Metaphors we teach by

Teaching is a complex activity that people often discuss metaphorically, as when a professor is described as a sculptor molding impressionable students. What do such metaphors reveal about how people conceptualize teaching? Previous work has addressed related questions largely via researcher intuition and qualitative analyses of teacher attitudes. We sought to develop a more principled method for mapping the entailments of metaphorical concepts, using teaching metaphors as a case study. We presented participants with one of four common metaphors for the teacher-student relationship (identified in a preliminary study) and asked them to rate the degree to which a series of teacher attributes fit the metaphor. We then used iterated exploratory factor analysis to identify a small number of dimensions that underlie people’s conceptions of teachers and examined whether the metaphors systematically differed along these dimensions. We found that teaching metaphors bring to mind distinct, coherent clusters of teacher attributes and different intuitions about teacher responsibility and power – a finding we replicated in a larger, pre-registered follow-up study using a new set of participants. This work provides a novel method for mapping the entailments of metaphorical concepts and sets the stage for educational interventions centered on shifting lay theories of teaching.

Persoalan Niat, Guru dan Ilmu dalam Belajar: Suatu Analisis terhadap MSS 2906(B) Tibyān al-Marām

Issues regarding intention in learning are fundamental in Islamic Education tradition of Malay Archipelago, however, remain unsettled among the community. The misconception about intention, selection of teachers and knowledge are exacerbated by the emergence of various thoughts that aiming for material, usefulness and pridefulness in learning. Therefore, this article will discuss the issues regarding intention, selection of teachers and knowledge in learning according to Malay manuscripts, the MSS 2906(B) Tibyān al-Marām Ṭalibah al-Ṭalabah. This manuscript is selected because it was the only manuscript that specifically and comprehensively discussing about Islamic education in Malay Archipelago. This research applied qualitative method and content analysis of Malay manuscript MSS 2906(B). Based on the analysis of this manuscript, it can be concluded that the most important intention in learning is solely to seek the pleasure of Allah on top of other ukhrawi and duniawi related purposes. This book also emphasizes the importance of correct selection of teachers, knowledge and books in learning process. There are several teacher attributes and four categories of knowledge needed in learning process. This study is expected to provide solution to the issues and confusion among the community including students regarding the concept of intention in Islamic education as well as selection of teachers and knowledge in learning. This study also will explore the other research related to Islamic education in the heritage of the Malay-Muslim community. Keywords: Rules of conduct in learning; Islamic education curriculum, Teacher, Tibyān al-Marām, Manuscript studies Abstrak Persoalan niat dalam belajar merupakan perkara paling asas dalam tradisi Pendidikan Islam Alam Melayu. Namun begitu, ia masih lagi mengundang kekeliruan dalam kalangan masyarakat tentang tujuan seseorang itu belajar. Kekeliruan ini bertambah serius dengan kemunculan beberapa faham asing yang menyempitkan tujuan belajar dan menjelaskan usaha tersebut adalah untuk tujuan material, gunaan dan kebanggaan. Begitu juga kekeliruan berlaku dalam aspek pemilihan guru dan ilmu. Walhal semua aspek ini amat penting dan ia banyak mempengaruhi kejayaan seseorang pelajar. Justeru, artikel ini akan membincangkan persoalan niat dan ketepatan pemilihan guru dan ilmu dalam belajar menurut salah satu manuskrip Melayu, iaitu MSS 2906(B) Tibyān al-Marām Ṭalibah al-Ṭalabah. Pemilihan manuskrip ini disebabkan ia merupakan satu-satunya manuskrip khusus dan ekstensif yang membicara pendidikan Islam Alam Melayu. Kajian ini mengaplikasi metode kualitatif dengan melakukan analisis mendalam terhadap kandungan teks manuskrip Melayu MSS 2906(B). Berdasarkan analisis kandungan tersebut, dapat disimpulkan bahawa niat yang paling utama dalam belajar ialah memperoleh reda Allah SWT di samping tujuan berkaitan ukhrawi dan duniawi yang lain. Begitu juga, kitab Tibyān al-Marām menegaskan bahawa para pelajar perlu memberi perhatian dan membuat pemilihan guru, ilmu dan kitab yang tepat dalam mengikuti proses belajar. Terdapat beberapa atribut guru yang perlu diperhatikan oleh para pelajar dan empat kategori ilmu yang perlu dijadikan asas semasa memilih ilmu yang ingin dipelajari. Dengan adanya kajian ini diharapkan dapat menyumbang kepada penyelesaian masalah dan kekeliruan dalam kalangan masyarakat dan pelajar tentang tujuan sebenar pendidikan Islam serta pemilihan guru dan ilmu semasa pengajian. Artikel ini juga selanjutnya akan meneroka pelbagai kajian lanjutan berkaitan pendidikan Islam dalam khazanah warisan masyarakat Melayu-Islam. Kata kunci: Adab Belajar, Kurikulum Pendidikan Islam, Guru, Tibyān al-Marām, Kajian Manuskrip

Developing a System for Teaching Effectiveness by Student Classification of Teacher Attributes at the University of Lahore College for Women University

As teaching effectiveness is crucial for achieving academic excellence, teachers' attributes contributing towards teaching effectiveness are worth exploring. This study examines 300 BS. Education and Economics students' perception of teachers' characteristics who have taught them. Accordingly, teachers are categorized based on scores of attributes obtained through student ratings. Association between teacher attributes and overall teaching effectiveness is found, and finally, a teaching effectiveness framework is designed based on characteristics, which were significantly associated with teaching effectiveness. The majority (>60%) of students rated all attributes under the medium category, with 54.64% and 50.61% of students placing (rating) overall teaching effectiveness under the high and medium sort respectively, with 17.61 % under the low category. Also, all attributes were found to be positively correlated with overall teaching effectiveness. Out of 30 items under all attributes, 22 items significantly associated with teaching effectiveness were included in the teaching effectiveness framework. In light of the findings, we give teachers suggestions regarding their teaching attributes as perceived by students.

Quality Videos and Integrated Performance Assessments Are Essential in the World Language edTPA

For more than 60 years, educational reform in the United States of America has been driven by four major questions revolving around teacher attributes, effectiveness, knowledge, and outcomes. Today, outcomes for not only students but also for those who teach them have become a focal point. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the World Language edTPA—a performance-based, subject-specific assessment for pre-service teachers in 27 content areas that is now in place in 41 states and the District of Columbia. The authors begin by highlighting educational policy and best practices in teaching languages before providing research-based suggestions regarding the development of a high-quality portfolio by focusing on video recording considerations and the use of the integrated performance assessment.

Measuring the outcomes of a literacy programme in no-fee schools in Cape Town

Background: Most funders require non-governmental organisations to evaluate the effectiveness of their programmes. However, in our experience, funders seldom fund evaluation endeavours and organisational staff often lack evaluation skills.Aim: In this outcome evaluation of Living through Learning’s (LTL) class-based English-medium Coronation Reading Adventure Room programme, we addressed two evaluation questions: whether Grade 1 learners who participated in the programme attained LTL’s and the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) literacy standards at the end of the programme and whether teacher attributes contributed to this improvement.Setting: The evaluation was conducted in 18 different no-fee schools in Cape Town. Participants comprised 1090 Grade 1 learners and 54 teachers.Methods: We used Level 2 (programme design and theory) and part of Level 4 (outcome) of an evaluation hierarchy to assess the effectiveness of the programme.Results: Evaluation results showed that most schools, except three, attained the 60% performance standard set by the LTL on all quarterly assessments. Most schools, except two, attained the 50% performance standard of the DBE for English first language on all quarterly assessments. We also found that in terms of teacher attributes, only teacher experience in literacy teaching was significant in predicting learner performance in literacy in the first term of school.Conclusion: We explain why our results should be interpreted with caution and make recommendations for future evaluations in terms of design, data collection and levels of evaluation.

Teacher Dimensions in Technical Higher Education – A Student Perspective

The current paper is based on a survey conducted on 321 engineering students studying at University Politehnica of Bucharest and University Politehnica of Timişoara. The research aims at outlining the profile of the teacher in technical higher education as depicted by engineering students. The results of the study highlight the importance of the student-teacher relationship and of the teacher’s roles as evaluator and examiner. Moreover, the test data show significant statistical differences between the real and ideal teacher in technical higher education from a student perspective. Regarding the dimensions of the teacher in technical higher education, based on the statistics, on a 1 to 5 scale, the results show similarities of the two models. For instance, students rank first intelligence and last elitism and competitiveness as teacher attributes.