a systematic data collection and feedback mechanism was instituted for students. Since then, various innovations have been introduced to manage student feedback …

Post Literacy And Continuing Education For Vocational Training: Administering Adult Education Programs, Teaching Adults And Helping Them Learn, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

No abstract provided.

Helping Children To Understand Particulate Nature Of Matter, Muhammad Riaz

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Whenever I taught about the particulate nature of matter in solids, liquids and gases, I often had difficulty explaining this abstract concept to my students. The students, in turn, had much difficulty conceptualizing the structure and behavior of the particles, which ultimately led to difficulties in understanding the complex configuration of particles in matter at various levels. This article focuses on studies that reveal students’ alternative frameworks for the particulate nature of matter in solids, liquids and gases. Also, I suggest factors that contribute to these alternative frameworks, incorporating my own experiences in developing an understanding of this concept. Finally, …

History In The Air, Edward L. Ayers

History Faculty Publications

The history in the air never seems to settle to the ground. Polls and tests reveal that plenty of young people do not know about their nation's history -- not to mention the history of other nations. Some connection is not being made.

Adult Learning Theory And High School Students, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

No abstract provided.

Two Decades Of Research On The Problem Solving Inventory A Call For Empirical Clarity, Muninder Kaur Ahluwalia, Lisa A. Suzuki

Department of Counseling Scholarship and Creative Works

Heppner, Witty, and Dixon's review of 2 decades of research on the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) provides highlights of more than 120 studies relating problem-solving appraisal to psychological adjustment, physical health, coping, and educational and vocational issues. Although clearly an impressive body of literature, the level of data reported is uneven with attention to effect sizes (e.g., correlations) and sample descriptors (e.g., race/ethnicity, n size, gender). Acknowledging the importance of the PSI and this major review, we provide commentary on the need for a meta-analysis and the continual expansion of research on the PSI with respect to diversity issues (i.e., …

Thinking About Andragogy: The International Foundation For Its Research, Theory And Practice Linkage In Adult Education And Human Resource Development, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

More than 50 major works published in English from national and international sources on Andragogy are presented here, in order to provide a clear and understandable, international foundation for the linkage between the research, theory and practice of andragogy, and its application to HRD. The six themes provided a foundation for the linkage: Evolution of the term; historical antecedents shaping the concept; comparison of American and European understanding; popularizing of American concept; practical application; and theory, research, and definition.

Enhancing Student Learning Using Simulation Programs And Scientific Visualization, Madeleine Andrawis

Bush Project Anthology

A new approach in teaching electromagnetics using multi-media simulation programs was implemented to enhance student learning and hence increase student retention. The fundamental nature of Electromagnetics makes its understanding a necessity in order to comprehend all the other Electrical Engineering topics. The basic Electromagnetics theory and its engineering applications material are all based on highly mathematical equations. Students had difficulty understanding and/or visualizing its abstract topics. This course is presently taught using the latest class technologies and its contents are available on the Internet for out of class access.

Journaling As A Teaching And Learning Tool, Delmar Lonowski

Bush Project Anthology

Requiring students to keep journals is a most valuable teaching and learning tool. Student writing can be more than a way that we justify the grades we give students at the end of each term. Writing is a multi-functional tool that can be used not only for evaluation but also for teaching and learning. In using writing for teaching and learning, we help our students develop analytical, critical thinking, and organizational skills that will help them be successful. Requiring students to keep journals is just such a tool. In addition, it helps achieve the SDSU Lead Forward Goal of making …

Learning By Doing, And Doing What Others Have Done: Study Replication In The Classroom, Meredith Redlin, Mario Hesse

Bush Project Anthology

The study of sociology comprise both theory and method, a combination which has resulted in persistent challenges to pedagogical practice in the lower level undergraduate classroom (Cutler 1987; Takata and Leiting 1987). While teaching of general theory is well-suited to the classroom in the instruction of framework , teaching the application of theory require the introduction of data for those frameworks. Similarly, while specific methods can be outlined in the lecture classroom format common to lower-level coursework, teaching the application of methods remain key to building a solid understanding of the discipline and it practices (Cutler 1987; Van Valey 1977, …

Using Digital Movie Making To Teach Theories In Range Science, Alexander Smart

Bush Project Anthology

Learning complex theories in Range Science can be aided by having students use digital movie making technology. The objectives of this paper were to 1) describe the digital movie making process and 2) provide a qualitative assessment of its use in learning conceptual subject matter. Students were instructed in the use of digital movie making software and the process to create a digital movie describing the state-and-transition plant succession model. Ninety percent of the students thought that the movie making project helped them better understand the state-and-transition plant succession model. Students enjoyed learning the new technology and 40% said they …

Use Of The Case Study Method To Enhance The Educational Experience For Students, David W. Willis

Bush Project Anthology

I have always believed in teaching with practical examples. However, I typically have presented these examples to students in a passive manner (i.e., a traditional lecture format). Because I was not pleased with retention of what I considered important material, I searched for a means to improve retention through more active learning while retaining practical examples. Thus, I first learned about the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/ cases/ case.html) and attended their annual meeting.

A Solution For Non-Proctored Online Tests Using Webct, Gary Aguiar

Bush Project Anthology

In developing an Internet-delivered version of my introductory political science course, I found it a challenge to devise online tests that prevented cheating. To the maximum extent possible, I wanted to create an Internet course that mirrored my on-campus course and minimized opportunities to cheat on non-proctored tests using WebCT. Over the last four semesters, I used my on-campus courses to develop online tests in preparation for my first Internet-delivered course. With the advice and support of other faculty and staff, I developed online quizzes and exams using WebCT that support two Lead Forward goals. First, students learn to embrace …

Avoiding Binary Thinking: Using Multiperspectivism As A Classroom Tool, Maria T. Ramos-Garcia

Bush Project Anthology

One of the greatest challenges teachers face in literature classes is encouraging students to go beyond the easy answers. That is especially true when students are studying literature in a second language. In their lower-division classes, they have become accustomed to providing the "right" answer applying the language they are learning. Therefore, when they enter a more advanced language class with a literature focus, they feel cheated when the instructor fails to tell them what the right answer is ... even if the issues involved are extremely complex. Students must learn that most literary works pose questions that have no …

We Change The World By Doing Nothing, Suzanne Soohoo

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"The focus of this essay is on what I refer to as 'bystander apathy.' Bystanderism is the response of people who observe something that demands intervention on their part, but they choose not to get involved. I write this piece to shed light on this issue for others as well as for my own self-reflection - to understand more deeply why some people act against abuses of power and others don't; why sometimes I act and sometimes I don't. What are the forces, both internal and external, that work to keep us all from speaking against and standing up to …

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2004, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

Assist in project coordination between numerous stakeholders such as the Clark County School System, Desert Research Institute, Community College of Southern Nevada, UNR Cooperative Extension, Nevada State College, local museums, state parks, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, and the public to ensure appropriate educational curricular activities and venues are provided for in the conceptual design of the School and the Wild Horse and Burro facility where appropriate as well as assist in the NEPA process as needed. The activities will be conducted at least in part by university faculty, staff and students as part of the university’s research, teaching, and service …

The Potential Of Elearning In The Spatial Information Sciences: A Resource For Continuing Professional Development., Kevin Mooney, Audrey Martin

Conference Papers

National mapping agencies have at their disposal a number of resources for the continuing professional development of their staff. These range from attendance at full-time University programmes to short in-house tutorials and workshops. The Technological University Dublin has recently developed an eLearning course in ‘Co-ordinate reference systems for spatial information’ and piloted it with staff of Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Lands and Surveys, Nicosia, Cyprus. This paper evaluates the performance of eLearning in the delivery of the pilot courses pointing to its weaknesses and its strengths. The need for considered and careful use of interactive tools such …

Different Thinking Hats: The Continuously-Evolving Role Of The Instructor In E-Problem Based Learning (E-Pbl), Roisin Donnelly

Conference papers

A hugely important area in any form of PBL delivery is the role of the instructor; in an e-learning environment, it is even more crucial. Hughes and Daykin (2002) have suggested that a move to online delivery needs a greater attention to design and development of facilitator skills than has been previously recognised. An e-learning module for lecturers, delivered using a problem-based learning approach, is the setting for continuing research into the many hats that an instructor has to don during the learning process. Coppola, Hiltz and Rotter (2001) identify a number of roles played by instructors in e-learning, but …

A Service Learning Model: Meeting Ncate Standards Through Educational Technology, Maria Lizano-Dimare

Education Faculty Publications

Service learning can be described as learning experiences that serve the needs of a specific community and enable students to draw meaningful connections between theory and practice. Through service learning, students observe and model the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. It is important that education programs are built upon NCATE standards in order to ensure quality. This service learning model is based on an undergraduate level educational technology course. Through their participation in Introduction to Computers in Education, future teachers gain practical experience in a school-based environment that prepares them in the use of educational technology for …

Conferencing: An Exploration Into Connectivity, Content, And Community, Marc Glassman, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

The electronic conference, Bits and Bytes: An Online Symposium on the Evolution of Technology in Education, was a joint initiative of the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Centre for Advanced Placement Education at Discovery Collegiate. The format of this electronic conference (e-conference) was similar to that of an on-site conference, with a call for submissions, a peer-reviewed processing of these proposals, and a presentation of the accepted proposals. However, the participants of this e-conference never met in a specific locale in a synchronous time frame, as is the case with traditional conferences. The authors and …

Making Science Teams Work, Roxanne Greitz Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Science teachers, likely have more experience with students working together than teachers in any other subject area due to teaming students for hands-on activities. While the importance of teamwork is emphasized in the National Science Education Standards, getting teams to actually work-meaning getting students to share equally in the academic assignments and to interact in a positive and productive manner-often eludes even the best of teachers. It has been the author's experience as a middle level science teacher that effective teaming requires careful planning, clear communication with students and parents, relevant motivational strategies, and arranging the classroom and activities to …

Architectural Registration And It's Diversity Vortex., Shannon Chance

Articles

Architects: take a serious look at your demographics. While other professions are making strides to represent the diversity of America's population, yours lags markedly behind. Most U.S. architecture schools began admitting women and minorities between 1965 and 1972, but many who completed architecture degrees in the interim haven't yet received professional licensure. The ranks of licensed architects remain mainly white and mainly male, which denies society fair representation in shaping the built environment. Consider that African-American females comprise roughly 7% of the U.S. population but less than 0.2% of licensed architects; they've achieved proportionally higher success in law, medicine, and …

Brown-Bagging It: Engaging Students In Lecture, Paul V. Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Learning In The Middle School : Is It A Developmentally Appropriate Strategy?, Laura C. Guilford

Graduate Research Papers

"Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other's learning" (Holt, 1993, p. 5). The strategy sounds simple, and it has existed throughout history in some format, but there are many aspects.that come into play when cooperative learning is used. This review of literature examines what cooperative learning is, what the benefits of using cooperative learning strategies are, what problems can occur, and whether cooperative learning is an appropriate strategy for middle level students.· The author discusses recommendations for resolving some of the problems that teachers have with …

Brown-Bagging It: Engaging Students In Lecture, Paul Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of An Urban Outreach Teaching Project: Developing Cultural Competence, Carol H. Ott, Lynn H. Doyle

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the development of cultural competence in a group of university nursing students in the context of an interactive substance abuse prevention project attached to a health promotion course with 414 racially diverse high school students. The project provided opportunities for contact, interaction, and reflection. A descriptive approach was utilized to elicit the meaning attached to the experience. Data included written content from an exit survey, field notes from onsite debriefings, transcriptions of a focus group interview, and an analysis of theoretical papers. Findings indicate that when university students participate in an urban …

The Nostalgic Turn And The Politics Of Ressentiment, William M. Reynolds

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, & Reading Faculty Publications

The Greatest Generation, Band of Brothers, We Were Soldiers, Nick at Night, and the confederate battle flag. We are looking backward, because looking forward is too problematic. We are living within a global conservative restoration, which has gained intensity since 9/11 and gained further solidification since the most recent elections. Ira Shor elaborated the concept of the conservative restoration in his text, Culture Wars: School and Society in the Conservative Restoration 1969-1984 (1986).

Instructional Perspectives Of Nurse Educators Engaged In Teaching Via Distance Education, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

The purpose of this study was to contribute to knowledge regarding instructional perspectives of 35 University of Missouri-St. Louis nurse faculty, who were teaching via distance education formats. The study was designed to identify differences of respondents rating the seven factors of the Instructional Perspectives Inventory (IPI), which include: teacher empathy with learners; teacher trust of learners; planning and delivery of instruction; accommodating learner uniqueness; teacher insensitivity toward learners; learner-centered learning processes; and teacher-centered learning processes (Henschke, 1994). This study also identified differences between the seven factors and specific demographic data (age, number of years teaching nursing, number of semesters …

How To Incorporate External Activities Into Courses For Your Students’ Benefit, Marissa Moran

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.