Integrating alternative assessment in a project-based learning course for pre-service science and technology teachers

This paper deals with a required methods course, based on the national curriculum of science and technology for junior high schools. The course participants are pre-service teachers who study towards a B.Sc. degree in education in science and technology parallel to their studies in one of the faculties of sciences or engineering. Working in small teams, the students carry out a project in a Project-Based Learning (PBL) environment. The final outcomes of the project are group and individual written reports, a portfolio, a multimedia presentation and a physical model. The research question was: what implementation issues and processes do higher education students encounter in a Project-Based Learning environment which involves an alternative assessment approach? Qualitative and quantitative tools for collecting data included ‘the participant as observer’ observations at the classroom, semi-structured interviews with students, questionnaire, and analysis of students' reports and products. The findings relate to the advantages of PBL from the students' point of view, the challenges students experienced and perceived while conducting their projects, and the benefits students may gain from formative assessment.     

Without prejudice: an exploration of religious diversity,secularism and citizenship in England 1 (with particular reference to the state funding of Muslim faith schools and multiculturalism)

This article aims to explore religious diversity and its implications for schools in England, with particular reference to the state funding of Muslim schools and multiculturalism. Recent demonstrations in France and England against the proposed ban on the wearing of religious symbols such as the Muslim headscarf (hijab) have brought to the fore the centrality of religion in the collective identity of ethnic minorities, particularly those of South Asian origins. This collective identity is now being fractured in the wake of the July 2005 bombings in London. Using a socio‐cultural approach, this article focuses on the implications of the above for secularism and citizenship in England and in particular on the state funding of Muslim faith schools following the Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s, recent statement that the rules of the game are changing. The article concludes that secularism and citizenship in schools are not best served by the state funding of faith schools and suggests some of the ways in which schools can incorporate the wealth and diversity of its diasporic citizens.     

Education for Interdisciplinary Community Collaboration and Development: The Components of a Core Curriculum by Community Practitioners

Social workers are actively engaging in the practice of interdisciplinary community collaboration (ICC) with the goal of bringing diverse groups together to improve the conditions of communities and enhance the quality of life of population groups. Yet, collaborations are challenging and require great skill and commitment. The pedagogy and the content of curricula have become a more prominent part of teaching to macro practice students and practitioners the art of effectively convening and moving collaborative efforts forward. This article adds to the literature on the content and methods of teaching students and novice practitioners the competencies embedded in ICC. It provides empirical data from six focus groups of experienced community practitioners (social workers and others) in New York City who identified components of a core curriculum for this work. Eight months later, these 33 community practitioners were asked to reprioritize the topics and concepts that they had collectively identified at the earlier time. Skills such as the ability to share power, manage differences, include the constituency and diplomacy are among those discussed. Core curriculum themes, the pedagogy and process, and the attributes and values necessary for training an ICC practitioner are presented.     

Sense of authentic inner compass as a moral resource across cultures: possible implications for resisting negative peer-pressure and for parenting

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on a recently conceptualized construct—sense of authentic inner-compass (AIC)—and two parenting practices promoting it: basic autonomy-support (BAS) and inherent value-demonstration (IVD). Rooted in self-determination theory, sense of AIC refers to the perception that we have self-guiding values, aspirations, and goals, which function like an ‘authentic inner-compass’ that informs us on what we truly value and need. The utility of this construct for understanding morality-related phenomena also in cultures not emphasizing autonomy and authenticity, is demonstrated by a study conducted in two widely different cultures: Bedouin and Jews in Israel. As expected, across cultures, the practices of BAS and IVD were associated with sense of AIC, which then predicted adolescents’ resistance to peer-pressure to engage in antisocial behaviors. Invariance analysis showed a similar pattern across cultures. Discussion focuses on implications of the AIC concept for various moral behaviors, and for value-oriented parenting and moral education.     

Creative Thinking of Practical Engineering Students During a Design Project

Creativity in engineering design had become an economic necessity and not merely the privilege of unique individuals. The search for new, innovative and effective ideas in engineering design stands in center of daily creative performance. This search requires sensitivity to gaps of knowledge and information, and the ability to evoke numerous, different and unique ideas about engineering problems. The source of such information or knowledge can be either extrinsic-such as provided by an instructor or expert or intrinsic, which might involve transformation from one field or context to another. Furthermore, interaction with an exterior source as well as developing an inherent drive, have an impact on the motivation to perform creatively. This article, which is based on a study conducted among Israeli practical engineering students, deals with the variations in creative thinking during various stages of a design project and the relation between creative thinking and motivation factors.     

Developing argumentation ability as a way to promote technological literacy

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of three instructional methods on students’ technological literacy (TL) and argumentation ability. Participants were 285 seventh grade Israeli boys and girls (12–13-year-old) who studied in 18 technology classes in four junior high schools. The three teaching methods were: (a) teaching technology by exposing students to structured argumentation (SA); (b) teaching technology by encouraging students to explain their reasoning in an unstructured way (UA), without explicit guidance regarding “what is a good argument” and “how to construct it”; (c) teaching technology in a “traditional” way, with no emphasis on argumentation (NA). Results indicate that the SA group significantly outperformed the other two groups regarding knowledge of technology, but no significant differences were found between the three groups on knowledge about technology. The SA group also outperformed the other two groups in argumentation.