Education as a Strategy for Sustainability in the 21st Century: Teachers as Creators of Educational Change
Education; Sustainability; Teaching practice; Social transitions
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Education; Sustainability; Teaching practice; Social transitions
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Reforming actions after the political change in 1989 brought new interpretations of work to the firststage of education and changes in the existing qualifications of teachers working in grades I–III ofspecial schools. The read standards of work from the field of documents from the Ministry of Educationstand in opposition to the expanse of positions expressed by scientific circles, while the firstones imprint their explicit stigma on the teacher conceptualizations of work in the first educationalstage. The concept of work in classes I–III, developed on the basis of special pedagogy, despite thefact that the reformed school did not question its basic assumptions, is no longer an axis of thoughtin working with pupils with disabilities.
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Are hopes pinned on mixed-age grouping in preschool and elementary school substantiated by scientificdata? The answer was looked for in TIMSS 2015 research in Poland. It was carried on inthe middle of the reform of school entry age which lowered it from seven to six year of life. In thecountry representative sample of fourth-graders 17.8 percent of pupils entered school at the age ofsix. In 254 classrooms the dispersion of age varied from 0.20 to 0.65 years and was greater than inTIMSS 2011 (0.15–0.40). The analysis of achievement in mathematics and science was performedby means of hierarchical linear models with the control of pupils’ gender, age, initial skills, andSES, as well as school’s location and class size. The achievement in mathematics was correlatedsignificantly negative with the dispersion of age in the class. The younger pupils scored the highestin mathematics and science in classes with moderate dispersion. The results do not support a beliefthat mixed-age grouping is beneficial to academic achievement.
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The purpose of this study is to analyze early childhood teacher preparation and investigate the factorsthat motivated individuals to become early childhood teachers and that have kept them in theprofession. This study reports the results of an online survey investigating motives of staying orleaving the early childhood profession. The results of this inquiry point to factors that influencedtheir choice, taking into consideration their professional preparation. Advice for new early childhoodeducators just entering the profession is also provided.
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The article constitutes an attempt to present a typology of reflection concerning working with students,which was constructed due to the work with an empirical data. The main aim of this paperwas to provide answers to questions of in what way and with reference to what the early educationteachers taking part in the research made a reflection concerning working with students. There wasimplied a specific research way, whose construction and participation in provided an opportunityto recreate this typology. Theoretical and methodological solutions (and their value for the project)used in the research process were highlighted. In addition, the article comprises the role which maybe played in the educational practice – especially with reference to the work with teachers (-to-be)– by the typology documented in the data.
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The aim of this article is to diagnose the symptoms of disorders and functioning of children at riskand traumatic development in the Polish educational system, as well as to identify possible legislativesolutions related to appropriate educational and therapeutic activities and to safeguard theeducational rights of these children. In educational law, there are legal solutions that provide theopportunity to organize for a child with more favorable conditions in the education system based onthe value of educational equality.
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The article presents the construct of the teacher’s educational philosophy in relation to thinkingabout the child and the student. The analysis of different ways regarding teacher’s thinking about hisown decisions and actions towards the child reveals the sources and the ways of creating a personaleducational philosophy. Individual beliefs about the students, nature of their development, theirminds, their knowledge and learning processes can contribute to the continuous reflection and crystallizationof TEP. In the following text the attention was also paid on possible teacher’s pedagogiesthat may arise from the mentioned reflection.
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This article attempts to answer the question: what role does the process of early childhood educationand care play in reducing the effects of poverty among children? The main argument of thearticle states that education (started as early and lasting as long as possible) is the only chance tolimit the negative consequences of poverty, as well as to overcome the intergenerational transmissionof poverty and social exclusion. Relying on the results of foreign (mostly American) surveys,it has been proven that good quality early childhood education and care is beneficial for childrenliving in poverty, as well as for society as a whole. It positively influences the social and emotionaldevelopment of children, their language skills and school achievements. Children who benefitedfrom institutions / programmes for early childhood education and care, in adulthood do better in thelabour market, have higher earnings and are less likely to seek stimulants. Society bears lower costsof special education, anti-social behaviour, criminal proceedings, social welfare and health of youngpeople and adults.
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Prior to the nineteenth century, literature aimed particularly at children did not exist. Only romanticismsaw the great potential that the engagement with the topic of childhood offered. In PolandStanislaw Jachowicz – Polish storyteller, educator and charity activist-achieved s significant successesin this field. In this article, the author presents Jachowicz’s work from two perspectives.By conducting a nineteenth century and a contemporary reading of his narrations, she examinesthe possible contexts of reading Jachowicz’s didactic literature, concentrating primarily on hisfairy tales. Although, from the point of view of contemporary pedagogy, Jachowicz’s educationalmethods are outdated and inadequate to give guidance on the realities that the children of todayface, one can find universal elements in the writer’s work, for example, respect for another person,work, money or empathy. The modern reader is invited to gain a better understanding of therealities of the nineteenth century family and confront these insights with the challenges and thehopes of the present day.
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Conditions stimulating an independent creation and formulation of regularities require particularcognitive scenarios. In the early grades, students have the opportunity to develop this all-compassingintellectual ability mostly due to the specially designed educational and explorative conditions. Thepaper is an attempt to present a common understanding of mathematical analysis done by the studentsin the early grades and offers an alternative way of perceiving sush inquiries during the class.
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Textbooks have become a source of assistance that settled for good into Polish education landscape,a measure without which many adults cannot imagine the school reality. At the same time, the lackof the comprehensive studies on education packs is noticeable. What is more, the voice of children inPoland is marginalized or completely ignored, as opposed to the Western countries. The perspectiveof the youngest participants of the education process, who are the direct recipients of the textbookoffer and are critical and thoughtful, is very rarely taken into account. Whereas their opinions maybe a source of very powerful changes in education.This article presents my own research results. The topic of undertaken study was the analysis ofthe most popular education packs for classes 1–3. The gathered data was enriched with third-gradestudents’ opinions about the tasks from the education packs and a description of their experiencesrelated to the usage of those textbooks in school.The study was conducted with a qualitative approach. As the study techniques, a documentaryanalysis and focus interviews (enriched with textbook tasks designed by children) were used. Asresulting from the study, the textbook discourse is not a children’s discourse. Authors of these textbookstend to forget about the real needs and capabilities of children. Students appeal for taking intoaccount their high potential and putting into the textbooks subjects and tasks fitted to their developmentlevel, allowing them to take creative and divergent actions.
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The following publication is an attempt to describe observed reality, especially in terms of conditionsprovided for play. This article is the result of author’s research visit at the City of Berkeley’sMarina Adventure Playground. During the visit the author had the opportunity to attend the uniqueand dynamic play environment of adventure playground in Berkeley Marina that enables its usersto saw, hammer, build forts, play with water and fire. At the same time the it was designed in theway that encourages to play not only children’s but also adults. The presented content includes: theconcept of playground in Berkley, its the design of space and play equipment, its policy and role ofplay leaders. The research methodology included qualitative procedure. Qualitative analysis, ethnographicobservation and qualitative research interview has been used.
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The presented paper is a result of theoretical research on the everyday reality of education, interpreted as a symbolic space. The reflection has been set in the perspective of interpretative paradigm and refers to the relation between pedagogical theory and practice that is especially important for the understanding of the social and cultural reality including the everyday reality of education. This concept is understood here as a space whose properties are the source of activities undertaken by people that function in it as well as a unique phenomenon the nature of which is manifested in human thoughts and actions. As such, it is a source of multiple experiences set in various contexts of human activity, also in different perspectives on pedagogical activity. The category of everyday relity, comprehended in this way, has particular interpretative power that is especially significant for gathering knowledge about the world of everyday life (including the reality of education) and for the implementation of research, both inter- and transdisciplinary, related to this space.
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As adult learners return to school in record numbers, online (distance) learning has become a prevalent staple of academia. Accordingly, how best to facilitate and ensure successful "e-learning" experiences is the focus of much debate. Utilization of constructivist learning models often enables this education process. However, constructivist doctrine and the realities of learning in adulthood present ostensible juxtaposition regarding student-teacher precedence in the "classroom". While students are fundamentally the center of both constructivism and online learning, the onus lies with the teacher to provide students with an environment in which to flourish. This article examines the basic concepts of constructivist and social constructivist learning, highlights their relative andragogical similarities and influences, and underscores the critical role of a teacher in an online social constructivist setting.
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According to many reports, skills of higher education graduates are inadequate to the needs of employers, especially in the area of soft skills. At the same time many lecturers observe problems in communication with students, their low participation in classes and projects and as a result low quality of teaching. In the article author presents a project "Soft skills in the centre of attention" which was an attempt to adjust the curriculum to the requirements of the labour market. The project was carried out at Łazarski University from the academic year 2013/2014 and it has been changed a lot during this time. The changes enabled better adjustment of the formula to students' potentials and an increase of awareness of the importance of soft skills among academic staff and students. In the academic year 2016/2017 project course included two semesters of classes in the first year of studies, regardless of the field of study. The first semester is mainly aimed at integration od students, teamwork and improving language skills of foreign students and the second at creating the personal brand and building up one's portfolio of achievements and describing it in CV. Students also learn how to search databases, make notes, create mind maps and discover the methods of effective learning and memorizing. The projects characteristics presented in this article may serve as a collection of clues for other universities that are looking for similar solutions.
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Access to video authoring tools has transformed many classrooms, from K-12 to higher education. The concept of flipped learning is one result of this. Much of flipped learning focuses on changes to the lecture component of a course. This paper applies similar concepts to classroom oral presentations. Classroom presentations have long been a valuable tool for encouraging students to engage in deeper learning, as well as practicing disciplinary language skills. Building on reports from other faculty who have used student-authored videos in classes where each student was required to have an iPad, a set of assignments was created. Reflections and attitudes of students relating to the assignment and their own learning were collected through class surveys. The survey results and instructor reflection on improving the assignment is discussed.
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The article looks at three pedagogical solutions - blended tutoring, online intercultural exchanges and the flipped classroom - which capitalize on the symbiosis between pedagogy and new technologies. Each of the three proposals stems from a belief that university education should be dialogic and result in meaning construction rather than content transmission.There is a common scheme in which all three solutions are presented here. First, each proposal is accommodated with a certain theoretical outline. Then the pedagogical routines employed during its implementation are discussed. Each presentation cycle is closed with a description and analysis of a case study: the interaction between a tutor and a tutee in the case of blended tutoring; the course of a 2014 German-Polish telecollaboration for Online Intercultural Exchanges; and finally, the different aspects of a merger between the flipped university and the Design Thinking model.
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Background: Virtual scenarios are e-learning resources that present job-realistic situations, promote taking actions and provide learning via the consequences of decisions made. The WAVES project attempts to widen access to virtual scenarios for educators and learners.Aims: The aim of this paper is to present different facets of simplifying access to virtual scenarios that structure the developments in WAVES.Methods: The developments are driven by user needs and shaped by a technical reference group to follow current trends in information technologies. They also meet the constraints of the legacy code of two exemplary authoring systems (OpenLabyrinth and CASUS) and fit the limits of allocated time resources.Results: The paper characterizes eight tasks that address accessibility, usability and integration challenges related to virtual scenarios. These involve enhancements in such topics as internationalization, responsiveness, streamlining of workflows, just-in-time guidance, support in interaction and reflection, single sign-on security, learning analytics and microservices.Conclusions: The authors describe the features characteristic to scenario-based learning and outline development directions to improve access to virtual scenarios. The examples demonstrated using two authoring tools are intended to influence improvements in similar e-learning systems.
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This study examines the initiation, implementation, and ultimate elimination of the Global Campus Initiative at the University of Illinois. Using archival data and media reports, the authors examine the events surrounding the initiative through three classic organizational behavior lenses: a strategic design perspective, a political perspective, and a cultural perspective. These perspectives posit that the effectiveness of an organizational innovation depends on whether the strategy and organizational design fit the conditions of its environment; whether internal and external stakeholders believe it is in their interests to adopt the innovation; and whether the innovation can be incorporated into the cultural norms and values of the organization. The data indicates that there was insufficient attention paid to all three areas, which led to the ultimate disbanding of the effort. The outcome of the Global Campus Initiative suggests that organizations seeking to innovate should first address the strategic, political, and cultural forces that may pose a challenge to successful implementation.
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One of the main challenges for online instructors involves developing relationships with students. Current research in student engagement has conceptualized this process according to four areas: skill engagement, interaction engagement, emotional engagement, and performance engagement. In an effort to be more focused and to highlight the relationship-building aspect of engagement, the work of Carl Rogers can be applied in these settings by emphasizing empathy, genuineness, and high regard. This study sought to examine the relationship between student engagement and these Rogerian characteristics. Students (n=185) completed an online survey that included the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire and the Barrett-Leonard Relationship Inventory. The results demonstrated that empathy and high regard were significantly correlated with all four engagement areas, and genuineness was significantly correlated with three: interaction, emotional, and performance engagement. As hypothesized, empathy and high regard exhibited the strongest relationships with interaction engagement and emotional engagement. These findings suggest that student engagement (interaction and emotional) does capture aspects of these relationship-building variables. It also suggests that more can be done to measure and implement empathy, genuineness, and high regard skills in online teaching for more effective instruction.
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