An embodied cognition approach to enhancing reading achievement in New York City public schools: Promising evidence

The study purpose was to examine the relationship between the Mark DeGarmo Dance (AKA Dynamic Forms, Inc.) (MDD) program, involving principles of embodied cognition, and student achievement over time. The sample included fourth grade students (N = 169) in schools (N = 4) in New York City Public School District whose teachers and students participated in the MDD program. Using a pretest posttest single group design and hierarchical linear modeling, the results of this study analyze student achievement as measured by standardized test scores. Teacher survey results are also reported. The achievement results reveal a significant increase in reading between pretest and posttest for students that were in the program. Teachers reported adequate fidelity of implementation.     

Effectiveness of interventions adopting a whole school approach to enhancing social and emotional development: a meta-analysis

This article presents findings from a meta-analysis which sought to determine the effectiveness of interventions adopting a whole school approach to enhancing children and young people’s social and emotional development. Whole school interventions were included if they involved a coordinated set of activities across curriculum teaching, school ethos and environment, and family and community partnerships. A total of 45 studies (30 interventions) involving 496,299 participants were included in the analysis. Post-intervention outcomes demonstrated significant but small improvements in participants’ social and emotional adjustment (d = 0.220), behavioural adjustment (d = 0.134), and internalising symptoms (d = 0.109). Interventions were not shown to impact on academic achievement. Origin of study and the inclusion of a community component as part of a whole school approach were found to be significant moderators for social and emotional outcomes. Further research is required to determine the active ingredients of whole school interventions that we can better understand the components necessary to achieve successful outcomes.

     

An IRS-facilitated collective issue-quest approach to enhancing students’ learning achievement,self-regulation and collective efficacy in flipped classrooms

Flipped classrooms have been recognized as a potential approach that enables students to have flexible time to learn before the class as well as more opportunities to apply knowledge and to interact with peers and the teacher in the class. On the other hand, researchers have pointed out the challenge of engaging students in self-regulated learning and active participation in flipped classrooms. In this study, an Instant Response System (IRS)-facilitated collective issue-quest strategy is proposed for engaging students in active and self-regulated flipped learning. Moreover, a quasi-experimental design was conducted with undergraduate students in an internet marketing course in northern Taiwan to investigate the impacts of the proposed approach on the students’ learning achievement, self-regulation, learning satisfaction and collective efficacy. The experimental results revealed that the learning achievement, collective efficacy and satisfaction of the students who learned with the proposed approach were significantly better than those of the students learning with the conventional flipped classroom approach. Moreover, in the “environment,” “task strategies” and “help seeking” dimensions of self-regulation, the former had significantly higher ratings than the latter. This study contributes analysis results that highlight the benefits of implementing the IRS-facilitated collective issue-quest approach in the flipped classroom. The results of this research may provide a valuable reference for future studies and practice in the field.     

课堂教学现代化是提高教学质量的有效途径

现代教育技术介入课堂教学过程,是课堂教学现代化的重要特色,它必将促进教学内容、教学方法和教学模式的现代化,从而极大地促进教学质量的提高.     

The importance of communication in teaching: A systems-theory approach to the scaffolding metaphor

Scaffolding as a metaphor for support of learning processes places focus on the relationship between the psychic and social aspects of those processes. This paper examines the conceptualization of this relationship in activity theory and in operational constructivism. The importance of a distinction between psychic processes, language and communication is especially emphasized and discussed in relation to understandings of empathy, inter-subjectivity, and distributed cognition.     

The returns to education for opportunity entrepreneurs,necessity entrepreneurs,and paid employees

We assess the relevance of formal education on the productivity of the self-employed, distinguishing between opportunity entrepreneurs, who voluntarily pursue a business opportunity, and necessity entrepreneurs, who lack alternative employment options. We expect differences in the returns to education between these groups due to different levels of control over the use of their human capital. The analysis employs the German Socio-Economic Panel and accounts for the endogeneity of education and non-random selection. Results indicate that the returns to a year of education for opportunity entrepreneurs are similar to the paid employees’ rate of 8.8%, but 3 percentage points lower for necessity entrepreneurs. Pooling the two types of entrepreneurs tends to understate the value of education for opportunity entrepreneurs and may spark misguided hopes concerning necessity entrepreneurs. The results may also partly explain Europe/US differences in average entrepreneurial returns.     

Students,parents, educators: An approach to conflict of rights

Summary The two main approaches available for conflict resolution — in education as elsewhere — suffer from serious defects. The fundamental rights approach, popular with groups advocating certain real or fancied rights, presupposes that each individual or class of individuals has basic, over-riding entitlements. In the absence of an arbitrary or compelling consideration, however, this approach is torn and immobilized by inflexible, absolutistic claims. Our analysis in this paper shows no justification in the rhetoric of children/student rights' advocates, parent power movements, or beleaguered educators that their respective rights should be regarded as pre-eminent in educational conflicts. The second approach, intended to balance competing interests, either capriciously gives undue weight to one competing claim or leads to uncritical decisions based on unarticulated value presuppositions. Hopefully, a third approach could remedy these difficulties. The reconstructed Millian-Utilitarian approach suggested in this paper combines the use of balancing and of substantive principles based on defensible utilitarian values and pre-suppositions. In making this suggestion, the paper hopes to highlight the necessity for justices and decision-makers to deliberate more consciously, adequately, and rigorously on the values that undergird educational and social policies.     

Communications research and the rule of law: An opportunity for access to judicial decision making

This essay argues that students of communication should become more immediately involved in legal decision making by targeting behavioral research at topics under litigation and by pressing their studies as friends of the courts. The judiciary is the component of the American political system most receptive to institutional reform. Yet, communications research input is virtually non‐existent in at least two critical areas of First Amendment legal theory. The means whereby scholarship from our field can be brought to bear on the judiciary are easily attainable if the Supreme Court's long standing challenge is accepted.     

服装选择，儿童教育的契机

儿童在成长的过程中,会逐渐形成自己的主观意识,也会与父母形成代沟。作为父母,能够放手让孩子在诸如选择自己喜爱的服装上采取一定的自主权利,无论是在培养孩子的审美观、判断力以及和父母良好的沟通行为上都大有裨益。所以,对于赋予孩子自主选择服装的权力,实际上是一个很好的儿童教育的契机。     

NAA配制成溶液后的保存时期和方法探讨

植物生长调节剂NAA在配成稀溶液后，容易失去活性。在不同溶剂和不同温度下，随着保存期的延长，其活性无一例外地降低，但乙醇溶液较水溶液稳定，NAA水溶液的保存期以在室温下最短，低温下NAA水溶液的活性降低的速度减缓，NAA的95％乙醇溶液在低温下保存期较长。室温下，NAA乙醇溶液的保存期比低温短。     

The argument for a constitutional right to communication and language

The need for and right to communication and language is fundamental to the human condition. Without communication, an individual cannot become an effective and productive adult or an informed citizen in our democracy. The importance of communication and language for deaf and hard-of-hearing children is so basic as to be beyond debate. Given the historic difficulties deaf and hard-of-hearing children face, their compromised communication and language skills and the educational, social, cognitive, and psychological consequences, this note contends that a constitutional right to communication is both necessary and legally sound. The right to assemble and to vote, the right to equal protection under the law must be extended to the right of deaf and hard-of-hearing children to full communication development and access. If the Constitution venerates the right to speech, the right to communication and language is of equal or greater value.     

International Collaborations in Teacher Education: a constructivist approach to using electronic mail for communication in partnership with schools

ABSTRACT

This article deals with collaborative projects carried out in co‐operation with teacher‐training/Higher Education institutions and schools around the world. Partners for these links included the University of Helsinki (Finland), City College (New York, USA), the Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia) and the University of Oldenburg (Germany). A rationale is offered for the use of telecommunications, especially electronic mail, in co‐operative projects of this kind and the potential is explored for further networks with research and development aspects. The article draws upon previous presentations and discussions at conferences in Germany, Australia, USA and the United Kingdom. Recent developments concerning links between initial teacher education and schools in Britain are examined briefly and suggestions offered for ways in which electronic mail can facilitate such links.     

浅谈提高农民科技文化素质的途径与方法

随着科学技术日新月异的发展,传统的农业生产技术必将被现代生命科学技术、信息科学技术、海洋和航天技术等所替代,依靠科技和教育来大幅度提高农业生产科技含量,已成为世界农业发展大趋势,这种趋势必将带来农业观念、技术及生产关系的改革。正如小平同志所讲“农业问题,最终可能是科学解决问题,要靠生物工程,要靠高科技”。从科技对农业的贡献率来看:目前,我国仅有35％左右,与发达国家70％的贡献率相比,相差甚远。那么,要使我国的农业生产力有一个大的飞跃,能够在新世纪的激烈竞争中占据一席之地,关键在于提高国民素质。对农业人口占多数的我国来说,其首要任务在于提高全体农民的科技文化素质,没有农民素质的提高,就谈不上中华民族整体素质提高。