Exploring Educative Components to Conceptualize an Effective Implementation of Reading Discipline Curricula in Pre-service Teacher-Education Program

The curriculum implementation literature has recently focused more on identifying and measuring the key components of the innovative curriculum needed to achieve desired outcomes. However, most of this work centers on curriculum implementation external to the field of teacher education. In this article, we report on our identification of the educative components that form one component of the framework for conceptualizing the implementation of newly developed reading curricula for a Bachelor of Education Elementary program. The results suggest that prerequisite knowledge about reading instruction and knowledge of the entire reading program are necessary for an effective implementation of curriculum change in the discipline of reading.

Physical education and health enhancing physical activity – a European perspective

This article reviews recent literature on the contribution of curriculum physical education to health-enhancing physical activity within the context of European countries. Recommended goals for student physical activity are discussed within a curriculum framework based on five ‘forms’ (concept, designed, implemented, results and effects). The study used a 'rapid reviewing' method, in which sources were identified and analysed using systematic reviewing techniques, but subsequent stages were adapted to facilitate flexible and practical interpretation. Results show that physical education lessons tend not to reach a putative 50% threshold of moderate-to-vigorous intensity. Given that the average time allocated for physical education in Europe is 100 minutes per week, strategies are needed to increase the intensity and duration of physical activity in lessons if they are to make a more meaningful ‘direct’ contribution to the European and WHO daily target of sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. The authors therefore consider the plausibility of introducing an 'Active Schools' concept, in which physical education lessons designed to equip students with the prerequisite knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values supportive of a physically active lifestyle are augmented by other school-based contexts which provide the opportunity to actually meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity participation.

Curriculum Mapping of Undergraduate Medical Programmes: Recommendations for Future Directions

Background: Medical schools are expected to churn out all-rounded healthcare professionals who are competent in the prerequisite knowledge and skills necessary to address the everchanging health needs of the society. This is usually made possible through innovation and strategy, one of which involves the continuous review and renewal of all the components of existing teaching and learning plans through a blueprinting process called curriculum mapping. This blueprint allows for curriculum goals development, together with management, reviewing and organizing its contents. As curriculum mapping of medical programmes was in its infancy stage at the time of this research, this study focusses on reporting the perspectives of the curriculum leaders on future directions for curriculum mapping of undergraduate medical programmes in South Africa. Method: Purposive sampling was used in a qualitative study among fourteen academics involved in medical curricula at all eight medical schools. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and analysis was done by thematic analysis. Results: Curriculum planners have specific expectations of curriculum mapping of undergraduate programmes as a possible future strategy to drive curriculum review and renewal in the country. Although some agreement exists about the characteristic features, any mapping platform created should meet the specific institutional requirements that will address their challenges. Conclusion: Finally, a national mandate from the authorities will be required to achieve curriculum benchmarking and collaboration amongst the medical schools to standardize undergraduate medical programme outcomes.

Hand Gesture Based Touch-Free User Interface for Elevator/Lift

The user interfaces of control panels used for electronic automation have been limited to devices such as remote control, key pad and touch screen for a long time. These interfaces are not natural and nor flexible for users. Consumers are expecting natural efficient user interfaces. Recent improvements in sensor technology are now opening the path for developers to add gesture control to their products. This Project presents a switch control panel for Touch-free user interface using simple hand gestures technique to control operations of Elevator/Lift. This gesture-based switch control panel is not just limited to Elevator/Lift, but can also be implemented in other areas such as Vending machines, ATMs and many more with little changes in software & hardware if required. To use this interactive system based on hand gestures, one does not require any prerequisite knowledge as in the case of touch-screens, keyboard etc.

Polymers, plastics, & more – educating post-secondary students from different disciplines with polymer science

Polymers are excellent materials that provide concrete examples of concepts and learning objectives covered in different post-secondary level courses. Modules focused on polymer science can be used for teaching general, organic, material and green chemistry. These modules can be tailored to build on the students' prerequisite knowledge. Science 300 is a course offered at Simon Fraser University (SFU) to non-science, post-secondary students focused on the impact of science in society. Prosthetics and Orthotics (PROR) is a diploma program offered at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Both programs have incorporated polymer science as part of the curriculum. Design of the modules illustrates polymers as an important class of materials that possess both beneficial and environmental unfriendly properties. A variety of learning strategies are incorporated within the courses to aid students with understanding polymer science.

Effects of Example-Problem Pairs on Students’ Mathematics Achievements: A Mixed-Method Study

The aim of this research is to investigate how the utilisation of example-problem pairs affects the outcomes of mathematics students when compared to conventional teaching methods. Thus, a mixed method embedded design, with a main emphasis on a quasi-experiment with supplemental field notes, was conducted with 64 second intermediate grade school students (eighth grade). Participants were divided into two groups comprising 33 students in the experimental group, and 31 students in the control group. An ACNOVA test revealed that the average scores of achievement of the students taught using the example-problem pairs were higher than the average scores of the students who were taught using conventional teaching methods, with a very large effect size. Moreover, the qualitative findings revealed that the students taught using example-problem pairs were more engaged and took more responsibility for their learning than the students who were taught using conventional teaching methods. In addition, the students who lacked the necessary prerequisite knowledge needed more support than the higher achieving students. The implications of the study were discussed.

A Step-by-Step Process on Sample Size Determination for Medical Research

Determination of a minimum sample size required for a study is a major consideration which all researchers are confronted with at the early stage of developing a research protocol. This is because the researcher will need to have a sound prerequisite knowledge of inferential statistics in order to enable him/her to acquire a thorough understanding of the overall concept of a minimum sample size requirement and its estimation. Besides type I error and power of the study, some estimates for effect sizes will also need to be determined in the process to calculate or estimate the sample size. The appropriateness in calculating or estimating the sample size will enable the researchers to better plan their study especially pertaining to recruitment of subjects. To facilitate a researcher in estimating the appropriate sample size for their study, this article provides some recommendations for researchers on how to determine the appropriate sample size for their studies. In addition, several issues related to sample size determination were also discussed.

Time for a paradigm shift in school education?

The thesis of this essay is that the current schooling paradigm is in need of review and that the answer may lie in a shift in how we think about teaching and learning. Under the prevailing paradigm, the role of teachers is to deliver the year-level curriculum to all students in a year level. This mismatch has unfortunate consequences for both teaching and learning. Currently, many students are not ready for their year-level curriculum because they lack prerequisite knowledge, skills and understandings. The basis for an alternative paradigm and a 'new normal' is presented. The essay addresses concerns raised about changes to curriculum, including that: changing the structure of the curriculum will mean abandoning year levels; teachers will be unable to manage classrooms in which students are not all working on the same content at the same time; some students will be disadvantaged if students are not all taught the same content at the same time; a restructured curriculum will result in ‘streaming’ and/or require the development of individual learning plans; a restructured curriculum will lower educational standards; and it will not be possible to do this in some subjects.

STUDENTS’ REFLECTIVE ABSTRACTION ABILITY ON LINEAR ALGEBRA PROBLEM SOLVING AND RELATIONSHIP WITH PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE

This study aims to describe the achievement of the ability of students' reflective abstraction in solving Linear Algebra problems and the relationship with prerequisite knowledge. The important of this research because the characteristic of Linear Algebra requiring reflectif abstraction skill that must be support by the prerequisite knowledge. The reflective abstraction abilities studied in this study are level, i.e.1) recognition,2) representation, 3) structural abstraction, and 4) structural awareness. These stages are adjusted to Polya's problem solving stages, namely: understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, and looking back. This type of research is descriptive-quantitative. The subjects of this study were students of the Mathematics Education Study Program, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training of UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung Indonesia. Collecting data through tests and interviews, data were analyzed with percentage and the pearson product-moment correlation.The results showed that the achievement level consisiting of ) recognition,2) representation, 3) structural abstraction, and 4) structural awareness of the students’ reflective abstraction abilities on linear algebra problem solving are very good, this can be seen from the percentage achieved at stages of the recognition,the representation,the structural abstraction, and the structural awareness which is associated with Polya problem solving measures above an average of 73,31% (moderat category); there are relationship between students' reflective abstraction abilities and their prerequisite knowledge; and prerequisite knowledge influences the students’reflective abstraction abilities