My Dream School

<正>I always feel tired after eight classes a day, so my dream school starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. There are three lessons in the morning and two in the afternoon. We can choose our favourite lessons to learn. We can do after-school activities for two and a half     

My School Life

<正>I am a student at Luoyang Middle School. I love my school.Our school starts at eight in the morning from Monday to Friday. Usually we do morning exerises first. Our lessons begin at 8:15. My favourite subject is English. I am very good at it.I have a lot of friends here. They are nice to me. After class, we often chat with each     

不言放弃

不要忘记,在人生的路上,要想做成什么事,我们必须持之以恒。如果我们在学校里想要学好功课,就必须得勤奋,任何时候遇到难题都不要放弃。     

My Friend and I

<正>My name is Ouyang Zihui. Her name is Zhang Huiling. We are both middle school students of Grade Seven. We are good friends and we are getting on well at school.We like all the subjects we have. In class, we listen to our teachers carefully and are always ready to answer their questions. After class, we often study and play together. We go over our old lessons and prepare our new ones. On the way home or on the way to school, we     

Planning middle school schedules for improved attention and achievement

The literature describes research comparing scholastic success in the morning and afternoon in elementary and high schools. The present study examines the relationship between time of day and scholastic performance in middle school. The progress of 850 seventh and eighth grade students in academic subjects taught at different hours of the day was studied. Mean achievement, as expressed in final grades, rose moderately from morning lessons to those conducted at later hours. Significant but temporary declines in achievement were observed immediately after the 10:00 recess and again during the 13:00 lesson. Variance within classes increased sharply during the day. Previous studies attributed such changes to biological rhythms. This paper indicates that many diurnal changes in scholastic performance may be clarified by integration of concepts of biological rhythms with current theories with respect to attention level. Implications of these findings for planning daily school schedules are discussed.     

历史文化教学中的爱国主义教育

爱国主义教育是学校教育和人生教育的永恒内容与最高主题。在历史文化教学中,蕴含着丰富、深厚、具体的爱国主义,在学习过程中,适时地进行爱国主义教育是非常重要的。     

The stability of kindergarten teachers’ effectiveness: A generalizability study comparing the Framework For Teaching and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System

To meet recent accountability mandates, school districts are implementing assessment frameworks to document teachers’ effectiveness. Observational assessments play a key role in this process, albeit without compelling evidence of their psychometric rigor. Using a sample of kindergarten teachers, we employed Generalizability theory to investigate (across teachers, raters, and lessons) the stability of scores obtained with two different observation measures: The CLASS K-3 and the FFT. We conducted a series of Decision studies to document (for both measures’ constituent domains) the number of lessons per teacher and raters per lesson that would justify the use of observation scores for high stakes decisions. Acceptable, stable scores for individual-level decisions about teachers may generally require more raters and lessons than is typically used in practice (1–2 raters and fewer than 3 lessons). The considerable variability of observation-based scores raises concerns about either measure’s appropriateness for making individual or group decisions about teachers’ effectiveness.     

Young women's scientific identity formation in an urban context

In this article we examine the scientific identity formation of two young women of color who attend an urban vocational high school. One young woman lives in an urban setting, while the other lives in a suburban setting. We describe how these young women's identities influence and respond to experiences in school science. In particular, we describe how the experience of marginalization can make membership in a school science community impossible or undesirable. We also describe the advantages that accrue to students who fit well with the ideal identities of an urban school. Finally, we describe some of the difficulties students face who aspire to scientific or technological competence yet do not desire to take on aspects of the identities associated with membership in school science communities. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 965–980, 2001     

中小学教师"校本培训"的内涵、功能、目标研究

传统以课程为葶础。以知识传授为特征的“讲授式”教师培训模式，无论在学历教育还毫在其他各种形式的培训中，其实践效果并非理想。校本培训是中小学教师继续教育的重要形式。是持续提高教师专业化水平的必由之路。本文就校本培训的内涵、功能和目标进行了探讨。     

Music lessons enhance executive functions in 6- to 7-year-old children

Studies have demonstrated positive associations between music lessons and executive functions (EFs) in children. Because researchers have focused on comprehensive music lessons taught in school, it remains unclear whether pure instrumental music lessons as an extracurricular activity reveal similar results. Moreover, interventional studies reported mixed findings and there is a lack of experimental designs allowing for causal conclusions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of music lessons as an extracurricular activity on EFs in children. Primary school children (N = 94) aged 6–7 years were randomly assigned to a music group, an arts group, or a waiting control group. Different measures of EFs were assessed in pre- and posttests. The results revealed an improvement in children from the music group for some components of EFs. Based on our findings we conclude that instrumental music lessons have an impact on specific EFs in children.     

Beyond a unitary conception of pedagogic pace: quantitative measurement and ethnographic experience

English education policy‐makers have targeted classroom time as a key area for regulation and intervention, with ‘brisk pace’ widely accepted as a feature of good teaching practice. We problematise this conventional wisdom through an exploration of objective and subjective dimensions of lesson pace in a corpus of 30 Key Stage 2 literacy lessons from three classrooms in one London school. Systematic classroom observation produced an anomaly: the lessons we experienced as fast‐paced were rated objectively as slowest, and vice‐versa. We contrasted the fastest and slowest episodes in the corpus, demonstrating that for these episodes the accepted measure of pace primarily reflected differences in utterance length. Linguistic ethnographic micro‐analysis of the episodes highlighted predictability, stakes, meaning and dramatic performance as key factors contributing to pace as experienced. We argue, among other claims, that sometimes accelerating pupils' experience—and learning—necessitates slowing down the pace of teaching, and that government calls for urgency may, perversely, make lessons slower.     

Affective State of School Pupils During Their First Lesson of the Day—Effect of Morningness–Eveningness

One of the most intriguing results concerning chronopsychological effects at school is the worse school performance in evening‐oriented adolescents. The study intends to correlate affective state with chronotype. Therefore, we carried out a field study in adolescents in a natural setting (in school) and assessed their actual affective state during the very first lesson at school (8:00 a.m.). A total of 97 pupils (60 boys and 37 girls; mean age 13.14 ± SD 1.84; range 10–17 years) from class Grades 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 participated in this study. We used the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) to assess morningness and the Adjective Checklist for Children (EWL40‐KJ) to assess mood. Morningness was positively associated with relaxation, good mood, and activation, and negatively related to bad mood, anger, and deactivation. No significant relationship was found related to excitation, aggression, anxiety, and depressiveness. Concerning the two general dimensions, CSM scores were positively related to positive mood and negatively to negative mood.     

The key factors affecting students’ individual interest in school science lessons

Individual interest in school science lessons can be defined as a relatively stable and enduring personal emotion comprising affective and behavioural reactions to events in the regular science lessons at school. Little research has compared the importance of different factors affecting students’ individual interest in school science lessons. The present study aimed to address this gap, using a mixed methods design. Qualitative interview data were collected from 60 Hong Kong junior secondary school students, who were asked to describe the nature of their interest in science lessons and the factors to which they attribute this. Teacher interviews, parent interviews, and classroom observations were conducted to triangulate student interview data. Five factors affecting students’ individual interest in school science lessons were identified: situational influences in science lessons, individual interest in science, science self-concept, grade level, and gender. Quantitative data were then collected from 591 students using a questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was applied to test a hypothesised model, which provided an acceptable fit to the student data. The strongest factor affecting students’ individual interest in school science lessons was science self-concept, followed by individual interest in science and situational influences in science lessons. Grade level and gender were found to be nonsignificant factors. These findings suggest that teachers should pay special attention to the association between academic self-concept and interest if they want to motivate students to learn science at school.     

从“失真”到“归真”的理想践行——小学语文“文本解读个性化”现状的考察与思考

"文本解读个性化"是小学语文阅读教学理应坚守的一种观念,秉持的一种策略,追寻的一种理想。然而在践行中,由于教学的"作秀"对学生的误导,应试的"功利"对学生的戕伤,"文本解读个性化"的目标、过程、结果都出现了一定程度的"失真"。让教学成为一种真诚的对话,让考试成为一种真实的应答,是其"归真"的必由之路。     

The relevance of media education in primary schools in Hong Kong in the age of new media: a case study

In this age of new media, children are exposed to media messages at an early age. What can we do when the mass media exert such a great influence on children? One proposal has been for the introduction of a new school subject: media education. Though media education has not been part of the official curriculum in Hong Kong, some schools, both primary and secondary, have tried it out. This paper argues for the desirability of introducing media education in primary schools in Hong Kong, with regard to social change, recent education reform and learning initiatives of primary pupils. It then draws on the findings of a study conducted in a local primary school to examine the views of pupils, parents, and teachers on the effects on pupils of the implementation of media education lessons and campus radio projects in this age of new media.     

Book Review of Two-Year Colleges for Women and Minorities: Enabling Access to the Baccalaureate

Research tells us that children are more susceptible to temptations between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.-the hours following the end of the school day when parents are not yet home from work. This study looks at the "life histories" of child participants in the Artists in the Making (AIM) program-a program that aims to motivate inner-city youth through the use of visual arts classes. Despite the diversity of the children who participated in the AIM program, several common themes emerged from the interview process: self-discovery, problem-solving skills, opportunities for positive risk taking, and the mastery of artistic skills. This article proposes that community-based visual arts programs can help children develop protective factors that will allow them to be resilient.     

The Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) in Kindergarten: An Evaluation of the Stability of the MQI Using Generalizability Theory

Research Findings: We evaluated the score stability of the Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI), an observational measure of mathematics instruction. Three raters each scored, independently, 100 video-recorded lessons taught by 20 kindergarten teachers in the spring. Using generalizability theory analyses, we decomposed the MQI’s score stability into potential sources of variation (teachers, lessons, raters, and their interactions). The 13-item (3-domain) Ambitious Mathematics Instruction scale and the Whole Lesson scale each explained about one third of the variance attributed to differences in the main construct of interest (teachers’ instructional strategies). The MQI’s Errors and Imprecision scale was not relevant at the kindergarten level; there were virtually no errors and/or ambiguities observed across the 100 mathematics lessons. In a series of decision studies, we examined improvements in reliability with combinations of up to 6 raters and 8 lessons. Only the Richness of Mathematics domain scores and the Whole Lesson scores achieved acceptable reliabilities. Practice or Policy: The findings have important implications for the use of observation measures to document teachers’ mathematics practices in the early years of school.     

Spatial metaphors and writing hypertexts: Study within schools

This article deals with the writing of hypertext during regular school lessons. We suppose that hypertext-environments can be used as “cognitive tools” to promote the comprehension of semantic relationships within a subject and the reflection about knowledge structures. From research on learning by writing traditional text (Bereiter &; Scardamalia 1987), it can be expected that the constitutive features of “hypertext” must be comprehensible for leaner. In this study, we focus in particular on the question: Which metaphors are helpful to introduce the main idea of “hypertext” as a cognitive tool? In an explorative field study, we examined two parallel classes constructing hypertexts during their regular school lessons. The teachers in both classes used completely different metaphors to introduce the concept of hypertext. The metaphor chosen influenced both the structures of the completed hypertext-documents and the discussion about the subject matter. The space-metaphor seems to be especially appropriate to introduce the concept of hypertext to the learner in such a way that a creative interaction between the structure of the hypertext and the semantic structure of the subject could result. Three tests were administered to measure the degree to which knowledge about semantic relations and structures was acquired. The class that had discussed hypertext with spatial metaphors showed significantly better results than the parallel class.     

Using Student-Assessment Results to Improve Instruction: Lessons From a Workshop

The student-assessment results that schools must report to satisfy No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements could be useful in pinpointing strengths and weaknesses in instructional programs and students' skills. However, many school staffs lack the expertise to learn from assessment results. We describe lessons learned from a yearlong workshop aimed at helping 10 schools with this crucial work. Attended by school-based teams consisting of teachers, administrators, and graduate students in education, the workshop (a) explored different types of data and data analyses and (b) helped teams use data to analyze a school-specific problem and create an action plan. Lessons we learned include: schools need (a) a process for engaging in conversations around teaching and learning, (b) an opportunity for support of analyses of data from their school, and (c) leadership committed to the endeavor. Many participating school teams learned lessons from student-assessment results with important implications for instructional improvement.