Proof and reasoning in an inquiry-oriented class: The impact of classroom discourse

Over the past decade, mathematics educators and researchers have become increasingly aware of the impact of social interactions on students\u27 learning (NCTM, 2000; Bowers & Nickerson, 2001; Forman, 2003). Current research indicates that the classroom environment, including the activities and discussions that take place, can have a significant effect on the ways students make sense of mathematical concepts (Yackel, 2001). Understanding mathematics involves knowing how to make sense of key concepts through the processes of reasoning and justification. Educators and researchers agree on the importance of providing students with opportunities in class to explore, conjecture, and prove in order to promote mathematical understanding beyond procedural knowledge (Lakatos, 1976; Rasmussen & Marrongelle, 2006). Although there are a number of studies that investigate many different aspects of classroom discourse and students\u27 learning, there remains a need for more understanding (Franke, Kazemi & Battey, 2007). This study is aimed at investigating the nature and impact of social interactions, both teacher-student and student-student, in classroom discourse. In particular, the study seeks to gain understanding of how interactions influence students\u27 engagement in proof and reasoning activities. In addition, the study analyzes students\u27 argumentation schemes as they occurred in classroom discussions and during student group work. Through the perspective that learning is both a social and an individual activity, this research focuses on the social component of the learning process as it occurs in the classroom. Ethnographic techniques of participant observation and interviews provided methods of data collection, and analysis of discourse and argumentation structures provided a way to interpret the data. This study contributes to the existing research by highlighting certain types of interactions that resulted in students contributing to proof construction and collective reasoning

Intelligent e-Learning Systems: An Educational Paradigm Shift

Learning is the long process of transforming information as well as experience into knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviors. To make up the wide gap between the demand of increasing higher education and comparatively limited resources, more and more educational institutes are looking into instructional technology. Use of online resources not only reduces the cost of education but also meet the needs of society. Intelligent e-learning has become one of the important channels to reach out to students exceeding geographic boundaries. Besides this, the characteristics of e-learning have complicated the process of education, and have brought challenges to both instructors and students. This paper will focus on the discussion of different discipline of intelligent e-learning like scaffolding based e-learning, personalized e-learning, confidence based e-learning, intelligent tutoring system, etc. to illuminate the educational paradigm shift in intelligent e-learning system

A Causal-Comparative Study on the Efficacy of Intelligent Tutoring Systems on Middle-Grade Math Achievement

This study is a quantitative examination of intelligent tutoring systems in two similar suburban middle schools (grades 6-8) in the Southeastern United States. More specifically, it is a causal-comparative study purposed with examining the efficacy of intelligent tutoring systems as they relate to math achievement for students at two similar middle schools in the Midlands of South Carolina. The independent variable, use of an intelligent tutoring system in math instruction, is defined as the supplementary use of two intelligent tutoring systems, Pearson’s Math Digits and IXL, for math instruction. The dependent variable is math achievement as determined by the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) SC 6+Math test. The student data examined is archived MAP SC 6+ Math scores from the 2017-2018 school year. A one-way ANCOVA was used to compare the mean achievement gain scores of both groups, students whose math instruction included intelligent tutoring systems and students whose math instruction did not include intelligent tutoring systems, to establish whether or not there was any statistically significant difference between the adjusted population means of the two independent groups. The results showed that the adjusted mean of posttest scores of students who did not receive math instruction that involved an intelligent tutoring system were significantly higher than those who did

Curriculum development for an inquiry approach to construction education.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.University graduates have been criticised for failing to make a meaningful contribution to professional practice in the construction industry in South Africa and across the world generally. Deficiencies have been reported in the ability of graduates of construction programmes to think critically, solve problems or apply theoretical knowledge in practical situations. Among other factors, the traditional didactic lecture approach to teaching and learning has been blamed for not providing students with an appropriate learning experience to adequately prepare them for professional practice. This is because the didactic lecture approach is characterised by attempts to transmit knowledge from the lecturer to the student which has been found to be inadequate in achieving effective learning. The traditional didactic approach to teaching is based on theories of learning which assumed that knowledge can be transmitted from the minds of lecturers to the minds of students. Contemporary theories of learning have rebuffed this assumption and demonstrated that knowledge and understanding are achieved by students actively engaging with the study material and constructing their own knowledge structures rather than passively receiving knowledge and understanding. Based on these contemporary theories of learning, several different pedagogy has been suggested and incorporated in educational practice. However, predominantly, contemporary pedagogy has been haphazardly applied within the traditional framework of segregated modules. Also, different pedagogy based on different contemporary theories has been researched and applied independent of each other. This has led to some contradictions in some pedagogy and a lack of synergistic collaboration among the contemporary pedagogy. Against this background, this thesis researched the problem that the traditional didactic lecture teaching approach to construction education at undergraduate level does not adequately prepare students for construction professional practice and therefore requires an alternative curriculum model which incorporates different contemporary theories of learning synergistically in a student centred inquiry based learning (IBL) pedagogical framework. To achieve this, the research established factors from the contemporary theories of learning which significantly contribute to the creation of knowledge structures in students studying construction programmes in South Africa. Subsequently the research proposed a curriculum model for construction programmes which incorporated the identified antecedents to effective learning underpinned in the contemporary pedagogical framework of IBL. The research followed a positivist epistemological philosophy and a subjective ontological philosophy, a deductive research approach, a survey research strategy, a cross sectional time horizon and a data collection technique and procedure of a questionnaire using the non-probability sampling technique of convenient sampling. The research procedure included an extensive literature review of three contemporary theories of learning namely, constructivism from philosophy, connectionism from behaviourism and cognitive load theory from cognitive science. Subsequently, an instrument measuring the concepts from the conceptual model was developed, pre-tested and then administered to undergraduate students studying construction programmes at a convenient sample of public universities in South Africa. The results show that the factors from the three contemporary theories of learning which directly influence the extent to which students studying construction programmes are able to create knowledge structures and achieve effective learning are individual learning, scaffolding, reflective thinking and group learning in that order. Repetition, reinforcement, readiness, self-directed learning and the use of worked examples have indirect relationships with the ability for students to create knowledge structures. Complex questions and authentic questions were also found to indirectly contribute to effective learning. Cognitive loading was found to interfere with learning and complex questions were found to induce cognitive loading while authentic questions did not. Subsequently, an IBL curriculum framework for construction programmes was proposed which integrated most of the topics which directly relate to construction practice. Based on the findings, the IBL class should involve students in both individual and group learning activities which should be appropriately scaffolded and students explicitly directed towards reflective thinking as they engage in the IBL projects. Complex questions and authentic questions should be used in collaboration with extra scaffolding in order to reduce the impact of the consequent cognitive loading induced by complex questions. The IBL projects should be simple initially and increase in complexity as the student’s advance

A Multi-Agent Architecture for An Intelligent Web-Based Educational System

An intelligent educational system must constitute an adaptive system built on multi-agent system architecture. The multi-agent architecture component provides self-organization, self-direction, and other control functionalities that are crucially important for an educational system. On the other hand, the adaptiveness of the system is necessary to provide customization, diversification, and interactional functionalities. Therefore, an educational system architecture that integrates multi-agent functionality [50] with adaptiveness can offer the learner the required independent learning experience. An educational system architecture is a complex structure with an intricate hierarchal organization where the functional components of the system undergo sophisticated and unpredictable internal interactions to perform its function. Hence, the system architecture must constitute adaptive and autonomous agents differentiated according to their functions, called multi-agent systems (MASs). The research paper proposes an adaptive hierarchal multi-agent educational system (AHMAES) [51] as an alternative to the traditional education delivery method. The document explains the various architectural characteristics of an adaptive multi-agent educational system and critically analyzes the system’s factors for software quality attributes

Conversational Movement Dynamics and Nonverbal Indicators of Second Language Development: A Microgenetic Approach

This dissertation study extends on current understandings of gesture and embodied interaction with the eco-social environment in second language development (SLD) while introducing new aspects of movement analysis through dynamical modeling. To understand the role of embodiment during learning activities, a second language learning task has been selected. Dyads consisting of a non-native English-speaking student and a native English-speaking tutor were video recorded during writing consultations centered on class assignments provided by the student. Cross-recurrence quantification analysis was used to measure interactional movement synchrony between the members of each dyad. Results indicate that students with varied English proficiency levels synchronize movements with their tutors over brief, frequent periods of time. Synchronous movement pattern complexity is highly variable across and within the dyads. Additionally, co-speech gesture and gesture independent of speech were analyzed qualitatively to identify the role of gesture as related to SLD events. A range of movement types were used during developmental events by the students and tutors to interact with their partner. The results indicated that language development occurs within a movement rich context through negotiated interaction which depends on a combination of synchronized and synergistic movements. Synchronized movements exhibited complex, dynamical behaviors including variability, self-organization, and emergent properties. Synergistic movement emergence revealed how the dualistic presence of the self/other in each dyad creates a functioning intersubjective space. Overall, the dyads demonstrated that movement is a salient factor in the writing consultation activity

E-learning in universities in Uganda: predictors of successful adoption

Adoption of e-learning technology has been carried out by numerous universities in the developing countries with the aim of advancing the knowledge society and economic development. However, the adoption of e-learning technology in the said universities is fraught with challenges leading to low level use for instructional purposes. The study aims at: (i) identifying the predictors of successful adoption of e-learning, (ii) investigating causes of failures of past e-learning information systems initiatives, and (iii) developing a predictive framework for the advancement of e-learning programmes for universities in Uganda. In order to determine possible predictors of successful adoption, the researcher adopted the configurational (Gestalts) approach. The hypotheses were tested in a survey that involved 73 lecturers and 184 students from Uganda’s Makerere University and Gulu University. The respondents’ opinions are obtained using questionnaires and interviews and analysed using descriptive, clustering and deductive thematic analyses techniques. The research identified four analytical clusters from the target group of the lecturers, while the target group of the students are described by six analytical clusters. Results from cluster 1 among lecturers indicate that successful adoption is dependent on being familiar with the objectives of the university’s e-learning policies, finding time to experiment with ICT, availability of financial support and commitment of university management. However, it should be noted that while the study was conducted within two Universities, the majority of the lecturer respondents were from Makerere University. Therefore, while organisational characteristics contribute to the adoption of e-learning among lecturers, their influence is more pronounced in the established university, that is, Makerere. Both lecturers and students adopt e-learning facilities at later stages of their studies or career which raises great concern. The majority of the lecturers in the lead cluster were male and PhD holders while most of the students in the lead cluster were male and in their second year of study. Lecturers in Cluster 1 are adopters because of the knowledge and long-time experience with e-learning facilities compared to their counterparts in Clusters 2 and 3. Students in Cluster 4 were adopters because they had more knowledge and skills in the use of ICTs than their counterparts in the other clusters. Cluster 3 and 6 among lecturers and students respectively were least adopters of e-learning mainly because they were unfamiliar with the university e-learning policy. The main causes of failure of past e-learning information systems initiatives were lack of structured approach to e-learning and inadequate empowerment. From the cluster findings, a predictive framework for the advancement of e-learning programmes in universities in Uganda was developed. It was recommended that: adoption of e-learning technology should be encouraged during the early school years of the students and earlier career years of the academic if universities are to be competitive