Life Lessons Research Articles

The Use of Mobile Learning Technologies for an Online Mathematics Course: Student Opinions in The Pandemic Process

This study aims to examine the opinions of university students about using mobile learning Technologies in an online mathematics course during the pandemic (COVID-19) period. The participant group of the study consists of 266 university students studying at a private university. In the study, a mixed research method, in which quantitative and qualitative research methods are used, was used. A questionnaire form which was "Student Opinions Regarding Using Mobile Learning Technologies in an Online Mathematics Lesson During the Pandemic Process" created by the researchers and open-ended questions were used to reveal the opinions of the students about the online mathematics lesson. According to the results of the study, one can be seen that the majority of the students make an effort and spare time to understand mathematics in online lessons who use mobile learning technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic process. In addition, they argued that the majority of the students believe that they will be successful in the exam at the end of the online mathematics lesson by using mobile learning technologies and that it is easy to follow the mathematics lesson online using mobile learning technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic process, depending on the teacher giving the lesson. In addition, they stated the inadequacy of knowledge in the field of numeracy and the lack of technical infrastructure in distance education among the difficulties experienced by the students in the online mathematics course. As learning strategies in the virtual environment, the students stated that they did it again and again, watched the live lesson videos over and over, prepared an individual study program for themselves, took notes, attended regular classes, and watched educational videos by using mobile learning technologies.

Examining Parallels Between Disney’s Portrayal of Deception in Pinocchio and Deceptive Behavior in Children

For decades, parents have been using Disney’s Pinocchio as a parenting tool to teach children to never lie and in doing so, it has now become a cultural monolith. Despite this, experts reveal that stories like Pinocchio that punish dishonesty are rather ineffective at instilling honesty in children when compared to stories that praise truth-telling. This paper examines the reasoning behind this finding, delving deeper into the specific actions of each character by comparing behaviors exhibited by dishonest characters and behaviors exhibited by real-life children. Through a film analysis method based on a pre-made criteria compiled with visual, auditory, and narration centered indicators of deceptive behavior, three total watches were completed, with each watch holding a different purpose. Though the paper’s initial hypothesis is that children were imitating the exact behaviors that they saw in the animation, the results pointed to a different conclusion: Pinocchio introduces children to the idea of vulnerability to outside influences and thus, children are learning to become more observative of the deceptive behaviors occurring in their surroundings. When they begin to notice adults telling lies without any negative consequences, they imitate these actions and their moral compasses are overridden. This paper serves as an introduction into the relationship between dishonesty and children and spearheads future research on the effectiveness of the methods parents employ to teach children life lessons.

RELIGIOUS LIFE IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S NOVEL THINGS FALL APART

This research is aimed at reflecting how Chinua Achebe reveals the religious life of Igbo people before and after the coming of the missionaries as well as the invasion of British in the southeastern part of Nigeria during the late 19th century. Achebe reflects that various practices of social and religious life are thrilling, cruel and even inhumane. This research is considered significant and worthy since it is an exertion to understand historical knowledge and life lessons about religious life of the local people. This study is supported by the theory of literary sociology proposed by Laurenseon and Swingewood's to understand and evaluate literary works by considering social aspects and holistically conducted by descriptive qualitative method in which the data from the novel are analyzed to reveal the religious life of Igbo people before and after the coming of British people and the significant contributions as well as changes they have brought. The findings of this research designates that various inhumane religious and cultural practices, such as abandoning or throwing twins born into the evil forest, throwing people dying with diseases, mutilating babies who die at birth and considering ogbanje, not burying people who die by suicide, surely no longer happen in Igbo society. In short, the changes in religious life carried out by white people bring enlightenment and positive life changes for Igbo people.

How does Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) imply the counseling practice?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a major franchise in the Hollywood film industry that tells the story of various superheroes in one story continuity. The popularity of the MCU has skyrocketed in society for 14 years ago and has influenced the development of popular culture today. This paper aims to review the potential of the MCU as one of the big trends in the millennial era in the practice of cinema counseling. The review method used is a literature study, the author reviews various related literature to present a comprehensive discussion. The results of the review suggest that the MCU has great potential to be utilized in cinema counseling, especially for millennial children and teenagers. This is because in essence film is a medium that has been tested to be effectively used to shape, reconstruct, and change the mindset of individuals. In addition, the MCU as a group of superhero films also inserts various moral messages and life lessons that can be abstracted, and used as a metaphor by counselors in the practice of cinema counseling. However, more research is still needed regarding the use of MCU in cinema counseling to become a solid foundation for counselors to practice it.

The use of open-ended items for giving feedback during the formative assessment process

Feedback plays an important role in classroom learning and teaching process. This study focuses on how feedback can be more effectively used in the formative assessment process. According to this purpose, the study first discusses the concept of student achievement and presents its changing nature in the 21st century. Subsequently, the study addresses higher-order thinking skills, the use of open-ended items in improving student achievement in the classroom, rubrics, formative assessment, and feedback. The study aims to present an exemplary measurement and assessment model that will contribute to the development of student achievement. Additionally, it examines the use of a feedback approach that will improve the power of using the knowledge of the students learned in lessons in daily life by associating it with basic life skills in the formative assessment process. Accordingly, teachers are provided with a unique means that they can easily use in improving classroom success. In the study, an open-ended item has been developed that has a real-life counterpart is used to provide information on the improving of student achievement, while a rubric used in scoring the answers to the item is also developed. The answer categories in the rubric show the place of the student in the distribution of success. Thus, teachers will be able to see what students can and cannot do, as well as be able to give accurate and realistic feedback on what needs to be done for the development of student achievement.

Northwest Saskatchewan Métis Perspectives of Miyo Pimatisiwin

This article looks at the concept of miyo pimatiswin (a good life) as it relates to the Northwest Métis culture’s, views, values, and way of life. The concept shows that miyo pimatisiwin (in plains “y” dialect, miyo is “good”) encompasses the four elements of the emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical ways of living one’s life on the land and in community. These four elements are nurtured through prayer and a shared community contribution of wealth that fosters the spiritual aspect, which, in turn, contributes to good emotional and mental health. This has often happened through the use of oral storytelling and oral history, which reveal important life lessons such as empathy and compassion, as well as humour. These conveyed lessons contribute to the physical aspects of self, and encourage a strong work ethic. Oral stories have been an important tradition, including teaching, listening, and striving towards keeping the elements in balance. The research for this article is based on the literature, my own background, and stories or lessons passed on by my own father, Dan Ross, and how he lived the concept of miyo-pimatisiwin. I conclude by arguing that the traditional concept of miyo-pimatisiwin (a good life) is essential for Métis people in present day, as it was throughout Métis history. Working as a community in modern-day life, we can collectively and collaboratively continue to work towards self-determination and a healthy self-governance system, as well as a Métis Nation Constitution that promotes miyo pimatiswin. This article is a chapter in the open textbook Indigenous Self-Determination through Mitho Pimachesowin (Ability to Make a Good Living), developed for the University of Saskatchewan course Indigenous Studies 410/810 and hosted by the Northern Review.

Yoga As Possible Non-Medical Intervention to Improve Quality of Life of Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes - a Feasibility Report

Background Despite significant progress in the management of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), symptom-burden remains significant and patients report on impaired quality of life (QoL) [Stauder, Leukemia 2018]. There is an ongoing need to explore non-pharmacologic approaches for managing MDS symptom burden. Yoga has proved an effective method to improve various physical and psychosocial outcomes, such as fatigue, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, in patients diagnosed with solid cancers. Aims (1) To examine the practicality of an in-person 8-week yoga class; (2) To explore the feasibility of an 8-week group online yoga within an observational study; (3) Preliminary assessment of QoL parameters. Methods MDS patients from 9 medical centers in Israel were invited to participate in a yoga program, consisting of 8 one hour in-person classes (once weekly). The classes were given by certified Kundalini yoga teachers, who delivered a mild-medium intensity program combining deep breathing, physical movements, and mantras, specifically designed for this patient population. Each medical center hosted its own course. All the exercises were done while the patients were seated on a chair. All MDS patients were invited, regardless of disease risk or performance status. In the second part, patients were offered a further 8-week online program, in which a one-hour weekly session was given via zoom, within an observational study. Symptom-burden was assessed using a modified Edmonton Symptom Self-Assessment Scale (ESAS), a 10-item rating scale (0-10, with 10 being the highest degree), which has been previously recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network to assess QoL in all cancer populations. Patient-reported outcomes included fatigue, sleepiness, depression, nausea, pain and other QoL measures. Questionnaires were filled out by patients before and after each meeting. Results Overall, 120 patients from 9 centers participated in at least one in-person yoga class. Participating patients, including those with poor performance status, were able to engage and complete most exercises throughout the class. Many of the patients were able to return to consequent classes, but some of them encountered barriers, mainly difficulty in commuting. Twenty-three patients signed up for the online yoga live zoom session. Of those, 11 patients were high-risk MDS and 12 were low-risk MDS, 7 were transfusion dependent. During the 8 weeks of study, 3 patients experienced disease progression. Sixteen patients participated in the online program. The main reasons for not participating included video-conferencing installing and enabling issues. Most patients filled out the questionnaires before and after each online lesson. The QoL analysis will be reported separately, but preliminary data suggests a substantial increase in general well-being and decrease in fatigue, after a class. Conclusion This in-person and live online Kundalini yoga program was well-tolerated by many MDS patients of all risk groups. Preliminary analysis suggests improved well-being after completing each class. However, we did encounter some barriers, mainly challenging transportation and software operating difficulties. Despite theses challenges, patients managed to adhere to schedule. We suggest developing a hybrid plan (in-person and live online lessons) for further exploring the benefits of yoga among MDS patients. In the future we will evaluate the effect on QoL, as well as possible effect on disease outcomes.

Parental Mediation in Children’s Social Media Use

With the growing influence of social media in the country, this study aimed to discover the varying parental mediation strategies being implemented. It also highlighted the present beliefs and conception of the parents on mediating their children’s social media usage, as well as what they conceive as its long-term effects. The study utilized purposive sampling method, which enabled the researchers to conduct an in-depth interview with 8 informants, all of whom are residents of Barangays Acosta and Caunayan, of Batac City, Ilocos Norte, and are parents of children aging between 5 to 17 years old.The compiled and collated information revealed that restrictive mediation and active mediation are the two most-used common types of mediation strategies. In addition, the informants posed a positive outlook to parental mediation, backing their perception of it as beneficial, regardless of the lack of varying strategies. Withal, this study proved that parents perceive parental mediation as an avenue of life lessons in the form of time management, being aware of the threats of social media, and discerning what is right and wrong in social media. Ultimately, an infographic material was created for the sole purpose of entailing the necessary information embedded in the findings of the study.

A tale of two schools: curriculum deliberation and school-level orientation in transforming knowledge through lesson study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how teachers engaged in curriculum deliberation through lesson study (LS) and how different types of teacher knowledge were elicited, co-constructed and transformed in integrated ways across LS stages. It also clarifies how different school-level orientations influence the nature, depth and scope of the deliberation.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted an interpretive qualitative case study approach involving two schools, employing participant observations of LS cycles and post-LS teacher interviews. Thematic analysis and analytical coding were conducted.FindingsThe two cases revealed core features of curriculum deliberation trajectories enabled by LS: problem identification, planning to unlock the educative potential of content and reflection on enactment for improvement. The types of teacher knowledge that informed deliberation on English language learning were uncovered to reveal LS teams' initial comprehension, collective reasoning and actions, and new knowledge derived. Pedagogical content knowledge was prominently drawn on in unlocking curriculum potential and transformed with the knowledge of student learning gained from the live lesson observations. The school-level orientations were found to influence the extent to which teachers can interrogate existing practices and co-construct knowledge.Originality/valueThe study offers a nuanced understanding of curriculum thinking in LS teams, which is enabled by processes that construct the dialogic space for coordinating curriculum commonplaces to transform content into pedagogical representations to cultivate students' future capacities. It highlights the importance of viewing sustainable LS from an interconnected perspective that calls attention to the social contexts of deliberation.

Applying Quizziz in Online English Learning: How It Improves Intrinsic Motivation

increase students' intrinsic motivation in learning English and find out how students respond to the use of Quizizz in teaching English during Covid 19. The researcher used Classroom Action Research (CAR) as the research design. The researcher analyzed qualitative and quantitative data, which came from observation, questionnaires, and interviews conducted in the last cycle to know the improvement of students' intrinsic motivation and responses. This study showed that Quizizz live lessons can increase students' intrinsic motivation in learning English. This was proven by the mean score acquired from the student's intrinsic motivation inventory questionnaire, which was 3.28 in the pre-cycle. This score improved to 3.63 in cycle 1 and even higher in cycle 2, which is 4.60. The qualitative data, based on finding the students' responses to Quizzes, showed that most students were interested in and enjoyed learning English through the Quizziz platform Quizziz platform is improving students' intrinsic motivation in learning English online classes in the Pandemic Era.

Analysis of Educational Value in Novel 9 Summers 10 Autumns Iwan Setyawan's work for elementary school children

Background: Novel is a literary work in the form of prose that discusses a work of imagination about the problems of a person's life or various other characters. One of the novel literary works that is interesting to analyze and study its educational value is the novel9 Summers 10 Autumns Iwan Setyawan's work which tells an interesting and inspiring story that can be a meaningful life lesson, where the value of education is so important that it is applied in everyday life.
 Purpose: The purpose of this research is to be used as teaching material for teachers in increasing reading interest, literary appreciation, and analyzing literary works and knowing the value of education in them.
 Design and methods: The research method used is content analysis (Content Analysis) with a qualitative descriptive approach, by describing the data in the form of words. The data collection technique uses a documentation study of the study of novel texts9 summers 10 autumns by Iwan Setiawan.
 Results: Research results from the novel9 summers 10 autumns have educational values ​​such as the value of truth, the value of goodness, the value of beauty, and the value of changing attitudes or procedures that can be taken for elementary school children and become teaching materials for teachers.

Can Distance Communication Skills Training Increase the Empathy Levels in Medical Students? An Application During the Pandemic Period

Background and Purpose: The aim is to determine the effect of the communication skills training (CST) using interactive synchronous and asynchronous methods, which was applied for the first time on medical students’ empathy levels.
 Methods: This study is a cross-sectional-analytical, self-controlled intervention. 
 The distance CST program was applied to first-year medical students. The change in students’ empathy levels was measured with the student version of the Jefferson Empathy Scale.
 Results: 241 students’ forms were included. Empathy mean score increased significantly, this increase was higher in women.
 Conclusion: The distance CST produced a positive effect on empathy levels. While interactive
 PowerPoint® presentations, videos, movie clips, cartoons, real-life examples, written/audio question-
 answer activities, surveys, feedback and, small group work were used in live lessons; in the
 asynchronous process, student-based techniques (self-assessment, homework, WhatsApp® sharing)
 were used to support the online learning climate. We believe that all of them support the cognitive and
 social existence of students throughout the training. We propose our program as a model that can be
 used during situations where face-to-face education is not possible and to support face-to-face
 education in medical education.

Fulfilment: Crisis, discontinuity and the dark side of education

AbstractThe Oxford English Dictionary defines fulfilment as ‘satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one's potential or realizing one's aspirations; self-fulfillment’. Not only has the idea of fulfilment underpinned ‘approximately twenty centuries of philosophy’ as Lefebvre notes, it plays an indispensable role in both popular and scholarly accounts of education and upbringing. Experiences of education, of upbringing and of ‘life lessons’, however, are so often not about the fulfilment of oneself, about the discovery and actualisation of one's full potential. Such experiences instead involve moments of sometimes irreparable failure and loss—a matter that has not received a great deal of attention in educational research and theory. After briefly examining the way that fulfilment is favourably framed both in humanistic psychology and in neo-humanist Bildungstheorie, this paper considers some of the exceptions to the nearly ubiquitous identification of education with fulfilment: Arthur Schopenhauer's view of the irrationality of human (developmental) experience and Ludwig Wittgenstein's use of the term ‘conditioning’ (Abrichtung) in some of his accounts of learning and socialisation. We then focus on failure and loss in education through an overview of the pedagogical theory of O.F. Bollnow. Bollnow, as is gradually being recognised in English-language scholarship, saw moments of uncertainty, disorientation and above all crisis as indispensable in educational experience—for both student and teacher. In this way, we show that instead of being the pursuit of self-fulfilment, education is unavoidably a matter of difficulty, disruption and also failure. It reshapes us, and this reshaping can be seen as being as much about formation as it is about deformation.

Ecological Concerns and Arundhati Roy: A Special Reference

The God of Small Things’, set in 1960s, reflects the mentality and socio-cultural environment of Ayemenem, an actual town in Kerala, an Indian state which is full of natural grandeur and opulence. Roy herself spent a greater part of her childhood days in this village, in the harmonious relationship with nature. Arundhati Roy’s ecological concerns find expression in The God of Small Things, a novel for which she won Booker prize. She picks up the Meenachal river from her childhood days and entwines all the big and small characters of the novel in its encircling heart. River Meenachal narrates the story of Ayemenem, the people living on its bank and their lives revolving around its abundant water. Arundhati Roy clearly shows the river as an inseparable component in the lives of the characters Velutha, Ammu, Chako, Pappachi, Rahel, Estha and others where they learnt the invaluable lessons of life. Velutha, a born Paravan- an untouchable, is ‘The God of Small Things’ in the novel. He is a man of ecology who makes small pretty things from the materials gained from nature. River is more than an amenity; it is a treasure. It offers a necessity of life that must be rationed among those who have power over it. The image of life as a flowing river abounds in literature and philosophy. Rivers serve as symbols of identity not only of one’s self but also of a nation too. As the river suffers, we hear the echoes of the socially committed, eco-conscious, ecofeminist’s anger in the dreary depiction of the fouled river Meenachal.

Art is All: Proust's Life Lessons Through Perception and Art

Art is All: Proust's Life Lessons Through Perception and Art

“Reinventing Ourselves” and Reimagining Education: Everyday Learning and Life Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

In this “ethnographically-oriented” study, authors Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, Lu Liu, and Sophia L. Ángeles examine the learning experiences expressed in the diaries of thirty-five families from diverse ethnicities/races, cultures, national origins, and social classes living in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploring participants’ reflections on the learning they engaged in during this time and attending to what families prioritized as they reorganized their daily lives, the authors identify several common themes that emerged as participants figured out new ways of “reinventing themselves” during this unprecedented time by centering their cultural heritage, creativity, health, well-being, and connections to nature and to others and by using technology in creative and innovative ways. In offering the life lessons and richness of learning the families experienced as a counter to the current focus on pandemic learning loss, this study has implications for reimagining education in culturally sustaining ways.

The Comparison of Distance Physics Education Applications and Practices and Determining the Problems

In this research, we studied distance education practices in high schools which were closed by the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MNE) due to the COVID 19 pandemic and evaluated comparatively within the scope of the physics course. In this context, a comparative evaluation has been made by examining live lecture applications on television (EBA TV), remote live lessons (EBA live lessons), and another internet application (Zoom). The research covered a 13-week period starting with the interruption of the face-to-face education on March 16, 2020, until June 12, 2020. This research included six physics teachers, 15 science teachers, 20 parents of high school students, and 1.275 students in three different Anatolian high schools and four middle schools in Trabzon. In this study, we used the scanning model. The collected data were analyzed by calculating weekly average follow-up values and percentage values. At the end of this research, it was determined that the viewership of the physics lessons on EBA TV in the 1st weeks of distance education was 89% and that the viewership of EBA TV decreased considerably as the process continued. On the other hand, in online education applications and practices, it is seen that there were important problems arising from the lack of technological appliances, family situations, assessment, and evaluation. As a result of this study, we present proposed solutions for these problems.

Common Ground

Common Ground

Golden Life Lessons and Challenges of Retirees: A Case Study

This study investigated the lived experiences of the of retirees who are members of the federation of senior citizens from Talugtug Nueva Ecija. A qualitative method and case study research design was used in investigating and narrating the golden life lessons and challenges of the retirees. The research used purposive sampling, Qualitative data was thematically coded and analyzed through content narrative analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the common golden life lessons of the retires are; to be a good father/mother, be contented and validate marriage and to work hard or to be diligent and patient when it comes to education. While the challenges encountered by the retirees are the poverty they experienced which is the main reason for their hard work in life along with their desires or preferences, tasted hurtful words and were judged by the wrong view from their spouse’s family. Also, retirees went through intense trials and sacrifices before achieving success in the educational aspect. They used their past experiences to shape their daily life experiences in ways that enhanced their own well-being and quality of family.

Golden Life Lessons and Challenges of Retirees: A Case Study

Golden Life Lessons and Challenges of Retirees: A Case Study