Educational Ideas Research Articles

Illuminating Knowledge: The London Mechanics’ Institution and the Diorama

The London Mechanics’ Institution, founded in 1823, sought to foster scientific knowledge among operatives. This article demonstrates how it was part of a new educational and technological landscape whereby there were increasing attempts to ‘illustrate’ knowledge in order to make it accessible and memorable. New scientific and optical devices were used to produce, disseminate, and democratize knowledge. The operatives attending lectures and classes had to be engaged and their attention fostered. It was believed that the march of knowledge did not succeed if it was dryasdust, and there were many forms of illustrated lectures, from diagrams and transparencies to magic lantern shows to live experiments. This article links the London Mechanics’ Institution to the advent of other metropolitan institutions like the Diorama and reflects on broader ideas of progressive education and the nature of learning engagement.

Teachers navigating the diversified Swedish school market: lock-in and exclusion in the local labour market

ABSTRACT This study examines the consequences that a highly diversified school market has on the teacher labour market. By interviewing 43 teachers in two different local school markets, one large and highly segregated and one smaller and less segregated, the teacher´s views and attitudes towards competing schools, different working conditions and educational ideas have been analysed. The results indicate that teachers in the more segregated school market compare their current workplace to others in terms of pupil composition. In the less segregated school market, there are small differences in terms of pupil composition, and the comparisons tend to focus on differences in organisational or educational ideas. The study shows that teachers are locked into various types of schools, where the diversity of the schools themselves is a consequence of the emerging diversification of the school market. The nature of the locking-in effects can be connected to the characteristics of the diversification in the local school market.

The Innovative Smart Green Campus as Life-Based Learning Characteristics of Future Learning Efforts to Complete the SDG's

Objective: This study examines the application of the Smart Green Campus idea in higher education, focusing on its contribution to sustainability and experiential learning. Theoretical Framework: The study is founded on theories of sustainability, intelligent campus design, and experiential learning. These frameworks thoroughly comprehend integrating green technologies and experiential learning within educational settings. Method: This research employs a qualitative methodology, utilizing case studies of colleges executing Smart Green Campus programs to collect data. Data were collected via literature analysis, campus observations, and interviews with principal stakeholders. Results and Discussion: The results indicate that Smart Green Campus programs enhance students' environmental awareness and skill acquisition. Green technologies, including energy-efficient structures and sustainable transportation, promote an interactive learning atmosphere. Nonetheless, problems like financial expenditures and opposition to change are acknowledged. Research Implications: This study presents practical and theoretical implications by illustrating how Smart Green Campus initiatives can serve as examples of education aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6). The study emphasizes how universities can implement sustainable methods to improve environmental and educational outcomes. Originality/Value: This study enhances the literature by offering novel insights into the Smart Green Campus idea and its practical implementation. Its significance resides in providing a novel educational framework that equips students to address sustainable development challenges and must ensure the availability of clean water and sanitation as stated in SDG 6.

Maimonides and Spinoza on perfection in knowing and affect

This article develops the ideas of perfection and education in Spinoza and Maimonides. Both thinkers identify human perfection with intellectual knowledge and a transformation in affect. They accordingly envision education in terms of enhancing cognition and shaping the desire to know. The first steps are a critical evaluation of imagination and the development of the mind’s rational, inferential powers. These steps stabilize and strengthen our positive affects, and they arouse a desire for what Spinoza calls the third kind of knowing and Maimonides calls intellectual apprehension. Individuals achieve this highest perfection by degrees, if at all. Spinoza argues that the more the body can undergo, the more we know, the more active and hence the more perfect we are, and the more joy, love, and satisfaction we experience. Spinoza calls the third kind of knowing both scientia intuitiva and amor dei intellectualis. Maimonides’s perfect human being experiences an intellectual apprehension of the existence of God and receives flashes of insight concerning aporetic metaphysical questions. Although Spinoza’s amor dei intellectualis transforms the knower’s way of living, it is not explicitly political. Maimonides’ model of the perfect human is Moses, whose intellectual apprehension brings about a passionate love for God and eventuates in prophecy, which Maimonides theorizes as the overflow of intellectual attainment through imagination. Moses is the most perfect prophet, the one who founds and organizes a community.

Value Research and Reform Strategy of Wushu Teaching in Colleges and Universities under the New Situation

With the renewal of educational ideas, there are many problems to be solved in the development of Wushu teaching in colleges and universities. Wushu, as a part of China traditional culture, inherits profound historical and cultural heritage and has unique value of strengthening the body. However, there are still many shortcomings in the curriculum and teaching methods of Wushu teaching in colleges and universities, which cannot meet the needs of modern education and students diverse interests. Therefore, by analyzing the value of Wushu teaching in colleges and universities under the new situation, this paper studies the reform strategy of Wushu teaching in colleges and universities under the new situation.

The Pedagogy of Listening: the Italian Movimento di Cooperazione Educativa and a transdisciplinary early childhood educational approach

ABSTRACT After the Second World War, the Italian educational context in Italy was distinguished by a network of different democratic and antiauthoritarian pedagogical ideas and educational experiences, developed as heterogeneous forms of New Education. The Movimento di Cooperazione Educativa (MCE), inspired by Freinet’s popular pedagogy and cooperative techniques, underwent transformative and contradictory processes. In particular, the paper is focused on a transdisciplinary educational approach developed within the MCE and applied in preschool (scuola d’infanzia). By using oral and written sources (interviews, publications, MCE bulletins, archives), the paper intends to trace the main elements that shaped the Pedagogy of Listening, developed in Rome at the end of the 70s by Alessandra Ginzburg, and experimented with by many MCE teachers. The Pedagogy of Listening combined Freinet’s techniques with the Lacanian listening posture and the bi-logic elaborated by Matte Blanco, aiming to legitimate children as a specific cultural group deserving respect and recognition. The paper addresses the conditions that allowed the Pedagogy of Listening to emerge within the Italian movement, original tools and techniques that were produced concerning preschool education and the ways in which the Pedagogy of Listening evolved over time, being translated and further transformed within nurseries, primary and middle schools.

Ideas for Labor Education of Schoolchildren in the Pedagogical heritage of China of the 20th century

Ideas for Labor Education of Schoolchildren in the Pedagogical heritage of China of the 20th century

The Ideas of Liberal Education in Changing Times

This paper examines the ideas of liberal education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution as well as artificial intelligence where technological breakthrough brings about socio-economic changes. The modern ideas of liberal education were propounded by such important thinkers as John H. Newman and J. S. Mill in the course of the previous Industrial Revolution. This paper explores how their ideas underwent reinterpretation and reconstruction in the 20th century. In particular, it discusses how the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) emphasizes the importance of practical liberal education along with newly proposed learning outcomes and their assessment tools. It reaffirms that the traditional ideas of liberal education are still valid in these ever changing times.

Leadership actions that enable or constrain accommodation of education for sustainable development

ABSTRACT This paper presents an empirical study on leadership actions related to education for sustainable development, i.e. education that embraces ecological and socio-economic perspectives to foster students’ awareness of the importance of long-term sustainable development. The aim is to identify leadership actions that enable or constrain permanent implementation of such educational perspectives. Empirically, the study is based on data acquired in a school improvement project on sustainability, involving five schools in a Swedish municipality during the years 2016 to 2021. Data were collected in two rounds, in 2018 and 2020, through interviews with school leaders. A theoretical framework including the coupling mechanisms concept and previously identified organizational routines is applied in analysis of the rich data acquired to explore the school leaders’ reported actions, associated routines and their outcomes. The results reveal leadership actions that enable, and others that constrain, long-term establishment of education for sustainable development. The study confirms the importance of early establishment of a holistic educational idea embracing education for sustainable development, and both communication and feedback systems for leaders on its compliance. The study also shows the value of collegial structures and transformational leadership actions that prevent the fading or failure of intended implementation.

Instructors’ Perceptions of the Use of Learning Analytics for Data-Driven Decision Making

In recent years, much effort has been put into developing dedicated dashboards for instructors, in which data about students’ activity are presented. However, in many cases, such endeavors take a top-down approach and do not involve instructors in the design process. In this paper, we present a study of instructors and teaching assistants in a research university in Israel (N = 253) who responded to an online questionnaire regarding their perceptions of data on students’ activity on course websites. Specifically, they were asked about the types of data they were most interested in, the aspects of student learning that they would consider important, and the actions they would take upon viewing the data. Overall, we found that participants’ scores were medium-high (2.5–3.5 on a 5-point Likert scale), with scores being higher for women compared with men and positively correlated with experience with Moodle. An overarching theme arises from our analyses of instructors’ interests and intentions, which portrays their idea of teaching as somewhat traditional and instructor-centered; however, their declared actions make it clear that they are willing to make some desirable changes to the benefits of students. Finally, we found that instructors’ perceptions of data use and data importance are positive predictors of taking action upon viewing student data.

Liberalism and Confucianism: Differences and similarities between the two educational models

In order to study the situation of education under different educational models, this article focuses on analysing the similarities and differences between the two different ideas in pedagogy (Confucianism and Liberalism), as well as the controversies encountered by the countries where they are practiced. In view of today’s research focusing on a single education model, and few studies systematically comparing the two education models, this article aims to analyze the development, characteristics, advantages and controversies of liberalism and Confucianism in education in the form of literature review. Moreover, it elaborates the differences between the two educational philosophies from the perspective of higher education for their pros and cons, and compare their similarities and differences from the perspective of educational goals. This article focuses on analyzing the literature review of the influence of different ideas in education in the past 10 years, as well as the views of the different parties involved. Ultimately, it was found that liberalism emphasises individual freedom, independent thinking and self-realisation, and that the aim of education is to cultivate independent individuals who are able to freely choose and pursue their own goals in life, with an emphasis on individual progress and personal achievement, a diversity of evaluation criteria, and a focus on creativity and independence (Thompson, 2017& Mautner, 2018); whereas Confucianism emphasises the cultivation of morality, social responsibility and harmony, and that the aim of education is to cultivate ethical and responsible social members and to promote harmony in the family, society and the State emphasises moral cultivation and social contribution, with evaluation criteria focusing on moral performance and contribution to society (Yao, 1999 & Tan, 2017).

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IDEAS OF ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION OF F.U.PARKER IN THE MODERN AMERICAN SCHOOL

The article` purpose is to reveal the peculiarities of using F.U.Parker` ideas of alternative education in a modern American school. Research methods: theoretical ‒ study of scientific literature, analysis, systematization, comparison, concretization, information generalization. Alternative education differs significantly from traditional education in its content, forms and methods of educational process organizing. It gives greater freedom to teachers and students, takes into account the individual characteristics and capabilities of children as much as possible. The article emphasizes that the ideas of alternative education emerged a long time ago. They can be found in the works of famous scientists of Ancient Greece (Anaximenes, Heraclitus, Democritus, etc.), the Renaissance (T.More, F.Rabelais), in the period of the New Age (XII-XIX centuries) (Y.Komensky, D. Locke, D.Diderot), the modern era of the second half of the 19th century (I.Hegel, H.Spencer, R.Steiner), "postmodernism" (R.Usher, K.Torres, M.Rosenau). The scientists` works expressed the ideas of humanism, freedom, equality, justice, the uniqueness of each individual and the need to ensure an individual approach to children. Alternative education is developed in the USA, whith numerous educational programs and schools that differ significantly from traditional ones. The activities of J.Dewey, F.Parker, J.Counts, W.Kilpatrick, H.Rugg, K.Washburn and others became a prerequisite for the development and establishment of alternative education in the USA. The pedagogical legacy of F.W.Parker deserves special attention, who, having started the fight against formalism in education, set before the school the task of harmonizing the content of educational subjects with their vital importance for students. It was found that today in the USA there are schools that actively implement the ideas of alternative education of F.U.Parker (the connection of learning with life, the development of children's creative thinking, interdisciplinarity, classes of different ages, etc.).

MÜASİR DÖVRDƏ UŞAQ BAĞÇALARINDA FOLKLOR NÜMUNƏLƏRİNDƏN İSTİFADƏNİN ƏHƏMİYYƏTİ

The people of Azerbaijan have been formed on the basis of high aesthetic values due to their national origin and historical roots. A child starts learning his mother tongue with his mother's lullaby. Children's folklore is an important part of centuries-old oral creativity of our people, how to raise a child, what to teach him and how. Children's folklore is rich in material that covers their field of interest. Here, their requirements and needs of all age stages are satisfied in a certain way. The reason for folklore examples to live and reach the present day is to justify and maintain the power of education. Folklore examples have been a means of educating the young generation of our ancestors since ancient times, and the educational ideas reflected here meet the requirements of today. The people approached the aesthetic education of the growing generation with aesthetic requirements and gave importance to it at all stages of life.

Interdisciplinary Integration Theory and Practice Paths in Middle School Biology Education

Middle school biology education occupies a vital position within the current educational system. However, the traditional single-subject teaching model fails to fully engage students' interest and limits their overall development of comprehensive qualities. With the continuous evolution of modern educational concepts, interdisciplinary integrated teaching models have gradually emerged as effective strategies to address these challenges. This paper explores the theoretical foundations of interdisciplinary integration and the practical paths within middle school biology education, analyzing the intrinsic connections between biology and other subjects. It proposes specific practical strategies for interdisciplinary integration, including project-based learning, experimental teaching, and technology-assisted instruction. This research aims to provide innovative ideas for middle school biology teaching, enhance students' cognitive abilities and innovative thinking, and promote the overall improvement of biology teaching quality.

“Doing” and “Undoing” power as critical intercultural assessment: Original teaching idea—semester for the core intercultural communication course

ABSTRACT This essay highlights a critical assessment approach for intercultural communication courses that engages in a “doing–undoing” practice for instructors, with the aim of “doing” culture as learned through society and traditional intercultural communication instruction with the limited, romanticized, and settler colonial presumptions and representations about culture and then subsequently “undoing” these constructions of culture. Students engage in a traditional intercultural communication assignment staple—the cultural interview—in order to traverse and trace how culture is framed and the presumptions and ideologies based in power are deeply embedded. This essay seeks to share this “doing–undoing’ practice via an explication of this original teaching idea for a semester through one activity.

The role of the O2O blended teaching model in improving the teaching effectiveness of physical education classes

Abstract The deep fusion of Internet technology and education is constantly pushing forward the reform of university education. Traditional educational ideas, concepts, and models cannot keep pace with the times, and hybrid teaching has become a new way of education in colleges and universities. To improve the teaching effect of physical education classes, the study used a blended teaching model and designed a teaching evaluation and performance prediction model under the blended teaching model based on an improved cluster analysis method and attention mechanism. The lab results indicated that under the blended teaching model, students’ performance increased by 12.89 points, and the level of skill mastery and proficiency increased by 26.52 and 28.55%, respectively, with grades more inclined to high score distribution. “Excellent” grade clustering increased by 77.71%, and “Good” grade clustering increased by 19.01%. The minimum error sum of squares of the improved clustering algorithm was 58.18 and 36.25% lower than the other two algorithms, and the clustering results were more relevant. The two-way attention mechanism algorithm predicted higher accuracy results and performed best on all four evaluation metrics, with a prediction accuracy of 98.23%, an accuracy of 98.42%, and an F1 value of 91.78%. This hybrid teaching model is more in line with the characteristics of the physical education teaching discipline, successfully cultivates students’ independent learning ability, stimulates students’ love for physical education courses, and achieves better teaching results.

Truth & Information? Preparing Information Organization & Retrieval Students for an AI Future

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not a new concept or technology, but has taken the world by storm with the recent advancement of generative AI, such as ChatGPT and Bard. The metadata, cataloging, collections, and retrieval areas of library and information studies (LIS) are already experiencing disruption and soul-searching because of generative AI, but it remains to be seen to what extent the technology can benefit, or even harm, these areas of LIS. The Metadata, Cataloging, & Collections SIG session will include a panel of three educators who will discuss the use of artificial intelligence in information retrieval and cataloging courses, and provide ideas for educators hoping to learn more about the impact of AI and how to incorporate activities and discussions of AI in their courses. Priya Kizhakkethil will report on student perceptions of AI in the LIS curriculum, with a focus on Information Retrieval courses. With the emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) tools like ChatGPT, there has been much discussion about its impact on libraries and the work of librarianship. But there is a gap in the literature that addresses how such disruptive technologies should be addressed in the LIS curriculum. This presentation covers a work in progress pilot study seeking to understand LIS student perceptions on the use of generative AI tools as part of their course work. Themes relating to student perceptions on the use of Gen AI tools for an Information Retrieval course will be discussed, which includes the potential ways of using these tools as noted by the students. Vyacheslav (Slava) Zavalin will discuss the critical need for understanding the AI landscape and its application to information organization within LIS. He will demonstrate using Google Gemini, the AI-powered assistant, to create bibliographic examples and then analyze and discuss the accuracy of the records. Karen Snow recently assigned advanced cataloging students an exercise that required them to create a basic MARC/RDA bibliographic record using ChatGPT. The resulting transcripts of their conversations with ChatGPT, and their reflections on the experience, were a fascinating demonstration of the benefits/drawbacks of AI in cataloging work, but also of the importance of educating students on how to effectively use AI. After the presentations, audience members will be encouraged to ask questions and offer their own experiences and ideas concerning this area of LIS education. These presentations align well with the ALISE 2024 conference theme of “The Ethics and Evolution of Truth and Information.”

Deschooling society and open learning: gaining insights from Ivan Illich’s work

ABSTRACT Ivan Illich’s Deschooling Society presented a radical critique of formal educational structures, emphasising their potential detriment to the fundamental ‘right to learn’, and the theory of Deschooling Society turned out to be his profound introduction to world academia. This paper examined the applicability of Illich’s educational ideas to Open and Distance Learning. A critical examination assessed the feasibility of Illich’s proposed alternatives, particularly learning webs, aimed at enhancing educational openness and flexibility. Without disregarding the pervasive dominant educational system, the paper asserts the enduring significance of Illich’s educational theory, affirming its relevance in the context of Open and Distance Learning. It advocates for the continued integration of his ideas into contemporary educational discourse.

The Three Postulate Idea: Between Limits and Metaphysical Beliefs in Immanuel Kant's System of Philosophy

In the history of Western philosophy, debates about truth and error have continued to develop, reflecting diverse views that have emerged over time. The question of human nature became the center of intellectual attention, expanding philosophical study from speculation to fundamental thinking. Amid this context, Immanuel Kant emerged as a key figure who brought a new approach to philosophical inquiry. Although he spent his life in Koningsberg, his ideas in epistemology, anthropology, ethics, and education gained global recognition and made him one of the most influential philosophers of the modern era. However, his views have also drawn criticism, especially for the inconsistencies that are perceived to support dogmatism, although he originally intended to criticize it. This research analyzes Kant's thought, especially about the limits of human knowledge, metaphysics, and criticism of dogmatism. The method used is qualitative text analysis, which examines Kant's main work, "Critique of Pure Reason," as well as the views of other philosophers. Primary and secondary literature is reviewed to identify inconsistencies in Kant's arguments. The results show that although Kant's philosophical system has made an outstanding contribution, there are significant areas for improvement in the handling of metaphysical concepts and the limits of knowledge, which ultimately has the potential to fall into dogmatism. This study concludes that Kant's thought remains relevant and essential, but it needs to be reread critically to fully understand its impact on modern philosophy.

Polyphony as a Transformative Factor in Solopreneurship Education of Language Specialists

This article aims to demonstrate that the notion of multiple voices (polyphony) is a powerful educational idea that can bring value to translator education programmes. Based on a class dedicated to entrepreneurial functioning of MA students in translation, the article strives to show how polyphony can be entrenched in class content and classroom dynamics. It is argued that polyphony can empower students’ polyphonic approach to career choices. The empirical part discusses the responses from the class participants in 2023 concerning their perception of the modes of work they find most attractive. Conclusions outline areas for enhancements in class content and classroom dynamics.