Classtalk: A Classroom Communication System for Active Learning

This pdf file is an article describing the advantages of using Classtalk technology in the classroom to enhance classroom communication. Classtalk technology cab facilitate the presentation of questions for small group work, collec the student answers and then display histograms showing how the class answered. This new communication technology can help instructors create a more interactive, student centered classroom, especially when teaching large courses. The article describes Classtalk as a very useful tool not only for engaging students in active learning, but also for enhancing the overall communication within the classroom. This article is a selection from the electronic Journal for Computing in Higher Education. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Reading, metacognition, and motivation: A follow-up study of German students in Grades 7 and 8

This follow-up study to van Kraayenoord and Schneider (1999) examined the performance in reading, metacognition and motivation related to reading of students in Grades 7 and 8. Results showed significant correlations between all of the variables. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that good and poor readers differed in reading self-concept and metacognitive measures related to reading and memory. A stepwise regression analysis suggested that the metacognitive variables were the best predictors of reading. Furthermore, a comparison of the results of the previous study with those of the current investigation revealed that the findings were stable over time. Since the period between the two studies is the time during which students make important decisions related to enrolment in one of three distinct school-types in Germany, we examined the results of various groups of students: those in Gymnasium (high educational track), Realschule (middle educational track), and Hauptschule (low educational track). Students in the Gymnasium scored significantly better than students in the other two groups on almost all variables related to reading. A re-analysis of the data from our first investigation found that the results of the Gymnasium students in the second study could be predicted from their results obtained during elementary school

Chinese high-school students in physics classroom as active, self-regulated learners: cognitive, motivational and environmental aspects

The present study investigates whether Chinese high-school students are self-regulated learners. A social-cognitive model that distinguishes environmental, motivational, and cognitive components of this active approach to learning is described. This provides an appropriate framework for investigating this complex issue with eighth and tenth graders attending a high-school in Beijing. By contrasting components of selfregulated learning and components indicating a more passive approach to learning that were both measured with self-report instruments, it could be shown that these students may indeed be considered as self-regulated physics learners. Comparisons of the grade levels revealed that tenth graders are not more active in self-regulating their learning processes than are eighth graders, and that they might even experience a motivational decline in learning physics. The same applies to girls versus boys. The physics-related self-efficacy belief of girls turned out to be considerably lower than with boys, a result that corresponds to findings with students from Western nations. Finally, assumptions about the causal role of motivational factors for using self-regulatory strategies could be confirmed. Possible consequences for further fostering self-regulated learning in physics instruction are discussed