Advances in Teaching & Learning Day Abstracts 2005

Proceedings of the Advances in Teaching & Learning Day Regional Conference held at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2005

Communication, Affect, & Learning in the Classroom

The purpose of the handbook was to synthesize the first three decades of research in instructional communication into a single volume that could help both researchers and instructors understand the value of communication in the instructional process.Preface1.Teaching As a Communication Process The Instructional Communication Process The Teacher The Content The Instructional Strategy The Student The Feedback/Evaluation The Learning Environment/Instructional Context Kibler’s Model of Instruction The ADDIE Model of Instructional Design2.Communicating With Instructional Objectives Why Some Teachers Resent Objectives The Value of Objectives What Objectives Should Communicate3.Instructional Communication Strategies The Teacher As a Speaker The Teacher As a Moderator The Teacher As a Trainer The Teacher As a Manager The Teacher As a Coordinator & Innovator4.Communication, Affect, and Student Needs Measuring Student Affect Basic Academic Needs of Students Traditional Interpersonal Need Models Outcomes of Meeting Student Needs5.Learning Styles What is Learning Style? Dimensions of Learning Style and Their Assessment Matching, Bridging, and Style-Flexing6.Classroom Anxieties and Fears Communication Apprehension Receiver Apprehension Writing Apprehension Fear of Teacher Evaluation Apprehension Classroom Anxiety Probable Causes of Classroom Anxiety Communication Strategies for Reducing Classroom Anxiety7.Communication And Student Self-Concept Student Self-Concept: Some Definitions Characteristics of the Self Development of Student Self-Concept Dimensions of Student Self-Concept Self-Concept and Academic Achievement Effects of Self-Concept on Achievement Poker Chip Theory of Learning Communication Strategies for Nurturing and Building Realistic Student Self-Concept8.Instructional Assessment:Feedback,Grading, and Affect Defining the Assessment Process Evaluative Feedback Descriptive Feedback Assessment and Affect Competition and Cooperation in Learning Environments9.Traditional and Mastery Learning Systems Traditional Education Systems Mastery Learning Modified Mastery Learning10.Student Misbehavior and Classroom Management Why Students Misbehave Categories of Student Behaviors Students’ Effects on Affect in the Classroom Communication, Affect, and Classroom Management Communication Techniques for Increasing or Decreasing Student Behavior11.Teacher Misbehaviors and Communication Why Teachers Misbehave Common Teacher Misbehaviors Implications for the Educational Systems12.Teacher Self-Concept and Communication Dimensions of Teacher Self-Concept Development of Teacher Self-Concept Strategies for Increasing Teacher Self-Concept13.Increasing Classroom Affect Through Teacher Communication Style Communicator Style Concept Types of Communicator Styles Teacher Communication Style Teacher Communicator Behaviors That Build Affect14.Teacher Temperament in the Classroom Four Personality Types Popular Sanguine Perfect Melancholy Powerful Choleric Peaceful Phlegmatic Personality Blends15.Teacher Communication: Performance and Burnout Teaching: A Multifaceted Job Roles of an Instructional Manager Teacher Burnout Symptoms of Teacher Burnout Causes of Teacher Burnout Methods for Avoiding Burnout Mentoring to Prevent BurnoutAppendix A To Mrs. Russell: Without You This Never Would Have HappenedGlossaryInde

Persuasive Technology for Learning in Business Context

"Persuasive Design is a relatively new concept which employs general principles of persuasion that can be implemented in persuasive technology. This concept has been introduced by BJ Fogg in 1998, who since then has further extended it to use computers for changing attitudes and behaviour. Such principles can be applied very well in learning and teaching: in traditional human-led learning, teachers always have employed persuasion as one of the elements of teaching. Persuasive technology moves these principles into the digital domain, by focusing on technology that inherently stimulates learners to learn more quickly and effectively. This is very relevant for the area of Business Management in several aspects: Consumer Behavior, Communications, Human Resource, Marketing & Advertising, Organisational Behavior & Leadership. The persuasive principles identified by BJ Fogg are: reduction, tunnelling, tailoring, suggestion, self-monitoring, surveillance, conditioning, simulation, social signals. Also relevant is the concept of KAIROS, which means the just-in-time, at the right place provision of information/stimulus. In the EuroPLOT project (2010-2013) we have developed persuasive learning objects and tools (PLOTs) in which we have applied persuasive designs and principles. In this context, we have developed a pedagogical framework for active engagement, based on persuasive design in which the principles of persuasive learning have been formalised in a 6-step guide for persuasive learning. These principles have been embedded in two tools – PLOTmaker and PLOTLearner – which have been developed for creating persuasive learning objects. The tools provide specific capability for implementing persuasive principles at the very beginning of the design of learning objects. The feasibility of employing persuasive learning concepts with these tools has been investigated in four different case studies with groups of teachers and learners from realms with distinctly different teaching and learning practices: Business Computing, language learning, museum learning, and chemical substance handling. These case studies have involved the following learner target groups: school children, university students, tertiary students, vocational learners and adult learners. With regards to the learning context, they address archive-based learning, industrial training, and academic teaching. Alltogether, these case studies include participants from Sweden, Africa (Madagascar), Denmark, Czech Republic, and UK. One of the outcomes of this investigation was that one cannot apply a common set of persuasive designs that would be valid for general use in all situations: on the contrary, the persuasive principles are very specific to learning contexts and therefore must be specifically tailored for each situation. Two of these case studies have a direct relevance to education in the realm of Business Management: Business Computing and language learning (for International Business). In this paper we will present the first results from the evaluation of persuasive technology driven learning in these two relevant areas.

A Comparison of Participant Gains in Attitude and Behavior After Experiencing a Food Safety Curriculum in Traditional and Computer Delivered Environments

Child care providers in Mississippi are required by the Mississippi Health Department to obtain food manager’s training and certification. The TummySafe© program satisfies this requirement and is offered in a self-paced computer delivered version and a traditional classroom version. This research explores participant changes in attitude and self-reported behaviors in the two methods of curriculum delivery as well as the correlation of knowledge change with attitude and self-reported behavior change. A quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test design was used. Attitude change was not significantly different in the two methods. Traditional participants reported a higher change in self-reported behaviors than computer delivered participants. Both attitude and self-reported behavior change were positively correlated with knowledge gain

Theoretical Foundations of Developing Modeling Instruction Curriculum for College Biology Courses

Modeling Instruction (MI) has been successfully implemented in high school science classes. Moreover, MI curriculum for introductory physics has also been developed at a university level. Noticing the gap, the author will provide theoretical foundations to support the statement that MI curriculum should be developed for college biology courses

Phonetics Learning Anxiety – Results of a Preliminary Study

The Phonetics Learning Anxiety Scale, a 44-item questionnaire based on a 6-point Likert scale, designed for the purpose of the research sheds light on the nature of this peculiar type of apprehension experienced by advanced FL learners in a specific educational context (i.e. a traditional classroom, rather than a language or computer laboratory), in which the major focus is on pronunciation practice. The obtained quantitative data imply that such factors as fear of negative evaluation (represented by general oral performance apprehension and concern over pronunciation mistakes, pronunciation self-image, pronunciation self-efficacy and self-assessment) and beliefs about the nature of FL pronunciation learning are significant sources of PhLA. Anxiety about the transcription test (IPA Test Anxiety) - one of the other hypothetical determinants of PhLA - did not prove to be correlated with the general level of Phonetics Learning Anxiet

Student perceptions and performance in the first year of a mixed physical therapy curriculum

Background: Physical Therapy (PT) is a dynamic health profession. There is a compelling need to educate physical therapists to become self-directed, lifelong learners capable of thinking critically. Mixed-design curricula utilize various teaching methods to instruct students in a variety of knowledge areas, psychomotor skills, and cognitive constructs, such as problem-solving, reflection, and critical thinking (CT). Purpose: To describe outcomes for PT students enrolled in the first year of the mixed design curriculum at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). Outcomes included the development of self-directed learning (SDL) and CT, as well as student-described satisfaction with and perceptions of the first year of the curriculum. Intervention: The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) and The Self- Directed Learning Readiness Scale for adults (SDLRS-A) were used to assess students (n = 41) at the beginning of the GVSU PT curriculum. At the completion of their first year, the students retook the WGCTA and the SDLRS-A, completed questionnaires, and participated in structured focus groups. Differences between administrations of the WGCTA and SDLRS-A were statistically analyzed. Questionnaires and focus group data were used to assess students’ perceptions regarding their perceptions of the first year in the GVSU PT curriculum. Research Design: Mixed-method, cross-sectional, explanatory field study. Conclusions: WGCTA pre- and posttest means demonstrated a statistically significant difference (p = .05), and SDLRS-A pre- and posttest means approached a statistically significant difference (p = .06). The 1-point difference in CT scores represents little-to-no practical improvement in CT. The negative 4.63-point difference in SDL scores indicated poorer performance. End-of-course evaluation scores were most positive for a lecture and case-based course and least positive for a problem-based learning course. Students described lecture and hands-on laboratory as the most effective methods for their learning and PBL-based instruction as least effective. Students described lecture, memorization, and hands-on laboratories as experiences matching their learning styles. Students’ perceptions of the first-year GVSU PT curriculum were that is was high volume, which caused them anxiety and stress. They expressed preference for clear, organized content presented in traditional formats and discomfort with PBL and unstructured, self-directed learning experiences. Students valued guidance, feedback, and applied content from instructors

Second Language Learning Anxiety and Language Mindsets

In the field of teaching English as a second language, second language learning anxiety (SLLA) arises frequently in students. This anxiety is defined as a situational anxiety that is mainly due to communication apprehension, a fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety; however, its definition is not limited to simply the fears students face. SLLA influences language acquisition in overwhelmingly negative ways. Reduction of SLLA should be teachers’ primary goal, which is possible when teachers shape language mindsets for the benefit of student learning. Language mindsets are learners’ view on whether their language abilities are fixed or able to be cultivated, and they are dubbed fixed and growth mindsets. These mindsets affect the language learning process and SLLA, so it is important for teachers to foster growth mindsets in their students to decrease SLLA and provide optimal conditions for second language acquisition. However, complete eradication of SLLA is not possible, so teachers can leverage the remaining SLLA by pairing it with foreign language enjoyment. Overall, this thesis will benefit both teachers of second language learners and the learners themselves as they learn the negative role SLLA plays in the language journey, how to reduce SLLA through fostering growth language mindsets, and how to leverage the remaining SLLA through increasing foreign language enjoyment

Self-regulation and Self-identity Changes among Iranian EFL Learners

The present study aims to investigate the probable association between self-regulated strategies and self-identity changes among Iranian EFL learners. To achieve this purpose, 80 EFL students were selected according to convenience sampling from different language institutes in Mashhad. They were requested to complete the \u27 Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaires\u27 (MSLQ) and \u27Self-identity Changes\u27 questionnaires. The findings yielded via correlation supported the theoretical expectation of a linkage between self-regulation and self-identity changes. The result revealed that there is a significant relationship between teachers\u27 self-regulation high scores and self-confidence changes. Subsequent data from step-wise regression indicated that among sub-components of self-regulation, regulation, efficacy, and intrinsic value are the best predictors of learners\u27 self-confidence changes. The conclusions and implications of the research are further discussed with reference to earlier finding

The Positive Impact of Social and Emotional Learning

This action research was inspired by the researcher’s own district and classroom. The district has core values and competencies under their mission and vision that include excellence in SEL instruction district wide. The district focuses on teaching the SEL competences and SEL standards to help students graduate and show success in life. Based on classroom observations, the researcher hypothesized that children taught socio-economic skills would display more positive behaviors and greater motivation to complete classroom tasks. The participants in this six-week study included 20 kindergarten students, ages four through six. During the week prior to the intervention, data was tracked over blurting, physical aggression, following directions, and work completion. The next four weeks consisted of instruction around SEL skills using the Second Step curriculum and resources created by teachers in the district. The intervention was intentional on covering the four areas: blurting, physical aggression, following directions, and work completion. To finish the study, data was tracked for one-week post intervention. The study found that adding an SEL intervention into a kindergarten classroom improves the performance of academics and behavior inside the classroom