Powerful Learning Environments Research Articles

21st-century stewardship: infusing environmental stewardship education with global citizenship

Environmental stewardship education, as a locally oriented concept, benefits from being recast to account for the emergent, multidimensional, and interdisciplinary nature of today’s most pressing socio-ecological issues. In an effort to infuse environmental stewardship education with global citizenship, instructional materials on community-based conservation in Peru were delivered to high school students in New York, USA. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of instructional materials on student learning outcomes related to the practice of global citizenship in environmental stewardship education. The CLIA model for powerful learning environments was used to convey the competencies, learning conditions, interventions, and assessments that structured the delivery of the instructional materials. To evaluate learning outcomes, written student responses were analyzed, using the qualitative coding methodology. Additionally, transformative learning was assessed using the Learning Activities Survey. Results suggest a trajectory past knowledge comprehension and toward transformative, empowered action, progressing from a cognitive understanding to affective and ultimately behavioral shifts. Based on these findings, this study conceptualized and operationalized the concept 21st-century stewardship – a term coined here as an updated stewardship model that is infused with global citizenship’s multi-scalar perspectives, global compacts, and layered identities to achieve its maximum impact in our interconnected world.

Fostering critical thinking: Features of powerful learning environments

AbstractCritical thinking is a recurrent educational ambition. At the same time, it is not self‐evident how that ambition can be realised. This is partly due to the different perspectives from which Critical Thinking can be approached. The literature on critical thinking is extensive and diverse, different meanings and aspects of critical thinking have been explored. However, there is agreement among several researchers that critical thinking entails both ability and attitudinal components. Research in psychology on different types of cognitive processing has similarly pointed to the importance of both skills and attitudes. This article builds on a tripartite notion of disposition that has been proposed in the context of education. The tripartite dispositional perspective on which we elaborate highlights the importance of ability, inclination and sensitivity. We describe and discuss an educational protocol aligned with the tripartite conceptualisation of disposition. The protocol identifies characteristics of powerful learning environments. We propose that the proposed educational protocol—aligned to Critical Thinking education goals, conditions and interventions—can be used for fostering critical thinking. More specifically, the use of four types of interventions are recommended: (1) modelling, (2) inducing, (3) declaring and (4) surveillance. Finally, we underscore that there is a need for further research on the use of the educational protocol.

The Use of Information and Communication Technology in English Foreign Language Learning

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of ICT in English foreign language learning.
 Methodology: The study adopted a desktop methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
 Findings: The findings revealed that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the use of ICT in English foreign language learning. Preliminary empirical review reveals that ICT presents a powerful learning environment for learners in the classroom. Many countries make investments in ICT integration as ICT is viewed as an effective tool for renewing educational practice in any field. Because teachers are the main characters to employ ICT in educational contexts, they should be trained in how ICT can be integrated into the teaching process.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Cognitive Load theory, the Interactionist theory and the Constructivist theory may be used to anchor future studies in the use of ICT in English foreign language learning. This study will provide some insights to instructors, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in the integration of ICT in the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language to produce better results.

Performance Analysis of the Distributed Support Vector Machine Algorithm Using Spark for Predicting Flight Delays

In big data analysis requires powerful machine learning frameworks, strategies, and environments to analyze data at scale. Therefore, Apache Spark is used as a cluster computing framework to process big data in parallel and can run on multiple clusters. In this study, the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm is used as a classification method to predict whether a flight will experience a delayed arrival. This study also aims to analyze the performance of the distributed SVM algorithm using the Apache Spark framework in classifying delayed flight arrivals. Running time evaluation is important in proving how fast the data processing is done using Apache Spark. In addition, there is a test to prove the effect of using the SVM algorithm with a distributed system on the results of the classification accuracy of delayed flight arrivals. Distributed SVM performance testing is carried out using variations in data size and the number of worker nodes in the built cluster. From the test results, it was found that the most effective number of worker nodes used in the flight delay classification process was 4 worker nodes with the lowest running time results from the experiment of 4 variations in the number of worker nodes. In terms of accuracy, adding the number of worker nodes does not affect the accuracy of the program. The difference in the accuracy of results is caused by the random oversampling process on the data performed on each system test. Using the SVM algorithm with Spark is sufficient to provide good performance in the classification process with the highest accuracy result in the test being 93.98 %.

Creating a Virtual (Digital) Educational Environment for Teaching Biology in the Conditions of Technoparks and Quantoriums at School and University

The article describes the features of the interaction of a general education school and a technopark of a pedagogical university in the implementation of modern biological education. The relationship of biology with other sciences is considered, the types of educational technologies used in the process of interaction are presented, the significance of the digital laboratories of the technopark are revealed. The article considers as a scientific problem the identification of promising areas of didactic research, the expansion of their research field. In the article, the provisions of general didactics are concretized in relation to new objects included in its research field, the problems of didactics of higher education are considered. Also, the article deals with virtual reality, more precisely, its concept for creating a more powerful and useful virtual learning environment than existing approaches to learning based on traditional technologies, by incorporating new technologies and new learning criteria. A method of vector modeling of virtual reality, presented for use in various types of self-education, based on information and communication technologies, educational technologies for blended teaching of biology in high school is proposed and substantiated.

When Everyone Wins: Dialogue, Play, and Black History for Critical Games Education

In this article, we reflect on the process and outcomes of using dialogue, play, and a focus on Black women’s history to support critical media literacy in game design education. Over three years we developed a dialogue-based introductory undergraduate course in the game design program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute intended to deepen engagement by students in game design practice. We specifically focused on critical approaches to explore the history and culture of games, utilizing dialogic pedagogy to develop transformative learning environments rooted in social justice education, and helped students develop skills for intercultural dialogue and communicating “across difference.” The dialogue experience created a powerful learning environment that resulted in higher quality and more critical student game design work. This was evident in the 2019 iteration of the course, which included two sections of students and in which we had a semester-long group project on the history of Harriet Tubman, culminating in a selection of student games being shown at a local gallery in an exhibition celebrating Tubman’s legacy. The Tubman project was liberatory not only for students, but also instructors, as we learned together how to navigate discomfort and gain a more critical understanding of the material realities of white supremacy in games, self, and each other. This article shares details from the design and methodology of our course, outcomes as evidenced by student work, survey responses, and instructor observations, and concludes with reflections on areas for further research and opportunities for other educators to incorporate new methods in design education.

Centering theories of learning to design humanizing pedagogies and inclusive assessments

AbstractIn this article, we offer a blueprint that connects learning, humanizing pedagogies, and inclusive assessment to foster equity in higher education. First, we build upon extant literature to infuse sociocultural theories in our reimagination of learning. Second, we articulate how inclusive pedagogical practices bring strong potential to humanize campus learning systems. Third, we share strategies for educators to enact inclusive assessment based upon conceptualizations of learning and inclusive pedagogies. Our hope is for readers to consider inclusive assessment as one tool for iteratively redesigning a powerful learning environment where students are supported, affirmed, valued, and validated as their whole selves.

Educational Gardens and Climate Change Education: An Analysis of Spanish Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions

Educational gardens are powerful outdoor learning environments to address the subject of climate change and foster climate action. Using an online questionnaire, this study examines the influence of the main sociodemographic and academic factors, and the role of connectedness to nature, on the perception of educational gardens as contexts of climate change education (CCE) among Spanish preservice teachers (PSTs). The sample consisted of 889 PSTs enrolled in 9 university campuses of Spain. The statistical analyses performed evidenced that women are more likely to use educational gardens than men and that there is a progressive decrease in the positive perception of PSTs about the usefulness of gardens for CCE as the educational level at which they are being trained increases. Statistics also revealed that the variable connectedness to nature and the rating of the importance of educational gardens in CCE are not significantly related. Nevertheless, the Mann–Whitney U test indicated that PSTs who scored higher on connection to nature wished to broaden their knowledge of sustainable agriculture and, thus, connectedness to nature could be considered a predictor of environmental attitudes, each influencing the other. Based on these findings, recommendations for PSTs’ training in the CCE context are provided.

A Correlational Study on Teachers’ Level of Competence on and Attitudes Towards ICT Integration: Basis for the Development of Extension Training Program

The integration of ICT in teaching and learning processes brings about powerful learning environments with the recent shift in Blended Learning-Online Distance Learning and helps teachers to deal with knowledge in active, self-directed and constructive ways. The purpose of this study was to determine if the adapted theory of Reasoned Actions as presented by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) and Technological Acceptance Model developed by Davis (1989) relates to teachers’ competence on and attitudes in the implementation of ICT to justify the interim guidelines on the across implementation of BL-ODL and MDL modalities by BE-Learning Continuity Plan of Department of Education as per memorandum of LDM1 and LDM2 in the current school year. As part of a pilot-testing program of the LGU, the researcher sought to develop an instrument that would effectively measure the teachers’ level of competence on and attitudes with the utilization of ICT. Two schools JHS and SHS were studied since they belong to the same cluster. The study included 25 teacher-respondents from KERISHS-SHS and 25 teacher-respondents from GABHS-FBSHS. Each respondent completed the survey questionnaire, and gathered the necessary data for each level of competence on and attitudes that could benefit the entire educational community. The researcher applied Pearson’s r correlation in order to determine if a significant correlation existed. The results of the study revealed to have a significant or strongly positive relationship data to support the study. This research may encourage administrators to recognize and utilize the availability of ICT computer-assisted laboratories and enhance the scope of internet connection in formal and informal learning environments available in the school district.

THE POWERFUL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL SECONDARY EDUCATION IN TURKEY: TEACHERS' VIEWS

<p>This research aims to determine the opinions of vocational high school teachers about the Powerful Learning Environment (PLE) approach in vocational and technical secondary education. This study, which was carried out with the qualitative research method, was designed with the phenomenological pattern. The participants of the research consist of 28 teachers. The data were obtained with a semi-structured interview form, and the descriptive analysis method was used in data analysis. According to the results of the research, the obstacles to creating a PLE in vocational and technical education are the theoretical weight of the course programs, work-orientedness in internship workplaces (rejection of the learning process) and outdated vocational field training program modules and workshop equipment. On the other hand, the suggestions for creating a PLE in vocational and technical education are using an on-the-job learning model and increasing the internship period, reducing the theoretical Intensity in the curriculum and emphasizing the practice and increasing teacher orientation, providing program, equipment and workshop materials suitable for technological development, constant communication and interaction between teacher-student-parent-internship employer, the establishment of commercial relations between vocational high schools and establishment of virtual companies in entrepreneurship clubs, meeting with industry representatives to adapt to the changing expectations of the post-pandemic industry and using the advantages of peer learning in vocational skills education.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0845/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Characteristics of powerful learning environments in VET transition program for at-risk students: qualitative insights from teachers and support specialists implementing the program

At-risk students like those with special educational needs, learning difficulties, or pupils at risk of exclusion frequently struggle in transition from basic to secondary vocational education and training, often due to poor personal, learning and social skills. Therefore, several countries implement transition programs like the choice of profession training (CoPT) in Estonia to support youngsters’ readiness to continue their studies. This study aimed to identify how the characteristics of powerful learning environments in vocational education (PoLEVE) appear in CoPT in VET teachers and support specialists’ experiences. The deductive thematic analysis of 16 semistructured interviews illuminated the development of learning-, life-, cooperation- and self-determinations skills through adaptive teaching and learning support in a safe and positive learning community. Nevertheless, the results also call for empowering at-risk students to cope independently, supporting their construction of vocational knowledge through reflective dialogue and intellectually challenging problem-solving.

Team-based learning (TBL): Putting learning sciences research to work in the economics classroom

In this article, the authors describe how Team-Based Learning (TBL) intentionally promotes learning strategies that learning sciences research has identified as highly effective to create powerful learning environments for students. The article illustrates how learning sciences principles and research findings inform and support the TBL framework, focusing on six evidence-based learning science strategies: (1) effortful retrieval practice; (2) spaced/distributed retrieval practice; (3) self-elaboration; (4) use of activities employing concrete examples; (5) appropriate sequencing of direct instruction and student exploration; and, (6) repeated use of highly-structured group-based activities throughout a course. The systematic and intentional integration of these strategies in TBL classes creates the potential for powerful learning relative to courses that fail to intentionally take into account learning sciences research in their design and pedagogy.

DIY Skateparks as temporary disruptions to neoliberal cities: informal learning through micropolitical making

ABSTRACT DIY skateparks figure among a widening register of informal urban interventions that confront official plans and visions of cities. They are also powerful learning environments that exemplify efforts by youth and adults alike to disrupt the fixity of neoliberalism in urban spaces. Our focus on the production of DIY skateparks offers complementary and nuanced accounts to literature on making, makerspaces, and maker culture. In this article, we seek alternative spaces of creative activity that can expand perspectives on making beyond narrow foci, like STEM. We argue that a refined focus on the minor gestures of skateboarders – evidenced through the creative potential they see in and subsequent ethic of care they show for one another and for the built environment – offers a way forward toward conceiving of making as a sociopolitical process, particularly within and beyond informal, technology-enhanced learning spaces.

Learning Design: Creating Powerful Learning Environments for Self-Regulation Skills

The interdisciplinary research in the learning sciences has and still does substantially contribute to meeting the current need for new environments for learning by developing and elaborating new perspectives on the ultimate goal of school education, and on the nature of learning to achieve this goal. The presentation start with a brief review of such a perspective. Against this background the article will focus on self-regulation as a major component of the goals of education. Findings about the positive relationship between self-regulation and student learning have lead researchers to design learning environments for improving students’ self-regulation skills. Several metacognitive methods have been designed especially for the math learning; as an example the IMPROVE model developed by Mevarech and Kramarski (2014) well briefly be presented. Research evidence will then be discussed showing that such learning environments are effective for developing and improving self-regulated learning in Kindergarten children and primary and secondary school students. Of course, realizing this potential requires in the classroom teachers pay explicit attention to the teaching of self-regulated activities. Therefore, a major challenge for teacher training and professional development consists in improving teachers’ awareness and knowledge of self-regulation and equipping them with effective strategies for developing self-regulation skills in students.

Powerful learning environments in secondary vocational education: towards a shared understanding

ABSTRACTStakeholders in vocational education have difficulties communicating and collaborating on the design of education because they often lack a shared understanding of what constitutes effective student learning. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the perspectives of teacher educators, teachers and students on good education in vocational education are aligned with what literature says about Powerful Learning Environments (PLEs) and to what extent the perspectives of different groups of stakeholders are mutually aligned. Results of nine focus group interviews showed that perspectives are mostly similar in the three groups. They strongly favoured authentic and challenging pathways, endorsed the importance of supporting opportunities for developing key competences and, although not univocal by students, adaptive teaching and learning support, within a positive and safe learning community. Differences between preferences of different stakeholders on some of the design characteristics of PLEs underline the importance of developing a shared understanding about learning and teaching among stakeholders.

Designing Powerful Learning Environments in Education for Sustainable Development: A Conceptual Framework

Policymakers have pinpointed the importance of living in a more sustainable society. Education for Sustainable Development aims at developing future citizens competent to take actions in order to cope with Sustainable Development issues. The instructional design that teachers apply in class play a crucial role in students’ learning. This study is a conceptual analysis based on a narrative review of the literature in the field of Environmental Education/Education for Sustainable Development. It makes use of the CLIA-model (Competence, Learning, Intervention, Assessment), developed by De Corte, Verschaffel and Masui in 2004 to prescribe how a powerful learning environment in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) could be developed. In particular, the study focusses on the Intervention component. Holistic, pluralistic as well as action-oriented teaching in Education for Sustainable Development are thought to be effective in cultivating students’ action competence. This paper presents first the Action-oriented ESD framework. This framework consists of five components: (a) action-taking, (b) students’ leadership in their learning and teaching, (c) peer interaction, (d) community involvement and (e) interdisciplinarity. We then integrate the Action-oriented ESD framework with Holism and Pluralism into the Holism-Pluralism-Action-orientation in the ESD framework. Integrating holistic, pluralistic as well as action-oriented teaching in ESD is highly important in theoretical discussion as well as in instructional design. The Holism-Pluralism-Action-orientation ESD framework addresses the lack of an integrated conceptual framework in the field of ESD. This framework is motivated by a growing consensus on the importance of these three approaches in ESD teaching. The Holism-Pluralism-Action-orientation in ESD Framework is based on more than three decades of efforts to define knowledge on Environmental Education/Education for Sustainable Development teaching and on the rich and growing body of research on effective ESD teaching.

Reframing teacher knowledge: a research and development agenda

This article undertakes a reframing of the concept of teacher knowledge. It argues that in order to help teachers create more powerful learning environments, a much more general framing is required—one that incorporates a teacher’s perceptions, inclinations and orientations as well as their understandings and related proficiencies. A main point of departure is the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework, which focuses on essential dimensions of classroom practice. Questions of teacher knowledge are reframed as: “How can we reconceptualize teacher knowledge (perhaps better, teacher proficiency) so that it encompasses the broad range of perceptions, orientations, understandings and proficiencies that support teachers in crafting learning environments from which students emerge as knowledgeable, flexible, and resourceful thinkers and problem solvers? How can it be organized so that it can be worked on productively? This paper explores these issues. It employs the TRU framework as the initial mechanism for reframing, while drawing on Schoenfeld’s (How we think. Routledge, New York, 2010) work on teachers’ decision making and Schoenfeld and Kilpatrick’s (International handbook of mathematics teacher education, volume 2: tools and processes in mathematics teacher education. Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, pp 321–354, 2008) work on teacher proficiency to suggest what should be included in an expanded framing of teacher knowledge.

Translanguaging revisited

AbstractThis article takes a translanguaging perspective and is based on linguistic-ethnographic research. It investigates the participants’ interactional engagement with their linguistic repertoire in two multilingual Belgian primary classrooms and the pedagogical potential of these practices. Analyses demonstrate that teachers can transform translanguaging as a pedagogy into practice by permitting pupils to interact, thereby co-constructing knowledge and valorizing their own and others’ translanguaging. The article also shows how translanguaging practices are influenced by changes in evolving constellations and dynamics of a group, by content, and by socio-situational, cognitive and linguistic factors. At the same time, the article highlights challenges for translanguaging research, policy and pedagogy. With respect to further studies in this area, reflection is recommended on the definition of translanguaging and the integration of speakers’ attitudes in research. In terms of policy, the article considers as to how best to reconcile a multilingual reality with a monolingual educational ideology and reflects on the relationship between macro level interventions and micro-interactional practices. For pedagogy, four challenges are highlighted: the degree of acceptance of translanguaging practices in schools, the commitment to developing the school language for academic tasks, the need to pay attention to the unequal treatment of languages, and the implementation of an innovative approach with a focus on teachers and the creation of a powerful learning environment.

Powerful Learning Environments: A Guide to Designing Innovation Labs

The RUAS Honors Program aims to encourage students to develop into excellent professionals. To do so, RUAS has developed a competence profile entitled Learning to Innovate. This profile serves as a guide for designing a teaching approach which enables students to actively develop into such professionals.
 There are five crucial characteristics for designing learning environments which challenge students to master the said competence profile: a multidisciplinary issue drawn from actual practice; an authentic learning environment; professional excellence as both the aim and basis for assessment; qualified teachers setting high standards for their students; and working and learning in a Community of Learners made up of all those involved.
 In this paper, we first explain the essence of an Innovation Lab or I-lab. We then present some additional considerations and various different approaches to designing a powerful learning environment like the I-Lab.

Vocational Teaching-Learning through the Eyes of Undergraduate Vocational Students in Malta: A Qualitative Exploratory Study


 
 
 The purpose of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of the teaching qualities of effective lecturers that vocational students desire, students assessment preferences and preferred learning environments. This study gives a voice to higher vocational students as it is important for vocational educators to learn what attracts students to effective learning. Due to the inquiry’s exploratory nature, an interpretivist approach was used, and a constructivist grounded approach using qualitative data was adopted. A purposive approach to multiple case study selection was used where the unit of analysis was a higher vocational student. The perceptions and expectations of vocational undergraduate (EQF level 6) students in two disciplines (applied science and engineering) were explored, to identify what may constitute good practice. A total of ten participants from two different institutes within the vocational university college agreed to be interviewed. Semi-structured and photo-elicitation interviews were applied. In addition, the Powerful Learning Environments (PLEs) Framework was used as a preliminary tool to aid in the decision-making process for data collection. Iterative analysis was used for the semi- structured interviews, whilst a constant-comparative method was used for the photo- elicitation image analysis. Overall, the expectations and preferences between both groups were very similar. Results show that students expect to be taught by interactive lectures that relate theory to practice that will prepare them for the job. Formal lectures including presentations were the least favoured. Regarding teaching qualities, students expect approachable and understanding lecturers who provide concrete industrial examples. Assessment preferences included home based assignments and research projects. The preferred learning environment is in line with most characteristics of the Powerful Learning Environment. Evidence shows that there is no particular difference between a higher vocational stu- dent and a higher education student. Implications for the enhancement of students’ learning processes are discussed and recommendations for further research are elaborated.