Mixed Classrooms Research Articles

Linear Algebra Online and Offline Mixed Course Teaching Reform

As one of the required courses for science and engineering students, linear algebra has a new educational reform direction in the post-epidemic stage, that is, the most popular online and offline mixed classroom teaching mode. In the process of research, this paper first clarified the value of teaching reform of linear algebra online and offline mixed courses; Then, it puts forward some optimization measures for the teaching reform of linear algebra online and offline mixed courses, aiming at promoting the teaching effect of linear algebra in the future development education of private colleges and universities.

The mixed classroom: a pedagogical experiment with students and policymakers

The societal inability to respond accurately to the ecological crisis also requires a reflection on how universities can improve the impact of their practices. This paper reports on a prize-winning experiment aiming to strengthen the interaction of the university with the world of policymaking: a mixed classroom with students and policymakers. This classroom provides an environment in which policymakers and students co-produce insights, while giving policymakers direct access to academic knowledge and helping students to reflect on the dynamics of real-world contexts. The main goal of this study is to illuminate how learning in and through a mixed classroom experiment take places, for participants, teachers and organisational actors. To do so, we reflect on the continuous dialogue between our efforts as teachers and the experience of participants and others involved. To make sense of our teaching and institutional roles in this experiment, we suggest using the concept of ‘tinkering’. Further, to conceptualise the learning dynamics in a mixed classroom, we deploy the concept of ‘boundary crossing’, which turns out to be helpful in elucidating both individual learning (‘reflection’) and organisational learning (‘transformation’). Our study indicates that the notion of boundary crossing helps to effectively capture the learning situation we created and, as such, helps to redefine more generally how the science-policy interface can be understood and acted upon. For other educators interested in deploying mixed classroom-like approaches, we suggest that a tinkering approach can only work if there is sufficient room for experimentation, including failure and reflection, as well as ample time and funding. We also suggest critically looking at the constraints of the institutional logics and dynamics of higher education (e.g. the structure of semesters) and how their connection to the institutional logics and temporal dynamics of real-world contexts may be improved.

Effectiveness of interventions to reduce COVID-19 transmission in schools

School reopenings in 2021 and 2022 coincided with the rapid emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants in the United States. In-school mitigation efforts varied, depending on local COVID-19 mandates and resources. Using a stochastic age-stratified agent-based model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, we estimate the impacts of multiple in-school strategies on both infection rates and absenteeism, relative to a baseline scenario in which only symptomatic cases are tested and positive tests trigger a 10-day isolation of the case and 10-day quarantine of their household and classroom. We find that monthly asymptomatic screening coupled with the 10-day isolation and quarantine period is expected to avert 55.4% of infections while increasing absenteeism by 104.3%. Replacing quarantine with test-to-stay would reduce absenteeism by 66.3% (while hardly impacting infection rates), but would require roughly 10-fold more testing resources. Alternatively, vaccination or mask wearing by 50% of the student body is expected to avert 54.1% or 43.1% of infections while decreasing absenteeism by 34.1% or 27.4%, respectively. Separating students into classrooms based on mask usage is expected to reduce infection risks among those who wear masks (by 23.1%), exacerbate risks among those who do not (by 27.8%), but have little impact on overall risk. A combined strategy of monthly screening, household and classroom quarantine, a 50% vaccination rate, and a 50% masking rate (in mixed classrooms) is expected to avert 81.7% of infections while increasing absenteeism by 90.6%. During future public health emergencies, such analyses can inform the rapid design of resource-constrained strategies that mitigate both public health and educational risks.

Strategies that parents of gifted children use in tense situations with teachers in mixed-ability classes

ABSTRACT Scholars have paid little attention to the strategies used by parents of gifted children who learn in mixed-abilities classroom when interacting with their teachers. In this research we studied how parents of gifted children in mixed-ability classrooms position themselves with their children’s teachers in conflicted situations. By using multiple case studies and positioning theory as an analytical framework, this research revealed three strategies used by parents in tense interactions with teachers: Law Enforcers, who point out stated regulations, Motivators, who seek teacher cooperation, and Mentors, who avoid interactions with teachers. This knowledge is important for teachers to advance dialogue with parents of gifted children.

Exploration of the Reform of Stratified Teaching Mode of Higher Mathematics in Higher Vocational Colleges

This study examines higher mathematics education within vocational colleges. Through a comprehensive review of literature, rand the recent developments in differentiated instruction and mobile technology integration, the study underscores the challenges and opportunities facing teachers in developing effective learning among students. The findings reveal that cooperative education frameworks significantly enhance students’ employability by aligning academic learning with practical experiences. Further, the application of instructional strategies shows that it improves mathematics learning outcomes. It also addresses the diverse needs of students in mixed-ability classrooms. This study shows the importance of innovative pedagogical approaches in higher education and provides recommendations for further research in the field of vocational education.

Optimizing Image Classification: Automated Deep Learning Architecture Crafting with Network and Learning Hyperparameter Tuning.

This study introduces ETLBOCBL-CNN, an automated approach for optimizing convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures to address classification tasks of varying complexities. ETLBOCBL-CNN employs an effective encoding scheme to optimize network and learning hyperparameters, enabling the discovery of innovative CNN structures. To enhance the search process, it incorporates a competency-based learning concept inspired by mixed-ability classrooms during the teacher phase. This categorizes learners into competency-based groups, guiding each learner's search process by utilizing the knowledge of the predominant peers, the teacher solution, and the population mean. This approach fosters diversity within the population and promotes the discovery of innovative network architectures. During the learner phase, ETLBOCBL-CNN integrates a stochastic peer interaction scheme that encourages collaborative learning among learners, enhancing the optimization of CNN architectures. To preserve valuable network information and promote long-term population quality improvement, ETLBOCBL-CNN introduces a tri-criterion selection scheme that considers fitness, diversity, and learners' improvement rates. The performance of ETLBOCBL-CNN is evaluated on nine different image datasets and compared to state-of-the-art methods. Notably, ELTLBOCBL-CNN achieves outstanding accuracies on various datasets, including MNIST (99.72%), MNIST-RD (96.67%), MNIST-RB (98.28%), MNIST-BI (97.22%), MNST-RD + BI (83.45%), Rectangles (99.99%), Rectangles-I (97.41%), Convex (98.35%), and MNIST-Fashion (93.70%). These results highlight the remarkable classification accuracy of ETLBOCBL-CNN, underscoring its potential for advancing smart device infrastructure development.

Second Language and Heritage Learners in Mixed Classrooms ed. by Patricia Bayona, and Elena García-Martín (review)

Second Language and Heritage Learners in Mixed Classrooms ed. by Patricia Bayona, and Elena García-Martín (review)

Multicultural Competence as a Teacher’s Metacognition to Achieve a Positive School Climate

Our modern times are marked by socio-economic and cultural processes whose effects are rapidly crossing national borders and creating a global community for which multiculturalism is no longer just a concept but a social reality. As a key tool for its harmonization, intercultural education is determined, which provides conditions for interaction between cultures and prepares multicultural individuals. There is a need for the teacher to acquire the appropriate intercultural readiness and competence to enable her to posit the climate in the classroom. At the same time, there is a lack of research on the psychological climate in culturally mixed classrooms, characteristic of most schools today. The aim of the study is to investigate the importance of teachers’ “intercultural readiness” factors for achieving a positive psychological climate in a multicultural educational environment. The research instrument synthesizes questionnaires on the classroom, on the organization of the educational environment and on the psychological climate and adapts them to the level of primary school education. The sample consisted of 95 teachers from Attica in Greece. The data were analyzed with the statistical package SPSS and one-way ANOVA was applied. The research assumption is confirmed that universities preparing pedagogical specialists are responsible for developing master’s degree programs in intercultural education or courses for additional professional qualification with a focus on the formation of intercultural competence as a teacher’s metacognition.

Effectiveness of differentiated instruction on learning outcomes and learning satisfaction in the evidence-based nursing course: Empirical research quantitative.

Diversified students in higher education and the complexity and difficulty of the evidence-based nursing course perceived by students challenge nursing educators. Differentiated instruction can provide students with various opportunities to learn and meet the learning needs of students with different academic abilities and strengths, which may be a solution. This study aimed to apply differentiated instruction to design the undergraduate evidence-based nursing course and evaluate the effects of differentiated instruction on students' learning outcomes and learning satisfaction. One-group pretest-posttest pre-experimental design was applied. Ninety-eight undergraduate nursing students enrolled in the evidence-based nursing course 2020 participated in this study. Students' learning outcomes including preferred learning styles, classroom engagement, collaborative learning, attitudes towards evidence-based nursing, learning satisfaction and evidence-based nursing knowledge were measured using validated questionnaires. The differentiated instruction increased students' learning interests, promoted focused and independent thinking, and enhanced academic achievement. Students' classroom engagement, attitudes towards evidence-based nursing, evidence-based nursing knowledge and learning satisfaction were improved after the course. The course designed with differentiated instruction provided a supportive learning environment and furnished a vivid pedagogical way for the unique nursing profession. Positive results of the study support the application of differentiated instruction in the evidence-based nursing course. The study indicates that the application of differentiated instruction in mixed-ability classrooms in the evidence-based nursing course improved students' learning outcomes, attitudes towards evidence-based nursing, evidence-based nursing knowledge and learning satisfaction. In clinical settings where nurses are even more diverse in academic education, clinical experiences and learning preferences, differentiated instruction can be a suitable application for in-service training and education to promote nurses' enthusiasm for professional learning.

The dark side of detracking: Mixed-ability classrooms negatively affect the academic self-concept of students with low academic achievement

The labeling hypothesis argues that mixed-ability classrooms foster the academic self-concept of students with low academic achievement because they lose their negative track branding. The contrast hypothesis presents the opposing view that mixed-ability classrooms expose students with low academic achievement to higher achieving peers, thus harming their self-concept due to social comparisons. The present study used data from two detracking school reforms (NStudy1 = 78,330 students, NStudy2 = 2,202 students) and employed a cohort-control design to compare cohorts before detracking with cohorts after detracking. In both studies, students with low academic achievement had a lower self-concept in untracked cohorts than in the tracked ones. However, the self-concept of students with high academic achievement did not differ between the cohorts. Our study highlights potential side effects of detracking school reforms that might result from students with low academic achievement being exposed to unfavorable social comparison processes.

VALIDATING INTERACTIONS: HOW A SYSTEM OF LEARNERS, PEERS, AND POLICIES EXPLAINS FACULTY TEACHING NEEDS

Some institutions assess the professional development needs of teaching faculty by surveying their interests in teaching topics. In contrast, we sought an explanation of teaching needs that could inform a more comprehensive needs assessment addressing motivations for teaching, challenges from learners, preferred strategies to address challenges, and barriers to using them. We conducted three focus groups of faculty from a university and a feeder college. We found that faculty were motivated by validating interactions with learners and challenged by incoming cohorts with diverse attitudes and abilities. Faculty preferred to consult peers, experiment in class, and offload tasks, but they were undermined by poor communication, bureaucracy, risk management, and limited resources. Faculty persisted with existing approaches until they faced burnout. Female faculty disproportionately reported being motivated by learner impact and challenged by mixed ability classrooms and lack of time. Our model prompts institutions to define and explore faculty teaching needs in terms of validating interactions with learners that are enhanced or diminished by incoming cohorts, preferred strategies, and institutional barriers. As such, faculty development must address each of those multiple, interacting influences.

Differentiated instruction: ‘to be, or not to be, that is the question’

ABSTRACT Education systems around the world, faces the major challenge of including all children in schools. Differentiated instruction (DI) is proposed as a pedagogical approach that support social, emotional and academic success for all students in the context of heterogeneous classrooms. Although, recent research draws the attention to the inconsistent definitions and practices of DI. In this context, this qualitative study aimed at exploring the Portuguese teachers self-reported typical DI practices in mixed-ability classrooms. The participants were thirty-six teachers from kindergarten to middle school and came from a public-school cluster of five schools. The qualitative analysis carried out indicate a variety of practices under the concept of DI, ranging from practices aimed only at a group of students, based on low ability or special education needs, to practices aimed at building communities of learners. The majority of the self-reported practices described DI as simply giving one assignment to most pupils and fewer or easier activities to students who are struggling with their learning. Implications for initial teacher training and professional development programmes are discussed.

Promoting High-Achieving Students Through Differentiated Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms—A Systematic Review

Promoting high-achieving students plays an important role in the school context. Hence, one promising support measure within the mixed-ability classroom is differentiated instruction (DI). The current systematic review examined (1) the impact of DI on high-achieving students’ outcomes, (2) to what extent DI is used, (3) how useful teachers and high-achieving students perceive DI, and (4) which barriers and facilitators are encountered in DI’s implementation. Forty-nine studies from 2000 to 2019 were included. Differentiated instruction impacted high-achieving students’ academic achievement and motivational-affective characteristics predominantly positive. However, there was considerable heterogeneity between and within studies. Teachers typically did not use DI for high-achieving students proactively nor on a regular basis. However, teachers and high-achieving students perceived DI as valuable for encouraging high-achieving students. The barriers found might help to explain discrepancies between the extent of usage and the perceived utility, whereas the identified facilitators suggest how to overcome these barriers.

Computer-Aided Instruments in Teaching Chemistry Courses to the Junior High School Students

The study investigated the performance of the students in Chemistry using computer-aided instruments using a quasi-experimental method with a pre-post-tests control group design. A total of one hundred ninety-one (191) grade 7 students were selected as respondents to the study. Students in the experimental group were exposed to computer-aided instruments, while students in the control group were exposed to traditional instructions. The findings reveal there was a highly significant difference between the performance of the experimental and that of the control group. Moreover, it is suggested not to use a single strategy, method, approach, or technique in delivering instruction to address the need of today’s mixed-ability classroom. It is recommended to include computer-aided instructions in the In-Service Training of the teachers and conduct a series of seminars on the different elements of this approach to have a deeper understanding and have a better idea of how computer-aided instruments are best used in the teaching and learning process.

Early plurilingual foreign language teaching in mixed classrooms: Linguistic and metalinguistic predictors of foreign language development among majority-language and minority-language students in EFL classes

In a pre-posttest control group study, we test how plurilingual foreign language teaching affects foreign-language development in 258 primary-school students learning English in Germany. We compare general proficiency development in a group of students experiencing plurilingual teaching versus a group having regular, target-language-only teaching over a six-month period. Further, we assess whether and how proficiency in previously-acquired languages and phonological awareness affect learning gains in the plurilingual group. At the group level, the findings show that plurilingual instruction does not yield systematic differences compared to regular English instruction. Majority-language and minority-language students show comparable learning gains in standardized tests of receptive and productive vocabulary and receptive grammar in English. Regression analyses identify phonological awareness as a predictor of learning gains in the context of plurilingual foreign language learning. Further interactions with language background suggest that both proficiency in previously-acquired languages and metalinguistic skills modulate early foreign language learning and should be addressed in the classroom.

Novice Chemistry Teachers’ Instructional Strategies in Teaching Mixed-Ability Classrooms

: This qualitative study sought to explore Malaysian novice chemistry teachers' experiences in teaching mixed-ability students during their teaching practicum, focusing on their instructional strategies for dealing with those learners in the class. The researchers employed purposive sampling to select 12 trainee teachers to be involved in semi-structured interviews. The data collected were analysed using the constant comparative method. As a result, two themes emerged regarding participants' instructional strategies: the whole-class approach and adjustment to the learners’ needs. This paper discusses the first theme, which consists of three sub-themes: active learning activities, the use of stimulating learning materials, and assessment practice. Even though novice chemistry teachers primarily engaged mixed-ability students through whole-class instruction, the study found they emphasised active classroom engagement and collaboration between students in their classroom. Besides, they did consider students’ interests and preferences when selecting activities and materials for their lessons. However, the study found that novice teachers mainly did not utilise the data from the formative assessments to inform their decisions in differentiating instruction for mixed-ability learners in class. Though there are differences in students’ ability in class, the teachers generally opted for a ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy for all students in most lessons. The study recommends that teacher training institutions and related stakeholders provide adequate training for novice chemistry teachers to improve their knowledge and skills in practising differentiated instruction.

Exploring Instructor Feedback Provision in Heritage Language and Mixed Heritage-Second Language Classrooms

The effects of feedback on second language (L2) learning has garnered extensive attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Relatively little attention, however, has been given to the effects of feedback in the heritage language (HL) classroom (e.g., Atoofi, 2013) or instructors’ motivations to provide feedback in classrooms features heritage speakers (cf. Gurzinski-Weiss, 2016). The present study seeks to explore instructors' feedback practices and cited reasons for feedback choices in HL and mixed HL-L2 classrooms. Four instructors who taught Spanish as a HL and mixed HL-L2 Spanish classes participated in this study. Data were elicited using background questionnaires, video recordings of classroom meetings, and semi-structured interviews. Analyses of instructor-provided feedback episodes in recorded classroom meetings revealed that instructors provided explicit positive assessments (e.g., muy bien "very good") at high rates, and this type of feedback was more frequent in HL classrooms than mixed classrooms. Interviews with instructors revealed that instructors cited distinct, learner-related reasons for providing feedback to heritage speakers as opposed to L2 learners in their classrooms.

Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Talented Students in Agricultural Education: An Exploratory Study

Agriculture teachers are responsible for the education of a mixed ability classroom, in which there may be students identified as gifted. It is unclear how much preservice preparation agriculture teachers receive in order to challenge this population of students or what inservice teacher professional development needs exist. This study aimed to measure agriculture teacher attitudes toward working with gifted students as well as their preservice teacher preparation and current professional development needs. Just over half of participants that completed a traditional teacher preparation program felt adequately prepared to meet the needs of gifted students in their classrooms. Agriculture teachers mostly agreed that students should be challenged, gifted students are a valuable part of their classroom, and that differentiating for gifted students is important. Responding teachers mostly disagreed that their content knowledge is challenged, gifted students are bored in their classrooms, and that they feel threatened by the intelligence of gifted students in their class. Professional development is needed in creating challenging classroom content, differentiating instruction and teaching problem-solving skills to gifted agriculture students.

Students’ contrasting their experiences of teacher expectations in streamed and mixed ability classes: A study of Grade 10 students in Western Australia

ABSTRACT Many secondary schools sort students into ‘ability’-based classes, but research shows that streaming students by ability is inequitable and does not improve student academic results. There has been little qualitative research that considers students’ experiences of streaming, with none that compares students’ experiences in classes that are streamed against the same students’ experiences in other classes that are mixed-ability. The research in this paper explains student experiences of differences between their streamed and mixed-ability classrooms, including the perceived influence on their educational outcomes. The study is unique because the results project the voices of 25 Grade 10 secondary school students from three Western Australian public schools, 19 of whom had recently experienced transitions between streamed and mixed-ability grouping contexts. The findings offer new knowledge that begins to explain how different class grouping strategies are experienced differently by students. Contrasts made by the students in their teachers’ provision of learning opportunities, learning aspirations, and learning environments between streamed and mixed-ability classes are discussed. The findings highlight how educational outcomes were shaped by the schools’ grouping choices and the associated differences in teachers’ expectations and provision of opportunities to learn. The results are of interest to educators making decisions about ability-grouping practices.

Research on the Hybrid Classroom Teaching Mode Based on SPOC in China

As an effective way of mixed classroom teaching mode, SPOC not only maintains an open online learning method, but also combines the advantages of face-to-face offline classroom teaching, promotes the integration of information technology and education, and is also conducive to improve the quality of teaching. SPOC-based hybrid classroom teaching in colleges and universities should scientifically plan teaching around the three aspects of learners, instructors, and curriculum resources, forming an organic and unified teaching and learning community, and promoting deep learning and autonomous learning.