Masitah Shahrill

Smartphones usage in the classrooms: Learning aid or interference?

Many educational institutions, especially higher education institutions, are considering to embrace smartphones as part of learning aids in classes as most students (in many cases all students) not only own them but also are also attached to them. The main question is whether embracing smartphones in classroom teaching enhances the learning or perhaps an interference. This paper presents the finding of our study on embracing smartphone in classroom teaching. The study was carried out through a survey and interview/discussion with a focus group of students. We found that they use their smartphones to access teaching materials or supporting information, which are normally accessible through the Internet. Students use smartphones as learning aids due many reasons such as they provide convenience, portability, comprehensive learning experiences, multi sources and multitasks, and environmentally friendly. They also use smartphones to interact with teachers outside classes and using smartphones to manage their group assignments. However, integrating smartphones in a classroom-teaching environment is a challenging task. Lecturers may need to incorporate smartphones in teaching and learning to create attractive teaching and optimum interaction with students in classes while mitigating or at least minimising distractions that can be created. Some of the challenges are distraction, dependency, lacking hands on skills, and the reduce quality of face-to-face interaction. To avoid any disturbances in using smartphones within a classroom environment, proper rules of using smartphones in class should be established before teaching, and students need to abide to these rules.

Coping Behavior of International Late Adolescent Students in Selected Australian Educational Institutions

Using the Adolescent Coping Scale, ACS (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993) we surveyed 45 randomly selected foreign adolescents in Australian schools. The coping strategies used most by the participants were: focus on solving the problem; seeking relaxing diversions; focusing on the positive; seeking social support; worry; seeking to belong; investing in close friends; wishful thinking; and keep to self (Table 4). With regard to coping styles, the most widely used was the productive coping followed by non-productive coping while the least used style was reference to others (Table 4). In terms of both genders the four coping strategies used most often were: work hard to achieve; seeking relaxing diversions; focus on solving the problem; and focus on the positive (Table 5). The most noticeable gender difference was the use of the physical recreation coping strategy in which male students engaged more (Fig 1). The usage of four coping strategies (solving problem; work hard; focus on positive; and social support) was higher for students who have been away from family more than once as compared to those who have been away once only while the usage of seeking relaxing diversions was higher for the first timers (Table 6). No significant differences were obtained on the sample’s performance on the ACS subscales by gender (Table 7), frequency of leaving own country (Table 8), country of origin (Table 9), and length of stay in Australia (Table 11). However, foundation students scored significantly higher on the reference to others variable than their secondary school peers (Table 10). We recommended counseling for students with high support needs and further large-scale mixed-methods research to gain additional insights.

How and what teachers learn from collaborative professional development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a study of teacher learning through participation in sustained collaborative subject-based professional development groups supported by a facilitator, using a model of teachers’ conceptions of teaching developed from phenomenography to identify what are the critical features of teaching that must be present if teachers are to learn, and using a variation theory of learning to explain how they learn. Design/methodology/approach The groups engaged in cycles of lesson study action research to improve the learning outcomes of their students. The authors intended to engage the teachers in an exploration of their own and their students’ experiences to understand the relationship between the enactment of the research lesson(s) and the educational outcome. The authors collected over 157 hours of video recorded teachers’ meetings involving 15 groups, 47 hours of follow-up interviews and 97 hours of lessons. In this paper the authors report on the progress of one of those groups. The authors analysed the transcripts to see what, if any, dimensions of variation were opened in discussion, affording the opportunity for learning. The authors sought the simultaneous juxtaposition, the bringing together, of threads that have entered the discussion that have the potential to open dimensions of variation – to add critical features to the “what” and “how” dimensions of teaching. Findings The authors identified necessary conditions for teacher learning through collaborative subject-based professional development groups. Any member of the group might bring this about. The facilitator or coach might be expected to perform this role in the group, and to sustain the group’s attention on the critical features of the object of learning. Practical implications The paper provides valuable insights into strategies to change teacher perspectives from a transmission oriented to a construction oriented view of teaching in the face of new and challenging curriculum demands. Originality/value In the work reported here the authors have used variation theory to design lesson study. This is rather different from a learning study where the teachers engaged in the study use variation theory to design their research lesson(s). It is a learning study of teachers’ professional development.

Coping and Help-Seeking Strategies Used by Students on the Intensive Foundation Program at the University of Brunei Darussalam:

Human resource development is one of the major goals of Brunei’s current development plan to be achieved under Wawasan 2035 policy. The University of Brunei Darussalam’s foundation program aims to increase students’ access to higher education among disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. The present field survey investigated how the coping strategies and help-seeking behaviors of 146 (103 females and 43 males) Brunei foundation students would assist. Participants from government secondary schools scored significantly higher on the productive coping and reference to others coping styles than peers from private schools. Main effective predictors of achievement included productive coping, referencing to others, and using resources (library, Internet, peers, lecturers, and self-efficacy). Two-way interactions of the male gender with the library, Internet, lecturers, peers, and self-efficacy would help improve men’s achievement. The interaction of Internet and nonproductive coping also predicted achievement. Interventions for vulnerable and at-risk students were recommended to increase the success rate.

Processes involved in solving mathematical problems

This study examines one of the instructional practices features utilized within the Year 8 mathematics lessons in Brunei Darussalam. The codes from the TIMSS 1999 Video Study were applied and strictly followed, and from the 183 mathematics problems recorded, there were 95 problems with a solution presented during the public segments of the video-recorded lesson sequences of the four sampled teachers. The analyses involved firstly, identifying the processes related to mathematical problem statements, and secondly, examining the different processes used in solving the mathematical problems for each problem publicly completed during the lessons. The findings revealed that for three of the teachers, their problem statements coded as ‘using procedures’ ranged from 64% to 83%, while the remaining teacher had 40% of his problem statements coded as ‘making connections.’ The processes used when solving the problems were mainly ‘using procedures’, and none of the problems were coded as ‘giving results only’. Furthermore, all four teachers made use of making the relevant connections in solving the problems given to their respective students.This study examines one of the instructional practices features utilized within the Year 8 mathematics lessons in Brunei Darussalam. The codes from the TIMSS 1999 Video Study were applied and strictly followed, and from the 183 mathematics problems recorded, there were 95 problems with a solution presented during the public segments of the video-recorded lesson sequences of the four sampled teachers. The analyses involved firstly, identifying the processes related to mathematical problem statements, and secondly, examining the different processes used in solving the mathematical problems for each problem publicly completed during the lessons. The findings revealed that for three of the teachers, their problem statements coded as ‘using procedures’ ranged from 64% to 83%, while the remaining teacher had 40% of his problem statements coded as ‘making connections.’ The processes used when solving the problems were mainly ‘using procedures’, and none of the problems were coded as ‘giving results only’. Furthe...

Teaching problem solving using non-routine tasks

Non-routine problems are related to real-life context and require some realistic considerations and real-world knowledge in order to resolve them. This study examines several activity tasks incorporated with non-routine problems through the use of an emerging mathematics framework, at two junior colleges in Brunei Darussalam. The three sampled teachers in this study assisted in selecting the topics and the lesson plan designs. They also recommended the development of the four activity tasks: incorporating the use of technology; simulation of a reality television show; designing real-life sized car park spaces for the school; and a classroom activity to design a real-life sized dustpan. Data collected from all four of the activity tasks were analyzed based on the students’ group work. The findings revealed that the most effective activity task in teaching problem solving was to design a real-life sized car park. This was because the use of real data gave students the opportunity to explore, gather information and give or receive feedback on the effect of their reasons and proposed solutions. The second most effective activity task was incorporating the use of technology as it enhanced the students’ understanding of the concepts learnt in the classroom. This was followed by the classroom activity that used real data as it allowed students to work and assess the results mathematically. The simulation of a television show was found to be the least effective since it was viewed as not sufficiently challenging to the students.Non-routine problems are related to real-life context and require some realistic considerations and real-world knowledge in order to resolve them. This study examines several activity tasks incorporated with non-routine problems through the use of an emerging mathematics framework, at two junior colleges in Brunei Darussalam. The three sampled teachers in this study assisted in selecting the topics and the lesson plan designs. They also recommended the development of the four activity tasks: incorporating the use of technology; simulation of a reality television show; designing real-life sized car park spaces for the school; and a classroom activity to design a real-life sized dustpan. Data collected from all four of the activity tasks were analyzed based on the students’ group work. The findings revealed that the most effective activity task in teaching problem solving was to design a real-life sized car park. This was because the use of real data gave students the opportunity to explore, gather informat...

Teachers’ Devotion to Review Lessons: Insights to the Mathematics Lessons in Brunei Darussalam

The aim of this study is to examine to what extent are the mathematics lessons of four teachers in Brunei Darussalam were dedicated to reviews. In total, 20 video-recorded lessons were collected and coded following the definitions provided by the TIMSS 1999 Video Study. The results indicated that 40% of the lessons were devoted entirely on review with 25% belonging to one teacher in particular. From the interview analysis, one of the key issues that emerged was the pressure of examinations in Brunei that led to the profound emphases on the pace of teaching placed by three teachers in relation to their review lessons. There exists a culture in Brunei where every teacher is obliged to do a lot of preparatory work before the examinations. However, there is also a possibility that the type of instruction that seems characteristic of the majority of the four Brunei classrooms may be a defensible, viable, and effective local solution to the problem on how to maximise test or examination performance. Importantly, this style of teaching may just be in harmony with the school culture.

Examing the prospective of implementing passive house standards in providing sustainable schools

This study examines the potential of implementing the passive house standards to reduce energy consumption on school buildings in Brunei. Furthermore, it investigates whether sustainable school buildings make business sense to the government. To do this, conventional and Passive House primary school buildings are compared in terms of their performances using the Passive House Planning Package as well as the Ecotect environmental analysis tool. The findings indicated that by replacing lower U-values building fabrics brought a significantly reduction in the cooling demand of 54%. Whereas, Ecotect models have demonstrated that the heating and cooling loads have tremendously reduced to 75% by reorienting the location of the building to south elevation and by replacing the building fabrics with a lower U-values. These findings were then evaluated with a cost benefit analysis that proved to save cost energy annually from air-conditioning usage from a typical primary school with eight years of pay back period.This study examines the potential of implementing the passive house standards to reduce energy consumption on school buildings in Brunei. Furthermore, it investigates whether sustainable school buildings make business sense to the government. To do this, conventional and Passive House primary school buildings are compared in terms of their performances using the Passive House Planning Package as well as the Ecotect environmental analysis tool. The findings indicated that by replacing lower U-values building fabrics brought a significantly reduction in the cooling demand of 54%. Whereas, Ecotect models have demonstrated that the heating and cooling loads have tremendously reduced to 75% by reorienting the location of the building to south elevation and by replacing the building fabrics with a lower U-values. These findings were then evaluated with a cost benefit analysis that proved to save cost energy annually from air-conditioning usage from a typical primary school with eight years of pay back period.