Enhancing Science Learning Through the Introduction of Effective Group Work in Hong Kong Secondary Classrooms

This study compares the learning results of three groups of secondary two (grade eight) students of a similar academic standard who participated in a teaching intervention involving different pedagogies. One hundred and forty-nine Hong Kong secondary students were chosen and divided into three groups, “whole-class teaching approach”, “group work with no specific strategies” and “group work with effective strategies”, to study the “space travel” unit in their science curriculum. The first group was exposed to traditional whole-class instruction, and the latter two practised collaborative group work, with the third adopting four effective strategies derived from a UK-based quasi-experimental project. Analyses of the pre- and post-diagnostic assessments and audiotaped discussions revealed that group work comprising effective strategies not only raised students’ test scores, but also enhanced their joint construction of conceptual knowledge in science. The findings suggest that the effective strategies adopted in this study are contributory factors to superior student accomplishments and a stronger desire to seek clarification accruing from shared cognitive activities.     

The Reflection-Informed Learning and Instruction to Improve Students’ Academic Success in Undergraduate Classrooms

Abstract

This study addressed the role of the reflection-informed learning and instruction (RILI) model on students’ academic success by using CourseMIRROR mobile system. We hypothesized that prompting students to reflect on confusing concepts stimulates their self-monitoring activities according to which students are expected to review their understanding, search for related knowledge, and try to identify the confusing concepts. With this student-reflection information, instructors can thus address students’ difficulties effectively, which can lead to enhanced academic success. We tested our hypothesis by conducting a semester-long quasi-experimental study in undergraduate industrial engineering classes (N?=?153). The analyses revealed that students in the RILI condition performed significantly better than students in the control condition (Cohen’s d = .82). In addition, reflection analysis showed that both quality and quantity of reflections were significantly associated with exam performance. Surveys indicated users highly valued the RIFI model; they rated CourseMIRROR favorably and said they would continue to use it in future classes.     

从科学课程的发展看现代科学课程的建构

本文从科学课程的发展分析三次科学课程改革的历史背景和科学课程形态特点,在认识现代科学课程的综合性和探究性的基础上,提出建立建构主义教学观和教学策略．     

Mathematics and Science Learning Opportunities in Preschool Classrooms

Research Findings: The present study observed and coded instruction in 65 preschool classrooms to examine (a) overall amounts and (b) types of mathematics and science learning opportunities experienced by preschool children as well as (c) the extent to which these opportunities were associated with classroom and program characteristics. Results indicated that children were afforded an average of 24 and 26 min of mathematics and science learning opportunities, respectively, corresponding to spending approximately 25% of total instructional time in each domain. Considerable variability existed, however, in the amounts and types of mathematics and science opportunities provided to children in their classrooms; to some extent, this variability was associated with teachers' years of experience, teachers' levels of education, and the socioeconomic status of children served in the program. Practice or Policy: Although results suggest greater integration of mathematics and science in preschool classrooms than previously established, there was considerable diversity in the amounts and types of learning opportunities provided in the preschool classrooms. Affording mathematics and science experiences to all preschool children as outlined in professional and state standards may require additional professional development aimed at increasing preschool teachers' understanding and implementation of learning opportunities in these 2 domains in their classrooms.     

Framing,Adapting, and Applying: Learning to Contextualize Science Activity in Multilingual Science Classrooms

Research in Science Education - In this article, we turn our attention to context-based approaches to science instruction. We studied the effects of changes to a set of secondary science teacher...     

Supporting Argumentation Through Students' Questions: Case Studies in Science Classrooms

This study explores how student-generated questions can support argumentation in science. Students were asked to discuss which of two graphs showing the change in temperature with time when ice is heated to steam was correct. Four classes of students, aged 12–14 years, from two countries, first wrote questions about the phenomenon. Then, working in groups with members who differed in their views, they discussed possible answers. To help them structure their arguments, students were given a sheet with prompts to guide their thinking and another sheet on which to represent their argument diagrammatically. One group of students from each class was audiotaped. Data from both students' written work and the taped oral discourse were then analyzed for types of questions asked, the content and function of their talk, and the quality of arguments elicited. To illustrate the dynamic interaction between students' questions and the evolution of their arguments, the discourse of one group is presented as a case study and comparative analyses made with the discourse from the other three groups. Emerging from our analysis is a tentative explanatory model of how different forms of interaction and, in particular, questioning are needed for productive argumentation to occur.     

Teaching and Learning Nature of Science in Elementary Classrooms

Science & Education - Our goal in this article is to provide research-based strategies for embedding Nature of Science (NOS) into science instruction at the elementary level. We thus intend to...     

Student Views of Teacher Actions in Science Classrooms Designed to Meet Current Reforms

Science/Technology/Society (STS) as a reform effort has been active in Iowa for three decades. A program called Iowa Chautauqua has evolved over the four decades to promote K-12 STS teaching in Iowa’s 300 school districts. This is a study of how teachers have become Teacher Leaders of the reforms and lead other teachers who enroll as new teachers and schools each New Year. All were involved with Action Research projects each year while also assisting graduate student teams who serve as research associates. In this study, students were asked to identify specific teacher actions that were designed to make student learning more successful. The study examines general student views of teacher actions as well as specific examples of how students interact with the teacher and how the teachers encourage greater student/student involvement. The results show success with STS and how it defines science and affective actions of teachers in classrooms. Student views of Teacher Leaders, new Chautauqua teachers, and Control Teachers with no STS or Chautauqua experiences provide ways of recognizing successes of current reform efforts.     

Test-Enhanced Learning: The Potential for Testing to Promote Greater Learning in Undergraduate Science Courses

Testing within the science classroom is commonly used for both formative and summative assessment purposes to let the student and the instructor gauge progress toward learning goals. Research within cognitive science suggests, however, that testing can also be a learning event. We present summaries of studies that suggest that repeated retrieval can enhance long-term learning in a laboratory setting; various testing formats can promote learning; feedback enhances the benefits of testing; testing can potentiate further study; and benefits of testing are not limited to rote memory. Most of these studies were performed in a laboratory environment, so we also present summaries of experiments suggesting that the benefits of testing can extend to the classroom. Finally, we suggest opportunities that these observations raise for the classroom and for further research.Almost all science classes incorporate testing. Tests are most commonly used as summative assessment tools meant to gauge whether students have achieved the learning objectives of the course. They are sometimes also used as formative assessment tools—often in the form of low-stakes weekly or daily quizzes—to give students and faculty members a sense of students’ progression toward those learning objectives. Occasionally, tests are also used as diagnostic tools, to determine students’ preexisting conceptions or skills relevant to an upcoming subject. Rarely, however, do we think of tests as learning tools. We may acknowledge that testing promotes student learning, but we often attribute this effect to the studying students do to prepare for the test. And yet, one of the most consistent findings in cognitive psychology is that testing leads to increased retention more than studying alone does (Roediger and Butler, 2011 ; Roediger and Pyc, 2012 ). This effect can be enhanced when students receive feedback for failed tests and can be observed for both short-term and long-term retention. There is some evidence that testing not only improves student memory of the tested information but also ability to remember related information. Finally, testing appears to potentiate further study, allowing students to gain more from study periods that follow a test. Given the potential power of testing as a tool to promote learning, we should consider how to incorporate tests into our courses not only to gauge students’ learning, but also to promote that learning (Klionsky, 2008 ).We provide six observations about the effects of testing from the cognitive psychology literature, summarizing key studies that led to these conclusions (see

The Study of Teaching for Mathematics Learning: Views Through Two Lenses

This article uses several studies to illustrate the concepts and methods of process-product and mediating process research on mathematics teaching. An integration of these two perspectives suggests that, if all learners in a class are to benefit, instruction must clarify the nature of mathematical reasoning. This may be accomplished by development work on challenging problems, or by more- and less-able students working together on such problems in small groups. In both situations, however, students should be pressed to focus on the substance rather than the form of the mathematics being learned, and ultimately, to perform strategic and heuristic activities on their own.     

Roles of Teachers in Orchestrating Learning in Elementary Science Classrooms

This study delves into the different roles that elementary science teachers play in the classroom to orchestrate science learning opportunities for students. Examining the classroom practices of three elementary science teachers in Singapore, we found that teachers shuttle between four key roles in enabling student learning in science. Teachers can play the role of (1) dispenser of knowledge (giver), (2) mentor of learning (advisor), (3) monitor of students’ activities (police), and (4) partner in inquiry (colearner). These roles are dynamic, and while teachers show a preference for one of the four roles, factors such as the nature of the task, the types of students, as well as the availability of time and resources affect the role that teachers adopt. The roles that teachers play in the classroom have implications for the practice of science as inquiry in the classroom as well as the identities that teachers and students form in the science learning process.     

The Potential Impacts of Upcoming High-Stakes Testing on the Teaching of Science in Elementary Classrooms

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education in the United States issued a report called A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. This report and other policy initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Legislation recommended that the individual states institute assessments to hold schools accountable. This research explored the potential impact of impending standardised testing on teaching science in elementary schools in one school district in Florida. We explored the teachers' concerns about the upcoming high-stakes tests in science, possible impact on their curriculum and what changes, if any, will be made in the approach to science teaching and learning in their classrooms. As the teachers look toward the implementation of high-stakes testing in science, they have recognised the need to teach science. This recognition is not borne out of the importance of science learning for elementary school children, but rather out of fear of failure and the effects of tangible rewards or punishments that accompany high-stakes testing. In anticipation, the teachers are preparing to align their teaching to the science standards while aggressively searching for test preparatory materials. Schools are also involved in professional development and structural changes to facilitate teaching of science.     

Science Instruction with a Humanistic Twist: Teachers' Perception and Practice in Using the History of Science in Their Classrooms

Scholars have argued that the history of science should be included in the science curriculum because it provides meaningful perspective about scientific concepts, processes, and context. This article begins with a review of efforts to humanize science education by including the history of science, and a review of the rationale for including the history of science in the science education curriculum. The authors then synthesize a conceptual framework for examining the role of the history of science in science education. The framework is organized around realms in the history of science: a) conceptual understanding, b) procedural understanding, and c) contextual understanding, and includes approximately 3 sub-elements within each realm. The framework has been used previously to study the inclusion of the history of science in high school physics textbooks (Wang 1998). In this study, it is used to examine the perceptions and practices of elementary and secondary school teachers in using the history of science in their classrooms. Thirty-eight teachers completed a questionnaire which used Likert scale items to assess their perception of the value of the history of science, and practice in using it in their classroom. A sub-set of teachers were then interviewed to understand the interconnection of these views in more detail. Teachers believe that the inclusion of the history of science should not be used for elementary school students. Teachers who believe in and practice the inclusion of the history of science identify many benefits for their students. However, they believe that it is difficult to include the procedural realm of understanding. The authors conclude that humanizing science isn't a matter of making it fun so much as making it a human and meaningful endeavor.     

Promoting Teacher Learning Through Learning Study Discourse: The Case of Science Teachers in Singapore

The potential of a theory of variation-framed learning study, a teacher professional development approach, to help teachers overcome curricular and pedagogical challenges associated with teaching new science curricula content was explored. With a group of Singapore teachers collaboratively planning and teaching new genetics content, phenomenographic analysis of data corpus from classroom observations, teacher meetings and interviews revealed teacher learning that manifested in the teachers’ experiences. These were captured as (1) increased degrees of student-centered pedagogy and challenges to teachers’ prior assumptions about science pedagogy, (2) increased awareness of possibilities and limitations of their beliefs about science pedagogy, and (3) emergence of new understandings about new curricular content and science pedagogy. The possibility of transformative and generative learning is also discussed.     

Science and Language Integration in Elementary Classrooms: Instructional Enactments and Student Learning Outcomes

Research in Science Education - While some students will pursue careers in science, all will engage with multimodal science-based texts. The effective use of language skills is essential to support...     

Through the Looking Glass: Reflecting on Counsellor Dreams for Enhanced Self-Care and Effective Practice

A wealth of information can be extracted from clients’ dream narratives. Few counsellors, however, recognize the significance of monitoring their own dreams. In this clinically-informed position paper, counsellors are urged to consider their own dream content. Self-awareness is vital to the therapeutic relationship, but also instrumental to the safety and well-being of counsellors themselves. Dreaming about one’s client can reflect troubled therapeutic rapport and highlight emotional or countertransference issues. Dreams can be harbingers of vicarious traumatization. Thus, counsellors are encouraged to reflect on their own dreams as a deliberate self-care initiative in order to promote a safe and effective practice.     

努力转变学生的历史学习方式--"‘拿破仑'的复习"课案

老师:杨秀斌同学对"拿破仑"颇有研究,下面我们以热烈的掌声请他主持"拿破仑"的复习。(学生鼓掌欢迎)杨秀斌:2004年12月2日--距离拿破仑强令教皇为其加冕整整200年,尽管这一天不是节日,但却成为法国人缅怀辉煌过去的一个理由。现在,如果我们到法国卢浮宫博物馆旅游,我们可以看到正在那里展出的法国画家大卫的传世之作《拿破仑加冕礼》。