A developmental look at award-winning software

Daniel D. Shade is Assistant Professor, Department of Individual and Family Studies and Director of the Computers As Partners Project, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.     

探究数学美

探索和研究数学学科的各种内在美 ,旨在激发人们热爱数学、钻研数学 ,培养创新意识 ,攀登数学领域的高峰。     

A new look at the professional training of secondary school mathematics teachers

Typical patterns followed in American colleges and universities in the preparation of mathematics teachers are inadequate for at least four reasons: some mathematics courses are perceived by students as irrelevant, the preparation is often not in step with societal changes, little attention is given to developing a solid understanding of mathematics content which is particularly important for secondary teachers, and insufficient emphasis is placed on the big ideas and unifying themes which pervade all of mathematics. This article discusses the reasons for these shortcomings and suggests a possible remedy involving the design of a program based on the intersection of certain needs of a secondary teacher and certain mathematics courses studied by prospective teachers.     

A closer look at the impact of globalization on science education

This paper provides a historical overview of globalisation in order to illustrate how globalisation both shapes and is shaped by external forces. The authors use this perspective to generate a dialogue about the science education project The Case of Sustainability by the Bay, and raise some questions to further the discussion on the impact of globalisation on science education. The paper also discusses the importance of recognizing the historic developments around globalisation in order to understand how changes in the global economy have shaped and continue to shape education through policy regarding funding, curriculum development and implementation, as well as trends in teacher preparation and education. The paper concludes by offering implications for policy makers, researchers, and teacher educators as it relates to science education generally, and globalisation particularly.     

A new look in representations for mathematics and science learning

Representations such as formal notations and diagrams routinely figure in students' learning of mathematics and science. However, in light of the extensive research on students' misunderstanding in these subject matters, it is reasonable to ask whether other kinds of representations might help students to reach better understandings. Indeed, a number of educators have developed innovative representations, typically on computers, that supposedly foster understanding through suggestive visual analogies and microworlds to manipulate. Evaluative research on these new look representations as we call them suggests that they indeed can help students to understand.In this review, we focus on exactlyhow these representations aid understanding. We propose that they do so by facilitating the learner's construction of explanations, justifications, predictions, and the like. These constructions require search in problem spaces, in the sense of Newell and Simon (1972). The representations in question reduce the cognitive load of such searches, clarify the structure of the problem spaces that need to be searched, and make certain moves in the problem spaces more immediate. We invoke Gentner's (1983) theory of structure mapping to explain how these advantages are attained. We also examine several characteristic pitfalls of representations in this style.     

Teacher help for conceptual level raising in mathematics

A field study with 16-year-old students in senior general secondary education was undertaken with the following research question: “Do students working in pairs on investigation tasks with the computer attain more conceptual level raising in mathematics when they are supported by a teacher who stimulates their interaction (process help) than when they are supported by a teacher who gives mathematical help (product help)?” Students in both conditions improved, but the two types of help showed no significant difference in level raising. Also, students in both conditions had serious problems with the learning materials, and wanted the teacher to explain and correct more. For students at this level of education, learning with investigation tasks in small groups appears to be very difficult.     

Representation of problem-solving procedures: A comparative look at China, Singapore, and US mathematics textbooks

This study examined how selected school mathematics textbooks in China, Singapore, and USA at the lower secondary grade level represent problem-solving procedures. The analysis of problem-solving procedures was carried out in two layers – general strategies, which adopted Pólya’s four-stage problem-solving model, and specific strategies, which consisted of 17 different problem-solving heuristics such as ‘acting it out,’ ‘looking for a pattern,’ ‘working backwards,’ etc. Both similarities and differences in the representation of problem-solving procedures in the textbooks across the three countries were revealed and compared. The possible reasons for the similarities and especially for the differences were explored. Suggestions about how to improve the representation of problem-solving in mathematics textbooks were provided at the end of the study.

A closer look at the Mulliken-Barker test

Qualitative analysis of unknown organic compounds is an essential part of the core curriculum for BSc and MSc students in chemistry. The functional group detection is a significant component of qualitative analysis. The present work describes the reason for the failure of Mulliken-Barker test for nitro compounds having carboxylic acid functionality and suggests a possible remedy.     

旅游文化的社会学探讨

文章以社会学为视角,观察旅游文化现象。作者运用人类文化学和社会学理论和方法,指出旅游的本质是人类的文化需求,社会学的许多分支学科都能解释旅游文化现象,并有助于旅游学科的完善。     

百年回眸“想亲亲”——20世纪中国情歌创作初探

以现代作曲技术进行情歌创作是20世纪中国音乐艺术的重要现象。通过历史回顾、技术解析和理性认识三个方面,对这一重要的音乐创作进行总结与探讨。     

A meta-analysis of the impact of mobile learning on mathematics achievement

Education and Information Technologies - The technological developments of the twenty-first century have enabled the emergence of alternative teaching-learning models and instructional tools. One...     

A new look at the age of technology

Dr Margaret Mead received the Kalinga Prize for 1970 on 2 December 1971, at a ceremony presided over by René Maheu, Director-General of Unesco.The Kalinga Prize is awarded annually by Unesco to a scientist, writer, editor, speaker or radio programme editor whose work has significantly contributed to the interpretation of science as an instrument for improving the welfare of mankind, enriching the culture of nations and answering human and social problems. It was established in 1951, and is based on a grant made by B. Patnaïk, from the State of Orissa, India. Prospects reprints here the text of Dr Mead's speech: Margaret Mead is a prominent anthropologist and author of many works, including Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies, Male and Female, Culture and Commitment: A Study of the Generation Gap,and A Rap on Race (with James Baldwin).     

新课标下数学课目标教学的思索

就新课标而言 ,数学课堂教学的目标不再是单一的知识与技能 ,而是知识与技能、过程与方法以及情感、态度与价值观三方面的整合 ,因此 ,目标教学的各环节都应该更加关注每一个学生的发展 ,突出学生主体 ,突出师生交往的互动、互惠关系以及学习方式的多样化 ,要制定适合于学生的、有可操作性的和便于实施的、明确的、具体的目标。总之 ,在新课程理念下 ,目标教学的各环节都应为学生营造民主、和谐、宽松的学习气氛 ,在师生平等的基础上求得新的发现 ,实现教学相长、共同发展     

Connecting the curriculum through the national mathematics and science standards

Summary It is always important to remember that science and mathematics are forever tied together by context and application. Science is the application of mathematical theory and understanding, and mathematics is the language and primary tool of science. As teachers and teacher educators, we should help our students see the connection between content and concept, rather than their separation.Through the use of the Connections Matrix described in this article, the standards can be addressed in the classroom and connections established across the curriculum as an individual or with a partner. The process can be established as a regular part of the planning process and help guide educators to implement effective activities which embed the standards and connections within the curriculum, rather than as an add-on or supplemental program. In short, this is the right way to accomplish the goals of connecting the curriculum and implementing the national mathematics and science standards.