Conceptual understanding of acids and bases concepts and motivation to learn chemistry

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 5E learning cycle model oriented instruction (LCMI) on 11th-grade students' conceptual understanding of acids and bases concepts and student motivation to learn chemistry. The study, which lasted for 7 weeks, involved two groups: An experimental group (LCMI) and a control group (the traditional teacher-centered instruction [TTCI]). Based on multivariate analysis of covariance results, the LCMI students outperformed the TTCI students in terms of conceptual understanding about acids and bases. Similarly, the students from the experimental group scored higher motivation and this difference was found to be statistically significant. These findings demonstrated that instruction based on learning cycle model provide students a deeper conceptual understanding, foster high-order thinking, engage them in the learning process, and influence their motivation to learn by increasing the relevance of school chemistry to their daily lives.     

学习理论的发展与学习创新

自古以来,关于知识的来源及其获取的方法,一直存在着经验论与唯理论之争,这些争论后来成为20世纪学习理论两大流派——行为主义和认知主义的哲学基础。建构主义是学习理论从行为主义发展到认知主义以后的进一步发展,它为当今时代学习创新提供了许多有益的启示:在学习目标上,变知识传输为知识建构;在学习方式上,倡导自主、探究、合作学习和情境学习;与此相适应,在教学上,也要从知识传授向全面促进学生的学习转变。     

论开放教育教学模式的构建

“开放教育”决不是一种孤立的教育模式，实践中的“开放教育”与“函授教育”、“传统面授教育”有着千丝万缕的联系。以“教师为主导、学生为中心”的建构主义教学模式是更能切合电大开放教育实际的教学模式。     

Teaching multiplication to low math performers: Guided versus structured instruction

The results of an intervention program forstudents with difficulties learning mathematicsare reported. Two kinds of math intervention,guided versus structured instruction, werecompared to regular math instruction. A totalof 75 students from regular and specialeducation, aged seven to thirteen,participated. Ability and automaticitymultiplication tests were administered beforeand after the four-month training period. Theresults show that the students in both of theexperimental conditions improved more than thestudents in the control condition. Someadditional differences were found between thetwo experimental interventions. Guidedinstruction appeared to be more effective forlow performing students than structuredinstruction and especially for those studentsin regular education. Special educationstudents appear to benefit most from structuredinstruction for the automaticity ofmultiplication problems. A three monthfollow-up test showed the acquired knowledge tobe well-established in both groups.     

自主学习型多媒体课件的设计

获得全国多媒体课件大赛一等奖的《After Effects影视后期合成》多媒体课件提出利用建构主义和案例驱动教学法指导课件设计,并通过多媒体技术将学习内容展示给学习者,使学习者能够主动参与到学习过程中,同时还可以对相关的技能及时进行实践并加以掌握,制作多媒体课件过程中还普遍存在信息过多等问题。     

学习策略、学习风格与英语成绩相关性研究

对理工科大学生英语学习状况和学习成绩调查、统计和分析的基础上,研究了英语学习策略运用水平和学习风格倾向与英语成绩的关系。研究表明:(1)学习者都能积极运用学习策略,元认知和补偿策略运用得最多,社会/情感策略运用得较少;(2高分组和低分组在元认知策略上有显著差异;(3)学习风格偏好呈多样性,英语水平与学习风格本身无关。     

Meaningful learning in the cooperative classroom

Meaningful learning is based on more than what teachers transmit; it promotes the construction of knowledge out of learners' experience, feelings and exchanges with other learners. This educational view is based on the constructivist approach to learning and the co-operative learning approach. Researchers and practitioners in various countries and settings seek ways to incorporate these approaches to create meaningful learning in the multicultural classroom and in the co-operative learning classroom. This article presents some of the ideas, studies and methods that signal a major shift of emphasis in education from product to process.     

Student attitude and learning outcomes of multimedia computer-assisted versus traditional instruction in basketball

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of multimedia computer-assisted instruction (MCAI), traditional instruction (TI), and combined instruction (CI) methods on learning the skill of shooting in basketball. Additionally, a comparison of the students’ attitudes towards the MCAI and TI methods was made. Seventy-five middle school students of seventh and eighth grade were randomly assigned into three teaching method groups: TI, MCAI and CI. Each group received ten 45-min periods of instruction divided into three sections: (a) 5-min introduction, (b) 30-min instructional time and (c) 10-min questions and review. Students took pre-, post-, and retention written test covering techniques and rules of the games. Participants in the CI group also completed a post-test attitude survey towards the MCAI and TI methods. Two-way analysis of variances (ANOVA), with repeated measures on the last factor, were conducted to determine effect of method groups (MCAI, TI, CI) and measures (pre-test, post-test, re-test) on knowledge test. Paired samples t-test analyses were conducted to measure students’ attitude towards the MCAI and TI methods. Post-test results indicated no significant differences between the groups concerning the written test. Nevertheless, the attitude test scores of the CI group were more favourable to MCAI method than the TI method. Retention test results showed that groups retained the knowledge acquisition. However, the combine method of instruction tended to be the most effective on cognitive learning.     

Behind the acquisition metaphor: conceptions of learning and learning outcomes in TLRP school-based projects

Using Sfard's distinction between acquisition and participation metaphors as an organizing principle, the twelve school-based projects within the TLRP programme were overwhelmingly judged by the Learning Outcomes Thematic Group as belonging to the acquisition metaphor. In essence, this article advances the initial analyses in two directions: (1) it reconsiders the projects from the point of view of conceptions of learning rather than metaphor and (2) it analyses outcomes from the point of view of a distinction that is particularly pertinent to notions of acquisition and participation—knowing that v. knowing how. The reason is simple—to keep the spotlight on the widest range of learning and learning outcomes that is being researched in the programme and to avoid blurring differences that might be important for curriculum planners, for teachers and for assessment. In the final section, some general implications for assessment in classrooms are briefly discussed.     

Student-centred learning: a humanist perspective

The notion of student-centred learning is often not defined; within the pedagogic literature it is generally associated with constructivism or principles associated with a constructivist environment such as building on prior knowledge, purposeful active learning and sense-making. An informal enquiry into conceptions of university staff prior to this study revealed a variety of interpretations warranting greater clarification and context. This interpretive study using a constructivist grounded approach focused on academic staff in art and design. It revealed a broader, more holistic conception of student-centred learning which is largely ignored in the literature and included ideas such as personal growth, consciousness raising and empowerment. It raises the question of whether humanist interpretations of student-centred learning should be more explicitly considered across the disciplines.     

Extending the constructs of active learning: implications for teachers' pedagogy and practice

Active learning is a pedagogical construct widely appealed to within the global discourse of lifelong learning. However, an examination of the literature reveals a lack of clarity and consensus as to its meaning. This article provides a critical analysis of a range of dimensions underpinning the concept of active learning including policy discourses, definitions, interpretation and enactments in educational settings, and resultant pedagogical implications. A more robust theoretical framework is presented to support educator understanding which synthesises and extends current constructs and which bridges the divide between active learning considered as either theory of learning or pedagogical strategy.     

Inter-Life: a novel,three-dimensional,virtual learning environment for life transition skills learning

This paper presents the findings from one of the first empirical research studies which has investigated the impact of Inter-Life; a novel three-dimensional immersive virtual learning environment, on learning and development of social and educational life transition skills in a group of looked after and accommodated children. Drawing on social constructivism in which meaningful learning is related to context and situated in practice, we report on a series of Inter-Life workshops that enabled young people to work together and through the processes of participation in authentic learning activities contributed to the development of life transition skills such as self-confidence, empathy, negotiation and mediation skills, teamwork and active problem-solving skills. The novel affordances of the Inter-Life virtual world which contributed to the development of the learning community included the ability to personalise learner engagement and activities from the outset along with ‘co-presence’ and ‘immersion’ and the flexibility provided by the innovative, technology-enhanced Inter-Life platform. This study presents some empirical evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of new models of learning that are mediated by innovative malleable technologies that can be shaped by the learner in a participatory manner.     

Giftedness considered from the perspective of research on learning and instruction

This article argues that research and educational practices relating to gifted students can highly benefit by linking up more closely with the mainstream of research on learning and instruction. The CLIA-model for the design of powerful learning environments that consists of four interconnected components (Competence, Learning, Intervention, and Assessment) is thereby used as a framework. The kind of learning processes needed to acquire adaptive competence are well in tune with features of exceptional performance, namely active, constructive, self-regulated and goal-oriented learning. Therefore gifted students should be taught in powerful learning environments that induce in them learning processes that embody those characteristics. Interventions focused on gifted students such as acceleration, grouping and differentiated instruction can benefit from taking into account the components and characteristics of the CLIA-model.     

Teaching and learning cycles in a constructivist approach to instruction

This study attempts to analyze and synthesize the knowledge collected in the area of conceptual models used in teaching and learning during inquiry-based projects, and to propose a new frame for organizing the classroom interactions within a constructivist approach. The IMSTRA model consists in three general phases: Immersion, Structuring, Applying, each with two sub-phases that highlight specific roles for the teacher and the students. Two case studies, one for mathematics in grade 9 and another for science in grade 3, show how the model can be implemented in school, making inquiry realistic in regular classes. Beyond its initial purpose, the IMSTRA model proved to be a powerful tool in curriculum development, being used in producing mathematics textbooks, as well as in developing teaching courses for a long-distance teacher-training program.     

The effects of instructional methods on students' learning outcomes requiring different cognitive abilities: context-aware ubiquitous learning versus traditional instruction

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of the context-aware ubiquitous learning (u-learning) approach versus traditional instruction on students' ability to answer questions that required different cognitive skills, using the framework of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives, including knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis. In this study, 230 third- and fourth-grade students in 8 classes were counterbalanced and assigned to the u-learning approach and traditional instruction for learning different topics in two separate plant-observing activities. The results showed that the students who learned with traditional instruction performed better than those who used the u-learning approach in terms of answering questions that required their cognitive abilities of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis. Moreover, an in-depth analysis of the students' learning behaviors in the u-learning context revealed that most of their learning behaviors recorded in the u-learning system were not significantly related to their cognitive abilities.     

小组合作教学模式在传媒艺术类大学英语课堂教学中的使用研究

为改变传媒艺术类院校中大学英语课堂"满堂灌"的教学形式,本文在建构主义理论的指导下进行教学设计,提出用小组合作的模式开展教学,并进行了一学期的实验。实验结果经SPSS 11.5运行验证,证明小组合作的教学模式现实可行,在整体效果上优于传统模式。     

The effect of multimedia instruction for Chinese learning

In Taiwan, lectures are commonly used for younger students to learn their own language, which is traditional Chinese. Passively listening to lectures has led to this group of students making such mistakes as forgetting strokes and word meanings, combining phrases to create incomprehensible blurs of information, and switching radicals with phonetic characters. Thus, the rationale of this study is that better and longer lasting Chinese learning results will occur when a combination of well‐designed texts, audio, graphics, animation, and hands‐on practice are employed. A multimedia system with computer‐based courseware in combination with added, assistive technologies including sound equipment, digital boards, and pens was developed based on this rationale. This study used a treatment group who used the system and a comparison group who received lectures. The subjects were 41 second graders in a southern city in Taiwan and all of them received the same pretest, immediate posttest, and the delayed posttest. Even though some of the differences between the two groups did not reach statistical significance, the results revealed that the treatment group consistently performed better than the comparison group in almost all the areas of competencies in both posttests.     

Collaborative learning with scientific approach and multiple intelligence: Its impact toward math learning achievement

Abstract

This study examined the effect of collaborative learning with a scientific approach (SA) on the learning achievement in mathematics viewed from the students’ multiple intelligences. This study compared two types of collaborative learning models, Three Steps Interview (TSI), and Think Pair Share (TPS). The participants of this study were grade 8 students of Secondary Schools in Sukoharjo, Central Java, Indonesia (N?=?262). This study was a quasi-experimental study with a 3?×?3 factorial design. The results of the study can be concluded as follows. (1) TSI with a scientific approach got better math learning achievement than TPS with a scientific approach and classical with a scientific approach. Besides, TPS with a scientific approach got better learning achievement than classical with a scientific approach. (2) Students with logical-mathematical intelligence got better math learning achievement than students with linguistic intelligence and students with interpersonal intelligence, students with linguistic intelligence got better math learning achievement than students with interpersonal intelligence.     

高职化工类专业“工学结合”实践基地建设探索

从化工行业对从业技术人员的要求出发,分析了高职院校化工类专业"工学结合"实践基地建设的现状:高职教育重理论,轻实践;基地建设和运行成本过高;只重视"学",而"工"的职能体现不够.对石家庄职业技术学院化学工程系"工学结合"实践基地建设所取得的成效进行了系统的阐述,通过基地建设既提高了学生的工程实践能力,又增强了教师的实践能力.     

Examining activity-based learning (ABL) practices in public basic schools in the northern region of Ghana

Background: Ghana has been the testing ground for many teaching and learning initiatives over the past 15–20 years. These initiatives, largely funded by donors, have sought to improve learning by introducing and reinforcing valuable teaching skills, materials and approaches, most of them child-friendly, learner-centred and involving activity-based learning (ABL). However, a problem in Ghana, also true of other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, is that whereas efforts over the past few decades have improved access to basic education in both pupil enrolment rates and teacher numbers, educational quality as measured by standardised test scores in key subject areas remains rather low.

Purpose: This article reports on an aspect of a DfID (Ghana) – sponsored research project which examined how the quality of teaching and learning in Ghanaian basic schools could be improved through the utilisation of ABL pedagogy. The current article examines three overarching themes relative to ABL pedagogy, namely how participants conceptualise ABL; ways in which ABL practices reveal themselves in classrooms; and challenges of ABL practices in Ghanaian schools.

Sample: Participants (comprising representatives of Colleges of Education, District Directors and frontline Deputy Directors of Education, headteachers and teachers) were drawn using purposive sampling technique from eight schools from within four districts of the northern region of Ghana.

Design and Methods: A case study approach was adopted for the study. Data collection took the form of semi-structured interviews, focused group discussions and observation of ABL practices and lessons in selected schools. Data analysis was undertaken using a ‘processual analytical approach’ with the view to catching realities of ABL practices in the Ghanaian educational setting.

Results: Our analysis reveals that whereas the literature on ABL emphasises multi-tasking and group work as essential ingredients of ABL pedagogy, the respondents conceptualised this as meaning pupils working on the same activity-related tasks at the same time in groups. Similarly, we found that, ideally, ABL practices reveal themselves through classroom practices such as display of pupils’ work in classrooms, organisation of the seating arrangements of pupils in groups, use of teaching and learning materials, formative assessment and activity-oriented lessons among others. However, in almost all the schools and classrooms we visited, these essential ingredients were missing owing to congestion and lack of furniture and logistics.

Conclusions: We conclude against the backdrop of our findings that ABL techniques can be utilised more effectively in Ghanaian schools if its practices are initially promoted in model schools, for lessons to be learned, and then scaled-up as expertise is established in these model schools.