Implementing an advanced composition program with faculty from across the curriculum

For the past several years, Central Michigan University has staffed the advanced composition course required of all undergraduates with faculty from both the English department and also from other departments throughout the university. Central Michigan's experiences in developing a political constituency supportive of improving students' writing skills and in establishing faculty development workshops to assist faculty in preparing to teach this new advanced writing course are discussed. Further, the experiences of non-English faculty teaching this distinctive course are described. The impact of the writing program on other university units is reviewed. This successful program might provide a model for other universities.John S. Dinan received his Ph.D. in composition and rhetoric from the University of Massachusetts. He is Director of the Developmental Writing Program at Central Michigan University. Joseph E. Finck received his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Michigan State University. He was a member of the first class of non-English advanced composition faculty at Central Michigan University. Dr. Finck teaches a section of the course with a physical science theme. William Miles is Professor, Reference Librarian, and Coordinator of Bibliographic Instruction in the Central Michigan University Libraries. He received his M.A. in English from Wayne State University and his M.L.S. from the University of Michigan. Mary Scheuer Senter received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan. As interim Vice-Provost in the 1980s, she worked with colleagues to improve student writing skills and studied factors affecting the success of nontraditional students.     

试析德语写作的难点及对策

写作在德语教学中具有十分重要的地位,是教学的重要环节,但是在教学过程中发现,学生并没有意识到德语写作的重要性,德语写作的重视程度呈下降趋势,质量也处于滑坡状态.文章针对德语写作中通常会遇到的一些难点,进行了相应的分析,并提出相应的对策.对于如何提高德语写作水平,给出了一些有效的建议和解决办法.     

论思想道德修养课教学中的情感投入

《思想道德修养》课教师要敬业爱生 ,建立良好的师生人际关系 ;要具有高超地教学艺术 ,创造良好的课堂氛围 ;要做到情在行中 ,率先垂范 ;要有肯定积极的情感 ,因势利导 ;要做到情中有严 ,严中有度 ;爱学生要公道正派 ,一视同仁 ,沟通师生之间的情感 ,把教师的教与学生的学带向成功的彼岸     

Teaching-for-Learning (TFL): A Model for Faculty to Advance Student Learning

In light of the widespread recognition of the enduring challenge of enhancing the learning of all students—including a growing number of students representing diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds—there has been an explosion of literature on teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. Notwithstanding scores of promising new ideas, individual faculty in higher education need a dynamic and inclusive model to help them engage in a systematic and continuous process of exploring and testing various teaching and assessment practices to ensure the learning of their students. This paper introduces a model—Teaching-for-Learning (TFL)—developed to meet this need. Clifton F. Conrad received his bachelor’s degree in History and his master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Kansas and his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. He is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and his research focus is on college and university curricula with particular emphases on program quality, liberal education, and teaching and learning. Jason Johnson received his bachelor’s degree in Comparative History of Ideas and his master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Washington. He is nearing completion of his Ph.D. and working as a Teaching Assistant in Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his research focuses on rhetoric in higher education. Divya Malik Gupta received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Human Development and Family Studies from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Gujarat, India. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.     

大学英语读写一体化教学模式研究

大学英语读写一体化不是单向的“以读促写”,也与以往工具式的训练型“读写结合”有所不同。作为一种教学理念,它更强调学生对语言的整体感悟,更强调通过研究性学习培养学生的批判性思维,并扩展其人文素质。通过贯穿始终的学生合作学习活动,阅读一讨论一写作一评议四个环节中的师生互动,以培养思辨能力为目标的深度阅读,高度融合的读写技巧讲练,体验式网络自主学习等教学设计,达到读写水乳交融、相互促进的效果,显示出大学课程的通识教育功能。     

Newton and the age of reason

During the spring semester of 1987 a mathematician and a physicist from Oberlin College went with twenty-one undergraduates to London to use the resources of England as the basis for a course with the above title. This unusual interdisciplinary course is described, with emphasis on its experimental, experiential nature and the challenges and satisfactions which it provided.Joseph L. Snider is Professor of Physics at Oberlin College. He received his undergraduate degree in physics from Amherst College in 1956 and his Ph.D. in experimental physics from Princeton University in 1961. He has taught and done research at Harvard University and at Oberlin College. His areas of interest are solar physics, astrophysics, relativity, and the history and philosophy of science. Recently he has become interested in working to improve the teaching of physics and astronomy to pre-college students.Bruce Pollack-Johnson is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Oberlin College, where he is responsible for the operations research program. He received a B.A. in sociology with a minor in education from Brandeis University in 1975, an M.A. in mathematics from Temple University in 1979, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in operations research from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980 and 1983, respectively. He has published in the areas of human resource modeling, forecasting, educational planning, simulation, and project management, and his current research includes project scheduling and conflict resolution. He has helped develop new courses for liberal arts students on introductory computer science and educational philosophy, as well as the course described in this article, and is also Co-Director of the Lorain County Peace Education Project.     

网络自主学习环境下的大学英语写作教学研究

大学英语写作是重要基本技能之一,然而通过对大学英语进行课堂观察,发现学生的写作能力较差。因此,为提高学生的写作能力,以温州大学为例,结合计算机辅助语言学习和自主学习理论,对网络写作教学模式设计和实施进行探讨,并提出相应的建议,对于提高大学生英语写作教学水平具有一定的创新性和实践意义。     

明规矩重理法以求实用——梁启超写作教育思想探析

梁启超围绕“教人作文当以结构为主”的核心理念,主张写作教学要明规矩重理法以求实用。作文规矩分为写任何文章的一般规矩和写不同体裁文章的特殊规矩,在学生明了规矩基础上,他强调师生要重视理法的导与学,实现写作训练中文体、语言、内容、方法等方面的实用。规矩是知识,理法是途径,两者相互促进,达到实用的目的。这种写作教育思想至今仍有借鉴意义。     

The electronic campus: Technotreachery: Play infiltrates school

Eric Crump is the learning technologies coordinator for the University of Missouri-Columbia Learning Center. He is working on a number of projects, all exploring ways to use computer networks to create new learning environments and to complement conventional learning environments. His pet projects at the moment are the Online Writery, an online community of student writers; Rhetnet, an experimental scholarly cyberjournal on rhetoric and writing, and the MU Institute for Instructional Technology, a mechanism for effecting technological and pedagogical change on campus. If you would like to contact Eric to inquire about the nuts and bolts of on-line learning or about his views on learning and the academy, you can send e-mail to him at wleric@showme.missouri.edu.     

A sociocultural perspective on mediated activity in third grade science

This ethnographic study of a third grade classroom examined elementary school science learning as a sociocultural accomplishment. The research focused on how a teacher helped his students acquire psychological tools for learning to think and engage in scientific practices as locally defined. Analyses of classroom discourse examined both how the teacher used mediational strategies to frame disciplinary knowledge in science as well as how students internalized and appropriated ways of knowing in science. The study documented and analyzed how students came to appropriate scientific knowledge as their own in an ongoing manner tied to their identities as student scientists. Implications for sociocultural theory in science education research are discussed. John Reveles is an assistant professor in the Elementary Education Department at California State University, Northridge. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2005. Before pursuing his Ph.D., he worked as a bilingual elementary school teacher for 3 years. His research focuses on the development of scientific literacy in elementary school settings; sociocultural influences on students' academic identity; equity of access issues in science education; qualitative and quantitative research methods. Within the Michael D. Eisner College of Education, he teaches elementary science curriculum methods courses, graduate science education seminars, and graduate research courses. Gregory Kelly is a professor of science education at Penn State University. He is a former Peace Corps Volunteer and physics teacher. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell in 1994. His research focuses on classroom discourse, epistemology, and science learning. This work has been supported by grants from Spencer Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the National Academy of Education. He teaches courses concerning the uses of history, philosophy, sociology of science in science teaching and teaching and learning science in secondary schools. He is editor of the journal Science Education. Richard Durán is a Professor in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara. His research and publications have been in the areas of literacy and assessment of English Language Learners and Latino students. He has also conducted research on after school computer clubs, technology and learning as part of the international UC Links Network. With support from the Kellogg Foundation, he is implementing and investigating community and family-centered intervention programs serving the educational progress of Latino students in the middle and high school grades.     

An Integrated Holistic Method for Teaching Introductory German to Community College Students

The study reported in this paper investigated the effectiveness of an Integrated Holistic Teaching Method for teaching grammatical structure, cultural norms and behavior, writing and listening to German language students. The study involved a sample of 24 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory college-level German course at a large urban community college in Texas. The research utilized a pre- and posttest design to study the instructional effectiveness of the Integrated Holistic Teaching Method. The higher posttest mean scores indicated significant improvement in student learning in the 4 major language skills areas as an artifact of involvement in the Integrated Holistic Teaching Method.     

后现代课程观对大学写作教学的启示

课程观的转变直接影响着教学观念的变革。后现代课程观对大学写作教学的改革提供了有益启示。大学写作教学的课程目标要有利于学生成为"发展实践者",大学写作教学的课程内容应由封闭走向开放,大学写作的教学方式要有利于学习者的自组织学习。     

Designing a program to prepare graduate students for careers as college teachers

Graduate students have few opportunities to gain experience in the full range of teaching and to become aware of the issues related to a career of teaching in higher education. A program designed to provide these opportunities must accommodate both the variation within the institution's graduate programs and the complexities of graduate student life to be successful. The University of California, Davis, developed the Program in College Teaching in which participants develop and then fulfill contractual agreements for a faculty guided investigation into teaching in the discipline and supporting individualized activities focused on the practice and issues of teaching in higher education. This article notes five factors and assumptions of program development, discusses how they impact a program for training graduate students to be college teachers, describes the current Program and evaluates its pilot year.William E. Davis is Program Coordinator of the Teaching Resources Center at the University of California, Davis. He obtained his Ph.D. in Ecology in 1990 at the University of California, Davis. He focuses on providing opportunities for GTAs to improve their teaching skills. Douglas L. Minnis is Senior Lecturer, emeritus, in the Division of Education at the University of California, Davis. He obtained his Ed.D. in Higher Education in 1963 at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been actively involved in GTA training since 1970.     

从学习“自主”到全面发展——读写译课程讲授＋研讨型教学模式实践研究

在我国高校大学英语教学中,读写译课程教学一直受到重视,但却面临着课时有限、班级规模大、教学任务重的问题,而且在教学过程中经常被简化为阅读教学,忽视翻译、写作教学,教学模式也以讲授型为主。广为提倡的＂自主学习＂,也因为学生缺乏明确的学习目标和实践能力而流于形式。基于山东大学的校级教学项目＂大学英语读写译课程的创新实践＂,项目组通过一年的追踪研究证明,重视教师的指导作用,采用课堂讲授与研讨相结合的教学模式把教学过程贯穿课内外,能有效地解决上述问题,在开设大学英语课程的高校有一定的推广、借鉴意义。     

如何培养学生在商务英语写作课上的兴趣

英语专业学生在学习商务英语写作时,有两大主要任务:一是在不同商务活动中使用恰当的商务英语写作方法;二是在不同的商务活动中使用恰当的英语语言。由于身处内地,与国外联系相对较少,学生普遍缺乏商务英语写作的实战经验,他们期望中的商务英语写作的实用性不够强烈。因此,学生在学习这门课程时,主要是被动式学习。该项目试图在现有条件下,从商务写作技巧与商务知识的关系及课堂教学艺术两个方面入手,以期找出提高学生学习兴趣的方法,进而提高他们的商业文化素养和商务英语写作能力。     

Organizational planning and policy analysis: Combining theory with experiential learning

Planning is vital to the continued effectiveness of educational institutions. The course described in this paper succeeds in combining two crucial elements of a student's comprehension of the planning process: first, an overview of the strategic planning literature provides a theoretical underpinning; then, an experiential planning exercise reinforces and extends the student's appreciation for this complex process. This course focuses on the alternative futures approach to planning. This approach has the added benefits of linking a study of relevant developments in the real world, through the planning process, with strategy formulation for the simulated institution.He obtained his Ph.D. at the Florida State University in 1969. His research, writing, and teaching activities focus on using futures research methods in planning and policy analysis. David M. Brock is a doctoral student in higher education and a lecturer in business at North Carolina State University. His teaching and research activities focus on the areas of business strategy, consumer behavior, and applications of corporate strategic principles to colleges and universities.     

高校英文写作课的有效评价

英文写作课是将学生的英语思维,文章建构及语法词汇表达等能力融合于一体的综合学习课程。研究并运用适合学生的写作评价方式是教师们一直关注的话题。沈阳师范大学国际商学院作为中美合作办学的教育机构,在英文写作教学方面拥有中外教师合作教学的授课模式,有条件借鉴国外英文写作课的授课模式。文章采用列举外籍教师实例教学的模式,重点探讨适用于英文写作课的有效评价方式。     

学生英语写作能力培养的几点看法

在英语教学中,写作是“四会”中的一项重要技能,而学生普遍在写作能力上有明显的不足,所以老师在平时的教学中,应充分考虑学生的语言能力及写作目标,采用恰当的教学方式。期间,发现错误与改正错误,紧密结合课本学习是提高写作能力的重要手段。     

Cultural Diversity and Best Practices in the Teaching and Learning of Statistics: A Faculty Perspective from a Historically Black College/University (HBCU)

The literature on the teaching and learning of statistics tend not to address issues of cultural diversity. Twenty-nine students enrolled in a statistics course at a historically Black college/university (HBCU) were the focus of this pilot study. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study tested models of the effects of writing assignments, compared to scores on standard homework assignments and midterm grades, on students’ performance on the final examination in the elementary statistics course offered by the psychology department. Consistent with past research on the teaching and learning of statistics, the results supported the hypothesis that writing assignments contribute positively to better performance on the final examination. These preliminary findings suggest that writing assignments in an elementary statistics course are an effective strategy with students attending an HBCU.     

The Concept of Readiness in the Academic Department: A Case Study of Undergraduate Education Reform

While there has been emphasis on the institution and individual classroom as loci of learning and reform, less attention has been paid to the academic department. However, precisely because its structure is so endemic to institutions of higher education, the academic department may be the most logical and potent site for change. Using a case study approach, this paper examines the conditions under which change in undergraduate education takes hold and flourishes in the academic department, advances the concept of readiness, and explores its implications for those who wish to promote change in the department. Virginia S. Lee  is managing member and consultant, Virginia S. Lee & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. She received her B.A. from Smith College, her M.B.A. from New York University, and her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Special interests include the design and implementation of institution-wide curriculum reform efforts, course and curriculum design, inquiry-guided learning, intensive learning, outcomes-based assessment, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Michael R. Hyman  is Director of Graduate Programs and Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at North Carolina State University. He received his B.S. from University College, London, his M.B.A. from Oregon State University, and his Ph.D. from Bristol University. His major research interest is the biodegradation of environmental pollutants. Geraldine Luginbuhl  is Interim Department Head and Professor in the Department of Microbiology at North Carolina State University. She received her B.S. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has a longstanding interest in undergraduate education and, recently, inquiry-guided learning.