Moving towards engaged learning in STEM domains; there is no simple answer, but clearly a road ahead.
What is the best approach to educating students is, evidently, the pivotal question in educational research. In the general debate on this question, clear positions are often taken―for example, whether teacher‐led instruction or more student‐directed approaches should be followed. In the current nar...
| Publicado en: | Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 153 - 168 |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | review tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Wiley-Blackwell
Apr2019
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| Sumario: | What is the best approach to educating students is, evidently, the pivotal question in educational research. In the general debate on this question, clear positions are often taken―for example, whether teacher‐led instruction or more student‐directed approaches should be followed. In the current narrative review, this central question and the different stances taken are explored for a specific field of learning, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) domains. The current article starts with an argument as to why the traditional, more directive teacher‐led educational approach to STEM learning may not always lead to deep conceptual knowledge and proposes exploring more engaged forms of learning. More specifically, a particular arrangement for engaged learning, inquiry learning, is taken as an example in this exploration. It is argued that the effects of educational methods are influenced by a multitude of (interacting) factors related to student and teacher characteristics, context, domain, frequency of use, timing, and probably more. Therefore, this article tries to outline a more nuanced and balanced stance towards choosing educational approaches. A picture is presented to show that adopting and combining different approaches, at both the lesson and the curricular levels, may be necessary to reach optimal levels of learning. Existing and upcoming technologies may play a decisive role in realizing this more complex, but also more realistic view of learning in STEM. Lay Description: What is currently known technology‐based learning in STEM domains: There are many technologies (simulations, online labs, games, and modelling tools, for example) available to realize (engaged) inquiry learning in STEM topics.Inquiry learning should be supported by guidance in order to make it an effective method. What our paper adds to what is already known about technology‐based learning in STEM domains: Teaching STEM topics should combine different instructional approaches.Technology can play an important role in realizing the combination of different approaches and in providing students with dedicated and adaptive guidance. What are the implications for practitioners: Try to combine and vary instructional approaches over the curriculum.Try out new technologies that are now widely available on the internet to enrich and vary your instruction. |
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