The Effects of Rhetorical and Content Subgoals on Writing and Learning

Argument writing is challenging for elementary students. Previous experimental research has focused on scaffolding rhetorical goals, leaving content goals relatively unexplored. In a randomized experiment, 73 students in grades 5, 6, and 7 wrote persuasive texts about difficult-to-classify vertebrates. Each student received one of three sets of writing prompts: a persuasive goal only (control); a persuasive goal + rhetorical-subgoal prompts; or a persuasive goal + content-subgoal prompts. Rhetorical subgoals increased text quality, variety of rhetorical moves, number of complex propositions, and classification knowledge. Content subgoals increased the number of simple propositions in text. A path analysis indicated that content-subgoal prompts and rhetorical-subgoal prompts elicited different paths to writing and learning.     

Writing to Learn: Benefits and Limitations

Writing to learn is a pedagogical approach grounded in the belief that the reasoning required to write about a topic or concept will help students gain understanding. However, research indicates that the impact writing has on student learning depends on context. Using a mixed-method, quasi-experimental, repeated measures design, we examined how embedding writing-to-learn pedagogy in a required college course impacted students’ learning as well as their perceptions of writing to learn. Our quantitative analysis revealed that writing to learn did not have a differential effect on student achievement of course goals. However, qualitative analysis revealed evidence indicating students valued writing to learn as a way to make sense of course content by reasoning through their ideas and responses to class experiences. From the instructor's perspective, writing to learn also helped build rapport with students. Our results indicated that in our context, writing to learn pedagogy had benefits and limitations. We offer practical implications and pedagogical suggestions based on our experiences and findings.     

Writing to learn in science: Effects on Grade 4 students' understanding of balance

In this study, we randomly assigned 69 Grade 4 students to a writing-to-learn treatment (n = 23), comparison (n = 23), or no-treatment control (n = 23). Treatment and comparison students completed a science experiment involving balance. During the experiment, treatment students wrote four short responses and an extended response to document their learning. To control for writing time, comparison students wrote four short responses and an extended response about topics other than balance. On a 20-item balance knowledge posttest, control outperformed treatment (d = 0.89) and comparison (d = 1.05) on the lowest level balance questions (Level 1). At the highest level questions, Levels 3 and 4, treatment (ds = 1.42 and 0.94) and comparison (ds = 1.62 and 1.37) outperformed control. There were no significant differences in total words written or level of balance understanding on a posttest written response. The performance of individual responders to treatment is also discussed.     

科学教育的重要途径—非正规学习

非正规学习在培养学生科学素质方面具有正规学习不可替代的重要作用。了解非正规学习的特点、规律和怎样影响人的科学素质的形成和发展对当前我国政府倡导的大力普及科学教育,提高全民,特别是未成年人的科学素质具有重大意义。非正规科学学习不仅能为学生提供丰富的认知冲突和社会互动机会,使他们建立起更加完善的知识结构,而且还能提高他们的科学论证能力。非正规学习是发展学生科学素质的必经之路。     

Learning to Teach Creative Writing

Is it possible to teach people to write fiction? A more important and helpful question is: how do we teach creative writing? And who are the teachers? A published writer is not necessarily qualified to teach creative writing. To helpfully share their declarative knowledge with students, a writer must embrace the art and craft of teaching, consider how different students learn and create the optimum setting to enable learning. There is a parallel challenge for the writer with the student, as each is faced with challenges around their previously held assumptions about ways of learning.     

中小学科学教师专业化素养分析

公众科学素养水平低下已成为严重制约中国经济发展和社会进步的瓶颈之一。国务院发布了《全民科学素质行动计划纲要》,旨在提高公众素养,而未成年人是实施《纲要》的重中之重。要提高未成年人的科学素养,建设一支专业化素养高的中小学科学教师队伍尤为关键。中小学科学教师队伍存在种种问题,分析论证科学教师应具备科学素养、教育素养和人文素...     

终身学习力：学习型社会一种必要的生存能力

信息化社会需要具有自主学习能力的学习者,每个人必须成为具有分析、批判、质疑、自觉定向能力的学习者,而不是只能通过考试的知识收藏者,即每一个社会成员必须学会进行终身学习。因此,终身学习力也就是未来最具潜力的能力之一。     

我国中小学科学教育的价值取向

中小学科学教育的价值是指中小学科学教育对于社会发展、科学技术发展和人的发展的作用与意义,中小学科学教育的价值取向是指中小学科学教育价值活动的方向。当前,我国中小学科学教育的价值取向,应在教育目的上坚持以人的发展为本,在教育目标上追求提高学生的科学素养,在课程设计上彰显人本化、个性化,在课程文化上将科学教育与人文教育相结合,在课程内容上实现现代化、综合化、生活化,在课程实施上以科学探究为核心,在课程评价上体现多元化。     

The Benefits of Cooperative Learning to Socio-scientific Discussion in Secondary School Science

The aim of this research was to determine the benefits of cooperative learning to opening up socio-scientific discussion in secondary science. Seventy-four classes of 20 13–14-year-old pupils in one secondary school were observed engaging in discussion concerning climate change over three rounds of action research involving 12 teachers associated with the implementation of a Topical Science strand of a new national science curriculum. Pupil views on the cooperative learning approach used to facilitate the lessons and the associated discussion were determined using a pupil questionnaire (n?=?171). By the end of the action research, the overall average typical exchange in the observed lessons was between pupil-to-pupil (mean?±?SD, 41%?±?5%) and pupil-to-teacher (32%?±?4%) with teacher-to-pupil interactions accounting for only 27%?±?5% of exchanges. However, the pace of the typical exchanges was predominantly fast with most of the questions being a mixture of low order on task questions from teacher-to-pupil; technical exchanges, inquiring what to do from pupil-to-teacher; and quiz questions from teacher-to-pupil or from pupil-to-pupil. Questionnaire data indicated that overall 50.3% of pupils enjoyed the discussion (on global warming) and 59.7% did not find it boring. Nevertheless, only 45% felt that they were given the chance to express their own opinions during these discussions. Prior to these lessons, 59.6% were not interested in the issue of climate change and global warming. Cooperative learning facilitated a shift in the pattern of typical exchanges away from a teacher-dominated discourse towards a more pupil-centred, open discourse.     

Writing Revision: Evidence for Learning

ABSTRACT

This paper identifies evidence that significant procedural learning can emerge from process approaches to teaching writing, including from the transition of pupils’ writing from draft to revision. It shows how writing schemes that use an underlying process framework to structure learning, give pupils ownership of their own writing and exploit the resources of classes as learning communities can enable pupils to learn how to write more effectively, and in some cases to discover what they want to say through the process of composition. The paper draws on this and other work to set out a number of implications for teaching and classroom practice.     

网络写作与中学写作教学的新思考

网络写作是在信息化背景下出现的一种崭新的写作样式。在交际互动的语境中,网络写作具体表现为以下四个特征:自由平等,娱乐精神,效率至上,叛逆精神。网络写作给中学写作教学带来一定的冲击。面对这种冲击,中学写作教学应构建基于“交际取向”的写作教学框架,创设“交互式”的教学情境和开放自由的教学环境,这样才能使中学写作教学改革并具现实针对性与时代前瞻性。     

场馆科学学习:本质特征与影响因素

近20年来,随着建构主义学习观的兴起,国外兴起了研究以各种类型场馆为代表的非正式环境中的科学学习热潮。目前研究的焦点集中在场馆科学学习的基本特征与影响因素等方面。场馆科学学习是基于真实问题、强调探究过程,其学习结果往往是多元的;影响场馆科学学习的因素包括个人经验、物理环境和社会因素三个方面。随着我国《全民科学素质行动计划纲要》的推广和实施,科学学习成为教育中的热点话题。在今后的研究中,应在深入了解国外该领域进展的基础上,采用质性和量化相结合的方法,探讨影响场馆学习效果的关键变量,重点关注场馆学习长期效果的研究,以便为充分利用我国场馆资源、提高公众的科学素养提供坚实的基础。     

研究性学习中学生元认知能力的培养

研究性学习是一种新型的教学和学习模式,是学习化社会的主要学习方式。本文通过介绍研究性学习与元认知的相关理论,分析在研究性学习中学生元认知能力培养的意义,阐述如何在研究性学习中培养学生的元认知能力,使他们尽快地学会学习。     

Assessment for Learning in the writing classroom: an incomplete realisation

An Observation Guide, designed to help New Zealand teachers identify areas of teaching strength and aspects for development, was developed as part of a wider project. In the second phase of this project, 18 middle school teachers used the Guide to gather and record evidence as they participated in seven rounds of reciprocal peer observation and feedback during writing lessons with Grades 6–8 students. We report here on data from round 6 observations about the assessment for learning (AfL) strategies reported as evident in teachers’ practices, how these strategies were implemented and potential gaps in practice. AfL has at its heart a core of interdependent strategies that collectively contribute to the development of autonomous, self-regulating learners and quality learning. While the middle school teachers shared goals for learning and communicated what counted as successful achievement to students, they appeared to struggle when articulating goals in terms of literacy learning and conveying the substantive aspects and quality expected in students’ writing. In addition, despite AfL's promotion of learner autonomy, few teachers openly afforded students focused opportunities to take a meaningful role in their learning through the appraisal of their own and peers’ writing and the joint construction of feedback. As such, teachers’ AfL practice in the writing classroom failed to realise its full potential. It is argued that the promise of AfL can only be reached when strategies are enacted in ways that reflect its unitary nature, promote quality outcomes and give students a central role in their learning.     

数学写作在美国

写作与学习的密切关系很早就受到美国教育界的关注,这反映在20世纪60年代诞生的“贯穿于课程的写作”运动.自20世纪70年代开始,美国数学教师、数学教育研究者在数学写作方面作了许多尝试、应用和研究,积累了许多经验和方法,得出了数学写作在发展数学知识、成就问题解决、培养反思行为、促进情感流露、加强对话交流等方面的重要功能.数学写作在美国已经较为广泛地被用作数学学习的工具.     

语文写作教学合作学习模式的构想

学生作文水平的高低是其语文综合素质的体现,提高学生的写作能力和水平,发展学生的语文综合素质,历来都是语文教学改革的中心课题。语文写作教学合作学习模式是一种建立在互助合作基础上的,以异质学习小组为单位、合作学习方法为策略开展语文写作训练的教学组织形式。该教学形式能激发学生写作学习的主动性和积极性,提高学生听、说、读、写的能力,发展学生的语文综合素质,促进学生非认知品质的发展,培养学生的社会合作精神和探索创新精神。     

内隐学习在英语写作中的作用

内隐学习理论对大学英语写作教学有重要的启示意义。学生通过内隐学习能在文章结构、内容和语言三个层面的能力上有实质性的飞跃。内隐学习与外显学习相结合才能有效提高学生的英语写作水平。     

利用校园网络提高学生外语写作能力的可行性分析

大学生外语写作能力在网络技术日渐发达的今天变得越来越重要,而目前国内外对于大学生外语写作教学的探讨大多只限于基于传统纸笔写作的研究。文章从英语教学模式改革的必要性和可行性角度出发,在对非英语专业大学生的电脑外语写作能力和写作偏好进行调查,并在数据分析的基础上,提出了基于校园网的自主学习写作模式。     

Writing for Science as Scholarly Communication

A humane method (from the perspective of faculty and of students) to improve the writing of students, from freshmen to graduate, is described. This method follows the standard procedure of submission of a paper to a journal, whereby the students (peer) review each other's work, revise their papers in light of the referee's comments (or rebut them). Then acceptance for publication by the editor is marked by a high grade. It has been used in a variety of physics-related courses (astronomy, high-fidelity sound, biophysics), and also in general university-wide courses (The Atomic Bomb, The Bhagavad-Gita). The method introduces students to broadly-accepted scholarly communication modes of communicating ideas, with anonymous reviews. With suitable organization the time spent by faculty can be readily reduced, and faculty efficiency improved, to make the method convenient and viable. Also, it seems that other disciplines can use this method to advantage.     

关于高三理科学生物理学习现状的分析

采用问卷分析的方法,系统分析了哈尔滨市某重点中学高三学生的学习现状,从主观能动性、知识系统性、知识迁移性、学习难易性四个方面应用SPSS统计分析软件科学地进行了数据分析,以期为中学实际教学提供一定的数据支持并且根据所得结果对学生的学习情况提出相应的解决措施。