Using video for the identification and assessment of learning in initial teacher education

A project which looked at video analysis of student teachers' work

Racial Microaggressions, College Self-Efficacy, And The Persistence Of Students Of Color In Predominantly White, 4 Year Institutions Of Higher Education

College students of Color face unique challenges and barriers in college settings (Allen, 1992; Harper & Hurtado, 2007) and many of these students are not able to effectively integrate into the academic and social realms of college life. This leads many students of Color to ultimately drop out of college (Fischer, 2007).The present study utilized a sample of 228 Freshman college students of Color to examine the influence of college self-efficacy and experiences of racial micro-aggressions on factors related to the persistence in college of racial and ethnic minority students. Structural equation modeling was utilized to test the direct and indirect relationships between racial microaggression experiences, college self-efficacy, college social integration, college academic integration, and persistence attitudes. Three measures were utilized to assess the variables in this study: the Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale (REMS), Persistence / Voluntary Dropout Scale (P/VDDS), and the College Self-Efficacy Inventory (CSEI). College self-efficacy directly influenced academic and social integration, and indirectly influenced persistence attitudes through academic integration. Social integration influenced college persistence indirectly through academic integration, and academic integration directly influenced social integration and persistence attitudes. Racial microaggressions were not found to influence any of the variables in the study. Next steps in future research, clinical implications, and study limitations are discussed

Digital makeover: what do pre-service teachers learn from microteaching primary science and how does an online video analysis tool enhance learning?

This paper reports on pre-service teachers’ experiences of using the web-based video analysis tool VideoAnt during microteaching seminars in primary science. Opportunities for pre-service teachers to observe and teach high quality primary science lessons during placement may be restricted by the focus on Numeracy and Literacy and recently reported decrease in the profile of science within the primary curriculum. This in turn will compromise the confidence and competence of future teachers with respect to teaching science. Within initial teacher education Microteaching continues to be used widely as a means of introducing the practice of teaching in a gradual and controlled manner. Data obtained from questionnaires and focus group interviews of 93 undergraduate students suggests that the online video analysis tool VideoAnt adds significant value to the learning resulting from each of the three features of microteaching; shortened lessons, video analysis and feedback. The majority of pre-service teachers enjoyed using the tool and reported that the experience had increased their levels of confidence in teaching primary science and that as a result they would now be better equipped to learn during the course of school placement. The findings may help address the challenge of achieving greater integration between the college-based and school-centred components of ITE programmes, and enhance pre-service teachers’ experience of teaching in curricular areas such as primary science where the opportunity for practice during placement may be limited

Teachers’ reflective practice via video enquiry: the usefulness of peers, teacher mentors and video as a method to enhance the enculturation and reflection of pre-service teachers

This paper describes a collaborative project between Stranmillis University College (HEI), Belfast and Lumen Christi College, Derry in Northern Ireland. The project involved a Community of Learners (CoL) made up of nine undergraduates in the first of the four years of their Bachelor of Education degree course. The aim was to explore the merits of engaging students with teacher mentors at the school, who would facilitate an observational and reflective role in relation to the students’ first-time teaching experience in the classroom. Additionally, the students were paired off and co-taught a lesson in both Science and Mathematics. Video recordings were carried out by each student while the other taught the lesson. The students then were required to edit the video and prepare a montage that demonstrated their competency in relation to the subject and the teaching methods. Furthermore, the students were then required to produce either and/or a VideoPaper (VP) or a multimedia learning object (MLO) (using the Generative Learning Object Maker [GLO] tool). The MLO’s encapsulate the video as evidence, augmented by audio reflective narrations; recordings of both their mentors observations and reflections and their peer observations and reflections. The VP, allowed the students to match theory to their practice by way of inserting play buttons at precise and predetermined timeslots on the video time line. The experiences of the students were captured by questionnaires and focus group interviews. This paper outlines the richness in terms of reflection from multiple interpretations of the video evidence or practice as recorded by the students in the classroom. It considers what actually constitutes feedback, situated learning, reflective practice and collaboration in terms of the holistic approach to the development of pre-service teacher training the in the U.K and Ireland

Visualising interactions in bi- and triadditive models for three-way tables

This paper concerns the visualisation of interaction in three-way arrays. It extends some standard ways of visualising biadditive modelling for two-way data to the case of three-way data. Three-way interaction is modelled by the Parafac method as applied to interaction arrays that have main effects and biadditive terms removed. These interactions are visualised in three and two dimensions. We introduce some ideas to reduce visual overload that can occur when the data array has many entries. Details are given on the interpretation of a novel way of representing rank-three interactions accurately in two dimensions. The discussion has implications regarding interpreting the concept of interaction in three-way arrays

Gene expression analysis reveals a 5-gene signature for progression-free survival in prostate cancer

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordProstate cancer (PCa) is the second most common male cancer worldwide, but effective biomarkers for the presence or progression risk of disease are currently elusive. In a series of nine matched histologically confirmed PCa and benign samples, we carried out an integrated transcriptome-wide gene expression analysis, including differential gene expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), which identified a set of potential gene markers highly associated with tumour status (malignant vs. benign). We then used these genes to establish a minimal progression-free survival (PFS)-associated gene signature (GS) (PCBP1, PABPN1, PTPRF, DANCR, and MYC) using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and stepwise multivariate Cox regression analyses from The Cancer Genome Atlas prostate adenocarcinoma (TCGA-PRAD) dataset. Our signature was able to predict PFS over 1, 3, and 5 years in TCGA-PRAD dataset, with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.64–0.78, and our signature remained as a prognostic factor independent of age, Gleason score, and pathological T and N stages. A nomogram combining the signature and Gleason score demonstrated improved predictive capability for PFS (AUC: 0.71–0.85) and was superior to the Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG) model alone and some conventionally used clinicopathological factors in predicting PFS. In conclusion, we have identified and validated a novel five-gene signature and established a nomogram that effectively predicted PFS in patients with PCa. Findings may improve current prognosis tools for PFS and contribute to clinical decision-making in PCa treatment.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR