Full Issue

Full Issue for Volume 7 Issue

CLIL training guide: creating a CLIL learning community in higher education

The ReCLes.pt CLIL Training Guide presents the theoretical and practical basis for the creation of a CLIL Learning Community of foreign language teachers and subject teachers with the topics organized across four chapters. In Chapter 1, the objectives and structuring of the ten hours of sessions and the learning outcomes are presented with an introduction to CLIL design in higher education (HE), forms of interdisciplinary cooperation/collaboration, and a number of models for classroom management. Chapter 2 provides enriching material to help teachers bett er understand the principles of a CLIL Learning Community and CLIL itself, including interactive and student-centered methodologies, a focus on oral interaction and critical dialogue, suggested activities, and the key points for organizing a successful CLIL module. In Chapter 3, on CLIL materials and resources, sections cover the defi nition and examples of scaff olding and activating prior knowledge as well as the selection and adaptation of scaff olding materials, including the use of electronic media and a terminology-based approach. The proposed terminology-based approach focuses on the collection, description, processing, and systematic representation of concepts and their designations. As such, the use of terminology can become a key construct in CLIL teaching, involving the search, production, use, and dissemination of information. International organizations, networks, and multinational professional communities are involved in these steps within the global communication process, providing real motivation for students participating in the CLIL learning process. The final chapter …Livro Financiado por FCT no âmbito do programa ‘Partilha e Divulgação de Experiências em Inovação Didática no Ensino Superior Português’info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Nature and Role of Physical Models in Enhancing Sixth Grade Students\u27 Mental Models of Groundwater and Groundwater Processes

Through a non-experimental descriptive and comparative mixed-methods approach, this study investigated the experiences of sixth grade earth science students with groundwater physical models through an extended SE learning cycle format. The data collection was based on a series of quantitative and qualitative research tools intended to investigate students\u27 ideas and changes in ideas rather than measure their achievement. The measures included a groundwater survey, classroom observations, and one-on-one follow-up student interviews for triangulation of data sources. The research was carried out at a K-12 independent school in eastern Virginia using two classes of sixth grade earth science students (n=30). The findings suggest that physical models help students identify the components porosity and permeability with respect to water flow in groundwater systems. Higher levels of system thinking were best demonstrated in model components that allowed students to experience groundwater pollution activities and pumping groundwater wells. However, the results also indicated that due to model constraints, students can develop misconceptions during the use of physical models, specifically more complex physical models as in the Groundwater Exploration Activity Model. A pure discovery learning format while using physical models without guidance or formative assessment probes can lead to misconceptions about groundwater processes as well as confusion between model attributes and real world groundwater systems. The implications of this study relate directly to the inclusion of groundwater in the new national science standards released in 2011; A Framework for K-12 Science Standard; Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2011). The new national standards, as in other educational reform efforts, will have the ability to affect curricular and instructional strategies in science education. From the results of this study, it was concluded that best practices for using groundwater physical models in groundwater instruction should be through an inquiry based approach such as a 5E learning cycle, that includes both teacher guidance and feedback during model activities and incorporates an Express phase with extensive formative assessment probes for student reflection of their learning process

Validation of Score Meaning for the Next Generation of Assessments

Despite developments in research and practice on using examinee response process data in assessment design, the use of such data in test validation is rare. Validation of Score Meaning in the Next Generation of Assessments Using Response Processes highlights the importance of validity evidence based on response processes and provides guidance to measurement researchers and practitioners in creating and using such evidence as a regular part of the assessment validation process. Response processes refer to approaches and behaviors of examinees when they interpret assessment situations and formulate and generate solutions as revealed through verbalizations, eye movements, response times, or computer clicks. Such response process data can provide information about the extent to which items and tasks engage examinees in the intended ways. With contributions from the top researchers in the field of assessment, this volume includes chapters that focus on methodological issues and on applications across multiple contexts of assessment interpretation and use. In Part I of this book, contributors discuss the framing of validity as an evidence-based argument for the interpretation of the meaning of test scores, the specifics of different methods of response process data collection and analysis, and the use of response process data relative to issues of validation as highlighted in the joint standards on testing. In Part II, chapter authors offer examples that illustrate the use of response process data in assessment validation. These cases are provided specifically to address issues related to the analysis and interpretation of performance on assessments of complex cognition, assessments designed to inform classroom learning and instruction, and assessments intended for students with varying cultural and linguistic backgrounds

Examining The Relationship Between Teacher Stress And Disruptive Student Behavior

This phenomenological research study was conducted at one inner-city elementary school in a Central Florida district. The intent of this research was to examine the lived experiences of certified elementary-level inner-city teachers who had experienced stress and burnout while dealing with continuing disruptive student behavior in their classroom. The study addressed three research questions: (a) What perceptions do inner-city, elementary-level teachers have regarding the role of student behavior and teacher stress and burnout? (b) How do inner-city, elementary-level teachers perceive the ways in which student behavior contributes to teacher stress and burnout? (c) How do inner-city, elementary-level teachers perceive the ways in which teacher efficacy can be improved to reduce teacher stress and burnout? The conceptual frameworks of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Tajfel and Turner’s theory of social identity, and Lazarus and Folkman’s theory on stress and coping guided this research. Individual interviews were conducted with six participants. During the interview process, participants were asked to reflect on their experiences of teaching in a disruptive, elementary classroom environment. After data collection was complete, data were hand-coded and analyzed. The data from the interviews uncovered key findings. Five themes that emerged were the perceptions of: (1) professional esteem, (2) disruptive student behavior, (3) stress and coping, (4) administrative support, and (5) student learning. The results of the research showed that across all six participants, the most prevalent finding in the data was the lack of value shown to participants by administration. The data also showed that disruptive student behavior and the lack of administrative support contributed to the decline of the participants’ professional esteem. Recommendations include actions for administrators to develop standard practices to increase teacher value, and to develop better strategies to reduce teacher stress. Recommendations also include unexplored areas for further research, such as emphasis being placed on the aspect of teacher stress that involves administrative oversight and indifference or classroom management strategies that address chronic disruptive student behavior

Enhancing science literacy through implementation of writing-to-learn strategies: exploratory studies in high school biology

Some evidence of benefits from writing-to-learn techniques exists; however, more research is needed describing the instructional context used to support learning through writing and the quality of learning that results from particular tasks. This dissertation includes three papers, building on past research linking inquiry, social negotiation, and writing strategies to enhance scientific literacy skills of high school biology students. The interactive constructivist position informed the pedagogical approach for two empirical, classroom-based studies utilizing mixed methods to identify quantitative differences in learning outcomes and students\u27 perceptions of writing tasks. The first paper reports students with planned writing activities communicated biotechnology content better in textbook explanations to a younger audience, but did not score better on tests than students who had delayed planning experiences. Students with two writing experiences as opposed to one, completing a newspaper article, scored better on conceptual questions both after writing and on a test 8 weeks later. The difference in treatments initially impacted males compared to females, but this effect disappeared with subsequent writing. The second paper reports two parallel studies of students completing two different writing types, laboratory and summary reports. Three comparison groups were used, Control students wrote in a traditional format, while SWH group students used the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) during guided inquiry laboratories. Control students wrote summary reports to the teacher, while SWH students wrote either to the teacher or to peers (Peer Review group). On conceptual questions, findings indicated that after laboratory writing SWH females performed better compared to SWH males and Control females; and as a group SWH students performed better than Control students on a test following summary reports (Study 1). These results were not replicated in Study 2. An open-ended survey revealed findings that persisted in both studies; compared to Control students, SWH students were more likely to describe learning as they were writing and to report distinct thinking was required in completing the two writing types. Students\u27 comments across studies provide support for using non-traditional writing tasks as a means to assist learning. Various implications for writing to serve learning are reported, including identification of key support conditions