Daily Teaching Practice Research Articles

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The collaborative approach through which learning becomes significant, active, located, open, multimedial, and meta-cognitive has profoundly changed pedagogical tradition. Nowadays, the teaching/learning process is based more on the subject who learns rather than on the teacher: the main goal is the construction of a person who is able to go towards broader educational horizons. In this “rolling over” process of traditional roles in which the student becomes unique and true knowledge constructor, every good teacher knows that in order to make an effective contribution, it is necessary to support motivation, promote the desire to learn, to encourage research as well as develop learning processes through empowerment strategies and personal learning project (L. Camaioni, P. Di Blasio, 2007, p.162). Formal education becomes an environment of life experience, where the student “grows with others”. This kind of education is based on the dynamic interaction between multiple subjects, rather than on a dual relationship. Moreover, when we deal with problems related to the learning and teaching processes, it is worth considering communication technology due to the fact that they play a very important role in the formation of the person. New media are not simply added to old ones but they have created powerful interference fields in cognitive processes. New image, sound and communication technologies have introduced significant anthropological elements of novelty. The teacher has the function of an expert who, in addition to supervising, continually introduces additional support. Teaching is, therefore, a radical process of adaptation to the new demands of new generations entering the classrooms. The action Cl@ssi 2.0 offers the possibility to verify how and how much the learning environment can change, through constant and widespread use of technologies in daily teaching practices. Additionally, innovative ideas that, with the use of technologies (consider the introduction in the classrooms of the electronic textbooks or interactive whiteboards (LIM)), have reconsidered and transformed the learning environments of our schools.

Reflections as a major socio-pedagogical component to teaching development

Reflective teaching as a bottom-up process of learning teaching is said to be articulated all over the world, but in Algeria. This has led to a fatalistic apathy which has made teachers, in secondary schools, turn nonchalant and perform an insipid teaching. It is believed then that if a teacher never questions the goals of his teaching and never reflects on his teaching practices, can, in no way, achieve positive learning outcomes. It is truism that teaching at the level of secondary schools must be backed up by an instructional methodology which is dished out by managers and teachers have to follow blindly what is imposed on them. However, if they remove themselves from jadedness and make reflections on their daily teaching practices and get rid of awkward ones, their teaching will, by all means, turn to be effective and achieve better results. This paper clearly describes teaching in our secondary schools and highlights the positive effects of the concept of reflection if undertaken by these teachers.

TeachersasRESEARCHERS:A Narrative Pedagogical Approach to Transforming a Graduate Family and Health Promotion Course

Scholarship of teaching in nursing is illustrated by describing the development, implementation, evaluation, and revision of a family and health promotion course for graduate family nurse practitioner students. A narrative pedagogical approach that combines conventional pedagogy with action research is used. The work, an example of curriculum as dialogue, illustrates how teachers can incorporate research, evaluation, and reflection into their daily teaching practice. Given adequate support, these evaluation and research activities could constitute part of the scholarship of teaching, and, as such, would warrant allocation of time in faculty workloads and formal acknowledgment in annual performance evaluations and promotion and tenure decisions. The importance of increasing the clinical relevance of the scholarship of teaching in a practice discipline such as nursing is also emphasized.

Enhancing primary school children collaborative learning experiences in maths via a 3D virtual environment

Over the last years there has been a growing use of 3D virtual environments for educational purposes. Many studies advocate the integration of these environments in the daily teaching practice of various subjects. This requires innovative design in order create the appropriate affective/ pedagogical conditions as well as the development and use of well-structured activities in order to achieve effective collaborative learning. This paper presents an exploratory study in which collaborative learning strategies and cognitive apprenticeship models act as the pedagogical framework to facilitate learning and collaboration. The context is the teaching of mathematics in primary education via a 3D virtual environment. Specifically, we focus on evaluating students' engagement (behavioral, affective and cognitive) in the collaborative learning process as they learn fractional concepts in a meaningful way. The findings show that a 3D virtual environment can support collaborative learning in primary school through its ability to enhance students' engagement (behavioral, affective and cognitive) in the collaborative learning process.

Reflexões sobre o processo de formação continuada proposto por um curso de especialização em Educação em Ciências e Tecnologia

Apresentamos a proposta de um curso de especialização na modalidade lato sensu que foi implementado na Fundação Universidade Federal do Pampa, no ano de 2008. A especialização foi voltada para a formação continuada de professores que atuam na Educação emCiências e Tecnologia. Apresentamos reflexões sobre o andamento docurso e depois sobre as suas contribuições produzidas nas atividades de docência dos egressos. Para isso, utilizamos dois momentos de coleta de informações: o primeiro, por meio de questionários abertos que os alunos respondiam durante o curso, ao final de cada módulo de disciplinas formativas; e o segundo, por meio de um questionário aberto respondido via internet, seis meses após o período de defesa do trabalhode conclusão. Foi possível avaliar a proposta didática oferecida pelo curso, as barreiras enfrentadas pelos alunos no decorrer da formação e também suas expectativas perante o futuro na carreira docente. Os resultados apontam para o êxito da proposta implementada na busca daformação continuada dos professores em exercício. Pode-se perceber ograu de satisfação dos egressos – muitos deles se encontram em plena reflexão e outros já em efetiva mudança de suas práticas didáticas na escola. Foi possível perceber, por diversos ângulos, que o curso pode ser melhorado, principalmente no que diz respeito a uma maior ênfase sobre as propostas didáticas relacionadas à Física e à Química experimentais.

Perception of Accounting Students Towards Integrated ERP Software with Accounting Information System Course at Perbanas School of Business

Digital technology has become a common tool within our lives including in education sector where teachers have yet to embed them within their daily teaching practices (Cuban, 2001). Utilization of information technology shows the individual's decision to use technology to solve a series of tasks. Ideally, in conjunction with the factors task technology fit is measured by how large a proportion of users choose to utilize the system. Mills, Lawless and Pratt (2006) examined the knowledge gains of students within cooperative group interacting with computer based instruction compared to students working alone. Perbanas School of Business has accepted Indonesia Government Program Grant to enhance graduate employability program of student. The Enhancing Information Technology (IT) Awareness is one of program to enhance graduate employability program of students. To support this program, Accounting Department were integrated accounting information course with ERP software. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is an integrated computer-based system used to manage internal and external resources including tangible assets, financial resources, materials, and human resources The purpose of this study is to determine perceptions of accounting students toward the use of accounting software in accounting learning in Perbanas School of Business Surabaya.The method used in this research is the questionnaire method is a method of data collection which was obtained by asking a list of questions that have been prepared in the form of questionnaires to the respondents. The survey has been conducted to more than 200 students of Accounting who followed Accounting Information System Course to examine difference of perceived accounting students learning with integrated ERP software by their characteristic.

Literacy competences in cultural diverse classrooms: experiences of teachers

This contribution takes a closer look at literacy competence-related problems in socially and culturally diverse classrooms. Diversity in language and reading socialization both contribute significantly to differences in literacy competences, which is something that surfaces in daily teaching practice. A survey among 169 primary and secondary school teachers in the Netherlands focused on the perspective of the teachers, since they are the ones who have to deal with the diversity in literacy. The extent of the problems the teachers indicated as being caused by their students' lack of literacy competences is considerable in all classes. During their day-to-day teaching, teachers of multicultural classes experience more problems related to literacy competences than do teachers of monocultural classes. The results indicate that it is desirable if not vital to pay attention to the acquisition of literacy competences in diverse, multicultural classrooms in teacher training and refresher courses.

Creativity in Artistic Education: Introducing Artists into Primary Schools

AbstractDespite a more prominent role of arts education in the school curriculum, artistic creativity does not occur to a great extent in primary school practice. More opportunities for teachers to strengthen their know‐how in the field of artistic creativity can therefore be considered important. Arts education projects focus on pupils' development of creativity by means of introducing artists with their divergent working methods into primary schools. Beside fostering pupils' creative openness and skills, arts education organisations aim to transfer artistic enthusiasm to teachers in each project. Collaboration with artists can encourage teachers' artistic creative work. New working methods, techniques or ways of experimenting are more likely to be adopted in daily teaching practice when the project duration consists of several years. However, most projects are short‐lived and the means for a long‐term project policy are limited. Consequently, results in the area of sustainable outcomes concerning artistic creative work with teachers are limited. To create a long‐term view, the availability of financial resources is an important condition in order to realise a mentality change towards artistic creativity in education. Finally, continuing debate with several participants about making artistic creative work sustainable remains necessary.

Influence of teachers’ perceptions of teaching and learning on the implementation of Assessment for Learning in inquiry study

Assessment for learning is a worldwide initiative. With the aim of learning about the influence of teachers’ attitudes and perceptions of assessment for learning on daily teaching practices, this study investigated the implementation of assessment for learning using rubrics as a tool for inquiry study. Nineteen secondary school teachers using rubrics were interviewed. The findings show that a narrow perspective of rubrics as a tool for current teaching practice limits teachers’ creativity in extending the possibilities of assessment for learning to improve the teaching and learning of inquiry study. The paper draws attention to the influence of teachers’ prior perceptions, and provides suggestions for expanding teachers’ perspectives of assessment for learning and utilising rubrics as an integral element of the teaching and learning of inquiry study.

Connecting ‘snippets of knowledge’: teachers’ understandings of the concept of working theories

New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, has two learning outcomes, dispositions and working theories. While a sociocultural perspective of dispositions has received significant attention in research and teaching, ‘working theories’ as a concept has remained somewhat nebulous. This paper describes ways teachers in two settings interpreted this construct during a qualitative study designed to explore teachers’ understandings of working theories. During group interviews, teachers initially demonstrated intuitive knowledge of the concept as children’s snippets of knowledge and children making connections between different information, experiences and concepts. As a result of the increased focus on the concept stimulated by the research, some teachers’ pedagogic practices shifted in richness and depth. However, the realities of daily teaching practices thwarted theoretical understandings from developing within the timeframe of the project and remain a work-in-progress in collaborative attempts to merge theory and practice. Implications for teacher knowledge, learning and policy are offered.

Improving High Schools in Quebec

The province of Quebec has a high-performing school system. In all rounds of the PISA results, Quebec has done well, especially in mathematics. Yet Quebec also has a persistently high dropout rate from its secondary schools, especially when one considers that Quebec only has 11 years of schooling, rather than the 12 years found everywhere else in Canada and in the United States. In the 1960s, Quebec created a system in which secondary schooling was made a year shorter followed by two years at a community college (called CEGEP in Quebec). After CEGEP, students can enter a university or undertake other kinds of advanced training. In total, students receive the same number of years of schooling as they do elsewhere, but the CEGEPs provide a different institutional structure. Still, just over 60% of Quebec students successfully complete secondary education in the expected time, and only about 71% do so even when allowing two extra years. When Statistics Canada measures high school completion or equivalent at age 24, Quebec is last among Canadian provinces. The shortfall in high school graduates is a long-standing issue in the province. In 2009, a government commission chaired by businessman Jacques Menard (www2.bmo.com/bmo/ files/images/7/1/knowledge_is_power.pdf) reported that: Despite all the resources devoted to promoting student retention, our education system lets nearly one in three students fall through the cracks: 30% of our youth celebrate their 20th birthday without a high school or vocational diploma. Beyond the human tragedies that loom over ropouts and their families for their entire lives, imagine the disaster in store for a province where barely two workingaged people will have to support five people age 65 or over. The Menard report proposed a goal of 80% 'on time' graduation. Reducing Dropouts Over the years, the Quebec Ministry of Education has taken various steps to try to improve the situation. In 2002, it launched an ambitious reform called (in English) New Approaches, New Solutions (NANS). NANS was an attempt to reduce the impact of social inequalities on high school completion. It focused on providing additional resources to high schools in disadvantaged areas. Some 200 schools--about a third of all high schools in Quebec--took part. Each school was to develop and implement an action plan to improve student success that was appropriate to its local context, using a sophisticated planning process, additional funds, consultants from their school districts and regional teams of the Ministry of Education. The whole effort was tracked for years by an evaluation team, headed by Michel Janosz of the Universite de Montreal. The final evaluation report, recently released (www.gresumontreal. ca/pg/siaa/siaa-rapports_sommairesynthese. html), is a rich document with many nuanced findings about both the implementation of NANS and its effects on a whole variety of school practices and student outcomes. However, to summarize the main results, the strategy turned out to be difficult to implement and had limited effects on student outcomes. On the first point, schools lacked the capacity to put in place the sophisticated model of needs assessment and action planning envisioned in NANS. In most schools, nobody had the skill or time to manage the strategy as intended. The proposed extensive involvement of community partners was rarely achieved to a significant degree. Although consultants were able to provide some support, it was simply insufficient to overcome the obstacles. Schools did take many actions and initiatives as part of NANS, but the evaluation found that these initiatives did not challenge core practices or beliefs in most schools and were aimed primarily at extra programs, such as after-school services or school discipline, rather than at improving daily teaching and learning practices. …

ICT in the professional development of EFL teachers: perceptions and challenges.

This article summarizes and analyzes the findings of one aspect of a research project that explored a proposal mediated by ICT, for the professional development of a group of teachers of English. The general objective of the project was to analyze the effect of the proposal on the development of the listening skills, Intercultural Competence, and professional development itself of a group of sixteen English teachers from several public schools in Bogota. One part of the study focused on the teachers' perceptions of the proposal. The other one deals with the aspects that could possibly have an influence on the implementation of the proposal on the daily teaching practice of the participants. The data were gathered through surveys, interviews, and logs, which evidenced that even though teachers value the proposal for its meaningfulness and usefulness, they face various kinds of difficulties and tension in its application.

Instructional development for teachers in higher education: impact on teaching approach

Although instructional development for teachers has become an important topic in higher education, little is known about the impact it has on daily teaching practice. The lack of systematic programme evaluation is an ongoing concern. In this study we investigate by use of a quasi-experimental design, the impact of an instructional development program for beginning university teachers on their teaching approach. Quantitative pre-test as well as post-test data were assembled from 20 experimental teachers and 20 control teachers. At the post-test qualitative data were gathered too: 17 teachers of the experimental group and 12 teachers of the control group were interviewed. Paired t-tests and analysis of covariance with the pre-test scores as a covariate showed some effect of instructional development on teaching approach. The analysis of the qualitative data sustained this result. Our results reveal the influence of instructional development on teachers’ teaching approach being slightly different for teachers belonging to distinct disciplines. Several interpretations and perspectives for further research are discussed.

Effective Programs in Middle and High School Mathematics: A Best-Evidence Synthesis

This article reviews research on the achievement outcomes of mathematics programs for middle and high schools. Study inclusion requirements include use of a randomized or matched control group, a study duration of at least 12 weeks, and equality at pretest. There were 100 qualifying studies, 26 of which used random assignment to treatments. Effect sizes were very small for mathematics curricula and for computer-assisted instruction. Positive effects were found for two cooperative learning programs. Outcomes were similar for disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged students and for students of different ethnicities. Consistent with an earlier review of elementary programs, this article concludes that programs that affect daily teaching practices and student interactions have more promise than those emphasizing textbooks or technology alone.

Sobre el significado de la didáctica de la física

In this paper, we analyze how in the pedagogical models that are lived in daily teaching practices, are usually found unstructured conceptions about the meaning of didactics of physics. Therefore, we propose a perspective to understand such a conception and to argue on which the didactics of physics is based so that it can be understood as an autonomous discipline. For this case, a didactic approach is analyzed, from the justification of why it is considered a science, addressing fundamental aspects such as language and the teaching of physics; the thought processes in physics; and the relationship between the physics teacher and society.

Initiating education reform through lesson study at a university in Indonesia

This paper analyses the issues involved in promoting lesson study in an Indonesian university, based on a case study of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science (FMIPA) of the State University of Yogyakarta. Five points are discussed. First, conducting lesson study with schools revealed that the faculty managers noticed the ignorance about lesson study in FMIPA and decided to conduct lesson study by themselves to learn more. Second, despite using a didactic teaching approach initially, more faculty members began using group work in their lessons. Third, despite the emphasis on the importance of observing students' learning realities, most faculty members focused on teaching methodology. Fourth, in terms of reflection, they could be classified as evaluation‐minded in order to be critical about the observed lessons, and learning‐minded to appreciate the observed lessons. Fifth, the strong involvement of managers is necessary to develop lesson study as a daily teaching and learning practice.

An ‘Ethics of resistance’ challenges taken-for-granted ideas in Swedish early childhood education

In the present action-research project, three teachers and the researcher engaged in a series of meetings to analyze children's drawings from several different theoretical perspectives, or ‘readings’. Using two interrelated processes, deconstructive talks and an ethic of resistance, the teachers purposefully sought to recognize and challenge the taken-for-granted ideas, biases, hidden agendas, and theoretical discourses that informed their daily teaching practices. Within a feminist post-structural framework, discourse analysis was conducted on transcripts of these meetings. The study illustrates how deconstructive talks and an ethic of resistance enhanced the teachers’ awareness of multiple theoretical perspectives, as well as their understanding of how their own assumptions and values can impact children's learning. Ultimately, the teachers realized that their biases resulted in inequities, including gendered inequities, in their evaluations of the children's work. This realization, then, led to a re-conceptualization of pedagogical decision-making as a fundamentally ethical matter, closely related to egalitarianism as a central feature in the Nordic concept of the good childhood.

Executive function in education: from theory to practice

I. Executive Function: Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks1. Executive Function: Binding together the Definitions of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities, Martha Bridge Denckla2. Hill, Skill, and Will: Executive Function from a Multiple-Intelligences Perspective, Seana Moran and Howard Gardner3. Executive Capacities from a Developmental Perspective, Jane Holmes Bernstein and Deborah P. Waber4. Connecting Cognitive Science and Neuroscience to Education: Potentials and Pitfalls in Inferring Executive Processes, Kurt W. Fischer and Samantha G. DaleyII. Executive Function Difficulties in Different Diagnostic Groups: Challenges of Identification and Treatment5. Executive Function Difficulties and Learning Disabilities: Understandings and Misunderstandings, Lynn Meltzer and Kalyani Krishnan6. Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and Executive Function: The Challenges of Effective Assessment and Learning, Judith A. Stein and Kalyani Krishnan7. Executive Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Research to Practice, Sally Ozonoff and Patricia L. SchetterIII. Interventions to Address Executive Function Processes8. Executive Function in the Classroom: Embedding Strategy Instruction into Daily Teaching Practices, Lynn Meltzer, Laura Sales Pollica, and Mirit Barzillai9. Executive Control of Reading Comprehension in the Elementary School, Irene West Gaskins, Eric Satlow, and Michael Pressley10. Addressing Executive Function Problems in Writing: An Example from the Self-Regulated Strategy Development Model, Steve Graham, Karen R. Harris, and Natalie Olinghouse11. The Strategic Math Classroom: Executive Function Processes and Mathematics Learning, Bethany N. Roditi and Joan Steinberg12. Teaching Metacognitive Strategies That Address Executive Function Processes within a Schoolwide Curriculum, Irene West Gaskins and Michael Pressley13. Deficits in Executive Function Processes: A Curriculum-Based Intervention, David Rose and Katherine Rose

A paleontologia na educação infantil: alfabetizando e construindo o conhecimento

A Paleontologia é recomendada pelos PCN como tema de ciências para o ensino básico brasileiro, sendo freqüente em muitos livros didáticos no País. Abordagens mais completas sobre o tema são, ainda, escassas no dia-a-dia das escolas, devido mais à deficiência dos professores do que ao desinteresse ou dificuldades de aprendizado dos alunos. São descritas aqui iniciativas de atuação junto à Educação Infantil, envolvendo o colégio, professores e alunos. O que se propõe é usar a Paleontologia na alfabetização e na construção do conhecimento, por meio do contato dos alunos com esse tema desde suas atividades educativas iniciais. Visa à popularização do conhecimento paleontológico, à aproximação entre Universidade-Escola, à formação continuada de professores e à prestação de assessoria na elaboração/execução de atividades. As atividades aqui relatadas, mais do que idéias a serem copiadas, devem servir como idéias geradoras de idéias, sendo adaptadas à realidade e às condições de cada um dos interessados.

Seeing things differently: restorative justice and school discipline1

… helping to incorporate the principles of human rights, democracy, tolerance and mutual respect, the rule of law and peaceful resolution of conflicts into the daily practice of teaching and learning …2 Bullying, harassment, anti-social behaviour, drug abuse—in recent years many safety issues concerning student behaviour confront school authorities. How should schools respond to behaviour that threatens school safety? Much discussion surrounds school responses and the levels of stand-downs, suspensions and expulsions. There is debate also concerning the pre-emptive measures, such as searching and drug testing, introduced by schools in an attempt to guard against such behaviour. The question needs to be asked: Why do young people behave badly in school? Is it that the majority of students feel that schooling is something that is ‘done to them’ rather than a process in which they are active valued and significant participants? Should schools be moving towards more meaningful involvement of students not only...