Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum

The field of specialization known as the science of learning is not, in fact, one field. Science of learning is a term that serves as an umbrella for many lines of research, theory, and application. A term with an even wider reach is Learning Sciences (Sawyer, 2006). The present book represents a sliver, albeit a substantial one, of the scholarship on the science of learning and its application in educational settings (Science of Instruction, Mayer 2011). Although much, but not all, of what is presented in this book is focused on learning in college and university settings, teachers of all academic levels may find the recommendations made by chapter authors of service. The overarching theme of this book is on the interplay between the science of learning, the science of instruction, and the science of assessment (Mayer, 2011). The science of learning is a systematic and empirical approach to understanding how people learn. More formally, Mayer (2011) defined the science of learning as the “scientific study of how people learn” (p. 3). The science of instruction (Mayer 2011), informed in part by the science of learning, is also on display throughout the book. Mayer defined the science of instruction as the “scientific study of how to help people learn” (p. 3). Finally, the assessment of student learning (e.g., learning, remembering, transferring knowledge) during and after instruction helps us determine the effectiveness of our instructional methods. Mayer defined the science of assessment as the “scientific study of how to determine what people know” (p.3). Most of the research and applications presented in this book are completed within a science of learning framework. Researchers first conducted research to understand how people learn in certain controlled contexts (i.e., in the laboratory) and then they, or others, began to consider how these understandings could be applied in educational settings. Work on the cognitive load theory of learning, which is discussed in depth in several chapters of this book (e.g., Chew; Lee and Kalyuga; Mayer; Renkl), provides an excellent example that documents how science of learning has led to valuable work on the science of instruction. Most of the work described in this book is based on theory and research in cognitive psychology. We might have selected other topics (and, thus, other authors) that have their research base in behavior analysis, computational modeling and computer science, neuroscience, etc. We made the selections we did because the work of our authors ties together nicely and seemed to us to have direct applicability in academic settings

The Effect of Project Based Learning Model with KWL Worksheet on Student Creative Thinking Process in Physics Problems

This study research was aim to analyze effect of project based learning model with KWL worksheet on Student creative thinking in solved physics problems. The type of this research was quasi-experiment with two-group pretest and posttest design with the population in this research is all college in Undergraduate Education Physics of State University of Medan in A.Y. 2012/2013 were randomly selected and divided into two classes: the experiment class and the control class. The research instrument was a essay test in higher order thinking with five item. Analysis data would be using ANOVA One ways. The result shown that Student creative thinking in project based learning model is greater than cooperative learning models. It proved learning process with Project Based Learning actually effective to advance Student creative thinking process and observations made by the observer indicated that the student activity positive increased. Keywords: Project Based Learning Model, KWL Worksheet, Creative Thinkin

Claims, Evidence and Reasoning: A Framework for Evidence-Based Writing on the subject of Evolution

The aim of this qualitative research was to explore how students presented reasoned arguments supported by evidence and reasoning after receiving constructivist-based instruction. The author documents the details of the results and uses related research literature to construct meaning and validate constructivist pedagogy and the evidencebased writing instruction. The progress of twenty students’ ability to write a claim, give specific evidence and reasoning was followed throughout the investigation. Three themes emerged from this investigation: students showed a steady trend of intellectual growth over time, students benefitted when they constructed their own learning, and students struggled with written reasoning and connecting reasoning to broader scientific concepts. Students showed overall growth with all students making gains throughout the investigation

Building Up to Collaboration: Evidence on Using Wikis to Scaffold Academic Writing

  Use of a wiki tool as a space for collaborative writing may be an effective way to expand the practice of academic writing, where working in groups to produce a collective text is a common occurrence in higher education. Evidence suggests wikis to be flexible tools which may improve collaboration and provide students with new skills. However, some research has shown that collaboration in wikis may be superficial and that their use may lead to increased workload for students and instructors. Because a great deal of academic writing is accomplished in groups, helping students build their collaborative writing skills is an important academic writing endeavor. This article provides evidence revealing both the potential of wikis to foster collaborative writing and important factors to consider before incorporating a wiki into an academic writing course. Scaffolding tasks to build up to cooperative group writing and introducing new ideas regarding text ownership can make wikis an effective space to practice academic writing. Weighing the evidence provided in this article may help instructors determine whether incorporating a wiki in their own context could constitute an additional space for students to develop their academic writing skills.

Viability of Using Twitter to Support Peer Instruction in Teacher Education

This paper reports on a case study in which Twitter served as a backchannel to mediate and support the peer-teaching activity in a face-to-face teacher education course. Surveys and interviews were utilised to understand the effectiveness of the Twitter integration and students\u27 perceived learning in a Twitter-supported peer teaching environment. Tweets were used to determine how preservice teachers used Twitter to support peer instruction. Most students were able to use the Twitter platform to produce and retrieve peer feedback, while some encountered technical difficulties. Our current analysis suggests the Twitter-based peer feedback was moderately successful in this peer teaching activity. There exists a large variability of students\u27 perceptions towards Twitter as a tool to support the delivery and reception of peer feedback

Cooperative Learning in China's EFL and ESL Settings

Fecha de lectura de Tesis Doctoral: 18 de noviembre 2019.Research on the efficacy of instructional approaches has been of great interest to researchers, scholars, instructors, and policy and planning makers in foreign language education. Cooperative learning, originated in the United States, is one of the most popular and well-researched instructional approaches among them. Various educational researchers presented different definitions of cooperative learning based on their own researches. No matter which definition one employs in classroom contexts, instructors might struggle with the implementation of this approach. Instructional pedagogies develop as modern information technology evolves. A large number of exploratory and empirical studies on cooperative learning were conducted as newly-emerging technologies placed an important role in classroom settings. This dissertation reviewed and analysed important contributions to the evolution of cooperative learning made by researchers, educators and foreign language instructors. It also presented the history of English language education in China as well as foreign language education policies and planning in China since the world-known “reform and opening up”. This research aimed to assist researchers, instructors, and planning and policy makers in foreign language education, to view the importance and efficacy of placing emphasis on instructional approaches - especially the cooperative learning though it evolves from an approach to a strategy used in China’s EFL and ESL settings. This dissertation consisted of six parts, including the framework of the research, the state of the art, the research hypothesis, the methods, the theoretical framework and the evolutions of cooperative learning, and its effects on China’s EFL and ESL reforms