Instructional metacognitive knowledge: A qualitative study on conceptions of freshmen about instruction

Many studies have pointed to the limited direct effectiveness of instructional interventions and one explanation of this has drawn attention to the importance of 'instructional metacognitive knowledge'. In this exploratory study, instructional metacognitive knowledge of university freshmen is addressed by means of a survey covering: (a) instruction in general, (b) instruction in two different environments, and (c) specific delivery systems and concrete instructional interventions. While some differences appeared in the answers on different sets of questions, also large similarities were found. The results show students' knowledge about instruction to be mainly affected by their instructional experiences. The students' view is 'reactive' and places instructional agents at the core of the instructional process. The findings provide additional support for the importance of correspondence between learners' and teachers' views on instructional interventions if forms of support for students' learning are to be effective.     

Students' evaluation and instructors' self-evaluation of university instruction

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between students' evaluations of university instruction and self-ratings of instructors. The sample consisted of 52 instructors, from the School of Education at Tel-Aviv University, who taught 93 classes. The instructors, as well as their students, responded to a 20-item instructional-practices questionnaire. Instructor self-ratings had only a modest relationship with the ratings given by students (a median correlation of .28). Discrepancies between instructor ratings and ratings given by the students were further analyzed for (1) varying training in teaching - no difference was found; and (2) number of years of teaching experience - differences were noted; the self-ratings of less experienced instructors were closer to student ratings.     

Effects of metacognitive strategy instruction and instruction time on reading comprehension

Ten-year-old students in an experimental group and a control group were tested for metacognitive abilities in reading comprehension before and after implementation of treatment in the experimental group. The teachers of the students in the experimental group were trained in metacognitive strategy instruction and in optimizing instruction time for reading comprehension. The learning gains made by the students in the experimental group in metacognitive abilities for reading comprehension turned out to be significantly greater than those made by the students in the control group. In the next school, year the students in the former experimental group and the former control group were tested for reading comprehension. It turned out that the students in the former experimental group had significantly better results on reading comprehension than the students in the former control group.     

民族院校大学新生英语学习需求分析实证研究

需求分析是课程设计过程中不可或缺的启动步骤和重要环节。对大学新生进行英语学习当前情况分析是开展大学与高中英语衔接教学的前提和基础,也是教师组织教学、使用教材、决定教学方法和评估教学结果的依据。文章采用问卷调查法,对广西民族大学532名非英语专业新生进行英语学习需求调查,了解民族院校大学新生对英语学习的需求,并通过需求分析提出了四点教学建议,以促进大学英语与高中英语的自然衔接。     

The effects of metacognitive instruction on solving mathematical authentic tasks

The present study investigates the differential effects of cooperative-learning with or without metacognitive instruction on lower and higher achievers' solutions of mathematical authentic tasks. Participants were 91 seventh graders who studied in three classrooms. Data were analyzed by using qualitative and quantitative methods. Results indicated that students who were exposed to the metacognitive instruction within cooperative learning (COOP+META) significantly outperformed their counterparts who were exposed to cooperative learning with no metacognitive instruction (COOP). The positive effects of COOP+META were observed on both authentic and standard tasks. In addition, the findings show the positive effects of COOP+META method on lower and higher achievers. The practical implications of the study are discussed.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

元认知听力理解策略培训研究

元认知策略是学习者的自我意识和自我调控,是计划、监控和评价,是适用于各种学习任务的一种学习策略。本研究提出将元认知策略培训与高职高专英语听力教学听力策略培训相结合的设想。该研究表明:基于元认知策略培训的高职高专英语听力教学有助于增强学生的元认知意识,有助于提高学生的听力成绩。     

Effects of metacognitive instruction on low achievers in mathematics problems

This study investigates the effects of metacognitive instruction in mathematics on low-achieving third to eighth grade students. The study was conducted in 18 classes in two elementary schools from the same district with a majority of Hispanic population. Students were randomly assigned to the 18 classes. Twelve of these classes were randomly assigned to the experimental group. One class per grade level was assigned to the control group. Results on learning outcomes showed significant effects favoring the experimental group independent of grade level. These results indicate that metacognitive instruction could be tailored to regular classrooms where the majority are low-achievers. Recommendations on how regular classroom teachers might implement the methods are discussed.     

An exploratory study of early childhood educators' views on culture and play

Abstract

This study explored early childhood teachers’ views relating to culture and play by collecting information from them on cultural differences and parental perceptions of play, culturally appropriate play (CAP) practices and barriers in its implementation. The participants of the study were 14 early childhood educators working in long day care (LDC) or out, of, school, hours care (OOSH) settings located in Sydney, Australia. Children in the selected centers represented various cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Teachers in the present study reported noticeable differences in the play of children of diverse cultural backgrounds. However, they believed that the differences in children's play were attributable to the children's proficiency in English language and gender rather than to their culture. The teachers reported they had limited or no information on the children's cultural patterns of play at home. The lack of information on cultural patterns of play, perhaps, has led to difficulties in understanding the cultural origins of play or in accommodating cultural differences into programming. The results highlight the need for educators to have greater knowledge of the cultural bases of play to enable them to provide, in partnership with parents, culturally appropriate play experiences for children.     

An exploratory study of the knowledge base for science teaching

The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge base of a group of science teachers in terms of their knowledge of the structure, function, and development of their disciplines, and their understanding of the nature of science. The study also aimed to relate the teachers' knowledge base to their level of education, years of teaching experience, and the class level(s) that they teach. Twenty inservice science teachers were selected to respond to a modified version of the Views on Science–Technology–Society (VOSTS) questionnaire to assess their understanding of the nature of science. The teachers then constructed concept maps and were interviewed. The concept maps were scored and the interviews analyzed to assess teachers' knowledge of the structure, function, and development of their disciplines. The teachers' knowledge base was found to be lacking in all respects. Teachers held several naive views about the nature of science and did not demonstrate adequate knowledge and understanding of the structure, function, and development of their disciplines. Moreover, the teachers' knowledge base did not relate to their years of teaching experience, the class level(s) that they teach, and their level of education. It was reasoned that teacher preparation programs are not helping teachers develop the knowledge base needed for teaching science. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 34: 673–699, 1997.     

Introducing sustainability into university curricula: an indicator and baseline survey of the views of university teachers at the University of Valencia

Many higher education institutions have assumed the role of diffusing knowledge, values, attitudes and behaviours that favour sustainability. A key objective in such work is training university teachers to apply sustainability criteria to their respective disciplines. While university teachers' active participation is essential to achieving this goal, their ideas about and predispositions towards introducing sustainability into curricula are not always understood or appreciated. In this paper, we report on a questionnaire survey at the University of Valencia, Spain, on the current baseline situation for introducing sustainability across the university's curricula. We also report on a measure to periodically review the situation, including progress of and/or decline in introducing sustainability into diverse subject areas, focusing on a series of indicators grouped under the common name ‘π Indicator’. Key findings from the survey include the widespread support for introducing sustainability across the university's curricula; however, as might be expected, significant differences occur in how questions are addressed by staff from various disciplines, including how they relate to departmental perceptions, interpretations and performance of sustainability‐related teaching.     

大学新生入学教育内容创新初探

入学教育是高等教育的开端和基础,关系到新生能否顺利适应大学学习和生活,关系到新生能否形成良好的思想道德素质和心理素质,关系到新生能否实现个人的全面发展。90后大学生的个性特点鲜明,入学后遇到一些不适应的问题,这些问题的出现,要求入学教育与时俱进,进行内容创新,满足90后新生的需求,引导他们尽快适应大学的学习生活。     

大学新生英语衔接教学策略研究

当前,越来越多的高校教师开始高度重视学生由中学向大学阶段过渡的英语学习问题,要求高校英语教师不仅要具有良好的语言文学功底,同时还要对相关学科的知识结构以及重难点有一个清晰的理解。教师在向学生传递知识、培养学生综合素质的同时,还应该积极提高自身的文学素养并锤炼自身的语言功底,与学生之间建立配合,积极互动,只有这样才可能达到预期的教学目的。     

浅论多媒体教育技术与教育教学的最优化

教育教学的最优化是我国教育改革的一个重要目标,如何达到、采取什么样的措施来实现教育教学的最优化,是我们教育管理机构和广大教育工作者深入研究和不断探索的重大课题和孜孜追求的重要目标.运用多媒体教育技术是实现教育教学最优化的重要手段之一,如何在教育教学中推行多媒体教育技术,又是我们广大教育工作者不断实践、不断探索的重要课题.     

对大学英语听力教学中元认知策略的研究

随着教育体制改革的不断深入,我国高等院校的教育水平也不断提高。大学英语教育作为高等教育中的重要组成部分,一直深受社会各界的广泛关注。近年来,为适应现代社会对大学生英语水平要求的不断提高,对于大学英语教学中听、说、读、写等各个环节的教学工作都进行了相应的创新和改革。作为一门语言学科,大学英语的学习包括输入和输出两部分内容,这就要求学生必须能够听懂英文、会讲英文。其中,听力作为语言输入的重要过程,是学生的必备技能之一。然而,我国目前大学生英语听力教学中仍存在着诸多问题,直接关系着学生对英语的理解,制约着学生整体英语水平的提高。