Challenges of teachers when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills

Sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills are essential as the skills can improve the ability to deal with various mathematical problems in daily life, increase the imagination, develop creativity, and develop an individual's comprehension skills. However, mastery of these skills among students is still unsatisfactory because students often find it difficult to understand mathematical problems in verse, are weak at planning the correct solution strategy, and often make mistakes in their calculations. This study was conducted to identify the challenges that mathematics teachers face when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills and the approaches used to address these challenges. This study was conducted qualitatively in the form of a case study. The data were collected through observations and interviews with two respondents who teach mathematics to year four students in a Chinese national primary school in Kuala Lumpur. This study shows that the teachers have faced three challenges, specifically low mastery skills among the students, insufficient teaching time, and a lack of ICT infrastructure. The teachers addressed these challenges with creativity and enthusiasm to diversify the teaching approaches to face the challenges and develop interest and skills as part of solving sentence-based mathematics problems among year four students. These findings allow mathematics teachers to understand the challenges faced while teaching sentence-based mathematics problem solving in depth as part of delivering quality education for every student. Nevertheless, further studies involving many respondents are needed to understand the problems and challenges of different situations and approaches that can be used when teaching sentence-based mathematics problem-solving skills.

Are Psychophysiological Wearables Suitable for Comparing Pedagogical Teaching Approaches?

This study describes how wearable devices can be used in elementary schools to compare some aspects of different teaching approaches. Upper arm wearables were used as an objective tool to compare three approaches when teaching science: (i) classical frontal teaching, (ii) embodied (kinesthetic) teaching, and (iii) a distance teaching approach. Using the wearables, the approaches were compared in terms of their impact on students' psychological arousal and perceived well-being. In addition, short-term and long-term knowledge gain and physiological synchronization between teacher and students during the lecture were assessed. A synchronization index was defined to estimate the degree of physiological synchronization. During distance teaching, by means of measurements with wearables, students were significantly less physically active and significantly less psychologically aroused. Embodied teaching allowed significantly higher physical activation than during the other two approaches. The synchronization index for all three teaching approaches was positive with the highest values for distance and frontal teaching. Moreover, knowledge gain immediately after the embodied lessons was higher than after frontal lessons. No significant differences in the long-term knowledge retention between the three different teaching methods were found. This pilot study proved that wearables are a useful tool in research in the field of education and have the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved in learning, even in complex environments such as an elementary school classroom.

Teaching Tip Using Play-Doh to Enhance the Perceived Learning of Veterinary Medicine

Teaching anatomy to veterinary students is challenging, and using two-dimensional (2D) representations may limit the opportunity for learners to make the connections required to fully appreciate the complex structures involved and the relationships between them. This research considered the implementation of three-dimensional (3D) modeling using Play-Doh with learners to consider whether they were able to make effective representations that may then support further learning. The evidence from teacher observations and student feedback suggests that, despite some initial hesitation surrounding the use of what some might perceive as a toy in the higher education classroom, the learners believed that the approach allowed improvement in terms of their understanding, knowledge retention and recall. They reported that the approach enabled greater visualization of the structures they were representing. For teachers, the approach has the advantage that the material is cheap, readily available, easily manipulated, can be reused, and needs no sophisticated technology.

The effects of simulation-based education on medical students' motivation

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of simulation-based education on medical students' motivation and to compare these effects with the motivational effects of a classical teaching approach (seminar).

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, motivational qualities of 164 3rd year medical students, who participated in four mandatory simulation-based training and two seminars of the department of anaesthesiology, were assessed. Comparative analysis was made to determine differences and changes of motivation towards participating in each teaching unit and each teaching format, using a one-way analysis of variance and unpaired t-tests.

RESULTS

The different motivational qualities, as well as the computed levels of autonomous and controlled motivation of students towards participating in each of the six teaching units and each teaching format did not differ significantly (F _{(5, 839)} = 0.66, p = 0.657; F _{(5, 839)} = 0.29, p = 0.920; (t ₍₈₄₃₎ = - 0.72, p = 0.471; t ₍₈₄₃₎ = -0.17, p = 0.868). Students` motivation, particularly autonomous motivation, did not enhance after participating in the first SBME, (t ₍₂₆₄₎ = 1.035, p = 0.301), after participating in the second SBME, (t ₍₂₅₄₎ = -0.055, p = 0.956), or after participating in the third training (t ₍₂₅₀₎ = -0.881, p = 0.379).

CONCLUSIONS

Simulation-based medical education provides a valuable teaching approach but, in this study, this teaching approach did not enhance nor stimulate student motivation. Therefore, simulation-based medical education equals classical teaching approaches regarding student motivation. Further investigations are needed to identify how simulation-based medical education could enhance medical students' motivation.

Exploring teachers' motivation to teach: A multisite study on the associations with the work climate, students' motivation, and teaching approaches

PURPOSE

Using Self-determination Theory, the purpose was to determine whether work climate, students' motivation, and teachers' basic psychological needs could predict clinical teachers' autonomous and controlled motivation to teach and whether clinical teachers' motivations could predict student- and teacher-centered teaching approaches METHODS: A correlational cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 across 3 Dental Schools in Chile, in which 206 clinical teachers participated (80.4% response rate). Data were collected on demographic characteristics and 5 self-reported questionnaires measuring teachers' perceptions of the work climate, students' motivation, the satisfaction and frustration of their basic psychological needs, motivation to teach, and teaching approaches. Data were analyzed using bivariate correlations and structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Alpha coefficients were acceptable (0.701-0.948). Correlation and structural equation modeling analyses showed that teachers' perceiving a work climate characterized by a supportive supervisor-teacher relationship and students' autonomous motivation, predicted the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs leading to autonomous motivation to teach. Autonomous motivation to teach, in turn, predicted a student-centered teaching approach. These results were controlled for the confounding effects of age, gender, teaching experience, and type of university.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that clinical teachers' optimal motivation is of paramount importance for promoting an adequate learning environment. Therefore, efforts should be made to understand and foster different aspects that promote clinical teachers' satisfaction of their basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation, especially regarding the role of teachers' supervisors and how teachers perceive their students' motivation.

Approaches to enhance the teaching quality of experimental biochemistry for MBBS students in TSMU, China

With the internationalization of medical education in China, the importance of international students' education in medical schools is also increasing. Except foreign students majoring in Chinese language, English Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBSS) students are the largest group of international students. Based on problems in the teaching process for experimental biochemistry, we designed teaching models adapted to the background of international students and strengthened teachers' teaching ability at Taishan Medical University. Several approaches were used in combination to promote teaching effects and increase the benefit of teaching to teachers. The primary data showed an increased passion for basic medical biochemistry and an improved theoretical background for MBSS students, which will be helpful for their later clinical medicine studies. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(4):360-364, 2017.