Reviews

Europe In the Round CD‐ROM, Guildford, Vocational Technologies, 1994

ICT use in the teaching of mathematics: implications for professional development of pre-service teachers in Ghana

Included in the contemporary mathematics curricula in Ghana is the expectation that mathematics teachers will integrate technology in their teaching. However, importance has not been placed on preparing teachers to use ICT in their instruction. This paper reports on a study conducted to explore the feasibility of ICT use in mathematics teaching at senior high school levels in Ghana. Interviews and survey data were used for data collection. Preliminary results showed that mathematics teachers in Ghana do not integrate ICT in their mathematics instruction. Among the major perceived barriers identified were: Lack of knowledge about ways to integrate ICT in lesson and Lack of training opportunities for ICT integration knowledge acquisition. To overcome some of these barriers, opportunities of a professional development arrangement for pre-service mathematics teachers were explored. Findings from the study revealed specific features of a professional development scenario that matters for ICT integration in mathematics teaching in the context of Ghana

Designing Open and Distance Learning for Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A toolkit for educators and planners

Everyone remembers a good teacher. Good teachers are the key to educational expansion and improvement. In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent need to expand the number of primary and secondary teachers. In all African countries, there is an equally important need to improve the quality of teaching. To achieve this, it is clear that new approaches to teacher education are essential. Existing institutions of teacher education will continue to play an important role, but, alone, they will not meet the goals of Education for All (EFA) by 2015. It is fortunate that, just as the twin needs to improve the quantity and quality of teachers become imperative, so new forms of education and training are becoming available. The world is witnessing a revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs), which can offer training and support of a type and at a cost hitherto impossible to consider, and thus, must be fully explored given the scale and urgency of demand. In doing so, however, it will be necessary to build on existing and well-tested strategies, including the best models of open and distance learning. This toolkit is the third in a series of recent publications by the Africa Region Human Development Department of the World Bank to share knowledge and experience on how distance education and ICTs can support education in Sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes the rigorous process by which new forms of distance-education programs for teacher education can be planned and implemented. The best models of established programs are considered along with the potential for incorporating, as the means become available, new modes of communication. Most forms of teacher education, particularly those concerned with qualification upgrading and ongoing professional development, will have to be based in schools. The authors demonstrate how school-based programs, appropriately resourced and supported, have the potential not only to raise significantly the number and quality of teachers, but also to improve classroom practice and school organization, generally. The guidance and advice, which is drawn from many years of experience in design and implementation, and embraces a range of case studies from across the region, will be of considerable value to those preparing new policies and programs of teacher education and to those seeking to improve existing programs

RAZVOJ NASTAVNIKA U INFORMACIJSKOM DRUŠTVU ZA OMOGUĆAVANJE CJELOŽIVOTNOG UČENJA

An analysis of teacher’s development in the information technology enhanced learning is made with the reference to lileflong learning needs of the society. The relationship between teacher’s profession and occupation is described and a classification of their differences is proposed. Lifelong learning is defined and different points of view are presented in order to clarify the term and describe the links between lifelong learning and e-learning. It seems that modern information technology support is going to be the foundation of the efficient and cost-effective lifelong learning. To come to this point the e-learning has still to become inexpensive, user friendly, actively motivating, multimedia supported, widely accessible and much better connect learning itself with day to day practice. Innovations in information technology supported learning are answering these needs. On the other hand new technology in learning processes is creating new means of communication, knowledge transfer and social relations which is resulting in completely new learning and teaching concepts.Analiza razvoja učitelja u u učenju pomoću informatičkih tehnologija napravljena je s obzirom na potrebu cjeloživotnog učenja u društvu. Opisan je odnos između profesije i zanimanja i predložena je klasifikacija različitosti. Definirano je cjeloživotno učenje, te su dana različita gledišta da bi se razjasnio pojam i objasnile veze između cjeloživotnog učenja i e-učenja. Čini se da će moderna informatička tehnologija biti temelj učinkovitog i jeftinog cjeloživotnog učenja. Da bi se došlo do te točke e-učenje mora postati jeftinije, lakše za korištenje, mora poticati aktivnost, podržavati multimediju, široko dostupno, i bolje povezati učenje sa svakodnevnom praksom. Inovacije u učenju pomoću informacijskih tehnologija odgovaraju na ove potrebe. Nove tehnologije u procesu učenja stvaraju nove načine komunikacije, nove načine prijenosa znanja i nove društvene odnose, što rezultira novim konceptima učenja

Effects of Advance Organizers on Students’ Achievement in Biology in Secondary Schools in Kilifi County, Kenya

This study investigated the effects of using advance organizers on students’ achievement in biology in secondary schools in Kilifi County. Solomon Four, Non-Equivalent control group design was used in this study. The study targeted all secondary school students in Kilifi County. The accessible population consisted of all form two students in Kilifi County. Purposive sampling was used to select four co-educational secondary schools in Kilifi County. The four schools were randomly assigned to experimental groups (E1) and (E2) and control groups C1 and C2. A total of 156 students participated in the study. Data was collected using Biology Achievement Test (BAT). The reliability of BAT was estimated using Kuder-Richardson (K-R) 20 and Cronbach’s coefficient. This yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.82 and 0.79 respectively. BAT was validated by experts in science education from Egerton University. The data collected was analyzed using mean, one-way ANOVA and t-test. The level of significance was 0.05. The findings of this study show that there was statistically significant difference in achievement between learners in favour of those taught using advance organizers compared to those taught using conventional teaching methods. The findings also indicate that there was no statistically significant gender difference in achievement

A Case Study of English as Foreign Language Chinese Teachers\u27 Use of Computer-Based Technology

The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of four Chinese university teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) on the effectiveness of implementing computer-based technologies in their classes. Specifically, this case study sought to document the participants’ views on 1) the types of computer-based technology used in their classes; 2) the role of computer-based educational technology in teaching EFL pedagogy; 3) the potential benefits in using computer-based instructional technologies in EFL; 4) the challenges and/or barriers to the effective use of computer-based instructional technologies in EFL instruction. Using both within case and cross-case analyses, the findings reveal a complex interwoven set of perceptions and experiences computer-based technologies and English language teaching. Seven important themes emerged: 1) the school strongly encourages the use of auxiliary educational platforms; 2) the school supports teachers with many resources; 3) computer-based technologies have impacted student learning; 4) computer-based technologies have impacted the way teachers instruct; 5) computer-based technology enhance teaching effectiveness and efficiency; 6) technical difficulties associated with computer-based technologies are challenging; and 7) the COVID-19 pandemic forced more rapid adoption of computer-based technologies. This research is especially significant as it includes a unique set of educators in a unique educational setting, implementing emerging educational technologies

Teaching Higher Education During a Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study of Instructor Decisions Associated with Switching from Face-to-Face to Online-Only Sessions

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university instructors were required to shift their course delivery from face-to-face to online-only presentations with two weeks of preparation. Volunteering instructors were interviewed via a semi-structured interview protocol regarding their actions to maintain instructor presence in an online-only setting. The term emergency remote teaching (ERT), defined by fellow researchers as the adoption of just-in-time remote teaching practices that would otherwise be offered face-to-face, aligned with the actions taken by interviewees. The data indicated that given an event requiring ERT, instructors should: overcome technology issues for themselves and their students to verify communication pathways, and exhibit the three elements of instructor presence (i.e., teaching presence, instructor immediacy, and social presence)

Improving teaching tools and techniques of teaching graduate engineering courses based on students’ learning styles and multiple intelligences

© ASEE 2009Our study proposes to improve teaching tools and techniques of teaching graduate engineering courses using students’ Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences (MI). Thirty volunteers answered commercially available Learning Style and MI tests in our Electrical Engineering department. Learning styles are grouped as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (VAK) and are determined by the VAK learning style test. Learning styles are reflected in different academic strengths, weaknesses, and skills. Studies show that the differences between learning styles will affect both a person’s choice of profession and their success in this profession, both in education and in the world of business. People who work at something that fits their learning style have a better chance of becoming successful in it

The Effect of Multimedia Cases on Science Teaching Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Prospective Teachers in Kenya

This study examined the effects of multimedia cases on science teaching self-efficacy beliefs of prospective teachers in Kenya using mixed methods in data collection and analysis. Collaborating with two teacher educators at Central University, I designed and implemented two multimedia case-based intervention lessons, one with prospective chemistry teachers and the other with prospective physics teachers. I determined the changes in self-efficacy beliefs using a pretest and posttest with the Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (STEBI) for N=41 participants. I also collected data using a worksheet during the intervention lesson. When the prospective teachers went for their field practice, I sampled eight of them for in depth interviews to determine what they drew on from the intervention lesson during their classroom teaching. I used Roth McDuffie’s et al. (2014) framing to categorize the comments that the prospective teachers made on the worksheet into the four lenses of teacher, students, task or power and participation. I used paired sample t-test to determine the changes in self-efficacy beliefs and then developed profiles of the prospective teachers from the in depth interviews. The results revealed that prospective teachers paid more attention to the actions of the teacher and paid less attention to students’ activities. Their attention to the task was predominantly about the cognitive level of the task and almost always focused on the errors they noted. The prospective teacher noticing using the power and participation lens was not clearly delineable from the teacher lens, because most instructional activities that led to more participation were teacher actions. Science teaching efficacy beliefs has two constructs: personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE). The PSTE scores were very high at 4.46 out of five on the pretest, and 4.41 on posttest. There was a decrease in the mean scores, but the change was not significant. There was a statistically significant increase in STOE (M=1.78, SD=5.8 t(40)=2.802 p=0.008) and an overall increase in the self-efficacy beliefs. The teacher profiles showed that prospective teachers drew from specific examples from the multimedia cases as well as learned from a gestalt interpretation of the teaching and learning activities in the clips that were shown. From these results, I discuss how prospective science teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs are altered in the process of watching multimedia cases. Their beliefs about knowledge start to change from absolute ownership to shared and co-constructed knowledge in class, as seen in the decrease in the personal teaching outcome expectancy (PSTE) and an increase in noticing of students’ role in learning

Towards a Research Agenda on Computer-Based Assessment - Challenges and Needs for European Educational Measurement

In 2006 the European Parliament and the Council of Europe have passed recommendations on key competences for lifelong learning and the use of a common reference tool to observe and promote progress in terms of the achievement of goals formulated in ¿Lisbon strategy¿ in March 2000 (revised in 2006, see http://ec.europa.eu/growthandjobs/) and its follow-up declarations. For those areas which are not already covered by existing measurements (foreign languages and learning-to-learn skills), indicators for the identification of such skills are now needed, as well as effective instruments for carrying out large-scale assessments in Europe. In this context it is hoped that electronic testing could improve the effectiveness of the needed assessments, i.e. to improve identification of skills, by reducing costs of the whole operation (financial efforts, human resources etc.). The European Commission is asked to assist Member States to define the organisational and resource implications for them of the construction and administration of tests, including looking into the possibility of adopting e-testing as the means to administer the tests. In addition to traditional testing approaches carried out in a paper-pencil mode, there are a variety of aspects needed to be taken into account when computer-based testing is deployed, such as software quality, secure delivery, if Internet-based: reliable network capacities, support, maintenance, software costs for development and test delivery, including licences. Future European surveys are going to introduce new ways of assessing student achievements. Tests can be calibrated to the specific competence level of each student and become more stimulating, going much further than it can be achieved with traditional multiple choice questions. Simulations provide better means of contextualising skills to real life situations and providing a more complete picture of the actual competence to be assessed. However, a variety of challenges require more research into the barriers posed by the use of technologies, e.g. in terms of computer, performance and security. The ¿Quality of Scientific Information¿ Action (QSI) and the Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning (CRELL) are carrying out a research project on quality criteria of Open Source skills assessment tools. 2 workshops were carried out in previous years bringing together European key experts from assessment research and practice in order to identify and discuss quality criteria relevant for carrying out large-scale assessments at a European level. This report reflects the contributions made on experiences and key challenges for European skills assessment.JRC.G.9-Econometrics and statistical support to antifrau