Neuroangradogy in Online Education

The purpose of this perspective in practice essay is to address the effectiveness of online learning based on adult brain-based education. This essay attempts to answer the question: Do what we know about the brain (neurology) and adult teaching methods (andragogy) play a key role in learning in online courses?

Curricular perceptions of adult education at National Chun -Chin University, Chia -Yi, Taiwan

This research was conducted in Chia-Yi, Taiwan to study the needs of adult education participants to determine the factors necessary to provide direction for the development of university adult education curriculum and supportive government educational policies. Factors researched were characteristics of the adult learner, theories of adult learning, demands of adult education, and implications of university adult education as the theoretical foundation for the development of specific curriculum development efforts. The study investigated adult learning needs and their relationship with demographic variable. Analyzing the needs of adult education participant and the relative factors through a survey resulted in recommendations for the development of adult education program plans, content of curriculum, and teaching. Research questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequencies, chi square, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and post hoc analysis. ^ The study showed that most participants in these adult education activities were under forty, middle class, of above average educational levels, and either living or working in the city. People who were older, of lesser social and economic positions, with lower educational standards, and living/working in the country, did not participate as much in adult education opportunities. Recommendations included that in the planning or setting up of adult education activities, attention be given to all the possible barriers or problems that are likely to occur in people's participation, e.g., motivation, interests, content of courses, teaching methods, willingness of participation, qualification of teachers, time, funds, locations, and so on. It is suggested that the resolution of these problems can significantly increase the participation of adult education. ^

The impact of looping of fourth grade students on their reading achievement

This study examines the effects of looping (staying with the same teacher for two grade levels) on the reading achievement of fourth graders within a large, urban, multicultural school. Looping was expected to have a positive effect on reading achievement and reading qualities. Additional benefits, such as its effect on anxiety levels and self-concept were also assumed to accrue from looping. A causal-comparative design was employed. Four existing classrooms consisting of eighty-one fourth grade students comprised the treatment and comparison groups. The two "looping" treatment groups consisted of students who had the same teacher for their third and fourth grade school years. The remaining two classes comprised the comparison groups. Pre- and post-tests for reading achievement total scores and subscores for main idea and comparisons were obtained using the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Assessments were also obtained from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, modified to reflect reading, and the Self- Perception Profile for Children. The difference in pre- and post-test FCAT scores were analyzed via a four group simple ANOVA to examine the effects of the looping model on reading achievement and reading qualities. Similar simple ANOVAs were performed to investigate the relationship of looping to anxiety and self-concept. The findings led to the conclusion that looping was significantly related to improvement in reading achievement and reading qualities. In addition, the hypothesized relationship of lower anxiety in the looping group compared to the comparison group was supported. There were no significant effects on self-concept for any of the comparisons. The study clearly demonstrated the positive effects of looping, on total reading achievement scores, on reading qualities of fourth grade students who participated in looping classes and on differences in students' anxiety. Looping did not have an effect on general self-concept. The results demonstrate the effects of looping on teaching methods. In looping practice teachers have the advantage of knowing their students and the students' readiness and can make adaptations of teaching methods accordingly. From the students' perspective, the looped students do not have to adapt to a new teacher and thus, experience lower anxiety.

A simulação como método de ensino de habilidades no curso de medicina: relato de uma experiência com punção lombar

The teaching of the lumbar puncture (LP) technique with simulator is not well systematized in the curricula of medical schools. Studies show that training in the simulator provides learning technical skills, acquisition and retention of knowledge, improve self-confidence of the learner and enables the transfer to clinical practice. We intend this study to introduce simulated training in LP in medical course at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte evaluating the experience taking into account quantitative aspects (performance on standardized tests) and qualitative (perception of the students regarding the method and the teaching process learning). The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase practical training in PL was introduced in the 3rd year of medical school. Seventy-seven students were trained in small groups, guided by a checklist developed in the model Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS), at this moment they knew they were not under performance evaluation. They were also asked whether they had prior chances to make an LP in patients. At the end of the first phase the students evaluated training in the following areas: teaching technique, simulator realism, time available per group, number of participants per group and relevance to medical practice. In the second phase, two years later, 18 students trained in first stage performed a new LP on the mannequin simulator, and its performance was evaluated through the same checklist of training in order to verify the technical retention. In addition, they answered a multiple choice test about practical aspects of the LP technique. Each participant received individual feedback on their performance at the end of their participation in the study. In the first phase of the study we found that only 4% of students had performed a lumbar puncture in patients until the 3rd year. The training of LP technique with simulator mannequin was considered relevant and the teaching methods was thoroughly evaluated. In the second phase, all participants were successful in implementing the lumbar puncture on the mannequin simulator, compliance with the most steps in a reasonable time, suggesting that would be able to perform the procedure in a patient.

Dificultades del profesorado para planificar, coordinar y evaluar competencias claves. Un análisis desde la Inspección de Educación.

Este artículo presenta una investigación en la que se analizan las dificultades del profesorado para planificar, coordinar y evaluar competencias claves en una muestra de 23 centros educativos. El tema tiene hondas repercusiones ya que una mala praxis educativa de las competencias claves puede conculcar uno de los derechos fundamentales del alumnado a ser evaluado de forma objetiva (LODE: Art.6b y RD 732/1995: Art. 13.1) y poder superar las pruebas de evaluación consideradas necesarias para la obtención del título académico mínimo que otorga el estado español. La investigación se ha desarrollado desde una doble perspectiva metodológica; en primer lugar, es una investigación descriptiva en la que presentamos las características fundamentales de las competencias claves y la normativa básica para su desarrollo y evaluación. En segundo lugar,  aplicamos un procedimiento de análisis con una doble vertiente cualitativa mediante el empleo del programa Atlas-Ti y del enfoque reticular-categorial del análisis de redes sociales con la aplicación de UCINET y el visor yED Graph Editor para abordar el análisis de las principales dificultades y obstáculos detectados. Los resultados muestran que existen serias dificultades en las tres dimensiones analizadas: "planificación", "coordinación" y "evaluación" de competencias clave; especialmente en la necesidad de formación del profesorado, en la evaluación de las competencias, en la metodología para su desarrollo y en los procesos de coordinación interna para su consecución en los centros educativos.

Los estilos de enseñanza: construyendo puentes para transitar las diferencias individuales del alumnado

Para progresar en el camino hacia una efectiva atención a la diversidad, es inevitable desarrollar un estilo de enseñanza que tenga en cuenta las diferencias individuales que presenta el alumnado, muy vinculadas a intereses, necesidades, aptitudes, potencialidades y estilos de aprendizaje particulares del educando. Rasgos, todos ellos, que los hace únicos y diferenciados. Así, desde el estudio de la variabilidad intersujeto y partiendo de un marco teórico multidimensional, se describen y analizan las diferencias interindividuales e intergrupales de 555 estudiantes de la Facultades de Ciencias de la Educación de Galicia pertenecientes a las Universidades de Coruña, Santiago de Compostela y Vigo, bajo el prisma de los siguientes estilos de enseñanza: reflexivo, cooperador, individualizador, innovador, indagador y académico. Los resultados obtenidos revelan la existencia de diferencias significativas en las preferencias sobre estilos de enseñanza en función de las variables propuestas: Universidad, especialidad, sexo y edad.

Hur effektiva är undervisningsmetoder som inkluderar grundskoleelevers bakgrundskunskaper för deras utveckling av läsförståelse? : En systematisk litteraturstudie.

The results from the international surveys PISA 2011 and PIRLS 2011 shows that Swedish students have been deteriorating in reading comprehension. The main purpose of this literature study was to do a research review over different methods that intend to increase students’ reading comprehension by including students’ background knowledge. The method that is applied is a systematic literature study. The result of the study shows two bigger specializations of teaching methodics within reading comprehension, strategy oriented, and contextual teaching methods. The difference between these methods is hardly worth mentioning, but the contextual method is proven to be more efficient. Despite this the strategy oriented teaching method is to a great extent more researched. The result also shows that a new orientation within the research of reading comprehension is growing, where the focus is on the teachers’ knowledge and competence, instead of on teaching methods. A conclusion of the study is that all teaching methods that have been presented in the study develop the students’ reading comprehension in an effective way. It is also shown that the teacher has a big responsibility for the development within students’ reading comprehension.

Applying Enterprise: Active Learning Environments for Business Higher National Diploma Students

This article details an approach to teaching entrepreneurship to Higher National Diploma (HND) students that combines lecture-based and experiential learning processes to increase student learning, comprehension, and entrepreneurial skills. A UK university redesigned an entrepreneurship course to have students design and implement business plans for a pop-up shop and an event in the local community, while working closely with instructors and outside stakeholders. The lectures used in the lessons were designed to complement the enterprise activities and be immediately applied in group work settings. Data was collected from student reflections and analyzed against instructor reflections to highlight both the success and challenges of this approach, as well as any areas of dissonance between student and instructor observations. While literature on the benefits of active and experiential learning processes are highlighted in the literature, this article examines these teaching methods specifically in a HND context, an area in which research on the benefits of these teaching methods for developing entrepreneurial students and for developing students prepared for undergraduate education has been limited.

A Course on sample surveys for statistics students

Statisticians should be involved at all stages of sample surveys and courses on surveys need to reflect this by covering both theoretical and practical aspects. Teaching methods could include some hands-on experience, directed reading, and use of software designed for teaching or professional use, as well as more traditional lecturing. Suggestions are given for a course of about fifty hours.

Práticas de ensino por investigação nas aulas de ciências desenvolvidas nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental

Acompanha: Material de apoio para os professores das escolas municipais de Curitiba: propostas de práticas de ensino por investigação nas aulas de ciências dos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental.

Versuch zur Erfassung motivationsrelevanter Faktoren im naturwissenschaftsbezogenen Unterricht in der Schuleingangsstufe

Eine Fragebogenentwicklung wird vorgestellt, die Lernfreude, Anstrengungsbereitschaft, Bedeutung von Lernen und Zufriedenheit mit der didaktischen Unterrichtsgestaltung operationalisiert und an Kindern im Alter von 7-8 Jahren überprüft. Erste Ergebnisse weisen auf erfolgversprechende Weiterentwicklungsmöglichkeiten hin. Es scheint möglich auf dieser Stufe ökonomisch und flächendeckend reliable Daten zu erheben. (DIPF/Orig.)

Matemática em atividades interdisciplinares: uma base para a estruturação dos seminários integrados

A partir do ano de 2012, lança-se uma proposta de reestruturação no Ensino Mé- dio no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Surge nessa proposta um elemento novo na grade curricular chamado de Seminário Integrado. Esse tem por objetivo aliar a formação geral à parte diversificada do currículo através de um planejamento interdisciplinar voltado à pesquisa. Diante desse cenário surge a motivação para elaborar esse trabalho, nele apresenta-se quatro atividades interdisciplinares relacionando a matemática com outras disciplinas. Nossa proposta é que essas atividades possam servir como uma possível base para elaboração e/ou estruturação de atividades nos Seminários Integrados. Junto com cada atividade apresentamos uma proposta de pesquisa relacionada à prática social, bem como em quais sentidos essas atividades poderão preparar o jovem para ser inserido no mercado de trabalho. O material elaborado pelos professores envolvidos e a escolha dos métodos de ensino utilizados são subsidiados por uma pesquisa bibliográfica que fizemos a respeito do tema interdisciplinaridade. As atividades elaboradas foram aplicadas em duas turmas de terceiro ano do Ensino Médio, em uma escola particular na cidade de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. Apresentamos alguns dados que consideramos relevantes em termos de resultados relacionados ao ganho pedagógico.

Predominant learning styles among pharmacy students at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil

Background: Learning styles are cognitive, emotional, and physiological traits, as well as indicators of how learners perceive, interact, and respond to their learning environments. According to Honey-Mumford, learning styles are classified as active, reflexive, theoretical, and pragmatic. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the predominant learning styles among pharmacy students at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was conducted using the Honey-Alonso Learning Style Questionnaire. Students in the Bachelor of Pharmacy program were invited to participate in this study. The questionnaire comprised 80 randomized questions, 20 for each of the four learning styles. The maximum possible score was 20 points for each learning style, and cumulative scores indicated the predominant learning styles among the participants. Honey-Mumford (1986) proposed five preference levels for each style (very low, low, moderate, high, and very high), called a general interpretation scale, to avoid student identification with one learning style and ignoring the characteristics of the other styles. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: This study included 297 students (70% of all pharmacy students at the time) with a median age of 21 years old. Women comprised 77.1% of participants. The predominant style among pharmacy students at the Federal University of Paraná was the pragmatist, with a median of 14 (high preference). The pragmatist style prevails in people who are able to discover techniques related to their daily learning because such people are curious to discover new strategies and attempt to verify whether the strategies are efficient and valid. Because these people are direct and objective in their actions, pragmatists prefer to focus on practical issues that are validated and on problem situations. There was no statistically significant difference between genders with regard to learning styles. Conclusion: The pragmatist style is the prevailing style among pharmacy students at the Federal University of Paraná. Although students may have a learning preference that preference is not the only manner in which students can learn, neither their preference is the only manner in which students can be taught. Awareness of students’ learning styles can be used to adapt the methodology used by teachers to render the teaching-learning process effective and long lasting. The content taught to students should be presented in different manners because varying teaching methods can develop learning skills in students.

Criatividade para quê? conversas, processos e produções na formação de professores

Esta pesquisa, intitulada CRIATIVIDADE PARA QUÊ? CONVERSAS, PROCESSOS E PRODUÇÕES NA FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES, investiga a criatividade na formação de professores. Sua fundamentação teórica baseia-se, principalmente, na atividade criadora de Fayga Ostrower e é contextualizada nas relações existentes entre imaginação e criatividade, propostas por Vigostky. A investigação intentou compreender as concepções de criatividade de um grupo de estudantes de licenciatura da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG. Os objetivos específicos consistiram em investigar as condições inibidoras e estimuladoras da criatividade no ensino; identificar as necessidades, desejos e possibilidades dos estudantes de licenciatura em relação ao ensino atual; e discutir as evidências e as características do professor criativo. A produção de dados foi realizada a partir da execução de um projeto de extensão, no qual os participantes realizaram atividades com temáticas relacionadas ao tema de pesquisa, tais como a conceituação de criatividade; inibidores e potencializadores da criatividade; a escola criativa e o professor criativo. Os dados foram produzidos por meio de questionários, diários, áudio e criação de objetos tridimensionais, confeccionados com tecido e outros materiais. O projeto de extensão foi realizado em duas ocasiões com públicos distintos. A primeira versão foi realizada em 2013, com nove alunos de diversos cursos de licenciatura. A segunda ocorreu em 2014, com acadêmicos do curso de Artes Visuais - Licenciatura. A análise de dados foi inspirada na Análise Textual Discursiva - ATD, de Moraes e Galiazzi, e os resultados foram apresentados a partir de histórias ficcionais, contadas por professores, personagens fictícios. Os personagens foram compostos por aspectos relacionados à criatividade, apresentados e discutidos pelos grupos durante o desenvolvimento do projeto, e as histórias identificam características que inibem ou potencializam a criatividade no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Entre os aspectos apontados como inibidores do processo criativo estão o excesso de atividades ao qual estão submetidos os professores e alunos na universidade; o uso de vocabulário prolixo pelo professor; a repressão do sistema educacional, representada pela imposição de regras e pelo excesso de atividades que impedem os alunos de utilizarem a livre expressão. Como elementos que estimulam a criatividade, foram identificados o desejo pelo novo ou desconhecido; a contextualização dos conteúdos, relacionando-os ao cotidiano dos alunos; aulas realizadas em ambientes externos à sala de aula, entre outros. Os aspectos indicados pelos sujeitos da pesquisa como sendo criativos não são surpreendentes ou inovadores. Poucos professores universitários foram lembrados pelos alunos como sendo criativos, e muitas foram as críticas em relação à universidade e aos métodos de ensino utilizados pelos professores que, segundo os sujeitos, inibem o processo criativo. Embora a criatividade seja considerada vital ao homem, constata-se que, no ambiente universitário, há muitas barreiras, dificultando e inibindo o processo criativo dos futuros professores.

Kształtowanie umiejętności wnioskowania sylogistycznego

The article consists of two parts. In the first part the author presents the characteristics of syllogistic reasoning, in the second part describes a set of exercises that are useful in teaching and developing the skill of syllogistic reasoning. The exercises belong to the teaching tools called interactive teaching methods and are of varying level of difficulty.