Sample records for activity learners create

  1. Re-Awakening the Learner: Creating Learner-Centric, Standards-Driven Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stoll, Copper; Giddings, Gene

    2012-01-01

    Transformation of public education requires the reawakening of the sleeping giant in the room: the learners. Students, teachers, and principals must develop a learner-centric, standards-driven school. "Reawakening the Learner" is a guide to creating just such an environment. Continua describe the journey of teachers, teacher leaders, and…

  2. Creating Cartoons: A Learner-Centered Approach to Comprehending Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malu, Kathleen F.; McNeal, Kelly

    2017-01-01

    In this article the authors describe how a specific technique--having learners create cartoons based on a reading passage--helped learners explore their understanding of reading passages and helped the teachers reflect on what the learners had comprehended.

  3. A Learner-Created Virtual Patient Curriculum for Surgical Residents: Successes and Failures.

    PubMed

    McKendy, Katherine M; Posel, Nancy; Fleiszer, David M; Vassiliou, Melina C

    2016-01-01

    To determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a learner-created virtual patient (VP) curriculum for postgraduate year 2 surgical residents. Using a social-constructivist model of learning, we designed a learner-created VP curriculum to help postgraduate year 2 residents prepare for their in-training surgical examination. Each resident was assigned to create a VP curriculum based on the learning objectives for this examination, and VP cases were then disseminated to all residents for completion. To measure the learning effects of the curriculum, participants completed 2 simulated in-training examinations, both at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Study participants also participated in a focus group and completed an online questionnaire about the perceived learning value of the curriculum. The study was conducted at the McGill University Health Centre, a tertiary care hospital in Montreal, Canada. In total, 24 residents from 7 surgical specialties completed both the pretest and posttest, as well as took part in the creation of a VP curriculum. Of those 24 residents, only 19 residents completed the cases created by their peers, with 7 completing greater than 50% of the cases and 12 completing less than 50%. In all 17 residents responded to the online questionnaire and 11 residents participated in the focus group. The VP curriculum failed to improve scores from pretest (59.6%, standard deviation = 8.1) to posttest (55.4%, standard deviation = 6.6; p = 0.01) on the simulated in-training examination. Nonetheless, survey results demonstrated that most residents felt that creating a VP case (89%) and completing cases created by their peers (71%) had educational value. Overall, 71% preferred active participation in a curriculum to traditional didactic teaching. The focus group identified time-related constraints, concern about the quality of the peer-created cases, and questioning of the relationship between the curriculum and the Surgical Foundations

  4. Impact of Metacognitive Practices and Assorted Assessment Modalities towards Creating Self-Regulated Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nair N., Sreevrinda

    2014-01-01

    Worldwide efforts are increasing to infuse thinking skills into the curriculum, which are part of cognitive behavior, and to include them in the instructional strategies, which will make the learner producer of knowledge and help to create a sense of responsibility among them. Metacognitive learning activities immerse students in challenging tasks…

  5. Learner-Created Podcasts: Students' Stories with Music

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bolden, Benjamin

    2013-01-01

    This article describes uses for podcasts in music education, focusing on learner-created podcasts as an opportunity for students to construct and represent knowledge. The author outlines a podcast assignment that enables secondary and postsecondary students to examine and more deeply understand the meaning music holds for them and the role it has…

  6. Learner-Interface Interaction for Technology-Enhanced Active Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sinha, Neelu; Khreisat, Laila; Sharma, Kiron

    2009-01-01

    Neelu Sinha, Laila Khreisat, and Kiron Sharma describe how learner-interface interaction promotes active learning in computer science education. In a pilot study using technology that combines DyKnow software with a hardware platform of pen-enabled HP Tablet notebook computers, Sinha, Khreisat, and Sharma created dynamic learning environments by…

  7. A Development of Game-Based Learning Environment to Activate Interaction among Learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takaoka, Ryo; Shimokawa, Masayuki; Okamoto, Toshio

    Many studies and systems that incorporate elements such as “pleasure” and “fun” in the game to improve a learner's motivation have been developed in the field of learning environments. However, few are the studies of situations where many learners gather at a single computer and participate in a game-based learning environment (GBLE), and where the GBLE designs the learning process by controlling the interactions between learners such as competition, collaboration, and learning by teaching. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to propose a framework of educational control that induces and activates interaction between learners intentionally to create a learning opportunity that is based on the knowledge understanding model of each learner. In this paper, we explain the design philosophy and the framework of our GBLE called “Who becomes the king in the country of mathematics?” from a game viewpoint and describe the method of learning support control in the learning environment. In addition, we report the results of the learning experiment with our GBLE, which we carried out in a junior high school, and include some comments by a principal and a teacher. From the results of the experiment and some comments, we noticed that a game may play a significant role in weakening the learning relationship among students and creating new relationships in the world of the game. Furthermore, we discovered that learning support control of the GBLE has led to activation of the interaction between learners to some extent.

  8. Making Connections: Language Activities for Creating Interpersonal Tolerance in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Renaud, Susan; Tannenbaum, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Using communicative activities with learners from diverse cultures can create excitement and empathy while promoting the acquisition of English. This article offers ESL/EFL activities that foster interpersonal tolerance among students who have experienced intergroup conflict. The activities are based on the idea that there are four levels of…

  9. Improving Science and Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners. CREATE Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    August, Diane; Artzi, Lauren; Mazrum, Julie

    2010-01-01

    This brief reviews previous research related to the development of science knowledge and academic language in English language learners as well as the role of English language proficiency, learning in a second language, and first language knowledge in science learning. It also describes two successful CREATE interventions that build academic and…

  10. Supporting Learners' Experiment Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van Riesen, Siswa; Gijlers, Hannie; Anjewierden, Anjo; de Jong, Ton

    2018-01-01

    Inquiry learning is an educational approach in which learners actively construct knowledge and in which performing investigations and conducting experiments is central. To support learners in designing informative experiments we created a scaffold, the Experiment Design Tool (EDT), that provided learners with a step-by-step structure to select…

  11. Encouraging Learners to Create Language-Learning Materials

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moiseenko, Veronika

    2015-01-01

    Student-produced materials are a powerful tool for promoting learner autonomy. They challenge the traditional paradigm of education because the very concept of learner-produced materials is based on trust in the student-centered learning process; when developing materials, learners do not rely on the teacher to make every decision. In this…

  12. Creating Space for Learner Autonomy: An Interactional Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Szczepek Reed, Beatrice

    2017-01-01

    This paper is concerned with teachers' and learners' collaborative pursuit of learner autonomy in a highly asymmetrical education setting, the music masterclass. Evaluations are identified as a potential opportunity for the mutual construction of learner autonomy. The analysis shows that, while teaching professionals mitigate interactional…

  13. Creating a Global Community of Learners in Nursing and Beyond: Caring Science, Mindful Practice MOOC.

    PubMed

    Sitzman, Kathleen L; Jensen, Andrea; Chan, Sang

    The aim was to examine the usefulness of a massive open online course (MOOC) on caring and mindfulness to a broad international audience that included nurses, allied health professionals, and others. MOOCs in higher education have been evident since 2008. Very few MOOCs on nursing topics have appeared since that time. Exploration was needed regarding how MOOCs could be employed to share nursing knowledge with national and international communities. Two "Caring Science, Mindful Practice" MOOC sessions were examined. Demographics, learner satisfaction, course flow, and perceived usefulness of content were analyzed. Learners from varied backgrounds participated. Higher than expected course activity levels and completion rates suggested effective learner engagement. Excellent course ratings demonstrated that content and delivery methods were effective. Active learners communicated specific plans to apply new knowledge in the future. MOOCs facilitate learning where participants learn about topics of interest in nursing and beyond.

  14. Library Spaces for 21st-Century Learners: A Planning Guide for Creating New School Library Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sullivan, Margaret

    2013-01-01

    "Library Spaces for 21st-Century Learners: A Planning Guide for Creating New School Library Concepts" focuses on planning contemporary school library spaces with user-based design strategies. The book walks school librarians and administrators through the process of gathering information from students and other stakeholders involved in…

  15. The Planning Illusion: Does Active Planning of a Learning Route Support Learning as Well as Learners Think It Does?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bonestroo, Wilco J.; de Jong, Ton

    2012-01-01

    Is actively planning one's learning route through a learning domain beneficial for learning? Moreover, can learners accurately judge the extent to which planning has been beneficial for them? This study examined the effects of active planning on learning. Participants received a tool in which they created a learning route themselves before…

  16. Comparing Learner Community Behavior in Multiple Presentations of a Massive Open Online Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallagher, Silvia Elena; Savage, Timothy

    2015-01-01

    Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) can create large scale communities of learners who collaborate, interact and discuss learning materials and activities. MOOCs are often delivered multiple times with similar content to different cohorts of learners. However, research into the differences of learner communication, behavior and expectation between…

  17. Comparing Learner Community Behavior in Multiple Presentations of a Massive Open Online Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallagher, Silvia Elena; Savage, Timothy

    2016-01-01

    Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) can create large scale communities of learners who collaborate, interact and discuss learning materials and activities. MOOCs are often delivered multiple times with similar content to different cohorts of learners. However, research into the differences of learner communication, behavior and expectation between…

  18. Using Literacy Coaching to Promote the Teaching and Learning of English Learners in Content Areas. CREATE Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reutebuch, Colleen K.

    2012-01-01

    This brief describes the literacy coaching that was provided as part of the CREATE research project aimed at improving the teaching and learning of English learners in seventh-grade content areas. Coaching was intended to extend professional development and increase teacher capacity through multiple layers of support that included lesson…

  19. Fostering learners' reflection and self-assessment.

    PubMed

    Westberg, J; Jason, H

    1994-05-01

    In most medical schools and residency programs, little or no attention is given to fostering learners' reflection or self-assessment. Yet learners who do not value or who are not effective at these skills are unlikely to extract the maximum benefit from their education. They are at risk of becoming unsafe physicians. To be optimally helpful, teachers need access to the diagnostic information about learners that is provided by their reflections and self-assessments. There are major barriers to learners being reflective and self-assessing. Medicine is dominated by unreflective doing. In the fiercely competitive environment of many teaching programs, many learners correctly perceive that it is unsafe to reveal their fears and deficiencies. Learners often retain this cautious posture even after moving to programs where it is unnecessary. Many learners and teachers have grown accustomed to authoritarian educational approaches in which teachers decide what the learners need and unilaterally evaluate their performance. In this review of the available literature, we summarize the compelling reasons for fostering reflection and self-assessment and for helping learners become their own coaches. Specific strategies and tools for creating programs that foster these values and activities are presented.

  20. Providing Deep Learning through Active Engagement of Adult Learners in Blended Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDonough, Darlene

    2014-01-01

    Malcolm Knowles (2011) indicates that adult learners are most likely to be actively engaged in learning when they are given some choice and control over the learning process. When the curriculum relates to the adult learner's interests, is individualized, and authentic; the adult learner becomes actively engaged in the process by making a…

  1. Learners' Perceptions of Instructional Design Practice in a Situated Learning Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woolf, Nicholas; Quinn, James

    2009-01-01

    This case study investigated learners' perceptions of value from participating in a learning activity designed to model professional instructional design practice. Learners developed instructional design products for a corporate client in the context of a classroom-based course. The findings indicate that learners perceived different kinds of…

  2. Creating an Online Assessment Test for Heritage Learners of Russian

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Titus, Julia

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the differences between second-language learners and heritage learners of Russian in terms of their linguistic performance, a finding supported by current research (Andrews, 2001; Kagan & Dillon, 2001/2003), examines the implications of these differences for the creation of testing tools, and offers a sample of a test designed…

  3. Technology Uses in Creating Second Language Learning Environments: When Learners Are Creators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Gaoming

    2010-01-01

    From a learner-as-creator perspective, this study investigates how second language learners use technology, especially computers and the Internet, to construct their language learning environments. This study also attempts to identify factors that affected the frequency of technology by second language learners. Participants were 102 Chinese…

  4. Toward a Unified Modeling of Learner's Growth Process and Flow Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Challco, Geiser C.; Andrade, Fernando R. H.; Borges, Simone S.; Bittencourt, Ig I.; Isotani, Seiji

    2016-01-01

    Flow is the affective state in which a learner is so engaged and involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. In this sense, to help students in the skill development and knowledge acquisition (referred to as learners' growth process) under optimal conditions, the instructional designers should create learning scenarios that favor…

  5. Language Learning Activities of Distance EFL Learners in the Turkish Open Education System as the Indicator of Their Learner Autonomy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altunay, Dilek

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the noncompulsory language learning activities performed by a group of distance EFL learners in the Turkish Open Education System. Performance of these activities has been considered as an indicator of their learner autonomy. The data were collected through an online questionnaire and interviews. The study shows that in…

  6. Learning through Intermediate Problems in Creating Cognitive Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miwa, Kazuhisa; Morita, Junya; Nakaike, Ryuichi; Terai, Hitoshi

    2014-01-01

    Cognitive modelling is one of the representative research methods in cognitive science. It is believed that creating cognitive models promotes learners' meta-cognitive activities such as self-monitoring and reflecting on their own cognitive processing. Preceding studies have confirmed that such meta-cognitive activities actually promote learning…

  7. Acquisition of Mathematical Language: Suggestions and Activities for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cirillo, Michelle; Bruna, Katherine Richardson; Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth

    2010-01-01

    In this article, we describe aspects of mathematical language that could be problematic to English-language learners, provide recommendations for teaching English-language learners, and suggest activities intended to foster language development in mathematics. (Contains 1 figure.)

  8. Creating a Community of Learners in a Middle School Methods Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    D'Souza, Lisa Andries

    2017-01-01

    This examination of practice aims to share pedagogical practices, grounded in the research of teaching and learning, for building a community of learners in teacher education coursework. The pedagogical exploration supports explicit modeling of strategies to support teacher candidates in their mission to develop a community of learners in their…

  9. The learner as co-creator: A new peer review and self-assessment feedback form created by student nurses.

    PubMed

    Duers, Lorraine E

    2017-11-01

    Engagement with peer review and self-assessment is not always regarded by student nurses as an activity that results in a positive learning experience. Literature indicates that withdrawal from the learning process becomes attractive to individuals affected by a negative experience of peer review. Literature also provides examples of student nurses' feeling 'torn to shreds' during the process of peer review, resulting in loss of confidence and self-esteem. An influencing factor in such situations appears to be the absence of specific learner-driven criteria against which student nurses can assess peer and self-performance. The idea was thus ignited, that creation and utilisation of a learner-driven feedback form might potentially prevent, or at least minimise, the possibility of negative peer review experience. Set within the context of a pre-registration nursing programme, within a Higher Education institution, student nurses (n=25), created a peer review/self-assessment feedback form. Its potential cross-discipline, global applicability is reasonably speculated. Purposive sampling, followed by Stratified Random sampling, maximised participant variation. Data collection took place on 34 occasions, utilising focus group discussions using Nominal Group Technique, a practical task which was video recorded for mediating artefact purposes, and individual interviews. Analysis was concept and theme driven. The study found that participants desired a new feedback form that specifically asks the evaluator to judge human qualities, such as 'compassion' and 'kindness', in addition to the skills and knowledge criteria that any peer review or self-assessment form used currently had incorporated. Providing the participants with the opportunity to develop criteria, against which performance could be measured, with emphasis being afforded to student inclusivity and resultant shift in power balance from the educator to the learner, embraces the idea of teaching and learning in the

  10. Can pluralistic approaches based upon unknown languages enhance learner engagement and lead to active social inclusion?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dahm, Rebecca

    2017-08-01

    One way to foster active social inclusion is to enable students to develop a positive attitude to "foreignness". Creating a situation where mainstream students are less wary of foreign languages and cultures, and where newcomers feel their linguistic background is being valued, provides favourable conditions for the inclusion of these newcomers in the classroom and in society. However, language classrooms in French schools rarely take any previously acquired linguistic knowledge into account, thus unconsciously contributing to the rift between multilingual learners (e.g. 1st- and 2nd-generation immigrant children, refugees, children of parents with different mother tongues) and French learners. Native French learners' first experience of learning another language is usually when English is added as a subject to their curriculum in primary school. In some schools in France, English lessons now include the simulation of multilingual situations, designed in particular for the French "quasi-monolingual" students to lose their fear of unknown languages and "foreignness" in general. But the overall aim is to help both groups of learners become aware of the positive impact of multilingualism on cognitive abilities. However, to achieve long-term effects, this awareness-raising needs to be accompanied by maximum engagement on the part of the students. This article explores an instructional strategy termed Pluralistic Approaches based upon Unknown Languages (PAUL), which was designed to develop learning strategies of quasi-monolingual students in particular and to increase learner engagement more generally. The results of a small-scale PAUL study discussed by the author seem to confirm an increase in learner engagement leading to an enhancement of learning outcomes. Moreover, PAUL seems indeed suitable for helping to prepare the ground for social inclusion.

  11. Promoting Physics Among Female Learners in the Western Cape Through Active Engagement (abstract)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arendse, Gillian J.

    2009-04-01

    In 2006 the author organized a one-day intervention aimed at promoting physics among female learners at the University of Stellenbosch. The activities included an interactive lecture demonstration promoting active engagement, a hands-on session, and short presentations by female physicists addressing issues such as balancing family and career, breaking the stereotypes, and launching a successful career in physics. Each learner was expected to evaluate the program. In 2007 the author joined forces with Hip2B2 (Shuttleworth Foundation) to host a competition among grade-10 learners with the theme, ``promoting creativity through interactivity.'' The author was tasked by the Hip2B2-team to assist with a program for female learners planned for August 2008, coinciding with our national celebration of Women's Day. The event targeted 160 learners and took place in Durban, East London, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. The author shares some of the learners' experiences and personal triumphs.

  12. Interrelations in the Development of Primary School Learners' Creative Imagination and Creative Activity When Depicting a Portrait in Visual Art Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Šlahova, Aleksandra; Volonte, Ilze; Cacka, Maris

    2017-01-01

    Creative imagination is a psychic process of creating a new original image, idea or art work based on the acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as on the experience of creative activity. The best of all primary school learners' creative imagination develops at the lessons of visual art, aimed at teaching them to understand what is…

  13. Engaging Teachers as Learners: Modeling Professional Development for Adult Literacy Providers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanna, Mary Barbara; Salzman, James A.; Reynolds, Sharon L.; Fergus, Katherine B.

    2010-01-01

    As professional developers for the Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) system in Ohio, the authors have focused their efforts over the last several years on more actively engaging adult basic education teachers as learners in the professional development they offer. By creating activities that engage teachers in active learning with their adult…

  14. Spoken Language Activation Alters Subsequent Sign Language Activation in L2 Learners of American Sign Language.

    PubMed

    Williams, Joshua T; Newman, Sharlene D

    2017-02-01

    A large body of literature has characterized unimodal monolingual and bilingual lexicons and how neighborhood density affects lexical access; however there have been relatively fewer studies that generalize these findings to bimodal (M2) second language (L2) learners of sign languages. The goal of the current study was to investigate parallel language activation in M2L2 learners of sign language and to characterize the influence of spoken language and sign language neighborhood density on the activation of ASL signs. A priming paradigm was used in which the neighbors of the sign target were activated with a spoken English word and compared the activation of the targets in sparse and dense neighborhoods. Neighborhood density effects in auditory primed lexical decision task were then compared to previous reports of native deaf signers who were only processing sign language. Results indicated reversed neighborhood density effects in M2L2 learners relative to those in deaf signers such that there were inhibitory effects of handshape density and facilitatory effects of location density. Additionally, increased inhibition for signs in dense handshape neighborhoods was greater for high proficiency L2 learners. These findings support recent models of the hearing bimodal bilingual lexicon, which posit lateral links between spoken language and sign language lexical representations.

  15. Creating an Effective Educational Environment for Adult Learners: A Qualitative, Multi-Case Study of Off-Campus Center Administrator's Use of Invitational Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKnight, Carolyn P.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative, multi-case study was designed to examine off-campus centers and their administrators in creating an effective learning environment for adult learners. Serving as the conceptual framework, invitational leadership theory is a holistic approach which nurtures the belief that everyone is intrinsically motivated and it is the leaders'…

  16. Learning through Creating Robotic Models of Biological Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cuperman, Dan; Verner, Igor M.

    2013-01-01

    This paper considers an approach to studying issues in technology and science, which integrates design and inquiry activities towards creating and exploring technological models of scientific phenomena. We implemented this approach in a context where the learner inquires into a biological phenomenon and develops its representation in the form of a…

  17. Learner-Centered Environments: Creating Effective Strategies Based on Student Attitudes and Faculty Reflection

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bishop, Catharine F.; Caston, Michael I.; King, Cheryl A.

    2014-01-01

    Learner-centered environments effectively implement multiple teaching techniques to enhance students' higher education experience and provide them with greater control over their academic learning. This qualitative study involves an exploration of the eight reasons for learner-centered teaching found in Terry Doyle's 2008 book, "Helping…

  18. Create a Sense of Place for the Mobile Learner

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hemmig, William; Johnstone, Brian T.; Montet, Margaret

    2012-01-01

    "Sense of place" no longer applies only to the physical library. All students are distance learners to one extent or another, and all distance services must be considered as a single virtual learning commons. Librarians at Bucks County (PA) Community College implement and integrate current teaching, learning, virtual reference, and mobile access…

  19. Technology: An Additional Tool for Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smart, Linda; Fennessy, Ben

    It is increasingly necessary to encourage lifelong learning in order to keep pace with the Information Age. As learners increasingly take charge of their own learning, however, they will require support to enable them to achieve their goals--and a variety of learning opportunities will need to be created. Learners' interests, imagination, and…

  20. Interactions between and among Heritage Language Learners and Second Language Learners during Collaborative Writing Activities: How Learners Attend to Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walls, Laura

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the dynamics in the Spanish classroom between heritage language learner (HLL) dyads, second language learner (L2L) dyads, and mixed HLL-L2L dyads. Specifically, it examines oral, written and embodied discourse that informs our understanding of how learners attend to language. Analysis for this dissertation examined…

  1. Produsage in a/synchronous learner-led e-learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kazmer, Michelle M.

    2011-04-01

    Creating a successful produsage environment for a required course taught via e-learning requires analyzing various factors: the learning context, learner-led education in required classes, the structure of the class, and reflections and evaluations of each semester's iteration of the course. Taking a produsage perspective, this paper analyzes the long-term development of a required graduate-level course in information organization. The course is examined closely to show how its materials, assignments, technology, instruction, and culture contribute to a learner-led produsage environment and lasting knowledge creation. The analysis leads to implications for course design and working with learners to create knowledge that may be applied in multiple settings.

  2. Supporting Learner Autonomy: Developing Practice through the Production of Courses for Distance Learners of French, German and Spanish

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Linda

    2008-01-01

    The development of autonomous learners is an important goal for language teaching programmes. However, achievement of this goal depends on teachers creating an environment where learners can experience autonomy in order to become more autonomous, a process referred to by Little (2003) as "autonomization". In distance learning, course…

  3. Twelve tips on writing a discussion case that facilitates teaching and engages learners.

    PubMed

    Cohen, David A; Newman, Lori R; Fishman, Laurie N

    2017-02-01

    The authors share twelve practical tips on writing a case that engages learners in active learning and discussion. They first advise that, during the initial preparation of the case, authors should (1) identify the case goals and objectives, and (2) identify the level of the learners. When writing the case, authors should (3) use active and colorful language; (4) use patients' own descriptions rather than medical language; (5) allow the learners to interpret data themselves; (6) allow for natural discovery rather than presenting information chronologically; and (7) be realistic about interruptions in patient care. In addition, case authors should pay attention to methods that enhance discussion by (8) creating barriers to diagnostic or treatment options; (9) promoting questions and discussion over answers; (10) using cues to assure discussion flow and knowledge exploration; and (11) omitting details or inserting informational distractors. Finally, well-crafted questions are essential during the case presentation to engage learners in higher-order thinking; and to (12) stimulate curiosity and reflection.

  4. Characterizing Engineering Learners' Preferences for Active and Passive Learning Methods

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Magana, Alejandra J.; Vieira, Camilo; Boutin, Mireille

    2018-01-01

    This paper studies electrical engineering learners' preferences for learning methods with various degrees of activity. Less active learning methods such as homework and peer reviews are investigated, as well as a newly introduced very active (constructive) learning method called "slectures," and some others. The results suggest that…

  5. Creating an Effective Educational Environment for Adult Learners: A Qualitative, Multi-Case Study of Off-Campus Center Administrator's Use of Invitational Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKnight, Carolyn P.; Martin, Barbara N.

    2015-01-01

    This study was designed to examine off-campus centers and their administrators in creating an effective learning environment for adult learners using a new innovative leadership theory, invitational, which is a holistic approach that nurtures the belief everyone is intrinsically motivated and it is the leaders' responsibility to unleash their true…

  6. The Child as an Active Learner: Views, Practices, and Barriers in Chinese Early Childhood Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tang, Fengling

    2006-01-01

    The Chinese view of the child is in the process of changing from the dependent child of traditional Chinese society to the child as an active learner in contemporary China. The view of the child as an active learner forces early childhood practitioners to rethink the features of the child's learning and development, individuality, and needs and…

  7. Hybrid E-Learning Acceptance Model: Learner Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahmed, Hassan M. Selim

    2010-01-01

    E-learning tools and technologies have been used to supplement conventional courses in higher education institutions creating a "hybrid" e-learning module that aims to enhance the learning experiences of students. Few studies have addressed the acceptance of hybrid e-learning by learners and the factors affecting the learners'…

  8. "Harry Potter" and the English Language Learner.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coatney, Kathy

    2001-01-01

    Describes one teacher's success with using "Harry Potter" in a program to teach elementary school English language learners. Provides comprehension strategies incorporated to help learners understand the story. Highlights the importance of creating a classroom environment with a low level of anxiety, the implications of the program, and the value…

  9. Partnership for a Nation of Learners: Joining Forces, Creating Value

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kulpinski, Dan

    2009-01-01

    This publication presents in-depth profiles of six high-performing partnerships funded by the Partnership for a Nation of Learners (PNL) and short profiles of the remaining grantees. The partnerships illustrate a range of examples of how museums, libraries, public broadcasters, and other vital community organizations can collaborate to address…

  10. Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Souers, Kristin; Hall, Pete

    2016-01-01

    In this galvanizing book for all educators, Kristin Souers and Pete Hall explore an urgent and growing issue--childhood trauma--and its profound effect on learning and teaching. Grounded in research and the authors' experience working with trauma-affected students and their teachers, "Fostering Resilient Learners" will help you cultivate…

  11. Constructing Interpretative Views of Learners' Interaction Behavior in an Open Learner Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Papanikolaou, Kyparisia A.

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we discuss how externalizing learners' interaction behavior may support learners' explorations in an adaptive educational hypermedia environment that provides activity-oriented content. In particular, we propose a model for producing interpretative views of learners' interaction behavior and we further apply this model to…

  12. Learners' Interpersonal Beliefs and Generated Feedback in an Online Role-Playing Peer-Feedback Activity: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ching, Yu-Hui; Hsu, Yu-Chang

    2016-01-01

    Peer feedback affords interaction and critical thinking opportunities for learners in online courses. However, various factors prevent learners from taking advantage of these promising benefits. This study explored learners' perceptions of the interpersonal factors in a role-playing peer-feedback activity, and examined the types of peer feedback…

  13. Facebook Activities and the Investment of L2 Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shafie, Latisha Asmaak; Yaacob, Aizan; Singh, Paramjit Kaur Karpal

    2016-01-01

    The article discusses the investment of L2 learners in the English language on Facebook that they portrayed through their Facebook activities. It studied four informants consisted of diploma students in a Malaysian university. The study consisted of 14 weeks of online observation and semi-structured interviews. Data were collected from online…

  14. Training Learners to Use Quizlet Vocabulary Activities on Mobile Phones in Vietnam with Facebook

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tran, Phuong

    2016-01-01

    Mobile phone ownership among university students in Vietnam has reached almost 100%, exceeding that of Internet-capable desktop computers. This has made them increasingly popular to allow learners to carry out learning activities outside of the classroom, but some studies have suggested that learners are not always willing to engage in activities…

  15. Creating an Interactive Virtual Community of Linguistically and Culturally Responsive Content Teacher-Learners to Serve English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Sujin; Song, Kim; Coppersmith, Sarah

    2018-01-01

    This qualitative case study was framed by an experiential learning approach organized around video resources and linguistically and culturally responsive content teaching. The study explored an overarching research question: How did teacher-learners in a grant project interact with a multimedia learning platform that combined teaching video and…

  16. Active Learning Methods

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zayapragassarazan, Z.; Kumar, Santosh

    2012-01-01

    Present generation students are primarily active learners with varied learning experiences and lecture courses may not suit all their learning needs. Effective learning involves providing students with a sense of progress and control over their own learning. This requires creating a situation where learners have a chance to try out or test their…

  17. Sketching to Create Meaning: The Story of a Second-Language Learner

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altman, Chris

    2008-01-01

    Chris Altman stresses the importance of helping English language learners ascertain the medium they best work with in interpreting information presented in class. Altman reminds us that meaning does not come directly from teachers giving students information, but from students productively making meaning and clarifying understanding through a…

  18. Autonomous Learner Model Resource Book

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Betts, George T.; Carey, Robin J.; Kapushion, Blanche M.

    2016-01-01

    "Autonomous Learner Model Resource Book" includes activities and strategies to support the development of autonomous learners. More than 40 activities are included, all geared to the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development of students. Teachers may use these activities and strategies with the entire class, small groups, or…

  19. We are what we do: Examining learner-generated content in the anatomy laboratory through the lens of activity theory.

    PubMed

    Doubleday, Alison F; Wille, Sarah J

    2014-01-01

    Video and photography are often used for delivering content within the anatomical sciences. However, instructors typically produce these resources to provide instructional or procedural information. Although the benefits of learner-generated content have been explored within educational research, virtually no studies have investigated the use of learner-generated video and photograph content within anatomy dissection laboratories. This study outlines an activity involving learner-generated video diaries and learner-generated photograph assignments produced during anatomy laboratory sessions. The learner-generated photographs and videos provided instructors with a means of formative assessment and allowed instructors to identify evidence of collaborative behavior in the laboratory. Student questionnaires (n = 21) and interviews (n = 5), as well as in-class observations, were conducted to examine student perspectives on the laboratory activities. The quantitative and qualitative data were examined using the framework of activity theory to identify contradictions between student expectations of, and engagement with, the activity and the actual experiences of the students. Results indicate that learner-generated photograph and video content can act as a rich source of data on student learning processes and can be used for formative assessment, for observing collaborative behavior, and as a starting point for class discussions. This study stresses the idea that technology choice for activities must align with instructional goals. This research also highlights the utility of activity theory as a framework for assessing classroom and laboratory activities, demonstrating that this approach can guide the development of laboratory activities. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

  20. Investigating Learner Attitudes toward E-Books as Learning Tools: Based on the Activity Theory Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liaw, Shu-Sheng; Huang, Hsiu-Mei

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the use of e-books as learning tools in terms of learner satisfaction, usefulness, behavioral intention, and learning effectiveness. Based on the activity theory approach, this research develops a research model to understand learner attitudes toward e-books in two physical sizes: 10? and 7?. Results suggest that screen…

  1. Creating a Learner-Centered Teaching Environment Using Student Choice in Assignments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanewicz, Cheryl; Platt, Angela; Arendt, Anne

    2017-01-01

    Learner-centered teaching (LCT) has been found to be a more effective pedagogy for online students, as traditional teaching methods do not work well in online courses. Professors in an upper-level technology management class revised their online introductory course to incorporate cafeteria-style grading. This LCT approach allowed students to…

  2. Multiliteracies Pedagogy: Creating Claymations with Adolescent, Post-Beginner English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hepple, Erika; Sockhill, Margaret; Tan, Ashley; Alford, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    In addressing literacy in high school education, it is important to foreground the particular issues faced by growing numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs). In our increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, this is a matter for all literacy teachers, as well as ELL specialists. In Australia, teachers of ELLs are…

  3. Generating Language Activities in Real-Time for English Learners Using Language Muse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burstein, Jill; Madnani, Nitin; Sabatini, John; McCaffrey, Dan; Biggers, Kietha; Dreier, Kelsey

    2017-01-01

    K-12 education standards in the U.S. require all students to read complex texts across many subject areas. The "Language Muse™ Activity Palette" is a web-based language-instruction application that uses NLP algorithms and lexical resources to automatically generate language activities and support English language learners' content…

  4. Building Guided Inquiry Teams for 21st-Century Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuhlthau, Carol C.; Maniotes, Leslie K.

    2010-01-01

    How can students learn to think for themselves, make good decisions, develop expertise, and become lifelong learners in a rapidly changing information environment? How can students learn, create, and find meaning from multiple sources of information? These are fundamental questions facing educators in designing schools for 21st-century learners.…

  5. Staging a performance: learners' perceptions about direct observation during residency.

    PubMed

    LaDonna, Kori A; Hatala, Rose; Lingard, Lorelei; Voyer, Stephane; Watling, Christopher

    2017-05-01

    Evidence strongly supports that direct observation is a valid and reliable assessment tool; support for its impact on learning is less compelling, and we know that some learners are ambivalent about being observed. However, learners' perceptions about the impact of direct observation on their learning and professional development remain underexplored. To promote learning, we need to understand what makes direct observation valuable for learners. Informed by constructivist grounded theory, we interviewed 22 learners about their observation experiences. Data collection and analysis occurred iteratively; themes were identified using constant comparative analysis. Direct observation was widely endorsed as an important educational strategy, albeit one that created significant anxiety. Opaque expectations exacerbated participants' discomfort, and participants described that being observed felt like being assessed. Consequently, participants exchanged their 'usual' practice for a 'textbook' approach; alterations to performance generated uncertainty about their role, and raised questions about whether observers saw an authentic portrayal of their knowledge and skill. An 'observer effect' may partly explain learners' ambivalence about direct observation; being observed seemed to magnify learners' role ambiguity, intensify their tensions around professional development and raise questions about the credibility of feedback. In turn, an observer effect may impact learners' receptivity to feedback and may explain, in part, learners' perceptions that useful feedback is scant. For direct observation to be valuable, educators must be explicit about expectations, and they must be aware that how learners perform in the presence of an observer may not reflect what they do as independent practitioners. To nurture learners' professional development, educators must create a culture of observation-based coaching that is divorced from assessment and is tailored to developing learners

  6. Transformational Processes and Learner Outcomes for Online Learning: An Activity Theory Case Study of Spanish Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Terantino, Joseph M.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the actions of online language learners from an activity theoretical perspective. It also attempted to explain how the students' learning outcomes evolved from their online learning experiences. This explanation placed an emphasis on the learners' previous experiences, defining their activity…

  7. Literature and Language Teaching: Exploring Literary Texts with the Language Learner and Re-Creating Literature in the ESL Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lazar, Gillian; Heath, Shirley Brice

    1996-01-01

    Two educators discuss the role literature plays in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. One emphasizes that literary texts are a source for classroom activities that can motivate learners. The other points out that the English writings of ESL students about their travels and friends published in newsletters and journals generate…

  8. The Design and Testing of Multimedia for Teaching Arithmetic to Deaf Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Techaraungrong, Piyaporn; Suksakulchai, Surachai; Kaewprapan, Wacheerapan; Murphy, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study reported on in this paper was to design and test multimedia for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners. The study focused on counting, addition and subtraction with grade one (age 7) DHH learners in Thailand. The multimedia created for the study was informed by design considerations for DHH learners of arithmetic and…

  9. Beginning Learners' Development of Interactional Competence: Alignment Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tecedor, Marta

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the development of interactional competence (Hall, 1993; He & Young, 1998) by beginning learners of Spanish as indexed by their use of alignment moves. Discourse analysis techniques and quantitative data analysis were used to explore how 52 learners expressed alignment and changes in participation patterns in two sets of…

  10. The Formation of Learners' Motivation to Study Physics in Terms of Sustainable Development of Education in Ukraine

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korsun, Igor

    2017-01-01

    This study is aimed at creating a general technique for the formation of learners' interest in physics in the context of sustainable development of education. The active means of training and active learning methods are the components of this technique. The sequence of interest formation for physics in the context of sustainable development of…

  11. Flipping the Classroom for English Language Learners to Foster Active Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hung, Hsiu-Ting

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes a structured attempt to integrate flip teaching into language classrooms using a WebQuest active learning strategy. The purpose of this study is to examine the possible impacts of flipping the classroom on English language learners' academic performance, learning attitudes, and participation levels. Adopting a…

  12. Creating and Sustaining a College-Wide Military-Connected Learner Community of Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherbert, Vicki; Thurston, Linda P.; Fishback, Jane; Briggs, Kelly

    2017-01-01

    Institutions of higher education across the country serve military-connected learners in two primary ways. First, they provide programs for undergraduate and graduate military-connected postsecondary students. In addition, higher education is the primary professional development avenue for teachers, social workers, counselors, and others who serve…

  13. Investigative Research: How It Changes Learner Status.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kenny, Brian

    1993-01-01

    What matters about an educational activity is how learners respond to it. This article examines a program concerned with the learners' needs, through the expression of learners' own meanings, and advances the concept of investigative research as a suitable vehicle for more autonomous learning, through a change in learner status. (26 references)…

  14. Investigating the Use of Inquiry & Web-Based Activities with Inclusive Biology Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bodzin, Alec M.; Waller, Patricia L.; Edwards, Lana; Darlene Kale, Santoro

    2007-01-01

    A Web-integrated biology program is used to explore how to best assist inclusive high school students to learn biology with inquiry-based activities. Classroom adaptations and instructional strategies teachers may use to assist in promoting biology learning with inclusive learners are discussed.

  15. Active Learning for Discovery and Innovation in Criminology with Chinese Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Jessica C. M.; Wu, Joseph

    2015-01-01

    Whereas a great deal of literature based upon the context of Western societies has concluded criminology is an ideal discipline for active learning approach, it remains uncertain if this learning approach is applicable to Chinese learners in the discipline of criminology. This article describes and provides evidence of the benefits of using active…

  16. The effect of curricular activities on learner autonomy: the perspective of undergraduate mechanical engineering students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duarte, M.; Leite, C.; Mouraz, A.

    2016-01-01

    This study researches how first-year engineering students perceived the influence of curricular activities on their own learning autonomy, measured with an adaptation of the Personal Responsibility Orientation to Self-direction in Learning Scale (PRO-SDLS). Participants were questioned to assess the influence of the teacher's role. The results indicate that learners' characteristics (motivation and self-efficacy) contribute more to learner autonomy (LA) than the teaching-learning transaction (control and initiative), as in the original PRO-SDLS validation. The most autonomous learners presented higher values in all LA components and dimensions, but the differences were greater in motivation and initiative. The participants with higher LA were not as dependent on the teacher, regarding assessment, the completion of classroom tasks and deadlines. Regardless of the degree of autonomy in learning, all participants viewed teachers as the main source of information. Therefore, LA plays an important role in teaching activities planning. Suggestions for adjustments and more flexible learning scenarios are formulated.

  17. Improving Learner Handovers in Medical Education.

    PubMed

    Warm, Eric J; Englander, Robert; Pereira, Anne; Barach, Paul

    2017-07-01

    Multiple studies have demonstrated that the information included in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation fails to reliably predict medical students' future performance. This faulty transfer of information can lead to harm when poorly prepared students fail out of residency or, worse, are shuttled through the medical education system without an honest accounting of their performance. Such poor learner handovers likely arise from two root causes: (1) the absence of agreed-on outcomes of training and/or accepted assessments of those outcomes, and (2) the lack of standardized ways to communicate the results of those assessments. To improve the current learner handover situation, an authentic, shared mental model of competency is needed; high-quality tools to assess that competency must be developed and tested; and transparent, reliable, and safe ways to communicate this information must be created.To achieve these goals, the authors propose using a learner handover process modeled after a patient handover process. The CLASS model includes a description of the learner's Competency attainment, a summary of the Learner's performance, an Action list and statement of Situational awareness, and Synthesis by the receiving program. This model also includes coaching oriented towards improvement along the continuum of education and care. Just as studies have evaluated patient handover models using metrics that matter most to patients, studies must evaluate this learner handover model using metrics that matter most to providers, patients, and learners.

  18. Work-Based Curriculum to Broaden Learners' Participation in Science: Insights for Designers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bopardikar, Anushree; Bernstein, Debra; Drayton, Brian; McKenney, Susan

    2018-05-01

    Around the globe, science education during compulsory schooling is envisioned for all learners regardless of their educational and career aspirations, including learners bound to the workforce upon secondary school completion. Yet, a major barrier in attaining this vision is low learner participation in secondary school science. Because curricula play a major role in shaping enacted learning, this study investigated how designers developed a high school physics curriculum with positive learning outcomes in learners with varied inclinations. Qualitative analysis of documents and semistructured interviews with the designers focused on the curriculum in different stages—from designers' ideas about learning goals to their vision for enactment to the printed materials—and on the design processes that brought them to fruition. This revealed designers' emphases on fostering workplace connections via learning goals and activities, and printed supports. The curriculum supported workplace-inspired, hands-on design-and-build projects, developed to address deeply a limited set of standards aligned learning goals. The curriculum also supported learners' interactions with relevant workplace professionals. To create these features, the designers reviewed other curricula to develop vision and printed supports, tested activities internally to assess content coverage, surveyed states in the USA receiving federal school-to-work grants and reviewed occupational information to choose unit topics and career contexts, and visited actual workplaces to learn about authentic praxis. Based on the worked example, this paper offers guidelines for designing work-based science curriculum products and processes that can serve the work of other designers, as well as recommendations for research serving designers and policymakers.

  19. Outcomes of Introducing Early Learners to Interprofessional Competencies in a Classroom Setting.

    PubMed

    Lockeman, Kelly S; Lanning, Sharon K; Dow, Alan W; Zorek, Joseph A; DiazGranados, Deborah; Ivey, Carole K; Soper, Shawne

    2017-01-01

    Although interprofessional practice is important for improving healthcare delivery, there is little evidence describing interprofessional education (IPE) outcomes beyond changes in attitudes and knowledge of prelicensure learners. More rigorous evaluation of early IPE is needed to determine its impact on teaching interprofessional collaborative practice and providing a solid foundation for applying collaborative skills in the clinical environment. First-year students (N = 679) in 7 health professions programs participated in a 4-session series focusing on professional roles and responsibilities, teams and teamwork, and the healthcare system. Interprofessional teams of 5-6 students, from at least 3 professions, were assembled for the duration of the series and created a team charter during their first session to guide their work. Each subsequent session included a brief lecture and interactive exercises. Faculty facilitators from the participating programs provided support to students during the sessions. As a culminating project, each team created a short video depicting a barrier to interprofessional collaboration. Students evaluated the performance of their team members using a web-based peer assessment survey. A course evaluation with an embedded validated attitudinal scale was used to assess changes in student perceptions about IPE. A sample of videos were also scored by 2 faculty using a rubric linked to course expectations. This educational offering took place on the health sciences campus of a large, mid-Atlantic research university with more than 3,200 clinical learners in schools of allied health professions, dentistry, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. It was the first interprofessional activity for most of the learners. There were 555 students who participated in some or all of the sessions. Comments indicated that students enjoyed interacting with their peers and prefer activities allowing them to apply content to their profession over lectures. The

  20. Fluency-dependent cortical activation associated with speech production and comprehension in second language learners.

    PubMed

    Shimada, K; Hirotani, M; Yokokawa, H; Yoshida, H; Makita, K; Yamazaki-Murase, M; Tanabe, H C; Sadato, N

    2015-08-06

    This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated the brain regions underlying language task performance in adult second language (L2) learners. Specifically, we identified brain regions where the level of activation was associated with L2 fluency levels. Thirty Japanese-speaking adults participated in the study. All participants were L2 learners of English and had achieved varying levels of fluency, as determined by a standardized L2 English proficiency test, the Versant English Test (Pearson Education Inc., 2011). When participants performed the oral sentence building task from the production tasks administered, the dorsal part of the left inferior frontal gyrus (dIFG) showed activation patterns that differed depending on the L2 fluency levels: The more fluent the participants were, the more dIFG activation decreased. This decreased activation of the dIFG might reflect the increased automaticity of a syntactic building process. In contrast, when participants performed an oral story comprehension task, the left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) showed increased activation with higher fluency levels. This suggests that the learners with higher L2 fluency were actively engaged in post-syntactic integration processing supported by the left pSTG. These data imply that L2 fluency predicts neural resource allocation during language comprehension tasks as well as in production tasks. This study sheds light on the neural underpinnings of L2 learning by identifying the brain regions recruited during different language tasks across different modalities (production vs. comprehension). Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  1. Innovative Strategies for Empowering Your Students to Become Active, Responsible Learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hufnagel, B.

    2011-09-01

    The economy continues to sputter along, and the repercussions are now hitting hard at publicly-funded colleges and universities, with enrollment increasing and funding decreasing. Funding agencies are starting to look at retention and completion rates as a way to allocate scarce dollars. Improving these rates is also one way to increase the future stream of tuition; students who can't pass introductory classes like ASTRO101 won't enroll and pay tuition for the next level, and they won't complete their degree. So what can you, a mere professor of astronomy, do? Tired of the "What do you want me to know?" questions? Provide your students with learner-centered structures to help them learn more deeply. Do your students resist active-engagement techniques and hate group work? Share empowerment strategies for helping students become active, responsible learners who can thrive in a learner-centered environment. Do you think that it's wrong for the freshman classes to be over-crowded, yet your sophomore classes don't get enough students or don't even exist? After using the proven curriculum of On Course, college and universities across the country have improved their retention across a wide range of disciplines (http://www.OnCourseWorkshop.com/Data.htm). Experience a sample of the fun and engaging activities developed over two decades to help students (1) accept personal responsibility, (2) discover self motivation, (3) master self-management, (4) use interdependence, (5) gain self-awareness, (6) adopt lifelong learning, (7) develop emotional intelligence, and (8) believe in themselves. Since this is only a one-hour workshop, we will focus on choices one and four: to be successful, students need to see themselves as the primary cause of their outcomes and experiences and to build mutually supportive relationships in our classroom and labs. Outcomes: (1) one ASTRO101 Course-ready activity to help students accept personal responsibility; (2) one ASTRO101 Course

  2. Synthesizing Technology Adoption and Learners' Approaches towards Active Learning in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chan, Kevin; Cheung, George; Wan, Kelvin; Brown, Ian; Luk, Green

    2015-01-01

    In understanding how active and blended learning approaches with learning technologies engagement in undergraduate education, current research models tend to undermine the effect of learners' variations, particularly regarding their styles and approaches to learning, on intention and use of learning technologies. This study contributes to further…

  3. Literacy Instruction in Multilingual Classrooms: Engaging English Language Learners in Elementary School. Language & Literacy Series--Practitioners Bookshelf

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helman, Lori

    2012-01-01

    This hands-on guide shows elementary school teachers how to create multilingual classroom communities that support every learner's success in reading, writing, and general literacy development. The author provides a practical overview of key ideas and techniques and describes specific literacy activities that lead to vocabulary and oral English…

  4. Mobile Voting Tools for Creating Collaboration Environment and a New Educational Design of the University Lecture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Titova, Svetlana

    2014-01-01

    Mobile devices can enhance learning experience in many ways: provide instant feedback and better diagnosis of learning problems; enhance learner autonomy; create mobile networking collaboration; help design enquiry-based activities based on augmented reality, geo-location awareness and video-capture. One of the main objectives of the international…

  5. Meeting the New AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner via Big6 Problem Solving

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Needham, Joyce

    2010-01-01

    "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner." New standards for library media programs! What does it mean to practicing library media specialists? Does this mean they must abandon all the strategies, activities, and lessons they have developed based upon "Information Power's Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning" and create all new…

  6. Higher order thinking skills competencies required by outcomes-based education from learners.

    PubMed

    Chabeli, M M

    2006-08-01

    Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) brought about a significant paradigm shift in the education and training of learners in South Africa. OBE requires a shift from focusing on the teacher input (instruction offerings or syllabuses expressed in terms of content), to focusing on learner outcomes. OBE is moving away from 'transmission' models to constructivistic, learner-centered models that put emphasis on learning as an active process (Nieburh, 1996:30). Teachers act as facilitators and mediators of learning (Norms and Standards, Government Gazette vol 415, no 20844 of 2000). Facilitators are responsible to create the environment that is conducive for learners to construct their own knowledge, skills and values through interaction (Peters, 2000). The first critical cross-field outcome accepted by the South African Qualification Framework (SAQA) is that learners should be able to identify and solve problems by using critical and creative thinking skills. This paper seeks to explore some higher order thinking skills competencies required by OBE from learners such as critical thinking, reflective thinking, creative thinking, dialogic / dialectic thinking, decision making, problem solving and emotional intelligence and their implications in facilitating teaching and learning from the theoretical perspective. The philosophical underpinning of these higher order thinking skills is described to give direction to the study. It is recommended that a study focusing on the assessment of these intellectual concepts be made. The study may be qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods in nature (Creswell 2005).

  7. Shifting Power to the Learner

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolf, Alison

    2010-01-01

    Decades of reform have resulted in a system of further education that treats adults like children, with limited control over the qualifications they choose to pursue. This needs to change. Money must follow learners, not government contracts, and so create a genuinely demand-led system. The author proposes new financial and regulatory structures…

  8. Fashion Design: Designing a Learner-Active, Multi-Level High School Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Diane

    2009-01-01

    A high school fashion design teacher has much in common with the ringmaster of a three-ring circus. The challenges of teaching a hands-on course are to facilitate the entire class and to meet the needs of individual students. When teaching family and consumer sciences, the goal is to have a learner-active classroom. Revamping the high school's…

  9. The Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning Activities in Enhancing EFL Learners' Fluency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alrayah, Hassan

    2018-01-01

    This research-paper aims at examining the effectiveness of cooperative learning activities in enhancing EFL learners' fluency. The researcher has used the descriptive approach, recorded interviews for testing fluency as tools of data collection and the software program SPSS as a tool for the statistical treatment of data. Research sample consists…

  10. Do Specific Classroom Reading Activities Predict English Language Learners' Later Reading Achievement?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swanson, H. Lee; Orosco, Michael J.; Kudo, Milagros Fatima

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between elementary classroom (N = 50) reading activities in Year 1 and reading performance (i.e., passage comprehension, letter-word identification, and word attack) 1 year later for English language learners (ELLs; N = 270). A cross-classification hierarchical model indicated that compared to other reading…

  11. Reimagining Student Engagement: How Nontraditional Adult Learners Engage in Traditional Postsecondary Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rabourn, Karyn E.; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Shoup, Rick

    2018-01-01

    Adult learners are a growing population in U.S. postsecondary education who experience distinct barriers to academic success. However, higher education institutions continue to create and adhere to policies that favor traditional college students. Thus, adult learner experiences must be better understood to ensure this population is supported.…

  12. Collaborative Dialogue in Learner-Learner and Learner-Native Speaker Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dobao, Ana Fernandez

    2012-01-01

    This study analyses intermediate and advanced learner-learner and learner-native speaker (NS) interaction looking for collaborative dialogue. It investigates how the presence of a NS interlocutor affects the frequency and nature of lexical language-related episodes (LREs) spontaneously generated during task-based interaction. Twenty-four learners…

  13. Participatory Multimedia Learning: Engaging Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kiili, Kristian

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to present a participatory multimedia learning model for use in designing multimedia learning environments that support an active learning process, creative participation, and learner engagement. Participatory multimedia learning can be defined as learning with systems that enable learners to produce part of the…

  14. Scaffolding Learner-Centered Curricular Coherence Using Learning Maps and Diagnostic Assessments Designed around Mathematics Learning Trajectories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Confrey, Jere; Gianopulos, Garron; McGowan, William; Shah, Meetal; Belcher, Michael

    2017-01-01

    The paper describes how designers used the construct of learning trajectories to create a tool, Math-Mapper 6-8, to help scaffold curricula toward increased learner-centered coherence. It defines "learner-centered curricular coherence" as "an organizational means to promote a high likelihood that each learner traverses one of many…

  15. Learning Together: Creating a Community of Practice to Support English Language Learner Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peercy, Megan Madigan; Martin-Beltran, Melinda; Daniel, Shannon M.

    2013-01-01

    This qualitative case study examines an after-school, bilingual family literacy programme that brought together several groups to form a community of practice (CoP) that worked to support the literacy development of English language learners and their families. We explored the following question: How do parents, teachers, students, and other…

  16. Social and Cultural Contexts of Chinese Learners: Teaching Strategies for American Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thakkar, Darshan

    2011-01-01

    This article seeks to evaluate the social and cultural context of education among Chinese learners in order to identify ways through which American educators can best serve such students. It is intended that such efforts will create multiple pathways to knowledge for Chinese learners by accommodating their varying learning needs. Several common…

  17. Popular Culture, English Out-of-Class Activities, and Learner Autonomy among Highly Proficient Secondary Students in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chan, Hoi Wing

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on how and why proficient learners of English in Hong Kong participated in popular culture, out-of-class activities, with an emphasis on their development of learner autonomy. Autonomy in language learning is defined as an individual's ability and responsibility to take charge of his or her own learning [1]. Out-of-class…

  18. Trusting early learners with critical professional activities through emergency medical technician certification.

    PubMed

    Brenner, Judith; Bird, Jeffrey; Ginzburg, Samara B; Kwiatkowski, Thomas; Papasodero, Vincent; Rennie, William; Schlegel, Elisabeth; Ten Cate, Olle; Willey, Joanne M

    2018-03-08

    Two dominant themes face medical education: developing integrated curricula and improving the undergraduate medical education (UME) to graduate medical education (GME) transition. An innovative solution to both of these challenges at the Zucker School of Medicine has been the application of the cognitive apprenticeship framework in requiring emergency medical technician (EMT) certification during the first course in medical school as the core on which to build an integrated curriculum and provide entrustable clinical skills. Beginning with the Class of 2011, student feedback about the short-term impact of the experience was collected annually. In addition, perceptions of near graduates and alumni were surveyed in 2017 to explore the long-term impact of the experience. Theme analysis was conducted via inductive coding. Both first-year and more experienced learners report the value of the EMT curriculum as an integrated component of the first course of medical school. Reported positive long-term impacts included the first-hand observation of social determinants of health and interprofessionalism. Negative comments by early learners focused on course logistics, whereas older learners recalled the variability of clinical experiences during ambulance runs. The integration of the EMT curriculum as a core component of the first course serves multiple purposes: 1) it provides the foundation of a spiral learning approach; 2) it contextualizes the basic sciences within clinical practice; 3) it provides opportunities for students to engage in authentic clinical activities under the guidance of mentors; 4) it introduces students to the interdisciplinary nature of medicine; and 5) it serves as the first entrustable professional activity (EPA) for our students.

  19. Preparing English Learners for College and Career: Lessons from Successful High Schools. Language and Literacy Series

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santos, Maria; Palacios, Martha Castellón; Cheuk, Tina; Greene, Rebecca; Mercado-Garcia, Diana; Zerkel, Lisa; Hakuta, Kenji; Skarin, Renae

    2018-01-01

    How do school communities create environments that fully prepare both English learners and dual-language learners for colleges and careers? This valuable book profiles six high-performing high schools that had a singular focus on improving the educational outcomes of English learners. The authors use these case studies to identify a comprehensive…

  20. Motivation Classification and Grade Prediction for MOOCs Learners

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Bin; Yang, Dan

    2016-01-01

    While MOOCs offer educational data on a new scale, many educators find great potential of the big data including detailed activity records of every learner. A learner's behavior such as if a learner will drop out from the course can be predicted. How to provide an effective, economical, and scalable method to detect cheating on tests such as surrogate exam-taker is a challenging problem. In this paper, we present a grade predicting method that uses student activity features to predict whether a learner may get a certification if he/she takes a test. The method consists of two-step classifications: motivation classification (MC) and grade classification (GC). The MC divides all learners into three groups including certification earning, video watching, and course sampling. The GC then predicts a certification earning learner may or may not obtain a certification. Our experiment shows that the proposed method can fit the classification model at a fine scale and it is possible to find a surrogate exam-taker. PMID:26884747

  1. Motivation Classification and Grade Prediction for MOOCs Learners.

    PubMed

    Xu, Bin; Yang, Dan

    2016-01-01

    While MOOCs offer educational data on a new scale, many educators find great potential of the big data including detailed activity records of every learner. A learner's behavior such as if a learner will drop out from the course can be predicted. How to provide an effective, economical, and scalable method to detect cheating on tests such as surrogate exam-taker is a challenging problem. In this paper, we present a grade predicting method that uses student activity features to predict whether a learner may get a certification if he/she takes a test. The method consists of two-step classifications: motivation classification (MC) and grade classification (GC). The MC divides all learners into three groups including certification earning, video watching, and course sampling. The GC then predicts a certification earning learner may or may not obtain a certification. Our experiment shows that the proposed method can fit the classification model at a fine scale and it is possible to find a surrogate exam-taker.

  2. The Learners' Mental Models of Television in Mathematics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sumalee, Chaijaroen

    1999-01-01

    Examines the learners' mental models of television in actual media classroom activity by which knowledge was constructed. Findings revealed how media capabilities and the instructional designs that employ them interact with the learners and the task characteristics to influence the formation of the learners' mental models and their learning…

  3. The Effects of Pre-Reading Activities on Reading Comprehension of Iranian EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moghaddam, Nahid Nemati; Mahmoudi, Asgar

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of three types of pre-reading activities (movie-watching, vocabulary presentation, and pre-reading summarization) on the reading comprehension of 76 elementary-level EFL Iranian learners. The participants were randomly assigned to one control and three experimental conditions and then a pretest was given to…

  4. Learner-Content, Learner-Instructor, and Learner-Learner Interaction in a Web-Enhanced, Internet Videoconference AP Calculus Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Einfeld, Dana Hobbs

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this action research was to investigate how the use of technology promotes interaction to foster high school students' mathematical understanding. This mixed method study is guided by social-constructivist theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and framed within Moore's (1989) model of learner-content, learner-instructor, and learner-learner…

  5. Rescuing Students from the Slow Learner Trap

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shaw, Steven R.

    2010-01-01

    Slow learners, such as students with borderline intellectual functioning, represent one of the most challenging student populations for administrators and teachers. Standard systems and supports are often ineffective--even counterproductive--because they fail to meet students' specific learning needs and instead create a cycle of failure. This…

  6. Cue generation: How learners flexibly support future retrieval.

    PubMed

    Tullis, Jonathan G; Benjamin, Aaron S

    2015-08-01

    The successful use of memory requires us to be sensitive to the cues that will be present during retrieval. In many situations, we have some control over the external cues that we will encounter. For instance, learners create shopping lists at home to help remember what items to later buy at the grocery store, and they generate computer file names to help remember the contents of those files. Generating cues in the service of later cognitive goals is a complex task that lies at the intersection of metacognition, communication, and memory. In this series of experiments, we investigated how and how well learners generate external mnemonic cues. Across 5 experiments, learners generated a cue for each target word in a to-be-remembered list and received these cues during a later cued recall test. Learners flexibly generated cues in response to different instructional demands and study list compositions. When generating mnemonic cues, as compared to descriptions of target items, learners produced cues that were more distinct than mere descriptions and consequently elicited greater cued recall performance than those descriptions. When learners were aware of competing targets in the study list, they generated mnemonic cues with smaller cue-to-target associative strength but that were even more distinct. These adaptations led to fewer confusions among competing targets and enhanced cued recall performance. These results provide another example of the metacognitively sophisticated tactics that learners use to effectively support future retrieval.

  7. Discourse Functions and Vocabulary Use in English Language Learners' Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rabab'ah, Ghaleb

    2013-01-01

    This study explores the discourse generated by English as a foreign language (EFL) learners using synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) as an approach to help English language learners to create social interaction in the classroom. It investigates the impact of synchronous CMC mode on the quantity of total words, lexical range and…

  8. The Development of Expert Learners in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rahman, Saemah; Mahmud, Zuria; Yassin, Siti Fatimah Mohd; Amir, Ruslin; Ilias, Khadijah Wan

    2010-01-01

    The term "expert learner" refers to students who are actively engaged with the materials learned and take responsibility for their own learning. Literature reviews suggested the use of metacognitive approach to help develop students to become expert learners. Research on development of expert learners can be traced from movements that…

  9. Mobile Voting Systems for Creating Collaboration Environments and Getting Immediate Feedback: A New Curriculum Model of a University Lecture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Titova, Svetlana; Talmo, Tord

    2014-01-01

    Mobile devices can enhance learning and teaching by providing instant feedback and better diagnosis of learning problems, helping design new assessment models, enhancing learner autonomy and creating new formats of enquiry-based activities. The objective of this paper is to investigate the pedagogical impact of mobile voting tools. The authors'…

  10. SMILI?: A Framework for Interfaces to Learning Data in Open Learner Models, Learning Analytics and Related Fields

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bull, Susan; Kay, Judy

    2016-01-01

    The SMILI? (Student Models that Invite the Learner In) Open Learner Model Framework was created to provide a coherent picture of the many and diverse forms of Open Learner Models (OLMs). The aim was for SMILI? to provide researchers with a systematic way to describe, compare and critique OLMs. We expected it to highlight those areas where there…

  11. Creating and Sustaining Inclusive Instructional Settings for English Language Learners: Why, What, and How

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    López, Francesca; Iribarren, Jacqueline

    2014-01-01

    In this article, we provide an empirically based framework for school leaders to support the replacement of separate means of providing services for English learners (ELs) with more inclusive learning supports. The framework encompasses evidence on cultivating language proficiency, ensuring access to a high-quality curriculum, and promoting…

  12. Towards New Learning Partnerships in Bilingual Educational Contexts--Raising "Learner Awareness" and Creating Conditions for "Reciprocity" and "Pedagogic Attention"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruiz de Zarobe, Yolanda; Coyle, Do

    2015-01-01

    This article addresses the need to develop new pedagogic approaches which promote learner independence in contexts where learning takes place through the medium of more than one language. The challenges of responding to a rapidly changing educational landscape to ensure that our learners become pluriliterate global citizens are presented through…

  13. Help Seeking: Agentic Learners Initiating Feedback

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, Anna Katarina

    2018-01-01

    Effective feedback is an essential tool for making learning explicit and an essential feature of classroom practice that promotes learner autonomy. Yet, it remains a pressing challenge for teachers to scaffold the active involvement of students as critical, reflective and autonomous learners who use feedback constructively. This paper seeks to…

  14. Creating a Living Portfolio: Documenting Student Growth with Electronic Portfolios.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Siegle, Del

    2002-01-01

    This article explains how teachers can use electronic portfolios of students' work to document learner progress. It considers different file formats for storing student work, describes steps to creating an electronic portfolio, and discusses an art and literature electronic magazine created by one school featuring work from student portfolios. (CR)

  15. Becoming a Japanese Language Learner, User, and Teacher: Revelations From Life History Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armour, William S.

    2004-01-01

    This article discusses how Sarah Lamond, a Japanese language teacher in Sydney, Australia has juggled three of her identities: second language (L2) learner, L2 user, and L2 teacher. Data come from four interviews used to create an edited life history. These data are used to draw attention to the relationship between L2 learner and language user.…

  16. Impacting Academic Achievement with Student Learners Teaching Digital Storytelling to Others: The ATTTCSE Digital Video Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Figg, Candace; McCartney, Robin

    2010-01-01

    University researchers, teacher candidates, language and technology instructors, student learners, and families from diverse backgrounds partnered in an invitational teaching/learning experience--middle school student learners teaching their VIPs (very important persons) how to create stories and construct digital movies with reference to their…

  17. Fragile Identities: Exploring Learner Identity, Learner Autonomy and Motivation through Young Learners' Voices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamb, Terry Eric

    2011-01-01

    Recent research in the fields of motivation and learner autonomy in language learning has begun to explore their relationships to the construct of identity. This article builds on this through the voices of a group of six learners of French or German in a secondary school in England, over a two-year period. These young learners initially reveal a…

  18. Computing of Learner's Personality Traits Based on Digital Annotations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Omheni, Nizar; Kalboussi, Anis; Mazhoud, Omar; Kacem, Ahmed Hadj

    2017-01-01

    Researchers in education are interested in modeling of learner's profile and adapt their learning experiences accordingly. When learners read and interact with their reading materials, they do unconscious practices like annotations which may be, a key feature of their personalities. Annotation activity requires readers to be active, to think…

  19. Improving the EFL Learners' Speaking Ability through Interactive Storytelling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marzuki; Prayogo, Johannes Ananto; Wahyudi, Arwijati

    2016-01-01

    This present research was aimed to improve the EFL learners' speaking ability and their classroom activities through the implementation of Interactive Storytelling Strategy. Therefore, this study was directed to explore the beneficial of Interactive Storytelling that closely related to the EFL learners' everyday activities at their home and…

  20. Between the Social and the Selfish: Learner Autonomy in Online Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Tim

    2013-01-01

    This paper explores what it means to be an autonomous learner in an online social context. Using distinctions originally drawn by Jürgen Habermas, it argues that classic accounts of learner autonomy as teleological action are inadequate to explain learner activity in group settings. It points out that learners in such settings display attitudes…

  1. The Indonesian EFL Learners' Motivation in Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salikin, Hairus; Bin-Tahir, Saidna Zulfiqar; Kusumaningputri, Reni; Yuliandari, Dian Puji

    2017-01-01

    The motivation will drive the EFL learners to be successful in reading. This study examined the Indonesian EFL learners' motivation in reading activity based on Deci and Ryans' theory of motivation including intrinsic and extrinsic. This study employed mixed-method design. The data obtained by distributing questionnaire and arranging the group…

  2. Adult Learners' Week in Australia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cross, John

    2002-01-01

    Promotional materials and activities for Australia's Adult Learners Week, which are shaped by a variety of stakeholders , include media strategies and a website. Activities are evaluated using a market research company and website and telephone hotline statistics. (SK)

  3. Learner Agency: To Understand and to Be Understood

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blair, Deborah V.

    2009-01-01

    What began as an exploration of student learning while listening to music evolved into a study of learner agency in a music classroom. Whilst students used and developed strategies that enabled their own success while listening to, performing and creating music, it became evident that they were proactively seeking musical understanding and growth…

  4. Learner-Content-Interface as an Approach for Self-Reliant and Student-Centered Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nicolay, Robin; Schwennigcke, Bastian; Sahl, Sarah; Martens, Alke

    2015-01-01

    Conceptualization and implementation of computer supported teaching and training is currently not tailored to the paradigm of learner centration. Many technical solutions lack transparency and consistency regarding the supported learner activities. An insight into learners activities correlated to learning tasks is needed. In this paper we outline…

  5. The Effects of Generative Learning Strategy Prompts and Metacognitive Feedback on Learners' Self-Regulation, Generation Process, and Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Hyeon Woo

    2008-01-01

    Instructional designers need to understand the internal processes of learning, identify learners' cognitive difficulties with those processes, and create strategies to help learners overcome those difficulties. Generative learning theory, one conception of human learning about cognitive functioning and process, emphasizes that meaningful learning…

  6. Cross-Language Activation in Children's Speech Production: Evidence from Second Language Learners, Bilinguals, and Trilinguals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poarch, Gregory J.; van Hell, Janet G.

    2012-01-01

    In five experiments, we examined cross-language activation during speech production in various groups of bilinguals and trilinguals who differed in nonnative language proficiency, language learning background, and age. In Experiments 1, 2, 3, and 5, German 5- to 8-year-old second language learners of English, German-English bilinguals,…

  7. Using the SIOP Model to Promote the Acquisition of Language and Science Concepts with English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Echevarria, Jana; Richards-Tutor, Catherine; Canges, Rebecca; Francis, David

    2011-01-01

    In this article we report findings from research through the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE), a National Research and Development Center. In our study we examined the efficacy of a model of instruction for English learners, the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP)…

  8. How Do Novice and Expert Learners Represent, Understand, and Discuss Geologic Time?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Layow, Erica Amanda

    This dissertation examined the representations novice and expert learners constructed for the geologic timescale. Learners engaged in a three-part activity. The purpose was to compare novice learners' representations to those of expert learners. This provided insight into the similarities and differences between their strategies for event ordering, assigning values and scale to the geologic timescale model, as well as their language and practices to complete the model. With a qualitative approach to data analysis informed by an expert-novice theoretical framework grounded in phenomenography, learner responses comprised the data analyzed. These data highlighted learners' metacognitive thoughts that might not otherwise be shared through lectures or laboratory activities. Learners' responses were analyzed using a discourse framework that positioned learners as knowers. Novice and expert learners both excelled at ordering and discussing events before the Phanerozoic, but were challenged with events during the Phanerozoic. Novice learners had difficulty assigning values to events and establishing a scale for their models. Expert learners expressed difficulty with determining a scale because of the size of the model, yet eventually used anchor points and unitized the model to establish a scale. Despite challenges constructing their models, novice learners spoke confidently using claims and few hedging phrases indicating their confidence in statements made. Experts used more hedges than novices, however the hedging comments were made about more complex conceptions. Using both phenomenographic and discourse analysis approaches for analysis foregrounded learners' discussions of how they perceived geologic time and their ways of knowing and doing. This research is intended to enhance the geoscience community's understanding of the ways novice and expert learners think and discuss conceptions of geologic time, including the events and values of time, and the strategies used

  9. Classification of Swedish Learner Essays by CEFR Levels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Volodina, Elena; Pilán, Ildikó; Alfter, David

    2016-01-01

    The paper describes initial efforts on creating a system for the automatic assessment of Swedish second language (L2) learner essays from two points of view: holistic evaluation of the reached level according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), and the lexical analysis of texts for receptive and productive vocabulary per CEFR…

  10. Research and Policy Considerations for English Learner Equity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson-Cimpian, Joseph P.; Thompson, Karen D.; Umansky, Ilana M.

    2016-01-01

    English learners (ELs), students from a home where a language other than English is spoken and who are in the process of developing English proficiency themselves, represent over 10% of the US student population. Oftentimes education policies and practices create barriers for ELs to achieve access and outcomes that are equitable to those of their…

  11. EFL Proficiency in Language Learning and Learner Autonomy Perceptions of Turkish Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ünal, Süleyman; Çeliköz, Nadir; Sari, Irfan

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine the relationships of Turkish-English Language Teaching (ELT) learners' perceptions of learner autonomy with ELT learner's proficiency level in language learning. Particularly, the study aimed at investigating to what extent ELT learners' autonomy perceptions are affected by proficiency level of learners.…

  12. Teacher Perceptions of Learner-Learner Engagement at a Cyber High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borup, Jered

    2016-01-01

    Distance education has historically contained little or no learner-learner interactions. Currently the Internet allows for unprecedented levels of learner-learner interaction and has the potential to transform how students learn online. However, many courses offered online focus more on flexibility and independence than on interaction and…

  13. Elementary School EFL Learners' Vocabulary Learning: The Effects of Post-Reading Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atay, Derin; Kurt, Gokce

    2006-01-01

    As language learning involves the acquisition of thousands of words, teachers and learners alike would like to know how vocabulary learning can be fostered, especially in EFL settings where learners frequently acquire impoverished lexicons, despite years of formal study. Research indicates that reading is important but not sufficient for…

  14. A Corpus-Based System of Error Detection and Revision Suggestion for Spanish Learners in Taiwan: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lu, Hui-Chuan; Chu, Yu-Hsin; Chang, Cheng-Yu

    2013-01-01

    Compared with English learners, Spanish learners have fewer resources for automatic error detection and revision and following the current integrative Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), we combined corpus-based approach and CALL to create the System of Error Detection and Revision Suggestion (SEDRS) for learning Spanish. Through…

  15. Learner Satisfaction in Online Learning: An Analysis of the Perceived Impact of Learner-Social Media and Learner-Instructor Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andersen, Jeffery C.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between general course satisfaction, learner-instructor interaction, and the learner-social media interaction scores of participants. This study used an online survey with 60 questions to gather the participants' demographic data, learner-instructor interaction data, learner-social…

  16. Examining learner-centered training with teen volunteer staff at an aquarium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bautista, Raelene M.

    This research project examined the effects of a training program that focused on helping youth volunteers create a learner-centered interaction at an Aquarium. This study explored whether this learner centered training resulted in an increased ability to identify learner-centered engagement as well as reported changes in practice. Most research on training programs and professional development, that introduces learner-centered strategies examines adult teachers working in formal environments. This study examined youth volunteer staff in an informal science institution that participated in a weekly one-hour training for four weeks during their eight week long summer volunteer program. The data showed that some of topics introduced in the learner centered training, such as the importance of visitors' prior knowledge and the use of objects, were identified more often as good practice after the training. In addition, participants seemed to hold on to some of their original perceptions of good practices, such as providing positive reinforcement and modifying their physical posture to make the visitors feel comfortable. The investigation also revealed that conversation patterns changed in some participants' practice as a result of the training.

  17. The Effect of Reading on Second-Language Learners' Production in Tasks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collentine, Karina

    2016-01-01

    Tasks provide engaging ways to involve learners in meaningful, real-world activities with the foreign language (FL). Yet selecting classroom tasks suitable to learners' linguistic readiness is challenging, and task-based research is exploring the relationship between learners' overall abilities (e.g., reading, grammatical) and the complexity and…

  18. The Power of Story: Using Personal Narrative, Computer Technology and Podcasting with Young Adult English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pierson, Susan Jacques

    2014-01-01

    One way to ensure a high quality, personalized literacy program for English language learners is to use the learners' own lives and experiences as curriculum. Creating spaces for students to compose and share stories results in a strong sense of community facilitates the development of authentic literacy skills and increases student motivation and…

  19. Developing Responsible Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gautum, Satyen; Jangam, Sachin; Loh, Kai Chee

    2018-01-01

    Developing responsible learners is one of the key education challenges of our time. Education literature suggests that for students to see themselves as active and necessary participants in their own learning, it is important that they view themselves as stakeholders in education. This research aims at exploring the effectiveness of instructional…

  20. Factors Driving Learner Success in Online Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vu, Phu; Cao, Vien; Vu, Lan; Cepero, Jude

    2014-01-01

    This study examined factors that contributed to the success of online learners in an online professional development course. Research instruments included an online survey and learners' activity logs in an online professional development course for 512 in-service teachers. The findings showed that there were several factors affecting online…

  1. Creating Schools That Support Success for English Language Learners. Lessons Learned. Volume 1, Issue 2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stepanek, Jennifer; Raphael, Jacqueline

    2010-01-01

    The past two decades have brought the second largest wave of immigration in U.S. history. This has led to a rapid and unprecedented influx of immigrants to the Pacific Northwest as well as a rise in the number of English language learners (ELLs) in schools. Between 2002-2003 and 2007-2008, the Northwest's annual growth in ELL enrollment was nearly…

  2. Practice It: Create a Weekly Activity Plan

    Cancer.gov

    At the beginning of the week, create an activity plan to help you reach your goals. Start by identifying your goals for the week. Based on your goals, write down when you are going to exercise and what you are going to do.

  3. Independence Pending: Teacher Behaviors Preceding Learner Problem Solving

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roesler, Rebecca A.

    2017-01-01

    The purposes of the present study were to identify the teacher behaviors that preceded learners' active participation in solving musical and technical problems and describe learners' roles in the problem-solving process. I applied an original model of problem solving to describe the behaviors of teachers and students in 161 rehearsal frames…

  4. Identifying and Enhancing the Strengths of Gifted Learners, K-8: Easy-to-Use Activities and Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maccagnano, Ann Marie

    2007-01-01

    Educators can identify children's strengths early on and gain insight into each student's unique abilities by using the numerous ideas and informal assessments in this exciting guide. Gifted and talented specialist Ann Maccagnano offers K-8 teachers challenging activities and engaging lessons to develop and nurture gifted learners' talents.…

  5. Negative Evidence in Language Classroom Activities: A Study of Its Availability and Accessibility to Language Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pica, Teresa; Washburn, Gay N.

    2002-01-01

    This study identified and described the ways in which negative evidence was made available and accessible to learners during two widely practiced classroom activities. One was a teacher-led discussion that emphasized communication of subject matter content. The other was a teacher-led sentence construction exercise that focused on application of…

  6. 41 CFR 50-202.3 - Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers. 50-202.3 Section 50-202.3 Public Contracts and Property... handicapped workers. Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers may be employed at less...

  7. 41 CFR 50-202.3 - Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers. 50-202.3 Section 50-202.3 Public Contracts and Property... handicapped workers. Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers may be employed at less...

  8. 41 CFR 50-202.3 - Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers. 50-202.3 Section 50-202.3 Public Contracts and Property... handicapped workers. Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers may be employed at less...

  9. 41 CFR 50-202.3 - Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2011-07-01 2009-07-01 true Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers. 50-202.3 Section 50-202.3 Public Contracts and Property... handicapped workers. Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers may be employed at less...

  10. 41 CFR 50-202.3 - Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2012-07-01 2009-07-01 true Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers. 50-202.3 Section 50-202.3 Public Contracts and Property... handicapped workers. Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers may be employed at less...

  11. Annotation-Based Learner's Personality Modeling in Distance Learning Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Omheni, Nizar; Kalboussi, Anis; Mazhoud, Omar; Kacem, Ahmed Hadj

    2016-01-01

    Researchers in distance education are interested in observing and modeling learners' personality profiles, and adapting their learning experiences accordingly. When learners read and interact with their reading materials, they do unselfconscious activities like annotation which may be key feature of their personalities. Annotation activity…

  12. Twice-Exceptional Learners: The Journey toward a Shared Vision

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baldwin, Lois; Baum, Susan; Pereles, Daphne; Hughes, Claire

    2015-01-01

    For more than 50 years, the unique needs of twice-exceptional (2e) learners have challenged educators. Because of this challenge, much work has been done in different areas across the country in creating appropriate learning environments for serving this population. However, no unified way has been developed to bring together the best research and…

  13. Student Personnel Administration and the Adult Learner: An Unresolved Issue.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watson, Rollin J.

    The role of college student personnel administration in serving adult learners is considered. Historical trends in the student personnel function and the philosophy that student personnel workers are educators who create programs that contribute to the student's overall educational growth are examined. Changes for the student development personnel…

  14. Learner-Centered Pedagogy: Considerations for Application in a Didactic Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moate, Randall M.; Cox, Jane A.

    2015-01-01

    A learner-centered teaching approach is well known in higher education but has not been fully addressed within counselor education. Instructors who adopt this approach value a collaborative approach to teaching and learning, one that honors students' wisdom and contributions. Teachers create a learning environment encouraging students to actively…

  15. Expanded Perspectives on Autonomous Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oxford, Rebecca L.

    2015-01-01

    This paper explores two general perspectives on autonomous learners: psychological and sociocultural. These perspectives introduce a range of theoretically grounded facets of autonomous learners, facets such as the self-regulated learner, the emotionally intelligent learner, the self-determined learner, the mediated learner, the socioculturally…

  16. Why Do Learners Choose Online Learning: The Learners' Voices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ilgaz, Hale; Gulbahar, Yasemin

    2017-01-01

    Offering many advantages to adult learners, e-Learning is now being recognized--and preferred--by more and more people, resulting in an increased number of distance learners in recent years. Numerous research studies focus on learner preferences for online learning, with most converging around the individual characteristics and differences, if not…

  17. Differences in HIV knowledge and sexual practices of learners with intellectual disabilities and non-disabled learners in Nigeria

    PubMed Central

    Aderemi, Toyin J; Pillay, Basil J; Esterhuizen, Tonya M

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Individuals with intellectual disabilities are rarely targeted by the current human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) response, thereby reducing their access to HIV information and services. Currently, little is known about the HIV knowledge and sexual practices of young Nigerians with intellectual disabilities. Thus, this study sought to compare the HIV knowledge and sexual practices of learners with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities and non-disabled learners (NDL) in Nigeria. Findings could help in the development of HIV interventions that are accessible to Nigerian learners with intellectual impairments. Methods This cross-sectional, comparative study utilized a survey to investigate HIV knowledge and sexual practices among learners with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities and NDL in Nigeria. Learners with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities (n=300) and NDL (n=300) within the age range of 12 to 19 years drawn from schools across Oyo State, Nigeria, completed a structured questionnaire to assess their knowledge of HIV transmission and sexual practices. Results Significantly more learners with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities (62.2%) than NDL 48 (37.8%) reported having sexual experience (p=0.002). Of the sexually experienced female learners with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities, 28 (68.3%) reported history of rape compared with 9 (2.9%) of female NDL (p=0.053). Intellectual impairment was significantly associated with lower HIV transmission knowledge scores (p<0.001). Learners with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities were less likely than NDL (p<0.001) to have heard about HIV from most of the common sources of HIV information. In addition, when compared with non-disabled learners, learners with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities were significantly more likely to have reported inconsistent condom use with boyfriends/girlfriends (p<0.001), with casual sexual partners (p<0.001) and non-use of condom during last sexual

  18. Building a Dynamic Online Learning Community among Adult Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Minjuan; Sierra, Christina; Folger, Terre

    2003-01-01

    Examines the nature of learning communities constructed among a diverse group of adult learners in an international online graduate-level course. Discusses independent work, team tasks, the variety of computer-mediated communication tools used, and implications for promoting adult learners' active participation in online learning and instructional…

  19. Practices and Prospects of Learner Autonomy: Teachers' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al Asmari, AbdulRahman

    2013-01-01

    Language learning process works through the learners' own reflection on how they learn and it makes learners active in the sense that they learn to analyze their learning strategies. So they start making decisions, e.g., whether to improve them or not, and in which way. Generally, this trait is missing in traditional language teaching process and…

  20. A Learner Corpus-Based Study on Verb Errors of Turkish EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Can, Cem

    2017-01-01

    As learner corpora have presently become readily accessible, it is practicable to examine interlanguage errors and carry out error analysis (EA) on learner-generated texts. The data available in a learner corpus enable researchers to investigate authentic learner errors and their respective frequencies in terms of types and tokens as well as…

  1. Online Graduate Study of Health Care Learners' Perceptions of Instructional Immediacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Melrose, Sherri; Bergeron, Kim

    2006-01-01

    Instructional immediacy is an established communication strategy that teachers can implement to create engaging learning environments. Yet, little is known about experiences distance education learners in graduate study programs have had with immediacy. This article presents findings from a qualitative research project designed to explore…

  2. What School Leaders Need to Know about English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dormer, Jan Edwards

    2016-01-01

    School leaders have the unique opportunity and responsibility to play a crucial role in creating a culture of high expectations and an environment of support so that ELLs can succeed and continue to enrich the fabric of our country. "What School Leaders Need to Know About English Learners" offers school leaders the foundation, the ideas,…

  3. Providing Effective Learner Support for Part-Time Learners. Research Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barker, Philip; Crawley, Jim

    2005-01-01

    Learner support, defined as the strategies which empower learners to establish and fulfill their learning, career and personal potential, continues to be a key issue in current thinking in the post-16 education sector. An earlier project report from the West Country Learning and Skills Research Network (WCLSRN) showed that part-time learners were…

  4. Learner Personas in CALL

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heift, Trude

    2007-01-01

    In examining the titles of this year's conference presentations, the author noticed quite a few papers that focus on learner-specific issues, for instance, papers that address learning styles, learner needs, personality and learning, learner modeling and, more generally, pedagogical issues that deal with individual learner differences in…

  5. Creating visual explanations improves learning.

    PubMed

    Bobek, Eliza; Tversky, Barbara

    2016-01-01

    Many topics in science are notoriously difficult for students to learn. Mechanisms and processes outside student experience present particular challenges. While instruction typically involves visualizations, students usually explain in words. Because visual explanations can show parts and processes of complex systems directly, creating them should have benefits beyond creating verbal explanations. We compared learning from creating visual or verbal explanations for two STEM domains, a mechanical system (bicycle pump) and a chemical system (bonding). Both kinds of explanations were analyzed for content and learning assess by a post-test. For the mechanical system, creating a visual explanation increased understanding particularly for participants of low spatial ability. For the chemical system, creating both visual and verbal explanations improved learning without new teaching. Creating a visual explanation was superior and benefitted participants of both high and low spatial ability. Visual explanations often included crucial yet invisible features. The greater effectiveness of visual explanations appears attributable to the checks they provide for completeness and coherence as well as to their roles as platforms for inference. The benefits should generalize to other domains like the social sciences, history, and archeology where important information can be visualized. Together, the findings provide support for the use of learner-generated visual explanations as a powerful learning tool.

  6. Learner-Generated Content and Engagement in Second Language Task Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lambert, Craig; Philp, Jenefer; Nakamura, Sachiko

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates the benefits of designing second language (L2) learning tasks to operate on learner-generated content (related to actual content in their lives and experiences) as opposed to teacher-generated content typical of current approaches to L2 task design (fictitious ideas and events created to provide an opportunity for…

  7. A Comprehensive Review of Learner-Control: The Role of Learner Characteristics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Michael D.

    This paper reviews findings from over 70 published studies investigating various facets of learner-control in computer-based instruction (CBI). General conclusions about the relative effectiveness of learner-control versus program-control are equivocal. Across these studies, however, are strong suggestions that individual learner differences can…

  8. The effects of data-driven learning activities on EFL learners' writing development.

    PubMed

    Luo, Qinqin

    2016-01-01

    Data-driven learning has been proved as an effective approach in helping learners solve various writing problems such as correcting lexical or grammatical errors, improving the use of collocations and generating ideas in writing, etc. This article reports on an empirical study in which data-driven learning was accomplished with the assistance of the user-friendly BNCweb, and presents the evaluation of the outcome by comparing the effectiveness of BNCweb and a search engine Baidu which is most commonly used as reference resource by Chinese learners of English as a foreign language. The quantitative results about 48 Chinese college students revealed that the experimental group which used BNCweb performed significantly better in the post-test in terms of writing fluency and accuracy, as compared with the control group which used the search engine Baidu. However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of writing complexity. The qualitative results about the interview revealed that learners generally showed a positive attitude toward the use of BNCweb but there were still some problems of using corpora in the writing process, thus the combined use of corpora and other types of reference resource was suggested as a possible way to counter the potential barriers for Chinese learners of English.

  9. Maximising Asian ESL Learners' Communicative Oral English via Drama

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gill, Chamkaur

    2016-01-01

    This paper proposes that activities based on a variety of drama-based techniques could be valuable in giving Asian ESL learners opportunities to use communicative spoken English confidently and without restraint during their time in English-language-speaking countries. These learners often get anxious when in situations where they are required to…

  10. Second Life: Creating Worlds of Wonder for Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ocasio, Michelle A.

    2016-01-01

    This article describes Second Life, a three-dimensional virtual environment in which a user creates an avatar for the purpose of socializing, learning, developing skills, and exploring a variety of academic and social areas. Since its inception in 2003, Second Life has been used by educators to build and foster innovative learning environments and…

  11. Learner Councils in South African Schools: Adult Involvement and Learners' Rights

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunt, Frances

    2014-01-01

    Each secondary school in South Africa is legally obliged to establish a representative council of learners, a democratically elected, learner-only council. This article looks at how the representative councils of learners are realised in practice in four secondary schools. Three research questions focus on the practice of representative councils…

  12. Focus on Form, Learner Uptake and Subsequent Lexical Gains in Learners' Oral Production

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alcon-Soler, Eva

    2009-01-01

    This descriptive study reports findings on the relationship between focus on form, learner uptake and subsequent lexical gains in learners' oral production. The data for the study consisted in 17 45-minute audio-recorded teacher-led conversations, 204 learners' diaries (17 sessions x 12 learners) reporting what they had learned after each…

  13. Listening to Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ravenhall, Mark

    This booklet looks at the role of learner feedback in the quality improvement process. It suggests how adult and community learning (ACL) providers can adapt and improve their practice to meet the needs of learners in the changed policy context. Chapter 1 explores why providers should listen to learners and finds that listening to learners…

  14. Cross-Linguistic Influence as a Factor in the Written and Oral Production of School Age Learners of Japanese in Australia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iwashita, Noriko

    2012-01-01

    The present study investigates to what extent learners' first language (L1) may have an impact on their writing and speaking performances. While Japanese continues to enjoy a large enrolment across levels in Australian schools and universities, the population of learners has become increasingly diverse creating challenges for teachers. One…

  15. Reaching a Culturally Diverse Immigrant Population of Adult English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Joan; Owen, Linda

    2013-01-01

    Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is a framework to help adult English as a second language (ESL) educators renovate their practices into effective, culturally responsive programs, readily accessible to adult learners. Four CRT strategies that can be used include (a) validation through caring, (b) valuing cultural experiences, (c) creating a…

  16. Developing "Assessment Capable" Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas; Hattie, John

    2018-01-01

    For students, the authors argue, the ability to assess their own learning--that is, to actively understand their own progress and trajectory--can have a significant impact on achievement levels. The authors discuss factors associated with "assessment-capable learners" and offer examples of how to foster such characteristics in classrooms.

  17. Creating a Technologically Literate Classroom: Professional's Guide. Teacher Created Materials No. 887.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garfield, Gary M.; McDonough, Suzanne

    This book discusses how to effectively integrate technology into the classroom. It examines the benefits of curriculum development utilizing technology and presents sample learning activities. Highlights include: technology's past and present role in education; access to computers; the roles of teacher and learner; professional development;…

  18. Funds of relationality: social bonds and science learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smardon, Regina

    2011-12-01

    In this response to Konstantinos Alexakos, Jayson K. Jones, and Victor H. Rodriguez, I will focus primarily on the importance of relationality for the development of a science learner identity. Along the way I will review (1) The cultural dynamics involved with the formation and sustenance of relationships in social life; (2) The methodological advantages of ethnographic inquiry for exploring funds of relationality; (3) The importance of relationality for science innovation throughout the pipeline of scientific training from K-12 schooling all the way through scientific breakthrough; (4) The absolutely vital role that relationality plays in creating a science learner identity. Finally I highlight how collaborative ethnography, in particular, is an excellent tool for seeking out funds of relationality that can be marshaled in the classroom as well as contributing to conceptual advancement in the theoretical vocabulary of relational sociology.

  19. Successful Undergraduate Research: Creating Win-Win-Win

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guswa, A. J.; Rhodes, A. L.

    2003-12-01

    Undergraduate involvement in research has the potential to advance science, enhance education, strengthen the research community, and raise general awareness of the importance and impact of scientific understanding. Rather than being competing objectives, these goals are synergistic. Effective research experiences are those that create win-win-win situations: benefits to the student, benefits to the project, and benefits to the scientific community. When structured appropriately, undergraduate research fits into a learner-centered paradigm that puts emphasis on student learning, rather than instructor teaching. Under such a paradigm the student and professor learn together, constructing knowledge by integrating information with critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and use this knowledge to address issues in real-life contexts. Creating such a learning environment requires that the professor be vested in the outcome of the research, that the student take a meta-cognitive approach to the project and work at a level appropriate to her abilities, and that the student understand how her contribution fits into the project and the larger field. All of these factors lead to greater independence, confidence, and productivity on the part of the student. By providing undergraduates with these experiences, we introduce not only future scientists but also non-scientists to the excitement of discovery and the value of scientific research. Currently, we involve undergraduates in our research on the hydrology and geochemistry of a tropical montane cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica. At the start of each student's involvement, we provide her with the big picture: our project goals, the relevant social issues, and the importance of watershed research. Each student then articulates her own educational and project objectives. Together, we choose tasks that match her skills and interests with our scholarly work. Specific activities range from literature review to

  20. Structural overview and learner control in hypermedia instructional programs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burke, Patricia Anne

    1998-09-01

    This study examined the effects of a structural overview and learner control in a computer-based program on the achievement, attitudes, time in program and Linearity of path of fifth-grade students. Four versions of a computer-based instructional program about the Sun and planets were created in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The program consisted of ten sections, one for each planet and one for the Sun. Two structural overview conditions (structural overview, no structural overview) were crossed with two control conditions (learner control, program control). Subjects in the structural overview condition chose the order in which they would learn about the planets from among three options: ordered by distance from the Sun, ordered by size, or ordered by temperature. Subjects in the learner control condition were able to move freely among screens within a section and to choose their next section after finishing the previous one. In contrast, those in the program control condition advanced through the program in a prescribed linear manner. A 2 x 2 ANOVA yielded no significant differences in posttest scores for either independent variable or for their interaction. The structural overview was most likely not effective because subjects spent only a small percentage of their total time on the structural overview screens and they were not required to act upon the information in those screens. Learner control over content sequencing may not have been effective because most learner-control subjects chose the same overall sequence of instruction (i.e., distance from the Sun) prescribed for program-control subjects. Learner-control subjects chose to view an average of 40 more screens than the fixed number of 160 screens in the program-control version. However, program-control subjects spent significantly more time per screen than learner-control subjects, and the total time in program did not differ significantly between the two groups. Learner-control subjects receiving the

  1. Effectiveness of a Learner-Directed Model for e-Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Stella; Barker, Trevor; Kumar, Vivekanandan Suresh

    2016-01-01

    It is a hard task to strike a balance between extents of control a learner exercises and the amount of guidance, active or passive, afforded by the learning environment to guide, support, and motivate the learner. Adaptive systems strive to find the right balance in a spectrum that spans between self-control and system-guidance. They also concern…

  2. Instructor-Created Activities to Engage Undergraduate Nursing Research Students.

    PubMed

    Pierce, Linda L; Reuille, Kristina M

    2018-03-01

    In flipped or blended classrooms, instruction intentionally shifts to a student-centered model for a problem-based learning approach, where class time explores topics in greater depth, creating meaningful learning opportunities. This article describes instructor-created activities focused on research processes linked to evidence-based practice that engage undergraduate nursing research students. In the classroom, these activities include individual and team work to foster critical thinking and stimulate student discussion of topic material. Six activities for small and large student groups are related to quantitative, qualitative, and both research processes, as well as applying research evidence to practice. Positive student outcomes included quantitative success on assignments and robust student topic discussions, along with instructor-noted overall group engagement and interest. Using these activities can result in class time for the construction of meaning, rather than primarily information transmission. Instructors may adopt these activities to involve and stimulate students' critical thinking about research and evidence-based practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(3):174-177.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

  3. Creating a Global Cultural Consciousness in a Japanese EFL Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aubrey, Scott

    2009-01-01

    Recently, culture has taken an important role in language education. In this view, creating a global cultural consciousness among second language (L2) students can help bridge the gap between linguistic ability and functional intercultural communication. This paper, which makes reference to Japanese adult EFL learners, justifies the body of…

  4. Study of the Index System for Assessing Learner-Centered Online Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Mei

    2015-01-01

    With the development of e-learning, the quality of web-based courses attracts extensive interest. This paper draws upon the results conducted amongst students enrolled in an online language course at a northern Chinese university. The design of the course aims to create the learner-centered environment: personalized learning environment,…

  5. An Investigation of Twenty-First Century Learners' Competencies in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cai, Huiying; Gu, Xiaoqing; Wong, Lung-Hsiang

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports a study on developing an assessment inventory of Chinese learners' competencies as needed for the twenty-first century. In creating the instrument, three relevant twenty-first century competency frameworks were referenced: from the OECD, the European Council, and the USA. The preliminary version of this instrument, which…

  6. Resisting Assimilation: Deliberate Acculturation by the American English Language Learner

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schultz, Lyndsie

    2016-01-01

    Education policy has historically been viewed as having an influential part in crafting the roles of immigrants in American society. However, while policy makers continue to push their own agendas on English language learners (ELLs), ELLs continue to push back to create their own sense of what it means be an American. This article analyzes how…

  7. Resolving Struggling Learners' Homework Difficulties: Working with Elementary School Learners and Parents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Margolis, Howard

    2005-01-01

    Struggling learners and their parents often are exasperated by homework. They find it difficult, frustrating, and laborious, producing resistance, slipshod work, stress at home, and conflicts between struggling learners, parents, and school personnel. The author (1) identifies several causes of struggling learners' homework difficulties, (2)…

  8. Study Partners Recommendation for xMOOCs Learners

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Bin; Yang, Dan

    2015-01-01

    Massive open online courses (MOOCs) provide an opportunity for people to access free courses offered by top universities in the world and therefore attracted great attention and engagement from college teachers and students. However, with contrast to large scale enrollment, the completion rate of these courses is really low. One of the reasons for students to quit learning process is problems which they face that could not be solved by discussing them with classmates. In order to keep them staying in the course, thereby further improving the completion rate, we address the task of study partner recommendation for students based on both content information and social network information. By analyzing the content of messages posted by learners in course discussion forum, we investigated the learners' behavior features to classify the learners into three groups. Then we proposed a topic model to measure learners' course knowledge awareness. Finally, a social network was constructed based on their activities in the course forum, and the relationship in the network was then employed to recommend study partners for target learner combined with their behavior features and course knowledge awareness. The experiment results show that our method achieves better performance than recommending method only based on content information. PMID:25663836

  9. Impacts of the Problem-Based Learning Pedagogy on English Learners' Reading Comprehension, Strategy Use, and Active Learning Attitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Lu-Fang

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated whether an English reading course integrated with the problem-based learning approach could foster foreign language learners' reading comprehension ability, strategy use, and their active learning attitudes. The pedagogy was featured with the small group scaffolding. Two intact English classes in a Taiwanese university were…

  10. Adult Learners and Spiritual Formation: Exploring Outcomes at Christ-Centered Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barkley, Heather R.

    2017-01-01

    The limited research on adult learners and spiritual formation has created a knowledge gap regarding whether bachelor's degree-completion students value the faith aspects of their education at Christian colleges. As this population grows, so does the need to better understand if the spiritual components of adult programs are having an impact and…

  11. Using Digital Portfolio Process with Young Learners and Facilitation of Metacognition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCormick, Janel

    2017-01-01

    The current shift in U.S. educational reform toward standards and guiding frameworks that are more inclusive of twenty-first-century competencies has created a need for research regarding the assessment of these skills. Also, needing further exploration is an understanding of how these new learner-centered assessments may impact students.…

  12. Improving Learners' Vocabulary through Strategy Training and Recycling the Target Words

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akin, Ayse; Seferoglu, Golge

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether an approach combining creating strategy awareness and recycling words will result in better vocabulary learning (delayed recall) of selected words than teaching vocabulary following the course book alone, for intermediate level English language learners. Two English language classes, a total of 51…

  13. Learner-Centered Blogging: A Preliminary Investigation of EFL Student Writers' Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Ming Huei

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of integrating a learner-centered blogging approach into the EFL writing classroom in Taiwan. For this purpose, a 16-week experiment was conducted, involving an intact class of 18 university-level Taiwanese EFL student writers. During the experiment, the participants first created their own blogs on…

  14. From Passive to Active Learners: The "Lived Experience" of Nurses in a Specialist Nephrology Nursing Education Programme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bridger, Jane

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: This study aims to explore the lived experience of learning for a group of staff nurses in the Middle East, who undertook a post-registration nursing education programme in the speciality of nephrology nursing (the NNP) between 2001 and 2002. The broad-based curriculum seeks to develop the staff nurses into active learners, able to…

  15. Exploring Lifelong Learners Engaged in an Astronomy-Related Massively Open Online Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buxner, Sanlyn; Impey, Chris David; Wenger, Matthew; Formanek, Martin; Romine, James M.

    2016-01-01

    Massively open online courses (MOOCs) are becoming increasingly popular ways to reach diverse lifelong learners all over the world. Although MOOCs resemble more formal classes (e.g. videos of content, quizzes, activities), they are often used by informal audiences from home. Recently, MOOCs have become more utilized by universities to conduct outreach as they explore how to use MOOCs to reach new potential learners. Despite the rapid adaption of MOOCs, little is known about individuals who choose to take a MOOC, how they interact with the course materials, and what motivates them to finish the course.We present results of a study of lifelong learners engaged in an astronomy "101" MOOC. Through analysis of registered learners' behaviors as well as self-reported responses to a survey about science, we were able to characterize a subset of the learners engaged in the MOOC during its first offering. Overall, 25363 learners from over 100 countries registered for the MOOC. Of those, 14900 accessed at least one part of the course. Learners were recruited to complete a survey of their knowledge and attitudes towards science. Of the learner group who opened the course, 2889 individuals completed the survey, 2465 of those were able to be linked to their usage of the MOOC through a unique identifier.Learners represented a wide-range of ages, professions, and previous science experience. The best predictors for MOOC completion were engagement in the first activity and first writing assignment and engagement in the online forum. Learners were very interested in science prior to their registration, had higher basic science knowledge that most undergraduate students enrolled in a parallel astronomy course, and used online searches and science sites to get their information about science. As we reach out to a worldwide audience to learners in these massively open online courses, understanding their motivations and behaviors will be essential. This work is helping us understand and

  16. Recasts, Metalinguistic Feedback, and Learners' Perceptions: A Case of Persian EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rassaei, Ehsan; Moinzadeh, Ahmad

    2014-01-01

    In the current study, we present the results of an experiment with 30 Persian EFL learners in which we explored the learners' perceptions of recasts and metalinguistic corrective feedback. The participant learners received either recasts or metalinguistic feedback for their errors during task-based interactions with their interlocutors and then…

  17. Chinese Learners of English See Chinese Words When Reading English Words.

    PubMed

    Ma, Fengyang; Ai, Haiyang

    2018-06-01

    The present study examines when second language (L2) learners read words in the L2, whether the orthography and/or phonology of the translation words in the first language (L1) is activated and whether the patterns would be modulated by the proficiency in the L2. In two experiments, two groups of Chinese learners of English immersed in the L1 environment, one less proficient and the other more proficient in English, performed a translation recognition task. In this task, participants judged whether pairs of words, with an L2 word preceding an L1 word, were translation words or not. The critical conditions compared the performance of learners to reject distractors that were related to the translation word (e.g., , pronounced as /bei 1/) of an L2 word (e.g., cup) in orthography (e.g., , bad in Chinese, pronounced as /huai 4/) or phonology (e.g., , sad in Chinese, pronounced as /bei 1/). Results of Experiment 1 showed less proficient learners were slower and less accurate to reject translation orthography distractors, as compared to unrelated controls, demonstrating a robust translation orthography interference effect. In contrast, their performance was not significantly different when rejecting translation phonology distractors, relative to unrelated controls, showing no translation phonology interference. The same patterns were observed in more proficient learners in Experiment 2. Together, these results suggest that when Chinese learners of English read English words, the orthographic information, but not the phonological information of the Chinese translation words is activated. In addition, this activation is not modulated by L2 proficiency.

  18. When Are Powerful Learning Environments Effective? The Role of Learner Activities and of Students' Conceptions of Educational Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gerjets, Peter H.; Hesse, Friedrich W.

    2004-01-01

    The goal of this chapter is to outline a theoretical and empirical perspective on how learners' conceptions of educational technology might influence their learning activities and thereby determine the power of computer-based learning environments. Starting with an introduction to the concept of powerful learning environments we outline how recent…

  19. The healthy learner model for student chronic condition management--part I.

    PubMed

    Erickson, Cecelia DuPlessis; Splett, Patricia L; Mullett, Sara Stoltzfus; Heiman, Mary Bielski

    2006-12-01

    A significant number of children have chronic health conditions that interfere with normal activities, including school attendance and active participation in the learning process. Management of students' chronic conditions is complex and requires an integrated system. Models to improve chronic disease management have been developed for the medical system and public health. Programs that address specific chronic disease management or coordinate school health services have been implemented in schools. Lacking is a comprehensive, integrated model that links schools, students, parents, health care, and other community providers. The Healthy Learner Model for chronic condition management identifies seven elements for creating, implementing, and sustaining an efficient and effective, comprehensive community-based system for improving the management of chronic conditions for school children. It has provided the framework for successful chronic condition management in an urban school district and is proposed for replication in other districts and communities.

  20. The Nature and Level of Learner-Learner Interaction in a Chemistry Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tawfik, Andrew A.; Reeves, Todd D.; Stich, Amy E.; Gill, Anila; Hong, Chenda; McDade, Joseph; Pillutla, Venkata Sai; Zhou, Xiaoshu; Giabbanelli, Philippe J.

    2017-01-01

    Similar to other online courses, massive open online courses (MOOCs) often rely on learner-learner interaction as a mechanism to promote learning. However, little is known at present about learner-learner interaction in these nascent informal learning environments. While some studies have explored MOOC participant perceptions of learner-learner…

  1. Learner and Faculty Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guan, Sharon; Stanford, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    This chapter identifies effective ways to address learner and faculty support. It introduces methods for building a successful learner support system by providing sufficient resources and proactively addressing learner motivation. It also addresses effective faculty support through institutional policies, resources, training, and course…

  2. "Learner-Centred" Assessment Policies in Further Education: Putting Teachers' Time under Pressure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bailey, Gillian; Colley, Helen

    2015-01-01

    Since incorporation of further education (FE) in England in 1992, much research has critiqued the performative pressures on FE teachers created by a managerialist audit culture. These critiques have demonstrated the detrimental effects of the technicised delivery of learning outcomes on more learner-centred pedagogies. However, FE policies now…

  3. Virtuous laughter: we should teach medical learners the art of humor.

    PubMed

    Oczkowski, Simon

    2015-05-11

    There is increasing recognition of the stress and burnout suffered by critical care workers. Physicians have a responsibility to teach learners the skills required not only to treat patients, but to cope with the demands of a stressful profession. Humor has been neglected as a strategy to help learners develop into virtuous and resilient physicians. Humor can be used to reduce stress, address fears, and to create effective health care teams. However, there are forms of humor which can be hurtful or discriminatory. In order to maximize the benefits of humor and to reduce its harms, we need to teach and model the effective and virtuous use of humor in the intensive care unit.

  4. Adult Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brodzinski, Frederick R., Ed.; Shriberg, Arthur, Ed.

    1984-01-01

    Presents nine articles which provide a broad overview of issues and concerns related to the delivery of student services to adult learners. Specific topics include needs and interests of adult learners, marketing, special technology, adult resource centers, adult support groups, and the role of the chief student affairs officer. (JAC)

  5. A Learner-led, Discussion-based Elective on Emerging Infectious Disease

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Objective. To implement a learner-led, discussion-based course aimed at exposing second-year pharmacy learners to the study of emerging infectious diseases from a global health perspective and to assess the role and importance of pharmacists in the management of disease outbreaks. Design. Learners examined literature pertinent to an emerging infectious disease in a 3-credit, discussion-based course and participated in peer discussion led by a designated learner. Instructional materials included journal articles, audio-visual presentations, documentaries, book chapters, movies, newspaper/magazine articles, and other materials. Learning outcomes were measured based on the ability of learners to perform critical thinking and analysis, communicate with their peers, and participate in class discussions. Assessment. The course was offered to 2 consecutive cohorts consisting of 14 and 16 learners, respectively. Overall, every learner in the first cohort achieved a final grade of A for the course. In the second cohort, the overall grade distribution consisted of grades of A, B, and C for the course. Learner evaluations indicated that the active-learning, discussion-based environment significantly enhanced interest in the topic and overall performance in the course. Conclusion. The elective course on emerging infectious diseases provided in-depth exposure to disease topics normally not encountered in the pharmacy curriculum. Learners found the material and format valuable, and the course enhanced their appreciation of infectious diseases, research methodology, critical thinking and analysis, and their roles as pharmacists. PMID:26430268

  6. A Learner-led, Discussion-based Elective on Emerging Infectious Disease.

    PubMed

    Mathias, Clinton

    2015-08-25

    Objective. To implement a learner-led, discussion-based course aimed at exposing second-year pharmacy learners to the study of emerging infectious diseases from a global health perspective and to assess the role and importance of pharmacists in the management of disease outbreaks. Design. Learners examined literature pertinent to an emerging infectious disease in a 3-credit, discussion-based course and participated in peer discussion led by a designated learner. Instructional materials included journal articles, audio-visual presentations, documentaries, book chapters, movies, newspaper/magazine articles, and other materials. Learning outcomes were measured based on the ability of learners to perform critical thinking and analysis, communicate with their peers, and participate in class discussions. Assessment. The course was offered to 2 consecutive cohorts consisting of 14 and 16 learners, respectively. Overall, every learner in the first cohort achieved a final grade of A for the course. In the second cohort, the overall grade distribution consisted of grades of A, B, and C for the course. Learner evaluations indicated that the active-learning, discussion-based environment significantly enhanced interest in the topic and overall performance in the course. Conclusion. The elective course on emerging infectious diseases provided in-depth exposure to disease topics normally not encountered in the pharmacy curriculum. Learners found the material and format valuable, and the course enhanced their appreciation of infectious diseases, research methodology, critical thinking and analysis, and their roles as pharmacists.

  7. Active Living Logan Square: joining together to create opportunities for physical activity.

    PubMed

    Gomez-Feliciano, Lucy; McCreary, Linda L; Sadowsky, Rob; Peterson, Serena; Hernandez, Adolfo; McElmurry, Beverly J; Park, Chang Gi

    2009-12-01

    The Active Living Logan Square target audience is the community of the southwest corner of Logan Square, an urban Chicago community of 84,466 residents, mostly Latinos. Through the Active Living by Design (ALbD) initiative, the Logan Square Neighborhood Association leveraged its 48 years of existence in the neighborhood to create opportunities and build partnerships. Activities addressed three primary goals: (1) enhance school environments and practices to support physical activity before, during, and after the school day; (2) encourage individuals and families to enjoy outdoor activities in their own communities; and (3) create safe, inviting places for activity that connect to surrounding communities. The partnership's participatory approach involved a variety of community stakeholders in developing and implementing affordable, accessible, culturally acceptable, and sustainable physical activities for children and their families. The partnership successfully piloted Open Streets (temporary street closures) and advocated for development of the Bloomingdale Trail, an elevated rails-to-trails project. In schools, the partnership changed the culture at McAuliffe Elementary to support healthy behaviors through new policies, physical projects, and programs. Vital components of the project's success included a full-time coordinator with strong community ties; time to build healthy relationships within the partnership and community; the use of culturally relevant strategies; and flexibility to welcome complementary opportunities. The partnership intentionally did not produce a single community-recognized campaign; instead, it chose to use limited resources to promote tangible programs and projects that led to sustainable and replicable changes that promote physical activity.

  8. Creating Student Engagement: The Kickstarter Active Learning Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manzon, Elliott

    2017-01-01

    Students can become disengaged from marketing material if they cannot see the direct application. Marketing material needs to be applied to a meaningful business task to engage and motivate students. This article introduces the Kickstarter Active Learning Project--an innovative semester-long project in which students create a Kickstarter…

  9. Recognition of Learner's Personality Traits through Digital Annotations in Distance Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Omheni, Nizar; Kalboussi, Anis; Mazhoud, Omar; Kacem, Ahmed Hadj

    2017-01-01

    Researchers in distance education are interested in observing and modelling of learner's personality profile, and adapting their learning experiences accordingly. When learners read and interact with their reading materials, they do unselfconscious activities like annotation which may be a key feature of their personalities. Annotation activity…

  10. Preparing Learners for e-Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Piskurich, George M., Ed.

    This book presents methods business organizations and educational institutions can use to prepare their learners to become successful e-learners. "Preparing e-Learners for Self- Directed Learning" (Long) discusses self-direction as a prerequisite to e-learning and gives a list of ways to help enhance learners' self-directedness.…

  11. An Analysis of Factors Influencing Urbanite Woman Learner-Participation in Functional Literacy Programs in Selected Christian Churches, Accra

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saah, Albert Amoah

    2013-01-01

    The promotion of adult functional literacy programs per se, neither creates the necessary motivation for learning, nor enhances the participation of adult learners in work-oriented or socio-cultural functional literacy programs. The task in learning-teaching transaction is to create the enabling environment for harnessing and enhancing…

  12. The Impact of Vocabulary Enhancement Activities on Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention among Male and Female EFL Learners in Iran

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sharafi-Nejad, Maryam; Raftari, Shohreh; Bijami, Maryam; Khavari, Zahra; Ismail, Shaik Abdul Malik Mohamed; Eng, Lin Siew

    2014-01-01

    In general, incidental vocabulary acquisition is represented as the "picking up" of new vocabularies when students are engaged in a variety of reading, listening, speaking, or writing activities. Research has shown when learners read extensively incidental vocabulary acquisition happens. Many EFL students cannot be involved in reading…

  13. The Implementation of Integrated Natural Science Textbook of Junior High School be Charged on Character-based Shared Models to Improve the Competence of Learners' Knowledge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahmiwati, S.; Ratnawulan; Yohandri

    2018-04-01

    The process of science learning can take place if there is an attempt to create an active learning atmosphere and can improve the knowledge competence of learners. One of the efforts made is to use learning resources. Textbooks are a learning resource used by learners. This study aims to describe the increase of knowledge’s competence of learners with integrated Natural Science (IPA) textbook of Junior High School (SMP) be charged on character-based shared model. The method used pre-test, post-test design with one group using the class as a research subject. Pre-test was given before treatment to measure student’s initial understanding of the problem, while the post-test was given to measure student’s final understanding.The subject of this research is students of class VII SMP N 13 Padang. Result of gain score is 0,73. The result showed competence student’s knowledge increased significantly and high categorized.

  14. Quality indicators for learner-centered postgraduate medical e-learning

    PubMed Central

    Westerman, Michiel; Scheele, Fedde

    2017-01-01

    Objectives The objectives of this study were to identify the needs and expectations of learners and educational experts in postgraduate medical e-learning, and to contribute to the current literature. Methods We performed four focus-group discussions with e-learning end-users (learners) and didactic experts. The participants were postgraduate learners with varying levels of experience, educational experts from a Dutch e-learning task group, and commercial experts from a Dutch e-learning company. Verbatim transcribed interview recordings were analyzed using King’s template analysis. The initial template was created with reference to recent literature on postgraduate medical e-learning quality indicators. The transcripts were coded, after which the emerging differences in template interpretation were discussed until a consensus was reached within the team. Results The final template consisted of three domains of positive e-learning influencers (motivators, learning enhancers, and real-world translation) and three domains of negatively influential parameters (barriers, learning discouragers, and poor preparation). The interpretation of the final template showed three subjects which form the basis of e-learning, namely, Motivate, Learn and Apply. Conclusions This study forms a basis for learning in general and could be applied to many educational instruments. Individual characteristics should be adapted to the target audience. Three subjects form the basis of, and six themes cover all items needed for, good (enough) postgraduate e-learning. Further research should be carried out with learners and real-world e-learning to validate this template. PMID:28456781

  15. Quality indicators for learner-centered postgraduate medical e-learning.

    PubMed

    de Leeuw, Robert A; Westerman, Michiel; Scheele, Fedde

    2017-04-27

    The objectives of this study were to identify the needs and expectations of learners and educational experts in postgraduate medical e-learning, and to contribute to the current literature. We performed four focus-group discussions with e-learning end-users (learners) and didactic experts. The participants were postgraduate learners with varying levels of experience, educational experts from a Dutch e-learning task group, and commercial experts from a Dutch e-learning company. Verbatim transcribed interview recordings were analyzed using King's template analysis. The initial template was created with reference to recent literature on postgraduate medical e-learning quality indicators. The transcripts were coded, after which the emerging differences in template interpretation were discussed until a consensus was reached within the team. The final template consisted of three domains of positive e-learning influencers (motivators, learning enhancers, and real-world translation) and three domains of negatively influential parameters (barriers, learning discouragers, and poor preparation). The interpretation of the final template showed three subjects which form the basis of e-learning, namely, Motivate, Learn and Apply. This study forms a basis for learning in general and could be applied to many educational instruments. Individual characteristics should be adapted to the target audience. Three subjects form the basis of, and six themes cover all items needed for, good (enough) postgraduate e-learning. Further research should be carried out with learners and real-world e-learning to validate this template.

  16. Factors that May Contribute to the Placement of Latino English Language Learners in Special Education: Perceptions of Directors of Special Education in California

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alvarez, Dante

    2010-01-01

    The problem: Research indicates that Latino English language learners in California are placed in special education classes at a higher rate than other states. The factors that determine placement of Latino English learners such as language barriers, transiency, poverty, and teacher training may create challenges for Directors of Special…

  17. LingoBee and Social Media: Mobile Language Learners as Social Networkers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Procter-Legg, Emma; Cacchione, Annamaria; Petersen, Sobah Abbas

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents language learners as social networkers and describes and discusses the types of users that can be identified by analysing the content created by them using a situated mobile language learning app, LingoBee, based on the idea of crowd sourcing. Borrowing ideas from other studies conducted on social network users, we can identify…

  18. Active Ageing and Universities: Engaging Older Learners. Research Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillipson, Chris; Ogg, Jim

    2010-01-01

    This report reviews the engagement of older learners (defined as those aged 50 and over) in education and training with particular reference to their involvement in higher education. The ageing of populations was one of the most important trends in the 20th century and will raise major challenges in this century. Appended are: (1) Selected UK…

  19. Phantasmagoria of the Global Learner: Unlikely Global Learners and the Hierarchy of Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doerr, Neriko Musha

    2017-01-01

    Though the concept "global learner" has become a buzzword in education, few have critically analysed it. This article examines three types of "unlikely global learners" who are not usually considered global learners even though they could be, according to a current definition: Maori- English bilingual students in Aotearoa/New…

  20. Promoting Learner Engagement when Working with Adult English Language Learners. CAELA Network Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Susan Finn

    2010-01-01

    Teachers of adults learning English often compete with many demands on learners' attention. Concerns about family, jobs, money, and transportation; fatigue; and negative past experiences with education are some of the factors that might inhibit an adult learner's full engagement in class. In a study of learner engagement in adult literacy…

  1. The Workplace Learner: How to Align Training Initiatives with Individual Learning Competencies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothwell, William J.

    This book explains how work organizations can create a workplace climate that encourages real-time, on-the-job learning and development of competent workplace learners, who are wiling and able to seize the initiative for identifying their own learning experiences and evaluating the results. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) the…

  2. Learner Perception of Personal Spaces of Information (PSIs): A Mental Model Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hardof-Jaffe, Sharon; Aladjem, Ruthi

    2018-01-01

    A personal space of information (PSI) refers to the collection of digital information items created, saved and organized, on digital devices. PSIs play a central and significant role in learning processes. This study explores the mental models and perceptions of PSIs by learners, using drawing analysis. Sixty-three graduate students were asked to…

  3. Creating Inclusive Environments for African American Children and Youth with Gifts and Talents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patton, James M.; Townsend, Brenda L.

    1997-01-01

    Identifies gifted African American children's sociocultural and psychological needs that should be considered when promoting their inclusion in general education settings. Strategies are discussed for creating inclusive environments for these learners, including promoting leadership and prosocial skills, switching linguistic and cultural codes,…

  4. Guiding Learners into Reengagement through the SCALE Environment: An Empirical Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Verginis, Ilias; Gouli, Evangelia; Gogoulou, Agoritsa; Grigoriadou, Maria

    2011-01-01

    The paper presents the facilities offered by the open learner model maintained in the web-based, adaptive, activity-oriented learning environment SCALE (Supporting Collaboration and Adaptation in a Learning Environment), in order to guide online students who become disengaged and support their reengagement. The open learner model (OLM_SCALE)…

  5. Learner-Information Interaction: A Macro-Level Framework Characterizing Visual Cognitive Tools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sedig, Kamran; Liang, Hai-Ning

    2008-01-01

    Visual cognitive tools (VCTs) are external mental aids that maintain and display visual representations (VRs) of information (i.e., structures, objects, concepts, ideas, and problems). VCTs allow learners to operate upon the VRs to perform epistemic (i.e., reasoning and knowledge-based) activities. In VCTs, the mechanism by which learners operate…

  6. Learner Agency and the Use of Affordances in Language-Exchange Interactions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahn, Tae youn

    2016-01-01

    Language exchange refers to a learning partnership between two learners with different native languages who collaborate to help each other improve their proficiency in the other's language. The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which language-exchange participants activate learner agency to construct opportunities for learning in…

  7. Using Philosophy of Education to Create Communities in Difficult Times: Adult Learners and New Spaces for Learning Together

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayo, Cris

    2013-01-01

    This article examines the kind of space formed by philosophical discussion of education with lower-income, adult learners making their way back to structured education amidst work and life responsibilities. It explores two new social contexts that define this experience of return to education. The first is the sociability of philosophical…

  8. Educating to the seismic risk with the community of learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miranda, Nicola

    2013-04-01

    The web has a lot of information available for teachers about seismology both at informal and at a scientific level. The average student, who approaches the study of seismology for the first time, lacks direct involvement in the study and it often happens that the simple informal knowledge does not result in learning and formalization. The teacher who wants to use web resources for the didactics, finds it is difficult to select information and adapt it to the school level, because of the short weekly time reserved for earth science studies. The seismologist, who gives a lecture in the school, has difficulty to understand how much of the knowledge transmitted will pass to the students. A way to solve these problems is to adopt the Community of Learners' method, creating groups of different-aged students directly involved in research activities and in the production of learning material, using websites organized for web research, production and sharing of ideas, as Jigsaw methodology suggests. The poster shown documents the experience I had with a group of students (aged from 14 to 18) in an Italian high school in Somma Vesuviana, near Naples. The method adopted is adaptable to any kind of technical-scientific issue. In this case seismology was the topic of the work group and thanks to the Community of Learners' method, all the students: -Started as apprentices, learning new things, questioning their knowledge, accessing new sources, using different channels and means of communication and debating with the others; -Moved to the role of teachers, sharing their own knowledge with the others, and explaining their own discoveries; -Became scientists specialized in something unknown to the other students, producers of new and original ideas to explain to the others who had different opinions and ideas. Thanks to the Community of Learners, they all became apprentices, teachers and scientists.

  9. The Application of Video Clips with Small Group and Individual Activities to Improve Young Learners' Speaking Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muslem, Asnawi; Mustafa, Faisal; Usman, Bustami; Rahman, Aulia

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated whether the application of video clips with small groups or with individual teaching-learning activities improved the speaking skills of young EFL learners the most; accordingly a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design was done. The instrument used in this study was a test in the form of an oral test or…

  10. A Longitudinal Examination of Middle School Science Learners' Use of Scaffolding In and Around a Dynamic Modeling Tool

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fretz, Eric Bruce

    Scaffolding is a term rooted in multiple research communities over decades of development. Customized, contingent support can be provided to learners to enable performances beyond what they can do alone. This dissertation seeks to examine how effectively scaffolds designed to promote articulation (written expressions of learner understanding) actually work, and if this effectiveness and/or the quality of the resulting models changes over time. It longitudinally examines the use of scaffolds designed into a dynamic modeling tool, as it is used by middle school science learners to create, test, and revise models of complex science phenomena like stream ecosystems. This dissertation also reviews the origins of the scaffolding construct, and summarizes conceptions of scaffolding from various lines of research. Scaffolding can be provided by both human and non-human agents, such as computers, which require specialized interface design to ensure maximum effectiveness. In the study, learners created models in four curriculum units over the seventh and eighth grade school years. Additionally, this dissertation examines the nature of the discussion learners have while using these scaffolds and the frequency and types of interpersonal scaffolds employed during the creation of models. Model quality is also examined using a rubric developed through review of prior research on assessing models and concept maps. Learner pairs' model creation sessions on a computer are captured with screen video and learner audio, and then distilled to transcripts for subsequent coding and analysis, supported by qualitative analysis software. Articulation scaffolds were found to succeed in promoting articulations and the quality of those articulations improved over time. Learner dialog associated with these written articulations is of reasonable quality but did not improve over time. Quality of model artifacts did improve over time. The overall use of scaffolding by each learner pair was

  11. Learners' perspectives on the provision of condoms in South African public schools.

    PubMed

    de Bruin, W E; Panday-Soobrayan, S

    2017-12-01

    A stubborn health challenge for learners in South African public schools concerns sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). In 2015, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) proposed the provision of condoms and SRHR-services to learners in schools. This study aimed to contribute to the finalisation and implementation of DBE's policy by exploring learners' perspectives on the provision of condoms and SRHR-services in schools. Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted with learners (n = 116) from 33 public schools, to assess their attitudes, social influences, and needs and desires regarding condom provision and SRHR-services in schools. The majority of learners did not support condom provision in schools as they feared that it may increase sexual activity. Contrarily, they supported the provision of other SRHR-services as clinics fail to offer youth-friendly services. Learners' sexual behaviour and access to SRHR-services are strongly determined by their social environment, including traditional norms and values, and social-pressure from peers and adults. Learners' most pressing needs and desires to access condoms and SRHR-services in school concerned respect, privacy and confidentiality of such service provision. Implementation of DBE's policy must be preceded by an evidence-informed advocacy campaign to debunk myths about the risk of increased sexual activity, to advocate for why such services are needed, to shift societal norms towards open discussion of adolescent SRHR and to grapple with the juxtaposition of being legally empowered but socially inhibited to protect oneself from HIV, STIs and early pregnancy. Provision of condoms and other SRHR-services in schools must be sensitive to learners' privacy and confidentiality to minimise stigma and discrimination.

  12. Learner-Oriented Virtual Learning: A Booster to Primary School Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Singaravelu, G.

    2013-01-01

    The present study enlightens the impact of Learner- Oriented-Virtual Learning in enriching knowledge in Environmental Education at primary level.To achieve the expected competency in Biodiversity, various approaches were adopted in the class room transaction which were not fruitful. Hence the researcher practiced the Learner-Oriented-Virtual…

  13. Fostering learners' interaction with content: A learner-centered mobile device interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdous, M.

    2015-12-01

    With the ever-increasing omnipresence of mobile devices in student life, leveraging smart devices to foster students' interaction with course content is critical. Following a learner-centered design iterative approach, we designed a mobile interface that may enable learners to access and interact with online course content efficiently and intuitively. Our design process leveraged recent technologies, such as bootstrap, Google's Material Design, HTML5, and JavaScript to design an intuitive, efficient, and portable mobile interface with a variety of built-in features, including context sensitive bookmarking, searching, progress tracking, captioning, and transcript display. The mobile interface also offers students the ability to ask context-related questions and to complete self-checks as they watch audio/video presentations. Our design process involved ongoing iterative feedback from learners, allowing us to refine and tweak the interface to provide learners with a unified experience across platforms and devices. The innovative combination of technologies built around well-structured and well-designed content seems to provide an effective learning experience to mobile learners. Early feedback indicates a high level of satisfaction with the interface's efficiency, intuitiveness, and robustness from both students and faculty.

  14. MAI (Multi-Dimensional Activity Based Integrated Approach): A Strategy for Cognitive Development of the Learners at the Elementary Stage

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basantia, Tapan Kumar; Panda, B. N.; Sahoo, Dukhabandhu

    2012-01-01

    Cognitive development of the learners is the prime task of each and every stage of our school education and its importance especially in elementary state is quite worth mentioning. Present study investigated the effectiveness of a new and innovative strategy (i.e., MAI (multi-dimensional activity based integrated approach)) for the development of…

  15. What Makes Learners Share Feedback or Not in an Online Community for Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Budu, Joseph

    2018-01-01

    Some higher education institutions create online communities to achieve engagement between teachers and learners. Unfortunately, some members seem to prefer sharing feedback via offline means instead of doing so in the online community. From qualitative data collected via flashcards, this article has found that this preference is largely due to…

  16. The Mission Project: Building a Nation of Learners by Advancing America's Community Colleges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Association of Community Colleges, Washington, DC.

    This document describes the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), its new mission and vision statements, and a recommended set of strategic action areas deemed essential to creating the future described in the mission and vision statements. The proposed AACC mission statement reads: "building a nation of learners by advancing…

  17. Designed and User-Generated Activity in the Mobile Age

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kukulska-Hulme, Agnes; Traxler, John; Pettit, John

    2007-01-01

    The paper addresses the question of how to design for learning taking place on mobile and wireless devices. The authors argue that learning activity designers need to consider the characteristics of mobile learning; at the same time, it is vital to realise that learners are already creating mobile learning experiences for themselves. Profound…

  18. Creating Climate Change Awareness in South African Schools through Practical Chemistry Demonstrations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sunassee, Suthananda N.; Young, Ryan M.; Sewry, Joyce D.; Harrison, Timothy G.; Shallcross, Dudley E.

    2012-01-01

    In accordance with the requirements for the National Curriculum Statement for both Life sciences and Physical sciences and the importance of community engagement in Higher Education in South Africa, this paper described the use of the lecture-demonstration "A Pollutant's Tale" to create climate change awareness amongst school learners.…

  19. Explicit and Implicit Feedback, Modified Output, and SLA: Does Explicit and Implicit Feedback Promote Learning and Learner-Learner Interactions?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams, Rebecca; Nuevo, Ana Maria; Egi, Takako

    2011-01-01

    Research on interactional feedback has typically focused on feedback learners receive from native speakers (i.e., NS-learner contexts). However, for many second language (L2) learners, the majority of their opportunities to engage in interaction occur with other learners (i.e., learner-learner contexts). The literature has suggested that feedback…

  20. Creative, Kinesthetic Activities to Motivate Young Learners to Communicate: A Conversation with Paula Garrett-Rucks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Devall, Kelly Davidson

    2015-01-01

    This article presents a question and answer session in which Paula Garrett-Rucks discusses how creativity and kinesthetics motivate young language learners, the type of characteristics she might consider for different age groups in planning lessons, her views on the goals of world language teachers of young learners, and what a typical lesson…

  1. Culturally Inclusive Dance: Working with Chinese English Language Learners in the Dance Technique Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Jamie A.

    2018-01-01

    Higher education is experiencing rapidly shifting demographics brought about by the expanding global economy. The influx of English Language Learners (ELLs) into U.S. dance classrooms is creating a shifting paradigm for students and instructors. According to Beth McMurtrie (2012), universities with increasing international enrollments recognize…

  2. Assessing Learner Satisfaction by Simultaneously Measuring Learner Attitude, Motivation, Loyalty and Service Quality in English Academies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huong, Vu Thi; Casadesus, Marti; Marimon, Frederic

    2017-01-01

    The aims of this study are threefold in their approach to English academy teaching: (i) to assess learner satisfaction, (ii) to assess the impact of satisfaction on loyalty and (iii) to assess the three constructs that we considered to be the antecedents of learner satisfaction: learner motivation, learner attitude and service quality. To collect…

  3. Model Learner Outcomes for Service Occupations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grote, Audrey M.

    This guide to model learner outcomes for service occupations contains four chapters: (1) education values, learner values, philosophy, mission, and goals; (2) introduction, goals, and eight program-level learner outcomes; (3) general learner outcomes and outcomes for housing occupations, child care occupations, cosmetology and personal services,…

  4. Diagnostic Assessment of Disadvantaged Vocational Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gemmill, Perry R.; Kiss, Mary Ellen

    This learning activity package (LAP) titled Diagnostic Assessment of Disadvantaged Vocational Learners is one of a series designed to develop competencies needed by vocational teachers working with disadvantaged students. Each LAP concentrates on one general vocational teacher competency and contains the following sections: an introduction, a…

  5. Friends with Benefits: Causes and Effects of Learners' Cheating Practices during Examination

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diego, Leo Andrew B.

    2017-01-01

    Cheating during examinations is triggered by peer influence. It makes every learner know and do what should not be done. Cheating during examinations defeats the purpose of understanding, applying and creating ideas as stipulated in the revised Bloom's taxonomy by Anderson. The study reported here was designed to delve into the reasons and…

  6. Initial Results of a New Clinical Practice Model: Impact on Learners at Risk

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wasburn-Moses, Leah; Noltemeyer, Amity L.; Schmitz, Kristin J.

    2015-01-01

    The last several years have seen a dramatic increase in interest surrounding the role of clinical experiences in enhancing the learning of teacher candidates. Further, pressure has intensified to demonstrate the impact of teacher candidates on P-12 learners. With these goals in mind, a model alternative school/university partnership was created,…

  7. Learner Self-Regulation and Web 2.0 Tools Management in Personal Learning Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yen, Cherng-Jyh; Tu, Chih-Hsiung; Sujo-Montes, Laura E.; Armfield, Shadow W. J.; Chan, Junn-Yih

    2013-01-01

    Web 2.0 technology integration requires a higher level of self-regulated learning skills to create a Personal Learning Environment (PLE). This study examined each of the four aspects of learner self-regulation in online learning (i.e., environment structuring, goal setting, time management, & task strategies) as the predictor for level of…

  8. Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Using Images to Create a Concreteness Effect for Abstract Words: Evidence from Beginning L2 Learners of Spanish

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farley, Andrew; Pahom, Olga; Ramonda, Kris

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the lexical representation and recall of abstract words by beginning L2 learners of Spanish in the light of the predictions of the dual coding theory (Paivio 1971; Paivio and Desrochers 1980). Ninety-seven learners (forty-four males and fifty-three females) were randomly placed in the picture or non-picture group and taught…

  9. Preparing teachers to create a mainstream science classroom conducive to the needs of English-language learners: A feminist action research project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buck, Gayle; Mast, Colette; Ehlers, Nancy; Franklin, Elizabeth

    2005-11-01

    A feminist action research team, which consisted of a science educator, an English-language learner (ELL) educator, a first-year science teacher, and a graduate assistant, set a goal to work together to explore the process a beginning teacher goes through to establish a classroom conducive to the needs of middle-level ELL learners. The guiding questions of the study were answered by gathering a wealth of data over the course of 5 months and taken from the classroom, planning sessions, and researchers and students. These data were collected by observations, semistructured interviews, and written document reviews. The progressive analysis ultimately revealed that: (a) successful strategies a beginning teacher must utilize for teaching middle-level ELL children in a mainstream classroom involve complex structural considerations that are not part of the teacher's preparation; (b) learning increases for all children, but there are differences in learning achievement between ELL and non-ELL children; and (c) student and peer feedback proved to be an effective means of enhancing the growth of a beginning teacher seeking to increase her skills in teaching ELL learners. The experiences and findings from this project have implications for teacher preparation programs committed to preparing educators to teach science to all children.

  10. Shame, guilt, and the medical learner: ignored connections and why we should care.

    PubMed

    Bynum, William E; Goodie, Jeffrey L

    2014-11-01

    Shame and guilt are subjective emotional responses that occur in response to negative events such as the making of mistakes or an experience of mistreatment, and have been studied extensively in the field of psychology. Despite their potentially damaging effects and ubiquitous presence in everyday life, very little has been written about the impact of shame and guilt in medical education. The authors reference the psychology literature to define shame and guilt and then focus on one area in medical education in which they manifest: the response of the learner and teacher to medical errors. Evidence is provided from the psychology literature to show associations between shame and negative coping mechanisms, decreased empathy and impaired self-forgiveness following a transgression. The authors link this evidence to existing findings in the medical literature that may be related to unrecognised shame and guilt, and propose novel ways of thinking about a learner's ability to cope, remain empathetic and forgive him or herself following an error. The authors combine the discussion of shame, guilt and learner error with findings from the medical education literature and outline three specific ways in which teachers might lead learners to a shame-free response to errors: by acknowledging the presence of shame and guilt in the learner; by avoiding humiliation, and by leveraging effective feedback. The authors conclude with recommendations for research on shame and guilt and their influence on the experience of the medical learner. This critical research plus enhanced recognition of shame and guilt will allow teachers and institutions to further cultivate the engaged, empathetic and shame-resilient learners they strive to create. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  11. An Instructional Theory for Learner Control: Revisited.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chung, Jaesam; Davies, Ivor K.

    This study develops a prescriptive theory of learner control for educators to support the learner's decision making in the learning process and to manage more efficiently their instructional processes. The theoretical framework of learner control in conjunction with the self-regulation of learning, learner characteristics, and learner motivation…

  12. Hypermedia Design as Learner Scaffolding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shapiro, Amy M.

    2008-01-01

    A number of available resources offer guidance about hypermedia design strategies, many of which rely on principles of user-centered design. Many recent efforts, however, have focused more on developing "learner-centered" hypermedia. Learner-centered hypermedia is designed to help learners achieve their educational goals, rather than offer mere…

  13. Thai Learners' Linguistic Needs and Language Skills: Implications for Curriculum Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ulla, Mark B.; Winitkun, Duangkamon

    2017-01-01

    Learners' success in language learning always has implications for curriculum and instruction. Thus, it is important to take into account the kinds of learning experiences that these learners will find helpful in learning English as a foreign language; and, highlight them when planning a curriculum and adapting classroom activities. This study,…

  14. The Lifelong Learner.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gross, Ronald

    Designed to provide a general guide and stimuli for lifelong learning, this book examines all the positive factors of independent study. Lifelong learning is defined as self-directed growth free from the traditional schooling procedures. Chapters discuss the following: the lifelong learner; profiles of such learners in action; how to be…

  15. Creating a Next-Generation System of K-12 English Learner Language Proficiency Assessments. Research Report. ETS RR-16-06

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hauck, Maurice Cogan; Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Mislevy, Robert

    2016-01-01

    This paper is the first in a series from Educational Testing Service (ETS) concerning English language proficiency (ELP) assessments for K-12 English learners (ELs). The goal of this paper, and the series, is to present research-based ideas, principles, and recommendations for consideration by those who are conceptualizing, developing, and…

  16. Doing Your Part To Help Your Child Become SMART (Successful, Motivated, Autonomous, Responsible, Thoughtful): Six Workshops on Parenting SMART Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sattes, Beth; Walsh, Jackie; Hickman, Mickey

    A SMART Learner is a lifelong learner who can adapt to rapid change and who possesses characteristics associated with success in and out of school. These workshop materials to help parents help their children become SMART learners provide: information from current research and best practice; learning activities that will actively engage parents in…

  17. Framework for Quality Professional Development for Practitioners Working with Adult English Language Learners. Revised

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Center for Adult English Language Acquisition, 2010

    2010-01-01

    The Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) Network, under contract with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), has created a framework that can be used to plan, implement, and evaluate professional development for practitioners working with adult English language learners at the state, regional, and program levels. The…

  18. Preservice elementary teachers' development of PCK-readiness about learners' science ideas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smithey, Julie Faye

    Preservice elementary teachers face many daunting challenges as they learn to teach science. Teacher educators try to design methods courses that help them meet these challenges and prepare them for the experiences they will have as student teachers and new teachers. Because they often do not spend much time with students, it is a general assumption that preservice teachers are unable to develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) with respect to their learners. Rather than focus on what they are unable to do, however, this dissertation explores how a methods course might foster consideration of learners' science ideas, an important component of PCK. Perhaps preservice teachers can learn to develop PCK-readiness, thus putting them in a good position to develop rich usable PCK once they have more experience in the classroom. This study follows a class of preservice teachers through an elementary science methods course. It describes the trajectories of eight focus preservice teachers' thinking about their learners. It also explores how the entire class made sense of a set of activities designed to foster consideration of learners' ideas. Results indicate that with scaffolds, preservice teachers are able to think in complex ways about their learners' ideas, including considering how to use those ideas in instruction. The trajectories of the preservice teachers varied but generally showed growth in thinking about learners' ideas, although some were focused on or influenced by particular aspects while others made more consistent growth in several areas. Generally, the course activities supported thinking about how to deal with learners' ideas but not the characteristics of those ideas. This study contributes to the field by providing a description of how a range of preservice teachers engaged with the activities in the methods course. In addition, it describes the kind of influence that a methods course might have on preservice teachers' development of a crucial aspect

  19. The Attitudes of Field Dependence Learners for Learner Interface Design (LID) in e-Learning Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sözcü, Ömer Faruk; Ipek, Ismail; Kinay, Hüseyin

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to explore relationships between learners' cognitive styles of field dependence and learner variables in the preference of learner Interface design, attitudes in e-Learning instruction and experience with e-Learning in distance education. Cognitive style has historically referred to a psychological dimension…

  20. Motivating Literacy Learners in Today's World

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, J., Ed.; Parkhill, F., Ed.; Gillon, G., Ed.

    2010-01-01

    "Motivating Literacy Learners in Today's World" provides insights into a broad spectrum of children's literacy learning. Motivation is the key theme and the authors show how this can be achieved through reading for pleasure; in writing activities at a number of levels; and through oral language development. Chapters include: (1)…

  1. Improving the Freshman College Classroom through Building a Purposeful Community of Altruistic and Motivated Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Carol

    A project was undertaken to create a community of caring, interdependent, intrinsically motivated learners among 21 freshmen students in a community college preservice teacher preparation seminar. Interviews with students at the beginning of the seminar had revealed that most viewed the classroom as individualistic, competitive, and threatening…

  2. Integrating Scaffolding Strategies into Technology-Enhanced Assessments of English Learners: Task Types and Measurement Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Guzman-Orth, Danielle; Lopez, Alexis; Castellano, Katherine; Himelfarb, Igor; Tsutagawa, Fred S.

    2016-01-01

    This article investigates ways to improve the assessment of English learner students' English language proficiency given the current movement of creating next-generation English language proficiency assessments in the Common Core era. In particular, this article discusses the integration of scaffolding strategies, which are prevalently utilized as…

  3. The learner's perspective in GP teaching practices with multi-level learners: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Thomson, Jennifer S; Anderson, Katrina; Haesler, Emily; Barnard, Amanda; Glasgow, Nicholas

    2014-03-19

    Medical students, junior hospital doctors on rotation and general practice (GP) registrars are undertaking their training in clinical general practices in increasing numbers in Australia. Some practices have four levels of learner. This study aimed to explore how multi-level teaching (also called vertical integration of GP education and training) is occurring in clinical general practice and the impact of such teaching on the learner. A qualitative research methodology was used with face-to-face, semi-structured interviews of medical students, junior hospital doctors, GP registrars and GP teachers in eight training practices in the region that taught all levels of learners. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Qualitative analysis was conducted using thematic analysis techniques aided by the use of the software package N-Vivo 9. Primary themes were identified and categorised by the co-investigators. 52 interviews were completed and analysed. Themes were identified relating to both the practice learning environment and teaching methods used.A practice environment where there is a strong teaching culture, enjoyment of learning, and flexible learning methods, as well as learning spaces and organised teaching arrangements, all contribute to positive learning from a learners' perspective.Learners identified a number of innovative teaching methods and viewed them as positive. These included multi-level learner group tutorials in the practice, being taught by a team of teachers, including GP registrars and other health professionals, and access to a supernumerary GP supervisor (also termed "GP consultant teacher"). Other teaching methods that were viewed positively were parallel consulting, informal learning and rural hospital context integrated learning. Vertical integration of GP education and training generally impacted positively on all levels of learner. This research has provided further evidence about the learning culture, structures and teaching

  4. Ten Helpful Ideas for Teaching English to Young Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shin, Joan Kang

    2006-01-01

    This article offers ten suggestions for teaching young learners between the age of 7 and 12 based on language-teaching principles. They include supplementing activities with visuals, realia and movement; involving students in making visuals and realia; moving from activity to activity; teaching in themes; using stories and contexts familiar to…

  5. Proposing a New Pedagogy-Based Website Design: A Usability Test with Lifelong Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khlaisang, Jintavee

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to create a new pedagogy-based website based on the analysis of the needs of 7147 website users who visited the Thailand Cyber University (TCU) project website during 2011-2013. The study consisted of 4 stages: (1) examining learners' needs and literature related to developing a lifelong learning framework, (2) designing a site…

  6. A Multi-Perspective Investigation into Learners' Interaction in Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Çardak, Çigdem Suzan

    2016-01-01

    This article focusses on graduate level students' interactions during asynchronous CMC activities of an online course about the teaching profession in Turkey. The instructor of the course designed and facilitated a semester-long asynchronous CMC on forum discussions, and investigated the interaction of learners in multiple perspectives: learners'…

  7. Chinese Learners of English See Chinese Words When Reading English Words

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ma, Fengyang; Ai, Haiyang

    2018-01-01

    The present study examines when second language (L2) learners read words in the L2, whether the orthography and/or phonology of the translation words in the first language (L1) is activated and whether the patterns would be modulated by the proficiency in the L2. In two experiments, two groups of Chinese learners of English immersed in the L1…

  8. E-portfolios and personalized learning: research in practice with two dyslexic learners in UK higher education.

    PubMed

    Hughes, Julie; Herrington, Margaret; McDonald, Tess; Rhodes, Amy

    2011-02-01

    This paper analyses the use of an e-portfolio system in contributing to the personalized learning of two dyslexic learners at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. The rationale for this research rests at the intersection of generic findings from e-portfolio (and wider e-learning) research and the still challenging project in higher education (HE) of creating inclusive curricula. A qualitative, ethnographic approach was employed in a piece of collaborative research between academic staff and dyslexic learners. Two retrospective learner narratives were constructed and then reviewed by all co-authors in terms of the 'personalized fit' which they allowed with dyslexic thinking, learning and writing experience. The findings suggest a potential refinement of the general pedagogical claims about e-portfolio-based learning when considering dyslexic learners and thence the value of an enhanced prioritization of e-portfolio learning practices within inclusive HE curricula. The review and analysis also allow a 'critical' discussion of the practical and theoretical issues arising within this work. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. English Language Learners and English-Only Learners' Response to Direct Vocabulary Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crevecoeur, Yvel C.; Coyne, Michael D.; McCoach, D. Betsy

    2014-01-01

    We examined data from an 18-week kindergarten vocabulary intervention study to determine whether treatment outcomes had differential effects that favored English language learners (ELLs) or English-only learners (EOLs) and whether the relationship between initial English general receptive vocabulary knowledge and response to vocabulary…

  10. Dynamic Learner Profiling and Automatic Learner Classification for Adaptive E-Learning Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Premlatha, K. R.; Dharani, B.; Geetha, T. V.

    2016-01-01

    E-learning allows learners individually to learn "anywhere, anytime" and offers immediate access to specific information. However, learners have different behaviors, learning styles, attitudes, and aptitudes, which affect their learning process, and therefore learning environments need to adapt according to these differences, so as to…

  11. Learners' perceptions of learners regarded as having a homosexual orientation in an independent secondary school environment.

    PubMed

    Mostert, Hendrik P; Myburgh, Chris; Poggenpoel, Marie

    2012-10-04

    In schools today discrimination based on sexual orientation takes place on a regular basis. This form of discrimination leads to aggression towards learners perceived to be homosexual, as well as towards those with a homosexual orientation. For more than 15 years South Africa has been a democratic country with laws that protect learners who have a homosexual orientation. Nevertheless, aggression and discrimination towards these learners still occur in schools. Aggression often leads to verbal and physical bullying of the victims by perpetrators. The objectives of this research were to explore and describe Grade 11 learners' experiences of aggression towards learners perceived to be homosexual as well as those with a homosexual orientation in an independent secondary school environment. The research design was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual in nature. The data for this investigation consisted of essays based on a published newspaper photograph, phenomenological group interviews, observations and field notes. Tesch's method of data analysis was used, and an independent coder assisted. Three themes were identified, discussed and supported by a literature control: that learners experience that it is right and acceptable to have a homosexual orientation; that they experience ambivalence towards homosexual orientation of learners; and experienced feelings that it is wrong to have a homosexual orientation. Recommended guidelines are provided to address aggression towards learners perceived to be homosexual and those with a homosexual orientation.

  12. Learner Agency in Language Learning: The Story of a Distance Learner of EFL in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Xiao, Junhong

    2014-01-01

    Learner agency plays a key role in self-regulated learning. Yet, there is a paucity of research into its role in the distance learning context. Using reflective narratives written by a distance learner of English in China, this longitudinal case study aims to investigate the ways in which learner agency mediates the language learning in the…

  13. A New Approach of an Intelligent E-Learning System Based on Learners' Skill Level and Learners' Success Rate

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mohamed, Hafidi; Lamia, Mahnane

    2015-01-01

    Learners usually meet cognitive overload and disorientation problems when using e-learning system. At present, most of the studies in e-learning either concentrate on the technological aspect or focus on adapting learner's interests or browsing behaviors, while, learner's skill level and learners' success rate is usually neglected. In this paper,…

  14. ECG Rhythm Analysis with Expert and Learner-Generated Schemas in Novice Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blissett, Sarah; Cavalcanti, Rodrigo; Sibbald, Matthew

    2015-01-01

    Although instruction using expert-generated schemas is associated with higher diagnostic performance, implementation is resource intensive. Learner-generated schemas are an alternative, but may be limited by increases in cognitive load. We compared expert- and learner-generated schemas for learning ECG rhythm interpretation on diagnostic accuracy,…

  15. An Activity-Theoretic Study of Agency and Identity in the Study Abroad Experiences of a Lesbian Nontraditional Learner of Korean

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Lucien

    2016-01-01

    This is an activity-theoretic study of agency and identity in the study abroad experiences of a Korean learner named Julie-a 50-year-old lesbian, feminist, and non-traditional student from the USA. During 6-weeks in Seoul, Julie struggled to gain participation and to define her identity in a setting that was hostile towards homosexuality. These…

  16. Help! They Don't Speak English: Partnering Preservice Teachers with Adult English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hooks, Laura M.

    2008-01-01

    It is well documented that parent and family involvement in children's education correlates with success in school. The increasing number of English Language Learners in public schools has created a need for teacher educators to prepare preservice teachers to be able to work with families who have limited English. This study examined the outcomes…

  17. Using Netbooks to Support Mobile Learners' Investigations across Activities and Places

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaved, Mark; Collins, Trevor; Mulholland, Paul; Kerawalla, Lucinda; Jones, Ann; Scanlon, Eileen; Littleton, Karen; Blake, Canan; Petrou, Marilena; Clough, Gill; Twiner, Alison

    2010-01-01

    We explore how small-format laptops ("netbooks") have been used within evidence-based investigations undertaken by secondary school students, to what extent these are suitable for effectively supporting learners across different locations and contexts, and their implications for open learning. Over the course of seven trials with 300…

  18. Preparing Teachers To Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners in Urban Schools: The Learner-Centered Framework.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCombs, Barbara L.

    This paper suggests the need for a research-validated framework to help preservice and inservice teachers and higher education faculty understand fundamental learner needs that must be met in any setting and any reform effort. It describes a learner-centered framework based on the research-validated "Learner-Centered Psychological…

  19. Multidimensional Learner Model In Intelligent Learning System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deliyska, B.; Rozeva, A.

    2009-11-01

    The learner model in an intelligent learning system (ILS) has to ensure the personalization (individualization) and the adaptability of e-learning in an online learner-centered environment. ILS is a distributed e-learning system whose modules can be independent and located in different nodes (servers) on the Web. This kind of e-learning is achieved through the resources of the Semantic Web and is designed and developed around a course, group of courses or specialty. An essential part of ILS is learner model database which contains structured data about learner profile and temporal status in the learning process of one or more courses. In the paper a learner model position in ILS is considered and a relational database is designed from learner's domain ontology. Multidimensional modeling agent for the source database is designed and resultant learner data cube is presented. Agent's modules are proposed with corresponding algorithms and procedures. Multidimensional (OLAP) analysis guidelines on the resultant learner module for designing dynamic learning strategy have been highlighted.

  20. Differences in Language Skills: Heritage Language Learner Subgroups and Foreign Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kondo-Brown, Kimi

    2005-01-01

    Using both proficiency tests and self-assessment measures, this study investigated (a) whether 3 subgroups of Japanese heritage language (JHL) learners would demonstrate language behaviors distinctively different from those of traditional Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) learners, and (b) which domains of language use and skills would…

  1. Educating English Language Learners: Instructional Approaches and Teacher Collaboration in Philadelphia Public Schools. PERC Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reumann-Moore, Rebecca; Rowland, Jeannette; Hughes, Rosemary; Lin, Joshua

    2016-01-01

    Districts, charter management organizations, and individual schools can learn a great deal from each other about strategies for creating robust and supportive learning environments for English Language Learners (ELLS). This brief highlights key findings about how Philadelphia public schools were crafting instructional approaches to serve their…

  2. Assessment and Accommodations for English Language Learners: Issues and Recommendations. CRESST Policy Brief 4, Summer 2001.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abedi, Jamal

    This policy brief addresses the inclusion of English language learners (ELLs) in large-scale assessments and ELL assessment accommodations. The inclusion of ELL students creates specific accountability policy challenges. States differ in the students they include and their inclusion policies and accommodation practices, and, at present, inclusion…

  3. Effective instruction for English learners.

    PubMed

    Calderón, Margarita; Slavin, Robert; Sánchez, Marta

    2011-01-01

    The fastest-growing student population in U.S. schools today is children of immigrants, half of whom do not speak English fluently and are thus labeled English learners. Although the federal government requires school districts to provide services to English learners, it offers states no policies to follow in identifying, assessing, placing, or instructing them. Margarita Calderón, Robert Slavin, and Marta Sánchez identify the elements of effective instruction and review a variety of successful program models. During 2007-08, more than 5.3 million English learners made up 10.6 percent of the nation's K-12 public school enrollment. Wide and persistent achievement disparities between these English learners and English-proficient students show clearly, say the authors, that schools must address the language, literacy, and academic needs of English learners more effectively. Researchers have fiercely debated the merits of bilingual and English-only reading instruction. In elementary schools, English learners commonly receive thirty minutes of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction but attend general education classes for the rest of the day, usually with teachers who are unprepared to teach them. Though English learners have strikingly diverse levels of skills, in high school they are typically lumped together, with one teacher to address their widely varying needs. These in-school factors contribute to the achievement disparities. Based on the studies presented here, Calderón, Slavin, and Sánchez assert that the quality of instruction is what matters most in educating English learners. They highlight comprehensive reform models, as well as individual components of these models: school structures and leadership; language and literacy instruction; integration of language, literacy, and content instruction in secondary schools; cooperative learning; professional development; parent and family support teams; tutoring; and monitoring implementation and outcomes

  4. Improving Learners' Oral Fuency through Computer-Mediated Emotional Intelligence Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdolrezapour, Parisa

    2017-01-01

    Previous studies have shown that emotional intelligence (henceforth, EI) has a significant impact on important life outcomes (e.g., mental and physical health, academic achievement, work performance, and social relationships). This study aimed to see whether there is any relationship between EI and English as a foreign language (EFL) learners'…

  5. Modeling the effects of multicontextual physics instruction on learner expectations and understanding of force and motion systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deese Becht, Sara-Maria Francis

    1999-11-01

    The purpose of this study is two-fold involving both practical and theoretical modeling components. The practical component, an experiential-learning phase, investigated a study population for effects that increasing levels of multicontextual physics activities have on student understanding of Newtonian systems of motion. This contextual-learning model measured learner convictions and non-response gaps and analyzed learner response trends on context, technology, challenge, growth, and success. The theoretical component, a model-building phase, designed a dynamic-knowing model for learning along a range of experiential tasks, from low to high context, monitored for indicators of learning in science and mathematics: learner academic performance and ability, learner control and academic attitude, and a learner non- response gap. This knowing model characterized a learner's process-of-knowing on a less to more expert- like learner-response continuum using performance and perspective indices associated with level of contextual- imagery referent system. Data for the contextual-learning model were collected on 180 secondary subjects: 72 middle and 108 high, with 36 physics subjects as local experts. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups differing only on context level of force and motion activities. Three levels of information were presented through context-based tasks: momentum constancy as inertia, momentum change as impulse, and momentum rate of change as force. The statistical analysis used a multi-level factorial design with repeated measures and discriminate analysis of response-conviction items. Subject grouping criteria included school level, ability level in science and mathematics, gender and race. Assessment criteria used pre/post performance scores, confidence level in physics concepts held, and attitude towards science, mathematics, and technology. Learner indices were computed from logit- transforms applied to learner outcomes

  6. The Beliefs of Two Expert EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mercer, Sarah

    2011-01-01

    Much of the research into "expert" language learners has focused largely on their learning strategies or styles. Less attention has been paid to other expert learner characteristics, such as learner beliefs. However, the importance of learners' beliefs in guiding their behaviours and how they interpret their experiences is widely recognised. This…

  7. Can Japanese students embrace learner-centered methods for teaching medical interviewing skills? Focus groups.

    PubMed

    Saiki, Takuya; Mukohara, Kei; Otani, Takashi; Ban, Nobutaro

    2011-01-01

    Students' perceptions of learner-centered methods for teaching medical interviewing skills have not been fully explored. To explore Japanese students' perceptions of learner-centered methods for teaching medical interviewing skills such as role play with student-created scenarios, peer-assisted video reviews, and student-led small group debriefing. We conducted three focus groups with a total of 15 students who participated in the learner-centered seminars on medical interviewing skills at the Nagoya University School of Medicine. The transcripts were analyzed by two authors independently. Keywords and concepts were identified and a thematic framework was developed. Overall, students valued the experience of writing their own scenarios for role play, but some questioned their realism. Many students commented that peer-assisted video reviews provided them with more objective perspectives on their performance. However, some students expressed concerns about competitiveness during the video reviews. While students appreciated teachers' minimum involvement in the group debriefing, some criticized that teachers did not explain the objectives of the seminar clearly. Many students had difficulties in exchanging constructive feedback. We were able to gain new insights into positive and negative perceptions of students about learner-centered methods for teaching medical interviewing skills at one medical school in Japan.

  8. A Learner Centered Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ballard, Florence N.

    This paper proposes a learner-centered educational system, focusing on aspects that are intrinsically associated with the modern educational system, such as the curriculum, school community, parents, learners, and educational support personnel. It examines: primary level preparation (literacy, numeracy, and basic knowledge; examination and…

  9. Co-creating Emotionally Safe Environments at Camp: Training Staff To Facilitate Adventure Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brownlee, Matt; Yerkes, Rita

    2003-01-01

    An emotionally safe environment helps campers participate in adventure activities. Staff development tips for creating a safe environment include using cooperative goal setting; using parallel training processes; developing working lesson plans that outline facilitation techniques for creating emotionally safe environments; and using co-created…

  10. Workplace Learning in Malaysia: The Learner's Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muhamad, Mazanah; Idris, Khairuddin

    2005-01-01

    This paper offers a scenario of workplace learning as practiced in Malaysia. Based on survey research, the article describes learner profiles, learning provision and pattern. The analysis shows that Malaysians participate in formal workplace learning as part of their employment activities. Workplace learning in Malaysia is contextual, promoted by…

  11. Facilitative Effects of Learner-Directed Codeswitching: Evidence from Chinese Learners of English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhu, Xiye; Vanek, Norbert

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the interaction between learner-oriented codeswitching (CS) practices and the degree to which intermediate Chinese L2 learners of English engage in classroom interaction. The guiding questions are whether the teacher's CS use facilitates classroom interaction at moderate L2 proficiency, and if so, at which specific stages of…

  12. Can persuasive messages encourage individuals to create action plans for physical activity?

    PubMed

    Sweet, Shane N; Brawley, Lawrence R; Hatchell, Alexandra; Gainforth, Heather L; Latimer-Cheung, Amy E

    2014-08-01

    Given the positive influence of action planning on physical activity, persuasive messages could be designed to promote action planning. The purpose of this paper was to test action planning messages in two studies. Participants were allocated to one of two message groups, reading either a physical activity only or physical activity plus action planning message (Study 1) and either a gain-framed or loss-framed action planning message (Study 2). The percent of individuals who created an action plan and the quality of the plans were evaluated. In Study 1, individuals in the physical activity plus action planning group created as many action plans as the physical activity only group, but their plans were higher quality. In Study 2, Week 2 differences between the gain- and loss-framed message groups were found for action planning. To our knowledge, these studies were the first to investigate message-induced action planning as a behavior. More research is needed to optimize these messages.

  13. Answering the Knock of Opportunity: Addressing the Data Needs for California's English Learners. Policy Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perez, Maria; Shambaugh, Larisa S.; Parrish, Tom

    2008-01-01

    California currently faces an opportunity to develop an effective data system that can assist in improving the state's future understanding of the educational progress of English learners (ELs). This policy brief outlines the needs for good data on ELs and makes recommendations for creating an effective longitudinal data system for ELs. It…

  14. An Analysis of Spanish L2 Learners' Orientation through Activity Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tocaimaza-Hatch, C. Cecilia

    2015-01-01

    Orientation is defined as the way in which individuals view a task and the means they devise to fulfill it (Appel & Lantolf, 1994; Roebuck, 2000). This study investigated the orientation of twelve learners enrolled in a fourth-semester Spanish L2 university course through the analysis of their interactions during a collaborative…

  15. Predicting Learners Styles Based on Fuzzy Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alian, Marwah; Shaout, Adnan

    2017-01-01

    Learners style is grouped into four types mainly; Visual, auditory, kinesthetic and Read/Write. Each type of learners learns primarily through one of the main receiving senses, visual, listening, or by doing. Learner style has an effect on the learning process and learner's achievement. It is better to select suitable learning tool for the learner…

  16. Overcoming Student Disengagement and Anxiety in Theory, Methods, and Statistics Courses by Building a Community of Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macheski, Ginger E.; Buhrmann, Jan; Lowney, Kathleen S.; Bush, Melanie E. L.

    2008-01-01

    Participants in the 2007 American Sociological Association teaching workshop, "Innovative Teaching Practices for Difficult Subjects," shared concerns about teaching statistics, research methods, and theory. Strategies for addressing these concerns center on building a community of learners by creating three processes throughout the course: 1) an…

  17. Chinese English Learners' Strategic Competence.

    PubMed

    Wang, Dianjian; Lai, Hongling; Leslie, Michael

    2015-12-01

    The present study aims to investigate Chinese English learners' ability to use communication strategies (CSs). The subjects are put in a relatively real English referential communication setting and the analyses of the research data show that Chinese English learners, when encountering problems in foreign language (FL) communication, are characterized by the frequent use of substitution, approximation, circumlocution, literal translation, exemplification, word-coinage, repetition, and the infrequent use of cultural-knowledge and paralinguistic CSs. The rare use of paralinguistic strategies is found to be typical of Chinese English learners. The high frequency of literal translation, one first language (L1)-based strategy in our study sample, suggests that FL learners' use of L1-based CSs may depend more upon the developmental stage of their target language than the typology distance between L1 and the target language. The frequency of repetition reveals one fact that the Chinese English learners lack variety and flexibility in their use of CSs. Based on these findings, it was indicated that learners' use of CSs is influenced by a variety of factors, among which the development stage of their interlanguage and their cultural background are identified as two important factors. Some implications are finally suggested for the English foreign language teaching practice in China.

  18. The Effect of Task-Based Activities on EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nahavandi, Naemeh

    2011-01-01

    Nowadays, preparing learners to communicate successfully in language classes is of utmost importance. But teachers face a lot of difficulties in teaching English in EFL contexts. One of the major problems is students' unwillingness to take part in reading classes. Reading classes seem boring for students who find no occasion to show their ability…

  19. Online Social Networks as Formal Learning Environments: Learner Experiences and Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Veletsianos, George; Navarrete, Cesar C.

    2012-01-01

    While the potential of social networking sites to contribute to educational endeavors is highlighted by researchers and practitioners alike, empirical evidence on the use of such sites for formal online learning is scant. To fill this gap in the literature, we present a case study of learners' perspectives and experiences in an online course…

  20. The Relationship between Iranian EFL Learners' Self-Regulatory Vocabulary Strategy Use and Their Vocabulary Size

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amirian, Seyed Mohammad Reza; Mallahi, Omid; Zaghi, Damoon

    2015-01-01

    Self-regulation is referred to as learners' self-generated ideas and actions which are systematically directed towards achieving educational goals and require learners' active participation in the learning process (Zimmerman & Bandura, 1994). The present study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL students' self-regulation capacity…

  1. Learning Science Using AR Book: A Preliminary Study on Visual Needs of Deaf Learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Megat Mohd. Zainuddin, Norziha; Badioze Zaman, Halimah; Ahmad, Azlina

    Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that is projected to have more significant role in teaching and learning, particularly in visualising abstract concepts in the learning process. AR is a technology is based on visually oriented technique. Thus, it is suitable for deaf learners since they are generally classified as visual learners. Realising the importance of visual learning style for deaf learners in learning Science, this paper reports on a preliminary study of on an ongoing research on problems faced by deaf learners in learning the topic on Microorganisms. Being visual learners, they have problems with current text books that are more text-based that graphic based. In this preliminary study, a qualitative approach using the ethnographic observational technique was used so that interaction with three deaf learners who are participants throughout this study (they are also involved actively in the design and development of the AR Book). An interview with their teacher and doctor were also conducted to identify their learning and medical problems respectively. Preliminary findings have confirmed the need to design and develop a special Augmented Reality Book called AR-Science for Deaf Learners (AR-SiD).

  2. English Learner and Non-English Learner Students with Disabilities: Content Acquisition and Comprehension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wanzek, Jeanne; Swanson, Elizabeth; Vaughn, Sharon; Roberts, Greg; Fall, Anna-Mária

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of Promoting Adolescent Comprehension Through Text (PACT), a content knowledge and comprehension treatment for English learner and non--English learner students with disabilities who were provided instruction in general education social studies classrooms. Eighth-grade students with disabilities in the treatment…

  3. Through the Learners' Eyes: Reconceptualizing the Heritage and Non-Heritage Learner of the Less Commonly Taught Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jin Sook

    2005-01-01

    This study investigates how learners of the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) (i.e., Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Swahili, Yoruba) perceive their identities as heritage or non-heritage language learners. A survey of 530 college-level language learners reveals that heritage and non-heritage…

  4. The Use of Interdisciplinary Approach for the Formation of Learners' Situational Interest in Physics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korsun, Igor

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this article is to prove the advisability of using the interdisciplinary approach for the formation of learners' situational interest in physics. The general method of using the interdisciplinary approach in physics teaching has been created. The study of new material, the formation of abilities and skills, and the work on projects are…

  5. Emotional Intelligence of Self Regulated Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rathore, Ami

    2018-01-01

    The study was conducted on self regulated learners of senior secondary school. The main objectives of the study were to find out significant dimensions of emotional intelligence held by self regulated learners. To compare the emotional intelligence dimensions of self regulated learners, in terms of subject and gender. To find out the relationship…

  6. Current Trends in Adult Degree Programs: How Public Universities Respond to the Needs of Adult Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gast, Angela

    2013-01-01

    Although many adult students turn to online degree programs due to their flexibility and convenience, a majority of prospective adult learners prefer to take classes on traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. This chapter examines how public research universities create pathways to degree attainment and boost degree completion rates among adult…

  7. Can the Use of Web-Based Comic Strip Creation Tool Facilitate EFL Learners' Grammar and Sentence Writing?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kilickaya, Ferit; Krajka, Jaroslaw

    2012-01-01

    Both teacher- and learner-made computer visuals are quite extensively reported in Computer-Assisted Language Learning literature, for instance, filming interviews, soap operas or mini-documentaries, creating storyboard projects, authoring podcasts and vodcasts, designing digital stories. Such student-made digital assets are used to present to…

  8. Teaching & Learning for International Students in a "Learning Community": Creating, Sharing and Building Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kemp, Linzi

    2010-01-01

    This article considers the culture of learning communities for effective teaching. A learning community is defined here as an environment where learners are brought together to share information, to learn from each other, and to create new knowledge. The individual student develops her/his own learning by building on learning from others. In a…

  9. Creating a Village: The Impact of the Opportunity to Participate in Synchronous Web Conferencing on Adult Learner Sense of Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gable, Karla

    2012-01-01

    Community is a place where people go to feel comfortable. It is important to develop strategies for enhancing a sense of community in the online learning environment designed for adult learners. The purpose of this study was to determine if adding a synchronous conferencing experience to an asynchronous course impacted overall sense of community,…

  10. Effects of Community Service-Learning on Heritage Language Learners' Attitudes toward Their Language and Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pascual y Cabo, Diego; Prada, Josh; Lowther Pereira, Kelly

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the effects of participation in a community service-learning experience on Spanish heritage language learners' attitudes toward their heritage language and culture. Quantitative and qualitative data from heritage language learners demonstrated that engagement in community service-learning activities as part of the Spanish…

  11. Language-Related Computer Use: Focus on Young L2 English Learners in Sweden

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sundqvist, Pia; Sylvén, Liss Kerstin

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents findings from a study investigating young English language learners (YELLs) in Sweden in 4th grade (N = 76, aged 10-11). Data were collected with the help of a questionnaire and a one-week language diary. The main purpose was to examine the learners' L2 English language-related activities outside of school in general, and their…

  12. Goals, the Learner, and the Language Arts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ediger, Marlow

    Teachers, principals, and supervisors need to determine the kinds of learners being taught in the school/class setting. Are pupils good by nature, bad, or neutral? Concepts held pertaining to each pupil assist in determining objectives, learning activities, and evaluation techniques. The Puritans believed that individuals were born evil or sinful.…

  13. Trend-Setters and Other Types of Lifelong Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    du Bois-Reymond, Manuela

    Learners may be categorized as follows: (1) intrinsically motivated intellectuals; (2) extrinsically motivated mass learners, as represented by modern school youth; (3) extrinsically motivated learners in continuous requalification; and (4) intrinsically motivated "trendsetters." Although intrinsically motivated learners tend to be found…

  14. Are Online Learners Frustrated with Collaborative Learning Experiences?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capdeferro, Neus; Romero, Margarida

    2012-01-01

    Online education increasingly puts emphasis on collaborative learning methods. Despite the pedagogical advantages of collaborative learning, online learners can perceive collaborative learning activities as frustrating experiences. The purpose of this study was to characterize the feelings of frustration as a negative emotion among online learners…

  15. How Do Chinese ESL Learners Recognize English Words during a Reading Test? A Comparison with Romance-Language-Speaking ESL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Hongli; Suen, Hoi K.

    2015-01-01

    This study examines how Chinese ESL learners recognize English words while responding to a multiple-choice reading test as compared to Romance-language-speaking ESL learners. Four adult Chinese ESL learners and three adult Romance-language-speaking ESL learners participated in a think-aloud study with the Michigan English Language Assessment…

  16. Transformation in Higher Education: A Learner-Needs Segmentation Leads to Improved Learner Satisfaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Gayla; Finley, Donna S.; Patterson, Margaret

    2006-01-01

    Segmentation is a marketing concept that can be applied in a post-secondary context. This article delineates the outcome of applying a learner-needs segmentation that resulted in significantly improved learner satisfaction scores in a professional faculty at a large public university. Our original work described the purpose and value of…

  17. Comparison of the Motivational Climates Created during Multi-Activity Instruction and Sport Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Mitchum B.; Curtner-Smith, Matthew D.

    2014-01-01

    Previous research has suggested that sport education (SE) may be a superior curriculum model to multi-activity (MA) teaching because its pedagogies and structures create a task-involving motivational climate. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the objective motivational climates teachers create within the MA and SE models.…

  18. Choosing to Interact: Exploring the Relationship between Learner Personality, Attitudes, and Tutorial Dialogue Participation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ezen-Can, Aysu; Boyer, Kristy Elizabeth

    2015-01-01

    The tremendous effectiveness of intelligent tutoring systems is due in large part to their interactivity. However, when learners are free to choose the extent to which they interact with a tutoring system, not all learners do so actively. This paper examines a study with a natural language tutorial dialogue system for computer science, in which…

  19. Speaking out on Behalf of the Voiceless Learners: Written Corrective Feedback for English Language Learners in Iran

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nemati, Majid; Alavi, Sayyed Mohammad; Mohebbi, Hassan; Masjedlou, Ali Panahi

    2017-01-01

    To date, L2 researchers have studied the effect of feedback on improving L2 learners' writing from different perspectives. However, there are a lot of aspects which are not comprehensively researched yet, such as L2 learners' and teachers' perceptions and practices about feedback. To close the gap, this study investigates language learners'…

  20. Questioning the Long-Term English Learner Label: How Categorization Can Blind Us to Students' Abilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Karen D.

    2015-01-01

    Background/Context: The label long-term English learner (LTEL) is increasingly used to describe students who have been educated in the United States for many years but have not met criteria to be considered proficient in English. Though created to draw awareness to the unique needs of a particular group of students, the LTEL label has acquired…

  1. Can Learning a Foreign Language Foster Analytic Thinking?-Evidence from Chinese EFL Learners' Writings.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Jingyang; Ouyang, Jinghui; Liu, Haitao

    2016-01-01

    Language is not only the representation of thinking, but also shapes thinking. Studies on bilinguals suggest that a foreign language plays an important and unconscious role in thinking. In this study, a software-Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2007-was used to investigate whether the learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) can foster Chinese high school students' English analytic thinking (EAT) through the analysis of their English writings with our self-built corpus. It was found that: (1) learning English can foster Chinese learners' EAT. Chinese EFL learners' ability of making distinctions, degree of cognitive complexity and degree of thinking activeness have all improved along with the increase of their English proficiency and their age; (2) there exist differences in Chinese EFL learners' EAT and that of English native speakers, i. e. English native speakers are better in the ability of making distinctions and degree of thinking activeness. These findings suggest that the best EFL learners in high schools have gained native-like analytic thinking through six years' English learning and are able to switch their cognitive styles as needed.

  2. Female Adult Learners in Rural Community Colleges: A Case Study of Role Perception and Navigation for Student Mothers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Tara Lynn

    2013-01-01

    Female adult learners, the fastest growing subpopulation in community colleges, face challenges navigating domestic, professional, and academic roles and take time off from school to reconcile issues with multiple role navigation; thus, their education is disjointed and staggered, creating barriers to persistence. This interpretive design…

  3. An Online Authoring Tool for Creating Activity-Based Learning Objects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahn, Jeong Yong; Mun, Gil Seong; Han, Kyung Soo; Choi, Sook Hee

    2017-01-01

    As higher education increasingly relies on e-learning, the need for tools that will allow teachers themselves to develop effective e-learning objects as simply and quickly as possible has also been increasingly recognized. This article discusses the design and development of a novel tool, Enook (Evolutionary note book), for creating activity-based…

  4. Can You Hear Me Now? Marketing Essentials for Audiologists in a Noisy Health Care World

    PubMed Central

    Rudden, DAnne

    2016-01-01

    Audiologists, even those with a strong acumen for business, are not traditionally taught the basics of creating a robust practice identity and dynamic marketing plan. This activity will teach learners how to create a distinct brand that separates them from others in a competitive and distracted marketplace. Additionally, learners will gain an understanding for how to blend traditional marketing tools with more modern online options and social media. Upon completion, learners will be familiar with the skills necessary to actively create, implement, and track the effectiveness of their marketing strategy using proven methodologies. PMID:28028325

  5. Can You Hear Me Now? Marketing Essentials for Audiologists in a Noisy Health Care World.

    PubMed

    Rudden, DAnne

    2016-11-01

    Audiologists, even those with a strong acumen for business, are not traditionally taught the basics of creating a robust practice identity and dynamic marketing plan. This activity will teach learners how to create a distinct brand that separates them from others in a competitive and distracted marketplace. Additionally, learners will gain an understanding for how to blend traditional marketing tools with more modern online options and social media. Upon completion, learners will be familiar with the skills necessary to actively create, implement, and track the effectiveness of their marketing strategy using proven methodologies.

  6. Mainstream Teachers' Implicit Beliefs about English Language Learners: An Implicit Association Test Study of Teacher Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Jamie; Lakin, Joni

    2018-01-01

    Teacher attitudes toward inclusion of English Learners (ELs) in the mainstream classroom have primarily focused on explicit beliefs as accessed through observation, case studies, and self-report surveys. The authors explore implicit mainstream teacher beliefs about ELs using the newly created Implicit Association Test-EL, with correlations to…

  7. Spoken Language Activation Alters Subsequent Sign Language Activation in L2 Learners of American Sign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Joshua T.; Newman, Sharlene D.

    2017-01-01

    A large body of literature has characterized unimodal monolingual and bilingual lexicons and how neighborhood density affects lexical access; however there have been relatively fewer studies that generalize these findings to bimodal (M2) second language (L2) learners of sign languages. The goal of the current study was to investigate parallel…

  8. Educational Needs and Learning Conditions of Adult Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davie, Lynn; And Others

    A review of research in the past ten years documents adult learners' perceptions of their educational needs and their patterns of participation in adult educational activities. The populations studied include older adults, women, immigrants, native Canadians, undereducated adults, and handicapped adults. Each population is studied separately with…

  9. Profiling Learners' Achievement Goals when Completing Academic Essays

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ng, Chi-Hung Clarence

    2009-01-01

    This study explored adult learners' goal profiles in relation to the completion of a compulsory academic essay. Based on learners' scores on items assessing mastery, performance-approach, and work-avoidance goals, cluster analyses produced three distinct categories of learners: performance-focused, work-avoidant, and multiple-goal learners. These…

  10. Creating comics in physics lessons: an educational practice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albrecht, Evonir; Voelzke, Marcos Rincon

    2012-06-01

    This article presents the results from an intervention program with 119 students during physics and astronomy lessons. This program has taken place in the public school "Colônia dos Pescadores" in the City of Caraguatatuba, State of São Paulo. The goal is to show the importance and possibility of learning with support materials, either in the classroom or at home,created by the learners themselves. The results show that students can demonstrate their creativity while building up their own knowledge related to Astronomy as they are able to produce comic strips about the theme afterwards.

  11. Survey of factors influencing learner engagement with simulation debriefing among nursing students.

    PubMed

    Roh, Young Sook; Jang, Kie In

    2017-12-01

    Simulation-based education has escalated worldwide, yet few studies have rigorously explored predictors of learner engagement with simulation debriefing. The purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive survey was to identify factors that determine learner engagement with simulation debriefing among nursing students. A convenience sample of 296 Korean nursing students enrolled in the simulation-based course completed the survey. A total of five instruments were used: (i) Characteristics of Debriefing; (ii) Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare - Student Version; (iii) The Korean version of the Simulation Design Scale; (iv) Communication Skills Scale; and (v) Clinical-Based Stress Scale. Multiple regression analysis was performed using the variables to investigate the influencing factors. The results indicated that influencing factors of learning engagement with simulation debriefing were simulation design, confidentiality, stress, and number of students. Simulation design was the most important factor. Video-assisted debriefing was not a significant factor affecting learner engagement. Educators should organize and conduct debriefing activities while considering these factors to effectively induce learner engagement. Further study is needed to identify the effects of debriefing sessions targeting learners' needs and considering situational factors on learning outcomes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  12. Mediated Vocabulary in Native Speaker-Learner Interactions during an Oral Portfolio Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tocaimaza-Hatch, C. Cecilia

    2016-01-01

    This project investigated vocabulary learning from a sociocultural perspective--in particular, the way in which lexical knowledge was mediated in Spanish second language (L2) learners' and native speakers' (NSs') interactions. Nine students who were enrolled in an advanced conversation course completed an oral portfolio assignment consisting of…

  13. Activities for Challenging Gifted Learners by Increasing Complexity in the Common Core

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKeone, Alyssa; Caruso, Lenora; Bettle, Kailyn; Chase, Ashley; Bryson, Bridget; Schneider, Jean S.; Rule, Audrey C.

    2015-01-01

    Gifted learners need opportunities for critical and creative thinking to stretch their minds and imaginations. Strategies for increasing complexity in the four core areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies were addressed using the Common Core and Iowa Core Standards through several methods. Descriptive adjective object…

  14. "Disadvantaged Learners": Who Are We Targeting? Understanding the Targeting of Widening Participation Activity in the United Kingdom Using Geo-Demographic Data from Southwest England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Neil; Hatt, Sue

    2010-01-01

    This paper analyses the definition of the appropriate target group for widening participation activities advanced by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in their "Targeting Disadvantaged Learners" advice to Aimhigher and higher education providers. This definition includes components of area deprivation and higher education…

  15. Pilot Study on the Feasibility and Indicator Effects of Collaborative Online Projects on Science Learning for English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Terrazas-Arellanes, Fatima E.; Knox, Carolyn; Walden, Emily

    2015-01-01

    The 2006 National Science Board called for new strategies and instructional materials for teachers to better serve English Learners' (EL) needs. Bilingual Collaborative Online Projects in science were created to assist ELs' construction of science knowledge, facilitate academic English acquisition, and improve science learning. Two bilingual…

  16. Strategies for Improving Learner Metacognition in Health Professional Education

    PubMed Central

    Medina, Melissa S.; Castleberry, Ashley N.

    2017-01-01

    Metacognition is an essential skill in critical thinking and self-regulated, lifelong learning. It is important for learners to have skills in metacognition because they are used to monitor and regulate reasoning, comprehension, and problem-solving, which are fundamental components/outcomes of pharmacy curricula. Instructors can help learners develop metacognitive skills within the classroom and experiential setting by carefully designing learning activities within courses and the curriculum. These skills are developed through intentional questioning, modeling techniques, and reflection. This article discusses key background literature on metacognition and identifies specific methods and strategies to develop learners’ metacognitive skills in both the classroom and experiential settings. PMID:28630519

  17. Phonemic awareness of English second language learners

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Background The PA skills of phonological blending and segmentation and auditory word discrimination relate directly to literacy and may be weak in English second language (EL2) learners. In South Africa, literacy skills have been found to be poor in especially EL2 learners. Objectives The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of vowel perception and production intervention on phonemic awareness (PA) and literacy skills of Setswana first language (L1) learners. These learners are English second language (EL2) learners in Grade 3. Method The present study employed a quasi-experimental, pre-test–post-test design. Results The findings of low–literacy skill levels concurred with previous investigations. However, post-test results of intervention in PA seemed to improve the literacy skills of EL2 learners. Conclusion PA skills should be a crucial part of the literacy curriculum in South Africa. PMID:28155282

  18. Sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Mbonge subdivision of rural Cameroon.

    PubMed

    Tarkang, Elvis Enowbeyang

    2015-01-01

    Since female learners in high schools in Cameroon fall within the age group hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, it is assumed that these learners might be exposed to sexual risk behaviours. However, little has been explored on the sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Cameroon. This study aimed at examining the sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Mbonge subdivision of rural Cameroon. A cross sectional design was adopted, using a self-administered questionnaire for data collection. Respondents were selected through disproportional stratified simple random sampling resulting in 210 female grade 10 to grade 12 learners from three participating high schools in Mbonge subdivision, Cameroon. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS version 20 software program. Majority of the respondents, 54.0% reported being sexually active, of whom only 39.8% used condoms during first sex; 49.5% used condoms during last sex and 29.6% used condoms consistently. Up to 32% of the sexually active respondents had multiple sexual partners in the past one year before the study, while 9.3% had multiple sexual partners during the study period. The mean age of first sex was 15.6 years. Lack of parental control, religion, academic profile, poverty, place of residence and perception of risk of HIV infection were the main factors significantly associated with sexual risk behaviours. The findings indicate that sexual risk behaviours exist among high school female learners in Mbonge, Cameroon. There is need for campaigns and interventions to bring about sexual behaviour change.

  19. Sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Mbonge subdivision of rural Cameroon

    PubMed Central

    Tarkang, Elvis Enowbeyang

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Since female learners in high schools in Cameroon fall within the age group hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, it is assumed that these learners might be exposed to sexual risk behaviours. However, little has been explored on the sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Cameroon. This study aimed at examining the sexual risk behaviours of high school female learners in Mbonge subdivision of rural Cameroon. Methods A cross sectional design was adopted, using a self-administered questionnaire for data collection. Respondents were selected through disproportional stratified simple random sampling resulting in 210 female grade 10 to grade 12 learners from three participating high schools in Mbonge subdivision, Cameroon. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS version 20 software program. Results Majority of the respondents, 54.0% reported being sexually active, of whom only 39.8% used condoms during first sex; 49.5% used condoms during last sex and 29.6% used condoms consistently. Up to 32% of the sexually active respondents had multiple sexual partners in the past one year before the study, while 9.3% had multiple sexual partners during the study period. The mean age of first sex was 15.6 years. Lack of parental control, religion, academic profile, poverty, place of residence and perception of risk of HIV infection were the main factors significantly associated with sexual risk behaviours. Conclusion The findings indicate that sexual risk behaviours exist among high school female learners in Mbonge, Cameroon. There is need for campaigns and interventions to bring about sexual behaviour change. PMID:26090007

  20. The Local Control Funding Formula: An Opportunity for Early Childhood & Dual Language Learners. Increasing Resources for Early Childhood through the Local Control Funding Formula: A Guide for Early Childhood Advocates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Children Now, 2016

    2016-01-01

    According to the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) law, most school districts in the state are responsible for using LCFF funds to improve outcomes for English language learners, also known as dual language learners. Each district has created a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), the funding plan for LCFF. The LCAP is reviewed and…

  1. Lessons from High-Performing Hispanic Schools: Creating Learning Communities. Critical Issues in Educational Leadership Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reyes, Pedro, Ed.; Scribner, Jay D., Ed.; Scribner, Alicia Paredes, Ed.

    The current poor condition of education for Hispanic students need not exist. This book reports on high-performing schools along the Texas-Mexico border that have achieved schoolwide success by creating communities of learners. Three elementary, three middle, and two high schools in the border region were selected for study based on the following…

  2. Effects of an Online Learning Community on Active and Reflective Learners' Learning Performance and Attitudes in a Face-to-Face Undergraduate Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhan, Zehui; Xu, Fuyin; Ye, Huiwen

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an Online Learning Community (OLC) on active and reflective learners' learning performance and attitude in a face-to-face undergraduate digital design course. 814 freshmen in an introductory digital design course were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: one offered students an OLC,…

  3. Impact of Consciousness-Raising Activities on Young English Language Learners' Grammar Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fatemipour, Hamidreza; Hemmati, Shiva

    2015-01-01

    Grammar Consciousness-Raising (GCR) is an approach to teaching of grammar which learners instead of being taught the given rules, experience language data. The data challenge them to rethink, restructure their existing mental grammar and construct an explicit rule to describe the grammatical feature which the data illustrate (Ellis, 2002). And…

  4. Interaction of African American Learners Online: An Adult Education Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kang, Haijun; Yang, Yang

    2016-01-01

    This study examines how various life factors and personal attributes affect African American adult learners' use of the three types of learning interaction-learner-content, learner-instructor, and learner-learner. Multivariate multiple regression analyses were used. The aggregate effect of life factors on African American adult learners' use of…

  5. Inclusive Instructional Design: Creating a "Learner" Version of Instructional Design That Fosters Active Learner Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gropper, George L.

    2015-01-01

    The author notes: "A personal anecdote is an apt opening to this article. An assignment I once had called for assessing texts in a pre-med curriculum. In reviewing a calculus text, a subject in which I had no expertise then or now, I had trouble following an "explanation." I was able to identify where and why the text let me down.…

  6. Dimensionality in Language Learners' Personal Epistemologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nikitina, Larisa; Furuoka, Fumitaka

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to examine dimensionality in language learners' epistemic beliefs. To achieve this, a survey was conducted using a newly-developed research instrument-"Language Learners' Epistemic Beliefs" (LLEB) questionnaire. Based on a review of literature, it was proposed that language learners' epistemic beliefs would cluster in…

  7. Exploring high school learners' perceptions of bullying.

    PubMed

    Blake, Patricia; Louw, Johann

    2010-12-01

    Learners' perceptions of aspects of school life that are sufficiently serious to interfere with their schoolwork were investigated. Bullying was a form of behaviour that was singled out for inclusion and further exploration in the study. Learners from three coeducational Western Cape Education Department schools were surveyed: 414 Grade 8 and 474 Grade 9 learners completed an anonymous, voluntary self-report questionnaire. Factors identified as most frequently interfering with their schoolwork included classmates not listening in class, feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork, teacher absenteeism, and verbal fighting. When asked specifically about bullying, 40% of learners indicated that they frequently experienced bullying at school-although they ranked it as much lower when compared to other potentially problematic school experiences. Furthermore, although the majority of learners indicated they thought teachers considered bullying a problem, few felt there was anything that school staff could do to counteract bullying effectively. These findings suggest that learners perceive bullying as an unavoidable part of school experience and have normalised this aggressive behaviour.

  8. The Relationship between Reading Proficiency and Reading Strategy Use: A Study of Adult ESL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Jiuhan; Nisbet, Deanna

    2014-01-01

    This article explores the relationship between reading strategy use and reading proficiency among 121 adult ESL learners. Reading strategy use was measured by the SORS, and reading proficiency was determined by the CASAS Reading Test and BEST Literacy Test. Findings of the study reveal that (a) adult ESL learners are active strategies users; (b)…

  9. Advising Adult Learners. NACADA Task Force Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Polson, Cheryl; And Others

    A study examined the scope of existing services for adult learners attending universities and colleges. Survey instruments designed to gather data on institutional support for adult learner services, special target groups identified by individual institutions, and institutional barriers confronted by adult learners on campus were mailed to a…

  10. Collaborative Revision in L2 Writing: Learners' Reflections

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Memari Hanjani, Alireza

    2016-01-01

    L2 learning literature has reflected on the problems surrounding the application of teacher written feedback and peer feedback in EFL contexts. To address the disadvantages of these feedback forms, this exploratory case study examined EFL learners' reactions to a collaborative revision activity. Interview data were collected from eight native…

  11. An Analysis of Learners in Introductory Astronomy Massive Open Online Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buxner, Sanlyn; Formanek, Martin; Impey, Chris David; Wenger, Matthew

    2016-06-01

    We describe learners enrolled in three iterations of introductory astronomy massive open online courses (MOOCs). These courses are offered through commercial providers and facilitated by an instructional team at the University of Arizona. We describe an ongoing study of those who enroll, engage in, and complete these courses. The course has undergone several revisions, including integrating pedagogical techniques, found to be effective for in-person courses, to increase engagement including peer review, online discussions, and the use of cohorts. In its current version, learners enroll on a continual basis and complete 11 weeks of course content; they watch videos, complete content quizzes, submit writing assignments, complete peer review of other students’ work, and complete online citizen science projects. Tens of thousands of students has signed up for these courses but completion rates are much lower, around 10%. We have collected survey data from over 8,500 of these learners to assess their basic science knowledge, attitudes towards science and technology, motivations for taking the courses, and information about other ways they engage in science related activities. We present information about these learners, including their demographics, motivations, how they use the courses, and what factors lead to increased engagement and completion. Additionally, we present how survey data from these learners compare to 26 years of data we have collected from parallel group of undergraduate non-science major students enrolled in astronomy courses at the University of Arizona. Overall, we find that learners who enroll in the MOOCs have more interest in science and higher basic science knowledge that undergraduates who pay tuition for a similar course. Our work is helping us understand how to better serve learners in MOOCs and bridge more traditional courses with these types of courses.

  12. The Learner-Centered Curriculum: Design and Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cullen, Roxanne; Harris, Michael; Hill, Reinhold R.

    2012-01-01

    Most of the scholarship on learner-centeredness is focused on individual classroom pedagogy, but this book takes learner-centeredness beyond the classroom and asks academic leaders to consider the broader implications of making their institutions fully learner-centered. Systemic change is needed, and curriculum is at the heart of what higher…

  13. An Open Learner Model for Trainee Pilots

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gakhal, Inderdip; Bull, Susan

    2008-01-01

    This paper investigates the potential for simple open learner models for highly motivated, independent learners, using the example of trainee pilots. In particular we consider whether such users access their learner model to help them identify their current knowledge level, areas of difficulty and specific misconceptions, to help them plan their…

  14. Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silverman, Linda Kreger

    This book describes the unique characteristics of visual-spatial learners and teaching techniques designed for this population. Following a quiz to identify visual-spatial learners, chapters address: (1) how visual-spatial learners think and the plight of being non-sequential; (2) the power of the right hemisphere, eye movement patterns, and…

  15. Demonized Learners in Sociocultural Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Joanna

    2016-01-01

    Within the frameworks of Sociocultural theory, particularly Vygotskian sociocultural theory and ZPD, Lave and Wenger's CoP, and contemporary sociocultural theory, this paper seeks to examine the unfavourable scholarly portrayal of learners and their identities based on learners' behaviours, attitudes, and beliefs about the social element of…

  16. Person-Oriented Approaches to Profiling Learners in Technology-Rich Learning Environments for Ecological Learner Modeling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jang, Eunice Eunhee; Lajoie, Susanne P.; Wagner, Maryam; Xu, Zhenhua; Poitras, Eric; Naismith, Laura

    2017-01-01

    Technology-rich learning environments (TREs) provide opportunities for learners to engage in complex interactions involving a multitude of cognitive, metacognitive, and affective states. Understanding learners' distinct learning progressions in TREs demand inquiry approaches that employ well-conceived theoretical accounts of these multiple facets.…

  17. "Can We Do That Again?" Engaging Learners and Developing beyond the "Wow" Factor in Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Astall, Chris; Bruce, Warren

    2010-01-01

    Adding Mentos to an open bottle of Diet Coke can produce a fountain of liquid and froth extending several metres high. This activity can engage a wide audience of learners in a relevant and meaningful way, provide a model for creative science teaching, and help to develop learners' attitudes towards school science as a subject. In this paper, the…

  18. Learner Groups in Massive Open Online Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arora, Skand; Goel, Manav; Sabitha, A. Sai; Mehrotra, Deepti

    2017-01-01

    The open nature of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) attracts a large number of learners with different backgrounds, skills, motivations, and goals. This has brought a need to understand such heterogeneity in populations of MOOC learners. Categorizing these learners based upon their interaction with the course can help address this need and…

  19. Don’t Assume Deaf Students are Visual Learners

    PubMed Central

    Marschark, Marc; Paivio, Allan; Spencer, Linda J.; Durkin, Andreana; Borgna, Georgianna; Convertino, Carol; Machmer, Elizabeth

    2016-01-01

    In the education of deaf learners, from primary school to postsecondary settings, it frequently is suggested that deaf students are visual learners. That assumption appears to be based on the visual nature of signed languages—used by some but not all deaf individuals—and the fact that with greater hearing losses, deaf students will rely relatively more on vision than audition. However, the questions of whether individuals with hearing loss are more likely to be visual learners than verbal learners or more likely than hearing peers to be visual learners have not been empirically explored. Several recent studies, in fact, have indicated that hearing learners typically perform as well or better than deaf learners on a variety of visual-spatial tasks. The present study used two standardized instruments to examine learning styles among college deaf students who primarily rely on sign language or spoken language and their hearing peers. The visual-verbal dimension was of particular interest. Consistent with recent indirect findings, results indicated that deaf students are no more likely than hearing students to be visual learners and are no stronger in their visual skills and habits than their verbal skills and habits, nor are deaf students’ visual orientations associated with sign language skills. The results clearly have specific implications for the educating of deaf learners. PMID:28344430

  20. Anatomy of the story: Narratives of mortuary science learners and graduates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moreno, Jose Luis

    in a traditional dissertation such as relevant literature and overall study design. Using the human anatomy as a metaphor, study findings are presented through navel, heart, mind, hands, and legs. The study participants represent the navel. A rich description of nine Mortuary Science learners and graduates and their career journey is provided. The heart represents the values that professionals in Mortuary Science seek to instilled in learners and practitioners: empathy, care and respect for the dead, investment and satisfaction with a job well done, confidence, and eagerness to learn. The mind speaks to the critical analysis of the story to dismantle stereotypes held by learners (e.g., performing autopsies and minimum interaction with surviving relatives). The hands mold ideas and values to develop a new identity for the individuals involved. Here the participants identified the need for team development, relational learning, and on-the-job training. Finally, the legs provide mobility to the story to create an impact beyond the story teller and move people to action. This metaphor symbolizes the eagerness and good disposition of the study participants to create legacy to pave the road for the next generation of Mortuary Science professionals. Finally, recommendations for practice, tensions and challenges, ideas for future research, and concluding thoughts are provided.

  1. Learner Resistance in Metacognition Training? An Exploration of Mismatches between Learner and Teacher Agendas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jing, Huang

    2006-01-01

    This paper examines how and why learner resistance (to the teacher's goals and expectations) occurred in a metacognition-training (MT) project, which aimed to enhance reflection and autonomy in EFL learning. MT was integrated into a regular EFL reading course for second-year BA TEFL undergraduates at a Chinese university. Learner resistance in the…

  2. High School Learners' Mental Construction during Solving Optimisation Problems in Calculus: A South African Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brijlall, Deonarain; Ndlovu, Zanele

    2013-01-01

    This qualitative case study in a rural school in Umgungundlovu District in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, explored Grade 12 learners' mental constructions of mathematical knowledge during engagement with optimisation problems. Ten Grade 12 learners who do pure Mathemat-ics participated, and data were collected through structured activity sheets and…

  3. Adults as Learners. Increasing Participation and Facilitating Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cross, K. Patricia

    The literature on adult learners is reviewed, and two models of adult learning are developed. Demographic, social, and technological trends that stimulate the increasing demand for learning opportunities are examined, and the views of those who see dangers in new pressures on adults to participate in organized learning activities are considered.…

  4. ESL Teachers' Perceptions about English Learners' Reading Motivation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Protacio, Maria Selena; Jang, Bong Gee

    2016-01-01

    The role of motivation in engaging students in reading activities and thus improving their reading achievement has been widely reported for the past decades. However, despite the increasing numbers of English learners (ELs) in the United States, little is known about how teachers perceive their motivation to read. Focus group methodology was used…

  5. Guidelines for Creating Student Services Online

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    WCET, 2002

    2002-01-01

    Most campuses, recognizing the important role that student services play in learner success and retention, have a full range of student services in place to support their on-campus learners. Yet, many have failed to provide the same level of service to their off-campus learners who cannot come to campus. All students deserve access to a full array…

  6. Assistive Software for Disabled Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Sharon; Baggaley, Jon

    2004-01-01

    Previous reports in this series (#32 and 36) have discussed online software features of value to disabled learners in distance education. The current report evaluates four specific assistive software products with useful features for visually and hearing impaired learners: "ATutor", "ACollab", "Natural Voice", and "Just Vanilla". The evaluative…

  7. Chinese English Learners' Strategic Competence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Dianjian; Lai, Hongling; Leslie, Michael

    2015-01-01

    The present study aims to investigate Chinese English learners' ability to use communication strategies (CSs). The subjects are put in a relatively real English referential communication setting and the analyses of the research data show that Chinese English learners, when encountering problems in foreign language (FL) communication, are…

  8. Create a good learning environment and motivate active learning enthusiasm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bi, Weihong; Fu, Guangwei; Fu, Xinghu; Zhang, Baojun; Liu, Qiang; Jin, Wa

    2017-08-01

    In view of the current poor learning initiative of undergraduates, the idea of creating a good learning environment and motivating active learning enthusiasm is proposed. In practice, the professional tutor is allocated and professional introduction course is opened for college freshman. It can promote communication between the professional teachers and students as early as possible, and guide students to know and devote the professional knowledge by the preconceived form. Practice results show that these solutions can improve the students interest in learning initiative, so that the active learning and self-learning has become a habit in the classroom.

  9. An Analysis of Lexical Errors of Korean Language Learners: Some American College Learners' Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kang, Manjin

    2014-01-01

    There has been a huge amount of research on errors of language learners. However, most of them have focused on syntactic errors and those about lexical errors are not found easily despite the importance of lexical learning for the language learners. The case is even rarer for Korean language. In line with this background, this study was designed…

  10. Not another boring lecture: engaging learners with active learning techniques.

    PubMed

    Wolff, Margaret; Wagner, Mary Jo; Poznanski, Stacey; Schiller, Jocelyn; Santen, Sally

    2015-01-01

    Core content in Emergency Medicine Residency Programs is traditionally covered in didactic sessions, despite evidence suggesting that learners do not retain a significant portion of what is taught during lectures. We describe techniques that medical educators can use when leading teaching sessions to foster engagement and encourage self-directed learning, based on current literature and evidence about learning. When these techniques are incorporated, sessions can be effective in delivering core knowledge, contextualizing content, and explaining difficult concepts, leading to increased learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Detecting changes in student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pomeroy, Jonathon Richard

    2000-10-01

    This research study investigated the changes that occurred in six student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners over the duration of their participation in a one-year, graduate level, science teacher education program. Cases were created for each of the student teachers based on their concept maps, writing samples, interviews, lesson plans, informal interviews with cooperating teachers, and observation notes collected on biweekly visitations. The cases were divided into three dyads each consisting of two student teachers with similar preprogram and student teaching experiences. Cross case analysis revealed the existence of seven themes related to teaching science to adolescent English language learners. Further analysis suggested that student teachers that worked with experienced cooperating teachers and who had achieved a sense of autonomy over their student teaching demonstrated broad and sophisticated growth across all seven themes. Student teachers who had not achieved a sense of autonomy, demonstrated growth in two to three themes. Student teachers who demonstrated broad and sophisticated growth were able to clearly articulate their conceptions of teaching science to English language learners where as those who demonstrated limited growth were not. This research establishes the use of concept maps as a tool for detecting changes in student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners as well as the sensitivity of concept maps to detect the types of changes historically detected by writing samples and interviews. Recommendations based on the implications from are included.

  12. The Adult Learner: Some Things We Know

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fogarty, Robin J.; Pete, Brian M.

    2007-01-01

    This book addresses the "warrior" who rises to the challenge of teaching the adult learner. The discussion is designed as a catalyst for dialogue about the adult learner and to uncover the complexities of teaching this rare and riveting species. This book is organized around three interlocking themes: some things we know about the adult learner;…

  13. The Development and Evaluation of an Achievement Test for Measuring the Efficacy of Task-Based Writing Activities to Enhance Iranian EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nejad, Ferdows Mohsen; Khosravian, Fereshteh

    2014-01-01

    The present study examined the reliability of an achievement test to measure the efficacy of task-based writing activities to improve Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension at the intermediate level in a private language institute in Ilam, Iran, namely Alefba language institute. To achieve the goal, the techniques for evaluating reliability…

  14. Learner Control in Hypermedia Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scheiter, Katharina; Gerjets, Peter

    2007-01-01

    Contrary to system-controlled multimedia learning environments, hypermedia systems are characterized by a high level of interactivity. This interactivity is referred to as learner control in the respective literature. For several reasons this learner control is seen as a major advantage of hypermedia for learning and instruction. For instance,…

  15. The Classroom and Beyond: Creating a Learning Environment to Support Learners of Japanese at CEFR Levels A2.2 towards B1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ijichi, Nobuko

    2016-01-01

    Japanese is a popular choice amongst higher education students on IWLPs (Institution-Wide Language Programmes), but the language presents challenges for many learners. Students on university elective programmes begin their courses with enthusiasm but often become discouraged and drop out at the post-beginner stage. Thus Japanese elective…

  16. Shared Pedagogical Understandings: Schoolwide Inclusion Practices Supporting Learner Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abawi, Lindy; Oliver, Mark

    2013-01-01

    Educational perspectives that recommend inclusion of children with special needs into mainstream classrooms remain a controversial topic. The Melbourne Declaration declares that all young Australians should be supported to become successful learners; confident and creative individuals; and active and informed citizens. So the question remains how…

  17. Creating Healthy Active Minds for Personal Success (CHAMPS) in Middle School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shawley, Jessica

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to provide support for middle school physical education programs that meet the developmental needs of students while providing for student choice. With its health and physical education program called Creating Healthy Active Minds for Personal Success (CHAMPS), Moscow Middle School is striving to cultivate student…

  18. High Ability and Learner Characteristics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hindal, Huda; Reid, Norman; Whitehead, Rex

    2013-01-01

    The outstandingly able learner has been conceptualised, in terms of test and examination performance, as the learner showing superior academic performance which is markedly better than that of peers and in ways regarded as of value by wider society. In Kuwait, such superior examination performance leads to a classification regarded as being…

  19. Learners' and Teachers' Perceptions of Learning Analytics (LA): A Case Study of Southampton Solent University (SSU)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khan, Osama

    2017-01-01

    This paper depicts a perceptual picture of learning analytics based on the understanding of learners and teachers at the SSU as a case study. The existing literature covers technical challenges of learning analytics (LA) and how it creates better social construct for enhanced learning support, however, there has not been adequate research on…

  20. Learner Beliefs about Sociolinguistic Competence: A Qualitative Case Study of Four University Second Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Jinsuk; Rehner, Katherine

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the beliefs about second language (L2) sociolinguistic competence of four university-level advanced L2 learners. It places particular emphasis on 1) how these university learners conceptualized L2 sociolinguistic competence; 2) how they thought about two different language learning contexts (viz., the L2 classroom versus…

  1. Learners' decisions for attending Pediatric Grand Rounds: a qualitative and quantitative study.

    PubMed

    Dolcourt, Jack L; Zuckerman, Grace; Warner, Keith

    2006-04-27

    Although grand rounds plays a major educational role at academic medical centers, there has been little investigation into the factors influencing the learners' decision to attend. Greater awareness of attendees' expectations may allow grand rounds planners to better accommodate the learners' perspective, potentially making continuing education activities more attractive and inviting. We used both qualitative (part A) and quantitative (part B) techniques to investigate the motivators and barriers to grand rounds attendance. Part A investigated contextual factors influencing attendance as expressed through attendee interviews. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. We created a concept map linking key factors and their relationships. In part B we quantified the motivators and barriers identified during the initial interviews through a survey of the grand rounds audience. Sixteen persons voluntarily took part in the qualitative study (part A) by participating in one of seven group interview sessions. Of the 14 themes that emerged from these sessions, the most frequent factors motivating attendance involved competent practice and the need to know. All sessions discussed intellectual stimulation, social interaction, time constraints and convenience, licensure, content and format, and absence of cost for attending sessions. The 59 respondents to the survey (part B) identified clinically-useful topics (85%), continuing education credit (46%), cutting-edge research (27%), networking (22%), and refreshments (8%) as motivators and non-relevant topics (44%) and too busy to attend (56%) as barriers. Greater understanding of the consumers' perspective can allow planners to tailor the style, content, and logistics to make grand rounds more attractive and inviting.

  2. Learners' Satisfaction Level with Online Student Portal as a Support System in an Open and Distance eLearning Environment (ODeL)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Secreto, Percia V.; Pamulaklakin, Rhodora L.

    2015-01-01

    Learner support in an open, distance and online learning is defined as "all activities and elements in education that respond to a known learner or group of learners, and which are designed to assist in the cognitive, affective, and systemic realms of the learning process" (Brindley, et. al, 2004). Teaching and tutoring, advising and…

  3. An Analysis of Learners' Intentions toward Virtual Reality Learning Based on Constructivist and Technology Acceptance Approaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Hsiu-Mei; Liaw, Shu-Sheng

    2018-01-01

    Within a constructivist paradigm, the virtual reality technology focuses on the learner's actively interactive learning processes and attempts to reduce the gap between the learner's knowledge and a real-life experience. Recently, virtual reality technologies have been developed for a wide range of applications in education, but further research…

  4. We're Born to Learn: Using the Brain's Natural Learning Process to Create Today's Curriculum. Second Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smilkstein, Rita

    2011-01-01

    This updated edition of the bestselling book on the brain's natural learning process brings new research results and applications in a power-packed teacher tool kit. Rita Smilkstein shows teachers how to create and deliver curricula that help students become the motivated, successful, and natural learners they were born to be. Updated features…

  5. Sensitizing ESL Learners to Genre

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swami, Jasti Appa

    2008-01-01

    This article evaluates the efficacy of explicit genre-based instruction by sensitizing the ESL learners to the concept of genre. The main questions addressed are: How does sensitizing ESL learners to the rhetorical move structure of a genre, the communicative purposes of these moves, and linguistic features that realize these moves help them to…

  6. Hearing "Learner Voice" in Health Promoting Schools through Participatory Action Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sonn, Brenda; Santens, Anneleen; Ravau, Sarah

    2011-01-01

    The participation of learners in school life and learner voice is important for learner development and the implementation of school interventions. In this paper we argue that learner participation and learner voice in school-community interventions contribute to learners' development of a critical consciousness and to their understanding of…

  7. Motivation and Interlanguage Pragmatics in Iranian English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khorshidi, Hassan Rasouli; Nimchahi, Abdolreza Bagherzadeh

    2013-01-01

    It is generally believed that interlanguage pragmatics and motivation play important roles in learning. Motivation is important because it determines the extent of the learner's active involvement and attitude toward learning. The major purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of integrative and instrumental motivation on the…

  8. Teaching and Assessing Professionalism in Medical Learners and Practicing Physicians*

    PubMed Central

    Mueller, Paul S.

    2015-01-01

    Professionalism is a core competency of physicians. Clinical knowledge and skills (and their maintenance and improvement), good communication skills, and sound understanding of ethics constitute the foundation of professionalism. Rising from this foundation are behaviors and attributes of professionalism: accountability, altruism, excellence, and humanism, the capstone of which is professionalism. Patients, medical societies, and accrediting organizations expect physicians to be professional. Furthermore, professionalism is associated with better clinical outcomes. Hence, medical learners and practicing physicians should be taught and assessed for professionalism. A number of methods can be used to teach professionalism (e.g. didactic lectures, web-based modules, role modeling, reflection, interactive methods, etc.). Because of the nature of professionalism, no single tool for assessing it among medical learners and practicing physicians exists. Instead, multiple assessment tools must be used (e.g. multi-source feedback using 360-degree reviews, patient feedback, critical incident reports, etc.). Data should be gathered continuously throughout an individual’s career. For the individual learner or practicing physician, data generated by these tools can be used to create a “professionalism portfolio,” the totality of which represents a picture of the individual’s professionalism. This portfolio in turn can be used for formative and summative feedback. Data from professionalism assessments can also be used for developing professionalism curricula and generating research hypotheses. Health care leaders should support teaching and assessing professionalism at all levels of learning and practice and promote learning environments and institutional cultures that are consistent with professionalism precepts. PMID:25973263

  9. L1 Influence on the Use of English Deictic Motion Verbs for Chinese EFL Learners and French EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ziyan, Xu

    2013-01-01

    Based on Sloin's (1996b) thinking for speaking approach, the study examines L1 influence on the use of English deictic Motion verbs for Chinese EFL learners and French EFL learners. The aim is to find out whether language learners will be influenced by the particular Thinking for Speaking acquired in L1 in the process of L2 acquisition. It is…

  10. Learner-Centred Teaching Contributes in Promising Results in Improving Learner Understanding and Motivation: A Case Study at Malaysia Tertiary Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yap, Wei-Li; Neo, Mai; Neo, Tse-Kian

    2016-01-01

    In Malaysia, traditional teaching is still a common approach among many lecturers. There have been many studies that have reported its limitations and many lecturers have started to adopt a more learner-centred teaching approach to promote better learner understanding and learner motivation. Throughout this effort, it is noticed there are…

  11. Errors in Inflectional Morphemes as an Index of Linguistic Competence of Korean Heritage Language Learners and American Learners of Korean

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, So-Young

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the linguistic competence in Korean of Korean heritage language learners (HLLs), compared to English-speaking non-heritage language learners (NHLLs) of Korean. It is unclear and controversial as to whether heritage languages learners are exposed to early but are interrupted manifest as L1 competence or share more…

  12. Exploring Work-Based Foundation Skills in the ABLE Classroom. Instructional Activities and Resources for the Adult Learner [and] Supplemental Handouts for Modules. Version 1.2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carman, Priscilla; Van Horn, Barbara; Hamilton, KayLynn; Williams, Mary Kay

    This guide contains activities and resources to help adult learners develop the work-based foundation skills and knowledge areas included on the Foundation Skills Framework wheel (Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy 2000). Its four sections (basic employability skills, basic workplace knowledge, basic workplace skills, and lifelong learning…

  13. Learner Agency within the Design of an EAP Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seppälä, Riina

    2015-01-01

    To meet the demands of today's society and working life, higher education should support the development of learner agency. How the agency of individual learners emerges in university courses and what kind of agency empowers the learners to face new challenges should be considered. In this article, the focus is on learner agency enabled and…

  14. Heutagogic approach to developing capable learners.

    PubMed

    Abraham, Reem Rachel; Komattil, Ramnarayan

    2017-03-01

    The twenty-first century higher education sector has come a long way after undergoing continuous metamorphosis from pedagogy to andragogy. Most of the educational approaches adopted in medical schools are directed towards developing more of competencies and less of capability, which is the ability to use competencies in novel contexts. Competencies alone are not sufficient to thrive in the present day work place as medical profession subsumes complex contexts; it is in this scenario that, medical educators are entrusted with the challenging task of developing "capable learners". In the heutagogical approach, learners are required to decide upon what to learn and how to learn and therefore the control of the learning process is on the learner and the role of the teacher becomes that of a navigator. This paper highlights the current higher educational practices based on heutagogy, considers its application in the context of Problem-based learning and also discusses a few challenges in incorporating this approach in the existing undergraduate medical curriculum. The article proposes the use of social media in order to support learner autonomy, which in turn improves learners' cognitive engagement with content and tasks, thereby assisting the development of attributes associated with capability.

  15. Delivering Instruction to Adult Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cantor, Jeffrey A.

    This guide to working with adult learners approaches the job of the instructor from a threefold perspective that focuses on the role of the instructor as a professional, the needs of the learner, and the instructional process and related technology. Chapter 1 examines the role of an effective instructor as a behavior model and change agent.…

  16. Profiling Mobile English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Byrne, Jason; Diem, Robert

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to use an app-embedded survey to profile language learner demographics. A total of 3,759 EFL language learners from primarily eight L1 backgrounds (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Thai) responded to the survey embedded within a popular English grammar app. This app has over 500,000…

  17. Conceptualizing Language Learners: Socioinstitutional Mechanisms and Their Consequences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kibler, Amanda K.; Valdés, Guadalupe

    2016-01-01

    Through examination of one recently manufactured term for language learners (Long-term English Learners) and review of a century of "MLJ" articles, we examine varying "socioinstitutional" conceptualizations of second/foreign/heritage language learners as shaped by educational institutions and related stakeholders over time,…

  18. Raising the Motivation and Self-Esteem of All Learners by Creating a Climate for All Talents to Flourish: Developing Empowerment for Life

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallace, Belle

    2008-01-01

    The issues discussed in this article have arisen from 12 in-depth case studies of "successful" schools in England, which were carried out during the academic year 2006/2007. However the practices that have emerged from these case studies are universally applicable when one analyses the factors that enabled learners to develop…

  19. FipsOrtho: A Spell Checker for Learners of French

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    L'Haire, Sebastien

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents FipsOrtho, a spell checker targeted at learners of French, and a corpus of learners' errors which has been gathered to test the system and to get a sample of specific language learners' errors. Spell checkers are a standard feature of many software products, however they are not designed for specific language learners' errors.…

  20. Older Lifelong Learners' Motivations for Participating in Formal Volunteer Activities in Urban Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yamashita, Takashi; López, Erick B.; Soligo, Marta; Keene, Jennifer R.

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, volunteering has received increasing attention as a unique form of learning, one which may complement lifelong learning programs for older adults. This study examined the underlying volunteer motivations as well as formal volunteer behaviors among older adult lifelong learners. Data from 277 members of the Osher Lifelong Learning…

  1. The adult learner: is it necessary to understand for teaching in anesthesiology.

    PubMed

    Gaiser, Robert R

    2010-01-01

    Educators came to realize what internists and pediatricians have known all along: adults and children are not the same. They differ in physiology, pharmacology, and learning. To approach teaching of the adult learner as one would a child is likely to fail. To effectively design and execute a curriculum for the adult, the teacher must consider the role of personal experience, learning preparedness, learning orientation, and motivation to learn. Although these principles may seem novel, they represent good judgment when teaching the adult. The key factor for the educator is to determine the needs of the adult (which is typically based upon personal experience) and then design and implement a curriculum based upon these needs. This approach is backward from the approach used in children in which the curriculum is established without any input from the learner. One other means to improve success is to foster personal reflection upon the teaching by the adult learner. This reflection may develop from carefully phrased questions, from activities in applying the knowledge, or from within the learner. By helping the learner to reflect, the true goals of the teaching may be achieved and the teacher is rewarded by having a more knowledgeable provider, who is able to use and to question the new knowledge. The cycle of adult learning is completed but also starts again.

  2. Actors and Avatars: Why Learners Prefer Digital Agents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donovan, Paul

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare learner experiences of recorded instructional videos (DVDs) with Machinima. Design/methodology/approach: In this exploratory study, sets of learning sequences in management skills training were delivered to 32 learners using both methods, and learner reactions were gathered using post-event…

  3. Online English Language Learners' Perceptions of Portfolio Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baturay, Meltem Huri

    2015-01-01

    Portfolio assessment has been implemented in many core disciplines for quality assurance and consistent assessment of learner outcomes. For English language learning, for which varying proficiency levels of learners exist, portfolios are suggested to assess individual learners' progress. The current study was carried out in an online English…

  4. Neuroblastoma arginase activity creates an immunosuppressive microenvironment that impairs autologous and engineered immunity

    PubMed Central

    Mussai, Francis; Egan, Sharon; Hunter, Stuart; Webber, Hannah; Fisher, Jonathan; Wheat, Rachel; McConville, Carmel; Sbirkov, Yordan; Wheeler, Kate; Bendle, Gavin; Petrie, Kevin; Anderson, John; Chesler, Louis; De Santo, Carmela

    2015-01-01

    Neuroblastoma is the most common extra cranial solid tumour of childhood, and survival remains poor for patients with advanced disease. Novel immune therapies are currently in development, but clinical outcomes have not matched preclinical results. Here, we describe key mechanisms in which neuroblastoma inhibits the immune response. We show that murine and human neuroblastoma tumour cells suppress T cell proliferation, through increased arginase activity. Arginase II is the predominant isoform expressed and creates an arginine deplete local and systemic microenvironment. Neuroblastoma arginase activity results in inhibition of myeloid cell activation and suppression of bone marrow CD34+ progenitor proliferation. Finally we demonstrate that the arginase activity of neuroblastoma impairs NY-ESO-1 specific TCR and GD2-specific CAR engineered T cell proliferation and cytotoxicity. High arginase II expression correlates with poor survival for neuroblastoma patients. The results support the hypothesis that neuroblastoma creates an arginase-dependent immunosuppressive microenvironment in both the tumour and blood that leads to impaired immune surveillance and sub-optimal efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches. PMID:26054597

  5. An Interview Study of Learner Motivation and Learner Involvement in Mandatory College-Level Academic Writing Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vanniarajan, Swathi M.

    2011-01-01

    Scholarship in applied linguistics has not sufficiently addressed learner motivation in mandatory writing classes in postsecondary settings. The data collected through short interviews from 20 students enrolled in a mandatory academic writing program at the junior/senior level in a California State University indicated that learner motivation in…

  6. Fostering Learner Autonomy: Power and Reciprocity in the Relationship between Language Learner and Language Learning Adviser

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ciekanski, Maud

    2007-01-01

    Developments in lifelong learning and learner autonomy have given fresh impetus to the debate about learning without formal teaching. This paper concerns the educational relationship between learner and adviser in self-directed schemes. Two French self-directed language learning set-ups were observed, one situated at university level (Systeme…

  7. Prospective Teachers' Metaphorical Conceptualizations of Learner

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saban, Ahmet

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated the metaphorical images that prospective teachers in Turkey formulated to describe learners. Participants (N = 2847) completed the prompt "A student is like ... because ..." to indicate their conceptualizations of learner. Data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Altogether 98 well-articulated…

  8. The Online Theology Classroom: Strategies for Engaging a Community of Distance Learners in a Hybrid Model of Online Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hege, Brent A. R.

    2011-01-01

    One factor contributing to success in online education is the creation of a safe and vibrant virtual community and sustained, lively engagement with that community of learners. In order to create and engage such a community instructors must pay special attention to the relationship between technology and pedagogy, specifically in terms of issues…

  9. Creating Belonging and Transformation through the Adoption of Flexible Pedagogies in Masters Level International Business Management Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matheson, Ruth; Sutcliffe, Mark

    2017-01-01

    Flexible pedagogies [Ryan and Tilbury 2013. "Flexible Pedagogies: New Pedagogical Ideas." York: Higher Education Academy] place learner empowerment at the centre of curriculum development. Learner empowerment requires students to feel that they belong and are active in the learning process. This paper illuminates how, through the…

  10. The Cerebral Basis for Language Learner Strategies: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Takeuchi, Osamu; Ikeda, Maiko; Mizumoto, Atsushi

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, we validate Macaro's (2006) model of strategy use among language learners by assessing the amount of neural activity around the prefrontal cortex, the supposed locus of working memory (WM). We also examine whether WM activation during first language (L1) strategy deployment is lower than WM activation during second language (L2)…

  11. Introduction to Reproduction: Online Education for the Millennial Learner.

    PubMed

    Castle, Megan; Kick, Laura; Haseley, Heather; Wallach, Harlan; Woodruff, Teresa K

    2016-07-01

    Despite staggering rates of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies, reproductive health education is not yet standardized across secondary or postsecondary curricula. The Women's Health Research Institute and Northwestern University Information Technology created Introduction to Reproduction, a massive open online course to encourage global students to learn the biological foundations of reproductive health. This digital education experience appeals to the Millennial learner and offers unique opportunities to explore topics in reproductive biology via lectures, animations, and three-dimensional anatomical illustrations. Data were collected anonymously from de-identified learners who elected to self-report on their experiences while completing the course as well as through Coursera datasets. Northwestern University's Institutional Review Board classified this research project as an exempt status due to the de-identified nature of the collected data. Participants from 47 countries report on reproductive health content knowledge, past reproductive health education, and level of engagement with the topic. These data indicate that the Introduction to Reproduction course has a meaningful impact on its participants and presents the information in a concise and accessible format. Distribution of this course to a wider audience is the goal for the program and important to the field of reproductive health. © 2016 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

  12. Oral Dialogue Journals and Iranian EFL Learners' Pronunciation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beh-Afarin, Seyed Reza; Moradkhan, Dennis; Monfared, Amirhossein

    2009-01-01

    This study focused on the impact of oral dialogue journals on Iranian EFL learners' pronunciation. Three classes of intermediate learners, after being reassured of their homogeneity, were randomly assigned to treatment (14 students), control (9 students), and placebo (10 students) groups. Learners in the treatment group had to respond to the…

  13. The Adult Learner in the Online Writing Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoy, Cheryl A.

    2010-01-01

    Because a gap in scholarly literature exists concerning the adult learner in the online writing course, I researched the effects of the online learning environment on adult learners in an online intermediate writing course offered through the Adult Learner Services Program at Bowling Green State University. This dissertation argues that online…

  14. Advancing Learner Autonomy in TEFL via Collaborative Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacobs, George M.; Shan, Tan Hui

    2015-01-01

    The present paper begins by situating learner autonomy and collaborative learning as part of a larger paradigm shift towards student-centred learning. Next are brief discussions of learner autonomy and how learner autonomy links with collaborative learning. In the main part of the paper, four central principles of collaborative learning are…

  15. Developing Learners' Second Language Communicative Competence through Active Learning: Clickers or Communicative Approach?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agbatogun, Alaba Olaoluwakotansibe

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of clickers, the communicative approach and the lecture method on the communicative competence development of learners who were taught English a second language (ESL). Ninety nine pupils from three primary schools participated in the study. Quasi-experimental non-randomised pre-test posttest…

  16. Investigating ESL Learners' Lexical Collocations: The Acquisition of Verb + Noun Collocations by Japanese Learners of English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miyakoshi, Tomoko

    2009-01-01

    Although it is widely acknowledged that collocations play an important part in second language learning, especially at intermediate-advanced levels, learners' difficulties with collocations have not been investigated in much detail so far. The present study examines ESL learners' use of verb-noun collocations, such as "take notes," "place an…

  17. A Dynamic Analysis of Why Learners Develop a Preference for Autonomous Learners in Computer-Mediated Communication

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rienties, Bart; Tempelaar, Dirk; Giesbers, Bas; Segers, Mien; Gijselaers, Wim

    2014-01-01

    A large number of studies in CMC have assessed how social interaction, processes and learning outcomes are intertwined. The present research explores how the degree of self-determination of learners, that is the motivational orientation of a learner, influences the communication and interaction patterns in an online Problem Based Learning…

  18. The Effect of Flipped Model of Instruction on EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension: Learners' Attitudes in Focus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karimi, Mehrnoosh; Hamzavi, Raouf

    2017-01-01

    The present study aimed at investigating the effect of flipped model of instruction on EFL learners' reading comprehension ability. Moreover, this study aimed at identifying EFL students' attitudes toward flipped model of instruction. To this end, 60 EFL learners studying at an accredited private language institute in Isfahan were first…

  19. The Good Language Learner: Another Look.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiss, Mary-Ann

    1985-01-01

    A study of the learning techniques and strategies of successful learners revealed these strategies: monitoring which often involves silent speaking, attending to form and meaning, guessing, practicing, motivation to communicate, and mnemonics. It also revealed a high tolerance for ambiguity in successful learners. (MSE)

  20. Eye Movements of Online Chinese Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stickler, Ursula; Shi, Lijing

    2015-01-01

    Although online tutorials are becoming commonplace for language teaching, very few studies to date have provided insights into learners' behaviours in synchronous online interactions from their own perspective. This study employs eyetracking technology to investigate ten learners' attention during synchronous online language learning in a…

  1. Online Games for Young Learners' Foreign Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Butler, Yuko Goto; Someya, Yuumi; Fukuhara, Eiji

    2014-01-01

    Young learners' use of instructional games in foreign language learning is not yet well understood. Using games that were part of the learning tools for an online assessment, Jido-Eiken, a standardized English proficiency test for young learners in Japan, we examined young learners' game-playing behaviours and the relationship of these behaviours…

  2. Gender agreement violations modulate beta oscillatory dynamics during sentence comprehension: A comparison of second language learners and native speakers.

    PubMed

    Lewis, Ashley Glen; Lemhӧfer, Kristin; Schoffelen, Jan-Mathijs; Schriefers, Herbert

    2016-08-01

    For native speakers, many studies suggest a link between oscillatory neural activity in the beta frequency range and syntactic processing. For late second language (L2) learners on the other hand, the extent to which the neural architecture supporting syntactic processing is similar to or different from that of native speakers is still unclear. In a series of four experiments, we used electroencephalography to investigate the link between beta oscillatory activity and the processing of grammatical gender agreement in Dutch determiner-noun pairs, for Dutch native speakers, and for German L2 learners of Dutch. In Experiment 1 we show that for native speakers, grammatical gender agreement violations are yet another among many syntactic factors that modulate beta oscillatory activity during sentence comprehension. Beta power is higher for grammatically acceptable target words than for those that mismatch in grammatical gender with their preceding determiner. In Experiment 2 we observed no such beta modulations for L2 learners, irrespective of whether trials were sorted according to objective or subjective syntactic correctness. Experiment 3 ruled out that the absence of a beta effect for the L2 learners in Experiment 2 was due to repetition of the target nouns in objectively correct and incorrect determiner-noun pairs. Finally, Experiment 4 showed that when L2 learners are required to explicitly focus on grammatical information, they show modulations of beta oscillatory activity, comparable to those of native speakers, but only when trials are sorted according to participants' idiosyncratic lexical representations of the grammatical gender of target nouns. Together, these findings suggest that beta power in L2 learners is sensitive to violations of grammatical gender agreement, but only when the importance of grammatical information is highlighted, and only when participants' subjective lexical representations are taken into account. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All

  3. English Language Learners' Epistemic Beliefs about Vocabulary Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ziegler, Nathan E.

    2014-01-01

    There is a growing body of work that examines the epistemic beliefs of learners and the role those beliefs play in the development of their critical thinking and other cognitive processes (Hofer, 2001). This study examines the epistemic beliefs of English language learners, a population of learners that is relatively understudied on the topic of…

  4. The Learner's Place in e-Learning Project Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bartz, Janet

    2010-01-01

    An e-learning project is a balance of time, cost, and scope measured against learner engagement. With this measure, the learner is part of every stage in the project's development. Assessing decisions with regards to learner impact will contribute to a more engaging and therefore successful project. To illustrate this concept, this paper will…

  5. Adult Language Learners: Context and Innovation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Ann F. V., Ed.; Strong, Gregory, Ed.

    2009-01-01

    "Adult Language Learners: Context and Innovation" presents instructional practices that are particularly successful with adults. Adult language learners are goal oriented and direct their learning to fulfill particular needs or demands: to advance their studies, to progress up the career ladder, to follow business opportunities, to pass…

  6. The Effect of Teaching Memory Strategies on Iranian EFL Learner's Vocabulary Retention in Terms of Learners' Multiple Intelligences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abbassi, Adele; Hassaskhah, Jaleh; Tahriri, Abdorreza

    2018-01-01

    This study targeted to explore the effect of memory strategy on EFL learners' vocabulary retention with a consideration of learners' multiple intelligences. In this study, the memory strategy consisted of three parts of grouping, acronym and images. The participants of this study were 80 male and female EFL learners of intermediate level who…

  7. Aspects of Lexical Sophistication in Advanced Learners' Oral Production: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use in L2 French and Italian

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bardel, Camilla; Gudmundson, Anna; Lindqvist, Christina

    2012-01-01

    This article reports on the design and use of a profiler for lexical sophistication (i.e., use of advanced vocabulary), which was created to assess the lexical richness of intermediate and advanced Swedish second language (L2) learners' French and Italian. It discusses how teachers' judgments (TJs) of word difficulty can contribute to the…

  8. Integrating Learning Styles and Personality Traits into an Affective Model to Support Learner's Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leontidis, Makis; Halatsis, Constantin

    The aim of this paper is to present a model in order to integrate the learning style and the personality traits of a learner into an enhanced Affective Style which is stored in the learner’s model. This model which can deal with the cognitive abilities as well as the affective preferences of the learner is called Learner Affective Model (LAM). The LAM is used to retain learner’s knowledge and activities during his interaction with a Web-based learning environment and also to provide him with the appropriate pedagogical guidance. The proposed model makes use of an ontological approach in combination with the Bayesian Network model and contributes to the efficient management of the LAM in an Affective Module.

  9. Enhancing EFL Learners' Writing Skill via Journal Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tuan, Luu Trong

    2010-01-01

    "Frequently accepted as being the last language skill to be acquired for native speakers of the language as well as for foreign/second language learners" (Hamp-Lyons and Heasly, 2006: 2), English writing, for a number of EFL learners, appears to be challenging. This paper sought to investigate if learners can grow out of the writing…

  10. Working Together Online to Enhance Learner Autonomy: Analysis of Learners' Perceptions of Their Online Learning Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eneau, Jerome; Develotte, Christine

    2012-01-01

    This study concerns the development of autonomy in adult learners working on an online learning platform as part of a professional master's degree programme in "French as a Foreign Language". Our goal was to identify the influence of reflective and collaborative dimensions on the construction of autonomy for online learners in this programme. The…

  11. Nurse learners--do nurse tutors know them?

    PubMed

    Moule, P

    1995-04-01

    Research was undertaken to establish the social profile of Project 2000 (Diploma) learners, and to determine when, and with whose influence, learners make decisions to enter nursing. The image of nursing held by the group was sought and nurse tutors perceptions of the group were obtained, using a questionnaire method. Results analysed using statistical measures and content analysis showed that the majority of learners came from middle socio-economic backgrounds, generally decided to enter nursing whilst at school, and were influenced by nursing role models and the media. The learners perceptions and expectations of nursing were influenced by their experiences and showed some differences when compared with tutor responses. The findings from this small study imply the need for the dissemination of accurate and appropriate recruitment information to school personnel and career advisors. Effective marketing which addresses influences of the media and nursing role models should be employed, and finally nurse tutors need to be conversant with course content and learner expectations to facilitate effective recruitment policies and curriculum development.

  12. Valuing the Advanced Learner: Differentiating up

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manning, Sandra; Stanford, Barbara; Reeves, Stacy

    2010-01-01

    In today's educational climate, differentiated instruction is a common practice for students who need remediation; what is less common is to Differentiate Instruction for the advanced learner. Contrary to popular perceptions, advanced learners do not automatically differentiate instruction on their own. Students who have the potential to excel…

  13. Career Guidance for Special Needs Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Francis A., Jr.

    1982-01-01

    A career guidance institute for educators working with handicapped and disadvantaged learners included 10 hours of seminar/classroom guidance experiences devoted to theory. Each participant then undertook a 40-hour work internship designed to provide experiences and information about entry-level jobs that special needs learners could perform. (SK)

  14. Identifying Successful Learners from Interaction Behaviour

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCuaig, Judi; Baldwin, Julia

    2012-01-01

    The interaction behaviours of successful, high-achieving learners when using a Learning Management System (LMS) are different than the behaviours of learners who are having more difficulty mastering the course material. This paper explores the idea that conventional Learning Management Systems can exploit data mining techniques to predict the…

  15. Democracy Through Learner-Centered Education: a Turkish Perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yilmaz, Kaya

    2009-01-01

    Aimed at documenting the problems and constraints confronting learner-centered instruction in Turkey, this article first explains the link between democracy and education and the role of learner-centered instruction in realizing democratic ends. By drawing on John Dewey's ideas and Turkish scholars' perspectives on Turkish education, the article then presents the problems and constraints that pose threats to the implementation of learner-centered instruction in Turkey. The author also explains the problems within the Turkish educational system and teacher education programmes, and the challenges that in-service teachers and students may experience with learner-centered instruction.

  16. Toward Modeling the Learner's Personality Using Educational Games

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Essalmi, Fathi; Tlili, Ahmed; Ben Ayed, Leila Jemni; Jemmi, Mohamed

    2017-01-01

    Learner modeling is a crucial step in the learning personalization process. It allows taking into consideration the learner's profile to make the learning process more efficient. Most studies refer to an explicit method, namely questionnaire, to model learners. Questionnaires are time consuming and may not be motivating for learners. Thus, this…

  17. Channeling Children's Energy through Vocabulary Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schindler, Andrea

    2006-01-01

    In this article, the author shares vocabulary development activities for young learners. These activities channel students' energy and make learning more effective and fun. The author stresses the importance of giving young learners a good language-learning experience, and the challenges of teaching young learners who are not literate in their L1.…

  18. College Online Developmental Reading Instruction: Creating a Path to Independent and Active Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, E. Janet

    2010-01-01

    Online courses require students to be independent readers and efficient learners. College students who need developmental reading lack these qualities; consequently, faculty do not generally view developmental reading courses as appropriate for an online format. However, an effectively designed online course based on best practices can engage less…

  19. Learner-centred teaching in a non-learner-centred world: An interpretive phenomenological study of the lived experience of clinical nursing faculty.

    PubMed

    Oyelana, Olabisi; Martin, Donna; Scanlan, Judith; Temple, Beverley

    2018-08-01

    With the growing complexities in the contemporary health care system, there is a challenge of preparing nurses for the practice demands. To this end, learner-centred teaching has emerged in many nursing curricula in Canada and evidence indicates its effectiveness in developing the essential practice skills in nursing students. It is important to examine the experience of the clinical faculty members who implement learner-centred teaching, as doing so would provide an insight to the factors that may hinder the implementation of learner-centred teaching in the practice settings. This phenomenological study aimed to address two research questions: what does learner-centred teaching mean to clinical nurse faculty? What is the lived experience of clinical nursing faculty who incorporate learner-centred teaching? Ten clinical nurse faculty members who had at least two years of clinical teaching experience volunteered to participate in the study. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide and audio recorder. Additional data sources included a demographic survey and a reflective journal. Multiple sub-themes emerged from this study from which three significant themes were consolidated: diversity of meanings, facilitators of LCT, and barriers to LCT. However, an overarching theme of "learner-centred teaching in a non-learner-centred world" was coined from participants' accounts of their experiences of barriers in incorporating LCT in the practice settings. A collaborative effort between faculty and the stakeholders is paramount to a successful implementation of learner-centred teaching in practice settings. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  20. Learner-Valued Interactions: Research into Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ley, Kathryn; Gannon-Cook, Ruth

    2014-01-01

    Online learners provide feedback that does not always match with the expectations of what university administration would expect from their feedback. Learners do not value all instructional features and conditions equally, nor do they view many of the instructional and technology features as being necessarily helpful. This paper presents research…

  1. Flexible Querying of Lifelong Learner Metadata

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poulovassilis, A.; Selmer, P.; Wood, P. T.

    2012-01-01

    This paper discusses the provision of flexible querying facilities over heterogeneous data arising from lifelong learners' educational and work experiences. A key aim of such querying facilities is to allow learners to identify possible choices for their future learning and professional development by seeing what others have done. We motivate and…

  2. East-Asian Teaching Practices through the Eyes of Western Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Rainbow Tsai-Hung

    2014-01-01

    Many East-Asian countries are actively positioning themselves as receiving countries of international students. Consequently, the number of international students in these countries is steadily growing. Given the differences between Eastern and Western conceptions of teaching and learning, it could be expected that Western learners studying in the…

  3. Fostering Active Processing of Instructional Explanations of Learners with High and Low Prior Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acuna, Santiago R.; Garcia Rodicio, Hector; Sanchez, Emilio

    2011-01-01

    Despite the potential advantages of instructional explanations, evidence indicates that they are usually ineffective. Subsequent work has shown that in order to make instructional explanations effective indeed, one successful strategy is to combine them with indications of the limitations in learners' understanding that they are intended to…

  4. Interactive TV: An Effective Instructional Mode for Adult Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Li-Ling; Iris, Carole

    2004-01-01

    The inclusion of interactive television (iTV) programs for learning is an emerging genre in education. Literature has concluded that any aspect of learning requires some form of interaction or feedback to be most effective. As television (TV) evolves from being a passive to an active medium, it has the potential to engage learners and reach a mass…

  5. E-learning for medical education: reflections of learners on patients.

    PubMed

    Walsh, Kieran

    2018-01-01

    There is a growing research interest in how healthcare professionals learn online. This paper reports an analysis of reflections that relate to patients from users of an e-learning resource, BMJ Learning. Healthcare professionals who use BMJ Learning are encouraged to reflect on their learning. Over one year, all of the learners' reflections that related to patients were captured by the programme's software and were analysed using thematic analysis. A number of key themes emerged from this analysis: many learners reflected on patients in the context of their disease; many learners reflected on how they had put their learning into action or planned to put their learning into action for the benefit of patients; many learners reflected on how they would pass on what they had learned to patients; learners greatly appreciated patients contributing to the learning. Learners predominantly reflect about patients in the context of their disease. The reflections demonstrate that learners are keen to put their learning into action for the benefit of their patients. Learners' reflections show a keen interest in the patient-centredness of the learning resources.

  6. Reading comprehension and its underlying components in second-language learners: A meta-analysis of studies comparing first- and second-language learners.

    PubMed

    Melby-Lervåg, Monica; Lervåg, Arne

    2014-03-01

    We report a systematic meta-analytic review of studies comparing reading comprehension and its underlying components (language comprehension, decoding, and phonological awareness) in first- and second-language learners. The review included 82 studies, and 576 effect sizes were calculated for reading comprehension and underlying components. Key findings were that, compared to first-language learners, second-language learners display a medium-sized deficit in reading comprehension (pooled effect size d = -0.62), a large deficit in language comprehension (pooled effect size d = -1.12), but only small differences in phonological awareness (pooled effect size d = -0.08) and decoding (pooled effect size d = -0.12). A moderator analysis showed that characteristics related to the type of reading comprehension test reliably explained the variation in the differences in reading comprehension between first- and second-language learners. For language comprehension, studies of samples from low socioeconomic backgrounds and samples where only the first language was used at home generated the largest group differences in favor of first-language learners. Test characteristics and study origin reliably contributed to the variations between the studies of language comprehension. For decoding, Canadian studies showed group differences in favor of second-language learners, whereas the opposite was the case for U.S. studies. Regarding implications, unless specific decoding problems are detected, interventions that aim to ameliorate reading comprehension problems among second-language learners should focus on language comprehension skills.

  7. Individual Differences in Learner Controlled CAI.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Judd, Wilson A.; And Others

    Two assumptions in support of learner-controlled computer-assisted instruction (CAI) are that (1) instruction administered under learner control will be less aversive than if administered under program control, and (2) the student is sufficiently aware of his learning state to make, in most instances, his own instructional decisions. Some 130…

  8. Testing ESL Learners' Knowledge of Collocations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bonk, William J.

    This study reports on the development, administration, and analysis of a test of collocational knowledge for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners of a wide range of proficiency levels. Through native speaker item validation and pilot testing, three subtests were developed and administered to 98 ESL learners of low-intermediate to advanced…

  9. Which Dictionary? A Review of the Leading Learners' Dictionaries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nesi, Hilary

    Three major dictionaries designed for learners of English as a second language are reviewed, their elements and approaches compared and evaluated, their usefulness for different learners discussed, and recommendations for future dictionary improvement made. The dictionaries in question are the "Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary," the…

  10. Effectiveness of objectivist online instruction on graduate learners' knowledge and competence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maryannakis, Artemios

    Online courses currently offered by aeronautical institutions are unstructured conversions of traditional courses into Web-based courses that lack the learning theory and instructional design principles framework, thus lacking the efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with the academic demands required to prepare aviation/aerospace professionals for the challenges of the technologically driven twenty-first century. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two versions of an aeronautical online graduate course on research methods knowledge and competence: a comprehensive objectivist design and an unstructured design. Quantitative, causal comparative, quasi-experimental methodology was utilized. Using criteria derived from literature, criteria were established for the development and eventual online delivery of a comprehensive objectivist instructional design on graduate research methods learning. Results revealed that the comprehensive objectivist design was significantly more effective than its unstructured counterpart on graduate learners' competence in research methods, but found no significant difference in knowledge. It was recommended that aeronautical institutions (a) create programs with critical thinking and problem solving embedded in their curriculum for enhancing learner competence, and (b) thoroughly train every online instructor in the development and use of comprehensive online instruction.

  11. A Novel Approach for Creating Activity-Aware Applications in a Hospital Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bardram, Jakob E.

    Context-aware and activity-aware computing has been proposed as a way to adapt the computer to the user’s ongoing activity. However, deductively moving from physical context - like location - to establishing human activity has proved difficult. This paper proposes a novel approach to activity-aware computing. Instead of inferring activities, this approach enables the user to explicitly model their activity, and then use sensor-based events to create, manage, and use these computational activities adjusted to a specific context. This approach was crafted through a user-centered design process in collaboration with a hospital department. We propose three strategies for activity-awareness: context-based activity matching, context-based activity creation, and context-based activity adaptation. We present the implementation of these strategies and present an experimental evaluation of them. The experiments demonstrate that rather than considering context as information, context can be a relational property that links ’real-world activities’ with their ’computational activities’.

  12. Slow Learners' Attitudes toward Fundamental Freedoms.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curtis, Charles K.

    1981-01-01

    This article reports a study that compared slow learners' attitudes toward the freedoms described in the Canadian Bill of Rights with those of vocational and academic students. As a group, slow learners in Canada scored significantly below vocational and academic students, and the scores for each group suggested only a slight libertarian bias.…

  13. Self-Esteem among Adult Literacy Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lipnevich, Anastasiya; Beder, Hal

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate adult literacy education learners' self-esteem and to examine the relationship between self-esteem and measures of achievement in reading and math. The rationale for the present study stemmed from the lack of research into adult literacy students' self-esteem levels. More than 200 learners enrolled in…

  14. Learners' Dictionaries: State of the Art. Anthology Series 23.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tickoo, Makhan L., Ed.

    A collection of articles on dictionaries for advanced second language learners includes essays on the past, present, and future of learners' dictionaries; alternative dictionaries; dictionary construction; and dictionaries and their users. Titles include: "Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; or Vaticinations on the Learners' Dictionary"…

  15. Using cognitive task analysis to create a teaching protocol for bovine dystocia.

    PubMed

    Read, Emma K; Baillie, Sarah

    2013-01-01

    When learning skilled techniques and procedures, students face many challenges. Learning is easier when detailed instructions are available, but experts often find it difficult to articulate all of the steps involved in a task or relate to the learner as a novice. This problem is further compounded when the technique is internal and unsighted (e.g., obstetrical procedures). Using expert bovine practitioners and a life-size model cow and calf, the steps and decision making involved in performing correction of two different dystocia presentations (anterior leg back and breech) were deconstructed using cognitive task analysis (CTA). Video cameras were positioned to capture movement inside and outside the cow model while the experts were asked to first perform the technique as they would in a real situation and then perform the procedure again as if articulating the steps to a novice learner. The audio segments were transcribed and, together with the video components, analyzed to create a list of steps for each expert. Consensus was achieved between experts during individual interviews followed by a group discussion. A "gold standard" list or teaching protocol was created for each malpresentation. CTA was useful in defining the technical and cognitive steps required to both perform and teach the tasks effectively. Differences between experts highlight the need for consensus before teaching the skill. In addition, the study identified several different, yet effective, techniques and provided information that could allow experts to consider other approaches they might use when their own technique fails.

  16. Comparing Core-Image-Based Basic Verb Learning in an EFL Junior High School: Learner-Centered and Teacher-Centered Approaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yamagata, Satoshi

    2018-01-01

    The present study investigated the effects of two types of core-image-based basic verb learning approaches: the learner-centered and the teacher-centered approaches. The learner-centered approach was an activity in which participants found semantic relationships among several definitions of each basic target verb through a picture-elucidated card…

  17. Learner Performance in Multimedia Learning Arrangements: An Analysis across Instructional Approaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eysink, Tessa H. S.; de Jong, Ton; Berthold, Kirsten; Kolloffel, Bas; Opfermann, Maria; Wouters, Pieter

    2009-01-01

    In this study, the authors compared four multimedia learning arrangements differing in instructional approach on effectiveness and efficiency for learning: (a) hypermedia learning, (b) observational learning, (c) self-explanation-based learning, and (d) inquiry learning. The approaches all advocate learners' active attitude toward the learning…

  18. Ontario's Old Growth: A Learner's Handbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stabb, Mark

    This handbook was written in response to an identified need for more public information on Ontario's old growth forests. It is meant to be taken into old growth stands, where the learner can see, touch, and study the natural ingredients of old growth forests. Much of the handbook is a guide to forest history, helping the learner to discover…

  19. Digging Deeper into Learners' Experiences in MOOCs: Participation in Social Networks outside of MOOCs, Notetaking and Contexts Surrounding Content Consumption

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Veletsianos, George; Collier, Amy; Schneider, Emily

    2015-01-01

    Researchers describe with increasing confidence "what" they observe participants doing in massive open online courses (MOOCs). However, our understanding of learner activities in open courses is limited by researchers' extensive dependence on log file analyses and clickstream data to make inferences about learner behaviors. Further, the…

  20. Making Learning Communities Work: The Critical Role of Leader as Learner. New Directions for School Leadership. The Jossey-Bass Education Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van der Bogert, Rebecca, Ed.

    1998-01-01

    Educational literature is replete with calls for schools to become learning communities. Educational leaders are charged with creating organizations that enhance adult as well as student growth. This publication was written by members of a community of learners who are deeply involved in an ongoing struggle of almost 2 decades to create…

  1. Learner Autonomy via Asynchronous Online Interactions: A Malaysian Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaur, Ranjit; Sidhu, Gurnam Kaur

    2010-01-01

    The integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in course offerings in institutions of higher learning (IHLs) is the catalyst towards empowering learners to become autonomous lifelong learners. In an effort to produce quality and independent learners, Learning Management Systems (LMS) are seen as a means to assist educators in…

  2. Teachers' Choice and Learners' Preference of Corrective Feedback Types

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoshida, Reiko

    2008-01-01

    Corrective feedback (CF) has been investigated in relation to learners' error types that trigger CF and learners' responses to CF. These research findings generally suggest that recasts, the most frequently used type of CF, did not trigger learners' reformulation of their erroneous utterances very frequently. In these studies, however, teachers'…

  3. Supporting learner-centered technology integration through situated mentoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosenberg, Marian Goode

    Situated mentoring was used as a professional development method to help 11 high school science teachers integrate learner-centered technology. The teachers' learner-centered technology beliefs and practices as well as their perception of barriers to learner-centered technology integration were explored before and after participating in the mentoring program. In addition, the participants' thoughts about the effectiveness of various components of the mentoring program were analyzed along with the mentor's observations of their practices. Situated mentoring can be effective for supporting learner-centered technology integration, in particular decreasing the barriers teachers experience. Goal setting, collaborative planning, reflection, and onsite just-in-time support were thought to be the most valuable components of the mentoring program.

  4. The Role of Private Speech in Cognitive Regulation of Learners: The Case of English as a Foreign Language Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sarab, Mohamad Reza Anani; Gordani, Yahya

    2015-01-01

    Investigations into the use of private speech by adult English foreign language (EFL) learners in regulating their mental activities have been an interesting area of research with a sociocultural framework. Following this line of research, 30 advanced adult EFL learners were selected via the administration of Oxford quick placement test and took a…

  5. Automated Error Detection for Developing Grammar Proficiency of ESL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feng, Hui-Hsien; Saricaoglu, Aysel; Chukharev-Hudilainen, Evgeny

    2016-01-01

    Thanks to natural language processing technologies, computer programs are actively being used not only for holistic scoring, but also for formative evaluation of writing. CyWrite is one such program that is under development. The program is built upon Second Language Acquisition theories and aims to assist ESL learners in higher education by…

  6. Active-learning strategies: the use of a game to reinforce learning in nursing education. A case study.

    PubMed

    Boctor, Lisa

    2013-03-01

    The majority of nursing students are kinesthetic learners, preferring a hands-on, active approach to education. Research shows that active-learning strategies can increase student learning and satisfaction. This study looks at the use of one active-learning strategy, a Jeopardy-style game, 'Nursopardy', to reinforce Fundamentals of Nursing material, aiding in students' preparation for a standardized final exam. The game was created keeping students varied learning styles and the NCLEX blueprint in mind. The blueprint was used to create 5 categories, with 26 total questions. Student survey results, using a five-point Likert scale showed that they did find this learning method enjoyable and beneficial to learning. More research is recommended regarding learning outcomes, when using active-learning strategies, such as games. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Effects of Text, Audio and Learner Control on Text-Sound Association and Cognitive Load of EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Enciso Bernal, Ana Maria

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of concurrent audio and equivalent onscreen text on the ability of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) to form associations between textual and aural forms of target vocabulary words. The study also looked at the effects of learner control over an audio sequence on the association of textual and…

  8. Better Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bianchi, Lynne

    2003-01-01

    Developing children's capacity to learn is at the forefront of all endeavours in schools. Teachers strive to capitalise on a wide range of teaching styles and innovations to stimulate, motivate and engage their children to become "better learners". Since September 1999, the Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University has…

  9. A Critique of the Literature on Parenting Gifted Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jolly, Jennifer L.; Matthews, Michael S.

    2012-01-01

    Despite numerous calls for research on parents of gifted learners, researchers have given only cursory treatment to the topic. In this article, the authors review and synthesize 53 sources, published since 1983, on parents of gifted learners. Existing research on parents of gifted learners may be categorized into three thematic areas that include…

  10. Preferences for Interactional Feedback: Differences between Learners and Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaivanpanah, Shiva; Alavi, Sayyed Mohammad; Sepehrinia, Sajjad

    2015-01-01

    The present study examines Iranian language learners' views on different types of oral corrective feedback and explores the relationship with learners' language proficiency. It then compares the learners' views with those of their teachers. The study is based on a 36-item questionnaire completed by 154 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners…

  11. Status of teaching elementary science for English learners in science, mathematics and technology centered magnet schools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Alyson Kim

    According to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (2001), one in three students speaks a language other than English. Additionally, the Commission stated that a student is considered to be an English learner if the second language acquisition is English. In California more than 1.4 million English learners enter school speaking a variety of languages, and this number continues to rise. There is an imminent need to promote instructional strategies that support this group of diverse learners. Although this was not a California study, the results derived from the nationwide participants' responses provided a congruent assessment of the basic need to provide effective science teaching strategies to all English learners. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of elementary science teaching practices used with English learners in kindergarten through fifth grade in public mathematics, science, and technology-centered elementary magnet schools throughout the country. This descriptive research was designed to provide current information and to identify trends in the areas of curriculum and instruction for English learners in science themed magnet schools. This report described the status of elementary (grades K-5) school science instruction for English learners based on the responses of 116 elementary school teachers: 59 grade K-2, and 57 grade 3-5 teachers. Current research-based approaches support incorporating self-directed learning strategy, expository teaching strategy, active listening strategies, questioning strategies, wait time strategy, small group strategy, peer tutoring strategy, large group learning strategy, demonstrations strategy, formal debates strategy, review sessions strategy, mediated conversation strategy, cooperative learning strategy, and theme-based instruction into the curriculum to assist English learners in science education. Science Technology Society (STS) strategy, problem-based learning strategy, discovery learning

  12. Constructivist Pedagogy in Strategic Reading Instruction: Exploring Pathways to Learner Development in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Lawrence Jun

    2008-01-01

    The study explored English as a Second Language (ESL) learner development. In particular, it focused on investigating learners' understanding of reading and their willingness to be engaged in strategic reading in participatory classroom activities. It also examined possible effects of such pedagogy on reading performance. The context was a…

  13. Learner Centered Classroom in Science Instruction: Providing Feedback with Technology Integration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yilmaz, Ozkan

    2017-01-01

    "Learner centered" term points out environments that attention to the learners brings to the educational setting. This term includes teaching practices: effort to uncover what learners think in a specific problem on hand, talking about their misconceptions and, giving them situations to readjust their ideas. In Learner centered…

  14. Learners' Approaches to Solving Mathematical Tasks: Does Specialisation Matter?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Machaba, France; Mwakapenda, Willy

    2016-01-01

    This article emerged from an analysis of learners' responses to a task presented to learners studying Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy (ML) in Gauteng, South Africa. Officially, Mathematics and ML are two separate learning areas. Learners from Grade 10 onwards are supposed to take either one or the other, but not both. This means that by…

  15. Young Learner Perspectives on Four Focus-on-Form Tasks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shak, Juliana; Gardner, Sheena

    2008-01-01

    Recent studies suggest that focus-on-form (FonF) instruction has a positive effect on the second language proficiency of young learners. However, few have looked at learner perspectives on different FonF tasks, particularly in those young learners. This study investigates children's attitudes towards four FonF task-types in three Primary 5 English…

  16. Parental Involvement and the Impact on Hispanic English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helo-Trevino, Mayra

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate if the participation of Hispanic parents of English Language Learners in school activities influence their children's education. This was done by deliberately taking steps to recruit parents to participate in their child's academics and school affairs. The data that was used to test if involvement of…

  17. Effects of the Types of Error, Proficiency Level of the Learners and Nature of the Recasts on the Uptake of Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yuksel, Dogan; Inan-Karagul, Banu; Fidan, Dilek

    2017-01-01

    This current study examined the effects of the type of errors learners make (that is, phonological, lexical and grammar), proficiency level of the learners (that is, A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1) and nature of the recasts (that is, long and short) on the uptake of the learners. The data of this study came from the video-recordings of A1, A2, B1, B2 and…

  18. The Integration of Personal Learning Environments & Open Network Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tu, Chih-Hsiung; Sujo-Montes, Laura; Yen, Cherng-Jyh; Chan, Junn-Yih; Blocher, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Learning management systems traditionally provide structures to guide online learners to achieve their learning goals. Web 2.0 technology empowers learners to create, share, and organize their personal learning environments in open network environments; and allows learners to engage in social networking and collaborating activities. Advanced…

  19. National Adult Learners Satisfaction-Priorities Report. Research Report, 2011

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noel-Levitz, Inc, 2011

    2011-01-01

    The 2011 National Adult Learners Satisfaction-Priorities Report presents the responses to the Adult Learner Inventory[TM] (ALI) of 29,679 students from 61 four-year private and public as well as 4,749 students from 18 two-year community and technical colleges. The results include adult learner responses over a three-year time period, from fall of…

  20. Candles, Corks and Contracts: Essential Relationships between Learners and Libraries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burge, Elizabeth J.; Snow, Judith E.

    2000-01-01

    Current relationships between libraries and adult learners are shaped by technology adoption, learner demographics, constructivist learning, and institutional pressures. Future relationships must emphasize learner-centered action over technological efficiency, stronger learning leadership, and greater integration of libraries in educational…

  1. The Effects of Pragmatic Consciousness-Raising Activities on the Development of Pragmatic Awareness and Use of Hearsay Evidential Markers for Learners of Japanese as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Narita, Ritsuko

    2009-01-01

    The present study investigates the effectiveness of pragmatic consciousness-raising (PCR) activities in the L2 pragmatic acquisition of hearsay evidential markers by learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). PCR is essentially an inductive approach to facilitating awareness of how language forms are used appropriately in a given context.…

  2. TRANSLATE: New Strategic Approaches for English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodwin, Amanda P.; Jiménez, Robert

    2016-01-01

    This teaching tip shares a research-based instructional model that uses translation to improve the English reading comprehension of English Learners. Within this instruction, English learners work collaboratively in small groups and use translation to facilitate understandings of their required English language arts curriculum. Students are taught…

  3. Video Self-Modeling for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boisvert, Précille; Rao, Kavita

    2015-01-01

    Teachers of English language learners (ELLs), expected to address grade-level standards and prepare ELLs for standardized assessments, have the difficult task of designing instruction that meets the range of needs in their classrooms. When these learners have experienced limited or interrupted education, the challenges intensify. Whereas…

  4. Creating a Culture of Language Awareness in Content-Based Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindahl, Kristen; Watkins, Naomi M.

    2015-01-01

    A "toolkit" approach to professional development is frequently used to assist teachers of English language learners (ELLs), wherein teachers are provided a grab bag of activities and strategies to implement in their classrooms. However, today's heightened language demands call for teachers to develop teacher language awareness (TLA), a…

  5. Creating Robust STEM Research Ecosystems in Schools: Joining the Dots for Young Researchers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pritchard, M.; Ibarra, D. L.

    2017-12-01

    Developing an intelligent curiosity about the world in school-aged learners is one of the key purposes of education. Nurturing this intelligent curiosity in a systematic and integrated manner is essential for rigorous, scientific literacy, which in turn inspires advanced research and innovation in post-school life. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education has been widely adopted as the conceptual framework to achieve this goal. For young learners, their experienced world is largely confined to the spaces within the boundaries of educational institutions. This type of environment might be perceived as sterile or even hostile to genuine research, as institutional endeavor is largely shaped by examination syllabi. This can be changed by viewing the school as a living laboratory of processes and products, all of which offer enormous potential for meaningful and valuable student-led STEM research. Creating research-focused ecosystems within schools, however, requires considerable effort to create a learning culture that defragments knowledge systems and connects isolated pools of inquiry. The existing parameters and processes of school ecosystems, such as energy generation, consumption, waste creation and disposal offer opportunities for school students to utilize STEM-related skills observe and measure their own ecological footprint, undertake research into these living processes in an integrated manner, and develop solutions to create closed loops of optimally managed and measured consumption with the institution. For example, connecting a deep understanding of the principles of renewable energy generation with close, real-time monitoring of classroom energy usage creates the opportunity to develop a higher level of user awareness and more optimized consumption habits. Food waste, when composted and recycled on-site, similarly offers the potential to connect the sociological issue of excess consumption with a scientific understanding of

  6. Preparing English Learners for Effective Peer Review in the Writers' Workshop

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Soo Hyon

    2015-01-01

    English Language Learners (ELLs) often face challenges when participating in peer review activities in writers' workshops. This article identifies some of the potential difficulties that ELL writers may experience, and provides teachers with strategies to address these problems. The author describes a simple three-step peer review training model…

  7. Active Learning in Engineering Education: a (re)introduction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lima, Rui M.; Andersson, Pernille Hammar; Saalman, Elisabeth

    2017-01-01

    The informal network 'Active Learning in Engineering Education' (ALE) has been promoting Active Learning since 2001. ALE creates opportunity for practitioners and researchers of engineering education to collaboratively learn how to foster learning of engineering students. The activities in ALE are centred on the vision that learners construct their knowledge based on meaningful activities and knowledge. In 2014, the steering committee of the ALE network reinforced the need to discuss the meaning of Active Learning and that was the base for this proposal for a special issue. More than 40 submissions were reviewed by the European Journal of Engineering Education community and this theme issue ended up with eight contributions, which are different both in their research and Active Learning approaches. These different Active Learning approaches are aligned with the different approaches that can be increasingly found in indexed journals.

  8. Elderly Learners and Massive Open Online Courses: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Williams, Shirley Ann

    2016-01-01

    Background Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become commonplace in the e-learning landscape. Thousands of elderly learners are participating in courses offered by various institutions on a multitude of platforms in many different languages. However, there is very little research into understanding elderly learners in MOOCs. Objective We aim to show that a considerable proportion of elderly learners are participating in MOOCs and that there is a lack of research in this area. We hope this assertion of the wide gap in research on elderly learners in MOOCs will pave the way for more research in this area. Methods Pre-course survey data for 10 University of Reading courses on the FutureLearn platform were analyzed to show the level of participation of elderly learners in MOOCs. Two MOOC aggregator sites (Class Central and MOOC List) were consulted to gather data on MOOC offerings that include topics relating to aging. In parallel, a selected set of MOOC platform catalogues, along with a recently published review on health and medicine-related MOOCs, were searched to find courses relating to aging. A systematic literature search was then employed to identify research articles on elderly learners in MOOCs. Results The 10 courses reviewed had a considerable proportion of elderly learners participating in them. For the over-66 age group, this varied from 0.5% (on the course “Managing people”) to 16.3% (on the course “Our changing climate”), while for the over-56 age group it ranged from 3.0% (on “A beginners guide to writing in English”) to 39.5% (on “Heart health”). Only six MOOCs were found to include topics related to aging: three were on the Coursera platform, two on the FutureLearn platform, and one on the Open2Study platform. Just three scholarly articles relating to MOOCs and elderly learners were retrieved from the literature search. Conclusions This review presents evidence to suggest that elderly learners are already participating in MOOCs

  9. Elderly Learners and Massive Open Online Courses: A Review.

    PubMed

    Liyanagunawardena, Tharindu Rekha; Williams, Shirley Ann

    2016-01-07

    Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become commonplace in the e-learning landscape. Thousands of elderly learners are participating in courses offered by various institutions on a multitude of platforms in many different languages. However, there is very little research into understanding elderly learners in MOOCs. We aim to show that a considerable proportion of elderly learners are participating in MOOCs and that there is a lack of research in this area. We hope this assertion of the wide gap in research on elderly learners in MOOCs will pave the way for more research in this area. Pre-course survey data for 10 University of Reading courses on the FutureLearn platform were analyzed to show the level of participation of elderly learners in MOOCs. Two MOOC aggregator sites (Class Central and MOOC List) were consulted to gather data on MOOC offerings that include topics relating to aging. In parallel, a selected set of MOOC platform catalogues, along with a recently published review on health and medicine-related MOOCs, were searched to find courses relating to aging. A systematic literature search was then employed to identify research articles on elderly learners in MOOCs. The 10 courses reviewed had a considerable proportion of elderly learners participating in them. For the over-66 age group, this varied from 0.5% (on the course "Managing people") to 16.3% (on the course "Our changing climate"), while for the over-56 age group it ranged from 3.0% (on "A beginners guide to writing in English") to 39.5% (on "Heart health"). Only six MOOCs were found to include topics related to aging: three were on the Coursera platform, two on the FutureLearn platform, and one on the Open2Study platform. Just three scholarly articles relating to MOOCs and elderly learners were retrieved from the literature search. This review presents evidence to suggest that elderly learners are already participating in MOOCs. Despite this, there has been very little research into their

  10. Methods of Teaching Reading to EFL Learners: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanjaya, Dedi; Rahmah; Sinulingga, Johan; Lubis, Azhar Aziz; Yusuf, Muhammad

    2014-01-01

    Methods of teaching reading skill are not the same in different countries. It depends on the condition and situation of the learners. Observing the method of teaching in Malaysia was the purpose of this study and the result of the study shows that there are 5 methods that are applied in classroom activities namely Grammar Translation Method (GTM),…

  11. Coping with Demotivation: EFL Learners' Remotivation Processes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Falout, Joseph

    2012-01-01

    When foreign language education is compulsory, competitive, or coercive, how learners cope with stress can determine outcomes, including value of the subject, persistence on task, and level of proficiency. The development of adaptive or maladaptive coping processes toward situated learning goals is influenced by learners' beliefs about themselves…

  12. Reading Assessment and Instruction for All Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schumm, Jeanne Shay, Ed.

    2006-01-01

    Weaving together the latest knowledge and best practices for teaching children to read, this indispensable text and professional resource provides a complete guide to differentiated instruction for diverse learners. Uniquely integrative, the book places the needs of English language learners and students with disabilities front and center instead…

  13. Mathematics. Suggested Learner Outcomes: Grades 9-12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oklahoma State Dept. of Education, Oklahoma City.

    This publication provides suggested learner outcomes for guiding instruction and evaluation of students in grades 9-12 in Oklahoma. The goals are intended to provide teachers, administrators, school boards, parents, and other concerned citizens with a clear understanding of expected minimum learner outcomes for each mathematics course. Teachers…

  14. Revitalizing a Curriculum for School-Age Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayes, David, Ed.; Sharkey, Judy, Ed.

    2008-01-01

    At its core, a curriculum is what happens among learners and teachers in the classroom. TESOL's Language Curriculum Development Series describes how teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators have developed, adapted, or renewed a language curriculum. In doing so, they have responded creatively and realistically to learners' needs. The…

  15. The Education of Learners with CHARGE Syndrome

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deuce, Gail

    2017-01-01

    CHARGE syndrome, although a low incidence condition, is now recognised as a leading cause of congenital deafblindness among genetic conditions. Anecdotal reporting has suggested that learners with CHARGE syndrome are distinct from the wider deafblind population. This study investigates the education of learners with CHARGE syndrome, while also…

  16. Online Learner's "Flow" Experience: An Empirical Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shin, Namin

    2006-01-01

    This study is concerned with online learners' "low" experiences. On the basis of Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow, flow was conceptualised as a complex, multimentional, reflective construct composing of "enjoyment", "telepresence", "focused attention", "engagement" and "time distortion" on the part of learners. A flow model was put forward with…

  17. Ten Tips for Engaging the Millennial Learner and Moving an Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum into the 21st Century

    PubMed Central

    Toohey, Shannon L.; Wray, Alisa; Wiechmann, Warren; Lin, Michelle; Boysen-Osborn, Megan

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Millennial learners are changing the face of residency education because they place emphasis on technology with new styles and means of learning. While research on the most effective way to teach the millennial learner is lacking, programs should consider incorporating educational theories and multimedia design principles to update the curriculum for these new learners. The purpose of the study is to discuss strategies for updating an emergency medicine (EM) residency program’s curriculum to accommodate the modern learner. Discussion These 10 tips provide detailed examples and approaches to incorporate technology and learning theories into an EM curriculum to potentially enhance learning and engagement by residents. Conclusion While it is unclear whether technologies actually promote or enhance learning, millennials use these technologies. Identifying best practice, grounded by theory and active learning principles, may help learners receive quality, high-yield education. Future studies will need to evaluate the efficacy of these techniques to fully delineate best practices. PMID:27330668

  18. Ten Tips for Engaging the Millennial Learner and Moving an Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum into the 21st Century.

    PubMed

    Toohey, Shannon L; Wray, Alisa; Wiechmann, Warren; Lin, Michelle; Boysen-Osborn, Megan

    2016-05-01

    Millennial learners are changing the face of residency education because they place emphasis on technology with new styles and means of learning. While research on the most effective way to teach the millennial learner is lacking, programs should consider incorporating educational theories and multimedia design principles to update the curriculum for these new learners. The purpose of the study is to discuss strategies for updating an emergency medicine (EM) residency program's curriculum to accommodate the modern learner. These 10 tips provide detailed examples and approaches to incorporate technology and learning theories into an EM curriculum to potentially enhance learning and engagement by residents. While it is unclear whether technologies actually promote or enhance learning, millennials use these technologies. Identifying best practice, grounded by theory and active learning principles, may help learners receive quality, high-yield education. Future studies will need to evaluate the efficacy of these techniques to fully delineate best practices.

  19. A Case Study of Peer Review Practices of Four Adolescent English Language Learners in Face-to-Face and Online Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vorobel, Oksana

    2013-01-01

    Peer review is a complex collaborative activity, which may engage English language learners in reading, writing, listening, and speaking and carry many potential benefits for their language learning (Hu, 2005). While many research studies focused on peer review practices of adult language learners in academic settings in the USA or abroad in…

  20. Student knowledge and confidence in an elective clinical toxicology course using active-learning techniques.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Michael C; Macias-Moriarity, Liliairica Z

    2014-06-17

    To measure changes in students' knowledge and confidence scores after completing an elective clinical toxicology course in an accelerated doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Various active-learning techniques were used to create a learner-centered environment. Approximately two-thirds of the course used student-led presentations. Some of those not presenting were assigned to be evaluators, responsible for asking the presenter a question or writing quiz questions based on the presented material. Other learner-centered activities included weekly quizzes and discussions at the conclusion of each presented topic. A test instrument designed to measure students' knowledge and associated level of confidence on each item was administered at the beginning and end of the course. Students' knowledge and confidence scores increased significantly from pretest to posttest. Students' increased confidence and knowledge scores were well correlated after course completion, indicating students were better able to self-assess these areas. These findings suggest that confidence could be an additional measure of students' metacognitive skill development.