Preservice teachers' initial conceptions about assessment of science learning: The coherence with their views of learning science

This study utilized responses from Taiwanese preservice elementary teachers to describe and analyze their conceptions about the assessment of science learning and the extent that these conceptions were coherent with their views of learning science. A methodological framework of phenomenography was used for the study. The results revealed that the preservice teachers' mode of assessment was coherent with a traditional view of learning but their performance mode of assessment was not well developed. Improving preservice teachers' conception of assessment requires clarifying and reconstructing their conceptions of and coherence between assessment, curriculum, pedagogy, and learning.     

What is this Substance? What Makes it Different? Mapping Progression in Students’ Assumptions about Chemical Identity

Given the diversity of materials in our surroundings, one should expect scientifically literate citizens to have a basic understanding of the core ideas and practices used to analyze chemical substances. In this article, we use the term ‘chemical identity' to encapsulate the assumptions, knowledge, and practices upon which chemical analysis relies. We conceive chemical identity as a core crosscutting disciplinary concept which can bring coherence and relevance to chemistry curricula at all educational levels, primary through tertiary. Although chemical identity is not a concept explicitly addressed by traditional chemistry curricula, its understanding can be expected to evolve as students are asked to recognize different types of substances and explore their properties. The goal of this contribution is to characterize students' assumptions about factors that determine chemical identity and to map how core assumptions change with training in the discipline. Our work is based on the review and critical analysis of existing research findings on students' alternative conceptions in chemistry education, and historical and philosophical analyses of chemistry. From this perspective, our analysis contributes to the growing body of research in the area of learning progressions. In particular, it reveals areas in which our understanding of students' ideas about chemical identity is quite robust, but also highlights the existence of major knowledge gaps that should be filled in to better foster student understanding. We provide suggestions in this area and discuss implications for the teaching of chemistry.     

Crossing horizons: Continuity and change during second-career teachers’ entry into teaching

Findings are reported from two studies examining from which specific backgrounds and in which ways second-career teachers make the transition to teaching. The transfer of existing competencies to teaching is shown to involve a challenging interplay between experiences of continuity and change. Continuity was found at the level of beliefs. Change predominated at the level of the work environment. Continuity as well as change were experienced at the levels of behaviour, competencies, identity and mission. Several aspects of career changers’ workplace learning are identified which deserve special attention in designing and implementing alternative certification programmes.     

Relational Analysis of College Science‐Major Students’ Epistemological Beliefs Toward Science and Conceptions of Learning Science

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest among educational researchers in exploring the relationships between learners’ epistemological beliefs and their conceptions of learning. This study was conducted to investigate these relationships particularly in the domain of science. The participants in this study included 407 Taiwanese college science‐major students. All of them responded to two major questionnaires, one assessing their scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs) and the other one probing their conceptions of learning science (COLS). The SEB questionnaire included four factors: “certainty,” “source,” “development,” and “justification” of science knowledge. The COLS survey consisted of six factors in a hierarchical order, that is, learning science as “memorizing,” “preparing for tests,” “calculating and practicing,” “increasing one’s knowledge,” “application,” and “understanding and seeing in a new way.” The students’ confidence and interest toward learning science were also assessed by additional questionnaire items. Stepwise regression analyses, in general, showed coherence between students’ SEBs and their COLS, indicating that the sophistication of SEBs was consistent with less agreement with lower‐level COLS (such as “memorizing” and “preparing for tests”) as well as more agreement with higher‐level COLS (such as “understanding and seeing in a new way”). However, the SEB’s “justification” factor was positively related to almost all of COLS factors from the lower‐level to higher‐level. This study finally found that among all of the SEB and COLS factors, the “preparing for tests” factor in COLS was the solely significant variable for predicting students’ interest in science and confidence toward learning science.     

Stylistic Analyses of Ramona Series by Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary is one of the most popular and honored writers of contemporary children’s fiction.Her Ramona series delight generations and strike root in the hearts of the people.Through stylistic analyses of the series by the depiction of Ramona’s characteristics,and Cleary’s special writing skills reveal the literary value of these books and Beverly’s legacy for children’s literature.     

成人先前学习认定的理论探究及其反思

成人先前学习认定是当前国际社会推进终身学习的一项普遍策略之一。它旨在通过对非正规学习和非正式学习的结果认定,来激发并实现个体学习的连续性和终身性,在保障学习权利、贯通各类学习、提升工作能力、改善社会包容等方面都具有重要意义。本研究以文献和理论研究的方法,集中分析并反思了成人先前学习认定的概念内涵、理论基础和意义所在,目的是为其在我国终身学习政策与实践中的采用提供认知基础。     

辛克莱·刘易斯的创作历程

辛克莱·刘易斯是美国第一位诺贝尔文学奖获得者。他的文学创作生涯可划分为三个时期 ,1 92 0～ 1 92 9年是其“黄金时期”。他创造了地地道道的美国风格 ,作品中最早反映出女权主义意识。     

From Pain to Healing:Cure for Trauma in Bone by Fae Myenne Ng

Fae Myenne Ng, one of dominant writers in American literary circle currently, had been making her efforts in Bone for ten years. In Bone, Ng depicts the trauma Chinese-Americans suffered profoundly whi...     

面向开放学习成果的微认证：概念理解与运作体系

传统证书在知识经济时代的资质认证与交流功能日显不足,对无处不在的开放学习进行灵活认证、在线验证与交流成为教育培训领域面临的重大挑战,而微认证实践就是其中最典型的有益探索。研究通过文献综述法,在分析国内外微认证现象的基础上,对微认证进行概念分析、要素解剖与理解辨析,重点对微认证的运作机制和体系进行了系统化阐述。研究认为微认证具有知识模块化、开发敏捷化、证据绩效化、记录可验证、结果可堆叠、凭证可移植等运作机制;开放徽章是微认证的典型流通凭证,是适合开放学习的后现代证书;微认证运作体系涵盖发行者、学习者、认可者和托管机构等四个互连的关键角色,以及生产、认证与消费微证书等三个相互支撑的子系统。微认证满足了开放学习结果的认证需求,有利于丰富新的人才资质交流话语体系,弥合教育培训供给与市场精准需求之间的鸿沟。     

个人特质对多媒体环境下学习的影响

多媒体环境下的学习无法获得理想的效果,很重要的一个原因就是没有很好的考虑学习者的个性特质。通过对国内外多媒体环境下学习研究的整理,发现除了多媒体信息的呈现方式以外,学习者的空间能力、认知方式和先前知识等也是影响多媒体环境下学习效果的重要因素。同时对以往的研究做一简评,以便更好地指导多媒体教学。     

MOOC 课程学习体验及本土化启示

MOOC作为一种新的开放教育模式受到了教育界的热捧。除了加入国外知名平台外,国内也已出现中文MOOC平台,部分高校也开始尝试探索MOOC与高等教育的结合方式。本文基于作者对国内外若干MOOC课程的学习和体验性研究,从学习者的角度对MOOC的课程理念、内容与形式、评价体系、管理与组织、课程开发等方面进行了分析,并提出了对MOOC未来发展的思考和本土化的建议。     

Preservice teachers' learning experiences of constructing e-portfolios online

This one-year case study reports on the effectiveness and value of electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) from the preservice teachers' perspectives. Using surveys and selected interviews, the study explored how 38 preservice teachers' understanding of the e-portfolios evolved as they completed their elementary teacher education program. Respondents reported that, after using the e-portfolios, they were stimulated to engage in reflective practices, to develop effective learning strategies, and to gain as well as review technology skills. Respondents also indicated frustrations and challenges involved when creating their first e-portfolios. Implications regarding the findings are discussed.     

“以写促教，以写促说”英语教学法研究

“以写促教,以写促说”教学模式,即以“写”为课堂教学和学生开口说英语的铺垫,提高课堂教学效果和学生英语口语的质量,激发学生对英语的兴趣和自信心。通过对学生英语写作能力和口头交互能力的培养,全面提高学生对语言和化的应用能力。本系统介绍了这一教学模式的使用效果。     

先前学习评价：国际发展的经验与分析

先前学习评价是对成人非正式学习所获得的知识、技能或能力加以测评、认可并授予相关证明的一种评价方式。从美国、英国、加拿大、法国和澳大利亚的先前学习评价实践来看,先前学习评价为推动与实现终身学习提供了具体途径,对个体职业发展产生了重要影响,促进了高等教育机构办学的转变,促进了国际范围的人才流动。这些国际经验对我国开展先前学习评价的实践意义是：提供了质量保证措施,包括政策、实施机构、实施流程与范围、评价标准、实施团队和模式经验等。这都对我国学分银行建设、学习成果认证制度建立、非正式学习成果识别和学分转换等方面的政策制定者、研究者以及在操作性层面上予以实施的践行者等提供重要的参考。     

Student formation in higher education: teachers’ approaches matter

Teaching in higher education encompasses more than merely helping students develop knowledge and skills. It entails engaging students in their own formation as persons, professionals and citizens. From this perspective, this article investigates how approaches to teaching academic writing contribute to formation. By analysing a case from initial teacher education in Norway, we identify and examine one teacher educator’s beliefs about writing and his approaches to teaching writing. Theoretical framework rests on six discourses of writing developed by Roz Ivani? and on the formative possibilities and constraints embedded in these different literacy discourses. Thus, we provide students’ experien-ces with this teacher’s approaches and discuss what formation his approaches seem to have initiated. The findings point to the need for more critical reflection on the formative impact of teaching approaches in higher education more generally.