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The teacher’s enthusiasm
Abstract
Social relations are often seen as transactions between individuals. The dynamic teacher, accordingly, is one who gives energy
and knowledge to students. Because this understanding fails to appreciate the relational forces at work in the lively classroom,
it produces unhealthy attitudes toward education. Teachers who try to live up to it will not only burn out, they will distort
their students’ educational development. The vitality of the classroom comes from an energy that is created between teachers
and students; it is an energy in which both teachers and students share, but for which neither is individually responsible.
The successful teacher must be able to receive if they are to be able to give. This argument is advanced using interviews
with Australian teachers and students, all of whom were asked to describe the teachers who changed their lives.
... Interpersonal relating occurs in the between and across to the other person (Avnon, 1998;Metcalfe & Game, 2006). Alternatively, the relating takes place over the relational space, as interactions across the relational bridge. ...
... These "inter-actions" occur as "trans-actions" exchanged from one person to the other in relating. In some cases these exchanges have been likened to a transmission, indicative of the directionality of the exchange and the fact that the exchange is largely in the form of information giving (Metcalfe & Game, 2006). The interactions in an interpersonal relationship illustrate the functional nature of this relating (Avnon, 1998). ...
... In this way, relationships are inconsistent in nature. A person's experience of relationship is influenced by the variability of their interactions with another (Metcalfe & Game, 2006). ...
The relationship between teacher and student has always been a central interest of the educational process. While the nature of this relationship can be understood from various theoretical frameworks, research that seeks to understand the “lived experience” of this relationship is less prevalent. This research explores the phenomenological nature of the teacher-student relationship in the context of teacher education. Stories of the lived experience of this relationship were hermeneutically interpreted against the philosophical writings of Heidegger, Gadamer, and Buber. The research answers the question: what is the meaning of the teacher-student relationship? Relationships are essential to the educational experience whether this is recognised or not, and whether we are consciously aware of this or not. Once established, relationships continue to exist beyond the time and space of the individuals influencing future relational experiences. In addition, a teacher’s comportment has been found to have a communicative aspect that is felt and sensed by others. A further essential understanding opens the play of relating. That is, the teacher and student experience their relationship as a play that is unscripted, uncertain, and lived beyond the rules of engagement. In this play, teachers who are attuned to relationship show a phronesis, or practical wisdom, as they relate moment by moment. The outcomes of this research call into question technicist and instrumental models of teacher education which are presently underpinned by the dominant neoliberal ideology. Consistent with critical and humanistic approaches to education, this research calls for the humanising of the educational experience through the educating and re-educating of teacher educators and teachers towards essential understandings of relationship.
... What lies between those relating is variously described as a space, a gap, or a dialectical opening. Inter-personal relating occurs 'in' the between and 'across' to the other person (Avnon, 1998; Metcalfe & Game, 2006). These inter-actions occur as trans-actions exchanged from one person to the other 'as' relating. ...
... The relationship is experienced in the form of a " twodimensional , secularized " inter-action (Palmer, 1999, p. 23). In some cases these exchanges have been likened to a transmission, indicative of the directionality and nature of the exchange (Metcalfe & Game, 2006). Buber (2002) suggests that this type of relationship tends to objectify the participants and shows the transactional nature of the relationship. ...
The importance of the teacher-student relationship in educational practice is well established (Freire, 2003; Shor, 1992; Purpel & McLaurin, 2004). Indeed, our understandings of the relational nature of education have given rise to a range of expressions such as relational connectedness (Gibbs, 2006; Palmer, 1998, 2004), narrative pedagogy (Diekelmann, 2001), Āta (Forsyth, 2006), Ako (Bishop, 2008) and the like. These expressions provide ways of viewing the teacher-student relationship. Research on the 'lived experience' of the teacher-student relationship in teacher education is not prolific. A particular research approach that offers a way of researching the lived experiences of lecturers and student-teachers that is well suited to such an exploration is the phenomenological research approach. In this research approach, the researcher seeks taken-for-granted and ontological meanings of phenomenon such as the teacher-student relationship from the participant's stories. The purpose of this paper is to consider some stories from a phenomenological research project which explored the meaning of the teacher-student relationship as this is lived by lecturers and student-teachers. After gathering stories of the experience of this relationship, hermeneutic interpretations of the text led the inquiry towards a greater appreciation of the ontological nature of the phenomenon. The stories and their meanings have the potential to influence teacher educators practice to the subtleties of the teacher-student relationship and the nature of relating with student-teachers.
... The slow rate of progress in scientific literacy led to policy makers and researchers shifting their attention to teachers, their preparation, and their motivation to work (García et al., 2014;Ministry of Education, 2013, 2021. This is in line with research suggesting that teachers are among the most important factors in student learning (Metcalfe & Game, 2006;Valerio, 2012), and their motivation plays a critical role in how students engage and embrace their educational experience (Bong & Skaalvik, 2003;Sheldrake et al., 2017). Numerous studies suggest that motivated teachers are essential in creating classroom environments that foster enhanced learning, well-being, and motivation (Fong et al., 2018;Govorova et al., 2020;Lam et al., 2009;Marshik et al., 2016). ...
In this study we use data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to investigate the effect of teachers’ motivation on students’ scientific literacy and motivation in Colombia. These relationships are explored using a multilevel modeling framework and through the lens of Self-Determination Theory. Although difficulties in achieving education quality in developing and emerging economies are commonly attributed to teacher motivation issues, and important policy measures are implemented based on this assumption, this topic remains largely empirically unexplored. The purpose of the study is to contribute to fill this gap and provide empirically based insights for a broader and more informed dialogue regarding the effect of motivation in the development of scientific literacy, and to the design and implementation of evidence-based policies, instructional practices, and interventions. In this analysis, we did not find a significant relationship between teacher motivation and either students’ scientific literacy or motivation. However, students’ interest in science and sense of self-efficacy were significantly associated with their own achievement. The results also show that teacher-directed instruction is the strongest predictor of scientific literacy as opposed to inquiry-based teaching. However, inquiry-based teaching was found to be a positive predictor of increased students’ motivation.
... The teacher is not only the person who informs or guides in this relationship; the teacher also energizes the relationship. Teachers who deny the power of their relationships with students foster the emergence of unhealthy attitudes, creating negative consequences for both teachers and students (Metcalfe & Game, 2006). The thought and behavior repertoires of individuals who experience positive emotions in work environments are constantly expanding. ...
The main aim of efforts to improve teaching is to create conditions that are more supportive of student learning and social development. The most tangible output of teaching activities occurs during the teaching activities conducted in the classroom environment. It is therefore reasonable to focus on what happens in the classroom to improve teaching. The quality of interactions between students and teachers is affected by the emotional states of both parties. Positive emotions arising from teachers are an important factor in high-quality teaching experiences for both parties. Due to the enriching and affirming effects of teacher enthusiasm in classroom interactions, it is important to investigate the underlying processes. For that reason, this research was designed to investigate the effects of supportive and collaborative processes on teacher enthusiasm. As a result of this research, it was concluded that organizational values and practices that facilitate and encourage information exchange increase teacher enthusiasm. In this respect, investigating organizational processes that facilitate cooperation and positively affect the achievement of school goals may be beneficial in terms of increasing the effectiveness of schools.
... The teacher is not only the person who informs or guides in this relationship; the teacher also energizes the relationship. Teachers who deny the power of their relationships with students foster the emergence of unhealthy attitudes, creating negative consequences for both teachers and students (Metcalfe & Game, 2006). The thought and behavior repertoires of individuals who experience positive emotions in work environments are constantly expanding. ...
The main aim of efforts to improve teaching is to create conditions that are more supportive of student learning and social development. The most tangible output of teaching activities occurs during the teaching activities conducted in the classroom environment. It is therefore reasonable to focus on what happens in the classroom to improve teaching. The quality of interactions between students and teachers is affected by the emotional states of both parties. Positive emotions arising from teachers are an important factor in high-quality teaching experiences for both parties. Due to the enriching and affirming effects of teacher enthusiasm in classroom interactions, it is important to investigate the underlying processes. For that reason, this research was designed to investigate the effects of supportive and collaborative processes on teacher enthusiasm. As a result of this research, it was concluded that organizational values and practices that facilitate and encourage information exchange increase teacher enthusiasm. In this respect, investigating organizational processes that facilitate cooperation and positively affect the achievement of school goals may be beneficial in terms of increasing the effectiveness of schools.
... The educational literature has recognized that teachers are one of the most important factors in student learning (Metcalfe & Game, 2006;Valerio, 2012), and whose motivation or demotivation play a pivotal role in how students engage and embrace the educational experience for optimal achievement in the classroom (Bong & Skaalvik, 2003;Sheldrake et al., 2017). A demotivated teacher is more likely to be absent from work or to abandon the Figure 1. ...
Background: Educational literature emphasizes teachers’ intrinsic motivation as a critical aspect of student performance. However, the variety of interpretations, operational definitions, measures, and conceptual frameworks used to investigate this construct makes determining the extent of the impact of teachers’ intrinsic motivation on student outcomes difficult. As a result, the purpose of this scoping review, which is framed in the Self-determination Theory, is to collect, synthesize, and map existing quantitative evidence about the effects of teachers’ intrinsic motivation on students’ learning and other educational outcomes. Methods/Design: Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, the review will first focus on empirical sources and quantitative studies that address the concept of intrinsic motivation as the result of the fulfillment the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness; second, an inventory of operational definitions, instruments, measures, and analysis techniques used to explore the relationship between teacher motivation and student learning outcomes will be developed; and, third, the quality of the evidence reported will be assessed. Discussion: Findings of this review will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of socioemotional factors on students’ learning and achievement, and will provide educational practitioners, researchers, and policymakers with useful information to make informed decisions.
... It is also noteworthy to mention that the findings in the initial coding stage, reported in Table 7, are in line with those listed, deliberated, or stated by Allen (1980), Pennington (1990), Stronge (2007), Brown (2007), Harmer (2007b), Harmer (2012), Scrivener (2005), and Scrivener (2011). The findings here are also in congruence with (several of) the findings by Zamani and Ahangari (2016), Shishavan andSadeghi (2009), Wood (1998), Metcalfe and Game (2006), Korthagen (2004), Brosh (1996), SoodmandAfshar and Doosti (2014), and Pennings, van Tartwijk, Wubbels, Claessens, van derWant, and Brekelmansn (2014). On the other hand, the findings in the second-level coding phase ( Figure 4) do not confirm those found by Moradi and Sabeti (2014) and Javid, Farooq, and Gulzar (2012). ...
Researchers in the field of language teaching have long been fascinated by the qualities of good teachers. Such qualities have rarely been approached qualitatively from different angles in a single study. Thus, this research aimed to unearth the qualities in question by employing a qualitative multimethod approach. To this end, 23 randomly selected standard language teaching textbooks were analyzed by two coders using qualitative content analysis. The judiciously adopted codes from the analysis were employed to design and carry out semi-structured interviews with nine effective language teachers as well as ten good learners nominated via purposeful sampling. The data gleaned from the semi-interviews were once again analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The collective initial coding of the three datasets resulted in thirteen themes: knowledge of pedagogy, rapport, critical thinking, empathy, rhetoric, knowledge of subject matter, enthusiasm, respect, humor, consciousness, fairness, authenticity, and physical attributes. Conducting a second-level coding, we uncovered two broad themes, namely personality and professionalism with the former being significantly weightier collectively. The application of Chi-Square at this point showed that the associations between the three datasets were meaningful. The findings of the semi-structured interviews of participant teachers and students corroborated those of authors in the field of language teaching. Also, rapport and pedagogy were respectively viewed as the most salient attributes associated with good language teachers by the interviewed informants. The study holds clear implications for interested researchers, language teachers, and teacher educators.
... Also, good knowledge of language subsumed under teaching boosters in our study perfectly matched the findings of Park andLee (2006), Brosh (1996), and Kalebic (2005) in which most of the teachers perceived the knowledge of language to be an important quality in characterizing a good EFL teacher. Concerning enthusiasm, our findings are in accord with those of Wood (1998) and Metcalfe and Game (2006) who found that effective language teachers should be enthusiastic about teaching. Likewise, as argued by Korthagen (2004), andBrosh (1996), enthusiasm was found to be a quality of utmost importance for an effective English language teacher. ...
The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore EFL teachers’ perspectives of qualities of a good language teacher and to examine the possible differences in their perspectives as a function of educational contexts including language institutes, junior/senior high schools, and universities. To this end, 386 Iranian EFL teachers completed a self-report questionnaire on qualities of a good language teacher. Also, to better understand EFL teachers’ perspectives, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 EFL teachers. Our results showed that teaching boosters and care and enthusiasm were held in high regard by EFL teachers in all the educational settings in question. Evaluation, by contrast, was the last-ranked quality of a good language teacher as perceived by EFL teachers. The results of the MANOVA suggested that language institute EFL teachers differed significantly from senior/junior high school teachers in terms of morality and booster. They were also significantly different from university, senior/junior high school teachers regarding accountability, evaluation, care and enthusiasm, and attention. However, no significant differences were observed between EFL teachers in the educational contexts under study concerning attendance. The results of semi-structured interviews substantiated those of the questionnaire. Nonetheless, minor disparities were found in the interviews with respect to the weight and significance attached to the evaluation. The study holds clear implications for stakeholders, language teachers, and teacher educators.
... There is increasing pressure to be an effective teacher now that teacher compensation and employment are frequently determined by student performance (Adnot, Dee, Katz, & Wyckoff, 2016;Chetty, Friedman, & Rockoff, 2014). Thus, teachers are often encouraged to e or even expected to e demonstrate enthusiasm during teaching (e.g., Cockburn, 2009;Gabrys-Barker, 2014;Mastin, 1963;Metcalfe & Game, 2006;Mitchell, 2013;Sanders, 1987). However, the task of teaching may often be rather unpleasant: Repeatedly presenting the same learning materials can be redundant, and the compulsory nature of school unavoidably brings about a lack of topic enthusiasm from the side of many students. ...
Research on teacher enthusiasm has, to date, neglected how expressing enthusiasm influences teachers, particularly if they do not enjoy teaching at sufficiently high levels. To address this issue, we investigated whether teachers express teaching enthusiasm and experience teaching-related enjoyment at varying levels, and if so, how these varying levels relate to teachers' occupational well-being. In a preliminary study, we investigated whether teachers' (N = 67) and students' (N = 1489) ratings of teacher's expressed enthusiasm corresponded with one another and found that teachers can accurately assess their own level of expressed enthusiasm. Next, in two samples of teachers (N1 = 188 and N2 = 263), using latent profile analyses we indeed found a latent group that was high in expressed teacher enthusiasm and comparably low in experienced teaching-related enjoyment. As expected, relative to the other groups in the samples, these groups had the most negative profiles with respect to their occupational well-being.
... There is increasing pressure to be an effective teacher now that teacher compensation and employment are frequently determined by student performance (Adnot, Dee, Katz, & Wyckoff, 2016;Chetty, Friedman, & Rockoff, 2014). Thus, teachers are often encouraged to e or even expected to e demonstrate enthusiasm during teaching (e.g., Cockburn, 2009;Gabrys-Barker, 2014;Mastin, 1963;Metcalfe & Game, 2006;Mitchell, 2013;Sanders, 1987). However, the task of teaching may often be rather unpleasant: Repeatedly presenting the same learning materials can be redundant, and the compulsory nature of school unavoidably brings about a lack of topic enthusiasm from the side of many students. ...
... Breed's 1917 study identified knowledge and organisation of subject matter, personal qualities, skill in instruction professional development and university co-operation as the most popular characteristics (Breed, 1927). Likewise, the categories of skill, personality traits and professional engagement have been consistent throughout many similar research studies (Brookfield, 1990;Finkel, 2000;Harl, 2010;Metcalfe & Game, 2006a/2006bRamsden, 2003;Sherman et al., 1987;Skelton, 2005;Sternberg & Horvarth, 1995;Weimar, 1997;Yair, 2008). These studies have collected their data from surveys or interviews with students, peers, alumni, autobiographies or biographical material. ...
The paper discusses the results of a research study to determine what characteristics outstanding university lecturers have in common. Academic staff and graduate students at an Australian university were invited to participate in a survey questionnaire followed by voluntary interviews. Lecturers who had been identified as outstanding were also interviewed. The five characteristics were expertise, holistic approach to learning, engaging the student, open door policy and ambitious altruists. This study found that outstanding lecturers were unconventional in their work practices and valued student learning often at the sacrifice of their own career paths. Outstanding university lecturers are ambitious altruists who are working in an increasingly bureaucratized system.
... Thus, the researcher believes that focusing on language teacher motivation within the scope of self-determination theory will significantly contribution to the literature in the field of education Stevick (1980, p. 4) states that "success depends on what goes on inside and between people in the classroom." Metcalfe and Game (2006) also express that the vitality of the classroom comes from an energy that is created between not only students but also teachers; it is an energy both teachers and students share. With this new understanding, teacher motivation has been an important topic. ...
... Furthermore, Murray (1983) found that enthusiasm was the only one of his nine teaching dimensions that could distinguish between high-and medium-rated teachers (based on overall evaluations of teaching), indicating that enthusiasm is what separates average from outstanding teachers. In general, enthusiasm is considered an element of exemplary teachers (Gentry, Steenbergen-Hu, & Choi, 2011; Witcher & Onwuegbuzie, 1999) and in terms of their professional identity and activities describes their interest, engagement and passion (Day, 2004; Long & Hoy, 2006; Lynn, 2002; Metcalfe & Game, 2006). Students themselves require their teachers not only to be knowledgeable, but also enthusiastic: In a student ranking of important characteristics of effective teachers, Feldman (1988) found enthusiasm to be highly important (ranked 5 th out of 22 characteristics). ...
The last review on teacher enthusiasm was 45 years ago, and teacher enthusiasm remains a compelling yet complex variable in the educational context. Since Rosenshine’s (School Review 78:499–514, 1970) review, the conceptualizations, definitions, methodology, and results have only become more scattered, and several related constructs have emerged that may or may not be synonymous with teacher enthusiasm. In this review, we delve into the past four decades of teacher enthusiasm research to provide a potential starting point for a new, consolidated direction in teacher enthusiasm research based on a proposed, holistic definition of enthusiasm which brings together research from the past and can fuel research for the future. We begin by reviewing definitions of teacher enthusiasm and related constructs and, thereafter, put forward a new and integrative definition of teacher enthusiasm that combines the two most prevalent conceptualizations of the construct, namely experienced enjoyment and expressive behavior. Bearing our proposed definition in mind, we go on to present numerous measures that assess teacher enthusiasm, detail research evidence related to its correlates, and finally derive several research implications that, when considered in future research, promise to advance the field.
... These characteristics can be readily subsumed under Borgs' (2006) three areas of "knowledge, skills and attitudes towards learners" (p. 7). Moreover, both groups of participants believed that teachers should be enthusiastic about teaching, which is a finding that has been reported by authors such as Wood (1998) and Metcalfe and Game (2006). In terms of the characteristics that students and teachers thought to be among the least important, both agreed that it was relatively unimportant for EFL teachers to be aware of Western cultures or to understand learners' sociocultural backgrounds. ...
Researchers have long been interested in the characteristics associated with “good” teaching. However, most relevant studies have been conducted in Western contexts. As cultural background has a strong influence on the way good teaching is perceived, it was considered important to explore this issue in the Arab Gulf. The current study sought to compare Omani school students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the characteristics of good English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in the Omani context. To achieve this, 171 Omani students and 233 English teachers responded to a seven-category, 68-item questionnaire utilizing a 4-point Likert-type response key. Descriptive statistics and t tests were used to determine perceptions of good teacher characteristics and differences between students’ and teachers’ responses. Results indicate that Omani students and teachers generally agree about the importance of all characteristic categories, with those related to English language proficiency and treating students equally being of special importance. Participants also agreed that knowledge of Western culture/s and the use of technology were relatively unimportant. Implications of these findings for EFL teaching in Oman are discussed.
... Therefore, our finding that the faculty members' curiosity level is markedly higher than that of the students can be seen as a stimulus for students. Metcalf and Game (2006) note that when instructors themselves are passionate about learning their learners will be more energized and display more willingness for learning. ...
... This enthusiasm of the moderator made the difference in promoting participation in the golden ratio page. This analysis is supported by Ref [20] who reported that teachers' enthusiasm inspired their students, ignited something in them and made the difference in turning them into the subject matter. The moderator strategy to relate the golden ratio to real life was successful, as connecting learning to real life phenomena is known and suggested as a strategy to provide a stimulus for students' learning and which creates greater motivation and excitement for this learning [21]. ...
The recent years witnessed the emergence and growth of social networking sites as sites for social interaction, and gradually as educational sites. This emergence calls for research regarding the potentialities of social networking sites for the teaching and learning of various disciplines. This article describes an experiment in using the Facebook, as representative of social networking sites, for teaching and learning an inter-disciplinary phenomenon: the golden ratio. The current research used the grounded theory model to describe and explain the various factors associated with the teaching and learning of inter-disciplinary phenomena in a social networking site. Here we are specifically concerned with the conditions and consequences of such teaching and learning. We carried out, together with our pre-service teachers, three experiments using the Facebook to involve the users in mathematical and scientific phenomena, history, talk and concepts. One pre-service teacher initiated one of the experiments and created a page on the golden ratio. This page attracted 'friends' from different disciplines and places, and enabled them to exchange their experiences regarding the golden ration among each other. The research findings show that teaching and learning an inter-disciplinary phenomenon in a social networking site as the Facebook is influenced by various conditions: the features of the social networking site, the properties of the inter-disciplinary phenomenon, the background of the learners and the strategies of the moderator. In our case, the learning included: justifying, exploring, experimenting, giving solutions, criticizing, connecting with real life, connecting with other disciplines, connecting with history and searching for information in the internet. These varied learning actions point at the great potentialities of social networking sites with multimodal options for teaching and learning mathematics and science, so we suggest these sites for engaging students with inter-disciplinary phenomena, and as a consequence of this engagement it is expected that these students exchange rich mathematical and scientific ideas and experiences as it happened in the experiment which we report.
... This enthusiasm made the necessary difference in promotion. This is supported by Metcalfe and Game (2008) who reported that teachers' enthusiasm inspired their students, ignited something in them and made the difference in turning them onto the subject matter. The moderator strategy to relate the golden ratio to real life was successful, as connecting learning to real life phenomena is known and suggested as a strategy to provide a stimulus for student learning and which creates greater motivation and excitement for the learning (Quitadamo & Brown, 2001). ...
In this chapter we describe four successful experiments in using social networking sites (Facebook and Edmodo) in mathematics teaching and learning, where this use depended on populating the sites with historical mathematicians or/and mathematical phenomena. We describe two models of using social networking sites in mathematics education, as well as the phases of working mathematically with students when implementing each model. We emphasize the use of social talk as the first step to involve students with the learning of mathematics, as well as moving to cultural talk as a bridge between the social talk and the mathematical discourse. Our experience in the four experiments indicates that social networking sites invite students' collaboration, as well as encourages their learning actions and interactions. Teacher's or moderator's sensitivity is a very important factor for the success of the experiment, especially when young students are involved. Other factors which influenced the success of students' learning in social networking sites were: the features of the social networking site, the properties of the inter-disciplinary phenomenon or the mathematics produced by the historical mathematicians, the background of the learners and the activities of the moderator.
... Passion is enthusiasm, and it becomes almost embarrassing enthusiasm where you put your personality on the line just so you can get your passion across. (Interview S). Metcalfe and Game (2008) suggest that by revealing their vulnerabilities, teachers appear to be more "real with students" (p. 105) and become more accepted by, and endearing to, students. ...
Globally, teaching has become more complex and more challenging over recent years, with new and increased demands being placed
on teachers by students, their families, governments and wider society. Teachers work with more diverse communities in times
characterised by volatility, uncertainty and moral ambiguity. Societal, political, economic and cultural shifts have transformed
the contexts in which teachers work and have redefined the ways in which teachers interact with students. This qualitative
study uses phenomenographic methods to explore the nature of pedagogic teacherstudent interactions. The data analysis reveals
five qualitatively different ways in which teachers experience pedagogic engagements with students. The resultant categories
of description ranged from information providing, with teachers viewed as transmitters of a body of knowledge through to mentoring
in which teachers were perceived as significant others in the lives of students with their influence extending beyond the
walls of the classroom and beyond the years of schooling. The paper concludes by arguing that if teachers are to prepare students
for the challenges and opportunities in changing times, teacher education programs need to consider ways to facilitate the
development of mentoring capacities in new teachers.
English translation: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of three levels of enthusiasm on learning-relevant variables in an auditory, respectively non-multimedia, learning setting, based on eight hypotheses. As assumed in Hypothesis 6, learners in the moderately enthusiastic condition reported a higher intrinsic cognitive load. However, Hypotheses one through five, as well as seven and eight, were not supported. Otherwise, the study showed that it is not necessary for designers of learning materials to deliver an auditory lecture with a moderately enthusiastic tone of voice to increase the learners' interest. This is because the recipients of the very low enthusiasm lecture rated their lecture as more interesting compared to the moderate condition. To increase the alertness of the participants, it is not necessary to deliver a lecture in a very enthusiastic manner. The participants of the very low enthusiasm lecture were, compared to the very enthusiastic condition, more alert after the reception of the lecture. Thus, it can be concluded that very high enthusiasm does not counteract the fatigue of participants. In the future, synthetically generated and naturally spoken lectures could be compared in terms of the three levels of enthusiasm (low, moderate, high) in a 2x3 design. The creation of an multidimensional enthusiasm questionnaire for educational purposes would also be beneficial.
Deutscher Originaltext:
Ziel dieser Studie war die Untersuchung des Einflusses dreier Enthusiasmus Intensitäten auf lernrelevante Variablen in einem auditiven, respektive nicht multimedialen Lernsetting, anhand von acht Hypothesen. Wie in Hypothese 6 angenommen, gaben Lernende in der moderat enthusiastischen Bedingung eine höhere intrinsische kognitive Belastung an. Die Hypothesen eins bis fünf, sowie sieben und acht wurden jedoch nicht unterstützt.
Ansonsten hat die Studie gezeigt, dass es für Designer von Lernmaterialien nicht notwendig ist, einen auditiven Vortrag mit moderat enthusiastischer Stimmlage einzusprechen, um das Interesse der Lernenden zu steigern.
Denn die Rezipienten des sehr gering enthusiastischen Lernvortrages bewerteten ihren Lernvortrag im Vergleich zur moderaten Bedingung als interessanter.
Um die Wachheit der Probanden zu steigern, muss kein Vortrag auf eine sehr enthusiastische Art und Weise eingesprochen werden. Die Probanden des sehr gering enthusiastischen Lernvortrages waren, im Vergleich zur sehr enthusiastischen Bedingung, nach der Rezeption des Lernvortrages wacher. Somit ist festzuhalten, dass sehr hoher Enthusiasmus der Müdigkeit von Probanden nicht entgegenwirkt.
Zukünftig könnten synthetisch generierte und natürlich gesprochene Lernvorträge hinsichtlich der drei Enthusiasmus Abstufungen (gering, moderat, hoch) in einem 2x3 Design verglichen werden.
Auch die Erstellung eines multidimensionalen Enthusiasmus Fragebogens für Unterrichtszwecke wäre zielführend.
Students’ motivationStudents’ motivation to learn, which is a common topic for discussion, is the theme of this paper in a specific context, i.e., statistics learning within an IT environment that was organized to promote social interactionSocial interaction among students as well as between students and a teacher in statistical computing laboratoryStatistical computing laboratory. Data were gathered from a questionnaire-based survey on students’ perceptions of and attitudes toward the learning environmentLearning environment/context. The data were analyzed by using a sophisticated statistical technique, Structural Equation Modeling to study under what conditions, settings or situations students would be motivated to learn. It was found that supportive interaction with the teacher has a direct effect on social interactionSocial interaction between students, which ultimately enhances students’ motivationStudents’ motivation to learn. Communication is the core element in the above learning environment that motivated students to learn, through maintaining verbal exchanges, promoting social interactionSocial interaction, fostering positive peer relationshipPeer relationships or enhancing interpersonal relationships.
In this chapter, the authors describe four successful experiments in using social networking sites (Facebook and Edmodo) in mathematics teaching and learning, where this use depended on populating the sites with historical mathematicians and/or mathematical phenomena. They describe two models of using social networking sites in mathematics education, as well as the phases of working mathematically with students when implementing each model. The authors emphasize the use of social talk as the first step to involve students with the learning of mathematics, as well as moving to cultural talk as a bridge between the social talk and the mathematical discourse. The experience in the four experiments indicates that social networking sites invite student collaboration, as well as encourage their learning actions and interactions. Teacher's or moderator's sensitivity is a very important factor for the success of the experiment, especially when young students are involved. Other factors which influenced the success of students' learning in social networking sites were the features of the social networking site, the properties of the inter-disciplinary phenomenon or the mathematics produced by the historical mathematicians, the background of the learners, and the activities of the moderator.
In this chapter, the authors describe four successful experiments in using social networking sites (Facebook and Edmodo) in mathematics teaching and learning, where this use depended on populating the sites with historical mathematicians and/or mathematical phenomena. They describe two models of using social networking sites in mathematics education, as well as the phases of working mathematically with students when implementing each model. The authors emphasize the use of social talk as the first step to involve students with the learning of mathematics, as well as moving to cultural talk as a bridge between the social talk and the mathematical discourse. The experience in the four experiments indicates that social networking sites invite student collaboration, as well as encourage their learning actions and interactions. Teacher's or moderator's sensitivity is a very important factor for the success of the experiment, especially when young students are involved. Other factors which influenced the success of students' learning in social networking sites were the features of the social networking site, the properties of the inter-disciplinary phenomenon or the mathematics produced by the historical mathematicians, the background of the learners, and the activities of the moderator.
Enthusiasm is a quality of efficient teachers, but teacher enthusiasm can be influenced by the way students respond. Teacher enthusiasm might therefore be difficult to maintain in compulsory courses, in which students sometimes have negative dispositions towards the content. This study focused on a science course in an elementary teacher education degree in Australia. Data were collected during and after the course, by open-ended questionnaire (569 responses) and interview (25 students and one teacher). It was concluded that teacher enthusiasm can still be maintained at an effectual level even when students are not necessarily positively predisposed to the subject.
Although research has shown that teacher enthusiasm has a powerful impact on learning (Kunter et al., J Educ Psychol 105(3):805–820, 2013), it is not widely understood (Schutz PA, Pekrun R, In: Schutz PA, Pekrun R (eds) Emotion in education [electronic resource]. Academic Press, Amsterdam, 2007). This is particularly evident in science education. There are studies that show the importance of teacher enthusiasm in K-12 science classrooms or of student enthusiasm for science, but very little from the perspective of science teacher preparation. The purpose of this self-study was to address this gap by examining how we demonstrate enthusiasm in our science classrooms and how our preservice teachers (PSTs) respond to this attribute. This self-study included two science teacher educators and 14 PSTs. Data sources included an instructor’s journal, video-taped classroom interactions, and student surveys. The findings revealed that during direct instruction, PSTs viewed us to be very enthusiastic. During inquiry-based instruction, however, our enthusiasm was perceived to be lower. We also found that when we did not view the PSTs as being enthusiastic, we tried to change that situation by stressing our own displays of enthusiasm. This false enthusiasm did not increase their motivation. In addition, during inquiry-based instruction, the PSTs were motivated to learn despite the fact that they found us less enthusiastic. We concluded that our initial understandings were naïve in that they (1) were too narrowly focused on outward displays, (2) assumed a cyclical process, and (3) assumed teacher enthusiasm to be equally critical during lecture-based and inquiry-based instruction.
Special Religious Education is faith-based single tradition religious education taught in many Australian public schools by volunteer teachers who are adherents of the faith they are teaching. This paper derives from a qualitative study of the pedagogy of Christian Special Religious Education teachers that took place between 2010 and 2014. Love is at the heart of these Christian teachers’ pedagogy. It guides their pedagogical decisions and sustains and compels them to continue regardless of the challenges they experience. This paper discusses the place of philia, eros and agape love in SRE pedagogy and uses Buber’s concept of I-It and I-Thou relations to further explicate the nature of love in Special Religious Education.
Researchers have identified connections between teacher enthusiasm and positive student achievement, test performance, recall, on-task behavior, attitudes toward learning, intrinsic motivation toward the subject matter, feelings of vitality, and ratings of teacher effectiveness. There may also be positive benefits for teachers when enthusiasm invades the instructional setting. The purpose of this article is to address the importance of teacher enthusiasm, identify indicators of enthusiasm, and offer some insight into helping teachers and teacher candidates show enthusiasm.
Research that seeks to understand the lived experience of the teacher-student relationship is not prevalent. This article reports on a phenomenological inquiry which explored the nature of this relationship in the context of teacher education. Participant's lived experiences were hermeneutically interpreted against the philosophical writings of Heidegger and Gadamer. In this way, the research focused on the teacher-student relationship as it is 'experienced' by lecturers and student teachers in pre-service teacher education programs, rather than how it might be 'theorised'. The research found that relationships are essential and matter to the educational experience whether this is recognised or not. Similarly, a teacher's comportment was found to have a communicative aspect that is felt and sensed. Further, relationships are experienced as a play that is lived beyond the rules of engagement. Consistent with critical approaches to education, this research calls for the re-educating of educators towards essential understandings of relationship and the relational sensibilities that are integral to being in relationship.
Many teachers use their own work as the basis for research and this can be a complex and confronting task. It demands merging the roles of teacher, researcher and research participant. These roles may not speak with one voice. Some voices are faint, mere echoes; other voices convey a more confident sense of the different roles. This paper draws on a range of autobiographical vignettes that were used to bring together the fractured voices that emerged during an inquiry-focused research project in a primary school. The paper contributes to understandings about the place and practice of using autobiographical writing in teachers’ professional learning and argues that autobiographical vignettes can provide a starting point for enhancing learning by acting as a catalyst for reflection and self-study. Self-knowledge is vital for teachers because it paves the way for shaping and continuing to shape what teachers know about themselves as learners and what they might learn about teaching.
The Poetics of Space Writing for Social Scientists
- G Bachelard
Bachelard, G. (1969) The Poetics of Space, Beacon Press, Boston. Becker, H.S. (1986) Writing for Social Scientists, Chicago University Press, Chicago. Buber, M. (1958) I and Thou, Scribner's, New York.
Love and Learning and Realism, Keynote Address
- R Gaita
Teachers Who Change Lives
- A Metcalfe
- A Game
)I and Thou, Scribner’s
- M Buber
The Mystery of Everyday Life
- A. Metcalfe
The Mystery of Everyday Life
- A Metcalfe
- A Game
- A. Metcalfe