ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
&quot;We Don't Twitter, We Facebook&quot;: An Alternative Pedagogical Space that Enables Critical Practices in Relation to Writing
Author: Reid, Jean
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Tutors,Literacy,Writing (Composition),Computer Mediated Communication,Interpersonal Communication,Power Structure,Social Networks,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Self Concept,Critical Theory,Access to Education,Foreign Countries

This article explores what happens to interpersonal and power dynamics when tutors use closed-group Facebook pages as a social networking tool in their tutorial groups with first and second year Bachelor of Education (BEd) students at the Wits School of Education (WSoE). It argues that this literacy practice creates an alternative pedagogical space that enables critical practices in relation to writing. These pages create a space that brings students' out-of-school literacy practices into a domain which normally promotes formal, academic literacy practices; a schooled space; a space where students feel safe enough to make their voices heard; a space where there are some interesting shifts in power relationships, identities, norms of communication and modes of learning. The research analyses the writing of tutors and students on these pages from a critical literacy perspective and makes use of the critical literacy model presented by Janks (2010) to see how this space changes issues of power, access, diversity and design by creating new relationships and new forms of interaction, language and texts.
From Visual Literacy to Critical Visual Literacy: An Analysis of Educational Materials
Author: Newfield, Denise
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Visual Literacy,Criticism,Literacy,Comparative Analysis,Instructional Materials,Semiotics,Context Effect,Time Perspective,Selection,Political Attitudes,Social Attitudes,Workbooks,Consciousness Raising

This article discusses differences in purpose, orientation and method between what is commonly known as &quot;visual literacy&quot; and what is being called &quot;critical visual literacy&quot;. It does so through a comparative critical analysis of two sets of materials produced for classroom use: those produced in 1993 under the umbrella of visual literacy and those produced in 2011 under the umbrella of critical visual literacy. Through an examination of different approaches to context, semiotic choice and authorial discourse in the development of the material, the article shows the distinctive nature of critical visual literacy--its emphasis on the positioned and positioning nature of visual texts, on the socio-political consequences of semiotic choice in visual texts, and on reading against rather than reading with the visual text. (Contains 2 figures.)
Critical Visual Analysis of Multicultural Sketches
Author: Hayik, Rawia
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Researchers,Middle School Students,Student Diversity,Religion,Arabs,Jews,Teaching Methods,Literary Criticism,Reader Text Relationship,Christianity,Muslims,Multicultural Education,Childrens Literature,Picture Books,Minority Groups,Social Justice,Foreign Countries,Freehand Drawing,Semitic Languages,Translation,English,Discourse Analysis,Social Cognition,Political Attitudes

In a teaching context fraught with conflicts on religious and ethnic backgrounds, I decide as a teacher researcher to address these issues with Israeli-Arab middle school students in my EFL classroom. Picture books on religious diversity and minority issues are used as a springboard for providing spaces for students to discuss these issues orally, in writing and through arts. I attempt to explore what happens when reading aloud and discussing multicultural children's literature with Israeli Arab EFL teenagers and inviting them to respond. To what extent, if any, will the enacted critical literacy curriculum inform how they begin to address social justice issues in their responses? How, and in what ways? This article presents a visual analysis of two of my students' sketches symbolising how the story &quot;Feathers and Fools&quot; (Fox, 1989) relates to their reality. The findings reveal that my critical literacy curriculum afforded profound responses and critique of social injustice. (Contains 6 figures.)
Critical Literacy as an Approach to Literary Study in the Multicultural, High-School Classroom
Author: Locke, Terry
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary Education,Case Studies,English Curriculum,Classroom Environment,Student Diversity,Teaching Methods,Literary Criticism,Popular Culture,Reader Text Relationship,High School Students,English Teachers,Teacher Student Relationship

As an approach to literary study, critical literacy is not a widespread practice in New Zealand secondary schools. This article draws on a major project on teaching literature in the multicultural classroom that take place over two years in 2008-2009. In it we report on a case study where a Year 13 English teacher designed and tested a novel English programme with a reputedly less able and culturally diverse group of final-year students entitled &quot;13 English--Popular Culture&quot;. In it, she guided her students through a range of reading tasks aimed at developing in her students an awareness of ways in which texts position readers to take up certain meanings and not others through the language used. Over the course of the programme, students moved from compliant readers to readers who were sensitized to the manipulative power of texts. They enjoyed being exposed to a variety of theme-related texts, especially when these empowered them by enabling them to deploy their own cultural resources in responding to and challenging the texts they encountered. Students needed careful scaffolding in respect of metalinguistic understanding in order to be able to discuss the specific ways in which language constructs meaning. Indeed, these students struggled with this aspect of a critical literacy approach. However, despite the fact that these students were engaged in high-stakes assessment at a higher level than in the previous year, all gained more NCEA credits than they had in Year 12. (Contains 9 footnotes and 2 figures.)
&quot;Critical Literacy Helps Wipe Away the Dirt on Our Glasses&quot;: Towards an Understanding of Reading as Ideological Practice
Author: Huang, Shin-Ying
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Inquiry,Literary Criticism,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Reading Processes,Theory Practice Relationship,Textbooks,Content Analysis,Language Attitudes,Language Role,Power Structure,College Students,Learner Engagement,Periodicals,Adolescents,Popular Culture

This paper reports on a qualitative teacher inquiry conducted in a tertiary, English-as-a-foreign-language classroom in Taiwan. The purpose of the study was, first, to implement a poststructuralist view of critical literacy that focuses not only on texts but also on the practice of reading as constructed and contested, and second, to examine the ways in which the students understand and practise this view of texts and reading. Findings reveal that the students were not only cognizant of the role of a text analyst but were also able to put this knowledge into practice. That is, they demonstrated an understanding as well as displayed the practice of the critical competence of reading. However, when later asked in more general terms of their conceptualisation of reading, the students did not immediately make the connection between reading practices and the critical literacy perspective, but insisted on an understanding of reading as mainly emotional and factual. These findings suggest that to understand reading as a critical practice requires a paradigm shift in emphasis from a view of reading as social practice to a view of reading as ideological practice. Pedagogically, a view of reading as ideological practice means placing emphasis on students' understanding of not only texts as constructed but also reading practices as constructed and contested. This also necessitates class discussions of why particular ways of reading have become the dominant and sometimes the only correct way of reading.
Writing Because I Want to, Not Because I Have to: Young Gifted Writers' Perspectives on the Factors that &quot;Matter&quot; in Developing Expertise
Author: Garrett, Lynda
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Authors,Adolescents,Females,Gifted,Talent Development,Expertise,Writing Ability,Theories,Music,Self Motivation,Feedback (Response),Parent Influence,Teacher Influence

The study reported on here sought to better understand the development of writing talent from the perspectives of a group of gifted adolescent female writers. Recent shifts in how giftedness and talent are conceptualized has led to an increased focus on domain-specific abilities and the importance of understanding how specific talents can be identified and supported. Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) (see Gagne, 2000; 2003; 2007; 2008) distinguishes between gifts and talents. Gifts represent the potential for outstanding achievement, while talents are the manifestation of this potential. Of particular interest to teachers and parents are the conditions that are influential in gifts being realised as talents--what Gagne refers to as catalysts. The participants in this study were asked to reflect on the development of their interest and ability in writing over time. Emerging from their feedback were two categories of catalysts: the intrapersonal and the environmental. For this group of students, intrapersonal catalysts were more influential to the realisation of their writing talent than environmental catalysts. This intrinsic motivation to write, and from an early age, is consistent with studies of eminent adult writers. Parents and teachers featured as important environmental catalysts. The participants in this study valued the input and support of teachers, particularly during the early years of their schooling. However, as they moved through the school system, these students felt the nature of the curriculum, and assessment practices increasingly threatened their intrinsic motivation for writing and diminished the satisfaction gained from writing at school. An unexpected outcome of this research was the important influence of music on their current writing. (Contains 1 footnote.)
&quot;The Points, the Points, the Points&quot;: Exploring the Impact of Performance Oriented Education on the Espoused Values of Senior Cycle Poetry Teachers in Ireland
Author: Hennessy, Jennifer
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Poetry,Cognitive Development,Competency Based Education,English Teachers,Teaching Methods,Educational Trends

Teachers of English experience significant pressure in attempting to meet the requirements of the national examination system, while also seeking to uphold their own ideological and philosophical perspectives on the value of poetry. Drawing on a mixed method study into the teaching of poetry at post-primary level in Ireland conducted between 2007 and 2010, this paper examines current methodological trends in poetry pedagogy. The research identifies a marked imbalance in the prioritisation of pupil development, with many teachers privileging the cognitive development of pupils' poetic understanding over the affective. The paper also suggests limited attention to the interwoven dimensions of the affective and cognitive domains in the teaching of poetry at senior cycle level in Irish schools. This paper advocates the need to support teachers to develop an integrated pedagogy for teaching poetry in second-level schools, which engages both the critical and the creative in a meaningful manner. (Contains 1 table.)
Equity and Access through Literacy Development and Instruction: The Use of Critical Text to Transform Student Writing and Identity within a Research Seminar
Author: Tate, Stacie
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Literary Criticism,Reader Text Relationship,Seminars,Teacher Expectations of Students,Identification (Psychology),Praxis,Urban Education,Summer Programs,Higher Education,Self Concept,Disadvantaged

Building on the work developed by Morrell (2003) on critical textual production, this paper provides a glimpse into a critical text produced by a student during a summer research seminar at a West Coast University. This paper highlights the process of critical textual production, the writing that resulted from this method and how a critical literacy framework provided a way for students to create high-quality writing and subvert mainstream discourses in pursuit of illuminating the racial and social inequalities in their schools.
From Scarcity to Abundance: IT's Role in Achieving Quality-Assured Mass Higher Education
Author: Smith, Peter S.
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Educational Technology,Educational Quality,Quality Assurance,Access to Education,Barriers,Labor Market,Computer Uses in Education,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Matrices

The United States is in a bind. On the one hand, it needs millions of additional citizens with at least one year of successful post-secondary experience to adapt to the knowledge economy. The Gates and Lumina Foundations, as well as President Obama have championed this goal in different ways. On the other hand, it has a post-secondary system that is trapped between rising costs, falling appropriations, and stagnant effectiveness, seemingly unable to respond effectively to this challenge. This paper analyzes several aspects of this problem, describes changes in the society that create the basis for solutions, and offers several examples from Kaplan University of emerging practices that suggest what good practice might look like in a world where quality-assured mass higher education is the norm. (Contains 4 figures.)
Online Teacher Education: Exploring the Impact of a Reading and Literacy Program on Student Learning
Author: Weschke, Barbara
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Achievement,Online Courses,Program Effectiveness,Literacy Education,Teaching Experience,Instructional Effectiveness,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Elementary Schools,Urban Schools,Public Schools,Observation,Teacher Influence,Program Evaluation,Faculty Development,Educational Technology

This study presents findings from an investigation of the impact of teachers who graduated from a fully online master's degree program with training in pedagogy and a content-specialization in elementary reading and literacy (oERL) on reading achievement in a large urban public school system in the northwestern United States. The research team used a non-equivalent group design and matched pairs of teachers based on degree, grade-level taught, and teaching experience to construct the study on three years of student and teacher data. The study consisted of 70 teachers and 3,828 student observations. Hierarchical linear modeling was employed to understand the teachers' effects on student learning over time. Results indicate there was a significant positive effect of the oERL on student achievement. Broadly, this study is an example of a serious attempt to ascertain the impact of a high demand and fully online program on the community where graduates are employed. More narrowly, these results support the view that a fully online program aimed at training teachers can provide opportunities for those teachers to obtain the pedagogical content knowledge that can positively influence instructional effectiveness. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)
An Exploration of Differences between Community of Inquiry Indicators in Low and High Disenrollment Online Courses
Author: Ice, Phil
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Online Courses,Electronic Learning,Dropouts,School Holding Power,Learner Engagement,College Students,Satisfaction,Student Attitudes,Predictor Variables

Though online enrollments continue to accelerate at a rapid pace, there is significant concern over student retention. With drop rates significantly higher than in face-to-face classes it is imperative that online providers develop an understanding of factors that lead students to disenroll. This study utilizes a data mining approach to examine course-level disenrollment through the lens of student satisfaction with the projection of Teaching, Social and Cognitive Presence. In comparing the highest and lowest disenrollment quartiles of all courses at American Public University the value of effective Instructional Design and Organization, and initiation of the Triggering Event phase of Cognitive Presence were found to be significant predictors of student satisfaction in the lowest disenrollment quartile. For the highest disenrollment quartile, the lack of follow-through vis-a-vis Facilitation of Discourse and Cognitive Integration were found to be negative predictors of student satisfaction. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)
Using Text Mining to Characterize Online Discussion Facilitation
Author: Ming, Norma
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Mediated Communication,Semantics,Asynchronous Communication,Discourse Analysis,Data Processing,Pattern Recognition,Visualization,Bibliometrics,College Science,Online Courses

Facilitating class discussions effectively is a critical yet challenging component of instruction, particularly in online environments where student and faculty interaction is limited. Our goals in this research were to identify facilitation strategies that encourage productive discussion, and to explore text mining techniques that can help discover meaningful patterns in the discussions more efficiently at scale. Based on a close reading of selected discussion threads from online undergraduate science classes, we observed a variety of facilitation strategies associated with discussion quality. These observations informed our selection of a larger dataset of discussion threads to analyze via text mining techniques. Using latent semantic analysis to produce topic models of the content of the discussions, we constructed visualizations of the topical and temporal development of those discussions among students and faculty. These visualizations revealed patterns that appeared to correspond with specific facilitation styles and with the extent to which discussions remained focused on particular topics. From a case study focusing on six of these discussions, we documented distinct patterns in the types of facilitation strategies employed and the character of the discussions that followed. In our conclusion, we discuss potential applications of these analytical techniques for helping students, faculty, and faculty developers become more aware of their participation and influence in online discussions, thereby improving their value as a learning environment. (Contains 4 tables and 19 figures.)
Assessment of Individual Student Performance in Online Team Projects
Author: Alden, Jay
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Program Effectiveness,Grading,Teamwork,Cooperative Learning,Educational Technology,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Comparative Analysis,Graduate Students,College Students,College Faculty,Portfolio Assessment,Peer Evaluation,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes

The use of team projects has been shown to be beneficial in higher education. There is also general agreement that team efforts should be assessed and that the grading ought to represent both (1) the quality of the product developed jointly by the team, as well as (2) the degree of participation and quality of contribution by each individual student involved in the group process. The latter grading requirement has posed a challenge to faculty, so the question addressed in this paper is, "How should individual team members in online courses be assessed for the extent and quality of their contributions to the group project?" To answer this question, four common team member evaluation practices were reviewed and compared to seven criteria representing positive attributes of an assessment practice in an online learning environment. Whereas the "Peer Assessment" practice received the greatest support in the literature in face-to-face courses, this study considered the perceptions of graduate faculty and students and recommended the "Faculty Review" practice as the default assessment practice in online courses because of its overall cost-effectiveness in this learning environment. (Contains 8 tables.)
Leader Challenge: What Would You Do?
Author: Miller, Chris
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership Training,Military Personnel,Computer Uses in Education,Computer Simulation,Web Based Instruction,Experiential Learning,Communities of Practice,Self Efficacy,Student Attitudes,Program Effectiveness

Given the complex environment in which the U.S. military operates, leaders at all levels must be prepared for a force that is more responsive to regional combatant commanders needs, better employs joint capabilities, facilitates force packaging and rapid deployment, and fights self contained units in non-linear, non-contiguous battle space. This project's goal is to provide computer-mediated environments for learning from simulated leadership challenges within the discussion space of professional forums. The primary tool used in the project is the Simulated Cognitive Leadership Challenge, "Leader Challenge," a platform where Soldiers can construct solutions to various scenarios presented to them by their peers and/or predecessors. The U.S. Army's web-based peer-to-peer professional forums provide a good avenue to explore multi-modal, distributed, asynchronous education to troops deployed in a combat environment. These forums provide a collaborative learning environment where the "field" Army and the institutional Army education system (the "schoolhouse") can overlap in a distributed and powerful manner. These professional forums (namely the PlatoonLeader and CompanyCommand forums) employ a variety of techniques to foster connections, content, and conversation--all with the goal of improving member effectiveness and advancing the practice. The particular intervention discussed herein is a cognitive constructive simulation based on dialogue interviews. Currently, over 3200 participants have provided data. Overall, participants found the Leader Challenges engaging and worthwhile. Participants reflect learning through an increase in response quality from pre-test to post-test. Participants also report increased perceptions of self-efficacy from initial engagement in the Leader Challenge modules to the exit surveys. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)
How Online Faculty Improve Student Learning Productivity
Author: Meyer, Katrina A.
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Online Courses,Learning Strategies,Experiential Learning,Productivity,College Faculty,Tenure,Interviews,Teacher Role,Interaction,Teacher Student Relationship,Student Role,Group Activities,Relevance (Education),Time Factors (Learning),Educational Technology

Ten experienced online faculty were interviewed to elicit examples of how they improved student learning productivity in their online courses. The ten faculty represented nine different states, 13 different fields or disciplines, and all were tenured or tenure-track at master's or doctoral level higher education institutions. Based on a thematic analysis of the examples given, improvement in student learning occurred by 1) increasing student access to content, 2) changing the role of faculty (which had two parts: increasing access to and changing faculty roles), 3) increasing interaction with students, 4) emphasizing student effort (including use of experiential learning, group work, learning to learn, and feedback), 5) connecting to the "real world," and 6) focusing on time. These findings suggest that faculty can and do find ways to use different tools in different ways to improve student learning productivity.