THE SPECIFICITY OF TEACHING STUDENTS TO USE FABLES IN THE 2ND-4TH GRADE

The paper presents the results of teaching pedagogy students how to use fables. It focuses on the definition, genre classification, reception, methodological tools and methodological classification of lessons with fables. Some of these are the author’s own work. Two written assignments are presented and analysed: one by a full-time student and another by a student in the post-graduate qualifications department. The conclusion is that, irrespective of the length of their training, the students have grasped the specificity of the genre – its allegorical and figurative expression, intuitively perceived the possible difficulties that pupils may have and, consequently, included more fun and visuals in teaching it.

Exploring the Roles of Coursework and Field Experience in Teacher Candidates’ Assessment Literacy: A Focus on Approaches to Assessment

Recognising that assessment literacy is a complex construct comprised of knowledge, skills, and dispositions, we sought to better understand how teacher candidates develop assessment literacy by focusing on the dispositional construct of approaches to assessment. We analysed 34 teacher candidates’ approaches to classroom assessment at three points in their preservice programme: (1) prior to a one-credit assessment course; (2) after their assessment course; and (3) after 10 weeks of full-time student teaching. By way of comparison to the student teachers’ assessment approaches, the assessment approaches of 23 co-operating teachers were also analysed. Results indicated that teacher candidates’ approaches to assessment did not vary at different points in their development. Co-operating teachers’ and teacher candidates’ assessment approaches were closely aligned in terms of the dominant approaches each group reported. This study contributes understandings about the possible limitations and potential roles of teacher preparation programmes in the development of teacher candidates’ approaches to assessment.

The Problems Facing Students of College of Education at Qatar University: A Path to Academic Accreditation

This study aimed to reveal the most important problems facing students of the College of Education from their point of view and its relationship to some variables. The study used two tools: the first is the open interview (focus group), and the second is a questionnaire designed by the researcher. It contained 65 items distributed on six axes: costs and assignments, tests, academic professor, academic registration and guidance, the content of study materials, and finally the classrooms have been verified as being truthful and consistent. The results showed that the problems related to the classroom were the most prominent facing students, while the problems related to the academic professor were the least important from their point of view. The order of importance of the problems varied according to the specialization taught by female students, and by the different program registered with it, as well as by the different status of the female student, whether she was a full-time student or on the job. Faculty of Education has to ensure that the students are progressing and achieving high performance during the program with the less problems they face. If students do not meet these criteria/expectations, measures need to be taken to support them and help them improve their skills, knowledge, dispositions and achievement. If students do not meet standards, the College might not get full accreditation, and will have an Area For Improvement. This means that the College has to take other measures to improve students’ achievement to receive full accreditation.

The Lady Composer Learns Her Craft

The period of Dring’s life as a full-time student at the Royal College of Music overlapped with the concluding years of World War II. The director of the RCM, George Dyson, decided to keep the school open, and Dring’s diaries provide a picture of her life during the first years of the war. Principal teachers included W.H. Reed in violin, Lilian Gaskell in piano, Topliss Green in voice, and Margaret Rubel in “dramatic.” Dring continued to be active as a performer, earning her ARCM certificate in piano, and she performed in many plays and scenes as part of the dramatic class. She also had the opportunity to produce, direct, and write the music for The Emperor and the Nightingale, the annual Christmas play for the Junior Department. Her most important instructor was Herbert Howells in composition, with whom she studied for her entire four years as a full-time student, and she also took occasional lessons with Ralph Vaughan Williams. Her musical style is discussed through an examination of “Under the Greenwood Tree,” the first of her Three Shakespeare Songs, written and first performed during these years.

INDONESIAN COLLEGE STUDENTS� PERCEPTIONS OF TOEFL PREPARATION CLASS

This is the report of a pilot study of a dissertation. This study investigated what Indonesian students perceived of the TOEFL Preparation class.� The researcher interviewed 11 students of Economics. The students� age ranged from 18 � 23 years old.� Seven of them had a job. Three of them were planning to have a job. The other one was a full-time student. This research revealed that the majority of the students were satisfied with the TOEFL Preparation class. The teacher helped them understand English compared to their knowledge before taking the TOEFL class. However, the students suggest that the duration for each meeting should be at least 120 minutes. Beside, the teacher should provide group work activities and homework. In addition, the teacher should come to class on time. Some recommendations of the findings are discussed in this paper.

Nontraditional Adult Learners

In the discourse on diversity in colleges and universities in the United States, an often-neglected population is nontraditional adult learners. This article explores this invisible aspect of undergraduate diversity, and addresses how competence-based education, which focuses on demonstrating the actual ability to do, is an innovative approach that caters to adult learners’ life phase and learning needs. College arguably is a youth-centric phase of life generally designed for the younger student. However, the stereotypical full-time student who lives on campus is actually a small percentage of the entire postsecondary population. Due to the demands of an increasingly competitive world of work, nontraditional adult learners will continue to seek out postsecondary education. Unfortunately, the credit hour system is a significant barrier for both entry and success of adult learners. Merits of competence-based education are discussed, and implications are provided to best meet this significant component of student diversity.

A forgotten explorer: Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink

C. E. Borchgrevink was born in Christiania (present-day Oslo) in 1864. His Norwegian father was a lawyer, and his English mother was a Miss Ridley. Little is known about his early years, but he said he had part of his education at Gjertsen College. He was a full-time student from the winter term 1885 to the winter term 1888 at the Royal Forestry School, Tharandt, Saxony, but seems to have obtained no certificate or diploma; later he mentioned that he had been a pupil of Professor E. Nobbe. When he was in his thirties he told H. J. Bull that he had been educated at Christiania University, but there is no evidence to support this. He also said he had served as a boy or apprentice in the Borghild in 1878, crossing the Atlantic in her, but there are no details.

Attitudes and Abilities of Co-Operative Students

The extensive development of co-operative (sandwich) education overseas is compared to the slight Australian experience. The claim, that the integration of academic and work experience required in such courses, materially assists students in achieving greater development is investigated by surveying students and ex-students, employers and academic staff and by analysis of academic performance. By comparison with the full-time student, the co-operative student is seen to gain in social and academic maturity and in technical preparedness for his role as a graduate. Analyses of examination results over a nine year period show a significant improvement, after exposure to industrial experience, both by comparison with the previous performance and by comparison with equivalent full-time student performance. It is concluded that the wide-scale adoption of co-operative programes in Australia is highly desirable and that government support for their introduction should be made available.