How instructors initially viewed teaching online in higher education in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

Learning and teaching in higher education institutions around the world have been heavily affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 since the fall of 2019. Teachers were suddenly told to convert their classes online and to be prepared to teach virtually. An online focus group (n = 9) was conducted during the initial period of lockdown in the UK at the end of March 2020 to find out about their teaching experiences of transition into online education. A number of challenges were identified in both synchronous and asynchronous teaching processes, including unfamiliarity with the learning management system, privacy concerns, student engagement, preparation time and technological issues. A set of best practices was developed for instructors teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic

A mathematical model of aging-related and cortisol induced hippocampal dysfunction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The hippocampus is essential for declarative memory synthesis and is a core pathological substrate for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common aging-related dementing disease. Acute increases in plasma cortisol are associated with transient hippocampal inhibition and retrograde amnesia, while chronic cortisol elevation is associated with hippocampal atrophy. Thus, cortisol levels could be monitored and managed in older people, to decrease their risk of AD type hippocampal dysfunction. We generated an in silico<it/>model of the chronic effects of elevated plasma cortisol on hippocampal activity and atrophy, using the systems biology mark-up language (SBML). We further challenged the model with biologically based interventions to ascertain if cortisol associated hippocampal dysfunction could be abrogated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The in silico<it/>SBML model reflected the in vivo<it/>aging of the hippocampus and increased plasma cortisol and negative feedback to the hypothalamic pituitary axis. Aging induced a 12% decrease in hippocampus activity (HA), increased to 30% by acute and 40% by chronic elevations in cortisol. The biological intervention attenuated the cortisol associated decrease in HA by 2% in the acute cortisol simulation and by 8% in the chronic simulation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both acute and chronic elevations in cortisol secretion increased aging-associated hippocampal atrophy and a loss of HA in the model. We suggest that this first SMBL model, in tandem with in vitro<it/>and in vivo<it/>studies, may provide a backbone to further frame computational cortisol and brain aging models, which may help predict aging-related brain changes in vulnerable older people.</p

The Importance Of Including Homework In Our Teacher Training Programmes

The importance of including homework in our teacher training programme

Barriers to Professionalism in the Native-Speaking English Teacher Scheme in Hong Kong

This article reports on a small-scale exploratory study that examined how native-speaking English teachers (NETs) working in the Primary Native-speaking English Teacher (PNET) Scheme construct their professional identity(ies) and explored the barriers to their professionalism that exist within their role and context. Data were collected using questionnaires and a group interview with qualified NETs. The findings of the study show that NETs’ identities are complex with NETs having to negotiate their professional identities to fit into their role and local context. Although other stakeholders endorse this modification, it does not come without cost. NETs sacrifice their authentic selves while facing barriers to their own personal beliefs of good teaching and professionalism. The author suggests that if these barriers are not addressed, NETs may feel marginalised and be unable to be their professional selves. A number of suggestions are made for NETs, teachers, school administrators and policy-makers on how to better support NETs’ professionalism

Giving Young Learners A Choice Of Homework

Benjamin Moorhouse suggests that involving the learners leads to more fruitful homework

Active Involvement in a Pre-Service English Language Teachers’ Overseas Practicum Experience

Parallel Session: no. 64Teaching abroad has been shown to have a positive impact on pre-service teachers’ personal and professional development. Because of this, universities around the world are increasingly providing students with the opportunity to conduct teaching practicums abroad. My university’s teacher education programmes have recently gone through reforms to ensure our graduates are better prepared for their role in the local and international community. As part of these reforms, a variety of international experiential learning projects have been developed. Different from other overseas practicum experiences, these include experiential learning elements. Students are expected to explore the local contexts, identify needs, implement solutions and reflect on their solutions within the communities they work. This paper introduces an experiential learning project in a pre-service undergraduate teacher education programme at my university in which ten pre-service English language teachers and myself, their teacher educator, participated in a two-week overseas teaching experience in a primary school in Ningbo, China. I report on my experience as a novice teacher educator and the benefit I found in taking an active role in this project

Cooking with Children

Benjamin Moorhouse considers classroom cuisine can be a piece of cake

Effective use of guided reading in the EFL classroom

Conference Theme: Teaching Literacies - Emerging Pathways and Possibilities in Language EducationThis workshop will give practical suggestions on how guided reading can be used with young EFL learners. Guided reading has become a mainstay of English classrooms in the UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia. A guided reading session involves a teacher working with a small group of students of a similar reading level. As they are of similar abilities in reading, the teacher can focus on their specific needs while scaffolding them to make progress in their reading. Guided reading has become increasingly common in EFL classrooms in Hong Kong. During the workshop, the facilitator will demonstrate the stages of guided reading: • Before reading – the teachers guide students to access their prior knowledge and build schema. • While reading - the teacher monitors students reading and support their decoding and comprehension strategies. • After reading - the teacher engages students in discussions around the text, checks understanding and evaluate the text. Follow-up activities will also be suggested. Participants then get the opportunity to work in groups to develop a plan for a guided reading session and conduct a guided reading session for themselves. The facilitator will also give suggestions on classroom management, book selection and how to arrange students into appropriate groups