Subject-Specific Learning Versus Jewish-Developmental Outcomes in Jewish Education: What Should We Aim For?

Many undergraduate students struggle to engage with higher order skills such as evaluation and synthesis in written assignments, either because they do not understand that these are the aim of written assessment or because these critical thinking skills require more effort than writing a descriptive essay. Here, we report that students who attended a freely available workshop, in which they were coached to pose a question in the title of their assignment and then use their essay to answer that question, obtained higher marks for their essay than those who did not attend. We demonstrate that this is not a result of latent academic ability amongst students who chose to attend our workshops and suggest this increase in marks was a result of greater engagement with ‘critical thinking’ skills, which are essential for upper 2:1 and 1stclass grades. The tutoring method we used holds two particular advantages: First, we allow students to pick their own topics of interest, which increases ownership of learning, which is associated with motivation and engagement in ‘difficult’ tasks. Second, this method integrates the development of ‘inquisitiveness’ and critical thinking into subject specific learning, which is thought to be more productive than trying to develop these skills in isolation.

Download Full-text

Pædagogiske spændingsfelter ved inddragelse af programmering i grundskolen

Tidsskriftet Læring og Medier (LOM) ◽

10.7146/lom.v11i19.103100 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (19) ◽

pp. 21

Author(s):

Pernille Risør Elving ◽

Thomas Ryberg

Keyword(s):

Empirical Study ◽

Technical Skills ◽

Learning Outcome ◽

Pedagogical Practice ◽

Specific Element ◽

Subject Specific ◽

K 12 ◽

Specific Learning

Abstract (dansk)I denne artikel undersøges, hvordan programmering benyttes i en pædagogisk praksis i grundskolen, samt hvilket perspektiv faglærerne har på at inddrage programmering som fagligt element i deres undervisning. Artiklen bygger på en empirisk undersøgelse af tre skolers inddragelse af programmering i undervisningen på mellemtrinnet under Coding Class-forløb i Vejle Kommune, hvor fire faglærere blev interviewet omkring deres erfaringer med forløbet. Analysen er struktureret omkring en række spændingsfelter, der omhandler brugen af programmering som enten et fagspecifikt eller tværfagligt element, samt til understøttelse af elevernes faglige udbytte eller deres interesse, og slutteligt lærernes tilgang til deres egen rolle i klasseværelset. Lærerne oplevede alle højt engagement og fordybelse med programmeringsaktiviteterne blandt eleverne, men flere udtrykte behov for større kontrol med elevernes fagspecifikke udbytte og oplevede begrænsninger omkring egne tekniske kompetencer. På baggrund af analysen opstilles en række konkrete pædagogiske overvejelser, der udgør opmærksomhedspunkter til fremtidig planlægning og inddragelse af programmering i undervisningsforløb samt overvejelser omkring lærerens rolle i sådanne forløb. Abstract (engelsk)This article examines how programming is used as a pedagogical practice in K-12 and what perspective teachers have on implementing programming as a subject-specific element in their teaching. The article is based on an empirical study of three schools' use of programming during Coding Class in Vejle Kommune, where four teachers were interviewed about their experiences with the project. The analysis is structured around a number of challenges: including whether programming should be used as a subject-specific or interdisciplinary element and whether the goal is to enable development of student’s subject-specific learning or support their interests and finally, how teachers approach their own role in the classroom. All the teachers in the study experienced high levels of engagement and immersion in the programming activities among the students but several of the teachers lacked control over the students’ learning outcome and experienced limitations in their own technical skills. Based on the analysis, a number of concrete pedagogical considerations are presented, which can form the basis for planning and incorporating future programming activities in K-12.

Download Full-text