Solving Problems in Genetics,Part III: Change in the view of the nature of science

Numerous investigations show that most school science teaching, in Spain and elsewhere, implicitly transmits an inductivist and very stereotyped view of science and conveys an unrealistic image of scientific work. We present some results of an investigation with fourth‐level Spanish secondary education students (15 year olds) who were taught genetics through a unit based on an open problem‐solving methodology as an investigation. Among the learning objectives were the modification of their view of the nature of science in relation to ideas about: how science is done, what a theory is, what scientists do, and, finally, what the relationship is between Science–Technology–Society. The conceptual change about the nature of science experienced by the students in the experimental group was not observed in the control group, which worked in a traditional manner. Also, these new concepts remained with the students over time without a significant backward shift.     

运用问题解决教学策略促进学生有意义学习的初探

“问题解决”是一个被多学科领域所重视和研究的课题。教学中发现，学生在解遗传题时，习惯于运用数理逻辑推理，却容易忽视减数分裂与遗传规律的联系。根据奥苏伯尔的观点，这有悖于有意义学习的目的。为此，本研究着重探讨：通过问题解决教学策略的实施，能否促进学生对于减数分裂与遗传规律关系的理解，从而实现有意义的学习。研究结果表明，问题解决教学策略可以促进学生的有意义学习，其基本过程可以概括为：创设问题情境→拓宽问题空间→进行合作学习→完成知识迁移。     

PBL教学模式在医学遗传实验教学中的应用

在医学遗传学实验教学中,通过具体的案例让学生发现问题并主动学习未知领域的知识,根据教学目标和教学大纲要求编写案例,汇总问题后分给各组学生,让他们以此为主线,自己收集资料,启发学生提出问题讨论,解决问题。PBL讨论式教学模式激发并提高学生自主学习、独立思考、分析问题和解决问题的能力。问卷调查显示结果,绝大部分学生对该教学模式较为满意。以学生为中心的PBL讨论教学模式可以在医学遗传学实验教学中施行,并有效地提高学生医学遗传学实验课程的学习兴趣和学习质量。     

Tests as means for promotion of learning from distance teaching

This article from a pedagogical viewpoint deals with the problem of how to promote meaningful learning in distance education. In correspondence courses, major problems arise from individual learning difficulties which are caused, e.g. by ineffective teaching methods, deficient individual prerequisites, and/or lack of social facilitation because of isolation. Dealing with those problems experts have been using various technical facilities (e.g., computers for administration and management) and media. Nevertheless, learning difficulties can be solved only by students themselves, but not by mere manipulation of technology, educational methods, or students’ activities. Methods to enhance individual engagement and learning cannot be based well on existing pedagogical theories, since these address direct teaching of children or youth in classroom. Search for theories and methods appropriate to distance teaching reveals as a major goal the development of problem‐solving skills and related abilities. Learning activities corresponding to that goal obviously cohere to working on problem‐like tests. Thus, a conceptual model of how to effect meaningful learning by tests is being proposed. Based on that model special modular components of tests are being described which should be apt for enhancing meaningful learning, and for computer‐based application.     

Analysing cognitive or non‐cognitive factors involved in the process of physics problem‐solving in an everyday context

Recently, the importance of an everyday context in physics learning, teaching, and problem‐solving has been emphasized. However, do students or physics educators really want to learn or teach physics problem‐solving in an everyday context? Are there not any obstructive factors to be considered in solving the everyday context physics problems? To obtain the answer to these questions, 93 high school students, 36 physics teachers, and nine university physics educators participated in this study. Using two types of physics problems—everyday contextual problems (E‐problems) and decontextualized problems (D‐problems)—it was found that even though there was no difference in the actual performance between E‐problems and D‐problems, subjects predicted that E‐problems were more difficult to solve. Subjects preferred E‐problems on a school physics test because they thought E‐problems were better problems. Based on the observations of students' problem‐solving processes and interviews with them, six factors were identified that could impede the successful solution of E‐problems. We also found that many physics teachers agreed that students should be able to cope with those factors; however, teachers' perceptions regarding the need for teaching those factors were low. Therefore, we suggested teacher reform through in‐service training courses to enhance skills for teaching problem‐solving in an everyday context.     

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.     

Structured Collaboration versus Individual Learning in Solving Physics Problems

The research issue in this study is how to structure collaborative learning so that it improves solving physics problems more than individual learning. Structured collaborative learning has been compared with individual learning environments with Schoenfeld’s problem‐solving episodes. Students took a pre‐test and a post‐test and had the opportunity to solve six physics problems. Ninety‐nine students from a secondary school in Shanghai participated in the study. Students who learnt to solve problems in collaboration and students who learnt to solve problems individually with hints improved their problem‐solving skills compared with those who learnt to solve the problems individually without hints. However, it was hard to discern an extra effect for students working collaboratively with hints—although we observed these students working in a more structured way than those in the other groups. We discuss ways to further investigate effective collaborative processes for solving physics problems.     

学习策略与大学英语教学

在过去的几十年中,国外研究者对学习策略进行了广泛地研究,确定了学习策略的概念,并对学习 策略做了分类研究,引入了元认知概念,提出了元认知策略。笔者归纳分析了这些理论,总结了他们的特点,并参 照这些理论同时结合教学实际设计了访谈项目,通过访谈发现了大学英语教与学中存在的问题,提出了解决的办 法,指出了学习策略,尤其是认知策略和元认知策略在大学英语教与学中的重要作用。     

Annemarie Roeper: The Voice of Gifted Children

A methodology for teaching conversational Spanish to gifted preschoolers is described with specific examples. The results of this project indicate that the children were enthusiastic learners, excellent at pronouncing Spanish, and could remember and use new vocabulary after two to three class sessions. The parents reported that their children enjoyed learning Spanish and used their Spanish outside of the classroom.     

Flipped classroom instruction for inclusive learning

The flipped classroom is a teaching methodology that has gained recognition in primary, secondary and higher education settings. The flipped classroom inverts traditional teaching methods, delivering lecture instruction outside class, and devoting class time to problem solving, with the teacher's role becoming that of a learning coach and facilitator. This methodology provides an avenue for more hands‐on and student‐driven learning during class time. The benefits of a flipped classroom include increased student motivation, differentiating instruction, self‐pacing lessons and mastery learning, increased collaboration and instant feedback for formative assessment. Although limited research has been conducted regarding students with learning difficulties in inclusive settings using a flipped learning model, initial research indicates flipping a classroom can be beneficial. Information is provided on inclusive practices from numerous countries that are beneficial to students with learning difficulties, as well as strategies and resources for individuals who may want to implement a flipped classroom.     

Problem Solving in Geometry: Comparing the effects of non-goal specific instruction and conventional worked examples

This study examines the extended effects of an instructional program designed to enhance schema development by using non-goal specific problems, in the teaching of geometry to high school students in need of remedial tuition. A multiple baseline across-subjects experimental design was used to compare the effects of this program with another method of teaching this subject--that is, using worked examples. This methodology provides detailed information on the shifts and changes associated with learning processes for particular individuals during the actual process of schema acquisition. Dependent measures included test performance, error analysis, time analysis, directionality and generalisation. Results indicate that participants in the non-goal specific group showed greater improvements, solving problems faster, more efficiently, more accurately and with fewer errors and greater consistency. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the design of mathematics instructional material.     

高师计算机课与中学数学新课程整合的探究

在高师数学系计算机课中整合中学数学新课程,以在职和职前教师能胜任中学数学新课程的教学为研究出发点,选用中学数学新课程充实深化重组计算机课程内容,实施计算机支持的协作学习的六个步骤：教师创设情境和提出问题、教师分析问题和明确方法、学生自主探索和寻求解答、小组协作学习和解决问题、师生总结和评价成果及教学反思,培养学生基于信息技术平台更有效地学数学与教数学的能力,提升他们的信息素养和数学素养．     

双语学前教育专业《学前儿童科学教育》教学现状及改进策略——以昌吉学院为例

科学素养是国家公民必须具备的素养之一,高等师范双语学前教育专业学生的科学素养,直接影响着幼儿园科学实验活动的开展,关系到幼儿的科学素养能否全面发展,也标志着幼儿教师专业技能的水平高低。但是,我们在《学前儿童科学教育》课程教学的实施过程中发现,双语学前专业的大学生普遍感觉课程理论色彩太强,缺乏实践操作性,枯燥乏味无趣,想要提升双语学前专业大学生的科学技能和科学素养就变得非常困难。为此,针对双语学前教育专业大学生的学习问题进行了问卷调查,并根据调查和研究,提出了改进的措施和策略。     

Investigating the role of computer‐supported annotation in problem‐solving‐based teaching: An empirical study of a Scratch programming pedagogy

For more than 2 years, Scratch programming has been taught in Taiwanese elementary schools. However, past studies have shown that it is difficult to find appropriate learning methods or tools to boost students’ Scratch programming performance. This inability to readily identify tutoring tools has become one of the primary challenges addressed in Scratch programming studies. To cope with this problem, we propose an innovative approach, which combines an Annotation‐based Scratch Programming (ASP) tool with the problem‐solving‐based teaching approach in Scratch programming pedagogy. The ASP tool was developed to enable students to create, review and share Scratch programming and homework annotations. In a quasi‐experimental study, we have evaluated Scratch programming pedagogy at a North Taiwanese elementary school to investigate the effects of instructional‐tools‐supported programming instructional modes on Scratch programming performance. The experimental results show that students who received ASP tool support in conjunction with a problem‐solving‐based teaching approach performed significantly better than the other groups. Based on our findings, the innovative approach was believed to play an important role in improving the learning patterns of younger pupils. Therefore, we suggest that teachers consider incorporating the innovative method into their teaching environments in order to boost students’ learning achievements in the area of Scratch programming and the subsequent learning process.     

An evaluation of the Touch Math method for teaching addition to students with learning disabilities in mathematics

The present study was designed to determine if children with learning disabilities in mathematics could be taught three‐row, double‐digit addition problems using a dot‐notation method. Three children with learning disabilities in mathematics were selected for the study. Prior to the intervention, these students employed a combination of count‐all and count‐on strategies when solving addition problems and relied on concrete referents such as fingers or tallies. A multiple‐probe design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The experiment consisted of a teaching phase where students learned to count the dots on numbers 1 to 9 in a specified pattern, and an intervention phase where students progressed through nine levels of addition problems. Results indicate that the three subjects were able to learn and apply the dot‐notation method successfully, and to retain the method from one‐and‐a‐half to four‐and‐a‐half months after completing instruction.     

Stressors,Self‐Efficacy,Coping Resources,and Burnout among Secondary School Teachers in Spain

The relationships among teacher occupational stressors, self‐efficacy, coping resources, and burnout were investigated in a sample of 247 Spanish secondary school teachers. Concretely, two specific aims were formulated in order to examine the effect of teaching stressors on teacher burnout and the role of self‐efficacy and school coping resources as mediator or moderator variables in the stressor–burnout relationship. Teachers reported that when their pedagogical practice in the school setting was being interfered with or hindered by a set of factors from the multiple contexts involved in students’ learning, problems of burnout occurred. In addition, results revealed that teachers with a high level of self‐efficacy and more coping resources reported suffering less stress and burnout than teachers with a low level of self‐efficacy and fewer coping resources, and vice versa.     

行动研究在高职英语语法教学中的应用

行动研究,就是以解决实际问题为目的的研究,就是要创造地运用理论解决实际问题。本文运用行动研究理论对所教班级进行了英语语法教学实践,结果证明行动研究能够有效地帮助教师去解决学生在语法学习中出现的问题,从而提高教学质量。     

Formal music education not only enhances musical skills, but also conceptions of teaching and learning: a study with woodwind students

This paper studies conceptions of woodwind students regarding learning and teaching music, within the framework of implicit theories. It analyzes whether there are differences related to participants’ instruction level, and whether it is possible to identify profiles according to their conceptions. Sixty-eight students from three different levels at 14 Spanish conservatories took part voluntarily in this study. A multiple-choice questionnaire was used, which comprised 16 dilemmas on different situations typical of learning and teaching music. Three answers were presented for each dilemma, corresponding to the three implicit theories identified in recent years: direct, interpretative, and constructive. For each dilemma, participants were requested to choose the option they most agreed with and the one they least agreed with. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests of independence, multiple correspondence analysis, and ascending hierarchical classification. From the results obtained we can state that as students’ age and level of instruction increase, so does the level of sophistication of their conceptions. Three conceptual profiles were identified: direct, direct-interpretative, and constructive, which are consistent with prior results on conceptions of teaching and learning in other domains. Implications for education are discussed.     

Worked Examples Versus Non‐goal‐specific Problems: a test of schema development in geometry

A multiple baseline across subjects experimental design was used to compare the effects of a teaching programme designed to enhance schemata acquisition with that of worked examples, traditionally used to teach geometry to high school students. In the first treatment, students were guided to form their own personal, independent schema through the use of non‐goal‐specific questions, that is, questions that did not ask to find a single, specific unknown. The second treatment introduced students to solved examples of problems asking for specific values. Following exposure to one or other of the treatments, measures were obtained of students’ success in problem solving, the time taken and the processes used. Results show that students in both groups had gains in the number of problems solved following intervention, with those exposed to the non‐goal‐specific procedure showing greater rates of improvement and greater efficacy in their problem‐solving strategies. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for a schemata acquisition and problem‐solving hypothesis.