Text-marking, an Alternative Way in Teaching Reading Report Text

This study is conducted to identify 1) the students\u27 skill improvement in reading report text and 2) class situation in which text-marking is implemented in the reading class at the eleventh grade of SMA Negeri 5 Surakarta in the academic year of 2014/2015. The method used in this action research was classroom action research. The research was conducted from February 1st until May 22nd 2015. Every research cycle consisted of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. There are qualitative and quantitative data collected in this research. The qualitative data were collected by interviewing, surveying, and observing whereas the quantitative data were collected by designing pre-test and post-test. The findings showed that the implementation of text-marking could improve students\u27 skill in reading report text and classroom situation. The students\u27 mean score improved in five basic reading\u27 skill indicators as 1) finding main idea and topic, 2) determining reference, 3) determining word meaning based on context, 4) finding explicit and detailed information, and 5) finding implicit information increased. The improvements of class situation included 1) students focused to their learning, 2) students became active and enthusiast, so that classroom situation was conducive, 3) students were willing to discuss about learning difficulty with their friends and the teacher. The mean score had the advancement from 63.4 in the pre-test, 77.7 in the post-test 1, and 81.5 in the post-test 2

Listening & Speaking, Reading & Writing: Improving Four English Language Skills through the Eclectic Approach of International Educators in Japan

This paper elaborates on the language teaching experiences of four international educators working in Japan. With diverse nationalities and backgrounds, and as language learners themselves, these professionals’ eclectic approach is the result of many years of teaching within a multilingual and multicultural environment. It is argued that alternative forms of teaching might influence student’s motivation towards speaking, listening, reading and writing in an L2 (second/foreign language). In addition, the authors provide a few suggestions of activities that might contribute to successful outcomes in the English language education in Japan, which presently strives for communicative language teaching practices.研究ノー

Text-marking, an Alternative Way in Teaching Reading Report Text

This study is conducted to identify 1) the students' skill improvement in reading report text and 2) class situation in which text-marking is implemented in the reading class at the eleventh grade of SMA Negeri 5 Surakarta in the academic year of 2014/2015. The method used in this action research was classroom action research. The research was conducted from February 1st until May 22nd 2015. Every research cycle consisted of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. There are qualitative and quantitative data collected in this research. The qualitative data were collected by interviewing, surveying, and observing whereas the quantitative data were collected by designing pre-test and post-test. The findings showed that the implementation of text-marking could improve students' skill in reading report text and classroom situation. The students' mean score improved in five basic reading' skill indicators as 1) finding main idea and topic, 2) determining reference, 3) determining word meaning based on context, 4) finding explicit and detailed information, and 5) finding implicit information increased. The improvements of class situation included 1) students focused to their learning, 2) students became active and enthusiast, so that classroom situation was conducive, 3) students were willing to discuss about learning difficulty with their friends and the teacher. The mean score had the advancement from 63.4 in the pre-test, 77.7 in the post-test 1, and 81.5 in the post-test 2

What Every Economist Should Know about the Evaluation of Teaching: A Review of the Literature

Decades of research consistently show that student evaluations offer limited information on the effectiveness of teaching in economics. Such methods are at best valid for a relatively small set of factors that correlate with "good instruction." Even though some evidence exists that student evaluations are positively correlated with learning, it is clear that strong biases exist. Even though these limitations are well established in the literature and widely believed among faculty, the implementation of alternative or complimentary forms of assessment is notably lacking. The purpose of this paper is to review the current methods used to assess teaching. In the process, the paper proposes a research agenda for economists that aim to assess the reliability and validity of alternative processes such as peer review of teaching. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations for departments of economics that are serious about enhancing both formative as well as summative assessments of teaching.Teaching, Peer review of teaching, Student evaluation of teaching

The Human Side of Politics

Professor Dawn Nowacki brings a human element of compassion to politics. She is teaching students to bring alternative points of view for discussion, while being civil with each other

Gentzen-Prawitz Natural Deduction as a Teaching Tool

We report a four-years experiment in teaching reasoning to undergraduate students, ranging from weak to gifted, using Gentzen-Prawitz's style natural deduction. We argue that this pedagogical approach is a good alternative to the use of Boolean algebra for teaching reasoning, especially for computer scientists and formal methods practionners

Publications from projects

Developing graduate attributes in students and linking research to teaching are key areas for teaching and learning programmes and the honours project for a third year practical on a forensic science course is a prime area for integrating these into degree studies. This poster covers the background and conducts of a student project developing an alternative to a liquid etch to recover identification marks. It then outlines further research undertaken to allow the work to be published

Against moral theories: reply to Benatar

D Benatar argues that in the author’s recent article Moral theories in teaching applied ethics, the author overlooked important roles that could be played by moral theories in such teaching. In this reply, the cases that Benatar suggests are considered and for each an alternative approach is suggested that will avoid the costs discussed in the original paper and will also be a more effective response to that particular issue

Combining Theory and Practice in the Teaching of Science Institutions: A Collaborative Program between the City University of New York and the American Museum of Natural History

The National Science Education Standards contain several mandates that share the use of alternative and creative experiences in the teaching of science at all levels. An important feature of these standards is the call for learning settings and environments different from the traditional classroom in order to enhance student interest and participation in the learning process. New York City is rich in institutions that are ideal for the implementation of effective science teaching through the use of informal resources. This article uses the American Museum of Natural History as a prime example of this