Students’ Learning Through New Teaching Approaches

Pablo Valdés R.
Language IX
Crystal Hickerson
Monday 1st, June , 2009


Students’ Learning Through New Teaching Approaches


Robert Duron, Barbara Limbach and Wendy Waugh, in their article “Critical Thinking Framework For Any Discipline”, support that “Active/Cooperative Learning as a pedagogical approach to encouraging critical thinking can be very effectively used in conjunction with lectures”(2006,p. 165). After analyzing their argument, I shall argue that, although the article relies excessively on the exemplification of how they used the actual framework in a specific subject, they offer a convincing argument in how teachers should use this framework along with lectures in order to enhance critical thinking skills on students’ learning.

The argument presented in the article suggests a 5-step framework that can be put into practice in any teaching practice in order to move students toward critical thinking. They supported it by given an example in Accounting Education where they think it is necessary to have an active-learning approach on lectures. According to Duron, Limbach and Waugh, this framework is based on an existing theory regarding to cognitive development, effective learning environments and outcomes-based assessment which will provide teachers a powerful tool for teaching and encouraging critical thinking skills. Finally, the use of a active-learning approach should increase the development of these critical thinking skills and, therefore, it should be used through a new way of delivering lectures.

What makes this result most interesting, according to the authors, the problem with lectures in disciplinary areas such as business courses is that they are too focused on a teacher’s centered approach. Therefore, students’ learning are excessively oriented towards memorization and the topics chosen for teaching are discussed sequentially rather than critically. Consequently, the teacher does the majority of the thinking and students are not placed in an active/cooperative learning. In order to demonstrate this , Duron, Limbach and Waugh state that the quality of accounting education has a tendency to produce professionals who have little tolerance for ambiguity or unstructured problems solving (2006,p. 165). Hence, they research is based on the necessity of having a substantial change in how the actual lecture format on business courses are delivered. In order to do so, they illustrate an application of this framework on the topic of financial statement analysis. The whole idea of doing this is to argue for an Active/Cooperative Learning in order to encourage critical thinking skills on students and improve the quality of learning.

Behind their argument it is implied the premise that the teachers that are going to make this substantial change are already prepare to do so. Obvious or not, I think the authors do not explain clearly what kind of teachers should be or at least what should be the teachers’ profile to implement and use this framework. One can question this because teaching is not only about changing the way lectures are delivered but it has to do with teachers’ beliefs toward education in general and their own practice. At the same time, Duron, Limbach and Waugh through their exemplification illustrate how to use the framework in order to enhance students in an active/cooperative lecture. In this sense, one can argue that the central idea that this framework could be used in an accounting course does not implies that it is going to work the same in other courses. They explain that the framework should be modified according to different interdisciplinary courses but they do not suggest how to do it or through what strategies teachers should apply this in other subject areas. My basic point here is that in order to introduce this framework to any lecture, the teachers’ profile raises as an important factor to be considered at the moment of changing the way that lectures should be delivered. And most importantly, the use of this framework into other subjects areas should be analyzed first in order to change the actual lecturing format.

Finally, I think that Duron, Limbach and Waugh provide a very useful idea about changing the way lectures are delivered. Although, one might reasonably argue that there are other important factors to carry out this idea in lectures, this do not diminish the importance of their argument which claims for a new view of teaching. In order to have an active/cooperative learning they offer a convincing argument in how teachers should use this framework along with lectures in order to enhance critical thinking skills on students’ learning.

References

Duron, Robert., Limbach, Barbara., and Wendy Waugh. “Critical Thinking Framework for Any Discipline”. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 17.2 (2006): 160 – 66.

Book Review (Corrected Version)

Pablo Valdés Rivera
Language IX
Crystal Hickerson
13th May, 2009.


Literature as one fundamental source for developing critical thinking strategies.


Walker, Richard. Language for Literature: A guide to language use, style and criticism. London: Collins ELT, 1983.


Whenever we think how to teach critical thinking strategies to our students, we always face the following question: What materials or teaching approaches do we have to use to do so? Having this issue in mind, it is been said that many literature sources and texts are fundamental guides to build a bridge between critical thinking strategies and language teaching. “Language for Literature” claims for that particular purpose because it is intended to approach literature from authentic English texts and exercises in order to guide students on how to read and think those texts critically and effectively.

Moreover, this book contains extracts from well-known twentieth century novels and authors such as: “1984” by George Orwell or “Dubliners” by James Joyce; which increases the level of texts complexity and the reading approach at the moment of developing reading skills as well as critical opinions about the given topics.
The book’s audience has a range from secondary to tertiary students as well as students who are studying basic literature courses. It is also intended for students who are doing research on literature use, style and criticism regarding to academic purposes.

The importance of having this book in teaching has to do with the central idea that it encourages students in extensive and intensive reading practices. Consequently, it will help tremendously teaching from inside to outside the class, giving students autonomous ways of approaching literature and literature reading strategies. At the same time, it enables teachers and students to have the possibility to analyze literature critically and connect it with their own teaching practices and life experiences.

Undoubtedly, this book allows teachers to build confidence on students by giving them vocabulary knowledge and literary style in order to encourage further reading and analysis outside the classroom.

Annotated Bibliography (Corrected Version)

Annotated Bibliography
Pablo A. Valdés
Language IX
Crystal Hickerson
Wednesday 13th, May, 2009


Burns, D. J. “Will I do as well on the final exam as I expect? An examination of students’ expectations.” Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 8, No. 3, October 2008: pp. 1 – 19. In this article the author, researcher at Xavier University, tries to test his hypothesis on how students’ expectations influence their performances on a final exam. According to him, levels of anxiety, past performances, absences, self handicapping and the preparation before a test influence the way students take an actual final exam. This is given by the detailed information this article shows on students’ expectations and by the methodology carried out in order to obtain the desired results. Nevertheless, his hypothesis is not widely supported because the results were mixed. The data obtained from this research does not necessarily establish that students’ expectations influence future test performances. Notwithstanding this, the information contained in this article is useful for teachers who desire to make an improvement on students’ results as part of their own reflective process of teaching. At the same time, it invites to analyze and reflect on the nature of students’ failing at the moment of taking final tests.

Book Review

Pablo Valdés Rivera
Language IX
Crystal Hickerson
8th May, 2009.


Literature as a fundamental source for critical thinking strategies


Walker, Richard. Language for Literature: A guide to language use, style and criticism. London: Collins ELT,1983.


Whenever we think on how to teach critical thinking strategies to our students, we always face the following question: What materials or teaching approaches do we have to use to do so? Having this issue in mind, it is been said that many literature sources and texts are fundamental guides to build a bridge between critical thinking strategies and language teaching. “Language for Literature” claims for that particular purpose because it is intended to approach literature from authentic English texts and exercises in order to guide students on how to read and think those texts critically and effectively. Moreover, this book contains extracts from well-known twentieth century novels and authors such as: “1984” by George Orwell or “Dubliners” by James Joyce; which increases the level of texts complexity and the reading approach at the moment of developing reading skills as well as critical opinions about the given topics.
The book’s audience has a range from secondary to tertiary students as well as students who are studying basic literature courses. It is intended too for students doing research on literature use, style and criticism regarding to academic purposes.
The importance of having this book in teaching has to do with the central idea that it encourages students on extensive and intensive reading practices. Consequently, it will help tremendously teaching from inside to outside the class, giving students autonomous ways of approaching literature and literature reading strategies. At the same time, it enables teachers and students to have the possibility to analyze literature critically and connect it with their own teaching practices and life experiences. Undoubtedly, this book allows teachers to build confidence on students by giving them vocabulary knowledge and literary style in order to encourage further reading and analysis outside the classroom.

Annotated Bibliography

Pablo A. Valdés
Language IX
Crystal Hickerson
Friday 24th, April, 2009


Burns, D. J. “Will I do as well on the final exam as I expect? An examination of students’ expectations.” Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 8, No. 3, October 2008: pp. 1 – 19. In this article the author, researcher at Xavier University, tries to test his hypothesis on how students’ expectations influence their performance on a final exam. According to him, levels of anxiety, past performances, absences, self handicapping and the preparation before a test influence the way students take an actual final exam. This is given by the detailed information this article shows on students’ expectations and by the methodology carried out in order to obtain the desired results. Nevertheless, his hypothesis is not widely supported because the results were mixed. The data obtained from this research does not necessarily prove that students’ expectations influence future test performances. Notwithstanding of this, the information contained in this article is useful for teachers who desire to make an improvement on students’ results as part of their own reflective process of teaching. At the same time, it invites to analyze and reflect on the nature of students’ failing at the moment of taking final tests.

Good Online Sources for Research in Education

1.- Academic Journals.-

This journal is provided by lots of material regarding to Education and others areas of study. At the same time, you can get information for free and it has full text papers.

http://www.academicjournals.org/journals.htm



2.- Education Policy Analysis Archives.-

In this journal you can find information about analytic archives in relation to educational policies. You can also have access to Spanish and Portuguese articles.

http://epaa.asu.edu/


3.- International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (IJTLHE)

This journal provides free information for researchers, teacher, administrators, and so on who are interested in post secondary instruction.

http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/


4.- Networks: An On-Line Journal for Teacher Research

As its name says it is a journal for teachers from kindergarten to higher education, in order to research in current events on education. Articles in html format.

http://journals.library.wisc.edu/index.php/networks/index


5.- Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation (PARE)

It is an on-line journal which purpose is to provide access to refereed articles that can have a positive impact on assessment, research, evaluation, and teaching practice.

http://pareonline.net/




Database

1.- Education Journals: an annotated database
This database is oriented to teacher and educators who research in different areas of study. At the same time it provides full text journals and papers which are useful for any research.

http://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/8478

2.- Edresearch online.-

Database full of PDF articles and journals. There are some you have to pay for, but there are other for free.

http://cunningham.acer.edu.au/dbtw-wpd/sample/journals_edresearch.htm


3.- The WilsonWeb journals database

This database group information on needs of education students, professionals, and policy maker. It has a journal directory where you can find the information you want.

http://www.hwwilson.com/databases/educat.htm#Abstracts

Religion in Education

Since immemorial times Religion has been compulsory taught in schools as part of any curricula. Public as well as private school have always had this subject in order to enable students to learn religious morals. Nevertheless, its importance in the classroom has turned into a debatable issue.

This event has occurred mainly because of the articulation of new religions and beliefs considerably different from the Roman Catholic Church viewpoints. At the same time, Bill Maher, a well-known American comedian and critic of religion, comments, “The 16 percent of Americans who in a recent poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life describe themselves as ‘unaffiliated’ with any religion.” (2). Consequently, the amount of people that have become atheist and agnostic have increased throughout the years. In another interview from NPR website, Maher argues that, “I believe in the doctrine of the I don’t know”(2). Having this issues in mind, Religious Education has not only changed but people has changed in a way they are more open to knew and different religious point of views. It does not matter if people are atheist or Muslims, there should be ongoing discussion about religion and how it is taught at schools. What is more, it is valid to question if people really want to have religious education as part of their educational system.

Although it is been explained that Religious Education operates more as an option than an obligation , it is also important to focus on the teachers’ roles at the moment of teaching this or any other subject where the topic of religion is being discuss. Teachers’ responsibility and critique are tremendously important in order to have a free debate on this subject. That is why, conscious teachers should know that “Religious education should be conceived as a tool to transmit knowledge and values pertaining to all religious trends, in an inclusive way, so that individuals realize their being part of the same community and learn to create their own identity in harmony with identities different from their own.” Therefore, teachers become active in this process delivering classes and responding to students’ questions and opinions with tolerance, responsibility and respect because he or she has to be aware that cannot disrespect others’ beliefs.


To sum up, it is important to have debates and discussions about the subject of religion. Moreover, if the teaching of it is appropriate for students who, most of the time, have different perspective on their own beliefs. Simultaneously, the teaching of this subject through tolerance and critique will enable students to be more respectful to each other and also they will learn about different beliefs.

Maher, Bill. Interview with Larry Charles. NPR. 30 September 2008.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95210724

Leland, John. “Cameras Roll, and Faith hasn’t a Prayer” The New York Times. 26 Septermber 2008. 28 March 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/movies/28lela.html

Amor, Abdelfattah. “The Role of Religious Education in the Pursuit of Tolerance and Non-discrimination”. International Consultative Conference on School
Education in relation with Freedom of Religion and Belief, Tolerance and Non-discrimination. Madrid, 23-25 November 2001. http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/b/cfedu-basicdoc.htm