An Evaluation of Student Outcomes by Course Duration in Online Higher Education
Melanie Shaw, Ph.D. Northcentral University mshaw@ncu.edu Barry Chametzky, Ph.D. Washington and Jefferson College barry@bluevine.net Scott W. Burrus, Ph.D.
American Modeling Teachers Association
The Modeling Method has been developed to correct many weaknesses of the traditional lecture-demonstration method, including the fragmentation of knowledge, student passivity, and the persistence of naive beliefs about the physical world. Coherent Instructional Objectives Student-Centered Instructional Design Instruction is organized into modeling cycles which move students through all phases of model development, evaluation and application in concrete situations — thus promoting an integrated understanding of modeling processes and acquisition of coordinated modeling skills.The teacher sets the stage for student activities, typically with a demonstration and class discussion to establish common understanding of a question to be asked of nature.
The nine secrets of learning
This article originally appeared in Psychology (11th ed.) (2014). Reprinted with permission. Wade, C., Tavris, C., & Garry, M. (2014). The Nine Secrets of Learning.
Science Education
Correlations and Scatter Plots September 14, 2014 After a couple of hand-graphs, my students use their TI 83/84 calculator for graphing. We set the calculators so they give an “R squared” correlation, which we often use to help determine which regression type (linear, quadratic, power) fits the data the best. Many of my students have a hard time understanding the nature of […] Read the full article →
Educators
Helpful Links The more we know about the brain, the better we can educate our children. Here are some educator resources to help bring the brain and education together: Brain Connection Brain Connection Education Library: Brain Connection Education articles:
chemistry
Modeling Chemistry (or physics, or bio) seems to be the perfect prep for the new AP class When looking at the College Board’s recommendations for improving performance on this year’s Free Response Questions, some repeated themes include have students draw particle views of… distinguish between descriptions and explanations have students describe in words what they observe have [...] Read more » Is this thing still on? Much has changed in my life since I last posted. Rather than being overwhelmed by trying to including everything, I’ll just tell you what I’m doing for the rest of the summer. I’m currently attending an AP Chemistry workshop at Taft School.
Educators
Ask the Scientist: Which is the best way to study? How often? Does cramming work? Featured Scientist: Sean Kang ( seankang@ucsd.edu), TDLC Network: IMS, in Hal Pashler's Lab
Hidden costs of state schools causing hardship for millions, says report
Millions of families are struggling with the hidden costs of sending children to state school, with many forced to take out loans or scrimp on food and heating to pay for basics such as dinners, uniforms, course materials and trips. Parents face average annual bills of £800 a pupil, although this can be much higher, with some state secondary school uniforms costing more than £500, making the idea of a free education “far from reality”, according to the Children’s Commission on Poverty inquiry. More than 95% of parents on low incomes reported difficulties meeting school-related costs, while large numbers of poorer children said they fell behind academically and were subjected to humiliation, embarrassment and bullying because their poverty made them “stand out” in the classroom. The report of the inquiry, supported by the Children’s Society and led by a panel of 16 children, said teachers and schools often did not comprehend the psychological impact of poverty on pupils.
Spaced repetition - Gwern.net
When should one review? In the morning? In the evening? Any old time? The studies demonstrating the spacing effect do not control or vary the time of day, so in one sense, the answer is: it doesn’t matter - if it did matter, there would be considerable variance in how effective the effect is based on when a particular study had its subjects do their reviews.
Sutton Trust - What makes great teaching?
Summary This report reviews over 200 pieces of research to identify the elements of teaching with the strongest evidence of improving attainment. It finds some common practices can be harmful to learning and have no grounding in research. Specific practices which are supported by good evidence of their effectiveness are also examined and six key factors that contribute to great teaching are identified. The report also analyses different methods of evaluating teaching including: using ‘value-added’ results from student test scores; observing classroom teaching; and getting students to rate the quality of their teaching.
An Alternative To Cell Comments - FREE Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Tips and Tutorials
"How To Excel" Mini-Tutorials by TheExcelAddict.com "Helping Average Spreadsheet Users Become Local Spreadsheet Experts" An Alternative To Cell Comments Cell comments (covered in an earlier tip) are great for displaying messages on your worksheets as reminders for yourself and others.
Education study finds in favour of traditional teaching styles
Schools need to put more effort into evaluating what makes effective teaching, and ensure that discredited practices are rooted out from classrooms, according to a new study published by the Sutton Trust and Durham University. The study suggests that some schools and teachers continue using methods that cause little or no improvement in student progress, and instead rely on anecdotal evidence to back fashionable techniques such as “discovery learning,” where pupils are meant to uncover key ideas for themselves, or “learning styles,” which claims children can be divided into those who learn best through sight, sound or movement. Instead, more traditional styles that reward effort, use class time efficiently and insist on clear rules to manage pupil behaviour, are more likely to succeed, according to the report – touching on a raw nerve within the British teaching profession, which has seen vigorous debates between “progressive” and “traditional” best practice.
