Quantum Literacy

Quantum physics provides an alternative to classical explanations of matter and energy, and may have metaphoric utility in substantiating cognitive explanations of human information processing. Three concepts central to an understanding of the sub-atomic world of quantum physics are: (1) the role of the observer in the interpretation of events; (2) the uncertainty of physical states; and (3) the interconnectedness of the physical world. These concepts have parallels in the psychological world. They support a theory of literacy and learning that, when applied to the teaching of English explains: (1) the role of readers, authors, teachers and contexts in the construction of meaning; (2) the uncertainty and impermanence of meaning; and (3) the interconnectedness of meaning. These concepts challenge mechanistic explanations of behavioural psychology and associated pedagogy used by some teachers of English. Quantum-consistent English teaching engages teachers and students in practices that result in different kinds and levels of literate competence and achievement, and that provide different constructions of what counts as literacy.     

Children's Constructions of Knowledge for Fraction Division After Solving Realistic Problems

Abstract

The authors examined the thinking of children who had the opportunity to construct personal knowledge about division of fractions. The authors based this study on a teaching experiment design and used relevant contexts/situations to foster students' development of knowledge. Participants were a group of mixed-ability, 5th-grade mathematics students. They used pictures, symbols, and words to resolve situations and communicate their solutions. The authors analyzed the solutions to describe the students' constructions of division-of-fractions concepts and procedures. All strategies that the students used represented some manifestation of conceptual knowledge about addition and subtraction of fractions and a definition of division. Some students developed formal symbolic procedures, and others developed pictorial procedures; none invented an invert-and-multiply procedure. Through the window of constructivism, this study allowed the authors to glimpse children's constructions of knowledge and provided alternatives to the traditional view of the expected procedure (invert and multiply) that children should learn for division of fractions.     

对于保罗批判性思维理论的几点解读

本文从三个方面解读保罗的批判性思维理论:重塑人的思维以抵御自我中心倾向,通过智力特质的培养发展人的道德推理能力;信息识别能力是衡量教育的标准,人们需要具备分析和评价信息的能力以确定相信或拒绝信息.学科内思维是获得学科知识的要件,关键在于掌握基本概念和提出深入的问题.     

试论基础教育信息化的形态

自上世纪80年代以来,我国基础教育信息化取得了长足的发展.然而,当前基础教育信息化也面临着一些困境,究其根源,在于技术化思维占据主导地位,这在一定程度上影响着研究者的视阈.笔者认为,从教育学视角出发,教育信息化的核心是关注人在数字化世界中的生存和发展的问题,完整的教育信息化形态应包括基础性形态、结构性形态和生命性形态.     

Should Science be Taught in Early Childhood?

This essay considers the question of why we should teach science to K-2. After initial consideration of two traditional reasons for studying science, six assertions supporting the idea that even small children should be exposed to science are given. These are, in order: (1) Children naturally enjoy observing and thinking about nature. (2) Exposing students to science develops positive attitudes towards science. (3) Early exposure to scientific phenomena leads to better understanding of the scientific concepts studied later in a formal way. (4) The use of scientifically informed language at an early age influences the eventual development of scientific concepts. (5) Children can understand scientific concepts and reason scientifically. (6) Science is an efficient means for developing scientific thinking. Concrete illustrations of some of the ideas discussed in this essay, particularly, how language and prior knowledge may influence the development of scientific concepts, are then provided. The essay concludes by emphasizing that there is a window of opportunity that educators should exploit by presenting science as part of the curriculum in both kindergarten and the first years of primary school.     

Birth stories: a way of knowing in childbirth education

Birth stories have a lasting impact on expectant mothers. The purpose of this paper is to recognize the influence of birth stories as a key component of informal communication of knowledge about childbirth for expectant mothers. The review of literature and research is related to childbirth education, anthropological thinking, and applied learning theory with foundational concepts from Vygotsky, Bruner, and Bandura. Implications for childbirth educators are included.     

A research note on supportive and defensive communication: An empirical study of three verbal interpersonal communication variables

The concepts of supportive and defensive affective states are ubiquitous in the field of interpersonal communication, but rarely have any specific verbal causes of these states been examined. This study investigates the effect on supportiveness and defensiveness of three verbal variables: (1) provisional versus certainty verbs, (2) positive versus negative feedback content, and (3) ownership of statements by the use of “I‐You” pronoun constructions. The study found that provisional verbs are seen as more supportive in negative statements and certainty verbs more supportive in positive statements, positive feedback produces more supportiveness than negative, and literal “I‐You” pronoun constructions are seen as mare supportive in both positive and negative statements. No difference was seen in subjects on the basis of gender.     

“资本生成悖论”消解的逻辑学启示——基于逻辑悖论方法论的视角

从"劳动力"这种特殊的商品入手,马克思揭开了剩余价值的秘密,消解了资本生成悖论,实现了古典政治经济学基础理论的质变性创新。"资本生成悖论"消解中体现的澄清基础理论的核心概念、揭示对立统一的辩证矛盾、创新"公认正确的背景知识"等方法,具有普适的解悖方法论价值。     

Commentary: Development of Perception-Action Systems and General Principles of Pattern Formation

Our commentary on this special issue devoted to Developmental Biodynamics: Brain, Body, and Behavior Connections is divided into 3 main sections. The first section is an overview of the individual contributions. 5 major themes are identified: (1) inappropriateness of computational treatments of development and the need for more biologically and physically relevant treatments; (2) significance of tailoring muscular to nonmuscular forces in developing movement coordination; (3) importance of spontaneous movements as exploratory and formative mechanisms; (4) influences of action capabilities on the development of perception capabilities, and vice versa; (5) applications of methods and techniques of nonlinear dynamics to developmental processes. In the second section, we provide a synopsis of current ways of thinking about prototypical developmental processes, namely, pattern formation and pattern differentiation, in various classes of physical and biological systems. It is suggested that efforts to understand the progressive formation and differentiation of patterns in terms of very general principles provide a valuable resource of concepts and methods for students of child development. In the third section, hypotheses about the development of perception-action systems are generated from juxtaposing the themes and conjectures of this special issue with general principles of pattern formation. The hypotheses suggest the possibility of a pattern formation or dynamics approach to child development as an alternative to the conventional approaches emphasizing maturation (nativist), specific learning experiences (empiricist), cognitive stages (Piagetian), and strategies of encoding and retrieval (information processing).     

Non-abandonment as a foundation for inclusive school practice

The authors of this article describe an essential feature of inclusive educational practice: non-abandonment. When students’ needs and difficult behavior are overwhelming, teachers may abandon them emotionally as a defensive reaction to their own experience of emotional distress and helplessness. Non-abandonment represents a constructive strategy for dealing with these students based on the psychodynamic concepts of containing and holding. The authors provide a theoretical grounding for the processes of abandonment and non-abandonment, and then illustrate how these two processes play themselves out in school practice, drawing on action research conducted with educators in Israeli schools. They then describe eight elements in an active strategy of non-abandonment. These are: (1) make a conscious choice to assume professional responsibility for these students; (2) “stand by” students whose behaviour leads others to abandon them; (3) reframe self-defeating ways of thinking to open new avenues for action; (4) attempt to understand students’ real needs, including emotional ones; (5) adapt teaching practice to meet these needs, even going beyond traditional pedagogy; (6) create school frameworks in which teachers can systematically reflect on and improve practice; (7) address teachers’ emotional needs by making their own negative feelings openly discussable; and (8) promote teamwork and supportive relations among school faculty based on honest feedback and mutual non-abandonment.     

Which Technique is most Effective for Learning Declarative Concepts—Provided Examples,Generated Examples,or Both?

Students in many courses are commonly expected to learn declarative concepts, which are abstract concepts denoted by key terms with short definitions that can be applied to a variety of scenarios as reported by Rawson et al. (Educational Psychology Review 27:483–504, 2015). Given that declarative concepts are common and foundational in many courses, an important question arises: What are the most effective techniques for learning declarative concepts? The current research competitively evaluated the effectiveness of various example-based learning techniques for learning declarative concepts, with respect to both long-term learning and efficiency during study. In experiment 1, students at a large, Midwestern university were asked to learn 10 declarative concepts in social psychology by studying provided examples (instances of concepts that are provided to students illustrate how the concept can be applied), generating examples (instances of concepts that the student generates on his or her own to practice applying the concept), or by receiving a combination of alternating provided examples and generated examples. Two days later, students completed final tests (an example classification test and a definition cued recall test). Experiment 2 replicated and extended findings from experiment 1. The extension group was a variation of the combination group, in which participants were simultaneously presented with a provided example while generating an example. In both experiments, long-term learning and study efficiency were greater following the study of provided examples relative to the other example-based learning techniques.     

Revisiting the rhetorical curriculum

The aim of the special strand on ‘Revisiting the rhetorical curriculum’ is to explore the educational potential of a new rhetorical perspective, specifically in relation to different traditions within educational and rhetorical studies. This implies that we do not only look at education in rhetoric, but that we position education also as a rhetorical practice. In this introductory article, we introduce a broad perspective on rhetoric by exploring concepts from new rhetoric to set the scene for this special strand. We elaborate briefly on the relationship between rhetoric and education, which is reflected in the classical concept of paideia. We specifically relate the new rhetorical perspective to curricular issues and introduce the different contributions that are part of this special strand. The article ends by discussing what can be learned from (new) rhetoric about language, culture and education in a post- (or anti-) foundational world.     

中国特殊儿童义务教育发展中的问题调查报告

本文采用问卷调查与访谈的方法,对135名特殊学校校长的感受、看法进行调查分析,揭示出我国特殊儿童义务教育发展问题在于:(1)特殊学校的经费、资源匮乏;(2)特殊学校的管理缺乏科学性、规范性;(3)地方对特殊教育缺乏重视、对特殊学校的管理方式较为专制;(4)特殊学校的课程改革缺乏科学引领;(5)特殊教育师资数量不足、专业化程度不高;(6)大部分特殊学校生源不足、特殊学校缺乏专业师资、校际间缺乏沟通交流。结论:产生这些问题的根本原因在于法律的不完善、政策落实的不到位、地方政府管理者的观念落后。     

Computer Technology-Integrated Projects Should not Supplant Craft Projects in Science Education

The current emphasis on computer technology integration and narrowing of the curriculum has displaced arts and crafts. However, the hands-on, concrete nature of craft work in science modeling enables students to understand difficult concepts and to be engaged and motivated while learning spatial, logical, and sequential thinking skills. Analogy use is also helpful in understanding unfamiliar, complex science concepts. This study of 28 academically advanced elementary to middle-school students examined student work and perceptions during a science unit focused on four fossil organisms: crinoid, brachiopod, horn coral and trilobite. The study compared: (1) analogy-focused instruction to independent Internet research and (2) computer technology-rich products to crafts-based products. Findings indicate student products were more creative after analogy-based instruction and when made using technology. However, students expressed a strong desire to engage in additional craft work after making craft products and enjoyed making crafts more after analogy-focused instruction. Additionally, more science content was found in the craft products than the technology-rich products. Students expressed a particular liking for two of the fossil organisms because they had been modeled with crafts. The authors recommend that room should be retained for crafts in the science curriculum to model science concepts.     

Thinking Critically about Difference: Analytical Tools for the 21st Century

This article examines a critical cultural thinking framework advanced to develop an analysis of difference as it pertains to race, gender, and sexuality. We examine student journals to document their use (or lack therein) of these critical cultural thinking concepts and how these concepts influence students' understanding of difference. While there are a number of tools that students can rely on for thinking critically, we advance four concepts that are central for the development of a critical cultural consciousness. ^{1 1} We use the term “critical cultural consciousness” as well as related terms to distinguish critical thinking about difference and diversity from more generic or general forms of critical thinking. The critical cultural thinking skills we identify in this article are (1) organic experience, (2) relational analysis, (3) historical analysis, and (4) conception of power relations. We argue that these tools are central for an intellectual understanding of difference. As the student journals analyzed in this article demonstrate, in the absence of these tools of inquiry, much of the campus discourse reverts to oppressive frameworks, which not only serve to oppress students of color, women, and gay and lesbian students but also erodes the practice of citizenship that is crucial for the development of educational democracy.     

The concept of development and the development of concepts. Education and development in Vygotsky’s thinking

A major theme of Vygotsky’s research in the latter part of his life was the theme of concept formation or conceptual development in child development. He argued that the acquisition of mature scientific (academic) concepts forms the crowning achievement of adolescsence. Mature conceptual thinking positively influences the cognitive domain but also the aesthetic reactions and emotions. Conversely, the breakdown of conceptual thinking in pathology will lead to severe intellectual impairment but also to emotional dullness etc. In this paper it is claimed that this view is highly interesting but a number of criticisms are raised. Specifically, it is argued that (1) the resulting view is overly rationalistic; (2) the notion of scientific concepts seems to imply a somewhat static view of science; and (3) Vygotsky was perhaps too optimistic about the possibility of transfer of scientific (conceptual) thinking to other domains.     

TOWARD A SEMIOTIC THEORY OF CHOICE AND OF LEARNING

A bstract .  In this essay, Andrew Stables and Stephen Gough explore some of the implications for educational policy and practice of a view of living (and, therefore, of learning) as semiotic engagement. Such a view, Stables and Gough argue, has the potential to displace or circumvent essentially Cartesian models currently dominant within learning theory (cognitivism and responses to it) and within neoclassical economics (rational choice and responses to it). It thus enables synergies between theories of learning and of economic behavior, allowing for greater consistency in thinking about (but not necessarily prescribing for) both educational policy and provision, on the one hand, and curriculum and pedagogy, on the other. In addition, the authors claim that giving semiotics a foundational role in educational thinking provides a basis for the broader development of liberal political thought within a postmodern cultural context.     

对于马克思“实践”范畴的再解读

质疑者对于"实践存在论美学"的误读与曲解,表现为对于概念的解读存有"实体化"倾向,其根源在于思维方式的"二元对立"。如何突破当代美学研究的这些症结,正是"实践存在论美学"的价值所在,也是该学说值得进一步发展的依据。     

河北省特教学校义务教育阶段发展现状的调查研究

本研究采用自编问卷对河北省特殊教育学校义务教育阶段的发展现状进行了调查.结果显示:(1)河北省特教学校九年制义务教育尚未全部普及;(2)市属特教学校生源充足,县级特教学校视障、智障学生生源紧张;(3)县级特教学校教学设备陈旧,教学手段落后;(4)特教师资女性远远多于男性,整体的专业化水平低,但大多数教师对本职工作的满意度较高,工作安心.此外,就如何改善义务教育阶段残疾儿童受教育的状况以及提高教育与教学质量提出了建议.     

英、汉“主表被”结构对比及生成制约条件

本文以英、汉“主表被”结构特点及分类为依据，对一般和特殊“主表被”结构的句法及语叉属性进行了对比分析，从而在一个新的视角上探讨一般“主表被”结构——中动结构，即从深层、表层关系上审视英、汉“主表被”结构的生成，并挖掘出隐含在其中的生成制约条件。认为在句法上，英汉“主表被”结构由两个底层句子结构生成；在语义上，句子各组成要素具有特殊的语义特征和内在的相互联系。