Developmental Changes in Teachers' Beliefs About Critical-Thinking Activities.

Inservice, preservice, and prospective teachers and nonteacher controls (N=408) participated in a cross-sectional study of the development of beliefs about use of critical-thinking (CT) activities with different learner populations. Teachers' self-selection of their careers was associated with strong support for high-CT activities for both high- and low-advantage learners. Preservice education was associated with reduced support for (a) high-CT activities for high-advantage learners and (b) low-CT activities for both learner populations. Inservice education and teaching experience were associated with slightly reduced support for high-CT activities for low-advantage learners. Preservice education seems a propitious time for promoting changes in CT-related beliefs. From the viewpoint of CT advocates, initiatives are needed to counter the apparent reductions in teachers' support for high-CT activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental changes in teachers' use of higher order thinking and content knowledge.

Secondary-level history teachers (n=60) participated in a study examining differences among experts, experienced teachers, and novices in classroom use of higher order thinking skills (HOTS) and content knowledge. The results support the theory that development of teaching expertise is associated with a change from HOTS-lean and content-rich (curriculum-centered) practices to HOTS-rich and content-lean (learner-centered) ones, but teachers who gain classroom experience and in-service training tend not to develop the full range of expert skills, notably with respect to HOTS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactive whiteboards produce small gains in elementary students’ self-reported motivation in mathematics

A treatment/control study (N = 773) was conducted to determine the extent to which use of interactive whiteboard technology (IWB) was associated with upper elementary students’ self-reported level of motivation in mathematics. Students in the treatment group reported higher levels of motivation relative to control students, but the effect was extremely weak. Students with teachers who were more supportive of IWB technology reported higher motivation levels (compared to students of teachers who were less supportive), but this effect also was very small. Claims about the motivation-enhancing effects of the IWB are not baseless, but they appear to be somewhat overstated. Research is needed to determine how IWB-use is associated with academic performance, and also to examine how teachers use the IWB and how this usage could be strengthened.     

Principals' Perceptions of the Causes of Teacher Ineffectiveness.

Two hundred forty-two principals in secondary schools completed an opinion survey concerning the perceived causes of teacher ineffectiveness. The most frequently perceived causes were deficiencies in components of pedagogical knowledge--3 in-class components requiring student-teacher interaction (lesson-implementation skills, ability to establish rapport with students, and classroom-management skills), followed by 1 out-of-class component (lesson-planning skills). Deficiencies in content knowledge were the least frequently perceived cause. Principals in high- and low-performing schools produced similar ratings, except that lesson-planning skills were rated as more frequently a perceived cause of teacher ineffectiveness in low-performing schools. Alternative-certification programs that emphasize content knowledge and deemphasize pedagogical knowledge may fail to address the underlying causes of problems of teacher quality in schools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching triarchically improves school achievement.

Two studies were conducted among 3rd-grade (primary-school) and 8th-grade (middle-school) students to test the efficacy of the triarchic theory of human intelligence as applied to classroom learning and performance. Students at the 3rd-grade level were taught a social-studies unit and at the 8th-grade level were taught a psychology unit in 1 of 3 ways: traditional instruction (primarily memory-based), critical-thinking instruction (primarily analytically based), and triarchically based instruction (involving infusion of analytical, creative, and practical instruction). Performance at both levels was assessed through multiple-choice items measuring primarily memory and performance-based items measuring analytical, creative, and practical aspects of achievement. Third-grade students also provided self-report measures. In general, triarchic instruction was superior to the other modes of instruction, even on multiple-choice memory-based items. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)