Classroom-based Approach Research Articles

Transforming Islamic Education through Lesson Study (LS): A Classroom-Based Approach to Professional Development in Southern Thailand

Transforming Islamic Education through Lesson Study (LS): A Classroom-Based Approach to Professional Development in Southern Thailand

L2 Reading Assessment from a Sociocultural Theory Perspective: The Contributions of Dynamic Assessment

Our understanding of assessing L2 reading has significantly expanded in recent years, including both theoretical and practical aspects. There is a growing consensus that reading comprehension involves multiple skills and subskills. Classroom-based assessment practices reflecting such conceptualizations have also become widely utilized. This article explores the Vygotskyan sociocultural theory (SCT) and its implications for L2 reading assessment, with a specific focus on dynamic assessment as an effective classroom-based approach for L2 reading and literacy instruction. We will review the research that has applied DA principles to the assessment and teaching of L2 reading. We conclude by outlining potential avenues for future DA research and L2 reading instruction.

Care of the dying – medical student confidence and preparedness: mixed-methods simulation study

ObjectivesOf all doctors, Foundation Year 1 trainees spend the most time caring for dying patients yet report poor preparation and low confidence in providing this care. Despite documented effectiveness of...

E-Learning and It’s Impacts during Covid-19

While the covid-19 pandemic has impacted the education industry, it has also opened the door to a new approach to education delivery. The traditional classroom-based learning approach has evolved into a technology-based one. In terms of education, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And the teachers have risen to the occasion. They have adapted to a new set of alien tools and resources in an environment that no one could have predicted. Science is a sensible activity that income through the testing of theories by suggests that of experimental work and observations. Virtual lab software creates opportunities for alternative access for science education. It is noted that the teaching-learning process gets better outcomes by the integration of emerging technologies and digital content with all their operations.

Preparing project managers for the human aspects of project work: fostering sensemaking abilities

PurposeTo prepare project managers for the human aspects of project work using a new classroom-based approach to foster abilities in collective sensemaking.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed an approach for fostering collective sensemaking abilities through three class sessions inspired by Merrill's First Principles of Instruction. The authors implemented the sessions in two cohorts of students, with a total of 57 participants, and evaluated its impact through a series of surveys.FindingsFindings demonstrated how each component of the educational approach contributed to an increase in students' sensemaking understanding and ability. Through explanation, demonstration and application components, students reported increasing levels of confidence in their ability to facilitate collective sensemaking in practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors’ findings are based on a sample of 57 students in one university setting. Further studies are required to evaluate the educational approach; such studies could use larger numbers of students or other education settings. Triangulating students' reported understanding and abilities would increase confidence in the effectiveness of this approach.Practical implicationsBy explaining the authors’ approach to sensemaking education and providing initial evidence of its success, they provide educators with an example of how to foster collective sensemaking through classroom-based project management education. The approach has potential for teaching other interpersonal skills.Originality/valueThis research provides a novel classroom-based approach to foster sensemaking awareness and skills, and for dispersing contemporary project management thinking and tools to practitioners.

The Effect of Programming Classes with Tangible Scratch Blocks on the Programming Interest of 6th Grade Elementary School Students

In this paper, we introduce an original, classroom-based approach for teaching Scratch programming to 6th grade elementary school students. Scratch is a programming language that involves assembling icon-based command blocks. It was designed to avoid the complex syntax errors seen in other programming languages, making it especially accessible for younger learners. While Scratch does provide a visual programming environment in which potentially just about anyone can learn to read and write programming code, there can still be a reduced overall interest in learning programming, because younger learners in particular can find it difficult to intuitively understand or be stimulated by abstract concepts of programming such as sequences, conditions, and repetition, which are present in Scratch. Our research involves the development of a tangible, electronic block system that allows students to manipulate physical objects with their hands to perform programming tasks. The system consists of a Scratch simulator and physical, Scratch electronic blocks embodying Scratch user interface shapes. We devised and delivered a programming course to 6th grade Korean elementary school students using our block system. The results are encouraging.

The shift from class-based to online learning during COVID-19: A student and academic perception

The COVID-19 pandemic, which was globally declared during the first quarter of the year 2020, led to the transition of teaching activities from the traditional classroom setting to online platforms. This study evaluated preparedness and perception towards online learning and its impact among pharmacy academics and students by using two self-administered questionnaires. Fifteen academics and 60 students answered the questionnaire. Participants had the required technology for online learning (academics n=14, 93%; students n=56, 93%) and believed that the transition to online learning was easy (academics n=12, 80%; students n=41, 68%). Most participants (academics n=12, 80%; students n=46, 77%) stated that online learning allowed more flexibility even though they preferred classroom-based approach. A minority of students stated that the shift to online learning during the pandemic made them feel alone (n=11, 18%), anxious (n=7, 12%) and depressed (n=9, 15%). Given the option, participants would prefer a hybrid learning approach, whereby some teaching activities are switched to online platforms.

The effects of fluency-oriented reading instruction on reading skills

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction on reading skills. The study group consisted of fifth-grade students. The quasi-experimental pretest-posttest comparison group design was used in the present study and a twenty-week study program was carried out. In the experimental intervention process, the Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction method, which is a classroom-based approach for students at different reading levels involving the collective use of multiple reading fluency methods and applications for the whole class, was applied to the experimental group. “Error Analysis Inventory”, “Reading Prosody Rubric”and, "Reading Comprehension Test" were used as data collection tools, "Personal Information Form" was used to determine demographic features, and “Self, Peer and Group Assessment Forms” were used for the students to assess themselves and their peers. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used in the analysis of the data obtained in the study. While the findings obtained revealed significant differences in favor of the experimental group in the students' narrative and informative text reading speed, reading prosody and reading comprehension scores, no significant difference was found between the experimental group and the control groups in terms of word recognition levels. The findings obtained from the present study have shown that Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction, which is carried out with reader’s theater, paired reading, model reading with audiobooks and home reading, affects the reading performances of students.

Experiential Knowledge as Capital and Resistance among Families from Mexican Immigrant Backgrounds

ABSTRACT This qualitative case study examined the creation process and final artifacts of two biliteracy family projects that children and families from Mexican immigrant backgrounds collaboratively created as part of classroom instruction. Data were collected during five months in a first grade bilingual classroom with 22 students and centered on six focal families. The theoretical lenses of critical race theory and community cultural wealth served to analyze how biliteracy family projects facilitate the integration of children and families’ experiential knowledge in a bilingual classroom and how such experiential knowledge emerges as forms of capital in the final products and during the creation process. Findings highlight how children’s experiential knowledge and culturally simultaneous identities appeared through a collaborative process, and how parents facilitated and negotiated their children’s cultural simultaneity as forms of capital. This facilitation included parental strategies that engaged multiples forms of community cultural wealth to avoid cultural loss and enact resistance. This article argues for an integrated and culturally sustaining classroom-based approach to merge classroom instruction with experiential knowledge while fostering meaningful family collaboration that illuminates the multiple forms of community cultural wealth in their experiences and lives outside of school.

Place-Based Case Studies: A New Approach to an Effective Teaching Practice.

Case-based approaches have been used extensively in STEM classrooms to enhance the real-world applicability of course content. Prior research in the bioeducation field indicates, specifically, that such methods lead to increases in students’ conceptual understanding and affect in the discipline relative to more traditional methods. Despite these outcomes, the majority of case study exercises are formatted in a generalist manner. In other words, the content and context of the case study itself are not framed around the communities in which the students live. In an effort to address this concern, we developed and implemented a series of place-based case study (PBCS) exercises within the introductory cell and molecular biology courses at our institutions. A comparative, quasi-experimental approach was used to evaluate the impact of PBCSs versus non-PBCSs on cognitive and non-cognitive student outcomes. Results indicated that both PBCSs and non-PBCSs led to increases in students’ content knowledge; however, no statistically significant difference existed in post-exercise performance between the PBCS and non-PBCS cohorts at the University of Texas, for instance, after controlling for confounding factors. Importantly, data also revealed that students within the PBCS cohort agreed more strongly that the case studies provided them with a better understanding of how scientific advancements and research impacted the community in which they lived than did their peers in the non-PBCS cohort. Collectively, these outcomes suggest that PBCSs offer a scalable, classroom-based approach to engage students in relevant, practical experiences that are of direct interest to them and, ideally, the broader scientific community.

Improving Physicians' Capacity for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Care through Blended E-learning: A Pilot Study in Bangladesh.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often under diagnosed and managed without evidence-based approach in primary care settings. This may be due to gaps in knowledge and practice of using updated COPD guidelines by the physicians in public and private sectors in Bangladesh. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Bangladesh which aims to evaluate a blended e-learning approach for building capacity of physicians working at low-resource environments on COPD patient care.In total, 32 practicing physicians were enrolled where 16 received training via blended approach and 16 received training via traditional classroom-based approach. Using a standard examination procedure and assessment approach both groups were assessed and results were documented.No statistically significant differences were found in the scores of theory (knowledge) and in the total scores (theory plus practicum) of both groups indicating that learning objectives were achieved in both the groups though the scores were significantly higher in practicum of the traditional learning group. Besides, Likert-scale-based self-reported pre-post changes indicate that both the groups were confident (statistically significant) in the management of COPD. Most importantly, the blended group had a minimal disruption of their services as they attended face-to-face only during the practicum sessions.Overall, the blended e-learning appears to be a feasible approach of training for physicians on standard management of COPD especially in health human resource-poor settings in Bangladesh.

Conferring with Students in History Classes: Preservice Candidates Examine Instructional Practices Using Feedback Surveys

ABSTRACTThis article describes the use of student feedback questionnaires by history teacher license candidates in a classroom-based approach called “Conferring with Students.” During the past five years, at a large public university in Massachusetts, 125 teacher candidates wrote their own feedback surveys, received responses from more than 4,000 middle and high school students, reviewed the results, and used students' ideas and suggestions to consider and change classroom instructional practices. Surveys asked for feedback about two types of student-centered teaching methods, a “comfort” method (an instructional practice that the candidate was confident using to teach) and a “reach” method (an instructional practice the candidate was not confident using to teach). Initially, 90% of the candidates were reluctant, even afraid, to seek student feedback. However, after receiving comments about their teaching, the students' feedback propelled reflection and change of instructional practices with almost all of the candidates reporting that they would continue soliciting feedback from students as part of their development as full-time teachers.

Developing a school-based preventive life skills program for youth in a remote Indigenous community in North Australia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of development and the pilot implementation of a preventive life skills curriculum for Indigenous middle school students in a very remote community college in the West Arnhem region of North Australia. The curriculum integrates proven educational and psychological techniques with culturally informed notions of relatedness and was developed as a contribution to efforts to prevent alarming rates of suicide among remote Indigenous youth. In this paper, the term, Indigenous refers to Australians of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. Design/methodology/approach – Based on reviews of research literature on school-based suicide prevention and social and emotional learning in both general and Indigenous populations, and following detailed community consultations, a 12 week curriculum was drafted and implemented in two middle school classes (combined years 7-9). Lessons were videotaped and later analyzed and detailed commentary was sought from participating school staff. Findings – The pilot program has yielded important insights into requirements of a curriculum for young people with low English literacy levels and with variable school attendance patterns. It confirmed the need to adjust both pedagogical approach and curriculum content for the program to have resonance with students from this linguistic and cultural background and with varying levels of exposure to multiple stressors in disadvantaged community settings. Practical implications – The project has identified and resolved key questions for sustainable implementation of a preventive curriculum in challenging community circumstances. Originality/value – There are to date no examples of the systematic adaptation and design of a universal preventive intervention specifically for remote Australian Indigenous youth. The project is the first step toward the formal evaluation of the efficacy of a classroom-based approach to suicide prevention in remote community schools.

Low-Cost, Scalable Classroom-Based Approach to Promoting Physical Activity in Preschool Children

Background: This study examined the impact of short activity breaks in preschool children. The hypotheses were that preschool children receiving three five-minute activity breaks per day would increase (a) school time physical activity and (b) education scores compared to a control group not receiving the intervention. Methods: For 8 weeks, the Intervention Group (n = 13) incorporated three 5-minute activity breaks into their classroom time while the Control Group (n = 12) did not incorporate the activity breaks. Physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer. Education was assessed using standardized methods. Findings: After 8 weeks, the preschool children in the Intervention Group increased their school time physical activity from 11,641 ± (SD) 1,368 Acceleration Units (AU)/hour to 16,058 ± 2,253 AU/hour (P < 0.001). The children in the control group did not increase their physical activity (11,379 ± 2,427 cf 11,624 ± 2,441; ns). Students in the Intervention Group improved their education scores more than students in the control group (18 ± 12 cf 8 ± 7 points, P = 0.01); Letter Recognition improved in particular (9 ± 6 cf 2 ± 4 points, P = 0.001). Conclusions: The incorporation of three 5-minute activity breaks was associated with increased school time physical activity and improved learning.

Low-Cost, Scalable Classroom-Based Approach to Promoting Physical Activity in Preschool Children.

BackgroundThis study examined the impact of short activity breaks in preschool children. The hypotheses were that preschool children receiving three five-minute activity breaks per day would increase (a) school time physical activity and (b) education scores compared to a control group not receiving the intervention.MethodsFor 8 weeks, the Intervention Group (n = 13) incorporated three 5-minute activity breaks into their classroom time while the Control Group (n = 12) did not incorporate the activity breaks. Physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer. Education was assessed using standardized methods.FindingsAfter 8 weeks, the preschool children in the Intervention Group increased their school time physical activity from 11,641 ± (SD) 1,368 Acceleration Units (AU)/ hour to 16,058 ± 2,253 AU/hour (P < 0.001). The children in the control group did not increase their physical activity (11,379 ± 2,427 cf 11,624 ± 2,441; ns). Students in the Intervention Group improved their education scores more than students in the control group (18 ± 12 cf 8 ± 7 points, P = 0.01); Letter Recognition improved in particular (9 ± 6 cf 2 ± 4 points, P = 0.001).ConclusionsThe incorporation of three 5-minute activity breaks was associated with increased school time physical activity and improved learning.

Undergraduate physiotherapy student perceptions of teaching and learning activities associated with clinical education

Clinical education presents a unique learning experience in contrast to the classroom-based teaching approach. Clinical education represents a less controlled learning environment than the classroom, making it difficult for educationalists to plan a stable and equitable clinical education experience for all students. Given the issues associated with clinical education understanding the experience from the perspective of the student may help identify strategies to improve the learning process, and facilitate engagement. This study surveyed a cohort of final year physiotherapy students from James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, about their perceptions of teaching and learning activities during clinical placements. Students reported that the most valuable activities involved individual patient-centred learning activities with adequate discussion and immediate feedback which included information about the student’s limitations, skills, knowledge, and attitude. The least valuable learning opportunities in clinical education were those which were not directly related to patient care and which involved being tutored by, observing or being examined by other students. The results of this study indicate that clinical educators may need to reframe teaching activities to ensure that the students see the value of them as learning opportunities within the clinical education experience.

A Theory-Mindedness Approach: Eliminating the Need for a Gap in Baccalaureate Education

Social work educators have been grappling for years with the continually challenging notion of the “integration of theory and practice” and the converse concept, the “gap between theory and practice.” This article posits the utility of a theory-mindedness approach to learning and practice as an alternative conceptualization that attenuates the need to focus resources on the “gap” and how to close or narrow it. An innovative classroom-based approach designed to facilitate the development of theory-mindedness among three cohorts of undergraduate social work majors poised to begin their senior field practicum year is described. The impetus for and background of the project are discussed, along with a description of the model for facilitating the development of theory-mindedness. Preliminary data designed to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of the approach are provided.

A prospective, randomized crossover study comparing direct inspection by light microscopy versus projected images for teaching of hematopathology to medical students

Instruction in hematopathology at Mayo Medical School has evolved from instructor-guided direct inspection under the light microscope (laboratory method), to photomicrographs of glass slides with classroom projection (projection method). These methods have not been compared directly to date. Forty-one second-year medical students participated in this pilot study, a prospective, randomized, crossover study measuring educational performance during a hematology pathophysiology course. The students were randomized to one of two groups. All students received the same didactic lectures in the classroom and subsequent case-based review of peripheral blood smears using either laboratory or projection methods, on day one with a crossover to the other method on day two. Pre- and post-test examinations centered on morphology recognition measured educational performance on each day, followed by a questionnaire identifying the student's favored method. There was no significant difference in the pre-test and post-test scores between the two teaching methods (rank-sum P = 0.43). Students overwhelmingly preferred the projection method and perceived it as superior (76%), although post-test scores were not significantly different. Student's recommended method was split with 50% favoring the projection method, 43% favoring a combined approach, and 23% noting logistical challenges to the laboratory. In this study, the laboratory and projection method were equivalent in terms of educational performance for hematopathology among medicals students. A classroom-based approach such as the projection method is favored, given the large class sizes in undergraduate medical education, as well as the ergonomic challenges and additional resources required for large group instruction in a laboratory setting.

Understanding what a proof is: a classroom-based approach

Being unaware of the assumptions underlying a deductive argument is widespread among learners and is a major stumbling block to their understanding of proof. Thus, the basic idea of the present paper is that at some points in the course of secondary education there should be classroom-based interventions addressing this difficulty and making the axiomatic organization of mathematics a theme. Students should be made aware that there are axioms in mathematics, what their role is and how mathematicians come to agree about which axioms should be accepted. An axiom which is not yet accepted is simply a hypothesis. A hypothesis is evaluated by deductively drawing consequences and by investigating whether these consequences agree with experience or should be accepted for other reasons. The teaching intervention discussed in this paper exemplifies this idea by way of the example of ancient attempts at modelling the path of the sun, the so-called “anomaly of the sun”. It is investigated to what extent the teaching intervention fostered students’ understanding of the conditionality of mathematical/astronomical statements, that is, of the fact that the truth of these statements is dependent on the initial hypotheses.

Facilitating the Learning Process

This study describes the use and assesses the benefits of a virtual learning environment (VLE)-enhanced independent language learning program (ILLP), based on the WebCT platform, for three groups of first- and second-year Italian students. It considers the positive outcomes of the program for the students' learning abilities. These outcomes suggest that the program's online element helps improve the quality of students' independent work, as well as their learning motivation: not only do students seem to develop better language skills, they also acquire and develop precious transferable skills. Similar success has been identified with a pilot VLE scheme used to support prescribed homework activities for first-year students. Findings suggest that VLE-supported group work produces better results than individual, non-VLE-enhanced work. So the VLE has come to assume an irreplaceable pedagogic role within the language courses, producing significantly more positive results than a traditional classroom-based approach.