Curriculum Knowledge Research Articles

Science Teaching in Culturally Diverse Classrooms: Application of Sociocultural Knowledge at a School System in Nepal

ABSTRACT This study focuses on teaching and learning science in three secondary public school classrooms with mostly culturally marginalized students from Gurung and Magar communities in a semirural district in Nepal. The study aims to understand how three science teachers in different schools engage students in culturally relevant transformative science learning. I use a constructivist case study design. Data were collected through 18 classroom observations, three interviews with science teachers, and a student focus group interview. Analysis of the data showed that culturally marginalized students are experts in the cultural knowledge they bring into the classroom, science teachers felt ambivalence between culturally relevant science and success in tests, and science teachers showed a need for greater pedagogical skills in cultural relevancy. The study suggests a need for focused and intentional culturally relevant courses in science teacher education programs and professional development. Educating teachers for more transformative and relational science teaching will support embedding cultural knowledge and values in classroom teaching and curriculum.

Chemistry teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in teaching hybridization

Pedagogical content knowledge, PCK, a concept in teacher education requires additional focus and attention by pre-tertiary teachers to improve teaching and learning and learners’ performance. The study adopted PCK model developed by Magnusson et al. (1999) to investigate senior high school (SHS) chemistry teachers PCK in teaching the concept of hybridization. The study adopted a qualitative approach using the case study design. Six chemistry teachers from six SHSs in the Upper West Region of Ghana were purposively sampled for the study. Semi- structured interviews, lesson plans analysis and observations were used as data collection instruments. Data was analyzed using content analysis. The findings reveal that most of the teachers have high knowledge of instructional strategies and knowledge of the science curriculum. In addition, it was revealed that many of the teachers have inadequate knowledge in their orientation towards science teaching, assessment of scientific knowledge, and in knowledge of students understanding of science. It was concluded that the teachers’ PCK was inadequate since knowledge of instructional strategies and knowledge of curriculum alone does not define an effective science teacher. The study recommended that in-service professional training in PCK should be organized for teachers to improve their classroom practices.

Exploration on the Reform of Civic Science Teaching in the Course of “Principle of Project Quota and List Valuation”

Higher education should not only cultivate students’ professional skills, but more importantly, pay attention to students’ ideological and political education. In order to give full play to the effect of ideological and political education of professional courses, this paper takes the course “Principle of project quota and list valuation” as an example, briefly describes the course positioning and teaching objectives. This paper deeply analyzes the existing teaching problems after the integration of ideological and political goals in the curriculum, and puts forward improvements from multiple perspectives such as the optimization of ideological and political education goals, teachers’ teaching skills, teaching methods, and evaluation methods of learning effects. Practice has proved that by digging deeply into ideological and political elements, reforming teaching methods, and integrating curriculum knowledge with students’ post ability and quality, students can generally establish professional feelings and professional beliefs, and achieve the objectives of curriculum ideological and political teaching.

Agriculture Teachers’ Perceptions on the Inclusion of Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Secondary School Agriculture Curriculum, Nakuru County, Kenya

Agriculture Teachers’ Perceptions on the Inclusion of Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Secondary School Agriculture Curriculum, Nakuru County, Kenya

High performance coach cognition in the wild: using applied cognitive task analysis for practical insights-cognitive challenges and curriculum knowledge.

Despite significant empirical work in the sport coaching domain, there remains a paucity of evidence to inform practice in high-performance sport coaching. As a result, there are gaps in our understanding regarding coaching expertise at different levels of athlete performance. A significantly underutilized approach in coaching research is Cognitive Task Analysis and it's knowledge elicitation tools. Addressing these concerns, here we utilize applied Cognitive Task Analysis and a semi-structured interview protocol to elicit the cognitive challenges and use of knowledge by a group of N = 7 high-performance endurance sport coaches from a single national governing body. Analysis suggested prominent and ongoing challenges in day-to-day practice which, in turn require significant adaptive skill. In addition, results show how coaches used knowledge flexibly and conditionally to meet the demands of their role. A novel finding being the identification of the use of curriculum knowledge to mentally project the needs of athletes. The findings suggest opportunities for utilizing Cognitive Task Analysis to investigate the cognitive challenges of sport coaching and enhance coach development practice.

CABARAN GURU PENGAJARAN PENDIDIKAN ISLAM KURIKULUM STANDARD SEKOLAH MENENGAH (KSSM)

Standard Secondary School Curriculum (KSSM) is the beginning of changes to improve the quality of education in the country comparable to developed countries. It is designed based on six pillars namely Communication; Spirituality, Attitudes and Values; Humanity; Self appearance; Physical and Aesthetic Development; and Science and Technology. At the same time, it is to realize the agenda of the Second Wave, the Malaysian Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2016 to 2020 by emphasizing holistic student development. This writing aims to see the challenges of Islamic Education Teachers (GPIs) in dealing with learning and facilitation (PdPc) through the new KSSM curriculum and the follow-up actions implemented to address these challenges as a solution. Based on the literature review method, the researcher refers to the highlights of the literature as a primary source to strengthen the views and ideas presented in this writing. As a result of the findings, the author found that among the challenges of GPI are GPI's competence in knowledge and mastery of KSSM's Basic Content Curriculum, teaching practices based on traditional methods to student-centered, student differences in terms of existing knowledge, interest, motivation and learning style, and implementation of century learning 21 (PAK-21). The author's hope through this writing can provide guidance to GPI to improve teaching strategies in accordance with changes in the era of globalization in addition to this learning process can build students who are holistic and ready to face competition.

PELATIHAN ASESMEN DALAM KURIKULUM MERDEKA DI YAYASAN MIFTAHUL HUDA KECAMATAN BUMI AGUNG KABUPATEN LAMPUNG TIMUR

The implementation of community service activities (PKM) aims to provide training to RA, MI, MTs, and MA teachers at the Miftahul Huda Foundation, Bumi Agung District, East Lampung Regency regarding assessment in the independent curriculum. This activity is carried out through expository and discussion methods. This activity consists of: (1) presenting the flow of understanding the independent curriculum; (2) presentation of material regarding assessment in the independent curriculum; (3) discussion; and (4) activity evaluation. The number of activity participants is as many as 20 teachers who teach various subjects. The response given by the service partners was very good, so that this service activity could be carried out smoothly and the participants were actively involved in discussion and question and answer activities. The results obtained from the PKM activities are that the teacher's knowledge and understanding of the independent curriculum and the assessment or evaluation contained in the independent curriculum increases, so that teachers can better prepare and carry out this curriculum. Merdaka curriculum can run well in schools. However, various seminar, training and workshop programs need to be continuously improved to strengthen teacher knowledge and skills in implementing the independent curriculum, especially at the student learning assessment stage.

Using Ubuntu Values in Integrating African Indigenous Knowledge into Teaching and Learning: A Review of Literature

The South African government has developed and incorporated African Indigenous Knowledge (AIK) in the school curriculum however, efforts to integrate AIK in teaching and learning have not yielded the desired results. The study, sought to investigate how AIK is integrated into teaching using Ubuntu values and the implications on teaching and learning in the classroom. Premised on Ubuntu theory, the study adopted an integrated literature review approach, and a comprehensive electronic search was done which led to the discovery of articles that are relevant to the study. A total of 36 out of 54 articles published between 2010-2021 were selected and reviewed. The findings from the literature revealed that much research has not been done to develop strategies that assist teachers to integrate AIK into their lessons. The data also showed that there was a lack of professional teacher development programs meant to equip teachers teaching AIK with the necessary pedagogical skills required in their classrooms. The study concluded that the integration of AIK in teaching and learning at classroom level was still not adequate. The study, therefore, that more continuous professional teachers' development programs be implemented on a regular basis while adopting strategies used to integrate AIK in teaching and learning.

Enhancing powerful knowledge in undergraduate science curriculum for social good

ABSTRACT Social realist theorising about curriculum and social justice in higher education has emphasised the importance of providing equity of epistemic access to powerful knowledge. However, there has been little discussion about what constitutes powerful knowledge and how students can use it for social good. In the science disciplines, the traditional undergraduate curriculum is shaped by economic agendas and by perceptions of its purpose to train future scientists. This has resulted in a curriculum focused on the learning of scientific facts rather than on how scientific knowledge is created, validated and critiqued, overshadowing the potential for the curriculum to simultaneously empower learners to develop critical scientific literacy to productively engage with urgent socio-scientific issues such as climate change. In this paper, I argue that social good can be better served by engaging students with powerful knowledge of the epistemology of science through including ‘Nature of Science’ (NOS) in the curriculum.

Edu-Larp as Revision of Subject-Matter Knowledge

The paper presents theoretical foundations of the author's approach to the design of edu-larps. It is deliberately steering away from cross-disciplinary teaching, artistic education or soft skills training in order to advocate larps tailored to single school subjects, focused on integration and consolidation of curricular knowledge. Putting larp in the context of applied drama, or Drama in Education, the text argues that well-designed edu-larp is likely to be accepted by the average teacher, not just by dedicated and trained drama educators. The concept of print-and-play “larp for dummies” downplays the importance of preparation, acting and immersion, while emphasising the game-like structure of goals and conflicts: gameplay set to work alongside role-play. Therefore, the ideas and tools borrowed from video games and board games design can be useful in the creation of edu-role plays, breeding a form which might be called 'gamified drama'. The recommended function for edu-larps is final revision of a large textbook unit, an idea discussed on the example of high-school history classes. The suggested model for classrom larp is a negotiation game between conflicted but cooperating factions, divided into three stages: a) preparation of all factions separately; b) informal meeting of all factions shortly before the official talks; c) official negotiation session which is supposed to bring forward all major (textbook-based!) issues for public debate. The paper ends with a section on troubleshooting, i.e. an overview of risk factors frequently pointed in the discussion of game-based learning, with ideas of how to eliminate or minimise the risks through careful design. Referenced sources come from the fields of edu-larp, edu-drama, game-based learning, and general educational theory.

A FRAMEWORK-IN-ACTION FOR RECONSTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS IN LANGUAGE AND LITERACY TEACHER EDUCATION / Uma estrutura ativa para a análise reconstrutiva na educação de professores de linguas e literacidade

This paper aims to provide a framework-in-action, informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics, to inspire reconstructive discourse analysis in language and literacy teacher education, with illustrative examples and provocative questions. We exemplify the use of the framework through the analysis of a community mapping project. We analyze the curriculum documents, as well as a sample of a racially aware educator’s community mapping project, through the ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions, drawing relevant semiotic interpretations on the field, tenor, and mode. Findings highlight tensions in practice and possibilities for reconstructing curricular knowledge more deeply rooted in praxis that is intentionally transformative, context-specific, historically construed, and geopolitically sensitive. We pose a series of questions that educators can bring to bear on the discourse practices of teacher education. Whether one is studying texts, curricular documents, instructional dialogues, or policies, this framework-in-action provides tools and questions that may be useful for deconstructing whiteness and reconstructing anti-racism. It also situates teacher educators as agents of policy making and implementation who are able to reconstruct discursive practices to respond to pressing social needs in the context of literacy teacher education. The idea of a framework-in-action emphasizes the partiality of epistemological and ontological foundations and the need to connect our analyses in the social world in ways that make a difference.

WhatsApp Messenger as a Supplementary Tool for School Curriculum Knowledge Transfer and Acquisition During COVID-19 Stricter Lockdown: Educators’ Perceptions

The COVID-19 pandemic was unarguably one of the most disastrous events whose detriment to the normalcy of the education and training sectors will never be forgotten. To salvage the academic year, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) encouraged historically disadvantaged schools to explore rotational learning supplemented by mobile learning (with WhatsApp Messenger as schools’ most preferred application). However, in face of the concerns that were raised by the media, educational commentators, student bodies and teacher unions about the lack of public schools’ readiness for mobile learning, this social constructivist oriented qualitative study (which drew on 12 educators’ diverse and convergent views) adopted a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a lens to investigate educators’ perceptions of WhatsApp messenger as a supplementary mode of curriculum knowledge transfer and acquisition during COVID 19 stricter lockdown at three historically disadvantaged schools in South Africa. Participants generally deposited positive feedback regarding the benefit of using it WhatsApp messenger to engender curriculum knowledge transfer and acquisition. They however explicitly also detailed a few negative aspects of this pursuit, primarily on how for socio-economic related reasons, the process was not completely inclusive as some learners could not partake in it. Also, educators admitted that while going beyond the call of duty was necessary during the pandemic, WhatsApp mediated teaching consumed most of their leisure time. According to them, this was compounded by poor internet connectivity due to the country’s power crisis, which in some instances adversely affected the productivity of WhatsApp messenger mediated curriculum knowledge transfer and acquisition processes during COVID-19 stricter lockdown.

Book Review: Zhao, W. (2018). China’s Education, Curriculum Knowledge and Cultural Inscriptions: Dancing with the Wind. Routledge

Book Review: Zhao, W. (2018). China’s Education, Curriculum Knowledge and Cultural Inscriptions: Dancing with the Wind. Routledge

PO-01-053 LESSONS LEARNED FROM PATIENT ENGAGEMENT: EVALUATION OF A CO-LED IMPLANTABLE CARDIOVERTER DEFIBRILLATOR PATIENT EDUCATION PROGRAM

The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is an effective treatment modality but potential risks and complications can negatively impact psychological well-being in areas such as: shock-related anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life (QOL). Ensuring patients receive timely and comprehensive education contributes to informed decision-making, improved device acceptance and ability to live well with an ICD. Incorporating patient engagement in education programs can be an effective strategy to provide peer support and real-world experiences. Development of a co-led educational program provided by expert clinicians and patient partners living with an ICD is an effective strategy and patient-centred approach to care. To evaluate a collaborate delivery model of education co-led by clinicians and patient partners to provide information, support treatment decision and facilitate living well with an ICD. Patient partners with previously implanted ICDs were recruited through a provincial network matching volunteers with healthcare providers to engage in quality care processes. Device clinicians and patient partners implemented a 1-hour, monthly education session for potential and newly implanted recipients. Curriculum was informed through current literature reporting ICD patients’ educational needs. Format transitioned from in-person to virtual at the onset of the pandemic. Participants’ experiences were evaluated using site-developed questionnaires measuring ICD curriculum knowledge and satisfaction with program delivery. Between January 2019 and December 2021, 126 participants (median age: 62 years; women: 30%) attended. Four key components were identified in the program delivery: 1) referral to program, 2) contact and coordination, 3) education session and 4) follow-up. In-person participants (n=62, 49.2%) reported the session as helpful (n=56, 94%). Virtual participants 64 (50.8%) completed an electronic survey (n=27, 45%); reporting the co-led design as very helpful (n=22, 82%) or somewhat helpful (n=5, 18%). Pivoting to a virtual format expanded access to participants living in rural areas and facilitated opportunity for family and caregivers to attend. Patient engagement is an innovative approach for clinicians to incorporate into the education provided to ICD patients. Results of this project provide practice-ready recommendations for healthcare providers to design similar programs addressing the needs of patients considering or living with an ICD.

Analisis Proses Pembuatan Tujuan Pembelajaran Berdasarkan Capaian Pembelajaran pada Kurikulum Merdeka Kelas 4 SDN Karang Anyar 2

In the course of the history of curriculum development, Indonesia has experienced several curriculum changes. One of the curriculum development products currently used is an independent curriculum policy. The main requirement for the implementation of curriculum policies is the construction of solid curriculum knowledge. As a result, activities designed to educate teachers about the curriculum aim to educate teachers and increase their understanding of the subject. The independent curriculum, which includes the operational curriculum as well as the instructional curriculum, is the focus of the educational objective material. Teachers at SDN Karang Anyar 2 participated in this activity. The results of the activity show that it really helps teachers understand how to implement an independent curriculum as a national curriculum by providing information and expanding their knowledge about the curriculum.

Defining Quality in Primary and Secondary Education

The purpose of this paper is to explore the conceptual content of the term ‘quality’ in primary and secondary education through the content analysis of 32 scientific publications. The analysis of the qualitative data is based on the methodology of grounded theory, revealing 21 major dimensions of quality with a high frequency of occurrence that are divided into five broader categories. The first category, ‘learning environment,’ includes psychosocial elements, physical elements, respect for diversity and collaboration, sharing, and team spirit. The second category, ‘learning content,’ includes student-centred pedagogy, well-structured knowledge base, continuous curriculum improvement, interest in all students, and life skills. The third category, ‘processes,’ includes teaching, learning, assessment, support, and supervision. The fourth category, ‘students,’ includes involvement/participation, feedback, challenging learning activities, and improved learning outcomes. Finally, the fifth category, ‘teachers,’ includes knowledge of educational context, content, curriculum, and pedagogy, pedagogical skills, emotional/management/reflection skills, and teacher professional development. According to the main findings, from the category ‘learning environment,’ the dimension concerning the psychosocial elements prevails in the literature; from the category ‘learning content’, the dimension of student-centred pedagogy prevails; and from the category ‘processes’, three dimensions prevail: the first is related to support and supervision and the other two are related to teaching and assessment. From the wider category ‘students,’ the dimension relating to improved learning outcomes prevails. Finally, in the category ‘teachers,’ two dimensions prevail: the first concerns skills (emotional, management, reflection), and the second dimension concerns knowledge of the educational context, content, curriculum, and pedagogy.

Curricular justice and contemporary schooling: Towards a rich, common curriculum for all students

Despite the commitment by governments and educational leaders to high-quality and high-equity systems, the defining features of contemporary schooling in Australia and elsewhere are increasing inequality and the uneven distribution of educational opportunities and outcomes. Therefore, it is timely to consider what the concept of curricular justice means for schooling in the twenty-first century. This paper argues for a rich, common curriculum that provides all young people with learning choices that have relevance to their worlds, contribute to the preparation for work or further education, alongside opportunities for engagement with a broader knowledge base connected to critical understandings of culture and society. We contend that a knowledge + plus curriculum is one that is committed to the tripartite social justice principles of redistribution, recognition and representation, which brings together powerful knowledge and young people’s community funds of knowledge in a common curriculum. Such a common curriculum is essential for a common schooling, which can deliver on the promise of a high-quality and high-equity education system for all young people.

Determination of Technology Pedagogy Content Knowledge Levels of Preservice Mathematics Teachers through Activities

It is one of the important qualifications of teachers to know contemporary instructional technologies and to use them in their lessons. However, the studies have concluded that teachers' use of technological tools and equipment is inadequate and their level of using materials is generally not at a desirable level. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine the level of Technological Pedagogical content knowledge of preservice mathematics teachers in the context of technology-supported activities they prepared. The study was conducted with 13 preservice secondary school mathematics teachers studying at a state university. Preservice teachers were given a training lasting 8 weeks. After the training, they were asked to prepare technology-supported activities including concept cartoon (Powtoon, Canva), concept map (Bubbl.us, Luchidchart), interactive worksheet (Teachermade), gamification applications (Puzzlemaker, Wordwall, Matific, ClassDojo) and digital stories (Pixton, Powtoon, StoryboardThat, Storyjumper). The activities they prepared were analyzed by document analysis method with the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge [TPACK] rubric developed by Lyublinskaya and Tournaki (2012) and preservice teachers' TPACK levels were evaluated in terms of purpose knowledge, instructional knowledge, curriculum knowledge and strategy knowledge components. The study has revealed that preservice teachers were able to reach the highest level of discovery, curriculum knowledge was the most successful component and they showed the lowest success in the strategy knowledge component. In this context, we suggest that course content that includes such activity design tasks should be prepared and included in the teaching process for the development of preservice teachers' Technological Pedagogical content knowledge.

Pirmsskolas izglītības pedagogu pieredzes izpēte dabaszinātņu mācību jomas satura īstenošanā

Preschool age is very important for the child as it forms the first notions about nature, child’s place in the world, gives an opportunity to form a relationship with nature, thus creating an opportunity to form the basis of scientific literacy. The development of the understanding of natural sciences can address the following important future challenges: the future demand for natural science professionals, the development of critical thinking that could prevent the dezinformation risks in the future, and ecological thinking and concerns about nature preventing the climate change. For the formation of scientific understanding to be successful, it is necessary to allow the children to develop their own ideas instead of accepting only teachers’ ideas, and it can be implemented by providing the opportunity for the children to be outside, in the nature. The aim of this article is to study the experience of teachers when implementing the learning content of the field of natural sciences as well as the child's research process in preschool, highlighting the importance of the field of natural sciences in pre-school education. The article provides the review of literature, including the analysis of various Latvian and European Union policy documents, as well as describes the experience of Latvian pre-school teachers in organizing the learning process in the field of natural sciences. The results of the research allow concluding that in different educational institutions children's research activities are carried out unequally, as well as children's oportunities to be outdoors and in nature are limited. Many teachers lack confidence in their knowledge and skills in organizing children's research as well as they lack basic knowledge of pre-school curriculum in the specified content units in the field of science related to matter, organisms, the universe and earth systems. It has been concluded that further research is needed to improve the process of teaching natural sciences in pre-school education institutions providing an opportunity for pre-school teachers to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills, thus gaining confidence for successful teaching of natural sciences in pre-school education.

Novice and Expert Teachers’ Content-Related Pedagogical Reasoning

Abstract In this exploratory study, we seek to contrast the content-related pedagogical reasoning shown by prospective and experienced teachers – i.e., their reasoning for or against the use of subject-matter representations that draw on content knowledge or pedagogical content knowledge. We conducted think-aloud interviews with seven prospective teachers and seven experienced teachers based on a situation of planning to teach with a specific task. The teachers’ pedagogical reasoning was analysed by means of content analysis. The data showed that expert teachers engage substantially more in content-related pedagogical reasoning than novices. In particular, expert teachers’ reasoning is predominantly based on their knowledge of content and students and on curricular knowledge.