Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Publication Date

2-26-2016

Abstract

Mind mapping was introduced as a culturally relevant pedagogy aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning experience in a general education, Environmental Science class for mostly Emirati English Language Learners (ELL). Anecdotal evidence suggests that the students are very artistic and visual and enjoy group-based activities. It was decided to integrate an intervention that would incorporate Emirati artistic and collaborative practices, in an effort to engage them on all levels, such that their academic attainment is positively affected. Preliminary results based on a group of 60 students, from on-going active research, suggest that this method is quite useful in helping pupils to summarise lengthy lessons and increase student engagement and communication amongst peers, which helps them to reinforce scientific theories and concepts. This method further facilitates on the spot identification of misconceptions that students may have, as the instructor can proffer an immediate feedback. Students seem more responsive and motivated as they positively contribute to their learning environment, which is believed, can only further strengthen their internal locus of control. The results satisfy paucity in the literature on effective pedagogic strategies for Arabic ELLs in science.

ISSN

1527-9316

Publisher

IUScholarWorks

Volume

16

First Page

31

Last Page

52

Disciplines

Education

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Indexed in Scopus

no

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series

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