Letting Go and Letting the Angels Grow: Using Etienne Wenger's Community of Practice Theory to Facilitate Teacher Education

This paper describes a small-scale qualitative research study conducted within a community of English Language teachers, and explores how teacher development workshops can be used to foster or cultivate Communities of Practice. The study was situated in a Language Centre within the domain of UK Higher Education where there was an institutional drive to better integrate the use of new technologies with traditional approaches to pedagogy. Data was collected through focus group sessions with a team of English Language teachers before, during and after a series of teacher development workshops on the use of technology in the English for Academic Purposes classroom. These focus group sessions were then followed up with individual interviews, drawing on a framework of stimulated recall. The data was then analysed through an established discourse analysis framework in the early stages, followed by a more inductive approach of thematic analysis in the later stages; triangulated by classroom observations of all participants. The purpose of the paper is to understand the functioning of a Community of Practice in terms of its contribution to teacher development The core argument within this paper is that Communities of Practice theory can contribute much to the fields of EAP (English for Academic Purposes), and teacher development in both theoretical and practical terms. It advocates a loosening of the reins on the part of organisations so that teachers are allowed to develop at their own pace and in a manner that is self-directed and tailored to their individual needs. It draws on Vygotskian-based theories of teacher cognition which suggest that in order for development to occur in a teacher education programme, participants need some form of prompting to move from within their "zone of proximal development" (Manning & Payne, 1993, p. 361). This prompting or scaffolding, as described in Vygotsky's own work (1934), generally takes place through a combination of support from more experienced practitioners in the first instance and then "situated engagement and negotiation" with peers and practitioners within a teaching community (Samaras & Gismondi, 1998, pp. 715-733)

Pengembangan Perangkat Pembelajaran Fisika Model Problem-Based Learning Berbantuan Web untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis dan Keterampilan Proses Sains Peserta Didik SMA.

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah: (1) menghasilkan produk perangkat pembelajaran fisika model problem-based learning berbantuan web yang layak digunakan dalam pembelajaran fisika materi Momentum dan Impuls pada peserta didik SMA kelas X; dan (2) mendeskripsikan keefektifan perangkat pembelajaran yang dihasilkan tersebut dalam meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kritis dan keterampilan proses sains peserta didik SMA kelas X. Perangkat pembelajaran yang dikembangkan dalam penelitian ini adalah RPP, buku teks dan media web. Penelitian ini menerapkan model pengembangan 4D yang terdiri dari: pendefinisian, perancangan, pengembangan dan penyebarluasan. Subjek dari penelitian ini adalah peserta didik kelas X SMAN 1 Bawang. Penelitian ini menggunakan quasi eksperimen dengan melibatkan dua kelompok eksperimen dan satu kelompok kontrol. Pengumpulan data menggunakan angket, observasi dan tes. Instrumen terdiri dari lembar penilaian keterlaksanaan pembelajaran, angket respon peserta didik, tes penilaian kemampuan berpikir kritis, tes penilaian keterampilan proses sains aspek kognitif, dan lembar observasi keterampilan proses sains aspek psikomotorik. Data dianalisis menggunakan tes normalitas dan homogenitas, analisa n-gain, analisa mean difference dan analisa effect size untuk mendeskripsikan efektivitas dari pengembangan perangkat pembelajran fisika pada kemampuan berpikir kritis dan keterampilan proses sains peserta didik. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah (1) perangkat pembelajaran fisika model problem-based learning berbantuan web layak digunakan dalam pembelajaran fisika materi Momentum dan Impuls pada peserta didik SMA Kelas X berdasarkan penilaian ahli terhadap RPP, buku teks dan media web dan berdasarkan respon peserta didik terhadap pembelajaran; dan (2) perangkat pembelajaran fisika model problem-based learning berbantuan web efektif untuk meningkatkan meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kritis peserta didik dan keterampilan proses sains pada peserta didik SMA kelas X berdasarkan hasil uji anava mixed design dan effect size

Online Adaptive Learning: A Study of Score Validity of the Adaptive Self-Regulated Learning Model

Adaptive Learning (AL), a new web-based online learning environment, requires self-regulated learners who act autonomously. However, to date, there appears to be no existing model to conceptualize different aspects of SRL skills in Adaptive Learning Environments (ALE). The purpose of this study was to design and empirically evaluate a theoretical model of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) in ALE\u27s and the related questionnaire as a measurement tool. The proposed theoretical model, namely, “Adaptive Self-Regulated Learning (ASR)”, was specified to incorporate the SRL skills into ALE\u27s. Based on this model, the Adaptive Self-regulated Learning Questionnaire (ASRQ) was developed. The reliability and validity of the ASRQ were evaluated via the review of a content expert panel, the Cronbach\u27s alpha coefficients, and confirmatory factor analysis. Overall, the results supported the theoretical framework and the new ASRQ in an ALE. In this article, the theoretical and practical implications of the findings were discussed

Serving higher education with technology – disrupting higher education with technology

Technology is increasingly serving higher education by enabling student-centred learning and concerted social learning, extended reach to content anytime and everywhere, insights for educators into progress tracking and learning trends, and cross-institutional academic collaboration. At the same time, technology is providing evidence of negative disruption to the core purpose of education, which is human development and individual preparation for the future. Technology is gradually diminishing the capacity of individuals to critically think and reason, to expand into unfamiliar knowledge domains, and to exploit the learning experience to fulfil the market needs after graduation. In this paper, a review is presented on how technology is disrupting higher education, both positively and negatively. Some recommendations are given with respect to these disruption

Security challenges in mobile assisted language learning in the millennium for education

Distance learning technologies enrich learning opportunities due to many advantages like ubiquity and flexibility. Although the usefulness of such technologies in teaching and learning is clear, their testing part is remained to be discussed due to the security issue. Administrators and teachers need to use more authentic and secure distant testing software in which the scores are guaranteed and the testees keep away from cheating. Static and online authentication systems like “username” and “password” and face detection have empowered educational parties to have more reliable testing outcomes. Mobile devices as the necessity of the new millennium need to use authentication software in their testing. Mobile devices with their multimedia course materials provide learners with many optimistic learning opportunities through collaboration, cooperation, interaction and testing. The unique chances of ubiquity, individualization, informality, and spontaneity make the mobile learning of particular importance not only for digital natives but also for teachers, administrators, developers, instructors, and policy makers. Yielding an economical learning opportunity along with providing authentic contexts for collaborative learning is beneficial for the economy of the country in general an d for the meaningful and deep learning of the learners. This paper will discuss how authentication techniques have applied to electronic devices like mobile phones

BARRIERS AND PROSPECTS OF LMS APPLICATION IN ISLAMIC HIGHER EDUCATION

The study aimed at finding out the students' access and ease with technology, as well as the barriers and prospects of using the Learning Management System (LMS) at Institut Parahikma Indonesia (IPI). An explanatory sequential mixed method was used in this study. There were 16 students from English Education Department and four lecturers selected using the purposive sampling technique. The instruments were a questionnaire and an in-depth interview. The results revealed that the students' access was well-versed in technology and felt at ease utilizing the LMS. Students' and lecturers' common barriers were insufficient bandwidth connections and a lack of personal time management, while their common prospects were enhanced infrastructure and internet connections, and large capacity in LMS for uploading data, lack of training for students, incompatible features in particular assignments, and a limited budget for internet usage. Meanwhile, students' prospects were LMS application on Google Play, direct assignment notification via SMS, and feedback from lecturers. In contrast, the lecturers' prospects were that all IPI materials should be accessible in LMS. Therefore, the institution needs to provide LMS training for the students, evaluate the lecturers, and enhance the capacity of the bandwidth connection. Moreover, the LMS features should be upgraded to maximize the functions. Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui akses dan kemudahan mahasiswa terhadap teknologi, serta hambatan dan prospek penggunaan Learning Management System (LMS) di Institut Parahikma Indonesia (IPI). Metode campuran sekuensial penjelas digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Ada 16 mahasiswa dari Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris dan empat dosen yang dipilih menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah angket dan wawancara mendalam. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa akses siswa fasih dalam teknologi dan merasa nyaman memanfaatkan LMS. Hambatan umum mahasiswa dan dosen adalah koneksi bandwidth yang tidak mencukupi dan kurangnya manajemen waktu pribadi, sementara prospek umum mereka adalah peningkatan infrastruktur dan koneksi internet, dan kapasitas besar di LMS untuk mengunggah data, kurangnya pelatihan untuk mahasiswa, fitur yang tidak kompatibel dalam tugas tertentu , dan anggaran terbatas untuk penggunaan internet. Sedangkan prospek mahasiswa adalah aplikasi LMS di Google Play, notifikasi tugas langsung melalui SMS, dan feedback dari dosen. Sebaliknya, prospek dosen adalah bahwa semua materi IPI harus dapat diakses di LMS. Oleh karena itu, institusi perlu memberikan pelatihan LMS kepada mahasiswa, mengevaluasi dosen, dan meningkatkan kapasitas koneksi bandwidth. Selain itu, fitur LMS harus ditingkatkan untuk memaksimalkan fungsi

Teachers’ Perspectives in Higher Education on Using Educational Technology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observations for Ghana, India, and Serbia

Objective: The purpose of this research was to understand the significant changes and challenges regarding teaching experiences during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in three universities, one each in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The study provides information on how teachers adapted to online teaching under COVID-19 conditions. Methods: We employed a descriptive phenomenology approach and used an online survey with open-ended questions to collect the data. Braun and Clarke’s six steps of thematic analysis based on the traditions of descriptive phenomenology were employed to analyze the data. Results: The teachers’ adaptive mechanisms to the COVID-19 crisis could be described through the following steps: identifying the teaching challenges, developing awareness of personal learning challenges, initiating the process of learning by doing, and recognizing the lessons learned. Conclusions: A global teacher’s network could be established to encourage professionals from different fields of education to build conventional wisdom in the awareness of the need to constantly try out new strategies with cutting-edge technologies. Implication for Practice: The results provide evidence of ways that future reactions by higher education to global crises can be anticipated. Further, the research provides an understanding of teachers’ adaptation strategies during the COVID-19 crisis. Complementary studies show that institutions should be prepared in terms of both material and human resources for emergency remote teaching(ERT), and students should also be prepared mentally and materially for such unprecedented online teaching delivery and learning. Findings of the present study point to the benefit of faculty using communities of practice as an environment for learning and adapting to emergency situations

Gamification and Coding to Engage Primary School Students in Learning Mathematics: A Case Study

This paper describes a pilot educational project made in a Primary School in Italy (Scuola Primaria Alessandro Manzoni at Mulazzano, Milan) implemented in 2016 and 2017. The project was born from a specific request: the school aimed at improving the results achieved by students aged 7 during the National Tests for Mathematics since they registered performances lower than the National Average. In this context, we supported teachers providing information tools and methods to improve performances. Our aim was to develop new game-oriented approaches to problem-solving, mixing our different experiences and competences (organization design, information technologies, psychology). We provided a broader spectrum of parameters tools and keys to understand how to achieve an inclusive approach personalized on students, involving them and their teachers in the project. This cooperative approach allowed us to collect interesting observations about learning styles, pointing out the negative impact that standardized processes and instruments can have on self-esteem and consequently on the performance of pupils. We argue that addressing pupils in considering mathematics as continuous research and development can increase their performances in National Tests execution. Children free to realize their own experiments and observations dramatically improve their involvement and curiosity about Mathematics

Examining the Use of Web-Based Reusable Learning Objects by Animal and Veterinary Nursing Students

This intervention study examined the interaction of animal- and veterinary nursing students with reusable learning objects (RLO) in the context of preparing for summative assessment. Data was collected from 199 undergraduates using quantitative and qualitative methods. Students accessed RLO via personal devices in order to reinforce taught sessions. Interviewees reported that the RLO helped them meet the requirements of the curriculum. Quantitative data supported two valid points; the lack of engagement of students when given a free-choice and reluctance for self-assessment. The practical significance of the qualitative outcomes lies with how first year undergraduates on animal and veterinary nursing-related courses use RLO designed to address equine management and health topics, where the students have mixed equine experience

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ GOOGLE-СЕРВІСІВ ПІД ЧАС ВИВЧЕННЯ ДИСЦИПЛІНИ «УКРАЇНСЬКА МОВА (ЗА ПРОФЕСІЙНИМ СПРЯМУВАННЯМ)» ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТІВ МЕДИЧНИХ СПЕЦІАЛЬНОСТЕЙ

The modern educational space is constantly changing, looking for new and interesting forms of learning and providing the process of acquiring knowledge. Higher education is being reformed, in particular, innovative methods and means of providing educational services are emerging, the structure of classes and forms of organization of various types of work are changing. It is noted that technical and informational means of training play a key role in the system of training future specialists. In addition, the Internet is an important auxiliary structural element in the work of the teacher. The article presents educational, informative and methodical materials necessary for studying the discipline “Ukrainian language (for professional purposes)”. The complex of tasks is aimed at the development of students’ communicative skills and abilities: to research of lexical and grammatical categories of modern Ukrainian literature languages for optimal language behavior in the professional sphere; to master terminological vocabulary, skills of work with highly specialized dictionaries; to analyze the feasibility of using lexical, morphological, syntactic language means in accordance with communicative intentions; to master the oral and written norms of speech etiquette in professional activities doctor; to learn to differentiate the functional styles of modern Ukrainian literature languages ​in general and get acquainted with the distinctive features of the scientific medical text. The proposed system of tasks will help to master the skills and abilities to communicate orally and in writing in accordance with the goals and social norms of speech behavior in professional spheres and situations. It was analyzed how to improve the education quality of medical students studying of the “Ukrainian language (for professional purposes)”, using Google services. It was suggested that Gmail, Google forms, Google Docs, Google Slides, Blogger can be effectively used in education for communication between academic staff and their students, as well as improve the quality and availability of their training resources. The materials described in the article are intended for Ukrainian students of medical specialties.Сучасний освітній простір постійно змінюється, шукає нові та цікаві форми навчання та забезпечення процесу отримання знань. Реформується вища школа, зокрема з’являються інноваційні методи та засоби надання освітніх послуг, видозмінюється структура заняття та форми організації виконання різних видів робіт. Зауважимо, що технічні та інформаційні засоби навчання відіграють ключову роль у системі підготовки майбутнього спеціаліста. Крім того, мережа «Інтернет» є важливим допоміжним структурним елементом у роботі викладача. У статті подано навчально-методичні та інформаційні матеріали, необхідні для вивчення дисципліни «Українська мова (за професійним спрямуванням)». Комплекс завдань спрямований на розвиток комунікативних умінь та навичок студентів: застосовувати лексико-граматичні категорії сучасної української літературної мови для вироблення оптимальної мовної поведінки в професійній сфері; оволодіти термінологічною лексикою, навичками роботи з вузькоспеціалізованими словниками; аналізувати доцільність використання лексичних, морфологічних, синтаксичних мовних засобів відповідно до комунікативних намірів; опанувати усні та писемні норми мовленнєвого етикету в професійній діяльності лікаря; навчитися диференціювати функціональні стилі сучасної української літературної мови загалом та ознайомитися з дистинктивними ознаками наукового медичного тексту. Запропонована система завдань сприятиме оволодінню вміннями і навичками спілкуватися в усній та письмовій формах відповідно до цілей і соціальних норм мовленнєвої поведінки в професійних сферах та ситуаціях. Проаналізовано, як підвищити якість освіти студентів-медиків, які вивчають дисципліну «Українська мова (за професійним спрямуванням)», використовуючи Google-сервіси. Було висловлено припущення, що Gmail, Google forms, Google Docs, Google Slides, Blogger можна ефективно використовувати в освіті для комунікації між академічним персоналом та студентами, а також для покращення якості й доступності їхніх навчальних ресурсів. Матеріали, описані у статті, призначені для українських студентів медичних спеціальностей.