Mathematical enculturation from the students’ perspective: shifts in problem-solving beliefs and behaviour during the bachelor programme

This study investigates the changes in mathematical problem-solving beliefs and behaviour of mathematics students during the years after entering university. Novice bachelor students fill in a questionnaire about their problem-solving beliefs and behaviour. At the end of their bachelor programme, as experienced bachelor students, they again fill in the questionnaire. As an educational exercise in academic reflection, they have to explain their individual shifts in beliefs, if any. Significant shifts for the group as a whole are reported, such as the growth of attention to metacognitive aspects in problem-solving or the growth of the belief that problem-solving is not only routine but has many productive aspects. On the one hand, the changes in beliefs and behaviour are mostly towards their teachers’ beliefs and behaviour, which were measured using the same questionnaire. On the other hand, students show aspects of the development of an individual problem-solving style. The students explain the shifts mainly by the specific nature of the mathematics problems encountered at university compared to secondary school mathematics problems. This study was carried out in the theoretical framework of learning as enculturation. Apparently, secondary mathematics education does not quite succeed in showing an authentic image of the culture of mathematics concerning problem-solving. This aspect partly explains the low number of students choosing to study mathematics.

为高中生物教师专业发展献计策

在新课程改革中,教师专业发展不仅是学生的全面发展乃至社会进步的需要,更是教师自身发展的需要。本文针对促进高中生物教师专业发展提出了策略:1.观念先行,树立教师自主发展的理念。2.加强业务进修和知识更新,提升教师自我发展能力。3.加强教师的交流与合作。4.改革教师教育内容和方式。     

学科间的相互渗透与学生综合素质的培养

2 1世纪是生物科学的世纪。为适应这一新的形势 ,注重生物学科与其它学科之间的相互联系和渗透 ,提高学生的综合素质 ,培养其知识迁移能力 ,必将成为教学改革的重要内容与目标。     

Change in beliefs after first-year of teaching: The case of Turkish national curriculum context

The impact of national curriculum context on mathematics related beliefs of 12 beginning middle grades mathematics teachers was investigated after the teacher education program and first-year teaching through interviews and a combination of three belief frameworks. National curriculum requirements, lack of effective mentoring programs, and preservice tutoring experiences were detected as the major factors impacting beliefs. Participants simultaneously had teacher-centered and student-centered beliefs, causing inconsistency in beliefs and practices. While participants’ preservice and first-year experiences contrasted, they developed contextual beliefs to deal with the difficulties. Reflections on teacher education and beginning teacher support policies in national curriculum contexts were discussed.     

国内外民办(私立)院校师资队伍建设经验借鉴

我国民办教育要取得进一步的发展,建立一支质优、稳定的教师队伍是其关键。本文选取了美国、香港、浙江等一些有代表性的国家和地区,对其师资建设的内外部经验做一综述,为我国民办教育的进一步发展提供借鉴。     

提高中学教师素质的几点思考

结合目前中学教师的素质状况,提出了提高中学教师素质的必要性和当务之急,探讨了素质教育对中学教师提出的要求,并对如何提高中学教师素质提供了几条措施。     

Preservice physical education teachers' attributes related to teaching a student labeled ADHD

This study assessed the association between preservice teacher-related variables [i.e., age, adapted physical education (APE) and special education (SPED) coursework, experience teaching students with disabilities and perceive competence] on measures of the Physical Educators' Intention toward Teaching Individuals with Disabilities II – Preservice Survey (PEITID-II-PS). The PEITID-II-PS used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TpB) ( Ajzen, 2002) on preserive physical education teachers (n = 213) purposely selected from universities in China, Korea, and the United States. Results indicated that both intention and perceived behavioral control were predicted by teaching experience and perceived teaching competency. Attitude toward the behavior variable was predicted by prior teaching experience, special education coursework, and age. Age and perceived teaching competency were associated with behavioral beliefs.     

The impact of inquiry-based professional development on teachers’ capacity to integrate literacy instruction in secondary subject areas

This mixed-methods study explores the impact of an inquiry-based PD model designed to support teachers in integrating literacy and content learning. The study drew on classroom observations of 34 ELA, history, and science teachers with reputations for good instructional practice. An analysis of video data from observed lessons revealed that a subset of 16 teachers who had previously participated in Reading Apprenticeship PD offered significantly more opportunities and support for complex literacies and greater integration of literacy and content learning. Findings have implications for PD with the potential to improve literacy instruction in secondary content area classrooms.     

城乡教师交流政策实施中的问题与对策

我国城乡教师交流政策,旨在缓解城乡教育资源不平衡。但由于政策的制定和实施,部分主体未被给予足够关注,导致交流工作效果不佳甚至流于形式。政策完善的焦点是,促进参与各方利益的协调,尤其应当向学校和教师倾斜。唯有如此,才能使城乡教师交流政策有效实施,把"好事"办好。     

Looking through the lens of a teacher's life: The power of prototypical stories in understanding teachers' instructional decisions in mathematics

The focus of this narrative inquiry was to examine how teachers describe influences on their instructional decisions in mathematics. Using a lens provided by pivotal or prototypical stories teachers told about their past experiences, connections were suggested between these past experiences and their instructional decisions. These connections helped to illustrate how instructional decisions may be shaped by priorities and beliefs established earlier in life, as well as by current contexts. Further research on the use and characteristics of prototypical stories is suggested.     

Cooperative Learning in Science: Follow‐up from primary to high school

This paper reports a two‐year longitudinal study of the effects of cooperative learning on science attainment, attitudes towards science, and social connectedness during transition from primary to high school. A previous project on cooperative learning in primary schools observed gains in science understanding and in social aspects of school life. This project followed 204 children involved in the previous project and 440 comparison children who were not as they undertook transition from 24 primary schools to 16 high schools. Cognitive, affective, and social gains observed in the original project survived transition. The implications improving the effectiveness of school transition by using cooperative learning initiatives are explored. Possibilities for future research and the implications for practice and policy are discussed.