Robotics as a Powerful Vehicle Toward Learning and Computational Thinking in Secondary Education of 21st Century

This chapter focuses on the design and implementation of robotics activities in authentic classroom conditions in secondary education. It suggests that robotics can provide a powerful educational vehicle for guiding high school students toward learning in 21st century. It presents a constructionist approach to foster computational thinking and creativity by engaging in robotics and programming activities in real-world classroom. More specifically, this chapter presents teaching interventions that have been implemented in real conditions to high school students during robotics courses at Arsakeia Schools Psychikou in Athens, Greece. It describes robotics activities employing the Edison educational robotics system. Main features of teaching interventions concerning the utilization of Edison robot, digital learning environments, and unplugged activities in the classroom focused on 21st century skills, computational thinking, and creativity development as well as findings, solutions, recommendations, and future research directions are discussed.

Hybrid and Virtual Educational Simulation Games (vESGs) for the Remote Learning Era

Virtual educational simulation games (vESGs) promote unique combinations of learning interactions and affordances to create environments with which students can engage to effectively learn about complex phenomena and processes in multiple domains. Using the GlobalEd vESG as an example case throughout the chapter, the authors discuss (1) the key functions and experiences that vESGs provide to learners; (2) the types of valuable student interactions that can be expected when playing a vESG and strategies for maximizing these interactions for learning; (3) strategies for teacher implementation and adaptation of vESGs, as well as professional development programs to support their use of vESGs in classrooms; and (4) observed benefits of using vESGs as evidenced from over a decade of implementation of the GlobalEd vESG in authentic classroom settings.

Beyond Knowledge

Our nation is experiencing a “student achievement crisis” in literacy. Some of the blame for the current crisis in literacy education has been laid at the feet of teacher education programs and their professors. Many pundits of teacher education and literacy education suggest that the solution to increasing reading achievement is simple: Emphasize and teach science of reading (SOR) principles in teacher education programs. In theory, this approach is reasonable; however, the purpose of this chapter is to examine some of the challenges in making the complex content of the SOR accessible to preservice teachers. The authors will also offer possible solutions to help make the SOR more comprehensible so that preservice teachers can increase their transfer of technical and pedagogical knowledge to authentic classroom contexts.

Fluctuations in willingness to communicate of an EFL lecturer: An observation study in Indonesia

Despite the growing number of research on Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in English students, research of teachers’ WTC in English is still scarce. At the same time, the fluctuations of WTC in English in authentic classroom interactions are still under research. This study aims to observe the fluctuations in WTC of the English lecturer in the Indonesian context. The data were collected through video recordings during an online classroom learning session where participants were teaching their students. The data were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically by drawing from MacIntyre et al.’s (1998) Heuristic Model. From the results of the analysis, WTC fluctuations in English are divided into four factors: (1) modeling the use of English in the classroom, (2) the power of affirmation, (3) focusing on the message, and (4) showing language similarity. The implication of this study is also discussed. DOI: 10.26905/enjourme.v6i2.5983

Researching Pre-school Teachers’ Knowledge of Oral Language Pedagogy Using Video

The Observing Language Pedagogy (OLP) tool uses videos of authentic classroom interactions to elicit the procedural knowledge which pre-school teachers can access, activate and use to support classroom decision-making. Three facets are captured: perceiving (the ability to identify salient language-supporting strategies); naming (the use of specific professional vocabulary to describe interactions); and interpreting (the ability to interpret the interactions observed). Prior research has shown that the OLP predicts classroom quality; with naming and interpreting proving the strongest predictors. This study examines OLP responses from 104 teachers to consider the nature of their pedagogical knowledge (perceiving, naming, interpreting), and describe differences between expert teachers (those leading language-supporting classrooms) and non-expert teachers (those leading lower quality classrooms). It offers insight into the nature of language-related expertise and to guide design of teacher professional development, suggesting a tri-fold focus on knowledge of linguistic input, relational pedagogy and cognitive challenging interactions.

Rethinking active learning program for primary English teachers through connoisseurship technique

From the importance of Englishin world of internationally communicated, the problems of learning management in each area seems to be differenced, language and culture are needed for recognizing, active learning is called for effectiveness instruction, and primary English teachers need to prepared in modern classroom. This research employed evaluative research to employ active learning for primary English teachers through professional program. Data were collected by setting a connoisseurship technique. Seven experts are appointed and read carefully a tentative program for primary English teachers. The connoisseurship technique allowed all experts share their experiences and ideas to promote active learning in freely. Video recording and note taking were recorded during the validation activity. Active learning program for primary English teachers is approved before implementation in different school contexts. The uncertainty situations, COVID-19 pandemic may be affected to schooling, teachers have to redesign lesson. The implementation though active online learning is needed to discuss and rethinking how it be effectively in authentic classroom.

Issues of Error Selection for Focused Written Corrective Feedback in Authentic Classroom Contexts

In conventional written corrective feedback (WCF) practice, teachers spend an inordinate amount of time identifying every error in student writing. Research evidence suggests that such a comprehensive WCF approach is both undesirable and ineffective. Recent research has shown that focused WCF, where teachers respond to errors selectively, is a good practice since it is more manageable and less discouraging for students. Much of existing WCF research on focused WCF, however, has adopted the experimental or quasi-experimental design, involving a very small number of error categories, without paying attention to the real-life classroom conditions in which WCF takes place. To fill the research gap, the present study investigates how two secondary teachers select target language features for focused WCF and the issues that arise from their WCF practice. The paper provides pedagogical implications that contribute to our understanding of how teachers can go about selecting errors for focused WCF in authentic second language writing classrooms, as contrasted with experimental classrooms.

The Everyday Creativity of Authentic Classroom Assessments

This paper examines the everyday creativity embedded within authentic classroom assessments. While not all authentic assessments are necessarily creative (i.e., novel, innovative, and contextually appropriate), I demonstrate everyday creativity in two authentic classroom assessments I have adopted in my TESOL courses. In revealing the everyday creativity of these tasks, and in light of their desired learning outcomes, I seek to demystify the role everyday creativity can play in student demonstrations of knowledge and skill.

Interpolated testing and pretesting as interventions to reduce task-unrelated thoughts during a video lecture

Considerable research has examined the prevalence and apparent consequences of task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs) in both laboratory and authentic classroom settings. Few studies, however, have explored methods to reduce TUTs during learning; those few studies tested small samples or used unvalidated TUT assessments. The present experimental study attempted to conceptually replicate previous findings of testing effects and pretesting effects on TUT and learning. In a study of 195 U.S. undergraduates, we investigated whether interpolated testing (compared to interpolated restudy) and pretesting on lecture-relevant materials (compared to pretesting on conceptually related but lecture-irrelevant materials) would reduce TUTs during a video lecture on introductory statistics. Subjects completed either a content-matched or content-mismatched pretest on statistics concepts and then watched a narrated lecture slideshow. During the lecture, half of the sample completed interpolated tests on the lecture material and half completed interpolated restudy of that material. All subjects responded to unpredictably presented thought probes during the video to assess their immediately preceding thoughts, including TUTs. Following the lecture, students reported on their situational interest elicited by the lecture and then completed a comprehensive posttest. Interpolated testing significantly reduced TUT rates during the lecture compared to restudying, conceptually replicating previous findings—but with a small effect size and no supporting Bayes-factor evidence. We found no statistical evidence for either an interpolated testing effect on learning, nor a pretesting effect on TUT rates or learning. Interpolated testing might have limited utility to support students’ attention, but varying effect sizes across studies warrants further work.

Achieving Testing Effects in an Authentic College Classroom

Background: Findings from the testing effect literature suggest several ways to achieve testing effects in an authentic classroom, but few consider instructor workload, equity, and resources that determine feasibility and sustainability of testing effect methods in practice. Objective: To determine elements and procedures from the testing effect literature for practical application, devise a method for feasibly and sustainably implementing testing effect methods in practice, and determine if a simple way to incorporate retrieval practice into an existing introduction to psychology course was sufficient to observe testing effects. Method: Quiz scores of Introductory Psychology sections with and without retrieval practice were compared. Sections with retrieval practice also compared the effects of repeated and new questions on quiz performance. Results: Students with retrieval practice performed significantly better on quizzes than those without. Repeated and new retrieval practice were equally superior. Conclusion: Retrieval practices can successfully be implemented, feasibly and sustainably, in an authentic classroom environment. Retrieval practice questions can be related to delayed practice questions, rather than exact repeats, to achieve a testing effect. Teaching Implications: Distributing low stakes multiple-choice questions throughout lectures is effective for increasing test performance. The current method was neither burdensome to workload, content, or resources.