ENHANCING LEARNING OF THINKING SKILLS: THE IMPACT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL YEAR EDUCATION

Author(s):  
Maria-Antonia Manassero-Mas ◽  
Angel Vazquez-Alonso
Author(s):  
Wan Mazwati Wan Yusoff ◽  
Shamilati Che Seman ◽  
Rahimah Embong

Abstract The aspiration of Malaysian education system as mentioned in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 is to produce students who are highly critical and creative.  Since teaching for higher order thinking was made explicit since 1989, a systematic evaluation of the adequacy and pitfalls of teaching for thinking programs was not done extensively.  If examination result is the yard stick to measure the impact of teaching for thinking, then it can be concluded that 2016 UPSR result painted a dismal picture of failure in teaching for thinking.  Studies showed that there is a positive correlation between language teacher used to communicate in the classroom and the development of thinking dispositions among students.  Using the framework of language of thinking put forward by Costa and Marzano (2001), this study was conducted to explore language of thinking used by teachers during teaching and learning sessions in several primary school classrooms.  This preliminary study attempted to gain in-depth understanding of the phenomenon in the actual setting so that the insight can illustrate a wider picture of the issue.  This exploratory case study employed structured observations to collect data in the classroom of nine primary school teachers.  The data was analysed based on theoretical proposition by Costa and Marzano.  Findings revealed that teachers needed to improve their language of thinking.    Keywords: Thinking skills, language of thinking, teaching for thinking, higher order thinking.   Abstrak Aspirasi pendidikan Malaysia sebagaimana yang disebut dalam Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia 2013-2025 adalah untuk melahirkan pelajar yang berupaya berfikir secara kritis dan kreatif.  Semenjak kemahiran berfikir pada aras tinggi disebut secara eksplisit dalam kurikulum sekolah menengah dan rendah dari tahun 1989 lagi, satu penilaian yang sistematik terhadap kejayaan dan kelemahan pengajaran untuk kemahiran berfikir tidak dibuat secara meluas dan menyeluruh.  Jika keputusan peperiksaan dijadikan kayu ukur untuk mengukur keberkesanan pengajaran untuk berfikir, keputusan peperiksaan UPSR 2016 melukis gambaran kegagalan projek mengajar untuk kemahiran berfikir aras tinggi yang menyedihkan.  Kajian menunjukkan ada perkaitan positif antara Bahasa yang digunakan oleh guru ketika berkomunikasi dalam bilik darjah dengan perkembangan disposisi berfikir dikalangan pelajar.   Disposisi berfikir pula berkait langsung dengan tabiat berfikir dan kemahiran berfikir aras tinggi.  Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneroka Bahasa berfikir yang digunakan oleh guru dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran di sekolah rendah.  Bahasa berfikir yang diterangkan oleh Costa dan Marzano (2001) digunakan sebagai kerangka teori kajian ini.  Kajian ini cuba untuk meneroka amalan berbahasa guru untuk memahami fenomena ini dalam situasi sebenar supaya hasilnya dapat memberi gambaran luas terhadap isu ini.  Kajian kes eksplorasi ini menggunakan pemerhatian secara berstruktur untuk mengumpul data.  Sembilan orang guru sekolah rendah terlibat dalam kajian ini.  Data telah dianalisis menggunakan toeri Bahasa berfikir Costa dan Marzano.  Dapatan kajian ini menunjukkan guru perlu menambahbaik Bahasa berfikir yang mereka gunakan semasa berkomunikasi dalam bilik darjah supaya aspirasi melahirkan pelajar berkemahiran berfikir aras tinggi dapat dicapai.    Kata Kunci: Kemahiran berfikir, bahasa berfikir, mengajar untuk berfikir, berfikir aras tinggi.


Author(s):  
Van Han Pham ◽  
Sara Wawrzyniak ◽  
Ireneusz Cichy ◽  
Michał Bronikowski ◽  
Andrzej Rokita

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the BRAINballs program on second graders’ gross motor skills in a primary school in Vietnam. A total of 55 students (23 boys and 32 girls) aged seven years participated in the study. The research used the method of a pedagogical experiment and parallel group technique (experimental and control group) with pre- and post-testing. The study was conducted in the school year 2019/2020. The gross motor skills performance was assessed by the Test of Gross Motor Development—2nd Edition. The BRAINballs program was conducted twice a week and combined physical activity with subject-related contents by means of a set of 100 balls with painted letters, numbers, and signs. The results showed that the experimental and control groups improved their motor skills after one school year (p < 0.001). However, the analysis of covariance demonstrated that students from the experimental group, compared to students from the control group, showed significantly better scores in both subtests: locomotor (p = 0.0000) and object control skills (p = 0.0000). The findings of this study show that the BRAINballs program had a positive effect on children’s motor performances and may help to better understand the development of basic motor skills of seven-year-old students in Vietnam.


Author(s):  
Serma Ulipa Simbolon ◽  
Khairil Ansari ◽  
Naeklan Simbolon

One of the demands of the 2013 curriculum is that learning must be integrated with the training of students' skills in higher-order thinking or HOTS. The ability of HOTS helps students not only know and understand a knowledge but is able to find the connectedness of information knowledge, involves the process of finding the concept of knowledge and applying knowledge to face a number of problems. The research was conducted at SD Negeri 040460 Berastagi in the odd semester of the 2019/2020 school year with theme 1: Animal and Human Motion Organs with sub theme 2: Human and Environment on Indonesian content. Based on the results of research and discussion, that the validity of the product seen from the design validator with the two validation system obtained very valid results with an average score of 84.61%. Likewise the results of the validators from the material experts who obtained an average score of 88.88 and were declared very valid with a two-time validation system. The conclusion of the linguist stated that the assessment of the design of LKPD language presentation based on high level thinking skills was in the very valid category with an average of 82.95%.


Author(s):  
Sofía Jimena Roca

The objective of this chapter is the analysis of the primary education in Guatemala and if the amount of investment during the period 2002–2015 is significant for the number of children promoted by school year, and if these investments were impacted by the economic crisis of 2008. The results of the investigation demonstrate that the variables with significance where the number of teachers and the budget per year, without relation to economic growth and no impact by the economic crisis on 2008 and with no significant relation with the rate of drop out, which was an important result, especially in primary school. The data analyzed also show that the budget per year for the Ministry of Education doesn't suffer an impact after the economic crisis in 2008, where the author expected to find some problem after the crisis, but that the number of teachers hired in 2009 almost doubles the amount of teachers who were hired in 2008.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Olga Kučerová ◽  
Anna Kucharská

Abstract The project presented here deals with a typical human means of communication – writing. The aim of the project is to map the developmental dynamics of handwriting from the first to the fifth grade of primary school. The question remains topical because of the fact that several systems of writing have been used in the past few years. Our project focuses on comparing the systems of joined-up handwriting (the standard Latin alphabet) and the most widespread form of printed handwriting: Comenia Script. The research can be marked as sectional; pupils took a writing exam at the beginning and at the end of the 2015/2016 school year. The total number of respondents was 624 pupils, evenly distributed according to the school year, system of writing and gender. To evaluate handwriting, the evaluation scale of Veverková and Kucharská (2012) was adjusted to include a description of phenomena related to graphomotor and grammatical aspects of writing, including the overall error rate and work with errors. Each area that was observed included a series of indicators through which it was possible to create a comprehensive image of the form handwriting took in the given period. Each indicator was independently classified on a three-point scale. Thanks to that, a comprehensive image of the form of writing of a contemporary pupil emerged.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 275-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
George R. Aldhizer

ABSTRACT This role play requires students to consider the complexities of a small CPA firm urgently attempting to replace the unique industry knowledge and experience possessed by a terminally ill audit partner. In this role play, students assume the position of either an existing partner or a former partner who is considering rejoining the firm. This role play includes two sections. First, in the planning stage, students brainstorm mutually equivalent options that satisfy their critical financial and nonfinancial interests to address the problem of replacing the terminally ill partner in their respective existing partner and former partner teams. Second, students engage in a “table” negotiation with their assigned counterpart to reach an amicable agreement to this firm crisis and participate in a debriefing session and prepare a debriefing document. The small firm context provides a unique opportunity to make contributions to the existing accounting and auditing literature related to enhancing students' critical thinking and negotiation skills. Distinctive small firm role play elements that should enhance critical thinking and negotiation skills include considering contingent agreements that dovetail differences in future legal liability forecasts, and dovetailing differences to take advantage of complementary skill sets to mitigate industry-specific auditor detection risks and related business risks.1 Critical thinking skills also should be strengthened through negotiating a package of interests and related options including the impact of various tradeoffs that are not fully known until the table negotiation commences so that the final agreement does not exceed the firm's non-negotiable budgetary constraints.


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