Educative Curriculum Materials Research Articles

Bridging Theory to Practice: Exploring the Role of an Educative Translingual Curriculum to Support Linguistically Diverse Classroom Practices

AbstractThis study investigates how five teachers of multilingual learners (MLLs), working in an officially English‐centric school district, make sense of a reading curriculum based in translingual pedagogies, or instruction that builds on language and languaging practices (e.g., language brokering, translation, and codemeshing) familiar to multilingual youth. Participating teachers, describing themselves as mostly monolingual educators, utilized the curriculum during a support class for their MLLs. We show how this curriculum, containing what we classify as educative curriculum materials (Davis & Krajcik, 2005), operated to support, and extend linguistically supportive instructional practices occurring within participating teachers' classroom figured worlds (Holland et al., 1998). Using data from classroom observations and teacher interviews, we show how the curriculum operated as a mediating artifact to support teachers' development of more linguistically diverse practices within their classrooms. Findings indicate that curriculum materials bridged theory to practice by supporting teacher development of these practices, which, in turn, bolstered their beliefs in the importance of students' home languages, and led to a shift in how teachers understood, interpreted, and resisted English‐centric policies at their schools.

A Remote View into the Classroom: Analyzing Teacher Use of Digitally Enhanced Educative Curriculum Materials in Support of Student Learning

ABSTRACT When integrated into online curriculum modules for students, educative curriculum materials (ECMs) can enhance teachers’ enactment of these modules. This study investigated (1) the use of digitally enhanced ECMs built into an online plate tectonics curriculum module by teachers with different backgrounds and teaching experience, (2) the relationship between teachers’ use of ECMs and student learning gains, and (3) teacher reflections on the value of the ECMs they used. We studied 26 teachers who taught middle and high school students (n = 1,098) by analyzing teacher log files automatically generated by the ECMs, teacher reflections collected with post-implementation surveys and interviews, student log files, and student learning gains from pretest to posttest. Results indicate that (1) there were large variations in the amounts and types of ECM features teachers accessed, (2) middle school teachers accessed significantly more ECM features than high school teachers p < .01, (3) students of teachers who used ECMs during class time made significantly higher learning gains than students of teachers who used them only before and/or between class time, p < .05, and (4) teachers most valued ECM features on student assessment. An overall non-significant, but positive, correlation between the total teacher interactions with ECMs and student learning gains was observed, r = 0.20, p = .32.

Integrative-Interconnective Model: Implementation in Islamic Religious Education Curriculum Development in Muhammadiyah Schools

Education in Indonesia has long been trapped in a dichotomy between religious knowledge and general science. As a result, it can lead to educational dualism at the practical level which in turn will result in a decline in educational outcomes. To unravel the split in knowledge between religious science and general science, a multi- and interdisciplinary paradigm is needed in the form of integrative-interconnective science. This paper aims to analyze the implementation of the development of Islamic Religious Education curriculum materials with an integrative-interconnective model in Muhammadiyah boarding schools. The type of research chosen in this paper is qualitative research with literature studies. The application of the integrative-interconnective model in the Islamic Religious Education curriculum needs to pay attention to three main principles, namely; hadarah al-nash, which serves as a cultural buffer for religious texts, hadarah al-'Ilm (science and technology), and hadarah al-falsafah (ethical-emancipatory culture). This gives the meaning that all learning materials must be sourced from the Al-Qur'an, therefore the Al-Qur'an must be the main reference in this matter. In addition, it must also be supported by scientific facts that have been proven empirically, so that its credibility can be recognized, and it needs to be supported by principles that originate from conscience or intuition. If these three principles can be implemented in learning materials, then it will be able to create comprehensive learning and understanding.

Science Teachers’ Uptake of Heuristic Educative Curriculum Materials to Develop Students’ Habit of Questioning and Posing Problem

Science teachers lack the pedagogical knowledge and skills to develop students’ habit of questioning and posing problems (HQP), which is vital for scientific inquiry. Prescriptive curriculum materials do not promote professional growth and development in teachers. In contrast, heuristic educative curriculum materials allow teachers to choose and learn as and when is more feasible. Heuristic design curriculum materials contain educative features that provide suggestions and rationales for instructional activities, empowering teachers to enact more flexibly. In a larger study, a heuristic curriculum material called Skilful Thinking Educative Pedagogical Support (STEPS) was prepared and encompassed three components – specific thinking strategies, habits of mind, and metacognition. STEPS was prepared using findings from needs analysis, a review of additional curriculum materials and the Malaysian Year 4 science syllabus. This paper focuses HQP which is one of the sixteen components of habits of mind. The research objective was to investigate how three Year 4 science teachers up-took educative features in STEPS to develop students’ HQP. The study utilised a qualitative exploratory research design. Classroom observations, open-ended interviews, and document analysis were the data sources. We used tracers in the educative features, such as teachers’ uttered phrases, cues, and suggested tools to indicate HQP implementation. The findings showed fidelity between STEPS and teacher implementation as teachers had used the suggested tools, encouraged students’ HQP skills by using cues, and gave justifications on why HQP is important. The teachers also gave space and scaffolded their students’ question generation and problem-posing. Moreover, teachers adapted the educative features most relevant to their teaching context. Implications for teachers, school leaders, researchers and teacher educators were discussed.

Educational curriculum materials and pedagogical practice: what is(are) the message(s)?

The objective of this article is to identify and understand the message of pedagogical practice represented in Educational Curriculum Materials’ texts. We adopted document analysis as a procedure and used the concepts of classification and framing developed by Basil Bernstein. The results point to at least two messages: of the material, characterized by the transparency and structure of the text, and of the pedagogical practice portrayed and characterized by the sequencing of actions and interactions of the teacher on “how” to familiarize and overcome students’ difficulties during the implementation of the math task. Therefore, the messages present in MCE’ texts converge to guidelines aimed at practice with methodological guidelines indicating aspects to be considered, and mathematical content previously produced with the participation of teachers for pedagogical practice.

Developing Equity Literacy and Critical Statistical Literacy in Secondary Mathematics Preservice Teachers

There is a lack of teacher education materials that develop equity literacy in content courses for preservice secondary mathematics teachers. In response, we created teacher education curriculum materials for introductory statistics that include an integrated focus on developing equity literacy and critical statistical literacy. In this article, we provide an overview of our materials’ design along with a detailed look at one activity regarding racial demographics and tracking in high school STEM courses. We present evidence regarding the positive impact of these materials on the teacher candidates’ competency, value, and likelihood of applying their equity literacy and critical statistical literacy. Implications for mathematics teacher educators working to develop equity literacy together with content knowledge are discussed.

Didactic Suitability of Official Peruvian Secondary Education Curriculum Materials in Probability

Resumen Los materiales curriculares constituyen un puente entre el currículo previsto y el implementado en el aula, mediando en el aprendizaje de los estudiantes. Por tanto, desde la investigación educativa se debe estudiar su grado de adecuación a los procesos de enseñanza planificados. Valorar la pertinencia de estos materiales requiere desarrollar instrumentos que guíen la reflexión en las diferentes dimensiones de los procesos de estudio de las matemáticas. Presentamos una revisión sistemática de los indicadores de idoneidad didáctica para valorar los procesos instruccionales sobre probabilidad en el marco del Enfoque Ontosemiótico, con la finalidad de elaborar una guía para evaluar materiales curriculares peruanos de Educación Secundaria (estudiantes de doce y trece años) en dicho contenido. Dicho instrumento se aplica para analizar las fichas dedicadas a probabilidad de dos cuadernos de trabajo, elaborados por la misma institución de la que emana la normativa curricular. Se sigue una metodología cualitativa, empleando la técnica de análisis de contenido apoyada en las categorías del Enfoque Ontosemiótico. El análisis de las fichas de trabajo ha permitido identificar puntos críticos que deben considerarse para optimizar su uso en el aula: desajuste de contenidos con las directrices curriculares; predominio del significado clásico frente al frecuencial; ausencia de articulación del significado clásico con otros significados como el intuitivo o subjetivo; falta de situaciones que impliquen experimentación y simulación con manipulativos o software ; escasez de contextos para desarrollar la alfabetización probabilística más allá de los juegos de azar y ausencia de tareas grupales que favorezcan la interacción entre estudiantes.

Power relations and the negotiation of meanings in a Community of Practice in the field of Mathematics Education

This article aims to identify and analyze power relations in the negotiation of meanings in a Community of Practice, called the “Observatório da Educação Matemática” da Bahia (OEM-BA), formed by academics from the university and teachers of Basic Education, who came together to produce educational math curriculum materials. The research carried out was of a qualitative nature and the data were produced through observations of the activities carried out by OEM-BA. To support the analysis, we used Etienne Wenger's Social Theory of Learning and Basil Bernstein's Theory of Codes. By analyzing the data, we identify power relations between academic and non-academic discourses, as well as interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary discourses. This happened when members negotiated meanings relative to teaching and learning content operations with whole numbers and quantities directly and inversely proportional. The results of this research gave visibility to variations in the principles and hierarchies underlying the meeting between academics and scholars.

Model Kurikulum Pendidikan Jihad di Ma’had Aly Ar-Rahman Qur’anic College (AQC) Bogor

This study focuses on discussing the model of jihad education curriculum in Islamic education. This research was conducted at the student boarding school of Ar-Rahman Qur'anic College (AQC) Bogor with the aim of knowing the model of the jihad education curriculum applied at the institution. This jihad education is one of the educations taught at AQC Bogor, so that students understand jihad comprehensively according to the basis of Islam, are the Qur'an and Hadith. In this study used is qualitative research with the type of research is field research, that research conducted by means of observation, documentation and interviews. This study concludes that jihad education at Ma'had Aly Ar-Rahman Qur'anic College Bogor makes the students have scientific insight and correct understanding of jihad in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah, have pure faith, consistent worship, civilized and morals, and become a cadre of mujahid da'wah. Jihad education curriculum materials at AQC consist of monotheism, sincerity, adab and morals, worship and life skills. The methods of jihad education applied at AQC are the lecture method, memorization, tarhi b and targhib , and prayer. Meanwhile, there are four evaluations that can be done in the jihad education curriculum, they are formative evaluation, summative evaluation, moral evaluation, and evaluation with time.

How does coaching influence teacher implementation of a science programme? Evidence from an experimental study

PurposeThe study aimed to understand the effect of instructional coaching on teachers' implementation of a science teaching improvement programme and whether it varies in schools of different socioeconomic statuses.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted an experimental study. A total of 59 seventh-grade classrooms from a representative sample of public schools from the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, were provided with research-based science educative curriculum materials (ECM) as resources to improve their teaching. A randomly selected treatment group received additional instructional coaching. Coaches met one-on-one with teachers on a weekly basis, providing pedagogical support to enact the ECM. After a 12-week intervention, the authors analyzed science teaching practices as evidenced in students' notebooks. The authors used a fidelity framework to understand the programme's implementation (with and without coaching), considering its adherence, dosage and quality, and compared how it varied across schools.FindingsWhile teachers in both groups used the ECM in their science lessons (i.e. with high adherence), instructional coaching almost tripled science teaching time (i.e. the dosage) but did not increase the quality of implementation (i.e. the percentage of inquiry-based science activities taught). In low socioeconomic status schools, the effect of coaching on dosage was even more intense.Originality/valueThis study provides robust evidence on the impact of instructional coaching on teaching improvement programmes in science in developing countries, an under researched topic. The findings may contribute to developing targeted coaching interventions considering their effectiveness in different school contexts.

Failing Forward: Educative Curriculum Materials, an English Teaching App, and a Revolution

Educative Curriculum Materials (ECMs) are teaching materials that have the dual function of providing learning activities to students and providing professional development to the teachers that use them. Answering a call for professional development opportunities, and with input from English teachers in rural Nicaraguan schools, the designers created a set of ECMs aligned with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education Curriculum. When physically bringing the completed materials to educators in rural Nicaraguan schools became impossible, it was determined that the delivery system had to change. With support from a team of undergraduate computer science students, the ECMs were transferred to a digital delivery system, the new format allowing for even more English teaching and learning support. This paper shares how a revolution in Nicaragua and failed project ultimately led to the creation of the English teaching app Reaching for English.

Designing educative curriculum materials in interdisciplinary teams: designer processes and contributions

Educative curricula support teacher learning as well as the learning of students. High quality educative curricula contain features that help teachers customize learning opportunities and environments in ways that meet the needs of their learners. Designing these features requires expertise related to subject matter content, pedagogy, teacher and student learning, and instructional design. In other words, it requires interdisciplinary team work – which is notoriously challenging. To understand and support collaborative interdisciplinary design processes, a retrospective case study was conducted on interdisciplinary design team work that yielded a high quality educative curriculum for inquiry-based science learning. Design documents and transcripts of interviews with six designers (a cognitive psychologist, a practising physicist, and four science educators) were analyzed to identify their contributions during the phases of analysis, development, and evaluation to create educative features for developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Findings articulate specific educative features that can contribute to supporting PCK and thereby supporting instructional performance. Findings also reveal the proactive and reactive nature of designer contributions, describing different ways in which designers provide specialized inputs from a disciplinary perspective. Further, this study shows how designer contributions intermeshed, with contributions from one discipline shaping the work of colleagues, and thereby coordinating varied inputs to yield coherent educative materials. In addition, theoretical insights and recommendations for research on the nature of collaborative interdisciplinary design processes and implications for practice are given for supporting designers working in interdisciplinary teams to create educative curriculum materials for teacher (and student) learning.

Exploration on the Methods of Teaching Material Construction of General Education Courses in Colleges and Universities in the New Media Era——Take the Course of " Appreciation of Fine Arts " as an Example

In the era of rapid development of the Internet, the general education courses in colleges and universities use new media as the carrier to carry out teaching work, which has an important impact on mobilizing the enthusiasm of college students and improving the teaching effect. This article combines the "Internet plus" strategy, taking the course of "Appreciation of Fine Arts" as an example, from the educational concept of general education courses in colleges and universities, the selection of general courses textbooks, the readability of general courses textbooks, the format of general courses textbooks and the functions of general courses textbooks on five levels, discuss the construction methods of general education curriculum materials in colleges and universities to better meet the needs of general education courses construction and talent training in colleges and universities in the new era.

Expanding the Science Capital in K–12 Science Textbooks: A Notable Doctor's Insights into Biology &amp; Other Accomplishments of African American Scientists

This article explores the need to include the science capital and cultural capital of African Americans in science teaching and offers practical exemplars for inclusion in the K–12 science curriculum. The author discusses ideas in the evolution of culture that contribute to the science content and perspectives of current textbooks and their supporting educative curriculum materials. The exemplars provided shed light on the scientific concepts and ideas indicated by the scientific accomplishments and narratives of African American scientists and a notable doctor, Charles R. Drew. The practical considerations described have implications for the disciplinary core ideas in the Next Generation Science Standards, and for understanding the cultural, social, and political values inherent in the nature of science.

Supporting novice mathematics teacher educators teaching elementary mathematics content courses for the first time

In order to be effectively prepared by a teacher education program, prospective elementary teachers (PTs) need to experience high quality mathematics instruction in their mathematics content courses. The instructors of these courses typically consist of individuals (mathematicians and mathematics educators) with ranging experiences, from tenured faculty members to first-year assistant professors or graduate students. This paper explores how to support novice mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) who are teaching elementary content coursework for PTs for the first time. We detail and describe how to implement three systems for supporting novice MTEs: working with a mentor, being provided with educative curriculum materials, and working in a collaborative teaching environment. We close by discussing specific challenges associated with these supports, and call for more institutions to share how they have successfully implemented systems to support novice MTEs.

Challenges of Homeschooling in Romania during Pandemic Times

Innovations assets during the pandemic time and gradually commitment formed it fundamental to transform traditional education methods and made current many crucial breakpoints in the educational process in early childhood education. The present study is an augmentation to the issue of the virtual learning environment at preschools. Multiplying the lines of open and distance learning, including cyberculture as a new note in learning, attracting the Internet as a source and means of teaching, increasing in real-time the links between computer-mediated education partners, reporting on cyberspace as a privileged environment, on the performance of the education, in general, are conclusive examples of the stated evolution. It does not mean that everything in school is moving from the current to the virtual. This study selected descriptive survey research for quantitative methods. The research design used appropriate frequencies to collect responses through an online data from Facebook group members (Pregatim prescolarii pentru scoala). The target population comprised of 280 parents in Romania. One-self administered questionnaires were used to obtain data on parents' perceptions of conventional schooling and in decision making, they should involve pupils in a homeschool setting. We suggest that a parent's moderate degree of engagement through online learning is essential as it involves reinforce to a child. The results provided here shows that learning process based on inquiry-approach could contribute to the development of home education programs and curriculum resources and materials for early childhood education. Also, present the perspectives of accelerated curricula for gifted children from the mainstream education system during pandemic times.

A Study of a Vocational Education Curriculum on Pneumatic Control

In recent years, as the application of pneumatic control technology has expanded, it is an urgent matter to train production engineers engaged in pneumatic control systems. However, as educational curriculum and teaching materials are not well developed, vocational education on pneumatic control is not sufficiently done. Therefore, it is indispensable to study the curriculum and teaching material development aiming at fostering pneumatic control technicians who will become immediate fight at the production site, and to develop those results to vocational education. In this paper, we examined the educational curriculum for pneumatic control engineers by organizing necessary technical elements. Then, we prepared a textbook on the basics of pneumatic control and developed it to education for vocational training instructors. Finally, we measured the degree of mastery to confirm the effect. As a result, we confirmed that the mastery degree was improved. We have also developed teaching materials with the pneumatic positioning system necessary to effectively implement the proposed vocational education curriculum.

교사용 지도서의 교육적(Educative) 수업 지원 양상 및 개선 방안

Korean mathematics curriculum has undergone multiple cycles of reforms. Recent reforms emphasize teachers' role as who enact the written curriculum to their students. Teachers' guide is one of the resources that support teachers with enacting a given curriculum. Therefore, the potential teachers' guide has as a space for teacher professional development is worth an in-depth examination. To this end, this study explored the potential of Korean mathematics teachers' guides as educative curriculum materials. Nine guides for first year high school students were examined based on the coding scheme derived from literature. In addition, qualitative approach was applied to identify exemplary cases that contribute to increasing educativeness of teachers' guides. The examination revealed that the guides support assessment the most while providing limited guides for classroom instruction. The study provides various examples from the nine guides to enhance the quality of teachers' guides. The study ends with suggestions for teacher educators, curriculum writers, and researchers.

Improving nature of science instruction in elementary classes with modified science trade books and educative curriculum materials

AbstractThis study investigated the effect of including explicit nature of science (NOS) content in read‐alouds of elementary science trade books on the teaching and learning of NOS. We focused on three aspects of NOS: the creative, the empirical, and the inferential NOS. The trade books were read aloud by teachers in three hierarchical levels: Level I served as a control and consisted of a trade book that remained unmodified, Level II consisted of a trade book that had been modified to include explicit references to NOS, and Level III consisted of a modified trade book accompanied by educative curriculum materials that were aimed at improving the teachers' views of NOS as well as supporting teaching about NOS. We used the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire‐form CE (VNOS‐CE) preintervention and postintervention to determine changes in teachers' views of NOS and interviews preintervention and postintervention to determine changes in students' views. Audio recordings of read‐alouds were used to determine changes in teaching practice, including the frequency and the quality (i.e., naïve or informed) of the NOS references in the discussions. Interviews were used to determine teachers' perceptions of the modified trade books and educative curriculum materials. We found that both teachers and students developed more informed views of the targeted NOS aspects after the intervention and that teachers addressed NOS more often, and in a more informed manner, when they had trade books that explicitly supported NOS instruction and educative curriculum materials that supported their learning about NOS. Furthermore, they perceived the intervention materials favorably. Teachers' views and practices were able to change in tandem because of the intervention materials that supported explicit NOS instruction. We highlight the need for more widespread development of similar educative curriculum materials.

EXAMINING CHEMISTRY TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR INTERACTION WITH CURRICULUM MATERIALS: A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH

On the basis of the model of the interactive relationship between teachers and curriculum materials, this research proposed the four dimensions of the interaction of chemistry teachers with curriculum materials: ‘routine use’, ‘scientific inquiry’, ‘STSE’ and ‘teacher learning’. An instrument with good validity and reliability was developed. Through a questionnaire survey of 208 junior high school chemistry teachers in three areas in Guangzhou, China, it was found that teachers thought they had a good interaction with curriculum materials, but the level of interaction is not very high. Teachers from different administrative areas were significantly different in the dimensions of ‘STSE’ and ‘teacher learning’; teachers with different years of teaching experience showed significant differences in the dimensions of ‘routine use’, ‘scientific inquiry’ and ‘STSE’. There was no interaction effect between the two variables of the areas and years of teaching. Designing educative curriculum materials and developing teacher training activities in terms of curriculum use are recommended to further improve teachers’ ability to use curriculum materials. Keywords: curriculum materials, curriculum use, chemistry teaching, survey research.