Teaching Formation to Develop Computational Thinking

In order to develop computational thinking, it is essential to modify the initial training of teachers, that is to say, to restructure the curricula of the faculties or professional schools of education in any field or context it is going to be possible to identify areas of basic or general training and areas of specialized training. As well as reading or writing, computer thinking is currently essential because its application in any professional context is necessary.

An Analysis of the Entrepreneurial University in the Faculties of Education in Spain: Self-Perception among Deans

Universities have increasingly incorporated a third mission into their strategic planning. In addition to teaching and research, they have emphasised the training of entrepreneurs. However, there is still a lot of work to be done, as this process is facing resistance. The Entrepreneurial University covers all disciplines, including faculties of education. However, it has been shown that entrepreneurship tends to be more related to the faculties of economics and engineering, with a lesser presence in the faculties of education for various reasons: they consider entrepreneurship to be alien to their teaching role, there is a lack of entrepreneurial culture, and the objective of the Entrepreneurial University is unknown. The aim of this study is to analyse the level of entrepreneurship in Spanish faculties and schools of education. Nineteen deans and heads of education faculties in Spain took part in the survey, and a mixed analysis has been done. The results indicated a sufficient level of entrepreneurship; the dimensions related to active methodologies, and mission and strategy were the most developed, whereas entrepreneurship funding and entrepreneurship training for faculty employees were the least developed areas. Some deans noted that entrepreneurship was alien to their professional performance, although courses and good practices for the development of entrepreneurial initiative are gradually being implemented.

An Analysis of the Entrepreneurial University in the Faculties of Education in Spain: Self-perception among Deans

Universities have increasingly incorporated a third mission into their strategic planning. In addition to teaching and research, they have emphasised the training of entrepreneurs. However, there is still a lot of work to be done, as this process is facing resistance. The Entrepreneurial University covers all disciplines, including faculties of education. However, it has been shown that entrepreneurship tends to be more related to the faculties of economics and engineering, with a lesser presence in the faculties of education for various reasons: they consider entrepreneurship to be alien to their teaching role, there is a lack of entrepreneurial culture, and the objective of the Entrepreneurial University is unknown. The aim of this study is to analyse the level of entrepreneurship in Spanish faculties and schools of education. Forty deans and heads of education faculties in Spain took part in the survey. The results indicated a sufficient level of entrepreneurship; the dimensions related to active methodologies, and mission and strategy were the most developed, whereas entrepreneurship funding and entrepreneurship training for faculty employees were the least developed areas. Some deans noted that entrepreneurship was alien to their professional performance, although courses and good practices for the development of entrepreneurial initiative are gradually being implemented.

Progressive computer test capabilities of the candidates proposed for the post of physical education teacher

The research aims to use progressive test capabilities to identify the capabilities of prospective teachers of Physical Education, who desire to work as teachers in schools of education in all categories. This research was conducted using a descriptive research method and a total sample consisted of 60 experts, including 10 academic experts from the Curriculum and Instruction Department, 10 directors of Physical Education, 10 managers of schools, 5 experts in computer and 25 graduate students. The survey used questionnaires in collecting data. The questionnaire which was designed by the researchers sought to test prospective physical education teacher’s performance with themes such as work under pressure, work amid distractions, speed of decision-making, power of observation, the level of intelligence, memory and concentration and synergies neuromuscular. The most important recommendations for the selection of prospective Physical Education teachers is to use the test proposed computer to learn about the capabilities of the candidates and the possibility of using the programme to develop the capacity of teachers. Keywords: Test capabilities, computerised test, test the capabilities of physical education teachers, teacher’s capabilities development.

Supporting Teachers for Computer Science Reform: Lessons from over 20,000 Students in Chicago

As K12 computer science education is expanding nationwide, school districts are challenged to find qualified computer science teachers. It will take many years for schools of education to produce a sufficient number of certified computer science teachers to meet the demand. In the interim courses like Exploring Computer Science (ECS) can fill the gap. ECS is designed to provide a robust introduction to computer science and the accompanying professional development is structured such that a college level understanding of computer science is not required. This brief summarizes research with 20,000 Chicago Public Schools high school students and their teachers to test the claim that the ECS professional development can provide an adequate preparation for teaching ECS. The results provide strong evidence that full completion of the ECS professional development program by teachers from any discipline leads to much higher student outcomes, independent of whether a teacher is certified in computer science.

The degree of bullying among participants and non-participants in sports activities

This study aimed to recognize the degree of practicing bullying among the participants and non-participants in the sports activities, the study sample consisted of students of both levels: the basic high level and the secondary level in the schools of education directorate of Al-Teeba and Al-Wasateih in Irbid governorate, who numbered (279) students were chosen randomly, (124) of the gifted students, and who enrolled in all collective and individual sports competitions. Also (155) male and female students who were not enrolled in sports activities, during the second semester of the academic year 2018-2019. To achieve the study’s goals, the researchers adopted the Descriptive Approach through used statistical & analytic methods. as well as the school bullying scale from researchers’ preparation, was used, the study results indicated the following: the degree of practicing the bullying among the students who participated and not participated in the sports activities was moderate. there are statistically significant differences (α≥0.05) due to the effect of gender in the total degree of bullying scale and the differences were in favor of males, and there are statistical significant differences (α≥ 0.05) due to the category in the total degree of bullying scale, and the differences were in favor of non-participants category.

Mathematics Education as a ‘Design Science’

Mathematics education (didactics of mathematics) cannot grow without close relationships to mathematics, psychology, pedagogy and other areas. However, there is the risk that by adopting standards, methods and research contexts from other well-established disciplines, the applied nature of mathematics education may be undermined. In order to preserve the specific status and the relative autonomy of mathematics education, the suggestion to conceive of mathematics education as a “design science” is made. In a paper presented to the twenty second Annual Meeting of German mathematics educators in 1988 Heinrich Bauersfeld presented some views on the perspectives and prospects of mathematics education. It was his intention to stimulate a critical reflection’among the members of the community’ on what they do and what they could and should do in the future (Bauersfeld 1988). The early seventies have witnessed a vivid programmatic discussion on the role and nature of mathematics education in the German speaking part of Europe (cf., the papers by Bigalke, Griesel, Wittmann, Freudenthal, Otte, Dress and Tietz in the special issue 74/3 of the Zentralblatt für Didaktik der Mathematik as well as Krygowska 1972). Since then the status of mathematics education has not been considered on a larger scale despite the contributions by Bigalke (1985) and Winter (1986). So the time is overdue for redefining the basic orientation for research; therefore, Bauersfeld’s talk could hardly have been more appropriate. In recent years the interest in a better understanding of the nature and role of mathematics education has also grown considerably at the international level as indicated, for example, by the ICMI-study on ‘What is research in mathematics education and what are its results?’ launched in 1992 (cf., Balacheff et al. 1992). The following considerations are intended both as a critical analysis of the present situation and an attempt to capture the specificity of mathematics education. Like Bauersfeld, the author presents them ‘in full subjectivity and in a concise way’ as a kind of ‘thinking aloud about our profession’. (The present paper concentrates on the didactics of mathematics although the line of argument pertains equally to the didactics of other subjects and also to education in general (cf., Clifford and Guthrie 1988, a detailed study on the identity crisis of the Schools of Education at the leading American universities).)