Teaching Grammar and Mechanics in Freshman Composition

Abstract

A study was conducted using a combination of radio lectures and small group discussion meetings to teach an introductory psychology course to resident freshmen. There were two radio lectures each week, broadcast at 3:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and again at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; these were supplemented by small group meetings on Fridays, during which films were sometimes presented, and during which there was an opportunity for questions to be raised and points in the lecture to be clarified. About one-third of the 2,300 freshmen were taught by means of this radio procedure and about two-thirds were taught by the usual lecture method; the results of the two methods were then compared. Variables such as personality of instructors, type of test, test questions, and time allowed for testing were controlled. Also, all radio students were assured that their grades would not be penalized in any way as a result of this experimental procedure. Results indicated that, in terms of scores on objective tests in the course, there were no significant differences between the radio group and the regular lecture group. However the attitudes of the students toward these two types of instruction were quite different. Those who took the course by means of the radio procedure were generally rather negative in their attitudes toward this method of instruction.     

The Importance of Teaching and Learning Nature of Science in the Early Childhood Years

Though research has shown that students do not have adequate understandings of nature of science (NOS) by the time they exit high school, there is also evidence that they have not received NOS instruction that would enable them to develop such understandings. How early is “too early” to teach and learn NOS? Are students, particularly young students, not capable of learning NOS due to developmental unreadiness? Or would young children be capable of learning about NOS through appropriate instruction? Young children (Kindergarten through third grade) were interviewed and taught about NOS in a variety of contexts (informal, suburban, and urban) using similar teaching strategies that have been found effective at teaching about NOS with older students. These teaching strategies included explicit decontextualized and contextualized NOS instruction, through the use of children’s literature, debriefings of science lessons, embedded written NOS assessments, and guided inquiries. In each context the researchers interviewed students prior to and after instruction, videotaped science instruction and maintained researcher logs and field notes, collected lesson plans, and copies of student work. The researchers found that in each setting young children did improve their understandings of NOS. Across contexts there were similar understandings of NOS aspects prior to instruction, as well as after instruction. There were also several differences evident across contexts, and across grade levels. However, it is clear that students as young as kindergarten are developmentally capable of conceptualizing NOS when it is taught to them. The authors make recommendations for teaching NOS to young children, and for future studies that explore learning progressions of NOS aspects as students proceed through school.     

《工程制图》课程教学法研究

工程制图是工科学生必修的一门重要的技术基础课程，是现代大学教育的重要“基石”，是学生学好专业知识和提高综合素质的重要环节，它对工科学生的基本技能和思维创新的培养起着重要的作用。从教学内容、教学方法和教学手段等方面进行研究，提出了具体的教学改革思路。     

Student perceptions of how critical thinking is embedded in a degree program

Critical thinking is a highly valued outcome of university study, although its nature is difficult to define. Most students are not directly taught critical thinking, but are expected to display it in at least some of their assignments. We do not know much about student perceptions of their development as critical thinkers in their degree programs. This paper presents research into student perceptions of instruction in critical thinking and aspects of its development as they study in an undergraduate degree program in agriculture. Twenty‐one students across four years of study were interviewed. They received direct instruction in critical thinking only in the first year of study, and the literature review emerged as a key genre in which critical thinking was perceived to be important by later‐year students. The final sections highlight the importance of considering the disciplinary contexts in which students develop their critical thinking, and of preparing them for transfer to post‐study contexts.     

英语短语动词教学实验研究——基于认知的视角

本文通过教学实验证明：集中教授几个隐喻概念的“V ＋down”构式时,对于中等水平的中国成年英语学习者来说,用认知语言学方法（CLA）与意义猜测法相结合的方法比单独采用CLA更有效.实验一用CLA和传统教学法分别进行了教学实验,发现两组教学效果没有显著性差异.实验二选取实验一相同的材料,用CLA与意义猜测法相结合进行教学实验,发现教学效果明显优于单独的CLA.本文还认为,对于缺乏语言环境的中国成年外语学习者,同时教授几个相关隐喻概念的同一短语动词构式比同时教授几个不相关隐喻概念的不同短语动词构式更有效.     

Examining interactive whiteboard-based instruction on the academic self-efficacy,academic press and achievement of college students*

Abstract

The study reported here examined college students’ academic self-efficacy, ‘academic press’ and learning achievement, as well as the association between these three variables within learning contexts using interactive whiteboard-based instruction. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a sample (n = 103) of first-year college students in China. Participants were taught English by either an interactive whiteboard-based or traditional lecture-based instructional approach for three months. The results showed that the interactive whiteboard-based instructional intervention cultivated higher levels of academic press and academic self-efficacy among students and a significant, positive correlation was identified between these two variables. Students’ learning achievement was not affected by the instructional intervention. These results indicate that interactive whiteboard-based instruction offers some distinct benefits. In future work, additional research is needed to clarify how the instructional model relates to understanding learning achievement.     

Solving Word Problems Using Schemas: A Review of the Literature

Solving word problems is a difficult task for students at‐risk for or with learning disabilities (LD). One instructional approach that has emerged as a valid method for helping students at‐risk for or with LD to become more proficient at word‐problem solving is using schemas. A schema is a framework for solving a problem. With a schema, students are taught to recognize problems as falling within word‐problem types and to apply a problem solution method that matches that problem type. This review highlights two schema approaches for second‐ and third‐grade students at‐risk for or with LD: schema‐based instruction and schema‐broadening instruction. A total of 12 schema studies were reviewed and synthesized. Both types of schema approaches enhanced the word‐problem skill of students at‐risk for or with LD. Based on the review, suggestions are provided for incorporating word‐problem instruction using schemas.     

Reading instruction affects the cognitive skills supporting early reading development

This study examined the cognitive skills associated with early reading development when children were taught by different types of instruction. Seventy-nine children (mean age at pre-test 4;10 (.22 S.D.) and post-test 5;03 (.21 S.D.)) were taught to read either by an eclectic approach which included sight-word learning, guessing from context and analytic phonics, or by a synthetic phonics approach, where children were taught solely to sound and blend letters to read unfamiliar words. The results illustrated differences in the skills supporting children's word reading based on their method of reading instruction. For the eclectic group, pre-test letter knowledge, vocabulary and rhyming skills predicted later reading ability, whereas for the synthetic phonics group, letter knowledge, phonemic awareness and memory span predicted later reading skill. The results suggest that children will draw upon different cognitive skills when reading if they are taught to use different word recognition strategies.     

Assessment purposes and procedures in ESL/EFL classrooms

University instructors’ classroom assessments play a central role in and inevitably influence their teaching and their students’ learning. This paper reports on a comparative interview study conducted in a range of three ESL/EFL university contexts in Canada, Hong Kong and China. Six major aspects of ESL/EFL classroom assessment practices were explored: instructors’ assessment planning for the courses they taught, the relative weight given to course work and tests in their instruction, the type of assessment methods (selection vs. supply methods) that they used, the purposes each assessment was used for, the source of each method used, and when they used each method. University instructors were also asked to indicate what they saw as the advantages and disadvantages of the methods they used, and whether they took into account prior student knowledge when making decisions about what assessment methods to use. The findings contribute to a better understanding of ESL/EFL university instructors’ classroom assessment practices at the tertiary level in a range of three ESL/EFL university teaching contexts.     

Case-Based Instruction in Early Childhood Teacher Preparation: Does It Work?

Case analysis is often used in early childhood teacher education as a constructivist method for developing students' professional skills and knowledge. Although case-based instruction is popular, the professional literature contains little empirical evidence that it effectively helps students develop professional knowledge. Indeed, some empirical evidence suggests case-based instruction may negatively impact learning, especially for students with limited existing knowledge about children's development. This study compared the child development content knowledge gains of two classes of undergraduate preservice early childhood teachers: those taught child development with case-based instruction and those taught the same content with traditional didactic instruction. The study also sought to determine if students' level of prior knowledge interacted with the type of instruction they received. Results indicated that students with strong prior knowledge out-performed classmates regardless of instructional method (i.e., case-based or didactic instruction). Students at all levels of prior knowledge had similar knowledge gains across both case-based and didactic instruction, but data trends suggest students with the least prior knowledge gained the most knowledge with case-based instruction.     

The Niue literacy experiment

In the mid-1970s a major change was introduced in the teaching of English as a second language at the primary level on Niue Island in the South Pacific. At that time the government's education system consisted of seven primary schools and one high school administered by a small Education Department. Prior to the change, English had been taught through a structural linguistic approach, which was almost universal in the South Pacific. Central to the change was the Shared Book Experience, a teaching method widely used in New Zealand schools. Used in conjunction with a large supply of suitable storybooks, it was seen as a promising vehicle for instruction to improve the ESL learning outcomes for Year 3 pupils. This chapter sets out a justification for using the Shared Book procedures, the strategies that were implemented, and the evaluation procedures used to test the effectiveness of the change. Results showed that Year 3 pupils taught by the new method made significant gains in reading comprehension, word recognition and oral English, when compared with similar children taught with the structural approach.     

Using method of instruction to predict the skills supporting initial reading development: insight from a synthetic phonics approach

This study examined the skills predicting early reading development when children were taught by a synthetic phonics approach. Eighty five children taught to read by systematic synthetic phonics were assessed on reading and cognitive assessments prior to reading instruction (average age 4 years, 7 months), 6 months later (5 years, 1 month), and 73 were also tested 1 year later (6 years, 1 month). Consistent with hypotheses, word reading was most strongly and consistently predicted by letter sound knowledge and short term memory. It is proposed that method of instruction may shape the skills children draw upon when learning to read.     

基于功效系数法的电力电子实验室设备量化管理

针对电力电子实验室设备管理中鲜有对设备进行全面介绍和对其使用情况进行量化建模分析的现状,提出并实践了一种电力电子实验室设备的量化管理方法。根据电力电子实验的需求对电力电子实验室常用设备的种类和特点依次进行介绍,然后通过分析电力电子实验设备功能不同,需要有针对性的购置、管理的特点,剖析了目前电力电子实验室设备管理存在责任意识淡薄、设备使用不当和盲目购置设备的主要问题,进而从评估电力电子实验室设备供需平衡的角度,提出了一种基于功效系数法的量化管理法。实践证明,该方法能客观地评估实验设备的供需匹配关系,避免设备的盲目购置,有力提高科研资金的使用效益,为电力电子实验室设备的购置和科研经费的使用提供了针对性的建议。     

The Effects of Socio-scientific Instruction on Pre-Service Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy for Learning and Teaching Controversial Family Health Issues

This research investigates the effects of socioscientific instruction on pre-service teachers’ sense of efficacy in the teaching and learning of controversial family health issues. For this purpose, a total of 251 students from two teacher training colleges participated in the study and were randomly assigned as experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught the contents of the controversial family health issues using socioscientific instruction approach and the control group was taught the same content using a more traditional approach. Quantitative data were obtained from both groups after responding to the ‘Teacher sense of Efficacy Scale’ as instrument used for data collection before and after the treatments. Analysis of covariance was used in data analysis of which the pre-treatment scores were used as covariates. Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten participants randomly selected from the experimental group before and after the treatment to deepen and elaborate the quantitative data. The quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that the integration of the socioscientific instruction have significantly affected the pre-service teachers’ sense of efficacy in favour of the experimental group that shows a more stronger sense of efficacy. It was concluded that the socioscientific instruction is significantly effective in changing the pre-service teachers’ weaker sense of efficacy to a stronger one in the controversial family health issues.     

Effectiveness of instruction based on the constructivist approach on understanding chemical equilibrium concepts

The purpose of this study was to identify misconceptions concerning chemical equilibrium concepts and to investigate the effectiveness of instruction based on the constructivist approach over traditional instruction on 10th grade students' understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts. The subjects of this study consisted of 71 10th grade students from two chemistry classes of the same teacher. Each teaching strategy was randomly assigned to one class. The data were obtained from 32 students in the experimental group taught with instruction informed by the constructivist approach and 39 students in the control group taught with traditional instruction. The data were analysed using analysis of covariance. The results indicated that the students who used the constructivist principles-oriented instruction earned significantly higher scores than those taught by traditional instruction in terms of achievement related to chemical equilibrium concepts. In addition, students' previous learning and science process skills each made a significant contribution to the achievement related to chemical equilibrium concepts. In light of the findings obtained from the results, an additional misconception of chemical equilibrium concepts was determined in addition to the misconceptions in related literature. This misconception is that when one of the reactants is added to the equilibrium system, the concentration of the substance that was added will decrease below its value at the initial equilibrium.     

The Effects of Socio-scientific Instruction on Pre-Service Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy for Learning and Teaching Controversial Family Health Issues

This research investigates the effects of socioscientific instruction on pre-service teachers’ sense of efficacy in the teaching and learning of controversial family health issues. For this purpose, a total of 251 students from two teacher training colleges participated in the study and were randomly assigned as experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught the contents of the controversial family health issues using socioscientific instruction approach and the control group was taught the same content using a more traditional approach. Quantitative data were obtained from both groups after responding to the ‘Teacher sense of Efficacy Scale’ as instrument used for data collection before and after the treatments. Analysis of covariance was used in data analysis of which the pre-treatment scores were used as covariates. Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten participants randomly selected from the experimental group before and after the treatment to deepen and elaborate the quantitative data. The quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that the integration of the socioscientific instruction have significantly affected the pre-service teachers’ sense of efficacy in favour of the experimental group that shows a more stronger sense of efficacy. It was concluded that the socioscientific instruction is significantly effective in changing the pre-service teachers’ weaker sense of efficacy to a stronger one in the controversial family health issues.

     

创建高校大型仪器设备专业维修模式的探讨

通过分析大型仪器设备的维修现状及其存在的问题，提出了创建专业维修模式的理念，并对专业维修模式的功能与作用、技术经济性以及基本条件展开了详细论述，开辟了一条从根本上解决大型仪器设备技术保障问题的新途径。这种经济的、快捷的、系统的专业维修模式，能更好地服务于高等院校或科研院所，大大提高仪器设备的利用率和管理水平，因而具有推广价值和现实意义。     

创建高校大型仪器设备专业维修式的探讨

通过分析大型仪器设备的维修现状及其存在的问题,提出了创建专业维修模式的理念,并对专业维修模式的功能与作用、技术经济性以及基本条件展开了详细论述,开辟了一条从根本上解决大型仪器设备技术保障问题的新途径。这种经济的、快捷的、系统的专业维修模式,能更好地服务于高等院校或科研院所,大大提高仪器设备的利用率和管理水平,因而具有推广价值和现实意义。