The mediation of experience and educational technology: A philosophical analysis

This philosophical excursion into the foundations of educational technology begins by considering the nature of knowing and learning from the media, as well as stating the assumptions of the paper. The foundations of educational technology — the systems approach, systems theory, and behaviorism - are explicated. Then, I state and discuss four philosophical propositions for considering the mediation of experience and educational technology: a) Learning is a constructive activity so technologies should liberate, not constrain learners; b) media produce an event ontology separate from personal experience; c) mediation is a phenomenological process; and d) media provide existential access to the world’s knowledge and to internal aspects of the self. I am especially indebted to Professor Robert Heinich (Indiana University) for his repeated and insightful analysis of this paper. Significant contributions were also made by the late Professor James Macdonald, to whom the paper is dedicated, and Professor Arnold Levin (University of North Carolina at Greensboro). This paper was completed while I was a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of Keele, Staffordshire, U.K. I should like to gratefully acknowledge the support of the department and its head, James Hartley, and especially the assistance of Mrs. M. Woodward.     

Conceptual mediation: A new perspective on conceptual exchange

For the last two decades science education researchers have had a major interest in identifying students’ intuitive understanding of a wide range of scientific topics and in reducing the difficulties involved when an attempt is made to replace these views by scientific understanding. Different approaches to this latter problem have been adopted by researchers, with strategies ranging from the pragmatic and atheoretical to those with a stronger theoretical foundation, usually based on some form of constructivism. In this paper we report on a novel theoretical perspective which takes as its foundation the psychological research of about three decades ago which investigated “forgetting,” and the important effects of previous knowledge in this process. In particular this new perspective demonstrates that, under normal teaching conditions, and through the process of proactive inhibition, the student’s prior knowledge can accelerate the forgetting of the newly taught scientific ideas. The paper first develops the theoretical position and then shows that a change in teaching approach can take advantage of the differences between the students’ prior understanding and the scientific view to ensure more efficient replacement. Following this an overview of the new methodology, as it is currently being used on a trial basis by science teachers in South Australia, is briefly introduced.     

从教育哲学角度看大学英语视听说教学

教育哲学是对教育问题的哲学思考,用哲学的方法和语言来研究教育问题,对教育起着指导性的作用,不同的哲学取向影响课程的目标、内容、方法和材料的选择。对课程背后的意识形态和哲学构想的讨论直接影响课程的目标定位、课程设置和发展方向。本文作者从现在的大学英语四级考试听力、口语改革谈起,从教育哲学的角度讨论改革时期大学英语视听说课程开设的理据、定位和教学内容等问题。本文作者认为,改革时期大学英语视听说课程应从人本主义哲学思想出发,以培养全人为目标,人文性与工具性相互交融。     

转变观念促进体育教学改革的研究

随着现代体育研究的不断深入,学校体育肩负着培育新世纪人才的重任。本围绕全民健身计划,终身体育思想,探讨学校体育教学改革。     

教育技术专业实践教学资源管理方案研究

在教育技术专业实践类课程教学的过程中产生了大量的教学资源,然而目前对于这些资源的管理普遍存在问题,使得这些资源没有得到充分的利用.针对这一问题,设计开发了教育技术资源管理系统,实现对教育技术专业实践教学资源的信息化管理,为教学提供了一个丰富的教育技术资源库,以期提升优质教学资源的开发和利用,促进了教育技术专业实践教学的改革,提升了学生的动手实践能力.     

教学资源视域下学业支持体系构建

教学资源是支撑教学活动的基本要素和必要条件,当前仍存在因对教学资源的认识不清、管理不善、教师本身的教学资源开发能力不足引起的教学资源荒废,影响了教育教学的成效。高校应构建学业支持体系:改变传统教学观念,树立教学资源的意识;发掘跨学科教学资源,建立教学资源管理体系;构建智慧学习环境,建立教学资源支持与运行体系;实施导师制,建立学业引导体系。     

教务管理信息系统网上选课对于教学管理工作的积极推进作用

中国经济建设的迅猛发展,使得信息化逐步深入到了中国社会的各行各业,校园信息化的普及也越来越广,利用计算机实现网上选课已经成为数字校园综合管理十分重要的一部分,并且已经日益得到重视。     

高职高专公共英语课程网络教学资源整合研究

现代教育技术的迅猛发展和我国高等职业教育战略重点与发展主题的转变给高职高专公共英语教学带来了机遇和挑战,其中高职高专公共英语课程网络教学资源整合研究已成为高职院校优化英语教育过程、促进英语教学改革、提高英语教学质量和推进英语教育现代化的有效手段和研究课题,其首要任务是确定响应的研究目标、内容和方法。     

Transformational instructor-leadership and academic performance: a moderated mediation model of student engagement and structural distance

Abstract

Researchers are becoming increasingly interested in the use of transformational leadership theory in higher education teaching (often referred to as transformational instructor-leadership). Much of this body of research investigates a direct association between transformational instructor-leadership and student outcomes. In the present study, we take a step further by investigating (a) student engagement as a mechanism in the relationship between transformational instructor-leadership and students’ academic performance and (b) structural distance as a moderator of the relationship between transformational instructor-leadership and student engagement. Using a sample of 183 students across the UK, the findings supported student engagement as a full mediator, but did not support structural distance as a moderator. This study contributes to theory by (a) showing a key underlying process through which transformational instructor-leadership is related to students’ academic performance and (b) empirically examining all three dimensions of student engagement. Limitations, suggestions for future research and practical implications are discussed.     

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: teaching resources and the role of faculties of education in educational development

Dr Rasheed provides an overview of school provision in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and identifies the main problems of teacher provision. These are seen as a continuing shortage of adequately qualified Saudi teachers and a consequent over‐reliance on expatriates. He then goes on to consider the function and role of teacher training in the development of the national system of education.     

对话教学:一种透视外语口语教学的新视角

学生的外语口语表达能力是决定其外语水平的主要因素之一。因此必须把口语能力的提高视为外语教学放到最为突出的地位上。将对话教学引入外语口语教学对改革传统教学模式,提高口语教学的质量具有非常重要的意义。在外语口语对话教学中,教师与学生是对话的主体和实施者。在教学过程中,只有积极发挥教师的主导作用,尊重学生的主体性,促进两者的紧密、有效协作,才能实现对话教学整体效能的最大发挥。     

A professional development framework for online teaching

The quality of online programs in higher education is strongly correlated with how the professional development approaches respond to the needs of online teachers. These approaches are critical in helping online teachers adopt online pedagogical practices and reconstruct their teacher persona in an online environment. This study proposes a nested professional development framework for online teaching. The proposed framework intends to recognize successful online teaching in higher education as an outcome of the interaction of support activities at teaching, community, and organization levels.