scholarly journals The Autism Friendly School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Design Guide ◽  
Design Of Learning Environments

<p><b>Children on the autism spectrum often struggle to cope with over-stimulating environments (Tufvesson and Tufvesson, 2009) (Gaines et al., 2014) (McAllister, 2010). This can make learning in mainstream primary schools difficult, as students risk being excluded from learning activities. This research suggests that adjustments to mainstream primary school classrooms are necessary to improve learning outcomes and asks, how can the mainstream primary school provide better learning environments for students on the spectrum?</b></p> <p>A literature review and analysis of precedent studies provide the background for this research. Surveys of existing classrooms, questionnaires, and focus groups with teachers are the primary data sources. Design is a vital component of the research process and an essential tool for generating discussion in the focus groups.</p> <p>Analysis of the primary data, together with findings from the literature review and precedent studies, are brought together to inform the development of a design guide. This guide is tested through the formulation and iteration of numerous design proposals, focusing on the remodelling of classrooms in existing primary schools in NZ. Design proposals for new learning environments are also developed and discussed.</p> <p>The outcome of this research is a design guide that will be essential reading for those involved in the provision and design of learning environments in New Zealand primary schools. It is envisaged that not only students on the autism spectrum will be positively impacted by implementing the architectural solutions outlined in the guide, but all students will benefit.</p>

scholarly journals The Autism Friendly School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Design Guide ◽  
Design Of Learning Environments

<p><b>Children on the autism spectrum often struggle to cope with over-stimulating environments (Tufvesson and Tufvesson, 2009) (Gaines et al., 2014) (McAllister, 2010). This can make learning in mainstream primary schools difficult, as students risk being excluded from learning activities. This research suggests that adjustments to mainstream primary school classrooms are necessary to improve learning outcomes and asks, how can the mainstream primary school provide better learning environments for students on the spectrum?</b></p> <p>A literature review and analysis of precedent studies provide the background for this research. Surveys of existing classrooms, questionnaires, and focus groups with teachers are the primary data sources. Design is a vital component of the research process and an essential tool for generating discussion in the focus groups.</p> <p>Analysis of the primary data, together with findings from the literature review and precedent studies, are brought together to inform the development of a design guide. This guide is tested through the formulation and iteration of numerous design proposals, focusing on the remodelling of classrooms in existing primary schools in NZ. Design proposals for new learning environments are also developed and discussed.</p> <p>The outcome of this research is a design guide that will be essential reading for those involved in the provision and design of learning environments in New Zealand primary schools. It is envisaged that not only students on the autism spectrum will be positively impacted by implementing the architectural solutions outlined in the guide, but all students will benefit.</p>

scholarly journals Digitally-supported language exchanges in primary school: The AlpConnectar project

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-843
Author(s):  
Luca Botturi ◽  
Daniela Kapler ◽  
Lucio Negrini
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
The Third ◽  
Swiss Cantons ◽  
Silver Bullet

This article presents the design, implementation and outcomes of AlpConnectar, a Swiss project that exploits technologies for digitally-supported language exchange (LE) in primary schools. Launched in 2013, the project involves three Swiss cantons where different languages are spoken (namely German, French and Italian) and respectively taught as foreign languages since the third grade of primary school. In the first section of the paper the linguistic composition of Switzerland is briefly presented and the current methodologies and approaches in foreign language teaching in the country are introduced. After a literature review of online LE practices, the AlpConnectar project is presented, along with a LE example to illustrate how it works. The final sections present the results of the project, based on data collected from both pupils and teachers. The results seem to suggest that while digital technologies offer significant benefits for LEs, they are no silver bullet, and their impact depends on a number of contextual variables.

Reducing high levels of communication apprehension among primary schoolstudents: Can teachers make a difference?

1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-146
Author(s):  
Margaret-Anne Carter ◽  
Brian Hansford
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Communication Apprehension ◽  
Research Process ◽  
School Students ◽  
Student Dialogue ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Dialogue Journaling

This study, conducted over a 20 week period, focused on a group of primary school teachers as they implemented a variety of intervention actions, within their class programs, directed towards supporting the reduction of high levels of communication apprehension (CA) among students. Six teachers and nine students, located across three primary schools, six class groups, and four year levels, participated in the study.An action research paradigm incorporating a series of case studies was used to describe each teacher's journey as he/she responded to the diverse needs of individual students with high CA levels. The principal data collection methods used in this study included the Personal Report of Communication Fear (PRCF) scale, semistructured interviews, and dialogue journaling. The PRCF scale was used as a screening tool to identify students experiencing high levels of CA.Semistructured interviews, conducted by the researcher at the beginning and conclusion of the action research process, provided valuable information relevant to each student. Dialogue journaling was the medium by which teachers engaged in written discourse with the researcher, discussing the growth, development, and progress of individual students. Entries in dialogue journals comprised a significant component of each teacher's case study.Six case studies document the teacher's action research journey. These case studies recount the teacher's perceptions of their endeavours to minimise the problems that arise with primary school students experiencing high CA levels. In particular, they highlight the fact that teachers are faced with diverse problems and plan to resolve these in different ways.

scholarly journals The most Common Primary School Pupils' Misconceptions Based on the Concept of Protection in the Chemical Context

2015 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 130-137
Author(s):  
Monika Šindelková ◽  
Irena Plucková
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Complex Term ◽  
Primary School Pupils ◽  
Common Misconceptions

Each pupil brings from his/her everyday life a lot of personal experiences and ideas. These ideas about various concepts and topics can sometimes be mistaken or completely wrong. A complex term misconception is used for a summary of these mistaken ideas. Misconception is seen as a wrong notion, wrong idea. It occurs in the context of the pupil's mistaken notions and mistaken conception of the curriculum or one of the forms of pupils' conception of the curriculum. In the course of teaching, pupils are affected not only by teachers, but also by pupil's ideas and experiences that pupils bring from their surroundings. Teachers should be able to work with these ideas and try to correct pupils' misconceptions. A part of this contribution is not only a literature review of the misconception issue, but mainly the results of a research carried out on pupils in the eighth and ninth grades in nine primary schools. The aim of the research was mapping the most common misconceptions associated with the concept of protection in the chemical context of the curriculum.

scholarly journals Integration of mathematics and informatics by means of geometry in primary school

2020 ◽  
pp. 142-156
Author(s):  
Olga V. Gavrilina
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Elementary Mathematics ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
Elementary School Mathematics ◽  
Computer Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Worldview

The article outlines the relevance of using geometric material as a means of integrating elementary school mathematics and computer science education. Peculiarities of teaching junior schoolchildren elements of geometry are considered. The analysis of mathematics and informatics programs in terms of geometric material content in the elementary mathematics course is carried out. The criteria for selecting the content of geometric material aimed at integrating elementary mathematics and computer science selected in the research process have been illustrated. A set of geometric tasks is presented, aimed at optimising the learning process and improving the quality of knowledge in the subject area of „Mathematics and Computer Science” when integrating primary school mathematics and computer science teaching. The study was based on an analysis of the psychological, pedagogical and methodological literature on the problem under study. The possibility of integrating mathematics and informatics by means of geometry in primary schools to make inter-subject connections was theoretically justified and practically confirmed. The integration of mathematics and computer science contributes to the implementation of inter-subject connections, since the student simultaneously uses knowledge from the field of mathematics, computer science, and computer knowledge. This leads to the formation of a scientific worldview.

scholarly journals New Zealand learning environments: The role of design and the design process

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Fatimah Mohammed Alsaif
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
Teachers And Students

<p>Learning environments are important spaces because these are where primary school children spend many hours. These environments can vary from single cell classrooms to modern open plan learning studios. As the design of these learning environments can affect the learning outcomes of students, their design and the design process behind them are important fields of investigation. Involving the users of learning environments in the design process is an important factor to be considered. Studies overseas stress the importance of involving teachers and students in the design process of learning environments. However, studies about learning environments in New Zealand show less consideration for the internal layout of classrooms and the involvement of users in their design process. Thus, this thesis studies and compares the design process behind learning environments in New Zealand with those overseas and the effect of this involvement on the design of primary school internal learning spaces, specifically classrooms. The aim of this thesis is create an understanding of the design process behind primary school classroom learning environments in New Zealand.  To achieve the aim, this thesis undertakes five phases of study. The first phase is surveying primary school teachers and architects who design educational spaces, about the design and design process of learning environments in New Zealand. The survey results show that both teachers and architects support participatory design in schools and wish for more student user involvement. The second phase is a trial using social media to encourage more teacher and student participation in designing learning environments. Wordpress and Facebook groups were used for this experiment and teachers and students of primary schools in New Zealand were invited to participate. The trial result appears to indicate that social media does not work in encouraging students and teachers in thinking about the design of learning environments in general without having a specific project as a focus. The third phase is a workshop gathering five teachers and one architect to discuss the detail of the design process behind learning environments in New Zealand. The workshop result suggests that again participants support participatory design but suggest the need for guidance on how to do this, possibly from the Ministry of Education. The fourth phase is a case study of the early stages of a re‐build project for Thorndon Primary School in Wellington city. The case study included interviews, focus groups, observations, and collecting documentation. The main conclusion from the case study is that all parties to the project were in support of participatory design but would have benefitted from guidance as the whole design process and user involvement in it is unclear. The last phase is also case studies but here the focus is on the design process for rearranging the internal layout of two classrooms in two primary schools in Wellington city. The case studies covered observing the involvement of students in the design process, some classroom and brainstorming sessions, and interviews with teachers. The main result of this phase is the observation that students enjoy working on the design of their own environments and that they are able and ready to work as part of such a design process.  The key conclusions of this thesis are that all parties involved in this research supported user participation in the design process, but in all the cases investigated there is almost no proper participatory design; students enjoy designing their learning environments and that enjoyment makes them belong and connect to these more; and proper preliminary guidelines for participatory design in learning environments could improve and encourage user involvement in designing learning environments in New Zealand.</p>

scholarly journals LEVELS OF STRESS AMONG THE PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: A CASE OF PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NAIVASHA DISTRICT

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-75
Author(s):  
Isabel Sadya Omondi ◽  
Dr. M. W. Kariuki
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Performance Effects ◽  
Public Primary School

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to establish the levels of stress among the public primary school teachers: a case of primary schools in Naivasha district.Methodology: The study used descriptive research design. The target population in this study was 665 public primary school teachers. The sample of the study was 66 public primary school teachers from the four zones in Naivasha district. Primary data was collected through the administration of the questionnaires. A questionnaire is a pre-formulated written set of questions to which the respondents record the answers usually within rather closely delineated alternatives. Responses to the questionnaires were tabulated, coded and processed by use of a computer Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software to analyze the data using descriptive statistics. This generated quantitative reports through tabulations, percentages, and measures of central tendency.Results: Results from the study revealed that pressures of assessments targets and inspection, changes to pay and benefits, teacher student interaction and excessive workload and level of stress among public primary teachers are positively and significant related.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended that the Ministry of education and TSC should develop a policy on stress management to guide the induction; operation and counseling of public primary school teachers in their day to day duties so as to sufficiently support them manage stress and prevent further job performance effects of stress.

ICT AS EXPERIENTIAL TEACHING/LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL: TEACHERS’ APPROACH

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 464-477
Author(s):  
Gražina Šmitienė ◽  
Rasa Braslauskiene ◽  
Reda Vismantiene
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Experiential Teaching ◽  
Teaching Learning

The article reveals opportunities of information communication means in creating experiential teaching environments and provides insights for the development of experiential teaching/learning opportunities in a primary school. Experiential learning, which treats a person as a whole and emphasizes one’s unlimited potential opportunities, covers all three dimensions of teaching/learning: cognitive (i.e. perceptual), effective (emotional) and social (behavioural), and accordingly is a condition for the teaching/learning success. A qualitative research that involved teachers of primary schools (teachers of 1-2 and 3-4 grades) has been carried out. Content analysis of the results of the research revealed the essential conditions for using ICT means in creating experiential teaching/learning environments in a primary school and preconditions for creating experiential learning environments: sufficient special competences of primary school teachers to use ICT means, insufficient competences to create an experiential teaching/learning environment in a school (lack of knowledge and skills), lack of ICT means in classrooms, lack of cooperation between primary education teachers and of their motivation.

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF UNSECURED PERSONAL LOANS ON HOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL HEALTH OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN EMINING DIVISION, BARINGO COUNTY, KENYA

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3153-3158
Author(s):  
Robert Kingwara ◽  
Florence Bett ◽  
Mary Bosire
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Primary Teachers ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Financial Health ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Home Improvement

Credit facilities include both secured and unsecured loans. For employees, unsecured personal loans have become more popular due to the relative ease and speed at which they can be obtained. The study focused on three areas namely: evaluate the effects of school fees loans on household financial health of primary school teachers in Emining division, assess the effects of home improvement loans on household financial health of primary school teachers in Emining division, examine the effects of emergency loans on household financial health of primary school teachers in Emining division and establish the effects of development loans on household financial health of primary school teachers in Emining division. The study used descriptive research design. Purposive sampling was used to obtain a sample of 165 respondents, 5 teachers from each of the thirty-three primary schools, in Emining Division, Baringo. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the respondent. Correlation analysis was conducted to test the study hypotheses. Results of the study showed that there is a statistical significant positive relationship between unsecured personal loans and household financial health. In particular, there is a statistical positive association between school fees loans, home loans, emergency loans, development loans and household financial of primary school teachers. The study concludes that unsecured loans contributes to the wellbeing of primary teachers.

scholarly journals New Zealand learning environments: The role of design and the design process

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Fatimah Mohammed Alsaif
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
Teachers And Students

<p>Learning environments are important spaces because these are where primary school children spend many hours. These environments can vary from single cell classrooms to modern open plan learning studios. As the design of these learning environments can affect the learning outcomes of students, their design and the design process behind them are important fields of investigation. Involving the users of learning environments in the design process is an important factor to be considered. Studies overseas stress the importance of involving teachers and students in the design process of learning environments. However, studies about learning environments in New Zealand show less consideration for the internal layout of classrooms and the involvement of users in their design process. Thus, this thesis studies and compares the design process behind learning environments in New Zealand with those overseas and the effect of this involvement on the design of primary school internal learning spaces, specifically classrooms. The aim of this thesis is create an understanding of the design process behind primary school classroom learning environments in New Zealand.  To achieve the aim, this thesis undertakes five phases of study. The first phase is surveying primary school teachers and architects who design educational spaces, about the design and design process of learning environments in New Zealand. The survey results show that both teachers and architects support participatory design in schools and wish for more student user involvement. The second phase is a trial using social media to encourage more teacher and student participation in designing learning environments. Wordpress and Facebook groups were used for this experiment and teachers and students of primary schools in New Zealand were invited to participate. The trial result appears to indicate that social media does not work in encouraging students and teachers in thinking about the design of learning environments in general without having a specific project as a focus. The third phase is a workshop gathering five teachers and one architect to discuss the detail of the design process behind learning environments in New Zealand. The workshop result suggests that again participants support participatory design but suggest the need for guidance on how to do this, possibly from the Ministry of Education. The fourth phase is a case study of the early stages of a re‐build project for Thorndon Primary School in Wellington city. The case study included interviews, focus groups, observations, and collecting documentation. The main conclusion from the case study is that all parties to the project were in support of participatory design but would have benefitted from guidance as the whole design process and user involvement in it is unclear. The last phase is also case studies but here the focus is on the design process for rearranging the internal layout of two classrooms in two primary schools in Wellington city. The case studies covered observing the involvement of students in the design process, some classroom and brainstorming sessions, and interviews with teachers. The main result of this phase is the observation that students enjoy working on the design of their own environments and that they are able and ready to work as part of such a design process.  The key conclusions of this thesis are that all parties involved in this research supported user participation in the design process, but in all the cases investigated there is almost no proper participatory design; students enjoy designing their learning environments and that enjoyment makes them belong and connect to these more; and proper preliminary guidelines for participatory design in learning environments could improve and encourage user involvement in designing learning environments in New Zealand.</p>

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