Examining online discourse using the knowledge connection analyzer framework and collaborative tools in knowledge building

This study examines the problem of the fragmentation of asynchronous online discourse by using the Knowledge Connection Analyzer (KCA) framework and tools and explores how students could use the KCA data in classroom reflections to deepen their knowledge building (KB) inquiry. We applied the KCA to nine Knowledge Forum® (KF) databases to examine the framework, identify issues with online discourse that may inform further development, and provide data on how the tools work. Our comparisons of the KCA data showed that the databases with more sophisticated teacher–researcher co-design had higher KCA indices than those with regular KF use, validating the framework. Analysis of KF discourse using the KCA helped identify several issues including limited collaboration among peers, underdeveloped practices of synthesizing and rising above of collective ideas, less analysis of conceptual development of discussion threads, and limited collaborative reflection on individual contribution and promising inquiry direction. These issues that open opportunities for further development cannot be identified by other present analytics tools. The exploratory use of the KCA in real classroom revealed that the KCA can support students’ productive reflective assessment and KB. This study discusses the implications for examining and scaffolding online discussions using the KCA assessment framework, with a focus on collective perspectives regarding community knowledge, synthesis, idea improvement, and contribution to community understanding

Promoting Community Engagement: A Campus-Wide Approach to Applied Learning

Applied learning pedagogy has gained momentum in recent decades. Simultaneously, a call for universities to respond to the needs of local and global communities has prompted a focus on community engagement in higher education. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of the Applied Learning and Teaching Community (ALTC), an initiative designed to further integrate applied learning—including community engagement— into the identity, practice, and teaching ethos of the university. With a focus on sustainability, the ALTC has evolved into an expansive model that involves faculty, staff, students, and other supporters across campus. A discussion of the ALTC’s relevance in the context of current trends in higher education is included

Curriculum implementation exploratory studies: Final report

Throughout the history of schooling in New Zealand the national curriculum has been revised at fairly regular intervals. Consequently, schools are periodically faced with having to accommodate to new curriculum. In between major changes other specifically-focused changes may arise; for example, the increased recent emphasis upon numeracy and literacy

Mapping journeys : conceptualisations of academic talent and learner trajectories in an enrichment programme

Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract.D.Phil. (Education

Teacher Professional Development: A Primer for Parents and Community Members

Quality teachers are the single greatest determinant of student achievement. Teacher education, ability, and experience account for more variation in student achievement than all other factors. Studies have found that 40 to 90 percent of the difference in student test scores can be attributed to teacher quality. Knowing the subject matter, understanding how students learn, and practicing effective teaching methods translate into greater student achievement. Therefore, it is vitally important that teachers be well prepared when they begin teaching and that they continue to improve their knowledge and skills throughout their careers

Fostering Asset-Based Approaches to ELA and Multilingualism in an English-Medium International School

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to address the Problem of Practice (PoP) of the marginalization of English Language Learners (ELLs) in an English-medium International School (EMIS) by leveraging teacher-leaders as advocates for cultural and linguistic equity via asset-based approaches starting in the classroom. Underpinned by colonial modes of thought disguised as neoliberal internationalism, EMISs often perpetuate the elevation of English as the language of academia while neglecting their normative aspirational mission commitments to equity, diversity, and social justice by failing to provide pathways to foster multilingual development. Deficit-based language programs illustrate this by approaching ELLs as academically deficient based on their English abilities while neglecting to leverage their capabilities in their first language to accelerate the development of their second language using constructivist, asset-based approaches. Transformative leadership in conjunction with critical and postcolonial theory constitutes the critically-oriented dimensions of this OIP, while transformational leadership linked to constructivist learning theory represents the plan’s commitment to improving organizational effectiveness while affirming current practices that are already in alignment. From the positionality of a middle leader, a critical organizational analysis is conducted using Bolman and Deal’s (2017) multi-frame approach, and Nadler and Tushman’s (1989) congruence model. The process of implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the solution to leverage data to institutionalize an equitable English Language Acquisition program structure is then framed using Deszca et al.’s (2020) change path model and Deming’s (1993) plan, do, study, act model