Training programme for geography teachers
This paper contains a description of a Geography teacher-training program for in-service education. The program is a variant for incorporating the methodology of the Minerva- project “Innovative Didactics via Web-based Learning” (further abbreviated as IDWBL) so that the Geography teachers at work can be adequately prepared for integrating ICT in geography education at secondary schools via web-based education. The theme may seem at first glance as a variation of a known subject… But for the
The LEAP Authoring Tool: Supporting complex courseware authoring through reuse, rapid prototyping, a
An important goal of current work in computer-based learning environments is to develop systems that combine the richness and effectiveness of an individually crafted intelligent tutoring system (ITS) with the generality and flexibility of a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) authoring tool. Our effort to achieve this goal is demonstrated in the Learn, Explore and Practice (LEAPsm) ITS shell and its courseware development component, The LEAP Authoring Tool (LAT). The LAT was developed for use b
Obstacles to the development of conceptual understanding in observational astronomy: the case of spa
Simple everyday phenomena like the day - night cycle and the sequence of four seasons are taught at the higher level of elementary education and the lower level of secondary education in Cyprus. Even though there is no specific subject dedicated to Astronomy or spatial reasoning, the day – night cycle, the sequence of the four seasons and the sequence of the lunar phases are part of the national curriculum of Geography. For this reason, the construction of conceptual understanding in basic Astr
Toward Computer-Based Support of Meta-Cognitive Skills: a Computational Framework to Coach Self-Expl
We present a computational framework designed to improve learning from examples by supporting self-explanation ö the process of clarifying and making more complete to oneself the solution of an example. The framework is innovative in two ways. First, it represents the first attempt to provide computer support to example studying instead of problem solving. Second, it explicitly coaches a domain-general, meta-cognitive skill that many studies in cognitive science have shown to greatly improve le
Verbal Coaching During a Real-time Task
TRANSoM is a collaborative effort among university and industry researchers aimed at producing an intelligent tutoring system for training pilots of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). ROVs are unmanned, tethered, underwater vehicles used in a range of applications such as inspection, search and salvage, and mine countermeasures. Pilots have to learn to maneuver the ROV, keeping track of its tether and its surroundings, using little more than a video camera and sonar. To minimize workload while a
Narrative Evolution: Learning from Students' Talk about Species Variation
Learners do not always enjoy productive interactions with Multimedia Interactive Learning Environments. Their attention can be distracted away from the educational focus intended by designers and teachers through poor design and operational inadequacy. In this paper we describe a study of groups of learners using a multimedia CD-ROM research tool called Galapagos. This tool was developed to enable us to observe groups of learners interacting with different versions of the same multimedia content
The Science and Technology of Healthy Behaviors
Introduces middle school students to the scientific study of behavior. Lessons focus on defining behavior, what influences it, surveys, and behavioral specialists in health care settings. In role-playing activities as behavioral therapists, students investigate the influences and consequences of behaviors. They also learn how science provides evidence that can be used to understand and treat human disease.
A Collaborative Case Study System For Distance Learning
Distance Learning from Case Studies involves enabling collaboration between two or more learners at a distance on a case study activity. In this paper we present an empirical qualitative study that simulates a learning scenario in which a pair of subjects at a distance are provided with a collaborative learning environment and required to collaborate in order to solve a case study. The results of this empirical qualitative study have implications that informed the design of a system: LeCS (Learn
Do two heads search better than one? Effects of student collaboration on Web search behavior and sea
This study compared Pairs of students with Single students in Web search tasks. The underlying hypothesis was that peer-to-peer collaboration encourages students to articulate their thoughts, which in turn has a facilitative effect on the regulation of the search process as well as search outcomes. Both hypotheses were supported by the results. Pairs located the target information more often and in less time than Singles did. Pairs also employed a richer repertoire of search strategies and were
Un dispositif web pour l'enseignement des mathématiques à l'université : quels impacts sur la per
De nombreuses universités en France ont créé des sites Web pédagogiques avec l'objectif de moderniser leur pédagogie et motiver les étudiants. Les étudiants apprennent-ils mieux avec ces dispositifs ? Sont-ils plus satisfaits et motivés pour apprendre ? Nous avons réalisé une étude expérimentale pour évaluer l'apport pédagogique d'un site Web lors de la réalisation de séances de TD en mathématiques pour les sciences de la vie. Contrairement à nos attentes, mais en accord avec d
Conception d'une ingénierie didactique pour l'introduction d'éléments d'algorithmique et de progr
Il y a entre les mathématiques et l'informatique une solidarité fondamentale qui repose sur l'histoire et sur les pratiques actuelles de ces disciplines. Une preuve en est le recours constant aux algorithmes dans les résolutions de problèmes mathématiques fondamentaux et l'existence de l'algorithmique comme domaine constitutif de l'informatique aux côtés d'autres, la théorie des langages, la théorie des automates, etc. Nous présentons[1] ici partiellement les premiers résultats d'un
Rapport de fin de projet de l'ACI : Ecole et Sciences Cognitives - Modélisation cognitive d'élève
Le projet porte sur l'apprentissage de l'algèbre dans un contexte technologique. Le contexte est apporté par le logiciel Aplusix , un micromonde algébrique, réalisé par l'équipe Did@TIC, avec lequel l'élève développe les calculs de son choix, comme dans le contexte papier-crayon, grâce à un éditeur avancé d'expressions algébriques et de raisonnements. En mode « exercice », le logiciel apporte les rétroactions fondamentales : il indique à l'élève si les calculs sont corrects o
Vers des aides logicielles à la compréhension de textes documentaires scientifiques pour les élè
La compréhension d'un texte documentaire par cent vingt élèves du CM2 (5e année primaire) a été évaluée dans quatre conditions expérimentales, en faisant varier d'une part le type de notes d'aide (notes explicitant la « base de texte » vs. notes aidant à construire le « modèle de situation »), d'autre part le support (présentation sur papier vs. présentation hypertextuelle sur ordinateur). La condition où des notes « modèle de situation » sont proposées sur écran d'ordinat
Essential Science for Teachers: Life Science: Session 3. Animal Life Cycles
One characteristic of all life forms is a life cycle—from reproduction in one generation to reproduction in the next. This session introduces life cycles by focusing on continuity of life in the Animal Kingdom. In addition to considering what aspects of life cycles can be observed directly, the underlying role of DNA as the hereditary material is explored.,Students are asked what existed before a bird becomes a bird? Students explain their ideas about eggs and birds. They present interesting a
Book Writing and Wall Writing from the course History of Information
This course explores the history of information and associated technologies, uncovering why we think of ours as 'the information age.' We will select moments in the evolution of production, recording, and storage from the earliest writing systems to the world of Short Message Service (SMS) and blogs. In every instance, we'll be concerned with both what and when and how and why, and we will keep returning to the question of technological determinism: how do technological developments affect socie
Looking at Learning...Again, Part 1: Workshop 8. The International Picture
This workshop offers an opportunity to investigate various aspects of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), other than the test scores themselves. Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology William Schmidt presents differences in curricula, textbooks, and teaching practices around the world, and a group of community members discuss how the TIMSS results reflect societal and cultural values.,This segment concerns "tracking" and sets the stage through educator dialo
Hitler and the Third Reich
This is a module framework. It can be viewed online or downloaded as a zip file.
As taught in Spring Semester 2010.
The Third Reich is one of the most notorious, discussed and horrific periods of our age and although it is also very well researched, still raises many questions: How could a man like Hitler gain so much power? How could a whole nation ‘fall’ for the Nazi ideology? Why the Jews ..?
In this module we will aim to deal with these and other questions about the time between 1933
Knowledge Convergence in Computer-Supported
Collaborative Learning: The Role of External Representat
This study investigates how two types of graphical representation tools influence the way in which learners use knowledge resources in two different collaboration conditions. In
addition, the study explores the extent to which learners share knowledge with respect to
individual outcomes under these different conditions. The study also analyzes the relationship between the use of knowledge resources and different types of knowledge.
The type of external representation (content-specific vs. conten
Epistemic and Social Scripts in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning in computer-supported learning environments typically means that learners work on tasks together, discussing their individual perspectives via text-based media or videoconferencing, and consequently acquire knowledge. Collaborative learning, however, is often sub-optimal with respect to how learners work on the concepts that are supposed to be learned and how learners interact with each other. One possibility to improve collaborative learning environments is to conceptuali
Private Universe Project in Mathematics: Workshop 1. Following Children's Ideas in Mathematics
An unprecedented long-term study conducted by researchers at Rutgers University followed the development of mathematical thinking in a randomly selected group of students for 12 years—from first grade through high school—with surprising results. In an overview of the study, we look at some of the conditions that made the students’ math achievement possible.,5 min. Mathematics in Free Play? Prof. Herbert Ginsburg, a psychologist at Columbia University Teachers College, finds that when you exam
