Classroom Teaching Practices Research Articles

“I sit here thinking I can do this”—Developing justice‐centered ambitious science teaching identities in professional learning communities

AbstractExplicitly attending to justice in science teaching and learning is long overdue. Here, we examined the professional teacher identity development of 13 science teachers as they collaborated in networked professional learning communities (PLCs) to implement and revise a culture‐setting unit focused on the science of COVID and engaging in collaborative inquiry cycles to identify and refine justice‐centered ambitious science teaching (JuST) practices in classrooms. These JuST practices are conceptualized as a synthesis of justice‐centered pedagogies and ambitious science teaching. To accomplish our research aims, we drew on qualitative methods, where we relied on transcribed video recordings of 21 PLC meetings and three transcribed end‐of‐year focus group interviews of two PLCs (i.e., 13 secondary science teachers, mostly white) across a year‐long period. As a result of our analyses, we identified how professional learning arranged through PLCs, culture‐setting units, and collaborative inquiries supported professional JuST identity development by, among other affordances, providing space for the critical and emotional work of learning to discuss race, affording teachers strategies for getting to know their students and the assets they bring to classrooms, and recognition and positioning of teachers as professionals capable of identifying or developing, refining, and contributing to knowledge about JuST science teaching and learning. Challenges identified included, among others, identifying how the culture‐setting units could be effectively integrated into existing curriculum maps and the uneven implementation support from administrators. In the end, what is revealed helps better conceptualize how engaging teachers in PLCs around tasks like curriculum implementation and refinement or collaborative inquires support professional JuST identity development and how such experiences can be more carefully negotiated.

Teaching a More Accurate Model of the Evolution of Human Skin Color

In popular materials designed to teach American students about the evolution of human skin color, students are guided toward a model in which ancestral latitude predicts levels of skin pigmentation. While this model agrees with data from people whose ancestors practiced intensive agriculture in Europe, Asia, and Africa, this model does not match data from other human populations across the globe, including the predicted skin pigmentation of ancient hunter-gatherer populations who maintained long-term settlements in these same regions. In this review, we discuss findings from ancient genome sequencing and provide guidance on teaching an updated model on the evolution of human skin color. (To increase accessibility for non-specialists, we present here a targeted rationale for updating classroom teaching practices, with a set of frequently asked questions regarding the current state of scientific research on this topic addressed in supplemental material.) With this update, we hope to help students avoid common misconceptions about human evolution—particularly, that the evolutionary pressures encountered by those who adopted a single human culture would apply to all humans, everywhere—and leverage authentic data and argumentation to convey the anti-racist reality that people with a wide range of skin colors thrived in high-latitude regions for many thousands of years, just as students with a wide range of skin colors can thrive in whatever place they currently call home.

APLICAÇÃO DO MÉTODO DAS DISTÂNCIAS MÉDIAS DOS CANAIS RGB NA CLASSIFICAÇÃO DE AMOSTRAS COM MAIS DE UM TIPO DE GRÃO

O Brasil é o maior produtor e exportador de café do mundo, sendo a espécie arábica a mais produzida. A classificação desses grãos permite comercializar um produto de qualidade, identificando possíveis defeitos como a presença de grãos pretos, verdes ou ardidos, responsáveis por trazer prejuízos sensoriais à bebida e reduzir seu valor comercial. O uso de sistemas de visão computacional são alternativas para melhoria de processos dentro da indústria de alimentos, sendo o processo de classificação de alimentos uma das diversas possibilidades. O objetivo do trabalho foi desenvolver um programa de processamento digital de imagens aplicável ao processo de inspeção visual automática da qualidade de grãos de café arábica, quanto aos defeitos por cor. Para tal, foi realizada a aquisição de imagens adquiridos da Indústria & Comércio Café Ouro Verde LTDA, Garanhuns-PE, utilizando máquina fotográfica Nikon 5200 e aparelho celular iphone 7 e iluminador LED circular de 8 polegadas Ring Light, a fim de manter a constância de luz. O processamento de imagens foi realizado a partir da elaboração de um código a partir da plataforma Matlab®. Os grãos foram classificados de acordo com o valor da menor distância média entre os pixels dos canais RGB das imagens teste com as imagens padrão. O código utilizou o método das distâncias médias dos canais RGB (Red, Green, Blue), onde foram utilizadas quatro imagens padrão, referentes aos grãos sadios, pretos, verdes e ardidos e 60 imagens teste. O código conseguiu classificar os grãos com alto valor de acurácia. No entanto, entre os grãos ardidos a acurácia foi de 73,3%, devido à classificação de quatro imagens que foram identificadas como sendo grão verde. O método das distâncias médias dos canais RGB mostrou-se eficaz na classificação dos grãos de café arábica e pode ser utilizado para determinar se o café analisado se encontra dentro dos padrões preconizados pela legislação, ao fazer a análise grão a grão, necessitando apenas de uma boa iluminação e posição da câmera no momento de aquisição das imagens, de modo a evitar interferência por sombras.

The Reality of Classroom Teaching Practices and their Relationship to the Development of Critical Thinking in Kindergarten

The current study seeks to establish how teachers in the Jubail Governorate of Saudi Arabia promote critical thinking in their kindergarten students using specific classroom teaching tactics. This applies especially to the ongoing investigation. Although preschool is the developmental stage during which a child's personality emerges, little study has been conducted on the development of critical thinking skills in this age range. Current research seeks to address this issue. The study sample consisted of 78 educators from Jubail Kindergarten in Saudi Arabia, accounting for 85% of the original community. The study's descriptive technique was appropriate for reaching its objectives. The researchers employed a questionnaire to assess teaching approaches that encourage pupils to think critically .To accomplish these broadcasting goals, this study used an associated descriptive technique.

Digital simulations as a pedagogical tool: How ready are Fiji year‐11 science teachers?

AbstractBackgroundDigital simulations are emerging technologies in science education that allow students to visualise abstract concepts and enable science teachers to conduct laboratory work/experiments online.ObjectiveTo determine teacher readiness, the study focused on their cognitive skills and knowledge and perceptions of the use of digital simulations as a pedagogical tool incorporating an intervention in its research design.MethodsThe theoretical framework of this study combines the modified Technology Acceptance Model with the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Snowball sampling was used to recruit 10 chemistry teachers from secondary schools and a mixed methods sequential explanatory research design was adopted. The data was collected through survey, interview, pre‐test and post‐test results before and after the intervention (training).ResultsScience teachers perceive digital simulations as valuable and easy to use and are ready to use them in future lessons. An increase in cognitive knowledge and skills coupled with a positive mindset was noted after the training. The teachers indicated the need for training and support at all levels to successfully integrate digital simulations in their classrooms. Additionally, parents' engagement to enhance their awareness of such initiatives was deemed crucial for their support.ConclusionsThe study calls for a rethinking and a revision of science curriculum, policies and enhancement of infrastructure/general resources to support technology‐enabled learning, teaching and assessment practices in science classrooms; a continuous professional development program for teachers to keep up with the changing needs of 21st‐century education is imperative.

Infant and early childhood mental health consultation: evaluating change in classroom climate and teaching practices by dosage of program exposure

This study evaluated the effects of infant and early childhood mental health consultation dosage (IECMHC) on observations of classroom climate and teacher behavior management practices in seven schools from a charter school network. Classrooms were prioritized for consultation based on indicators collected during observations and either received no consultation, one cycle, or two or more cycles, each of which was approximately 10 weeks long. Fidelity of implementation was comparable between the two groups that received consultation at varying program exposure levels. Multilevel regression analyses examined how variation in the dose of consultation exposure related to both indicators of program quality considering the clustering of teachers within schools. The results showed that teachers most in need of consultation received it and that both short and long doses of consultation led to improvements in classroom climate and teaching practices outcomes over the academic year. Classrooms that received consultation for longer showed the largest change over time. Classrooms were equivalent on outcome indicators by the end of the school year and consultation appeared to have a protective effect against negative classroom climate.

Classroom Teaching Practices of Reading-to-Writing Model in Middle School English Based on Thematic Meaning Exploration

Classroom Teaching Practices of Reading-to-Writing Model in Middle School English Based on Thematic Meaning Exploration

THE DISREGARD OF THE CULTURAL DIMENSION IN TRANSLATION

The cultural turn in translation studies has propelled translation beyond a mere act of linguistic transposition. At this juncture, the cultural dimension has garnered significant attention, and translation has evolved into an act of cultural mediation. Within this framework, learners’ perceptions of the cultural dimension and classroom teaching practices are pivotal factors influencing translation quality. This study examines the classroom teaching practices vis-à-vis cultural learning and investigates learners’ perception of the significance of culture in translation. A survey questionnaire was administered to seventy-eight Master’s students of translation (Arabic-English-French) at the Institute of Translation, Oran University, Algeria. Additionally, an interview was conducted with 26 students from the same institute to accredit more validity and reliability to this study, to obtain more qualitative data, and to compare and crosscheck while interpreting the data from both the questionnaire and the interview. The analysis of the obtained data elucidated that cultural knowledge was impeached by classroom practices that do not foster intercultural learning despite learners’ positive attitudes towards the target cultures. This study offers some pedagogical recommendations to give the cultural dimension due attention in the translation classroom.

Teacher Feedback in Collegiate Instrumental Music Lessons

Teacher feedback is an integral component of helping students understand their current level of achievement and what they can do to improve their performance. This study built on literature in educational psychology by adopting a framework developed by Hattie and Timperley to explore how different types of feedback are used in studio instrumental lessons. For this study, we investigated the use of feedback of highly experienced collegiate instrumental studio music teachers ( N = 6) and their students ( N = 18). Results indicated that around 83% of all teacher comments were classified as “feed-back” (i.e., reflections on what the student just played), with far fewer focused on “feed-forward” (16%) strategies for improving performance and “feed-up” (<1%) goal setting. Task-level comments on what the student had just done comprised 85% of the feedback, in contrast to process-level (9%) feedback that provides strategies for improving the next performance attempt and self-regulation comments (<1%) that cue the learner to monitor and control their own performance. Discussion of these results include comparisons between classroom and studio teaching practices and ways of refining instrumental teachers’ abilities to provide more targeted and effective feedback to their students.

Successful Teaching Strategiesand Practices in EFL Virtual Classrooms: A Qualative Study For Analyzing Several Studies and Practices

Objective: The current study intended to identify successful teaching strategies and practices in EFL virtual classrooms and to build a proposed model for designing teaching strategies and successful practices in virtual classrooms. Theoretical Framework: The research concerns itself with studies that concentrate on applications of artificial intelligence, adaptive learning, teaching methods, communication, and interaction in EFL virtual classrooms. Method: the study adopted the qualitative documentary method as the paradigm of qualitative research through extensive qualitative analyses of the contents of several previous studies. Results and Discussion: The study obtained results that comprised several successful teaching strategies in EFL virtual classrooms and a proposed model for designing teaching strategies in virtual classrooms. Research Implications: In addition to these results,this study presents numerous teaching strategies and successful practices in EFL virtual classrooms that help teaching faculty, teaching cadres in a virtual classroom environment. It also gives a proposed model for successful teaching strategies and practices in EFL virtual classrooms that aids e-learning designers in designing teaching strategies in a virtual classroom environment. Originality/Value: This study is amongst the first to investigate successful teaching strategies and practices in EFL virtual classrooms especially in the context of arabian countries .

Teachers’ Perceptions of their Self-Efficacy in Distance Education and its Relationship to their Teaching Practices in Virtual Classrooms in the Sultanate of Oman

This study identified teachers' perceptions of their self-efficacy in distance education and its relationship to their teaching practices in virtual classrooms. The study used a perception scale and an observation card. The sample consisted of 249 teachers. Twenty teachers of the sample were selected to have their teaching practices in the academic year 2020/2021 observed. The descriptive analytical method was used to collect data and reach the results. The results of the study showed that the teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy in distance education came at a high level and their teaching practices in distance education came at a medium level. Also, the results showed that there is no statistically significant correlation between teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy in distance education and the reality of their teaching practices in virtual classrooms. The study recommended identifying a list of skills required for distance education and implementing training programs that meet the needs of teachers in technical applications for digital teaching to continue to employ technology and e-learning platforms.

Teacher’s Mindset and Mathematical Competencies Development: An Appraisal of Intervention Actions for Curriculum Change Adoption

Teacher’s mindset effects on curriculum implementation. A competency-based curriculum focuses on developing competencies in learners rather than transferring knowledge from teacher. There is concern why changed competence-based mathematics curriculum is not implementing well in school. This study, thus, explores the teachers' mindset and their classroom practices for mathematical competencies development in students. This is an action research based on a qualitative study was planned to intervene some tools expecting to bring changes in teachers’ mindset and influence on classroom practice while implementing the curriculum. The major intervention tools were: a learning outcome log, theme-wise result of learning, and a portfolio. Data were collected using the daily logbook for observation and interview data were kept in written notes. Intervention prior and post changes activities was analyzed based on the seven steps of the Concern Adoption Model (CBAM) as a theoretical base. The results of the study showed the changes in teachers’ mindset and classroom teaching and assessment practices after the intervention justifies the application of concern adoption model for the implementation of the new curriculum as desired.

Feasibility of adaptive teaching with technology: Which implementation conditions matter?

Adaptive teaching is regarded to address students' heterogeneity in schools and to individually support their learning. Technology may help to teach adaptively. However, it is still unclear whether realizing adaptive teaching with technology is a feasible teaching practice in real-world classrooms. More importantly, it is an open question which boundary conditions constrain the feasibility of adaptive teaching with technology. We realized a four-year co-design-project in which researchers and teachers co-constructively developed adaptive teaching units (duration: 3–4 weeks) by deliberately integrating technology across secondary education. To assess the feasibility of technology-enhanced adaptive teaching, we followed a sequential-explanatory mixed-methods approach during the co-design-process. We combined a quantitative study (N = 183), investigating students' learning gains and potential moderators, and a qualitative study by means of semi-structured teacher interviews (N = 3) on implementation conditions of the adaptive teaching units. We observed that the teaching units were particularly beneficial for students with low prior knowledge and when they were highly adaptive to students’ needs. Fine-grained qualitative findings indicated that formative assessments and consolidation phases were crucial for the feasibility of technology-enhanced adaptive teaching, as well as a parsimonious use of technologies. These findings indicate that the feasibility of adaptive teaching with technology depends on boundary conditions, highlighting the need for further support to unfold the potential of adaptive teaching.

Language Portraits of Four Transnational Educators from China: Experiences, Ideologies, and Teaching Practices

This study uses language portraits (Busch, 2018) to shed light on the relationship between the multilingual experiences and teaching practices of four transnational educators who have lived, studied, and taught across China and the United States. Using multimodal thematic analysis methods (Coffey, 2015; Purkarthofer & De Korne, 2020), this approach highlights the ways in which language experiences and teaching practices are mediated by language ideologies. This approach enables the participants to visualise and describe their linguistic repertoires and multilingual experiences in relation to teaching practices in the focus group interview. Findings show that these educators from China value Chinese as a resource for teaching and learning. They hold an asset-oriented view of the students’ home languages and are willing to incorporate their home languages to support classroom teaching and learning. Although they have mixed feelings about English, due to negative learning experiences, they are aware of the economic value of the language, which sustains their efforts to improve their English proficiency and influences their career plans. Overall, the educators evidence an emerging, yet rudimentary, multilingual awareness. The entrenched ideology of Mandarin monolingualism, which prioritises Putonghua (Standard Mandarin) over other Chinese dialects, along with the global dominance of English and its associated language ideology, has profoundly influenced teaching practices in multilingual classrooms.

Characteristics of classroom composition and teaching practices and the social integration of students with and without special educational needs in inclusive education environments

ZusammenfassungAktuelle Studien weisen darauf hin, dass Schüler*innen mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf, die an allgemeinen Schulen unterrichtet werden, weniger sozial eingebunden sind als diejenigen ohne sonderpädagogischen Förderbedarf. Theoretisch wird dieser Befund unter anderem auf soziale Vergleichsprozesse und Kontaktmöglichkeiten der Schüler*innen sowie auf den Einfluss der Lehrkräfte durch ihren persönlichen Umgang mit den Schüler*innen zurückgeführt. Eine Schlüsselfunktion wird hierbei dem Unterricht zugesprochen: Dieser kann als soziale Situation betrachtet werden, in der sich die Zusammensetzung und konkrete Unterrichtsgestaltung auch auf die Entstehung sozialer Kontakte und damit die soziale Integration der Schüler*innen auswirken. Mit Daten des IQB-Bildungstrends 2016 (N = 9417) wurde untersucht, ob verschiedene Merkmale der Klassenzusammensetzung und der Unterrichtsgestaltung mit der sozialen Integration der Schüler*innen zusammenhängen und inwiefern sich diese für Schüler*innen mit (n = 899) und ohne (n = 8488) sonderpädagogischen Förderbedarf der Schwerpunkte Lernen, Sprache und emotionale-soziale Entwicklung unterscheiden. Unter Verwendung von Mehrebenenstrukturgleichungsmodellen konnte gezeigt werden, dass sowohl die Klassenführung als auch die konstruktive Unterstützung positiv mit der sozialen Integration von Viertklässler*innen zusammenhängen und sich dies für die konstruktive Unterstützung zwischen Schüler*innen mit und ohne sonderpädagogischen Förderbedarf unterscheidet. Die Studie liefert Hinweise darauf, inwieweit Lehrkräfte durch die Gestaltung ihres Unterrichts neben Lernprozessen auch das soziale Miteinander unterstützen.

Norwegian teachers’ perspectives on inclusive practices in the mathematics classroom

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore Norwegian teachers’ perspectives on inclusive teaching practices in the mathematics classroom, defined as practices which maximise every pupil’s potential regardless of prior attainment. As previous research suggests, both mathematics teachers’ perspectives in general and the conceptualisation of inclusion, inclusive education, and inclusive practices are culturally situated, varying significantly across countries and educational systems. We draw on data from a large project in Norway focusing on the use of grouping by attainment and its relation to policy and pedagogical practices around inclusion in mathematics. Participants were 13 primary and lower-secondary mathematics teachers from six schools in the Oslo area. Analysis of semi-structured interviews focusing on strategies for inclusion of all pupils in mathematics classrooms reveals the cultural particularities of mathematics teachers’ perspectives on inclusive practices, highlighting the value of similar investigations in other cultural contexts.

Profiles of Teacher-Student Relationships and Classroom Management Practices: How They Relate to Self-Efficacy, Work Stress, and Classroom Climate

<p style="text-align:justify">Teachers' classroom practice encompasses diverse facets of teacher behavior. Understanding teachers’ classroom practice is important as the literature has been well documented its association with student, teacher, and classroom outcomes. Positive teacher-student relationships and proper classroom management, both are important aspects of teachers’ classroom practices, have been empirically linked to increasing student academic performance and reducing problem behaviors. This study explored patterns of teacher classroom practices across teacher-student relationships and classroom management and validated them using a person-oriented approach, k-means clustering, on three sets of data with over 600 participants. Using indicators of classroom assessment scoring system (CLASS), three distinct teacher profiles were identified: supportive, intermediate, and detached. Supportive teachers demonstrated high levels of teacher-student relationships and classroom management, while detached teachers showed low levels of both. Intermediate teachers fell between these two groups. The study also compared these profiles based on teacher self-efficacy, work stress, and classroom climate. Supportive teachers had the highest classroom climate scores, followed by intermediate and detached. Work stress was comparable for intermediate and supportive teachers, but both were lower than detached. No group differences were found for self-efficacy. This study contributes to the understanding of teacher behaviors with students in the lower grades.</p>

Epistemic Goals and Practices in Biology Curriculum—the Philippines and Japan

AbstractDespite cultural differences, the Philippines–Japan partnership is developing an intentional teaching curriculum with parallel standards. However, disparities among their respective educational systems have prompted inequalities. As education plays a critical role in collaboration, we explored the Epistemic Goals (EGs) and Epistemic Practices (EPs) in the biology curriculum, with the research question: How do the epistemic goals and practices of the biology curriculum transmit knowledge and skills in the Philippines and Japan? Using an ethnographic design, we conducted two iterative explorations of EGs and EPs. First, we examined the curriculum policy to determine its EGs. Using the A-B-C-D protocol, we employed discourse analysis to evaluate knowledge and skills in the biology grade-level standards. Second, we examined the articulation of goals in classroom teaching practices. We conducted classroom immersion and observed classes to determine EPs and supported our observations through interviews, synthesizing the data using inductive content analysis. Our findings revealed that the Philippines’ EGs were to transmit factual knowledge enhanced by basic science skills, and their EPs were audio-visual materials, gamified instructions, guided inquiry, posing questions, and learning-by-doing. In comparison, Japan’s EGs were to provide a solid foundation of theoretical and metacognitive knowledge, integrated science skills, and positive attitudes. Its EPs involved cultivating lasting learning, observation, investigation, experimentation, collaborative discussion, and reflective thinking. Our study makes a meaningful contribution by shedding light on crucial ideologies and cultural identities embedded in Biology curricula and teaching traditions.

“Building Learning Power” (BLP) to Senior High School Students Towards Enhanced Learning Program

"Lifelong learning" is a global education theme. For a long time, the all-round development of students has been the focus of the global education system. How to enable students to achieve all-round development is the key to school talent training. It not only focuses on students' test scores, but also pays more attention to Students' ability to self-study and enjoy learning has become a theme of educational discussion in various countries. Based on Guy Claxton's "Building Learning Power" (BLP) theoretical basis, this article explores the correlation between teachers' teaching ability construction and students' learning ability development. It takes middle school teachers as the research object and selects all teachers from Guidian Middle School to use a questionnaire. Survey and data analysis are the main methods to study how teachers cultivate the four “R”s of BLP, resilience, resourcefulness, reflectiveness, and reciprocity in their students. First, the relevant literature, concepts and structural dimensions were reviewed, and teachers' classroom teaching variables were explained, including Lessons' content, "Soft creativity", Enhancing skills and Attitude development, and a theoretical analysis was conducted on students' practical abilities, namely the "4 R's". Secondly, based on literature research, relevant scales were proposed and revised to collect the data needed for this study. The tool used for the main research content is a questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of three parts. The first part contains the personal information of the interviewed teachers, such as gender, age, teaching experience, etc. The second part is the correlation between teachers’ classroom teaching practices and building learning abilities. Assessment, the third part is the assessment of the interviewed teachers’ understanding of building learning abilities. This study used SPSS22.0 to develop the questionnaire, and adopted reliability and validity analysis, correlation analysis, independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U /Kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman’s rho Correlation Analysis and Decision Criteria. Finally, based on the "Building Learning Power" (BLP) theory, the influencing factors of teachers' classroom teaching practices on the development of students' learning abilities are discussed and summarized, and corresponding development strategies are proposed.

LEADERSHIP STYLES OF SCHOOL HEADS AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

The study determined the extent of leadership styles of school heads and the extent of classroom practices of public secondary school teachers. This study employed a non-experimental quantitative research design utilizing the descriptive-correlation method. Validated questionnaires and a Universal sampling procedure were utilized considering the minimal number of teachers in the research locale. Two hundred fifty (250) public secondary school teachers were the respondents of the study. Using mean, pearson-r, and regression analysis, the findings revealed that the extent of leadership styles of school heads was extensive while the extent of classroom practices of public secondary school teachers was very extensive. Moreover, the overall results revealed that indicators for leadership styles of school heads have a strong positive relationship to the classroom practices of public secondary school teachers. Further, results from the regression analysis revealed the following have a strong influence on leadership styles of school heads on classroom practices of public secondary school teachers: Supportive, Participative, Achievement-Oriented, and Directive. It was recommended that school heads should manage change and develop a mechanism to improve the schools system through creative support of its manpower of teachers, staff, learners, and community. Education can be effective in an environment that is not conducive to teaching and learning. School heads conduct seminars and workshops on Different Leadership Styles to sustain high performance in managing and leading the school. KEYWORDS: Leadership style of school heads, classroom practices