Enhancing the Quality of Argumentation in School Science

The research reported in this paper focussed on the design of learning environments that support the teaching and learning of argumentation in a scientific context. The research took place over two years between 1999 and 2001 in junior high schools in the greater London area. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first developmental phase, working with a group of 12 science teachers, the main emphasis was to develop sets of materials and strategies to support argumentation in the classroom and to assess teachers‘ development with teaching argumentation. Data were collected by videoing and audio recording the teachers attempts to implement these lessons at the beginning and end of the year. During this phase, analytical tools for evaluating the quality of argumentation were developed based on Toulmin‘s argument pattern. Analysis of the data shows that there was significant development in the majority of teachers use of argumentation across the year. Results indicate that the pattern of use of argumentation is teacher specific, as is the nature of the change. In the second phase of the project, teachers taught the experimental groups a minimum of nine lessons which involved socioscientific or scientific argumentation. In addition, these teachers taught similar lessons to a control group at the beginning and end of the year. Here the emphasis lay on assessing the progression in student capabilities with argumentation. Hence data were collected from several lessons of two groups of students engaging in argumentation. Using a framework for evaluating the nature of the discourse and its quality, the findings show that there was an improvement in the quality of students‘ argumentation. In addition, the research offers methodological developments for work in this field

Action learning : co-creating value from collaborative sustainable projects

This article reports on the specific role that action learning plays in the promotion of sustainability and innovation in the Local Government sector. The study focuses on one organisation and the efforts of a senior manager to enact change. The senior manager utilized his participation in an MBA programme to bring the classroom learning into his business. As a consequence of the requirements of the programme and also the desire of the senior manager, he was able to instigate a change programme, which delivered measurable outcomes and had financial and cultural impact. This case study illustrates the favourable advantages of using action learning as an intervention approach by HEI’s in driving sustainable innovation in the Local Government sectorFinal Published versio

ON THE WAY TO DEVELOP OPEN APPROACH TO MATHEMATICS IN FUTURE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

In our contribution we focus on the possibility to develop open approach to mathematics in future primary school teachers during a university course on mathematics conducted in inquiry-based manner. In the first part of the research we analyse data obtained in the beginning and in the end of the mathematics course with respect to two main aspects related to open approach to mathematics: searching for all solutions of a task, and acceptance of different forms of notation of a given solution. Data analysis revealed in the participants three different shifts towards open approach to mathematics, and showed that after the active participation in the course each of the participants improved at least in one of the monitored aspects, and that none of the participants got worse in any of the aspects. In the second part of the research we analyse problems posed by participants several months after the end of the course, again with respect to the two aspects related to open approach to mathematics. As a special diagnostic instrument in our research we use an educational tool called Concept Cartoons

An active learning and training environment for database programming

Active learning facilitated through interactive, self-controlled learning environments differs substantially from traditional instructor-oriented, classroom-based teaching. We present a tool for database programming that integrates knowledge learning and skills training. How these tools are used most effectively is still an open question. Therefore, we discuss analysis and evaluation of these Web-based environments focusing on different aspects of learning behaviour and tool usage. Motivation, acceptance of the learning approach, learning organisation and actual tool usage are aspects of behaviour that require different techniques to be used

DISPUTES RESOLUTION AMONGST RESIDENTS OF TENEMENT PROPERTIES IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Low income earners in Lagos metropolis have peculiar taste for a type of residential property, popularly referred to as face-me-I-face-you. The type of property usually consists of many units rooms flanking a central passage. Tenants with different orientation and background cohabit, and conflicts frequently occur amongst them. This paper examines the causes of conflicts that are common amongst tenants of tenement type of residential accommodation in Lagos metropolis. In so doing, questionnaires coupled with direct observation and interviews were administered on total of five hundred respondents randomly selected from five zones in the study area. The study found a number of factors causing the conflicts and recommends creative problemsolving strategies, amongst others, for managing such conflicts amongst occupiers of tenement houses in the study area

The reflective learning continuum: reflecting on reflection

The importance of reflection to marketing educators is increasingly recognized. However, there is a lack of empirical research which considers reflection within the context of both the marketing and general business education literature. This paper describes the use of an instrument which can be used to measure four identified levels of a reflection hierarchy: habitual action, understanding, reflection and intensive reflection and two conditions for reflection: instructor to student interaction and student to student interaction. Further we demonstrate the importance of reflective learning in predicting graduates’ perception of program quality. Although the focus was on assessment of MBA level curricula, the findings have great importance to marketing education and educators

Using the Inquiry-based Learning Approach to Enhance Student Innovativeness: A Conceptual Model

Individual innovativeness has become one of the most important employability skills for university graduates. In this paper, we focus on how students could be better prepared to be innovative in the workplace, and we argue that inquiry-based learning (IBL) – a pedagogical approach in which students follow the inquiry-based processes used by scientists to construct knowledge – can be effective for this purpose. Drawing on research which examines the social and cognitive micro-foundations of innovative behaviour, we develop a conceptual model that links IBL and student innovativeness, and introduce three teacher-controlled design elements that can influence the strength of this relationship, namely whether an inquiry is open or closed, discovery-focused or information focused and individual or teambased. We argue that an open, discovery-focused and team-based inquiry offers the greatest potential for enhancing students’ skills in innovation. This paper has several implications for higher education research and practice

Identifying entrepreneurial potential? An investigation of the identifiers and features of entrepreneurship

Abstract. The paper reports a study of entrepreneurship potential amongst students at one university using a quantitative instrument to measure three of the most commonly cited predictors: access to entrepreneurial role models; urgency of entrepreneurial intent; and desire for economic autonomy. The paper reports also on qualitative interviews with those identified as most and least likely to become entrepreneurs by the measure. Results suggest that the measure is effective and that there is variation between those most and least likely to become entrepreneurs and commonalities amongst those most likely to become entrepreneurs. Of the three predictors 'desire for economic autonomy' is most influential, but the generation of this 'desire' involves various internal and external influences. Findings are of interest to educators insofar as they might identify the stage of entrepreneurial development of students and develop appropriate pedagogic responses. It has implications also for policy aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship support