Decentralizing and deschooling job training: Implications of selected studies from the USA

Vocational education is assumed to equalize opportunities for low-achieving youngsters by providing them with necessary job training with the expectation it will enhance their employability, productivity, and hence, community and national economic development. Increasing evidence suggests that vocational education, when developed as part of a nation's formal school structure, tends instead to be an expenisve, ‘second-class’ educational track with limited educational and economic benefits. Increasingly, developing nations, pressed by slow-growing modern sector economies and burgeoning youth populations, are as a consequence investigating the potential of non-formal institutions to supply vocational job training.The paper seeks to improve educators' and planners' understanding of non-formal vocational programs by reporting on three recent studies from the United States. Further, the paper draws on organizational theory to explain how non-formal programs' characteristics that account for efficient job training appear to be shaped by market forces that are unimportant to formal programs.The paper suggests that educators and planners distinguish between job training and education, the ends and means of which are considerably different, and give serious attention to shifting job training more to non-formal institutions. Besides apparent efficiencies that appear to characterize non-formal job training, the paper suggests that by removing job training from formal schools and credentialling, greater social equity may result. Formal schools would be thus deprived of an important part of their social selection role. Being freed of the dual function of training and education, schools could be more easily focussed on more fundamental educational reform to provide a common educational experience for all students to improve their literacy and arithmetic abilities and guide their general development to adulthood.     

Steps to abstract reasoning: An interdisciplinary program for cognitive development

A learning cycle approach to undergraduate instruction was implemented in a variety of subjects in the liberal arts and sciences. The students in the experimental program were typical representatives of an institution with liberal admissions policies. Significant gains were made in critical thinking and cognitive skill development by the experimental group. Additionally, retention of the experimental group was improved. Gains of this sort have the potential to rekindle hope in college faculties that some of the traditional goals of higher education that center on critical thinking and cognitive skill development need not be abandoned in institutions with liberal admissions policies.     

10步骤的10~+问题——与《综合学习设计》作者的对话

国际教学设计研究自20世纪90年代起开始转型,其中心也不再仅仅局限于教学设计研究的发源地美国。本访谈将要介绍的就是来自荷兰的当代国际著名教学设计专家和教育技术专家范梅里恩伯尔和基尔希纳,着重了解他们团队提出并持续20余年不断完善的"综合学习设计及其十个步骤",具体体现在《综合学习设计:四元素十步骤系统方法》一书中。两位作者曾经非常深刻地概括过这一理论的特质是:聚焦综合学习,以学习理论为厚实基础并采用高度灵活的设计方法,以有效解决当前教育培训领域的三大痼疾:学习任务分割化、学习内容碎片化和学习迁移悖论,并以此为教学设计的复兴作出贡献,回应瞬息万变知识社会的教育需求。综合学习设计代表了一种新的教学设计方法论,值得注意的是,梅里尔的"五星教学设计(首要教学原理)"和范梅里恩伯尔等的"综合学习设计(四元教学设计)"不约而同地于2002年发表在国际教育技术权威刊物《教育技术研究与发展》上。严格地说,它们不是一两个个别的理论或者模型,而是一股有着共同旨趣和追求、前景广阔的教学设计新潮流。由盛群力主持翻译的《综合学习设计:四元素十步骤系统方法》(下文简称《综合学习设计》)已经由福建教育出版社正式出版(当代前沿教学设计译丛,2012年7月)。正像梅里尔对这一理论做出的评价那样:"《综合学习设计》一书是设计有效教学的绝佳宝典,综合学习设计有助于教学达到有效果、有效率和有学习参与热诚的境界。"十个步骤融合了"问题教学"与"直导教学"的各自优势,对当前不尚空谈、务实探索的各种已有成果进行了绝妙综合。美国南加州大学洛杉矶分校认知技术研究中心教授、著名教育技术专家理查德.克拉克曾经这样感叹道:"《综合学习设计》代表了一种非常综合的方法,即既有最佳实践的依据,又有可靠研究的支撑,体现了有关学习、培训与迁移研究的现有水准,任何涉足教学、公司培训或者培训系统管理的人士阅读本书都是明智的选择。"我们则认为,《综合学习设计》系统反映了当代国际教学设计一流研发团队的最新应用成果,是将教育技术先进生产力转化为教学实践效益的可贵尝试。如果您立志为面向完整任务、聚焦解决问题与实现学习迁移而开展教学;如果您希冀了解教学设计潮流,开发创生性人力资源,探索促进专业成长的道路,那么,就请和我们一起"浸入"!杰罗姆.J.G.范梅里恩伯尔(Jeroen J.G.Van Merrinboer,1959-)现任荷兰马斯特里赫特大学教育发展与研究系学习与教学方向教授,曾多年担任荷兰开放大学教育技术研究中心主任和荷兰十所大学联校教育研究中心主任。范梅里恩伯尔在特温特大学获得教学技术学方向的哲学博士学位,在认知架构与教学、综合学习的教学设计、教学设计的整体化方法和适应性数字学习应用等方面颇有专长。他已经发表了150余篇学术论文,且担任《学习与教学》等数家学术刊物的编委。他因出版代表作《掌握综合认知能力》(1997)和提出"综合学习设计"(或称"四元教学设计")被公认是世界教育技术研究领域的一位领军人物,并曾获得美国教育传播与技术协会颁发的"国际贡献奖"。保罗.A.基尔希纳(Paul A.Kirschner,1951-)系荷兰开放大学学习科学与技术中心(CELSTEC)教育心理学教授,同时也是学习与认知研究项目负责人、荷兰国家终身学习实验室(NeLLL)科研主任。他在荷兰开放大学获得哲学博士学位。作为一位国际知名的学者,基尔希纳的研究擅长领域包括终身学习、计算机支持的协作学习、数字化或其他创新性学习环境的设计、开放教育资源、教育媒体应用、教师远程学习材料开发、认知能力的实际应用、设计与开发电子学习环境和工作环境以及信息技术教育系统的创新与应用等。     

单片机教学改革方案探索

本文分析了单片机原理及应用课程的特点和教学的现状,以及单片机技术的发展趋势.介绍了对本课程进行教学改革的内容,包括教学方法、教学内容、实验手段等.将教学和实践两个环节更好的结合起来,以市场需求为导向,培养学生分析问题解决问题能力、提高学生的实践能力,取得了良好的效果.     

中学体育课程改革的实证研究

2002年新修订的《体育与课程健康标准》的实施标志着我国已迈入新一轮体育课程改革的新阶段,与以前的改革相比,此次课程改革从指导思想和内容框架方面均发生了根本性的变化。面对新的体育与健康课程标准,从成就背后找出存在的问题,深入剖析产生这些问题的原因,以体育教育目的与体育课程改革的目标为出发点,围绕存在的问题提出一些具有针对性的意见和建议。     

充分利用生成资源命题推进化学课改评价研究

如何有效地运用教学过程中的“生成性的教学资源”为学习评价服务？为课程改革的深化推波助澜？以下命题的思路和灵感主要来自于近几年初中化学学习评价研究的第一线教学实践,特奉献与同仁并请予赐教。     

Retracing the Ancient Steps to Atomic Theory

Much can be learnt about the character of modern science from a study of the history of atomism, not because of the extent to which modern conceptions and arguments are anticipated in that history, but because of the ways in which those historical theories and practices differed qualitatively from contemporary theory and practice. The atomism of Democritus differed from contemporary atomic theory more than is typically appreciated. In the seventeenth century something like Democritean atomism was revived by Boyle and Newton, but not in a form that brought it significantly closer to modern atomic theory. The first version of atomism that was able to support an empirical programme was proposed by Dalton early last century, but even this lacked the direct support from experiment and fell well short of realisation that a crucial aspect of atoms is their internal structure.     

教育回归生活与课程改革

教育回归生活是课程改革的重要内容，回归生活的教育促使课程改革的深化与发展。现实学校教育远离了学生的生活实际，忽视了学生的人格培养与心灵的唤醒；新课程改革重视教育与生活的联系。从教育向生活回归的启示出发，把生活、教育与课程三者结合在一起，努力促使新课程的实施与深化。     

Seeing eye to eye: An evaluation of the use of video-conferencing to support collaboration

Student mobility and trans-national collaborative modes of learning at University level have been strongly promoted within Europe. However, such initiatives are expensive, difficult to organise and do not always attain their objectives. Recently there has been considerable interest in the extent to which computer-mediated communication between students in different countries can either supplement or substitute for actual student mobility. This paper reports an evaluation of a project in which video-conferencing was introduced in the context of an established Anglo-Spanish programme in which UK and Spanish Fashion students undertake collaborative projects in each others’ countries. Project aims included fostering and supporting second language use, providing an innovative context for collaborative art and design projects and offering an opportunity to simulate trans-national working conditions. Questionnaires, observation and interview data indicate that not all these objectives were realised, though student reaction to the technology and to the benefits it afforded for collaboration were broadly positive. The strengths and weaknesses of video-conferencing as a support to collaborative learning in this context are discussed.     

新课程背景下学生心理素质评价的思考

随着基础教育课程改革的逐步深入，构建促进学生素质全面发展的评价体系已成为当前推进素质教育的重点环节之一。2001年6月，教育部公布的《基础教育课程改革纲要(试行)》将“具有良好的心理素质”列入新课程的培养目标。因此，如何正确认识学生心理素质评价，建立学生心理素质的评价体系，探求科学地评价学生心理素质的方法，是学生素质全面发展的关键所在。     

An institutional approach to the evaluation of educational technology

While the evaluation of the development, implementation and use of technology in higher education can legitimately be carried out on an individual by individual basis, it is reasonable for institutions to develop their own evaluation approaches to support and guide the evaluation efforts of their staff. This paper outlines an institutional approach that guides the evaluation of educational technology in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. It proposes roles for an internal evaluator and educational technology practitioners and provides a conceptual framework that guides the evaluation process. Practitioners are supported using micro evaluation guidelines and this process is discussed for two types of evaluation. A discussion of the practical implementation of the framework is supported by the presentation of two evaluation case studies.Une approche institutionnelle d'évaluation de la technologie de l'éducation. Alors que l'évaluation du développement, de la mise en oeuvre et de l'usage de la technologie dans l'enseignement supérieur peut avec légitimité être marquée sur une base d'individu par individu, il est raisonnable que les institutions développent leurs propres approches d'évaluation pour soutenir et guider les efforts d'évaluation de leurs enseignements. Cet article décrit l'approche institutionnelle qui guide l'évaluation de la technologie de l'éducation dans la faculté de médecine, dentologie et de sciences de la santé de l'Université de Melbourne. Il propose des rôles pour une évaluation interne et des praticiens de technologie de l'Education et fournit un cadre conceptuel qui permet de guider les processus d'évaluation. Les praticiens sont aidés par l'emploi de guides de microévaluations et ce processus est discuté pour deux types d'évaluation. Une discussion sur la mise en oeuvre pratique du cadre est illustrée par deux études de cas d'évaluation.Ein institutioneller Ansatz zur Auswertung der Bildungstechnologie. Während die Auswertung der Entwicklung, Umsetzung und die Verwendung von Technologie im Bereich der höheren Bildung mit Recht auf individuellen Basis ausgeführt werden kann, ist es vernünftig, daß Institutionen ihre eigenen Auswertungsansätze entwickeln, um die Auswertungsbemühungen ihres Stabs zu unterstützen und zu leiten. Dieses Papier umreißt einen institutionellen Ansatz zur Auswertung der Nutzung von Bildungstechnologie in der Fakultät für Medizin, Zahnheilkunde und Gesundheitswissenschaften an der Universität von Melbourne. Es beschreibt die Rolle eines internen Auswerters und Bildungstechnikpraktikers und liefert einen begrifflichen Rahmen für den Auswertungsprozeß. Praktiker werden durch Micro-Auswertungsrichtlinien unterstützt. Dieser Prozeß wird für zwei Evaluationstypen erörtert. Die praktische Umsetzung des Rahmens wird anhand zweier Auswertungsfallstudien diskutiert.     

对简化法律语言可行性的探讨

本从人们对法律语言的理解、认识入手，通过分折法律语言的特点和它独特的表达方式，以及法律语言运用上的特色，来探讨简化法律语言的可行性，即要从“以读为基础”的角度出发。     

The Career Pathway Model: Small Steps to Big Leaps

Palm Beach Community College realigned its curriculum to allow student to seamlessly process through career pathways. Students can start in clock-hour-based instruction and transfer that learning into credit-based associate in science degrees. Along this pathway, students can use exit points to employment with recognized certificates.     

An electronic workbook to study statistics: Design and evaluation

The present contribution focuses on an evaluation study in which a so‐called Electronic Workbook was designed, developed and experimentally implemented in the first‐year statistics course of the Faculty of Policy Sciences at the University of Nijmegen. The Electronic Workbook was developed as a potential solution to a four‐fold problem statement (study postponement by students, limited relevance of the course within the curriculum, lack of exploration possibilities, lack of insight into study progress by teachers). The Electronic Workbook was experimentally implemented as a regular part of the statistics course and evaluated during two consecutive academic years. The evaluation results show that students appreciated the possibility of active exploration provided by several types of support devices. They were fairly positive on being responsible for their own study activities. The aims — to gain insight into study progression and to meet the problem of study postponement ‐were achieved only to a limited degree in the first evaluation study. Due to some major changes in the educational set‐up of the second evaluation study, students were more actively and regularly engaged in the statistics course.     

Thinking in Nearness: Seven Steps on the Way to a Heideggerian Approach to Education

This paper explores the concept of Gelassenheit as developed in the later thought of Martin Heidegger. It seeks to show the relevance of this to aspects of education, especially to the ways that teaching can be enhanced in order to do better justice both to the learners and to what is studied. Thinking in this way helps to overcome the dominance of representational thought, a kind of thinking that imposes barriers on the understanding and restrictions on how the world can come to be. In the end the thinking illustrated by Gelassenheit constitutes a more responsible and more responsive relationship to the truth. My paper provides examples of ways that this can enhance education. In the end, with a caveat, I revisit and re‐examine aspects of Heidegger's work about which I think there is reason to be cautious. This is to encourage a degree of vigilance in relation to Heidegger's thought, but in a way that does not deny its powerful insights.     

开展数学实验 深化实践教学改革

数学实验是以问题为载体,以计算机为手段,以数学软件为工具,以学生为主体的探索活动。数学实验的内容体系可分为演算、验证(模拟、演示)、数学建模(数据处理、经验归纳)三个层次。同时按学生专业特点,组织实施相应的教学内容。     

First Steps in Learning to Pretend

This is the first of two articles on the pretend play of mentally handicapped children, by Roy McConkey, senior research officer, St Michael's House, Dublin, and Dorothy Jeffree, research fellow, Hester Adrian Research Centre, Manchester University