scholarly journals Primary school pre-service teachers’ solutions to pattern problem-solving tasks based on three components of creativity

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Ifunanya J.A. Ubah ◽  
Ugorji I. Ogbonnaya
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Advanced Mathematics ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Pattern Problem

Education stakeholders and researchers in South Africa have emphasised the need to enhance teachers’ creativity through problem-solving tasks. Teachers’ creativity entails using new ideas of creative devices to solve problems, implement solutions, and make learning more effective. In the research reported on here, Guilford’s theory was used to explore primary school pre-service teachers’ solutions to pattern problem-solving tasks based on 3 components of creativity. The data for this research were produced from primary school pre-service teachers’ written responses to the pattern problem-solving tasks, and an extract from participants’ semi-structured interviews. The research involved a qualitative design using convenient purposive sampling to sample 62 pre-service teachers enrolled for a primary mathematics module at a selected higher education institution. Participants’ responses to the written tasks were analysed using content analysis, while the semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically. The result shows that 35 participants were able to draw patterns and express patterns in nth form, while 27 failed to do so. The most common method used to draw a new pattern was counting in 2s and 4s. Furthermore, the result shows that half of the pre-service teachers who participated in the study were not capable of producing varied solutions to pattern tasks. An indication that they did not have the creative potential to prepare learners even after they had been exposed to advanced mathematics content as part of their training process. We recommend that pre service teacher education programmes should include academic activities that could help pre-service teachers enhance creativity through tasks with divergent thinking.

scholarly journals Embodied Metaphors and Creative “Acts”

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 502-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela K.-y. Leung ◽  
Suntae Kim ◽  
Evan Polman ◽  
Lay See Ong ◽  
Lin Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Embodied Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
The Other ◽  
Creative Cognition ◽  
Bodily Experiences ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Creative Problem ◽  
Prescriptive Advice

Creativity is a highly sought-after skill. Prescriptive advice for inspiring creativity abounds in the form of metaphors: People are encouraged to “think outside the box,” to consider a problem “on one hand, then on the other hand,” and to “put two and two together” to achieve creative breakthroughs. These metaphors suggest a connection between concrete bodily experiences and creative cognition. Inspired by recent advances in the understanding of body-mind linkages in the research on embodied cognition, we explored whether enacting metaphors for creativity enhances creative problem solving. Our findings from five studies revealed that both physical and psychological embodiment of metaphors for creativity promoted convergent thinking and divergent thinking (i.e., fluency, flexibility, or originality) in problem solving. Going beyond prior research, which focused primarily on the kind of embodiment that primes preexisting knowledge, we provide the first evidence that embodiment can also activate cognitive processes that facilitate the generation of new ideas and connections.

scholarly journals Stimulating Primary School Children's Creativity

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-439
Author(s):  
Ramona Elena Rotaru ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Creative Problem Solving ◽  
Education Development ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Creative Problem

Stimulating primary school children’s creativity is appointed as one of the essential keys to the educational system 's progress. The main purpose of the paper arrives from the necessity for different fields of the current society to stimulate primary school children's creativity, who are bound to lead to original and creative solutions. This subject highlights the importance of stimulating primary school children’s creativity in the context of current education. The approach in the debate deals with the link between creative thinking and creative problem solving alongside the importance of stimulating primary school children's creativity. A great experience for primary school education development includes creative thinking and creative problem solving. Creativity involves the process of divergent thinking that includes the beginning of wonderful ideas, creating new connections, expanding the limits of knowledge and split of ideas, which are old. When the children's divergent thinking is boosted, it enormously helps to maintain children's motivation for extended learning.. In the same way, encouraging primary school children to keep on generating original and new ideas fosters their creative-thinking abilities. Personal characteristics of a child can influence a certain grade in stimulating the creativity. Children develop quite complex skills when they begin to be familiar with problem solving skills and develop creative thinking. Therefore, their creative characteristics should be developed and in the same way, provide creative learning opportunities and inspiring, original lessons. A variety of studies that contained creativity included stimulating primary school children’s creativity. This aspect represents global educational progress to society and the current study provides a better view of creativity.

‘I think one of the ways they will help is to create awareness’: primary school teachers’ perceptions of cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 24-31
Author(s):  
Kingsley Udeh ◽  
Candidus Nwakasi ◽  
John Fulton
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases

The increasing incidence and prevalence of non-communicable diseases is a major global health concern. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) account for the highest percentage of deaths related to non-communicable diseases, and low and middle-income countries (LMIC) face the highest burden of CVDs. Understanding the knowledge and perception of CVDs and their risk factors in an LMIC such as Nigeria may play an important role in cardiovascular health promotion and improvement plans to reduce CVD-related deaths. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews to gain an in-depth understanding of some personal and sociocultural views on CVDs and their risk factors. The participants were purposively sampled primary school teachers in South-Eastern Nigeria. Thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. The study findings include knowledge of heart disease, perceived causes and risk factors of CVDs, spirituality, and the way forward. Overall, the knowledge of CVDs in the setting was found to be related to the psychosocial nature of the participants; the effectiveness of any intervention needs to take these factors into consideration. For example, health policies for CVD health education and awareness should be tailored to address some of the issues of belief, values, and religion, as mentioned in the study.

scholarly journals Teaching digital models: secondary technology teachers’ experiences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Brink ◽  
Nina Kilbrink ◽  
Niklas Gericke
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Digital Models ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Digital Competence ◽  
Technology Teachers ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Digital Modelling ◽  
Single Idea

AbstractIn secondary technology education, models of artifacts, systems and processes, visualized and simulated through digital tools (digital models) are a relatively new element. Technology teachers teach digital models to meet syllabus criteria of digital competence, applicable to for instance problem solving and documentation using digital tools. However, there is a lack of knowledge concerning how teachers use digital models in their teaching, what their intentions are, and what content they choose. It is known, though, that teachers’ experiences influence the teaching. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ experiences of teaching digital models in compulsory school, to contribute to more knowledge of teaching in this area. This study takes a phenomenological lifeworld approach, and 12 semi-structured interviews with lower secondary technology teachers form the empirical data. The data were analyzed thematically and the results are four themes of experiencing the teaching of digital models, indicating that technology teachers teach with different aims and purposes; Enhancing and integrating other subjects, Visualizing technology to the pupils, Enabling digital modelling, and Preparing pupils for the future. Further, the results also indicate that the content and methods of teaching differ and that teachers did not experience digital models as one single idea but as an amalgam of multiple ideas. These findings can be used as a basis for further research and development of teaching concerning digital models.

Managing Work force Diversity: Key Successful factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 76-86
Author(s):  
Basu Dev Lamichhane
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Workforce Diversity ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
New Thinking ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Diversity Effects

Human capital is an important asset for any organization. Physical and capital resource can be mobilized properly through human resources. Physical and capital resources by themselves cannot improve efficiency or contribute to increased rate of return on investment. The efficiency of capital and physical resource can be achieved through combined efforts of human resources. This paper is descriptive design. The study tackled areas of workforce diversity effects on diversity of performance of employees and how workforce diversity can be managed to the positive outcomes of an organization. Workforce diversity is combination of different caste, gender, age, attitude, religion, ability, skills, region, perception, race, sex, experience and cultural differences. It is the differences and similarities between the employees of any organization. It is the process of bringing verity of people in the same workplace. Effective management of diversity recognizes that people from different backgrounds, culture and experience can bring new ideas to the workplace. Workforce diversity leads an organization in to creativity, innovation, able to retain talent workforce, energize people and boosts them and reduced grievances. Workforce diversity promotes creativity, innovative problem solving, productivity and increase cultural diversity, increase in enterepreneural behavior and values within employees. Diversity management emphasizes on building specific skills, creating policies and drafting practices that get the best from every workers. So, diversified workforce provides various advantages to organization (i.e. creativity, change adoption, problem solving, new thinking and thought, flexible adoption to organizational change and beliefs). The study reveals that there is a positive correlation between good workforce diversity and organizational change.

Pengukuran Kepuasan Pengguna Website Politeknik ATI Padang Berdasarkan Persepsi Pengguna Internal

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Rizaldi Sardani ◽  
Demi Ramadian ◽  
Wahyu Fitrianda Mufti ◽  
Suci Oktri Viarani M
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Likert Scale ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Interaction Quality ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
The Government

Website is an important part of any organization namely in the government, business, health and education sectors. In the world of higher education, website can be used to disseminate information related to campus life as well as a medium for promoting the existence of the campus to the outside world. As a higher education institution, Polytechnic ATI Padang own a website which is used to display various information about campus academic activities. In its management, the level of user satisfaction of the website of Polytechnic ATI Padang has never been measured. The Webqual 4.0 method used in this study aims to measure the satisfaction of internal website users by looking at the dimensions of Usability, Information Quality, Interaction Quality and Customer Satisfaction. Measurements performed by using a questionnaire instrument with Likert scale then calculated with the help of SPSS software. The results obtained that the independent variables, namely Usability, Information Quality, Interaction Quality have an influence on the dependent variable Customer Satisfaction of 70.1% and there are still 29.9% of other independent variables that can affect the dependent variable Customer Satisfaction. Furthermore, based on the results of the calculation of the satisfaction level with Likert scale, it was found that the variables of Usability, Information Quality, Interaction Quality and Customer Satisfaction received a satisfied interpretation, so it can be concluded that the Polytechnic ATI Padang website provides good service to its users.

scholarly journals Education and Sustainability: The Case of Emotions Park

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Dettori ◽  
Federica Caboni ◽  
Ernestina Giudici
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Economic ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Civic Education ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Training Model ◽  
Cognitive Tools ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Empirical Observation ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Training Modules

Firms working in the third millennium have to face the challenge of being more sustainable. The complexity and the multidisciplinary nature of sustainability also requires new and specific knowledge. This means the necessity of a critical rethinking of the education system in the way to provide the cognitive tools and applications needed for new generations to address environmental, economic, and social challenges. In this perspective, the role of the school it is crucial, above all, to encourage attention to include sustainability as a theme on educational programs, focusing on the promotion of its multiple dimensions. Interdisciplinary sustainability programs are emerging globally, but little is known about the learning in these educational contexts.Therefore, the current research explores training modules used in the activities of a park to verify how students can receive a sustainable education from primary school; whether and in which way education can be a driver for the promotion of sustainable development; and whether it is effective to insert eco-activities such as eco-games, eco-campus, and eco-sports in the training modules from primary school onwards. For this purpose, the paper employed a single case study approach using the Emotions Park as a teaching plan. In particular, game and sports constantly accompany the training process by creating interdisciplinary links with different study subjects (e.g., civic education, environmental education, communication). Through the eco-activities, an innovative way to promote environmental and sustainability education was explored as a training model. Outdoor play, observation, and stimulation of the senses have proved powerful learning tools, and key to the acquisition of skills. Research data were collected observing the behavior of a sample of 22 participants and through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with educators, employee and students. The empirical observation suggests that inserting the sustainability principles as a topic in didactic programs provides the cognitive tools and applications needed for the new generations to address environmental, economic, and social challenges.

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