An evaluation of the effectiveness of written reflection to improve high school students' writing and metacognitive knowledge and strategies

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston UniversityThis study analyzed three analytical essays and three metacognitive reflections written by 36 high school sophomores during one school year. After they had written analytical essays, students wrote reflections in which they described their writing process, explained what they did well, and identified two areas for improvement. The study focused on what students wrote in their reflections, the relationship between writing and metacognitive knowledge and strategies, and whether writing or metacognitive knowledge and/or strategies improved over time. After trained scorers holistically scored the essays, student reflections were analyzed for evidence of the three types of metacognitive knowledge: declarative, procedural, and conditional (Jacobs & Paris, 1987), as well as the metacognitive strategies of monitoring and self-correction (Baker & Brown, 1984). The study found that all three types of knowledge and both types of strategies were present in the majority of student reflections. There was a relationship between conditional knowledge and strategies, and self-correction did not occur without monitoring. In addition, there was a significant correlation between students' final essay scores and final metacognitive reflection. Student essay scores significantly improved over time, but their level of metacognition remained the same. These findings suggest that further research on metacognition and writing can build upon the rich base of research on metacognition and reading to develop future avenues for investigation, and that written metacognitive reflection may be an effective addition to writing instruction

Teachers’ reflections on non standard students work

One of the tasks of teaching (Ball, Thames, & Phelps, 2008) concerns the work of interpreting student error and evaluating alternative algorithms used by students. Teachers’ abilities to understand nonstandard student work affects their instructional decisions, the explanations they provide in the classroom, the way they guide their students, and how they conduct mathematical discussions. However, their knowledge or their perceptions of the knowledge may not correspond to the actual level of knowledge that will support flexibility and fluency in a mathematics classroom. In this paper, we focus on Norwegian and Portuguese teachers’ reflections when trying to give sense to students’ use of nonstandard subtraction algorithms and of the mathematics imbedded in such. By discussing teachers’ mathematical knowledge associated with these situations and revealed in their reflections, we can perceive the difficulties teachers have in making sense of students’ solutions that differ from those most commonly reached.General Directorate for Research and Management of National Plan I + D + i. Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spai

Avoiding frustrations of unprepared students with online quizzes

The hierarchical nature of many degrees enables higher-level courses to build on knowledge that has been developed in earlier courses. However, when students enter with weak prior knowledge, lecturers have to spend time addressing this before starting with the new material. This adds time pressure and frustration to lecturers as well as students who have strong prior knowledge. In this paper, we discuss a strategy that we implemented in order to encourage students to revise or learn prerequisite material at the beginning of a master's level module. Students were asked to take an online quiz on the prerequisite topics. Immediate feedback directed the students to resources which could enhance their knowledge and understanding of the material prior to course commencement. We discuss the multiple benefits this had, for both students and the lecturer, drawing on students' written responses to reflective questions about the experience and reflections from the lecturer on the use of online quizzes

Second and foreign language teachers’ problem-solving schemata development through informal problem-solving:the relationship between experience and expertise

Purpose: Second and foreign language (SL/FL) teachers’ informal problem-solving has received little explicit research attention while it is widely acknowledged that problem-solving is crucial to expertise development in any complex knowledge domain. To develop a clearer understanding of the role of informal problem-solving in SL/FL teachers’ expertise development, this study investigated how experience (i.e. time on the job) affects the level of problem-solving schemata development. Design/methodology/approach: This situational analysis of teaching practices was conducted with 15 SL/FL teachers divided into three experience groups. Through qualitative coding of verbal reflections on teachers’ own lessons, the structural components of problem-solving schemata development were explored at two levels. The first or basic level represents the broader knowledge base which problem-solving utilizes in understanding and recognizing classroom situations. The second is the expert-level problem-solving knowledge level. Qualitative codes were quantified to enable descriptive statistics and t-tests for the analysis regarding the basic level. A descriptive analysis was performed to uncover expert-level knowledge. Findings and Originality/value: The results show that experience affects problem-solving schemata development in qualitatively different ways at different levels. At the first or basic level, most teachers develop extensive and numerous domain-specific problem-solving schemata with experience. Few experienced teachers develop expert-level schemata. At this level, experience mostly affects the type of domain-specific knowledge and quality of feedback on effective strategies incorporated in these schemata. The findings suggest that future studies need to adopt a multi-level analysis of problem-solving schemata development.</p

The application of correspondence analysis in studies of CSR awareness at economic universities in Poland and Croatia

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present and compare the results of actions taken for the education of students of economic faculties about social responsibility of business in Poland and Croatia. Design/Methodology/Approach: The following research methods will be used in the article: descriptive method and selected methods of descriptive statistics (analysis of the structure and interdependencies of variables). Findings: In spite of implementing programs regarding the concept of social responsibility of business at many universities specialising in economics, both in Poland and Croatia, the insufficient knowledge of the assumptions and importance of the idea of social responsibility in business is noticed. Practical Implications: The wider discussion on the idea of social responsibility of business was intensified by the crisis that began in 2008. It caused reflections on discrepancies between socio-economic practice and the theory of economics to be raised more often in the literature on the subject as well as in practice. As a result of these reflections and discussions, many economists indicate that one of the most beneficial solutions is the collective inclusion of enterprises and institutions in the idea of social responsibility of business. Originality/Value: Comparison of level of knowledge in term of CSR of Polish and Croatian students. Results can be compared with other countries.peer-reviewe

Mathematics Teacher’s Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Learner-centred Approaches in Secondary Schools

This paper describes how mathematic teacher’s content knowledge informs teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in the use learner-centred approaches and decision when teaching mathematics. Two trained mathematics teachers in the use of learner-centred approaches who were teaching mathematics at ordinary secondary school level in Tanzania were involved. Data was collected through classroom observation, video recording of classroom events and teacher’s self-reflections. Thematic analysis procedure both at conceptual and manifest level was employed. The findings indicated that, teacher’s weak knowledge of contents as a component of pedagogical content knowledge in the use of learner-centred approaches led to teacher’s inability to help students’ construct knowledge of the subject matter that teachers taught. The trained teachers did not teach lessons that were learners’ focused and were unable to help students discover the relationship between contents they taught with other contents in the syllabus. Teachers’ lack of content knowledge led to teachers’ communication of their misunderstanding to students through teacher-centred teaching approaches. In addition, these experienced teachers were unable to help students describe the rationale for learning contents. It is recommended that cementing on leaner-centred approaches during teachers’ professional development programs should go hand in hand with capitalizing on teacher’s knowledge of contents

We-Transform: Addressing AV Workforce Needs in Europe

The EU H2020 project WE-TRANSFORM aims to address the impacts of transport digitalisation and automation on the workforce by bringing stakeholders together to establish a comprehensive knowledge base from which to inform policymaking. The objective of this study is to identify the relevant implications of automation and digitalisation impacts on workforce in transport sector, also offering a representation of the recommendations emerged by the stakeholders during the project. The results show that the main impacts of digitalisation and automation on workforce are related to work organisation, tasks (level and contractual legal employment category), and skills. Such impacts show legal implications and their transversality to the different regulatory policies emerged from the discussion with the stakeholders, and underline how an harmonisation at EU level is requested, implying important reflections at the political level

What Does Written Reflection Reveal About Novice Teachers’ Knowledge, Beliefs, and Skills Related to Literacy Assessment?

Assessment of literacy learning has been a long-standing focus for future teachers in elementary education. Teacher educators use ongoing written reflection to promote learning before, during, and after coursework and field experiences. In this study, the researchers examined the effects of ongoing written reflection on two groups of novice teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and skills about literacy assessment in a semester-long graduate-level literacy assessment course with embedded fieldwork. First, the researchers conducted qualitative and descriptive analyses to examine what novice teachers reflected about in their ongoing written reflections. Second, they conducted comparative analyses to examine the extent to which the two groups differed in what they reflected about. Qualitative and descriptive analysis of written reflections revealed four prominent categories in which novice teachers reflected: (a) content knowledge related to literacy assessment, (b) beliefs about literacy assessment, (c) empathy and perspective-taking in the literacy assessment and instruction process, and (d) instructional planning and decision making. Comparative analyses revealed significant differences between the two groups of novice teachers in all four categories

Case-based Perspective-Taking as a Mechanism to Improve Metacognition and Higher-Level Thinking in Undergraduate Speech-Language Pathology Students

This case study addressed the authors’ efforts to design an 8-week small-group independent study (IS) experience that facilitated undergraduate speech-language pathology students’ (n=19) higher-level thinking and overall metacognitive awareness. We hoped to encourage both in order to improve students’ overall cognitive growth while enhancing their reflection about and knowledge of professional perspectives regarding the assessment and treatment of laryngeal cancer. To take on this challenge, we combined case-based learning (CBL) and perspective-taking (PT) pedagogies across the IS. Students completed the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) pre- and post-IS, and written reflections after each of eight weekly discussion meetings. The MAI was quantitatively analyzed, while reflections were qualitatively coded using Bloom’s taxonomy. Findings indicated that metacognitive awareness significantly improved and that higher-level cognitive processing was increasingly evidenced across students’ IS experience. Results indicate the potential to maximize metacognition and cognitive processing by combining CBL and PT by the methods used here. Applications of combined CBL and PT to other disciplines and teaching and learning situations will be discussed along with the implications of our findings