Explorations in helplessness of higher education institutions in the third world

After independence, the Education Commission called for the creation of new institutions to undertake the task of higher education in technology, agriculture and management. Three models of higher education were imported. In the field of technology the “MIT model” was advocated by the Sarkar Committee. The five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) were the results of this thinking. The “Land-grant University Model” provided the basis for development of agricultural universities. The “Business School Model” was instrumental in the creation of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahmedabad and Calcutta. In this article, we explore the implications of importing the “MIT model” in the case of IITs and venture some possible explanations of the feelings of institutional helplessness through in-depth data collected in one IIT. We believe that the “sorting” process implicit in the MIT and the Business school models, in particular, when imposed on the Indian socio-economic milieu has aggravated the isolation of the elites from the realities of the country as well as increased dependence on the West. This, has in turn, resulted in mediocrity and irrelevances even in these islands of intended excellence. The IIT experience serves to illustrate this argument. Our argument is developed through

1. understanding the phenomenon of sorting and how this distances the IIT graduate, in particular, from the rest of the engineering graduates, among others;
2. placing the argument in the perspective of transfer of intellectual technology from the West.

     

关于数学与数学教育——科学家关于数学的论述及其对我们的启示

在学习、理解科学家关于数学论述的基础上 ,进一步阐述了对数学与数学教育等问题的新认识     

Constructivism,mathematics and mathematics education

Learning theories such as behaviourism, Piagetian theories and cognitive psychology, have been dominant influences in education this century. This article discusses and supports the recent claim that Constructivism is an alternative paradigm, that has rich and significant consequences for mathematics education. In the United States there is a growing body of published research that claims to demonstrate the distinct nature of the implications of this view. There are, however, many critics who maintain that this is not the case, and that the research is within the current paradigm of cognitive psychology. The nature and tone of the dispute certainly at times appears to describe a paradigm shift in the Kuhnian model. In an attempt to analyse the meaning of Constructivism as a learning theory, and its implications for mathematics education, the use of the term by the intuitionist philosophers of mathematics is compared and contrasted. In particular, it is proposed that Constructivism in learning theory does not bring with it the same ontological commitment as the Intuitionists' use of the term, and that it is in fact a relativist thesis. Some of the potential consequences for the teaching of mathematics of a relativist view of mathematical knowledge are discussed here.     

以数学实践为依托,探讨高校数学教学

本文首先论述了数学实践的必要性,并以此为据点,说明了在生活中培养学生对数学的热爱的重要性,进而阐述了以数学实践为依托下的高校数学教学方法,希望给予同行以借鉴。     

高等院校实施素质教育应考虑的几个问题

通过对影响大学生素质教育的因素进行了分析,阐明了要提高素质教育应该抛弃传统的教育模式,为适应新机制的要求所采取的措施和实施的途径。     

A study of the partnership between schools and universities to improve science and mathematics education in Indonesia

This paper examines what kinds of impacts a school–university partnership has on schoolteachers and university faculty members, and what types of challenges and tasks exist. The results show the following: (1) joint lesson planning, observation, and reflection, called piloting activities (PA) have succeeded in improving teaching methodologies; (2) faculty members and teachers generally regarded the students under PA as being more participative; (3) it is necessary to ensure linkages between materials and students, as well as between students; and (4) PA resulted in the development of collegiality within schools and between faculty members and teachers.     

浅谈数学素质教育的实施

尊重学生的教学主体地位是贯彻实施数学素质教育的前提，同时必须引导学生酷爱数学，鼓励学生探索和质疑，加强数学应用意识。     

数学教育中的认知心理初探

文章针对如何提高数学教学质量这一研究课题,从心理学角度,结合数学学科教育的特殊性与实践结果,分析了如何实现有效的数学教育,提倡知情意合一的数学教育模式.     

高校数学主体性教学模式探析

本文简要阐述了数学主体性教学模式,分析其构建原则,最后提出高校数学主体性教学模式构建路径:激发学生学习动机,使学生乐于自主参与;优化学习活动设计,确保学生全程参与;推动全面合作,提升参与广度等。     

关于高等院校经济数学教学的几点思考

经济数学教学对培养高素质人才至关重要。章详细地分析了经济数学教学现存的问题。从课程设置、教学内容、教学方法等方面明确提出了经济数学教学改革的思路。     

Use of situations in mathematics education

Situations are often regarded as the panacea which guarantees concretisation of abstract notions. Recent research results have led us to qualify this opinion. After analysing briefly the notion of situation, we raise various issues on the basis of the responses of children aged 11–15 to the racing car problem. We observed various limits brought about by the situation in the abstraction prócess, and also that the task involved more abstract notions (even pictorial) than expected. The conclusion singles out some principles ensuring a better use of situations and points out key problems such as the role of mental images and the importance of the spoken language.     

Student politics in the third world

Student political activism remains a key issue in the Third World despite its decline in the industrialized nations. Students continue to be active in politics and frequently have an impact on societal events. The historical development of student politics and student involvement in independence struggles, the role of students as incipient elites, and the fragility of the political structures of many Third World nations all contribute to the efficacy of student politics. Universities, as key intellectual institutions in their societies, also play an important role in Third World societies. Students, especially those in the social sciences, are fairly easy to mobilize and they often have a basic interest in political and social issues. It is argued that student movements emerge from their social and political environment and it is not surprising that activism continues as a powerful force in the Third World.     

数学教师专业化与高师数学教育专业课改

数学教师专业化是世界数学教师教育的发展潮流,其内涵包括:数学教师数学专业化、数学教师教育专业化和数学教师专业情意.当前高师数学教育在课程设置上不适应数学教师专业化要求,改革重点是构建合理的课程体系.