Search results for: English Language Teaching (ELT)

Authors: Tiedan Huang, Chun Zhang, Caitlin Coe

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This study investigated the quality of instructional support for young Emergent Multilingual Learners (EMLs) in 50 Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) classroom in New York City (NYC). This is one of the first empirical studies examining the instructional support for this student population. We collected data using a mixed method of structured observations of teacher-child interactions in 50 classrooms, and surveys and interviews with program leaders and the teaching teams. We found that NYC’s UPK classrooms offered warm and supportive environments for EMLs. Nevertheless, in general, instructional support was relatively low. This study identified large mindset, knowledge, and practice gaps—and a real opportunity—among NYC early childhood professionals, specifically in the areas of providing adequate instructional and linguistic support for EMLs as well as partnering with families in capturing their cultural and home literacy assets. Consistent, rigorous, and meaningful use of data is necessary to support both EMLs’ language and literacy development and teachers’/leaders’ professional development.

Keywords: high quality instruction, culturally and linguistically responsive practices, professional development, workforce development

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Authors: Afia Shahid

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The writing of Samuel Beckett is associated with meaning in the meaninglessness and the production of what he calls ‘literature of unword’. The casual escape from the world of words in the form of silences and pauses, in his play Waiting for Godot, urges to ask question of their existence and ultimately leads to investigate the theory behind their use in the play. This paper proposes that these absences (silence and pause) in Beckett’s play force to think ‘beyond’ language. This paper asks how silence and pause in Beckett’s text speak for the emergence of poststructuralist text. It aims to identify the significant features of the philosophy of deconstruction in the play of Beckett to demystify the hostile complicity between literature and philosophy. With the interpretive paradigm of poststructuralism this research focuses on the text as a research data. It attempts to delineate the relationship between poststructuralist theoretical concerns and text of Beckett. Keeping in view the theoretical concerns of Poststructuralist theorist Jacques Derrida, the main concern of the discussion is directed towards the notion of ‘beyond’ language into the absences that are aimed at silencing the existing discourse with the ‘radical irony’ of this anti-formal art that contains its own denial and thus represents the idea of ceaseless questioning and radical contradiction in art and any text. This article asks how text of Beckett vibrates with loud silence and has disrupted language to demonstrate the emptiness of words and thus exploring the limitless void of absences. Beckett’s text resonates with silence and pause that is neither negation nor affirmation rather a poststructuralist’s suspension of reality that is ever changing with the undecidablity of all meanings. Within the theoretical notion of Derrida’s Différance this study interprets silence and pause in Beckett’s art. The silence and pause behave like Derrida’s Différance and have questioned their own existence in the text to deconstruct any definiteness and finality of reality to extend an undecidable threshold of poststructuralists that aims to evade the ‘labyrinth of language’.

Keywords: Différance, language, pause, poststructuralism, silence, text

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Authors: Ehsan Yadegari

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While there are several metaheuristics and exact approaches to solving the Supply Chain Network Design (SCND) problem, there still remains an unfilled gap in using the Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) algorithm. The algorithm has demonstrated desirable results with problems with complicated combinational optimization. The present study introduces a Discrete Self-Study TLBO (DSS-TLBO) with priority-based solution representation that can solve a supply chain network configuration model to lower the total expenses of establishing facilities and the flow of materials. The network features four layers, namely suppliers, plants, distribution centers (DCs), and customer zones. It is designed to meet the customer’s demand through transporting the material between layers of network and providing facilities in the best economic Potential locations. To have a higher quality of the solution and increase the speed of TLBO, a distinct operator was introduced that ensures self-adaptation (self-study) in the algorithm based on the four types of local search. In addition, while TLBO is used in continuous solution representation and priority-based solution representation is discrete, a few modifications were added to the algorithm to remove the solutions that are infeasible. As shown by the results of experiments, the superiority of DSS-TLBO compared to pure TLBO, genetic algorithm (GA) and firefly Algorithm (FA) was established.

Keywords: supply chain network design, teaching–learning-based optimization, improved metaheuristics, discrete solution representation

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Authors: P. J. Moore-Jones

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Emirati students studying at the University of the Emirates, one of three major public institutions of higher learning in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have a wide demographic of faculty members teaching them an equally wide variety of courses. These faculty members bring with them their own cultural assumptions, methods, expectations, educational practices and use of language. The history of multiculturalism in the UAE coupled with the contemporary multiculturalism that exists in higher education Dubai create intriguing phenomena within the classroom. This study seeks to delve into students’ and faculty members’ perceptions of the social stratification that exist in this context. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with both and analyzed from an interpretive perspective. Findings suggest the social stratification with is deeply-seeded in the multicultural history of the region and country are reflected in the everyday interworkings of education in modern day Dubai. The relevance of this research lies in that these findings can provide valuable insights into not only the attitudes and perceptions of these Emirati students might also be applicable to any of those student populations may exist.

Keywords: social stratification, intercultural competence, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Authors: Hossein Rezaie

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Academic institutions, esp. universities, have been known as cradles of learning and teaching great thinkers while creating the type of knowledge that is supposed to be bereft of utilitarian motives. Nonetheless, it seems that such intellectual centers have entered into a competition with each other for attracting the attention of potential clients. The traditional values of (higher) education such as nurturing criticality and fostering intellectuality in students have been replaced with strategic planning, quality assurance, performance assessment, and academic audits. Not being immune from the whims and wishes of marketization, the system of higher education in the UK has been recalibrated by policy makers to address the demand and supply of student education, academic research and other university activities on the basis of monetary factors. As an immediate example in this vein, the Russell Group in the UK, which is comprised of 24 leading UK research universities, has explicitly expressed it policy on its official website as follows: ‘Russell Group universities are global businesses competing for staff, students and funding with the best in the world’. Furthermore, certain attempts have been made to corporatize the system of HE which have been manifested in remodeling of university governing bodies on corporate lines and developing measurement scales for indicating the performance of teaching practitioners. Nevertheless, it seems that such structural changes in policies toward the system of HE have bearing on the practices of practitioners and educators as well as the identity of students who are the customers of educational services. The effects of marketization have been examined mainly in terms of students’ perceptions and motivation, institutional policies and university management. However, the teaching practitioner side seems to be an under-studied area with regard to any changes in its expectations, satisfaction and perception of professional identity in the aftermath of introducing market-wise values into HE of the UK. As a result, this research aims to investigate the possible outcomes of market-driven values on the practitioner side of HE in the UK and finally seeks to address the following research questions: 1-How is the change in the mission of HE in the UK reflected in institutional documents? 1-A- How is the change of mission represented in job adverts? 1-B- How is the change of mission represented in university prospectuses? 2-How are teaching practitioners represented regarding their roles and obligations in the prospectuses and job ads published by UK HE institutions? In order to address these questions, the researcher will analyze 30 prospectuses and job ads published by Russel Group universities by taking Critical Discourse Analysis as his point of departure and the analytical methods of genre analysis and Systemic Functional Linguistics to probe into the generic features and representation of participants, in this case teaching practitioners, in the selected corpus.

Keywords: higher education, job advertisements, marketization of higher education, prospectuses

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Authors: Hyoshin Kim

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Most post-secondary educational institutions have offered a wide variety of professional development programs and resources in order to advance the quality of education. Such programs are designed to support faculty members by focusing on topics such as course design, behavioral learning objectives, class discussion, and evaluation methods. These are based on good intentions and might help both new and experienced educators. However, the fundamental flaw is that these ‘effective methods’ are assumed to work regardless of what we teach and whom we teach. This paper is focused on intercultural intelligence and its application to education. It presents a comprehensive literature review on context and cultural diversity in terms of beliefs, values and worldviews. What has worked well with a group of homogeneous local students may not work well with more diverse and international students. It is because students hold different notions of what is means to learn or know something. It is necessary for educators to move away from certain sets of generic teaching skills, which are based on a limited, particular view of teaching and learning. The main objective of the research is to expand our teaching strategies by incorporating what students bring to the course. There have been a growing number of resources and texts on teaching international students. Unfortunately, they tend to be based on the deficiency model, which treats diversity not as strengths, but as problems to be solved. This view is evidenced by the heavy emphasis on assimilationist approaches. For example, cultural difference is negatively evaluated, either implicitly or explicitly. Therefore the pressure is on culturally diverse students. The following questions reflect the underlying assumption of deficiencies: - How can we make them learn better? - How can we bring them into the mainstream academic culture?; and - How can they adapt to Western educational systems? Even though these questions may be well-intended, there seems to be something fundamentally wrong as the assumption of cultural superiority is embedded in this kind of thinking. This paper examines how educators can incorporate intercultural intelligence into the course design by utilizing a variety of tools such as pre-course activities, peer learning and reflective learning journals. The main goal is to explore ways to engage diverse learners in all aspects of learning. This can be achieved by activities designed to understand their prior knowledge, life experiences, and relevant cultural identities. It is crucial to link course material to students’ diverse interests thereby enhancing the relevance of course content and making learning more inclusive. Internationalization of higher education can be successful only when cultural differences are respected and celebrated as essential and positive aspects of teaching and learning.

Keywords: intercultural competence, intercultural intelligence, teaching and learning, post-secondary education

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Authors: Prasenjit Panda

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Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, a prequel to Bronte’s Jane Eyre, explores the history of the other and gives voices to the people who were silenced and kept under the darkness of negation and denial for a long time. Jean Wide Sargasso Sea provides an alternative understanding of Charlotte Brontë’s mad Creole woman, i.e., Bertha Mason of Jane Eyre in the postcolonial context. Rhys transforms Charlotte Bronte’s Victorian romance into a realistic narrative. In doing so, she re-reads Bertha as Antoinette, the unspeakable figure of otherness, into an unnameable self, and creates a new stage for the inner self. She in the novel is no longer a lunatic heiress in Rochester’s attic rather in this novel she finds her fantasy, dream and most importantly, voice. Rhys peeps through the character of Antoinette through her fragmented memories, dreams, and identity. Antoinette’s identity is mutilated constantly in the conflicts between colonizers and colonized, male and female, black and white. We shall use postcolonial theories like Bhaba’s hybridity and third space as a methodology to reveal the dialectics of struggle of a doubly colonized woman.We shall see that Bertha Mason was neglected by Bronte because of her madness and was locked in the Rochester’s Attic, but here Rhys beautifully converts her madness as a language of Antoinette, a language for her protest, a language for her liberation, a language for her dreams. In this present paper, we shall try to show how Antoinette tries to free her soul and body from the clutches of her multiple existences, identity, and narratives.

Keywords: colonizer, dislocation, fragmented memories, identity, narratives

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Authors: Sylvester Akpah, Selasi Vondee

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as they are also known, drones have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to their ubiquitous nature and boundless applications in the areas of communication, surveying, aerial photography, weather forecasting, medical delivery, surveillance amongst others. Operated remotely in real-time or pre-programmed, drones can fly autonomously or on pre-defined routes. The application of these aerial vehicles has successfully penetrated the world due to technological evolution, thus a lot more businesses are utilizing their capabilities. Unfortunately, while drones are replete with the benefits stated supra, they are riddled with some problems, mainly attributed to the complexities in learning how to master drone flights, collision avoidance and enterprise security. Additional challenges, such as the analysis of flight data recorded by sensors attached to the drone may take time and require expert help to analyse and understand. This paper presents an autonomous drone control system using a chatbot. The system allows for easy control of drones using conversations with the aid of Natural Language Processing, thus to reduce the workload needed to set up, deploy, control, and monitor drone flight missions. The results obtained at the end of the study revealed that the drone connected to the chatbot was able to initiate flight missions with just text and voice commands, enable conversation and give real-time feedback from data and requests made to the chatbot. The results further revealed that the system was able to process natural language and produced human-like conversational abilities using Artificial Intelligence (Natural Language Understanding). It is recommended that radio signal adapters be used instead of wireless connections thus to increase the range of communication with the aerial vehicle.

Keywords: artificial ntelligence, chatbot, natural language processing, unmanned aerial vehicle

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Authors: Selinda England, Ben Bodnaryk

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With an unprecedented increase in provincial immigration and government support for greater international and culturally diverse learners, a trade/applied learning-focused polytechnic with four campuses within one Canadian province saw the need for intercultural awareness and an intercultural teaching competence strategy for faculty training. An institution-wide pre-assessment needs survey was conducted in 2018, in which 87% of faculty professed to have some/no training when working with international and/or culturally diverse learners. After researching fellow Polytechnics in Canada and seeing very little in the way of faculty support for intercultural competence, an institutional project team comprised of members from all facets of the Polytechnic was created and included: Indigenous experts, Academic Chairs, Directors, Human Resource Managers, and international/settlement subject matter experts. The project team was organized to develop and implement a new academic model focused on enriching intercultural competence among faculty. Utilizing a competency based model, the project team incorporated inclusive terminology into competency indicators and devised a four-phase proposal for implementing intercultural teacher training: a series of workshops focused on the needs of international and culturally diverse learners, including teaching strategies based on current TESOL methodologies, literature and online resources for quick access when planning lessons, faculty assessment examples and models of interculturally proficient instructors, and future job descriptions - all which promote and encourage development of specific intercultural skills. Results from a post-assessment survey (to be conducted in Spring 2020) and caveats regarding improvements and next steps will be shared. The project team believes its intercultural and inclusive teaching competency-based model is one of the first, institution-wide faculty supported initiatives within the Canadian college and Polytechnic post-secondary educational environment; it aims to become a leader in both the province and nation regarding intercultural competency training for trades, industry, and business minded community colleges and applied learning institutions.

Keywords: cultural diversity and education, diversity training teacher training, teaching and learning, teacher training

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Authors: Ricardo Merlo

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In this paper, we analyzed the different didactic proposals for teaching about the free fall motion of bodies available online. An important aspect was the interpretation of the direction and sense of the acceleration of gravity and of the falling velocity of a body, which is why we found different applications of the Cartesian reference system used and also different graphical presentations of the velocity as a function of time and of the distance traveled vertically by the body in the period of time that it was dropped from a height h0. In this framework, a survey of previous concepts was applied to a voluntary group of first-year university students of an Engineering degree before and after the development of the class of the subject in question. Then, Hake's index (0.52) was determined, which resulted in an average learning gain from the meaningful use of the reference system and the respective graphs of v=ƒ (t) and h=ƒ (t).

Keywords: didactic gain, free–fall, physics teaching, previous knowledge

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Authors: Sadeq Al Yaari, Muhammad Alkhunayn, Ayah Al Yaari, Ayman Al Yaari, Montaha Al Yaari, Adham Al Yaari, Sajedah Al Yaari, Fatehi Eissa

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Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) (also known as dyspraxia) causes a child to speak less well than expected in social conversations. We propose that the smart speaking technology could help improve sound production mechanism at both phonetic and phonological levels, which leads to better articulation of an utterance. The participants are twelve privately beginner pupils aged between 6-12 years old and diagnosed with DCD (apraxia) divided into two groups: Experimental group (n=6) and control group (called apraxic control group) (n=6). A total of fifty typically developing and achieving (TD) pupils participated as control group 2 in both groups and were preassigned into two groups (27 pupils with the treatment group and 23 with the apraxic control group). Weekly quizzes were given to all participants each week for four continuous months and results were analyzed by psychoneurolinguists and a statistician. Although being taught by the same speech-language therapist (SLT), treatment group along with TD groups were taught a full-time speaking course with sociolinguistic themes covering both phonetic and phonological properties. The course lasted for a whole semester whereby smart speaking aids have become dominant while apraxic control group and its TD group were not. Compared with apraxic control group and its TD subgroup, results show obvious changes in speaking behavioral mechanism of the DCD experimental group and its TD subgroup. Improvement could be taken from the scores where the zero marks disappeared in the fourth week (end of the first month of treatment). Good marks (5 +/10) were seen starting from the eighth week and culminating with full marks in the week number 15 of treatment where some participants scored full mark. This study concludes to support the primacy of the smart educational technology for speaking purposes and also shows that such aids can expand the range of academic performance differential categories. Further research is required to evaluate the current demonizing of smart educational aids and weighting more reasonably the relationship specificity that speaking aids can offer to other language skills, as well as their limitations.

Keywords: smart educational technology, speaking aids, pupils with SCD, apraxia

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Authors: Victor Ademulegun Arijeniwa

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This is a sociolinguistic study of Olu Obafemi’s Naira Has No Gender as a microcosm of life experiences. The paper assesses how Olu Obafemi’s use of language in the dramatic world serves as both social relationships and symbolic order of communicative roadmap that are capable of yielding well expressed and richly articulated sociolinguistic implications. Being the interface between language and social institutions, sociolinguistics and its application is highly utilitarian in linguistics analysis, especially where the language of a text appears to be deeply tensed, such as found in dramatic texts. The aim of this paper has been (i) to assess the symbolic orderly presentation of form in Olu Obafemi’Naira Has No Gender; (ii) to find out the linguistic elements and textual organization that represent social relationships in Olu Obafemi’s Naira Has No Gender. Using qualitative research design in data generation with insights from John Gumperz Interactional Sociolinguistics Theory with particular reference to contextualization cues and miscommunication, the paper identifies the implication of the dramatic discourse on society.

Keywords: sociolinguistics, Microcosm, contextualisation, miscommunication variable, identity, symbolic order

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Authors: Muhammad Muhammad Suleiman

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Cloud Computing is a versatile concept that refers to a service that allows users to outsource their data without having to worry about local storage issues. However, the most pressing issues to be addressed are maintaining a secure and reliable data repository rather than relying on untrustworthy service providers. In this study, we look at how stenography approaches and collaboration with Digital Watermarking can greatly improve the system's effectiveness and data security when used for Cloud Computing. The main requirement of such frameworks, where data is transferred or exchanged between servers and users, is safe data management in cloud environments. Steganography is the cloud is among the most effective methods for safe communication. Steganography is a method of writing coded messages in such a way that only the sender and recipient can safely interpret and display the information hidden in the communication channel. This study presents a new text steganography method for hiding a loaded hidden English text file in a cover English text file to ensure data protection in cloud computing. Data protection, data hiding capability, and time were all improved using the proposed technique.

Keywords: cloud computing, steganography, information hiding, cloud storage, security

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Authors: Faris Algahtani

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Background: In Saudi Arabia, it is essential to know what practices are employed and considered effective by special education teachers working with preschool children with intellectual disabilities, as a prerequisite for identifying areas for improvement. Preschool provision for these children is expanding through a network of Intellectual Disability Centres while, in primary schools, a policy of inclusion is pursued and, in mainstream preschools, pilots have been aimed at enhancing learning in readiness for primary schooling. This potentially widens the attainment gap between preschool children with and without intellectual disabilities, and influences the scope for improvement. Goal: The aim of the study was to explore special education teachers’ practices and perceived perceptions of those practices for preschool children with intellectual disabilities in Saudi Arabia Method: A qualitative interpretive approach was adopted in order to gain a detailed understanding of how special education teachers in an IDC operate in the classroom. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced and qualified teachers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, based on themes identified from the literature review together with new themes emerging from the data. Findings: American methods strongly influenced teaching practices, in particular TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication related handicapped Children), which emphasises structure, schedules and specific methods of teaching tasks and skills; and ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis), which aims to improve behaviours and skills by concentrating on detailed breakdown and teaching of task components and rewarding desired behaviours with positive reinforcement. The Islamic concept of education strongly influenced which teaching techniques were used and considered effective, and how they were applied. Tensions were identified between the Islamic approach to disability, which accepts differences between human beings as created by Allah in order for people to learn to help and love each other, and the continuing stigmatisation of disability in many Arabic cultures, which means that parents who bring their children to an IDC often hope and expect that their children will be ‘cured’. Teaching methods were geared to reducing behavioural problems and social deficits rather than to developing the potential of the individual child, with some teachers recognizing the child’s need for greater freedom. Relationships with parents could in many instances be improved. Teachers considered both initial teacher education and professional development to be inadequate for their needs and the needs of the children they teach. This can be partly attributed to the separation of training and development of special education teachers from that of general teachers. Conclusion: Based on the findings, teachers’ practices could be improved by the inclusion of general teaching strategies, parent-teacher relationships and practical teaching experience in both initial teacher education and professional development. Coaching and mentoring support from carefully chosen special education teachers could assist the process, as could the presence of a second teacher or teaching assistant in the classroom.

Keywords: special education, intellectual disabilities, early intervention , early childhood

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Authors: I. Wardana Ketut, I. Suparwa Nyoman

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This study investigated the form and characteristic of speech sound produced by three Balinese subjects who have recovered from aphasia as well as intervened their language impairment on side of linguistic and neuronal aspects of views. The failure of judging the speech sound was caused by impairment of motor cortex that indicated there were lesions in left hemispheric language zone. Sound articulation phenomena were in the forms of phonemes deletion, replacement or assimilation in individual words and meaning building for anomic aphasia. Therefore, the Balinese sound patterns were stimulated by showing pictures to the subjects and recorded to recognize what individual consonants or vowels they unclearly produced and to find out how the sound disorder occurred. The physiology of sound production by subject’s speech organs could not only show the accuracy of articulation but also any level of severity the lesion they suffered from. The subjects’ speech sounds were investigated, classified and analyzed to know how poor the lingual units were and observed to clarify weaknesses of sound characters occurred either for place or manner of articulation. Many fricative and stopped consonants were replaced by glottal or palatal sounds because the cranial nerve, such as facial, trigeminal, and hypoglossal underwent impairment after the stroke. The phonological intervention was applied through a technique called phonemic articulation drill and the examination was conducted to know any change has been obtained. The finding informed that some weak articulation turned into clearer sound and simple meaning of language has been conveyed. The hierarchy of functional parts of brain played important role of language formulation and processing. From this finding, it can be clearly emphasized that this study supports the role of right hemisphere in recovery from aphasia is associated with functional brain reorganization.

Keywords: aphasia, intervention, phonology, stroke

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Authors: Jasmine Renner, Alice Njuguna

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The booming technological revolution is driving a change in the mode of delivery systems especially for e-learning and distance learning in higher education. The report and findings of the study; an assessment of digital platforms, student online learning, teaching pedagogies, research and training at Kenya College of Accounting University (hereinafter 'KCA') was undertaken as a joint collaboration project between the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship and input from the staff, students and faculty at KCA University. The participants in this assessment/research met for selected days during a six-week period during which, one-one consultations, surveys, questionnaires, foci groups, training, and seminars were conducted to ascertain 'online learning and teaching, curriculum development, research and training at KCA.' The project was organized into an eight-week project workflow with each week culminating in project activities designed to assess digital online teaching and learning at KCA. The project also included the training of distance learning instructors at KCA and the evaluation of KCA’s distance platforms and programs. Additionally, through a curriculum audit and redesign, the project sought to enhance the curriculum development activities related to of distance learning at KCA. The findings of this assessment/research represent the systematic deliberate process of gathering, analyzing and using data collected from DL students, DL staff and lecturers and a librarian personnel in charge of online learning resources and access at KCA. We engaged in one-on-one interviews and discussions with staff, students, and faculty and collated the findings to inform practices that are effective in the ongoing design and development of eLearning earning at KCA University. Overall findings of the project led to the following recommendations. First, there is a need to address infrastructural challenges that led to poor internet connectivity for online learning, training needs and content development for faculty and staff. Second, there is a need to manage cultural impediments within KCA; for example fears of vital change from one platform to another for effectiveness and Institutional goodwill as a vital promise of effective online learning. Third, at a practical and short-term level, the following recommendations based on systematic findings of the research conducted were as follows: there is a need for the following to be adopted at KCA University to promote the effective adoption of online learning: a) an eLearning compatible faculty lab, b) revision of policy to include an eLearn strategy or strategic management, c) faculty and staff recognitions engaged in the process of training for the adoption and implementation of eLearning and d) adequate website resources on eLearning. The report and findings represent a comprehensive approach to a systematic assessment of online teaching and learning, research and training at KCA.

Keywords: e-learning, digital platforms, student online learning, online teaching pedagogies

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Authors: Sarra Hasni, Sami Faiz

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In recent years, location prediction on social networks has gained significant attention, with short and unstructured texts like tweets posing additional challenges. Advanced geolocation models have been proposed, increasing the need to explain their predictions. In this paper, we provide explanations for a geolocation black-box model using LIME and SHAP, two state-of-the-art XAI (eXplainable Artificial Intelligence) methods. We extend our evaluations to Large Language Models (LLMs) as post hoc explainers for tweet geolocation. Our preliminary results show that LLMs outperform LIME and SHAP by generating more accurate explanations. Additionally, we demonstrate that prompts with examples and meta-prompts containing phonetic spelling rules improve the interpretability of these models, even with informal input data. This approach highlights the potential of advanced prompt engineering techniques to enhance the effectiveness of black-box models in geolocation tasks on social networks.

Keywords: large language model, post hoc explainer, prompt engineering, local explanation, tweet geolocation

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Authors: Nodelman V.

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Despite serious difficulties in the assimilation of the conceptual system of Calculus, software in the educational process is used only occasionally, and even then, mainly for illustration purposes. The following are a few reasons: The non-trivial nature of the studied material, Lack of skills in working with software, Fear of losing time working with software, The variety of the software itself, the corresponding interface, syntax, and the methods of working with the software, The need to find suitable models, and familiarize yourself with working with them, Incomplete compatibility of the found models with the content and teaching methods of the studied material. This paper proposes an active use of the developed non-commercial software VusuMatica, which allows removing these restrictions through Broad support for the studied mathematical material (and not only Calculus). As a result - no need to select the right software, Emphasizing the unity of mathematics, its intrasubject and interdisciplinary relations, User-friendly interface, Absence of special syntax in defining mathematical objects, Ease of building models of the studied material and manipulating them, Unlimited flexibility of models thanks to the ability to redefine objects, which allows exploring objects characteristics, and considering examples and counterexamples of the concepts under study. The construction of models is based on an original approach to the analysis of the structure of the studied concepts. Thanks to the ease of construction, students are able not only to use ready-made models but also to create them on their own and explore the material studied with their help. The presentation includes examples of using VusuMatica in studying the concepts of limit and continuity of a function, its derivative, and integral.

Keywords: counterexamples, limitations and requirements, software, teaching and learning calculus, user-friendly interface and syntax

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Authors: Huey-Yeu Yan, Ching-Ying Lee, Hung-Ru Lin

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Background: Physical assessment is a vital clinical nursing competence. The gap between conventional teaching method and the way e-generation students’ preferred could be bridged owing to the support of Internet technology, i.e. interacting with online media to manage learning works. Nursing instructors in the wake of new learning pattern of the e-generation students are challenged to actively adjust and make teaching contents and methods more versatile. Objective: The objective of this research is to explore the effects on teaching and learning with live webcast-assisted on a specific topic, Physical Assessment technique, on a designated group of young nursing majors. It’s hoped that, with a way of nursing instructing, more versatile learning resources may be provided to facilitate self-directed learning. Design: This research adopts a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The instructor demonstrated physical assessment techniques and operation procedures via live webcast broadcasted online to all students. It increased both the off-time interaction between teacher and students concerning teaching materials. Methods: A convenient sampling was used to recruit a total of 52 nursing-majors at a certain university. The nursing majors took two-hour classes of Physical Assessment per week for 18 weeks (36 hrs. in total). The instruction covered four units with live webcasting and then conducted an online anonymous survey of learning outcomes by questionnaire. The research instrument was the online questionnaire, covering three major domains—online media used, learning outcome evaluation and evaluation result. The data analysis was conducted via IBM SPSS Statistics Version 2.0. The descriptive statistics was undertaken to describe the analysis of basic data and learning outcomes. Statistical methods such as descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation were employed in verification. Results: Results indicated the following five major findings. (1) learning motivation, about four fifth of the participants agreed the online instruction resources are very helpful in improving learning motivation and raising the learning interest. (2) learning needs, about four fifth of participants agreed it was helpful to plan self-directed practice after the instruction, and meet their needs of repetitive learning and/or practice at their leisure time. (3) learning effectiveness, about two third agreed it was helpful to reduce pre-exam anxiety, and improve their test scores. (4) course objects, about three fourth agreed that it was helpful to achieve the goal of ‘executing the complete Physical Assessment procedures with proper skills’. (5) finally, learning reflection, about all of participants agreed this experience of online instructing, learning, and practicing is beneficial to them, they recommend instructor to share with other nursing majors, and they will recommend it to fellow students too. Conclusions: Live webcasting is a low-cost, convenient, efficient and interactive resource to facilitate nursing majors’ motivation of learning, need of self-directed learning and practice, outcome of learning. When live webcasting is integrated into nursing teaching, it provides an opportunity of self-directed learning to promote learning effectiveness, as such to fulfill the teaching objective.

Keywords: innovative teaching, learning effectiveness, live webcasting, physical assessment technique

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Authors: Pratheesh Jakkala

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This paper addresses the use of breakout sessions to conduct successful weekly physics recitations for College Physics I and II at a large University in remote teaching method during COVID-19 pandemic. All breakout sessions are synchronous, conducted live, and handled by teaching assistants. A two-prong approach is used to maintain the integrity of recitations. Three different conference platforms WebEx, Zoom, and Canvas conferences, were tested, and BigBlue button using Canvas was adopted. The results and experiences of all three learning platforms are presented in this paper. Recitation questions were assigned on WebAssign learning platform and a standard five-question template developed by the instructor was used for group discussions and active peer-peer engagement. Breakout sessions feature of BigBlueButton in Canvas conferences was successfully implemented. Each breakout session consists of a team of 4 students. An online whiteboard, chat window options were used for live teamwork. Student peer-peer interactions, Teaching Assistants’ interaction with students were video and audio recorded. A total of 72 students in College Physics II and 55 students in College Physics I was enrolled. 82% of students agreed that method under study is better than previous methods. The study addressed the quality of student teamwork, student attitude towards problem-solving, and student performance in the exams.

Keywords: recitations, breakout rooms, online learning platforms, COVID pandemic

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Authors: Peter Adly Hamdy Fahmy

Abstract:

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of a physical education program on student learning by combining the teaching of personal and social responsibility (TPSR) with a physical education model and TPSR with a traditional teaching model, these learning outcomes involving self-learning. -Study. Athletic performance, enthusiasm for sport, group cohesion, sense of responsibility and game performance. The participants were 3 secondary school physical education teachers and 6 physical education classes, 133 participants with students from the experimental group with 75 students and the control group with 58 students, and each teacher taught the experimental group and the control group for 16 weeks. The research methods used surveys, interviews and focus group meetings. Research instruments included the Personal and Social Responsibility Questionnaire, Sports Enthusiasm Scale, Group Cohesion Scale, Sports Self-Efficacy Scale, and Game Performance Assessment Tool. Multivariate analyzes of covariance and repeated measures ANOVA were used to examine differences in student learning outcomes between combining the TPSR with a physical education model and the TPSR with a traditional teaching model. The research findings are as follows: 1) The TPSR sports education model can improve students' learning outcomes, including sports self-efficacy, game performance, sports enthusiasm, team cohesion, group awareness and responsibility. 2) A traditional teaching model with TPSR could improve student learning outcomes, including sports self-efficacy, responsibility, and game performance. 3) The sports education model with TPSR could improve learning outcomes more than the traditional teaching model with TPSR, including sports self-efficacy, sports enthusiasm, responsibility and game performance. 4) Based on qualitative data on teachers' and students' learning experience, the physical education model with TPSR significantly improves learning motivation, group interaction and sense of play. The results suggest that physical education with TPSR could further improve learning outcomes in the physical education program. On the other hand, the hybrid model curriculum projects TPSR - Physical Education and TPSR - Traditional Education are good curriculum projects for moral character education that can be used in school physics.

Keywords: approach competencies, physical, education, teachers employment, graduate, physical education and sport sciences, SWOT analysis character education, sport season, game performance, sport competence

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Authors: Zhaoxin Luo, Michael Zhu

Abstract:

In natural languages, there are always complex semantic hierarchies. Obtaining the feature representation based on these complex semantic hierarchies becomes the key to the success of the model. Several RNN models have recently been proposed to use latent indicators to obtain the hierarchical structure of documents. However, the model that only uses a single-layer latent indicator cannot achieve the true hierarchical structure of the language, especially a complex language like Chinese. In this paper, we propose a deep layered model that stacks arbitrarily many RNN layers equipped with latent indicators. After using EM and training it hierarchically, our model solves the computational problem of stacking RNN layers and makes it possible to stack arbitrarily many RNN layers. Our deep hierarchical model not only achieves comparable results to large pre-trained models on the Chinese short text classification problem but also achieves state of art results on the Chinese long text classification problem.

Keywords: nature language processing, recurrent neural network, hierarchical structure, document classification, Chinese

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Authors: Jayati Bhattacharjee

Abstract:

Teaching is a very dynamic profession. Teaching Science is as much challenging as Learning the subject if not more. For instance teaching of Chemistry. From the introductory concepts of subatomic particles to atoms of elements and their symbols and further presenting the chemical equation and so forth is a challenge on both side of the equation Teaching Learning. This paper combines the Neuroscience of Learning and memory with the knowledge of Learning style (VAK) and presents an effective tool for the teacher to authenticate Learning. The model of ‘Working Memory’, the Visio-spatial sketchpad, the central executive and the phonological loop that transforms short-term memory to long term memory actually supports the psychological theory of Learning style i.e. Visual –Auditory-Kinesthetic. A closer examination of David Kolbe’s learning model suggests that learning requires abilities that are polar opposites, and that the learner must continually choose which set of learning abilities he or she will use in a specific learning situation. In grasping experience some of us perceive new information through experiencing the concrete, tangible, felt qualities of the world, relying on our senses and immersing ourselves in concrete reality. Others tend to perceive, grasp, or take hold of new information through symbolic representation or abstract conceptualization – thinking about, analyzing, or systematically planning, rather than using sensation as a guide. Similarly, in transforming or processing experience some of us tend to carefully watch others who are involved in the experience and reflect on what happens, while others choose to jump right in and start doing things. The watchers favor reflective observation, while the doers favor active experimentation. Any lesson plan based on the model of Prescriptive design: C+O=M (C: Instructional condition; O: Instructional Outcome; M: Instructional method). The desired outcome and conditions are independent variables whereas the instructional method is dependent hence can be planned and suited to maximize the learning outcome. The assessment for learning rather than of learning can encourage, build confidence and hope amongst the learners and go a long way to replace the anxiety and hopelessness that a student experiences while learning Science with a human touch in it. Application of this model has been tried in teaching chemistry to high school students as well as in workshops with teachers. The response received has proven the desirable results.

Keywords: working memory model, learning style, prescriptive design, assessment for learning

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Authors: Erizal Lugman

Abstract:

An increasing number of students from Indonesia study in universities in the UK. Because of the substantial cultural differences between the Western and Indonesian cultures, this study investigates the issues in academic and social life experienced by Indonesian postgraduate students, with a sample of 11 Indonesian postgraduate students (8 male, 3 female) studying in London during the cultural adjustment stage. This research made use of a semi-structured interview and was analyzed qualitatively using thematic content analysis to reveal key areas of concern in the academic setting, social life, and language-related issues. The findings confirm that the most challenging aspects experienced by the participants are the use of academic English in academic situations and the students’ lack of critical thinking. Nine out of 11 students agreed that they had problems with writing essays during the cultural adjustment stage. Because of the collectivist culture in Indonesia, making friends with locals was the most concerning issue in the participants’ sociocultural adjustment, followed by difficulty in finding places to pray, looking for Halal food and using the Western toilet system The findings suggest recommendations that the students must be more aware of the cultural differences between Indonesian and Western cultures, including in the academic setting and social life. Also, the lecturers should pay more attention to their speech in the British accent which is sometimes difficult to understand.

Keywords: academic adjustment, cultural adjustment, indonesian culture, intercultural communication

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Authors: Andreia Osti

Abstract:

The context experienced in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic substantially changed the way children communicate and the way literacy teaching was carried out. Officially, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, children who should be literate were seriously impacted by the pandemic, and it was found that the number of illiterate children increased from 1.4 million, in 2019, to 2.4 million in 2021. In this context, this work presents partial results of an intervention project in which classroom monitoring of students in the literacy phase was carried out. Methodologically, pedagogical games were developed that work on specific reading and writing content, such as 1) games with direct regularities and; 2) Games with contextual regularities. The project involves the elaboration and production of games and their application by the classroom teacher. All work focused on literacy and improving understanding of grapheme and phoneme relationships among students, aiming to improve reading and writing comprehension levels. The project, still under development, is carried out in two schools and supports 60 students. The teachers participate in the research, as they apply the games produced at the university and monitor the children's learning process. The project is developed with financial support for research from FAPESP - in the public education improvement program – PROEDUCA. The initial results show that children are more involved in playful activities, that games provide better moments of interaction in the classroom and that they result in effective learning since they constitute a different way of approaching the content to be taught. It is noteworthy that the pedagogical games produced directly involve the teaching and learning processes of curricular components – in this case, reading and writing, which are basic components in elementary education and constitute teaching methodologies as specific and guided activities are planned in literacy methods. In this presentation, some of the materials developed will be shown, as well as the results of the assessments carried out with the students. In relation to the Sustainable Development objectives (SDGs) linked to this project, we have 4 – Quality Education, 10 – Reduction of inequalities. It is noteworthy that the research seeks to improve Public Education and promote the articulation between theory and practice in the educational context with a view to consolidating the tripod of teaching, research and university extension and promoting a humanized education.

Keywords: didactic, teaching, games, learning, literacy

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Authors: Mohammad Ahmadi

Abstract:

Argumentative writing is a highly opinion-based form of discourse that necessitates the ability to address commonly held opinions (endoxa). To enhance the development of persuasive, argumentative essays, the incorporation of classical rhetorical theory, with a specific focus on topics related to the canon of Invention (inventio), can be advantageous. This research investigates the practical application of rhetorical theory in teaching students how to construct compelling argumentative essays. The fundamental premise of this study is the limited familiarity of rhetoric and composition students with rhetorical theory. Consequently, this paper presents an effective pedagogical approach to introduce rhetorical theory to students, beginning from a foundational level. It delineates the procedures and progression that educators should adopt to elucidate and facilitate students' comprehension of rhetorical theory while demonstrating its utilization in the writing of an argumentative essay.

Keywords: argumentative essay, rhetorical theory, pedagogy, invention

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Authors: Stella Y. Erinosho

Abstract:

In an attempt to impact on girls’ interest in science, an instructional package on ‘Learn Science by Doing (LSD)’ was developed to support science teachers in teaching integrated science at the junior secondary level in Nigeria. LSD provides an instructional framework aimed at actively engaging girls in beginners’ science through activities that are discovery-oriented and allow for experiential learning. The goal of this study was to show the impact of application of LSD on girls’ performance and interest in science. The major hypothesis that was tested in the study was that students would exhibit higher learning outcomes (achievement and attitude) in science as effect of exposure to LSD instructional package. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, incorporating four all-girls schools. Three of the schools (comprising six classes) were randomly designated as experimental and one as the control. The sample comprised 357 girls (275 experimental and 82 control) and nine science teachers drawn from the experimental schools. The questionnaire was designed to gather data on students’ background characteristics and their attitude toward science while the cognitive outcomes were measured using tests, both within a group and between groups, the girls who had exposure to LSD exhibited improved cognitive outcomes and more positive attitude towards science compared with those who had conventional teaching. The data are consistent with previous studies indicating that interactive learning activities increase student performance and interest.

Keywords: active learning, school science, teaching and learning, Nigeria

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Authors: Michael Filimowicz, Veronika Tzankova

Abstract:

This paper discusses the practical implementation of Derek Pigrum’s multi-mode model of transitional practices in the context of upper division production courses in an interaction design curriculum. The notion of teaching creativity directly was connected to a general notion of “discursivity” by which is meant students’ overall ability to discuss, describe, and engage in dialogue about their creative work. We present a study of how Pigrum’s transitional modes can be mapped onto a variety of course activities, and discuss challenges and outcomes of directly engaging student discursivity in their creative output.

Keywords: teaching creativity, multi-mode transitional practices, discursivity, rich dialogue, art and design education, pedagogy

Procedia PDF Downloads 502

Authors: Peter Adly Hamdy Fahmy

Abstract:

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of a physical education program on student learning by combining the teaching of personal and social responsibility (TPSR) with a physical education model and TPSR with a traditional teaching model, these learning outcomes involving self-learning. -Study. Athletic performance, enthusiasm for sport, group cohesion, sense of responsibility and game performance. The participants were 3 secondary school physical education teachers and 6 physical education classes, 133 participants with students from the experimental group with 75 students and the control group with 58 students, and each teacher taught the experimental group and the control group for 16 weeks. The research methods used surveys, interviews and focus group meetings. Research instruments included the Personal and Social Responsibility Questionnaire, Sports Enthusiasm Scale, Group Cohesion Scale, Sports Self-Efficacy Scale, and Game Performance Assessment Tool. Multivariate analyzes of covariance and repeated measures ANOVA were used to examine differences in student learning outcomes between combining the TPSR with a physical education model and the TPSR with a traditional teaching model. The research findings are as follows: 1) The TPSR sports education model can improve students' learning outcomes, including sports self-efficacy, game performance, sports enthusiasm, team cohesion, group awareness and responsibility. 2) A traditional teaching model with TPSR could improve student learning outcomes, including sports self-efficacy, responsibility, and game performance. 3) The sports education model with TPSR could improve learning outcomes more than the traditional teaching model with TPSR, including sports self-efficacy, sports enthusiasm, responsibility and game performance. 4) Based on qualitative data on teachers' and students' learning experience, the physical education model with TPSR significantly improves learning motivation, group interaction and sense of play. The results suggest that physical education with TPSR could further improve learning outcomes in the physical education program. On the other hand, the hybrid model curriculum projects TPSR - Physical Education and TPSR - Traditional Education are good curriculum projects for moral character education that can be used in school physics.

Keywords: approach competencies, physical, education, teachers employment, graduate, physical education and sport sciences, SWOT analysis character education, sport season, game performance, sport competence

Procedia PDF Downloads 60

Authors: Muhammad Saleem

Abstract:

Background: The teaching of sports sciences encompasses a broad spectrum of disciplines, including biomechanics, physiology, psychology, and coaching. Effective pedagogical techniques are crucial in imparting both theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for students to excel in the field. The impact of these techniques on students’ learning outcomes, engagement, and professional preparedness remains a vital area of study. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of various pedagogical techniques used in the teaching of sports sciences. It seeks to identify which methods most significantly enhance student learning, retention, engagement, and practical application of knowledge. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, including both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The study involved a comparative analysis of traditional lecture-based teaching, experiential learning, problem-based learning (PBL), and technology-enhanced learning (TEL). Data were collected through surveys, interviews, and academic performance assessments from students enrolled in sports sciences programs at multiple universities. Statistical analysis was used to evaluate academic performance, while thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data to capture student experiences and perceptions. Results: The findings indicate that experiential learning and PBL significantly improve students' understanding and retention of complex sports science concepts compared to traditional lectures. TEL was found to enhance engagement and provide students with flexible learning opportunities, but its impact on deep learning varied depending on the quality of the digital resources. Overall, a combination of experiential learning, PBL, and TEL was identified as the most effective pedagogical approach, leading to higher student satisfaction and better preparedness for real-world applications. Conclusion: The study underscores the importance of adopting diverse and student-centered pedagogical techniques in the teaching of sports sciences. While traditional lectures remain useful for foundational knowledge, integrating experiential learning, PBL, and TEL can substantially improve student outcomes. These findings suggest that educators should consider a blended approach to pedagogy to maximize the effectiveness of sports science education.

Keywords: sport sciences, pedagogical techniques, health and physical education, problem-based learning, student engagement

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