Welcome to the Camtree Digital Library
The Camtree Digital Library publishes peer-reviewed research reports produced by educators from around the world. Library content is freely available to all readers.
Camtree supports educators to reflect on their practice and conduct research to improve learning in their own contexts and organisations, through its website at https://www.camtree.org. Camtree is based at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge.
Recent Submissions
Item Applications of artificial intelligence and new technologies in a computer-aided architectural drawing course(2025)Context: The study explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies in the Computer-Aided Architectural Drawing course for undergraduate students specializing in architectural heritage at the School of Archaeology and Museology. Traditional methods, focused on software tools, have become outdated due to rapid technological advancements. The course reform addresses the need for updated teaching methods and content to better align with modern industry demands, particularly in heritage preservation and architectural archaeology. Aims: The primary aim is to enhance the teaching content and methods by incorporating AI and technologies such as VR (Virtual Reality), 3D printing, panoramic photography, and visualization tools. Specific goals include improving teaching efficiency, increasing student engagement, and connecting course content to practical applications in real-world projects, such as heritage protection and architectural design. Methods: The revised course design adds new components alongside traditional software training. Key technologies include Twinmotion for architectural visualization, VR for immersive learning, photography-based 3D modelling, panoramic photography, and Stable Diffusion for AI-generated graphics. Teaching combines lectures, hands-on practice, VR lab sessions, and practical applications like 3D printing. Hardware and software upgrades ensured compatibility with the new tools. Findings: The implementation showed significant improvements in teaching outcomes. Students developed practical skills in architectural visualization, 3D modelling, and AI-assisted drawing, applying their knowledge to real-life projects such as campus heritage preservation. Engagement levels increased, with some students investing in personal hardware for independent learning. The cross-application of technologies, such as VR and 3D printing, enriched students' understanding and interest in modern tools, fostering proactive exploration of new technologies. Implications: The study demonstrates that integrating AI and emerging technologies can transform technical courses, enhancing student engagement and aligning learning with practical applications. Teachers in similar fields might find value in incorporating interactive tools like VR and AI to create immersive and future-ready learning environments.Item To what extent is the use of flipped learning in A level Biology suitable for students with lower prior attainment?(2025)Background and Purpose: Flipped learning has gained attention for its potential to enhance student engagement and learning by shifting content delivery outside the classroom and prioritising interactive activities during lessons. However, concerns remain about its suitability for students with lower prior attainment. This study examines the effectiveness of flipped learning in supporting such students within the context of A-level Biology at a co-educational sixth-form college in Somerset, United Kingdom. Aims: The research aimed to evaluate whether flipped learning could enhance engagement and understanding for students with lower prior attainment. Design or Methodology: Using Lesson Study as an investigative framework, teachers collaboratively planned, observed, and refined a flipped learning lesson on "Plant Responses." Students completed preparatory tasks, including structured textbook activities and watching videos, before engaging in interactive classroom activities. Case study students with the lowest prior attainment were observed, and feedback was collected through student feedback and teacher reflections. Findings: Flipped learning positively impacted all students, including those with lower prior attainment. Teachers observed higher-quality questions, answers, and practical task engagement amongst all students compared to traditional lessons. Case Study students reported feeling more confident than usual due to the completed preparation work, which increased their willingness to participate in class discussions. Teachers valued the collaborative planning process, which led to the development of highly effective teaching resources and activities, although the increased preparation time was a notable challenge. Conclusions, Value, and Implications: The study highlights flipped learning's potential to fostering deeper understanding and confidence amongst students with lower prior attainment, provided that preparatory tasks are well-structured and accountability is maintained. While effective, the model demands significant teacher preparation time, suggesting incremental implementation. Expanding this approach across a full module and scaling it to other disciplines could offer further insights.Item 运用“思维-对话”提高小学生质疑能力的数学课堂教学研究 Using "thinking-dialogue" to improve the questioning ability of primary school students(2025)Background: Questioning is the starting point of thinking, but also the foundation of innovation. The acquisition of students' questioning ability plays a positive role in promoting their future learning and the cultivation of comprehensive quality. However, in the real classroom teaching, the middle and upper grade students in primary and secondary schools lack the ability to question in the learning process, and the vast majority of students are accustomed to passive receptive learning, and students have no sense of questioning. Objective: This study aims to develop students' questioning awareness and ability through the "questioning" skills in the Think-Talk Toolbox (TTT), guide students to learn to express different points of view respectfully, and stimulate students' critical thinking. Design or methodology: To Integrate four strategies of "questioning" skills from TTT into classroom teaching, and use problem-solving as the starting point to promote students' deep thinking and effective questioning, including encouraging students to think about problems beyond the knowledge ontology and combining reality in the classroom, encouraging students to try to challenge the views of teachers and peers, and stimulating students' curiosity and interest. Observation and interview methods were used to continuously evaluate the development of students' questioning awareness and ability. Findings: there was a significant improvement in students' classroom engagement, depth of answering questions, and questioning performance. Conclusion, originality, value, and impact: The promotion of questioning skills in the classroom develops students' knowledge and critical thinking skills. They are able to use questioning conversations to think about knowledge from multiple perspectives, and are able to transfer and extend this to everyday life.Item 如何在小学语文课堂中运用思维对话技能，培养学生的批判性思维能力 How to use thinking and dialogue in primary school Chinese classrooms to cultivate students' critical thinking skills(2025)Context: This research explores how to use connecting, inferring, and justifying skills of the "Think-Talk Toolbox" to encourage responsible, focused, coherent and evidence-based expression in their Chinese language lessons at Panshi Experimental Primary School in China, so as to promote the development of students' critical thinking and the cultivation of rational spirit. Aims: The main goal of the research is to help students learn scientific thinking methods, master rational reading and writing skills, develop the habit of questioning and reflection, and then cultivate students' critical thinking skills. Methods: Action research was used in six lessons, and the connecting, inferring, and justifying skills of the "Think-Talk Toolbox" were gradually introduced into the text interpretation process and multiple dialogues in the classroom to encourage students' independent thinking, dialectical analysis, and rational expression. We focused on students' advanced thinking performance in text interpretation and classroom dialogues, as well as the impact of the "think-talk" skill strategy on students' critical reading and expression skills. Findings: The results show that through "think-talk" skills, group cooperation is optimized, the division of labour is refined, collaboration is embedded, and interaction between groups is enhanced. Students’ learning attitude has changed from passive to active, and the depth and breadth of thinking have been expanded. Teachers' teaching methods have been improved, problem-guiding strategies have become more open and in-depth, and feedback and evaluation methods have been diversified. Focusing on students' thinking process, innovative ideas and group cooperation performance, it effectively promotes their responsible, methodical and evidence-based expression, and then improves their critical thinking skills. Implications: This study shows that the use of connecting, inferring, and justifying skills of the "Think-Talk Toolbox" can promote the development of critical thinking in primary school students. Through questions and guidance, teachers can motivate students to connect new ideas with existing knowledge, conduct logical inferring and explanation, and emphasize evidence and logical support, improving students' critical thinking. Using "think-talk" skills provides an effective way for cultivating students' habits of questioning and reflection, mastering rational literacy skills, and promoting critical thinking.Item Improving the quality of laboratory work in chemistry by replacing printed instructions with video instructions(2025)Background and purpose: During the teaching of chemistry, a problematic situation was identified: students experience difficulties in performing laboratory work and tasks aimed at the ability to analyse information. Students inattentively read the instructions for performing laboratory work, which subsequently leads to improper use of the equipment and unreliable results. Therefore, our goal was to determine what changes needed to be made so that students would more accurately follow instructions to improve the overall performance of the work. The curriculum states that chemistry lessons should provide students with the opportunity to develop their abilities: "...to plan, execute, interpret and present the results of experiments and observations." To make the lab work easier, the students were asked to follow the video instructions during the lab instead of the instructions they are used to. Aims: The aim of the study is to study the impact of the use of video instructions in chemistry practical lessons on academic performance, and the level of argumentation of students in grades 7-8 of the Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Petropavlovsk. Study design or methodology: The study was conducted during the third quarter of the 2022-2023 academic year. The study group consisted of 13-14 year-old students of grades 7-8 of the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Petropavlovsk . A total of 89 students took part in the study. At the first stage of the study, the students were divided into 2 groups (experimental and control). The experimental group included 24 students from 7th grade and 21 people from 8th grade. The control group consisted of 21 7th grade students and 23 eighth graders. Students' oral and written responses, interviewing, observation, description, and plotting were used to conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis. Findings: Most of the students indicated that the video instructions were more interesting to watch, that the practical work helped them to better understand and remember the processes of the experiments. In addition, laboratory experiments are important and give students the opportunity to develop practical technical skills needed in the workplace. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: Based on the study, we can conclude that students in the experimental group, after using video instructions, began to perform laboratory work better. When performing work, they clearly follow the algorithm of the stages of the experiment, correctly name the equipment and use it for its intended purpose, and note visual signs of reactions occurring. This contributed to the formation of a higher level of argumentation of observations and the formulation of conclusions, more effective advancement of each student along his educational trajectory. Teachers should diversify laboratory assignments and provide them with a choice.
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