Culture as a tool: facilitating knowledge construction in the context of a learning community

Knowledge construction is regarded as an effective learning model in practice. When more and more learning communities are organized to promote knowledge construction, it is necessary to know how to use different tools to support knowledge construction in the learning community context. In the literature, few researchers discuss how to construct knowledge with such tools in the contexts of learning communities. The purpose of this project is to explore how culture as a tool supports knowledge construction in the context of the Zhabei Learning Community in Shanghai, China. Social constructionism and the cultural diamond are employed as devices to frame the study. Some of the conclusions are influenced by postmodernism. Data from five learning cells indicate that culture is a bridge that connects multiple knowledge creators together; culture is a prop which transfers knowledge to a variety of receivers; culture is a lubricant nurturing an open learning environment; and culture is used as a toolkit to compose the new knowledge product.     

Illuminating and facilitating professional knowledge through case work

In the spring of 2002 the Ontario College of Teachers began a research project in order to foster awareness of the Standards of Practice for the 187 000 teachers in the province. Case work, in which 18 teachers representative of the College's membership wrote narratives describing their professional dilemmas, was the methodology chosen. Through reflection and collaborative group work these practitioners co‐created a set of cases, mapping them back to the standards in order to ascertain how the standards had been embedded or absent from their daily practice. To validate the effectiveness of this method, we used the cases in pre‐service, in‐service, principal and supervisory personnel venues. We also recorded the impact of the ‘case institute’ in a focus group session with the original writers. Augmented by commentaries from internationally known teacher educators, this text will be sent to all provincial school boards as part of a resource kit to educate teachers about the standards of practice.

Au printemps 2002, l'Ordre des enseignantes et des enseignants de l'Ontario amorçait un projet de recherche ayant pour but de sensibiliser les 187 000 enseignants de la province aux normes d'exercice de leur profession. L'étude de cas rédigés par 18 enseignants membres de l'Ordre est la méthode qui allait servir à présenter divers dilemmes professionnels. Ainsi, ces praticiens ont réfléchi et travaillé ensemble pour présenter des cas et les rattacher aux normes afin de déterminer la présence ou l'absence des normes dans leurs pratiques quotidiennes. Pour valider l'efficacité de cette méthode, nous avons mis les cas à l'épreuve lors d'activités organisées pour les étudiants des facultés d'éducation, des enseignants en perfectionnement professionnel, des directeurs d'école et des agents de supervision. Nous avons également réuni les 18 rédacteurs pour discuter de l'impact des ateliers de rédaction de cas. Le texte, auquel s'ajoutent les commentaires d'éducateurs de renommée internationale, fera partie de la trousse de ressources qui sera envoyée à tous les conseils scolaires de la province pour initier les enseignants aux normes d'exercice de la profession.

Im Frühjahr 2002, unternahm das Ontario College of Teachers einen Forschungsprojekt mit dem Ziel, das Bewußtsein der Normen der Praxis unter den 187,000 Lehrer des Bundeslandes Ontario zu fördern. Die gewählte Methodologie war die Untersuchung von spezifischen Fallberichten, in denen 18 Lehrer, die repräsentativ für die Mitglieder der Organisation dastehen, ihre Entscheidungen im beruflichen Alltag begründeten. In einem von Überlegung, Zusammenarbeit und Gruppenarbeit geprägten Verfahren schufen diese Lehrer und Lehrerinnen einen Korpus der Fälle, die sie anschließend zu den Berufsnormen zurückverfolgten, um festzustellen, wie die Normen sich in der täglichen Praxis eingebettet hatten oder das Gegenteil. Um die Wirksamkeit der Methode zu bestätigen, wurden Einzelfälle in vorberuflichen, beruflichen, Direktor‐ und Aufsichtsstellen‐bezogenen Umgebungen ausgesucht. Die Wirkung der Falluntersuchungen wurde auch in einer Diskussionsrunde mit den Autoren aufgenommen. Dieser Text, bereichert durch Kommentare von Lehrerausbildern von internationalem Ruf, wird an alle Schulverwaltungen im Bundesland Ontario als Bestandteil eines Ressourcen‐Compendiums versandt, mit dem Ziel, Lehrer über die Normen der Berufspraxis weiterzubilden.

En la primavera del 2002, el Colegio de Profesores de Ontario inició un proyecto de investigación para crear conciencia entre los 187,000 maestros en la provincia sobre los estándares de práctica profesional. La metodología elegida fue el ‘Estudio de antecedentes’ en la que un grupo representativo de la membresía del Colegio, conformado por 18 maestros, redactó historias contando sus dilemas profesionales. Tras mucha reflexión y trabajo mancomunado de equipo, estos profesores crearon colectivamente un conjunto de casos, trazando un mapa vinculándolos a los estándares y así poder determinar de qué manera estos estándares habían estado arraigados en su práctica profesional cotidiana o si los habían dejado de lado. Para validar la eficacia de este método, aplicamos los casos en varios contextos docentes: estudiantes de la facultad de educación, capacitación profesional para docentes, directores de plantel y superintendentes de las juntas directivas escolares. También tomamos nota del impacto del ‘Taller para la redacción de casos’ en una sesión de enfoque grupal con los propios autores. Este texto, que ha sido complementado con comentarios de capacitadores de maestros conocidos internacionalmente, será enviado a todas las Juntas Directivas de las escuelas provinciales como parte del kit de recursos para educar a los profesores sobre los estándares de práctica profesional.     

知识构建与知识服务的优化

文章从知识构建的发展过程入手,对知识构建的涵义、知识构建的条件、知识构建的内容进行分析,并进一步探索知识构建与知识服务的关系,知识构建对知识服务的优化作用。如对知识获取的优化,对知识表达的优化,对知识存储的优化,对知识共享的优化。     

A knowledge filter model for observing and facilitating change in teachers’ beliefs

This study describes a theoretical knowledge filter model that explains how teacher knowledge (beliefs and practices) shaped the implementation of a science curriculum in Australia. Over four school terms, four elementary and three secondary teachers participated in the study. Through the methodology of educational criticism (Eisner, 1991, The enlightened eye. New York: Macmillan) the results revealed that, in relation to their teaching, the teachers possessed three sets of beliefs: teachers’ expressed beliefs, teachers’ entrenched beliefs and teachers’ manifested beliefs. The outcome of this study is a model for identifying and observing the impact of teachers’ beliefs that can be utilised in facilitating change in education and in influencing communities of practice.     

Use of task-value instructional inductions for facilitating engagement and conceptual change

This study explored the relationship between task values, engagement, and conceptual change. One hundred and sixty-six under graduate students were randomly assigned to one of three task value instructional inductions (utility, attainment, and control) to determine whether induced task values would result in different degrees of engagement and conceptual change when reading a refutation text about the common cold. It was hypothesized that the participants in the utility, attainment, and control conditions would differ in their engagement, and degree of conceptual change.     

Cognitive load in interactive knowledge construction

The focus of this special issue is on the cognitive load underlying processes of interactive knowledge construction in a wide range of instructional multimedia platforms. Multimedia comprehension involves the parallel processing of auditory–verbal and visual–pictorial channels within working memory. By means of integrating multimodal information, students are able to acquire new knowledge. However, the processes of knowledge construction may be dependent on the load a task imposes on the learner's cognitive system. Such cognitive load is determined by prior knowledge, motivation, and processing strategies on the part of the learner as well as on task demands. Other critical factors that should be explored are goal adoption and perspective taking, effects of interactive animation, environmental support, and possibilities of collaboration.     

实践性知识及职前教师实践性知识的建构

实践性知识是教师进行教育教学的方法论知识,具有情境性、实践性、机智性和内隐性、缄默性的特点。当前高师院校对职前教师实践性知识的建构还处于十分薄弱环节,为此,高师院校必须重视职前教师实践性知识的建构,注重实习、见习环节,改革课堂教学模式,注重情境教学,引导职前教师在反思和批判中逐步建构实践性知识。     

缄默知识理论观照下知识与学习的重构

本文探讨波兰尼缄默知识理论引发的对知识结构、学习理论与实践的影响，以及缄默知识论观照下的知识与学习的重构，以期为当前知识与学习的理论与实践提供全新的视野，促使缄默知识的研究更快地从理论走向实践。     

Collaborative learning and the construction of common knowledge

In collaborative learning, students not only have to acquire knowledge, they also have to learn to regulate the process of acquiring knowledge. In the traditional classroom, the function of regulation rests with the teacher. In the collaborative classroom, however, the responsibility for learning has in part been handed over to the students. We examine how students, who work as members of a community of learners, construct shared understanding. in particular, we want to explore what interactive and discursive tools students use in their collaboration. We present observations made during a series of innovative mathematics lessons in an 8th grade classroom at a Dutch primary school in which children (between 11 and 13 years of age) worked as “researchers” who were encouraged to formulate questions for exploration and to collaborate in answering them. Both in small group discussions and in discussions involving the whole class, students worked on the construction of arguments and the creation of shared knowledge. The construction and diffusion of knowledge occurred in “cycles of argumentation” to which many children contributed and in which ideas were repeated and elaborated upon. Because, in students’ collaboration, learning is made dependent on proposing and critically discussing arguments, the character of knowledge, acquired under these circumstances, is different from knowledge acquired in a more traditional classroom setting.     

学科课程知识的呈现与建构

学科课程知识的呈现,包括通过文字符号表征形成书写的课程知识,通过言语表达形成可以言说的课程知识,通过动手操作演示形成直观可实证的课程知识。学科课程知识的建构是它在不同学生脑海里的实现机制,包括领悟客观的课程知识、创建主观的个人知识和回归可交流的公共知识。课程知识客观形式与主观内容的统一,可在课程知识的呈现与建构过程中实现。     

高校课堂知识管理系统的研究与模型构建

本研究通过同类产品调研、相关理论分析,结合课堂观察和教师访谈,分析了高校教师对信息技术辅助工具的需求情况,并据此设计了高校课堂各知识管理系统。整个系统模型分为备课模块、授课模块、邮件管理模块、评价反馈模块和网络平台模块,名模块之间可以进行数据传递。教师可以用此系统完成备课、记录课堂教学信息、与学生交互、统计学生成绩、在网站上发布信息等工作。     

略论高校知识管理文化建设

本文讨论了高校知识管理与知识管理文化的概念，指出“学习与研究”是知识管理文化的核心概念，认为21世纪员成功的高校将是具有学习型研究型文化的“学习型组织”，阐述了高校知识管理系统的构建方法和途径。     

工程地质在土木工程建设中处于基础性地位——兼地质工程类毕业设计的作用

在分析工程地质在土木工程专业中的地位和作用、进行地质工程类毕业设计意义的基础上,结合近几年的毕业设计情况,指出土木工程专业进行地质工程类毕业设计对学生将来工作的意义。     

工程地质在土木工程建设中处于基础性地位——兼地质工程类毕业设计的作用

在分析工程地质在土木工程专业中的地位和作用、进行地质工程类毕业设计意义的基础上,结合近几年的毕业设计情况,指出土木工程专业进行地质工程类毕业设计对学生将来工作的意义。     

加强高校重点实验室建设,促进重点学科持续发展

高校重点实验室建设为重点学科建设和持续发展提供了强有力的支撑。阐述了当前高校重点实验室建设中存在的主要问题，并提出加强高校重点实验室建设的对策。