Addressing issues in group work in the classroom

For group projects to be pedagogically successful, instructors must understand how students view group work, factors that influence students’ perceptions about group work, and students’ views about the importance of group work. Understanding these factors will provide instructors with guidance in effectively using group projects in their courses. This study examines how students perceive group work after completing a semester-long group project. Our sample consists of 145 students taking an upper division research methods class in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at a large regional university. Our data support the idea that small groups may work more effectively together than larger ones, that high grade point average students have more concerns than others about group work and that those with more time demands are less positive than others about group work. The authors suggest strategies for successful group work in classes.     

Meeting the challenge of HIV and AIDS in the classroom

Contemporary early childhood teachers are facing new challenges as children who test HIV positive or who have AIDS enter the classroom. Providing appropriate health care and educational programs for these children is a major concern of teachers. This article presents a brief discussion of guidelines and issues that might be addressed in an in-service for teachers in general education to prepare them for a student with HIV or AIDS in their classrooms.     

关注课堂教学中的“语文实践”

当前我国基础教育阶段的"语文实践"大有挣脱课堂樊篱,阔步迈向课外、其他学科和社会生活新天地的趋势.事实上,在基础教育阶段,课内语文实践是课外语文实践的前提和基础,课外语文实践是课内语文实践的补充和拓展.因此,我们应该更加关注课堂教学中的"语文实践",为学生课外开展更为有效的"语文实践"夯实基础.     

研究生院制度的国际比较新论

研究生院制度是我国研究生教育的载体,其对于研究生教育的发展具有重要意义.笔者在理清了研究生院制度基本内涵的基础上,探讨了美日研究生院制度的发展状况,将其作为我国研究生院制度的借鉴:以研究生教育目标为中心探讨多样化的研究生院制度实现形式是我国研究生院制度发展的必由之路,而变革现有的研究生教育组织结构是实现这一目标的路径选择.     

Portraying science in the classroom: The manifestation of scientists' beliefs in classroom practice

If the goals of science education reform are to be realized, science instruction must change across the academic spectrum, including at the collegiate level. This study examines the beliefs and teaching practices of three scientists as they designed and implemented an integrated science course for nonmajors that was designed to emphasize the nature of science. Our results indicated that, like public school teachers, scientists' beliefs about the nature of science are manifested in their enactment of curriculum—although this manifestation is clearly not a straightforward or simplistic one. Personal beliefs about the nature of science can differ from those of the course, thus resulting in an enactment that differs from original conceptions. Even when personal beliefs match those of the course, sophisticated understandings of the nature of science are not enough to ensure the straightforward translation of beliefs into practice. Mitigating factors included limited pedagogical content knowledge, difficulty in achieving integration of the scientific disciplines, and lack of opportunity and scaffolding to forge true consensus between the participating scientists. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 669–691, 2003     

汇编语言中寻址方式课堂教学设计浅探

文章以现代教学理论和建构主义学习理论为理论基础，对寻址方式课堂教学设计进行了浅探，旨在发挥学生的主体作用，培养其勇于探索、勇于创新的精神。     

Using baseline assessment data to make international comparisons

International studies have concentrated on the achievements of children during or at the end of their schooling. But such data are difficult to interpret without knowing the progress that they have made since they started school. This article argues that the time has come to study the starting points of children as they begin their education. Such a study is doubtless difficult to design and this study reports an analysis of data from a baseline assessment carried out with thousands of children starting school in very different circumstances, with different languages and cultures and in different countries. It is a pilot international study. Although difficulties are exposed the analyses indicate that such a study is now possible and, it is argued, should be carried out.     

Student loans repayment and recovery: international comparisons

Student loans schemes are in operation in more than seventy countries around the world. Most loans schemes benefit from sizeable built-in government subsidies and, in addition, are subject to repayment default and administrative costs that are not passed on to student borrowers. We probe two issues in this paper, for 44 loans schemes in 39 countries: how much of the original loan is an individual student required to repay (the “repayment ratio”) and what percentage of the total costs of loans schemes can the lending body expect to receive back in repayments (the “recovery ratio”)? The analysis shows considerable variation in the size of the repayment and recovery ratios across schemes. Moreover, many loans schemes exhibit sizeable built-in subsidies accruing to student borrowers—in over 40% of the schemes examined, the repayment ratio is 40% or less. Overall loans recovery is considerably lower. Policy implications of these findings are discussed together with a consideration of steps that may be taken to improve the financial outcome of loans schemes.     

Tracing the effects of teacher inquiry on classroom practice

Videotape and participant observation were used to document an American high school teacher workgroup's experience with collaborative teacher inquiry and to monitor changes in practice through two cycles of instructional planning, classroom implementation, and reflective analysis. Detectable changes in practice were observed, including a substantial improvement for two of the four teachers in fidelity of implementation of an instructional innovation. Results support claim that meaningful instructional changes are more likely when teachers work in job-alike teams, are led by trained leaders, use inquiry-focused protocols, and have stable settings in which to engage in the continuous improvement of instruction.     

Towards an articulation of expert classroom practice

We report on a small scale study with six experienced teachers of mathematics in which we have applied a general theoretical model of expert practice (developed by the second author) to explore the nature of the knowledge base that enables teachers to operate effectively in the complexity of a class of 30 pupils. This model uses the notion of attention-dependent knowledge, which is derived through the use of specialised attentional skills. A methodology was developed which enabled us both to investigate the role of attention-dependent knowledge and to develop a basic vocabulary to articulate aspects of expert classroom practice.     

英语课堂教学理论与实践

在英语课堂教学中,依据英语教学理论,通过课堂设计与实施,使学生学习依场合、对象、情境等不同,适切而合宜地达到资讯交换与意义传达的目的,培养语言沟通能力。     

Identity and pedagogy in higher education: international comparisons

Teachers’ responses to language classroom incidents depend on many factors, including the extent of their teaching experience. The question of how much influence teaching experience carries is important given that pre-service teachers have had limited opportunities to respond to day-to-day incidents that arise in classrooms. This paper reports on a two-stage research study in Singapore that first explored 22 pre-service teachers’ understandings of language classroom incidents and their possible responses. Subsequently, a survey was conducted to compare pre-service and in-service teachers’ perceptions about anticipating and responding to classroom incidents. The findings from a total of 77 respondents indicate that perceptions of the experienced and inexperienced teachers are similar in many ways, yet some notable differences emerged as well as a few interesting individual responses. This work has implications for initial teacher education programmes in terms of considering the value of providing pre-service teachers with opportunities to discuss and reflect on potential language classroom incidents.