Examining the impacts of constructive controversy on a community of inquiry and open-mindedness in an asynchronous online discussion format

The community of inquiry (COI) framework is a theoretical and practical model for creating deep, meaningful online learning experiences through three essential and interconnected elements: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Asynchronous online discussions (AODs) are the typical communication medium in a COI; therein, a sense of community (i.e., social presence) is designed and facilitated (i.e., teaching presence) to develop and foster critical inquiry (i.e., cognitive presence). The construct of cognitive presence is based on the practical inquiry model, which includes four phases—a triggering event, exploration, integration, and resolution—to foster critical thinking skills through knowledge generation and confirmation. However, a persistent finding in COI research is that learners experience difficulty in moving beyond the exploration phase. Across a variety of AOD types, learners demonstrate low engagement levels in integration and little or no resolution, which are the phases associated with higher-order critical thinking processes and skills. This problem of practice may be symptomatic of the focus of the COI framework on developing learners’ critical thinking skills and the inattention to critical thinking dispositions, such as open-mindedness and truth seeking. Thus, this quantitative, experimental posttest-only control group study investigates the impact of the constructive controversy (CC)-AOD learning strategy on learners’ perceptions of the COI, their actively open-minded thinking about evidence (AOT-E), and AOD rubric scores. Those in the treatment group participated in the CC-AOD learning strategy, a collaborative argumentation process in which learners worked in pairs and utilized perspective-switching to reach a consensus position on a controversial issue; learners in the control group worked independently. The treatment group had higher mean scores in every self-reported dependent variable, but the between-groups differences were nonsignificant. Learners in the treatment group, furthermore, exhibited significantly higher cognitive presence and social presence rubric scores in weekly AODs during the intervention period compared to the control group. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed, with a focus on the unique cultural context of the study and the potential conceptual mismatch between the COI and AOT-E

“Checking Off Boxes”: Teachers Describe Civic Education in World History: A Mixed Methods Study

Scholars have long identified fostering democratic citizenship as a primary purpose of public schooling in the United States, meaning schools should intentionally prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed for active, informed democratic civic life. Furthermore, global interconnectedness has reshaped needed knowledge to participate in civic life. History is often identified as subject content well suited to address civic education and prepare students for citizenship. Though scholars point to a connection between world history and civic education, there is little empirical research studying how civic education informs teachers’ curriculum and instruction in world history. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to address how world history teachers see civic education’s role in world history curriculum and instruction. It assessed the ways in which world history civic learning reflects different dimensions of civic education and global citizenship constructs. A framework of best practices for effective civic education was developed and employed in this study. In the first, quantitative phase of the study, a survey was administered to assess if teachers believe there to be a civic purpose within world history and whether or not teachers believe they incorporate civic education into curriculum. The second, qualitative phase, involved interviews to explore manifestations and conceptualizations of world history civics in more depth. Results indicated that participants believe civics has an important role in world history. Teachers’ descriptions of civics in world history aligned with best practices of world history civic learning. However, though teachers described world history civic education as present throughout their courses, intentional integration of civics in world history curriculum and instruction was uneven

An Examination of the Relationship Between Prospective Teachers’ Dispositions and Achievement in a Mathematics Content Course for Elementary Education Majors

En: SAGE Open, October-December, pp. 1–15The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prospective teachers’ dispositions and their achievement in a mathematics content course for elementary education majors. Research suggests that components of student dispositions with respect to mathematics can mediate learning via how students may or may not take advantage of opportunities to learn. Consequently, one might expect that there would be measurable differences in the relationship between students’ dispositions and achievement in mathematics. A total of 107 prospective teachers who enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a midsized, mid-Atlantic university participated in this study by taking a researcher-designed survey, the Mathematics Dispositional Functions Inventory. Achievement was measured by the average of grades participants earned on two exams given in the mathematics course. Three achievement groups (high, moderate, and low) were determined based on the distribution of achievement scores. Results indicate that significant differences in prospective teachers’ dispositions with respect to mathematics exist according to achievement in mathematics in two of the three primary categories of dispositional functioning, affective and conative, but not in the third category, dispositional cognitive functioning

Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions Through Community Dialogue in an Academic Writing Programme

The ability to think and write critically is a core outcome in higher education. Many universities provide writing programs for undergraduates to develop sound argumentation skills and build the foundation to engage in academic conversations. Still many students struggle with academic writing. This paper argues that teaching using instructional frameworks is not sufficient; learning will be more effective when situated within a community of practice. Drawing from the learning experiences of students who participated in a community-based activity in a freshmen academic writing class in Singapore, I share my insights on how reframing learning from a structure-driven approach to a community-based experience had enhanced learning dispositions and outcomes. Results show that when learners viewed academic writing as a socially situated practice, and not a task to be completed to fulfil academic requirements, the dispositions needed for critical thinking were honed to drive them towards writing with more criticality

How to promote STEM competencies through design

Introduction: This study explored the impact of a community of inquiry on Science, Design and Technology and Mathematics curriculum competencies of 159 Year six students as they carried out a design task. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was employed with both qualitative and quantitative analyses. A community of inquiry approach was adopted by the teachers (n = 3) in the experimental group but not by teachers (n = 4) in the comparison group. Both groups participated in a learning sequence on electricity culminating in a design challenge in small collaborative groups. Results: The results showed that the experimental group (n = 65) demonstrated significantly greater instances and a broader range of Science, Design and Technology and Mathematics competencies across the design task as well as significantly higher learning gains than their comparison group (n = 94) peers. Discussion: The cognitive shifts towards higher competency development in the experimental group is stronger as a result of the reflection and reasoning required to engage in a community of inquiry

‘A double-edged sword. This is powerful but it could be used destructively’: Perspectives of early career education researchers on learning analytics

Learning analytics has been increasingly outlined as a powerful tool for measuring, analysing, and predicting learning experiences and behaviours. The rising use of learning analytics means that many educational researchers now require new ranges of technical analytical skills to contribute to an increasingly data-heavy field. However, it has been argued that educational data scientists are a ‘scarce breed’ (Buckingham Shum et al., 2013) and that more resources are needed to support the next generation of early career researchers in the education field. At the same time, little is known about how early career education researchers feel towards learning analytics and whether it is important to their current and future research practices. Using a thematic analysis of a participatory learning analytics workshop discussions with 25 early career education researchers, we outline in this article their ambitions, challenges and anxieties towards learning analytics. In doing so, we have provided a roadmap for how the learning analytics field might evolve and practical implications for supporting early career researchers’ development

THINK4JOBS TOOLKIT Ten work-based learning scenarios

The current report is the first Intellectual Output (Output 1) of the THINK4JOBS initiative, which aims at improving students’ CT skills and dispositions by promoting collaboration between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Labour Market Organizations (LMOs). This is the case since according to relevant research findings, LMOs seem to expect employees to acquire CT skills in order for them to successfully address the needs of their work positions. Under this rationale, partners of the two aforementioned fields have decided to redesign and ameliorate HEI curricula by blending both HEIs and LMOs’ experience, knowledge and recommendations, while instilling this evidence into students’ apprenticeships. Apprenticeships offering practice in professional skills can actively lead to students’ understanding of their working environment and simultaneously scaffold CT development with the employment of mentoring. For this reason, the THINK4JOBS initiative exploits apprenticeships as a means of CT exploration and learning through which bridging the gap between HEIs and LMOs can be attained. Therefore, it is considered that in this fashion, students will be acquainted with the concept of CT and also be in the position of transferring it into their work settings, when entering the workplace. It should be noted that partners of the THINK4JOBS project are representatives from five disciplines (teacher training, English as a foreign language – EFL, business economics, business informatics and veterinary medicine), who formed teams between HEI and LMOs for each of these disciplines in order for ideas to be pluralized and CT to be explored across a variety of domains. The current report has a twofold aim: · to trace and map the methods and/or techniques that CT is currently employed in HEIs and LMOs’ apprenticeships and apprenticeships focusing on any possible convergent or divergent points; · to thoroughly describe and suggest work-based, learning scenarios that could bridge the gap between HEIs and LMOs’ curricula and simultaneously attempt to safeguard the requirements for graduates’ CT development and improvement. Mapping the Gap Regarding the first aim of the report, three research methods (observation, focus groups and documentary analysis) were employed in combination with three instruments (observational matrix, focus group rubric and documentary analysis rubric). Each research instrument includes a set of variables, which are majorly organized in three categories: I. Pedagogical aspects of CT development (including class objectives, teaching strategies/methods, tools/materials and evaluation regarding CT) II. CT aspects (including the ways CT is nurtured, triggered and explicitly taught during instruction) III. Implementation of CT (including elements of CT presence in these disciplines) For each variable, a set of indicators, drawing on CT and pedagogical theory was also developed in order for the aforementioned research instruments to be constructed. Stakeholders (HEI students and instructors as well as LMO tutors, employers and employees) participated in the mapping process. Data were collected during the winter semester 2020-2021 and a total of 134 participants from all partner countries participated in the focus groups discussions. Regarding the other two research methods, observation was carried out in at least three apprenticeships or courses, with at least four observation sessions for each of them. As far as it concerns the documentary analysis, documents supporting the courses/apprenticeships, which were observed, were analyzed according to the relevant rubric. Findings from each research instrument were triangulated according to each discipline and are thoroughly described in the current report in separate sections. However, some general conclusions seem to derive from a holistic approach to data analysis. Initially, it was suggested that even though a definitive “gap” between HEIs and LMOs does not seem to exist, there is a different context in CT approach since universities usually employ different learning activities focusing more on career preparation with long-term goals while LMOs follow compact and short-term, learning and teaching strategies. Additionally, findings suggested that CT is a newly-added requirement for the workplace and that HEIs and LMOs do not opt for the same terminology when referring to the concept –meaning that HEIs usually select scientific terms. Another element, which is evident is that CT in HEIs is commonly expressed through a declarative manner, while in LMOs application to specific cases follows the procedural manner. Learning Scenarios Regarding the second aim of this report, each team of HEI and LMO constructed two learning scenarios according to the findings, the sets of recommendations and the already identified educational needs. From the ten work-based scenarios developed, one from every discipline was organized in a syllabus form so that it can be further utilized for the CT blended apprenticeship curricula. This information highlights the importance of the scenarios, since they will set the stage for introducing CT at programme and course levels by utilizing Intellectual Output 3 activities to design work-based curricula for each country and dynamically enhance collaboration between HEIs and LMOs. Under this rationale, this scenario includes descriptive information about the themes, concepts, aims and learning outcomes, the duration, the teaching approach, the learning environment and the evaluation regarding both domain specific and CT related elements. First Intellectual Output Impact The current report is of major importance for the continuation of the THINK4JOBS project since it sets the stage for a sequence of activities carried out during the Second and Third Intellectual Outputs aiming at the successful application of the blended apprenticeships curricula. Besides the report’s importance for the project continuation, it may also stand as a useful Toolkit for teachers, students and employers regarding the development of CT in the workplace. In general, according to research findings, HEIs and LMOs are differently goal-oriented regarding CT and the reason for this divergence lies in the very nature and general context of the two organizations. In other words, HEIs intend to prepare students for all jobs related to a domain, while LMOs aim at preparing an employee for a specific job in a specific organization. This conclusion seems to indicate a paradox: the two organizations work in parallel but they do not share common understanding. This is the reason why the First Intellectual Output may be an invaluable means in the exploration of CT through different perspectives; actively supporting HEI and LMO collaboration in the quest for common ground

Socratic Circles are a Luxury : Exploring the Conceptualization of a Dialogic Tool in Three Science Classrooms

Research has shown that dialogic instruction promotes learning in students. Secondary science has traditionally been taught from an authoritative stance, reinforced in recent years by testing policies requiring coverage. Socratic Circles are a framework for student-led dialogic discourse, which have been successfully used in English language arts and Social studies classrooms. The purpose of this research was to explore the implementation process of Socratic Circles in secondary science classes where they have been perceived to be more difficult. Focusing on two physical science classes and one chemistry class, this study described the nature and characteristics of Socratic Circles, teachers’ dispositions toward dialogic instruction, the nature and characteristics of student discussion, and student motivation. Socratic Circles were found to be a dialogic support that influenced classroom climate, Social skills, content connections, and student participation. Teachers experienced conflict between using traditional test driven scripted teaching, and exploring innovation through dialogic instruction. Students experienced opportunities for peer interaction, participation, and deeper discussions in a framework designed to improve dialogic skills. Students in two of the classrooms showed evidence of motivation for engaging in peer-led discussion, and students in one class did not. The class that did not show evidence of motivation had not been given the same scaffolding as the other two classes. Two physical science teachers and one chemistry teacher found that Socratic Circles required more scaffolding than was indicated by their peers in other disciplines such as English and Social studies. The teachers felt that student’s general lack of background knowledge for any given topic in physical science or chemistry necessitated the building of a knowledge platform before work on a discussion could begin. All three of the teachers indicated that Socratic Circles were a rewarding activity, beneficial to students, which they would use in the future