Educational Theory and Practice in an Aristotelian Perspective

Despite a historical distance, Aristotle's discussion of different forms of knowledge, in particular in the Nicomachean Ethics, offers a novel perspective on the modern understanding of the relationship between educational theory and practice. In the world of education today, it is a convention that theory and practice should enter into a fruitful exchange process with each other. However, a retrospective look at Aristotle's discussion of knowledge and his three categories of knowledge, which concern a theoretical, a productive and a socio-ethical domain, can serve to illuminate that educational theory and practice belong to qualitatively different categories and therefore do not immediately enter into a fruitful relation. A look back will show that scientific propositional knowledge does not have a knowledge monopoly and relevance in all of life's conditions and also that theoretical, general knowledge is not in itself applicable to action. Finally, in tune with more recent learning theories, as for instance situated learning theory based on apprenticeship, Aristotle points out that different forms of knowledge are learnt in different ways.     

Elementary teachers' epistemological and ontological understanding of teaching for conceptual learning

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which elementary teachers applied their understanding of conceptual learning and teaching to their instructional practices as they became knowledgeable about conceptual change pedagogy. Teachers' various ways to interpret and utilize students' prior ideas were analyzed in both epistemological and ontological dimensions of learning. A total of 14 in‐service elementary teachers conducted an 8‐week‐long inquiry into students' conceptual learning as a professional development course project. Major data sources included the teachers' reports on their students' prior ideas, lesson plans with justifications, student performance artifacts, video‐recorded teaching episodes, and final reports on their analyses of student learning. The findings demonstrated three epistemologically distinct ways the teachers interpreted and utilized students' prior ideas. These supported Kinchin's epistemological categories of perspectives on teaching including positivist, misconceptions, and systems views. On the basis of Chi's and Thagard's theories of conceptual change, the teachers' ontological understanding of conceptual learning was differentiated in two ways. Some teachers taught a unit to change the ontological nature of student ideas, whereas the others taught a unit within the same ontological categories of student ideas. The findings about teachers' various ways of utilizing students' prior ideas in their instructional practices suggested a number of topics to be addressed in science teacher education such as methods of utilizing students' cognitive resources, strategies for purposeful use of counter‐evidence, and understanding of ontological demands of learning. Future research questions were suggested. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 1292–1317, 2007     

Aptitude Theory: Yesterday,Today, and Tomorrow

The concept of aptitude is reviewed and reconstructed. Its original sense of reciprocity between person and situation and appropriateness of person-situation fit is restored. Modern interpretation thus emphasizes readiness to learn in particular instructional situations and recognizes conative and affective as well as cognitive sources of aptitude. Limitations of old aptitude theories are noted. Requirements for new aptitude theories are listed. A new conceptual language for aptitude theory is suggested by the Thorndike-Thomson sampling theory, Gibson's (1966, 1979) affordance theory, and Simon's (1969) artifact theory, in combination with implications from current research.     

Resubsumption: A Possible Mechanism for Conceptual Change and Belief Revision

Successful learning sometimes requires that the learner abandons or rejects one or more prior concepts, beliefs, or intuitive theories. Such nonmonotonic changes are widely believed to have a low probability of occurring spontaneously and to be difficult to promote with instruction. A theory of nonmonotonic cognitive change should explain both why such changes are difficult and why they are possible. The purpose of this article is to develop the idea that nonmonotonic change happens when the learner resubsumes a domain of experience under a conceptual system originally developed for some other domain. The resubsumption theory is built on three main cognitive processes: In the course of routine knowledge formation, people grow informal theories for different domains of experience in parallel, maintaining local but not global coherence. The trigger for conceptual change is bisociation, the realization that an informal theory developed to make sense of one domain also applies to some other domain, giving the learner two alternative ways of thinking about the latter. The conflict between the two alternative ways of thinking is settled through competitive evaluation of their cognitive utility. The pedagogical implications of the resubsumption theory differ from those of prior theories but are as yet untested.     

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development and Its Relevance to Education

Isaksson, A. 1979. Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development and Its Relevance to Education. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 23, 47‐63. The main assumptions and categories of Kohlberg's theory of moral development are succinctly outlined. New empirical studies and critical reviews are discussed, and their implications for the theory assessed. It is concluded that the theory is correct in its basic assumption of viewing moral development as a sequential progression towards more complex structural wholes that can be conceptualized as levels or stages. Empirical evidence is found to lend greater support to the identity of three sequential structural levels than to six distinct stages. Kohlberg's and his associates’ approach to moral education is briefly described. The relevance of the theory to moral education is seen as self‐evident. The conditions for the efficacy of moral educational programmes are discussed. The general conclusion of the article is that Kohlberg's approach has proven its basic theoretical and heuristic value. The theoretical framework favoured by the author is cognitive‐developmental.     

Theory and Passion in Action Research

The starting point for this article is Polanyi's insight that learning involves the personal participation of the knower in taking possession of knowledge, and that this process ‘takes place within a flow of passion’. Somekh pays tribute to Elliott's role in her own intellectual development, as her tutor while she was still a teacher, and later as her colleague. The article focuses on the contribution of the articles published in Educational Action Research, during its first 10 years, under the title of ‘Theoretical Resources’. The contested nature of this title is discussed and illuminated through an exploration of Elliott's writing about teachers' knowledge and the role of both theory and practice in theory generation. Somekh argues for the importance of intellectual engagement with ideas and theories through passionate participation within a ‘personalised and contextualised reality’ – she sees this process as akin to Elliott's notion of action research as a process which ‘problematises the ideas of theorists’.     

How some college students represent their understandings of the nature of scientific theories

This study explores college students' representations about the nature of theories during their enrollment in a large astronomy course with instruction designed to address a number of nature of science issues. We focus our investigation on how nine students represent their understanding of theory, how they distinguish between scientific theories and non‐scientific theories, and how they reason about specific theories. Students' notions of theory were classified under four main categories: (1) hypothesis, (2) idea with evidence, (3) explanation, and (4) explanation based on evidence. Students' condition for deciding whether a given idea is a scientific theory or not were classified under six criteria: content domain, convention, evidence, mathematical content, methodology, and tentativeness. Students expressed slight levels of variation between their reasoning about scientific theories in general and specific theories they learned in the course. Despite increased sophistication in some students' representations, this study affirms the complex dimensions involved in teaching and assessing student understanding about theories. The implications of this study underscore the need to explicitly address the nature of proof in science and issues of tentativeness and certainty students associate with scientific theories, and provide students with more opportunities to utilize the language of science.     

Education and self‐change

This paper explores three psychological theories of self – Kenneth Gergen's theory of the crystallised self, Carol Dweck's theory of the incremental self and William Swann's theory of the homeostatic self – for their ability to account for personal change in general, and radical self‐change in particular. Special attention is paid to their educational implications. The overall conclusion is that whereas all three theories provide important insights into self‐change, none of them gives a fully satisfying account.     

朱光潜文艺心理学研究中对弗洛伊德理论的批评与借鉴

朱光潜在《变态心理学派别》和《变态心理学》中,肯定了弗洛伊德理论的贡献,同时认为其理论存在泛性论倾向以及缺乏生理依据等问题。在美感经验理论中,朱光潜批评了弗洛伊德的文学是欲望的满足的观点;在天才观中,批评了弗洛伊德的文学家与精神病同源的观点。在悲剧快感理论中,朱光潜借鉴了弗洛伊德的矛盾情感理论和宣泄理论;在灵感理论中,借鉴了弗洛伊德的潜意识理论。这些借鉴给悲剧快感理论和灵感理论注入了现代心理学的内涵。     

大学组织变革研究及其新进展

大学组织变革是指大学内部结构和组织制度的变革,它是高等教育管理研究的前沿性命题,也是当今高等教育发展中最感困惑的问题。在最近30年中,学术界提出了三种主要的大学组织变革分析范式,即同构性理论、分化理论和同质异形理论。同构理论强调变革的动力来自于外部环境,变革是一个自上而下的过程;分化理论强调大学组织变革的动力来自于大学组织及其行动者,变革是一个自下而上的过程;同质异形理论试图把两者综合起来,强调大学组织变革是一个自上而下和自下而上相结合的过程。这三种理论其实是从新制度主义中演化和生发出来的,它们各有优势。未来的发展趋势是:以同质异形理论为主,充分借鉴制度分析理论和资源依赖理论,把三种理论范式中的某些要素综合起来,更好地解释大学组织变革问题。     

A “muddled arrray of models”: theoretical and organisational perspectives on change and development in higher education

Understanding the change process in higher education requires the development of adequate theory. Theories are characterised by propositions which guide thinking, research and professional action. These propositions are a starting point for research, one goal of which is a contribution to the development and refinement of theory. Theory enables explanation, prediction and well-guided action to take place. An end-point to this is better understanding and influence over the change and development process in higher education. There is no general theory of change in higher education. So, what theories guide our action? This question is explored, together with a consideration of the role of theory in the process of individual and organisational change. The paper comprises two contributions, one by Cannon on theory development, the other by Lonsdale which is a reaction to and extension of Cannon's arguments, especially as they relate to organisational change.     

Children's Reasoning as Collective Social Action through Problem Solving in Grade 2/3 Science Classrooms

Research on young children's reasoning show the complex relationships of knowledge, theories, and evidence in their decision-making and problem solving. Most of the research on children's reasoning skills has been done in individualized and formal research settings, not collective classroom environments where children often engage in learning and reasoning together to solve classroom problems. This study posits children's reasoning as a collective social activity that can occur in science classrooms. The study examined how children process their reasoning within the context of Grade 2/3 science classrooms and how the process of collectivity emerges from classroom interactions and dialogue between children as they attempt to solve their classroom problems. The study findings suggest that children's reasoning involves active evaluation of theories and evidence through collective problem solving, with consensus being developed through dialogical reasoning.     

李大钊马克思主义建党理论的渊源、贡献及其启示

马克思、恩格斯关于无产阶级建党学说的经典论述,以及列宁根据俄国实际发展了的布尔什维克化建党理论,是李大钊推进马克思主义建党理论中国化的理论渊源。李大钊于国家民族危难之际,大力介绍、研究、传播马克思主义思想,结合中国社会状况和斗争实际,对经典作家的建党理论进行灵活运用,进而成功地继承发展和创新了马克思主义建党理论。探究李大钊推进马克思主义建党理论中国化的历史过程及其贡献,对于当前和今后思考如何在实践中坚持和发展马克思主义,如何认识理论与实践的关系,如何借鉴世界大党、老党的执政经验教训以推进自身建设等,仍然有着重要的时代启示和现实借鉴价值。     

Mindfulness and Intelligence: A Comparison

The theory of mindfulness (Langer, 1989a) shares with some current theories of intelligence an emphasis on the importance of cognitive flexibility. The mindfulness approach to cognitive flexibility differs from the intelligence approach in its conception of the relation between individuals and their environment. Intelligence theory employs a criterion of optimal fit between individual and environment. Mindfulness theory emphasizes that individuals may always define their relation to their environment in several ways. We examine the historical background of this difference between mindfulness and intelligence and find that (a) the concept of intelligence is embedded in a theory of correspondence that has been inherited from the 19th century; (b) current intelligence theories continue to focus on thought as adaptively corresponding to external reality; (c) despite apparent differences between unidimensional and multidimensional approaches to intelligence, common reliance on a criterion of optimal fit engenders more similarity than difference; (d) this similarity prolongs the detrimental effects of intelligence theories on self-perception, perception of others, and the educational process. Mindfulness theory rejects an evaluative standard that is external to the individual's capacity to give meaning to experience. We examine mindful enhancement of personal control and the educational process, and contrast this with the limitations of an intelligence approach.     

Women's Empowerment and Education: linking knowledge to transformative action

Women's empowerment is a concept that has acquired substantial recognition in the past decade. However, it is better known among international development organisations, NGOs, and grassroots groups than in academic circles. This article examines the concept of women's empowerment as a foundational element in a theory of social change in which the oppressed must be key actors in the change process. On the basis of empirical evidence, it highlights four dimensions of empowerment: economic, political, knowledge, and psychological. The knowledge dimension is fostered by one of the most respected and universal of institutions: formal education. Yet schools do not always provide friendly or even safe spaces for girls; moreover, the school curriculum emphasises academic subjects and avoids ‘life skills’ discussions. Most successful cases of empowerment through education have occurred in non-formal education programmes that specifically promote critical reflection on gendered social norms and encourage corrective responses. The article argues that the empowerment process must consider the close connection between the private and the public arenas, as the private space seriously constrains women's availability and possibilities for transformative action; therefore, both macro- and micro-level interventions are needed to create a modified gender division of labour. The promotion of agency — at both the individual and collective levels — plays a major role in the development of women's empowerment. Such a process requires the engagement of non-state actors, particularly women-led NGOs. The article ends with challenges for policy.     

VAK学习理论及研究生英语应用能力培养

随着教师教学理念的转变,越来越多的教师和学生更注重学习过程的产出,由此推动VAK学习理论的普遍应用。VAK学习理论主要是根据学生的实际情况和喜好特点进行分类,根据学生感知渠道的偏好,能够将学生分为视觉型、听觉型和触觉型三类,有助于激发学生自身的潜能。在进行非英语专业研究生英语教学工作中,帮助学生了解自身的实际情况,找到适合自己的学习方法,有助于更好地满足社会市场对人才提出的需求,也能够通过不同渠道得到专业素质的有效培养和提升。     

A Translation Case Analysis Based on Skopos Theory

With the spread of globalization,the roleof translation is crucial in cultural,economic,and social communication.The functionalist approaches of translation originated in the 1970s in Germany.They had carried on the reasonable aspects of the traditional theories and broken their restraint,which are very practical.Skopos theory reflects a general shift from predominantly linguistic and rather formal translation theories to a more functionally and socio-culturally oriented concept of translation,which drew inspiration from communication theory,action theory,text linguistics,and text theory,as well as from movements in literary studies towards reception theories.     

Appealing to the soul: towards a Judeo-Christian theory of learning

Beginning with the recognition that every learning theory rests on particular assumptions about the nature and capacities of the learners, this study provides an examination of the implicit premises upon which several of the more prominent learning theories - behaviourism, cognitivism, situated learning, and social cognitivism - have been built. Even as each theory is found to propose a slightly distinct conceptualization of human nature, none are found to accommodate acknowledgement of the role of the soul, the spiritual dimension, in determining individuals' ability to learn. Expanding on Habermas's and Mezirow's ideas of learning domains as popularized by Cranton (1994), this paper shows that ultimately, the learning transaction hinges upon the phenomena of perceptions, and perceptions are realized through the realms of physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual input. This reconceptualization of learning to include the soul as a key determinant concludes with a concrete explanation of how acknowledgement of humans' spiritual dimension holds significant potential for enhancing teaching-learning situations.     

A Traumatic Reading of Twentieth-Century Rhetorical Theory: The Belgian Holocaust,Malines, Perelman,and de Man

In this essay, I seek to read the rhetorical theories set forth by Belgians Chaïm Perelman and Paul de Man as responses to the Holocaust. To accomplish this aspiration, I draw from Dominick LaCapra's framework for the analysis of trauma and its expression in historical and theoretical texts. Reading the rhetorical theories of Perelman and de Man, two of the most prominent of the twentieth century, through a lens of trauma theory allows critics to see them as post-war efforts to deal with the implications of the absence of meaning, the murder and loss of 25,257 Belgian Jews, Fascism, genocide, and de Man's collaboration with the Nazis. I argue that Perelman's rhetoric theory better “works-through” the Belgian Holocaust than the one offered by de Man because it offers a vision of reason that can yield justice and places collaborators in the “grey zone” of totalitarian societies and logical positivism, thereby offering de Man partial absolution for his endorsement of the German occupation and anti-Semitism. De Man's rhetorical theory appears to act out the Belgian Holocaust, for it rehearses the act of deconstruction, does not name its traumatic exigence, lacks the theoretical resources to deal with the material past, fails to offer better choices for the present, or provide a vision of the future. Reading rhetorical theories as responses to the exigences of trauma calls for a reconsideration of the contexts and motives driving the creation of the major rhetorical theories of the twentieth century, including those of Heidegger and Grassi.