The Role of the Teacher

Despite the popular belief that fun has a positive impact in learning contexts, empirical research on fun in the classroom has been limited. To extend research in this area, the goal of this study was to develop and validate a new scale to assess fun in the classroom and examine its relationship with student engagement. The multi-stage scale development effort resulted in a two-dimensional measure, including fun activities and fun delivery. Fun activities reflect a variety of hands-on exercises and ways to promote social involvement among students. Fun delivery is more instructor-focused, including the use of humor, creative examples, and storytelling. Interestingly, fun delivery, but not fun activities, was positively related to student engagement. These findings suggest that not all fun is equal and highlight the need for additional research to validate the impact of fun on meaningful student outcomes.     

开展趣味活动营造英语启蒙教学环境探究

小学阶段是英语启蒙教学的重要阶段,教师、学校应该通过开展趣味活动为学生构建生动的语言学习环境,让学生对英语学习产生兴趣,感受到这门语言的魅力。教师可以从教学实际出发,探索适合学情的英语趣味活动,如在多元活动、角色扮演、组织义卖等活动中真正实现语言环境的多元构建。     

Children's,teachers; and parents' perceptions of play

Children 2 through 6 years of age were interviewed, and their parents and preschool teachers completed a questionnaire about their perceptions of play. Most parents defined play as something for fun or amusement, while teachers saw it both as fun and as an opportunity for cognitive and social development. Parents and teachers alike said they promoted play by providing a variety of materials; parents also said they played with their children. The majority of teachers did not view play as an integral part of the curriculum, but instead described a learn-play dichotomy. Parents did not support having their children spend a large amount of time in play during preschool. Children's favorite play activities according to children and their parents and teachers were outdoor play, dramatic play, blocks, and art activities.     

心理训练——让学生在体验中成长——“盲行”游戏收获

＂盲行＂游戏是团体心理辅导训练中的一种游戏活动。采用活动、体验、感悟和提高的模式,使参与者在体验人际交往中情绪和行为的同时,产生一种心灵的碰撞、人格的互动,实现多元多赢的交流,在乐趣中受训、在实效中成长。     

机关干部参与体育健身活动现状的调查研究

通过时机关干部参与体育健身活动现状的调查．发现机关干部经常参加体育活动的较少；机关干部参加体育活动的主要形式以自发参加体育锻炼为主，以业余时间组织和工作时间组织为辅，主要在公共体育场馆和单住体育活动场所、空地等进行小球类、慢跑等项目的锻炼；机关干部体育消费水平与性别、年龄、收入和闲暇时间有密切关系．针对机关干部参加体育健身活动提出科学的建议。     

音乐在学前课堂教学中的作用

在学前课堂教学活动中,教师应认清幼儿的生理和心理特点,打破学科界限,充分发挥音乐的特有作用,让孩子们在愉快的氛围中快乐地学习。让＂寓教于乐＂的教学理念在学前课堂教学活动中得到充分的体现。     

通过分组活动促进交互

在语言学习过程中,儿童喜欢游戏和有趣的课堂活动。因而,教师的主要工作就是如何使课堂更加有趣。本文介绍了几种常用的分组课堂活动。分组活动是课堂成功的有效方法。通过分组活动,课堂的交互就能真正地得到实行。     

“I Do Lots of Things”: Children with cerebral palsy’s competence for everyday activities

This study explored how children with cerebral palsy describe competent performance in everyday activities and sought to better understand the processes by which the children developed competence. Five children with cerebral palsy aged six to 17 years participated in a three-step procedure that included two observations, one semi-structured interview with narrative elaboration, and one cognitive interview. Three factors influenced the competence of children in this study: the environment—people, places, and objects; the quality of the activity—fun and importance; and the child’s personal characteristics—strengths and impairments. The process of building competence was characterised by practice and problem-solving. The outcome of this process was being competent or “doing lots of things”. Children played an active role by problem-solving impairment-related challenges or environmental barriers. “Doing” was not related to the child’s skills or level of independence, but to engagement in activities considered fun and important to the child.     

The meaning of play: A cross‐cultural study of American and Japanese teachers’ perspectives on play

Abstract

Early childhood teachers’ understandings of play were examined in a qualitative comparative study of 41 Japanese and 41 American participants. Qualitative analysis of the data yielded five themes: the power of living, the opportunity to learn and to develop, fun activities, child's work, and the opportunity to explore nature. Two themes emerged in regard to the meaning of play for adults: enjoyable and voluntary activities and child's play. Finally, we identified two themes regarding playfulness: state of heart and fun feelings. Teachers in both nations used rhetoric that is congruent with the current Zeitgeist of developmentally appropriate early education. One theme that differentiated the groups was the notion that play is children's work. While several Americans mentioned this slogan, this was not the case for the Japanese participants. In contrast, the theme of play as the power of living was more representative of Japanese teachers’ understandings of play, and this reflects the philosophy set forth by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.     

Waterworks: Activities for 1 through 6 year olds

We wrote these activities because water play provides both fun and valuable learning opportunities for young children. Water play can provide calming activities for any child. Water play activities can reinforce the principles of scientific experimentation and mathematical reasoning. They integrate cognitive, fine motor, and gross motor skills. We encourage all teachers and caregivers to provide water play opportunities for the young children in their care. Excerpted from Waterworks,by Jeanne C. James and Randy F. Granovetter. ©1987 Kaplan Press, 1320 Lewisville-Clemmons Road, Lewisville, NC 27023.     

浅议游戏在学前教育中的重要作用

教师应当充分了解幼儿对游戏的兴趣和愿望,选择和编写适合幼儿身心发展的游戏,并给幼儿提供充足的游戏材料,在游戏活动中充分发挥幼儿的主动性,将游戏寓于有组织、有计划的教学活动中,寓教于乐,使教学效果事半功倍,让游戏在学前教育中发挥出重要作用。     

趣味教学法在中职生物教学中的应用探索

在中职生物教学中应用趣味性教学法,能调动学生的学习积极性,使学生产生浓厚的学习兴趣,提高学生的学习能力。教师要意识到趣味性教学法在中职生物教学中的重要意义,科学组织活动,挖掘生活知识,开展调查活动,举办专题讲座,结合多媒体技术,运用赏识教育评价方式,提高课堂的趣味性,实现寓教于乐的教学目标。     

关于生本理念下小学高年级语文阅读教学的实践

生本理念指的是真正以学生为主的,为其好学而设计的教育。在生本理念下,小学高段语文教师在阅读教学中,教师需以此为导向,结合高年级小学生的年龄特征与心理特点营造适宜的课堂环境,突出他们的主体地位,使其自觉踊跃地参与到阅读活动中,收获更多乐趣。     

Measuring challenge,fun and sterility on a ‘phunometre’ scale: evaluating creative teaching and learning with children and their student teachers in the primary school

‘It was the funnest week in the whole history of funnest weeks’: our case study, the second phase in a three-phase research project, evaluates the successes and limitations of creative teaching and learning during the ‘The Creative and Effective Curriculum’ module for PGCE primary student teachers which includes a one-week placement in school. Student teachers', children's and teachers' perspectives pointed to a range of factors necessary for effective and creative teaching and learning. These included learning which is ‘fun’, achievement through intrinsic motivation, willingness to take risks and learn from mistakes, children's ownership of learning and the teacher's role as facilitator. Our findings enabled us to formulate ‘phunometre scales’ which we suggest can be used to assess both the organisation of learning areas and also planned activities in terms of their capacity for learning which is both challenging and fun.     

情景体验教学法:英语课堂活力的催化剂

基于建构主义、人本主义、需求分析和任务教学法,在课堂教学中,针对具体教学内容,设计不同任务,运用情景体验教学法实施教学。以学生为本,以任务为路径,以交际为目的,让英语"活"起来。让学生在体验中学习,在学习中体验。使学生在英语学习中既学会语言知识,更学会用目的语进行交际,学会观察、思考、发现,学会沟通合作,学会学习,学会做事。最终培养学生的自主能力、实践能力和创新能力。     

Play is not the work of the child: Young children's perceptions of work and play

Using qualitative methods of participant observation and in-depth interviewing, this research explored kindergarten and first and second grade children's perceptions of classroom activities. Young children perceived classroom activities in terms of what they considered to be work and what they considered to be play. Children identified many messages they received from the classroom context, their peers, and their teachers that contributed to their distinctions. Distinguishing elements included the obligatory nature of activities, the cognitive and physical effort required, the involvement and evaluation of the teacher, and the fun children experienced while engaged in activities. Children saw some activities as “in-between” work and play. A work-play continuum is presented that incorporates children's characterizations.     

合作学习:让综合实践活动课堂焕发光彩——以“让我们学会小组分工与合作”为例

小组合作学习是综合实践活动的基本组织形式,也是学生乐于接受的一种基本组织形式,它便于学生间进行交流,有助于学生获得深刻的情感体验,掌握与人沟通的技巧,促进学生人格的健全发展。小组活动增添了课堂的情趣,在活动中师生共同享受到了综合实践活动带来的无穷乐趣,增强学生之间、学生与社会之间的交往能力,增长了学生的生活智慧。     

幼儿科学教育中探究性学习的指导策略

探究性学习是幼儿的一种新的学习方式,它是以探究的方式进行科学活动,也是一个学习过程,它提倡幼儿在教师的指导下,以实际体验去发现问题、探究问题、解决问题,从而体验探究的乐趣,养成探究的态度和精神。幼儿的探究性活动大致可以分为四个过程：创设探究主题—引导幼儿进行探究—幼儿相互交流探究成果—教师进行正确评价。针对探究性学习的不同过程,教师要采取不同的策略。     

Fun Science: The Use of Variable Manipulation to Avoid Content Instruction

This study examined the beliefs and rationale pre-service elementary teachers used to choose activities for upper-elementary students in a 1-week intensive science camp. Six undergraduate elementary pre-service teachers were observed as they took a semester-long science methods class that culminated in a 1-week science camp. This qualitative, phenomenological study found that counselors chose activities with the possibility of fun being a priority rather than teaching content, even after they were confronted with campers who demanded more content. Additionally, all six of the counselors agreed that activities involving variable manipulation were the most successful, even though content knowledge was not required to complete the activities. The counselors felt the variable manipulation activities were successful because students were constructing products and therefore getting to the end of the activity. Implications include building an awareness of the complexity of self-efficacy of science teaching and outcome expectancy to improve teacher education programs.     

Using culturally relevant teaching in a co-educational mathematics class of a patriarchal community

The paper reports on the use of culturally relevant teaching in a class located in a patriarchal community. The paper is conceptualised around the notion that learners’ familiar context provided by the socio-cultural activities can facilitate mathematics learning and make it fun to learn. Data were derived from a lesson activity using semi-structured interviews, observation and video recordings. The findings reveal the prevalence of culturally oriented gender-related stereotypes such as tendency by boys to marginalise girls during the lesson activities and girls, in turn, attribute the treatment to their cultural beliefs and practices.