Effect of a Problem Based Simulation on the Conceptual Understanding of Undergraduate Science Education Students

A study of the effect of science teaching with a multimedia simulation on water quality, the “River of Life,” on the science conceptual understanding of students (N = 83) in an undergraduate science education (K-9) course is reported. Teaching reality-based meaningful science is strongly recommended by the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996). Water quality provides an information-rich context for relating classroom science to real-world situations impacting the environment, and will help to improve student understanding of science (Kumar, 2005a; Kumar and Chubin, 2000). The topics addressed were classes of organisms that form river ecosystem, dissolved oxygen, macroinvertebrates, composition of air, and graph reading skills. Paired t-test of pre- and post-tests, and pre- and delayed post-tests showed significant (p < 0.05) gains. The simulation had a significant effect on the conceptual understanding of students enrolled in a K-9 science education course for prospective teachers in the following areas: composition of air, macroinvertebrates, dissolved oxygen, classes of organisms that form a river ecosystem, and graph reading skills. The gain was more in the former four areas than the latter one. A paired t-test of pre- and delayed post-tests showed significant (p < 0.05) gains in the water quality and near transfer subsets than the dissolved oxygen subset. Additionally students were able to transfer knowledge acquired from the multimedia simulation on more than one concept into teachable stand-alone lesson plans.     

Teaching Science for Understanding at MIT: Engaging the Best and the Brightest

Abstact Studies of instructional technology at MIT can help us understand "how good students go wrong" and how "models of practice" can be used to inform our work on instructional technology.     

试论“促进概念性理解”的科学课教学

"促进概念性理解"的科学课教学是以帮助学生获得对科学概念的真正理解、发展学生的思维和科学理解力为目标的课程设计理念与实施模式,它有助于激发学生积极的思维,真正实现学生对科学概念的建构。     

物理概念与物理规律的教学程序

本文将物理概念与物理规律细分成10类，详细地讨论了这10种不同类型的物理概念与物理规律的教学程序，对提高物理教学效果有很强的指导作用。     

基于计算机模拟技术的现代物理学教学研究

在对教学系统设计理论、计算机模拟技术与学科课程整合等理论进行回顾和分析的基础上,文章分析了对基于计算机模拟技术的课程进行的教学设计,以电磁波在两种介质界面上的行为模拟为例,详细阐述了运用Matlab进行大学物理课程的教学设计,并进行了教学对比,证明其可行性。     

计算机模拟物理学实验教学的研究与实践

计算机模拟物理实验技术在教学实践中的应用,能够通过可视化界面详尽地描述整个实验内容,这大大地方便了教师指导与学生学习.计算机模拟物理实验技术在教学实践中的应用,探索实验教学的一些新思路,可以提高实验教学水平,培养学生实际动手能力和创新思维能力.     

谈力学概念的教学

分析讨论了学生学习力学概念时所存在的思维障碍及解决办法，强调在教学中不仅要使学生深刻理解各物理概念，更要形成能动的概念体系。     

Teaching algorithmic problem solving or conceptual understanding: Role of developmental level,mental capacity,and cognitive style

It has been shown previously that many students solve chemistry problems using only algorithmic strategies and do not understand the chemical concepts on which the problems are based. It is plausible to suggest that if the information is presented in differing formats, the cognitive demand of a problem changes. The main objective of this study is to investigate the degree to which cognitive variables, such as developmental level, mental capacity, and disembedding ability explain student performance on problems which: (1) could be addressed by algorithms or (2) require conceptual understanding. All conceptual problems used in this study were based on a figurative format. The results obtained show that in all four problems requiring algorithmic strategies, developmental level of the students is the best predictor of success. This could be attributed to the fact that these are basically computational problems, requiring mathematical transformations. Although all three problems requiring conceptual understanding had an important aspect in common (the figurative format), in all three the best predictor of success is a different cognitive variable. It was concluded that: (1) the ability to solve computational problems (based on algorithms) is not the major factor in predicting success in solving problems that require conceptual understanding; (2) solving problems based on algorithmic strategies requires formal operational reasoning to a certain degree; and (3) student difficulty in solving problems that require conceptual understanding could be attributed to different cognitive variables.     

中学生数学解题表征的一次调查测试

问题表征是指问题或任务在问题解决者头脑中是如何呈现、如何表现出来的．问题表征依赖于人的知识经验，也受到注意、记忆和思维的影响．中学生问题表征处于3个不同水平：(1)程序性表征；(2)发展的表征；(3)概念性表征．经常要求学生解释数学表达式的意义，是促进学生概念性理解的重要手段．     

Teaching and learning floating and sinking: A meta-analysis

Floating and sinking (FS) is a key topic in science education, both at primary and secondary levels. The interpretation of FS phenomena, however, is challenging due to the difficulty of the scientific concepts and explanatory models involved (e.g., density, buoyancy), along with students' everyday experiences, which conflict with scientific explanations. Consequently, many studies over the last few decades have investigated how FS could be taught effectively to students of different ages while utilizing multiple teaching approaches. This meta-analysis summarizes findings from 69 intervention studies on teaching FS conducted between 1977 and 2021. Over all studies, we estimated a mean effect size of g = 0.85 (95% CI = 0.71, 0.99). This large effect size demonstrates that, although FS is a challenging concept, teaching FS is effective even in elementary school. Moreover, in a moderator analysis, we investigate the effect of intervention characteristics, students' age, as well as study design, and assessment features on the mean study effect size. To analyze the effect of these moderator variables, we use a three-level hierarchical meta-regression model for dealing with multiple effect sizes from single studies. We found two intervention characteristics that explain variance in study effect sizes: longer lasting interventions result in larger effect sizes and interventions where hands-on experiments are applied are more effective than those utilizing virtual experiments. Furthermore, studies with a treatment-control group comparison have significantly smaller effect sizes than studies with a pre-post design. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the moderator variables for effective teaching of FS and further research on FS.     

A Neglected Phase of Educational Research

Abstract

In this study five periodicals which are written for high-school current events classes were compared with five adult publications on the criterion of objectivity; i.e., accuracy, relevance, inclusiveness, balance, consistency, documentation, clarity and lack of dogmatism. We were also interested in the conservative-liberal bias. Twelve secondary school and college teachers compared ten unidentified treatments of the same topic and employed an objectivity questionnaire, an objectivity ranking instrument, and a conservative-liberal ranking schedule. The classroom periodicals (as a group) were found to be neither less objective nor more conservative than the adult publications (as a group) included in this study. However, certain of the classroom periodicals were found to be consistently less objective and more conservative. In addition the judges stated a number of what appear to be highly significant reservations regarding the use of these publications.     

自制力学框架在物理教学中的应用

介绍自制的力学框架，并举例说明其在物理教学中的具体应用。     

论物理新课程中的科学探究教学

“注重科学探究，提倡学习方式多样化”是物理新课程重要理念之一，其贯彻落实依赖于教师对探究教学概念内涵、理论基础、性质特点及实施策略的理解、把握。文章试从上述方面展开论述，力求为广大一线教师提供理论指导、操作帮助。     

A typology of undergraduate students' conceptions of size and scale: Identifying and characterizing conceptual variation

The importance of “size and scale” in nanoscience and engineering has been recognized by both scientists and science educators. A solid understanding of this concept is key to the learning of nanoscience. Students, however, have been reported to have considerable difficulty grasping this concept; yet little is known regarding their state of understanding. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a series of studies that were aimed at exploring the different ways students conceive of “size and scale” in the context of undergraduate nanoscience and engineering courses. Informed by Variation Theory of Learning (Marton and Booth, 1997), we identified four major categories (with two sub‐categories within each) of student conception—fragmented, linear, proportional, and logarithmic. These conception categories, together with the aspects of variation that characterize and distinguish them, are summarized in a typology. In addition to serving as a diagnostic tool to describe students' understanding, this typology can also be used to guide the development of instructional interventions that facilitate students to move toward a more sophisticated understanding of “size and scale.” © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 512–533, 2011     

教师教育:职前培养专业化教师的问题探析

从教育强国的高度来看,拥有和建设高素质的教师队伍,是实现中华民族伟大复兴的战略措施。美、德、英等国家教师培养机构已变迁,我们在向西方学习时,要注意到其改革与变迁各自的“背景”。开展教师教育改革,“形”可散,而“神”要聚,要以教师的专业发展作为改革的价值取向。教师专业既包括学科专业性,也包括教育专业性。在教师专业化中,“理解”应该扮演重要角色。教师对两个专业的理解分为两种水平,即对执教学科的操作型与概念型理解和对教学的操作型与概念型理解。教师只有对教学的理解处于概念型水平,对执教学科的理解也处于概念型水平,才能自觉、有效地实施理解性教学。促进师范生对教学的深刻理解,不能完全由教育类课程独自承载。促进未来教师加深对执教学科与教学的理解是促进教师双专业化的有力环节。     

论理解教学的实现形式

作为一种新的教学形态,理解教学已引起国内外教育学者、一线教师的关注, 并开始进入课堂教学领域。理解教学主要有反思型理解和对话型理解两种实现形式。反思型理解是以反思为主要手段的教学理解,主要表现是师生的理解自我;对话型理解是以对话为主要手段的教学理解,表现为师生对话式理解、生生对话式理解和生本对话式理解。     

“悟是光”概念结构的认知分析

＂悟＂概念是一类比较常用的语汇。以汉语和英语为语料,剖析＂悟＂概念生发于＂光＂概念的认知根源,进而对＂悟是光＂概念结构生成过程中人类的隐喻化和范畴化发展机制进行了详细说明,旨在依托认知规律,对概念的隐喻化取象和范畴化拓展路径提供进一步的实践操作性借鉴。     

“海洋油气工程岩石力学基础”教改探索--数值仿真实验的应用

随着岩石力学教学的日益发展,运用传统的岩石力学室内实验进行的教学形式具有局限性,为实现岩石力学复杂实验教学的可视化和重复性,利用有限元数值仿真平台ABAQUS在教学中设计并开展特殊岩石(如盐岩)的单、三轴数值仿真力学实验,学生可通过模拟云图直观地了解岩石受力变形破坏的全过程,有利于提升学生的分析和理解能力。同时,通过重复性的模拟实验,可以增强学生将岩石理论与实验结合的能力,丰富学生的岩石力学专业知识,为培养岩石力学领域的人才奠定基础。