Durkheim,Sir Fred Clarke and English Education

This paper considers some of the decisions that researchers take and raises issues around researcher reflexivity, identity, values and ethics. It focuses attention on researchers and reflects on how the research they do, the topics they investigate, the methodologies they espouse, the methods they use and the writing/reporting styles they adopt, can have implications both in terms of their career development and with regard to their personal integrity and moral positioning. It is something of a truism to state that the sorts of research that get done depend upon the decisions researchers make. However, the relationship between research completed and in the public domain and individual researchers' choices is by no means a simple or straightforward one.     

Engineering Education in Europe: towards co-operation and interdisciplinarity

This paper discusses the present state of engineering education in Europe today and it attempts to compare the different educational systems. The author gives his views on how to develop engineering education in Europe and how to organise collaboration between universities and especially their centres of excellence. Finally SEFI's role in this work is discussed.     

Basic Competence in Mathematics: Swedish and English 16 year olds

The transition to mass participation in post-16 education, which had occurred considerably earlier in other European countries, has finally taken place in England. However, high drop-out and failure rates persist, particularly on vocational qualification routes. Our hypothesis is that an important factor is the lack of basic competence of lower-achieving English students in the key skills - English language and mathematics - required for success in further study. Our research addresses the validity of the argument by investigating whether any significant difference can be detected between the skills of English students entering post-compulsory education and those of students in countries where drop-out and failure rates are low. The country investigated in this study was Sweden where participation of 16 year olds in post-compulsory upper-secondary education is currently over 90%; and where some 90% of those enrolling normally obtain an academic or vocational qualification. Some General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) mathematics questions were incorporated into the national test taken by Swedish 16 year olds at the end of compulsory schooling; and significant differences were found in the scores of the lower 40% of the cohort in the two countries. The results are consistent with the hypothesis; and also go beyond previous Swedish-English comparisons, which reflect the general emphasis in international studies on younger age groups (typically 9 and 13 year olds).     

英国数学课程中的"数学探究"活动

"数学探究"是近年来西方国家数学课改中提倡的一种数学活动.文中通过列举与英国<国家课程>配套的第三学段教学框架的一些例子,分6类来说明"数学探究"基本特点及其教学要求.     

Ability Grouping in English Secondary Schools: Effects on Attainment in English,Mathematics and Science

The impact of ability grouping on attainment is examined in a cohort of year-9 pupils in 45 mixed secondary comprehensive schools, representing a variety of grouping practices. Analyses using multilevel models reveal an effect of the extent of setting experienced by pupils on progress in mathematics, but not in English or science. In mathematics, pupils attaining higher levels at the end of year 6 make more progress in sets, whereas pupils attaining lower levels make more progress in mixed ability classes. Placement in a high, middle or low set also has a significant effect on mathematics attainment. Possible explanations are discussed and educational implications considered.     

Socialization to interdisciplinarity: faculty and student perspectives

Socialization has become a common framework through which to understand the doctoral student experience; however, the framework has predominately been used as a lens through which to understand traditional, single-discipline doctoral student experiences. Interdisciplinary doctoral programs are becoming increasingly common in both the United States and elsewhere but relatively little empirical research exists about this distinct experience. Through multiple interviews with 18 doctoral students and their 35 faculty members, we discuss differences in the socialization process for these students in regard to knowledge acquisition, investment, and involvement. Implications for practice and future research are included.     

Promoting interdisciplinarity in engineering teaching

With funding from the UK' Royal Academy of Engineering, the University of Edinburgh has developed a series of truly interdisciplinary design courses aimed at improving penultimate-year students' ability to operate across disciplines and improve their preparation for industry. Led by a Visiting Industrial Professor, the course on hydropower design requires students to provide a full feasibility study of a small scheme in western Scotland tackling issues from hydrology through to grid connection. The course has had several very successful outcomes which include: appreciation of other engineering disciplines; experience of teams where different skills and expertise are available; demonstration of the links between engineering design and economic viability; introduction to non-technical areas essential to the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence; and enhancing interest in the hydropower sector in technological and career terms. The key message from this project is the need to ensure balance across tasks, within groups and staff support across disciplines.     

English and Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes to Integration

An attitude questionnaire completed by 102 teachers of English and mathematics on the integration of students with special education needs in the mainstream classroom indicated no significant differences in attitude between the two groups. Differences, however, were discernible when teacher training in special educational needs was considered; a situation which has implications for further study and for the inservice and initial training of teachers.     

National Curriculum Tests for Mathematics in English and Welsh: creating matched assessments

This paper aims to add to the growing literature on test translation and parallel development. After providing a brief overview of bilingual education in Wales and national assessment arrangements, the paper goes on to consider the experience gained over recent years in preparing matched mathematics assessments in English and Welsh. Although the paper focuses on the above experience a number of issues are highlighted which should be of interest to readers who may be concerned or involved with cross‐cultural, cross‐linguistic test development elsewhere.     

如何搞好普通高师院校数学专业英语教学之探讨

“数学专业英语”对于在校大学生的学习具有重要意义,其教学也有与其他课程不同的特点。对普通高师院校数学专业英语教学现状进行了全面分析,结果表明：目前专业英语教学存在教材不完备、教学定位不明确、教学模式单一、现有师资水平不高等问题。并且,就专业英语教学如何加强教材建设,改进教学模式,加大师资培训力度等提出了建设性意见。     

Sustainability science and the university: pitfalls and bridges to interdisciplinarity

Interdisciplinarity plays a major role in the debate about the sustainability of human societies, in general, and about the crisis and the future of the University. If the twentieth century can be identified as an era of specialization in Academia, there is a tendency now to add interdisciplinary spaces to the traditional disciplinary research and training organization. Non-academic research institutions (NARIs) are showing more flexibility than universities to respond to problem-oriented demands. This article analyzes the current prevalence of a rigid disciplinary academic framework and discusses its limitations in the face of complex demands, such as sustainability science (SS) and technology. Examples from the Brazilian graduate programs in SS are presented to describe some institutional pathologies that usually affect the attempts to achieve interdisciplinarity and SS and technology. Among the main conclusions, are the need for more interaction among universities and NARIs and the need to integrate disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity, rather than continue to deal with them as opposites.     

Cognitive Style and GCSE Performance in Mathematics,English Language and French

A preliminary study was undertaken of cognitive style and performance in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), the British public examination for pupils at 16 years. The positions of 182 pupils on two fundamental cognitive styles dimensions (Wholist‐Analytic and Verbal‐Imagery) were assessed by means of the Cognitive Styles Analysis (CSA). The pupils were from two comprehensive secondary schools and all took Mathematics, English Language and French in the GCSE administered by the Midland Examining Group (MEG) in 1991. Comparison of cognitive style and GCSE performance indicated that, for overall performance across the subjects, the pattern was a modified dome shape with the candidates who were intermediate on both dimensions of cognitive style doing best. There was a significant interaction between the styles of the candidates and the GCSE subjects in their effect on performance. The results were discussed in terms of the implications for GCSE and for further research.     

The Effectiveness of Cooperative and Individualistic Approaches in Teaching Mathematics and English

This paper reports an experimental study into the effects of cooperative and individualistic approaches in teaching Mathematics and English. The study was conducted at a Vacation Learning Camp (VLC) which was held for two weeks in one of the secondary schools in Singapore. This VLC was targeted at Secondary One pupils who were classified as below average based on general ability streaming.

The individualistic teaching approach was assumed to contribute to individual efforts while the cooperative teaching approach was expected to produce cooperativeness among the subjects. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in performances in the main effects classified as the treatment groups and the sex groups in both Mathematics and English; in Mathematics, the individualistic teaching approach was more effective for the male pupils whereas the cooperative teaching approach was more effective with females. However, in English, the results were reversed.

The female pupils in the cooperative group seemed to have improved in their attitude towards learning Mathematics whereas the male pupils in the individualistic group seemed to have a more positive attitude towards learning English.     

Friendships and Group Work in Linguistically Diverse Mathematics Classrooms: Opportunities to Learn for English Language Learners

This ethnographic study examined students’ opportunities to learn in linguistically diverse mathematics classrooms in a Canadian elementary school. I specifically examined the contextual change of group work, which influenced opportunities to learn for newly arrived English language learners (ELLs). Based on analyses of video-recorded interactions, this study revealed a shift in these ELLs’ opportunities to learn from when they worked with teacher-assigned peers to when they worked with friends. In both settings, ELLs tended to be positioned as novices. However, when working with friends, they accessed a wider variety of work practices. In friend groups, ELLs were occasionally positioned as experts and had more opportunities to raise questions and offer ideas. In contrast, when working with teacher-assigned peers, ELLs tended to remain in the position of being helped. In some teacher-assigned groups, interactions were characterized as authoritative, and ELLs’ contributions and ideas were rejected or neglected without relevant justifications or mathematical authority established by their peers. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on group work and friendship in linguistically diverse classrooms.     

Free but inaccessible primary education: A critique of the pedagogy of English and Mathematics in Lesotho

The Free Primary Education programme in Lesotho has enabled nearly all children to attend primary school, but the prevailing pedagogy denies or restricts the opportunities of these children for effective learning. This paper focuses on the theme of the inaccessibility of learning in the key subjects of English and Mathematics, reporting recent research. Some of the major problems identified are specific to each subject, while others are common to both. Referring to previous theoretical and empirical work on primary education in developing countries, the paper identifies the major factors shaping restrictive pedagogy in Lesotho.     

The effects of accountability measures in English secondary schools: early and multiple entry to GCSE Mathematics assessments

This study used semi-structured interviews with staff in 14 secondary schools in England to explore strategies for entering students to GCSE Mathematics, focusing on the use of early and multiple examination entry. The key findings suggest that teachers were keenly aware of performativity pressures and that this prompted the use of a number of strategic entry practices, including the frequent use of early entry to allow students multiple examination attempts. This approach aimed to maximise the number of students achieving a grade C, the threshold for school accountability measures and for accessing further education and employment opportunities. Widespread use of early and multiple entry is likely to cease in England following amendments to accountability measures announced in 2013, yet this study adds a further perspective to the well-established literature detailing the impact of accountability measures in schools, as well as depicting teachers’ views on the effects of early and multiple entry upon pupils’ education.     

Forms of Knowledge in Mathematics and Mathematics Education: Philosophical and Rhetorical Perspectives

New forms of mathematical knowledge are growing in importance for mathematics and education, including tacit knowledge; knowledge of particulars, language and rhetoric in mathematics. These developments also include a recognition of the philosophical import of the social context of mathematics, and are part of the diminished domination of the field by absolutist philosophies. From an epistemological perspective, all knowledge must have a warrant and it is argued in the paper that tacit knowledge is validated by public performance and demonstration. This enables a parallel to be drawn between the justification of knowledge, and the assessment of learning. An important factor in the warranting of knowledge is the means of communicating it convincingly in written form, i.e., the rhetoric of mathematics. Skemp's concept of logical understanding anticipates the significance of tacit rhetorical knowledge in school mathematics. School mathematics has a range of rhetorical styles, and when one is used appropriately it indicates to the teacher the level of a student's understanding. The paper highlights the import of attending to rhetoric and the range of rhetorical styles in school mathematics, and the need for explicit instruction in the area.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

中文辅助在英语高等数学教学中的度

中文在英语高等数学教学中可以起到辅助作用,但要注意这个辅助作用的度,过于依赖或泛化中文的使用是与英语数学的教学目标相背的。要正确的适度的使用中文辅助功能,在恰当的时机让学生完全脱离中文辅助,使其能在英文语境下自由顺畅地使用高等数学知识,最终达到能让高等数学知识在英文语境和中文语境中快速转换的最佳效果。