How Our Calendar Came About?

Do you know how our calendar(日历)began?Well,a long time ago,people did not have calen-dars but because of theneed to be prepared for badweather,such as winter,orthe need to know the besttime for planting and har-vesting,people started to     

Predictors for Mathematics Achievement? Evidence From a Longitudinal Study

Numerical processing has been extensively studied by examining the performance on basic number processing tasks, such as number priming, number comparison, and number line estimation. These tasks assess the innate “number sense,” which is assumed to be the breeding ground for later mathematics development. Indeed, several studies have associated children's performance in these tasks with individual differences in mathematical achievement. To date, however, most of these studies have cross‐sectional designs. Moreover, the few longitudinal studies either use complex tasks (e.g., story problems) or investigate only one of these basic number processing tasks at a time. In this study, we examine the association between the performance of children on several basic number processing tasks and their individual math achievement scores on a curriculum‐based test measured 1 year later. Regression analyses showed that most of the variance in children's math achievement was predicted by nonsymbolic number line estimation performance (i.e., estimating large quantities of dots) and, to a lesser extent, the speed of comparing symbolic numbers. This knowledge about the predictive value of the performance of 5‐ to 7‐year‐olds on these markers of number processing can help with the early identification of at‐risk children. In addition, this information can guide appropriate educational interventions.     

How and What Can We Learn From Replicating Historical Experiments? A Case Study

This article focusses on the topic of replicating historical experiments as learning and teaching devices. It will be argued that historical experiments replicated as close as possible to the original enable experiences that are intellectual as well as sensual in kind. It will be demonstrated that learning by replicating makes it possible to learn on different levels of human activity related to the mind and the body. It will be discussed what the notion of replication means and what one can learn by replicating. Furthermore, a case study will be introduced, the replication of a rotation apparatus (a kind of electric motor) which was developed by Michael Faraday in 1821. The case study reveals that reconstructing and redoing historical experimental situations disclose laboratory dimensions of natural sciences. I will give an account of the process of replicating this experiment and its relation to the historical background. At the end, the experiment will be placed in a broad historical context of electricity and motion in order to demonstrate that the case study is related to a history of experiments by which mechanical motion is produced through electrical means.     

Exploring Young Children’s Understanding About the Concept of Volume Through Engineering Design in a STEM Activity: A Case Study

This case study explores young children’s understanding and application of the concept of volume through the practices of engineering design in a STEM activity. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. However, engineering stands out as a challenging area to implement. In addition, most early engineering education research centers on curriculum and instruction rather than students’ understanding and application of models and content knowledge to a design project (Johri and Olds, Journal of Engineering Education, 100(1):151–185, 2011). For this study, we created a play-based STEM activity which helps students understand and apply the concept of volume in creating clay boats through the practices of engineering design. Three students voluntarily participated in this study. Data sources included interviews, photocopies of boats, and observation field notes which were analyzed using a comprehensive cross-case analysis. Findings indicate that the common pattern is rather intuitive when students define engineering problems using different criteria. Also, students’ solutions to engineering problems are associated with their experiential ideas of reality. How students express their understanding of volume is correlated to the way of their structuring volume. Lastly, students understand the concept of volume gradually while going through the practices of engineering design. Implications are discussed in terms of how engineering education contributes to students’ understanding of volume.     

Isn''''t This a Hobby,Too?

The class teacher thought that hobbies were very important forevery child. She encouraged all her pupils to have one, andsometimes arranged for their parents to come and see the work theyhad done as a result.     

Can a Classroom Be Too Communicative?

An indirect communicative approach, one in which learning takes place indirectly and the focus is on communication, has been regarded for years as an effective way of getting students to develop fluency in English. Indeed, a communicative approach has become the mission of many ESL programs, and many material writers, teacher trainers, and     

Programmed Learning in Engineering Education?A Preliminary Study

A recent study of programmed learning, including experimental use in an electrical engineering department, indicated that the most fruitful application of teaching machine methods is in the presently nonprogrammed or loosely programmed hours spent by students outside classroom or laboratory periods. Programs already developed for use in this study have been concerned with analytical skills; further programs under development are concerned with concepts. Larger scale experiments are planned in which additional questions can be answered, particularly as to whether exposure to programmed instruction adversely affects the capacity of the student to learn independently.     

How Much for Whom? Lessons From an Efficacy Study of Modest Professional Development for Child Care Providers

Research Findings: Examining the effects of professional development of the early childhood workforce that fit within the constraints of government policy is crucial for identifying types and amounts of effective training and informing child care policy. The present study used a cluster-randomized trial to evaluate the effects of a professional development program for child care providers designed to meet the criteria for 2 state-level policies: (a) that child care providers working in licensed centers engage in 10 hr of professional development annually and (b) that all licensed child care settings provide 30 min of developmentally appropriate literacy activity daily. Results indicated that 10 hr of professional development focused on literacy was effective for significantly improving the literacy practices and knowledge of child care providers. However, it was not effective in eliciting substantial growth in child literacy outcomes, at least in the short term. The lack of child outcomes illustrates the importance of measuring professional development effects at both the provider and child levels. Practice or Policy: This study illustrates the importance of critically questioning and analyzing state policy, particularly dosage. In practice, dosage is an influential factor in how professional development is selected by programs and providers, because most policies only specify a required number of hours to be completed. The design of policy, which can influence both provider practice and child outcomes, relies upon alignment between early childhood research and policy.     

Exploring a Science Teacher’s Uncertainty with Integrating Engineering Design: An Action Research Study

This study examines a fifth grade science teacher’s attempts at integrating engineering design using the construct of uncertainty. Collaborative action research served as a supportive mechanism to uncover and confront the teacher’s uncertainties. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, reflections, classroom observations, lesson plans, and student work. Data analysis entailed the use of grounded theory. Findings from this study revealed that teaching science through engineering design is both challenging and problematic. Underpinning the teacher’s pedagogical experiences was the constant force of uncertainty, in various forms, and how her sense of doubt was beneficial rather than problematic.     

How to Make a Fire?

Long, long ago people made fires from lightning(闪电). But they had to keep the fire burning, for they couldn't start it again if there was no lightning. Later, they found out hitting two pieces of stones together could make a spark(火花). The spark could fire dry leaves. In this way they could make the fire again if it went out. Then people also learned to make a fire by rubbing. They made a hole on a big piece of wood and put a smaller stick into the hole. They turned the stick again and a…     

After Six Decades of Systematic Study of Creativity: What Do Teachers Need to Know About What It Is and How It Is Measured?

With creativity now being emphasized in schools, it is important for teachers to understand what it is and how it is measured. This review of the literature is an attempt to make sense of the many definitions and measures of creativity. As a result, this comprehensive review shows that most definitions agree that there are at least two criteria to judge whether a person or a product is creative or not, originality and usefulness. Organized according to Rhodes’s 3 P conceptualization of creativity—person, process, product, and press—more than 40 assessments used in creativity research were reviewed. Familiarity with the definitions, views of, and measurement of creativity can help teachers recognize and foster creativity in their students.     

Does Father Absence Influence Children's Gender Development? Findings From a General Population Study of Preschool Children

Objective. This study aimed to investigate whether preschool children in father-absent families are less gender-typed than their counterparts from father-present homes. Design. Samples of 283 single-mother families, including a subsample of 136 families where the child had no contact with the father, and 6,420 nuclear families were obtained from a longitudinal population study of 14,000 mothers and their children. Gender-role behavior was assessed when the child was 42 months old using the Pre-School Activities Inventory, a reliable and valid instrument designed to discriminate within as well as between the sexes. Results. No difference in parent-reported gender-role behavior was found between father-present and father-absent families for either boys or girls. Conclusions. The findings suggest that the gender-role behavior of preschool children develops typically despite the absence of a live-in father figure.     

MATAL: the Israel Elementary Science Project‐‐a Retrospective

Summaries

English

In this article, the authors reflect on the development and implementation of the Israel Elementary Science Project (MATAL). The MATAL project, initially established in 1968, used British and American programmes as its foundation, but so modified them that they became applicable to the needs of less developed countries. The authors describe the structure and content of their project, as well as their work in teacher training and the development of ancillary and enrichment programmes. It is hoped that the Israeli experience in developing an elementary school science curriculum will be of interest and potential benefit to curriculum workers in other countries also.     

Too Soon?:Three is the Best Age to Start Learning a Second Language

<正>There was an interesting phenomenon that a Chinese young child who immigrated to England,who had no choice,and must start to learn the new language,English as soon as he arrived.His parents felt anxious about it.Nevertheless,several months later,they amazingly noticed that communicating in English was a piece of cake for their child.This child language development far exceeded his parents’expectation.It could take up one or two years for him to reach the level of a native English speaker.This story demonstrates that young children are the best language learners.But what age is the best to start a second language?Preschool children,who are in the language exploration period,tend to be willing to imitate others.This imitation leads