In order to ensure attainment of educational objectives, the development of transversal skills has been identified as a key component of learning. The future is uncertain, and it is difficult to predict, which knowledge and skills will be needed for life. Education must not only prepare young people for work but also encourage the development of skills that are essential for students to become active and responsible citizens. The uncertainty about the future also changes accents in education by increasing the importance of transversal skills in secondary education, including in the subject of mathematics. In view of the fact that learning in school is mostly carried out in specific subjects and the context of the subject influences the expression of transversal skills, it is necessary to assess the student degree of transversal skill development in a specific subject. Therefore, the study assessed transversal skills of secondary school students in mathematics. Student transversal skills were measured from two perspectives: teacher assessment and student self-assessment. The mean values of pupils’ self-assessment were significantly higher than that of teachers. However, the analysis of the results shows the similarities between teacher assessment and student self-assessment as transversal skills that are evaluated higher are the same. Both teachers and students have highly evaluated their analysis and collaboration skills. Also, transversal skills that are evaluated as least developed by teacher and students are the same. Both teachers and students have evaluated their problem-solving skills and creativity as the less developed among all measured transversal skills. Although average values of teacher assessments and student self-assessments vary, there is consistency in both assessments, indicating that both students and teachers are well aware of students’ transversal skill development level. However, students’ self-assessments mean value tends to be higher than mean value of student assessment by teacher.
{"title":"Secondary-School Student Transversal Skills in Mathematics. Comparison Between Teacher Assessment and Student Self-Assessment","authors":"Gatis Lāma","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.46","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.46","url":null,"abstract":"In order to ensure attainment of educational objectives, the development of transversal skills has been identified as a key component of learning. The future is uncertain, and it is difficult to predict, which knowledge and skills will be needed for life. Education must not only prepare young people for work but also encourage the development of skills that are essential for students to become active and responsible citizens. The uncertainty about the future also changes accents in education by increasing the importance of transversal skills in secondary education, including in the subject of mathematics. In view of the fact that learning in school is mostly carried out in specific subjects and the context of the subject influences the expression of transversal skills, it is necessary to assess the student degree of transversal skill development in a specific subject. Therefore, the study assessed transversal skills of secondary school students in mathematics. Student transversal skills were measured from two perspectives: teacher assessment and student self-assessment. The mean values of pupils’ self-assessment were significantly higher than that of teachers. However, the analysis of the results shows the similarities between teacher assessment and student self-assessment as transversal skills that are evaluated higher are the same. Both teachers and students have highly evaluated their analysis and collaboration skills. Also, transversal skills that are evaluated as least developed by teacher and students are the same. Both teachers and students have evaluated their problem-solving skills and creativity as the less developed among all measured transversal skills. Although average values of teacher assessments and student self-assessments vary, there is consistency in both assessments, indicating that both students and teachers are well aware of students’ transversal skill development level. However, students’ self-assessments mean value tends to be higher than mean value of student assessment by teacher.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"124 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116333407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The paper describes the importance of a rubric as an assessment tool in art education. The assessment of a work of art, for example, a landscape or a portrait painting usually consists of a combination of objective information and a subjective point of view, which makes it difficult for educators to assess students’ learning outcomes. The use of rubrics is considered an innovative way for educators not only to measure the student’s comprehension and skills but also as a teaching method to increase learners’ engagement in order to bring the creation of art to the forefront of the learning process within school art education. The relevance of the subject of this paper is defined by the changes in the evaluation system during the ongoing education reform in Latvia. The rubric, as an assessment tool in Latvia, was first introduced in 2020 as a part of the reform of the school curriculum. Rubrics for creative art assignments observe the main stages of the learning process, including sketching, expression of original ideas, creative work, documentation of the creation process and self-evaluation. It can be used for both, summative and formative assessments of learning outcomes. The criteria are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Visual Literacy which was developed by The European Network of Visual Literacy. Therefore, the research aim is to determine the optimal way to evaluate students’ work in art lessons within the framework of school art education. The research involved two stages of data collection. During the first stage (2021) there was conducted a survey of 60 Latvian secondary school teachers that identified several problematic issues concerning the evaluation criteria. In the second stage (2022) the in-depth analysis was performed to investigate the connection between the feedback from educational practice and recommended rubrics in new curricula.
{"title":"Rubrics as a Tool for Objective Assessment in Art Education","authors":"Austra Avotiņa, Valeria Froloviceva","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.35","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.35","url":null,"abstract":"The paper describes the importance of a rubric as an assessment tool in art education. The assessment of a work of art, for example, a landscape or a portrait painting usually consists of a combination of objective information and a subjective point of view, which makes it difficult for educators to assess students’ learning outcomes. The use of rubrics is considered an innovative way for educators not only to measure the student’s comprehension and skills but also as a teaching method to increase learners’ engagement in order to bring the creation of art to the forefront of the learning process within school art education. The relevance of the subject of this paper is defined by the changes in the evaluation system during the ongoing education reform in Latvia. The rubric, as an assessment tool in Latvia, was first introduced in 2020 as a part of the reform of the school curriculum. Rubrics for creative art assignments observe the main stages of the learning process, including sketching, expression of original ideas, creative work, documentation of the creation process and self-evaluation. It can be used for both, summative and formative assessments of learning outcomes. The criteria are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Visual Literacy which was developed by The European Network of Visual Literacy. Therefore, the research aim is to determine the optimal way to evaluate students’ work in art lessons within the framework of school art education. The research involved two stages of data collection. During the first stage (2021) there was conducted a survey of 60 Latvian secondary school teachers that identified several problematic issues concerning the evaluation criteria. In the second stage (2022) the in-depth analysis was performed to investigate the connection between the feedback from educational practice and recommended rubrics in new curricula.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"421 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115996115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cabinet Regulations No. 556 of November 19, 2019 titled ‘On Education Development Guidelines 2021–2027’ state the importance of targeted support measures for ensuring inclusive education in Latvian educational institutions. However, the evidence in pre-schools indicates an insufficient understanding and interest in using these support measures to find solutions to the challenges of inclusive education. This empirical study investigates the problems in carrying out evaluations of children with special needs, establishing an individual plan and receiving support measures, and it also explores pedagogical solutions to these problems. Thanks to the European Social Fund (ESF) Project No. 9.2.1.3/16/I/001 ‘Improving the support system for children with communication difficulties, behavioural disorders and domestic violence’, teachers are now able to receive qualified specialist support on how to cooperate with parents or legal guardians and how to organise the pedagogical process. The aim of this research is to assess teachers’ awareness of what is stipulated in regulatory enactments for ensuring inclusive education, the challenges to inclusive education and the available solutions. Literature analysis, teachers’ surveys, an analysis of student behaviour in pre-schools and pedagogical documentation are used. The research results reflect the level of awareness among teachers of the education guidelines, the content of regulatory enactments and the willingness of teachers to accept diversity, seek support measures and cooperate with parents or legal guardians to ensure an education that is appropriate to each child’s abilities.
{"title":"Inclusive Pre-School Education in Latvia: Problems and Solutions","authors":"Agrita Tauriņa, T. Zīriņa","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.54","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.54","url":null,"abstract":"Cabinet Regulations No. 556 of November 19, 2019 titled ‘On Education Development Guidelines 2021–2027’ state the importance of targeted support measures for ensuring inclusive education in Latvian educational institutions. However, the evidence in pre-schools indicates an insufficient understanding and interest in using these support measures to find solutions to the challenges of inclusive education. This empirical study investigates the problems in carrying out evaluations of children with special needs, establishing an individual plan and receiving support measures, and it also explores pedagogical solutions to these problems. Thanks to the European Social Fund (ESF) Project No. 9.2.1.3/16/I/001 ‘Improving the support system for children with communication difficulties, behavioural disorders and domestic violence’, teachers are now able to receive qualified specialist support on how to cooperate with parents or legal guardians and how to organise the pedagogical process. The aim of this research is to assess teachers’ awareness of what is stipulated in regulatory enactments for ensuring inclusive education, the challenges to inclusive education and the available solutions. Literature analysis, teachers’ surveys, an analysis of student behaviour in pre-schools and pedagogical documentation are used. The research results reflect the level of awareness among teachers of the education guidelines, the content of regulatory enactments and the willingness of teachers to accept diversity, seek support measures and cooperate with parents or legal guardians to ensure an education that is appropriate to each child’s abilities.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"84 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114921968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Today’s quickly evolving world requires citizens to use the tools of mathematics to make informed decisions. This involves understanding the meaning and properties of mathematical operations and the ability to use them in an intuitive and flexible manner to solve problems. Working with mathematical operations begins in early primary school and establishes a basis for future work in mathematics. Choosing the best addition strategy to compute effectively and accurately and the ability to explain their work is often challenging for young children. They often rely on familiar and safe solutions without thinking about why they chose a certain method. The purpose of this research was to gain understanding of the factors that influence students’ fluency with addition, their ability to explain their work and along with that gain flexibility and confidence in mathematics. This is action research, that involves 16 first grade students, all of whom were struggling with math at the beginning of the school year, but some of them made great gains in their ability to solve mathematics problems involving addition. The students with high performance improved in their ability to explain their actions verbally and use multiple strategies and choose appropriate and effective strategies for each task. The aim of this research is to understand the reasons for the rapid improvement of the high performance subjects and compare it to the lower performing groups in order to help improve understanding of number operations for all students. The research involves observations and written work over a school year, and individual interviews with the students. Data about the home environment was collected from parents. The research shows that a tendency for rapid progress is due to active participation in guided class discussions and use of advanced strategies for routine tasks.
{"title":"Reasons for Rapid Growth in Addition Strategy Use in 1st Grade Students","authors":"Ildze Čakāne, Astrida Cirulis, Ilze France","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.47","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.47","url":null,"abstract":"Today’s quickly evolving world requires citizens to use the tools of mathematics to make informed decisions. This involves understanding the meaning and properties of mathematical operations and the ability to use them in an intuitive and flexible manner to solve problems. Working with mathematical operations begins in early primary school and establishes a basis for future work in mathematics. Choosing the best addition strategy to compute effectively and accurately and the ability to explain their work is often challenging for young children. They often rely on familiar and safe solutions without thinking about why they chose a certain method. The purpose of this research was to gain understanding of the factors that influence students’ fluency with addition, their ability to explain their work and along with that gain flexibility and confidence in mathematics. This is action research, that involves 16 first grade students, all of whom were struggling with math at the beginning of the school year, but some of them made great gains in their ability to solve mathematics problems involving addition. The students with high performance improved in their ability to explain their actions verbally and use multiple strategies and choose appropriate and effective strategies for each task. The aim of this research is to understand the reasons for the rapid improvement of the high performance subjects and compare it to the lower performing groups in order to help improve understanding of number operations for all students. The research involves observations and written work over a school year, and individual interviews with the students. Data about the home environment was collected from parents. The research shows that a tendency for rapid progress is due to active participation in guided class discussions and use of advanced strategies for routine tasks.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129759808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Over the past decade, the United States education system has predicted a significant increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) enrolled in public schools. A substantial number of teachers who interact with ELLs lack the preparedness to support their student’s academic needs. Research has shown that the lack of professional development (PD) debars teachers from receiving efficacious resources to support English Language Learners. Most professional development (PD) provided for teachers excludes addressing ELL’s content. The absence of PD specifically focused on ELLs has left many teachers entering the profession not adequately trained to engage and support ELL students. The types of PD described by teachers tend to give the bare minimum coverage of how to work with ELLs rather than go in-depth on the issues that prohibit ELL students’ ability to understand the learning content. The conceptual framework incorporated in this exploratory research will be Thomas Guskey’s theory of teacher change to focus on the goals of professional development. This exploratory research will examine PD to further understand which delivery modes are optimal to address a major deficit in knowledge regarding PD training that limits teachers’ competencies to understand and support ELLs.
{"title":"Professional Development Used to Enhance K-5 Teachers’ Competencies Working with English Language Learners","authors":"Tiffany Nichole Gardner Bennett","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.30","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.30","url":null,"abstract":"Over the past decade, the United States education system has predicted a significant increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) enrolled in public schools. A substantial number of teachers who interact with ELLs lack the preparedness to support their student’s academic needs. Research has shown that the lack of professional development (PD) debars teachers from receiving efficacious resources to support English Language Learners. Most professional development (PD) provided for teachers excludes addressing ELL’s content. The absence of PD specifically focused on ELLs has left many teachers entering the profession not adequately trained to engage and support ELL students. The types of PD described by teachers tend to give the bare minimum coverage of how to work with ELLs rather than go in-depth on the issues that prohibit ELL students’ ability to understand the learning content. The conceptual framework incorporated in this exploratory research will be Thomas Guskey’s theory of teacher change to focus on the goals of professional development. This exploratory research will examine PD to further understand which delivery modes are optimal to address a major deficit in knowledge regarding PD training that limits teachers’ competencies to understand and support ELLs.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134516773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The problem of a growing shortage of qualified mathematics teachers, which is emerging in many countries today, is also quite acute in Latvia. Moreover, there are only few students in Latvia who want to study mathematics at a serious level and become mathematics teachers. A shortage of students and teachers is one of the reasons for the decline in the quality of mathematics teaching. Teaching and learning mathematics is impossible without understanding and problem solving, which, as noted by the famous mathematician Paul Halmos, is ‘the heart of mathematics’. It is a well-known idea that by developing problem-solving skills, we learn not only how to tackle mathematical problems, but also how to logically work our way through any problems we may face. Unfortunately, this idea does little to contribute to a successful tackling of the teacher shortage, which is not a mathematics problem for which somebody can find a quick and easy solution. This article offers some research topics that may be useful for teachers working with their gifted pupils; deals with a non-trivial problem of constructing magic polygons on a triangular lattice, which is recommended as a research topic for teachers to encourage them and their students to better master different solution strategies and so-called big ideas in mathematics; the article also gives some insights into mathematics teacher training education in Latvia.
{"title":"Fostering Teachers’ Mathematical Competence in Problem Solving","authors":"Elīna Buliņa, Andrejs Cibulis","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.44","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.44","url":null,"abstract":"The problem of a growing shortage of qualified mathematics teachers, which is emerging in many countries today, is also quite acute in Latvia. Moreover, there are only few students in Latvia who want to study mathematics at a serious level and become mathematics teachers. A shortage of students and teachers is one of the reasons for the decline in the quality of mathematics teaching. Teaching and learning mathematics is impossible without understanding and problem solving, which, as noted by the famous mathematician Paul Halmos, is ‘the heart of mathematics’. It is a well-known idea that by developing problem-solving skills, we learn not only how to tackle mathematical problems, but also how to logically work our way through any problems we may face. Unfortunately, this idea does little to contribute to a successful tackling of the teacher shortage, which is not a mathematics problem for which somebody can find a quick and easy solution. This article offers some research topics that may be useful for teachers working with their gifted pupils; deals with a non-trivial problem of constructing magic polygons on a triangular lattice, which is recommended as a research topic for teachers to encourage them and their students to better master different solution strategies and so-called big ideas in mathematics; the article also gives some insights into mathematics teacher training education in Latvia.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131412805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
By exploring certain perspectives, it is hoped that teachers can be helped to create inclusive educational contexts by transforming the learning environment into a third educator. Based on the Reggio Emilia approach, we hope to reveal the ways and means by which the spaces of the educational institution can be interpreted, prepared and in some cases created, in order to encourage children to explore and express themselves. This study presents the concept of context as a modern educational space and draws attention to several essential aspects for the creation of educational contexts: educational provocations and invitations; the use of materials and tools to create them; the learning documentation and learning visibility; and the nature of the adult-child dialogue. A qualitative research model was applied that produces information in the form of descriptive data records by providing clear and systematic descriptions. The data collection techniques used were literature studies and narrative interviews with pre-school teachers. Twelve pre-school teachers participated in the study and criteria-based selection was applied, with thematic analysis being used to analyze the data (Soderberg, 2006). The experiences of pre-school teachers in creating contexts are summarized by distinguishing the following aspects of the thematic analysis of contextual development experiences: the change in the role of the teacher, the nature of the child’s activities and the process and principles of creating contexts. The results indicated that the context helps to engage the child and establish an authentic “dialogue” between the child and the materials and tools used, which is then developed with the adult. Educational contexts help develop the creation of an educational environment and allows teachers to create unique learning situations in any scenario.
{"title":"Teacher Creator: Practices of Creating Educational Contexts","authors":"Asta Lapeniene, Ligita Neverauskienė","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.06","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.06","url":null,"abstract":"By exploring certain perspectives, it is hoped that teachers can be helped to create inclusive educational contexts by transforming the learning environment into a third educator. Based on the Reggio Emilia approach, we hope to reveal the ways and means by which the spaces of the educational institution can be interpreted, prepared and in some cases created, in order to encourage children to explore and express themselves. This study presents the concept of context as a modern educational space and draws attention to several essential aspects for the creation of educational contexts: educational provocations and invitations; the use of materials and tools to create them; the learning documentation and learning visibility; and the nature of the adult-child dialogue. A qualitative research model was applied that produces information in the form of descriptive data records by providing clear and systematic descriptions. The data collection techniques used were literature studies and narrative interviews with pre-school teachers. Twelve pre-school teachers participated in the study and criteria-based selection was applied, with thematic analysis being used to analyze the data (Soderberg, 2006). The experiences of pre-school teachers in creating contexts are summarized by distinguishing the following aspects of the thematic analysis of contextual development experiences: the change in the role of the teacher, the nature of the child’s activities and the process and principles of creating contexts. The results indicated that the context helps to engage the child and establish an authentic “dialogue” between the child and the materials and tools used, which is then developed with the adult. Educational contexts help develop the creation of an educational environment and allows teachers to create unique learning situations in any scenario.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114819229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The relevance of the present research is justified by the wide range of educational robotics applications and the rapid development of educational technologies in general. Technologies are produced faster than it is possible to develop methodical teaching materials or curricula, especially in the Latvian language. Educational robotics develops various skills and knowledge, such as algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, logical thinking, etc. However, despite the clear achievements in technology education, there are a number of related problems. These include the lack of teachers, the qualifications of teachers, the lack of funding, and the insufficient provision of teaching materials in line with the new approach in the Latvian education curriculum. The study aimed to develop, test, and improve instructional materials for the implementation of the curriculum for the use of digital technology in elementary schools, as well as to create a methodology for evaluating learning achievements in ICT lessons on the topic “What is programming and how to program in a visual environment” and promoting the development of algorithmic thinking (learning with the educational robot Photon). The study uses mixed research methods. The first part was the analysis of the literature on educational robotics and computational thinking. In the empirical part of the action research, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The results obtained are important for a wider and more meaningful introduction of educational robotics in Latvian schools.
{"title":"Introduction of Educational Robotics at Secondary School Level in the Latvian Education Curriculum","authors":"Grieta Veinberga, Arta Rūdolfa, L. Daniela","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.49","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.49","url":null,"abstract":"The relevance of the present research is justified by the wide range of educational robotics applications and the rapid development of educational technologies in general. Technologies are produced faster than it is possible to develop methodical teaching materials or curricula, especially in the Latvian language. Educational robotics develops various skills and knowledge, such as algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, logical thinking, etc. However, despite the clear achievements in technology education, there are a number of related problems. These include the lack of teachers, the qualifications of teachers, the lack of funding, and the insufficient provision of teaching materials in line with the new approach in the Latvian education curriculum. The study aimed to develop, test, and improve instructional materials for the implementation of the curriculum for the use of digital technology in elementary schools, as well as to create a methodology for evaluating learning achievements in ICT lessons on the topic “What is programming and how to program in a visual environment” and promoting the development of algorithmic thinking (learning with the educational robot Photon). The study uses mixed research methods. The first part was the analysis of the literature on educational robotics and computational thinking. In the empirical part of the action research, both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The results obtained are important for a wider and more meaningful introduction of educational robotics in Latvian schools.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122754740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Every year, approximately 800 families return to live in Latvia. Remigrant (returning migrant) families both include parents who were born in Latvia and spent their childhoods there, or were born abroad. The number of students from remigrating families in Latvian educational institutions is constantly increasing. Although there is some support for children from remigrating families, it does not necessarily reflect all the needs for a supportive and inclusive learning environment in an educational institution, especially in relation to student well-being, achievement and participation. Studies in Latvia show that if problems identified by the representatives of educational institutions (principals and educators) are more related to the learning content or the knowledge of the students, then the parents emphasize the aspect of attitude more. The parents believe that teachers sometimes lack understanding and tolerance, because the focus is more on learning subjects than building a class team, promoting cooperation or preventing conflicts. One of the resources to solve the identified problems of the integration process of students with foreign educational experience in schools is not only the collective mutual cooperation of the educational institution, support measures, cooperation with the student’s family, but also targeted work with the student’s classmates and the entire school community. This can contribute to the fact that every student in an educational institution can feel safe, motivated and passionate about eliminating the gaps in their knowledge and being included in the Latvian education system. The research uses theoretical analysis methods: an analysis of scientific literature and an analysis of international experience. Based on this, criteria for evaluating support will be developed.
{"title":"Support for Children of Returning Migrant Families in Latvian Schools","authors":"Una Auziņa","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.58","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.58","url":null,"abstract":"Every year, approximately 800 families return to live in Latvia. Remigrant (returning migrant) families both include parents who were born in Latvia and spent their childhoods there, or were born abroad. The number of students from remigrating families in Latvian educational institutions is constantly increasing. Although there is some support for children from remigrating families, it does not necessarily reflect all the needs for a supportive and inclusive learning environment in an educational institution, especially in relation to student well-being, achievement and participation. Studies in Latvia show that if problems identified by the representatives of educational institutions (principals and educators) are more related to the learning content or the knowledge of the students, then the parents emphasize the aspect of attitude more. The parents believe that teachers sometimes lack understanding and tolerance, because the focus is more on learning subjects than building a class team, promoting cooperation or preventing conflicts. One of the resources to solve the identified problems of the integration process of students with foreign educational experience in schools is not only the collective mutual cooperation of the educational institution, support measures, cooperation with the student’s family, but also targeted work with the student’s classmates and the entire school community. This can contribute to the fact that every student in an educational institution can feel safe, motivated and passionate about eliminating the gaps in their knowledge and being included in the Latvian education system. The research uses theoretical analysis methods: an analysis of scientific literature and an analysis of international experience. Based on this, criteria for evaluating support will be developed.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116219831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Educational research skills are a relevant issue to education professionals. Knowing how to investigate makes it possible to generate knowledge to guide educational interventions and evaluations/assessments. An important aspect is to decide on the focus of training to develop research skills, both specific (e.g. formulating a research problem, collecting data, analysing data), and cross-cutting (working collaboratively). Knowledge Building (KB) pedagogy is a coherent approach to teach resarch skill. KB encourages sutdent asume the responsability to carry out collaborative process to build conceptual artefacts. The purpose of this communication is to train students in educational research skills applying the Knowledge Building pedagogy supporting by Knowledge Forum (KF). This platform offers students and teachers a collaborative workspace where ideas supported by evidence can be shared, discussed, negotiated and improved. A comapartive pretest-posttest design was applied to analyse whether students perceived improvements in their educational research skills. Likert scale questionnaires were applied to collect the data. The participants were 51 students enrolled in a course about educational research in Higher Education. The results show positive changes in the student’s perception between the beginning and the end of the course. Improvements in the teaching of educational research based on Knowledge Building Pedagogy are discussed.
{"title":"Knowledge Building: A Good Way to Teach Educational Research Methodology","authors":"C. Gutiérrez-Braojos, Paula Rodríguez-Chirino","doi":"10.22364/atee.2022.03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22364/atee.2022.03","url":null,"abstract":"Educational research skills are a relevant issue to education professionals. Knowing how to investigate makes it possible to generate knowledge to guide educational interventions and evaluations/assessments. An important aspect is to decide on the focus of training to develop research skills, both specific (e.g. formulating a research problem, collecting data, analysing data), and cross-cutting (working collaboratively). Knowledge Building (KB) pedagogy is a coherent approach to teach resarch skill. KB encourages sutdent asume the responsability to carry out collaborative process to build conceptual artefacts. The purpose of this communication is to train students in educational research skills applying the Knowledge Building pedagogy supporting by Knowledge Forum (KF). This platform offers students and teachers a collaborative workspace where ideas supported by evidence can be shared, discussed, negotiated and improved. A comapartive pretest-posttest design was applied to analyse whether students perceived improvements in their educational research skills. Likert scale questionnaires were applied to collect the data. The participants were 51 students enrolled in a course about educational research in Higher Education. The results show positive changes in the student’s perception between the beginning and the end of the course. Improvements in the teaching of educational research based on Knowledge Building Pedagogy are discussed.","PeriodicalId":286803,"journal":{"name":"To Be or Not to Be a Great Educator","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122309931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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