“Green” Teaching and Learning in Schools

2015 ◽  
pp. 183-193
Author(s):  
Jack Blendinger ◽  
Leigh Ann Hailey ◽  
Donna Shea
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Learning Culture ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
School Teachers

This chapter addresses the importance of shaping the school's teaching and learning culture to exert a powerful influence on students in regard to environmental conservation. The chapter presents 19 successful and practical examples of “teaching green” in action contributed by practicing elementary and secondary school teachers. How to contact the contributors is also provided in the chapter.

scholarly journals Will the benefit equal the effort? An investigation into the personal significance of the changes signalled in a mandated curriculum to New Zealand secondary school teachers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Brenda Mary Service
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Educational Criticism ◽  
Personal Significance ◽  
New Curriculum ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching ◽  
The Impact

<p>A new school curriculum was implemented in all New Zealand schools during 2008 and 2009 and was mandated at the beginning of 2010. The changes signalled in the new curriculum required teachers to incorporate key competencies into their teaching and to move to student-centred practice which involves students in the decisions about their learning. It was possible that this social constructivist approach represented a change in teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning and to their practice.  Much of the literature on educational change appears to overlook the transformational nature of the learning needed to bring about changes in beliefs and practice and teachers’ personal motivation to engage with it. Unless change is of personal significance to individuals they are unlikely to be motivated to engage with it. Using Eisner’s (1998) method of educational criticism, this case study is an investigation into the personal significance of the new curriculum to the teachers’ reality. In the spirit of educational criticism, the lens of an educational connoisseur was used to first develop an understanding of the teachers’ reality followed by that of an educational critic to evaluate what occurred.  Over a two-year period the study involved semi-structured interviews with twelve secondary school teachers in three schools, observations of the classroom practice, and analysis of school documentation and societal messages. While all the participating teachers’ espoused beliefs that were congruent with the philosophy of the new curriculum, constructivist practices were observed in the practice of only two teachers. What prevented the other teachers’ wholehearted engagement in the implementation of the new curriculum was not their beliefs about teaching and learning but rather, the extent to which external pressures determined their priorities. These pressures included the misalignment of the school goals and cultural norms, the impact of NCEA assessment regime, time constraints, leadership issues, lack of conceptual understanding and the absence of professional learning to support transformative learning.</p>

Digital libraries in the classroom: Secondary school teachers’ conception

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Abrizah ◽  
AN Zainab
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
History Curriculum ◽  
Use Of The Internet

This paper presents findings from a case study investigating secondary school teachers’ understanding of the term digital libraries and their relationship with learning. The study addresses two research questions: (1) How do teachers conceptualize digital libraries, their relevance and issues relating to their integration into the curriculum? and (2) What are the teachers’ perceptions of the initiative to develop a collaborative digital library for school projects? A series of interviews were carried out on six History subject teachers which provide a detailed and succinct information on their understanding of digital libraries, their knowledge and use of the Internet and digital resources, their perception of the possible impact of digital resources on teaching and learning, the benefits teachers seen in digital resources and the problems they have in using them. It also offers important insights on History subject teachers’ perceptions of the initiative to develop a collaborative digital library for History projects, perception of its potential use, pointing out the conditions that facilitate its use in the classrooms. The paper also points out the relevance of digital libraries to the History curriculum which will make readers understand that using the technology is relevant to the teaching of all subjects.

scholarly journals Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning in Portugal: Preschool to Secondary School Teachers’ Perceptions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 349
Author(s):  
Filipa Seabra ◽  
António Teixeira ◽  
Marta Abelha ◽  
Luísa Aires
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Role Of Parents

Emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL) represent a critical and challenging time for teachers globally. To understand how Portuguese teachers interpreted their ERTL experiences of the first lockdown, we started by asking: What perspectives do teachers have about ERTL? Answering three open questions made available online between April and May of 2020, a sample of 305 preschool, basic, and secondary school teachers expressed their perspectives on (i) difficulties throughout ERTL; (ii) students’ constraints in participating in ERTL; (iii) the potential and benefits resulting from this exceptional period. Data were analyzed using content analysis. While Portuguese teachers perceived ERTL with concern, a majority also saw it as an opportunity. Workload, work conditions, and time management were the most frequently mentioned difficulties. Regarding students’ constraints, teachers emphasized participation, the role of parents, lack of contact, and autonomy. Despite the constraints and difficulties, teachers highlighted gains such as the development of digital competencies and the opportunity to transform teaching and learning. Only 18 teachers suggested there were no positive outcomes from this experience. Since this is an exploratory study, further studies are needed to triangulate the findings.

scholarly journals Regulatory Focus on Higher Secondary School Teachers with Reference to Classroom Climate with Selected Variables – A Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-340
Author(s):  
Jeyanthi Subrahmanyam
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Classroom Climate ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Analyse Data

Classroom climate is an important factor in the teaching and learning process. Both physical and psychological aspects of the classroom should be conducive to learning. Less number of students, student-teacher ratio and undivided attention of the teachers have a great influence on students’ academic performance. The study is conducted to find out whether gender has any impact on the performance of teachers in classrooms and their qualifications based on the subject they studied have any influence on their teaching. Experience enhances everybody’s learning. So, the teaching experience is an important factor that should be considered in managing a class. This study is done with 150 teachers selected from 10 higher secondary schools from the Kancheepuram district. A simple random technique is used to collect the sample. The teaching experience is classified as below 5 years and above 5 years. The tool, Classroom climate inventory, is standardised by the investigator. T-test and Correlation were used to analyse data.

A Study of The Autonomy of Secondary School Teachers in Curriculum Planning in Government Schools of Delhi

2021 ◽  
pp. 74-82
Author(s):  
Shweta Tewari
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Curriculum Planning ◽  
External Control ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Formal Procedure ◽  
Senior Secondary

Autonomy is the freedom to make decisions and being free from any external control or interference. When we talk about the autonomy of the teachers in schools we mean their freedom to take decisions related to the designing and planning of curriculum, choosing the most appropriate methods to transact the curriculum and other important aspects of teaching and learning which are strongly related to the achievement of students. The present paper attempts to study the perceptions of the school teachers working at the TGT level in government schools of Delhi in terms of their autonomy in curriculum planning and to know the level of decision making and collaboration they have in the same. A total of 46 teachers teaching in senior secondary and secondary government schools of Delhi were interviewed. The teachers reported that the only aspect where they feel a bit autonomous is curriculum transaction and not curriculum planning as they are apparently free to decide 'how to teach' (methods of teaching) than 'what to teach' (content). However, the teachers have reported that there is no formal procedure for collaboration with the policymakers or authorities to contribute to the process of curriculum planning and designing. Thus, a clear lack and want of autonomy could be inferred by the researchers after interviewing the teachers in government schools covered in this research study.

Teacher Attitudes Toward Game-based Learning in History Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 27-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Mozelius ◽  
Wilfredo Hernandez ◽  
Johan Sällström ◽  
Andreas Hellerstedt
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
History Education ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
First Choice

AbstractGame-based learning (GBL) is an emerging field reaching new contexts. Research has reported about students’ rich use of digital games and the learning potential of GBL in traditional school subjects. Digital games have been tested as educational tools in various subjects in Swedish schools during the last decade, in areas such as teaching and learning of history and foreign languages. However, there is a lack of detailed research on attitudes toward the use of GBL in history education.Main aim of the study was to examine and discuss attitudes toward an increased use of digital games in formal history education. Earlier studies have analysed students’ opinions and preferences, but this study has a focus on the teacher perspective and on which design factors are important if digital games should be an alternative for self-learning in history education. The research approach has been qualitative cross-sectional study where secondary school teachers have answered questionnaires with open-ended questions on their view of didactics and the use of GBL in formal education. All selected respondents are registered as professional secondary school history teachers. Furthermore, teachers have described their own gaming habits and their game design preferences.Findings show that a majority of the informants have good knowledge about digital games with historical setting and also a positive attitude toward an increased use of GBL. Secondary school teachers also have a tradition of using various media in their teaching and learning activities and there are neither any regulations against an increased use of digital games. An important aspect of history education, where digital games might not the first choice, is in the description of the main changes and influence of a historical époque. Authors’ recommendation is to use games that can enable tangential learning where the gaming sessions could be seen as appetisers for further and deeper learning.

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