Collaborative creativity among education professionals in a co-design workshop: A multidimensional analysis
Publisher: Thinking Skills and Creativity
Date: 2021-12-01
Authors: Wong C.C., Kumpulainen K., Kajamaa A.
Keywords: Co-design, Collaborative creativity, Constraints, Pedagogical design capacity, Storyboard
Abstract: Educational change in schools calls for collaboration-based creative actions from teachers. However, most studies on collaborative creativity focus on students’ creative teamwork, whereas research on collaborative creativity among teachers is scarce. Drawing on group creativity studies and scholar Keith Sawyer's (1999, 2012a) concept of constraining shared frames, this paper discusses a qualitative case study on collaborative creativity among education professionals who have co-designed pedagogical activities related to environmental education. In this study, we asked the following: 1) How are individual creative acts negotiated in the co-design process? 2) How does a constraining shared frame of collaborative creativity emerge in the group's co-design process? 3) How does the material tool (i.e., the Storyboard) mediate the group's co-design process? To address these questions, a framework was created and used for analyzing participants’ collaborative creativity across individual, social, and material dimensions. The individual dimension focused on participants’ generative-evaluative creative acts and the mobilization of their pedagogical design capacities. The social dimension directed attention to participants’ negotiation of evidence and the emergence of a constraining shared frame of collaborative creativity. The material dimension focused on how material tools, especially a tool called the Storyboard, mediated the participants’ negotiation and creativity. Our findings unpack the multidimensional and tension-laden nature of creative processes among education professionals and widen the understanding of forces that both constrain and enable collaborative creativity. Our study also points to the significance of co-design tools that facilitate multiprofessional negotiation and transcend constraints.
Gender plays a role in youths’ dietary behaviors as they transition to secondary school
Publisher: Appetite
Date: 2021-12-01
Authors: Deslippe, A.L., Tugault-Lafleur, C.N., McGaughey, T., Naylor, PJ, Le Mare, L., & Masse, L.
Keywords: Gender, Adolescence, Dietary behaviors, Transition, Socio-ecological environments
Abstract: Little research explores how changes in adolescents' peer, family and school environments may influence dietary behaviors during the shift from elementary school to secondary school and whether boys and girls experience these changes in similar ways. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological model and Ridgeway's gendered framework, thematic analysis of twenty-seven semi-structured interviews with parent-adolescent dyads reveals that changes in adolescents' peer, family and school environments affect dietary behaviors following the transition in gendered ways. Within the peer context, food facilitates friendships among girls. Girls use food to forge intimate relationships with their peers whereas boys do not report relying on their peers to influence their dietary choices. In the family environment, gender-based body ideals (i.e., being strong and fit for boys versus being thin for girls) become more apparent and influential over adolescents' dietary behaviors.
The Mapping Principle in Multimedia Learning
Publisher: The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning, Cambridge University
Date: 2021-12-01
Authors: Adesope, O. O., Nesbit, J. C., & Sundararajan, K.
Keywords: Co-design, Collaborative creativity, Constraints, Pedagogical design capacity, Storyboard
Abstract: The mapping principle is that people learn more deeply from verbal information when they translate and integrate the information into a combined verbal and visuospatial format. The collaborative mapping principle is that people learn more deeply from cognitively demanding verbal information when they interact with others to jointly translate and integrate the information into a combined verbal and visuospatial format. Multimedia learning is learning from words and pictures, where pictures are defined as illustrations, graphs, diagrams, maps, or photos, or dynamic graphics, including animation or video. Multimedia learning
can be promoted by (a) multimedia instruction (i.e., information presented via multimedia), or (b) activities that engage the cognitive process of translating written or spoken words into a partially or wholly pictorial representation. The mapping principle and the drawing principle are instances of the latter category.
Using social domain theory to seek critical consciousness with young children
Publisher: Theory and Research in Education
Date: 2021-10-21
Authors: Ilten-Gee, R., Manchanda, S.
Keywords: Critical consciousness, critical pedagogy, education, moral development, reasoning, social domain theory
Abstract: The question of ‘developmental appropriateness’ in education can be both empowering and inhibiting. When are students ‘ready’ to talk about social injustices and systemic inequalities? How might educators introduce social inequities using developmental findings about reasoning? This article presents social domain theory as a lens through which educators can approach critical consciousness education with young children. An overview of Freire’s critical consciousness construct is presented, including educational interventions, methods, and approaches that support critical consciousness. An overview of social domain theory is also presented. Social domain theory is a developmental theory of sociomoral reasoning that describes three domains of social knowledge that develop independently, and get applied/coordinated/prioritized differently in context by individuals.
Facilitating open online discussions: Speech acts inspiring and hindering deep conversations
Publisher: Open learning: The journal of open, distance and e-learning
Date: 2021-10-20
Authors: Tirthali, D., Murai, Y.
Keywords: Online learning, facilitation, sequence analysis, MOOC, professional community
Abstract: Creating an online learning environment that engages learners beyond the given course period is challenging. Open, participant-driven discussion forums, where participants are provided with greater agency on what to learn, how to learn, and whom to learn with, have a unique potential to help learners engage in learning experiences based on their interests and needs. Based on sequential and qualitative analysis of speech acts found in the participant-initiated discussion threads hosted as part of a massive open online course, this paper explored the impact of participant actions as facilitative moves to gain a better understanding of the types of actions in the discussion that stimulated deeper engagement with the ideas of interest. The analysis identified several facilitative moves that nurture or hinder deeper conversation in an open online discussion forum that has design implications. The paper also highlights the potential of analysing conversation sequences of posts as a promising method to study discussion forum data.
Design strategies to integrate creative learning in elementary school curricula through computer programming activities
Publisher: Interactive Learning Environments
Date: 2021-09-26
Authors: Murai, Y., Ikejiri, R, Yamauchi, Y., Tanaka, A., & Nakano, S.
Keywords: Creative learning, constructionism, computer programming education, curriculum integration, elementary education, coding education
Abstract: Cultivating children’s creativity and imagination is fundamental to preparing them for an increasingly complex and uncertain future. Engaging in creative learning enables children to think independently and critically, work cooperatively, and take risks while actively engaged in meaningful projects. While current trends in education, such as maker movements and computer science education, are dramatically expanding children’s opportunities for engagement in creative learning, comparatively few empirical studies explore how creative learning can be integrated into elementary school curricula. In this paper, we investigated five key design strategies for integrating creative learning in school curricula through computer programming activities.
Educating perfinkers: How cognitive tools support affective engagement in teacher education
Publisher: The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Date: 2021-09-20
Authors: Judson, G., Powell, R., Robinson, K.
Keywords: pedagogy, teacher education, imagination, métissage, praxis, curriculum, curriculum design
Abstract: Our intention is to share our lived experiences as educators of educators employing Imaginative Education (IE) pedagogy. We aim to illuminate IE’s influence on our students’, and our own, affective alertness, and to leave readers feeling the possibility of this pedagogy for teaching and learning. Inspired by the literary and research praxis of métissage (Chambers et al., 2012; Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2009; Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2010), we offer this polyphonic text as a weaving together of our discrete and collective voices as imaginative teacher educators. Our writing reflects a relational process, one that invites us as writers and colleagues to better understand each other and our practices as IE educators (Hasebe-Ludt et al., 2009). It also allows us to share with other practitioners our struggles, questions, and triumphs as we make sense of our individual and collective praxis: how IE’s theory informs our practice, and how our practice informs our understanding of IE’s theory. This text, like IE’s philosophy, invites heterogeneous possibilities.
On the classic paradox of infinity and a related function
Publisher: Teaching Mathematics and its Applications
Date: 2021-09-01
Authors: Wijeratne C., Zazkis R.
Abstract: In this study we consider a classic paradox of infinity and its variations and suggest how the sources of misleading intuition can be analysed using the concept of uniform convergence of functions. We then examine how six mathematics honour students engage with a variation of the paradox. Despite their advanced mathematical training, the participants experienced considerable difficulty in addressing the presented paradoxical situation. Drawing on data from written responses and individual interviews, we describe the students' approaches in an attempt to reconcile their intuitive perceptions with their mathematical computations.
From ego to eco: re-orienting for processual ontology in the “Dao-Field”
Publisher: Cultural Studies of Science Education
Date: 2021-09-01
Authors: Bai H., Bowering S., Haber J., Cohen A., Chang D.
Keywords: Arts-based practices, Atomistic worldview, Inner work, Meditation, Processual ontology, The Anthropocene, The Dao field
Abstract: The planet Earth has become increasingly susceptible to human-induced (anthropogenic) ecological disasters. The currently raging COVID-19 pandemic adds to the vast scale of destruction and suffering that humanity and the planet are experiencing. In this paper we explicate the meaning of ‘human-induced’ destruction in the terms of the damaging and hurting metaphysics (beyond the physical or material) that modern humanity has been entertaining in their conceptual and emotional minds and materially projecting onto the world. In turn, the damaging and hurting metaphysics is explicated in the terms of atomism that conceives all existents as self-existing and independent, necessarily engaged in competition against each other for survival. We propose to replace such metaphysics with one of the processual ontologies, such as that of Alfred North Whitehead, in which humans see themselves and each other as continuously interfusing and co-creatively re/e/merging relata of complete interdependence. This way, all of us, all the time, become “one with The Ten Thousand Things.”—an expression in Chinese for the phenomenal world of thriving diversity and conviviality. We further explore self-cultivation of inner work that aids the shift from ego self to eco self, such as meditative and arts-based practices.
Re-visiting Vygotsky’s Concept of Vrashchivanie (ingrowing): A focus on metaphors
Publisher: The Educational Policy Magazine
Date: 2021-09-01
Authors: Cole, M., & Gajdamaschko, N.
Abstract: The article offers an attempt to comprehend L. S. Vygotsky's understanding of human development as an organic process and the term "vrashchivanie" proposed by him. The authors of the article also investigate how Vygotsky develops the metaphor of the garden and growing plants and its connection with development.
Cognition, metacognition and self-regulated learning
Publisher: Oxford research encyclopedia of education
Date: 2021-08-31
Author: Winne, P. H.
Keywords: cognition, metacognition, self-regulated learning, information processing, misconceptions, cognitive load
Abstract: Psychology’s attention to mental events took root in the middle of the 19th century and grew through studies of learning, forgetting, and problem solving. Following several decades during which behaviorism dominated the field, cognitive studies of learning rapidly expanded after the mid-1960s. Foci for research concerned how learners acquire different kinds information, particularly declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and schemas, and identifying cognitive operations learners can apply to transform experience into knowledge. What learners know significantly shapes what they learn. Prior knowledge often benefits learning, but inaccurate knowledge, called misconceptions, and skills applied indiscriminately can impede it. Effort to learn, called cognitive load, is not a unary concept. Designing learning tasks to focus cognition in ways germane to content is one key to effective instruction.
Empirical research on problem solving and problem posing: a look at the state of the art
Publisher: ZDM - Mathematics Education
Date: 2021-08-01
Authors: Liljedahl P., Cai J.
Abstract: Problem solving and problem posing have long been of interest to the mathematics education community. In this survey paper we first look at some of the seminal moments in the history of research on the important topics. We then use this history to position the state-of-the-art research being done in both problem solving and problem posing, before introducing the presented state-of-the-art developments in problem solving and problem posing. We then use this work as a backdrop against which to introduce the 16 empirical papers that make up this special issue. Together these 16 papers add nuance to what is already known about problem solving and problem posing; this nuance is the result of attending to very specific contexts and purposes in which these activities are embedded. We end the paper by discussing the future directions these fields can take.
Supporting communities in caring for Salmon and each other: Creek restoration as a site for multi-system change and wholistic re/conciliation
Publisher: The Canadian Journal of Action Research
Date: 2021-07-23
Authors: Hill, C., Bailey, R., Power, C., & McKenzie, N.
Keywords:Caring for salmon, Creek restoration, Ecological action research, Participatory learning, Restorative learning, Wholistic reconciliation
Abstract: This paper describes a unique collaborative action research project that brings together members of the q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie) First Nation, post-secondary and K-12 communities, as well as foresters and environmentalists, to restore creeks that have been compromised by land use impacts, forest removal, and global warming. Identifying creek restoration as a site for multi-system change and wholistic re/conciliation, we explored the following questions: How can we bring together members of our diverse communities to learn about the dire condition of our watershed and take action to help Salmon? How might this collaborative work strengthen community relationships? What contextual factors enable and impede the enactment of our vison? Through iterative cycles of action and reflection, intentional trial and error, conversational inquiry, and storytelling, we identified ‘guideposts’ that will inform our work moving forward.
Understanding the application and use of Indigenous research methodologies in the Social Sciences by Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars
Publisher: International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership
Date: 2021-07-20
Authors: Pidgeon, M. & Riley, T.
Abstract: Indigenous methodologies, research use, ethical research, research collaborations
Abstract: Indigenous research methodologies articulate how researchers and Aboriginal communities engage in research together. These methodologies are informed by Indigenous cultural and ethical frameworks specific to the Nations with whom the research is being conducted. This study explores how such research relationships were articulated in the dissemination phase of research. We carried out an Indigenous qualitative content analysis of 79 peer-reviewed articles published January 1996 to June 2018, predominantly in the fields of social sciences. Our findings show that most articles were written by Indigenous researchers or a research team composed of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers. Such collaborations articulated the principles of Indigenous methodology (IM) much clearer than those authored by non-Indigenous scholars or when partnerships with Indigenous communities were less evident with respect to the principles guiding the research process.
An Introduction to Philosophy of Education
Publisher: An Introduction to Philosophy of Education
Date: 2021-07-15
Authors: Barrow R., Woods R.
Abstract: This introductory text, now in its fifth edition, is a classic in its field. It shows, first and foremost, the importance of philosophy in educational debate and as a background to any practical activity such as teaching. What is involved in the idea of educating a person or the idea of educational success? What are the criteria for establishing the optimum balance between formal and informal teaching techniques? How trustworthy is educational research? In addition to these questions, which strike to the heart of the rationale for the educative process as a whole, the authors explore such concepts as culture, creativity, autonomy, indoctrination, needs, interests, and learning by discovery. Updates to this edition include new chapters on religious education and moral education, as well as questions for reflection at the end of each chapter.
Translation and translanguaging in artistic performances in Hong Kong
Publisher: The Routledge Handbook of Translation and the City
Date: 2021-06-28
Authors: Liu Y., Lin A.M.Y.
Abstract: Hong Kong popular culture and mass media have been noticeable for a long-term tradition of language play, multilingualism and hybridization of languages. Through the theoretical lenses of translanguaging and trans-semiotizing, this chapter analyzes the artistic performance by a Hong Kong conscious rap artist, MC Yan, whose music projects revolve mainly around pressing social issues in Hong Kong and other parts of the world, to reveal how carefully and systemically crafted translanguaging and trans-semiotizing can contribute to rapping the city and rapping the Hong Kong identity. The artist’s translanguaging and trans-semiotizing practices function to subvert and challenge the normative hierarchy of power that exists in the Hong Kong society and construct the multifarious Hong Kong identity, contesting the capitalist logic, yearning for democracy and searching for the uniqueness of being a Hongkonger, which are both trans-semiotically complex and sociopolitically meaningful. The inquiry has therefore supplemented the research literature that focuses on spontaneous translanguaging and trans-semiotizing and shown that such practices can also be non-spontaneous, carefully and systemically crafted for constructing feeling and meaning. The chapter concludes with suggestions for designing systemic, planned translanguaging pedagogy and performance in education and creative arts settings.
Designing Biotech Ethics Cards: Promoting Critical Making during an Online Workshop with Youth
Publisher: Proceedings of Interaction Design and Children, IDC 2021
Date: 2021-06-24
Authors: Minh-Tam Dao-Kroeker Z., Kitson A., Antle A.N., Murai Y., Adibi A.
Keywords: biowearables, computer ethics, critical making, Design cards, design ethics, reflection, youth
Abstract: There are ethical concerns surrounding how youth interact with biowearable technology and the potential effects it has on their psychological and physiological health. We need to give youth the tools to critically reflect and explore ethical issues surrounding biowearables in order for them to make informed decisions about how they interact with them. To address this, we developed the Biotech Ethics cards as part of a critical making workshop. They are a set of design cards designed to scaffold critical reflection during a critical making workshop where youth prototype a biowearable from a kit. We focus this short paper on the requirements, initial design and revisions we made after studying card use in our workshop. We identified key design elements that are important in the cards and that may generalize to the design of other card sets meant to be integrated into a critical making process.
Intoxicated Masculinity, Allyship and Compulsory Heterosexuality in Young Adult Rape Narratives
Publisher: Sexuality in Literature for Children and Young Adults
Date: 2021-06-09
Authors: Moore A., Marshall E.
Abstract: In light of the global #Metoo movement, this paper examines a set of young adult (YA) novels where the authors navigate two cultural taboos – underage drinking and sexual violence perpetrated by young men. Our text set includes Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll’s Speak (2018), EK Johnston’s Exit, Pursued by a Bear (2016), Aaron Hartzler’s What We Saw (2015), Courtney Summers’ All the Rage (2015), Louise O’Neill’s Asking for It (2016), Chris Lynch’s Inexcusable (2005) and Ashley Herring Blake’s Girl Made of Stars (2018). These books are cautionary tales that rely on drinking to excuse intemperate masculinity and to reiterate common rape scripts in which the blame lands squarely on the shoulders of the young heterosexual girls. Such stories demonstrate the costliness of compulsory heterosexuality as the gender relations operating under it produce rape culture in particular ways for each text. Drawing on feminist theories of rape culture and representation, we analyze these YA texts in conversation with one another to highlight the discursive entanglements of rape culture, alcohol consumption, heteronormativity, and feminisms within YA fiction.
Implementation of embedded assessment in maker classrooms: Challenges and opportunities
Publisher: Information and Learning Sciences
Date: 2021-06-07
Authors: Kim, Y., Murai, Y., Chang, S.
Keywords: maker-centered learning, classroom assessment, design-based research, case study, embedded assessment, assessment tools, school-based making
Abstract: As maker-centered learning grows rapidly in school environments, there is an urgent need for new forms of assessment. The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and implementation of tools to support embedded assessment of maker competencies within school-based maker programs and describes alternative assessment approaches to rubrics and portfolios. This study used a design-based research (DBR) method, with researchers collaborating with US middle school teachers to iteratively design a set of tools that support implementation of embedded assessment. Based on teacher and student interviews, classroom observations, journal notes and post-implementation interviews, the authors report on the final phase of DBR, highlighting how teachers can implement embedded assessment in maker classrooms as well as the challenges that teachers face with assessment.
Opportunities and Scaffolds for Critical Reflection on Ethical Issues in an Online after School Biowearable Workshop for Youth
Publisher: ACM International Conference Proceeding Series
Date: 2021-06-02
Authors: Antle A.N., Kitson A., Murai Y., Desnoyers-Stewart J., Candau Y., Adibi A., Jacobs K., Dao-Kroeker Z.
Keywords: Biowearables, critical making, design ethics, ethics, teaching ethics, youth
Abstract: The rapid adoption of biowearables, such as smartwatches, raises ethical issues as youth are increasingly being tracked, monitored and given feedback on a growing number of measures. To address this pressing need, we investigated how to support youth to understand and explore these ethical issues grounded in the processes of prototyping during an afterschool online critical making workshop. The main contribution of this paper is our critical reflection framework, consisting of three interrelated components: ethical issues, technical opportunities, and reflection scaffolds. We focus on ethical issues related to the potential for biowearables to negatively impact six constructs taken from child development. We describe how we created a biowearable-tangible prototyping kit that has under-determined design decision points, creating technologically-mediated opportunities for reflection during the iterative prototyping process. Third, we present a set of critical reflection cards created to support youth to explore the ethical issues related to those decision points. We provide two scenarios from a pilot study that illustrate our framework in action, providing preliminary validation for our approach in an online environment.
Facilitating Online Distributed Critical Making: Lessons Learned
Publisher: ACM International Conference Proceeding Series
Date: 2021-06-02
Authors: Murai Y., Antle A.N., Kitson A., Candau Y., Adibi A., Dao-Kroeker Z., Desnoyers-Stewart J., Jacobs K.
Keywords: biowearables, critical making, critical reflection, design ethics, design thinking, Maker-centered learning, online learning, online workshop, quantification of self, teaching ethics, youth
Abstract: The global pandemic has brought numerous challenges for educators who take a maker-centered approach, whose instruction involves direct engagement with materials through collaborative and exploratory social interactions. Many educators have found creative ways to address the obstacles of being remote. However, inciting critical reflection through making, already difficult during in-person settings, has become an even greater challenge in remote settings. This paper reports on the lessons learned from a two-week online afterschool maker workshop where participants worked on a maker project being in remote locations, while engaged in critical reflections on ethical implications of biowearable devices. The results showed preliminary evidence that participants were able to produce a prototype and engaged in critical reflection on the ethical issues of biowearables. We also found that while online environments offer limited social cues and flexibility, access to multiple communication channels enabled just-in-time facilitation for critical reflection.
Attention capture by trains and faces in children with and without autism spectrum disorder
Publisher: PLoS ONE
Date: 2021-06-01
Authors: Scheerer N.E., Birmingham E., Boucher T.Q., Iarocci G.
Abstract: This study examined involuntary capture of attention, overt attention, and stimulus valence and arousal ratings, all factors that can contribute to potential attentional biases to face and train objects in children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the visual domain, faces are particularly captivating, and are thought to have a ‘special status’ in the attentional system. Research suggests that similar attentional biases may exist for other objects of expertise (e.g. birds for bird experts), providing support for the role of exposure in attention prioritization. Autistic individuals often have circumscribed interests around certain classes of objects, such as trains, that are related to vehicles and mechanical systems. This research aimed to determine whether this propensity in autistic individuals leads to stronger attention capture by trains, and perhaps weaker attention capture by faces, than what would be expected in non-autistic children. In Experiment 1, autistic children (6–14 years old) and age- and IQ-matched non-autistic children performed a visual search task where they manually indicated whether a target butterfly appeared amongst an array of face, train, and neutral distractors while their eye-movements were tracked. Autistic children were no less susceptible to attention capture by faces than non-autistic children. Overall, for both groups, trains captured attention more strongly than face stimuli and, trains had a larger effect on overt attention to the target stimuli, relative to face distractors. In Experiment 2, a new group of children (autistic and non-autistic) rated train stimuli as more interesting and exciting than the face stimuli, with no differences between groups. These results suggest that: (1) other objects (trains) can capture attention in a similar manner as faces, in both autistic and non-autistic children (2) attention capture is driven partly by voluntary attentional processes related to personal interest or affective responses to the stimuli.
Frustration as an opportunity for learning: Review of literature
Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery
Date: 2021-06-01
Authors: Yulis, A., Murai, Y.
Abstract: Frustration has been often observed during makerspace activities; however, only a few research studies have examined its importance during the maker process. In this literature review, we examine empirical studies where frustration has been observed in makerspaces, specifically looking at the potential of frustration to motivate learning opportunities in these spaces. We identify circumstances that lead learners to experience frustration and ways in which frustration can be used to achieve better learning outcomes in makerspaces. Based on the literature, we propose recommendations for educators and researchers on how frustration can be reoriented and used as positive reinforcement to help learners complete their activities in makerspaces.
PlushPal: Storytelling with interactive plush toys and machine learning
Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery
Date: 2021-06-01
Authors: Tseng, T., Murai, Y., Freed, N., Gelosi, D.
Abstract: This study examined involuntary capture of attention, overt attention, and stimulus valence and arousal ratings, all factors that can contribute to potential attentional biases to face and train objects in children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the visual domain, faces are particularly captivating, and are thought to have a ‘special status’ in the attentional system. Research suggests that similar attentional biases may exist for other objects of expertise (e.g. birds for bird experts), providing support for the role of exposure in attention prioritization. Autistic individuals often have circumscribed interests around certain classes of objects, such as trains, that are related to vehicles and mechanical systems. This research aimed to determine whether this propensity in autistic individuals leads to stronger attention capture by trains, and perhaps weaker attention capture by faces, than what would be expected in non-autistic children. In Experiment 1, autistic children (6–14 years old) and age- and IQ-matched non-autistic children performed a visual search task where they manually indicated whether a target butterfly appeared amongst an array of face, train, and neutral distractors while their eye-movements were tracked. Autistic children were no less susceptible to attention capture by faces than non-autistic children. Overall, for both groups, trains captured attention more strongly than face stimuli and, trains had a larger effect on overt attention to the target stimuli, relative to face distractors. In Experiment 2, a new group of children (autistic and non-autistic) rated train stimuli as more interesting and exciting than the face stimuli, with no differences between groups. These results suggest that: (1) other objects (trains) can capture attention in a similar manner as faces, in both autistic and non-autistic children (2) attention capture is driven partly by voluntary attentional processes related to personal interest or affective responses to the stimuli.
Attention capture by trains and faces in children with and without autism spectrum disorder
Publisher: PLoS ONE
Date: 2021-06-01
Authors: Scheerer N.E., Birmingham E., Boucher T.Q., Iarocci G.
Abstract: This study examined involuntary capture of attention, overt attention, and stimulus valence and arousal ratings, all factors that can contribute to potential attentional biases to face and train objects in children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the visual domain, faces are particularly captivating, and are thought to have a ‘special status’ in the attentional system. Research suggests that similar attentional biases may exist for other objects of expertise (e.g. birds for bird experts), providing support for the role of exposure in attention prioritization. Autistic individuals often have circumscribed interests around certain classes of objects, such as trains, that are related to vehicles and mechanical systems. This research aimed to determine whether this propensity in autistic individuals leads to stronger attention capture by trains, and perhaps weaker attention capture by faces, than what would be expected in non-autistic children. In Experiment 1, autistic children (6–14 years old) and age- and IQ-matched non-autistic children performed a visual search task where they manually indicated whether a target butterfly appeared amongst an array of face, train, and neutral distractors while their eye-movements were tracked. Autistic children were no less susceptible to attention capture by faces than non-autistic children. Overall, for both groups, trains captured attention more strongly than face stimuli and, trains had a larger effect on overt attention to the target stimuli, relative to face distractors. In Experiment 2, a new group of children (autistic and non-autistic) rated train stimuli as more interesting and exciting than the face stimuli, with no differences between groups. These results suggest that: (1) other objects (trains) can capture attention in a similar manner as faces, in both autistic and non-autistic children (2) attention capture is driven partly by voluntary attentional processes related to personal interest or affective responses to the stimuli.
The learning and teaching of number: Paths less travelled through well-trodden terrain
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 2021-05-24
Authors: Zazkis R., Mason J., Kontorovich I.
Abstract: Numbers are the backbones of mathematics. From 1 to infinity, numbers accompany and underlie the learning of mathematics and research. While perceived as familiar and understood, numbers present fascinating and often mysterious patterns, relationships and pedagogical issues. The Learning and Teaching of Number explores how mathematics education research has addressed issues related to the structure of numbers and number operations and provides a classroom context. It invites readers to explore less-travelled paths through a well-trodden terrain of number. This fascinating book combines mathematical content with pedagogical ideas and research results. Focusing on number, the book illustrates central ideas related to numbers via a variety of tasks at different levels of complexity. The Learning and Teaching of Number will allow the reader to examine and develop personal understanding of number sets and the relationships among them; enhance personal understanding of familiar topics associated with number operations; engage in a variety of tasks and strengthen personal problem-solving skills; enrich their repertoire of mathematical tasks and pedagogical actions; and consider research ideas and results related to teaching numbers, number operations and number relationships. This is a valuable resource for teacher education courses, graduate programs in mathematics education and professional development programs. Teacher trainers and maths teachers will find their personal understanding of numbers and relationships enriched and will draw connections between research and classroom pedagogy which will extend and enhance their teaching.
Beyond internationalization: Lessons from post-development
Publisher: Journal of International Students
Date: 2021-05-21
Authors: Beck K.
Keywords: Critical internationalization studies, International education, Internationalization of higher education, New commons, Post-development
Abstract: Despite the critiques generated in critical internationalization studies in response to the neoliberal and neocolonial orientation of internationalization of higher education, the direction of internationalization appears to be unchanged. This paper takes up the challenge of imagining internationalization otherwise by drawing from the field of post-development (PD) studies, which, it is argued, has parallels to the realities and debates on internationalization. An overview of the debates in PD and why they offer important ideas for critical internationalization studies will be followed by a discussion of how key analyses and arguments in PD can be applied to internationalization. This argument leads to the question of whether it is time to recognize an emerging post-internationalization movement, acknowledging that internationalization as we know it is in decline. The paper concludes with an exploration of a new commons in internationalization, refocusing on educational principles and values, while recognizing the complexities and contradictions inherent in seeking international education that is “in between, with and from multiple worlds.”.
Linking teachers’ solution strategies to their performance on fraction word problems
Publisher: Teaching and Teacher Education
Date: 2021-05-01
Authors: Copur-Gencturk Y., Doleck T.
Abstract: Examining teachers’ knowledge of fraction word problems is important in light of research demonstrating difficulties in both teaching and learning fractions and word problems involving fractions. This study examined fourth- and fifth-grade teachers’ (N = 350) written solutions to three fraction multistep word problems to unearth the salient factors contributive to performance on word problems. We found teachers’ strategies explain teachers' success in solving word problems. In contrast, the characteristics of teachers’ backgrounds account for little variance in success in solving word problems. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of using informal strategies and pictorial representations in solving word problems successfully.
Strategic competence for multistep fraction word problems: an overlooked aspect of mathematical knowledge for teaching
Publisher: Educational Studies in Mathematics
Date: 2021-05-01
Authors: Copur-Gencturk Y., Doleck T.
Keywords: Content knowledge, Fractions, In-service teachers, Mathematical knowledge for teaching, Strategic competence, Word problems
Abstract: Prior work on teachers’ mathematical knowledge has contributed to our understanding of the important role of teachers’ knowledge in teaching and learning. However, one aspect of teachers’ mathematical knowledge has received little attention: strategic competence for word problems. Adapting from one of the most comprehensive characterizations of mathematics learning (NRC, 2001), we argue that teachers’ mathematical knowledge also includes strategic competence, which consists of devising a valid solution strategy, mathematizing the problem (i.e., choosing particular strategies and presentations to translate the word problem into mathematical expressions), and arriving at a correct answer (executing a solution) for a word problem. By examining the responses of 350 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers in the USA to four multistep fraction word problems, we were able to explore manifestations of teachers’ strategic competence for word problems. Findings indicate that teachers’ strategic competence was closely related to whether they devised a valid strategy. Further, how teachers dealt with known and unknown quantities in their mathematization of word problems was an important indicator of their strategic competence. Teachers with strong strategic competence used algebraic notations or pictorial representations and dealt with unknown quantities more frequently in their solution methods than did teachers with weak strategic competence. The results of this study provide evidence for the critical nature of strategic competence as another dimension needed to understand and describe teachers’ mathematical knowledge.
Online collaboration and identity work in a brony fandom: Constructing a dialogic space in a fan translation project
Publisher: E-Learning and Digital Media
Date: 2021-05-01
Authors: Shafirova L., Kumpulainen K.
Keywords: dialogic space, fandom, identity work, Online collaboration
Abstract: Online collaboration has become a regular practice for many Internet users, reflecting the emergence of new participatory cultures in the virtual world. However, little is yet known about the processes and conditions for online collaboration in informally formed writing spaces and how these create opportunities for participants’ identity work. This ethnographic case study explores how four young adults, fans of the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (bronies), negotiated a dialogic space for their online collaboration on a fan translation project and how this created opportunities for their identity work. After a year of participant observation, we collected interviews, ethnographic diaries and participants’ chats, which were analysed with qualitative content and discourse analysis methods. The findings showed how the Etherpad online writing platform used by the participants facilitated the construction of dialogic space through the visualization of a shared artefact and adjustable features. It was in this dialogic space where the participants negotiated their expert identities which furthered their discussions about writing, translating and technological innovations. The study advances present-day knowledge about online collaboration in affinity groups, engendering the construction of a dialogic space for collaborative writing and participants’ identity work.
Wilding educational policy: Hope for the future
Publisher: Policy Futures in Education
Date: 2021-04-01
Authors: Morse M., Blenkinsop S., Jickling B.
Keywords: Education, environment, policy, wild, wild pedagogies, wilding
Abstract: This introductory paper begins by summarizing the premises of this special issue on “Wilding Educational Policy.” That is, first, current normalized educational practices in education are not adequate for these times of extraordinary social and ecological upheaval. Second, an important way forward will be to problematize modernist tendencies to control discourse and practice in education in ways that tend to “domesticate” educational possibilities. We then describe how the papers in this collection are framed around two emergent thematic arcs. One arc is directly aimed at initiating conversations with and amongst policy-makers. The other arc illustrates how authors have been expanding their understanding of the premises of this issue and how “wilding” can be interpreted in different cultural settings. These papers all add to a growing body of literature that builds on experiments and musings in “wild pedagogies.”
Evaluating the efficiency of social learning networks: Perspectives for harnessing learning analytics to improve discussions
Publisher: Computers and Education
Date: 2021-04-01
Authors: Doleck T., Lemay D.J., Brinton C.G.
Keywords: Cooperative/collaborative learning, Data science applications in education, Distance education and online learning, Informal learning
Abstract: This study evaluates the validity of an algorithm for measuring the efficiency of social learning networks in discussion forums accompanying MOOCs of conventional format, which consist of video lectures and problem assignments. The algorithm models social learning networks as a function of users knowledge seeking and knowledge disseminating tendencies across course topics and offers a means to optimize social learning networks by connecting users seeking and disseminating information on specific topics. We use the algorithm to analyze the social learning network manifest in the discussion format of a MOOC forum incorporating video lectures and problem assignments. As a measure of the degree that knowledge seekers and knowledge disseminators are connected in the network, we observe a very sparse network with few discussion participants and a limited range of topics. Hence, only small gains are available through optimization, since for a very sparse network, few connections can be made. The development of a metric for the analysis of social learning networks would provide instructors and researchers with a means to optimize online learning environments for empowering social learning. Finally, we discuss our findings with respect to the potential of self-optimizing discussion forums for supporting social learning online.
What Peers, Educators, and Principals Say: The Social Validity of Inclusive, Comprehensive Literacy Instruction
Publisher: Exceptional Children
Date: 2021-04-01
Authors: Kozleski E.B., Hunt P., Mortier K., Stepaniuk I., Fleming D., Balasubramanian L., Leu G., Munandar V.
Abstract: This social validity study accompanied a 9-month randomized control trial that investigated the efficacy of an emergent literacy program, Early Literacy Skills Builder (ELSB), delivered in general education elementary classrooms to students with severe disabilities, including autism. The social validity research questions focused on (a) the social significance of the intervention goals; (b) the social, logistical, and cultural appropriateness of the intervention procedures; and (c) the importance of the effects of the intervention on social and academic growth and peer and adult attitudes and relationships. The findings from participating general and special educators, principals, and students explored perceptions of the benefits of ELSB for teaching and learning as well as affordances and constraints of the contexts in which ELSB was delivered. Results suggest that ELSB implementation in general education classrooms had high social validity for participants, with some mixed views on educator collaboration from teachers.
Indigenous Trauma Intervention Research in Canada: A Narrative Literature Review
Publisher: International Indigenous Policy Journal
Date: 2021-04-01
Authors: Panofsky S., Buchanan M.J., John R., Goodwill A.
Keywords: Canada, historical trauma, Indigenous Peoples, mental health, trauma counselling, trauma interventions
Abstract: Contemporary Indigenous mental health research is beginning to address colonization, contextualizing Indigenous health within a history of colonial relationships and inadequate mental health responses. In practice, however, dominant counselling models for mental health in Canada have neglected Indigenous perspectives and there is a paucity of research regarding interventions that address psychological trauma with Indigenous populations. We identified 11 Canadian studies that employed culturally appropriate trauma interventions within Indigenous communities. We discuss the findings in relation to the study participants, outcomes reported, and research design. Recommendations are provided to address the need for evidence-based trauma interventions that have efficacy for Indigenous people in Canada to address Indigenous historical trauma.
Dancing With Non-duality for Healing Through the Shadows of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Publisher: Frontiers in Education
Date: 2021-03-23
Authors: Bai H., Berry K., Haber J., Cohen A.
Keywords: AEDP, COVID-19, dialogue, non-duality, positive psychology, psychotherapy, shadow work, wisdom traditions
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed torrents of global suffering at a devastating scale, necessitating a strong response to alleviating suffering. This paper begins with noting that the conventional approach to suffering in North America is to be positive and not to be negative. The paper summarily explores the philosophy of positive psychology underlying the first- and the second-wave of positive psychology, commenting on the evolution from dualism and a binary conceptualization in the first wave (PP 1.0) to a non-dualism of integrating binaries in the second wave (PP 2.0). PP 2.0’s enhanced therapeutic efficacy is noted for its non-dual framework. The paper then explores and suggests a different conceptualization possibility of non-duality, fundamental non-duality, that is related to but distinct from the one in PP 2.0. A case is made that fundamental non-duality has a radical possibility of therapeutic efficacy. Being consistent with the philosophy of non-duality, further suggestions are made that non-duality of PP 2.0 and fundamental non-duality can be therapeutically deployed together for greatest efficacy. The exploration contained in the paper is largely philosophical, arts-based, and autobiographical, creating an enacted and lived experience of applying theory to practice.
Connecting educators, families and communities through pastel (plurilingualism, art, science, technology and literacies) approaches in and around French immersion
Publisher: Superdiversity and Teacher Education: Supporting Teachers in Working with Culturally, Linguistically, and Racially Diverse Students, Families, and Communities
Date: 2021-03-11
Authors: Moore D.
Abstract: This chapter explores how plurilingual pedagogies, and more specifically PASTEL approaches (Plurilingualism, Art, Science, Technology and Literacies) can foster connections between educators, families and communities, and benefit children’s learning in our increasingly complex classrooms. Plurilingual pedagogies encourage to disrupt the boundaries between languages in the classroom and promote an asset-oriented perspective in terms of the plurality of the experiences, skills, and competencies that learners possess. They focus on the linkages across languages and cultural experiences and support the idea that learners’ multiple linguistic resources and knowledge should be used to nurture learning. Using examples from case studies with young learners and practitioners engaged in reflective inquiries and research action in various educative environments, this chapter highlights how educators engage with rich linguistic resources present in and beyond multicultural and multilingual classrooms, children’s imagination, and funds of knowledge in the home as vital resources for learning, notably in and around French immersion. The chapter should trigger a discussion on the importance of plurilingual education in pre- and in-service teacher training to foster learning bridges across languages, literacies, and the disciplines and facilitate families’ engagement to create new and transformative learning spaces for all learners.
Diversity as the norm: Teaching to and through superdiversity in postsecondary indigenous education courses
Publisher: Superdiversity and Teacher Education: Supporting Teachers in Working with Culturally, Linguistically, and Racially Diverse Students, Families, and Communities
Date: 2021-03-11
Authors: Yee N.L., Davidson S.F.
Abstract: Educational contexts shaped by colonialism are ill-equipped to build from the contributions of superdiversity, such as neuro-diversity, cultural diversity, and differences in socioeconomic status, gender, or experiences of the world. Building on the belief that superdiversity is a normal state of being that may be applied to instructors, students, and content, the authors of this chapter explore how they, as two diverse instructors of mandatory Indigenous education courses, have structured their approach to facilitating learning opportunities about Indigenous and decolonizing perspectives. They consider some of their reflective, contextual, and practical foundations in presenting Indigenous and decolonizing perspectives and embracing superdiversity among Indigenous (and all) Peoples. Based on deep reflections of their practice, commitments to the inclusion of diverse perspectives, using arts and literature, co-constructing knowledge, and structuring activities using place-based approaches emerged. The chapter includes descriptions of important considerations and examples, including excerpts from a conversation, to show how the authors have taken up these ideas from their own perspectives. They conclude that teaching diverse content, based on their own unique identities and positionalities in relation to Indigenous and decolonizing perspectives, allows them to create deep learning opportunities for diverse learners in the classroom.
Bullying among college and university students
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell handbook of bullying: A comprehensive and international review of research and intervention
Date: 2021-03-08
Authors: Cassidy, W., Faucher, C., & Jackson, M.
Abstract: Bullying and cyberbullying risk does not end when youth graduate from secondary school. It continues into the post-secondary sector and beyond, taking different forms over the life course. While anyone may be a target, vulnerability to bullying and cyberbullying appears to be compounded by certain risk factors. In this chapter, we first consider bullying and cyberbullying from a developmental perspective, examining the ways in which the bullying and cyberbullying experienced by university students resemble and differ from those
From one kind of numbers to another: The metaphors of expansion and transition
Publisher: For the Learning of Mathematics
Date: 2021-03-01
Authors: Kontorovich I., Zazkis R., Mason J.
Abstract: Is the natural number 7 rational? Is it complex? We argue that the answers to these questions relate to the ways numbers are taught. Commonly, a new kind of numbers is presented as an expansion of a previously familiar kind of numbers, which results in a nested image of the relations between number sets. In this article, we introduce an alternative approach, in which one transitions between different numerical domains, some subsets of which are isomorphic.
A case-study exploration of deweyan experiential service learning as citizenship development
Publisher: Global Citizenship Education: Challenges and Successes
Date: 2021-03-01
Authors: Broom C.A., Bai H.
Abstract:
Developing good citizens is one of the root theoretical justifications and purposes of public schooling and social studies. Much discussion exists, however, over what good citizenship entails and how it can best be achieved. One approach – experiential learning and its associated service learning – is currently popular in a number of disciplines. It is argued to be an invaluable way of developing students’ citizenship through experience-based learning. The first part of this chapter concerns itself with the theoretical grounding of experiential and service learning. We begin by reviewing briefly some of the major contemporary global citizenship theorists. As we shall see, many of these contemporary theories gesture towards and support some forms of experiential and service learning, which builds on earlier philosophers’ work. Thus, our next move is to explore a key philosophical figure behind experiential learning: John Dewey. Dewey’s theories of experiential learning are still unmatched today in providing strong theoretical foundations for experiential and service-learning pedagogies.
A case-study exploration of deweyan experiential service learning as citizenship development
Publisher: Global Citizenship Education: Challenges and Successes
Date: 2021-03-01
Authors: Broom C.A., Bai H.
Abstract:
Developing good citizens is one of the root theoretical justifications and purposes of public schooling and social studies. Much discussion exists, however, over what good citizenship entails and how it can best be achieved. One approach – experiential learning and its associated service learning – is currently popular in a number of disciplines. It is argued to be an invaluable way of developing students’ citizenship through experience-based learning. The first part of this chapter concerns itself with the theoretical grounding of experiential and service learning. We begin by reviewing briefly some of the major contemporary global citizenship theorists. As we shall see, many of these contemporary theories gesture towards and support some forms of experiential and service learning, which builds on earlier philosophers’ work. Thus, our next move is to explore a key philosophical figure behind experiential learning: John Dewey. Dewey’s theories of experiential learning are still unmatched today in providing strong theoretical foundations for experiential and service-learning pedagogies.
Visiting, attending and receiving: Making kin with local woods
Publisher: International Journal of Education Through Art
Date: 2021-03-01
Authors: Vasko, Z.
Keywords: aesthetic attentiveness; embodiment; interbeing; place-based environmental education; posthumanism; walking
Abstract:
In an endeavour to build intimacy with a section of woods as can only be done through visceral and embodied experience, an ongoing drawing project was embarked upon with the forest as co-author. In a practice of sympoesis with the earth, small drawings of selected niches in an unprotected section of established forest bordering a suburban neighbourhood were done on regular and frequent walks through changing seasons. Upon completion, each drawing was hidden or buried at the site, to be retrieved on a subsequent visit. The aim is to inhabit and bond with this particular wild place through art-based dialogue, and through finding and returning to very specific places via animistic sensing and with tacit knowledge rather than the customary reliance on human-made indexical technologies. In this regard, the trees and plants play an active and sometimes storied role as participants in the creative exchange.
A “Strong” Approach to Sustainability Literacy: Embodied Ecology and Media
Publisher: Philosophies
Date: 2021-02-15
Authors: Campbell, C.; Lacković, N.; & Olteanu, A.
Abstract:
This article outlines a “strong” theoretical approach to sustainability literacy, building on an earlier definition of strong and weak environmental literacy (Stables and Bishop 2001). The argument builds upon a specific semiotic approach to educational philosophy (sometimes called edusemiotics), to which these authors have been contributing. Here, we highlight how a view of learning that centers on embodied and multimodal communication invites bridging biosemiotics with critical media literacy, in pursuit of a strong, integrated sustainability literacy. The need for such a construal of literacy can be observed in recent scholarship on embodied cognition, education, media and bio/eco-semiotics. By (1) construing the environment as semiosic (Umwelt), and (2) replacing the notion of text with model, we develop a theory of literacy that understands learning as embodied/environmental in/across any mediality. As such, digital and multimedia learning are deemed to rest on environmental and embodied affordances. The notions of semiotic resources and affordances are also defined from these perspectives. We propose that a biosemiotics-informed approach to literacy, connecting both eco- and critical-media literacy, accompanies a much broader scope of meaning-making than has been the case in literacy studies so far.
Action coordination during a real-world task: Evidence from children with and without autism spectrum disorder
Publisher: Development and Psychopathology
Date: 2021-02-01
Authors: Trevisan D.A., Enns J.T., Birmingham E., Iarocci G.
Keywords: action coordination, ASD, autism, joint action, social interaction
Abstract: Joint action - the ability to coordinate actions with others - is critical for achieving individual and interpersonal goals and for our collective success as a species. Joint actions require accurate and rapid inferences about others' goals, intentions, and focus of attention, skills that are thought to be impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research to date has not investigated joint action abilities in individuals with ASD during real-world social interactions. We conducted an experimental study that required children with ASD and typically developing children to move tables by themselves or collaboratively through a maze. This involved developing innovative methodologies for measuring action coordination - a critical component of the joint action process. We found that children with ASD are less likely to benefit from the collaboration of a peer than are typically developing children, and they are less likely to synchronize their steps when moving the table. However, these differences were masked when scaffolded by an adult. There was no evidence that ASD differences were due to gross motor delays in the participants with ASD. We argue that action coordination is a highly adaptive social process that is intrinsic to successful human functioning that manifests as atypical synchronization of mind and body in children with ASD.
Questioning human and material boundaries in plurilingual identity construction
Publisher: The Routledge Handbook of Plurilingual Language Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Dagenais, D., Brisson, G., Forte, M., & André, G.
Abstract: A growing number of researchers are looking at developments in theories of sociomateriality across disciplines to think about language learning and identity construction in multilingual contexts as material phenomena characterized by vital relationships of humans and everything in their environments. This chapter provides an overview of social perspectives on plurilingual identities and describes some key concepts discussed in theories of sociomateriality and offer a brief review of some publications that mobilize these ideas to analyse language learning and learner identities as assemblages of humans and materials. The analytic lens is widened as humans are situated on a plane of immanence with non-humans. Humans and other things are seen as forming assemblages that jointly affect multilingual environments and language learning. The chapter discusses sociological and sociolinguistic perspectives have been foundational in identifying how power relations operate in social contexts and affect identity positionings in situations of language learning in multilingual settings.
Open learner models working in symbiosis with self-regulating learners: A research agenda
Publisher: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Author: Winne, P. H.
Abstract: Learner modeling systems so far formulated model learning in three main ways: a learner’s “position” within a lattice of declarative and procedural knowledge about highly structured disciplines such as geometry or physics, a learner’s path through curricular tasks compared to milestones, or profiles of a learner’s achievements on a set of tasks relative to mastery criteria or a peer group. Opening these models to learners identifies for them factors and relations among factors. Open learner models tacitly invite learners to regulate learning. However, contemporary learner models omit data about how learners have and should process information to learn, understand, consolidate and transfer new knowledge and skills. What to do with information opened to learners is opaque. I propose incorporating trace data about learning processes in learner models. Trace data allow generating learning analytics that inform self-regulating learners about potentially productive adaptations to processes they have used to learn. In a context of big data, such elaborated learner models are positioned to collaborate with self-regulating learners. Together, they can coordinate symbiotically, creating a platform for the system to improve its models of learners and for learners to more productively self-regulate learning.
Modeling undergraduates' selection of course modality: A large sample, multi-discipline study
Publisher: Internet and Higher Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: O'Neill K., Lopes N., Nesbit J., Reinhardt S., Jayasundera K.
Keywords: Course modality, In-person, Logistic regression, Online, Student choice
Abstract: Scholarly understanding is limited with regard to what influences students' choice to take a particular course fully online or in-person. We surveyed 650 undergraduates at a public Canadian university who were enrolled in courses that were offered in both modalities during the same semester, for roughly the same tuition cost. The courses spanned a wide range of disciplines, from archaeology to computing science. Twenty-five variables were gauged, covering areas including students' personal circumstances, their competence in the language of instruction, previous experience with online courses, grade expectations, and psychological variables including their regulation of their time and study environment, work avoidance and social goal orientation. Two logistic regression models (of modality of enrolment and modality of preference) both had good fit to the data, each correctly classifying roughly 75% of cases using different variables. Implications for instructional design and enrolment management are discussed.
Uncovering hidden windmills across contexts
Publisher: International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Yan X., Zazkis R.
Keywords: LOGO, problem-solving, proof, rotational symmetry, Windmill shape
Abstract: © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Windmill images and shapes have a long history in geometry and can be found in problems in different mathematical contexts. In this paper, we share and discuss various problems involving windmill shapes and solutions from geometry, algebra, to elementary number theory. These problems can be used, separately or together, for students to explore rotational symmetry and connect seemingly unrelated problems.
Advanced Mathematics for Secondary School Teachers: Mathematicians’ Perspective
Publisher: International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Yan X., Marmur O., Zazkis R.
Keywords: Advanced mathematics, Mathematicians, Secondary mathematics teachers, Teacher education
Abstract: © 2021, Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. In this paper, we examine mathematicians’ views on the value of advanced mathematics for secondary mathematics teachers. The data comprise semi-structured interviews with 24 mathematicians from 10 universities. The findings indicate that the value of advanced mathematics courses for prospective secondary mathematics teachers lies in their potential to offer connections across mathematical domains, mathematical experience for the development of problem-solving abilities, and increased epistemological awareness of the subject. Additionally, mathematicians’ examples that connect advanced and school mathematics are presented and discussed. While the mathematicians provided rich examples of such connections, we noted that such examples were relatively scarce and accordingly sought possible explanations in the discussion of the findings.
The educational impact of the Covid-19 rapid response on teachers, students, and families: Insights from British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Prospects
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: MacDonald M., Hill C.
Keywords: Canada, Covid-19, K-12 education, online teaching, remote learning
Abstract: The government’s rapid response to the spread of Covid-19 in British Columbia has resulted in drastic and unprecedented changes to the delivery of K-12 education. Using qualitative research methods, including remote in-depth interviews, this article addresses the question: What is the educational impact of the Covid-19 rapid response on teachers, students, and families in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada? Six themes are discussed, including teacher and family responses to change, vulnerability, transitions, work/home life balance, holistic teaching practices and communication. The article ends with recommendations relating to the communication and implementation of health, care, and educational practices that better attend to vulnerable populations and address social emotional wellness.
Navigating COVID-19 linguistic landscapes in Vancouver’s North Shore: official signs, grassroots literacy artefacts, monolingualism, and discursive convergence
Publisher: International Journal of Multilingualism
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Marshall S.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Linguistic landscape, multimodality, visual ethnography, walking ethnography
Abstract: This article describes the changing linguistic landscape on the North Shore of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic. I present an account of the visual representation of change along the area’s parks and trails, which remained open for socially-distanced exercise during the province’s lockdown. Following the principles of visual, walking ethnography, I walked through numerous locations, observing and recording the visual representations of the province’s policies and discourses of lockdown and social distancing. Examples of change were most evident in the rapid addition to social space of top-down signs, characterised mainly by multimodality and monolingualism, strategically placed in ways that encouraged local people to abide by social-distancing. However, through this process of observation and exploration, I noticed grassroots semiotic artefacts such as illustrated stones with images and messages that complemented the official signs of the provincial government. As was the case with the official signs and messages, through a process of discursive convergence, these grassroots artefacts performed a role of conveying messages and discourses of social distancing, public pedagogy, and community care.
Collaborative problem solving in a choice-affluent environment
Publisher: ZDM - Mathematics Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Pruner M., Liljedahl P.
Keywords: Choice-affluent, Problem solving, Resources, Thinking classrooms
Abstract: For too long, problem solving has been studied as a solitary and isolated activity where individuals make progress based on personal resources acquired from knowledge, previous experiences or moments of illumination; however, in society, and indeed amongst mathematicians, problem solving can be highly collaborative and occurs in spaces where external resources (technology, the internet, social connections etc.) are abundant. In this paper, we present research into what problem solving looks like in classrooms when it is done collaboratively with access to resources that go beyond the knowledge and past experiences of the individual and even the group. Results indicate that in such choice-affluent environments, students will seek out new resources either when their collective or individual resources run low and will do so either by looking or discussing with others. This manuscript also offers a new methodological tool in the form of, what we call, gaze-dialogue transcripts for documenting such resource acquisition.
Automatic identification of knowledge-transforming content in argument essays developed from multiple sources
Publisher: Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Raković M., Winne P.H., Marzouk Z., Chang D.
Keywords: argumentative writing, evidence, knowledge telling, knowledge transforming, machine learning
Abstract: Developing knowledge-transforming skills in writing may help students increase learning by actively building knowledge, regardless of the domain. However, many undergraduate students struggle to transform knowledge when drafting essays based on multiple sources. Writing analytics can be used to scaffold knowledge transforming as writers bring evidence to bear in supporting claims. We investigated how to automatically identify sentences representing knowledge transformation in argumentative essays. A synthesis of cognitive theories of writing and Bloom's typology identified 22 linguistic features to model processes of knowledge transforming in a corpus of 38 undergraduates' essays. Findings indicate undergraduates mostly paraphrase or copy information from multiple sources rather than engage deeply with sources' content. Eight linguistic features were important for discriminating evidential sentences as telling versus transforming source knowledge. We trained a machine learning algorithm that accurately classified nearly three of four evidential sentences as knowledge-telling or knowledge-transforming, offering potential for use in future research.
Irrational gap: sensemaking trajectories of irrational exponents
Publisher: Educational Studies in Mathematics
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Marmur O., Zazkis R.
Keywords: Irrational exponents, Learning trajectories, Rational exponents, Sensemaking, Sensemaking trajectories
Abstract: We investigate how students make sense of irrational exponents. The data comprise 32 interviews with university students, which revolved around a task designed to examine students’ sensemaking processes involved in predicting and subsequently interpreting the shape of the graph of f(x)=x2. The task design and data analysis relied on the concept of sensemaking trajectories, blending the notions of sensemaking and (hypothetical/actual) learning trajectories. The findings present four typical sensemaking trajectories the participants went through while coping with the notion of an irrational exponent, alongside associated reasoning themes that seemed to have guided these trajectories. In addition to irrational exponents, the analysis revealed the participants’ reasoning and sensemaking of related mathematical ideas, such as rational exponents, approximations of irrational numbers by rational numbers, even/odd functions and numbers, and the meaning of exponentiation in general. The findings provide a step towards a better understanding of students’ conceptual development of irrational exponents, which could in turn be used for the refinement of tasks aimed at promoting students’ comprehension of the topic.
Inventive pedagogies and social solidarity: The work of community-based adult educators during COVID-19 in British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: International Review of Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Smythe S., Wilbur A., Hunter E.
Keywords: intersectionality, inventiveness, neoliberalism, pandemic pedagogies, popular education, racialised and gender hierarchies, social solidarity
Abstract: The societal lockdown imposed in Canada in March 2020 to stem the spread of COVID-19 severed key points of connection for low-income Canadians who rely upon schools, libraries and even fast-food chains for internet connectivity. This has had dire implications for timely access to vital information and resources, and has revealed the extent to which women, transgender and racialised communities are bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s effects. This article describes a study that investigated the pandemic-related work of community-based adult educators in the ethno-culturally diverse Canadian province of British Columbia. Interviews were conducted with 18 educators who were working on the “front lines” of the pandemic, to document their support of low-income and newcomer communities, to understand how these educators responded in terms of pedagogies and strategies, and to map how these pedagogies and practices might be leveraged for more equitable relationships in post-pandemic community-based education. The authors found that the educators developed a range of inventive and dynamic pedagogies oriented to social solidarity and to taking up intersectional oppressions. These “pandemic pedagogies” may contribute to more equitable and inclusive social–technology relationships in a post-pandemic future.
Letters from a dying college: How the climate crisis demands a wilder pedagogy and wilder policies
Publisher: Policy Futures in Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Ford D., Blenkinsop S.
Keywords: climate crisis, Further education, pedagogy, policy, tertiary education, wild
Abstract: This paper takes the academically unorthodox form of personal correspondence. This method, of letters between two educators writing to one another across the distance of two continents and different experiences, seeks to create an inclusive, confessional tone, one that invites the reader to get closer to the lived experience of those struggling within the educational and environmental crises. Critically, this correspondence also seeks to open discussion about the difficult demands of state secondary and tertiary education. The authors explore issues regarding their denuded experiences of working in formal education settings while bearing witness to environmental degradation and ecological collapse. In light of their exploration, the authors argue for an ‘agrios’, a wilder, more expansive polis, coupled with more ecologically-inclusive governance, to address the current potentially catastrophic political leadership that has seemingly turned away from ecological responsibility. This paper culminates in direct letters that focus on a series of practical proposals for action and on four premises for developing agriocy – the policy that supports the agrios/agriocity.
Cultural transposition of a thinking classroom: to conceive possible unthoughts in mathematical problem solving activity
Publisher: ZDM - Mathematics Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Mellone M., Pacelli T., Liljedahl P.
Keywords: Cultural transposition, Mathematical problem solving, Thinking classroom, Unthoughts
Abstract: This study concerns a professional development course designed and implemented for prospective teachers, centred on a teaching method regarding problem-solving activity, namely, the Thinking Classroom. The study is framed in the theory of cultural transposition, a perspective about the encounter with teaching practices from different cultural/school contexts. Cultural aspects are considered crucial and this encounter between cultures is seen as an opportunity for actors to become aware of their own unthoughts, i.e., some of the ‘invisible’ cultural beliefs about teaching and learning absorbed by their own culture. According to this framework, we present the results from a questionnaire given to all the participants, and two case studies of prospective teachers involved in the professional development, in order to discuss the kind of unthoughts on which they have focused in thinking about this training experience.
Experiencing number in a digital multitouch environment
Publisher: For the Learning of Mathematics
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Sinclair N., Ferrara F.
Abstract: In this article, we explore Whitehead’s claim that experience is fundamentally affective. We do so in the context of an Italian primary school classroom featuring the use of the multitouch application TouchCounts. We study the way in which the children and the iPad take each other up and the meanings of number and arithmetic that emerge as a result. In particular, we show that colour, containment and movement play an important role in their experience of number as decomposable and composable through addition.
Education, sustainable or otherwise, as simulacra: A symphony of Baudrillard
Publisher: Educational Philosophy and Theory
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Humphreys C., Blenkinsop S., Jickling B.
Keywords: Baudrillard, hyper-reality, simulacra
Abstract: Preamble: Singers gathering on stage This is a paper for three voices. An attempt at a philosophic experience in the symphonic form. The first voice carries the tune and holds the shape of the paper as it focuses on Baudrillard and proposes that public education in Canada today is in fact a simulacra. The second voice has more room to roam, tracing some of the Western philosophical underpinnings of Baudrillard’s stages of the simulacra from Aristotle to Saussure’s centralization of human language and out to the disappearance of the signified altogether. And the third voice, plays a parallel tune to the first two but focuses on the evolution of education for sustainable development. Eventually all three voices find harmonies around the challenges of their respective simulacrum (i.e. public education, human language, and education for sustainable development) and will, as a dramatic conclusion, seek to offer some important educational implications. We have employed, as seen above, different fonts for each voice and divided the paper along symphonic lines (i.e. sonata, adagio, scherzo, and rondo) with each movement being accompanied by one stage of Baudrillard’s development of the simulacra. We encourage the reader to think of this paper as a philosophical score choosing to read each voice separately or all three together seeking resonances along the way.
Swimming in flow motion: an ecopedagogy for health and physical education
Publisher: Sport, Education and Society
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Smith S.J.
Keywords: ecopedagogy, flow, immersion, phenomenology, swimming, Water
Abstract: Becoming educated physically need not be confined to gyms, playing fields, dance studios and aquatic complexes. A case in point is that of swimming which serves notice on training the body exclusively by offering an ecologically attuned, movement pedagogy. As an exemplar for the cultivation of the body-subject and its implication in the flesh of world, a phenomenological analysis of swimming provides a somaesthetic rendition of flow motion by highlighting the motional basis to enhanced ecological responsiveness. The gestures of flow that are shaped by swimming in a pool, a lake, or the ocean and by responsiveness to wave patterns in particular, are indicative of the circulations of not just waterscapes but, by gestural extension, of a bodily immersion within the world at large. Health and Physical Education can thus be guided by aspirations to care very practically and with disciplinary focus for this watery planet.
The automated literacies of e-recruitment and online services
Publisher: Studies in the Education of Adults
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Smythe S., Grotlüschen A., Buddeberg K.
Keywords: algorithms, inequality, Job recruitment, literacy
Abstract: Online technologies have entered almost all spheres of life, introducing new challenges to how literacies are theorised, defined and taken up in adult literacy education settings. This process has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and on a global scale, as more services, resources and information move online. An important, if under-studied example of this trend is e-recruitment. Job seekers increasingly rely upon automated platforms to find and apply for jobs, and their fate in these selection processes are often automated. Drawing on data from the German LEO study and ethnographic interviews with job seekers in community-based digital literacy classes in Canada, this article explores how adult job seekers experience e-recruitment platforms, examining promises of efficiency, convenience and fairness in light of embedded inequalities within algorithmic agencies. Located within constructs of digital inequality, new literacy studies and sociomaterial literacies, findings suggest the need to reconfigure skills discourses, literacy measurement projects, and literacies education to account for automated intelligences as new actors in the literacies landscape.
Enhancing scientific discovery learning by just-in-time prompts in a simulation-assisted inquiry environment
Publisher: European Journal of Educational Research
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Hajian S., Jain M., Liu A.L., Obaid T., Fukuda M., Winne P.H., Nesbit J.C.
Keywords: Guidance, Inquiry learning, Prompts, Simulation
Abstract: We investigated the effects of just-in-time guidance at various stages of inquiry learning by novice learners. Thirteen participants, randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 8) or control (n = 5) group, were observed as they learned about DC electric circuits using a web-based simulation. Just-in-time instructional prompts to observe, predict, explain, systematically test, collect evidence, and generate rules were strongly associated with diagnosing and correcting misconceptions, and constructing correct scientific concepts. Students' repeated use of predictions, systematic testing, and evidence-coordinated reasoning often led to formulating new principles, generalizing from observed patterns, verifying comprehension, and experiencing "Aha!"moments. Just-in-time prompts helped learners manage embedded cognitive challenges in inquiry tasks, achieve a comprehensive understanding of the model represented in the simulation, and show significantly higher knowledge gain. Just-in-time prompts also promoted rejection of incorrect models of inquiry and construction of robust scientific mental models. The results suggest ways of customizing guidance to promote scientific learning within simulation environments.
Application of deep learning on the characterization of tor traffic using time based features
Publisher: Journal of Internet Services and Information Security
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Johnson C., Khadka B., Ruiz E., Halladay J., Doleck T., Basnet R.
Keywords: Deep learning, Encrypted traffic, Machine learning, Tor traffic, Traffic identification
Abstract: The Onion Router (Tor) is a popular network, widely used by both political dissidents and cyber criminals alike. Tor attempts to circumvent government censorship and surveillance of individuals by keeping secret a message’s sende/receiver and content. This work compares the performance of various traditional machine learning algorithms (e.g. Random Forest, Decision Tree, k-Nearest Neighbor) and Deep Neural Networks on the ISCXTor2016 time-based dataset in detecting Tor traffic. The research examines two scenarios: the goal of Scenario A is to detect Tor traffic while Scenario B’s goal is to determine the type of Tor traffic as one of eight categories. The algorithms trained on Scenario A demonstrate high performance, with classification accuracies > 99% in most cases. In contrast, Scenario B yielded a wider range of classification accuracies (40-82%); Random Forest and Decision Tree algorithms demonstrate performance superior to k-Nearest Neighbors and Deep Neural Networks.
Transition to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic
Publisher: Interactive Learning Environments
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: John Lemay D., Doleck T., Bazelais P.
Keywords: approach to teaching, COVID-19, e-learning, online learning, online teaching, pandemic, teacher beliefs
Abstract: With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers and students have seen their activities suddenly thrust online. With little guidance or experience, they have had to learn new tools and often have struggled with access and material support, but also disease and economic hardships. Given that teachers’ approaches to teaching are influenced by such events, we report on a survey design cross-sectional study of Nepalese teachers’ experience of the transition to online teaching. This study has implications for instructional planning and implementation.
Empathetic encounters of children’s augmented storying across the human and more-than-human worlds
Publisher: International Studies in Sociology of Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Kumpulainen K., Renlund J., Byman J., Wong C.C.
Keywords: augmented storying, children, Empathetic encounters, nature, sociomaterial approach
Abstract: This study brings empathy to the centre of literacy practice by investigating children’s augmented storying as it was related to empathetic encounters across the human and more-than-human worlds. The study applies sociomaterial theorising that defines empathy as relational and emergent across human–material–spatial–temporal assemblages. The empirical study was situated in a Finnish primary school in which children used an augmented story-crafting tool (MyAR Julle) to explore their local environment and to create and share their stories. The findings show how empathy emerged situationally across the children, other human beings, materials, technology and the natural world. The empathetic encounters of the children’s narratives were more than romantic or smooth encounters, instead competing and in tension with one another, calling moral reasoning and agency. The study shows the potential of sociomaterial theorising to change the way we think about children’s encounters with the world, using empathy as a framework.
Children developing self-regulation skills in a Kids’ Skills intervention programme in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care
Publisher: Early Child Development and Care
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Hautakangas M., Kumpulainen K., Uusitalo L.
Keywords: children, Early Childhood Education and Care, Kids’ Skills programme, Self-regulation
Abstract: Self-regulation skills are fundamental for a child’s development and learning. Yet, problems in self-regulation are common and several programmes with varying results have been created to overcome them. In this article, we have reported on a controlled ten-week intervention study. Twenty-eight children aged 4–7 years and with poor self-regulation skills participated in their Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centres. The intervention programme, entitled Kids’ Skills, is based on a strength-based and solution-focused perspective. Compared with the 15-child control group, the intervention group showed significant progress. The Kids’ Skills intervention made visible the teacher’s strong engagement to develop children’s self-regulation skills and the positive interaction, such as how the teacher supports the child in challenging situations. The Kids’ Skills’ strength-based pedagogy, emphasizing that rather than the child being a problem, the child and the teacher work together to solve the child’s problem, increases the child’s involvement and their development of self-regulation skills.
Cassandras Of A Second Kind
Publisher: Journal of Environmental Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Beeman C., Blenkinsop S.
Keywords: Anthropocene, Cassandra, Climate change, environmental and sustainability education, indigenous, neuro-hemispheric divide, Ontos
Abstract: In this paper, Cassandra’s role in the ancient Greek myth of the fall of Troy, as one given the gift of prophesy but cursed to be disbelieved, is explored with a view to understanding the apparently powerless position of climate justice and environmental activism to change public policy. To make this case, we re-interpret the myth of Cassandra to imagine her as a different kind of person, and explore the ideas and stories of certain Teme Augama Anishinaabe Elders that we believe reflect a divergent ontos (being state) from that of the global, modern West. This being state is embedded in the natural world in a constantly reciprocal and dialogical way. We couple this with parallel arguments from recent theories around the human neuro-hemispheric divide relating to ontology and use both to explore how we might become the kinds of people that are capable of dealing with climate change: Cassandras of the second kind. Viewed methodologically, this paper is a cyclical philosophical investigation that, in part, makes use of hermeneutics and narrative inquiry to understand mythic Greek tales and the stories of Indigenous Elders. It also draws on literary traditions that employ allegory to explore meaning.
Teachers’ understanding and implementation of peace education in Colombia: the case of Cátedra de la Paz
Publisher: Journal of Peace Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Morales E., Gebre E.H.
Keywords: citizenship education, Cátedra de la Paz, Peace education, teachers’ beliefs, teachers’ knowledge
Abstract: The longest internal conflict in Colombia was concluded in 2016, leading to the creation of Cátedra de la Paz, a peace and citizenship education course required for all schools and grade levels. However, teachers’ understanding of the course, their ways of implementation and the challenges they face remain unknown. This study examines teachers’ understanding of Cátedra de la Paz and the challenges they face when implementing it. Data were collected from 45 teachers using qualitative survey, followed by semi-structured interviews with 10 selected participants. Results showed that a) teachers have more integrated views of the course compared to the guideline provided by the Ministry of National Education, and b) teachers face several challenges implementing the course. Findings provide insights about context-oriented learning design for peace education and highlight the need for professional development and relevant support for teachers in a way that considers their understanding and implementation of peace education.
Individual or collaborative projects? Considerations influencing the preferences of students with high reasoning ability and others their age
Publisher: High Ability Studies
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Kanevsky L., Lo C.O., Marghelis V.
Keywords: Collaborative, High ability, Individual, Preference, Projects
Abstract: Conditions influencing 328 students’ (Grades 6-8) preferences for collaborating or working alone on challenging projects were investigated, as well as their potential interactions with ability, grade and sex. Each student completed the Cognitive Abilities Test (Form 7) and Project Context Survey. No overall preference for individual or collaborative projects was found. Students’ preferences were sensitive to features of the context (subject, nature of the task and social dynamics). Individual projects were preferred in art and shared projects in science and social studies. Students with high ability and boys preferred individual projects in Math. Principal components analyses revealed three contextual considerations influenced students’ desire to work on projects alone (enjoyment, optimizing the outcome, and risk management) and five influenced the appeal of collaborating (inclusiveness and trust, access to the strengths of others, their perceived need for support, familiarity, and fair assessment). High ability students were more concerned with the efficiency and quality of their work, and their grades while others their age were more influenced by the potential for fun. Grade 8 students were more concerned with risk management and the assessment process than younger students. If the safe, supportive, fair conditions they sought for collaborating were not available, students’ default preference was to work alone on a challenging project.
Classroom practice and craft knowledge in teaching mathematics using Desmos: challenges and strategies
Publisher: International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Chorney S.
Keywords: Classroom practice, connected graphing packages, craft knowledge, desmos, digital technology, Structuring Features of Classroom Practice framework
Abstract: While traditional graphing calculators have become commonplace in high school mathematics classrooms, newer and more powerful connected graphing packages (CGP) are less pervasive. This study observes how four teachers integrate a CGP into their high school mathematics classrooms, with a focus on the challenges the teachers faced and the corresponding strategies they put into practice to deal with those challenges. Ruthven’s Structuring Features of Classroom Practice framework is used to frame reported data and to identify craft knowledge. Overall, it is concluded that the relevant craft knowledge was developed by these teachers over time based on practice, rather than formal training, and is unique to classroom context. It is argued that the types of challenges faced by each of the teachers were dependent on their particular expertize. Those with more experience with integration of the CGP in action displayed a more fluent and problem-free practice. The strategies reported in this study are also thought to be helpful to teachers and researchers, and potentially supportive of future integration of CGPs.
Cultivating Leadership Imagination with Cognitive Tools: An Imagination-Focused Approach to Leadership Education
Publisher: Journal of Research on Leadership Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Judson G.
Keywords: cognitive tools, imagination, imaginative education, leadership education, school leadership, story
Abstract: This conceptual and practical paper aims to expand understanding of imagination in ways that have direct implications for leadership education and research. First, imagination is conceptualized as soil, an analogy that can address misconceptions about imagination and broaden understanding of the multiple ways it contributes to leadership. Next, an educational theory called Imaginative Education (IE) is introduced that offers theoretical understanding of imagination and practical tools for its development. Finally, what imagination yields in terms of individual and collective leadership processes is described along with specific “cognitive tools” that may be used to cultivate imagination in school leadership.
A study of future physics teachers’ knowledge for teaching: A case of a decibel sound level scale
Publisher: LUMAT
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Milner-Bolotin M., Zazkis R.
Keywords: Knowledge for teaching, Lesson play, Logarithms, Physics teacher education, Scriptwriting, Sound level
Abstract: This study examines future secondary physics teachers’ knowledge related to the teaching of sound waves, and specifically the topics of sound level and sound intensity. The data is comprised of future teachers’ responses to a task in which they had to compose a script for an imaginary dialogue between a teacher and a group of students and to provide a commentary elaborating on their instructional choices. The topics selected for the task were chosen intentionally as they provide authentic and rich opportunities to bridge mathematics and science concepts, while challenging future teachers to consider the logarithmic measurement scale and its role in science. The task provided the participants with the beginning of a dialogue that featured student confusion about the measurement of sound level using a decibel scale. Future physics teachers were asked to extend this dialogue through describing envisioned instructional interactions that could have ensued. The instructional interchange related to the relationship between sound intensity and sound level, and particular teachers’ responses to the student ideas related to the meaning of a decibel sound level scale were analysed. These responses were categorized as featuring superficial or deep, and conceptual or procedural knowledge for teaching. We describe each category using illustrative excerpts from the participants’ scripts. We conclude with highlighting the affordances of scriptwriting for teachers, teacher educators, and researchers.
Exploring students’ misconceptions of the function concept through problem-posing tasks and their views thereon
Publisher: International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Parhizgar Z., Dehbashi A., Liljedahl P., Alamolhodaei H.
Keywords: affect, function concept, misconceptions, Problem-posing, students’ views
Abstract: Many studies have investigated students’ problem-posing activities. However, there has not been a strong focus on affective aspects in mathematical problem-posing. Also, students’ understanding of the function concept whilst generating functions has not previously been investigated. This paper investigated students’ misconceptions of the function concept through problem-posing tasks. It also delineates students’ views on the problem-posing experiences in a functional context. The participants of this study were 74 female high-school students, of whom six were selected according to their performance on a problem-posing test to air their views. The findings show that problem-posing was a good approach for pinpointing students’ misconceptions about function concept, some of which are presented in this paper. Students’ interviews also indicate that, besides being productive and enjoyable for students, problem-posing activities helped them to develop a deeper understanding of the function concept through reflection. Indeed, exploring students’ views in depth made it possible to provide a better analysis of the factors that can inform the effective use of problem-posing in mathematics education.
Educational Data Mining versus Learning Analytics: A Review of Publications From 2015 to 2019
Publisher: Interactive Learning Environments
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Baek C., Doleck T.
Keywords: education, Educational Data Mining, educational technology, learning analytics, systematic review
Abstract: To examine the similarities and differences between two closely related yet distinct fields–Educational Data Mining (EDM) and Learning Analytics (LA)–this study conducted a literature review of the empirical studies published in both fields. We synthesized 492 LA and 194 EDM articles published during 2015–2019. We compared the similarities and differences in research across the two fields by examining data analysis tools, common keywords, theories, and definitions listed. We found that most studies in both fields did not clearly identify a theoretical framework. For both fields, theories of self-regulated learning are most frequently used. We found, through keyword analysis, that both fields are closely related to each other as “learning analytics” is most frequently listed keyword for EDM and vice versa for LA. However, one notable difference relates to how LA studies listed social-related keywords whereas EDM studies listed keywords related to technical methods. The tools used for data analysis overlap largely but some of the LA studies listed tools for qualitative data analysis and social network analysis whereas EDM studies did not. Finally, the distinction of the two fields is defined differently by authors as some demarcate the differences whereas some address them interchangeably.
Class size and teacher work: Research provided to the BCTF in their struggle to negotiate teacher working conditions
Publisher: Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Laitsch D., Nguyen H., Younghusband C.H.
Keywords: Class size, Court litigation, Labour conditions, Research use, Teachers unions, Working conditions
Abstract: This paper presents an update of a 2010-literature review on class size research completed as background in preparation of an affidavit on class size provided by the lead author in the case of British Columbia Teachers’ Federation v. British Columbia, argued before the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2010, appealed ultimately to the Supreme Court of Canada and ruled on November 10, 2016. We find that smaller classes can improve teacher-student interactions and individualized instruction, decreasing time spent on discipline issues, leading to better student behaviour, attitude, and efforts. Smaller classes generally have greater advantages for younger students, and effects are more observable in class sizes of less than 20. Small classes may shrink achievement gaps, decrease dropout rates, and increase high school graduation rates, and appear to enhance academic outcomes, particularly for marginalized groups. Researchers have detected class size effects many years later. Small classes have been found to boost teachers’ morale and job satisfaction. While some studies have found effects at the secondary and post-secondary level, results are generally inconclusive at this level. Finally, some researchers have argued that class size reductions are an inefficient use of funds which might be better spent elsewhere in the system. The paper concludes with a brief reflection on the process of providing this research for Supreme Court case.
Switching intentions in the context of open-source software movement: The paradox of choice
Publisher: Education and Information Technologies
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Lemay D.J., Basnet R.B., Doleck T.
Keywords: Linux operating system, Open source software, Switching intentions, Technology acceptance
Abstract: Open-source software movement presents a viable alternative to commercial operating systems. Linux-based operating systems are freely available and a competitive option for computer users who want full control of their computer software. Thus, it is relevant to inquire on how the open-source movement might influence user technology switching intentions. The current study examines user intentions to switch to a Linux-based open-source operating system. Using partial least squares modeling, we examine the influence of inertia, (i.e., status quo bias), benefit loss costs, incumbent systems habit, procedural switching costs, sunk costs, social norms, and uncertainty costs, on perceived need and behavioral intention.
Re/turning to soil: becoming one-bodied with the Earth
Publisher: Cultural Studies of Science Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Scott C., Behrisch T., Bhattacharjee M., Grass S., Bai H.
Keywords: Animism, Autobiographical narratives, Embodiment, Holism, Modern western worldview, ModWest
Abstract: This paper curates four experiential narratives and poetry by the five co-authors that illustrate epistemic and ontic shift from the Modern Western (ModWest) mindset to a holistic, embodied and animistic mindset. Coming from different cultural backgrounds, yet having been systemically influenced by the dominant ModWest views and values, each author has initiated an ongoing shift in consciousness, demonstrating how such transformations are possible. Affirming that a shift in consciousness is not simply a matter of cognitive change but is a thoroughly holistic process, the authors write in autobiographical narratives and poetry to capture and convey embodied and emplaced, experiential understanding and feelings, or ‘felt sense.’ Deep changes in the consciousness, such as these epistemic shifts, take the whole ensemble of “body + mind + heart + soul + spirit + the world” as the unit of change for learning. Through these writings, they sensuously and feelingly, existentially-and-spiritually and discursively explore possibilities of becoming one-bodied with the animate Earth. They call this the re-bonding project through which they address humanity’s first-order bonding rupture between Humans and the Earth community.
Productive ambiguity in unconventional representations: “what the fraction is going on?”
Publisher: Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Marmur O., Zazkis R.
Keywords: Ambiguity, Definitions, Fractions, Semiotic representation, Teacher education
Abstract: We explore the responses of 26 prospective elementary-school teachers to the claim “1/6.5 is not a fraction” asserted by a hypothetical classroom student. The data comprise scripted dialogues that depict how the participants envisioned a classroom discussion of this claim to evolve, as well as an accompanying commentary where they described their personal understanding of the notion of a fraction. The analysis is presented from the perspective of productive ambiguity, where different types of ambiguity highlight the prospective teachers’ mathematical interpretations and pedagogical choices. In particular, we focus on the ambiguity inherent in the aforementioned unconventional representation and how the teachers reconciled it by invoking various models and interpretations of a fraction. We conclude with a description of how the perspective of productive ambiguity can enrich teacher education and classroom discourse.
Unfolding joy in young children’s literacy practices in a Finnish early years classroom
Publisher: Journal of Early Childhood Literacy
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Nordström A., Kumpulainen K., Rajala A.
Keywords: Affect, early childhood education, intra-action, joy, literacy practices, new materialism
Abstract: This article examines the unfolding joy in young children’s literacy practices in a Finnish early years classroom. We focus on the unfolding of joy in intra-action among children, adults and materials during literacy learning endeavours by thinking with new materialist theories, and the data from an early years multiliteracies project named The Storybook. Our goal is to draw attention to the material and relational dimensions of young children’s joy in its moment-to-moment unfoldings by examining how joy unfolds unexpectedly in a moment when children, adults, Storybooks and other material resources intra-act.
Family Experiences of Decreased Sound Tolerance in ASD
Publisher: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Scheerer N.E., Boucher T.Q., Bahmei B., Iarocci G., Arzanpour S., Birmingham E.
Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, Decreased sound tolerance, Hyperacusis, Misophonia, Phonophobia, Sound sensitivity
Abstract: Decreased sound tolerance (DST) is the most common sensory difficulty experienced by autistic individuals. Parents of 88 autistic children and young adults between the ages of 3 and 30 described coping strategies and physical and emotional responses used to deal with distressing sounds, and their impact on daily activities. Loud, sudden, and high-pitched sounds were most commonly endorsed as distressing, most often causing autistic children and young adults to cover their ears or yell, while producing stress, irritation, fear, and anxiety. Parents reported warning their child, providing breaks, or avoiding noisy settings as the most used coping strategies. Overall, findings indicate that DST leads to fewer opportunities for autistic children and young adults to participate at home, at school, and in the community. Further, results suggest hyperacusis, misophonia, and phonophobia, subtypes of DST, are present in autistic children and young adults.
Feature Engineering and Machine Learning Model Comparison for Malicious Activity Detection in the DNS-Over-HTTPS Protocol
Publisher: IEEE Access
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Behnke M., Briner N., Cullen D., Schwerdtfeger K., Warren J., Basnet R., Doleck T.
Keywords: Browsers, Chi-Squared, Decision Tree, DNS, DoH, Feature extraction, IP networks, LGBM, Machine Learning, Pearson Correlation, Privacy, Protocols, Random Forest, Security, Sequential Forward Selection, Servers, XGBM
Abstract: The Domain Name System (DNS) is among the most ubiquitous and important protocols for network communication; however, security concerns regarding DNS have been on the rise and demand for encrypted traffic has followed suit. Using a publicly available dataset, this work compares 10 different machine learning classifiers using stratified 10-fold cross-validation. The classifiers are used to determine the most effective and efficient way of detecting malicious DNS over Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) traffic, dubbed DoH traffic. Model performance is evaluated on Non-DoH vs. DoH traffic, then tested on benign vs. malicious DoH traffic. Additionally, this paper seeks to build upon existing research by removing noise and introducing feature selection methods and feature explainability to produce a better model for real-world deployment. After eliminating five overfitting features, our findings indicate that light gradient boosting machine (LGBM) yielded the highest accuracy to training time ratio while approaching 0% error using 20 top features.
Employers perspectives about hiring students from international pathways
Publisher: International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Johnston N., Sator A., Gajdamaschko N., McRae N., Ramji K., Anderson E., Eftenaru C., Iles L., Shah S.
Keywords: Employers perspectives, Q methodology, Students from international pathways, Work-integrated learning
Abstract: This study explored Canadian employers' perspectives around the hiring of students who come from international pathways (SFIP) using Q Methodology. The research question was: "What are employer perceptions and practices regarding the hiring of students who come to Canadian (B.C.) post-secondary institutions via international educational pathways?" Four distinct worldviews emerged regarding employers' perspectives around the hiring SFIP: 1) Candidates' qualifications are key and diversity is a real asset, 2) International pathway students are difficult and just not a good workplace fit, 3) Candidates are hired based on who is deemed most likely to succeed in our organization, and 4) While philosophically committed to diversity, our hiring commitment remains with Canadians. All employers noted that English language and cultural competencies were critical requirements influencing their hiring decisions. This raises important implications for practitioners and institutions where SFIPs study and suggests that additional English language and intercultural supports are needed.
A different difference in teacher education: posthuman and decolonizing perspectives
Publisher: Language and Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Toohey K., Smythe S.
Keywords: difference, EAL education, new materialism, Posthumanism, teacher education
Abstract: In this paper we propose that posthuman and decolonizing perspectives on difference might provide a foundation for English as an additional language (EAL) teacher education programs. We briefly examine current outcomes of schooling for EAL students and current teacher education in Canada, showing the necessity and urgency of developing practices for equity. We then discuss posthuman perspectives on difference and their intersections with decolonizing scholarship. Finally, we speculate that EAL teacher education that employs posthuman and decolonizing views might aid us in reconceptualising language education, de-centre Whiteness, ‘native speakerism’ and the white gaze around which concepts of difference and diversity have been assembled.
Critical community literacies in teacher education
Publisher: The Handbook of Critical Literacies
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Dharamshi P., Johnson L.R., Sharkey J.
Abstract: This chapter is situated within the growing literature to decenter, decolonize, and reclaim a more humanizing approach to language and literacy teacher education and research by positioning community members—youth, families, and community organizers—as faculty and architects in designing and supporting the development of community-responsive teachers and researchers. Nurturing critical community literacies is integral to this larger project and greatly facilitated by robust collaborations between community-based researchers/organizers and university-based language and literacy teacher educator scholars. When considering community-engaged teacher education, it is important to interrogate the project of school and its relationship to communities. The shift advocated in this chapter requires consideration of how larger schooling systems need to be radically reimagined and configured and held accountable for the damage they have perpetrated on minoritized communities. Discourses of schooling, teaching, and learning are entangled in the ideology of coloniality. Although social justice and equity are oft-stated goals in their programs, teacher education remains largely a colonial endeavor framed by Eurocentric ways of knowing and being. In this chapter we provide a critique of many mainstream views of community within teacher education programs, using illustrative work from key research to develop new notions of community within teacher education programs.
Teaching as a system: COVID-19 as a lens into teacher change
Publisher: Educational Studies in Mathematics
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Brunetto D., Bernardi G., Andrà C., Liljedahl P.
Keywords: Case study research, Mathematics-related affect, Online teaching, Teacher change, University math professors
Abstract: In the spring of 2020, schools and universities around the world were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The relative lockdown affected more than 1.5 billion learners as teachers and students sheltered at home for several weeks. As schooling moved online, teachers were forced to change how they taught. In the research presented here, we focus on university mathematics professors, and we analyze how their practice, knowledge, and beliefs intertwine and change under these circumstances. More specifically, the context of the pandemic and the relative lockdown provides us with the experimental basis to argue that the new practice affected both knowledge and beliefs of mathematics teachers and that practice, knowledge, and beliefs form a system. Being part of a system, the reactions to change in practice can be of two types, namely, the system as a whole tries to resist change, or the system as a whole changes — and it changes significantly. The research presented here proposes a model for describing and analyzing what we called a teaching system and examines three cases that help to better depict the systemic nature of teaching.
Critical literacy in the nordic education context: Insights from Finland and Norway
Publisher: The Handbook of Critical Literacies
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Veum A., Layne H., Kumpulainen K., Vivitsou M.
Abstract: This chapter explores how critical literacy is approached and defined in education within the Nordic Region. We start by a brief introduction to the Nordic sociopolitical context. We then give a broad overview of the Nordic educational system, focusing on the school systems in Finland and Norway. This serves as background for the analysis of how critical literacy is defined in the Finnish and Norwegian curricula. Secondly, we present an overview of current Nordic research on critical literacy and demonstrate how the term critical literacy is grounded in Finnish and Norwegian curriculum documents. Our curriculum analysis as well as the review of research indicates that the concept ‘critical thinking’ is more emphasised in Nordic education than ‘critical literacy’, reflecting the European understanding of democracy and the German Bildung tradition. In the Finnish and Norwegian curricula, critical thinking refers to critical reflection, as well as to assessing and evaluating knowledge from various sources. Less attention is, however, directed to linking critical literacy with issues of power and democratic citizenship. At the end of the chapter, we suggest some directions for future work with Nordic critical literacy.
Wild Pedagogies
Publisher: International Explorations in Outdoor and Environmental Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Morse M., Jickling B., Blenkinsop S., Morse P.
Keywords: Environmental education, Outdoor education, Touchstones, Wild pedagogies, Wildness
Abstract: The purpose of this chapter is to introduce emerging outdoor environmental educators to wild pedagogies. We begin by framing the challenges and conceptual ideas from which wild pedagogies arises, including ideas about the wild, wildness, and wilderness; questions about education and the nature of control; and concerns for emerging environmental realities. In using the term wild we seek to challenge dominant cultural ideas particularly in reference to control—of each other, of the more-than-human world and of education. Wild pedagogies rests on a premise that an important part of education can include intentional activities that provide a fertile field for purposeful experience without seeking to control the outcomes or those involved: hence wild pedagogies. The chapter also situates key underpinning ideas of wild pedagogies through the more practical touchstones – intended as provocations and reminders of what we are attempting.
Illuminating Transformative Learning/Assessment: Infusing Creativity, Reciprocity, and Care Into Higher Education
Publisher: Journal of Transformative Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Searle M., Ahn C., Fels L., Carbone K.
Keywords: assessment, caring, dialogue, learning, reciprocity
Abstract: In this article, the authors speak to the paradox of assessing transformative learning (TL) in higher education. TL theory, developed by Jack Mezirow, is a theory of learning to describe the process of change in how individuals view the world based on previous experiences. Recognizing that the 10 phases of Mezirow’s TL theory are fluid and intertwined, three prominent aspects resonated within the individual narratives: the importance of a disorienting dilemma, the qualities of self-reflection, and liberatory actions. By exploring the complexities, challenges, and possibilities encountered in their classrooms, the shared narratives reveal how students were engaged in TL and embedded within are holistic assessment processes the authors enacted with learners. Throughout this dialogical narrative inquiry focused on assessment, the authors underwent their own TL in the presence of each other, confessing uncertainties and vulnerabilities, thus showcasing the potential to transform understanding with and through reciprocal learning.
Connecting moral development with critical pedagogy: A reply to Winston Thompson
Publisher: Journal of Moral Education
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Nucci L., Ilten-Gee R.
Keywords: critical pedagogy, Domain-based moral education, responsive engagement, social cognitive domain theory, social justice
Abstract: Winston C. Thompson’s review of Moral Education for Social Justice by Larry Nucci and Robyn Ilten-Gee accurately captures the effort to integrate critical pedagogy with domain-based moral education. A core element is student participation in domain-based discourse entailing responsive engagement that transcends the cognitive activity of individuals. Those discussions may lead to action projects (praxis). Replying to Thompson’s review, Nucci and Ilten-Gee address potential problems that may arise from student resistance and from objections of conservatives who may view attention to social justice as political indoctrination. They conclude that moral education that does not attend to social justice suffers from incoherence.
Capturing Emerging Realities in Citizen Engagement in Science in Social Media: A Social Media Analytics Protocol for the Allinteract Study
Publisher: International Journal of Qualitative Methods
Date: 2021-01-01
Authors: Pulido Rodriguez C.M., Ovseiko P., Font Palomar M., Kumpulainen K., Ramis M.
Keywords: dimensional analysis, methods in qualitative inquiry, mixed methods, observational research, virtual environments
Abstract: In the digital era, social media has become a space for the socialization and interaction of citizens, who are using social networks to express themselves and to discuss scientific advances with citizens from all over the world. Researchers are aware of this reality and are increasingly using social media as a source of data to explore citizens’ voices. In this context, the methods followed by researchers are mainly based on the content analysis using manual, automated or combined tools. The aim of this article is to share a protocol for Social Media Analytics that includes a Communicative Content Analysis (CCA). This protocol has been designed for the Horizon 2020 project Allinteract, and it includes the social impact in social media methodology. The novel contribution of this protocol is the detailed elaboration of methods and procedures to capture emerging realities in citizen engagement in science in social media using a Communicative Content Analysis (CCA) based on the contributions of Communicative Methodology (CM).
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