Energizing Staff Development Using Film Clips: Memorable Movie Moments that Promote Reflection, Conversation, and Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Walter R.; Sommers, William A.

2005-01-01

Video and DVD clips give participants an opportunity to explore values and ideas, learn about one another, and, in the process, build a stronger learning community. "Energizing Staff Development Using Film Clips" is a collection of film and television clips that staff developers can use to encourage discussion and reflection on pertinent, common…

Preparing Reflective Community College Leaders in a Graduate Leadership Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Leila González; Palmer, Shelby

2014-01-01

This study measured the knowledge construction and reflection that occurred in a doctoral course designed to introduce major leadership theories and encourage reflection as a community college leadership practice. At each session, students completed forms reporting new learning and insights they experienced, as well as responding to reflection…

Action Learning Enabled Strategy Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, John

2008-01-01

Action learning encourages individual reflection, insightful questioning and assumption breaking that result in changes in attitude and behaviour. This learning process provides the potential to explore and solve complex organizational problems such as the question of how to develop a future business strategy. Existing literature on the process of…

I Listen and I Believe, I See and I Understand: A Collective Reflection Approach to Understanding Children's Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohamed, Carmen

2011-01-01

The project on which this report is based set out to establish how exploring children's musicality might encourage adults to consider their engagement with the musical play and learning of children under the age of five. Through reflection and evaluation the participants became aware that they were challenging their own teaching style in response…

Learning styles and academic achievement among undergraduate medical students in Thailand.

PubMed

Jiraporncharoen, Wichuda; Angkurawaranon, Chaisiri; Chockjamsai, Manoch; Deesomchok, Athavudh; Euathrongchit, Juntima

2015-01-01

This study aimed to explore the associations between learning styles and high academic achievement and to ascertain whether the factors associated with high academic achievement differed between preclinical and clinical students. A survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students in Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The Index of Learning Styles questionnaire was used to assess each student's learning style across four domains. High academic achievement was defined as a grade point average of at least 3.0. Of the 1,248 eligible medical students, 1,014 (81.3%) participated. Learning styles differed between the preclinical and clinical students in the active/reflective domain. A sequential learning style was associated with high academic achievement in both preclinical and clinical students. A reflective learning style was only associated with high academic achievement among preclinical students. The association between learning styles and academic achievement may have differed between preclinical and clinical students due to different learning content and teaching methods. Students should be encouraged to be flexible in their own learning styles in order to engage successfully with various and changing teaching methods across the curriculum. Instructors should be also encouraged to provide a variety of teaching materials and resources to suit different learning styles.

Curricular and Co-Curricular Leadership Learning for Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeve, Doug; Evans, Greg; Simpson, Annie; Sacks, Robin; Olivia-Fisher, Estelle; Rottmann, Cindy; Sheridan, Patricia

2015-01-01

In recent years engineering educators have been encouraged to blend technical and professional learning in their curricular and co-curricular programming (Engineers Canada, 2009; National Academy of Engineering [NAE], 2004). Our paper describes a multifaceted leadership learning program developed to achieve this goal by infusing reflective,…

A Higher Education Case: Millennial Experience toward Learning in a Virtual World Designed as an Authentic Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franetovic, Marija

2012-01-01

Current educational initiatives encourage the use of authentic learning environments to realistically prepare students for jobs in a constantly changing world. Many students of the Millennial generation may be social media savvy. However, what can be said about learning conditions and student readiness for active, reflective and collaborative…

Communicating College Learning through Noncourse Matching: An Approach to Writing the Prior Learning Assessment Essay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambe, Jeffrey P.

2011-01-01

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) brings students into active and reflective engagement with significant life experiences at the nexus of academic and nonacademic cultures. When done successfully, PLA orients students to academic ways of thinking and writing while encouraging self-exploration. Often students feel a sense of empowerment and…

Using Reflection to Develop Higher Order Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lerch, Carol; Bilics, Andrea; Colley, Binta

2006-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to look at how we used specific writing assignments in our courses to encourage metacognitive reflection in order to increase the learning that takes place. The study also aimed to aid in the development of higher order processing skills through the development of student reflection. The students involved in the…

Reflections on clinical practice whilst developing a portfolio of evidence: Perceptions of undergraduate nursing students in the Western Cape, South Africa.

PubMed

Ticha, Victoire; Fakude, Lorraine P

2015-12-09

In order to develop clinical judgement, nurses should be encouraged to become analytical and critical thinkers. Development of a portfolio of evidence (PoE) of reflection on clinical experiences is one of the strategies that can be used to enhance analytical and critical thinking amongst nursing students. Students' perceptions of the process are important in order to encourage their reflective practice. PoE compilation at a school of nursing at a university in the Western Cape includes evidence of students' clinical learning which they present in a portfolio. The students are expected to reflect on their clinical learning experiences and include these reflections in their portfolios. To describe the perceptions of fourth-year nursing students regarding reflective practice whilst compiling their PoEs. A qualitative design was used to explore the perceptions of registered fourth-year nursing students with regard to their reflective practice whilst compiling their PoEs. Purposive sampling was used for selection of participants. Three focus group discussions were held, each consisting of six to eight participants. Data saturation was reached during the third meeting. Tesch's method of data analysis was used. Findings revealed that reflection enabled the learners to gain experience and identify challenges related to the expected events and tasks carried out at the hospitals and in the classroom whilst developing their PoE. The compilation of a PoE was a good teaching and learning strategy, and the skills, experience and knowledge that the participants in this study acquired boosted their self-esteem, confidence and critical thinking. Reflection also assisted in self-directed learning.

Developing Reflective Thinking: Encouraging Pre-Service Teachers to Be Responsible for Their Own Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rinchen, Sonam

2009-01-01

In pursuit of quality education in Bhutan there has been a desire to shift from teacher-dominant class teaching to students taking initiative in their own learning. This paper investigated the issue of moving teaching and learning from teacher-centered classes to independent learning of students. The research was carried out at Samtse College of…

Inquiry-Based Learning Using Everyday Objects: Hands-On Instructional Strategies That Promote Active Learning in Grades 3-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvarado, Amy Edmonds; Herr, Patricia R.

This book explores the concept of using everyday objects as a process initiated both by students and teachers, encouraging growth in student observation, inquisitiveness, and reflection in learning. After "Introduction: Welcome to Inquiry-Based Learning using Everyday Objects (Object-Based Inquiry), there are nine chapters in two parts. Part 1,…

Learning styles and academic achievement among undergraduate medical students in Thailand

PubMed Central

Jiraporncharoen, Wichuda; Angkurawaranon, Chaisiri; Chockjamsai, Manoch; Deesomchok, Athavudh; Euathrongchit, Juntima

2015-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the associations between learning styles and high academic achievement and to ascertain whether the factors associated with high academic achievement differed between preclinical and clinical students. Methods: A survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students in Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The Index of Learning Styles questionnaire was used to assess each student’s learning style across four domains. High academic achievement was defined as a grade point average of at least 3.0. Results: Of the 1,248 eligible medical students, 1,014 (81.3%) participated. Learning styles differed between the preclinical and clinical students in the active/reflective domain. A sequential learning style was associated with high academic achievement in both preclinical and clinical students. A reflective learning style was only associated with high academic achievement among preclinical students. Conclusion: The association between learning styles and academic achievement may have differed between preclinical and clinical students due to different learning content and teaching methods. Students should be encouraged to be flexible in their own learning styles in order to engage successfully with various and changing teaching methods across the curriculum. Instructors should be also encouraged to provide a variety of teaching materials and resources to suit different learning styles. PMID:26165948

Reciprocity and Critical Reflection as the Key to Social Justice in Service Learning: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asghar, Mandy; Rowe, Nick

2017-01-01

Service learning is experiential education that encourages students as socially responsible and active citizens working in and with members of the community. We consider how these ideas illuminate the ambitions of a unique service-learning opportunity known as "Converge", a university partnership with a health care provider that brings…

"Facebook"--It's Not Just for Pictures Anymore: The Impact of Social Media on Cooperative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Kisha N.; Billingsley, K. Y.

2014-01-01

This paper will share the research on the use of social media (specifically Facebook) in an effort to promote critical thinking and reflection. It purports that although often overlooked as a teaching, learning and assessment strategy, social media is a viable method that supports cooperative learning through the encouragement of thoughtful…

Interculturality and the Study Abroad Experience: Students' Learning from the IEREST Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Prue; Bavieri, Luisa; Ganassin, Sara; Murphy, Jonathon

2016-01-01

This study investigated how a "while abroad" (IEREST) intercultural experiential learning programme (i) encouraged mobile student sojourners to explore the concept of "interculturality"; (ii) promoted their intercultural engagement/communication during their stay abroad; and (iii) invited them to reflect on their own…

Cooperative Learning and Teacher Beliefs about Pedagogy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brody, Celeste M.; Hill, Leslie Rennie

This is an exploratory, descriptive study of experienced elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers who participated in a 9-month cooperative learning training project which was designed to encourage reflection upon their beliefs and assumptions about their pedagogy. Fifteen teachers were interviewed to understand how teachers modify…

Tracking reflective practice-based learning by medical students during an ambulatory clerkship.

PubMed

Thomas, Patricia A; Goldberg, Harry

2007-11-01

To explore the use of web and palm digital assistant (PDA)-based patient logs to facilitate reflective learning in an ambulatory medicine clerkship. Thematic analysis of convenience sample of three successive rotations of medical students' patient log entries. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. MS3 and MS4 students rotating through a required block ambulatory medicine clerkship. Students are required to enter patient encounters into a web-based log system during the clerkship. Patient-linked entries included an open text field entitled, "Learning Need." Students were encouraged to use this field to enter goals for future study or teaching points related to the encounter. The logs of 59 students were examined. These students entered 3,051 patient encounters, and 51 students entered 1,347 learning need entries (44.1% of encounters). The use of the "Learning Need" field was not correlated with MS year, gender or end-of-clerkship knowledge test performance. There were strong correlations between the use of diagnostic thinking comments and observations of therapeutic relationships (Pearson's r=.42, p<0.001), and between diagnostic thinking and primary interpretation skills (Pearson's r=.60, p<0.001), but not between diagnostic thinking and factual knowledge (Pearson's r =.10, p=.46). We found that when clerkship students were cued to reflect on each patient encounter with the electronic log system, student entries grouped into categories that suggested different levels of reflective thinking. Future efforts should explore the use of such entries to encourage and track habits of reflective practice in the clinical curriculum.

Field Learning: Experiential Learning through Participant Observation and Self-Reflection of Consumer Behavior at Sporting Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaller, Tracey King

2018-01-01

As marketing educators, we can enhance student learning by providing experiences that go beyond the classroom and into the real world. In this way, we encourage students to become lifelong learners where they observe the world around them through the lens of what they have learned. This article describes a project used in an undergraduate-level…

Improving Learning with the Critical Thinking Paradigm: MIBOLC Modules A and B

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-06

Model encourages more active learning by requiring much of the learning material to be read prior to classroom instruction, and allotting more time to...for mental interaction with content Rote memorization Multiple Choice exams/quizzes Lower level of intensity in course work Active ... Learning Engaged Lecture Requires mental interaction with content Close reading to understand essential ideas Exams/Quizzes reflective of

Write from the Start: Writing to Learn Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rillero, Peter; And Others

1996-01-01

Describes the Write Now approach that allows teachers to transform the first few minutes of class into a powerful learning experience by helping students reflect on the previous day's lessons and encouraging them to construct their own knowledge of the concepts being studied. Discusses Quasar questions, reviewing responses, constructing…

Reflective education for professional practice: discovering knowledge from experience.

PubMed

Lyons, J

1999-01-01

To continually develop as a discipline, a profession needs to generate a knowledge base that can evolve from education and practice. Midwifery reflective practitioners have the potential to develop clinical expertise directed towards achieving desirable, safe and effective practice. Midwives are 'with woman', providing the family with supportive and helpful relationships as they share the deep and profound experiences of childbirth. To become skilled helpers students need to develop reflective skills and valid midwifery knowledge grounded in their personal experiences and practice. Midwife educators and practitioners can assist students and enhance their learning by expanding the scope of practice, encouraging self-assessment and the development of reflective and professional skills. This paper explores journal writing as a learning strategy for the development of reflective skills within midwifery and explores its value for midwifery education. It also examines, through the use of critical social theory and adult learning principles, how midwives can assist and thus enhance students learning through the development of professional and reflective skills for midwifery practice.

Practice Makes Perfect: Classrooms and Curricula That Generate Civic Minds and Actions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanton, Timothy K.

2014-01-01

I propose an approach to service-learning that encourages and enables students to engage with human rights and social justice in ways that are democratic and effective. I describe a teaching process in which civic action can be critically reflected on not just to promote engagement and build knowledge but ultimately to encourage and equip students…

Mixing Face-to-Face and Online Interactions in a Leadership Development Programme: A Blended Action Learning Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornton, Kate; Yoong, Pak

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to explore the use of ICT to support leadership learning within an education context. Leadership development opportunities that encourage reflection, the development of self-awareness, the sharing of practice, and that support the transfer of learning back to the workplace are challenging to fit into the life of…

Promoting self-reflection in clinical practice among Chinese nursing undergraduates in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Ip, Wan Yim; Lui, May H; Chien, Wai Tong; Lee, Iris F; Lam, Lai Wah; Lee, Diana T

2012-06-01

This study evaluated the effect of a structured education programme on improving the self-reflection skills of Chinese nursing undergraduates in managing clinical situations. Johns' Structured Reflection Model was used as a framework for the development of the education programme. Thirty-eight nursing undergraduates attended a 3-hour interactive workshop on reflective skills and were encouraged to practise the skills learned under the guidance of a nurse instructor during their 4-week clinical practicum. The findings indicated that the programme was helpful in improving the undergraduates' reflective skills though only a few of them reached the highest level as critical reflectors. Some undergraduates identified time constraints and the lack of a trusting relationship with their nurse instructor as barriers to their reflective learning. The findings may help nurse educators develop education programmes with structured learning strategies to promote nursing undergraduates' self-refection in clinical practice.

Conversational Agents in E-Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerry, Alice; Ellis, Richard; Bull, Susan

This paper discusses the use of natural language or 'conversational' agents in e-learning environments. We describe and contrast the various applications of conversational agent technology represented in the e-learning literature, including tutors, learning companions, language practice and systems to encourage reflection. We offer two more detailed examples of conversational agents, one which provides learning support, and the other support for self-assessment. Issues and challenges for developers of conversational agent systems for e-learning are identified and discussed.

Intercultural Reflection through the "Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters": Students' Accounts of Their Images of Alterity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Méndez García, María del Carmen

2017-01-01

The Council of Europe's "Autobiography of Intercultural Encounter" (AIE) is a tool to develop intercultural competence (IC) in education by encouraging users to reflect upon and learn from momentous intercultural encounters they have experienced face to face. Its parallel resource, the "Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters…

Critical Reflections in the Second Language Classroom through Audiotaped Journals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dantas-Whitney, Maria

2002-01-01

Focuses on the use of reflective audiotaped journals within a university content-based English-as-a-Second-Language course. Data came from 54 audiotaped journal entries made by 18 students and an unstructured ethnographic group interview. Results support the adoption of constructivist learning approaches that encourage students to take a more…

Zoo Praxis and Theories: Teaching the Well-Being of Nonhuman Primates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Frances

2004-01-01

Zoo projects that encourage reflective learning and are legitimate undertakings for untrained undergraduates are hard to develop. In this article, the author, as a professor in anthropology, discusses and teaches primate studies. His pedagogical goal in teaching primate studies is to enhance the process of learning, and to consider that students…

Developing Professional Fitness through Classroom Assessment and Classroom Research. The Cross Papers, Number 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, K. Patricia

Classroom assessment and research are effective means of professional development for community college faculty. Assessment tests engage students in monitoring and evaluating their own learning, and encourage teachers to reflect on their classes from a learning perspective. Classroom research is learner-centered, teacher-directed, collaborative,…

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): Considerations in the Colombian Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez Bonces, Jaisson

2012-01-01

The present article seeks to encourage reflection on the characteristics and considerations when implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in a diverse context such as the Colombian one. Initially, the general aspects of an innovative and changing education in a globalized world are presented by stating the need to innovate.…

PSQM--Reflections of a PSQM Hub Leader

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Sue

2011-01-01

Primary Science Quality Mark Scheme is a joint project led by the Association for Science Education, the national network of Science Learning Centres and Barnet Local Authority. The Primary Science Quality Mark is an award scheme to develop and celebrate the quality of science teaching and learning in primary schools. It encourages teachers to let…

Racism in nursing education: a reflective journey.

PubMed

Markey, Kathleen; Tilki, Mary

This article discusses the personal and professional journey of discovery experienced by a nurse lecturer as a result of engagement in a project exploring the impact of racism in the nursing classroom. The findings of the study demonstrated the existence and complexity of racism, the impact of racism on student learning, the limitations of lecturers in recognizing and addressing racism and organizational factors which perpetuate institutional racism. The authors describe the insight gained from the research process and how this has influenced the practice of the first author and how reflection and mentorship by the second author have challenged personal ethnocentricity, encouraged new ways of thinking, enhanced confidence and encouraged experiential teaching strategies. The article highlights the ways in which nurse lecturers might become culturally competent and in particular addressing issues of racism in the classroom and enabling learning which is applicable in practice.

Transforming Warrant Officer Career College Instructor Assessment for the Army Learning Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

Career College (WOCC) to reflect the Army Learning Model (ALM)’s emphasis on adult pedagogical approaches. An instructor guide was also developed to...and digital communications, building of effective relationships through interpersonal tact, influence, and communication. • Critical thinking and...students to learn. Foster respect and rapport in the instructor-student relationship and the student-student relationship . Encourage student

Bridging the Distance: The Use of Blogs as Reflective Learning Tools for Placement Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Katharina

2010-01-01

This paper reviews the effectiveness of web logs ("blogs"), or online journals, within the context of a compulsory final-year placement unit for public relations students. The key goal behind the use of Web2.0 technology was to encourage ongoing, reflective practice via an exchange between students thereby limiting feelings of isolation…

"Youth Amplified": Using Critical Pedagogy to Stimulate Learning through Dialogue at a Youth Radio Show

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Adam

2016-01-01

In this paper I describe and analyse how critical pedagogy, an approach to teaching and learning that encourages students to reflect on their socio-political contexts, may stimulate critical consciousness and dialogue at a youth radio show. The participants, who attended four diverse Cape Town high schools and predominantly lived in poor…

The Informed Argument: A Multidisciplinary Reader and Guide. Fourth Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Robert K.

Reflecting the belief that learning is best fostered by encouraging students to read, reflect, and write about serious issues, this book is designed to help students argue on behalf of their beliefs so that other people will take them seriously. The 85 readings gathered in the book (60 of which are new to the fourth edition) give students adequate…

Reflective practice and its implications for pharmacy education.

PubMed

Tsingos, Cherie; Bosnic-Anticevich, Sinthia; Smith, Lorraine

2014-02-12

Pharmacy students require critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to integrate theory learned in the classroom with the complexities of practice, yet many pharmacy students fall short of acquiring these skills.(1-2) Reflective practice activities encourage learning from the student's own experiences and those of others, and offer a possible solution for the integration of knowledge-based curricula with the ambiguities of practice, as well as enhance communication and collaboration within a multidisciplinary team. Although reflective practices have been embraced elsewhere in health professions education, their strengths and shortcomings need to be considered when implementing such practices into pharmacy curricula. This review provides an overview of the evolution of theories related to reflective practice, critically examines the use of reflective tools (such as portfolios and blogs), and discusses the implications of implementing reflective practices in pharmacy education.

Reflective Practice and Its Implications for Pharmacy Education

PubMed Central

Bosnic-Anticevich, Sinthia; Smith, Lorraine

2014-01-01

Pharmacy students require critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to integrate theory learned in the classroom with the complexities of practice, yet many pharmacy students fall short of acquiring these skills.1-2 Reflective practice activities encourage learning from the student’s own experiences and those of others, and offer a possible solution for the integration of knowledge-based curricula with the ambiguities of practice, as well as enhance communication and collaboration within a multidisciplinary team. Although reflective practices have been embraced elsewhere in health professions education, their strengths and shortcomings need to be considered when implementing such practices into pharmacy curricula. This review provides an overview of the evolution of theories related to reflective practice, critically examines the use of reflective tools (such as portfolios and blogs), and discusses the implications of implementing reflective practices in pharmacy education. PMID:24558286

Concept mapping to promote meaningful learning, help relate theory to practice and improve learning self-efficacy in Asian mental health nursing students: A mixed-methods pilot study.

PubMed

Bressington, Daniel T; Wong, Wai-Kit; Lam, Kar Kei Claire; Chien, Wai Tong

2018-01-01

Student nurses are provided with a great deal of knowledge within university, but they can find it difficult to relate theory to nursing practice. This study aimed to test the appropriateness and feasibility of assessing Novak's concept mapping as an educational strategy to strengthen the theory-practice link, encourage meaningful learning and enhance learning self-efficacy in nursing students. This pilot study utilised a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design. The study was conducted in a University school of Nursing in Hong Kong. A total of 40 third-year pre-registration Asian mental health nursing students completed the study; 12 in the concept mapping (CM) group and 28 in the usual teaching methods (UTM) group. The impact of concept mapping was evaluated thorough analysis of quantitative changes in students' learning self-efficacy, analysis of the structure and contents of the concept maps (CM group), a quantitative measure of students' opinions about their reflective learning activities and content analysis of qualitative data from reflective written accounts (CM group). There were no significant differences in self-reported learning self-efficacy between the two groups (p=0.38). The concept mapping helped students identify their current level of understanding, but the increased awareness may cause an initial drop in learning self-efficacy. The results highlight that most CM students were able to demonstrate meaningful learning and perceived that concept mapping was a useful reflective learning strategy to help them to link theory and practice. The results provide preliminary evidence that the concept mapping approach can be useful to help mental health nursing students visualise their learning progress and encourage the integration of theoretical knowledge with clinical knowledge. Combining concept mapping data with quantitative measures and qualitative reflective journal data appears to be a useful way of assessing and understanding the effectiveness of concept mapping. Future studies should utilise a larger sample size and consider using the approach as a targeted intervention immediately before and during clinical learning placements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guided-Inquiry Based Laboratory Instruction: Investigation of Critical Thinking Skills, Problem Solving Skills, and Implementing Student Roles in Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gupta, Tanya

2012-01-01

Recent initiatives in the laboratory curriculum have encouraged an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching in the laboratory. It has been argued that laboratory instruction should not just be hands-on, but it should portray the essence of inquiry through the process of experiential learning and reflective engagement in collaboration with…

State of the Art of Language Learning Design Using Mobile Technology: Sample Apps and Some Critical Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bárcena, Elena; Read, Timothy; Underwood, Joshua; Obari, Hiroyuki; Cojocnean, Diana; Koyama, Toshiko; Pareja-Lora, Antonio; Calle, Cristina; Pomposo, Lourdes; Talaván, Noa; Ávila-Cabrera, José; Ibañez, Ana; Vermeulen, Anna; Jordano, María; Arús-Hita, Jorge; Rodríguez, Pilar; Castrillo, María Dolores; Kétyi, Andras; Selwood, Jaime; Gaved, Mark; Kukulska-Hulme, Agnes

2015-01-01

In this paper, experiences from different research groups illustrate the state-of-the-art of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (henceforth, MALL) in formal and non-formal education. These research samples represent recent and on-going progress made in the field of MALL at an international level and offer encouragement for practitioners who are…

Transforming Pedagogies: Encouraging Pre-Service Teachers to Engage the Power of the Arts in Their Approach to Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaren, Mary-Rose; Arnold, Julie

2016-01-01

This paper describes and analyses, through the use of case studies, two experiences of transformative learning in an undergraduate arts education unit. Pre-service teachers designed and engaged with arts-based curriculum activities, created their own artwork, participated in a modified production of The Tempest and kept a reflective journal. These…

Introduction of a continuing professional development tool for preceptors: lessons learned.

PubMed

Tofade, Toyin; Kim, Jane; Lebovitz, Lisa; Leadon, Kim; Maynor, Lena; Culhane, Nicole; Freeberry, Mark; Harris, JoAnn Stacy; Abate, Marie

2015-04-01

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) guidelines state that preceptors should "have a systematic, self-directed approach to their own continuing professional development (CPD)." The objective of this study was to encourage preceptors to take advantage of the ACPE CPD resources and implement the concept of CPD (reflect, plan, act, evaluate, record) as a framework for guiding individual preceptor's continuing development as educators and to determine their opinion regarding the usefulness, effectiveness, and obstacles to implementation of this approach. A total of 3713 preceptors from the participating schools were encouraged to undergo CPD training and invited to respond to a series of questions. Of the initial respondents, 48% represented health system/hospital preceptors, followed by community/independent pharmacists (64 of 236, 28%). Preceptor respondents often train students from multiple schools/colleges (average = 1.9 schools/colleges per preceptor) and 90% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "the CPD model, as learned in the webcasts, is beneficial for ongoing preceptor development." The general consensus was that the preceptor portfolio provided motivation to reflect, plan, and set more defined and realistic goals for students, residents, and themselves as educators and could be a valuable starting point for promoting preceptors' reflection, planning, and action related to rotation management, professional teaching, and student learning goals. © The Author(s) 2014.

Learning to Lead Reading Comprehension Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silver, Rita Elaine; Png, Jessie

2016-01-01

In this article, we describe and reflect on a collaborative, school-based professional development project (an "intervention") intended to encourage innovation in classroom teaching. Specifically, the intervention included a collaboration between university-based researchers/mentors and primary school teachers in Singapore who were…

Using blogs for facilitating and connecting nurse educator candidates.

PubMed

Papastavrou, Evridiki; Hamari, Lotta; Fuster, Pilar; Istomina, Natalja; Salminen, Leena

2016-10-01

Social media includes blog applications, which can be used as online journals or diaries that encourages interaction and collaboration within an online community. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the use of blog writing as learning journals during a short course for nurse educator candidates about social media. A qualitative descriptive design was used. The participants were nurses, Bachelor, Master's and Doctoral students who intended to follow a career in education (N=24, female n=21, male n=3, Mean age 37) from four different countries of the European Union. The blogs written during the course were used as a data collection method and the data was analyzed with qualitative content analysis. A total of 260 blogger posts and 372 peer comments were analyzed. Four main categories emerged from the analysis: 1) Course content, new knowledge, and changed views, 2) Reflection and critical thinking, 3) Encouraging and peer support and 4) Expressing feelings, experiences, and expectations. Blogs are potential learning spaces in short courses in nurse educator education, especially in sharing feelings and experiences, enhancing an encouraging atmosphere, critical thinking, and reflection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Introduction to "My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant" (MEERA), a Web-Based Resource for Self-Directed Learning about Environmental Education Program Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zint, Michaela

2010-01-01

My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant or "MEERA" is a web-site designed to support environmental educators' program evaluation activities. MEERA has several characteristics that set it apart from other self-directed learning evaluation resources. Readers are encouraged to explore the site and to reflect on the role that…

Developing Innovative Approaches to Teaching and Learning through Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Runcieman, Andria

2015-01-01

The author, who teaches in a Norfolk comprehensive school, presents an account of her involvement with the new research practice of lesson study, and discusses its benefits as part of a continuing professional development programme designed to encourage teachers to become more reflective.

Inclusion of African American Students in Mathematics Classrooms: Issues of Style, Curriculum, and Expectations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowser, Jacqueline Frazier; Koontz, Trish Yourst

1995-01-01

Attempts to help teachers reflect on classroom practices to encourage more participation in mathematics by all students, especially African Americans. Discusses learning styles of African Americans, culture-fair curriculum, and teacher expectations of African Americans. (14 references) (MKR)

Finding Yourself in Poetry: A Reflection on How to Encourage Student Ownership through Risk Taking and Shared Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wintle, Philippa

2011-01-01

The extent to which our students, and indeed we, are manipulated by popular culture and a normative perception of an ideal way to be is an issue of increasing import. The changes we make to our teaching to engage students in this issue must be conducive to meaningful learning and subsequent academic achievement. The changes we make are based on…

Using Continuing Professional Development with Portfolio in a Pharmaceutics Course.

PubMed

Schneider, Jennifer; O'Hara, Kate; Munro, Irene

2016-11-07

The introduction of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to encourage individual life-long learning as a way of maintaining professional competency in pharmacy has faced resistance. To investigate ways to address this barrier we included CPD with portfolio in a university Pharmaceutics course. Underpinning knowledge for the course was delivered using a flipped classroom approach and students used the CPD model to address clinical scenarios presented in a simulated pharmacy setting. Students produced portfolio items for the different case scenarios and submitted these for assessment. This provided the opportunity for students to carry out repeated application of the CPD cycle and, in so doing, develop skills in critical thinking for self-reflection and self-evaluation. This course was designed to encourage the development of higher level learning skills for future self-directed learning. Thirty six students submitted a completed portfolio. Twenty nine students achieved a result of >70%, five students scored between 57%-69%, one student obtained a mark of 50% and one student failed. The end of course survey revealed that while students found portfolio development challenging (40%), they also reported that it was effective for self-learning (54%). Differentiating between the concepts "reflection" and "evaluation" in CPD was problematic for some students and the use of clearer, simpler language should be used to explain these processes in future CPD work.

Future Scenarios for Mobile Science Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burden, Kevin; Kearney, Matthew

2016-04-01

This paper adopts scenario planning as a methodological approach and tool to help science educators reconceptualise their use of mobile technologies across various different futures. These `futures' are set out neither as predictions nor prognoses but rather as stimuli to encourage greater discussion and reflection around the use of mobile technologies in science education. Informed by the literature and our empirical data, we consider four alternative futures for science education in a mobile world, with a particular focus on networked collaboration and student agency. We conclude that `seamless learning', whereby students are empowered to use their mobile technologies to negotiate across physical and virtual boundaries (e.g. between school and out-of-school activities), may be the most significant factor in encouraging educators to rethink their existing pedagogical patterns, thereby realizing some of the promises of contextualised participatory science learning.

Future Scenarios for Mobile Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burden, Kevin; Kearney, Matthew

2016-01-01

This paper adopts scenario planning as a methodological approach and tool to help science educators reconceptualise their use of mobile technologies across various different futures. These "futures" are set out neither as predictions nor prognoses but rather as stimuli to encourage greater discussion and reflection around the use of…

Literary Magazines: To Censor or Not?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mossman, Robert C.

2007-01-01

High school teacher Robert C. Mossman asserts that literary magazines reflect and elevate school communities' values. As adviser of his school literary magazine, Mossman encourages students to uphold certain standards for decency, while helping students learn to distinguish between original writing that is specific and thoughtful and writing that…

Focusing on learning through constructive alignment with task-oriented portfolio assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cain, A.; Grundy, J.; Woodward, C. J.

2018-07-01

Approaches to learning have been shown to have a significant impact on student success in technical units. This paper reports on an action research study that applied the principles of constructive alignment to improve student learning outcomes in programming units. The proposed model uses frequent formative feedback to engage students with unit material, and encourage them to adopt deep approaches to learning. Our results provide a set of guiding principles and a structured teaching approach that focuses students on meeting unit learning objectives, the goal of constructive alignment. The results are demonstrated via descriptions of the resulting teaching and learning environment, student results, and staff and student reflections.

Nurses' perceptions of the impact of Team-Based Learning participation on learning style, team behaviours and clinical performance: An exploration of written reflections.

PubMed

Oldland, Elizabeth; Currey, Judy; Considine, Julie; Allen, Josh

2017-05-01

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a teaching strategy designed to promote problem solving, critical thinking and effective teamwork and communication skills; attributes essential for safe healthcare. The aim was to explore postgraduate student perceptions of the role of TBL in shaping learning style, team skills, and professional and clinical behaviours. An exploratory descriptive approach was selected. Critical care students were invited to provide consent for the use for research purposes of written reflections submitted for course work requirements. Reflections of whether and how TBL influenced their learning style, teamwork skills and professional behaviours during classroom learning and clinical practice were analysed for content and themes. Of 174 students, 159 participated. Analysis revealed three themes: Deep Learning, the adaptations students made to their learning that resulted in mastery of specialist knowledge; Confidence, in knowledge, problem solving and rationales for practice decisions; and Professional and Clinical Behaviours, including positive changes in their interactions with colleagues and patients described as patient advocacy, multidisciplinary communication skills and peer mentorship. TBL facilitated a virtuous cycle of feedback encouraging deep learning that increased confidence. Increased confidence improved deep learning that, in turn, led to the development of professional and clinical behaviours characteristic of high quality practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simulating the Camp David Negotiations: A Problem-Solving Tool in Critical Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahon, Sean F.; Miller, Chris

2013-01-01

This article reflects critically on simulations. Building on the authors' experience simulating the Palestinian-Israeli-American Camp David negotiations of 2000, they argue that simulations are useful pedagogical tools that encourage creative--but not critical--thinking and constructivist learning. However, they can also have the deleterious…

Approaches to Assessment in CLIL Classrooms: Two Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Dwyer, Fergus; de Boer, Mark

2015-01-01

This article presents two case studies that show how learner involvement and collaboration in assessment are valid pedagogic tools to encourage learner reflection and engagement, particularly where a very traditional approach to language learning is the norm. The authors, who teach in universities in Japan, discuss different but related approaches…

Perceptions of International Students toward Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mupinga, Emily E.; Mupinga, Davison M.

2005-01-01

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is an aptitude test, thought to reflect intelligence or the capacity to learn (Larsen & Buss, 2003). It is a standardized admission exam designed to predict performance in graduate school through verbal, quantitative, and analytical reasoning questions. The GRE Board encourages graduate schools,…

Valuing Assessment in Teacher Education - Multiple-Choice Competency Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Dona L.; Itter, Diane

2014-01-01

When our focus is on assessment educators should work to value the nature of assessment. This paper presents a new approach to multiple-choice competency testing in mathematics education. The instrument discussed here reflects student competence, encourages self-regulatory learning behaviours and links content with current curriculum documents and…

Digital-Gaming Trajectories and Second Language Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholz, Kyle W.; Schulze, Mathias

2017-01-01

Recent research in digital game-based language learning has been encouraging, yet it would benefit from research methods that focus on the gaming processes and second-language development (Larsen-Freeman, 2015) rather than learner/player reflection or individuals' beliefs about the validity of gameplay. This has proven challenging as research…

Nudging toward Inquiry: Developing Questions and a Sense of Wonder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fontichiaro, Kristin, Comp.

2010-01-01

Inquiry does not replace information literacy; it encompasses it. It encourages librarians to consider instructional design beyond information search, retrieval, citation, and use. Inquiry-based learning invites school librarians to step into all aspects of instructional planning, from activating prior knowledge straight through to reflection.…

Writing to Like Writing: A Longitudinal First-Person Education Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iran-Nejad, Asghar; Xu, Yuejin; Mansouri, Behzad

2013-01-01

Reported in this article was an experiment in which 143 undergraduates in an educational psychology course were encouraged to engage in the performance learning activity (PLA) of "seeking their own revelations (or insights) and reflecting on them in writing." The hypothesis, grounded in the biofunctionally-based, first-person…

Toward Facilitative Mentoring and Catalytic Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Melissa K.; Lewis, Marilyn

2015-01-01

In TESOL teacher mentoring, giving advice can be conceptualized as a continuum, ranging from directive to facilitative feedback. The goal, over time, is to lead toward the facilitative end of the continuum and specifically to catalytic interventions that encourage self-reflection and autonomous learning. This study begins by examining research on…

Launching Family Message Journals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wollman-Bonilla, Julie

This lesson introduces Family Message Journals, a tool for encouraging family involvement and supporting writing to reflect and learn. First and second graders are led into composing through demonstration, guided writing, and finally independent writing of messages that they will bring home for family to read and write a reply. During the three…

The mediating effect of self-reflection and learning effectiveness on clinical nursing performance in nursing students: A follow-up study.

PubMed

Pai, Hsiang-Chu; Ko, Hui-Ling; Eng, Cheng-Joo; Yen, Wen-Jiuan

The effectiveness of simulation learning and the effects of anxiety in the simulated situation have been understudied. In addition, research on the association between learning effectiveness and students' clinical care performance in the hospital setting is very limited in Taiwan. The aim of this study is to examine the mediating effect of self-reflection and simulation learning effectiveness on the clinical nursing performance of nursing students. A Prospective, longitudinal, and correlational design was used. The study was conducted from December 2014 to July 2015. Participants were 293 nursing students in southern Taiwan. A structural model was specified and tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine the relationships between the variables. The results revealed that the model was robust in terms of its measurement quality (reliability, validity, and goodness of fit), with the data's explaining 38.3% of variance in nursing competence. As self-reflection and learning effectiveness were added into the structural model, the effect of anxiety on nursing competence was still significant, but the regression coefficient (β) estimate of -0.41 (p<0.05) changed to β=-0.15 (p<0.050),indicating that self-reflection and learning effectiveness mediated the relationship between anxiety and nursing competence. Nursing competence was negatively affected by anxiety and positively affected by self-reflection (β=0.49, p<0.05) and simulation learning effectiveness (β=0.10, p<0.05). The teacher's encouraging learning can have a positive influence on students' self-reflection and learning effectiveness, which then decreases the effect of anxiety on nursing competence and further promotes students' clinical care ability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experiential learning in practice: An ethnographic study among nursing students and preceptors.

PubMed

Rodríguez-García, Marta; Medina-Moya, José Luis; González-Pascual, Juan Luis; Cardenete-Reyes, César

2018-03-01

This study aimed to explore the reflective dialogues and processes that take place between preceptors and their nursing students and to examine how preceptors make use of their expert knowledge in order to enhance students' experiential learning during clinical placements. Two 30-h courses on reflective teaching were conducted. The study sample included 15 preceptors and 27 undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected during the course and during clinical placements at two X hospitals. Data collection included non-participatory observation and informal conversations with preceptors, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Preceptors used a series of strategies to promote experiential learning; these included creating links with practice, the use of examples, allowing students to adopt professional roles and enhancing autonomy. The value of preceptors is their wealth of professional experience, which is key during the learning process of nursing students. Preceptors must learn to master the art of questioning and stimulating reflective dialogues, in order to stimulate students' critical thinking and encourage them to resolve common problems that arise during practice. Students demand a more active role in their own learning processes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Academic Library Web Sites: Current Practice and Future Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detlor, Brian; Lewis, Vivian

2006-01-01

To address competitive threats, academic libraries are encouraged to build robust Web sites personalized to learning and research tasks. Through an evaluation of Association of Research Libraries (ARL)-member Web sites, we suggest how library Web sites should evolve and reflect upon the impacts such recommendations may have on academic libraries…

The Challenge of Audience Reception: A Developmental Model for Educational Game Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherry, John L.

2013-01-01

According to educational gaming advocates, the engaging nature of games encourages sustained game play and enhanced attention to learning outcomes among players. Because children's and adolescents' play time varies by game genre, engagement with a game likely reflects the match between the genre and the player's preferences and needs. Youth learn…

A Time for Silence? Its Possibilities for Dialogue and for Reflective Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmermann, Ana Cristina; Morgan, W. John

2016-01-01

From the beginning of history sounds have played a fundamentally important role in humanity's development as ways of expression and of communication. However in contemporary western society, and indeed globally, we are experiencing an excess of speech and a relentless encouragement to expression. Such excess indicates a misunderstanding about what…

See, reflect, learn more: qualitative analysis of breaking bad news reflective narratives.

PubMed

Karnieli-Miller, Orit; Palombo, Michal; Meitar, Dafna

2018-05-01

Breaking bad news (BBN) is a challenge that requires multiple professional competencies. BBN teaching often includes didactic and group role-playing sessions. Both are useful and important, but exclude another critical component of students' learning: day-to-day role-model observation in the clinics. Given the importance of observation and the potential benefit of reflective writing in teaching, we have incorporated reflective writing into our BBN course. The aim of this study was to enhance our understanding of the learning potential in reflective writing about BBN encounters and the ability to identify components that inhibit this learning. This was a systematic qualitative immersion/crystallization analysis of 166 randomly selected BBN narratives written by 83 senior medical students. We analysed the narratives in an iterative consensus-building process to identify the issues discussed, the lessons learned and the enhanced understanding of BBN. Having previously been unaware of, not invited to or having avoided BBN encounters, the mandatory assignment led students to search for or ask their mentors to join them in BBN encounters. Observation and reflective writing enhanced students' awareness that 'bad news' is relative and subjective, while shedding light on patients', families', physicians' and their own experiences and needs, revealing the importance of the different components of the BBN protocol. We identified diversity among the narratives and the extent of students' learning. Narrative writing provided students with an opportunity for a deliberative learning process. This led to deeper understanding of BBN encounters, of how to apply the newly taught protocol, or of the need for it. This process connected the formal and informal or hidden curricula. To maximise learning through reflective writing, students should be encouraged to write in detail about a recent observed encounter, analyse it according to the protocol, address different participants' behaviours and emotions, and identify dilemmas and clear lessons learned. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

A Practical Guide To Developing Effective Web-based Learning

PubMed Central

Cook, David A; Dupras, Denise M

2004-01-01

OBJECTIVE Online learning has changed medical education, but many “educational” websites do not employ principles of effective learning. This article will assist readers in developing effective educational websites by integrating principles of active learning with the unique features of the Web. DESIGN Narrative review. RESULTS The key steps in developing an effective educational website are: Perform a needs analysis and specify goals and objectives; determine technical resources and needs; evaluate preexisting software and use it if it fully meets your needs; secure commitment from all participants and identify and address potential barriers to implementation; develop content in close coordination with website design (appropriately use multimedia, hyperlinks, and online communication) and follow a timeline; encourage active learning (self-assessment, reflection, self-directed learning, problem-based learning, learner interaction, and feedback); facilitate and plan to encourage use by the learner (make website accessible and user-friendly, provide time for learning, and motivate learners); evaluate learners and course; pilot the website before full implementation; and plan to monitor online communication and maintain the site by resolving technical problems, periodically verifying hyperlinks, and regularly updating content. CONCLUSION Teaching on the Web involves more than putting together a colorful webpage. By consistently employing principles of effective learning, educators will unlock the full potential of Web-based medical education. PMID:15209610

From Workshop to the Web: Reflections on the Journey in Producing Vidcasts to Enhance Student Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, Angela; Johnston, Aidan

As part of its evolving e-learning programme, the pedagogic value of vidcasts is currently being explored at Glasgow Caledonian University. The vidcasts are accessible on the internet and embedded links refer back to the Effective Learning Service's website to offer users the option of additional clarification if necessary. They aim to encourage and enhance students' learning in higher education, particularly in relation to academic writing. The vidcasts have been available for use during academic year 2009/2010 and have been accessed by over 1,000 individuals. Research on their use is ongoing and has provided valuable data for future developments.

Self-regulated learning and academic performance in medical education.

PubMed

Lucieer, Susanna M; Jonker, Laura; Visscher, Chris; Rikers, Remy M J P; Themmen, Axel P N

2016-06-01

Medical schools aim to graduate medical doctors who are able to self-regulate their learning. It is therefore important to investigate whether medical students' self-regulated learning skills change during medical school. In addition, since these skills are expected to be helpful to learn more effectively, it is of interest to investigate whether these skills are related to academic performance. In a cross-sectional design, the Self-Regulation of Learning Self-Report Scale (SRL-SRS) was used to investigate the change in students' self-regulated learning skills. First and third-year students (N = 949, 81.7%) SRL-SRS scores were compared with ANOVA. The relation with academic performance was investigated with multinomial regression analysis. Only one of the six skills, reflection, significantly, but positively, changed during medical school. In addition, a small, but positive relation of monitoring, reflection, and effort with first-year GPA was found, while only effort was related to third-year GPA. The change in self-regulated learning skills is minor as only the level of reflection differs between the first and third year. In addition, the relation between self-regulated learning skills and academic performance is limited. Medical schools are therefore encouraged to re-examine the curriculum and methods they use to enhance their students' self-regulated learning skills. Future research is required to understand the limited impact on performance.

Using developmental evaluation as a system of organizational learning: An example from San Francisco.

PubMed

Shea, Jennifer; Taylor, Tory

2017-12-01

In the last 20 years, developmental evaluation has emerged as a promising approach to support organizational learning in emergent social programs. Through a continuous system of inquiry, reflection, and application of knowledge, developmental evaluation serves as a system of tools, methods, and guiding principles intended to support constructive organizational learning. However, missing from the developmental evaluation literature is a nuanced framework to guide evaluators in how to elevate the organizational practices and concepts most relevant for emergent programs. In this article, we describe and reflect on work we did to develop, pilot, and refine an integrated pilot framework. Drawing on established developmental evaluation inquiry frameworks and incorporating lessons learned from applying the pilot framework, we put forward the Evaluation-led Learning framework to help fill that gap and encourage others to implement and refine it. We posit that without explicitly incorporating the assessments at the foundation of the Evaluation-led Learning framework, developmental evaluation's ability to affect organizational learning in productive ways will likely be haphazard and limited. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Living Up to Garth Boomer: An Early Career Teacher's Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallis, Stephen

2013-01-01

Although Garth Boomer spoke of "thresholds of explicitness" (1988, p. 169) beyond which teachers would not venture in the openness of their curriculum design or indeed the nature of the system in which they operate, Stephen Wallis writes in this article that he does believe in student-centred learning and encouraging students to be…

A Qualitative Investigation of Mentor Experiences in a Service Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Kira Hudson

2010-01-01

Mentoring is often considered a gift of time and resources that a mentor gives to a mentee. However, research suggests that mentoring has benefits specifically for the mentor. This study analyzes written reflections of twenty-five mentors who took part in a National Science Foundation-funded program that encouraged middle-school girls to engage in…

Becoming-Learner: Coordinates for Mapping the Space and Subject of Nomadic Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fendler, Rachel

2013-01-01

How can the process of "becoming learner" be observed, documented, and shared? What methodology could be used to discuss nomadic qualities of learning mobilities? This article argues in favor of an arts-based research approach, specifically social cartography, as a tool that can encourage young people to reflect on their identity as…

Researchers Apply Lesson Study: A Cycle of Lesson Planning, Implementation, and Revision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regan, Kelley S.; Evmenova, Anya S.; Kurz, Leigh Ann; Hughes, Melissa D.; Sacco, Donna; Ahn, Soo Y.; MacVittie, Nichole; Good, Kevin; Boykin, Andrea; Schwartzer, Jessica; Chirinos, David S.

2016-01-01

Scripted lesson plans and/or professional development alone may not be sufficient to encourage teachers to reflect on the quality of their teaching and improve their teaching. One learning tool that teachers may use to improve their teaching is Lesson Study (LS). LS is a collaborative process involving educators, based on concepts of iteration and…

To Efoliate or Not To Efoliate? The Rise of the Electronic Portfolio in Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norton-Meier, Lori A.

2003-01-01

Considers how the process of efoliation, the peeling back of layers of learning and presenting it in an organized electronic format, holds tremendous promise. Believes that developing an electronic teaching portfolio can be an experience that supports and encourages the developing preservice teacher--an experience that combines reflection and…

Role-Play and Student Engagement: Reflections from the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Rachel

2015-01-01

Role-play is viewed by scholars as an effective active learning strategy: it encourages participation among passive learners, adds dynamism to the classroom and promotes the retention of material. But what do students think of role-play? This study surveyed 144 students after a role-play activity in a history course and asked them to identify what…

CALL and the Saudi Arabian EFL Learners: An Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfallaj, Fahad Saleh Suleiman

2017-01-01

There is a growing consciousness to the need to know English among the Saudi Arabian peoples. This is apparent in the painstaking efforts of the policy makers in bringing in technology as an aid to teachers, institutions diverting huge funding to the field and encouraging research in the area. Learning outcomes, however, do not reflect these…

Student-Led Presentations "in Situ": The Challenges to Presenting on the Edge of a Volcano

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marvell, Alan

2008-01-01

Student-led seminars are commonplace within higher education but few are allowed the opportunity of being delivered in situ. Presentations in situ widen the experience of students and develop a range of transferable skills, encouraging a greater sense of place and facilitating reflective learning. This case study describes the experiences of a…

Encouraging Voices: Listening to Young People Who Have Been Marginalised

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Richard; Shevlin, Michael

2004-01-01

When provided with an opportunity to reflect upon their experiences of education, young people can often offer insights into those procedures and actions which have either supported or inhibited learning. In this article Richard Rose and Michael Shevlin describe how a team of researchers came together with a group of young people from marginalized…

Helping When They Are Listening: A Midterm Study Skills Intervention for "Introductory Psychology"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cathey, Christie L.; Visio, Michelle E; Whisenhunt, Brooke L.; Hudson, Danae L.; Shoptaugh, Carol F.

2016-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of a study skills training session offered at midterm to students enrolled in a large section of "Introductory Psychology." In the training session, students watched a series of five, short videos on effective learning and answered related clicker questions that encouraged them to reflect their own…

Development and validation of the Simulation Learning Effectiveness Scale for nursing students.

PubMed

Pai, Hsiang-Chu

2016-11-01

To develop and validate the Simulation Learning Effectiveness Scale, which is based on Bandura's social cognitive theory. A simulation programme is a significant teaching strategy for nursing students. Nevertheless, there are few evidence-based instruments that validate the effectiveness of simulation learning in Taiwan. This is a quantitative descriptive design. In Study 1, a nonprobability convenience sample of 151 student nurses completed the Simulation Learning Effectiveness Scale. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the instrument. In Study 2, which involved 365 student nurses, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the construct validity of the Simulation Learning Effectiveness Scale. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis yielded three components: self-regulation, self-efficacy and self-motivation. The three factors explained 29·09, 27·74 and 19·32% of the variance, respectively. The final 12-item instrument with the three factors explained 76·15% of variance. Cronbach's alpha was 0·94. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis identified a second-order factor termed Simulation Learning Effectiveness Scale. Goodness-of-fit indices showed an acceptable fit overall with the full model (χ 2 /df (51) = 3·54, comparative fit index = 0·96, Tucker-Lewis index = 0·95 and standardised root-mean-square residual = 0·035). In addition, teacher's competence was found to encourage learning, and self-reflection and insight were significantly and positively associated with Simulation Learning Effectiveness Scale. Teacher's competence in encouraging learning also was significantly and positively associated with self-reflection and insight. Overall, theses variable explained 21·9% of the variance in the student's learning effectiveness. The Simulation Learning Effectiveness Scale is a reliable and valid means to assess simulation learning effectiveness for nursing students. The Simulation Learning Effectiveness Scale can be used to examine nursing students' learning effectiveness and serve as a basis to improve student's learning efficiency through simulation programmes. Future implementation research that focuses on the relationship between learning effectiveness and nursing competence in nursing students is recommended. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Towards an Understanding of the Social Aspects of Sustainability in Product Design: Teaching HE Students in the UK and Ireland through Reflection and Peer Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Matthew

2014-01-01

This paper presents findings from a doctoral study, which investigated effective methods for teaching social sustainability within product design courses in British and Irish universities. This paper explores approaches for encouraging students to explore the social aspects of sustainable product design through workshops specifically designed to…

Midwife Learns Lessons as a Hospital Patient

PubMed Central

Rosensweig, Nancey

2008-01-01

After her first-time experience as a patient in a hospital, a midwife and childbirth educator reflects on the vulnerability and dependence of women who undergo operative birth. Continuous support for these women during the early postpartum period is imperative. Childbirth educators are encouraged to advocate for these women's needs and to teach them how to advocate for themselves. PMID:19436416

Acting Like a Mathematician: A Project to Encourage Inquiry Early in the Math Major

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camenga, Kristin A.

2017-01-01

Inquiry is promoted as a way to engage students so that they learn more deeply; inquiry is also an end in itself, introducing students to the research process and the behaviors of a mathematician. This article reflects on an individual exploratory project used in a sophomore-level number theory course, examining how it supported student inquiry…

The 2007 Anatomy Ceremony: A Service of Gratitude

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

Yale University medical and PA students, classes of 2010 and 2008 respectively, express their gratitude in a compilation of reflections on learning human anatomy. In coordination with the Section of Anatomy and Experimental Surgery at the School of Medicine, the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine encourages you to hear the stories of the body as narrated by the student.

Ethical learning on international medical electives: a case-based analysis of medical student learning experiences.

PubMed

Bowsher, Gemma; Parry-Billings, Laura; Georgeson, Anna; Baraitser, Paula

2018-04-11

Students on international medical electives face complex ethical issues when undertaking clinical work. The variety of elective destinations and the culturally specific nature of clinical ethical issues suggest that pre-elective preparation could be supplemented by in-elective support. An online, asynchronous, case-based discussion was piloted to support ethical learning on medical student electives. We developed six scenarios from elective diaries to stimulate peer-facilitated discussions during electives. We evaluated the transcripts to assess whether transformative, experiential learning took place, assessing specifically for indications that 1) critical reflection, 2) reflective action and 3) reflective learning were taking place. We also completed a qualitative thematic content analysis of the discussions. Of forty-one extended comments, nine responses showed evidence of transformative learning (Mezirow stage three). The thematic analysis identified five themes: adopting a position on ethical issues without overt analysis; presenting issues in terms of their effects on students' ability to complete tasks; describing local contexts and colleagues as "other"; difficulty navigating between individual and structural issues, and overestimation of the impact of individual action on structures and processes. Results suggest a need to: frame ethical learning on elective so that it builds on earlier ethical programmes in the curriculum, and encourages students to adopt structured approaches to complex ethical issues including cross-cultural negotiation and to enhance global health training within the curriculum.

Experiential learning in nursing consultation education via clinical simulation with actors: action research.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Saionara Nunes; do Prado, Marta Lenise; Kempfer, Silvana Silveira; Martini, Jussara Gue; Caravaca-Morera, Jaime Alonso; Bernardi, Mariely Carmelina

2015-02-01

This was an action research study conducted during an undergraduate nursing course. The objective was to propose and implement experiential learning for nursing consultation education using clinical simulation with actors. The 4 steps of action research were followed: planning, action, observation and reflection. Three nursing undergraduate students participated in the study. Data were collected in May and July 2013 via participant comments and interviews and were analyzed in accordance with the operative proposal for qualitative data analysis. Planning included constructing and validating the clinical guides, selecting and training the actors, organizing and preparing the scenario and the issuing invitations to the participants. The action was carried out according to Kolb's (1984) 4 stages of learning cycles: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization and Active Experimentation. Clinical simulation involves different subjects' participation in all stages, and action research is a method that enables the clinical stimulation to be implemented. It must be guided by clear learning objectives and by a critical pedagogy that encourages critical thinking in students. Using actors and a real scenario facilitated psychological fidelity, and debriefing was the key moment of the reflective process that facilitated the integral training of students through experiential learning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dealing with complex and ill-structured problems: results of a Plan-Do-Check-Act experiment in a business engineering semester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riis, Jens Ove; Achenbach, Marlies; Israelsen, Poul; Kyvsgaard Hansen, Poul; Johansen, John; Deuse, Jochen

2017-07-01

Challenged by increased globalisation and fast technological development, we carried out an experiment in the third semester of a global business engineering programme aimed at identifying conditions for training student in dealing with complex and ill-structured problems of forming a new business. As this includes a fuzzy front end, learning cannot be measured in traditional, quantitative terms; therefore, we have explored the use of reflection to convert tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. The experiment adopted a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach and concluded with developing a plan for new learning initiatives in the subsequent year's semester. The findings conclude that (1) problem-based learning develops more competencies than ordinarily measured at the examination, especially, the social/communication and personal competencies are developed; (2) students are capable of dealing with a complex and ambiguous problem, if properly guided. Four conditions were identified; (3) most students are not conscious of their learning, but are able to reflect if properly encouraged; and (4) improving engineering education should be considered as an organisational learning process.

Helping students with learning difficulties in medical and health-care education.

PubMed

Coles, C R

1990-05-01

In health profession education many more students than is currently acknowledged experience often extreme difficulties with their studying. This booklet is intended to help them. It outlines an approach being adopted in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton by which students are encouraged to reflect on and discuss their approaches to studying, identifying their perception of their task and where necessary changing this. It is shown that students need to elaborate their knowledge, that is to structure the factual information they are receiving and to relate it to their practical experiences. A number of suggestions are made to encourage this, and their theoretical underpinnings are discussed. It is concluded that while inappropriate curricula and teaching methods and not some weakness on the part of students are largely the cause of learning difficulties, it will take time to change these. Establishing a kind of 'clinic' for helping students cope can be of value immediately.

Looking Back to Move Forward: First-Year Medical Students' Meta-Reflections on Their Narrative Portfolio Writings.

PubMed

Cunningham, Hetty; Taylor, Delphine; Desai, Urmi A; Quiah, Samuel C; Kaplan, Benjamin; Fei, Lorraine; Catallozzi, Marina; Richards, Boyd; Balmer, Dorene F; Charon, Rita

2018-06-01

The day-to-day rigors of medical education often preclude learners from gaining a longitudinal perspective on who they are becoming. Furthermore, the current focus on competencies, coupled with concerning rates of trainee burnout and a decline in empathy, have fueled the search for pedagogic tools to foster students' reflective capacity. In response, many scholars have looked to the tradition of narrative medicine to foster "reflective spaces" wherein holistic professional identity construction can be supported. This article focuses on the rationale, content, and early analysis of the reflective space created by the narrative medicine-centered portfolio at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. In January 2015, the authors investigated learning outcomes derived from students' "Signature Reflections," end-of-semester meta-reflections on their previous portfolio work. The authors analyzed the Signature Reflections of 97 (of 132) first-year medical students using a constant comparative process. This iterative approach allowed researchers to identify themes within students' writings and interpret the data. The authors identified two overarching interpretive themes-recognition and grappling-and six subthemes. Recognition included comments about self-awareness and empathy. Grappling encompassed the subthemes of internal change, dichotomies, wonder and questioning, and anxiety. Based on the authors' analyses, the Signature Reflection seems to provide a structured framework that encourages students' reflective capacity and the construction of holistic professional identity. Other medical educators may adopt meta-reflection, within the reflective space of a writing portfolio, to encourage students' acquisition of a longitudinal perspective on who they are becoming and how they are constructing their professional identity.

What happens in the lab does not stay in the lab [corrected]: Applying midstream modulation to enhance critical reflection in the laboratory.

PubMed

Schuurbiers, Daan

2011-12-01

In response to widespread policy prescriptions for responsible innovation, social scientists and engineering ethicists, among others, have sought to engage natural scientists and engineers at the 'midstream': building interdisciplinary collaborations to integrate social and ethical considerations with research and development processes. Two 'laboratory engagement studies' have explored how applying the framework of midstream modulation could enhance the reflections of natural scientists on the socio-ethical context of their work. The results of these interdisciplinary collaborations confirm the utility of midstream modulation in encouraging both first- and second-order reflective learning. The potential for second-order reflective learning, in which underlying value systems become the object of reflection, is particularly significant with respect to addressing social responsibility in research practices. Midstream modulation served to render the socio-ethical context of research visible in the laboratory and helped enable research participants to more critically reflect on this broader context. While lab-based collaborations would benefit from being carried out in concert with activities at institutional and policy levels, midstream modulation could prove a valuable asset in the toolbox of interdisciplinary methods aimed at responsible innovation.

Chance, choice and opportunity: Life history study of two exemplary female elementary science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hitt, Kathleen Milligan

The purpose of this two-year study was to investigate why two female elementary teachers became exemplary science teachers, despite conditions which do not promote such achievement. Each teachers' progress was examined using life history methodology. The study's theoretical grounding included females' academic and attitudinal success in science education. Purposeful sampling of peers, administrators, and college professors produced two research participants. Both teachers participated in interviews, observations, and member checks lasting over one year. Data were analyzed inductively, resulting in two life histories. Comparing the life stories using confluence theory (Feldman, 1986) indicated four major categories for consideration: risk-taking; life-long learning; gender equity; and mentors. Risk-taking is necessary for female elementary teachers because of their often poor educational background. Few female role models support efforts for achievement. Life-long learning, including extensive reading and graduate-level classes, supports female teachers' personal and professional growth. Exposure to new ideas and teacher practices encourages curricular change and refinement in science education. Gender inequity and the male-packaging of science is an issue to be resolved by female elementary teachers. Mentors can provide interaction and feedback to refine science instructional practices. Professors, peers, and mentor teachers support instructional and content knowledge efforts. Recommendations for science education in classroom practices, preservice teacher education and continuing professional development include female-friendly approaches to science instruction. Decreased competitive practices through cooperative learning and gender inclusive language encourages female participation and achievement in classrooms. Hands-on, inquiry-based instruction and verbalization encourages female students' achievement in science education. Preservice teachers must receive adequate conceptual understanding in college science courses. Addressing knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and gender issues inherent in prior science education assists students to be reflective. Practicing teachers should be encouraged to work collaboratively, be reflective, and be aware of gender inequity issues. In-depth professional development efforts are need to support these changes. Administrators must be supportive of the process. Further research can add to and expand this body of knowledge through additional research into male elementary science teachers' life experiences. Research with preservice teachers may reveal similar findings even though their historical time period differs from the two participants in this study.

Leadership collaboration during health reform: an action learning approach with an interagency group of executives in Tasmania.

PubMed

Harpur, Siobhan

2012-05-01

To use an action learning approach to encourage a group of executive leaders, responsible for the implementation of a state health reform agenda, to consider the leadership required to drive improvement in healthcare services. Based on an assertion that knowledge is co-produced and that deliberative and structured conversation can be a mechanism to drive change, an action learning approach was used to facilitate an interagency group of executive leaders, responsible for the implementation of a state health reform agenda, who were encouraged to consider the leadership required to drive improvement in healthcare services. It was difficult to assert how the group contributed specifically to the implementation of the health reform agenda but individuals gained insights and there was informal resolution of institutional tensions and differences. The method may provide new knowledge to the reform process over time. Getting the participants together was challenging, which may reflect the reality of time-poor executives, or a low commitment to giving time to structured and deliberative informal dialogue. Further work is required to test this thesis and the action learning approach with other parts of healthcare workforce.

Peer Teaching to Foster Learning in Physiology.

PubMed

Srivastava, Tripti K; Waghmare, Lalitbhushan S; Mishra, Ved Prakash; Rawekar, Alka T; Quazi, Nazli; Jagzape, Arunita T

2015-08-01

Peer teaching is an effective tool to promote learning and retention of knowledge. By preparing to teach, students are encouraged to construct their own learning program, so that they can explain effectively to fellow learners. Peer teaching is introduced in present study to foster learning and pedagogical skills amongst first year medical under-graduates in physiology with a Hypothesis that teaching is linked to learning on part of the teacher. Non-randomized, Interventional study, with mixed methods design. Cases experienced peer teaching whereas controls underwent tutorials for four consecutive classes. Quantitative Evaluation was done through pre/post test score analysis for Class average normalized gain and tests of significance, difference in average score in surprise class test after one month and percentage of responses in closed ended items of feedback questionnaire. Qualitative Evaluation was done through categorization of open ended items and coding of reflective statements. The average pre and post test score was statistically significant within cases (p = 0.01) and controls (p = 0.023). The average post test scores was more for cases though not statistically significant. The class average normalized gain (g) for Tutorials was 49% and for peer teaching 53%. Surprise test had average scoring of 36 marks (out of 50) for controls and 41 marks for cases. Analysed section wise, the average score was better for Long answer question (LAQ) in cases. Section wise analysis suggested that through peer teaching, retention was better for descriptive answers as LAQ has better average score in cases. Feedback responses were predominantly positive for efficacy of peer teaching as a learning method. The reflective statements were sorted into reflection in action, reflection on action, claiming evidence, describing experience, and recognizing discrepancies. Teaching can stimulate further learning as it involves interplay of three processes: metacognitive awareness; deliberate practice, and self-explanation. Coupled with immediate feedback and reflective exercises, learning can be measurably enhanced along with improved teaching skills.

Peer Teaching to Foster Learning in Physiology

PubMed Central

Srivastava, Tripti K; Waghmare, Lalitbhushan S.; Mishra, Ved Prakash; Rawekar, Alka T; Quazi, Nazli; Jagzape, Arunita T

2015-01-01

Introduction Peer teaching is an effective tool to promote learning and retention of knowledge. By preparing to teach, students are encouraged to construct their own learning program, so that they can explain effectively to fellow learners. Peer teaching is introduced in present study to foster learning and pedagogical skills amongst first year medical under-graduates in physiology with a Hypothesis that teaching is linked to learning on part of the teacher. Materials and Methods Non-randomized, Interventional study, with mixed methods design. Cases experienced peer teaching whereas controls underwent tutorials for four consecutive classes. Quantitative Evaluation was done through pre/post test score analysis for Class average normalized gain and tests of significance, difference in average score in surprise class test after one month and percentage of responses in closed ended items of feedback questionnaire. Qualitative Evaluation was done through categorization of open ended items and coding of reflective statements. Results The average pre and post test score was statistically significant within cases (p = 0.01) and controls (p = 0.023). The average post test scores was more for cases though not statistically significant. The class average normalized gain (g) for Tutorials was 49% and for peer teaching 53%. Surprise test had average scoring of 36 marks (out of 50) for controls and 41 marks for cases. Analysed section wise, the average score was better for Long answer question (LAQ) in cases. Section wise analysis suggested that through peer teaching, retention was better for descriptive answers as LAQ has better average score in cases. Feedback responses were predominantly positive for efficacy of peer teaching as a learning method. The reflective statements were sorted into reflection in action, reflection on action, claiming evidence, describing experience, and recognizing discrepancies. Conclusion Teaching can stimulate further learning as it involves interplay of three processes: metacognitive awareness; deliberate practice, and self-explanation. Coupled with immediate feedback and reflective exercises, learning can be measurably enhanced along with improved teaching skills. PMID:26435969

Viewpoint: suggestions for a shift in teaching clinical skills to medical students: the reflective clinical examination.

PubMed

Benbassat, Jochanan; Baumal, Reuben; Heyman, Samuel N; Brezis, Mayer

2005-12-01

How medical students are taught physical examination (PE) skills appears to have changed little since the 1950s. Textbooks are organized according to organ systems and describe methods of eliciting and recording history and PE data using a routine format. In many medical schools, the preclinical teaching programs for clinical examination skills similarly emphasize an orderly collection of data. Teaching students to use diagnostic reasoning is postponed until students have learned history-taking and PE skills. The authors propose three modifications to this educational approach. First, rather than performing the clinical examination using a routine format, students should be encouraged to form diagnostic hypotheses early on while listening to the patient's narrative, and conduct the subsequent search for history and PE data in a reflective way in order to confirm or refute these hypotheses. Second, the authors propose that interviewing patients and conducting the PE be taught by one-on-one tutoring until students achieve mastery. Last, they suggest that the PE be guided not only by students' diagnostic hypotheses, but also by patients' expectations. These modifications are consistent with current trends in medical education that encourage a reflective practice and problem-based learning (PBL), and they also introduce medical students to the precepts of clinical reasoning. The authors suggest that challenging students to seek specific physical findings may increase the likelihood of detecting findings when they are present, and may transform patient interviewing and conducting the PE from routine activities into intellectually exciting experiences.

The Particular Aspects of Science Museum Exhibits That Encourage Students' Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaby, Neta; Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Tal, Tali

2017-06-01

This research explores learning in science museums through the most common activity in a science museum—interaction with exhibits. The goal of this study was to characterize the learning behaviors exhibited by students as they engage with interactive exhibits in order to draw insight regarding the design of the exhibits. In order to do so, we used a qualitative method of observation as well as the Visitor Engagement Framework (VEF) model, a visitor-based framework for assessing visitors' learning experiences with exhibits in a science center setting. The combined method produced a framework of nine learning behaviors exhibited during the visitors' interaction with the exhibits, grouped into three categories that reflect increasing levels of engagement and depth of the learning experience. Our research participants consisted of a total 1800 students aged 10-12 (4th, 5th, and 6th graders) who came to the museum with their class for a day visit. We observed nine exhibits, each visited by 200 students. Our observations revealed several design elements that contribute to engagement with exhibits in science museums. For example, exhibits that have familiar activation encourage visitors' interaction, exhibits that facilitate social interaction are more likely to increase engagement, and the highest levels of engagement can be found in exhibits that support large groups.

From personal reflection to social positioning: the development of a transformational model of professional education in midwifery.

PubMed

Phillips, Diane; Fawns, Rod; Hayes, Barbara

2002-12-01

A transformational model of professional identity formation, anchored and globalized in workplace conversations, is advanced. Whilst the need to theorize the aims and methods of clinical education has been served by the techno-rational platform of 'reflective practice', this platform does not provide an adequate psychological tool to explore the dynamics of social episodes in professional learning and this led us to positioning theory. Positioning theory is one such appropriate tool in which individuals metaphorically locate themselves within discursive action in everyday conversations to do with personal positioning, institutional practices and societal rhetoric. This paper develops the case for researching social episodes in clinical education through professional conversations where midwifery students, in practice settings, are encouraged to account for their moment-by-moment interactions with their preceptors/midwives and university mentors. It is our belief that the reflection elaborated by positioning theory should be considered as the new epistemology for professional education where professional conversations are key to transformative learning processes for persons and institutions.

Neurobiology of Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Norton, Elizabeth S.; Beach, Sara D.; Gabrieli, John D. E.

2014-01-01

Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities, yet its brain basis and core causes are not yet fully understood. Neuroimaging methods, including structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, and electrophysiology, have significantly contributed to knowledge about the neurobiology of dyslexia. Recent studies have discovered brain differences prior to formal instruction that likely encourage or discourage learning to read effectively, distinguished between brain differences that likely reflect the etiology of dyslexia versus brain differences that are the consequences of variation in reading experience, and identified distinct neural networks associated with specific psychological factors that are associated with dyslexia. PMID:25290881

An introduction to scripting in Ruby for biologists.

PubMed

Aerts, Jan; Law, Andy

2009-07-16

The Ruby programming language has a lot to offer to any scientist with electronic data to process. Not only is the initial learning curve very shallow, but its reflection and meta-programming capabilities allow for the rapid creation of relatively complex applications while still keeping the code short and readable. This paper provides a gentle introduction to this scripting language for researchers without formal informatics training such as many wet-lab scientists. We hope this will provide such researchers an idea of how powerful a tool Ruby can be for their data management tasks and encourage them to learn more about it.

Developing cultural competence through self-reflection in interprofessional education: Findings from an Australian university.

PubMed

Olson, Rebecca; Bidewell, John; Dune, Tinashe; Lessey, Nkosi

2016-05-01

Interprofessional education and cultural competence are both necessary for health professionals working in interprofessional teams serving diverse populations. Using a pre-post-survey case series design, this study evaluates a novel learning activity designed to encourage self-reflection and cultural competence in an Australian interprofessional education context. Undergraduate health professional students in a large subject viewed three 7-15 minute videos featuring interviews with persons of a minority cultural, linguistic, or sexual group who were living with a disability or managing a health condition. Immediately afterwards, students in interprofessional groups completed a structured activity designed to promote interprofessional and cultural reflection. A localised version of a validated scale measured cultural competence before and after the learning activity. Results suggest the value of video-based learning activities based on real-life examples for improving cultural competence. Despite initially rating themselves highly, 64% of students (n = 273) improved their overall cultural competence, though only by M = 0.13, SD = 0.08, of a 5-point rating-scale interval. A nuanced approach to interpreting results is warranted; even slight increases may indicate improved cultural competence. Suggestions for improving the effectiveness of video-based cultural competence learning activities, based on qualitative findings, are provided. Overall the findings attest to the merit of group discussion in cultural competence learning activities in interprofessional education settings. However, the inclusion of group discussions within such learning activities should hinge on group dynamics.

Supporting new graduate professional development: a clinical learning framework.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Cate; Moores, Alis; Coleman, Allison; Fleming, Jennifer

2015-02-01

New graduate occupational therapists are required to competently deliver health-care practices within complex care environments. An occupational therapy clinical education programme within a large public sector health service sought to investigate methods to support new graduates in their clinical learning and professional development. Three cycles of an insider action research approach each using the steps of planning, action, critical observation and reflection were undertaken to investigate new graduate learning strategies, develop a learning framework and pilot its utility. Qualitative research methods were used to analyse data gathered during the action research cycles. Action research identified variations in current practices to support new graduate learning and to the development of the Occupational Therapy Clinical Learning Framework (OTCLF). Investigation into the utility of the OTCLF revealed two themes associated with its implementation namely (i) contribution to learning goal development and (ii) compatibility with existing learning supports. The action research cycles aimed to review current practices to support new graduate learning. The learning framework developed encourages reflection to identify learning needs and the review, discussion of, and engagement in, goal setting and learning strategies. Preliminary evidence indicates that the OTCLF has potential as an approach to guide new graduate goal development supported by supervision. Future opportunity to implement a similar learning framework in other allied health professions was identified, enabling a continuation of the cyclical nature of enquiry, integral to this research approach within the workplace. © 2014 Occupational Therapy Australia.

"You Know the Homophobic Stuff Is Not in Me, Like Us, It's Out There". Using Participatory Theatre to Challenge Heterosexism and Heteronormativity in a South African School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francis, Dennis

2013-01-01

Forum Theatre (FT), a participatory improvised theatre form, raises consciousness, enables debate and critical reflection, and encourages a democratic form of knowledge production that engages the audience in their own learning and unlearning. I used FT as a platform to understand how 15- to 18-year-old learners, in a co-educational school in the…

An Analysis of the Training and Development of the Contract Specialist 1102 Interns

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

get a broad view of contracting and interns are encouraged to join groups such as NCMA to help them with learning. The workforce development chiefs...NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the...Center CECOM Communications Electronics Command CSRS Civil Service Retirement System DA Department of the Army DAPA Defense Acquisition

Improving Collaboration Among Social Work and Nursing Students Through Interprofessional Simulation.

PubMed

Kuehn, Mary Beth; Huehn, Susan; Smalling, Susan

2017-08-01

This project implemented first-time simulation with nursing and social work students. Students participated in a contextual learning experience through a patient simulation of interprofessional practice as a health care team member and reflection through debriefing and open response comments. Simulation offers a means to practice interprofessional collaboration prior to entering practice. Participants reported an increased understanding of the scope of practice of other team members through their reflections following simulation. In addition, participants reported increased comprehension of team dynamics and their relationship to improved patient care. Overall, the simulation encouraged development of the skills necessary to function as part of a collaborative, interprofessional team.

Using Student-Centred Learning Environments to Stimulate Deep Approaches to Learning: Factors Encouraging or Discouraging Their Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baeten, Marlies; Kyndt, Eva; Struyven, Katrien; Dochy, Filip

2010-01-01

This review outlines encouraging and discouraging factors in stimulating the adoption of deep approaches to learning in student-centred learning environments. Both encouraging and discouraging factors can be situated in the context of the learning environment, in students' perceptions of that context and in characteristics of the students…

eLearning techniques supporting problem based learning in clinical simulation.

PubMed

Docherty, Charles; Hoy, Derek; Topp, Helena; Trinder, Kathryn

2005-08-01

This paper details the results of the first phase of a project using eLearning to support students' learning within a simulated environment. The locus was a purpose built clinical simulation laboratory (CSL) where the School's philosophy of problem based learning (PBL) was challenged through lecturers using traditional teaching methods. a student-centred, problem based approach to the acquisition of clinical skills that used high quality learning objects embedded within web pages, substituting for lecturers providing instruction and demonstration. This encouraged student nurses to explore, analyse and make decisions within the safety of a clinical simulation. Learning was facilitated through network communications and reflection on video performances of self and others. Evaluations were positive, students demonstrating increased satisfaction with PBL, improved performance in exams, and increased self-efficacy in the performance of nursing activities. These results indicate that eLearning techniques can help students acquire clinical skills in the safety of a simulated environment within the context of a problem based learning curriculum.

An introduction to scripting in Ruby for biologists

PubMed Central

Aerts, Jan; Law, Andy

2009-01-01

The Ruby programming language has a lot to offer to any scientist with electronic data to process. Not only is the initial learning curve very shallow, but its reflection and meta-programming capabilities allow for the rapid creation of relatively complex applications while still keeping the code short and readable. This paper provides a gentle introduction to this scripting language for researchers without formal informatics training such as many wet-lab scientists. We hope this will provide such researchers an idea of how powerful a tool Ruby can be for their data management tasks and encourage them to learn more about it. PMID:19607723

An educational video to promote multi-factorial approaches for fall and injury prevention in long-term care facilities

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Older adults living in long term care (LTC) settings are vulnerable to fall-related injuries. There is a need to develop and implement evidence-based approaches to address fall injury prevention in LTC. Knowledge translation (KT) interventions to support the uptake of evidence-based approaches to fall injury prevention in LTC need to be responsive to the learning needs of LTC staff and use mediums, such as videos, that are accessible and easy-to-use. This article describes the development of two unique educational videos to promote fall injury prevention in long-term care (LTC) settings. These videos are unique from other fall prevention videos in that they include video footage of real life falls captured in the LTC setting. Methods Two educational videos were developed (2012–2013) to support the uptake of findings from a study exploring the causes of falls based on video footage captured in LTC facilities. The videos were developed by: (1) conducting learning needs assessment in LTC settings via six focus groups (2) liaising with LTC settings to identify learning priorities through unstructured conversations; and (3) aligning the content with principles of adult learning theory. Results The videos included footage of falls, interviews with older adults and fall injury prevention experts. The videos present evidence-based fall injury prevention recommendations aligned to the needs of LTC staff and: (1) highlight recommendations deemed by LTC staff as most urgent (learner-centered learning); (2) highlight negative impacts of falls on older adults (encourage meaning-making); and, (3) prompt LTC staff to reflect on fall injury prevention practices (encourage critical reflection). Conclusions Educational videos are an important tool available to researchers seeking to translate evidence-based recommendations into LTC settings. Additional research is needed to determine their impact on practice. PMID:24884899

Student’s social interaction in mathematics learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apriliyanto, B.; Saputro, D. R. S.; Riyadi

2018-03-01

Mathematics learning achievement is influenced by the internal and external factor of the students. One of the influencing external factors is social interaction with friends in learning activities. In modern learning, the learning is student-centered, so the student interaction is needed to learn about certain basic competence. Potential and motivation of students in learning are expected to develop with good social interaction in order to get maximum results. Social interaction is an important aspect of learning Mathematics because students get the opportunity to express their own thoughts in order to encourage a reflection on the knowledge they have. This research uses the correlational descriptive method involving 36 students for the tenth grade, eleventh grade, and twelfth grade of SMA Negeri 1 Wuryantoro and data collecting technique using questionnaire for social interaction and documentation for learning outcome. The result of this research shows that learning achievement and social interaction of students are not good. Based on the result of data analysis, it is shown that the social interaction and Mathematics learning achievement are still in the low level. This research concludes that students’ social interaction influences student learning achievement in Mathematics subjects.

“Blogging” About Course Concepts: Using Technology for Reflective Journaling in a Communications Class

PubMed Central

Bouldin, Alicia S.; Holmes, Erin R.; Fortenberry, Michael L.

2006-01-01

Objective Web log technology was applied to a reflective journaling exercise in a communication course during the second-professional year at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, to encourage students to reflect on course concepts and apply them to the environment outside the classroom, and to assess their communication performance. Design Two Web log entries per week were required for full credit. Web logs were evaluated at three points during the term. At the end of the course, students evaluated the assignment using a 2-page survey instrument. Assessment The assignment contributed to student learning and increased awareness level for approximately 40% of the class. Students had few complaints about the logistics of the assignment. Conclusion The Web log technology was a useful tool for reflective journaling in this communications course. Future versions of the assignment will benefit from student feedback from this initial experience. PMID:17136203

Using Elearning techniques to support problem based learning within a clinical simulation laboratory.

PubMed

Docherty, Charles; Hoy, Derek; Topp, Helena; Trinder, Kathryn

2004-01-01

This paper details the results of the first phase of a project that used eLearning to support students' learning within a simulated environment. The locus was a purpose built Clinical Simulation Laboratory (CSL) where the School's newly adopted philosophy of Problem Based Learning (PBL) was challenged through lecturers reverting to traditional teaching methods. The solution, a student-centred, problem-based approach to the acquisition of clinical skills was developed using learning objects embedded within web pages that substituted for lecturers providing instruction and demonstration. This allowed lecturers to retain their facilitator role, and encouraged students to explore, analyse and make decisions within the safety of a clinical simulation. Learning was enhanced through network communications and reflection on video performances of self and others. Evaluations were positive, students demonstrating increased satisfaction with PBL, improved performance in exams, and increased self-efficacy in the performance of nursing activities. These results indicate that an elearning approach can support PBL in delivering a student centred learning experience.

Beyond knowledge and skills: the use of a Delphi study to develop a technology-mediated teaching strategy.

PubMed

Rowe, Michael; Frantz, Jose; Bozalek, Vivienne

2013-04-10

While there is evidence to suggest that teaching practices in clinical education should include activities that more accurately reflect the real world, many educators base their teaching on transmission models that encourage the rote learning of knowledge and technical skills. Technology-mediated instruction may facilitate the development of professional attributes that go beyond "having" knowledge and skills, but there is limited evidence for how to integrate technology into these innovative teaching approaches. This study used a modified Delphi method to help identify the professional attributes of capable practitioners, the approaches to teaching that may facilitate the development of these attributes, and finally, how technology could be integrated with those teaching strategies in order to develop capable practitioners. Open-ended questions were used to gather data from three different expert panels, and results were thematically analysed. Clinical educators should not view knowledge, skills and attitudes as a set of products of learning, but rather as a set of attributes that are developed during a learning process. Participants highlighted the importance of continuing personal and professional development that emphasised the role of values and emotional response to the clinical context. To develop these attributes, clinical educators should use teaching activities that are learner-centred, interactive, integrated, reflective and that promote engagement. When technology-mediated teaching activities are considered, they should promote the discussion of clinical encounters, facilitate the sharing of resources and experiences, encourage reflection on the learning process and be used to access content outside the classroom. In addition, educational outcomes must drive the integration of technology into teaching practice, rather than the features of the technology. There is a need for a cultural change in clinical education, in which those involved with the professional training of healthcare professionals perceive teaching as more than the transmission of knowledge and technical skills. Process-oriented teaching practices that integrate technology as part of a carefully designed curriculum may have the potential to facilitate the development of capable healthcare graduates who are able to navigate the complexity of health systems and patient management in ways that go beyond the application of knowledge and skills.

Beyond knowledge and skills: the use of a Delphi study to develop a technology-mediated teaching strategy

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background While there is evidence to suggest that teaching practices in clinical education should include activities that more accurately reflect the real world, many educators base their teaching on transmission models that encourage the rote learning of knowledge and technical skills. Technology-mediated instruction may facilitate the development of professional attributes that go beyond “having” knowledge and skills, but there is limited evidence for how to integrate technology into these innovative teaching approaches. Methods This study used a modified Delphi method to help identify the professional attributes of capable practitioners, the approaches to teaching that may facilitate the development of these attributes, and finally, how technology could be integrated with those teaching strategies in order to develop capable practitioners. Open-ended questions were used to gather data from three different expert panels, and results were thematically analysed. Results Clinical educators should not view knowledge, skills and attitudes as a set of products of learning, but rather as a set of attributes that are developed during a learning process. Participants highlighted the importance of continuing personal and professional development that emphasised the role of values and emotional response to the clinical context. To develop these attributes, clinical educators should use teaching activities that are learner-centred, interactive, integrated, reflective and that promote engagement. When technology-mediated teaching activities are considered, they should promote the discussion of clinical encounters, facilitate the sharing of resources and experiences, encourage reflection on the learning process and be used to access content outside the classroom. In addition, educational outcomes must drive the integration of technology into teaching practice, rather than the features of the technology. Conclusions There is a need for a cultural change in clinical education, in which those involved with the professional training of healthcare professionals perceive teaching as more than the transmission of knowledge and technical skills. Process-oriented teaching practices that integrate technology as part of a carefully designed curriculum may have the potential to facilitate the development of capable healthcare graduates who are able to navigate the complexity of health systems and patient management in ways that go beyond the application of knowledge and skills. PMID:23574731

Changing teaching techniques and adapting new technologies to improve student learning in an introductory meteorology and climate course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cutrim, E. M.; Rudge, D.; Kits, K.; Mitchell, J.; Nogueira, R.

2006-06-01

Responding to the call for reform in science education, changes were made in an introductory meteorology and climate course offered at a large public university. These changes were a part of a larger project aimed at deepening and extending a program of science content courses that model effective teaching strategies for prospective middle school science teachers. Therefore, revisions were made to address misconceptions about meteorological phenomena, foster deeper understanding of key concepts, encourage engagement with the text, and promote inquiry-based learning. Techniques introduced include: use of a flash cards, student reflection questionnaires, writing assignments, and interactive discussions on weather and forecast data using computer technology such as Integrated Data Viewer (IDV). The revision process is described in a case study format. Preliminary results (self-reflection by the instructor, surveys of student opinion, and measurements of student achievement), suggest student learning has been positively influenced. This study is supported by three grants: NSF grant No. 0202923, the Unidata Equipment Award, and the Lucia Harrison Endowment Fund.

Encouraging Sudanese Schoolboys to Learn English Effectively--A Case Study of Learning EFL in Eddueim Locality's Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gawi, Elsadig Mohamed Khalifa

2013-01-01

This study is aiming at investigating the impact of encouragement on Sudanese learners when learning EFL. The main question of the present study is asking about the influence of encouragement on learning EFL in Sudanese setting. Population of this study are English teachers and students in Eddueim Locality's schools in Sudan. Questionnaire was…

Nursing students experiences of learning about nursing through drama.

PubMed

Arveklev, Susanna H; Berg, Linda; Wigert, Helena; Morrison-Helme, Morag; Lepp, Margret

2018-01-01

The ability to understand, interact and create a caring relationship with the patient is a core component in nursing. A shift in nursing education from traditional classroom teaching towards more experiential approaches should be encouraged as this will support learning that links theory with practice. The aim of this study was to describe nursing students' experiences of learning about nursing through drama. This qualitative study was conducted at a university in Sweden. Four focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 16 nursing students and the data was analyzed using a phenomenographic approach. Three themes with their attendant categories emerged through the analysis: "To explore the future professional self", "To develop an understanding of the patient perspective", and "To reflect on the nature of learning". In conclusion this study shows that the use of drama in nursing education can provide opportunities to explore interactions with others which can increase students' self-awareness and ability to reflect on their future professional identity. Acting in role as a patient can provide an opportunity to experience the patient perspective. Also clear was the importance of commitment and engagement of the students as a prerequisite for optimizing this form of learning experience through drama. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mathematical learning instruction and teacher motivation factors affecting science technology engineering and math (STEM) major choices in 4-year colleges and universities: Multilevel structural equation modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ahlam

2011-12-01

Using the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002/06, this study examined the effects of the selected mathematical learning and teacher motivation factors on graduates' science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related major choices in 4-year colleges and universities, as mediated by math performance and math self-efficacy. Using multilevel structural equation modeling, I analyzed: (1) the association between mathematical learning instruction factors (i.e., computer, individual, and lecture-based learning activities in mathematics) and students' STEM major choices in 4-year colleges and universities as mediated by math performance and math self-efficacy and (2) the association between school factor, teacher motivation and students' STEM major choices in 4-year colleges and universities via mediators of math performance and math self-efficacy. The results revealed that among the selected learning experience factors, computer-based learning activities in math classrooms yielded the most positive effects on math self-efficacy, which significantly predicted the increase in the proportion of students' STEM major choice as mediated by math self-efficacy. Further, when controlling for base-year math Item Response Theory (IRT) scores, a positive relationship between individual-based learning activities in math classrooms and the first follow-up math IRT scores emerged, which related to the high proportion of students' STEM major choices. The results also indicated that individual and lecture-based learning activities in math yielded positive effects on math self-efficacy, which related to STEM major choice. Concerning between-school levels, teacher motivation yielded positive effects on the first follow up math IRT score, when controlling for base year IRT score. The results from this study inform educators, parents, and policy makers on how mathematics instruction can improve student math performance and encourage more students to prepare for STEM careers. Students should receive all possible opportunities to use computers to enhance their math self-efficacy, be encouraged to review math materials, and concentrate on listening to math teachers' lectures. While all selected math-learning activities should be embraced in math instruction, computer and individual-based learning activities, which reflect student-driven learning, should be emphasized in the high school instruction. Likewise, students should be encouraged to frequently engage in individual-based learning activities to improve their math performance.

My Tryst of Writing and Publishing a Comprehensive Medical Textbook in Vernacular Hindi and New Hindi Medical Terminology.

PubMed

Goel, Trilok Chandra; Goel, Apul; Kumar, Sandeep

2018-04-01

In India, although the native language is not English but the medical education is imparted in English. The authors have written a textbook of surgery in Hindi with the intention of promoting the understanding of surgery and encouraging reflective and deep learning for students whose native language is Hindi. In this article, the authors share experiences of writing such a book, the reasons for the same and also discuss the creation of new medical nomenclature in Hindi.

How can video supported reflection enhance teachers' professional development?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCullagh, John F.

2012-03-01

This paper responds to Eva Lundqvist, Jonas Almqvist and Leif Ostman's account of how the manner of teaching can strongly influence pupil learning by recommending video supported reflection as a means by which teachers can transform the nature of their practice. Given the complex nature of the many conditions which influence and control teachers' actions the reframing of routine practice through reflection-in-action can prove challenging. This response paper describes how video can empower teachers to take greater control of their progress and allows for a more social constructivist approach to professional development. Along with a consideration of the difficulties associated with the notion of `reflection' and a short case study, the paper uses Lev Semenovich Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and the notion of scaffolding to propose that video offers a Video Supported Zone of Proximal Development which can ease the process of teacher development. In capturing permanent and exchangeable representations of practice video encourages a collaborative approach to reflection and is consistent with the original ideas of John Dewey.

'Stepping in' or 'stepping back': how first year nursing students begin to learn about person-centred care.

PubMed

Currie, Kay; Bannerman, Samantha; Howatson, Val; MacLeod, Fiona; Mayne, Wendy; Organ, Christine; Renton, Sarah; Scott, Janine

2015-01-01

The concept of person-centred care has gained international recognition over the last decade and forms one of the key concepts of our Nursing Quality Improvement Curricular Framework. This study aimed to investigate nursing students' learning about person-centred care during the first-year of their programme. Qualitative thematic analysis of a section of placement learning documents from two consecutive cohorts of students from all fields of nursing (n=405), supplemented by three focus group discussions. Two conceptual categories of student approaches to learning emerged. Firstly, 'stepping back', or learning from a distance about how nurses provide care, often through reading case notes and care plans; second, 'stepping in', learning about the patient as a person by direct interaction with service users. Evidence of reflection on the patient's experience of care was limited. These results have resonance with existing pedagogical theories around preferences for active or passive styles of learning. The potential for clinical mentors to build student confidence and encourage direct engagement with patients was highlighted. Students are aware of the concepts, principles and professional values of person-centred care from early in their programme; however, the majority tend to be preoccupied by learning about what nurses 'do', rather than 'how patients experience care'. Development towards a more person-centred approach may require targeted support from mentors to help students gain confidence and begin reflecting on how patients experience care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The challenge of audience reception: a developmental model for educational game engagement.

PubMed

Sherry, John L

2013-01-01

According to educational gaming advocates, the engaging nature of games encourages sustained game play and enhanced attention to learning outcomes among players. Because children's and adolescents' play time varies by game genre, engagement with a game likely reflects the match between the genre and the player's preferences and needs. Youth learn which games are likely to promote satisfying psychological needs and yield positive experiences, which then informs their engagement with the games. A model is presented for research and development of educational games based on uses and gratifications theory from communication science, as well as developmental science and cognitive science findings. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Culture and Moral Distress: What's the Connection and Why Does It Matter?

PubMed

Berlinger, Nancy; Berlinger, Annalise

2017-06-01

Culture is learned behavior shared among members of a group and from generation to generation within that group. In health care work, references to "culture" may also function as code for ethical uncertainty or moral distress concerning patients, families, or populations. This paper analyzes how culture can be a factor in patient-care situations that produce moral distress. It discusses three common, problematic situations in which assumptions about culture may mask more complex problems concerning family dynamics, structural barriers to health care access, or implicit bias. We offer sets of practical recommendations to encourage learning, critical thinking, and professional reflection among students, clinicians, and clinical educators. © 2017 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.

Improving Educator Development by Innovation in Teaching Activity via web 2.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadah Abdullah, Nurhanim; Aziz, Mohd Ismail Abd; Ismail, Affero; Hashim, Suhaizal

2017-05-01

Preparing insightful teaching and learning materials for a lesson does need the effort from the educators. Educators should make some research of suitable ways to improve their teaching and learning sessions. In this 21st century, technologies are widely used as tools for education. Even so, there are educators that willing to support and some who do not agree to change. The aim of this study is to develop an innovation teaching materials by applying web 2.0 tools. The intention is to broaden knowledge and in the same time getting response and feedback from people regarding the teaching and learning session materials produced with proper instruction. Action research was used to give a structured flow of this study. The outcome of this study was encouraging and the reflection of this study can help educators in improvising their teaching and learning sessions and materials using action research.

Translating learning into practice

PubMed Central

Armson, Heather; Kinzie, Sarah; Hawes, Dawnelle; Roder, Stefanie; Wakefield, Jacqueline; Elmslie, Tom

2007-01-01

PROBLEM ADDRESSED The need for effective and accessible educational approaches by which family physicians can maintain practice competence in the face of an overwhelming amount of medical information. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM The practice-based small group (PBSG) learning program encourages practice changes through a process of small-group peer discussion—identifying practice gaps and reviewing clinical approaches in light of evidence. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The PBSG uses an interactive educational approach to continuing professional development. In small, self-formed groups within their local communities, family physicians discuss clinical topics using prepared modules that provide sample patient cases and accompanying information that distils the best evidence. Participants are guided by peer facilitators to reflect on the discussion and commit to appropriate practice changes. CONCLUSION The PBSG has evolved over the past 15 years in response to feedback from members and reflections of the developers. The success of the program is evidenced in effect on clinical practice, a large and increasing number of members, and the growth of interest internationally. PMID:17872876

'The challenge to take charge of life with long-term illness': nurses' experiences of supporting patients' learning with the didactic model.

PubMed

Andersson, Susanne; Svanström, Rune; Ek, Kristina; Rosén, Helena; Berglund, Mia

2015-12-01

The aim of this implementation study is to describe nurses' experiences of supporting patient learning using the model called 'The challenge to take charge of life with long-term illness'. Supporting patient learning for those suffering from a long-term illness is a complex art in nursing. Genuine learning occurs at a deep and existential level. If the patient's resistance to illness can be challenged and reflected upon, the patient may take charge of his/her life. The project lasted for 2 years and was initiated by a former patient on an assisted haemodialysis ward and involved 14 registered nurses. The project began with a session to review patients' learning and the didactic model. Monthly reflective meetings and group supervisions were held that focused on the nurses' experiences of supporting patient learning. Notes were written during these reflective meetings and group sessions. Data collected from interviews, notes and written stories were subjected to phenomenological analysis. Three aspects of nurses' experiences of the learning support approach were assessed: To have the courage to listen sincerely, a movement from providing information to supporting learning, and to let the patient indicate the direction. The approach resulted in an increased focus on genuine dialogue and the courage to encourage patients to take charge of their health process. The changes in nurses' approach to learning support reveal that they shift from providing information on the disease, illness and treatment to strengthening and supporting the patient in making decisions and taking responsibility. For nurses, the change entails accepting the patient's goals and regarding their own role as supportive rather than controlling. The didactic model and involved supervision contributed to the change in the nurses' approach. The didactic model might be useful in caring for persons with long-term illness, making the care more person-centred and enhancing the patient's self-care ability. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Encouraging Reflection and Critical Friendship in Preservice Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bognar, Branko; Krumes, Irena

2017-01-01

Reflectivity is an important professional competence of contemporary teachers. In order to explore how to encourage students' reflection, we conducted a two-year action research project impelling them to become mutual critical friends. For critical friendship communication and other project activities, we utilised Moodle--an online learning…

General practitioners' and students' experiences with feedback during a six-week clerkship in general practice: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Gran, Sarah Frandsen; Brænd, Anja Maria; Lindbæk, Morten; Frich, Jan C

2016-06-01

Feedback may be scarce and unsystematic during students' clerkship periods. We wanted to explore general practitioners' (GPs) and medical students' experiences with giving and receiving supervision and feedback during a clerkship in general practice, with a focus on their experiences with using a structured tool (StudentPEP) to facilitate feedback and supervision. Qualitative study. Teachers and students from a six-week clerkship in general practice for fifth year medical students were interviewed in two student and two teacher focus groups. 21 GPs and nine medical students. We found that GPs first supported students' development in the familiarization phase by exploring the students' expectations and competency level. When mutual trust had been established through the familiarization phase GPs encouraged students to conduct their own consultations while being available for supervision and feedback. Both students and GPs emphasized that good feedback promoting students' professional development was timely, constructive, supportive, and focused on ways to improve. Among the challenges GPs mentioned were giving feedback on behavioral issues such as body language and insensitive use of electronic devices during consultations or if the student was very insecure, passive, and reluctant to take action or lacked social or language skills. While some GPs experienced StudentPEP as time-consuming and unnecessary, others argued that the tool promoted feedback and learning through mandatory observations and structured questions. Mutual trust builds a learning environment in which supervision and feedback may be given during students' clerkship in general practice. Structured tools may promote feedback, reflection and learning. Key Points Observing the teacher and being supervised are essential components of Medical students' learning during general practice clerkships. Teachers and students build mutual trust in the familiarization phase. Good feedback is based on observations, is timely, encouraging, and instructive. StudentPEP may create an arena for structured feedback and reflection.

A comparison of automatic and intentional instructions when using the method of vanishing cues in acquired brain injury.

PubMed

Riley, Gerard A; Venn, Paul

2015-01-01

Thirty-four participants with acquired brain injury learned word lists under two forms of vanishing cues - one in which the learning trial instructions encouraged intentional retrieval (i.e., explicit memory) and one in which they encouraged automatic retrieval (which encompasses implicit memory). The automatic instructions represented a novel approach in which the cooperation of participants was actively sought to avoid intentional retrieval. Intentional instructions resulted in fewer errors during the learning trials and better performance on immediate and delayed retrieval tests. The advantage of intentional over automatic instructions was generally less for those who had more severe memory and/or executive impairments. Most participants performed better under intentional instructions on both the immediate and the delayed tests. Although those who were more severely impaired in both memory and executive function also did better with intentional instructions on the immediate retrieval test, they were significantly more likely to show an advantage for automatic instructions on the delayed test. It is suggested that this pattern of results may reflect impairments in the consolidation of intentional memories in this group. When using vanishing cues, automatic instructions may be better for those with severe consolidation impairments, but otherwise intentional instructions may be better.

[Simulation-based learning and internal medicine: Opportunities and current perspectives for a national harmonized program].

PubMed

Galland, J; Abbara, S; Terrier, B; Samson, M; Tesnières, A; Fournier, J P; Braun, M

2018-06-01

Simulation-based learning (SBL) is developing rapidly in France and the question of its use in the teaching of internal medicine (IM) is essential. While HAS encourages its integration into medical education, French Young Internists (AJI) set up a working group to reflect on the added-value of this tool in our specialty. Different sorts of SBL exist: human, synthetic and electronic. It enables student to acquire and evaluate technical skills (strengths, invasive procedures, etc.) and non-technical skills (relational, reasoning…). The debriefing that follows the simulation session is an essential time in pedagogical terms. It enables the acquisition of knowledge by encouraging the students' reflection to reshape their reasoning patterns by self-correcting. IM interns are supportive of its use. The simulation would allow young internists to acquire skills specific to our specialty such as certain gestures, complex consulting management, the synthesis of difficult clinical cases. SBL remains confronted with human and financial cost issues. The budgets allocated to the development and maintenance of simulation centres are uneven, making the supply of training unequal on the territory. Simulation sessions are time-consuming and require teacher training. Are faculties ready to train and invest their time in simulation, even though the studies do not allow us to conclude on its pedagogical validity? Copyright © 2018 Société Nationale Française de Médecine Interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

The public health nutrition intervention management bi-cycle: a model for training and practice improvement.

PubMed

Hughes, Roger; Margetts, Barrie

2012-11-01

The present paper describes a model for public health nutrition practice designed to facilitate practice improvement and provide a step-wise approach to assist with workforce development. The bi-cycle model for public health nutrition practice has been developed based on existing cyclical models for intervention management but modified to integrate discrete capacity-building practices. Education and practice settings. This model will have applications for educators and practitioners. Modifications to existing models have been informed by the authors' observations and experiences as practitioners and educators, and reflect a conceptual framework with applications in workforce development and practice improvement. From a workforce development and educational perspective, the model is designed to reflect adult learning principles, exposing students to experiential, problem-solving and practical learning experiences that reflect the realities of work as a public health nutritionist. In doing so, it assists the development of competency beyond knowing to knowing how, showing how and doing. This progression of learning from knowledge to performance is critical to effective competency development for effective practice. Public health nutrition practice is dynamic and varied, and models need to be adaptable and applicable to practice context to have utility. The paper serves to stimulate debate in the public health nutrition community, to encourage critical feedback about the validity, applicability and utility of this model in different practice contexts.

Towards adaptation in e-learning 2.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristea, Alexandra I.; Ghali, Fawaz

2011-04-01

This paper presents several essential steps from an overall study on shaping new ways of learning and teaching, by using the synergetic merger of three different fields: Web 2.0, e-learning and adaptation (in particular, personalisation to the learner). These novel teaching and learning ways-the latter focus of this paper-are reflected in and finally adding to various versions of the My Online Teacher 2.0 adaptive system. In particular, this paper focuses on a study of how to more effectively use and combine the recommendation of peers and content adaptation to enhance the learning outcome in e-learning systems based on Web 2.0. In order to better isolate and examine the effects of peer recommendation and adaptive content presentation, we designed experiments inspecting collaboration between individuals based on recommendation of peers who have greater knowledge, and compare this to adaptive content recommendation, as well as to "simple" learning in a system with a minimum of Web 2.0 support. Overall, the results of adding peer recommendation and adaptive content presentation were encouraging, and are further discussed in detail in this paper.

Transition to blended learning: experiences from the first year of our blended learning Bachelor of Nursing Studies programme.

PubMed

Sweeney, Mary-Rose; Kirwan, Anne; Kelly, Mary; Corbally, Melissa; O Neill, Sandra; Kirwan, Mary; Hourican, Susan; Matthews, Anne; Hussey, Pamela

2016-10-01

The School of Nursing at Dublin City University offered a new blended learning Bachelor of Nursing Studies programme in the academic year 2011. To document the experiences of the academic team making the transition from a face-to-face classroom-delivered programme to the new blended learning format. Academics who delivered the programme were asked to describe their experiences of developing the new programme via two focus groups. Five dominant themes were identified: Staff Readiness; Student Readiness; Programme Delivery and Student Engagement; Assessment of Module Learning Outcomes and Feedback; and Reflecting on the First Year and Thinking of the Future. Face-to-face tutorials were identified as very important to both academics and students. Reservations about whether migrating the programme to an online format encouraged students to engage in additional practices of plagiarism were expressed by some. Student ability/readiness to engage with technology-enhanced learning was an important determinant of their own success academically. In the field of nursing blended learning is a relatively new and emerging field which will require huge cultural shifts for staff and students alike.

Facilitating Dental Student Reflections: Using Mentor Groups to Discuss Clinical Experiences and Personal Development.

PubMed

Koole, Sebastiaan; Christiaens, Veronique; Cosyn, Jan; De Bruyn, Hugo

2016-10-01

Despite the consensus on the importance of reflection for dental professionals, a lack of understanding remains about how students and clinicians should develop their ability to reflect. The aim of this study was to investigate dental students' and mentors' perceptions of mentor groups as an instructional method to facilitate students' reflection in terms of the strategy's learning potential, role of the mentor, group dynamics, and feasibility. At Ghent University in Belgium, third- and fourth-year dental students were encouraged to reflect on their clinical experiences and personal development in three reflective mentor sessions. No preparation or reports afterwards were required; students needed only to participate in the sessions. Sessions were guided by trained mentors to establish a safe environment, frame clinical discussions, and stimulate reflection. Students' and mentors' perceptions of the experience were assessed with a 17-statement questionnaire with response options on a five-point Likert scale (1=totally disagree to 5=totally agree). A total of 50 students and eight mentors completed the questionnaire (response rates 81% and 89%, respectively). Both students and mentors had neutral to positive perceptions concerning the learning potential, role of the mentor, group dynamics, and feasibility. The mean ideal total time for sessions in a year was 99 minutes (third-year students), 111 minutes (fourth-year students), and 147 minutes (mentors). Reported reflective topics related to patient management, frustrations, and practice of dentistry. Overall mean appreciation for the experience ranged from 14.50 to 15.14 on the 20-point scale. These findings about students' and mentors' positive perceptions of the experience suggest that mentor groups may be a potentially valuable strategy to promote dental students' reflection.

Peer coaching as a technique to foster professional development in clinical ambulatory settings.

PubMed

Sekerka, Leslie E; Chao, Jason

2003-01-01

Few studies have examined how peer coaching is an effective educational and development technique in contexts outside the classroom. This research focused on peer coaching as a platform to study the process of professional development for physicians. The purpose was to identify perceived benefits coaches received from a coaching encounter and how this relates to their own process of professional development. Critical incident interviews with 13 physician coaches were conducted and tape recorded. Themes were identified using a thematic analysis technique. Themes emerged clustering around two distinct benefit orientations. Group 1, reflection and teaching coaches, tended to focus on others and discuss how positively they experienced the encounter. Group 2, personal learning and change coaches, expressed benefits along more personal lines. Peer coaching contributes to physicians' professional development by encouraging reflection time and learning. Peer coaching affords positive impact to those who coach in addition to those who receive the coaching. The two clusters of benefits support the performance, learning, and development theory in that there are multiple modes to describe adult growth and development. Programs of this type should be considered in medical faculty development activities associated with medical education.

Improving Student Engagement in Veterinary Business Studies.

PubMed

Armitage-Chan, Elizabeth; Jackson, Elizabeth

2018-01-01

Improving Student Engagement in Veterinary Business StudiesIn a densely packed veterinary curriculum, students may find it particularly challenging to engage in the less overtly clinical subjects, yet pressure from industry and an increasingly competitive employment market necessitate improved veterinary student education in business and management skills. We describe a curriculum intervention (formative reflective assignment) that optimizes workplace learning opportunities and aims to provide better student scaffolding for their in-context business learning. Students were asked to analyze a business practice they experienced during a period of extra-mural studies (external work placement). Following return to the college, they were then instructed to discuss their findings in their study group, and produce a group reflection on their learning. To better understand student engagement in this area, we analyzed individual and group components of the assignment. Thematic analysis revealed evidence of various depths of student engagement, and provided indications of the behaviors they used when engaging at different levels. Interactive and social practices (discussing business strategies with veterinary employees and student peers) appeared to facilitate student engagement, assist the perception of relevance of these skills, and encourage integration with other curriculum elements such as communication skills and clinical problem solving.

Reflections on learning and enhancing communication skills through community engagement: a student perspective.

PubMed

Hanks, S; Marples, C; Wall, E

2016-07-22

Students in Peninsula School of Dentistry (PSD), Plymouth, undertake community engagement projects during the first two years of their undergraduate curriculum. These projects involve interaction with a variety of specific community groups and the planning and delivery of an appropriate and meaningful oral health intervention. Many of the project outcomes are based on enhancing communication skills and encouraging students to transfer these into their patient treatment sessions. This report draws on the experience of students who undertook two specific projects to demonstrate how they feel this is achieved.

Midwifery students' experiences of simulation- and skills training.

PubMed

Lendahls, Lena; Oscarsson, Marie G

2017-03-01

In Sweden, simulation- and skills training are implemented in midwifery education in order to prepare students for clinical practice. Research regarding the use of both low to high levels of fidelity in simulation in midwifery programme is limited. The aim of this study was to explore midwifery students' experiences of simulation- and skills training. Midwifery students (n=61), at advanced level, were interviewed in 13 group interviews from 2011 to 2105. A semi-structured interview guide was used, and data were analysed by content analysis. The results are presented in four main categories: develops hands on skills and communication, power of collaborative learning, highly valued learning environment and facilitates clinical practice. The majority of students felt that the simulation- and skills training were necessary to become familiar with hands on skills. Having repetitive practices in a safe and secure environment was viewed as important, and students highly valued that mistakes could be made without fear of comprising patient safety. Student's collaboration, reflections and critical thinking increased learning ability. Simulation- and skills training created links between theory and practice, and the lecturer had an important role in providing instructions and feedback. Students felt prepared and confident before their clinical practice, and simulation- and skills training increased safety for all involved, resulting in students being more confident, as patients in clinical practice became less exposed. Furthermore, mentors were satisfied with students' basic skills. Simulation- and skills training support the development of midwifery skills. It creates links between theory and practice, which facilitates students' learning ability. Training needs to include reflections and critical thinking in order to develop their learning. The lecturer has an important role in encouraging time for reflections and creating safe environment during the skills and simulation training. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Blended Approach to Active Learning in a Physiology Laboratory-Based Subject Facilitated by an e-Learning Component

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dantas, Arianne M.; Kemm, Robert E.

2008-01-01

Learning via online activities (e-learning) was introduced to facilitate existing face-to-face teaching to encourage more effective student preparation and then informed participation in an undergraduate physiology laboratory-based course. Active learning was encouraged by hypothesis formation and predictions prior to classes, with opportunities…

The use of high impact practices (HIPs) on chemistry lesson design and implementation by pre-service teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamrat, Suthida; Apichatyotin, Nattaya; Puakanokhirun, Kittaporn

2018-01-01

The quality of lesson design is essential to learning effectiveness. Research shows some characteristics of lessons have strong effect on learning which were grouped into "High Impact Practices or HIPs. This research aims to examine the use of HIPs on chemistry lesson design as a part of Teaching Science Strand in Chemistry Concepts course. At the first round of lesson design and implementing in classroom, 14 chemistry pre-services teachers freely selected topics, designed and implemented on their own ideas. The lessons have been reflected by instructors and their peers. High Impact Practices were overtly used as the conceptual framework along with the After-Action Review and Reflection (AARR). The selected High Impact practice in this study consisted of 6 elements: well-designed lesson, vary cognitive demand/academic challenge, students center approach, opportunity of students to reflect by discussion or writing, the assignment of project based learning or task, and the lesson reflects pre-service teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). The second round, pre-service teachers were encouraged to explicitly used 6 High Impact Practices in cooperated with literature review specified on focused concepts for bettering designed and implemented lessons. The data were collected from 28 lesson plans and 28 classroom observations to compare and discuss between the first and second lesson and implementation. The results indicated that High Impact Practices effect on the quality of delivered lesson. However, there are some elements that vary on changes which were detailed and discussed in this research article.

Re-imagining malaria--a platform for reflections to widen horizons in malaria control.

PubMed

Hausmann-Muela, Susanna; Eckl, Julian

2015-04-24

Ongoing political-economic discussions that take stock of social and societal determinants of health present an opportunity for productive dialogue on why current approaches to malaria control and elimination need to be broadened, and how this may be accomplished. They invite us, for example, to look beyond malaria as a disease, to appreciate the experiences of malaria-afflicted populations, to transcend techno-centric approaches, to investigate social conflicts around malaria, to give voice to the communities engaged in bottom-up approaches, and to revisit lessons learned in the past. While contributions from all disciplines are invited to this discussion, social scientists are particularly encouraged to participate. They have struggled in the past to find an appropriate platform within the malaria community that provides them the opportunity to address researchers from other disciplines, malaria practitioners, and policy makers. The Malaria Journal's new thematic series on 're-imagining malaria' offers them this opportunity. The goal of the series is to encourage transdisciplinary thinking, to stimulate discussion, to promote constructive criticism, and to gather overlooked experiences that help to reflect on implicit assumptions. Overall it aims at widening horizons in malaria control.

Teaching clinical skills in developing countries: are clinical skills centres the answer?

PubMed

Stark, Patsy; Fortune, F

2003-11-01

There is growing international interest in teaching clinical skills in a variety of contexts, one of which is Clinical Skills Centres. The drivers for change making Skills Centres an important adjunct to ward and ambulatory teaching come both from within and outside medical education. Educationally, self-directed learning is becoming the accepted norm, encouraging students to seek and maximize learning opportunities. There are global changes in health care practice, increased consumerism and increasing student numbers. In some countries, professional recommendations influence what is taught. Increasingly, core skills curricula and outcome objectives are being defined. This explicit definition encourages assessment of the core skills. In turn, all students require equal opportunities to learn how to practise the skills safely and competently. The moves towards interprofessional education make joint learning in a"neutral" setting, like a Clinical Skills Centre, appear particularly attractive. To discuss the potential role of Clinical Skills Centres in skills training in developing countries and to consider alternative options. Many developing countries seek to establish Clinical Skills Centres to ensure effective and reliable skills teaching. However, the model may not be appropriate,because fully equipped Clinical Skills Centres are expensive to set up, staff; and run. They are not the only way to achieve high quality clinical teaching. Suggested options are based on the philosophy and teaching methods successfully developed in Clinical Skills Centres that may fulfil the local needs to achieve low cost and high quality clinical teaching which is reflective of the local health needs and cultural expectations.

Helping reasoners succeed in the Wason selection task: when executive learning discourages heuristic response but does not necessarily encourage logic.

PubMed

Rossi, Sandrine; Cassotti, Mathieu; Moutier, Sylvain; Delcroix, Nicolas; Houdé, Olivier

2015-01-01

Reasoners make systematic logical errors by giving heuristic responses that reflect deviations from the logical norm. Influential studies have suggested first that our reasoning is often biased because we minimize cognitive effort to surpass a cognitive conflict between heuristic response from system 1 and analytic response from system 2 thinking. Additionally, cognitive control processes might be necessary to inhibit system 1 responses to activate a system 2 response. Previous studies have shown a significant effect of executive learning (EL) on adults who have transferred knowledge acquired on the Wason selection task (WST) to another isomorphic task, the rule falsification task (RFT). The original paradigm consisted of teaching participants to inhibit a classical matching heuristic that sufficed the first problem and led to significant EL transfer on the second problem. Interestingly, the reasoning tasks differed in inhibiting-heuristic metacognitive cost. Success on the WST requires half-suppression of the matching elements. In contrast, the RFT necessitates a global rejection of the matching elements for a correct answer. Therefore, metacognitive learning difficulty most likely differs depending on whether one uses the first or second task during the learning phase. We aimed to investigate this difficulty and various matching-bias inhibition effects in a new (reversed) paradigm. In this case, the transfer effect from the RFT to the WST could be more difficult because the reasoner learns to reject all matching elements in the first task. We observed that the EL leads to a significant reduction in matching selections on the WST without increasing logical performances. Interestingly, the acquired metacognitive knowledge was too "strictly" transferred and discouraged matching rather than encouraging logic. This finding underlines the complexity of learning transfer and adds new evidence to the pedagogy of reasoning.

Helping Reasoners Succeed in the Wason Selection Task: When Executive Learning Discourages Heuristic Response but Does Not Necessarily Encourage Logic

PubMed Central

Rossi, Sandrine; Cassotti, Mathieu; Moutier, Sylvain; Delcroix, Nicolas; Houdé, Olivier

2015-01-01

Reasoners make systematic logical errors by giving heuristic responses that reflect deviations from the logical norm. Influential studies have suggested first that our reasoning is often biased because we minimize cognitive effort to surpass a cognitive conflict between heuristic response from system 1 and analytic response from system 2 thinking. Additionally, cognitive control processes might be necessary to inhibit system 1 responses to activate a system 2 response. Previous studies have shown a significant effect of executive learning (EL) on adults who have transferred knowledge acquired on the Wason selection task (WST) to another isomorphic task, the rule falsification task (RFT). The original paradigm consisted of teaching participants to inhibit a classical matching heuristic that sufficed the first problem and led to significant EL transfer on the second problem. Interestingly, the reasoning tasks differed in inhibiting-heuristic metacognitive cost. Success on the WST requires half-suppression of the matching elements. In contrast, the RFT necessitates a global rejection of the matching elements for a correct answer. Therefore, metacognitive learning difficulty most likely differs depending on whether one uses the first or second task during the learning phase. We aimed to investigate this difficulty and various matching-bias inhibition effects in a new (reversed) paradigm. In this case, the transfer effect from the RFT to the WST could be more difficult because the reasoner learns to reject all matching elements in the first task. We observed that the EL leads to a significant reduction in matching selections on the WST without increasing logical performances. Interestingly, the acquired metacognitive knowledge was too “strictly” transferred and discouraged matching rather than encouraging logic. This finding underlines the complexity of learning transfer and adds new evidence to the pedagogy of reasoning. PMID:25849555

Nursing Students in a Global Learning Environment: Creative Teaching Methods on Culture, Emotion, and Communication.

PubMed

Wilhelm, Dalit; Zlotnick, Cheryl

2014-07-01

Two tools were created to help international students to better understand culture by becoming more astute observers of nonverbal behaviors, particularly behaviors depicting emotions among Norwegian students. The two tools were a trilingual list of words illustrating emotions and an exercise with images to practice verbalizing their observations of emotional expression. Students compared the subdued behaviors of Norwegians to the Israelis' very vivid behaviors. The intense emotional expression of Israelis influenced their interpretations. By making comparisons and through the experiences with Israelis, they learned more about culture and their own emotional expression. Creative strategies can contribute to students understanding and reflection of patients in a different culture. Encouraging students to grasp the nuances of emotional expression is part of understanding a different culture. Students, like faculty, learn that self-exploration is an evolving process that requires checking out one's assumptions and interpretations. © The Author(s) 2013.

The World Café: An Innovative Method to Facilitate Reflections on Internationalisation in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Estacio, Emee Vida; Karic, Toni

2016-01-01

This article provides an example of how the World Café method can be used as a platform to encourage reflection on internationalisation in higher education. The World Café is a community engagement method that encourages participants to engage in reflection and dialogue in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. It promotes the use of multiple…

Web-based faculty development: e-learning for clinical teachers in the London Deanery.

PubMed

McKimm, Judy; Swanwick, Tim

2010-03-01

the London Deanery has provided a web-based resource for supporting the educational development needs of clinical teachers since 2002. This forms part of a range of resources supporting the professional development of clinical teachers and postgraduate supervisors. Following a review in 2007, the deanery commissioned a series of new e-learning modules designed as an introduction to clinical teaching. the deanery's faculty development initiatives are one response to requirements of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB), other policy drivers, workforce demands and service changes. Increasingly, doctors are required to provide an educational portfolio of evidence, and satisfy the teaching and training component of Good Medical Practice in revalidation or recertification. 'E-learning for clinical teachers' comprises 16 short, open-access, free-standing modules. The modules are built around a unifying structure, and cover core topics in clinical teaching: feedback; supervision; workplace-based learning; assessment; diversity and equal opportunities; career development; appraisal; lecturing; small group teaching; interprofessional education; and setting learning objectives. The modules can be used as a complementary resource to award-bearing programmes. On completion of a module, a certificate can be printed out for the teacher's portfolio. reflective practice and engagement with an individual's teaching practice is encouraged through self-assessment and a reflective log. The open-access, web-based format enables engagement with the material to suit a doctor's working and learning patterns, and is a valuable adjunct to other forms of learning. The site has been accessed by over 64000 health professionals (including students, trainees, qualified professionals, supervisors and staff developers) from 155 countries. Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010.

The constructive use of images in medical teaching: a literature review

PubMed Central

Norris, Elizabeth M

2012-01-01

This literature review illustrates the various ways images are used in teaching and the evidence appertaining to it and advice regarding permissions and use. Four databases were searched, 23 papers were retained out of 135 abstracts found for the study. Images are frequently used to motivate an audience to listen to a lecture or to note key medical findings. Images can promote observation skills when linked with learning outcomes, but the timing and relevance of the images is important – it appears they must be congruent with the dialogue. Student reflection can be encouraged by asking students to actually draw their own impressions of a course as an integral part of course feedback. Careful structured use of images improve attention, cognition, reflection and possibly memory retention. PMID:22666530

Education research: communication skills for neurology residents: structured teaching and reflective practice.

PubMed

Watling, Christopher J; Brown, Judith B

2007-11-27

Despite the importance of communication skills for neurologists, specific training in this area at the residency level is often lacking. This study aimed to enhance learning of these skills and to encourage reflective practice around communication skills. A group of 12 neurology residents participated in a series of six case-based communication skills workshops. Each workshop focused on a particular clinical scenario, including breaking bad news, discussing do-not-resuscitate orders, communicating with "difficult" patients, disclosing medical errors, obtaining informed consent for neurologic tests and procedures, and discussing life-and-death decisions with families of critically ill patients. Residents also kept reflective portfolios in which real examples of these interactions were recorded. The program was well accepted, and residents rated the workshops as effective and relevant to their practice. Analysis of residents' portfolios revealed three themes relevant to patient-physician communication: 1) communication is more successful when adequate time is allowed, 2) the ability to empathize with patients and their families is essential to successful interactions, and 3) the development of specific approaches to challenging scenarios can facilitate effective interactions. The portfolios also demonstrated that residents would engage in reflective practice. Targeting of communication skills training around specific clinical scenarios using neurologic cases was well accepted and was deemed relevant to practice. The use of portfolios may promote lifelong learning in this area.

Service-learning: an integral part of undergraduate public health.

PubMed

Cashman, Suzanne B; Seifer, Sarena D

2008-09-01

In 2003, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) described public health as "an essential part of the training of citizens," a body of knowledge needed to achieve a public health literate citizenry. To achieve that end, the IOM recommended that "all undergraduates should have access to education in public health." Service-learning, a type of experiential learning, is an effective and appropriate vehicle for teaching public health and developing public health literacy. While relatively new to public health, service-learning has its historical roots in undergraduate education and has been shown to enhance students' understanding of course relevance, change student and faculty attitudes, encourage support for community initiatives, and increase student and faculty volunteerism. Grounded in collaborative relationships, service-learning grows from authentic partnerships between communities and educational institutions. Through emphasizing reciprocal learning and reflective practice, service-learning helps students develop skills needed to be effective in working with communities and ultimately achieve social change. With public health's enduring focus on social justice, introducing undergraduate students to public health through the vehicle of service-learning as part of introductory public health core courses or public health electives will help ensure that our young people are able to contribute to developing healthy communities, thus achieving the IOM's vision.

Building Capacity in Understanding Foundational Biology Concepts: A K-12 Learning Progression in Genetics Informed by Research on Children's Thinking and Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmesky, Rowhea

2013-06-01

This article describes the substance, structure, and rationale of a learning progression in genetics spanning kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12). The learning progression is designed to build a foundation towards understanding protein structure and activity and should be viewed as one possible pathway to understanding concepts of genetics and ultimately protein expression, based on the existing research. The kindergarten through fifth grade segment reflects findings that show children have a rich knowledge base and sophisticated cognitive abilities, and therefore, is designed so that elementary-aged children can learn content in deep and abstract manners, as well as apply scientific explanations appropriate to their knowledge level. The article also details the LP segment facilitating secondary students' understanding by outlining the overlapping conceptual frames which guide student learning from cell structures and functions to cell splitting (both cell division and gamete formation) to genetics as trait transmission, culminating in genetics as protein expression. The learning progression product avoids the use of technical language, which has been identified as a prominent source of student misconceptions in learning cellular biology, and explicit connections between cellular and macroscopic phenomena are encouraged.

Empowerment evaluation: a collaborative approach to evaluating and transforming a medical school curriculum.

PubMed

Fetterman, David M; Deitz, Jennifer; Gesundheit, Neil

2010-05-01

Medical schools continually evolve their curricula to keep students abreast of advances in basic, translational, and clinical sciences. To provide feedback to educators, critical evaluation of the effectiveness of these curricular changes is necessary. This article describes a method of curriculum evaluation, called "empowerment evaluation," that is new to medical education. It mirrors the increasingly collaborative culture of medical education and offers tools to enhance the faculty's teaching experience and students' learning environments. Empowerment evaluation provides a method for gathering, analyzing, and sharing data about a program and its outcomes and encourages faculty, students, and support personnel to actively participate in system changes. It assumes that the more closely stakeholders are involved in reflecting on evaluation findings, the more likely they are to take ownership of the results and to guide curricular decision making and reform. The steps of empowerment evaluation include collecting evaluation data, designating a "critical friend" to communicate areas of potential improvement, establishing a culture of evidence, encouraging a cycle of reflection and action, cultivating a community of learners, and developing reflective educational practitioners. This article illustrates how stakeholders used the principles of empowerment evaluation to facilitate yearly cycles of improvement at the Stanford University School of Medicine, which implemented a major curriculum reform in 2003-2004. The use of empowerment evaluation concepts and tools fostered greater institutional self-reflection, led to an evidence-based model of decision making, and expanded opportunities for students, faculty, and support staff to work collaboratively to improve and refine the medical school's curriculum.

Designing blended learning interventions for the 21st century student.

PubMed

Eagleton, Saramarie

2017-06-01

The learning requirements of diverse groups of students in higher education challenge educators to design learning interventions that meet the need of 21st century students. A model was developed to assist lecturers, especially those that are new to the profession, to use a blended approach to design meaningful learning interventions for physiology. The aim of the model is to encourage methodical development of learning interventions, while the purpose is to provide conceptual and communication tools that can be used to develop appropriate operational learning interventions. A whole brain approach that encourages challenging the four quadrants is encouraged. The main arguments of the model are to first determine the learning task requirements, as these will inform the design and development of learning interventions to facilitate learning and the assessment thereof. Delivery of the content is based on a blended approach. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Assessing Learning Quality: Reconciling Institutional, Staff and Educational Demands.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biggs, John

1996-01-01

Two frameworks for educational assessment distinguished, which is quantitative, adequate for construing some kinds of learning, and qualitative, which is more appropriate for most objectives in higher education. The paper argues that institutions implicitly encourage quantitative assessment, thus encouraging a surface approach to learning although…

Developmental Learning Disorders: From Generic Interventions to Individualized Remediation

PubMed Central

Moreau, David; Waldie, Karen E.

2016-01-01

Developmental learning disorders affect many children, impairing their experience in the classroom and hindering many aspects of their life. Once a bleak sentence associated with life-long difficulties, several learning disorders can now be successfully alleviated, directly benefiting from promising interventions. In this review, we focus on two of the most prevalent learning disorders, dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Recent advances have refined our understanding of the specific neural networks that are altered in these disorders, yet questions remain regarding causal links between neural changes and behavioral improvements. After briefly reviewing the theoretical foundations of dyslexia and ADHD, we explore their distinct and shared characteristics, and discuss the comorbidity of the two disorders. We then examine current interventions, and consider the benefits of approaches that integrate remediation within other activities to encourage sustained motivation and improvements. Finally, we conclude with a reflection on the potential for remediation programs to be personalized by taking into account the specificities and demands of each individual. The effective remediation of learning disorders is critical to modern societies, especially considering the far-reaching ramifications of successful early interventions. PMID:26793160

What factors determine academic achievement in high achieving undergraduate medical students? A qualitative study.

PubMed

Abdulghani, Hamza M; Al-Drees, Abdulmajeed A; Khalil, Mahmood S; Ahmad, Farah; Ponnamperuma, Gominda G; Amin, Zubair

2014-04-01

Medical students' academic achievement is affected by many factors such as motivational beliefs and emotions. Although students with high intellectual capacity are selected to study medicine, their academic performance varies widely. The aim of this study is to explore the high achieving students' perceptions of factors contributing to academic achievement. Focus group discussions (FGD) were carried out with 10 male and 9 female high achieving (scores more than 85% in all tests) students, from the second, third, fourth and fifth academic years. During the FGDs, the students were encouraged to reflect on their learning strategies and activities. The discussion was audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed qualitatively. Factors influencing high academic achievement include: attendance to lectures, early revision, prioritization of learning needs, deep learning, learning in small groups, mind mapping, learning in skills lab, learning with patients, learning from mistakes, time management, and family support. Internal motivation and expected examination results are important drivers of high academic performance. Management of non-academic issues like sleep deprivation, homesickness, language barriers, and stress is also important for academic success. Addressing these factors, which might be unique for a given student community, in a systematic manner would be helpful to improve students' performance.

An instructional intervention to encourage effective deep collaborative learning in undergraduate veterinary students.

PubMed

Khosa, Deep K; Volet, Simone E; Bolton, John R

2010-01-01

In recent years, veterinary education has received an increased amount of attention directed at the value and application of collaborative case-based learning. The benefit of instilling deep learning practices in undergraduate veterinary students has also emerged as a powerful tool in encouraging continued professional education. However, research into the design and application of instructional strategies to encourage deep, collaborative case-based learning in veterinary undergraduates has been limited. This study focused on delivering an instructional intervention (via a 20-minute presentation and student handout) to foster productive, collaborative case-based learning in veterinary education. The aim was to instigate and encourage deep learning practices in a collaborative case-based assignment and to assess the impact of the intervention on students' group learning. Two cohorts of veterinary students were involved in the study. One cohort was exposed to an instructional intervention, and the other provided the control for the study. The instructional strategy was grounded in the collaborative learning literature and prior empirical studies with veterinary students. Results showed that the intervention cohort spent proportionally more time on understanding case content material than did the control cohort and rated their face-to-face discussions as more useful in achieving their learning outcomes than did their control counterparts. In addition, the perceived difficulty of the assignment evolved differently for the control and intervention students from start to end of the assignment. This study provides encouraging evidence that veterinary students can change and enhance the way they interact in a group setting to effectively engage in collaborative learning practices.

Vocationalism Varies (A Lot): A 12-Country Multivariate Analysis of Participation in Formal Adult Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeren, Ellen; Holford, John

2016-01-01

To encourage adult participation in education and training, contemporary policy makers typically encourage education and training provision to have a strongly vocational (employment-related) character, while also stressing individuals' responsibility for developing their own learning. Adults' motivation to learn is not, however, purely…

Learning Goals of AACSB-Accredited Undergraduate Business Programs: Predictors of Conformity versus Differentiation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brink, Kyle E.; Palmer, Timothy B.; Costigan, Robert D.

2014-01-01

Learning goals are central to assurance of learning. Yet little is known about what goals are used by business programs or how they are established. On the one hand, business schools are encouraged to develop their own unique learning goals. However, business schools also face pressures that would encourage conformity by adopting goals used by…

Forum: The Lecture and Student Learning. What Is the Place of Lecture in Student Learning Today?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stearns, Susan

2017-01-01

The author of this brief forum article argues that it is time to encourage faculty members to rethink student learning: encourage the scholarship of teaching and expose faculty to key research articles about student learning. Then, building on this knowledge, the academy needs to offer assistance to faculty in designing student-centered…

Reflection of light: a teaching and learning activity with primary school children

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varela, Paulo; Abreu, Cátia; Costa, Manuel F. M.

2014-08-01

Light and its properties is a subject that strongly attracts children from very early ages. Inquiry-based science teaching although addressed in the curricula of various countries and suggested by some international organizations, continues to have a very low expression in the teaching practices of the majority of primary school teachers and preschool educators. In this sense, we have organized several continuing training courses in order to encourage these education professionals to promote this approach to science teaching in the classroom, with the children. As part of this training process, teachers and educators put into practice, with their students, the didactic knowledge they have developed, in order to become aware of the virtues of an inquiry-based approach to children's learning. Through the implementation of the "Reflection of Light" activity, in this article, we intend to analyze the process of teaching and learning promoted in a 3rd grade class by one of the teachers participating in the training courses. The analysis of the process reveals that the teacher in training carried out a successful didactic integration of the inquiry-based science teaching approach recommended for children. In turn, the children also developed a good understanding of the contents of the activity explored in the classroom.

Designing and Implementing Service Learning Projects in an Introductory Oceanography Course Using the ``8-Block Model''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laine, E. P.; Field, C.

2010-12-01

The Campus Compact for New Hampshire (Gordon, 2003) introduced a practical model for designing service-learning exercises or components for new or existing courses. They divided the design and implementation process into eight concrete areas, the “8-Block Model”. Their goal was to demystify the design process of service learning courses by breaking it down into interconnected components. These components include: project design, community partner relations, the problem statement, building community in the classroom, building student capacity, project management, assessment of learning, and reflection and connections. The project design component of the “8-Block Model” asks that the service performed be consistent with the learning goals of the course. For science courses students carry out their work as a way of learning science and the process of science, not solely for the sake of service. Their work supports the goals of a community partner and the community partner poses research problems for the class in a letter on their letterhead. Linking student work to important problems in the community effectively engages students and encourages them to work at more sophisticated levels than usually seen in introductory science classes. Using team-building techniques, the classroom becomes a safe, secure learning environment that encourages sharing and experimentation. Targeted lectures, labs, and demonstrations build the capacity of students to do their research. Behind the scenes project management ensures student success. Learning is assessed using a variety of tools, including graded classroom presentations, poster sessions, and presentations and reports to community partners. Finally, students reflect upon their work and make connections between their research and its importance to the well being of the community. Over the past 10 years, we have used this approach to design and continually modify an introductory oceanography course for majors and non-majors. The goal was to provide students with an opportunity to do authentic research on water quality and marine resource issues in local coastal embayments. Student research supported several community organizations, most notably the Friends of Casco Bay, an NGO interested in improving the water quality in Casco Bay. This research helped the students to reach some of the learning goals for the course including an understanding of tides, currents, phytoplankton, water quality parameters, dissolved nutrients, and analysis and presentation of quantitative data. Using this pedagogical model allowed the basic structure of the course to remain the same over the years, while enabling us to flexibly respond to changes in the needs and interests of community partners. Gordon, R, Ed. (2003) Problem Based Service Learning: A Field Guide for Making a Difference in Higher Education, 2nd edition. Campus Compact for New Hampshire, Bedford, NH

Students' perceptions of constructivist Internet learning environments by a physics virtual laboratory: the gap between ideal and reality and gender differences.

PubMed

Chuang, Shih-Chyueh; Hwang, Fu-Kwun; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2008-04-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Internet users of a physics virtual laboratory, Demolab, in Taiwan. Learners' perceptions of Internet-based learning environments were explored and the role of gender was examined by using preferred and actual forms of a revised Constructivist Internet-based Learning Environment Survey (CILES). The students expressed a clear gap between ideal and reality, and they showed higher preferences for many features of constructivist Internet-based learning environments than for features they had actually learned in Demolab. The results further suggested that male users prefer to be involved in the process of discussion and to show critical judgments. In addition, male users indicated they enjoyed the process of negotiation and discussion with others and were able to engage in reflective thoughts while learning in Demolab. In light of these findings, male users seemed to demonstrate better adaptability to the constructivist Internet-based learning approach than female users did. Although this study indicated certain differences between males and females in their responses to Internet-based learning environments, they also shared numerous similarities. A well-established constructivist Internet-based learning environment may encourage more female learners to participate in the science community.

Supporting and structuring "contributing student pedagogy" in Computer Science curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkner, Katrina; Falkner, Nickolas J. G.

2012-12-01

Contributing student pedagogy (CSP) builds upon social constructivist and community-based learning principles to create engaging and productive learning experiences. What makes CSP different from other, related, learning approaches is that it involves students both learning from and also explicitly valuing the contributions of other students. The creation of such a learning community builds upon established educational psychology that encourages deep learning, reflection and engagement. Our school has recently completed a review and update of its curriculum, incorporating student content-creation and collaboration into the design of key courses across the curriculum. Our experiences, based on several years of experimentation and development, support CSP-based curriculum design to reinforce the value of the student perspective, the clear description of their own transformative pathway to knowledge and the importance of establishing student-to-student networks in which students are active and willing participants. In this paper, we discuss the tools and approaches that we have employed to guide, support and structure student collaboration across a range of courses and year levels. By providing an account of our intentions, our approaches and tools, we hope to provide useful and transferrable knowledge that can be readily used by other academics who are considering this approach.

Facilitating interprofessional learning about human rights in public health contexts: challenges and strategies.

PubMed

Haigh, Neil; Haigh, Fiona

2007-12-01

Occasions when public health practitioners engage in professional learning increasingly involve them in encounters with (a) concepts that originate from unfamiliar disciplines and that may be multidisciplinary, complex and sometimes contested, (b) colleagues who have different discipline and profession backgrounds, and (c) modes of learning and teaching that are unfamiliar. While these factors can enhance both the processes and products of learning, they can also present significant challenges when those learning occasions are designed and facilitated. Drawing on our own reflected-on experience of working in such contexts and a body of related literature, we elaborate on these interrelated challenges and propose three strategies that can help address them. The strategies entail encouragement and support for establishing common commitments and values, perspective-taking and self-reflexivity, conversation and storytelling. Specific examples of challenges and strategies are derived, in particular, from a learning agenda associated with the mainstreaming of a human rights approach to public health. That agenda requires practitioners to understand the concept of human rights, appreciate its relevance for public health work and be capable of integrating a human right perspective into their day-to-day work.

Teaching with Moodle in Soil Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roca, Núria

2014-05-01

Soil is a 3-dimensional body with properties that reflect the impact of climate, vegetation, fauna, man and topography on the soil's parent material over a variable time span. Therefore, soil is integral to many ecological and social systems and it holds potential solutions for many of the world's economic and scientific problems as climate change or scarcity of food and water. The teaching of Soil Science, as a natural science in its own right, requires principles that reflect the unique features and behaviour of soil and the practices of soil scientists. It could be argued that a unique set of teaching practices applies to Soil Science; however specific teaching practices are scarce in literature. The present work was triggered by the need to develop new techniques of teaching to speed up the learning process and to experiment with new methods of teaching. For such, it is necessary to adopt virtual learning environment to new learning requirements regarding Soil Science. This paper proposes a set of e-teaching techniques (as questionnaires, chats as well as forums) introduced in Moodle virtual learning Environment in order to increase student motivation and interest in Soil Science. Such technologies can be used to: a)Increase the amount of time a teacher allots for student reflection after asking a question and before a student responds (wait-time). This practice increases the quantity and quality of students' answers. The students give longer responses, students give more evidence for their ideas and conclusions, students speculate and hypothesize more and more students participated in responding. Furthermore, students ask more questions and talk more to other students. b)Improve active learning, an essential paradigm in education. In contrast to learning-before-doing, we propose to focus on learning-in-doing, a model where learners are increasingly involved in the authentic practices of communities through learning conversations and activities involving expert practitioners, educators and peers. c)Introduce the specific specialised technical language (jargon) gradually. The excessive use of Soil Science jargon confuses students and frequently put obstacles in the way of learning. d)Encourage the students to take responsibility for their learning, continuous assessment with direct error correction and content feedback and peer review with comments sent to forum. The student interest to learn using e-project is clearly strong.

Doctoring Undercover: updating the educational tradition of shadowing.

PubMed

Clark, Claire D

2017-01-01

Premedical students are educated in basic biological and health sciences. As a complement to traditional premedical coursework, medical school applicants are encouraged to shadow practitioners, with the hope that observation will introduce students to the culture and practice of healthcare. Yet the shadowing experience varies widely across practitioners and institutions; resources that guide students' critical reflection and structure the experience are scarce. A pilot experiential learning course, Doctoring Undercover: Shadowing and the Culture of Medicine, was developed to fill this gap. The course consisted of three parts: an introduction to medical culture through the disciplines of medical sociology, history, anthropology, and bioethics; a site placement in which students applied these fields' analytical techniques to the study of medical culture and practice; and the development of an online activity guide that other premedical students may adapt to their shadowing circumstances. Students reported that they were exposed to new disciplinary perspectives and interprofessional environments that they would not traditionally encounter. Students' contributions to the shadowing guide encouraged active learning and reflection on the dynamics of effective patient-provider relationships and shadowing experiences. Locally, the class may be scaled for a larger group of premedical students and incorporated into a formal pathway program for premedical students; the content will also be integrated into the clinical medicine course for first-year medical students. Online, the guide will be promoted for use by other institutions and by individuals planning extracurricular shadowing experiences; feedback will be solicited. Tools for evaluating the short- and long-term impact of the course and guide will be developed and validated. Observational and experimental studies of the course's impact should be conducted. ICM: Introduction to Clinical Medicine; SCE: Selective Clinical Experiences.

Transformational Teaching: Theoretical Underpinnings, Basic Principles, and Core Methods

PubMed Central

Slavich, George M.; Zimbardo, Philip G.

2012-01-01

Approaches to classroom instruction have evolved considerably over the past 50 years. This progress has been spurred by the development of several learning principles and methods of instruction, including active learning, student-centered learning, collaborative learning, experiential learning, and problem-based learning. In the present paper, we suggest that these seemingly different strategies share important underlying characteristics and can be viewed as complimentary components of a broader approach to classroom instruction called transformational teaching. Transformational teaching involves creating dynamic relationships between teachers, students, and a shared body of knowledge to promote student learning and personal growth. From this perspective, instructors are intellectual coaches who create teams of students who collaborate with each other and with their teacher to master bodies of information. Teachers assume the traditional role of facilitating students’ acquisition of key course concepts, but do so while enhancing students’ personal development and attitudes toward learning. They accomplish these goals by establishing a shared vision for a course, providing modeling and mastery experiences, challenging and encouraging students, personalizing attention and feedback, creating experiential lessons that transcend the boundaries of the classroom, and promoting ample opportunities for preflection and reflection. We propose that these methods are synergistically related and, when used together, maximize students’ potential for intellectual and personal growth. PMID:23162369

Lessons learned: wrong intraocular lens.

PubMed

Schein, Oliver D; Banta, James T; Chen, Teresa C; Pritzker, Scott; Schachat, Andrew P

2012-10-01

To report cases involving the placement of the wrong intraocular lens (IOL) at the time of cataract surgery where human error occurred. Retrospective small case series, convenience sample. Seven surgical cases. Institutional review of errors committed and subsequent improvements to clinical protocols. Lessons learned and changes in procedures adapted. The pathways to a wrong IOL are many but largely reflect some combination of poor surgical team communication, transcription error, lack of preoperative clarity in surgical planning or failure to match the patient, and IOL calculation sheet with 2 unique identifiers. Safety in surgery involving IOLs is enhanced both by strict procedures, such as an IOL-specific "time-out," and the fostering of a surgical team culture in which all members are encouraged to voice questions and concerns. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Encouraging Contributions in Learning Networks Using Incentive Mechanisms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hummel, H. G. K.; Burgos, D.; Tattersall, C.; Brouns, F.; Kurvers, H.; Koper, R.

2005-01-01

We investigate incentive mechanisms to increase active participation in Learning Networks (LNs). The LN under study is LN4LD, an LN for the exchange of information about the IMS Learning Design specification. We examine how to encourage learners in LN4LD to contribute their knowledge, and whether incentive mechanisms can increase the level of…

Opening the Learning Process: The Potential Role of Feature Film in Teaching Employment Relations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lafferty, George

2016-01-01

This paper explores the potential of feature film to encourage more inclusive, participatory and open learning in the area of employment relations. Evaluations of student responses in a single postgraduate course over a five-year period revealed how feature film could encourage participatory learning processes in which students reexamined their…

"They're Funny Bloody Cattle": Encouraging Rural Men to Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vallance, Soapy; Golding, Barry

2008-01-01

Our paper examines and analyses the contexts and organisations in rural and regional communities that informally and effectively encourage men to learn. It is based on a combination of local, rural adult education practice and a suite of studies in Australia and elsewhere of learning in community contexts, most recently into community-based men's…

The Role of Post-Visit Action Resources in Facilitating Meaningful Free-Choice Learning after a Zoo Visit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bueddefeld, Jill N. H.; Van Winkle, Christine M.

2018-01-01

Places like zoos, where free-choice learning is encouraged, are important for conveying climate change and sustainability issues to the public. Free-choice learning that targets environmentally focused sustainable behavior changes must be meaningful in order to encourage actual behavior change post-visit. However, visitors often fail to translate…

Conceptualisation of knowledge construction in community service-learning programmes in nursing education.

PubMed

Mthembu, Sindi Z; Mtshali, Fikile G

2013-01-01

Practices in higher education have been criticised for not developing and preparing students for the expertise required in real environments. Literature reports that educational programmes tend to favour knowledge conformation rather than knowledge construction; however, community service learning (CSL) is a powerful pedagogical strategy that encourages students to make meaningful connections between the content in the classroom and real-life experiences as manifested by the communities. Through CSL, learning is achieved by the active construction of knowledge supported by multiple perspectives within meaningful real contexts, and the social interactions amongst students are seen to play a critical role in the processes of learning and cognition. This article reflects facilitators’ perspective of the knowledge construction process as used with students doing community service learning in basic nursing programmes. The aim of this article was to conceptualise the phenomenon of knowledge construction and thereby provide educators with a shared meaning and common understanding, and to analyse the interaction strategies utilised by nurse educators in the process of knowledge construction in community service-learning programmes in basic nursing education. A qualitative research approach based on a grounded theory research design was used in this article. Two nursing education institutions were purposively selected. Structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants. The results revealed that the knowledge construction in community service-learning programmes is conceptualised as having specific determinants, including the use of authentic health-related problems, academic coaching through scaffolding, academic discourse-dialogue, interactive learning in communities of learners, active learning, continuous reflection as well as collaborative and inquiry-based learning. Upon completion of an experience, students create and test generated knowledge in different contextual health settings. It was concluded that knowledge is constructed by students as a result of their interaction with the communities in their socio-cultural context and is mediated by their prior concrete experiences. The implication of this is that students construct knowledge that can be applied in their future work places.

Gesture’s role in speaking, learning, and creating language

PubMed Central

Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Alibali, Martha Wagner

2013-01-01

When speakers talk, they gesture. The goal of this chapter is to understand the contribution that these gestures make to how we communicate and think. Gesture can play a role in communication and thought at many timespans. We explore, in turn, gesture’s contribution to how language is produced and understood in the moment; its contribution to how we learn language and other cognitive skills; and its contribution to how language is created over generations, over childhood, and on-the-spot. We find that the gestures speakers produce when they talk are integral to communication and can be harnessed in a number of ways. (1) Gesture reflects speakers’ thoughts, often their unspoken thoughts, and thus can serve as a window onto cognition. Encouraging speakers to gesture can thus provide another route for teachers, clinicians, interviewers, etc., to better understand their communication partners. (2) Gesture can change speakers’ thoughts. Encouraging gesture thus has the potential to change how students, patients, witnesses, etc., think about a problem and, as a result, alter the course of learning, therapy, or an interchange. (3) Gesture provides building blocks that can be used to construct a language. By watching how children and adults who do not already have a language put those blocks together, we can observe the process of language creation first hand. Our hands are with us at all times and thus provide researchers and learners with an ever-present tool for understanding how we talk and think. PMID:22830562

Gesture's role in speaking, learning, and creating language.

PubMed

Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Alibali, Martha Wagner

2013-01-01

When speakers talk, they gesture. The goal of this review is to investigate the contribution that these gestures make to how we communicate and think. Gesture can play a role in communication and thought at many timespans. We explore, in turn, gesture's contribution to how language is produced and understood in the moment; its contribution to how we learn language and other cognitive skills; and its contribution to how language is created over generations, over childhood, and on the spot. We find that the gestures speakers produce when they talk are integral to communication and can be harnessed in a number of ways. (a) Gesture reflects speakers' thoughts, often their unspoken thoughts, and thus can serve as a window onto cognition. Encouraging speakers to gesture can thus provide another route for teachers, clinicians, interviewers, etc., to better understand their communication partners. (b) Gesture can change speakers' thoughts. Encouraging gesture thus has the potential to change how students, patients, witnesses, etc., think about a problem and, as a result, alter the course of learning, therapy, or an interchange. (c) Gesture provides building blocks that can be used to construct a language. By watching how children and adults who do not already have a language put those blocks together, we can observe the process of language creation. Our hands are with us at all times and thus provide researchers and learners with an ever-present tool for understanding how we talk and think.

William L. Wolfe, 1989 President of SPIE, encourages scientists from Eastern Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmit, Joanna

2012-10-01

In 1990 Professor Wolfe after his SPIE presidency trekked the world, even making it as far as post-communist Poland, to see (in the visible and maybe in infrared - who knows) the work of optical scientists hidden behind the iron curtain. I am not sure if he was ready for how different that world was at this time, but for sure he was very inquisitive and eager to learn about the nuances of Poland right after the fall of communism. He met, visited with and encouraged young and old scientists from Poland, Russia, Hungary and Lithuania to add their expertise to the scientific conversations happening in the West. His mission in Poland was to invite us all, and he was ready to help us achieve our dreams. I was one of those he encouraged. This talk is my personal reflection of Professor Wolfe as an encouraging and sometimes brave SPIE pioneer - a stranger in a strange land - and as an energetic, caring SPIE president, Optical Sciences professor and human being. Disclaimer: Professor Bill Wolfe's contributions to the field of radiometry are well known and very well recognized. This conference is a tribute to him. However, my paper is not on radiometry; rather, I wish to illustrate the adventurous, caring and positive Bill Wolfe that helped me find my way to the American desert Southwest.

Scholarship of teaching and learning: `what the hell' are we getting ourselves into?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swart, Arthur James; Luwes, Nicolaas; Olwagen, Lienie; Greyling, Cameron; Korff, Carel

2017-11-01

Academics must be encouraged to reflect on their teaching, to apply new pedagogies to support student learning and to report on the results of these actions, which really forms part of programmes relating to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). However, there seems to be resistance among some academics to get involved in these programmes due to fear of change or discrimination. The purpose of this article is to highlight the perceptions of four academics from different engineering fields towards such a programme from a University of Technology in South Africa. A qualitative study is employed where a focus group interview was used to gather data which are correlated to the SoTL unicycle detailed in the article. A benefit of joining an SoTL programme includes 'developing a teaching action plan' while a key challenge relates to time concerns. An implication may be to stimulate awareness among non-participating academics about what an SoTL programme really engenders.

Writing Became a Chore Like the Laundry: The Realities of Using Journals To Encourage a Reflective Approach to Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewison, Mitzi

This action research study investigated a model of professional development designed to encourage elementary language arts teachers to adopt a more reflective approach to literacy instruction. The model consisted of monthly negotiated-topic study group sessions, theoretically-based reading, and dialogue journal writing. This paper focuses on the…

Using Audience Response Systems to Encourage Student Engagement and Reflection on Ethical Orientation and Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Micheletto, Melinda J.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to use an audience response system (ARS) to engage students in classroom discussions concerning sensitive and controversial topics (e.g., business ethics), assess student's ethical orientation and conduct in unethical behaviors, and encourage reflection on their personal level of ethicality. Students used ARS devices…

Innovation in ethics and professionalism course: Early experience with portfolio-workbook.

PubMed

Shamim, Muhammad Shahid; Zubairi, Nadeem Alam; Sayed, Mohamad Hesham; Gazzaz, Zohair Jamil

2016-09-01

To analyse students' perception regarding the use of portfolio-workbook in ethics course. This mixed method study was conducted at the King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2014, and comprised fourth-year medical students. The "portfolio-workbook", developed on principles of cognitive load and guided learning theories, contained essential reading material. Learning sessions were also facilitated by teaching tools like role-plays, movie/video clips, vignettes, etc., followed by reflective writing exercises. Feedback questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions was used to collect data. Quantitative data was analysed for frequencies and percentages. Content analysis was conducted for the open-ended responses. Of the 20 participants, 10(50%) considered using portfolio-workbook as difficult initially. However, on completion of module 16(80%) found it easy. Moreover, 17(85%) appreciated it as a learning tool. Besides, 19(95%) students found teaching videos and 13(65%) found open discussions as effective learning tools. Portfolio-workbook as an assessment tool was preferred by 19(95%) students. The use of portfolio-workbook in teaching ethics to undergraduates was found to be encouraging as it generated interest and interaction.

Best evidence on the educational effects of undergraduate portfolios.

PubMed

Buckley, Sharon; Coleman, Jamie; Khan, Khalid

2010-09-01

The great variety of portfolio types and schemes used in the education of health professionals is reflected in the extensive and diverse educational literature relating to portfolio use. We have recently completed a Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) systematic review of the literature relating to the use of portfolios in the undergraduate setting that offers clinical teachers insights into both their effects on learning and issues to consider in portfolio implementation. Using a methodology based on BEME recommendations, we searched the literature relating to a range of health professions, identifying evidence for the effects of portfolios on undergraduate student learning, and assessing the methodological quality of each study. The higher quality studies in our review report that, when implemented appropriately, portfolios can improve students' ability to integrate theory with practice, can encourage their self-awareness and reflection, and can offer support for students facing difficult emotional situations. Portfolios can also enhance student-tutor relationships and prepare students for the rigours of postgraduate training. However, the time required to complete a portfolio may detract from students' clinical learning. An analysis of methodological quality against year of publication suggests that, across a range of health professions, the quality of the literature relating to the educational effects of portfolios is improving. However, further work is still required to build the evidence base for the educational effects of portfolios, particularly comparative studies that assess effects on learning directly. Our findings have implications for the design and implementation of portfolios in the undergraduate setting. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010.

Targeting environmental beliefs in a community college environmental science course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caldarelli, Mary K.

This critical action research study was designed to address the practice-based problem of efficacy in adult environmental education. Due to the numerous environmental problems facing the earth, environmental educators have been called upon to design and implement educational programs that foster environmentally responsible behavior in learners. The environmental pedagogy developed for this study grounded the learners in their socio-cultural context and utilized techniques of transformative learning to encourage learners to address the environmental beliefs that result from this context. Reflective journals and essays, collaborative writings, individual interviews, and a pretest/posttest questionnaire were utilized to determine the nature of change in the learners that resulted from this educational intervention. The participant outcomes of this study include expanded environmental awareness, a more holistic environmental perspective, action on new understandings and a change in environmental beliefs. During the twelve-week timeframe of this study participant meaning-making was enhanced by critical reflection, integration of past and present experiences, reliance on 'expert' knowledge and exposure to multiple perspectives. The nature of change that occurred in the individuals in this study would suggest that contextualizing adult environmental education and applying transformative learning theory to practice can result in a more relevant, less abstract conception of the environment and less symbolic proenvironmental beliefs and attitudes. In addition, the findings of this study also indicate that environmental educators should consider the impact of epistemological beliefs on environmental learning, and the uniquely individual and time-consuming aspects of applying transformative learning to practice.

The Effect of an Energy Audit Service Learning Project on Student Perceptions of STEM Related Disciplines, Personal Behaviors/Actions towards the Environment, and Stewardship Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gullo, Michael

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not service learning could be considered an alternative teaching method in an environmental science classroom. In particular, the results of this research show whether an energy audit service learning project influenced student environmental awareness (knowledge of environmental issues, problems, and solutions), student personal actions/behaviors towards the environment, student perceptions and attitudes of science related careers, and community partnerships. Haines (2010) defines service learning as “a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities” (p. 16). Moreover, service learning opportunities can encourage students to step out of their comfort zone and learn from hands-on experiences and apply knowledge obtained from lectures and classroom activities to real life situations. To add to the growing body of literature, the results of this study concluded that an energy audit service learning project did not have a measureable effect on student perceptions and attitudes of science related careers as compared to a more traditional teaching approach. However, the data from this study did indicate that an energy audit service learning project increased students personal actions/behaviors towards the environment more than a direct teaching approach.

Investigating Student Perceptions of the Chemistry Laboratory and Their Approaches to Learning in the Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Spencer Granett

This dissertation explores student perceptions of the instructional chemistry laboratory and the approaches students take when learning in the laboratory environment. To measure student perceptions of the chemistry laboratory, a survey instrument was developed. 413 students responded to the survey during the Fall 2011 semester. Students' perception of the usefulness of the laboratory in helping them learn chemistry in high school was related to several factors regarding their experiences in high school chemistry. Students' perception of the usefulness of the laboratory in helping them learn chemistry in college was also measured. Reasons students provided for the usefulness of the laboratory were categorized. To characterize approaches to learning in the laboratory, students were interviewed midway through semester (N=18). The interviews were used to create a framework describing learning approaches that students use in the laboratory environment. Students were categorized into three levels: students who view the laboratory as a requirement, students who believe that the laboratory augments their understanding, and students who view the laboratory as an important part of science. These categories describe the types of strategies students used when conducting experiments. To further explore the relationship between students' perception of the laboratory and their approaches to learning, two case studies are described. These case studies involve interviews in the beginning and end of the semester. In the interviews, students reflect on what they have learned in the laboratory and describe their perceptions of the laboratory environment. In order to encourage students to adopt higher-level approaches to learning in the laboratory, a metacognitive intervention was created. The intervention involved supplementary questions that students would answer while completing laboratory experiments. The questions were designed to encourage students to think critically about the laboratory procedures. In order to test the effects of the intervention, an experimental group (N=87) completed these supplementary questions during two laboratory experiments while a control group (N=84) performed the same experiments without these additional questions. The effects of the intervention on laboratory exam performance were measured. Students in the experimental group had a higher average on the laboratory exam than students in the control group.

Let's Get Movin'

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurz, Terri L.; Serrano, Alejandra

2015-01-01

To support students' development of concepts in mathematics, the use of technology is often encouraged (Common Core State Standards Initiative [CCSSI] 2010). Technology can contextualize learning and provide a meaningful setting for mathematical ideas. Most teachers are supportive regarding the use of technology to encourage learning and…

Develop, Link, Foster, and Encourage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyslop, Alisha

2008-01-01

The third recommendation in ACTE's postsecondary reform position statement is to develop curriculum and instructional offerings that link to careers, foster lifelong learning, and encourage completion. Concrete linkages must be developed between middle and high school, postsecondary education and work, with lifelong postsecondary learning a part…

Assessments That Promote Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watanabe, Maika; Evans, Laura

2015-01-01

This article discusses assessments that can be used to help encourage a collaborative classroom community, in which students help one another learn mathematics. The authors describe participation quizzes and explanation quizzes as assessment tools that encourage students to work together, share specific questions on challenging mathematics…

Creation and Assessment of an Active e-Learning Introductory Geology Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sit, Stefany M.; Brudzinski, Michael R.

2017-12-01

The recent emphasis in higher education on both student engagement and online learning encouraged the authors to develop an active e-learning environment for an introductory geohazards course, which enrolls 70+ undergraduate students per semester. Instructors focused on replicating the achievements and addressing the challenges within an already established face-to-face student-centered class (Brudzinski and Sikorski 2010; Sit 2013). Through the use of a learning management system (LMS) and other available technologies, a wide range of course components were developed including online homework assignments with automatic grading and tailored feedback, video tutorials of software programs like Google Earth and Microsoft Excel, and more realistic scientific investigations using authentic and freely available data downloaded from the internet. The different course components designed to engage students and improve overall student learning and development were evaluated using student surveys and instructor reflection. Each component can be used independently and intertwined into a face-to-face course. Results suggest that significant opportunities are available in an online environment including the potential for improved student performance and new datasets for educational research. Specifically, results from pre and post-semester Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI) testing in an active e-learning course show enhanced student learning gains compared to face-to-face lecture-based and student-centered courses.

The role of competing knowledge structures in undermining learning: Newton's second and third laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Low, David J.; Wilson, Kate F.

2017-01-01

We investigate the development of student understanding of Newton's laws using a pre-instruction test (the Force Concept Inventory), followed by a series of post-instruction tests and interviews. While some students' somewhat naive, pre-existing models of Newton's third law are largely eliminated following a semester of teaching, we find that a particular inconsistent model is highly resilient to, and may even be strengthened by, instruction. If test items contain words that cue students to think of Newton's second law, then students are more likely to apply a "net force" approach to solving problems, even if it is inappropriate to do so. Additional instruction, reinforcing physical concepts in multiple settings and from multiple sources, appears to help students develop a more connected and consistent level of understanding. We recommend explicitly encouraging students to check their work for consistency with physical principles, along with the standard checks for dimensionality and order of magnitude, to encourage reflective and rigorous problem solving.

Student perceptions of the use of presentations as a method of learning endocrine and gastrointestinal pathophysiology.

PubMed

Higgins-Opitz, Susan B; Tufts, Mark

2010-06-01

Second-year medical students at the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine (Durban, South Africa) were given a brief to prepare oral presentations on topics related to disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and endocrine system in the form of "patient-doctor" role play and to submit written documents about their topics. This initiative was introduced to assist medical students in their application and understanding of physiology to clinical situations. The aims of the student presentations were to improve the understanding of the physiological basis of diseases; promote independent research, active, and group-based learning; encourage social interactions; and develop presentation and peer review skills. Students rose to the challenge, producing a variety of presentations reflecting a wealth of creativity, humour, sensitivity to local cultural issues, and analytic thinking skills. The quality of the supporting posters and computer-generated slides was outstanding. Numerous "fun" prizes for specific individual and group performances were given based on peer and staff evaluations. This exercise ran over a 5-yr period before the introduction of a problem-based learning medical curriculum. Student feedback obtained over these years is reported here. Students were asked to complete semistructured questionnaires, which elicited feedback on various aspects of the learning exercise, including whether it should be continued and how it could be improved upon, especially if they were in groups that did not function well. The feedback obtained revealed that most students perceived the presentations to be fun, informative, creative/innovative, and, most importantly, beneficial to their learning. The majority of students felt that this exercise improved their understanding of pathophysiology, taught them to research independently, and encouraged better class interactions and group learning. The inclusion of such initiatives is beneficial not only to students' understanding and their experience in studying physiology but also for the development of skills useful in their future careers.

Physician participation in clinical research and trials: issues and approaches

PubMed Central

Rahman, Sayeeda; Majumder, Md Anwarul Azim; Shaban, Sami F; Rahman, Nuzhat; Ahmed, Moslehuddin; Abdulrahman, Khalid Bin; D’Souza, Urban JA

2011-01-01

The rapid development of new drugs, therapies, and devices has created a dramatic increase in the number of clinical research studies that highlights the need for greater participation in research by physicians as well as patients. Furthermore, the potential of clinical research is unlikely to be reached without greater participation of physicians in research. Physicians face a variety of barriers with regard to participation in clinical research. These barriers are system-or organization-related as well as research-and physician-related. To encourage physician participation, appropriate organizational and operational infrastructures are needed in health care institutes to support research planning and management. All physicians should receive education and training in the fundamentals of research design and methodology, which need to be incorporated into undergraduate medical education and postgraduate training curricula and then reinforced through continuing medical education. Medical schools need to analyze current practices of teaching–learning and research, and reflect upon possible changes needed to develop a ‘student-focused teaching–learning and research culture’. This article examines the barriers to and benefits of physician participation in clinical research as well as interventions needed to increase their participation, including the specific role of undergraduate medical education. The main challenge is the unwillingness of many physicians and patients to participate in clinical trials. Barriers to participation include lack of time, lack of resources, trial-specific issues, communication difficulties, conflicts between the role of clinician and scientist, inadequate research experience and training for physicians, lack of rewards and recognition for physicians, and sometimes a scientifically uninteresting research question, among others. Strategies to encourage physician participation in clinical research include financial and nonfinancial incentives, adequate training, research questions that are in line with physician interests and have clear potential to improve patient care, and regular feedback. Finally, encouraging research culture and fostering the development of inquiry and research-based learning among medical students is now a high priority in order to develop more and better clinician-researchers. PMID:23745079

Student Self-evaluation After Nursing Examinations: That's a Wrap.

PubMed

Butzlaff, Alice; Gaylle, Debrayh; O'Leary Kelley, Colleen

2018-04-13

Examination wrappers are a self-evaluation tool that uses metacognition to help students reflect on test performance. After examinations, rather than focus on points earned, students learn to self-identify study strategies and recognize methods of test preparation. The purpose of the study was to determine if the use of an examination wrapper after each test would encourage students to self-evaluate performance and adjust study strategies. A total of 120 undergraduate nursing students completed self-evaluations after each examination, which were analyzed using content analysis. Three general patterns emerged from student self-evaluation: effective and ineffective study strategies, understanding versus memorization of content, and nurse educator assistance.

An Open-Source Sandbox for Increasing the Accessibility of Functional Programming to the Bioinformatics and Scientific Communities

PubMed Central

Fenwick, Matthew; Sesanker, Colbert; Schiller, Martin R.; Ellis, Heidi JC; Hinman, M. Lee; Vyas, Jay; Gryk, Michael R.

2012-01-01

Scientists are continually faced with the need to express complex mathematical notions in code. The renaissance of functional languages such as LISP and Haskell is often credited to their ability to implement complex data operations and mathematical constructs in an expressive and natural idiom. The slow adoption of functional computing in the scientific community does not, however, reflect the congeniality of these fields. Unfortunately, the learning curve for adoption of functional programming techniques is steeper than that for more traditional languages in the scientific community, such as Python and Java, and this is partially due to the relative sparseness of available learning resources. To fill this gap, we demonstrate and provide applied, scientifically substantial examples of functional programming, We present a multi-language source-code repository for software integration and algorithm development, which generally focuses on the fields of machine learning, data processing, bioinformatics. We encourage scientists who are interested in learning the basics of functional programming to adopt, reuse, and learn from these examples. The source code is available at: https://github.com/CONNJUR/CONNJUR-Sandbox (see also http://www.connjur.org). PMID:25328913

An Open-Source Sandbox for Increasing the Accessibility of Functional Programming to the Bioinformatics and Scientific Communities.

PubMed

Fenwick, Matthew; Sesanker, Colbert; Schiller, Martin R; Ellis, Heidi Jc; Hinman, M Lee; Vyas, Jay; Gryk, Michael R

2012-01-01

Scientists are continually faced with the need to express complex mathematical notions in code. The renaissance of functional languages such as LISP and Haskell is often credited to their ability to implement complex data operations and mathematical constructs in an expressive and natural idiom. The slow adoption of functional computing in the scientific community does not, however, reflect the congeniality of these fields. Unfortunately, the learning curve for adoption of functional programming techniques is steeper than that for more traditional languages in the scientific community, such as Python and Java, and this is partially due to the relative sparseness of available learning resources. To fill this gap, we demonstrate and provide applied, scientifically substantial examples of functional programming, We present a multi-language source-code repository for software integration and algorithm development, which generally focuses on the fields of machine learning, data processing, bioinformatics. We encourage scientists who are interested in learning the basics of functional programming to adopt, reuse, and learn from these examples. The source code is available at: https://github.com/CONNJUR/CONNJUR-Sandbox (see also http://www.connjur.org).

Computer Programming Games and Gender Oriented Cultural Forms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AlSulaiman, Sarah Abdulmalik

I present the design and evaluation of two games designed to help elementary and middle school students learn computer programming concepts. The first game was designed to be "gender neutral", aligning with might be described as a consensus opinion on best practices for computational learning environments. The second game, based on the cultural form of dress up dolls was deliberately designed to appeal to females. I recruited 70 participants in an international two-phase study to investigate the relationship between games, gender, attitudes towards computer programming, and learning. My findings suggest that while the two games were equally effective in terms of learning outcomes, I saw differences in motivation between players of the two games. Specifically, participants who reported a preference for female- oriented games were more motivated to learn about computer programming when they played a game that they perceived as designed for females. In addition, I describe how the two games seemed to encourage different types of social activity between players in a classroom setting. Based on these results, I reflect on the strategy of exclusively designing games and activities as "gender neutral", and suggest that employing cultural forms, including gendered ones, may help create a more productive experience for learners.

Summer-Time Fun and Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Linda; Della Corte, Suzanne

1988-01-01

The newsletter for parents of handicapped children focuses on summer activities which provide fun and learning without undue expense or effort. Suggestions include encouraging reading activities (including visiting the library, reading out loud, selective television viewing, making a book, and writing letters). Activities to encourage the child's…

Thinking about "Think Again" in Canada: assessing a social marketing HIV/AIDS prevention campaign.

PubMed

Lombardo, Anthony P; Léger, Yves A

2007-06-01

The Canadian "Think Again" social marketing HIV/AIDS prevention campaign, adapted from an American effort, encourages gay men to rethink their assumptions about their partners' HIV statuses and the risks of unsafe sex with them. To improve future efforts, existing HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives require critical reflection. While a formal evaluation of this campaign has been carried out elsewhere, here we use the campaign as a social marketing case study to illustrate its strengths and weaknesses, as a learning tool for other campaigns. After describing the campaign and its key results, we assess how it utilized central tenets of the social marketing process, such as formative research and the marketing mix. We then speak to the importance of theoretical influence in campaign design and the need to account for social-contextual factors in safer sex decision making. We conclude with a summary of the lessons learned from the assessment of this campaign.

An open mind to closed borders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallet, Ulrike; Lefeber, Bob

2017-04-01

One aspect of "Science in tomorrow's classroom" is teaching geography students the basic skills and knowledge to play an active role in society as citizens. Topics that frame the development of good citizenship are wide-ranged and include climate change, migration and integration as well as democracy and identity. Often these kinds of topics do not allow for right or wrong answers or classroom lectures; it is more important to encourage students to find and discuss arguments with which to underpin their opinion. In this way, civic education is very suitable for active learning. Active learning is described as a method of learning in which students are actively involved in the learning process through (group) discussion, experiments or games. By doing so, students are stimulated to engage in higher-order thinking tasks such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, which are inherent to becoming responsible, reflective and critical citizens as well as (future) scientists. It has also been shown that the use of active learning methods significantly increased the number of meaningful geographical relationships that students give in tests (Karkdijk, 2012). I, therefore, propose to use active learning to approach civic education in the classroom. Specifically, I used a "mystery" to engage students in active learning on the highly polarizing subject of migration. A mystery (Leat, 1990) is a didactic method that uses short bits of information to solve an intriguing question. A current polarizing subject in society and in the classroom is the migration from Northern Africa and the Middle East to Europe and the increasing number of terrorist attacks by individuals who have radicalised before, during or after their journey over the Mediterranean. In class, students were asked to solve this migration mystery: "Could the terrorist attack in Berlin have been stopped by closing the borders of the Mediterranean countries to migrants?" In order to solve this mystery and to find an answer to this polarizing question, students got clues, which they had to analyse and discuss. Through solving this migration mystery, high-school students were encouraged to keep 'an open mind to closed borders' and learned important steps of the scientific thinking process as well as experience the nuance in a widely discussed civic case.

Learning through "huddles" for health care leaders: why do some work teams learn as a result of huddles and others do not?

PubMed

Little, Johanna

2014-01-01

The health care industry embraces the concept that collective learning occurs through group social interactions and has been initiating huddles as an avenue for collaborative learning. During change of shift or prior to beginning daily tasks, a huddle is initiated and facilitated by the manager or frontline supervisor. Given that "shared knowledge is obtained through group-based learning," why are some teams learning and others are not? The phenomenon is perplexing, given that the same resources are provided to all teams. Based on the findings in the literature review on learning in groups, teams learn from huddles and others do not because of the following: communication style and dialogue among the group members, communication style and dialogue facilitated by the leader, team and member perceptions, and team membership. Teams that learn from huddles do so because of the elements within the dialogue between team members (reflexive questioning, redundancy of information, metaphors, analogies, dramatic dialogue, strategic meaning) and because the huddle team exhibits higher levels of collegiality, tenure, heterogeneity, team identification, and collective efficacy. Facilitators must encourage a conversation in order to encourage reframing of cognitive maps that encourage learning by huddle members.

Out of Class--Out of Mind? The Use of a Virtual Learning Environment to Encourage Student Engagement in Out of Class Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leese, Maggie

2009-01-01

With increasing student numbers and a diverse student body, it is crucial to consider a range of methods to engage students in learning and teaching activities. This project was used to encourage 1st-year undergraduate students to engage in out of class activities between taught sessions. The project used a virtual learning environment (VLE) known…

Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Hearing Signing Undergraduates’ Attitudes toward Science in Inquiry-Based Biology Laboratory Classes

PubMed Central

Gormally, Cara

2017-01-01

For science learning to be successful, students must develop attitudes toward support future engagement with challenging social issues related to science. This is especially important for increasing participation of students from underrepresented populations. This study investigated how participation in inquiry-based biology laboratory classes affected students’ attitudes toward science, focusing on deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing signing students in bilingual learning environments (i.e., taught in American Sign Language and English). Analysis of reflection assignments and interviews revealed that the majority of students developed positive attitudes toward science and scientific attitudes after participating in inquiry-based biology laboratory classes. Attitudinal growth appears to be driven by student value of laboratory activities, repeated direct engagement with scientific inquiry, and peer collaboration. Students perceived that hands-on experimentation involving peer collaboration and a positive, welcoming learning environment were key features of inquiry-based laboratories, affording attitudinal growth. Students who did not perceive biology as useful for their majors, careers, or lives did not develop positive attitudes. Students highlighted the importance of the climate of the learning environment for encouraging student contribution and noted both the benefits and pitfalls of teamwork. Informed by students’ characterizations of their learning experiences, recommendations are made for inquiry-based learning in college biology. PMID:28188279

Learning with Interactive Computer Graphics in the Undergraduate Neuroscience Classroom

PubMed Central

Pani, John R.; Chariker, Julia H.; Naaz, Farah; Mattingly, William; Roberts, Joshua; Sephton, Sandra E.

2014-01-01

Instruction of neuroanatomy depends on graphical representation and extended self-study. As a consequence, computer-based learning environments that incorporate interactive graphics should facilitate instruction in this area. The present study evaluated such a system in the undergraduate neuroscience classroom. The system used the method of adaptive exploration, in which exploration in a high fidelity graphical environment is integrated with immediate testing and feedback in repeated cycles of learning. The results of this study were that students considered the graphical learning environment to be superior to typical classroom materials used for learning neuroanatomy. Students managed the frequency and duration of study, test, and feedback in an efficient and adaptive manner. For example, the number of tests taken before reaching a minimum test performance of 90% correct closely approximated the values seen in more regimented experimental studies. There was a wide range of student opinion regarding the choice between a simpler and a more graphically compelling program for learning sectional anatomy. Course outcomes were predicted by individual differences in the use of the software that reflected general work habits of the students, such as the amount of time committed to testing. The results of this introduction into the classroom are highly encouraging for development of computer-based instruction in biomedical disciplines. PMID:24449123

Qualitative assessment of a blended learning intervention in an undergraduate nursing course.

PubMed

Hsu, Li-Ling

2012-12-01

Nurses are experiencing new ethical issues because of global developments and changes in the healthcare environment. Blended learning is one of the various methods used to deliver meaningful learning experiences. Well-designed, properly administered nursing ethics education is essential for nursing students to visualize the role of professional nurses. However, a literature review shows that only a few existing studies have touched on the subject of nursing student experiences with blended learning in a nursing ethics course. This study examines how undergraduate nursing students respond to a blended learning approach in a nursing ethics course and how blended learning affects the learning process. We used a qualitative research design with in-depth interviews. Participants included 28 female undergraduate nursing students who had completed the nursing ethics course. Each interview lasted 50-100 minutes. The researcher conducted all interviews in 2009. The researcher identified six major themes and 13 subthemes from the data. The six themes included (a) enhancing thinking ability, (b) improving problem-solving skills, (c) reflecting in and on practice, (d) perceiving added workload, (e) encouraging active learning, and (f) identifying the value of nursing. Participants felt that the blended learning experience was a generally positive experience. Most participants appreciated the opportunity to take a more active role in the learning process, think about issues profoundly and critically, and exercise metacognitive powers in the thinking and decision-making process. Study findings may suggest productive ideas for fine-tuning blended learning models.

[Learning about death from the undergraduate: Evaluation of an educational intervention].

PubMed

Álvarez-del Río, Asunción; Torruco-García, Uri; Morales-Castillo, José Daniel; Varela-Ruiz, Margarita

2015-01-01

From June to November 2013 an elective subject "The doctor before death" was held in a public medical school. The aim of this report is to assess the achievement of the objectives of this course. The main objectives of the course were to develop competences, aptitude for reflection before death and encourage changes in attitude towards it. Each session was preceded by an article on the content; during sessions the interaction with physicians and patients facing the approach of death was favored; audiovisual, computer resources were used and conducted discussions. The evaluation of the course was a retrospective questionnaire as a quantitative source, and semi structured interviews and essays as qualitative sources. The development of competences, aptitude for reflection about death and attitude changes showed an increase after the intervention (p < 0.01); competence development had the smallest increase. With qualitative information 11 categories were integrated; all showed positive changes in attitude towards death, aptitude for reflection and developed competences (although in this respect the impact was minor). The educational intervention evaluated met the objectives, however, for a future intervention is necessary to reinforce competence development.

Management team learning orientation and business unit performance.

PubMed

Bunderson, J Stuart; Sutcliffe, Kathleen M

2003-06-01

Although research has suggested that teams can differ in the extent to which they encourage proactive learning and competence development among their members (a team learning orientation), the performance consequences of these differences are not well understood. Drawing from research on goal orientation and team learning, this article suggests that, although a team learning orientation can encourage adaptive behaviors that lead to improved performance, it is also possible for teams to compromise performance in the near term by overemphasizing learning, particularly when they have been performing well. A test of this proposition in a sample of business unit management teams provides strong support. The results confirm that an appropriate emphasis on learning can have positive consequences for team effectiveness.

Does a summative portfolio foster the development of capabilities such as reflective practice and understanding ethics? An evaluation from two medical schools.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Anthony J; Howe, Amanda C; Miles, Susan; Harris, Peter; Hughes, Chris S; Jones, Philip; Scicluna, Helen; Leinster, Sam J

2012-01-01

Portfolios need to be evaluated to determine whether they encourage students to develop in capabilities such as reflective practice and ethical judgment. The aims of this study were (i) to determine whether preparing a portfolio helps promote students' development in a range of capabilities including understanding ethical and legal principles, reflective practice and effective communication, and (ii) to determine to what extent the format of the portfolio affected the outcome by comparing the experiences of students at two different medical schools. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate undergraduate medical students' experiences of completing a portfolio at two medical schools. A total of 526 (45% response rate) students answered the on-line questionnaire. Students from both medical schools gave the highest ranking for the portfolio as a trigger for reflective practice. 63% of students agreed their portfolio helped them develop reflective practice skills (p < 0.001), whereas only 22% disagreed. 48% of students agreed portfolios helped them understand ethical and legal principles whereas 29% disagreed (p < 0.001). In contrast, only 34% of students thought the portfolio helped them to develop effective communication. Students perceive portfolio preparation as an effective learning tool for the development of capabilities such as understanding ethical and legal principles and reflective practice, whereas other capabilities such as effective communication require complementary techniques and other modes of assessment.

Teaching trainers to incorporate evidence-based medicine (EBM) teaching in clinical practice: the EU-EBM project.

PubMed

Thangaratinam, Shakila; Barnfield, Gemma; Weinbrenner, Susanne; Meyerrose, Berit; Arvanitis, Theodoros N; Horvath, Andrea R; Zanrei, Gianni; Kunz, Regina; Suter, Katja; Walczak, Jacek; Kaleta, Anna; Oude Rengerink, Katrien; Gee, Harry; Mol, Ben W J; Khan, Khalid S

2009-09-10

Evidence based medicine (EBM) is considered an integral part of medical training, but integration of teaching various EBM steps in everyday clinical practice is uncommon. Currently EBM is predominantly taught through theoretical courses, workshops and e-learning. However, clinical teachers lack confidence in teaching EBM in workplace and are often unsure of the existing opportunities for teaching EBM in the clinical setting. There is a need for continuing professional development (CPD) courses that train clinical trainers to teach EBM through on-the-job training by demonstration of applied EBM real time in clinical practice. We developed such a course to encourage clinically relevant teaching of EBM in post-graduate education in various clinical environments. We devised an e-learning course targeting trainers with EBM knowledge to impart educational methods needed to teach application of EBM teaching in commonly used clinical settings. The curriculum development group comprised experienced EBM teachers, clinical epidemiologists, clinicians and educationalists from institutions in seven European countries. The e-learning sessions were designed to allow participants (teachers) to undertake the course in the workplace during short breaks within clinical activities. An independent European steering committee provided input into the process. The curriculum defined specific learning objectives for teaching EBM by exploiting educational opportunities in six different clinical settings. The e-modules incorporated video clips that demonstrate practical and effective methods of EBM teaching in everyday clinical practice. The course encouraged focussed teaching activities embedded within a trainer's personal learning plan and documentation in a CPD portfolio for reflection. This curriculum will help senior clinicians to identify and make the best use of available opportunities in everyday practice in clinical situations to teach various steps of EBM and demonstrate their applicability to clinical practice. Once fully implemented, the ultimate outcome of this pilot project will be a European qualification in teaching EBM, which will be used by doctors, hospitals, professional bodies responsible for postgraduate qualifications and continuing medical education.

Teaching trainers to incorporate evidence-based medicine (EBM) teaching in clinical practice: the EU-EBM project

PubMed Central

Thangaratinam, Shakila; Barnfield, Gemma; Weinbrenner, Susanne; Meyerrose, Berit; Arvanitis, Theodoros N; Horvath, Andrea R; Zanrei, Gianni; Kunz, Regina; Suter, Katja; Walczak, Jacek; Kaleta, Anna; Rengerink, Katrien Oude; Gee, Harry; Mol, Ben WJ; Khan, Khalid S

2009-01-01

Background Evidence based medicine (EBM) is considered an integral part of medical training, but integration of teaching various EBM steps in everyday clinical practice is uncommon. Currently EBM is predominantly taught through theoretical courses, workshops and e-learning. However, clinical teachers lack confidence in teaching EBM in workplace and are often unsure of the existing opportunities for teaching EBM in the clinical setting. There is a need for continuing professional development (CPD) courses that train clinical trainers to teach EBM through on-the-job training by demonstration of applied EBM real time in clinical practice. We developed such a course to encourage clinically relevant teaching of EBM in post-graduate education in various clinical environments. Methods We devised an e-learning course targeting trainers with EBM knowledge to impart educational methods needed to teach application of EBM teaching in commonly used clinical settings. The curriculum development group comprised experienced EBM teachers, clinical epidemiologists, clinicians and educationalists from institutions in seven European countries. The e-learning sessions were designed to allow participants (teachers) to undertake the course in the workplace during short breaks within clinical activities. An independent European steering committee provided input into the process. Results The curriculum defined specific learning objectives for teaching EBM by exploiting educational opportunities in six different clinical settings. The e-modules incorporated video clips that demonstrate practical and effective methods of EBM teaching in everyday clinical practice. The course encouraged focussed teaching activities embedded within a trainer's personal learning plan and documentation in a CPD portfolio for reflection. Conclusion This curriculum will help senior clinicians to identify and make the best use of available opportunities in everyday practice in clinical situations to teach various steps of EBM and demonstrate their applicability to clinical practice. Once fully implemented, the ultimate outcome of this pilot project will be a European qualification in teaching EBM, which will be used by doctors, hospitals, professional bodies responsible for postgraduate qualifications and continuing medical education. PMID:19744327

Helping Librarians To Encourage Critical Thinking through Active Learning Techniques in Library Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swaine, Cynthia Wright

Encouraging librarians to incorporate critical thinking skills and active learning techniques in their course instruction requires more than talking about it in a department meeting or distributing articles on the topic. At Old Dominion University (Virginia), librarians have tried conducting workshops, had readily-accessible binders of articles…

Bringing Academics on Board: Encouraging Institution-Wide Diffusion of e-Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birch, Dawn; Burnett, Bruce

2009-01-01

Rapid advances in educational and information communications technology (ICT) have encouraged some educators to move beyond traditional face to face and distance education correspondence modes toward a rich, technology mediated e-learning environment. Ready access to multimedia at the desktop has provided the opportunity for educators to develop…

Using Art to Enhance the Learning of Math and Science: Developing an Educational Art-Science Kit about Fractal Patterns in Nature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Deepa

This study documents the development of an educational art-science kit about natural fractals, whose aim is to unite artistic and scientific inquiry in the informal learning of science and math. Throughout this research, I argue that having an arts-integrated approach can enhance the learner of science and math concepts. A guiding metaphor in this thesis is the Enlightenment-era cabinet of curiosities that represents a time when art and science were unified in the process of inquiry about the natural world. Over time, increased specialization in the practice of arts and science led to a growing divergence between the disciplines in the educational system. Recently, initiatives like STEAM are underway at the national level to integrate "Arts and Design" into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) formal education agenda. Learning artifacts like science kits present an opportunity to unite artistic and scientific inquiry in informal settings. Although science kits have been introduced to promote informal learning, presently, many science kits have a gap in their design, whereby the activities consist of recipe-like instructions that do not encourage further inquiry-based learning. In the spirit of the cabinet of curiosities, this study seeks to unify visual arts and science in the process of inquiry. Drawing from educational theories of Dewey, Piaget, and Papert, I developed a novel, prototype "art-science kit" that promotes experiential, hands-on, and active learning, and encourages inquiry, exploration, creativity, and reflection through a series of art-based activities to help users learn science and math concepts. In this study, I provide an overview of the design and development process of the arts-based educational activities. Furthermore, I present the results of a pilot usability study (n=10) conducted to receive user feedback on the designed materials for use in improving future iterations of the art-science fractal kit. The fractal kit booklet that I designed can be found in the supplemental materials to this thesis.

Using case method to explicitly teach formative assessment in preservice teacher science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentz, Amy Elizabeth

The process of formative assessment improves student understanding; however, the topic of formative assessment in preservice education has been severely neglected. Since a major goal of teacher education is to create reflective teaching professionals, preservice teachers should be provided an opportunity to critically reflect on the use of formative assessment in the classroom. Case method is an instructional methodology that allows learners to engage in and reflect on real-world situations. Case based pedagogy can play an important role in enhancing preservice teachers' ability to reflect on teaching and learning by encouraging alternative ways of thinking about assessment. Although the literature on formative assessment and case methodology are extensive, using case method to explore the formative assessment process is, at best, sparse. The purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: To what extent does the implementation of formative assessment cases in methods instruction influence preservice elementary science teachers' knowledge of formative assessment? What descriptive characteristics change between the preservice teachers' pre-case and post-case written reflection that would demonstrate learning had occurred? To investigate these questions, preservice teachers in an elementary methods course were asked to reflect on and discuss five cases. Pre/post-case data was analyzed. Results indicate that the preservice teachers modified their ideas to reflect the themes that were represented within the cases and modified their reflections to include specific ideas or examples taken directly from the case discussions. Comparing pre- and post-case reflections, the data supports a noted change in how the preservice teachers interpreted the case content. The preservice teachers began to evaluate the case content, question the lack of formative assessment concepts and strategies within the case, and apply formative assessment concepts and strategies within their own case descriptions. The results of this study further strengthen the existing literature on formative assessment instruction in preservice teacher education, and support the call for further attention given to utilizing case methodology to improve preservice teachers' knowledge of the formative assessment process.

Exploring the Perceptions of Core Values of Nursing in Taiwanese Nursing Students at the Baccalaureate Level.

PubMed

Lin, Chun-Chih; Han, Chin-Yen; Pan, I-Ju; Lin, Pi-Li

2016-06-01

The core values of nursing are a standard component of the nursing curriculum in Taiwan. Therefore, these values provide an essential guide for educating and evaluating the learning outcomes of nursing students. Student perceptions of those core values that relate to the process of curricula learning are key to measuring the core values of nursing. This study explores the views on the core values of nursing of baccalaureate-level nursing students at a Taiwanese university. This qualitative study collected data from the reflection reports of 109 students and analyzed these data using thematic content analysis. The results of this study identified that the learning of core values of nursing tends to utilize the latent curriculum rather than the open curriculum. Critical thinking was perceived and experienced by asking "why." General clinical skills and basic biomedical science were categorized collectively as care ability, which relates to the thinking, analysis, and mapping of client health problems. The value of communication and teamwork capability was defined as the sequential process of accepting, interacting, communicating, and collaborating. Caring was defined as contributing empathy with respect to one's self and to others. Ethics was defined as a moral perspective, as respecting others, and as prioritizing the needs of clients. Accountability was defined as a way of observing standards within the role given in a position. Finally, lifelong learning is a process of learning that encourages more aggressive learning. The progress of core values of nursing in this study reflects positive movement and achievement. The participants expressed the perception that the core values of nursing enhance understanding, which enables nursing educators to reframe the nursing curriculum to meet their learning needs. The perceptions of nursing students of core values of nursing may be used as a guide to increase clinical nursing competence in healthcare.

Time pressure in scenario-based online construction safety quizzes and its effect on students' performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaeger, Martin; Adair, Desmond

2017-05-01

Online quizzes have been shown to be effective learning and assessment approaches. However, if scenario-based online construction safety quizzes do not include time pressure similar to real-world situations, they reflect situations too ideally. The purpose of this paper is to compare engineering students' performance when carrying out an online construction safety quiz with time pressure versus an online construction safety quiz without time pressure. Two versions of an online construction safety quiz are developed and administered to randomly assigned engineering students based on a quasi-experimental post-test design. The findings contribute to scenario-based learning and assessment of construction safety in four ways. First, the results confirm earlier findings that 'intrinsic stress' does not seem to impair students' performance. Second, students who carry out the online construction safety quiz with time pressure are less likely to 'learn by trial and error'. Third, students exposed to time pressure appreciate that they become better prepared for real life. Finally, preparing students to work under time pressure is an important industry requirement. The results of this study should encourage engineering educators to explore and implement ways to include time pressure in scenario-based online quizzes and learning.

A work-based educational intervention to support the development of personal resilience in nurses and midwives.

PubMed

McDonald, Glenda; Jackson, Debra; Wilkes, Lesley; Vickers, Margaret H

2012-05-01

A work-based educational programme was the intervention used in a collective case study aiming to develop, strengthen and maintain personal resilience amongst fourteen nurses and midwives. The participants attended six, monthly workshops and formed a participatory learning group. Post-intervention, participants reported positive personal and professional outcomes, including enhanced self-confidence, self-awareness, communication and conflict resolution skills. They strengthened relationships with their colleagues, enabling them to build helpful support networks in the workplace. The intervention used new and innovative ways of engaging nurses and midwives exhibiting the effects of workplace adversity - fatigue, pressure, stress and emotional labour. Participants were removed from their usual workplace environment and brought together to engage in critical reflection, experiential learning and creativity whilst also learning about the key characteristics and strategies of personal resilience. Participants' experiences and skills were valued and respected; honest airing of the differences within the group regarding common workplace issues and concerns was encouraged. The new contribution of this intervention for nursing and midwifery education was supporting the learning experience with complementary therapies to improve participants' wellbeing and reduce stress. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Learning experiences of science teachers in a computer-mediated communication context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Chia-Jung

The use of computer-mediated-communication (CMC) has been applied increasingly in staff development efforts for teachers. Many teacher education programs are looking to CMC, particularly computer conferencing systems, as an effective and low-cost medium for the delivery of teacher educational programs anytime, anywhere. Based on constructivist learning theories, this study focused on examining the use of an online discussion board in a graduate course as a place where forty-six inservice teachers shared experiences and ideas. Data collection focused on online discussion transcripts of all the messages from three separate weeks, and supplemented by interviews and teacher self-evaluation reports. The nature and development of the discussions were studied over one semester by analyzing teacher online discussions in two domains: critical reflections and social-interpersonal rapport. In effect, this study provided insights into how to employ computer conferencing technology in facilitating inservice teachers' teaching practices and their professional development. Major findings include: (1) Participation: The level of participation varied during the semester but was higher at the beginning of the semester and lower at the end of the semester. (2) Critical Reflection: Teachers' critical reflection developed over time as a result of the online discussion board according to mean critical thinking scores during the three selected weeks. Cognitive presence was found mostly in focused discussion forums and social presence mainly existed in the unfocused discussion forums. (3) Social-Interpersonal Rapport: The number of social cues in the messages increased initially but declined significantly over time. When teachers focused more on on-task discussions or critical reflection, there was less social conversation. (4) Teaching Practices and Professional Development: The researcher, the instructor, and teachers identified some advantages for using computer conferencing for improving teaching practices and for professional development. The results of this study suggest that applying computer-mediated communication in teacher education would impact positively on teachers' growth in critical reflection and social-interpersonal rapport. Furthermore, this study may encourage other researchers to use cognitive and social learning theories as the theoretical backgrounds for developing teacher educational models by applying computer conferencing.

Play and Learn: Potentials of Game-Based Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pivec, Maja

2008-01-01

Learners are encouraged to combine knowledge from different areas to choose a solution or to make a decision at acertain point. Learners can test how the outcome of the game changes based on their decisions and actions. Learners are encouraged to contact other team members and discuss and negotiate subsequent steps, thus improving their social skills.

A system for learning statistical motion patterns.

PubMed

Hu, Weiming; Xiao, Xuejuan; Fu, Zhouyu; Xie, Dan; Tan, Tieniu; Maybank, Steve

2006-09-01

Analysis of motion patterns is an effective approach for anomaly detection and behavior prediction. Current approaches for the analysis of motion patterns depend on known scenes, where objects move in predefined ways. It is highly desirable to automatically construct object motion patterns which reflect the knowledge of the scene. In this paper, we present a system for automatically learning motion patterns for anomaly detection and behavior prediction based on a proposed algorithm for robustly tracking multiple objects. In the tracking algorithm, foreground pixels are clustered using a fast accurate fuzzy K-means algorithm. Growing and prediction of the cluster centroids of foreground pixels ensure that each cluster centroid is associated with a moving object in the scene. In the algorithm for learning motion patterns, trajectories are clustered hierarchically using spatial and temporal information and then each motion pattern is represented with a chain of Gaussian distributions. Based on the learned statistical motion patterns, statistical methods are used to detect anomalies and predict behaviors. Our system is tested using image sequences acquired, respectively, from a crowded real traffic scene and a model traffic scene. Experimental results show the robustness of the tracking algorithm, the efficiency of the algorithm for learning motion patterns, and the encouraging performance of algorithms for anomaly detection and behavior prediction.

Using concurrent think-aloud and protocol analysis to explore student nurses' social learning information communication technology knowledge and skill development.

PubMed

Todhunter, Fern

2015-06-01

Observations obtained through concurrent think-aloud and protocol analysis offer new understanding about the influence of social learning on student nurses' acquisition of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge and skills. The software used provides a permanent record of the underpinning study method, events and analyses. The emerging themes reflect the dimensions of social engagement, and the characteristics of positive and negative reactions to ICT. The evidence shows that given the right conditions, stronger learners will support and guide their peers. To explore the use of concurrent think-aloud and protocol analysis as a method to examine how student nurses approach ICT. To identify the benefits and challenges of using observational technology to capture learning behaviours. To show the influence of small group arrangement and student interactions on their ICT knowledge and skills development. Previous studies examining social interaction between students show how they work together and respond to interactive problem solving. Social interaction has been shown to enhance skills in both ICT and collaborative decision making. Structured observational analysis using concurrent think-aloud and protocol analysis. Students displayed varying degrees of pastoral support and emotional need, leadership, reflection, suggestion and experimentation skills. Encouraging student nurses to work in small mixed ability groups can be conducive for social and ICT skill and knowledge development. Observational software gives a permanent record of the proceedings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effective Home Visiting Training: Key Principles and Findings to Guide Training Developers and Evaluators.

PubMed

Schultz, David; Jones, Shelby S; Pinder, Wendy M; Wiprovnick, Alicia E; Groth, Elisabeth C; Shanty, Lisa M; Duggan, Anne

2018-06-23

Purpose Home visiting programs have produced inconsistent outcomes. One challenge for the field is the design and implementation of effective training to support home visiting staff. In part due to a lack of formal training, most home visitors need to develop the majority of their skills on the job. Home visitors typically receive training in their agency's specific model (e.g., HFA, NFP) and, if applicable, curriculum. Increasingly, states and other home visiting systems are developing and/or coordinating more extensive training and support systems beyond model-specific and curricula trainings. To help guide these training efforts and future evaluations of them, this paper reviews research on effective training, particularly principles of training transfer and adult learning. Description Our review summarizes several meta-analyses, reviews, and more recent publications on training transfer and adult learning principles. Assessment Effective training involves not only the introduction and modeling of concepts and skills but also the practice of, evaluation of, and reflection upon these skills. Further, ongoing encouragement of, reward for, and reflection upon use of these skills, particularly by a home visitor's supervisor, are critical for the home visitor's continued use of these skills with families. Conclusion Application of principles of adult learning and training transfer to home visiting training will likely lead to greater transfer of skills from the training environment to work with families. The involvement of both home visitors and their supervisors in training is likely important for this transfer to occur.

Enriching Preservice Teachers' Critical Reflection through an International Videoconference Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, J. Spencer; Brown, James Scott; Jandildinov, Medet

2016-01-01

The concepts of reflection and reflective practice have become the core of many teacher education programmes, with critical reflection as the goal for many teacher educators. This study examined the use of a videoconference discussion in an instructional methodology course as a means to enrich the process of reflection and encourage critical…

Educating for collaborative practice: an interpretation of current achievements and thoughts for future directions.

PubMed

Hudson, Judith Nicky; Croker, Anne

2018-01-01

The Edinburgh Declaration, developed in 1998 as a pledge to alter the character of medical education to more effectively meet the needs of society, included a recommendation to increase the opportunity for joint learning between health and health-related professions, as part of the training for teamwork. This article acknowledges achievements since the Declaration in relation to this recommendation, using an umbrella term for the phenomenon, 'educating for collaborative practice', and presents a perspective framed as a series of questions to encourage reflection on future directions. A literature interpretation, informed by philosophical hermeneutics, was conducted using text sets comprising reports and reviews from a section of the international literature since 1988. The interpretation involved: engaging with meanings as presented in the chosen texts; making iterative returns to the texts to explore emerging understanding; and ensuring parts of our understanding from particular texts were fused with complete understanding of the texts as a whole. A lens of appreciative inquiry facilitated acknowledgement of what has been achieved, while being curious about how it could be. Interpretation of the selected literature revealed notable achievements. Areas for further consideration were identified in relation to three themes: establishing shared understanding AND purpose behind use of terminology; being a conduit AND sharing responsibility for change; exploring ways of doing things AND ensuring ongoing inclusivity. Interpreting the current literature on 'educating for collaborative practice' has generated questions for reflection on how it may be otherwise. Readers are encouraged to embrace the tensions inherent in unanswered questions, providing space for communication, initiative and diversity of thought. An ongoing dialogue with the literature is proposed, asking whether educating students for a collective identity in settings where they are learning for and with patients is likely to advance educating for patient-centred collaborative practice. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Promoting Teacher Reflection: What Is Said to Be Done

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcos, Juanjo Mena; Sanchez, Emilio; Tillema, Harm H.

2011-01-01

The present article's aim is to evaluate studies that promote teacher reflection. Through programmes of professional development, teachers are being encouraged to improve their reflective practice. This paper explores the grounding of what is advocated as reflective teaching and looks at possible differences between what is evidenced in research…

How to set up and use a Twitter account professionally.

PubMed

Chudleigh, Meriel; Jones, Ray

2016-11-02

Rationale and key points This article encourages nurses to use Twitter to engage in professional discussions, share information and raise awareness of alternative views to enhance practice and patient care. Twitter is an online social media service that enables users to send and read 140-character messages called tweets. » Twitter is free and accessible across multiple platforms and devices, providing immediate contact with professionals, organisations and the public worldwide. » Many healthcare professionals use Twitter to share ideas and information. » Responsible use of Twitter creates opportunities to access information, discuss issues and challenge misconceptions to support professional nursing behaviours. Reflective activity 'How to' articles can help update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: 1. How you could develop your use of Twitter for professional learning and interaction with healthcare professionals and others. 2. How you could support a colleague to use Twitter for the first time.

Transformative occupational therapy: We are wired to be transformers.

PubMed

Dubouloz, Claire-Jehanne

2014-10-01

Transformative learning involves critical self-reflection as the motor for transforming values, beliefs, knowledge, and feelings and discovering the new meaning of daily life following a catastrophic injury or illness. Transformation has been conceptualized in various disciplines as a transcendent experience, rebirth process, and meaning-making process and within occupational therapy as a meaning perspective process. This Muriel Driver lecture explores the concept of transformation and presents the newly developed Meaning Perspectives Transformation model, constructed from research conducted with several different rehabilitation client groups. The model is characterized by three phases: trigger, changing, and outcomes. A client's critical self-reflection acts as a catalyst for moving between the phases and is represented in the model as a moment of readiness for change leading to the development of alternative ways of performing. The Meaning Perspectives Transformation model provides a tool for being an effective occupational therapist, encouraging therapists to listen closely to their clients to identify their weakening and emerging meaning perspectives and enable their occupational evolution and transformation.

Soft systems thinking and social learning for adaptive management.

PubMed

Cundill, G; Cumming, G S; Biggs, D; Fabricius, C

2012-02-01

The success of adaptive management in conservation has been questioned and the objective-based management paradigm on which it is based has been heavily criticized. Soft systems thinking and social-learning theory expose errors in the assumption that complex systems can be dispassionately managed by objective observers and highlight the fact that conservation is a social process in which objectives are contested and learning is context dependent. We used these insights to rethink adaptive management in a way that focuses on the social processes involved in management and decision making. Our approach to adaptive management is based on the following assumptions: action toward a common goal is an emergent property of complex social relationships; the introduction of new knowledge, alternative values, and new ways of understanding the world can become a stimulating force for learning, creativity, and change; learning is contextual and is fundamentally about practice; and defining the goal to be addressed is continuous and in principle never ends. We believe five key activities are crucial to defining the goal that is to be addressed in an adaptive-management context and to determining the objectives that are desirable and feasible to the participants: situate the problem in its social and ecological context; raise awareness about alternative views of a problem and encourage enquiry and deconstruction of frames of reference; undertake collaborative actions; and reflect on learning. ©2011 Society for Conservation Biology.

Fostering Dental Students' Academic Achievements and Reflection Skills Through Clinical Peer Assessment and Feedback.

PubMed

Tricio, Jorge A; Woolford, Mark J; Escudier, Michael P

2016-08-01

Peer assessment is increasingly being encouraged to enhance dental students' learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational impact in terms of academic achievements and reflective thinking of a formative prospective peer assessment and feedback protocol. Volunteer final-year dental students at King's College London Dental Institute, UK, received training on peer assessment, peer feedback, and self-reflection. At the beginning (baseline) and end (resultant) of the 2012-13 academic year, 86 students (55% of the year group) completed a reflection questionnaire (RQ). Sixty-eight of those students used a modified Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) as a framework for peer assessment and peer feedback during a complete academic year. End-of-year, high-stakes examination grades and RQ scores from the participants and nonparticipants were statistically compared. The participants completed 576 peer DOPS. Those 22 students who peer assessed each other ≥10 times exhibited highly statistically significant differences and powerful positive effect sizes in their high-stakes exam grades (p=0.0001, d=0.74) and critical reflection skills (p=0.005, d=1.41) when compared to those who did not assess one another. Furthermore, only the same 22 students showed a statistically significant increase and positive effect size in their critical reflection skills from baseline to resultant (p=0.003, d=1.04). The results of this study suggest that the protocol used has the potential to impact dental students' academic and reflection skills, provided it is practiced in ten or more peer encounters and ensuring peer feedback is provided followed by self-reflection.

CELT: a computerised evaluative learning tool for continuing professional development.

PubMed

Kelly, Diane R; MacKay, Linda

2003-04-01

To evaluate a computerised, evaluative learning tool (CELT) designed to encourage self-directed learning and help users make changes in practice following learning. The study aimed to evaluate how CELT was used and to ascertain user perceptions of the program. Qualitative analysis of interviews and quantitative analysis of entries made using the software. West of Scotland region, comprising six Health Board areas with a total of 2176 general practitioners (GPs), 39 of whom took part in the study. Of the 39 GPs who started on the project, 34 used CELT. Of these 34, 28 GPs sent in files and six did not. Of the 28 GPs who sent in files, 25 entered data and 76% (22/29) considered the program easy to use. The program was used 7 days a week during the day and night. It raised participants' awareness of the educational value of everyday experiences and led to increased thought about learning. In 41% (45/111) of entries there was evidence that some action had been initiated by users as a result of learning. CELT was designed to encourage self-directed learning and help users make changes in practice following learning. The study has shown that it can be used to deliver individual continuing professional development. It encourages a disciplined approach to learning, promotes thought about learning needs and increases the ability of GPs to learn from everyday experiences. In some instances, users were able to apply what had been learned.

A graduate education framework for tropical conservation and development.

PubMed

Kainer, Karen A; Schmink, Marianne; Covert, Hannah; Stepp, John Richard; Bruna, Emilio M; Dain, Jonathan L; Espinosa, Santiago; Humphries, Shoana

2006-02-01

Conventional graduate training related to tropical conservation and development has typically separated the two fields, with students focusing on either conservation from the perspective of the biophysical sciences or development as an extension of the social sciences. On entering the workforce, however graduates find they are required to work beyond disciplinary boundaries to address the complex interconnectivity between biological conservation and human well-being. We devised a framework for graduate education that broadens students' skill sets to learn outside their immediate disciplines and think in terms of linked socioecological systems, work in teams, communicate in nonacademic formats, and reflect critically on their own perspectives and actions. The University of Florida's Tropical Conservation and Development program has adopted a learning and action platform that blends theory, skills, and praxis to create an intellectual, social, and professionally safe space where students, faculty, and other participants can creatively address the complex challenges of tropical conservation and development. This platform operates within a nondegree-granting program and includes core courses that are taught by a team of biophysical and social scientists. It incorporates a range of alternative learning spaces such as student-led workshops, retreats, visiting professionals, practitioner experiences, and a weekly student-led seminar that collectively encourage students and faculty to enhance their skills and systematically and thoroughly reflect on program activities. Challenges to the described approach include increased service demands on faculty, a redefinition of research excellence to include effective and equitable collaboration with host-country partners, and the trade-offs and uncertainties inherent in more collaborative, interdisciplinary research. Despite these challenges, growing interdisciplinary programs, coupled with adaptive educational approaches that emphasize learning and action networks of students, faculty, and field partners, provide the best hope for responding to the emerging challenges of tropical conservation and development.

Distributed learning or medical tourism? A Canadian residency program's experience in global health.

PubMed

Kelly, Kate; McCarthy, Anne; McLean, Laurie

2015-01-01

Global health experiences (GHEs) are becoming increasingly prevalent in surgical residency education. Although it may seem intuitive that participation in GHEs develops CanMEDS competencies, this has not been studied in depth in surgery. The purpose of this study is (1) to explore if and how otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) resident participation in GHEs facilitates the development of CanMEDS competencies and (2) to develop an OHNS GHE tool to facilitate the integration of CanMEDS into GHE participation and evaluation. An online survey explored the GHEs of current and past OHNS residents in Canada. Based on the data collected and a literature review, a foundational tool was then created to (1) enable OHNS residents to structure their GHEs into CanMEDS-related learning objectives and (2) enable OHNS program directors to more effectively evaluate residents' GHEs with respect to CanMEDS competencies. Participants' GHEs varied widely. These experiences often contributed informally to the development of several CanMEDS competencies. However, few residents had concrete objectives, rarely were CanMEDS roles clearly incorporated, and most residents were not formally evaluated during their experience. Residents felt they achieved greater learning when predeparture objectives and postexperience reflections were integrated into their GHEs. Although GHEs vary widely, they can serve as valuable forums for developing CanMEDS competencies among participating residents. Without clear objectives that adhere to the CanMEDS framework or formal assessment methods however, residents in GHEs risk becoming medical tourists. The use of an objective and evaluation tool may facilitate the creation of predeparture learning objectives, encourage self-reflection on their GHE, and better enable program directors to evaluate residents participating in GHEs. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pathways of professional learning for elementary science teachers using computer learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Latonya Michelle

This dissertation reports on a three year study designed to investigate the trajectories of two urban elementary school teachers---a novice and an experienced teacher---learning to teach a science curriculum unit using an inquiry approach supported by the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE). This research investigated teachers' development in knowledge and practice. Through analyses of video records of classroom instruction and professional development meetings, repeated interviews, and student assessments, I have produced case studies of teachers' journeys as they implement the technological inquiry-based instructional model. This study captures the interplay between the teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, enacted practice, and insights into students' thinking about complex science ideas. I trace the factors that encouraged and supported the teachers' development, in addition to the kinds of struggles they faced and overcame. I discuss the social supports I provided for the teachers, including scaffolding them in reflecting on their practice, assisting them with curriculum customizations, and supporting their learning such as arranging online interactions with scientists. I analyze spontaneous activities such as teachers' own reflections. The results suggest that the novice and experienced teacher's classroom practices became more inquiry oriented across time. For both teachers, use of technology accompanied an increase in science dialogue with small groups in years two and three. The novice teacher began asking inquiry questions in her second year of classroom experience, after a great deal of professional support. Both teachers improved in their pedagogical content knowledge from years one through three as a result of the varied professional development supports. The results suggest that teachers' improvement in instructional strategies and pedagogical content knowledge accompanied students' improvement in understanding of the science content.

Developing a yearlong Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) learning sequence focused on climate solutions: opportunities, challenges and reflections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordero, E.; Centeno, D.

2015-12-01

Over the last four years, the Green Ninja Project (GNP) has been developing educational media (e.g., videos, games and online lessons) to help motivate student interest and engagement around climate science and solutions. Inspired by the new emphasis in NGSS on climate change, human impact and engineering design, the GNP is developing a technology focused, integrative, and yearlong science curriculum focused around solutions to climate change. Recognizing the importance of teacher training on the successful implementation of NGSS, we have also integrated teacher professional development into our curriculum. During the presentation, we will describe the design philosophy around our middle school curriculum and share data from a series of classes that are piloting the curriculum during Fall 2015. We will also share our perspectives on how data, media creation and engineering can be used to create educational experiences that model the type of 'three-dimensional learning' encouraged by NGSS.

How Students Combine Resources to Make Conceptual Breakthroughs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, A. J.; Jones, Darrick C.; Etkina, Eugenia

2018-04-01

We use the framework of cognitive resources to investigate how students construct understanding of a complex physics topic, namely, a photovoltaic cell. By observing students as they learn about how a solar cell functions, we identified over 60 distinct resources that learners may activate while thinking about photovoltaic cells. We classify these resources into three main types: phenomenological primitives, conceptual resources, and epistemological resources. Furthermore, we found a pattern that suggests that when students make conceptual breakthroughs they may be more likely to activate combinations of resources of different types in concert, especially if a resource from each of the three categories is used. This pattern suggests that physics instructors should encourage students to activate multiple types of prior knowledge during the learning process. This can result from instructors deliberately and explicitly connecting new knowledge to students' prior experience both in and outside the formal physics classroom, as well as allowing students to reflect metacognitively on how the new knowledge fits into their existing understanding of the natural world.

Children's ideas about the solar system and the chaos in learning science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharp, John G.; Kuerbis, Paul

2006-01-01

Findings from a quasi-experimental study of children's ideas about the solar system and how these ideas changed in response to a 10-week intervention period of formal astronomy teaching at a single primary school in England are presented in detail. Initial interviews with all of the 9- to 11-year-olds involved revealed a relatively poorly developed prior knowledge base, and this was reflected in the predominantly intuitive and transitional nature of the different mental models expressed and used when answering questions and completing tasks. Following intervention, progression was evident in many different forms and this could be described and measured both qualitatively and quantitatively. The routes and pathways toward scientific conceptualization were often direct, and most changes could be attributed largely to the processes of weak and radical knowledge restructuring. Together with the retention of newly formed ideas over time, learning outcomes were considered particularly encouraging. In order to explain findings more fully, evidence is presented which lends some support to the notion of chaos in cognition.

Professionalizing the Self-Reflection of Student Teachers by Using a Wiki

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wegner, Claas; Remmert, Kathrin; Strehlke, Friederike

2014-01-01

Critics encourage the process of "reflection" as a prerequisite for professionalizing how teachers behave in the classroom. Reflection helps in recognizing areas in need of improvement. Self-reflection is hence one of the teacher's most important skills in order to work constantly on one's teaching and how to improve it. However, the…

Studies of the Reflection, Refraction and Internal Reflection of Light

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanchester, P. C.

2014-01-01

An inexpensive apparatus and associated experiments are described for studying the basic laws of reflection and refraction of light at an air-glass interface, and multiple internal reflections within a glass block. In order to motivate students and encourage their active participation, a novel technique is described for determining the refractive…

Counterfactual Mutation of Critical Classroom Incidents: Implications for Reflective Practice in Initial Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGarr, Oliver; McCormack, Orla

2016-01-01

This study explores reflective practice through the lens of counterfactual thinking and examines its role in encouraging student teachers to reflect on negative "critical incidents". The study posits that reflections on critical incidents are often not "critical" in nature. They more frequently result in counterfactual thinking…

Go-along interviewing with LGBTQ youth in Canada and the United States.

PubMed

Porta, Carolyn M; Corliss, Heather L; Wolowic, Jennifer M; Johnson, Abigail Z; Fogel, Katie Fritz; Gower, Amy L; Saewyc, Elizabeth M; Eisenberg, Marla E

2017-01-01

Go-along interviews, which are interviews conducted whilst being in and moving within participant selected spaces, were conducted with 66 LGBTQ adolescents (14-19 years old) in their self-identified communities to explore perceived community attributes, including safe spaces, resources, and supports; this paper highlights methodological lessons learned. Successful recruitment in two countries and varied community settings required partnership with local LGBTQ supporting agencies, including school-based Gay Straight Alliances. Youth chose to walk, use public transportation, and drive to community locations, identifying numerous formal and informal resources in their communities. Participant reflections highlighted that go-along interviews can be conducted in safe ways that encourage LGBTQ youth to express themselves about communities in which they live, study, work, play, and relax.

Excellence in Physics Education Award Talk: Evolving Evaluation and Evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsler, Karen

2011-04-01

AAPT/PTRA institutes were part of the first NSF projects encouraged to design rigorous evaluations to determine the characteristic of effective professional development. The evaluation of the AAPT/PTRA program has evolved from documenting the number of teachers attending daily workshops to documenting gains in content understanding and confidence by conducting comparison study groups for over 30 institutes across the nation. Components of the current AAPT/PTRA evaluation model include documentation of teacher gains in content understanding, confidence, use of technology, changes in classroom practice, and student achievement. This talk will reflect on the evaluation components, the inherent challenges, components that were successful, and lessons learned. Results of the data collected on over 1000 teachers since 2003 will be shared.

Emphasizing language and visualization in teaching linear algebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannah, John; Stewart, Sepideh; Thomas, Mike

2013-06-01

Linear algebra with its rich theoretical nature is a first step towards advanced mathematical thinking for many undergraduate students. In this paper, we consider the teaching approach of an experienced mathematician as he attempts to engage his students with the key ideas embedded in a second-year course in linear algebra. We describe his approach in both lectures and tutorials, and how he employed visualization and an emphasis on language to encourage conceptual thinking. We use Tall's framework of three worlds of mathematical thinking to reflect on the effect of these activities in students' learning. An analysis of students' attitudes to the course and their test and examination results help to answer questions about the value of such an approach, suggesting ways forward in teaching linear algebra.

Reducing the distance: providing challenging and engaging online postgraduate education in pain management.

PubMed

Devonshire, Elizabeth; Henderson, Sarah E

2012-05-01

1. Health professionals need access to flexible, high-quality, advanced education in pain management. 2. There are multiple pedagogical distances to be negotiated in the delivery of effective postgraduate education. 3. A critical consideration in the design and delivery of effective online learning for postgraduate education in pain management is how to: actively engage students in the learning process; and encourage students to become lifelong learners. 4. Conceptual frameworks for encouraging student interaction online provide a useful tool in the design of postgraduate online learning activities.

A Reflective Learning Framework to Evaluate CME Effects on Practice Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Kit H.; Pluye, Pierre; Grad, Roland; Weston, Cynthia

2010-01-01

Introduction: The importance of reflective practice is recognized by the adoption of a reflective learning model in continuing medical education (CME), but little is known about how to evaluate reflective learning in CME. Reflective learning seldom is defined in terms of specific cognitive processes or observable performances. Competency-based…

Reflection-Based Learning for Professional Ethical Formation.

PubMed

Branch, William T; George, Maura

2017-04-01

One way practitioners learn ethics is by reflecting on experience. They may reflect in the moment (reflection-in-action) or afterwards (reflection-on-action). We illustrate how a teaching clinician may transform relationships with patients and teach person-centered care through reflective learning. We discuss reflective learning pedagogies and present two case examples of our preferred method, guided group reflection using narratives. This method fosters moral development alongside professional identity formation in students and advanced learners. Our method for reflective learning addresses and enables processing of the most pressing ethical issues that learners encounter in practice. © 2017 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.

"I'm Just Not That Comfortable with Technology": Student Perceptions of and Preferences for Web 2.0 Technologies in Reflective Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Timothy S.; Dyment, Janet E.

2016-01-01

Encouraging reflective practice and developing reflective practitioners is a goal of many disciplines in higher education. A variety of pedagogical techniques have been used to promote critical reflection including portfolios, narratives and reflective journals. Over the past decade, the use of Web 2.0 technologies with students has been…

Building Future Directions for Teacher Learning in Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Kathy; Lindsay, Simon

2016-04-01

In 2013, as part of a process to renew an overall sector vision for science education, Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) undertook a review of its existing teacher in-service professional development programs in science. This review led to some data analysis being conducted in relation to two of these programs where participant teachers were positioned as active learners undertaking critical reflection in relation to their science teaching practice. The conditions in these programs encouraged teachers to notice critical aspects of their teaching practice. The analysis illustrates that as teachers worked in this way, their understandings about effective science pedagogy began to shift, in particular, teachers recognised how their thinking not only influenced their professional practice but also ultimately shaped the quality of their students' learning. The data from these programs delivers compelling evidence of the learning experience from a teacher perspective. This article explores the impact of this experience on teacher thinking about the relationship between pedagogical choices and quality learning in science. The findings highlight that purposeful, teacher-centred in-service professional learning can significantly contribute to enabling teachers to think differently about science teaching and learning and ultimately become confident pedagogical leaders in science. The future of quality school-based science education therefore relies on a new vision for teacher professional learning, where practice explicitly recognises, values and attends to teachers as professionals and supports them to articulate and share the professional knowledge they have about effective science teaching practice.

When Disruptive Approaches Meet Disruptive Technologies: Learning at a Distance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Chere Campbell

2000-01-01

Reviews research on constructivism in learning and selection of learning strategies. Suggests linking constructivism with instructional technologies for continuing medical education in order to "disrupt" reactive, habitual ways of learning and encourage active engagement. (SK)

Service-Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Education: Where is the Reflection?

PubMed

Brown, Janet M; Schmidt, Nola A

2016-01-01

Service-Learning is recognized as a valuable pedagogy that involves experiential learning, reflection, and reciprocal learning. Reflection is a critical component because it assists students to develop critical thinking and social awareness as they reflect upon their experiential learning with community partners. Although there is a proliferation of literature about service-learning, upon closer examination, it is apparent that some authors do not place emphasis on reflection when reporting on service-learning projects. This begs the question, "Where is the reflection?" The purpose of this article is to provide an overview and describe misrepresentations and exemplars of service-learning. After providing an overview of service-learning, examples of how service-learning is misrepresented in the literature are discussed. Exemplars of service-learning are also cited. Calling attention to how service-learning is reported in the literature will increase awareness about the need to critically evaluate articles for evidence of reflection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teamwork, organizational learning, patient safety and job outcomes.

PubMed

Goh, Swee C; Chan, Christopher; Kuziemsky, Craig

2013-01-01

This article aims to encourage healthcare administrators to consider the learning organization concept and foster collaborative learning among teams in their attempt to improve patient safety. Relevant healthcare, organizational behavior and human resource management literature was reviewed. A patient safety culture, fostered by healthcare leaders, should include an organizational culture that encourages collaborative learning, replaces the blame culture, prioritizes patient safety and rewards individuals who identify serious mistakes. As healthcare institution staffs are being asked to deliver more complex medical services with fewer resources, there is a need to understand how hospital staff can learn from other organizational settings, especially the non-healthcare sectors. The paper provides suggestions for improving patient safety which are drawn from the health and business management literature.

Interdisciplinary Intellect: HASTAC and the Commitment to Encourage Collective Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singletary, Kimberly Alecia

2012-01-01

This article explores the role of the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) in facilitating and encouraging a collaborative community of junior and senior scholars on issues of technology and humanistic learning. As a result of its emphasis on collaboration and discussion, HASTAC encourages a form of collective…

Attitudes toward exercise following participation in an exercise intervention study.

PubMed

Ene, Heather; McRae, Cynthia; Schenkman, Margaret

2011-03-01

Exercise intervention studies for people with Parkinson disease (PD) have been shown to result in improvement in a variety of outcome measures. However, after the supervised exercise period, these measures tend to return toward baseline values. This regression may reflect the progressive nature of PD but may also reflect a decline in activity levels. The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn more about the motivations and barriers to continued exercise among persons with PD following a 16-month exercise intervention study. Eighteen individuals with PD (12 men and 6 women) and their spouses participated in structured interviews concerning reasons for entering the exercise study, experiences during the study, activity levels after the study, and strategies to encourage ongoing activity. Of those with PD, 15 had completed the exercise study and 3 had dropped out before completion. Among the 18 individuals who participated in the interviews, motivations for exercising included: hope that exercise would slow the disease or prevent a decline in function (7 individuals [39%]), feeling better with exercise (3 individuals [17%]), belief that exercise is beneficial (3 individuals [17%]), and encouragement from family members (3 individuals [17%]). After the study, all graduates and 2 of the 3 dropouts maintained some physical activity. For 14 (79%) respondents, intensity and/or frequency was reduced from maximal activity levels achieved during the intervention. To encourage ongoing activity, participants wanted evidence supporting the benefits of exercise (5 participants [28%]), greater availability of programs (4 participants [22%]), and guidance from medical providers toward exercise studies (3 participants [17%]). This study provides insights into the motivations and barriers for continued exercise after an exercise study. The issues identified provide information that may assist practitioners as they design exercise programs for individuals with PD. It may be of value to explore these issues in future experimental studies.

A Review of the Methods of Delivering HE Programmes in an FE College and an Evaluation of the Impact This Will Have on Learning Outcomes and Student Progression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd, Mary Golding; Griffiths, Colin

2008-01-01

Recent government policy has focused on creating a culture of lifetime learning and increasing participation in higher education, thus encouraging higher education institutions to expand the range of courses they offer. Widening access initiatives support this and encourage non-traditional students to enrol on higher education courses. One of the…

Focusing on the Processes of Science Using Inquiry-oriented Astronomy Labs for Learning Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speck, Angela; Ruzhitskaya, L.; Whittington, A.; Witzig, S.

2010-01-01

The U.S. National Science Education Standards provide guidelines for teaching science through inquiry, where students actively develop their understanding of science by combining scientific knowledge with reasoning and thinking skills. Inquiry activities include reading scientific literature, generating hypotheses, designing and carrying out investigations, interpreting data, and formulating conclusions. Inquiry-based instruction emphasizes questions, evidence, and explanation, the essential features of inquiry. We present two projects designed to develop learning materials for laboratory experiences in an undergraduate astronomy course. First, we engage students in inquiry-based learning by using "mini-journal” articles that follow the format of a scientific journal article, including a title, authors, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and citations to peer-reviewed literature. The mini-journal provides a scaffold and serves as a springboard for students to develop and carry out their own follow-up investigation. They then present their findings in the form of their own mini-journal. This mini-journal format more directly reflects and encourages scientific practice. We use this technique in both introductory and upper level courses. The second project develops 3D virtual reality environments to help students interact with scientific constructs, and the use of collaborative learning tools to motivate student activity, deepen understanding and support knowledge building.

Continuing Veterinary Medical Education Needs Assessment of Small Animal Practitioners in South Korea.

PubMed

Chun, Myung-Sun; Hwang, Cheol-Yong

2015-01-01

This first survey of small animal veterinarians in Korea explores demographic patterns, previous learning experiences, and program preferences for continuing veterinary medical education (CVME). Data were analyzed to identify and describe learning needs and preferences. Respondents' average CVME hours (38.4 hours/year) exceeded the mandatory 10 hours per year. Almost all respondents recognized the importance of CVME. Lack of time and travel distance were identified as significant barriers to CVME participation. CVME courses scheduled after 9 p.m. on weekdays with a registration fee of up to $50 US per hour were preferred. Respondents clearly defined the educational quality criteria of preferred CVME programs: delivery in a series of interventions in a small seminar format, with lectures on theory combined with practical skill-building wet labs taught by experienced veterinarians and board-certified specialists. Small animal veterinarians in Korea are enthusiastic life-long learners who are strongly motivated to select CVME learning activities based on self-identified needs. The changing environment of veterinary medicine in Korea demands an evolution of CVME quality criteria, such as clear program goals reflecting veterinarians' educational needs and desirable competencies, and specific measurable learning objectives. Moreover, the current accreditation system, which does not encourage hands-on skill development formats, needs urgent improvement.

Service Learning and Political Socialization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owen, Diana

2000-01-01

Discusses the link between political socialization scholarship and service learning. States that information gleaned from socialization research on adolescents' political identities and beliefs can inform service learning, asserting that the relationship between political socialization and service learning needs to be encouraged. (CMK)

Incorporating Problem-Based Learning in Physical Education Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hushman, Glenn; Napper-Owen, Gloria

2011-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational method that identifies a problem as a context for student learning. Critical-thinking skills, deductive reasoning, knowledge, and behaviors are developed as students learn how theory can be applied to practical settings. Problem-based learning encourages self-direction, lifelong learning, and sharing…

Exploring MATESOL Student "Resistance" to Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunn, Cindy L.

2010-01-01

Many teacher training programs, including MATESOL programs, encourage their trainees to be reflective practitioners. The MATESOL program at The American University of Sharjah (AUS) is no exception and offers the students many opportunities for reflection. This article discusses my experience with a recent cohort's reaction to being asked to…

Status of knowledge on student-learning environments in nursing homes: A mixed-method systematic review.

PubMed

Husebø, Anne Marie Lunde; Storm, Marianne; Våga, Bodil Bø; Rosenberg, Adriana; Akerjordet, Kristin

2018-04-01

To give an overview of empirical studies investigating nursing homes as a learning environment during nursing students' clinical practice. A supportive clinical learning environment is crucial to students' learning and for their development into reflective and capable practitioners. Nursing students' experience with clinical practice can be decisive in future workplace choices. A competent workforce is needed for the future care of older people. Opportunities for maximum learning among nursing students during clinical practice studies in nursing homes should therefore be explored. Mixed-method systematic review using PRISMA guidelines, on learning environments in nursing homes, published in English between 2005-2015. Search of CINAHL with Full Text, Academic Search Premier, MEDLINE and SocINDEX with Full Text, in combination with journal hand searches. Three hundred and thirty-six titles were identified. Twenty studies met the review inclusion criteria. Assessment of methodological quality was based on the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data were extracted and synthesised using a data analysis method for integrative reviews. Twenty articles were included. The majority of the studies showed moderately high methodological quality. Four main themes emerged from data synthesis: "Student characteristic and earlier experience"; "Nursing home ward environment"; "Quality of mentoring relationship and learning methods"; and "Students' achieved nursing competencies." Nursing home learning environments may be optimised by a well-prepared academic-clinical partnership, supervision by encouraging mentors and high-quality nursing care of older people. Positive learning experiences may increase students' professional development through achievement of basic nursing skills and competencies and motivate them to choose the nursing home as their future workplace. An optimal learning environment can be ensured by thorough preplacement preparations in academia and in nursing home wards, continuous supervision and facilitation of team learning. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of students' perception of their learning environment and approaches to learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valyrakis, Manousos; Cheng, Ming

2015-04-01

This work presents the results of two case studies designed to assess the various approaches undergraduate and postgraduate students undertake for their education. The first study describes the results and evaluation of an undergraduate course in Water Engineering which aims to develop the fundamental background knowledge of students on introductory practical applications relevant to the practice of water and hydraulic engineering. The study assesses the effectiveness of the course design and learning environment from the perception of students using a questionnaire addressing several aspects that may affect student learning, performance and satisfaction, such as students' motivation, factors to effective learning, and methods of communication and assessment. The second study investigates the effectiveness of supervisory arrangements based on the perceptions of engineering undergraduate and postgraduate students. Effective supervision requires leadership skills that are not taught in the University, yet there is rarely a chance to get feedback, evaluate this process and reflect. Even though the results are very encouraging there are significant lessons to learn in improving ones practice and develop an effective learning environment to student support and guidance. The findings from these studies suggest that students with high level of intrinsic motivation are deep learners and are also top performers in a student-centered learning environment. A supportive teaching environment with a plethora of resources and feedback made available over different platforms that address students need for direct communication and feedback has the potential to improve student satisfaction and their learning experience. Finally, incorporating a multitude of assessment methods is also important in promoting deep learning. These results have deep implications about student learning and can be used to further improve course design and delivery in the future.

The Relation of Story Structure to a Model of Conceptual Change in Science Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klassen, Stephen

2010-03-01

Although various reasons have been proposed to explain the potential effectiveness of science stories to promote learning, no explicit relationship of stories to learning theory in science has been propounded. In this paper, two structurally analogous models are developed and compared: a structural model of stories and a temporal conceptual change model of learning. On the basis of the similarity of the models, as elaborated, it is proposed that the structure of science stories may promote a re-enactment of the learning process, and, thereby, such stories serve to encourage active learning through the generation of hypotheses and explanations. The practical implications of this theoretical analogy can be applied to the classroom in that the utilization of stories provides the opportunity for a type of re-enactment of the learning process that may encourage both engagement with the material and the development of long-term memory structures.

Changing the attitudes and practices of professional developers through a constructivist model: The Technical Assistance Academy for Mathematics and Science Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charles, Karen Jungblut

For much of this century, mathematics and science have been taught in a didactic manner that is characterized by a passive student and a lecturing teacher. Since the late eighties national standards have encouraged professional developers specializing in mathematics and science education to deliver the messages of inquiry-based learning, active student engagement, and learner-constructed knowledge to the teachers they support. Follow-up studies of professional development programs, however, found that telling teachers was no more effective than telling students. Information transmitted in a passive setting was not transferring into effective classroom practices. This phenomenological case study was conducted to determine the effects of a constructivist-oriented professional development experience, the Technical Assistance Academy, in changing the practices and attitudes of mathematics and science professional developers regarding the use of constructivist strategies in workshop design. This study focused on 45 professional developers who participated in the Technical Assistance Academy. Data from a 2 1/2 year period were collected from session evaluations, journal reflections, a follow-up interview, and site visits that included observations and collaborative planning. Content analysis procedures were used to find common themes among the data. Use of new skills developed as a result of participation in the Technical Assistance Academy was determined using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model Levels of Use framework (Hall & Hord, 1987). Changes in attitude were determined by examining participants' journal reflections related to common constructivist themes such as those discussed by Fosnot (1996c): learning is developmental, disequilibrium and reflection facilitate learning, and the construction of "big ideas" results from the opportunity to struggle with new information. Results verified that all 45 participants demonstrated some level of use, and that most were in the 3 highest of 5 levels of use: mechanical (11%), routine (16%), refinement (27%), integration (24%), and renewal (22%). Participants reported valuing (a) active engagement necessary for the developmental progression of learning to occur, (b) their own disequilibrium, (c) opportunity to reflect, and they acknowledged a clearer understanding and appreciation of the big ideas in workshop design such as networking, collaboration, content and staff development standards, equity, and community building. Results support the conclusion that learning about constructivist instructional strategies in a long-term program that models them positively affects participants' attitudes and enhances their use of similar strategies in the design of professional development experiences for others. Knowledge developed in a constructivist setting transferred into effective facilitator practices.

Analysis of Soft Drinks Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: A Mentorship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Arkim; Myers, Craig; Crull, George; Curtis, Michael; Pasciak Patterson, Pamela

1999-10-01

This mentorship was designed to expose a student to the laboratory routine for a chemist at Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS). The student visited BMS, collaborated with BMS scientists, and actually completed a project on site. He was asked to determine the identity of an unknown sample of soft drink retrieved from a fictitious crime scene using NMR spectroscopy. He designed an experiment to test the unknown sample and used samples of purified sugar, purified caffeine, purified citric acid, Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet 7-Up, and Sam's Diet Cola as controls. The results were analyzed and presented in a final report. The student was able to determine if the unknown contained sugar, caffeine, Nutrasweet, or sodium benzoate. He learned how to compile relevant information, conduct an experiment, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions, and prepare and edit a formal report. In addition to learning the uses of NMR, he also learned some of its limitations. In the final report, he was encouraged to reflect on the difficulties a scientist might encounter when trying to identify NMR peaks without an "ingredient list" like those of the soft drink cans. The experience was rewarding for the student and all scientists involved.

The relationship between medical students' epistemological beliefs and achievement on a clinical performance examination.

PubMed

Oh, Sun-A; Chung, Eun-Kyung; Han, Eui-Ryoung; Woo, Young-Jong; Kevin, Deiter

2016-03-01

This study was to explore the relationship between clinical performance examination (CPX) achievement and epistemological beliefs to investigate the potentials of epistemological beliefs in ill-structured medical problem solving tasks. We administered the epistemological beliefs questionnaire (EBQ) to fourth-year medical students and correlated the results with their CPX scores. The EBQ comprised 61 items reflecting five belief systems: certainty of knowledge, source of knowledge, rigidity of learning, ability to learn, and speed of knowledge acquisition. The CPX included scores for history taking, physical examination, and patient-physician interaction. The higher epistemological beliefs group obtained significantly higher scores on the CPX with regard to history taking and patient-physician interaction. The epistemological beliefs scores on certainty of knowledge and source of knowledge were significantly positively correlated with patient-physician interaction. The epistemological beliefs scores for ability to learn were significantly positively correlated with those for history taking, physical examination, and patient-physician interaction. Students with more sophisticated and advanced epistemological beliefs stances used more comprehensive and varied approaches in the patient-physician interaction. Therefore, educational efforts that encourage discussions pertaining to epistemological views should be considered to improve clinical reasoning and problem-solving competence in the clinic setting.

Participatory evaluation (I)--sharing lessons from fieldwork in Asia.

PubMed

Crishna, B

2007-05-01

There is a need to study methodologies for evaluating social development projects. Traditional methods of evaluation are often not able to capture or measure the 'spirit of change' in people, which is the very essence of human development. Using participatory methodologies is a positive way to ensure that evaluations encourage an understanding of the value of critical analysis among service providers and other stakeholders. Participatory evaluation provides a systematic process of learning through experiences. Practical experiences of conducting a number of evaluation studies in social development projects have led the author to develop four basic principles of participatory evaluation strategies. This has been further conceptualized through an extensive literature search. The article develops and shares these principles through descriptions of field experiences in Asia. The article illustrates that the role of any evaluation remains a learning process, one which promotes a climate of reflection and self-assessment. It shows how using participatory methods can create this environment of learning. However, one needs to keep in mind that participatory evaluation takes time, and that the role and calibre of the facilitator are crucial. Participatory evaluation methods have been recommended for social development projects to ensure that stakeholders remain in control of their own lives and decisions.

Towards a Theory of the Ecology of Reflection: Reflective Practice for Experiential Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, Marina; ; Coulson, Debra; McMaugh, Anne

2016-01-01

Reflective practice is widely adopted across the field of experience-based learning subjects in higher education, including practicums, work-integrated learning, internships, service learning and community participation. This adoption of reflective practice implies that it supports student learning through experience. When reviewing the evidence…

Exploring Collaborative Learning Effect in Blended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Z.; Liu, R.; Luo, L.; Wu, M.; Shi, C.

2017-01-01

The use of new technology encouraged exploration of the effectiveness and difference of collaborative learning in blended learning environments. This study investigated the social interactive network of students, level of knowledge building and perception level on usefulness in online and mobile collaborative learning environments in higher…

Kiva Microloans in a Learning Community: An Assignment for Interdisciplinary Synthesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staats, Susan; Sintjago, Alfonso; Fitzpatrick, Renata

2013-01-01

Learning communities can strengthen early undergraduates' learning, but planning them can be daunting for instructors. Learning communities usually rely on integrative assignments that encourage interdisciplinary analysis. This article reports on our experiences using microloans as an interdisciplinary assignment in a learning community that…

From Story to Analysis: Reflection and Uptake in the Literacy Narrative Assignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Kara Poe

2015-01-01

The literacy narrative assignment is popular with composition instructors because of the reflection it encourages in students. Previously, scholars have claimed that students demonstrate reflection in literacy narratives when they critique dominant ideologies. Largely absent, however, is research on what other elements might indicate reflection…

Use of a Self-Reflection Tool to Enhance Resident Learning on an Adolescent Medicine Rotation.

PubMed

Greenberg, Katherine Blumoff; Baldwin, Constance

2016-08-01

Adolescent Medicine (AM) educators in pediatric residency programs are seeking new ways to engage learners in adolescent health. This mixed-methods study presents a novel self-reflection tool and addresses whether self-reflection enhanced residents' perception of the value of an adolescent rotation, in particular, its relevance to their future practice. The self-reflection tool included 17 Likert scale items on residents' comfort with the essential tasks of adolescent care and open-ended questions that promoted self-reflection and goal setting. Semi-structured, postrotation interviews encouraged residents to discuss their experiences. Likert scale data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and interview notes and written comments on the self-reflection tool were combined for qualitative data analysis. Residents' pre-to post-self-evaluations showed statistically significant increases in comfort with most of the adolescent health care tasks. Four major themes emerged from our qualitative analysis: (1) the value of observing skilled attendings as role models; (2) the comfort gained through broad and frequent adolescent care experiences; (3) the career relevance of AM; and (4) the ability to set personally meaningful goals for the rotation. Residents used the self-reflection tool to mindfully set goals and found their AM education valuable and relevant to their future careers. Our tool helped make explicit to residents the norms, values, and beliefs of the hidden curriculum applied to the care of adolescents and helped them to improve the self-assessed quality of their rapport and communications with adolescents. We conclude that a structured self-reflection exercise can enhance residents' experiences on an AM rotation. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Personal Reflection: Reflective Learning as a Student and an Educator: Connecting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsang, Annetta

2009-01-01

This reflective essay describes my encounter with reflective learning as a student enrolled in the University of Queensland Graduate Certificate in Education (Higher Education) program and the application and integration of reflective learning in a clinical course within the Bachelor of Oral Health program as an educator. Insights gained and…

The Possibility of Applying YouTube to Motivate Learning Autonomy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yiling

2013-01-01

The notion of collaborative learning and teaching in foreign language education has been popular for decades. This concept focuses on learners and encourages them to learn a language by experiential and shared learning. The learners are believed to learn best if they learn through the conscious or unconscious internalization of their own or…

Concept Cartoons Supported Problem Based Learning Method in Middle School Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balim, Ali Günay; Inel-Ekici, Didem; Özcan, Erkan

2016-01-01

Problem based learning, in which events from daily life are presented as interesting scenarios, is one of the active learning approaches that encourages students to self-direct learning. Problem based learning, generally used in higher education, requires students to use high end thinking skills in learning environments. In order to use…

Ten Strengths of How Teachers Do Cooperative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaocbs, George M.

2016-01-01

Cooperative learning involves students in working together with peers to learn, to develop learning skills and to enjoy the learning process. This paper examines ten areas in which the author believes he and other teachers do cooperative learning well. These areas are: (1) keeping group size small, usually four or fewer; (2) encouraging students…

Changes in the stimulus-preceding negativity and lateralized readiness potential during reinforcement learning.

PubMed

Ren, Xi; Valle-Inclán, Fernando; Tukaiev, Sergii; Hackley, Steven A

2017-07-01

According to reinforcement learning theory, dopamine-dependent anticipatory processes play a critical role in learning from action outcomes such as feedback or reward. To better understand outcome anticipation, we examined variation in slow cortical potentials and assessed their changes over the course of motor-skill acquisition. Healthy young adults learned a series of precisely timed, key press sequences. Feedback was delivered at a delay of either 2.5 or 8 s, to encourage use of either the striatally mediated, habit learning system or the hippocampus-dependent, episodic memory system, respectively. During the 2.5-s delay, the stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) was shown to decline in amplitude across trials, confirming previous results from a perceptual categorization task (Morís, Luque, & Rodríguez-Fornells, 2013). This falsifies the hypothesis that SPN reflects specific outcome predictions, on the assumption that the ability to make such predictions should improve as a task is mastered. An SPN was also evident during the 8-s delay, but it increased in amplitude across trials. At the conclusion of the 8-s but not the 2.5-s prefeedback interval, a reversed-polarity lateralized readiness potential (LRP) was noted. It was suggested that this might indicate maintenance of an action representation for comparison with the feedback display. If so, this would constitute the first direct psychophysiological evidence for a popular hypothetical construct in quantitative models of reinforcement learning, the so-called eligibility trace. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Document Analyses of Student Use of a Blogging-Mapping Tool to Explore Evidence of Deep and Reflective Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xie, Ying

2008-01-01

Theories about reflective thinking and deep-surface learning abound. In order to arrive at the definition for "reflective thinking toward deep learning," this study establishes that reflective thinking toward deep learning refers to a learner's purposeful and conscious activity of manipulating ideas toward meaningful learning and knowledge…

3D Game-Based Learning System for Improving Learning Achievement in Software Engineering Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su,Chung-Ho; Cheng, Ching-Hsue

2013-01-01

The advancement of game-based learning has encouraged many related studies, such that students could better learn curriculum by 3-dimension virtual reality. To enhance software engineering learning, this paper develops a 3D game-based learning system to assist teaching and assess the students' motivation, satisfaction and learning achievement. A…

A Methodological Approach to Encourage the Service-Oriented Learning Systems Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diez, David; Malizia, Alessio; Aedo, Ignacio; Diaz, Paloma; Fernandez, Camino; Dodero, Juan-Manuel

2009-01-01

The basic idea of service-oriented learning is that a learning environment should be conceived as a set of independent units of learning packaged as learning services. The design, development and deployment of a learning system based on integrating different learning services needs both a technological platform to support the system as well as a…

Representing Authentic Learning Designs Supporting the Development of Online Communities of Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Ron; Herrington, Anthony; Herrington, Jan; Reeves, Thomas C.

2007-01-01

Authentic learning designs have been explored for some time now and have frequently been shown to provide learning settings that provide many meaningful contexts for learning. These meaningful contexts provide not only encouragement for students to learn but also a raft of learning enhancements including higher-order learning and forms of learning…

Valuing Errors for Learning: Espouse or Enact?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grohnert, Therese; Meuwissen, Roger H. G.; Gijselaers, Wim H.

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how organisations can discourage covering up and instead encourage learning from errors through a supportive learning from error climate. In explaining professionals' learning from error behaviour, this study distinguishes between espoused (verbally expressed) and enacted (behaviourally expressed) values…

Developing Recreation Skills in Persons with Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peniston, Lorraine C.

This book provides specific suggestions for ways to make accommodations and modify leisure activities to enable and encourage the participation of individuals with learning disabilities. The following chapters include: (1) "An Introduction"; (2) "Learning Disabilities," which describes types of learning disabilities, guidelines…

Using Learning Communities to Build Faculty Support for Pedagogical Innovation: A Multi-Campus Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furco, Andrew; Moely, Barbara E.

2012-01-01

To encourage greater adoption of a pedagogical innovation (service-learning), semester long faculty learning communities were established at eight institutions. These learning community experiences produced gains in participants' (N = 152) self-assessed expertise with service-learning, ability to collaborate with community partners, and…

MoLeNET Mobile Learning Conference 2009: Research Papers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guy Parker, Ed.

2010-01-01

The Mobile Learning Network (MoLeNET) is a unique collaborative approach to encouraging, supporting, expanding and promoting mobile learning, primarily in English post-14 education and training, via supported shared cost mobile learning projects. Collaboration at national level involves participating institutions and the Learning and Skills…

Chinese Parenting Styles and Children's Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Juan; Prochner, Larry

2004-01-01

Self-regulated learning is an important aspect of student learning and academic achievement. Certain parenting styles help children develop self-regulated learning and encourage them to exert control over their own learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Chinese parenting style and children's involvement in…

Movement and Learning: A Valuable Connection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens-Smith, Deborah

2004-01-01

In this article, the author discusses the relatedness between movement and learning for students. The process of learning involves basic nerve cells that transmit information and create numerous neural connections essential to learning. One way to increase learning is to encourage creation of more synaptic connections in the brain through…

Mobile Learning for Teacher Professional Learning: Benefits, Obstacles and Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aubusson, Peter; Schuck, Sandy; Burden, Kevin

2009-01-01

This paper reflects on the role of mobile learning in teachers' professional learning. It argues that effective professional learning requires reflection and collaboration and that mobile learning is ideally suited to allow reflection-in-action and to capture the spontaneity of learning moments. The paper also argues for the value of…

But Does It Work? Reflective Activities, Learning Outcomes and Instrumental Learning in Continuing Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roessger, Kevin M.

2015-01-01

This paper examines the relationship between reflective practice and instrumental learning within the context of continuing professional development (CPD). It is argued that instrumental learning is a unique process of adult learning, and reflective practice's impact on learning outcomes in instrumental learning contexts remains unclear. A…

Students discussing their mathematical ideas: the role of the teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pijls, Monique; Dekker, Rijkje

2011-12-01

This article adds to current research on enhancing student discourse in mathematics teaching specifically in secondary schools but with equal relevance to elementary schools. Three mathematics teachers in secondary education were confronted with the question of how to encourage students to discuss their work with each other in the daily practice of their mathematical lessons. In response to this question the teachers devised three different approaches to encourage student discourse. One of the teachers chose to experiment with another setting to perform mathematical tasks that involved students working together on a group test. The second teacher experimented with a new kind of help when students were working on their maths tasks and asked for assistance. The third created a new setting in which the teacher (temporarily) did not provide mathematical hints and the students had to solve their own problems. The three teachers were very motivated, but they all had difficulties in not giving explanations themselves when supporting their students in their collaborative mathematical learning. They found that temporarily diminishing their product help stimulated discussion between students. It also became clear that the process of teacher reflection and follow-up discussions with the researcher/observers promoted changes of practice.

Emergency Medical Technician Training During Medical School: Benefits for the Hidden Curriculum.

PubMed

Russ-Sellers, Rebecca; Blackwell, Thomas H

2017-07-01

Medical schools are encouraged to introduce students to clinical experiences early, to integrate biomedical and clinical sciences, and to expose students to interprofessional health providers and teams. One important goal is for students to gain a better understanding of the patients they will care for in the future and how their social and behavioral characteristics may affect care delivery. To promote early clinical exposure and biomedical integration, in 2012 the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville incorporated emergency medical technician (EMT) training into the curriculum. This report describes the program; outlines changes (made after year 1) to improve biomedical integration; and provides a brief analysis and categorization of comments from student reflections to determine whether particular themes, especially related to the hidden curriculum, appeared. Medical students wrote frequently about EMT-related experiences: 29% of reflections in the charter year (1.2 per student) and 38% of reflections in the second year (1.5 per student) focused on EMT-related experiences. Reflections related to patient care, professionalism, systems-based practice, and communication/interpersonal skills. The frequency of themes in student reflections may provide insight into a medical program's hidden curriculum. This information may serve to inform curricula that focus on biosocial elements such as professionalism and communication with the goal of enhancing future physicians' tolerance, empathy, and patient-centeredness. The authors plan to conduct further qualitative analysis of student reflections to iteratively revise curricula to address gaps both in learning and in the differences between the explicit curriculum and actual experiences.

Motivating people to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of automated external defibrillators.

PubMed

McDonald, Deborah Dillon; Martin, Deborah; Foley, Diane; Baker, Lee; Hintz, Deborah; Faure, Lauren; Erman, Nancy; Palozie, Jessica; Lundquist, Kathleen; O'Brien, Kara; Prior, Laura; Songco, Narra; Muscillo, Gwyn; Graziani, Denise; Tomczyk, Michael; Price, Sheryl

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of a motivational message on the intention of laypersons to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use. A pretest-posttest, double-blind, randomized design was used with 220 community-dwelling adults. Participants were randomly assigned to the treatment group reading the CPR and AED pamphlet emphasizing learning CPR and AED use to save someone they love and the 3-minute window for response time; or to the comparison group reading the identical pamphlet without the 2 motivational statements. Intention to learn CPR and AED use and to look for AEDs in public areas was measured before and after reading the respective pamphlet. No significant difference emerged between the groups for the number of participants planning to learn CPR and AED use. A significant number of participants in both groups increased intention to learn CPR and AED use. Significantly more treatment participants than comparison participants planned to routinely look for AEDs in public areas after reading the pamphlet, however. Teaching critical facts such as the low survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest might encourage laypersons to learn CPR and AED use. Routinely teaching family members of people at risk for a cardiac arrest about the short window of time in which CPR and AED use must begin and encouraging them to learn about CPR and AEDs to save someone they love may encourage family members to identify the location of AEDs in public places.

Encouraging Community Service through Service Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Anne M.; Tucker, Mary L.

2002-01-01

Using a modified Solomon four-group design, 437 business students were divided into 6 treatment and 2 control groups. Treatments included service-learning lectures, service-learning projects, or lecture and project with and/or without pre and posttests. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated service learning treatments significantly affected…

Learning Methodology in the Classroom to Encourage Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luna, Esther; Folgueiras, Pilar

2014-01-01

Service learning is a methodology that promotes the participation of citizens in their community. This article presents a brief conceptualization of citizen participation, characteristics of service learning methodology, and validation of a programme that promotes service-learning projects. This validation highlights the suitability of this…

Fostering Self-Reflection and Meaningful Learning: Earth Science Professional Development for Middle School Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monet, Julie A.; Etkina, Eugenia

2008-10-01

This paper describes the analysis of teachers’ journal reflections during an inquiry-based professional development program. As a part of their learning experience, participants reflected on what they learned and how they learned. Progress of subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge was assessed though surveys and pre- and posttests. We found that teachers have difficulties reflecting on their learning and posing meaningful questions. The teachers who could describe how they reasoned from evidence to understand a concept had the highest learning gains. In contrast those teachers who seldom or never described learning a concept by reasoning from evidence showed the smallest learning gains. This analysis suggests that learning to reflect on one’s learning should be an integral part of teachers’ professional development experiences.

A personal reflection on social media in medicine: I stand, no wiser than before.

PubMed

Weiner, John

2015-04-01

Social media has enabled information, communication and reach for health professionals. There are clear benefits to patients and consumers when health information is broadcast. But there are unanswered questions on professionalism, education, and the complex mentoring relationship between doctor and student. This personal perspective raises a number of questions: What is online medical professionalism? Can online medical professionalism be taught? Can online medical professionalism be enforced? Is an online presence necessary to achieve the highest level of clinical excellence? Is there evidence that social media is superior to traditional methods of teaching in medical education? Does social media encourage multitasking and impairment of the learning process? Are there downsides to the perfunctory laconic nature of social media? Does social media waste time that is better spent attaining clinical skills?

Go-along interviewing with LGBTQ youth in Canada and the United States

PubMed Central

Porta, Carolyn M.; Corliss, Heather L.; Wolowic, Jennifer M.; Johnson, Abigail Z.; Fogel, Katie Fritz; Gower, Amy L.; Saewyc, Elizabeth M.; Eisenberg, Marla E.

2017-01-01

Go-along interviews, which are interviews conducted whilst being in and moving within participant selected spaces, were conducted with 66 LGBTQ adolescents (14-19 years old) in their self-identified communities to explore perceived community attributes, including safe spaces, resources, and supports; this paper highlights methodological lessons learned. Successful recruitment in two countries and varied community settings required partnership with local LGBTQ supporting agencies, including school-based Gay Straight Alliances. Youth chose to walk, use public transportation, and drive to community locations, identifying numerous formal and informal resources in their communities. Participant reflections highlighted that go-along interviews can be conducted in safe ways that encourage LGBTQ youth to express themselves about communities in which they live, study, work, play, and relax. PMID:28943992

Teacher Reflective Practice in Jesuit High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klug, Joseph H.

2010-01-01

Teachers who engage in reflective practice are more effective and may encourage higher student achievement. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the methods that teachers use in order to engage in reflective practice. Further, it is essential to gain an understanding of how schools, including Jesuit high schools, promote reflective…

Using Reflective Journals in a Sustainable Design Studio

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulwadi, Gowri Betrabet

2009-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to introduce a pedagogical method used in a design studio as part of a curriculum-greening process to encourage reflection on the complexity of sustainability and sustainable design. Online reflective journals were used in two semesters of a sustainable design studio to develop students' awareness and understanding of…

Using Reflective Journals in a Sustainable Design Studio

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulwadi, Gowri Betrabet

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce a pedagogical method used in a design studio as part of a curriculum-greening process to encourage reflection on the complexity of sustainability and sustainable design. Online reflective journals were used in two semesters of a sustainable design studio to develop students' awareness and…

Student Teacher Reflective Writing: What Does It Reveal?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mena-Marcos, Juanjo; Garcia-Rodriguez, Maria-Luisa; Tillema, Harm

2013-01-01

Some researchers claim that reflection helps student teachers to better understand their practice teaching. This study aims to explore how deliberate reflection by student teachers is encouraged as a way to prepare, analyse and evaluate their practice. A total of 104 student teachers in primary education participated in this study during their…

The Importance of Critical Reflection in College Teaching: Two Reviews of Stephen Brookfield's Book, Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Rosalyn M.; Hibbison, Eric P.

2000-01-01

Discusses Stephen Brookfield's book, Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. Presents three categories of assumptions he believes teachers must make about their teaching: paradigmatic, prescriptive, and causal. States that Brookfield encourages engaging in critical conversation with peers in order to improve teaching methods. Provides strategies…

"Keeping SCORE": Reflective Practice through Classroom Observations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrell, Thomas S. C.

2011-01-01

Reflective practice means that teachers must subject their own teaching beliefs and practices to critical examination. One way of facilitating reflective practice in ESL teachers is to encourage them to engage in classroom observations as part of their professional development. This paper reports on a case study of a short series of classroom…

Informal Learning through the Internet: A Learning Journey through the World of Rugby

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Danny; Wyn-Lewis, Eleri; Andrews, Jocelyn

2005-01-01

Informal learning involves a wide variety of activities and pursuits which extend beyond conventional classrooms or lifelong learning courses. In this article one application of informal learning is explored in detail: the use of a sports theme, which deploys various multimedia applications in order to encourage adult learning. The article builds…

Multi-Perspective Indexing of Diverse Spatial Characteristics of an Outdoor Field toward Redesigning of Real-World Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okada, Masaya; Tada, Masahiro

2014-01-01

Real-world learning is important because it encourages learners to obtain knowledge through various experiences. To design effective real-world learning, it is necessary to analyze the diverse learning activities that occur in real-world learning and to develop effective strategies for learning support. By inventing the technologies of multimodal…

GLOBE and Place-based learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, T. J.; Murphy, T.; Malmberg, J. S.; Wegner, K.

2016-12-01

You visit a special natural setting and are amazed at the splendor. You revisit it years later at the same time of year and note how it has changed. The environment looks different-algae is growing where it didn't before. Trees are dying. Weeds are flourishing. You ask yourself "why is this happening?" The spark starting your climate place-based awareness just ignited. The GLOBE program encourages and enables young citizen scientists to observe and record measurements related to the environment and to use those measurements for research. Over 130 learning activities supplement the 51 measurement protocols that can be done in and out of the field, with and without technical devices that open up the mind to questions about one's environment. From taking pictures of the sky to creating instruments, to noting when plants bloom and examining the characteristics of the soil and land, GLOBE encourages investigating climate change in numerous ways. GLOBE activities encouraging climate awareness and "what if" scenarios fuel student research and help validate scientific research. Studying one's local GLOBE observations and seeing where and when change occurs, brings out intrigue that expands to investigating multiple places where even more questions can arise-fueling the scientific process and encouraging place-based learning.

How does feedback in mini-CEX affect students' learning response?

PubMed

Sudarso, Sulistiawati; Rahayu, Gandes Retno; Suhoyo, Yoyo

2016-12-19

This study was aimed to explore students' learning response toward feedback during mini-CEX encounter. This study used a phenomenological approach to identify the students' experiences toward feedback during mini-CEX encounter. Data was collected using Focus Group Discussion (FGD) for all students who were in their final week of clerkship in the internal medicine rotation. There were 4 FGD groups (6 students for each group). All FGD were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. The FGD transcripts were analyzed thematically and managed using Atlas-ti (version 7.0). Feedback content and the way of providing feedback on mini-CEX stimulated students' internal process, including self-reflection, emotional response, and motivation. These internal processes encouraged the students to take action or do a follow-up on the feedback to improve their learning process. In addition, there was also an external factor, namely consequences, which also influenced the students' reaction to the follow-up on feedback. In the end, this action caused several learning effects that resulted in the students' increased self-efficacy, attitude, knowledge and clinical skill. Feedback content and the way of providing feedback on mini-CEX stimulates the students' internal processes to do a follow-up on feedback. However, another external factor also affects the students' decision on the follow-up actions. The follow-ups result in various learning effects on the students. Feedback given along with summative assessment enhances learning effects on students, as well. It is suggested that supervisors of clinical education are prepared to comprehend every factor influencing feedback on mini CEX to improve the students' learning response.

Deep and Surface Learning in Problem-Based Learning: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolmans, Diana H. J. M.; Loyens, Sofie M. M.; Marcq, Hélène; Gijbels, David

2016-01-01

In problem-based learning (PBL), implemented worldwide, students learn by discussing professionally relevant problems enhancing application and integration of knowledge, which is assumed to encourage students towards a deep learning approach in which students are intrinsically interested and try to understand what is being studied. This review…

The Contribution of Individual Learning Accounts to the Lifelong Learning Policies of the UK Government: A Case-Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, John

2000-01-01

A survey of 765 adult learners who funded education through the British government's Individual Learning Accounts showed the program brought in new lifelong learning participants, encouraged more demanding learning, and increased participation of underrepresented groups. Advice and guidance played an important role. (SK)

Student-Teachers' Approaches to Learning, Academic Performance and Teaching Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swee-Choo, Pauline Goh; Kung-Teck, Wong; Osman, Rosma

2012-01-01

Purpose: It is argued that the approaches to learning of students undergoing teacher training are likely to be related to their teaching and learning environment, especially as they move from a more regimented, structured learning environment in school to a tertiary learning environment that encourages more independent thinking and perhaps…

6 Steps to Learning Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toll, Cathy A.

2010-01-01

A generation of principals has heard the mantra that they should be instructional leaders, but rarely have they been encouraged to be learning leaders. While an instructional leader pays attention to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of instruction, a learning leader focuses on what is learned and how it is learned. These roles are not…

Exploring a "Space" for Emergent Learning to Occur: Encouraging Creativity and Innovation in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armson, Genevieve

2009-01-01

This research set out to explore perceptions about the concept of an emergent learning space within private organisations, as the current literature on learning does not adequately differentiate between organised learning and emergent learning. The research objectives explored the existence of, and perceived level of organisational encouragement…

Beyond the Four Walls: Community-Based Learning and Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Anne

2012-01-01

At a time when languages in universities are under pressure, community-based learning language courses can have many positive benefits: they can increase interest in language learning, they can foster greater engagement with learning, and they can encourage active learning, creativity and teamwork. These courses, which link the classroom and the…

Interculturalismo y Educacion Preescolar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anaut, Jesus Cebrian

1984-01-01

Encourages the development of multicultural preschool education. Begins with a reinterpretation and reorganization of traditional teaching with new curricula based on intercultural learning units suitable for each age group. Argues that promoting such curricula would encourage socioemotional adjustment, development of intelligence, enrichment of…

A framework to develop a clinical learning culture in health facilities: ideas from the literature.

PubMed

Henderson, A; Briggs, J; Schoonbeek, S; Paterson, K

2011-06-01

Internationally, there is an increase in demand to educate nurses within the clinical practice environment. Clinical practice settings that encourage teaching and learning during episodes of care delivery can be powerful in educating both the existing nursing workforce and nursing students. This paper presents a framework, informed by the literature, that identifies the key factors that are needed to encourage the interactions fundamental to learning in clinical practice. Learning occurs when nurses demonstrate good practice, share their knowledge through conversations and discussions, and also provide feedback to learners, such as students and novices. These types of interactions occur when positive leadership practices encourage trust and openness between staff; when the management team provides sessions for staff to learn how to interact with learners, and also when partnerships provide support and guidance around learning in the workplace. APPLICATION OF CONCEPTS: This framework presents how the concepts of leadership, management and partnership interact to create and sustain learning environments. The feedback from proposed measurement tools can provide valuable information about the positive and negative aspects of these concepts in the clinical learning environment. Analysis of the subscales can assist in identifying appropriate recommended strategies outlined in the framework to guide nurses in improving the recognized deficits in the relationship between the concepts. Leadership, management and partnerships are pivotal for the creation and maintenance of positive learning environments. Diagnostic measurement tools can provide specific information about weaknesses across these areas. This knowledge can guide future initiatives. © 2011 The Authors. International Nursing Review © 2011 International Council of Nurses.

Comparing Traditional Journal Writing with Journal Writing Shared over E-mail List Serves as Tools for Facilitating Reflective Thinking: A Study of Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Diane S.; Rupley, William H.; Sparks, Joanne; Holcomb, Angelia

2007-01-01

To determine the conditions that would best encourage reflection in journal writing of preservice teachers in field-based reading internships, the degree of reflective content found in self-contained traditional journals was compared to the reflective content found in journal entries shared over e-mail list serves. Participants were 56 preservice…

Assessing Learning in Service-Learning Courses through Critical Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molee, Lenore M.; Henry, Mary E.; Sessa, Valerie I.; McKinney-Prupis, Erin R.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe and examine a model for assessing student learning through reflection in service-learning courses. This model utilized a course-embedded process to frame, facilitate, support, and assess students' depth of learning and critical thinking. Student reflection products in two service-learning courses (a…

Investigating the Efficiency of Scenario Based Learning and Reflective Learning Approaches in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hursen, Cigdem; Fasli, Funda Gezer

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this research is to investigate the efficiency of scenario based learning and reflective learning approaches in teacher education. The impact of applications of scenario based learning and reflective learning on prospective teachers' academic achievement and views regarding application and professional self-competence…

Supporting Distance Learners for Collaborative Problem Solving.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verdejo, M. F.; Barros, B.; Abad, M. T.

This paper describes a computer-supported environment designed to facilitate distance learning through collaborative problem-solving. The goal is to encourage distance learning students to work together, in order to promote both learning of collaboration and learning through collaboration. Collaboration is defined as working together on a common…

Wiki-Based Rapid Prototyping for Teaching-Material Design in E-Learning Grids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shih, Wen-Chung; Tseng, Shian-Shyong; Yang, Chao-Tung

2008-01-01

Grid computing environments with abundant resources can support innovative e-Learning applications, and are promising platforms for e-Learning. To support individualized and adaptive learning, teachers are encouraged to develop various teaching materials according to different requirements. However, traditional methodologies for designing teaching…

Distance Learning in British Universities: Is It Possible?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lentell, Helen

2012-01-01

The wider context (political and economic) for developing sustainable distance learning in UK universities is encouraging and new learning technologies promise much improved products and services. But conventional campus-based universities struggle to build and/or expand sustainable distance learning provision. This article identifies the core…

A Path Model of Effective Technology-Intensive Inquiry-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avsec, Stanislav; Kocijancic, Slavko

2016-01-01

Individual aptitude, attitudes, and behavior in inquiry-based learning (IBL) settings may affect work and learning performance outcomes during activities using different technologies. To encourage multifaceted learning, factors in IBL settings must be statistically significant and effective, and not cognitively or psychomotor intensive. We…

Sociocultural patterning of neural activity during self-reflection.

PubMed

Ma, Yina; Bang, Dan; Wang, Chenbo; Allen, Micah; Frith, Chris; Roepstorff, Andreas; Han, Shihui

2014-01-01

Western cultures encourage self-construals independent of social contexts, whereas East Asian cultures foster interdependent self-construals that rely on how others perceive the self. How are culturally specific self-construals mediated by the human brain? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we monitored neural responses from adults in East Asian (Chinese) and Western (Danish) cultural contexts during judgments of social, mental and physical attributes of themselves and public figures to assess cultural influences on self-referential processing of personal attributes in different dimensions. We found that judgments of self vs a public figure elicited greater activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in Danish than in Chinese participants regardless of attribute dimensions for judgments. However, self-judgments of social attributes induced greater activity in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) in Chinese than in Danish participants. Moreover, the group difference in TPJ activity was mediated by a measure of a cultural value (i.e. interdependence of self-construal). Our findings suggest that individuals in different sociocultural contexts may learn and/or adopt distinct strategies for self-reflection by changing the weight of the mPFC and TPJ in the social brain network.

Reflection for Learning, Learning for Reflection: Developing Indigenous Competencies in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Dawn; Power, Anne; Thomson, Chris; Mason, Bonita; Bartleet, Brydie-Leigh

2016-01-01

Reflection is an essential part of students' critically reflective development within experiential-learning contexts; it is arguably even more important when working cross-culturally. This paper reports from a national, arts-based service-learning project in which students in creative arts, media and journalism, and preservice teachers worked with…

The Effects of Students' Learning Anxiety and Motivation on the Learning Achievement in the Activity Theory Based Gamified Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su, Chung-Ho

2017-01-01

The advancement of mobile game-based learning has encouraged many related studies, which has enabled students to learn more and faster. To enhance the clinical path of cardiac catheterization learning, this paper has developed a mobile 3D-CCGBLS (3D Cardiac Catheterization Game-Based Learning System) with a learning assessment for cardiac…

Attention without intention: explicit processing and implicit goal-setting in family medicine residents' written reflections.

PubMed

Shaughnessy, Allen F; Allen, Lucas; Duggan, Ashley

2017-05-01

Reflection, a process of self-analysis to promote learning through better understanding of one's experiences, is often used to assess learners' metacognitive ability. However, writing reflective exercises, not submitted for assessment, may allow learners to explore their experiences and indicate learning and professional growth without explicitly connecting to intentional sense-making. To identify core components of learning about medicine or medical education from family medicine residents' written reflections. Family medicine residents' wrote reflections about their experiences throughout an academic year. Qualitative thematic analysis to identify core components in 767 reflections written by 33 residents. We identified four themes of learning: 'Elaborated reporting' and 'metacognitive monitoring' represent explicit, purposeful self-analysis that typically would be characterised as reflective learning about medicine. 'Simple reporting' and 'goal setting' signal an analysis of experience that indicates learning and professional growth but that is overlooked as a component of learning. Identified themes elucidate the explicit and implicit forms of written reflection as sense-making and learning. An expanded theoretical understanding of reflection as inclusive of conscious sense-making as well as implicit discovery better enables the art of physician self-development.

Towards High-Quality Reflective Learning amongst Law Undergraduate Students: Analysing Students' Reflective Journals during a Problem-Based Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rué, Joan; Font, Antoni; Cebrián, Gisela

2013-01-01

There is wide agreement that problem-based learning is a key strategy to promote individual abilities for "learning how to learn". This paper presents the main contributions that reflective journals and the problem-based learning approach can make to foster professional knowledge and quality learning in higher education. Thirty-six…

Using a Learning Coach to Develop Family Medicine Residents' Goal-Setting and Reflection Skills

PubMed Central

George, Paul; Reis, Shmuel; Dobson, Margaret; Nothnagle, Melissa

2013-01-01

Background Self-directed learning (SDL) skills, such as self-reflection and goal setting, facilitate learning throughout a physician's career. Yet, residents do not often formally engage in these activities during residency. Intervention To develop resident SDL skills, we created a learning coach role for a junior faculty member to meet with second-year residents monthly to set learning goals and promote reflection. Methods The study was conducted from 2008–2010 at the Brown Family Medicine Residency in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. During individual monthly meetings with the learning coach, residents entered their learning goals and reflections into an electronic portfolio. A mixed-methods evaluation, including coach's ratings of goal setting and reflection, coach's meeting notes, portfolio entries, and resident interviews, was used to assess progress in residents' SDL abilities. Results Coach ratings of 25 residents' goal-setting ability increased from a mean of 1.9 to 4.6 (P < .001); ratings of reflective capacity increased from a mean of 2.0 to 4.7 (P < .001) during each year. Resident portfolio entries showed a range of domains for goal setting and reflection. Resident interviews demonstrated progressive independence in setting goals and appreciation of the value of reflection for personal development. Conclusions Introducing a learning coach, use of a portfolio, and providing protected time for self-reflected learning allowed residents to develop SDL skills at their own pace. The learning coach model may be applicable to other residency programs in developing resident lifelong learning skills. PMID:24404275

Science teachers' perceptions of expertise in practice : An exploratory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bevins, Stuart Carl

This thesis reports on an exploration of the nature and characteristics of science teaching expertise as exhibited by six identified expert science teachers. An action research methodology was adopted with data gathered through: semi-structured interviews; classroom observations, and reflective discussions. A culture of collaboration between the researcher and teachers was encouraged by the researcher in an attempt to create a 'bottom-up' approach to the study. The teachers acted as research collaborators by continuously reflecting on, and analysing their knowledge and practice within the context of the study.The reported study emphasises a need for identifying characteristics of science teacher expertise from the insights of teachers themselves. The study considers the reflections and perceptions of the science teachers involved to be an important part of their continuing professional development, which leads to a greater self-awareness and understanding of their teaching expertise. Findings show that these six science teachers demonstrate: subject master; deep pedagogical understanding; considerable pedagogical content knowledge, and a desire to continue learning for an entire professional life, in an attempt to keep abreast of changes and developments in science and education. Within these characteristics, the teachers exhibit, for example, organisational skills, empathy, flexibility, intuition, enthusiasm and professionalism. Most of all, they demonstrate an ability to operate and communicate at the level of their pupils. They study contributes to the debate about effective teaching and better ways for teachers to learn from their experienced by offering a detailed account of science teacher expertise from the perceptions of six expert teachers. The study also highlights a wide ranging existing literature base in a attempt to offer a way of thinking about teaching expertise. Findings from the study indicate strong similarities with those of the existing literature.

Determinants of Self-Reflective Learning and Its Consequences in Online Master Degree Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Yoram; Neumann, Edith; Lewis, Shelia

2017-01-01

Based on recent studies of self-reflective learning and its effects on various learning outcomes, this study examined the concept of self-reflective learning in the context of the Robust Learning Model (RLM), which is a learning model designed for improving the educational effectiveness of online degree programs. Two models were introduced to…

Form over Substance: Learning Objectives in the Business Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Leonard; Rosetti, Joseph L.; King, Michelle

2010-01-01

While members of the business faculty community have been advocating active learning in the classroom, it appears that textbooks encourage learning from a passive perspective. A review of learning objectives from 16 textbooks used in Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Finance, and Marketing demonstrates a focus on basically the same set…

Evolving from Course-Centric to Learning-Centric: Portfolios, Wikis, and Social Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everhart, Deborah

2006-01-01

Teaching and learning strategies for using course management systems have evolved from basic "fill in the blank" models to interactive designs that encourage multi-formatted individual contributions and collaborative forms of learning. In keeping with the participatory development of online resources, web-based courses are shifting from…

Summative Evaluation of the Learning Initiatives Program (LIP). Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, 2005

2005-01-01

The Learning Initiatives Program (LIP), formerly the Learning Initiatives Fund (LIF), is a contribution program which was established in 1994 to encourage and support initiatives that contribute to the development of a results-oriented, accessible, relevant and accountable learning system in Canada. Through this program, Human Resources and Skills…

Kinaesthetic Learning Activities and Learning about Solar Cells

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, A. J.; Etkina, Eugenia

2013-01-01

Kinaesthetic learning activities (KLAs) can be a valuable pedagogical tool for physics instructors. They have been shown to increase engagement, encourage participation and improve learning outcomes. This paper details several KLAs developed at Rutgers University for inclusion in an instructional unit about semiconductors, p-n junctions and solar…

Performance in Physiology Evaluation: Possible Improvement by Active Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montrezor, Luís H.

2016-01-01

The evaluation process is complex and extremely important in the teaching/learning process. Evaluations are constantly employed in the classroom to assist students in the learning process and to help teachers improve the teaching process. The use of active methodologies encourages students to participate in the learning process, encourages…

Organizational Learning, Tacit Information, and E-Learning: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falconer, Liz

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce and develop the argument that e-learning technologies and techniques can play a pivotal role in encouraging and facilitating organizational learning, by transforming tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge and diffusing it throughout the organization. Design/methodology/approach: By synthesising…

Beyond the Art Lesson: Free-Choice Learning Centers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werth, Laurie

2010-01-01

In this article, the author emphasizes that by providing learning centers in the art studio environment and by providing "free-choice time," art educators can encourage and reinforce the natural learning styles of students. Learning centers give elementary students the freedom to pursue individual artistic expression. They give students an…

Employees' and Managers' Accounts of Interactive Workplace Learning: A Grounded Theory of "Complex Integrative Learning"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armson, Genevieve; Whiteley, Alma

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate employees' and managers' accounts of interactive learning and what might encourage or inhibit emergent learning. Design/methodology/approach: The approach taken was a constructivist/social constructivist ontology, interpretive epistemology and qualitative methodology, using grounded theory…

Promoting "Social and Emotional Learning" through Service-Learning Art Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Robert L.; Hutzel, Karen

2007-01-01

This article intends to encourage teachers to explore ways "social and emotional learning" (SEL) and art education can enhance each other. Service-learning art projects were presented as one example, employing collaborate-and-create, asset-based methods integrated with SEL instruction. Advantages anticipated from combining these methods result…

Answering Big Questions through Self-Organized Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rix, Sally

2017-01-01

Self-organized learning was developed by Professor Sugata Mitra of Newcastle University on the foundation of his firm belief that learning will emerge spontaneously when children are encouraged to be curious and are allowed to self-organize. There are seven dedicated Self-Organized Learning Environments (SOLEs) that Mitra established in…

Stealth Learning: Unexpected Learning Opportunities through Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Laura A.

2012-01-01

Educators across the country struggle to create engaging, motivating learning environments for their Net Gen students. These learners expect instant gratification that traditional lectures do not provide. This leaves educators searching for innovative ways to engage students in order to encourage learning. One solution is for educators to use…

Enriching the Curriculum through Service Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinsley, Carol W., Ed.; McPherson, Kate, Ed.

In this practical guide to service learning, 21 contributors describe specific service-learning projects that have enhanced the curriculum in schools across the United States and that have improved student learning in the process. In the Foreword, U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard W. Riley, encourages schools to incorporate service learning…

A Practice-Based Approach to Student Reflection in the Workplace during a Work-Integrated Learning Placement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sykes, Christopher; Dean, Bonnie Amelia

2013-01-01

In the Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) curriculum, reflection on workplace activities is widely used to support student learning. Recent critiques have demonstrated the limitations of current approaches to support students' reflective learning of workplace practices. By employing a practice-based approach, we seek to refocus WIL reflection on…

The Inculcation of Critical Reflection through Reflective Learning Log: An Action Research in Entrepreneurship Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kheng, Yeoh Khar

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study is part of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) grant to examine written reflective learning log among the students studying BPME 3073 Entrepreneurship in UUM. Method: The data collection techniques is researcher-directed textual data through reflective learning log; obtained from students of one hundred forty. A…

Toy Pigs Teach Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Lanee

2016-01-01

Research shows that playing games in the classroom improves students' attitudes toward mathematics, increases motivation to practice skills inside and outside the classroom, and increases learning by encouraging students of all levels to participate. Rutherford asserts that playing games encourages strategic mathematical thinking and supports…

A Young Adult Diet for Adults: Bring on the Good Stuff!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Follos, Alison

2004-01-01

"Title Trekking program" is a young adult reading program that encourages students to read books from a carefully selected reading list and reflect about them in a journal. The program's momentum comes from personal communication and encouragement, which includes staff sharing good books with their students, sharing them with each other, and…

Learning Together with Children. Learning with Your Child Is One of the Greatest Joys of Parenting. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Jeanette Kroese

Written from both a personal and a professional perspective, this book discusses how parents can help their children learn by learning along with them. Part One, "The Learning-Teaching Parent," encourages parents to participate in the learning process with their child. Chapters in this section are: (1) "The Learning Child"; (2) "The Roots of…

Technology Enhanced Learning in Programming Courses--International Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivanovic, Mirjana; Xinogalos, Stelios; Pitner, Tomáš; Savic, Miloš

2017-01-01

Technology enhanced learning (TEL) is increasingly influencing university education, mainly in overcoming disadvantages of direct instruction teaching approaches, and encouraging creativity, problem solving and critical thinking in student-centered, interactive learning environments. In this paper, experiences from object-oriented programming…

Nemachtilli: The Spirit of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Luis J.

2005-01-01

Luis J. Rodriguez believes that the spirit of learning is not nurtured or encouraged in schools because the spirit of teaching is absent. Learning is not just about books but it happens in all kind of ways that should be nurtured with spirit.

Encouraging Self-Reflection by Business Honors Students: Reflective Writing, Films, and Self-Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoder, Stephen A.

2017-01-01

"The Moral Imagination," edited by Oliver F. Williams is a collection of essays written nearly twenty years ago on how honors educators might teach students to develop a sense of moral imagination through literature, art, and film. The book's subtitle--"How Literature and Films Can Stimulate Ethical Reflection in the Business…

Reporting or Reconstructing? The Zine as a Medium for Reflecting on Research Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vong, Silvia

2016-01-01

In a research-based course, undergraduate third year students were asked to submit their reflections on their research experience in the zine medium. While the literature shows that the medium can encourage students to reflect meaningfully about their experiences, evaluating the medium, which is a mix of text and visuals, can be challenging for…

Making Connections for Mindful Inquiry: Using Reflective Journals to Scaffold an Autobiographical Approach to Learning in Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackshields, Daniel

2009-01-01

This research develops a narrative of incidents of intentional learning by students studying undergraduate economics as represented in their written reflective journals. The deliberate integration of learner reflection, reflective practice and reflective writing into the pedagogy may facilitate transfer learning (Sousa, 2006). Transfer has been…

Reflection in Work-Based Learning: Self-Regulation or Self-Liberation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siebert, Sabina; Walsh, Anita

2013-01-01

This article considers the role of reflective practice in work-based learning in higher education. The benefits of using reflection for learning at work have been widely recognised and the pedagogy to support reflection is now established. However, the use of reflective practice has been subjected to considerable critique, and many of the…

Developing mathematical practices through reflection cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinholz, Daniel L.

2016-09-01

This paper focuses on reflection in learning mathematical practices. While there is a long history of research on reflection in mathematics, it has focused primarily on the development of conceptual understanding. Building on notion of learning as participation in social practices, this paper broadens the theory of reflection in mathematics learning. To do so, it introduces the concept of reflection cycles. Each cycle begins with prospective reflection, which guides one's actions during an experience, and ends with retrospective reflection, which consolidates the experience and informs the next reflection cycle. Using reflection cycles as an organizing framework, this paper synthesizes the literature on reflective practices at a variety of levels: (1) metacognition, (2) self-assessment, (3) noticing, and (4) lifelong learning. These practices represent a spectrum of reflection, ranging from the micro level (1) to macro level (4).

Junior doctors' guide to portfolio learning and building.

PubMed

Kitchen, Mark

2012-10-01

A portfolio is a collection of evidence supporting an individual's achievement of competencies and learning outcomes. The material included in the portfolio must be reflected upon, as reflection provides the evidence that learning has taken place. Portfolio learning is important for two principal reasons: assessment of the trainee, and for lifelong learning and reflection. The ability of a portfolio to be used for both summative and formative assessment makes it a flexible and robust assessment method. A portfolio also demonstrates reflection and lifelong learning abilities. Reflective learning is key to postgraduate medical education: it is part of both the Foundation Programme curriculum and General Medical Council guidance on best practice. To ensure correct learning outcomes are identified and evidenced, the curriculum programme must be referred to and an educational supervisor should be consulted. Once identified, it is necessary to: identify how these outcomes can be met (learning needs); decide what needs to be done to meet these needs; reflect on what has been done; and evidence what has been done in the portfolio. Evidence could include written feedback, certificates of course completion, online learning modules, etc. A learning portfolio is a necessary tool for every postgraduate medical trainee. The portfolio serves to record and evidence all learning that has taken place, and thereon acts as a guide for future learning needs. The key process to portfolio building and learning is the provision of evidence by reflecting upon the learning that has taken place. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

A student-centred feedback model for educators.

PubMed

Rudland, Joy; Wilkinson, Tim; Wearn, Andy; Nicol, Pam; Tunny, Terry; Owen, Cathy; O'Keefe, Maree

2013-04-01

Effective feedback is instrumental to effective learning. Current feedback models tend to be educator driven rather than learner-centred, with the focus on how the supervisor should give feedback rather than on the role of the learner in requesting and responding to feedback. An alternative approach emphasising the theoretical principles of student-centred and self-regulated learning is offered, drawing upon the literature and also upon the experience of the authors. The proposed feedback model places the student in the centre of the feedback process, and stresses that the attainment of student learning outcomes is influenced by the students themselves. This model emphasises the attributes of the student, particularly responsiveness, receptiveness and reflection, whilst acknowledging the important role that the context and attributes of the supervisor have in influencing the quality of feedback. Educational institutions should consider strategies to encourage and enable students to maximise the many feedback opportunities available to them. As a minimum, educators should remind students about their central role in the feedback process, and support them to develop confidence in meeting this role. In addition, supervisors may need support to develop the skills to shift the balance of responsibility and support students in precipitating feedback moments. Research is also required to validate the proposed model and to determine how to support students to adopt self-regulatory learning, with feedback as a central platform. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2013.

Utilizing Team Debate to Increase Student Abilities for Mentoring and Critical Appraisal of Global Health Care in Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs.

PubMed

Elliott, Naomi; Farnum, Karen; Beauchesne, Michelle

2016-01-01

Although graduates of doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs are expected to demonstrate competence in advanced clinical scholarship, mentoring, and leadership, little is published about how team debate on a global health care topic supports DNP student learning and skill development. This article reports on an illuminative evaluation of DNP student learning experiences of team debate in the context of a 2-week international school program in Ireland. A focused illuminative evaluation approach involving a cohort of seven DNP students, who had participated in an international school team debate, was used. Data were collected using a Web-based qualitative questionnaire designed to elicit in-depth reflective accounts of DNP students' learning experiences. Content analysis revealed that team debate on a global health care topic enhanced learning in relation to fostering critical thinking and critical appraisal skills; encouraging teamwork; providing opportunities for mentoring, relationship building, and socialization into profession; and, from the DNP student perspective, increasing knowledge and global understanding of health care. This evaluation provides insights for nurse educators into the benefits of introducing team debate as a group activity to enhancing scholarly inquiry and mentoring skills of DNP students. Further research to evaluate team debate in other nurse education programs is needed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Illuminating and inspiring: using television historical drama to cultivate contemporary nursing values and critical thinking.

PubMed

McAllister, Margaret; Rogers, Irene; Lee Brien, Donna

2015-01-01

As the world prepares to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, it is timely to discuss meaningful learning activities that students of nursing could be engaged in to encourage them to reflect on the nurse's role then and now. Several films and television series about the war and featuring nursing have already been aired. No doubt there will be many more stories to come. Such stories have the potential to do more than eulogise nursing for students and practitioners. Stories, such as The crimson field, have potential to stimulate serious contemplation about values and cultural practices that have remained constant or have changed and to assist students to develop and articulate values that will be fitting for contemporary practice. Recently, excerpts from the series were examined with a group of nursing students and key learnings were found. These are shared in this paper for the benefit of educators planning to utilise public discourse as triggers to engage nursing students in discussions about nursing values, nursing history and representations of the profession.

Transforming an idea into a scholarly project.

PubMed

Ng, Lillian; Cullum, Sarah; Cheung, Gary; Friedman, Susan Hatters

2018-04-01

This article describes components of a workshop designed to orientate psychiatric trainees to the task of conducting a scholarly project. The aims are: to promote an approach that incorporates principles of adult learning to guide trainees who are undertaking research; to allow trainees to transform their ideas into more tangible research questions; and to enable supervisors to reflect on delivering similar content in scholarly project workshops. The workshop comprised: creating a safe space to explore ideas; discussing the process of posing a question or hypothesis; using group interactions to generate concepts; and considering personal values that influence the choice of research methodology to answer a question. Examples are provided from the workshop. The process enabled trainees to generate and distil ideas into more concrete questions and methods in three phases: introductory, exploratory and tangible. Adult learning principles may assist trainees to develop their ideas for a scholarly project into research questions that are relevant to clinical practice. Harnessing the creative potential of a peer collective may encourage deeper inquiry, shifts to a tangible output and a sustained interest in research.

Conceptual Blending Monitoring Students' Use of Metaphorical Concepts to Further the Learning of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fredriksson, Alexandra; Pelger, Susanne

2018-03-01

The aim of this study is to explore how tertiary science students' use of metaphors in their popular science article writing may influence their understanding of subject matter. For this purpose, six popular articles written by students in physics or geology were analysed by means of a close textual analysis and a metaphor analysis. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students. The articles showed variation regarding the occurrence of active (non-conventional) metaphors, and metaphorical concepts, i.e. metaphors relating to a common theme. In addition, the interviews indicated that students using active metaphors and metaphorical concepts reflected more actively upon their use of metaphors. These students also discussed the possible relationship between subject understanding and creation of metaphors in terms of conceptual blending. The study suggests that students' process of creating metaphorical concepts could be described and visualised through integrated networks of conceptual blending. Altogether, the study argues for using conceptual blending as a tool for monitoring and encouraging the use of adequate metaphorical concepts, thereby facilitating students' opportunities of understanding and influencing the learning of science.

Preceptor questioning and student critical thinking.

PubMed

Myrick, Florence; Yonge, Olive

2002-01-01

Questioning is fundamental to student learning. Not only does it enable students to elevate their level of thinking, but in the process it also affords them the opportunity to deal with their world intelligently. The practice setting is an environment rich in opportunity for enabling critical thinking through the use of questioning. In the preceptorship experience, preceptors are in a prime position to use questioning behaviors that can challenge the way preceptees think, encourage them to justify or clarify their assertions, promote the generation of original ideas, explanations, or solutions to patient problems, provide mental and emotional tools to help resolve dilemmas, promote discussion, and evaluate learning. This article discusses the importance of preceptor questioning for the development and promotion of student critical thinking. Contextually, the authors draw on the findings of a recent study in which preceptor questioning of the knowledge base, decision making, and actions of the preceptee were found to directly bring about or trigger their critical thinking. This article allows for some further reflection on that process and its contribution to the enhancement of the preceptorship experience. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Learning from peer feedback on student-generated multiple choice questions: Views of introductory physics students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kay, Alison E.; Hardy, Judy; Galloway, Ross K.

2018-06-01

PeerWise is an online application where students are encouraged to generate a bank of multiple choice questions for their classmates to answer. After answering a question, students can provide feedback to the question author about the quality of the question and the question author can respond to this. Student use of, and attitudes to, this online community within PeerWise was investigated in two large first year undergraduate physics courses, across three academic years, to explore how students interact with the system and the extent to which they believe PeerWise to be useful to their learning. Most students recognized that there is value in engaging with PeerWise, and many students engaged deeply with the system, thinking critically about the quality of their submissions and reflecting on feedback provided to them. Students also valued the breadth of topics and level of difficulty offered by the questions, recognized the revision benefits afforded by the resource, and were often willing to contribute to the community by providing additional explanations and engaging in discussion.

Learning for Today: The Interaction between Pedagogy, Learning Spaces and Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selinger, Michelle

2011-01-01

A new pedagogy is emerging, placing students at the centre of the learning process and encouraging teachers to draw from a larger repertoire of strategies and skills to lead interdisciplinary and project-based work. The best learning is authentic--engaging students in their own learning in practical and real-life contexts that demonstrate the…

Data-Driven Learning of Speech Acts Based on Corpora of DVD Subtitles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitao, S. Kathleen; Kitao, Kenji

2013-01-01

Data-driven learning (DDL) is an inductive approach to language learning in which students study examples of authentic language and use them to find patterns of language use. This inductive approach to learning has the advantages of being learner-centered, encouraging hypothesis testing and learner autonomy, and helping develop learning skills.…

When Learning and Change Collide: Examining Student Claims to Have "Learned Nothing"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Justin; Pinnegar, Stefinee; Esplin, Pat

2010-01-01

The study presents an analysis of student papers at the end of a problem-based course designed to create an active learning environment and encourage a deep approach to learning. It explores the achievement and participation characteristics of students claiming to have "learned nothing" and suggests the impact of student resistance. (Contains 3…

Study to Minimize Learning Progress Differences in Software Learning Class Using PLITAZ System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Jian-Jie; Hwang, Wu-Yuin

2012-01-01

This study developed a system using two-phased strategies called "Pause Lecture, Instant Tutor-Tutee Match, and Attention Zone" (PLITAZ). This system was used to help solve learning challenges and to minimize learning progress differences in a software learning class. During a teacher's lecture time, students were encouraged to anonymously express…

Problem-Based Service Learning with a Heart: Organizational and Student Expectations and Experiences in a Postgraduate Not-for-Profit Workshop Event

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Sharyn; Ogden-Barnes, Stephen

2013-01-01

Service learning and problem-based learning (PBL) are distinct, yet related educational approaches. When collaborative learning events which encourage the application of the PBL principles to real world challenges faced by Not-For-Profit organizations (NFPs), these learning approaches become potentially synergistic. However, there is limited…

Learning in Structured Connectionist Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-01

the structure is too rigid and learning too difficult for cognitive modeling. Two algorithms for learning simple, feature-based concept descriptions...and learning too difficult for cognitive model- ing. Two algorithms for learning simple, feature-based concept descriptions were also implemented. The...Term Goals Recent progress in connectionist research has been encouraging; networks have success- fully modeled human performance for various cognitive

The Mobile Learning Network: Getting Serious about Games Technologies for Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petley, Rebecca; Parker, Guy; Attewell, Jill

2011-01-01

The Mobile Learning Network currently in its third year, is a unique collaborative initiative encouraging and enabling the introduction of mobile learning in English post-14 education. The programme, funded jointly by the Learning and Skills Council and participating colleges and schools and supported by LSN has involved nearly 40,000 learners and…

Investigation of a reflective pedagogy to encourage pre-service physics teachers to explore argumentation as an aid to conceptual understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lancaster, Greg; Cooper, Rebecca

2016-05-01

An emerging focus of recent science education research advocates the benefits of using argumentation as an approach in which teachers can better engage students in a more authentic experience of the epistemic work of scientists (Bricker and Bell, 2008). Logical argument and critical thinking are considered essential skills for an effective and successful undertaking of scientific inquiry and analysis. Early research suggests the practise of encouraging students to engage in scientific discourse in the classroom (Kuhn, 2010) can provide rich experiences for students and teachers to hone their cognitive abilities. This paper explores the use of critical `discussion problems' purposefully designed for pre-service physics teachers to investigate their own alternative conceptual understandings of key physics ideas. It also discusses how these problems are then used to generate classroom discourse which focuses on the importance of developing effective pedagogical content knowledge (See Shulman, 1986 for a detailed explanation of pedagogical content knowledge) rather than just mastery of scientific content and its mathematical applications. Further, the paper will detail a preliminary study in which pre-service physics teachers were introduced to a number of discussion problems via an online learning environment and asked to first consider the problem and post a solution in isolation from their peers. A considerable challenge was persuading the pre-service teachers to resist the common practice of "Googling the answer" via the internet before posting their solution attempt. Although most students initially appeared to believe that posting "the correct" answer was the main task objective, the vast majority eventually came to realise that discussing the range of unresearched solutions was much more beneficial for their conceptual understanding and professional practice. Over time, this approach generally encouraged students to post original ideas and to be less influenced by the arguments or analysis of other students. Following the completion of the online posts, the range of ideas included in the postings were then explored during a face to face workshop where the ideas were debated and frequently defended and the implications for pedagogy and their students learning discussed. The initial feedback from the pre-service teachers during this preliminary study is encouraging and suggests there is merit in exploring the benefits of argumentation for pre-service teachers and their students in a subsequent expanded study.

Neural Mechanisms Supporting Acquired Phasic Dopamine Responses in Learning: An Integrative Synthesis

PubMed Central

Hazy, Thomas E.; Frank, Michael J.; O’Reilly, Randall C.

2010-01-01

What biological mechanisms underlie the reward-predictive firing properties of midbrain dopaminergic neurons, and how do they relate to the complex constellation of empirical findings understood as Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning? We previously presented PVLV, a biologically-inspired Pavlovian learning algorithm accounting for DA activity in terms of two interrelated systems: a primary value (PV) system, which governs how DA cells respond to a US (reward) and; a learned value (LV) system, which governs how DA cells respond to a CS. Here, we provide a more extensive review of the biological mechanisms supporting phasic DA firing and their relation to the spate of Pavlovian conditioning phenomena and their sensitivity to focal brain lesions. We further extend the model by incorporating a new NV (novelty value) component reflecting the ability of novel stimuli to trigger phasic DA firing, providing “novelty bonuses” which encourages exploratory working memory updating and in turn speeds learning in trace conditioning and other working memory-dependent paradigms. The evolving PVLV model builds upon insights developed in many earlier computational models, especially reinforcement learning models based on the ideas of Sutton and Barto, biological models, and the psychological model developed by Savastano and Miller. The PVLV framework synthesizes these various approaches, overcoming important shortcomings of each by providing a coherent and specific mapping to much of the relevant empirical data at both the micro- and macro-levels, and examines their relevance for higher order cognitive functions. PMID:19944716

Learning from near misses: from quick fixes to closing off the Swiss-cheese holes.

PubMed

Jeffs, Lianne; Berta, Whitney; Lingard, Lorelei; Baker, G Ross

2012-04-01

The extent to which individuals in healthcare use near misses as learning opportunities remains poorly understood. Thus, an exploratory study was conducted to gain insight into the nature of, and contributing factors to, organisational learning from near misses in clinical practice. A constructivist grounded theory approach was employed which included semi-structured interviews with 24 participants (16 clinicians and 8 administrators) from a large teaching hospital in Canada. This study revealed three scenarios for the responses to near misses, the most common involved 'doing a quick fix' where clinicians recognised and corrected an error with no further action. The second scenario consisted of reporting near misses but not hearing back from management, which some participants characterised as 'going into a black hole'. The third scenario was 'closing off the Swiss-cheese holes', in which a reported near miss generated corrective action at an organisational level. Explanations for 'doing a quick fix' included the pervasiveness of near misses that cause no harm and fear associated with reporting the near miss. 'Going into a black hole' reflected managers' focus on operational duties and events that harmed patients. 'Closing off the Swiss-cheese holes' occurred when managers perceived substantial potential for harm and preventability. Where learning was perceived to occur, leaders played a pivotal role in encouraging near-miss reporting. To optimise learning, organisations will need to determine which near misses are appropriate to be responded to as 'quick fixes' and which ones require further action at the unit and corporate levels.

Blogging for Reflection: The Use of Online Journals to Engage Students in Reflective Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muncy, James A.

2014-01-01

Reflective learning has long been studied in many disciplines. A primary way that reflective learning has been taught is through journaling. With the advent of e-learning, journaling has moved to the Web in the form of blogs. The current paper reviews the current state of journaling and blogging research with specific recommendations for marketing…

Mobile and Online Learning Journal: Effects on Apprentices' Reflection in Vocational Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauroux, Laetitia; Könings, Karen D.; Zufferey, Jessica Dehler; Gurtner, Jean-Luc

2014-01-01

While learning journals (LJs) have been shown to support self-regulated learning strategies, reflection and learning outcomes in academic contexts, few studies have investigated their relevance in vocational education. A mobile and online learning journal (MOLJ) was developed to support reflection on workplace experiences. However, acceptance of…

Facilitating Online Reflective Learning for Health and Social Care Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Jane; Rawlinson, Mark; Weaver, Mike

2006-01-01

Health and social care education has a long established association with reflective learning as a way of developing post-qualifying professional practice. Reflective learning is also a key feature of self-regulatory learning, which is an essential aspect of life-long learning for today's National Health Service workforce. Using a small-scale case…

The Effects of Experiential Learning with an Emphasis on Reflective Writing on Deep-Level Processing of Leadership Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Copie; Boyd, Barry L.; Dooley, Kim E.

2010-01-01

Experiential learning and reflective writing are important components of college instructors' repertoires. Learning is not complete without proper reflection. The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate students' perceptions of learning in a leadership course that emphasized experiential learning methods. The respondents included the…

Learning Institution to Learning Organization: Kudos to Reflective Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeo, Roland K.

2006-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explore if reflective inquiry and action learning have an influence on job and organizational effectiveness. A reflective-action learning framework will be used as a prior theory to illustrate its link to organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach: The case organization is a Singapore higher learning…

Practitioner Reflections on Engineering Students' Engagement with e-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Rosemary L.; Richardson, Jennifer C.; Banky, George P.; Coller, Brianno D.; Jaksa, Mark B.; Lindsay, Euan D.; Maier, Holger R.

2011-01-01

This paper reports on an investigation of student engagement with e-learning, using practitioner reflection as a lens. Five e-learning practitioners each provided a case study from their teaching, which was the focus of practitioners' reflective accounts. Each of the practitioners had used e-learning as a way of promoting both learning and…

Lessons from medical students' perceptions of learning reflective skills: a multi-institutional study.

PubMed

Vivekananda-Schmidt, Pirashanthie; Marshall, Michelle; Stark, Patsy; McKendree, Jean; Sandars, John; Smithson, Sarah

2011-01-01

A core competency during undergraduate medical training is the development of reflective learning. The current literature is limited to demonstrating how reflective learning has been implemented or the approaches to its development. There is a lack of insight into students' perceptions of reflection and the factors that support development of reflective practice. Bridging this gap may provide insight into how reflective learning within the curriculum can be better developed to increase engagement from learners. Eight focus group interviews with second year students from four UK medical schools were held. Results were thematically analysed. Students have a high level of understanding of the purpose of reflection in practice but they perceive that there is a tension between public and private reflections. Assessment of the reflective process was perceived to be useful for developing reflective skills but grading of their reflective writing was not considered to be useful. Staff who champion the development of reflective skills and mentor students were perceived to play key roles in aiding the development of reflective skills. Appropriate experiences were seen to be a key part of developing reflective skills. These findings highlight potential ways to revise and improve engagement with the reflective learning components of undergraduate courses.

Interactive Learning Program (ILP)- a concept for life long learning and Capacity Building of Stakeholders in Integrated Flood Management (IFM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasche, E.; Manojlovic, N.; Basener, S.; Behzadnia, N.

2009-04-01

In the paradigm shift in flood management from traditional to more integrated approach the key to initialising this transition stage is capacity building of stakeholders. It supports the effective participation of stakeholders within their role by giving the individuals/professionals and institutions required knowledge and skills. Such a process of empowering targeted stakeholder groups should be based on the interactive learning rather than mere delivering of flood related information. It can be achieved by initiating the learning process and developing life-long learning programs in form of blended learning that combines both, supervised online and face-to-face approaches. The learning concept based on the didactic principle of Kolb/Fry, has been used as a basis for development of the Interactive Learning Program (ILP) presented in this paper. Kolb/Fry define learning as a cyclic process dividing it into four steps: concrete experience, reflection & observation, forming abstract concepts, testing of acquainted knowledge in new situations. As the knowledge to understand the complexity of IFM is extensive and required level usually cannot be achieved within the face-to-face phase, additional autodidactic learning module tailored to the individual skills should be included in the learning program. ILP combines both, the face-to-face sessions following the Kolb?s learning cycle including theoretical and practical aspects and autodidactic phase by means of the e-learning platform based on the web dissemination strategy for IFM- Kalypso Inform (Pasche/Kraus/Manojlovic). According to this strategy, the access to the flood related information is enabled through three different modules Tutorial, Knowledge Base and Virtual Trainer enabling interaction with the system. This ILP is generic and can be tailored to requirements of different stakeholder groups depending on their role and level of integration in IFM. The first results, obtained for both public and private stakeholders, are encouraging indicating that such concepts should become a substantial part of the IFM.

Promoting Independent Learning by Curriculum Design and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Gill

2007-01-01

Purpose: This paper evaluates whether the revalidated Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) programme encourages independent learning by its curriculum design, delivery and assessment. Results: Evidence regarding the promotion of independent learning was gained from learners and external examiners. The scientific publications, presentations and posters…

7 CFR 1703.100 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... RURAL DEVELOPMENT Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program-General § 1703.100 Purpose. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loan and Grant Program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of...

7 CFR 1703.100 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... RURAL DEVELOPMENT Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program-General § 1703.100 Purpose. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loan and Grant Program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of...

7 CFR 1703.100 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... RURAL DEVELOPMENT Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program-General § 1703.100 Purpose. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loan and Grant Program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of...

7 CFR 1703.100 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... RURAL DEVELOPMENT Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program-General § 1703.100 Purpose. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loan and Grant Program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of...

A Reflection on Reflection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Pat

2002-01-01

Reflects on the articles in this themed issue on reflective practice. Notes that these teacher/authors have been influenced by prior learning, past experience, feelings, attitudes, values, the school constraints on the learning environment, and their own assumptions about teaching. Describes how teachers have formed a learning community to…

Self-reflection and academic performance: is there a relationship?

PubMed

Lew, Magdeleine D N; Schmidt, Henk G

2011-10-01

The purposes of the present study were two-fold: first, to evaluate whether reflection journal writing was effective in promoting self-reflection and learning, and whether students become better at self-reflection if they engage continuously in reflection journal writing. To that end, the reflection journals of 690 first-year applied science students at a local polytechnic were studied by means of an automated coding procedures using software. Data was collected twice, once at the beginning and again towards the end of an academic year. Outcomes of the textual content analyses revealed that students reflected on both the process and contents of their learning: critical review of past learning experiences, learning strategies and summaries of what was learned. Correlational analyses showed weak to moderate inter-relationships between the textual categories and their classroom and knowledge acquisition test grades. Taken together, the findings suggest that self-reflection on both how and what students have learned does lead to improvements in academic performance, although to a limited extent.

Reflection on Cuboid Net with Mathematical Learning Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sari, Atikah; Suryadi, Didi; Syaodih, Ernawulan

2017-09-01

This research aims to formulate an alternative to the reflection in mathematics learning activities related to the activities of the professionalism of teachers motivated by a desire to improve the quality of learning. This study is a qualitative study using the Didactical Design research. This study was conducted in one of the elementary schools. The data collection techniques are triangulation with the research subject is teacher 5th grade. The results of this study indicate that through deep reflection, teachers can design learning design in accordance with the conditions of the class. Also revealed that teachers have difficulty in choosing methods of learning and contextual learning media. Based on the implementation of activities of reflection and make the learning design based on the results of reflection can be concluded that the quality of learning in the class will develop.

Reflective Learning in Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brockbank, Anne, Ed.; McGill, Ian, Ed.; Beech, Nic, Ed.

This book contains 22 papers on reflective learning in practice. The following papers are included: "Our Purpose" (Ann Brockbank, Ian McGill, Nic Beech); "The Nature and Context of Learning" (Ann Brockbank, Ian McGill, Nic Beech); "Reflective Learning and Organizations" (Ann Brockbank, Ian McGill, Nic Beech);…

The Best of All Worlds: Immersive Interfaces for Art Education in Virtual and Real World Teaching and Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grenfell, Janette

2013-01-01

Selected ubiquitous technologies encourage collaborative participation between higher education students and educators within a virtual socially networked e-learning landscape. Multiple modes of teaching and learning, ranging from real world experiences, to text and digital images accessed within the Deakin studies online learning management…

Promoting Student-Centered Active Learning in Lectures with a Personal Response System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauci, Sally A.; Dantas, Arianne M.; Williams, David A.; Kemm, Robert E.

2009-01-01

We investigated whether an active learning approach, facilitated by a personal response system, would lead to improved student engagement and learning outcomes in large-group physiology lectures for undergraduate science students. We focused on encouraging students' active learning in lectures, whereas previous studies have made more use of…

A Tutorial Programme to Enhance Psychiatry Learning Processes within a PBL-Based Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hood, Sean; Chapman, Elaine

2011-01-01

This paper describes a tutorial programme developed at the University of Western Australia (UWA) to enhance medical students' learning processes within problem-based learning contexts. The programme encourages students to use more effective learning approaches by scaffolding the development of effective problem-solving strategies, and by reducing…

Service Learning Partnership between University and School Students: Experiential Learning Inspired through Community Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nandan, Monica

2010-01-01

This article describes a service learning project implemented jointly by undergraduate and high school students during summer. The service learning project was designed through a Summer Research Institute hosted at a Midwestern University; the institute encouraged faculty to recruit undergraduate students who would partner with area high school…

Unlocking the Potential of Urban Communities: Case Studies of Twelve Learning Cities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdés-Cotera, Raúl, Ed.; Longworth, Norman, Ed.; Lunardon, Katharina, Ed.; Wang, Mo, Ed.; Jo, Sunok, Ed.; Crowe, Sinéad, Ed.

2015-01-01

UNESCO established the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) to encourage the development of learning cities. By providing technical support, capacity development, and a platform where members can share ideas on policies and best practice, this international exchange network helps urban communities create thriving learning cities. The…

Teaching Human Development: A Case for Blended Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cottle, Nathan R.; Glover, Rebecca J.

2011-01-01

This article makes a case for the use of blended learning in teaching human development as a means to encourage higher-order student learning outcomes. The authors review literature regarding the use and effectiveness of blended learning, discuss an illustrative example of a redesign of a human development course, present outcomes from a…

Transgenic Learning for STEAM Subjects and Virtual Containers for OER

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgos, Daniel; Corbí, Alberto

2018-01-01

Transgenic learning is a disruptive approach in education. It encourages modification of moving parts of the educational chain. This article provides a view of transgenic learning focused on the delivery of enriched learning contents in STEAM areas. It discusses the mutagenic role that the virtual containers may play in current distance education.…

Facilitating Students' Ownership of Learning in Science by Developing Lifelong Learning Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Keith; Panizzon, Debra

2010-01-01

Learning is most effective when the scientific context used in the classroom is a transformed extension of the students' real world and so inspires students' intrinsic motivation, encouraging students to ask meaningful questions and seek their own answers through an inquiry or investigative approach. The Student Owned Learning Model (SOLM)…

Enhancing Online Language Learning as a Tool to Boost Employability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Escobar, Sol; Krauß, Susanne

2017-01-01

Online learning is a very flexible way to build and improve language knowledge alongside other work and/or study commitments whilst at the same time encouraging autonomous learning, time management, self-motivation and other skills relevant to employability. Learning on your own, however, can also be daunting. Therefore, the Languages for All…

Innovation in Postgraduate Teaching: Mixed Methods to Enhance Learning and Learning about Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickie, Carolyn; Jay, Leighton

2010-01-01

Growing pressure to restructure and reform tertiary education is encouraging university academics to use innovative practices that assist students to develop "employable" skills. The hybrid approach described in this paper stimulated students to be self-directed adult learners who maximized their learning of content and skills by means…

Historical Examination of the Segregated School Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellegrino, Anthony M.; Mann, Linda J.; Russell, William B., III

2013-01-01

Effective history teaching includes ample opportunities for students to develop historical thinking skills and habits of mind which encourage them to learn content beyond simple acquisition of facts. Covering the profound topic of segregation by employing multiple perspectives and encouraging investigation beyond the traditional narrative provides…

Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students.

PubMed

Hershner, Shelley D; Chervin, Ronald D

2014-01-01

Daytime sleepiness, sleep deprivation, and irregular sleep schedules are highly prevalent among college students, as 50% report daytime sleepiness and 70% attain insufficient sleep. The consequences of sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness are especially problematic to college students and can result in lower grade point averages, increased risk of academic failure, compromised learning, impaired mood, and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. This article reviews the current prevalence of sleepiness and sleep deprivation among college students, contributing factors for sleep deprivation, and the role of sleep in learning and memory. The impact of sleep and sleep disorders on academics, grade point average, driving, and mood will be examined. Most importantly, effective and viable interventions to decrease sleepiness and sleep deprivation through sleep education classes, online programs, encouragement of naps, and adjustment of class time will be reviewed. This paper highlights that addressing sleep issues, which are not often considered as a risk factor for depression and academic failure, should be encouraged. Promotion of university and college policies and class schedules that encourage healthy and adequate sleep could have a significant impact on the sleep, learning, and health of college students. Future research to investigate effective and feasible interventions, which disseminate both sleep knowledge and encouragement of healthy sleep habits to college students in a time and cost effective manner, is a priority.

Radical Diversity in a Global Context; Theoretical Reflections on International Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frelick, John Paul

The author discusses the current role of the university and its relationship to the whole of society in a global context. To the student personnel worker a particular problem is posed; how to encourage cultural contact, particularly with foreign and minority students while at the same time encouraging the conformity necessary for effective…

Fostering professional formation in residency: development and evaluation of the "forum" seminar series.

PubMed

Nothnagle, Melissa; Reis, Shmuel; Goldman, Roberta E; Anandarajah, Gowri

2014-01-01

Residency training is a critical time for physicians' professional formation. However, few structured interventions exist to support residents in this transformative process of integrating personal and professional values, a process that is essential to physician identity formation and preservation of core values such as service and compassion. The authors created a seminar series, the "Forum," to support resident professional formation and address the hidden curriculum as part of a larger intervention to support self-directed learning skills such as goal setting and reflection. Ninety-minute sessions with senior residents and faculty held every other month include opportunities for individual reflection, small- and large-group discussion, and brief didactic components focused on skills such as teaching and leadership. The qualitative program evaluation included analyses of individual semistructured interviews with resident and faculty participants from 2008 to 2011 and of notes recorded by an observer during the 1st year's sessions. Residents appreciated the focus on relevant issues, presence of faculty, opportunities for reflection and interactivity, and inclusion of practical skills. Effects attributed to the Forum included gaining practical skills, feeling a deeper connection to one another and a sense of community, and recognizing progress in their own professional development and growth. Elements described in the literature as essential to professional formation, including encouraging reflection, use of narrative, role modeling, addressing the hidden curriculum, and fostering an authentic community, were recognized by participants as integral to the Forum's success. A group forum for reflection and discussion with peers and role models, tailored to local needs, offers an effective structure to foster professional formation in residency.

Eliciting behavior change in a US sexual violence and intimate partner violence prevention program through utilization of Freire and discussion facilitation.

PubMed

Nelson, Atiba; Lewy, Robin; Ricardo, Francine; Dovydaitis, Tiffany; Hunter, Amber; Mitchell, Ashley; Loe, Claire; Kugel, Candace

2010-09-01

Designed by Migrant Clinicians Network, the Hombres Unidos Contra La Violencia Familiar (Men United Against Family Violence) Project used facilitated discussion groups as the method to encourage self-reflection and behavior change. Male participants were not taught to rectify any past sexual or intimate partner violence (SV/IPV) 'tendencies', rather the discussion facilitation allowed them to reflect on the SV/IPV that was present in their lives and in the Hispanic community. Subsequently, the sessions and self-reflection, coupled with the discussions with other participating males, empowered several participants to have further interactions about SV/IPV with individuals in their community. The discussions led participants to realize that SV/IPV existed in their community, but that there were males within their community that wanted to change. The Hombres Unidos Contra La Violencia Familiar project demonstrated that behavior change does not need to be actively persuaded, but that self-reflection, which elicits behavior change, can be achieved through facilitated discussion and by permitting the facilitators to become participants. By creating sessions that allow participants to construct their own understanding of the perceived problem while reflecting on their past behavior, true behavior change that is initiated by the participant can be achieved. Through discussion facilitation, a targeted and structured behavior change intervention can assist participants in realizing that their past actions were damaging to themselves and their community, while aiding the participant in employing self-initiated responses, learned within the discussions, to alter their behaviors.

Eliciting behavior change in a US sexual violence and intimate partner violence prevention program through utilization of Freire and discussion facilitation

PubMed Central

Nelson, Atiba; Lewy, Robin; Ricardo, Francine; Dovydaitis, Tiffany; Hunter, Amber; Mitchell, Ashley; Loe, Claire; Kugel, Candace

2010-01-01

Designed by Migrant Clinicians Network, the Hombres Unidos Contra La Violencia Familiar (Men United Against Family Violence) Project used facilitated discussion groups as the method to encourage self-reflection and behavior change. Male participants were not taught to rectify any past sexual or intimate partner violence (SV/IPV) ‘tendencies’, rather the discussion facilitation allowed them to reflect on the SV/IPV that was present in their lives and in the Hispanic community. Subsequently, the sessions and self-reflection, coupled with the discussions with other participating males, empowered several participants to have further interactions about SV/IPV with individuals in their community. The discussions led participants to realize that SV/IPV existed in their community, but that there were males within their community that wanted to change. The Hombres Unidos Contra La Violencia Familiar project demonstrated that behavior change does not need to be actively persuaded, but that self-reflection, which elicits behavior change, can be achieved through facilitated discussion and by permitting the facilitators to become participants. By creating sessions that allow participants to construct their own understanding of the perceived problem while reflecting on their past behavior, true behavior change that is initiated by the participant can be achieved. Through discussion facilitation, a targeted and structured behavior change intervention can assist participants in realizing that their past actions were damaging to themselves and their community, while aiding the participant in employing self-initiated responses, learned within the discussions, to alter their behaviors. PMID:20427371

Narrative pedagogy with evolving case study--A transformative approach to gerontic nursing practice for undergraduate nursing students.

PubMed

Laver, Shaorn; Croxon, Lyn

2015-09-01

Engaging nursing students in the complexities of care across community, acute, rehabilitation and residential aged care settings is challenging. Equally challenging is conceptualising and promoting diverse and comprehensive health assessments across care settings that reflect clinical reality, inform clinical decision making, traverse theory and practice, and transform clinical practice knowledge. This article describes the use of narrative and evolving case study as a teaching-learning tool utilised by the authors in a third year undergraduate gerontic nursing subject in a pre-service nursing degree at a rural university. Principles of transformative learning and strengths based nursing were drawn upon in the development of the case study. The aim of the approach was to draw on embedded knowledge and the experiences of students and academics from assorted practice settings to facilitate understanding of the lived experiences of an older community dwelling couple. Using social learning strategies students were encouraged to analyse and think critically and creatively about the situations they were presented with. They identified possible solutions that would be acceptable to the couple. Building on the older couple's strengths, achievements and personal social capital, the aim was to develop a positive paradigm for health and the way older people are viewed by nursing students. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computer Simulations to Support Science Instruction and Learning: A critical review of the literature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetana, Lara Kathleen; Bell, Randy L.

2012-06-01

Researchers have explored the effectiveness of computer simulations for supporting science teaching and learning during the past four decades. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive, critical review of the literature on the impact of computer simulations on science teaching and learning, with the goal of summarizing what is currently known and providing guidance for future research. We report on the outcomes of 61 empirical studies dealing with the efficacy of, and implications for, computer simulations in science instruction. The overall findings suggest that simulations can be as effective, and in many ways more effective, than traditional (i.e. lecture-based, textbook-based and/or physical hands-on) instructional practices in promoting science content knowledge, developing process skills, and facilitating conceptual change. As with any other educational tool, the effectiveness of computer simulations is dependent upon the ways in which they are used. Thus, we outline specific research-based guidelines for best practice. Computer simulations are most effective when they (a) are used as supplements; (b) incorporate high-quality support structures; (c) encourage student reflection; and (d) promote cognitive dissonance. Used appropriately, computer simulations involve students in inquiry-based, authentic science explorations. Additionally, as educational technologies continue to evolve, advantages such as flexibility, safety, and efficiency deserve attention.

Building the Reflective Capacity of Practicing Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rich, Robert A.; Jackson, Sherion H.

2006-01-01

Reflection is often used as a professional development tool in coaching and mentoring leaders. Outside of education, research is underway to learn how managers can develop as learning facilitators in the workplace. However, the current focus on learning communities and learning organizations within education makes reflective thinking particularly…

Cache-Cache Comparison for Supporting Meaningful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jingyun; Fujino, Seiji

2015-01-01

The paper presents a meaningful discovery learning environment called "cache-cache comparison" for a personalized learning support system. The processing of seeking hidden relations or concepts in "cache-cache comparison" is intended to encourage learners to actively locate new knowledge in their knowledge framework and check…

The One School Roomhouse: An Information and Learning Approach to Curriculum Integration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinney, Earl H., Jr.; Yoos, Charles J., II

1998-01-01

Three undergraduate courses--marketing, strategy, and management information systems--were brought together using a metalanguage of learning common to each domain. The intent was to encourage students to appreciate complexity, take responsibility for learning, work in teams, and communicate effectively. (SK)

Online Learning: Is It Meant for Science Courses?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seng, Lau; Mohamad, Fitri Suraya

2002-01-01

Discusses a case study experience in conducting scientific courses with undergraduates at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) using Web-based learning environments to support conventional teaching sessions. Results showed online learning helped students become more interested, encouraged participation in class discussions, and provided more…

78 FR 38915 - Notice of Available Funding and Grant Application Deadlines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-28

... Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 competition. DATES: You may... Federal Agency: Rural Utilities Service (RUS). Funding Opportunity Title: Distance Learning and... financial assistance to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural...

Methods of Reflection about Service Learning: Guided vs. Free, Dialogic vs. Expressive, and Public vs. Private

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sturgill, Amanda; Motley, Phillip

2014-01-01

Reflection is a key component of service learning, but research shows that in order to maximize learning, the reflection must be of high quality. This paper compares the affordances of three different models of written reflection in engendering students' higher-order thought processes. Student reflections were compared across axes of guided versus…

A Formative Assessment-Based Mobile Learning Approach to Improving the Learning Attitudes and Achievements of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chang, Hsun-Fang

2011-01-01

The advancement of mobile and wireless communication technologies has encouraged an increasing number of studies concerning mobile learning, in which students are able to learn via mobile devices without being limited by space and time; in particular, the students can be situated in a real-world scenario associated with the learning content.…

Understanding Individual Patterns of Learning: Implications for the Well-Being of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Toole, Linda

2008-01-01

This article analyses the link between learning and well-being from the perspective that it is important to take into account the individual patterns of how young people learn and to encourage ways in which they can learn how they learn. Consideration is first given to recent insights and research in education and the cognitive and natural…

The Effects of Online Interactive Games on High School Students' Achievement and Motivation in History Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Kuan-Cheng; Wei, Yu Che; Hung, Jason C.

2012-01-01

Many studies demonstrate that Digital Game Based Learning (DGBL) can foster learning effect. The purpose of this study is to survey whether the online game in junior high school students can encourage learning effect in Taiwan's History. So, the research applied Interactive Game-based Learning System (IGLS) to junior high history teaching as an…

How do postgraduate GP trainees regulate their learning and what helps and hinders them? A qualitative study.

PubMed

Sagasser, Margaretha H; Kramer, Anneke W M; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2012-08-06

Self-regulation is essential for professional development. It involves monitoring of performance, identifying domains for improvement, undertaking learning activities, applying newly learned knowledge and skills and self-assessing performance. Since self-assessment alone is ineffective in identifying weaknesses, learners should seek external feedback too. Externally regulated educational interventions, like reflection, learning portfolios, assessments and progress meetings, are increasingly used to scaffold self-regulation.The aim of this study is to explore how postgraduate trainees regulate their learning in the workplace, how external regulation promotes self-regulation and which elements facilitate or impede self-regulation and learning. In a qualitative study with a phenomenologic approach we interviewed first- and third-year GP trainees from two universities in the Netherlands. Twenty-one verbatim transcripts were coded. Through iterative discussion the researchers agreed on the interpretation of the data and saturation was reached. Trainees used a short and a long self-regulation loop. The short loop took one week at most and was focused on problems that were easy to resolve and needed minor learning activities. The long loop was focused on complex or recurring problems needing multiple and planned longitudinal learning activities. External assessments and formal training affected the long but not the short loop. The supervisor had a facilitating role in both loops. Self-confidence was used to gauge competence.Elements influencing self-regulation were classified into three dimensions: personal (strong motivation to become a good doctor), interpersonal (stimulation from others) and contextual (organizational and educational features). Trainees did purposefully self-regulate their learning. Learning in the short loop may not be visible to others. Trainees should be encouraged to actively seek and use external feedback in both loops. An important question for further research is which educational interventions might be used to scaffold learning in the short loop. Investing in supervisor quality remains important, since they are close to trainee learning in both loops.

How do postgraduate GP trainees regulate their learning and what helps and hinders them? A qualitative study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Self-regulation is essential for professional development. It involves monitoring of performance, identifying domains for improvement, undertaking learning activities, applying newly learned knowledge and skills and self-assessing performance. Since self-assessment alone is ineffective in identifying weaknesses, learners should seek external feedback too. Externally regulated educational interventions, like reflection, learning portfolios, assessments and progress meetings, are increasingly used to scaffold self-regulation. The aim of this study is to explore how postgraduate trainees regulate their learning in the workplace, how external regulation promotes self-regulation and which elements facilitate or impede self-regulation and learning. Methods In a qualitative study with a phenomenologic approach we interviewed first- and third-year GP trainees from two universities in the Netherlands. Twenty-one verbatim transcripts were coded. Through iterative discussion the researchers agreed on the interpretation of the data and saturation was reached. Results Trainees used a short and a long self-regulation loop. The short loop took one week at most and was focused on problems that were easy to resolve and needed minor learning activities. The long loop was focused on complex or recurring problems needing multiple and planned longitudinal learning activities. External assessments and formal training affected the long but not the short loop. The supervisor had a facilitating role in both loops. Self-confidence was used to gauge competence.Elements influencing self-regulation were classified into three dimensions: personal (strong motivation to become a good doctor), interpersonal (stimulation from others) and contextual (organizational and educational features). Conclusions Trainees did purposefully self-regulate their learning. Learning in the short loop may not be visible to others. Trainees should be encouraged to actively seek and use external feedback in both loops. An important question for further research is which educational interventions might be used to scaffold learning in the short loop. Investing in supervisor quality remains important, since they are close to trainee learning in both loops. PMID:22866981

Reframing the Concept of Reflection: Consciousness, Experiential Learning, and Reflective Learning Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordi, Richard

2011-01-01

The concept of reflection is common to a range of learning theories and therefore carries various meanings and differing significance. Within theories of adult education, reflection is predominantly conceptualized as the rational analytical process through which human beings extract knowledge from their experience. This article critiques this…

Riding the RAFT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunter, Melissa D.

2016-01-01

Writing about mathematics holds a wealth of benefits for students. When students are given opportunities to write in math class, it helps develop mathematical thinking and language, encourages self-reflection, and provides a better way to organize ideas. Many teachers incorporate journaling and other types of reflective writing into their…

Assumptions, conjectures, and other miracles: The application of evaluative thinking to theory of change models in community development.

PubMed

Archibald, Thomas; Sharrock, Guy; Buckley, Jane; Cook, Natalie

2016-12-01

Unexamined and unjustified assumptions are the Achilles' heel of development programs. In this paper, we describe an evaluation capacity building (ECB) approach designed to help community development practitioners work more effectively with assumptions through the intentional infusion of evaluative thinking (ET) into the program planning, monitoring, and evaluation process. We focus specifically on one component of our ET promotion approach involving the creation and analysis of theory of change (ToC) models. We describe our recent efforts to pilot this ET ECB approach with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Ethiopia and Zambia. The use of ToC models, plus the addition of ET, is a way to encourage individual and organizational learning and adaptive management that supports more reflective and responsive programming. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving Inquiry Teaching through Reflection on Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lotter, Christine R.; Miller, Cory

2017-08-01

In this paper, we explore middle school science teachers' learning of inquiry-based instructional strategies through reflection on practice teaching sessions during a summer enrichment program with middle level students. The reflection sessions were part of a larger year-long inquiry professional development program in which teachers learned science content and inquiry pedagogy. The program included a 2-week summer institute in which teachers participated in science content sessions, practice teaching to middle level students, and small group-facilitated reflection sessions on their teaching. For this study, data collection focused on teachers' recorded dialogue during the facilitator - run reflection sessions, the teachers' daily written reflections, a final written reflection, and a written reflection on a videotaped teaching session. We investigated the teachers' reflection levels and the themes teachers focused on during their reflection sessions. Teachers were found to reflect at various reflection levels, from simple description to a more sophisticated focus on how to improve student learning. Recurrent themes point to the importance of providing situated learning environments, such as the practice teaching with immediate reflection for teachers to have time to practice new instructional strategies and gain insight from peers and science educators on how to handle student learning issues.

Social Media and Networking Technologies: An Analysis of Collaborative Work and Team Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoro, Ephraim A.; Hausman, Angela; Washington, Melvin C.

2012-01-01

Digital communication increases students' learning outcomes in higher education. Web 2.0 technologies encourages students' active engagement, collaboration, and participation in class activities, facilitates group work, and encourages information sharing among students. Familiarity with organizational use and sharing in social networks aids…

Promoting Student Engagement. Volume 1: Programs, Techniques and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Richard L., Ed.; Amsel, Eric, Ed.; Kowalewski, Brenda Marsteller, Ed.; Beins, Bernard C., Ed.; Keith, Kenneth D., Ed.; Peden, Blaine F., Ed.

2011-01-01

To promote student engagement, professors must actively seek to create the conditions that foster engagement. Chickering and Gamson (1987) suggest that good practices in undergraduate education are ones that: encourage student-faculty contact, develop reciprocity and cooperation among students, encourage active learning, provide students with…

Workplace Learning as a Spiritual Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappel, Linda

2017-01-01

This paper reviews the literature on workplace and transformational learning to explore how spirituality can be accessed to encourage individual growth through the development of critical awareness while providing a sense of direction in the workplace as part of organisational learning. In communities and societies where organisations may have…

Living and Learning Within a Limited Budget.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irwin, Martha

Financial problems may be beneficial to certain learning situations because they may provide the teachable moment for educators to gain deeper understandings of alternative curricular practices, such as more extensive use of local resources to provide inexpensive but meaningful learning experiences. Educators must encourage and help students to…

Using Appreciative Inquiry and Dialogical Learning to Explore Dominant Paradigms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neville, Mary Grace

2008-01-01

Experiential learning theory, conversational learning, and seminar practices combine to shape an educational experience that is grounded in principles of appreciative inquiry. The seminar, taught to undergraduate business majors, seeks to encourage students to explore their underlying assumptions about business in society. Because postindustrial…

Successful Strategies for College-Bound Students with Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Richard; Robertson, Jacqueline

2001-01-01

Discussion of support services for college students with learning disabilities presents the nine-step process used at Ball State University (Indiana) to encourage students to identify themselves, meet eligibility guidelines, learn about services and accommodations provided by the university, talk to professors about needed accommodations, use…

[IDEAS For Equitable Computer Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schubert, Jane G.; And Others

Designed to assist educators in improving computer learning opportunities for students, this packet of materials presents practical strategies that address 12 barriers to equitable instruction: (1) lack of encouragement for females and minority students to use computers; (2) potential value of computer learning more apparent to males than females;…

Maker Culture and "Minecraft": Implications for the Future of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niemeyer, Dodie J.; Gerber, Hannah R.

2015-01-01

Collaborative learning environments found with gaming communities can provide excellent structures to study the way that learners act within informal learning environments. For example, many of these gaming communities encourage gamers to create videogames and virtual world walkthroughs and commentaries. Walkthroughs and commentaries provide…

Using a critical reflection process to create an effective learning community in the workplace.

PubMed

Walker, Rachel; Cooke, Marie; Henderson, Amanda; Creedy, Debra K

2013-05-01

Learning circles are an enabling process to critically examine and reflect on practices with the purpose of promoting individual and organizational growth and change. The authors adapted and developed a learning circle strategy to facilitate open discourse between registered nurses, clinical leaders, clinical facilitators and students, to critically reflect on practice experiences to promote a positive learning environment. This paper reports on an analysis of field notes taken during a critical reflection process used to create an effective learning community in the workplace. A total of 19 learning circles were conducted during in-service periods (that is, the time allocated for professional education between morning and afternoon shifts) over a 3 month period with 56 nurses, 33 students and 1 university-employed clinical supervisor. Participation rates ranged from 3 to 12 individuals per discussion. Ten themes emerged from content analysis of the clinical learning issues identified through the four-step model of critical reflection used in learning circle discussions. The four-step model of critical reflection allowed participants to reflect on clinical learning issues, and raise them in a safe environment that enabled topics to be challenged and explored in a shared and cooperative manner. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When Outbound Mobility Programs and Service Learning Align in Pre-Service Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Anne; Truong, Son; Gray, Tonia; Downey, Greg; Hall, Tim; Jones, Benjamin

2017-01-01

This project sought to investigate the learning that comes about from the intersection of outbound mobility experience programs (OMEs) with service learning in pre-service teacher education settings. The aim of the program of international service learning in the case study was to encourage pre-service teachers to rethink potentially ethnocentric…

Evaluation of Health Profession Student Attitudes toward an Online Nutrition Education Problem-Based Learning Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gould, Kathleen; Sadera, William

2015-01-01

The intent of problem-based learning (PBL) is to increase student motivation to learn, to promote critical thinking and to teach students to learn with complexity. PBL encourages students to understand that there are no straightforward answers and that problem solutions depend on context. This paper discusses the experience of undergraduate health…

Self-Regulated Learning in Learning Environments with Pedagogical Agents that Interact in Natural Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graesser, Arthur; McNamara, Danielle

2010-01-01

This article discusses the occurrence and measurement of self-regulated learning (SRL) both in human tutoring and in computer tutors with agents that hold conversations with students in natural language and help them learn at deeper levels. One challenge in building these computer tutors is to accommodate, encourage, and scaffold SRL because these…

Development of a Ubiquitous Learning Platform Based on a Real-Time Help-Seeking Mechanism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Wu, Chih-Hsiang; Tseng, Judy C. R.; Huang, Iwen

2011-01-01

The popularity of mobile devices has encouraged the advance of ubiquitous learning, in which students are situated in a real-world learning environment with support from the digital world via the use of mobile, wireless communications, or even sensing technologies. Most of the ubiquitous learning systems are implemented with high-cost sensing…

The Effects of Positive and Negative Mood on Cognition and Motivation in Multimedia Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liew, Tze Wei; Tan, Su-Mae

2016-01-01

The Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media framework posits that the multimedia learning process is mediated by the learner's mood. Recent studies have shown that positive mood has a facilitating effect on multimedia learning. Though literature has shown that negative mood encourages an individual to engage in a more systematic,…

Plasticity: The Online Learning Environment's Potential to Support Varied Learning Styles and Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greener, Susan L.

2010-01-01

Purpose: "I can't do online learning". This is a surprisingly common response from professional postgraduate students who have a narrow view of what online learning might comprise. Images of screen-gazing at mega-bytes of text or childish multi-choice quizzes on CD-ROMs have encouraged strange reactionary responses from many otherwise…

Implementing a Self-Regulated "WebQuest" Learning System for Chinese Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Hsien-Sheng; Tsai, Chung-Chieh; Lin, Chien-Yu; Lin, Chih-Cheng

2012-01-01

The rapid growth of Internet has resulted in the rise of WebQuest learning recently. Teachers encourage students to participate in the searching for knowledge on different topics. When using WebQuest, students' self-regulation is often the key to successful learning. Therefore, this study establishes a self-regulated learning system to assist…

Predicting Social Presence in the Mobile Digital Learning Venue When Using Blogs, Facebook, and Wikis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bannin, B. Pidgeon

2016-01-01

The adult learner has experienced a massive change in learning options. From a traditional face-to-face classroom with the professor imparting knowledge to a mobile digital learning venue that encourages self-direction and transformative learning, the student is the focus and the professor becomes the facilitator. Adult learners seek out learning…

Does Comparing Solution Methods Facilitate Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge? An Experimental Study on Learning to Solve Equations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Star, Jon R.

2007-01-01

Encouraging students to share and compare solution methods is a key component of reform efforts in mathematics, and comparison is emerging as a fundamental learning mechanism. To experimentally evaluate the effects of comparison for mathematics learning, the authors randomly assigned 70 seventh-grade students to learn about algebra equation…

Introducing a Learning Management System at a Russian University: Students' and Teachers' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emelyanova, Natalya; Voronina, Elena

2014-01-01

Learning management systems (LMS) have been proven to encourage a constructive approach to knowledge acquisition and support active learning. One of the keys to successful and efficient use of LMS is how the stakeholders adopt and perceive this learning tool. The present research is therefore motivated by the importance of understanding teachers'…

An Exploration of Reflection: Expression of Learning Style in an International Experiential Learning Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamm, Alexa J.; Cannon, Karen J.; Roberts, T. Grady; Irani, Tracy A.; Snyder, Lori J. Unruh; Brendemuhl, Joel; Rodriguez, Mary T.

2011-01-01

Experiential learning techniques have been used in agricultural education programs for decades. An essential part of this experiential learning process is reflection. Kolb (1984) stated "knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it" (p. 41) in a process that involves using reflection. Few researchers…

The Effects of Reflective Activities on Skill Adaptation in a Work-Related Instrumental Learning Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roessger, Kevin M.

2014-01-01

In work-related instrumental learning contexts, the role of reflective activities is unclear. Kolb's experiential learning theory and Mezirow's transformative learning theory predict skill adaptation as an outcome. This prediction was tested by manipulating reflective activities and assessing participants' response and error rates during novel…

Investigating the Impact of Formal Reflective Activities on Skill Adaptation in a Work-Related Instrumental Learning Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roessger, Kevin M.

2013-01-01

In work-related, instrumental learning contexts the role of reflective activities is unclear. Kolb's (1985) experiential learning theory and Mezirow's transformative learning theory (2000) predict skill-adaptation as a possible outcome. This prediction was experimentally explored by manipulating reflective activities and assessing participants'…

Learning by Thinking during Play: The Power of Reflection to Aid Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salmon, Angela K.

2016-01-01

Coupled with reflection, play leads to the development of thinking dispositions and promotes deep learning and understanding. The twenty-first century world demands that children learn how to learn by becoming reflective, self-regulating inquirers capable of metacognition (thinking about thinking). This manuscript aims to analyse how young minds…

A Reflective Journey through Theory and Research in Mathematical Learning and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belbase, Shashidhar

2010-01-01

This paper is an attempt to reflect on class sessions during the fall 2010 in a course "Theory and Research in Mathematical Learning and Development". This reflection as a learning journey portrays discussions based on foundational perspectives (FP), historical highlights (HH), and guiding questions (GQ) related to mathematics learning and…

Reflecting on Reflection as a Critical Component in Service Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bloomquist, Catherine

2015-01-01

Despite the popularity of service learning, it is sometimes criticized for its lack of academic rigor. This piece provides a counterpoint to that argument by describing a LIS service-learning course from the student's perspective. I focus particularly on the role of reflection, a key component in service-learning courses that helps to…

Reflective Practices in Professional Learning Communities: A Case Study of the Missouri Professional Learning Communities Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Mary Ann

2012-01-01

Dewey (1933) provided the foundation for reflective practice in education with the notion that learning is not in the doing, but rather it is in the thinking about the doing that creates learning. Evidence is growing about the importance of reflection for improving teaching and learning practices to increase student achievement (York-Barr, et al.,…

Owning Their Learning: Using "Assessment for Learning" to Help Students Assume Responsibility for Planning, (Some) Teaching and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, Robin

2011-01-01

Robin Conway's interest in student-led enquiry derived from a concern to encourage his students to take much more responsibility for their own learning. Here he explains how his department gradually learned to entrust students with defining the enquiry questions and planning the kinds of teaching and learning activities to be used over the course…

Promoting Adult Learning in Public Places: Two Asian Case Studies of Adult Learning about Peace through Museums and Peace Architecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Gavin

2009-01-01

This paper explores an area of adult learning that has received little attention of late, the terrain of public education through museums and civic architecture. The goal of promoting adult learning in public places e.g. through the work of museums has become commonplace in countries seeking to encourage adult learning about peace. This invariably…

A trait based approach to defining valued mentoring qualities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pendall, E.

2012-12-01

Graduate training in the sciences requires strong personal interactions among faculty, senior lab members and more junior members. Within the lab-group setting we learn to frame problems, to conduct research and to communicate findings. The result is that individual scientists are partly shaped by a few influential mentors. We have all been influenced by special relationships with mentors, and on reflection we may find that certain qualities have been especially influential in our career choices. In this presentation I will discuss favorable mentoring traits as determined from an informal survey of scientists in varying stages of careers and from diverse backgrounds. Respondents addressed questions about traits they value in their mentors in several categories: 1) personal qualities such as approachability, humor and encouragement; background including gender, ethnicity, and family status; 2) scientific qualities including discipline or specialization, perceived stature in discipline, seniority, breadth of perspective, and level of expectations; and 3) community-oriented qualities promoted by mentors, such as encouraging service contributions and peer-mentoring within the lab group. The results will be compared among respondents by gender, ethnicity, stage of career, type of work, and subdiscipline within the broadly defined Biogeoscience community. We hope to contribute to the growing discussion on building a diverse and balanced scientific workforce.

The psychosocial impact of NHS Digital Badges on a school-aged cohort.

PubMed

Alexander, Joanne H; Neill, Sarah

2018-01-01

Goal-oriented modalities of learning have long been used in educational settings to promote engagement and encourage a step-by-step approach to the acquisition of skills and knowledge. Historically, badges have been material, but in keeping with technological advancements there is a move towards encouraging greater digital engagement. Digital badges are today's version of the Scouts and Guides badge, a virtual non-material version, increasingly being utilized as a pedagogical resource in education and business settings. In 2015, National Health Service (NHS) England developed and launched its own digital badges aimed at supporting children and young people's education of health and well-being. This article presents findings from the first study to explore the psychosocial impact of NHS Digital Badges as perceived by primary school-aged children and their teachers. We conducted a small-scale evaluation involving children aged 8-10 ( n = 57) and their teachers ( n = 2), from a primary academy (school) in the north of England using NHS Digital Badges in their curriculum. Overwhelmingly, children and teachers reflected on the badges positively, as tools that have the capacity to build perseverance, develop emotional awareness, build relationships and enhance skill and knowledge acquisition. Some participants, though, raised vulnerability and safeguarding issues, and we explore the implications of these for future practice.

Enhancing the supportive care of parents with advanced cancer: development of a self-directed educational manual.

PubMed

Turner, Jane; Clavarino, Alexandra; Yates, Patsy; Hargraves, Maryanne; Connors, Veronica; Hausmann, Sue

2008-08-01

Diagnosing and treating young patients with cancer can be stressful for health professionals; however, when the prognosis is poor and the patient has dependent children, even experienced clinicians can feel distressed and helpless. Parents with advanced cancer commonly express anxiety about the impact of the disease on their children, yet health professionals often feel unable to respond constructively because of lack of training, or concern that discussion about such difficult issues will compound parental distress. In response to this problem, an educational manual has been devised to assist oncology staff to better understand the emotional impact of parental advanced cancer, encompassing information about specific reactions of children, including strategies to help children and families cope. This paper describes the development and content of the resource which provides clinically relevant information and evidence-based recommendations to guide supportive care. The manual differs from the more traditional didactic resources in that it examines the very personal impact for professionals working with parents with advanced disease, encouraging reflection and engages the reader in clinical exercises which encourage active learning and application of knowledge into authentic clinical contexts. Although the manual is designed primarily for nurses, it is clear that much of the information is relevant for all health professionals involved in the care of parents with advanced cancer.

Bridges to Accessibility: A Primer for Including Persons with Disabilities in Adventure Curricula.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Havens, Mark D.

This book encourages the inclusion of persons with disabilities in ongoing adventure programs, motivates adventure leaders to learn more about people with disabilities, and assists specialists in advocating for integrated adventure programming. Centered on attitudinal awareness, the book encourages practitioners to want to make their services…

An Activity to Encourage Writing in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Dyke, Frances; Malloy, Elizabeth J.; Stallings, Virginia

2014-01-01

This article discusses an activity designed to encourage writing to learn in mathematics. There were three stages of data collection. An assessment, requiring basic algebra only, was completed by 118 undergraduates from statistics and calculus courses. Students were given summaries of all participant responses, along with the correct answers.…

Talking with Young Children: How Teachers Encourage Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Test, Joan E.; Cunningham, Denise D.; Lee, Amanda C.

2010-01-01

In general, talking with young children encourages development in many areas: (1) spoken language; (2) early literacy; (3) cognitive development; (4) social skills; and (5) emotional maturity. Speaking with children in increasingly complex and responsive ways does this even better. This article explores research findings about the effects of…

DVD Newsletters: New Ways to Encourage Communication with Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanchez, Claudia; Walsh, Bridget A.; Rose, Katherine Kensinger

2011-01-01

Early childhood educators are always looking for accessible, easy-to-use strategies to enhance communication with families. Technology innovations have the potential to enhance and create more meaningful school and home communication that involves families and encourages them to support their children's learning at home. Effective technological…

Teaching from the Heart: Reflections, Encouragement, and Inspiration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, Sharon M.

This book offers inspiration and encouragement to any person who may have lost sight of the rewards of teaching from a teacher who was the 1997 Teacher of the Year. It features essays, conversations, and poems that can provide a boost when teachers need one. The chapters are: "First Days--My First Days of School, as a Student Teacher, as a…

Crime Scene Soil Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deaton, Cynthia; Simms, Sarah

2017-01-01

Mobile learning is an incredible way to engage students in activities that encourage exploration and critical thinking. This type of learning is defined by the use of portable technology, such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones, to support learning in various environments and in various ways. Depending on the technologies and resources already…

Bye, Bye Verbal-Only Method of Learning: Welcome Interactive Multimedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faryadi, Qais

2006-01-01

Today, our verbal-only paradigm of teaching is on its way out. Interactive multimedia instructions have enabled learners to go forward smiling. Learners are motivated and encouraged by the evolving interactive multimedia to learn cooperatively and above all to learn meaningfully. Integration of interactive multimedia and technology in our…

Examining the Factors Influencing Participants' Knowledge Sharing Behavior in Virtual Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Irene Y. L.; Chen, Nian-Shing; Kinshuk

2009-01-01

Increasing organizations and educational institutions have implemented virtual learning communities to encourage knowledge sharing. However, this task can not be accomplished simply by grouping people together and telling them "sharing your knowledge will make you learn better". This research attempts to examine the factors influencing knowledge…

Assessment of Collaborative Learning Experiences by Graphical Analysis of Wiki Contributions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palomo-Duarte, Manuel; Dodero, Juan Manuel; Medina-Bulo, Inmaculada; Rodríguez-Posada, Emilio J.; Ruiz-Rube, Iván

2014-01-01

The widespread adoption of computers and Internet in our life has reached the classrooms, where computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) based on wikis offers new ways of collaboration and encourages student participation. When the number of contributions from students increases, traditional assessment procedures of e-learning settings…

Service-Learning: Critical Traditions and Geographic Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grabbatin, Brian; Fickey, Amanda

2012-01-01

The rise of service-learning in higher education has been critiqued as little more than community service that encourages students to "do good," but fails to generate original scholarship or social change. In this article, we argue that service-learning gives geographers the opportunity to challenge these critiques, by demonstrating the practical…

Using Mobile Communication Technology in High School Education: Motivation, Pressure, and Learning Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rau, Pei-Luen Patrick; Gao, Qin; Wu, Li-Mei

2008-01-01

Motivation and pressure are considered two factors impacting vocational senior high school student learning. New communication technology, especially mobile communication technology, is supposed to be effective in encouraging interaction between the student and the instructor and improving learning efficiency. Social presence and information…

Creation and Assessment of an Active e-Learning Introductory Geology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sit, Stefany M.; Brudzinski, Michael R.

2017-01-01

The recent emphasis in higher education on both student engagement and online learning encouraged the authors to develop an active e-learning environment for an introductory geohazards course, which enrolls 70+ undergraduate students per semester. Instructors focused on replicating the achievements and addressing the challenges within an already…

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…

Human Learning and Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieberman, David A.

2012-01-01

This innovative textbook is the first to integrate learning and memory, behaviour, and cognition. It focuses on fascinating human research in both memory and learning (while also bringing in important animal studies) and brings the reader up to date with the latest developments in the subject. Students are encouraged to think critically: key…

Innovative Assessment Paradigm to Enhance Student Learning in Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Maaddawy, Tamer

2017-01-01

Incorporation of student self-assessment (SSA) in engineering education offers opportunities to support and encourage learner-led-learning. This paper presents an innovative assessment paradigm that integrates formative, summative, and SSA to enhance student learning. The assessment innovation was implemented in a senior-level civil engineering…

Critical Thinking Assessment across Four Sustainability-Related Experiential Learning Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heinrich, William F.; Habron, Geoffrey B.; Johnson, Heather L.; Goralnik, Lissy

2015-01-01

Today's complex societal problems require both critical thinking and an engaged citizenry. Current practices in higher education, such as service learning, suggest that experiential learning can serve as a vehicle to encourage students to become engaged citizens. However, critical thinking is not necessarily a part of every experiential learning…

Dig That Site: Exploring Archaeology, History, and Civilization on the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garfield, Gary M.; McDonough, Suzanne

This book combines the excitement of the Internet with conventional learning resources to explore early civilizations and cultures. This approach encourages independent student research, problem solving, and decision making while bringing together the fascination of archaeology with the Internet and hands-on learning activities. Students learn the…

Artificial Intelligence and the Education of the Learning Disabled.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halpern, Noemi

1984-01-01

Computer logic is advised for teaching learning disabled children because the computer reduces complicated problems to series of subproblems, then combines solutions of subproblems to solve the initial problem. Seven examples for using the technique are given, including solving verbal math problems. Encourages teachers to learn computer…

TELSQA and the Mainstreamed LD Social Studies Student.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tama, M. Carrol; Martinez, David H.

1988-01-01

Examines research about learning disabled (LD) students and presents an LD learning-style profile. Describes a learning activity, TELSQA, that social studies teachers can use to encourage reading comprehension. TELSQA asks students to identify title (T), examine material (E), look for important words (L), self-question (SQ), and answer…

From Reproduction to Construction: Bhutanese Higher Education Students' Attitudes towards Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stacy, Ivan; Bennett, Cathryn B.

2017-01-01

The rationale for the study is the developing state of Bhutanese higher education, and Bhutanese students' current tendency to employ reproductive learning strategies. This research therefore aims to determine whether using non-linear, semi-autonomous learning activities encourages Bhutanese students to adopt constructivist attitudes towards…

Value Co-Creation through Learning Styles Segmentation and Integrated Course Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Mark; Collins, Marianne K.

2014-01-01

This paper describes an innovative Principles of Marketing course design and delivery which matches learning and teaching styles, while reducing multi-section variation. Value co-creation is encouraged by instructors and students collaborating in the creation of customized learning experiences which facilitates both teaching style and learning…

Evaluating the Effects of a "Student Buddy" Initiative on Student Engagement and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motzo, Anna

2016-01-01

Motivation is one of the most important factors which influences second language learning (Dörnyei, 1998; Gardner & Lambert, 1972). A support mechanism which reinforces student motivation through encouragement, social interaction, feedback, sound learning environments and good teaching is crucial for ensuring successful learning. This is…

Effects of Directed Learning Groups upon Students' Ability to Understand Conceptual Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Karen Gabrielle; Galluzzo, Benjamin Jason

2014-01-01

Mathematical modeling and directed learning groups were employed in a terminal mathematics course to encourage university students to conceptualize real-world mathematics problems. Multiple assessments were utilized to determine whether students' conceptual development is enhanced by participating in directed learning groups conducted in a…

Hitting Restart: Learning and Gaming in an Australian Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altura, Gerard J.; Curwood, Jen Scott

2015-01-01

Research suggests that video games can foster deep engagement, critical thinking, and collaborative learning. To highlight how video games promote student achievement, we focus on a year 9 elective class in Australia. Our findings suggest that this games-based class encouraged student learning and motivated students to develop advanced literacy…

Developing and Evaluating a Chinese Collocation Retrieval Tool for CFL Students and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Howard Hao-Jan; Wu, Jian-Cheng; Yang, Christine Ting-Yu; Pan, Iting

2016-01-01

The development of collocational knowledge is important for foreign language learners; unfortunately, learners often have difficulties producing proper collocations in the target language. Among the various ways of collocation learning, the DDL (data-driven learning) approach encourages the independent learning of collocations and allows learners…