Using Concept Maps to Plan an Introductory Structural Geology Course

This report presents the results of incorporating constructivist methods, including concept maps, into an undergraduate structural geology curriculum. A concept map is a visual representation of concepts and their relationship to each other in a body of knowledge. They show the hierarchy of these concepts and emphasize the links between them. The overall goal of this project was to encourage students to adopt a deep/holistic approach to learning in order to better understand the concepts of structural geology. The authors sought to determine whether teaching methods became more overtly constructivist, whether there was a change in the order of presentation of topics, and whether the order of presentation normally followed by textbooks was the same as the order determined using concept maps. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Impact of Concept-Based Mathematics Instructional Strategies on Seventh Grade Student Achievement

In a nation with declining enrollment in college math courses, it is important to examine how mathematics is being taught in the K-12 education system and to identify best practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact concept-based instructional strategies has on middle school student achievement in mathematics when integrated into the traditional mathematics curriculum. Participants included 424 seventh grade students from two middle schools. Students Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Fall-to-Winter data 2018 prior to implementation was used a covariate and Fall-to-Winter data 2019 data during the implementation of concept-based instructional strategies integrated into the traditional math curriculum was used for the dependent variable. Student achievement was analyzed using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and determine that there was a significant difference in math achievement when instruction is provided to student by teachers who have received professional development on concept-based instructional strategies. These findings have implications on teacher preparation, daily curricular instruction, and competitiveness for students in the global economy. Future research is suggested to determine impacts of concept-based instruction on students functioning above and below grade level, as well as teacher efficacy on implementing concept-based instruction for middle grades

The Impacts of Supporting Productive Struggle Teaching Practice on Students’ Conceptual Understanding, Procedural Fluency, and Strategic Competence: The Case of Quadratic Functions

This quasi-experimental design study aimed to examine how exposure to supporting productive struggle teaching practice impacts students’ conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and strategic competence when solving high-demanding quadratic functions problem solving tasks. Results suggested that students in the supporting productive struggle teaching practice group performed significantly better than students who received facilitated instruction in every three strands of mathematical proficiency (i.e., conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and strategic competence). By examining the effectiveness of supporting productive struggle teaching practice, this study offers insight into the conceptions and strategies teachers can implement in their classrooms to improve students’ mathematical proficiency

An investigation into supporting the teaching of calculus-based senior mathematics in Queensland

David Chinofunga investigated student participation in calculus-based senior secondary mathematics in Queensland and pedagogical resources that enhance teaching of mathematics. Trend analysis reveal a high dropout rate. David also found that pedagogical resources that comprise procedural flowcharts and concept maps can enrich mathematics teaching and promote student participation and engagement

A systemic framework for managing e-learning adoption in campus universities: individual strategies in context

There are hopes that new learning technologies will help to transform university learning and teaching into a more engaging experience for twenty-first-century students. But since 2000 the changes in campus university teaching have been more limited than expected. I have drawn on ideas from organisational change management research to investigate why this is happening in one particular campus university context. My study examines the strategies of individual lecturers for adopting e-learning within their disciplinary, departmental and university work environments to develop a conceptual framework for analysing university learning and teaching as a complex adaptive system. This conceptual framework links the processes through which university teaching changes, the resulting forms of learning activity and the learning technologies used – all within the organisational context of the university. The framework suggests that systemic transformation of a university’s learning and teaching requires coordinated change across activities that have traditionally been managed separately in campus universities. Without such coordination, established ways of organising learning and teaching will reassert themselves, as support staff and lecturers seek to optimise their own work locally. The conceptual framework could inform strategies for realising the full benefits of new learning technologies in other campus universities

Reviews

Successful Instructional Diagrams by Ric Lowe, London, Kogan Page, 1993. ISBN: 0–7494–0711–5

Research on learning: Potential for improving college ecology teaching

Provides pedagogical insight concerning learners' pre-conceptions and misconceptions about ecology The resource being annotated is: http://www.dlese.org/dds/catalog_DLESE-000-000-003-202.htm

Problems first-year university students bring to science classes and implications for teaching and learning

Published ArticleAn exploratory study was conducted to investigate firstly, the contextual problems first-year university students experienced at their respective schools and secondly, the subject related-problems that they could be bringing to science classes and which could later affect their understanding of science concepts. The study is grounded in constructivism. A questionnaire was administered to all the 2007 First-year B.Ed (FET) Natural Science students at the Central University of Technology, Free State. The contextual problems identified by respondents included school, educator, examiner and student-related problems. Subject specific problem areas were identified in biology, chemistry and physics. The paper also reports on the preliminary results of some teaching interventions implemented in the three subjects. A Force Concept Inventory (FCI) test was administered to the physics students, and a concept test for chemistry group. Concept mapping as a teaching and learning strategy has been introduced in biology classes. Further research continues on the effectiveness of these interventions

Using Science Misconceptions for Developing Critical Thinking in Learners and Teachers

Students\u27 poor interest and academic achievement in science as well as their inability to master situations in their everyday life seem to be related to their lack of skills in critical and creative thinking. However, teaching such skills within both primary and secondary curricula is not mandatory. The consensus is much more toward teaching thinking skills through content than as a separate course. In this thesis the conflict between students\u27 prior conceptions about the natural world and scientific concepts is viewed as a resource for teaching thinking skills. A review of the literature on science misconceptions in mechanics suggests that science misconceptions are the product of students\u27 active constructions as students try to make sense of the information given to their sensory system. In addition, the knowledge acquired from science class is not passively incorporated in students\u27 minds. Both points are supported by the constructivist epistemology and cognitive psychology. Analogical reasoning and concept mapping are two instructional metacognitive strategies designed to deal with students\u27 misconceptions to bring about conceptual change in the learner. This process involves the replacement of the learner\u27s previous knowledge by the scientific view through a process of awareness of one\u27s starting conceptions and evaluation of their consistency with evidence. This implies possessing the ability of making shifts from one context to another, such as from the science classroom environment to everyday life. In this thesis both strategies are also seen as a means to engage learners in a metacognitive process through the organization and reflection of their beliefs, making them explicit and available to themselves, teacher and peers using dialogical thinking. Those strategies are very effective in promoting the development of skills in critical and creative thinking using multiple frames of reference. The conclusions draw attention to the important role played by teachers within the new constructivist perspective of learning, and to the need to integrate school science and technology using teacher creativity to enhance the science curriculum and promote meaningful learning. They also provide some suggestions for future work to explore the viability of using science misconceptions to develop critical and creative thinking skills

Use of learning theories in media design

This review discusses learning theories such as dimensions of learning, multiple intelligences, reading-learning styles, constructivism, and brain research. It looks at software design, multimedia programs and some experimental programs that are making attempts to integrate these theories into the design of technology