No abstract

The marked contrast between the scientific consensus on global warming and public beliefs indicates a need to research how high schoolers, as future citizens, engage with and make meaning from news articles on such topics. In the case of socioscientific issues (SSIs) such as global warming, students’ acquisition of knowledge from the news is mediated by their epistemic understandings of the nature of science (NOS) and use of informal reasoning in evaluating claims, evidence, and sources. This exploratory qualitative study examined twelve U.S. high school students’ understandings, opinions, and epistemic beliefs concerning global warming knowledge. Researchers examined microgenetic changes as students discussed global warming during semi-structured interviews and a close reading of global warming news texts. Although results showed that most students could articulate a working concept of global warming, in follow-up questions, a subset offered personal opinions that differed from or contradicted their previously stated understandings. Meanwhile, students who offered opinions consistent with the scientific consensus often argued that the dangers of global warming were exaggerated by politicians and scientists who wished to profit from the issue. This study suggests a need for more explicit focus on NOS and scientific news literacy in curricula, as well as further research into the interplay between epistemic beliefs and the informal reasoning students use to negotiate diverse sources of SSI knowledge—from the classroom to the news media and public life.

Technology is often viewed as a necessary component for the facilitation of learning, especially for second language learners in early-childhood education. However, integrating technology in the classroom is a difficult task. The existing literature often does not bridge the fields of technology, second language learning, and cognitive development in childhood. Therefore, the goal of this chapter is to develop a theoretical framework stemming from a critical literature review of conceptual and empirical works as they pertain to technology, second language learning, and cognitive development. This framework is used to describe conceptual issues and to identify educational implications for the use of technology in the second language classroom in early-childhood education. Furthermore, the chapter concludes with educational, conceptual, and methodological implications as they pertain to technology research and development in early second language classrooms.

No abstract

There is an abundance of data that suggest that implementing active teaching methods in the classroom produces a deeper, longer lasting understanding and increased enjoyment of course material. However, most engineering educators do not employ these techniques. This paper addresses three of the most common concerns these educators have: 1. "I don't have enough time," 2. "It is difficult to employ active teaching techniques with my course material," and 3. "I won't be able to cover all my material if I allow time for the activities in class." .Active teaching was employed in two courses in order to improve student enthusiasm for course material and increase understanding of that material. In each course, specific topics were taught using active teaching methods, while others were taught using traditional teaching methods. The active teaching methods employed were simple methods that were uncomplicated to prepare, often requiring less than five minutes of preparation per lecture. The effectiveness of these teaching methods was compared in three ways. First, students' non-verbal responses to the teaching methods were observed by an independent researcher trained in direct nonparticipation data collection. Both active and traditional lectures were observed using a modified rubric based on Ekman and Friesen's facial measurement system, which systematized and validated the observations. Second, students' test scores on topics taught by active teaching methods were compared to scores on topics taught by traditional methods. Third, students were surveyed on their perspective of the effectiveness of the active teaching methods. This data was compared to the time required to prepare these lectures and the amount of material covered.Results show that, without fail, students were more engaged and scored higher on topics covered using simple active teaching methods as opposed to traditional lectures. Students' participation levels significantly increased during all aspects of lectures that included active teaching methods, including short periods of traditional lecture that followed the activity. Student surveys suggest that, although students' perception of active teaching methods was mixed to start the semester, the acceptance of these methods by the end of the semester had increased to 100% and many students desired more active opportunities. The amount of material covered in both classes increased from the previous course offering.2