Remaking the Germans

Studies have shown that teacher quality is the single greatest factor affecting student achievement. However, it is not simply enough to recruit highly qualified candidates and place them into the schools where they are needed the most; the United States needs a system to support and retain these teachers. This essay posits that school districts need to implement and sustain a comprehensive induction system, which fosters professional learning communities through a network of supports, to retain highly qualified teachers.     

张之洞与德国人

“清流”时期的张之洞,由名士而跻清要;督抚时期的张之洞,由洋务而成名臣。名士必有异言异行,名臣必有异常政绩。所谓内外有别,张之洞对待国人的异言异行,不一定适用于外人;文化背景不同,外人对张之洞异言异行的反应,肯定也不同于国人。无论如何,张之洞与德国人的交往史,既表现出他的为政手段,又暴露出他的对外认识和洋务水平。     

刻板国民也有妙想

都说德国人刻板严谨,这是一个哲学家辈出的国家,也是个一丝不苟的国家。听同学说过在德国碰到的一件怪事,有一个德国妇女牵着两条狗排队,两只小狗正嬉闹着,那位妇女却怒斥连连,让两只小狗乖乖排好队。可是最近到德国参加一个会议,遇到的一件事却让我改变了对     

感受真实的德国人

真实的德国人什么都想要,至少是想要99.999999%。换句话说,在买东西之前,他们认为任何东西都应该100%是一欧元,质优价廉的。     

The Navajo nation's struggle for educational self-determination

Developing nations across the world have in the past and are still today struggling to establish systems of education which meet the cultural and societal needs of their peoples. Such is the case of the native American Indian tribe known as the Navajo, living on a 6000 square mile reservation in the western United States. The Navajo nation is a semi-sovereign nation having the rights of internal government including commerce, law enforcement, social services and, in a few respects, education. Presently, the tribe is struggling to gain control over the various governmental entitles furnishing educational services to its children. Its goal is to develop its own independent educational system much as any other developing nation might do. The Navajo tribe is not alone among American Indian groups located primarily in western United States who desperately wish to preserve their unique native heritage, language, and culture. These groups feel that by control of their children's schools tribal cultures can be preserved and even strengthened. The Navajo tribe is the largest group with the greatest amount of political influence. If the Navajo can control and develop their own system of schools, either separate or in partnership with the federal government and the several state governments, the path for other tribes will be opened. Thus, the success or failure or the Navajo effort to develop and control a Navajo ‘system’ of schools is critical to the survival and enhancement of native American cultures in the United States.     

德国社会高度重视职业教育探析

职业教育被德国视为经济发展的柱石。德国社会各界的高度重视、企业的积极参与和实行双元制的职业教育形式,推动着德国职业教育不断向前发展。     

The right to argue: teaching and assessing everyday argumentation skills

Abstract

Even though there is wide agreement on the importance of argumentation in modern societies, only a minority of students in secondary and postsecondary education receive direct and explicit instruction in argumentation. The present study describes the design and results of a test that was used to measure everyday argumentation skills of 186 undergraduate students in Bogotá (Colombia), before and after they completed a one-semester course in logic with emphasis in argumentation. Given that the students came from a variety of academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, this sample allowed us to estimate the potential influence of student-related characteristics on the effectiveness of instruction. On average, students showed significant improvement (d = 0.62), independently of their academic and socioeconomic characteristics. This suggests that receiving this kind of instruction can be beneficial for a wide range of students.     

从细微处看德国文明

被踩碎的核桃刚到德国时正值深秋。屋外排列着数棵高大的核桃树,看起来沧桑道劲,该是有些年头了。乔木的高度使核桃落地有声,很多都已脱掉外皮,露出坚硬的外壳。落果时节,我和女儿挎着小篮,和那些金发碧眼的孩子一道转悠在核桃树下,感受捡拾核桃的喜悦。     

South African teachers’ ability to argue: The emergence of inclusive argumentation

This paper explores the argumentation ability of ten science teachers in two South African schools on opposite ends of the resource spectrum. Toulmin's model is used to analyse individual contributions in six group discussions. The findings show that levels of argumentation improve with teachers’ involvement in the development of teaching resources and the closeness of the argumentation task. The nature of the arguments is permeated by inclusiveness, thus precluding the use of rebuttals, traditionally a requirement for high-quality arguments. Based on the ubuntu worldview, a model of inclusive argumentation is proposed with implication for teaching and a scheme of assessable levels of argumentation.     

Learning to argue as a biotechnologist: disprivileging opposition to genetically modified food

In the public discussion of genetically modified (GM) food the representations of science as a social good, conducted in the public interest to solve major problems are being subjected to intense scrutiny and questioning. Scientists working in these areas have been seen to struggle for the position of science in society. However few in situ studies of how the debate about science appears in learning situations at the university level have been undertaken. In the present study an introductory course in biotechnology was observed during one semester, lectures and small group supervision concerning GM food were videotaped and student’s reports on the issue were collected. The ethnographic approach to Discourse analysis was conducted by means of a set of carefully selected and representative observations of how a group of students learn to argue and appropriate views held in the Discourse they are enculturated into. While socio-scientific issues (SSIs) are often associated with achieving scientific literacy in terms of “informed decisions” involving “rational thought and Discourse” this study shows that SSI in practice, in the context studied here, is primarily concerned with using scientific language to privilege professional understandings of GMOs and discredit public worries and concerns. Scientific claims were privileged over ethical, economical and political claims which were either made irrelevant or rebutted. The students were seen to appropriate a Discourse model held in the biotechnological community that public opposition towards GMO is due to “insufficient knowledge”. The present study offers insights into biotechnology students’ decision making regarding socio-scientific issues, while also demonstrating the utility of Discourse analysis for understanding learning in this university context. Implications for reflection on the institutional Discourse of science and teaching of controversial issues in science are drawn and the study contributes to the investigation of claims of scientific literacy coupled to SSIs and argumentation     

美国研究生教育制度国家特征的探讨

美国研究生教育制度越来越体现其国家特征.从研究生教育政策的制定到社会中介组织对研究生教育的评价,无不渗透政府的国家意志.政府的国家意志渗透到研究生教育中.对研究生教育进行必要的引导、支持、甚至干预等手段和措施,不但没有削弱研究生教育.反而使内外相结合的研究生教育更具有生命力.     

European Identity in the Young and Dutch Students' Images of Germany and the Germans

In discussions on the unification of Europe the concept of 'European identity' looms large. European politicians are particularly anxious that the young generation should develop a European identity. This article poses some epistemological and methodological problems of attitude research concerning Europe and national stereotypes. It presents various qualitative studies to demonstrate the complexity of the concept of national or European identity. The written material and group discussions of Dutch pupils demonstrate, among other things, that children are capable of reflecting on stereotyping mechanisms. The hypothesis is launched that interaction situationsimagined ones (written material) as well as real ones (group discussion)-mitigate negative stereotypes and set reflection in motion. On the basis of the results suggestions are made for educators and politicians in the field of 'European education'.     

Indigenous knowledges as vital contributions to sustainability

International Review of Education -     

解读图腾存在的生命意义

图腾是一种非常古老的原始宗教形式。在一定的化图中，同一图腾信仰也就意味着同源共祖。图腾也是最早的社会组织的标志和象征，它对于氏族内部的团结和实行氏族以外的婚制具有重要意义。图腾演变的轨迹可从服饰等物品中迫寻，图腾崇拜的本质含义在于原始初民对其现世幸福生活的祈盼与向往，对自己传统部落势力的珍重与维护。