L'Expression Libre pour L'Acquisition des Langues

We all learn language. This does not mean, however, that we have a clear‐cut picture of how the language learning process takes place, nor what it looks like. Over the centuries implicitly or explicitly we have used theories of language learning and consequently theories of teaching them. One such theory which has its roots in the past is the basis of the free oral expression approach. In this approach, the learner and his acquisition process are the centre of the teacher's interventions. Logically such an approach entails consequences for the training and education of language teachers.     

Cultural Relay in Early Childhood Education: Methods of Teaching School Behavior to Low-Income Children

There is a distinct class difference in the way that children are taught school behavior. Teachers in affluent schools use more implicit teaching techniques while teachers of low-income children are more explicit in their teaching of behavior. This stems largely from the alignment of the home culture of middle class children to school behavior and the difference between the home culture of low-income children to school codes. However, middle class children learn behavior at home implicitly. This study examines the possibility of low-income children learning school behavior implicitly while at school. The researcher observed two Chicago Head Start centers??one using implicit instruction and one teaching behavior explicitly??over a period of 5?months. Observational data showed that the children that learned school behavior through implicit teaching techniques better internalized school behavior and, by extension, middle class codes.     

Experiencing equivalence but organizing order

The notion of equivalence relation is arguably one of the most fundamental ideas of mathematics. Accordingly, it plays an important role in teaching mathematics at all levels, whether explicitly or implicitly. Our success in introducing this notion for its own sake or as a means to teach other mathematical concepts, however, depends largely on our own conceptions of it. This paper considers various conceptions of equivalence, in history, in mathematics today, and in mathematics education. It reveals critical differences in the notion of equivalence at different points in history and a meaning for equivalence proposed by mathematicians and mathematics educators that is at variance with the ways that learners may think. These differences call into question the most popular view of the subject: that the mathematical notion of equivalence relation is the result of spelling out our experience of equivalence. Moreover, the findings of this study suggest that the standard definition of an equivalence relation is ill-chosen from a pedagogical point of view but well-crafted from a mathematical point of view.     

教学评价改革的文化制约分析

教学评价总是在一定的文化环境中进行的,又总是受制于整个文化传统,不管是在理论上还是在实践中,不管是显性的还是隐性的,它都不可能超越文化内在精神的约束。从文化延伸的角度探寻教学评价的文化根基,分析制约教学评价改革的文化因素,并对此提出相应的建议,以期达到进一步深入推进教学评价改革之目的。     

Characteristics of 5th Graders' Logical Development Through Learning Division with Decimals

When we consider the gap between mathematics at elementary and secondary levels, and given the logical nature of mathematics at the latter level, it can be seen as important that the aspects of children's logical development in the upper grades in elementary school be clarified. In this study we focus on the teaching and learning of “division with decimals” in a 5th grade classroom, because it is well known to be difficult for children to understand the meaning of division with decimals, caused by certain conceptions which children have implicitly or explicitly. In this paper we discuss how children develop their logical reasoning beyond such difficulties/misconceptions in the process of making sense of division with decimals in the classroom setting. We then suggest that children's explanations based on two kinds of reversibility (inversion and reciprocity) are effective in overcoming the difficulties/misconceptions related to division with decimals, and that they enable children to conceive multiplication and division as a system of operations.     

Changing our minds,changing our bodies: Power as embodied in research relations

When experienced teachers respond at the moment to situational complexities, it is a complex phenomenon of adaptation. At a surface level these spontaneous actions can be described as immediate responses to cues [from the students, the teachers, or elsewhere in the environment]. An in‐depth examination of spontaneous teaching practice, however, reveals how complex and personal is this phenomenon of adaptation. Examples of spontaneous teaching practice and excerpts from two teachers’ explicated understandings are used to delineate each teacher's uniqueness in personal theory and practice, and to illustrate how these teachers implicitly work to maintain a sense of “rightness” in their teaching. The notion of a signal, as a personal cue acting at the belief level, is developed to explain what it means for a teacher to “just know” when something is or is not working or does or does not feel right.     

The Pendulum as Presented in School Science Textbooks of Greece and Cyprus

When we refer to scientific knowledge, we, implicitly or explicitly, refer to its three components, namely its conceptual framework, its methodological principles and its cultural aspects. The pendulum is a topic of science teaching and learning where all three of these aspects can be examined with the aim of gaining a holistic appreciation of the transformation of a natural phenomenon into a phenomenon of the physical sciences and how this can then be recontextualized into a topic of school science learning. The main objective of this study is to examine whether this richness of the pendulum as a topic of teaching is revealed in the school science textbooks in Greece and Cyprus, for both primary and secondary education. We will use an analytical mapping instrument in order to determine, whether the pendulum is introduced at some grade level and, if so, in what context. We will then use an interpretive instrument, which relies on taxonomy of science curricula into traditional, innovative and constructivist programs, in order to attach meaning to the analysis. Finally, we will formulate a series of proposals in relation to the educational value of the simple pendulum at the Greek and Cypriot gymnasium level.     

The Objectives of Sex Education in the Schools

Abstract

Decency and good manners are not optional but essential ingredients of good lives in a democracy. Decency in a democratic society, it is claimed, is a matter of having an attitude of goodwill towards non‐intimates (though there will be overlaps with the treatment of friends and intimates), which will be expressed in different ways in different groups. It will often involve not insisting on one's rights and giving other people more than is due to them. It is argued that the fact that expressions of decency vary between social groups may cause misunderstandings. Objections to ideals of decency and good manners are then tackled. Finally, it is claimed that there is a role for the school in implicitly and explicitly teaching decency as part of its education for citizenship in a democracy.     

Toward a functional learning system for Solomon Island secondary science classrooms

This paper uses a model of Melanesian Solomon Islanders' informal learning system derived from participant observation and interview data to analyse classroom interactions at the senior secondary level. Key learning strategies in the Melanesian informal learning system are observation, imitation, listening, participation and asking. Key contextual elements described pertain to the maintenance of interpersonal relationships, kin‐group and peer‐oriented learning, and epistemology, sociolinguistics and time orientation. This analysis is used to enhance the attainment of classroom goals through the development of a functional learning system for laboratory‐oriented science lessons comprising teaching strategies and classroom management techniques which incorporate particular elements of the Melanesian informal learning system. Evidence is presented supporting the selective use of observation, active imitation, listening and participation in a classroom context which maintains respect between participants and assigns roles to them in ways congruent with Melanesian cultural norms.     

Junior high school physics: Using a qualitative strategy for successful problem solving

Students at the junior high school (JHS) level often cannot use their knowledge of physics for explaining and predicting phenomena. We claim that this difficulty stems from the fact that explanations are multi‐step reasoning tasks, and students often lack the qualitative problem‐solving strategies needed to guide them. This article describes a new instructional approach for teaching mechanics at the JHS level that explicitly teaches such a strategy. The strategy involves easy to use visual representations and leads from characterizing the system in terms of interactions to the design of free‐body force diagrams. These diagrams are used for explaining and predicting phenomena based on Newton's laws. The findings show that 9th grade students who studied by the approach advanced significantly from pretests to post‐tests on items of the Force Concept Inventory—FCI and on other items examining specific basic and complex understanding performances. These items focused on the major learning goals of the program. In the post‐tests the JHS students performed on the FCI items better than advanced high‐school and college students. In addition, interviews conducted before, during, and after instruction indicated that the students had an improved ability to explain and predict phenomena using physics ideas and that they showed retention after 6 months. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 1094–1115, 2010     

Cooperative Learning and the Organization of Secondary Schools

This article describes the inter‐relationship between school organization and classroom instructional style. Two distinct models of school organization, the bureaucratic and open‐systems models, are characterized in terms of three major dimensions of school life; a. the behavior of administrators, teachers and students, b. work design and tasks, and c. space‐time allocations. It is shown that the bureaucratic model of school organization parallels, and sustains, the traditional whole‐class method of teaching in all of the three dimensions. An open‐systems model of staff organization at the school level is required to sustain an alternative form of classroom instruction such as cooperative learning. The approach presented here emphasizes the inter‐relatedness of all three dimensions of schooling at the organizational and classroom levels. It also claims that the implementation of genuine instructional change, that entails new patterns of interpersonal relations in the classroom, is contingent upon similar changes being made at the level of the school as an organization. Lack of attention to school organizational change may explain why efforts at changing instruction at the classroom level frequently fail to yield results.     

Teacher interpersonal competence for Dutch secondary multicultural classrooms

In the Netherlands, as in many European countries, classrooms display a growing cultural diversity. There are only very limited empirically supported data on the interpersonal competence teachers need in Dutch classrooms and studies from other countries cannot be generalized because of differences in the composition of the student population. This paper reports on an exploratory study in two schools on teachers' experiences in multicultural classes followed by an in‐depth case study of one expert teacher. We use this study to answer the question to what degree this teacher displays interpersonal competence (teaching behaviours, knowledge and attitudes) specific for teaching in multicultural classrooms by comparing this teacher's competence with generic interpersonal teaching competence. The teacher studied seems to be aware of special needs of students from different cultures and to use this knowledge to apply specific teaching strategies and interpersonal cues to create a positive classroom atmosphere and to cater for needs of diverse students. Further, the results indicate that many elements of this teacher's interpersonal competence in teaching a multicultural class can be considered aspects of generic teaching competence. It seems that the multicultural classroom puts heavier demands on this competence than a less diverse classroom.     

Teaching Victimology in America: From on the Job Training (OJT) to PHD

Within the field of victimology, teaching can occur at many levels: from on-the-job training of victim assistance practitioners; to agency-specific training, usually for one week to learn basic job competence; to more formal teaching for two years at the undergraduate level; or for four years at the baccalaureate level at a university; and finally, to advanced graduate work, leading to either a master’s degree or a doctorate degree in victimology or a related discipline. The dynamic evolution of victimology and victim services beginning in the early 1970s was followed by the education of university students interested in understanding victims and victimization, as well as the training of practitioners wanting to help relieve victim suffering and facilitate victim recovery. Victimology education and training offers a bright prospect both for those interested in studying victims, those hoping to find social solutions to interpersonal conflicts, and those wanting to help their fellow human beings.     

Peer and self‐assessment in the first year of university

This paper reviews the literature about peer and self‐assessment in university courses from the point of view of their use, and the suitability of their use, in the first year of university study. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part argues that although first‐year students are involved in many of the studies that report on the use of peer and self‐assessment in higher education, the proportion of these studies that do so is somewhat less than in other year levels. In addition, relatively little of this work directly and explicitly discusses the suitability of peer and self‐assessment for students and courses at this year level. The second part of the paper provides an introductory exploration of the relationship between peer and self‐assessment, and specific features of first‐year assessment, learning and teaching. Three issues relating directly to the suitability of peer and self‐assessment in the first year are explored. In the third part, the paper briefly discusses the desirability of implementing peer and self‐assessment, in general, before seeking to extend this specifically to the first year. The paper concludes by recommending that greater use can and should be made of peer and self‐assessment in the first year of university study.     

Undergraduate plagiarism: a pedagogical perspective

Student plagiarism is a pervasive and increasing problem at all levels of study in tertiary institutions. This study attempted explicitly and implicitly to address issues of plagiarism within the broad context of an academic writing framework in tutorials in a first‐year module at the University of KwaZulu‐Natal in South Africa. Despite these interventions, a quarter of the students were judged to have plagiarised in an essay assignment. The study revealed little deliberate intention to deceive but instead poor understanding of both technical matters such as correct referencing norms that had been addressed in the module and higher‐order issues such as writing as process, knowledge as constructed and the establishment of authorial voice through language and referencing. Lack of real engagement with plagiarism and referencing issues was also a problem, with certain groups of students being more at risk in terms of committing plagiarism than others. It is argued that, particularly in a demographically diverse society, acquiring values, attitudes, norms, beliefs and practices that help prevent plagiarism should be viewed as a long‐term and iterative process.     

Curriculum Study and the Freedom of the Teacher‐‐II: Comments on the address given by Mr. D. H. Morrell

Data derived from systematic observation of pupils and teachers in 32 junior classrooms are used to consider the relationship between the teaching methods employed by teachers and the proportion of class time pupils spend engaged on curriculum tasks. Correlations between levels of whole‐class, group and individual interactions and the proportions of lesson time pupils spend working directly on curriculum tasks show that classrooms which have higher levels of whole‐class interaction have considerably higher levels of pupil time on task than classrooms with lower levels of whole‐class interactions. Further analysis shows that this association cannot be accounted for simply by pupils spending more time on task during class lessons. In particular, higher levels of whole‐class interaction are associated with pupils spending a higher proportion of time on task during periods of individual activity as well as at other times.     

Examining interpersonal dynamics among adult learners through the lens of place

The purpose of this article is to analyze interpersonal problems among adult learners in three family literacy programs and to identify how these tensions were connected to place or distinctive community contexts. Drawing on the critical geography literature, the article argues that interpersonal problems must be understood in light of socio‐cultural and spatial factors such as the history of steel‐era industrial capitalism and immigrant settlement patterns resulting from global economic restructuring. By linking micro‐level interactions to contextual factors, the article provides a sociological, place‐conscious alternative to individualistic explanations of relational conflicts. In short, the group dynamics adult educators and learners encounter in the classroom should be understood as a microcosm of spatially produced social relations outside the program.     

Policies,principals and parents: multilevel challenges and supports in teaching sexuality education

A teacher's capacity to provide sexuality education may be hampered or enhanced by a number of factors. A social–ecological framework can be used to understand these influences, and the present study assesses interpersonal, organisational/institutional and community/policy level influences on teaching sexuality education. Seven focus groups were conducted in 2009 with 41 sexuality education teachers in Minnesota; discussion focused on challenges and the supports teachers experienced. At the interpersonal level, teachers reported both positive and negative interactions with parents, regarding parents as highly influential on school administrators and policy. Teachers reported many organisational level challenges, including their administrators, district policy, and structural factors such as time, financial resources, and diversity in the student body. At the community level, participants overwhelmingly felt that policy changes could be very beneficial to sexuality education in Minnesota, and believed that this support could come from all levels. Findings suggest numerous intervention points to reduce challenges and strengthen supports for teachers, and indicate that a multi-level approach is needed to increase teachers' ability to deliver sexuality education that meets their students' needs and is less onerous for the educator.