scholarly journals A Journey from Content to Concept Teaching in a Biology Classroom, in the Context of Blended Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 436-440
Author(s):  
Piotr Mazowiecki-Kocyk

Conceptual teaching was developed three decades ago as an alternative to conventional teaching approaches. It promised a significant shift in teaching practices across different disciplines and age groups. Traditionally, science subjects in high school tend to be content-heavy. Teaching science, especially biology, is still rooted in teaching methods that facilitate factual understanding and low-road transfer of knowledge. As a result, students’ knowledge remains compartmentalized. Students rarely make connections with other disciplines and transfer their biological knowledge to new situations. Bringing concepts to biology is a challenging task. Despite compelling evidence for concept-based teaching, there are few examples of how it can be implemented and replace content-based teaching. This article describes the changes to teaching instructions in biology over the last decade as well as the main challenges that prevent incorporating novel teaching approaches in a biology classroom. The author suggests concept-based teaching as an effective alternative to conventional, content-focused teaching and offers some ideas for implementing concepts into teaching biology in the context of blended learning.

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-71
Author(s):  
Pramila Rao

Purpose This empirical research was conducted in a medium-sized private university located in the north-eastern region of the USA. The purpose of this paper was to understand whether demographic attributes (age, gender, country of origin and years of stay in the USA) of international students will predict any preferences for specific teaching methods. This study was conducted with international students from October 2012 through May 2013 (fall and spring semesters). Design/methodology/approach This research paper provides hypotheses to explore whether there is any relationship between demographic factors and preferences for various teaching methods. This study analyzes the results using both Pearson’s correlations and one-way ANOVA to reject or accept the hypotheses. Findings The results demonstrated that there were no significant correlations between the demographic variables of international students and teaching methods. However, the one-way ANOVA analyses suggested that there are differences among age groups and their preferences for group projects, years of studying in the USA and their preferences for classroom discussions, and gender and their preferences for textbook assignments. Practical implications This study suggests that scholars provide orientation or training on the host country’s pedagogies so that international students can assimilate better into their academic communities. Originality/value This pioneering paper examines the role between demographic variables of international students and teaching pedagogies. This specific concept has not been examined in this literature before. This understanding could contribute to a richer understanding of this population of students.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Noor Hazlina Wan Jusoh ◽  
Suraya Ahmad

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the use of iMindMap software as an interactive tool in the teaching and learning method and also to be able to consider iMindMap as an alternative instrument in achieving the ultimate learning outcome. Design/methodology/approach Out of 268 students of the management accounting at the University of Technology MARA (Terengganu), 97 students have participated in this survey to evaluate the effectiveness of iMindMap in teaching and learning. Findings Results indicate that the majority of the students acknowledged that iMindMap is more attractive than conventional teaching methods and found that iMindMap shows clearly how the points are all associated and linked together. Students could find that learning is an exciting experience and were able to visualize the whole course content remarkably via iMindMap. Originality/value This study presents an alternative instrument, which is innovative and interactive in teaching and learning, especially for accounting students where the students’ technology acceptance could also be viewed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 126-131
Author(s):  
AWODUN ADEBISI OMOTADE ◽  
JEGEDE S.A

The study investigated the effects of out-door activities on students’ attitude towards learning of Physics in Senior Secondary School Physics in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The research design adopted in the study was Pretest-Posttest Quasi-experimental. The sample for the study was 150 Senior Secondary One (SSI) Physics students (this sample was divided into the experimental and control groups in ratio 1: 1 i.e. 75 in each group), selected through the multistage sampling technique from a total population of 7,852 SS I students offering Physics in all the 184 public Senior Secondary Schools in Ekiti State. The instrument used to collect relevant data from the subjects was Physics Attitudinal Scale (PAS). The reliability of the instrument was determined through the split-half method with the reliability coefficient of 0.83. Two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The data collected were analysed using inferential statistics of t-test and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results of the analyses showed that there was significant difference in the attitude of students to Physics in the experimental and control groups in favour of experimental group. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that non-conventional teaching approaches such as using out-door activities, should be introduced into the teaching of Physics in the nation’s secondary schools to reinforce the hitherto adopted conventional teaching method and Physics teachers should be encouraged to make use of these new teaching approaches.


2018 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-17
Author(s):  
Maryanne Wolf

Because reading is not a natural process like language, young learners must be taught to read. Knowledge about how the reading brain develops has critical implications for understanding which teaching methods to use and helps reconceptualize previous debates. In this excerpt from Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, Maryanne Wolf describes how many different parts of the brain must work together when reading and why each requires attention in teaching. She delves into research into different reader profiles, each of which needs different emphases in reading instruction, and she explains the value of teaching approaches that include both explicit instruction in decoding and deep reading processes, and engagement by learner and teacher with the world of words and stories.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-105
Author(s):  
Rahmat Bin Abdul Wahida Bin Abdul Wahida ◽  
T. J. Iskandar Bin Abd. Aziz ◽  
Ahmad Ikhsan Bin Abd. Aziz ◽  
Nur Hanani Binti Azami ◽  
Nur Aimi Syaqilah Binti Aziz

Blended learning (BL) can be regarded as a teaching approach that combines online and face-to-face method of instructions in which it integrates the conventional classroom teaching with a combination of media, tools and teaching methods in web-based environment settings. Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) has been implementing blended learning since 2016 on selected courses offered. The implementation of blended learning was carried out in four levels comprising of information dissemination, online assessment, flipped teaching and adaptive learning. The objectives of this study are to investigate students' awareness towards blended learning implementation and to measure their level of satisfaction on the courses they registered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-354
Author(s):  
Guilherme Luz Tortorella ◽  
Rogério Miorando ◽  
Diego Fettermann ◽  
Diego Tlapa Mendoza

PurposeThis article identifies the association between two methods for teaching lean manufacturing (LM): problem-based learning (PBL) and classroom lectures, and students' learning styles of a postgraduate course.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from graduate students LM courses that present different teaching approaches. Thus, students' learning preferences were gathered through the application of the Index of Learning Style questionnaire, and their performance assessed after each course.FindingsResults indicate that learning styles are indeed associated with LM teaching approaches, and comprehending interaction effects between learning style dimensions is essential for properly adapting the teaching method. However, these interactions have different extensions.Originality/valueAlthough teaching LM has significantly evolved over the past decades, the single application of traditional teaching methods jeopardizes learning effectiveness of graduate students because of the practical nature of LM. This study provides evidence to better understand the effect of complementary teaching methods and their relationship with students' preferences, empirically examining that there is not one best approach for understanding LM.


2010 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
K A Abou-Elhamd ◽  
U M Rashad ◽  
A I Al-Sultan

AbstractObjectives:Undergraduate medical education requires ongoing improvement in order to keep pace with the changing demands of twenty-first century medical practice. Problem-based learning is increasingly being adopted in medical schools worldwide. We review its application in the specialty of ENT, and we present our experience of using this approach combined with more traditional methods.Methods:We introduced problem-based learning techniques into the ENT course taught to fifth-year medical students at Al-Ahsa College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. As a result, the teaching schedule included both clinical and theoretical activities. Six clinical teaching days were allowed for history-taking, examination techniques and clinical scenario discussion. Case scenarios were discussed in small group teaching sessions. Conventional methods were employed to teach audiology and ENT radiology (one three-hour session each); a three-hour simulation laboratory session and three-hour student presentation were also scheduled. In addition, students attended out-patient clinics for three days, and used multimedia facilities to learn about various otolaryngology diseases (in another three-hour session). This input was supplemented with didactic teaching in the form of 16 instructional lectures per semester (one hour per week).Conclusion:From our teaching experience, we believe that the application of problem-based learning to ENT teaching has resulted in a substantial increase in students' knowledge. Furthermore, students have given encouraging feedback on their experience of combined problem-based learning and conventional teaching methods.


Author(s):  
Veena Rani Vemuri ◽  
Sangita Sukumaran

Background: Pharmacology forms the basis of practice of medicine yet most students perceive it as a difficult subject. It is necessary that a student gains knowledge and retains the gained knowledge for better application in the future. But the method employed now is more passive with less emphasis on clinical application.Methods: The study population was the second year MBBS students of Terna Medical College, Navi Mumbai. The students were randomly divided into two groups; a didactic and an interactive lecture session were conducted on two days. A pre validated questionnaire, pre-test and post-test were employed in the study. The data of pre and post-test were analysed using paired t-test and descriptive analysis for the questionnaire.Results: The difference in short term learning outcomes between both the didactic and interactive lecture sessions was not statistically significant (p=0.53). The students showed a positive reaction to interactive sessions. 70 (95.89%) agreed that interactive sessions has increased their understanding of the topic better. 70 (95.89%) students responded that interactive teaching has increased their ability to apply knowledge therapeutically.Conclusions: In the present study it was observed that though there was not much statistically significant improvement in the immediate understanding, the perception of students towards interactive teaching methods is good.


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