Thinking Like a Scientist: Using Vee-Maps to Understand Process and Concepts in Science

It is considered important for students to participate in scientific practices to develop a deeper understanding of scientific ideas. Supporting students, however, in knowing and understanding the natural world in connection with generating and evaluating scientific evidence and explanations is not easy. In addition, writing in science can help students to understand such connections as they communicate what they know and how they know it. Although tools such as vee-maps can scaffold students?? efforts to design investigations, we know less about how these tools support students in connecting scientific ideas with the evidence they are generating, how these connections develop over time, or how writing can be used to encourage such connections. In this study, we explored students?? developing ability to reason scientifically by examining the relationship between students?? understanding of scientific phenomena and their understanding of how to generate and evaluate evidence for their ideas in writing. Three high school classes completed three investigations. One class used vee-mapping each time, one used vee-mapping once, and one did not use vee-mapping. Students?? maps and written reports were rated for understanding of relevant science procedural and conceptual ideas. Comparisons between groups and over time indicate a positive relationship between improved procedural and conceptual understanding. Findings also indicate that improved procedural understanding preceded improved conceptual understanding, and thus, multiple experiences were needed for students to connect evidence and explanation for science phenomena.     

Graphing as a Means to Improve Middle School Science Learning and Mathematics-Related Affective Domains

Research in Science Education - This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Mathematics Infusion into Science Project (MiSP), which integrated science and mathematics in an engaging middle school...     

Religion as a Support Factor for Women of Color Pursuing Science Degrees: Implications for Science Teacher Educators

This study explores the influence of religion as a support factor for a group of Latina and African-American women majoring in science. The current project is a part of a larger study that investigated persistence factors of underrepresented woman who were enrolled as science majors at United States colleges and universities. This paper focuses on one theme that emerged among six participants who disclosed how religion was a significant influence on their persistence in science fields. The strength and support offered by religious values is certainly not specific to science content; however, the support received from their beliefs highlights a potential area for further exploration. Given the importance of increasing participation by students from diverse backgrounds into science fields, it is critical to recognize how some of these differences may be the key factors influencing the way these students look at the world. This study offers evidence that science educators need to consider what role religious beliefs have for students who may be considering science or science education as a future career, particularly for those students from underrepresented groups.     

Community College Student Success Inventory (CCSSI) for Men of Color in Community Colleges: Content Validation Summary

This study reports on the content validation of the Community College Student Success Inventory (CCSSI) for Men of Color. The CCSSI was designed to be used by community colleges to assess their effectiveness in addressing success outcomes for men who have been historically underrepresented and underserved in education, particularly men of color. A panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) rated the instrument and provided qualitative feedback on additional areas for consideration. Content validity index (CVI) and scale level index scores (S-CVI) are reported. The instrument illustrated strong CVI and S-CVI scores. SMEs suggested several additional areas for consideration that were added to the CCSSI. The instrument is recommended for use by community colleges interested in enhancing outcomes for men of color.     

Correction to: A Multi-Perspective Reflection on How Indigenous Knowledge and Related Ideas Can Improve Science Education for Sustainability

Science & Education - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00194-2     

比较与启示:必须利用远程教育加强教师的继续教育

中小学教师继续教育的重要性已被世界各国所公认。本文通过对美、日、英、法、俄等国家发展教师继续教育状况与我国目前该项工作发展情况的比较后得到启示,找出我们存在的问题,力求探索新的模式与机制,使远程开放教育在我国中小学教师继续教育中发挥应有的作用。     

民办本科高校转型发展:转什么,怎么转

引导一批普通本科高等学校向应用技术类型高等学校转型,是国家对高等教育改革发展做出的战略部署,是高等教育结构的重大调整。民办本科院校是我国高等教育的重要组成部分。在向应用技术型高校转型发展过程中,民办本科院校具有与地方普通本科高校诸多不同的特性。本文立足民办本科院校实际,探讨了民办本科高校转型发展的任务及方向等一些重点和难点问题。     

How Historical Experiments Can Improve Scientific Knowledge and Science Education: The Cases of Boiling Water and Electrochemistry

I advance some novel arguments for the use of historical experiments in science education. After distinguishing three different types of historical experiments and their general purposes, I define complementary experiments, which can recover lost scientific knowledge and extend what has been recovered. Complementary experiments can help science education in four major ways: to enrich the factual basis of science teaching; to improve students?? understanding of the nature of science; to foster habits of original and critical inquiry; and to attract students to science through a renewed sense of wonder. I illustrate these claims with my own recent work in historical experiments, in which I reproduced anomalous variations in the boiling point of water reported 200 years ago, and carried out new experimental and theoretical work arising from the replication of some early electrochemical experiments.     

Nurturing Nature: How Brain Development Is Inherently Social and Emotional,and What This Means for Education

New advances in neurobiology are revealing that brain development and the learning it enables are directly dependent on social-emotional experience. Growing bodies of research reveal the importance of socially triggered epigenetic contributions to brain development and brain network configuration, with implications for social-emotional functioning, cognition, motivation, and learning. Brain development is also impacted by health-related and physical developmental factors, such as sleep, toxin exposure, and puberty, which in turn influence social-emotional functioning and cognition. An appreciation of the dynamic interdependencies of social-emotional experience, health-related factors, brain development and learning underscores the importance of a “whole child” approach to education reform and leads to important insights for research on social-emotional learning. To facilitate these interdisciplinary conversations, here we conceptualize within a developmental framework current evidence on the fundamental and ubiquitous biological constraints and affordances undergirding social-emotional learning–related constructs and learning more broadly. Learning indeed depends on how nature is nurtured.     

提高高校秘书人员业务素质的思考

高等学校办公室是学校综合办事机构,办公室秘书人员的素质,直接影响工作的水平和效率,也直接关系到一个学校的形象和声誉。本文对如何提高高校秘书人员业务素质进行了深入细致地探讨,对现实有一定的指导意义。     

新时期提高民办高校科技档案管理水平的思考

随着科技成果转化成生产力的速度加快,科技成果的价值越显重要,提升科技档案管理水平的要求也更加迫切。本文从国家教育十二五规划对高校科研工作的总体要求入手,通过分析当前民办高校档案管理的主要特色与科技档案自身特点,剖析民办高校科技档案工作的难点,提出提升管理水平的创新思路。     

科学发展观指导下的高校档案管理人员素质内涵建设

站在科学发展观的高度,从政治素质、职业道德素质和业务素质三个方面提出了加强高校案管理人员内涵建设的合理化建议.     

如何提高大学文科数学的教学效果

大学文科数学是很多文科专业培养计划不可或缺的一部分,但文科数学的教学困难重重。本文从实际调研出发,在疏导学生学习心理、教学方式方法和考核等方面给出了若干可行性建议。     

Appreciating the Needs of Non-Traditional Students: Women as a Growing Market for Colleges and Universities

ABSTRACT

In response to this unprecedented growth, higher education is finally recognizing the contribution of the adult learner. Previous research has explored what the “nontraditional” student values in an education. While our knowledge base regarding the nontraditional learner continues to expand, relatively little research has been conducted on an important segment of this market-nontraditional women. As such, the nontraditional woman represents an important target market for colleges and universities. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to better understand the unique educational needs of the nontraditional woman. A convenience sample of 197 non-traditional women and men from a mid-western university participated in the study. Perhaps the most interesting finding to emerge from the present study (from a marketing perspective) is the notion of three distinct market segments of non-traditional women. Implications for higher education administrators are discussed.     

探析如何提高地方院校的办学竞争力

随着高等教育宏观管理体制改革的不断深入,地方院校已成为我国高等教育体系的重要组成部分。面对全面建设小康社会的战略目标,在高等教育的发展迎来新的机遇的同时,高校之间的竞争日趋激烈,地方院校面临着严峻的挑战,一些院校甚至存在被淘汰的危险。那么,作为地方院校,如何在新形势下科学规划和确定发展目标,提高自身的办学竞争力,为国家经济建设和社会发展做出应有的贡献,是摆在我们面前亟待解决的问题。