Today's Classrooms Research Articles

An Analysis of Self-Efficacy Towards Students’ Reading Skill: A Case Study at The Tenth Grade of Sman 1 Padangan

Reading is a requirement for success in the classroom today. Some problems that students face in learning English are they are not confident in answering questions and reading text. They show indications of low self-efficacy when learning English, especially in reading skills. Students' reading ability is influenced by various factors, including their self-efficacy. This research aims to explore what factors affect tenth-grade students’ self-efficacy and how self-efficacy affects students’ reading skills at SMAN 1 Padangan. This research was qualitative with a case study approach. The subject was tenth-grade students of X1 and X2. The data was collected by two instruments, interviews and reading tests. The interview was used to measure students’ self-efficacy and the reading test was used to measure students’ reading skills. This research shows that self-efficacy influences students' reading abilities. The findings in this research revealed that the majority of students answered in their interview with the researcher that the factors that influence student self-efficacy were interest, patience, a sense of self-confidence, character, motivation to learn, reward, and gender. Students who had a high sense of self-efficacy tended to be confident in working on questions so that their reading skills got a high score. It can be concluded that self-efficacy influences students' reading abilitiesKeywords: Self-Efficacy; Reading Skill; English Learning

Hexachord Solmization in the Classroom: A Revival of Old Practices

This article proposes the practice of hexachord solmization as a component of a "histor ically informed" theory curriculum for early-music students. Many theory treatises and singing manuals from the sixteenth century and before start with a discussion of the gam ut, hexachords, the Guidonian hand, and solmization syllables. This strongly suggests that hexachord solmization was one of the principles of contemporary music education. Analyses of musical excerpts demonstrate that a hexachord is a meaningful melodic unit rather than a random set of six tones. Its solmization syllables illuminate the inherent tonal relations around the semitone mi–fa ; furthermore, they represent expressive tone qualities in themselves—for instance, the bright mi versus the soft fa. The hexachord sys tem was still in use in eighteenth-century Italy, apart from some adjustments with regard to the emerging major-minor tonality. Most likely, young apprentices at Italian conserv atories learned the syllables before they could read the pitches. Sets of solfeggi produced by the conservatory masters for their pupils show how plain solmization patterns form the basis of the melodic art of the period. In the classroom today, hexachord solmization offers both a useful tool for a non-verbal mode of musical understanding and a starting point for melodic improvisation.

A Heteroglossic Lens on Washington State's Growing Dual Language for Multilingual Learners

This article examines Washington State's growing dual language program through the lens of heteroglossia. A heteroglosic lens is significant to understanding the contemporary linguistic landscape and framing language policies that will equitably serve multilingual learners and communities. With the increasing multilingual complexities of today's classrooms and the history of academic achievement gaps between monolingual and multilingual learners, heteroglossia illuminates the contextual ways in which language practices and policies hegemonize certain groups and create educational and social inequities. The article argues that unless the state's language policy is structurally revised and informed with a heteroglossic ideology and theorization of language education, its aspirational goals of equitable education for its multilingual learners may never be attained. It offers an overview of the theoretical lens of heteroglossia that must guide the planning of an equitable language policy/program that reflects multilingual learners' authentic fluid language practices.

Topics vs. Timelines: Restructuring Jazz History Curricula for Today's Classroom

Abstract: Jazz history unfolded chronologically, but chronology does not necessarily imply teleology or causality. In other words, the fact that certain jazz styles came after others does not unquestionably mean that jazz history followed a fixed course dictated by the perceived inevitability of artistic "progress." Although it is important for jazz history students to have a foundational understanding of jazz history in a chronological fashion, presenting history on a straightforward, simplistic timeline defined by distinct style periods is not the only way to teach the music of the past. There may be significant merit in reorganizing the way jazz history is sometimes presented. Musicians, albums, and style movements could be grouped together and studied according to thematically broad abstract topics to stimulate student engagement, independent thinking, and impassioned discussion. Examples include organizing jazz history curricula into nonsequential subjects such as jazz and politics, jazz and gender, jazz and racial identity, jazz and economics, jazz and the government, jazz and authenticity, and jazz and technology.

An Exploratory Study to Investigate the Implementation of Feynman Learning Method in a Physics Classroom Setting

In order to explore alternative methods to learn physics effectively, this research was inspired by a fundamental question: how did famous physicists use to learn and/or teach physics? Are there any recipies suggested by these physicists which are still relevant and can be imitated and applied to physics learning in a today classroom? This research aims at exploring the impact of the implementation of Feynman learning method on students’ physics concepts understanding and describing their spontaneous responses about the implementation of this learning method afterwards. This research was an exploratory research conducted at one grade X science class of St. Gabriel Catholic Senior High School in Maumere city, Flores. Data regarding students’ understanding were collected through pre and post test questionnairres and their spontaneous responses were obtained through unstructured interview. The results of N-gain pretest and post test score was 0.49. Apart from few non-positive responses, students’ responses indicated that the method can encourage them to actively participate in the learning process, improve their communication skill, and train their abilities to explain things in simple ways. The results suggest that there was an improvement in students’ physics concepts understanding with a medium N-gain score and that this learning method is positively appreciated by the participants.

Digital Intelligence for Technical Students: Use of Online Mind Map in Enhancing Design Thinking

In a world dominated by digitalization, digital intelligence is critical. Digital intelligence is required for education, employment, and active participation in the community. Digitalization has transformed our way of thinking, feeling, and living, and its rapid evolution has made change, which was once the exception, the norm. As a result, change management has emerged as a fundamental skill for people in the 21st century. But far more important than this is the development of digital intelligence, which, to be developed, necessarily requires disruptive education. An online mind map is a visual aid that is becoming extremely prevalent in today's classrooms. Given the importance of empirical research and evaluation, it is perhaps surprising that so little effort has been directed toward the application of online mind mapping among technical students to enhance design thinking. This study aims to examine Malaysian technical students’ perspectives with regards to the use of an online mind map to enhance design thinking. 372 technical students from selected public higher institutions were involved in this study. A quantitative method using an online survey was conducted for the students. The results from questionnaire items and open-ended items were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. The findings from the study revealed that the technical students agreed that the online mind map helped them enhance their design thinking. The study makes important contributions on how the tool can develop design thinking in technical terms to address IR4.0 needs and produce balanced graduates who are globally competitive. Finally, this study contributes a new framework for technical students’ design thinking.

Project-Based Learning Training and Assistance for Prospective High School Teacher

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, educators were tasked with scouting out fresh approaches to teaching math. In addition, today's classrooms call for an emphasis on student-centered instruction that fosters the kinds of 21st-century talents that employers need. Abilities like critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication are not yet optimally implemented in the new normal or post-pandemic age. This is the case because students' study habits could not be optimized as they transitioned from online and only at-home study to full-fledged schoolwork. Even in a distance learning setting, however, it is expected that these skills will continue to be developed and refined. Teachers can implement methods like project-based learning to help pupils acquire these abilities. This volunteer project has as its overarching goal the enhancement of educator competence in the pursuit of creating novel and engaging curricula for the general populace in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. It is envisaged that teachers at partner schools will benefit from this training and mentorship activity for project-based learning to better plan and execute such activities. Mentoring, observing, and role-playing are all components of this service. The teacher's high level of engagement in this activity is indicative of her dedication to professional development. Educators believe they grow professionally as a result of their work with project-based learning. Teachers have found success in developing project-based learning plans and implementing them in mentoring activities. After this event, similar events will be held every month, and mentorship will be provided to help teachers become more proficient in both project learning design and implementation

Determining The Selling Price of Thrift Using The Fuzzy Sugeno Method

The use of thrift goods in life has the effect of saving and loving the environment. Many of these objects are difficult to degrade in nature and are nevertheless thought to have economic worth, for example used electronic equipment such as laptops. On the other hand, in today's classroom environment, laptops are quite important. Even the most recent computers with good features are fairly costly, thus used laptops are one answer to this. The seller's selling price usually only takes a few elements into account, therefore the price set does not always match the requirements. The aim of this paper is to apply the zero order Sugeno fuzzy approach to determine the selling price of old laptop. The system is built with characteristics such as laptop age, physical condition, RAM, new purchase price, and used selling price. The simulation findings suggest that fuzzy logic employing the zero-order Sugeno approach can be utilized to determine the selling price of old laptop while accounting for the affecting variables.

The Impact of Critical Thinking on Learners to Increase their Self regulate in the Education Process: An Overview

This study explored students' ability to think critically in connection to the learning processes, and it showed how important it is for students to engage in critical thinking in various educational environments. Cultivating students' abilities to engage in critical thinking is an essential component of the many educational methods and frameworks employed in today's classrooms. This research was conducted to provide a general overview of the notion of critical thinking as it pertains to the process of either teaching or learning. The only objective of this piece of writing is to carry out a literary analysis of the subject matter that is concerned with critical thinking. Each passing generation has a heightened awareness of the necessity to have an education due to the increasing sophistication and complexity of the world. It is generally accepted that the development of one's capacity for critical thinking is a stage in the educational process that is of the utmost significance across the board in all academic fields, particularly in the most recent few decades of education. As a consequence of the findings of this research, a significant conclusion has been drawn about the importance of having abilities in critical thinking for learners in all academic fields worldwide.

Transportation Curriculum with Culturally Responsive Teaching: Lessons Learned from Pre-Service Teachers and Future Transportation Workforce

With K-12 students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds in the classroom today, it is crucial to develop a more inclusive and socially diverse curriculum, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics. Transportation in particular is a topic that can relate to people’s culture and can be a suitable medium to introduce diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is a technique that can help connect students’ cultures, languages, and life experiences with their learning. Despite the known benefits of CRT, this strategy had not been adequately implemented in transportation education because of the limited awareness and knowledge of educators. This research contributes to the literature by investigating the current state of knowledge, awareness, and resources present in transportation pedagogy and investigates the feasibility of transportation as a suitable topic to incorporate culturally responsive learning strategies through surveys and workshops with pre-service science teachers and the future transportation workforce. Five key elements emerged from the analysis. First, the existing lack of diversity in STEM curriculum started to change to be inclusive. Second, teachers’ awareness and preparation are crucial for creating quality educational materials. Third, curriculum topics that can relate to cultural components in daily living enhance social diversity in transportation education. Therefore, fourth, transportation can be a good curriculum topic and, fifth, barriers including the difficulty of incorporating many cultural components, privacy, and legal issues still exist. The identified gaps and highlighted areas can contribute to the current state of knowledge and practice of CRT in STEM and transportation pedagogy.

Teaching innovation and pedagogical strategies: innovative teachers are not enough; we need innovative students as well

There is a broad consensus in the educational field that "innovation" is necessary, it is something positive and requires work; maybe its definition still needs more consensus, but at least we agree that it is necessary. However, "it’s hard to innovate” and also, “innovating costs a lot"; but if innovation is so necessary and important, why does it cost so much to reach it? A photo of a conventional classroom today compared to one of 50 years ago is enough to show that the change has not been as clear or as strong as you would expect. So, do we really want to innovate? Why don’t we do it? Why does it cost us that much? Those who want to do it do not seem to have the conditions for it, and those who have the conditions, do not seem to want it. But what can we find in Higher Education? The faculty is asked to be innovative (could they?, do they want to?), does the institution invest on it (a lot, a little ?, properly?); But what happens with the students?, who enables them to be innovative about their own learning? No doubt we need innovative teachers, but also, students capable of responding to it.

Understanding the Lived Experiences of ESSU Guiuan Lecturers

Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, the researchers examined the components and lived experiences of six lecturers who have entered into the educational environment from schools of education with less than eight years of classroom teaching experience as contractual teachers. This study looked at what it means to be a lecturer in the classroom today, the challenges in the profession, how lecturers approach educating students, and the types of professional development, mentoring, or training they believe they need to educate students in the classroom effectively. This research used an in-depth interview strategy for data collection because it allows the participants to reflect on past, current, and relevant experiences in detail for the study. The one-on-one, in-depth interviews sought to engage the participants in conversations that would encourage responses that revealed the meanings of the participant's experiences in the education profession. The discussion summarizes the findings, the emerging themes included (1) the prevailing truths in pursuing a career of teaching, (2) side stories on new days of teaching,(3) transition, interaction, and relationship as perceived components in the journey of teaching, (4) challenges in instruction, student's behavior management, peer-relationship, and working environment, (5) aspiration to meet competence in teaching, (6) overwhelming consequences on the change of role of teachers amidst pandemic. Further, this study offers recommendations and discusses implications on the lived experiences of lecturers in the education profession.

Influence of Experience of Positive Commenting Activity (Sunfull) on Aggression and Hate Speech of Korean Adolescents

This study began in recognition of societal problems such as aggression and hate speech due to the spread of cyber-violence and malicious commenting. Hence, this study was conducted to verify whether positive commenting activity acts as a means of controlling adolescents’ aggression and hate speech. With this, a survey was conducted on 410 middle and high school students registered in the Sunfull Foundation. Consent from the organization's head, participant and research purpose anonymity, as well as data confidentiality, were all stated in advance taking the study's ethical considerations into mind. Frequency analysis and regression analysis were performed on the collected data using SPSS 22.0 PC ver. As a result, this study found that adolescents’ overall aggression decreased, and in particular, the more they participated in the positive commenting activity and the longer the period of participation in positive commenting, the lower the overt aggression of adolescents. These findings suggest that organizing positive commenting activities as one of the required subjects in the school curriculum may be a more useful strategy given the scenario that students in today's classrooms are in, which is one of continual academic pressure. Therefore, various support should be provided as well as social interest in the use of positive language as well as in the level of ethics education for adolescents.

Blogging as a Learning Tool: A Study of Writing Gains in an EFL Setting

Technology in the classroom today offers novel ways for enhancing the learning experience in ways that also engage the learners. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Blog writing in engaging and motivating Saudi EFL learners in the writing class to boost their writing output. The participants are 12 EFL learners at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, who undertake a blog writing five-week support exercise. The instruments of data collection are pre and post-tests, writing evaluation, and interviews. Results of the paired sample-t test indicated that there is a significantly large difference between before (M = 2.04) and after (M = 3, 0.5), p =.032 phases of testing due to the five-week blogging intervention, with organization of ideas being the faculty most developed at the end of the experiment, followed by presentation, vocabulary, grammar, content, context, and audience appropriacy. Interviews reveal learners’ enhanced engagement and motivation after the intervention. The study concludes with recommendations that will be useful for teachers, curriculum planners, and learners.

The Effectiveness of Using Student-Created Questions for Assessing Their Performance in English Grammar/ Case Study of “King Abdullah II Schools for Excellence” In Jordan

Learning a foreign language may create issues among students, as they may perceive it as complex, difficult, or alien. These feelings are harmful to forming a positive perception among students, regarded as one of the essential aspects of learning. This study aims to identify the effectiveness of using student-created questions for assessing students’ performance in English grammar. The sample included 79 tenth-grade students in King Abdullah Schools of Excellence in Jordan. The study revealed that the student-centered approach is crucial in today's classrooms because it fosters students' feeling of self-efficacy and helps them see their potential. Particularly in the secondary and college levels, the active involvement of students is emphasised as bringing openness and creativity to a more conventional classroom. Students who are consistently engaged in the development of questions and self-evaluation are better able to recognize their areas of strength and weakness and are further motivated to engage in self-repair. Students perform better when assessments are used in the classroom that are focused on them as individuals. Since it promotes self-actualization, intrinsic motivation is more effective than extrinsic motivation. By taking into account, this component of education and student performance create a learning environment that can inspire students to learn on their own can help them build the mindset for lifelong learning. It gives students a sense of control in the classroom by using questions they have written as part of the evaluation process. As a result of these elements, students become more motivated as they actively participate in the teaching-learning process. The study recommends using the student-generated questions in the classroom as it leads to effective teaching as they help the students practice various writing and reading skills. In many instances, evaluation in the classroom utilizing student-created questions reveals a significant increase in writing and reading abilities. Using this kind of evaluation, students may also engage in healthy competition.

Pelatihan Pembuatan Media Pembelajaran Berbasis Google Sites di UPT SMP Negeri 19 Gresik

Teachers are required to take advantage of various learning technologies available in today's classrooms. For this reason, various efforts are needed in the learning process. One of these efforts is the use of Google sites-based learning media which aims to facilitate the teaching and learning process for teachers. Because of the importance of increasing teacher competence and skills in utilizing instructional media to the fullest, it is necessary to have training in the creation and use of Google sites-based learning media for the teacher council. The aim of the training is to broaden horizons and strengthen teacher competency skills in creating and using Google sites as learning media. This training was held on February 16, 2023 at UPT SMP Negeri 19 Gresik which was attended by 15 teachers and was carried out in two stages, namely first delivering material on the concepts and benefits of Google sites as learning media, and the second stage directly practicing creating and operating Google sites as a learning media. instructional Media. This training was carried out using a combination of material presentation methods, hands-on practice and direct debriefing. The results of this training activity, the training participants who were all teachers at UPT SMP Negeri 19 Gresik were able to understand the concepts and benefits of Google sites as well as being able to create and use websites based on Google sites as learning media.

When the linguistic L1 context is linguistic diversity – Norwegian language policy and education

From a 21st century perspective, one would typically expect that linguistic diversity in education would refer to the multiethnic and multilinguistic diversity found in most classrooms of today. During the last decades, L2 research has grown into a huge research field and teaching a country’s official language(s) as second language(s) has become an integrated part of teacher education. Diversity within the first language, on the other hand, usually does not receive that much focus. In this paper, attention will be drawn to the development of the Norwegian written language(s) and its place in society and education. Furthermore, some of the paragraphs of the recent Norwegian language act of 2022 will be discussed. The present paper focuses on the formal development of the written language(s) during the last 100 – 150 years on the background of linguistic input/exposure and tries to show that despite the official (state) view that the two Norwegian written languages, Bokmål and Nynorsk, are equal and can be used in all parts of society the actual unequal use constitutes a mismatch in input/exposure which challenges the status of Nynorsk and leads to less linguistic diversity. Furthermore, the actual use of Bokmål, and thereby the exposure to Bokmål, leads to more homogeneity/conformity within Bokmål and, hence, less linguistic diversity despite an official standard that officially allows optionality and linguistic diversity./ Keywords: linguistic diversity, L1 learning, L1 teaching, L1 diversity, language planning, language policy

Implementing Innovative Teaching and Learning Strategies

Today's classrooms need to undergo a drastic transformation if we are to unlock the young of the nation's limitless potential. A nation like Saudi Arabia cannot afford to revert to the old ways of educating its citizens given the rapid technological advancements occurring around the world. Even more so now since Saudi Arabia is the country with the biggest number of young people in the entire globe. But if one is not properly trained to meet the challenges of the world and make a significant contribution to sustainable development, physical strength is pointless. By implementing new and engaging teaching and learning strategies for pupils, education today needs to undergo a transition. Without proactive measures, it would be challenging to keep up with the rate and direction of world development. The purpose of this essay is to investigate how, in this age of innovation and technology, institutions, classrooms, mentors, and teachers may work together to spark a revolution. It's not necessary to use the most advanced technology in the classroom in order to employ innovative teaching techniques. Instead, innovative teaching involves proactively implementing new pedagogical approaches and techniques in the classroom. These innovative teaching techniques are being used to raise academic standards, address pressing issues, and advance equitable learning. This youthful generation needs to be kept on the correct path and properly developed, and teachers and educational institutions have a big part to play in that.

Enseñar literatura en tiempos revueltos. El deseo de leer y la educación literaria

Why (and for what purposes) should we teach literature in the classroom today? What should we do with literature at school? How do we educate students in the appreciation and enjoyment of literary reading and writing at the beginning of the 21st century and in the context of an education and a society subjected to the fascination for other kinds of fiction and other stories that flood television screens and to the deluge of information from the internet? In this essay, we will refer to issues such as the evolution of literature teaching over time, the theoretical debate on the identity of the literary text, the sense and relevance of literary education in the context of current networked societies, the rights of the reader, and the desire to read; furthermore, at the end of the essay we provide didactic orientations for literature education in the classroom.

Everyday actions in science teaching: a case study in public and private schools

Science teaching has been guided by different trends that are still used in the classroom today. More recently, the concern with developing experimental activities began to have a strong presence in teaching projects and teacher training courses. In the municipality of Abaetetuba-PA, located in the Amazon, most education professionals do not pay attention to the fact that everyday situations are directly linked to scientific knowledge. This article was intended to approach methodological actions of everyday life at school, seeking support in the empirical knowledge of students so that they can use the academic knowledge acquired in the classroom to understand and solve problems of daily life. The socioeconomic characteristics of the students were analyzed and ten experiments in the area of science were related to daily life, to the syllabus, and applied to 60 students from the 4th grade of an elementary school in the municipal education network (public) and in a private school. All experiments applied with this methodology had widespread acceptance among students and proved to be effective in students' performance. Through the ANOVA calculation, it was found that there were no significant differences for most of the answers between the students of the two schools.