TEACHING LANGUAGES FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES WITH TECHNOLOGY: WHAT TO TAKE TO THE DIGITAL CLASSROOM

The article focuses on the experience of online language learning in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic at Sechenov University (Moscow, Russia). Due to the differences in accepted professional communication practices in medical sphere in Russia and abroad there is a need of commenting, propagation and constant focusing on the part of the instructor. The aim of this research was to obtain a clear and a detailed picture of medical students’ attitude towards the change in the mode of delivery in teaching languages for medical purposes, which occurred during the lockdown and triggered a sudden shift in the roles. We analyzed the technologies used, the alterations to the academic content, modes of delivery, and the student’s attitude towards ESP/EMP employing mainly a quantitative methodology of gathering and analyzing data. The survey of the students showed that, though there is a strong preference in favor of technology use and more independent learning, they fully understand the role of the instructor in the process.

Teacher-Designed Games

Video games play an important role in education; however, the idea of teachers as designers of digital classroom games to support student learning has not been widely embraced. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of why and how teachers used and designed games in teaching differently with various gaming background. This mixed-method case study involved a group of teachers who used and/or designed games for students. The four unique case groups were grounded in three regions and four school districts in Alberta, Canada. First and second cycle data coding and analyses were used to answer 1) what factors influenced the types of games teachers used and designed in teaching and 2) what factors influenced how and why teachers integrated game-based learning in teaching.

Co-Operative E-Learning for Multilingual and Multicultural Education

The Classroom 2.0 initiative is one of the most fundamental reforms to the way education is performed across the European Union. Starting its life at the ‘Digital Classroom of Tomorrow' (DCOT) Project in Wales, the initiative has shown that concepts like electronic individual education programmes (eIEPs) and the electronic twinning of schools (eTwinning) can play an important role in enhancing learning outcomes for school age learners. This chapter presents a review of the impact of the original Classroom 2.0 Project – DCOT – and explores some of the technical issues essential to the project's success across Europe and how this has led to Technologies 4.0, which has taken the form of ‘Supporting Information and Education with Multimedia and E-Learning for Networked Societies' (SIEMENS) in Wales.

Schools as spaces for in/exclusion of young Mainland Chinese students and families in Hong Kong

Around 30,000 children living in Shenzhen, Mainland China cross the border to Hong Kong to attend school every day. This paper focuses on the school as a key meso-level organisation that mediates macro-level policies and micro-level everyday life experiences among these children and their families. We advocate a relational, spatial perspective, conceptualising schools as webs of intersecting physical, social and digital spaces, where differences between the “locals” and “others” are played out, negotiated and (re)produced, and in turn giving rise to specific (and understudied) geographies of in/exclusion. Drawing on our qualitative research, we offer a close reading of three exemplary school spaces: (i) the physical classroom and school grounds, (ii) the digital classroom, and (iii) at the school gate. Our findings demonstrate the complex and at times contradictory ways in which “the school” is a place of both inclusion and exclusion. It is a dynamic and power-traversed space where social differences between the “locals” and the “others” are played out, contested and redefined continuously.

Implementation of discovery learning in a digital class and its effect on student learning outcomes and learning independence level

Background: The need to use online learning is inevitable during the Covid-19 pandemic. There has been a call for action in education policy to provide a more flexible, digitally based learning strategy. It is presumed that this change in learning methods will reduce meaningful learning experiences. Methods: This study examines the application of discovery learning in the digital classroom and its effect on learning outcomes and independent learning. The research employed a quasi-experiment method, and the sample was taken using a randomized sampling technique. Two classes with the same initial knowledge value were used as experimental and control groups. The instrument used was a cognitive test and a Self-Directed Learning (SDL) questionnaire. Results: The results of this research show that there is a significant difference in learning outcomes and SDL in the experiment and control group. Students that apply discovery learning with a combination of face-to-face and digital classes get better results on both variables than in conventional discovery class. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the application of discovery learning through the digital classroom has a positive effect on learning outcomes and students' level of independence. This study was only conducted in one secondary school and more samples are recommended for further study. The limitations of the application of face-to-face discovery learning can be overcome by the application of online learning, which facilitates meaningful learning experiences for students.