scholarly journals Empirically Supported Strategies for Encouraging Critical Thinking

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Sarah D. McCrackin
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
University Education ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Teaching Techniques ◽  
Teaching Literature ◽  
Empirically Supported ◽  
University Level ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction ◽  
The University ◽  
Higher Order Questioning

Critical thinking is the ability to construct and evaluate arguments (Facione, 1990). Teaching students to think critically is undeniably one of the most important goals of university education. Accordingly, much of the teaching literature provides suggestions for improving critical thinking among students. Unfortunately, many of these papers contain anecdotal evidence, relying heavily on personal testimony without the support of empirical data and statistical analysis (Abrami et al., 2008; Behar-Horenstein & Niu, 2011). These findings have important implications for instructors who try to foster critical thinking in their classrooms. The present workshop addresses this problem by discussing the following three teaching techniques which have been empirically tested and found to reliably improve critical thinking across multiple investigations: (a) the use of higher-order questioning (Barnett & Francis, 2012; Fenesi, Sana, & Kim, 2014; Renaud & Murray, 2007; Renaud & Murray, 2008; Smith, 1977; Williams, Oliver, & Stockdale, 2004); (b) peer-to-peer interaction (Abrami et al., 2008; Smith, 1997); and (c) explicit critical thinking instruction (Abrami et al., 2008; Bangert-Drowns, & Bankert, 1990; Behar-Horenstein et al., 2010; Tiruneh et al., 2016). This workshop is intended for members of all disciplines seeking to work together to develop an empirically supported framework for teaching critical thinking at the university level.

Teaching Literature among Pre-Service Teachers: Challenges and Solutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-103
Author(s):  
Ain Suraya Harun ◽  
Norhanim Abdul Samat
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Public University ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teaching Techniques ◽  
Literature Teaching ◽  
Teaching Literature ◽  
Teacher Trainees ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The University

Teacher trainees should be prepared to teach and exposed to the approaches, models, and techniques of literature teaching. Being ready can also boost their confidence to teach literature so that the lessons can be delivered smoothly.  These teachers are so new to teaching that they might face difficulties when teaching English, specifically literature. There are teaching techniques, strategies and approaches that those pre-service teachers can investigate to understand better how to apply in their teaching. Additionally, their lack of exposure towards literature teaching can also affect the performance of teaching. This paper seeks to investigate pre-service teachers’ readiness to teach literature in schools and the challenges faced by them while teaching literature. It also attempts to offer suggestions to improve better literature teaching. This mixed method research study used questionnaires distributed to 22 TESL pre-service teachers from a public university in Johor. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with two lecturers who have vast experiences in supervising pre-service teachers at schools. Results show that a majority of fourth year TESL students are ready to teach literature with the training and courses provided by the university. Also, among the challenges that they faced are time management and their students’ feelings on the subject. This study hopes to provide insights to training teachers on literature teaching.

General Didactic Principles About University Education in Music in the Midst of a Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bojin Nedialkov ◽  
Nadia Nedialkova
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
University Education ◽  
Office Work ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Online Lectures ◽  
Preliminary Preparation ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University

This article discusses some of the most important prerequisites for building and organizing the didactic structure of music education at the university level in the midst of a pandemic. The emphasis is on the methodology in designing online learning. The principles of carrying out the preliminary preparation for the transition to the new synchronous1 and asynchronous2 training are described. The basic rules for building and organizing online lectures in the conditions of distance learning are systematized. Models for asynchronous lectures according to already established principles are presented. An analysis of the difficulties and dangers of constant home office work has been performed. The authors of this article share their pedagogical experience regarding the specifics of conducting individual and group music disciplines in the context of distance learning, giving basic recommendations on the structuring of the learning process, which can be used not only in a pandemic situation, but also in the future for more flexible, modern and effective education related to constantly improving technologies.

scholarly journals “Oh This Learning, What a Thing It Is!”—Putting Sustainability First in Teaching Techniques and in Content

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Gusc ◽  
Coen Heijes
Keyword(s):  
Management Accounting ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Teaching Approach ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Teaching Techniques ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University ◽  
Masters Students ◽  
Academic Year

Although sustainability has become a strategic topic at many universities, working towards a learning approach in which sustainability is the fundament underlying and permeating the entire course is hardly straightforward. This paper is a case study on the development, the teaching, and the evaluation of one specific course that aims to achieve this. Based on (participant) observation, documents, and discussion with students and other stakeholders, we describe and analyze the results of the transformation of the course ‘advanced management accounting techniques’ for Masters students at the University of Groningen, in the academic year 2017–2018. We show how the course was transformed in a way to increase both a general, a business, and an accounting awareness of the importance of sustainability, while also applying a new teaching approach, namely lemniscate learning, to support this. Our course was the first in the faculty to make this transformation, and although the majority of the students were enthusiastic, the faculty staff was cautiously positive. In presenting our findings, we aim at supporting educators and other stakeholders at universities, by supplying a case study on the transformation of our course, and by scrutinizing the problems that we encountered, the feedback, both positive and negative, that we received, and the challenges that still face us, both on a course and a university level. Thus, we hope to be a source of inspiration and advice for others and to further advance our understanding of the dilemmas, practicalities, and challenges in working towards sustainability in teaching.

scholarly journals Beyond Theoretical Education: The Prospects for National Wealth in Dhofar

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Ali Tigani ElMahi
Keyword(s):  
University Education ◽  
School Level ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
National Wealth ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
Prime Objective ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University ◽  
And Training ◽  
Primary School Level

Dhofar region in southern Oman possesses a wealth of livestock. This wealth is managed traditionally by different Dhofari groups in a distinct landscape and ecological conditions. By the seventies, development addressed all aspects of live in the Sultanate. Education turned out to be a prime objective in development plans. In Dhofar, young generations of pastoralists found their way into education. It is known that the route of education starts directly from primary school level to the university level. Consequently, theoretical university education detach and disengage young Dhofaris from their forefathers’ traditional profession and most of all their wealth. Dhofar’s livestock is unequivocally a national wealth that needs to be invested and developed by young Dhofari generations, trained in modern scientific management in order to investment in Dhofar’s livestock . Therefore, it is a call for a focused education and training to address the potential of the region and its wealth. The paper attempts to draw attention to a situation which is taking place in Dhofar region and proposes certain recommendations. 

scholarly journals Heritage language speakers in university education in Japan: Perspectives for an inclusive society.

Elia ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 86-125
Author(s):  
Veri Farina
Keyword(s):  
Educational System ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
University Education ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Heritage Languages ◽  
University Level ◽  
The One ◽  
The University ◽  
Heritage Language Speakers

The educational system in Japan has traditionally been focused on the “one nation, one language” ideology. This has led to the marginalization of indigenous and immigrant languages. As a consequence, heritage speakers are dealing with the loss of their heritage languages. However, there are isolated movements addressing the maintenance of the heritage languages, though they haven’t had a long-lasting effect on the educational system. In an attempt to contribute to reversing this language and identity loss, we based our research on two main points: 1) the belief that creating an informed partnership will help heritage language speakers (HLS) to integrate in the mainstream education space (Cummins, 2014) and 2) confidence in the importance of interconnecting the isolated movements for language maintenance. Would it be possible to achieve it in the Japanese educational context? Can we start scaffolding this new structure of informed partnership from the university level? In order to try to prove this point of view successfully, this article describes the creation at the university level of a class about Heritage languages and speakers in Japan, inspired by the Content and Language Integrated Learning model (CLIL). This class was meant to support and interact with another class called “Spanish for heritage students” that was developed at the same university. The student population is 14, almost half of them with a heritage language or culture. The course duration was one semester. The contents that were selected to reach the class goals are mentioned, as well as some points of view regarding what should be done to shift the Japanese educational system from a homogeneous stance to a multicultural inclusive posture. And in such a short time we could evidence an evolution in students’ critical awareness of the current immigrants’ heritage language and cultural situation in Japan. Working with specific vocabulary, reading from authentic sources, discussing contemporary articles among them, they could give shape to their thoughts in Spanish in order to express their opinions and possible solutions to this important matter.

The Historical and Political Backdrop to Islamic Studies in Kenya

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 70-92
Author(s):  
Mohamed Bakari
Keyword(s):  
Religious Orientation ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
University Education ◽  
Intellectual Culture ◽  
Islamic Studies ◽  
Western Education ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University

This paper argues that the lack of serious attempts to incorporate Islamic studies in Kenya’s academic culture can best be understood by looking at the colonial and postcolonial policies toward university education there. The early missionary influence that shaped the nature of the indigenous educational system had a farreaching impact upon creating a culture of resistance among Muslims toward western education. In the postcolonial period, the new governments tried to create a level playing field for all of their citizens, regardless of religious orientation. But the colonial imapct had already left its mark on Muslims in terms of their visibility at the university level. The Kenyan government did not interfere in what academic programs should be prioritized at this level. But because Christians outnumbered Muslims in academia, their influence created a dearth of indigenous university-generated information and knowledge on Muslim institutions and society. This gap was left to foreign researchers to fill. As a result, Kenya has no indigenous Islamic intellectual culture. If this status quo does not change, Kenyan Muslims will remain vulnerable to foreign Islamist influences.

scholarly journals Universidade e educação emancipatória: algumas hipóteses

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 314
Author(s):  
Alex Sander da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Capitalist Society ◽  
University Education ◽  
Emancipatory Education ◽  
Cultural Formation ◽  
Production Of Knowledge ◽  
Human Formation ◽  
University Level ◽  
First Moment ◽  
The University

No presente artigo, pretende-se refletir a seguinte questão: em meio a essa turbulenta sociedade capitalista, quais as possibilidades para uma educação emancipadora? Isto é, refletir sobre a produção do conhecimento educacional no âmbito da formação universitária, de modo particular, na análise do papel da universidade em sua tarefa da formação humana. Num primeiro momento, discute-se a questão das retóricas “neoliberais” que insistem em intervir no âmbito da educação, de modo particular, na forma de desqualificar as áreas humanas. Num segundo momento, busca-se, a partir do conceito de “semiformação” trazer uma chave de análise sobre a problemática da formação cultural em âmbito universitário. Por fim, levantam-se algumas hipóteses reflexivas sobre o papel da formação universitária como um espaço de produção do conhecimento e as possibilidades de uma educação emancipatória.Palavras-chave: Universidade. Semiformação. Educação. Emancipação.University and emancipatory education: some hypothesesABSTRACTIn this article, we intend to reflect the following question: in the midst of this turbulent capitalist society, what are the possibilities for an emancipatory education? That is, to reflect on the production of educational knowledge in the context of university education, in particular, in the analysis of the role of the university in its task of human formation. At first moment, the issue of “neoliberal” rhetoric that insists on intervening in the field of education is discussed, in particular, in the way of disqualifying human areas. Secondly, based on the concept of “semi-formation”, we seek to bring a key to the analysis of the issue of cultural formation at the university level. Finally, some reflective hypotheses are raised about the role of university education as a space for the production of knowledge and the possibilities of an emancipatory education.Keywords: University. Semiformation. Education. Emancipation.Universidad y educación emancipatoria: algunas hipotesisRESUMENEn este artículo, tenemos la intención de reflejar la siguiente pregunta: en medio de esta turbulenta sociedad capitalista, ¿cuáles son las posibilidades de una educación emancipadora? Es decir, reflexionar sobre la producción de conocimiento educativo en el contexto de la educación universitaria, en particular, en el análisis del papel de la universidad en su tarea de formación humana. En el primer momento, se discute el tema de la retórica “neoliberal” que insiste en intervenir en el campo de la educación, en particular, en la forma de descalificar las áreas humanas. En segundo lugar, con base en el concepto de “semiformación”, buscamos aportar una clave para el análisis del tema de la formación cultural a nivel universitario. Finalmente, se plantean algunas hipótesis reflexivas sobre el papel de la educación universitaria como espacio para la producción de conocimiento y las posibilidades de una educación emancipadora.Palabras clave: Universidad. Erudición. Educación. emancipacion.

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