C.J.M. Suhre

Solving Physics Problems with the Help of Computer – assisted Instruction.

The main goal of most physics textbooks is to develop declarative and procedural knowledge. Exercises provide pupils with opportunities to apply this knowledge. However, when confronted with more complicated exercises many pupils experience difficulties in solving them. A computer program about the subject of forces was developed containing hints for the various different episodes of problem‐solving. A study was undertaken with a group taking part in the experiment (n = 11) who used both their textbook and the computer program, and a control group (n = 25) who used their textbook only. There was evidence to show that the pupils from the group taking part in the experiment did achieve higher results in solving problems. Exploration and planning were improved but evaluation was not. It appeared that pupils involved in the experiment made better use of their declarative knowledge in solving problems than pupils from the control group.

Improving mathematical problem solving : A computerized approach

Mathematics teachers often experience difficulties in teaching students to become skilled problem solvers. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of two interactive computer programs for high school mathematics problem solving. Both programs present students with problems accompanied by instruction on domain-specific knowledge required in different episodes of problem solving. The first program is based on a direct instructional approach to learning, the second on a constructivist view of learning. The latter approach is expected to be particularly beneficial to weak students. The effectiveness of both computer programs was evaluated by means of an experiment. Four classes worked with the constructivist based computer program, and four worked with the direct instructional program. Five classes that had received traditional mathematics education served as the control group. The computer programs were used in three periods of two consecutive weeks each. The results show that both computer programs improved problem-solving ability more strongly than had traditional mathematics instruction. Contrary to our expectations, both weak and skilled students benefited equally from both computer programs. Specifically, the programs helped the students to improve the quality of their analysis and verification skills during problem solving.

Predicting undergraduates' academic achievement: the role of the curriculum, time investment and self-regulated learning

The time students invest in their studies and their resulting achievement is partly dependent on curriculum characteristics. Degree programmes differ greatly with respect to how the curriculum is organized, for example in the type (e.g. lectures, practicals) and the number of classes. The focus of this study is on the relationships between curriculum characteristics, self-regulated learning, time investment and achievement. Structural equation modelling was used to study the relations between these variables in a sample of 200 bachelor degree students in four degree programmes. Results show separate positive effects of the number of scheduled classes and class attendance on academic achievement. At the same time, more scheduled lectures and practicals lead to lower class attendance and time spent on self-study. Self-discipline and motivation predict achievement indirectly through class attendance.

The effect of the timing of instructional support in a computer-supported problem-solving program for students in secondary physics education

Many students experience difficulties in solving applied physics problems. Researchers claim that the development of strategic knowledge (analyze, explore, plan, implement, verify) is just as necessary for solving problems as the development of content knowledge. In order to improve these problem-solving skills, it might be profitable to know at what time during problem solving is the use of instructional support most effective: before, during or after problem solving. In an experiment with fifth-year secondary school students, one experimental group (n=18) received hints during and worked examples after problem solving, and another experimental group (n=18) received worked examples only after problem solving. Both groups used versions of a computer program to solve a variety of problems. The control group (n=23) used a textbook. There was a pre-test to estimate the measure of prior expertise of the students in solving physics problems. The results of a problem-solving post-test indicated that the version of the program providing hints during and examples after problem solving was the most effective, followed by the version which only supplied examples afterwards. There was no difference in effect for students with more than average prior knowledge or less prior knowledge.

Assessing the Opportunity to Learn Mathematics

Research on education often faces the problem of measurement of the opportunity to learn. This is also the case with mathematics education. Researchers may choose either a retrospective measurement approach (e.g., a questionnaire) or an immediate recording approach (e.g., logbooks). In the present study, the accuracy, reliability, and predictive validity of a logbook procedure is assessed. The results show that the use of logbooks leads to reliable measurement of opportunity to learn variables. The variables measured by logbooks also appear to be good predictors of learning progress.

Defining and Observing Modeling and Simulation in Informatics

Computational Thinking (CT) is gaining a lot of attention in education. In this study we focus on the CT aspect modeling and simulation. We conducted a case study analyzing the projects of 12th grade high school informatics students in which they made models and ran simulations of phenomena from other disciplines. We constructed an analytic framework based on literature about modeling and analyzed students’ project documentation, recordings of student groups at work and during presentations, survey results and interviews with individual students. We examined how to discern the elements of our framework in the students’ work. Moreover, we determined which data sources are suitable for observing students’ learning. Finally, we investigated what difficulties students encounter while working on modeling and simulation projects. Our findings result in an operational definition of modeling and simulation, and provide input for future development of both assessment instruments and instructional strategies.

The impact of peer collaboration on teachers’ practical knowledge

Due to changes in Dutch mathematics education, teachers are expected to use new teaching methods such as enquiry-based teaching. In this study, we investigate how teachers design, implement and evaluate new methods for statistics teaching for 7th-graders during a professional development trajectory based on peer collaboration. We monitored teachers’ development in a network of four mathematics teachers from the same school. By using a mixed-methods approach in which we combined data from interviews, concept maps and classroom observations, we describe changes in teachers’ practical knowledge. We found how the nature of these changes highly depends on teachers’ personal concerns that emerge during the trajectory. Some teachers considered their concerns as challenges stimulating their learning, while other teachers experienced their concerns as a reason to fall back to previous teaching methods. Based on our results, we give some recommendations for organising teacher networks.

Investigating Informatics Teachers’ Initial Pedagogical Content Knowledge on Modeling and Simulation

Computational science, comprised of modeling and simulation, is a new theme in the new 2019 Dutch secondary education informatics curriculum. To investigate the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) on modeling and simulation, we interviewed ten informatics teachers and analyzed their PCK, distinguishing its four elements - knowledge of goals and objectives, students’ understanding, instructional strategies and assessment - and investigated potential differential features of their PCK in order to typify teachers’ individual PCK. We charted the teachers’ PCK in terms of these four elements and found differential features related to knowledge of goals and objectives and related to knowledge of assessment, dividing these teachers into four distinct groups. However, these differential features do not lead to distinct types of PCK. Our findings will be used to explore the future development of teachers’ PCK and they will contribute to the development of teaching materials, assessment instruments and teacher training courses on modeling.

Testing the effectiveness of classroom formative assessment in Dutch primary mathematics education

ABSTRACT Classroom formative assessment (CFA) is considered to be a fundamental part of effective teaching, as it is presumed to enhance student performance. However, there is only limited empirical evidence to support this notion. In this effect study, a quasi-experiment was conducted to compare 2 conditions. In the treatment condition, 17 teachers implemented a CFA model containing both daily and weekly goal-directed instruction, assessment, and immediate instructional feedback for students who needed additional support. In the control condition, 17 teachers implemented a modification to their usual practice. They assessed their students’ mastery of learning goals on the basis of half-yearly mathematics tests, and prepared weekly pre-teaching sessions for groups of low-achieving students. The posttests showed no significant differences in student performance between the 2 conditions after controlling for student and teacher characteristics. The degree of implementation of the CFA model, however, appeared to be positively related to the 5th-grade students’ performance.

Memorisation methods in science education: tactics to improve the teaching and learning practice

ABSTRACT How can science teachers support students in developing an appropriate declarative knowledge base for solving problems? This article focuses on the question whether the development of students’ memory of scientific propositions is better served by writing propositions down on paper or by making drawings of propositions either by silent or muttering rehearsal. By means of a memorisation experiment with eighth- and ninth-grade students, we answer this question. In this experiment, students received instruction to memorise nine science propositions and to reproduce them afterwards. To support memorisation students were randomly assigned either to a group that received instruction to write each proposition on paper or to a group that received instruction to make a drawing about the content of the proposition. In addition, half of the students in both groups received instruction to mutter and the other half of them received instruction to write or draw in silence. The main conclusion from the experiment is that after four weeks students who had made a drawing remembered significantly more propositions than those who had memorised the propositions by writing them down. Our research further revealed that it did not matter whether students muttered or memorised silently.