Popular Pedagogy Research Articles

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.

The effect of OMO learning on high school students' problem-solving skills in physics

Online-merge-offline (OMO) learning in a hybrid learning space is becoming a popular pedagogy to enhance students' blended learning using appropriate technology. This investigation delves into the impact of OMO learning on developing physics problem-solving skills among high school students. A ten-week intervention employing OMO learning is implemented with 34 participants in both the experimental and control groups at a high school in Hangzhou, China. The efficacy of OMO learning is assessed through a quasi-experimental design encompassing pre- and post-assessments. The findings of this inquiry reveal: (1) The experimental group's physics problem-solving abilities are significantly impacted by OMO learning; (2) the use of cognitive tools rationally, the integration of online and offline collaborative learning, rich learning resources, and heuristic teaching all help students become more adept at solving physics problems; and (3) the cognitive load, students' lack of prior knowledge, poor self-regulation, and lack of help-seeking techniques all work against the improvement of students' physics problem-solving abilities. Suggestions are made in line with the research results and aims.

Gamification Powered by a Large Language Model to Enhance Flipped Classroom Learning in Undergraduate Computer Science

The flipped classroom in computer science has become a popular pedagogy where students complete preparatory reading and videos before class, leaving class time for hands-on practice. In theory, students come to class predisposed with knowledge to complete programming tasks, quizzes, and homework assignments. However, if students do not complete or do not fully understand the preparatory material, those students will not be equipped for class and may also be embarrassed to ask questions during class. In this study, we created a gamified quiz that is powered by a Large Language Model (LLM) that loads in questions from the flipped content transcripts. The game offers students a fun assessment after completing the flipped content that will both motivate them and prepare them for class. The game also provides an anonymous way for students to ask questions as they progress through the game content. Those questions can then be analysed by the instructor and reviewed in class. The study compares in-class quiz scores of a control group versus a group that had access to the gamified quiz in an undergraduate software engineering course over three consecutive course modules. The results obtained from both quantitative and qualitative data are promising, showing an increase in student in-class quiz scores along with positive student engagement with the gamified quiz. Students also reported that the game made them more comfortable with asking questions. Future work would extend this research to more students and over a longer period. The LLM and gamification also have much potential, where games can be created dynamically and be customized and personalized for each student's needs. This work shows an exciting gap in research that could lead to gamified experiences for students in the flipped model that are both relevant and personalized with the use of a LLM, offering the students the greatest chance for success.

Collaborative Learning in K-12 Computational Thinking Education: A Systematic Review

In the past decade, Computational Thinking (CT) education has received growing attention from researchers. Although many reviews have provided synthesized information on CT teaching and learning, few have paid particular attention to collaborative learning (CL) strategies. CL has been widely implemented in CT classes and has become the most popular pedagogy among educators. Therefore, a systematic review of CL in CT classes would provide practical guidance on teaching strategies to enhance CT interventions and improve the quality of teaching and learning, ultimately benefiting students’ CT skills development. To address this gap, this study examined 43 empirical studies that have applied CL strategies, ranging from 2006 to 2022. Several findings were revealed in the analysis. First, a wide range of theories and frameworks were applied to inform research questions, pedagogical design, and research methodologies. Second, despite the acknowledged importance of group composition in effective CL, a large number of studies did not provide details on how the students were grouped. Third, six types of CL activities and instructional designs have been identified in CT classrooms. The synthesized information provides valuable insights that can inform future research directions and guide the design and implementation of CL activities in future CT classes.

Balancing disciplinary and integrated learning: How exemplary STEM teachers negotiate tensions of practice

AbstractIntegrated STEM education within North America has become a popular pedagogy; however, teachers identify challenges that arise when planning for and implementing integrated STEM education. These challenges may threaten STEM teachers' capacity to balance disciplinary and integrated learning, a core feature of effective STEM education. The purpose of this study was to investigate how exemplary STEM teachers navigate tensions of practice to balance disciplinary and integrated learning. Through an in‐depth qualitative methodology, drawing on interview and artifact data from 14 purposefully selected exemplary secondary and elementary integrated STEM teachers, this study identified tensions that teachers faced as they navigated planning for and implementing integrated STEM education: (a) curriculum content versus skills; (b) guided instruction versus inquiry and play; (c) process versus task completion; and (d) collaboration versus individual needs. In line with a Worldly Perspective (Rennie et al., 2020), balancing these tensions leads to enhanced integration.

Measuring Critical Thinking in Reacting to the Past

Reacting to the Past is a popular pedagogy in the history classroom. Practitioners frequently contend that it supports students' critical thinking. This paper uses the Critical thinking Assessment Test (CAT) to measure students' critical thinking development as a result of playing two role-playing games. In addition, students completed two surveys to gather supplemental information. This study finds that Reacting does lead to improved critical thinking scores, but not evenly across subskills. This finding suggests that researchers should more clearly define critical thinking in order to evaluate Reacting's value as an intervention. The study also finds that student self-report is not a reliable means of measuring critical thinking gains and encourages further use of objective, validated assessment tools.

Effectiveness of Electronic Service-Learning (e-SL) in Primary School Children in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic

AbstractIn recent years, Service-Learning (SL) has become a popular pedagogy in higher education, especially in Asian societies such as Hong Kong. However, although prior studies have generally showed positive effects of SL for service providers (university students in particular), there is limited evidence of the benefits of SL for the service recipients. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some SL programs have shifted from a traditional in-person mode to an online mode, thereby creating the need to evaluate e-Service Learning (e-SL) projects. In this study, we evaluated changes among 422 primary school students as service recipients (50.6% male; 49.4% female; Mage = 11.53) joining an e-SL program conducted in mainland China by 85 undergraduate students from a public university in Hong Kong. Using a single-group pretest and posttest design with data collected before and after the e-SL program, which focused on leadership and personal development outcomes, we found that the service recipients showed significant improvements in positive youth development (PYD) attributes, leadership qualities, psychological well-being, and academic performance. We also found gender differences in most of the developmental outcomes, with male participants showing more positive improvements than female participants. These pioneering findings underscore the effectiveness of e-SL program in terms of promoting the holistic development of service recipients. This study also reveals gender differences in the benefits derived from e-SL programs.

Game-Based Science Learning: What are the Problems with Teachers Practicing It in Class?

Middle school science learning prioritizes class literacy through independent, integrated learning, only text, without any activity in the learning process. Contemporary literary studies show constant changes in the world of learning and teaching, and for many years, learning through play has been considered one of the most effective ways to learn something. This research aims to understand the pedagogical methods used in learning through play and the importance of these methods in the teaching process in elementary schools. This research involved five teachers from several secondary schools in Serbia: semi-structured interviews, researcher observation and class participation. The results of this research are based on descriptive analysis from the teacher's perspective. Based on the research results and researchers' comments, it can be understood that game-based learning in secondary schools in Austria is a popular pedagogy, creating a fun and adequate game-based learning context for children. In addition, the results of this study describe the activities carried out by the teacher, how the mechanism works, what the obstacles are, the solutions used in different subjects and the differences in the abilities and skills children develop through play. According to teachers, learning through play always poses challenges related to research, designing various play activities, and adapting learning to students' needs and interests

Contemporary significance of popular pedagogy

This article mirrors the contemporary significance concerning the essence of popular pedagogy and the importance of this science of education for the formation of human personality. The profound democratic transformations in society and the immanent demand for integration in the contemporary world are inextricably linked to the recognition of spiritual renewal through the development of science and the improvement of the entire education system. The arguments evoked in this article attest the need for pedagogical implications in the personal identity development in line with the national culture. The use of folklore for this purpose can bring real benefits for the harmonious personality development in the context of educational partnership. Współczesne znaczenie pedagogiki popularnej Artykuł odzwierciedla współczesne znaczenia dotyczące istoty pedagogiki popularnej i znaczenia tej nauki o wychowaniu dla kształtowania osobowości. Głębokie przemiany demokratyczne w społeczeństwie i immanentna potrzeba integracji ze strukturalnym zespołem współczesnego świata są nierozerwalnie związane z uznaniem duchowej odnowy poprzez rozwój nauki i doskonalenie całego systemu. Przywołane argumenty świadczą o konieczności pedagogicznych implikacji w kształtowaniu tożsamości osobowości ludzkiej w duchu kultury narodowej. Wykorzystanie folkloru w tym celu może przynieść realne korzyści dla harmonijnego kształtowania osobowości w kontekście partnerstwa edukacyjnego.

Popular Pedagogy in the Times of COVID-19: Digital School or Digital Culture

This work seeks to reflect upon the importance of critical training in the use of digital media in educational contexts. In such a period in which the school is necessarily forced to become 'digital', one wonders if this complex, and probably necessary, path of renewal brings along an equally and devoted commitment regarding better practices concerning educational intentionality with the use of the new technologies. Therefore, it is in this direction that we have chosen to bring critical research about a reading experience in the Brazilian context. It is an experience that highlights the importance of a perspective of social emancipation where action and reflection are intimately connected and translate into the promotion of a "praxis" that is critically deepened against the hegemonic thought of neoliberalism, which is, at the same time, dispersive. We defend a reading perspective against the manipulations of oppressors who, thanks to the web, feed hate, racists, and misogynist ideas, which are contrary to any kind of equality among human beings. Along with this perspective, the role of educational agencies is invested with an enormous responsibility in promoting digital literacy that provides everyone, especially young people, with tools capable of allowing management and the critical use of the enormous amount of information in which we are immersed. Today, it is important to strive for perspectives of education based on freedom, on the autonomy and the construction of truly democratic societies, in which the benefits and responsibilities of the democratic rule of law can be shared by all people, regardless of their color, origin, religion, sex.

Exploring the Translingual Approach to English as a Foreign Language Writing in China

The translingual approach has become an increasingly popular pedagogy in writing education to respond to linguistic diversity in the past decade. It emphasizes nonstandard language varieties and encourages learners to employ all linguistic repertoire. Writing scholars and educators proposed various research from different viewpoints to investigate how the approach can affect writing pedagogy and practice. However, so far, limited attention has been given to the potential influence of translingual writing in China’s classrooms. Exploring the young and fast-growing landscape is necessary, and adapting the translingual approach to the Chinese context. To fill the gap, the purpose of this paper is to present a critical review of the literature investigating translingual writing in China. Hopefully, the paper can facilitate the English as a foreign language (EFL) writing instructors who plan to adopt a translingual approach in China.

A supported flipped learning model for mathematics gives safety nets for online and blended learning

Flipped learning is a popular pedagogy, and its benefits, challenges and implementations have recently been discussed widely. This study presents the implementation of a new ‘supported’ flipped learning model for teaching foundation-year mathematics, built on mathematics anxiety principles. Effective flipped learning requires a good course structure, and therefore the purpose of this study is to explore student perspectives and experiences of the structure of the supported flipped learning model. Interviews were carried out with students who took a foundation mathematics module between 2016 and 2021 (n = 34), including cohorts who experienced it in blended forms and entirely online. One overarching theme of structure and online working encapsulates six themes forming the discussion: ‘timing is important’; ‘structure of materials’; ‘online enables access’; ‘distractions online and at home’; ‘finding online difficult’; and ‘better than traditional teaching methods’. The results show that students from a range of disciplines, including non-STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses, are positive about the supported flipped learning model for studying mathematics, believing it superior to traditional teaching methods. The structure of this model gives students a sense of progression while providing a safety net for students with lower levels of self-regulation who often find flipped environments challenging. The structure of lessons, the materials used, and delivery infrastructure are crucial to success. The new model presented here advances current use of flipped learning for mathematics, and potentially other subjects, in higher education. The structure has also been shown to be appropriate for rapid transition to online learning.

Not Strictly STEAM

“That which We Call A Rose,” (“Rose”) is a multi-media performance-as-research project, with puppets and robots, that I devised with a diverse ensemble of undergraduates and professionals to explore questions about planetary nomenclature, climate change, and colonization. “Rose” explicitly challenges andro-and euro-centric hegemonies embedded in 21st century space exploration and invites its audiences to do the same. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) has become a popular pedagogy for K-12 education. Many K-12 STEAM programs claim to put art at the heart of STEM, but often prioritize science content over creative process, falling short of the potential that STEAM holds to foster lifelong learners and innovators who are curious, skilled, and literate across a variety of disciplinary and cultural boundaries. The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), on the other hand, promotes a K-20 STEAM pedagogy that acknowledges the importance of facilitating young learners’ creative inquiry as well as the potential for mature artists to become equally-valued culture creators across arts, science, and social domains.
 In this article, I use “Rose” as a case study to query the possibilities of implementing performance-as-research as an essential component of STEAM pedagogies. I examine the ways that artists can invite audiences across multiple social identities to join in processes of performance creation as a means of critical inquiry of STEM fields. The performance-as-research process encourages participant audiences to authentically engage in arts practices as a means of actively combatting social issues such as climate change, professional gender and racial inequity, and the colonialist traditions implicit to contemporary space exploration.

Discorsi pubblici sul lavoro: fonti narrative dall’alto valore pedagogico-sociale

Is there a work and organizations’ethnography and anthropology that has passed and passes through words and discourses? Is it possible to extract from the analysis of public discourse about work the narration to outline an idea of work not only set up and carried out but also told, imagined, desired and above all educating? Printed paper, educational, scientific and political production can be considered very important sources to build a discourse about work and “popular pedagogy” and common sense connected to it in the sense of narration as historical and metabletic tool that contributes to individual and collective development. Words and speeches are epistemological frames and glances at the world have a connection with things. The word is not only a sign, it is also an image. The word brings, somewhat enigmatic, a connection with what it represents. Words therefore also have the power to produce transformations, to change the world, the way they see it and to represent it. Foucault had also written that words are fundamental codes behind a culture and influence experience and thought. Words and speeches about work, spoken and written, then, are a meta-narrative and can help to draw and dissect an unprecedented, alternative, parallel story. Also, a history of pedagogy of work is full of theories, models, methods but also of stories, of speeches of intellectuals, trade unionists, scholars, prominent figures, entrepreneurs who have dedicated their lives to the cause of a dignified and good work. For example, the speeches of Vittorio, Adriano Olivetti, the encyclicals of the different popes that have succeeded each other in history, the many aphorisms and speeches made by great entrepreneurs such as Cucinelli, Steve Jobs etc. that, in different ways, have helped to build an idea of work that - over the centuries - has profoundly changed. Starting from these reflections, the contribution aims to highlight the baggage of intangible assets and the implicit educational deposited in some exemplary narrative passages on the work that have helped to build collective stories and produce a shared sense, to give a specific identity to work and to propose its widespread representation with a high pedagogical-social value.

Popular Pedagogy and Special Education: the inclusion of the young and adult with special needs

Popular Pedagogy and Special Education: the inclusion of the young and adult with special needs

Storytelling in early childhood education: Time to go digital

Digital storytelling blends the ancient art of storytelling with a range of contemporary tools to weave stories together with the author's narrative voice, including digital images, graphics, music and sound. Digital storytelling, as both a teaching method and a learning resource, has been applied in many innovative ways at all levels of education. Digital storytelling supports student learning and allows teachers to adopt innovative and improved teaching methods. Storytelling is a proven and popular pedagogy, while digital storytelling is relatively recent and still seldom used in the setting of early childhood education. Using a case study of a storytelling–art–science club in Jakarta, Indonesia, the researcher explored how and why digital storytelling is used in early childhood education. This club is one of the few organizations that use digital storytelling for teaching and learning programs in early childhood. Data were collected qualitatively using in-depth interviews with four teachers, document analysis, and twice-observations of storytelling activities in each session with 35 and 37 children. The collected data were analyzed using analytical memoing methods. The results indicate that teachers in this club used digital storytelling for several important reasons. They claimed that simple digital technology made storytelling more entertaining, captivating, engaging, communicative and theatrical. This study suggests that the ability of teachers to use digital technology should be enhanced; schools' information and communication technology (ICT) devices should be equipped; some funding should also be allocated by the government to modernize school equipment; while the curriculum should be tailored to meet technological developments, and provide opportunities for children to learn how to make good use of technology.

Developing Lesson Plans for Teaching Spatial Data Management in Academic Libraries through a Lens of Popular Culture

ABSTRACT Understanding data management in spatial data science is fundamentally important when ensuring a project’s data is appropriately collected, analyzed, stored, and communicated. However, these concepts are often introduced to learners through compliance (i.e., we do this because we are required to or it is the right thing to do), and as a result can mean learning experiences around spatial data management are viewed less than enthusiastically. Academic libraries are places where engaging learning experiences around spatial data management can be explored and implemented through unique pedagogical techniques. For example, activities teaching spatial data management in academic libraries through a popular culture lens can make these topics more approachable and reduce learning barriers. In this paper, I present three lesson plans for academic librarians which approach teaching spatial data management through popular culture. The following concepts are represented: (1) understanding spatial metadata through Dungeons & Dragons; (2) learning to write good documentation through drawing Pokémon; and (3) developing good file naming habits with 1980s album covers. Alongside the lesson plans, I provide a narrative outlining why popular culture pedagogy is a useful technique to spatial data management education to increase the inclusivity and engagement around geospatial learning experiences in academic libraries.

Роль самоценности ребёнка в адаптации к дошкольному образовательному учреждению

The issue of psychological problems in children who enter kindergarten is growing more urgent. If you visit the kindergarten in summer during the period of newcomers’ adaptation, you will usually see the following scene: the parent consigns their child to the kindergarten, but the child is struggling to get used to the new conditions: he/she cries for hours, doesn't want to listen and follow the teacher, detaches from other kids, constantly asks the teacher to bring the mother back etc. Even if parents strictly follow the adaptation rules, for example, leaving the child with the teacher only for half-an-hour to hour, or staying with the child during the outdoor activities, or consigning the child to the care of an experienced teacher etc., it all may bring no result. In this article, we will try to discover the cause of all mentioned problems using the research of popular psychology and pedagogy scientists.

MOOCS An Online Learning Platform: Ups and Downs With, Futuristic Approach

MOOCs possess the “Massive Open Online Courses” available online, unbounded presence, open air through internet at free of cost or paid scrap for certification. 21st century the “digital era”, the formal standard classroom system is changing and converting into an online learning system, becoming massively popular pedagogy around the universe. It involves number of participants registered across the world who have open access and are available online. This paper is concerned about MOOCs’ history, types, structure, elements, ups (advantages) and downs (disadvantages). Further it conjointly spots the MOOCs platforms in India and world. MOOCs not only help in grooming the learners but also save time and space that was the major issue of the traditional education system. But somewhere faces a drastic challenge of higher dropout rate, not completion of course, ineffective assessment, internet facility problem, hardware requirement, language problem, lack of digital literacy and lack of personalise guidance. However, the present generation can't ignore it because of its advantages as it helps in professional development of manpower and alternate of Refresher Course (RC). At last concludes with suggestions and correlates it with the future so that it becomes more productive personnel boost with their enhanced career and promotion.

ОСВІТНЬО-ВИХОВНИЙ ТА ЕСТЕТИЧНИЙ ПОТЕНЦІАЛ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ НАРОДНОЇ ПЕДАГОГІКИ

The article deals with the problem of educational, upbringing and aesthetic potential of Ukrainian folk pedagogy. It is proved that aesthetic education is one of the means of forming a harmoniously developed personality, an important condition for the education of its high culture, morality, expansion of world outlook.The educational, upbringing and aesthetic potential of Ukrainian folk pedagogy is explained and its influence on the formation of a child in the family is substantiated, and it is determined that folk pedagogy is an integral part of the general spiritual culture of the Ukrainian people. Each form of Ukrainian national pedagogical culture (a song, a fairy tale, a ritual, a rite, etc.) is a special phenomenon, the study of which contributes to the successful resolution of the actual tasks of education of the younger generation. In the oral folk art, customs, rituals, traditions, arts and crafts, a huge amount of information on the education of the younger generation has been laid, so it is entirely natural that the study of educational and educational potential of folk pedagogy positively influences the development of classical pedagogical science and practice.A thorough analysis of numerous scientific works allowed us to consider folk pedagogy as a component of collective creativity, which embodies the life of the people, reflects its ideals, worldview, and ideas about the person, the family, and the upbringing of the younger generation. The analysis of scientific works on the research problem made it possible to distinguish specific features of folk pedagogy.It is proved that popular pedagogy has a significant educational and upbringing potential, which is expressed by the purpose of education, the naturalness of this process, the early beginning of education, age and gender differentiation, the rationality of the combination and complexity of means and methods of influence, as well as the humanity and morality of the process of education itself. It has been established that among the diversity of the means of folk pedagogy, folk, decorative and applied arts and folk toys play a special role in the system of aesthetic education of children in the family.