Science instruction for the mildly handicapped: Direct instruction versus discovery teaching

The authors' purpose in this study was to compare the effectiveness of two instructional approaches on mildly handicapped and nonhandicapped students' science achievement. Students were assigned at random to one of two conditions: (a) direct instruction, and (b) discovery teaching. The content of the lessons remained constant across conditions and focused on such concepts as displacement, flotation, variable, controlled experimentation, and scientific prediction. The results show that students in both groups learned equally well as measured by an immediate posttest. However, students in the discovery teaching condition outperformed their direct instruction counterparts on a retention test administered two weeks after the posttest. Finally, learning-disabled students in the discovery condition performed better than their direct-instruction counterparts on a performance-based measure designed to assess generalization. Implications for research and for practice are discussed.     

Forms and functions of storytelling by teachers

This paper deals with forms and functions of storytelling by teachers in an Israeli comprehensive school staffroom. The main function of these stories is to present to the teachers themselves the teachers' views on teaching, and especially some features of the image of the ideal teacher. The ideal teacher believes in the important value of control. He or she should be able to establish control by being practical, and using “professional knowledge”. This professional knowledge has three main sources: the teacher's own experience; his or her colleagues' experience; and his or her creativity. The stories in the staffroom create images of the ideal teacher and socialize teachers to these images.     

Direct instruction revisited: A key model for instructional technology

Rooted in behavioral theory, particularly the radical or selectivist behaviorism of B.F. Skinner (1953, 1954, 1966, 1968, 1974), the direct instruction (DI) approach to teaching is now well into its third decade of influencing curriculum, instruction, and research. It is also in its third decade of controversy. Our purpose is to present the DI model with the notion that the designer can and should use the model effectively based on appropriate assessment of the learners, content, context, and task at hand. To accomplish our goal, we begin with a general discussion of the basic DI framework, followed by a summary of the major DI models that have been used in live instructional contexts. We then shift to a review of how DI has been used in technology-based learning environments. Finally, we conclude with a look into the future of DI.     

Direct instruction in math word problems: students with learning disabilities

This investigation was conducted to test the effectiveness of strategy teaching and sequencing practice problems in teaching students with learning disabilities to identify the correct algorithm for solving addition and subtraction word problems. Sixty-two students were assigned to one of three experimental groups: strategy plus sequence, strategy only, and sequence only. The results indicated that students in the strategy-plus-sequence group, as well as those in the strategy-only group, scored significantly higher than did students in the sequence-only group. Findings indicated that strategy teaching was the more effective of the two instructional components. Implications are discussed in terms of instructional design for students with learning disabilities.     

Mining students' learning patterns and performance in Web-based instruction: a cognitive style approach

Personalization has been widely used in Web-based instruction (WBI). To deliver effective personalization, there is a need to understand different preferences of each student. Cognitive style has been identified as one of the most pertinent factors that affect students' learning preferences. Therefore, it is essential to investigate how learners with different cognitive styles interact with WBI programs. This paper presents an empirical study, which examines the effects of cognitive styles on students' learning patterns and the effects of learning patterns on their learning performances. Riding's cognitive style analysis was used to identify the students' cognitive styles. Data mining, especially a clustering technique, was used to analyze the results. It was found that field independent students frequently used an alphabetical index whereas field dependent students often chose a hierarchical map. Such learning patterns also have great effects on their performance, especially for field dependent students.     

Direct instruction as a pedagogical tool in religious education

Recent advances in the cognitive sciences along with theoretical perspectives from a Vygotskian learning paradigm are used to provide a justification for direct instruction in religious education. Direct instruction is not seen as the end of the learning process but one way in which students can be equipped to engage in more complex learning tasks which both challenge and engage them. To be pedagogically effective, direct instruction must be part of a wider teaching strategy and be based on a number of key principles, such as coherence, signalling and recognition of prior learning. The paper argues that direct instruction is especially relevant when dealing with conceptually difficult material. In addition, it also has a place when working with students who lack strong content knowledge.     

Stability of teaching patterns in physics instruction: Findings from a video study

The study investigated variant and invariant physics teaching patterns across time and topics. It is assumed that the analysis perspective is decisive for identifying variant and invariant teaching patterns. Therefore, we focused on three perspectives: (1) organisation of activities, (2) quality of teacher–student interactions, and (3) students' perception of learning conditions. The design included three lessons of two topics (13 classes × 2 topics × 3 lessons) that were videotaped in each class. The findings indicate variants in teaching for the organisation of activities. Invariants were identified for teacher–student interactions and the students' perception of learning conditions.     

标记句型及其在语篇中的功能

根据语言标记理论,一种语言体系中的句型包括无标记句型和标记句型。无标记句型的语序符合语言普遍性结构,而标记句型的语序与语言普遍性结构不一致。虽然标记句型在语篇中出现的频率不如无标记句型那么高,然而它们在语篇中具有衔接、对比、强化信息焦点或创造优美音韵旋律的功能。人们说话或写文章时,如果能够根据题旨、语境或韵律等因素在特定语境中使用标记句型,不仅可以使语篇的句型结构多样化,而且能够提高语言感染力,增强表达效果。     

Excel软件的函数和图表功能在化学教学中的几则应用实例

本文结合化学教学中的几则实例,讨论Excel软件的公式、函数计算以及图表功能在图解法中的具体应用. 实例1. 化能的求算 反应活化能是化学动力学研究中的重要参数,被定义为一个反应中活化分子的平均能量与反应物分子的平均能量差值.反应速率常数通常可通过下述的阿累尼乌斯(Arrhenius)公式求算.     

The elaboration theory of instruction: A model for sequencing and synthesizing instruction

This paper describes a novel instructional model for sequencing, syntheizing, and summarizing subject-matter content. The importance of such models is discussed, along with the need for a significant change in the role of subject-matter structure in instruction. A zoom-lens analogy is presented to facilitate an understanding of the elaboration model of instruction. Some basic concepts and principles upon which the model is based are described. The basic unvarying components of the elaboration model are described. And finally, some variations in the model for different kinds of goals are described. The elaboration model follows a general-to-detailed pattern of sequencing, as opposed to the hierarchically based sequences derived from Gagné-type task analyses.Many of the ideas described in this paper were developed under two projeets, one funded by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and the other by the Navy Personnel Research and Development Center in San Diego, California; however, the ideas expressed do not necessarily constitute the opinions of the funding institutions.     

Analysis of patterns in time for evaluating effectiveness of first principles of instruction

Educational technology research and development - In this naturalistic design-research study, we tracked 172,417 learning journeys of students who were interacting with an online resource, the...     

The spelling of final letter patterns: A comparison of instruction at the level of the phoneme and the rime

Two groups of first graders (n=63) participated in a brief 10-day intervention study in which they were instructed in the spelling of five final letter patterns in monosyllabic words. Apart from the final letter pattern sh, the other four patterns (nk, ke, sk, and ck) incorporated the phoneme /k/. One group received phoneme-based instruction that emphasized the direct relation between final speech sounds and their spelling patterns, whereas the second group received linguistically implicit instruction that focused solely on the spelling of the rime. The group receiving phoneme instruction (PI) improved accuracy of final pattern spelling as well as speed of word reading over the group receiving rime instruction (RI). The representation of one sound with the digraphs sh or ck did not confuse first graders as much as the discrimination and representation of two sounds with the blends sk and nk, or spelling of /k/ with ke when preceded by a long or tense vowel. The results suggest that the difficulty for beginning spelling does not necessarily lie in the letter pattern but in the sound sequence that is represented by letters. The results seem to support phoneme-based spelling instruction.     

New patterns in higher education cross-cultural learning: The case of a postgraduate english instruction program in China

This paper explores new patterns of learning across cultures in higher education through a case study of a cohort of international graduate students at a university in Chinese mainland. North University (NU) has hosted international students in its Chinese language and culture programs for decades. However, between 2008 and 2010, a new Master’s degree program for international students was established. This attracted 75 graduate students from different disciplinary backgrounds, from 21 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. English is the common language to both students and faculty, but a foreign language to all. This program marks a significant shift for China’s higher education as it reaches out to the world. The paper describes this cohort’s lived experiences in China, including academic, linguistic and sociocultural learning. It analyzes the challenges such programs pose for the Chinese higher education system, explores how these challenges have become opportunities for growth and how barriers have been overcome. It also discusses the implications of this case for the upgrading of higher education quality in China.     

BRIDGE: A model for comparing the costs of using distance instruction and classroom instruction

Abstract

A computerized cost‐simulation model designed to compare the cost of expanding a campus using distance instruction to that of classroom instruction is discussed. The rationale for the cost comparison is the working hypothesis that the benefits of distance instruction are at least as good as those of classroom instruction. Cost comparison examples from classroom, television/broadcast, and asynchronous network courses are discussed. The model also demonstrates the cost‐saving potential of sharing courses and programs among campuses.