Going Beyond Rote Auditory Learning: Neural Patterns of Generalized Auditory Learning

The ability to generalize across specific experiences is vital for the recognition of new patterns, especially in speech perception considering acoustic–phonetic pattern variability. Indeed, behavioral research has demonstrated that listeners are able via a process of generalized learning to leverage their experiences of past words said by difficult-to-understand talker to improve their understanding for new words said by that talker. Here, we examine differences in neural responses to generalized versus rote learning in auditory cortical processing by training listeners to understand a novel synthetic talker. Using a pretest–posttest design with EEG, participants were trained using either (1) a large inventory of words where no words were repeated across the experiment (generalized learning) or (2) a small inventory of words where words were repeated (rote learning). Analysis of long-latency auditory evoked potentials at pretest and posttest revealed that rote and generalized learning both produced rapid changes in auditory processing, yet the nature of these changes differed. Generalized learning was marked by an amplitude reduction in the N1–P2 complex and by the presence of a late negativity wave in the auditory evoked potential following training; rote learning was marked only by temporally later scalp topography differences. The early N1–P2 change, found only for generalized learning, is consistent with an active processing account of speech perception, which proposes that the ability to rapidly adjust to the specific vocal characteristics of a new talker (for which rote learning is rare) relies on attentional mechanisms to selectively modify early auditory processing sensitivity.

Learning of uncertainty in an introductory astronomy course in remote asynchronous delivery during Covid-19 lockdown

The teaching of an introductory astronomy course in remote delivery during Covid-19 lockdown encountered a unique issue in terms of a mixture of three student groups. They are the science majors, science-interested students, and non-science majors to satisfy science requirement in our Two-year community college located in New York City. The learning of how to assess uncertainty would be of a universal concern in the three groups. Uncertainty examples includes shoe size selection experience in daily life for non-science majors, distance measurement uncertainty for science-interested students who are parents, and simulation uncertainty for science majors. Reciting or memorizing a narrative in remote learning should be supplemented with a discussion using an alternative perspective with intellectual maturity, and the uncertainty theme would fit well for the learning of any chapters in an astronomy textbook. Assessment exercise questions are developed. The strategy to discourage rote learning and plagiarism in the remote asynchronous delivery of introductory astronomy at the college level is discussed.

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Verbal Chaining Element of "Autopilot", a Rote Learning Programme Used by Teachers of Yr. 1-3 Students

<p>A rote-learning programme, "Autopilot", was used for a five-week period with two classes of Year 2 students, to teach the verbal chains: days of the week, months of the year, the alphabet, counting in ones, twos, fives and tens. A quasi-experimental multiple baseline was used with the two classes. After five weeks of instruction all seven chains were reassessed and the percentage of positive changes were compared. The class receiving Autopilot made an average positive change increase of 80. 05%. The class receiving a regular class programme over the same five-week period, made apositive change increase of 39.5%. When the treatment was switched, the class who had received Autopilot continued to maintain or increase the length of the chain. This research shows that the use of a rote leaming programme, such as Autopilot, is an appropriate tool for the teaching of verbal chains in junior school classes.</p>

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Verbal Chaining Element of "Autopilot", a Rote Learning Programme Used by Teachers of Yr. 1-3 Students

<p>A rote-learning programme, "Autopilot", was used for a five-week period with two classes of Year 2 students, to teach the verbal chains: days of the week, months of the year, the alphabet, counting in ones, twos, fives and tens. A quasi-experimental multiple baseline was used with the two classes. After five weeks of instruction all seven chains were reassessed and the percentage of positive changes were compared. The class receiving Autopilot made an average positive change increase of 80. 05%. The class receiving a regular class programme over the same five-week period, made apositive change increase of 39.5%. When the treatment was switched, the class who had received Autopilot continued to maintain or increase the length of the chain. This research shows that the use of a rote leaming programme, such as Autopilot, is an appropriate tool for the teaching of verbal chains in junior school classes.</p>

Factors Predicting Middle School Pupils’ Learning Orientations: A Multilevel Analysis

Investigating on what school- and student-level factors are related to pupils’ learning orientations was the main purpose of this study. The study used a sample of 2917 middle school pupils across Turkey. The Test of Science Related Attitude, Learning Approach Questionnaire and the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire were utilised as data collection tools. Analysis revealed that there were significant differences in pupils’ learning orientations with respect to both meaningful learning orientation and rote learning orientation. When learning and motivational factors were examined it was found that performance goal orientation and learning goal orientation positively contributed to both meaningful learning and rote learning orientations. Upon examination of sub-dimensions of attitudes toward science, it was determined that the adaptation of scientific attitudes and leisure interest in science made positive and significant contributions to meaningful learning orientation while enjoyment of science lessons contributed to students’ meaningful learning orientation negatively. With respect to rote learning orientation, both adaptation of scientific attitudes and enjoyment of science lessons negatively contributed.

Fostering Epistemic Curiosity in School Children by Instructional Teaching Design: Classroom Realities of Indian Schools

The study attempted to answer two basic questions of classroom teaching: a. what were the most common teaching practices at the elementary school level? And b. did teachers foster curiosity in children during teaching? Classroom proceedings enfolded various teaching activities that might lead to a knowledge gap in students. 137 primary and middle schools (altogether 411 classes) were randomly selected to measure a pattern of questioning and answering during classroom teaching. Findings revealed that a large number of teachers adopted lecturing followed by writing on the board, dictating, and ignored some important teaching techniques such as explaining, demonstrating, and experimentation; though they were familiar with all these. Hardly any student asked questions to the teachers. Teachers missed to generate a gap of knowledge in them, showing hardly any use of curiosity-led instructional teaching design. Throwing any question to class or a group of students was an unplanned teaching behaviour. It was a limitation of an in-built education system that prioritised rote learning, exam scores, and grades that measured more static knowledge rather than understanding knowledge. The findings discussed limitations of the in-built education system and mindset of teachers that discouraged epistemic curiosity in children.

Mathematics Disability vs. Learning Disability: A 360 Degree Analysis

A fundamental issue for research in mathematics disability (MD) and reading disability (RD) is: If these disabilities are clearly distinct, why is there so high a level of comorbidity, together with the converse; if these disabilities are so similar, why are there clear differences in underlying causes and aetiology? In order to address this puzzle, we introduce the “360 degree analysis” (360DA) framework and apply it to the overlap between RD and MD. The 360DA process starts by analyzing the issue from four perspectives: theoretical, developmental, affective, and pedagogical. Under 360DA, these analyses are then integrated to provide insights for theory, and for individual assessment and support, together with directions for future progress. The analyses confirm extensive similarities between arithmetic and reading development in terms of rote learning, executive function (EF), and affective trauma, but also major differences in terms of the conceptual needs, the motor coordination needs, and the methods of scaffolding. In terms of theory, commonalities are interpreted naturally in terms of initial general developmental delay followed by domain-independent affective trauma following school failure. Dissociations are interpreted in terms of cerebellar vs. hippocampal learning networks, sequential vs. spatial processing, and language vs. spatial scaffolding, with a further dimension of the need for accurate fixation for reading. The framework has significant theoretical and applied implications.

Factors Predicting Middle School Pupils’ Learning Orientations: A Multilevel Analysis

Investigating on what school- and student-level factors are related to pupils’ learning orientations was the main purpose of this study. The study used a sample of 2917 middle school pupils across Turkey. The Test of Science Related Attitude, Learning Approach Questionnaire and the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire were utilised as data collection tools. Analysis revealed that there were significant differences in pupils’ learning orientations with respect to both meaningful learning orientation and rote learning orientation. When learning and motivational factors were examined it was found that performance goal orientation and learning goal orientation positively contributed to both meaningful learning and rote learning orientations. Upon examination of sub-dimensions of attitudes toward science, it was determined that the adaptation of scientific attitudes and leisure interest in science made positive and significant contributions to meaningful learning orientation while enjoyment of science lessons contributed to students’ meaningful learning orientation negatively. With respect to rote learning orientation, both adaptation of scientific attitudes and enjoyment of science lessons negatively contributed.

ELT Assessment Patterns Dictate Teaching-Learning Approaches: A Hindrance to Map out Employability and Life Skills

There is a plethora of research on the multifarious dialogues on English Language as (EFL and ESL), its teaching-learning approaches, assessment patterns, the learners&rsquo; employ ability and their life skills. How all these aspects affect and influence one another, need further exploration. The most important and vital point is that English Language and Literature syllabus may be different in different colleges and universities but the assessment patterns are approximately the same. The alarming situation is that maximum questions are responded through cramming and rote learning where there is no reflection of creative skills and competency in English Language. However, exceptions are always there. The focus and significance of the present study is &ldquo;how can the ELT approaches and assessment patterns be adapted and transformed specifically to meet the demand of the labor market, employability and life skills. (i) the researcher collected and analyzed 75 Question Papers of English from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and (ii) developed questionnaires cum opinionnaires for the 50 ELT teachers and the students in Jazan University, Jazan (KSA), and administered online. To determine findings and conclusion, the collected data have been analyzed in the employability, life, and soft skills perspectives that confirmed the validity and reliability of the present research hypothesis.