Hermeneutics of science and multi-gendered science education

In this paper, I consider the relevance of the view of cognitive existentialism to a multi-gendered picture of science education. I am opposing both the search for a particular feminist standpoint epistemology and the reduction of philosophy of science to cultural studies of scientific practices as championed by supporters of postmodern political feminism. In drawing on the theory of gender plurality and the conception of dynamic objectivity, the paper suggests a way of treating the nexus between the construction of gender within the interrelatedness of scientific practices and the constitution of particular objects of inquiry. At stake is the notion of characteristic hermeneutic situation which proves to be helpful in designing a multi-gendered pedagogy as well.

Using science songs to enhance learning: an interdisciplinary approach

Music is recognized as an effective mode of teaching young children but is rarely used in university-level science courses. This article reviews the somewhat limited evidence on whether and how content-rich music might affect college students' understanding of science and offers practical suggestions for incorporating music into courses. Aside from aiding memorization, songs may potentially improve learning by helping students feel relaxed and welcome in stressful settings, engaging students through multiple modes (verbal vs. nonverbal) and modalities (auditory vs. visual vs. kinesthetic) simultaneously, challenging students to integrate and "own" the material through the medium of song lyrics, and increasing students' time on task outside of class through enjoyable listening or songwriting assignments. Students may produce content-rich songs of good quality if given sufficient assistance and encouragement by instructors and peers. The challenges ahead include 1) defining the circumstances in which music is most likely to promote learning and 2) developing rubrics for evaluating the quality of songs.     

Balloons,solar energy and dyes: an approach to primary science

In contrast to the previous article this one emphasises the importance of reading fiction. The joy of getting engrossed in ‘a good book’ is certainly something we should offer children. It is only one part of reading but an important one. Indeed its power to get the reading habit established is hard to over-emphasise. Hence this survey of factors that seem to affect children's voluntary fiction reading is interesting. The authors argue that the habit is a tender plant, easily disturbed. Both authors work at the Faculty of Education, New University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, and will supply a longer research report ‘Words, Words, Words’ on request.     

Globalizing the science curriculum: an undergraduate course on traditional Chinese medicine as a complementary approach to Western medicine

A course has been created to examine the ways in which China and the West have approached human health and medicine. Though fundamentally different, these two systems are complementary in a number of ways. This course is a model for a global science course in an educational initiative that incorporates Asian themes into science and engineering courses. The course is designed around an active-learning platform that has as major components: team research projects, oral presentations, role play, and peer-review. The students investigate concepts of scientific proof, clinical efficacy, and the functional structure of two very different systems of health and medical care.     

Hermeneutics and Science Education: The role of history of science

Eger's contribution towards a reapprochment of Hermeneutics, Science and Science Education is very welcome. His focus on the problem of misconceptions is relevant. All the same in our opinion some not minor points need a clarification. We will try to argue that: a) Hermeneutics cannot be reduced to a semantical interpretation of science texts; its phenomenological aspects have to be taken in account. b) Science has an unavoidable historical dimension; original papers and advanced textbooks are the real depositaries of scientific research. Standard textbooks are a caricature not worth it of a hermeneutical analysis. c) A parallelism can be traced between two dicothomies: the lifeworld of hermeneutics and the scienceworld of epistemology on one side and the extraordinary and the normal science on the other. d) For an overcoming of the misconceptions' problem we propose that the previous dicothomies be bridged through a hermeneutical phenomenological approach to science education that stresses the alternative, historical interpretations of natural phenomena.     

局部与整体诠释循环--科学阅读教学观刍议

回顾中西阅读与教学的历史经验,以及反复的实践验证,局部与整体的诠释循环是科学阅读教学观;追溯这一理论的历史线索,并对诠释循环的理论要点与具体实践作了解说。     

In defence of non-epistemic aspects of nature of science: insights from an intercultural approach to history of science

Cultural Studies of Science Education - The focus of this article is to expand María del Mar Aragón, José Antonio Acevedo-Díaz and Antonio García-Carmona’s paper...     

禅代表作《碧岩录》的诠释学解读

《碧岩录》是宋代文字禅的代表作,具有重要的宗教、哲学、文学、美学价值。《碧岩录》通过对禅宗公案和颂古的创造性和个性化诠释,指导学习者参究公案,找出公案中的禅机,从中体悟生命的“意义”。从现代诠释学的角度看来,《碧岩录》的诠释具有超越性、实践性、创造性等多个方面。     

诠释学:从主客体间性到主体间性

现代诠释学各流派之间的的差异,根源在于对诠释的目标、诠释的主体与对象及其关系上的认识差异.对诠释的主体性的安顿乃是诠释学研究所关注的焦点.在现代诠释学形成之前,因强调解释的客观性而要求排除理解过程中的主观性因素.施莱尔马赫与狄尔泰继承了这一观点,并且为保证理解的准确性与和谐一致性,将心理学引入了诠释学.理解被视为主观地重建客观的过程.海德格尔的本体论变革使诠释学摆脱客观知识的束缚而彻底转向意义问题提供了本体论基础,诠释学本身也由理解的方法理论扩展为本体论学说.理解不惟是把握文本的方式,而且直接就是人的存在状态.伽达默尔的对话理论最终将被理解对象主体化,完成了诠释学从传统的注重主-客体关系的认知模式到主体间的理解模式的转化.     

Coherent teaching and need-based learning in science: an approach to teach engineering students in basic physics courses

In the present paper, we propose an alternative, based on constructivism, to the conventional way of teaching basic physics courses at the university level. We call this approach ‘coherent teaching’ and the underlying philosophy of teaching science and engineering ‘need-based learning’. We have been applying this philosophy in practice in a basic physics course at the Department of Engineering Physics and Mathematics of Helsinki University of Technology. Here we present the main ideas of the new approach and how we have implemented them, as well as discuss how coherent teaching has affected the students' opinions about the course and how it has changed the learning results.     

影响科学认识的因素研究

社会需求是促进科学认识发展的首要因素,社会历史文化及宗教对科学认识具有促进和制约双重作用。人类认识能力是科学认识的基础,科学自身发展水平和科学认识手段限制着科学认识,学科分化对科学认识具有制约作用,非意识后果对科学认识提出了新的挑战。弄清楚这些问题能为人类解决科学发展中面临的困境寻求一条出路。     

An inquiry approach to interdisciplinary seventh grade science

The author develops a rationale for teaching ?structure and process”? to early adolescents. Will it junction generally? Action research may provide the answer.     

中国解释学的多向进路

15年前,在中国大陆,一些富有人文关怀而且眼光较为敏锐的学者不约而同地提出了探讨并创立中国解释学的问题。经过越来越多学者的共同努力,终于促使解释学在中国学界渐渐“热”了起来。在这种情况下,不断地提出新的问题、进行新的思考是十分必要的。而其中紧要的问题似乎应该是:如何更加深入地发掘和提炼中国古典解释学的丰富资源?如何探寻多向进路以使中国解释学的创建能够有力展开?为此,在《洛阳师范学院学报》刘继保先生的倡议和邀请之下,我们几位同道就此发表了自己的意见。我们的意见很不成熟,但愿能够抛砖引玉,引起广大学者进行新的讨论。(周光庆)