The effects of stimulus and task on preschoolers' ability to identify visual sequences

The effects of task and stimuli on the ability of 3- to 5-year-old preschoolers to identify simultaneously presented visual sequences was further assessed. A same-different task was compared to a matching task and familiar pictorial stimuli were compared to unfamiliar letters. Materials consisted of 3 element strings with 1 element repeated; both the standard and alternative(s) remained in full view on each of 25 trials. Older children performed better than younger children. The same-different task was easier than the matching task; this effect was not maintained when the differential effects of chance in the 2 tasks were removed. This pictorial stimuli produced better performance than the letters and also interacted with the type of error made. Reversal errors occurred most often in all conditions, but other kinds of errors were more frequent in the letter than the picture condition. This was particularly true for the matching task. The use of reversal errors to the exclusion of all other error types was associated with high overall accuracy on visual sequence discriminations.     

The complex task of leading educational change in schools

The leadership of educational change in schools is a complex task, particularly at a time when schools are being granted greater autonomy but are also under greater scrutiny through the publication of high stakes test results. This paper examines the complexity of the task of changing a school culture and the challenges faced by leaders engaged in this task. It is informed by case studies of two principals involved in a project designed to bring long-term change. The study provides insight into the qualities which make change leaders effective, and the different ways that leaders manage the task. The paper concludes with implications for the management and sustainability of change in schools.     

"反客为主"的宽恕--鲁迅《风筝》的另一种解读

鲁迅先生在兄弟失和这一大背景和新年团圆日这一小背景的共同影响下改写出<风筝>.他借助"风筝"这一兄弟手足之情的象征物体,在主体部分人称上采用"反客为主"的手法,曲折表达出想要宽恕周作人的过失而不可得的感想.     

The role of emotions and task significance in Virtual Education

This paper analyzed the role of emotions in a virtual world (Second Life) through students' level of enjoyment and boredom and their influence on students' achievement level. The virtual world was an educational tool used to fully immerse students in the content of the course. In addition to supporting prior research on the importance of task value on academic enjoyment, the current research provides a new perspective on the relationship between academic emotions and academic success, particularly for virtual worlds. A regression analysis was conducted to measure the relationship of task value and emotions on two types of academic performance: Individual exam scores and team scores on their Second Life assignment. Pekrun's Academic Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) was used to measure two academic emotions: boredom and enjoyment. Both academic emotions were measured on an individual level. Results from this study show that task value was positively related to enjoyment and negatively related to boredom, yet it was unrelated to academic performance. While enjoyment had a positive relationship to exam performance, boredom also had a positive relationship to the team assignment conducted in the virtual world. The possibility that students might have answered the AEQ relating to the theoretical aspects of the course instead of the practical aspects of the Second Life Assignment, may be one possible explanation for this result.     

浅析小说《教父》中迈克·柯利昂的角色转变过程

经典的黑帮小说《教父》主要描写了美国黑帮之间的斗争,以及迈克·柯利昂如何成为新一代的教父的故事。本文通过分析迈克·柯利昂从一名作战的英雄成为冷血的黑帮首领的角色转变过程,使我们更清楚地认识到现实的残酷和美国社会的黑暗面。     

The use of peers in classroom behavior change

The development of research in the use of children to control the behavior of other children in classroom settings is discussed. Several studies utilizing peers are shown to be effective and scientifically sound. In addition, ethical problems which may arise when using peers to change the behavior of other children, such as possible detrimental effects on the pupil contingency manager, are discussed. Suggestions are made for future research using peers as agents of behavior change in the classroom.     

The teacher's role when pupils work on task using ICT in project work

The present study examined possible changes in the computer experience and attitudes of 11-12-year-old and 15-16-year-old students following a period in which ICT has become much more widely used in the school curriculum. In comparison with findings from a similar study undertaken in the early 1990s, there was some evidence of a reduced gender gap, particularly in the use of computers for applications such as word-processing, graphics, programming and maths. In addition, more recently introduced applications such as e-mail, accessing the internet and using CD-ROMs showed no overall gender difference in frequency of use. However, some gender differences remained, particularly in attitudes. Boys still liked computers more, were more self-confident in their use and, unlike previously, sex-typed them less than girls. They also used computers more frequently out of school, particularly for playing games. There was some evidence that, as found previously, older girls held the least positive attitudes, and it is suggested that their approach to computers may be influenced by the cultural pressures of gender stereotyping. More general age differences in use and attitudes were also found, and these may result from the different computing applications used by Year 7 and Year 11 pupils at school. In summary, although we found evidence of some change since the early 1990s, increased exposure to computes has not closed the gender gap.     

Structural change from physical foundations: The role of the environment in enacting school change

Educational change is known to be challenging and therefore research exploring the conditions that seem to facilitate change is important. The literature relating to school level change shows some awareness of the part played by the physical school environment, but the role of the school premises in change is rarely the focus of research rooted within this literature. This is a notable omission. The history of innovation in school design parallels the recognised challenges of school reform and change. Educational leadership practice and certain historic policy initiatives suggest awareness of how the physical environment may encourage or constrain, and so is potentially an important part of a change process, but this understanding is not developed. This paper brings together our research concerning school environments and our work with schools attempting pedagogical change to develop such an understanding of the place of the physical setting in initiating, supporting and sustaining school level change. It is a conceptual exploration of the role of the physical environment in enacting change using an empirical base to illustrate our argument. We present a narrative account of two schools’ approaches to change and use the theoretical framework of culture, structure and individual action, where the physical environment is part of the structure within which change is attempted. It becomes clear that although the physical setting is intimately related to other school structures, particularly certain organisational features, there is a qualitative difference in the way the physical setting, as a tangible and visible entity, contributes to change processes. As well as contributing to the development of conceptualisations of educational change, our exploration has implications for the wider understanding of structures within human society, and their relationship to culture and individual agency.     

The role of learner-centred assessment in postsecondary organisational change

For postsecondary institutions, organisational change is an inevitable and ongoing process. Institutions face a growing need to assess student learning assessment as part of an institution's comprehensive assessment plan. While a growing body of literature suggests that learner-centred assessment is a best practice in higher education pedagogy, it is unclear whether faculty members have embraced it fully. Using data from the 1993 and 2004 administrations of the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, this study examines the extent to which faculty members employed learner-centred assessment in two- and four-year colleges in the USA. Findings show increases in use for some assessment techniques over the decade, as well as differences in use by faculty gender, discipline, and institution level. Increases in the use of these techniques may indicate a continued emphasis on learner-centred assessment and thus one aspect of organisational change. Implications for institutional policy are discussed.     

The role of entertainment in engagement with climate change

Abstract

The blending of entertainment and education is often used as a mechanism for communicating science to the general public. Key to dissemination of scientific information is cognitive engagement of the audience with the content. The authors describe a study investigating the relationship between entertaining videos and cognitive engagement of the viewer on a topic associated with climate change. Two identical videos discussing the science of climate change were created, with one video containing additional content that was entertaining and based on popular cultural references. Viewers completed an online survey (n?=?472) and the data demonstrated that there was no direct link between presentation of the climate change information in an entertaining video and an individual’s level of cognitive engagement with the content. Further, that an indirect link was identified so that perceived entertainment increased cognitive engagement. These findings may be useful for communicators of environmental issues, especially with consideration of the development of the field of edutainment.     

任务引领型教学模式在高职《国际贸易实务》课程中的应用

本文以浙江国际海运职业技术学院为切入点,阐述了国际贸易实务课程在实际教学中的重要性。并提出为使学生更好的掌握该课程要求的目标技能,采用任务引领型教学模式,通过对实际教学效果的分析,指出该教学模式应用的必要性。     

The role of leadership in small scale educational change

By investigating the factors facilitating and hindering a small scale educational change, this study highlights the crucial role of leadership in designing and implementing an educational change at a transnational university in Vietnam. During its initiation stage, the programme leaders seemed to fail to (1) set up a clear schedule for changing, (2) assist external advisory groups in providing training sessions and (3) clarify the responsibilities of external advisory groups. At the implementation stage, programme leaders and teachers were less likely to (1) develop the collective knowledge and understandings required for ongoing instructional improvement, (2) adjust the teaching quality control system and (3) cooperate with advisory groups. The lessons that can be learned include (1) mutual trust between stakeholders is vital to its successful implementation as it may determine the level of efforts stakeholders would make, (2) preparations should include clarifying stakeholders' responsibilities and the accountability system and (3) the external advisory groups need to be properly managed from the very beginning of the change.     

浅析造型在三维动画设计中的作用

一部动画是否成功,很大程度上取决于动画中人物的造型,人物造型不仅能够促进一部动画成功,还可以让动画展现出它不一样的地方,一个好的造型能够为动画增添色彩,一个出色的造型能够为动画加分,让动画超出原本所能达到的效果,尤其是教师在教学生时,教师应该让学生知道,造型对于动画也是非常重要的,锻炼学生的品味,和不一样的思维能力,同时还要锻炼学生的想象力,让学生头脑相出好的造型,大胆的设计符合该动画的造型,让观众感到该动画与其他动画与众不同之处,提高学生的专业知识,提高学生在动画造型中的造诣。     

The role of context in a collaborative problem-solving task during professional development

This article analyses how a group of teachers managed the resources available while performing computer-supported collaborative problem-solving tasks in the context of professional development. The authors video-recorded and analysed collaborative sessions during which the group of teachers used a digital environment to prepare a pedagogical scenario for subsequent implementation in their schools. The findings provide evidence that some aspects of context management can be explained in terms of explorative (opening problem space) and focused (closing problem space) actions. The results indicate that (a) the focused problem-solving took place when the problem space reached a provisional stability and problem-solvers developed a plan for proceeding with the task, (b) the individual exploration of the context was associated with the process of appropriation of a digital educational environment, and (c) the collective exploration of the context fostered the advancement of collaborative problem-solving and the introduction of new elements in the joint problem space.     

母语负迁移在二语习得中的运用研究

在二语习得中,学习者会不自觉地收到母语的影响。而这种影响经常分为正迁移作用和负迁移作用。为了达到更好的学习效果,教学这需要扩大其正迁移作用,相对地减少负迁移影响。本文列举了在英语学习中母语的负迁移影响,具体包括语言方面、词汇方面、句法方面、语用方面,在日语学习中母语的负迁移影响,包括行相似而意不同、行相同而词性不用、意形同而行不同等方面,并对其运用研究进行了对应的分析,希望能够减少其负迁移的负面影响。     

The role of analogies in promoting conceptual change in biology

Four analogies which were used to teach biology topics by four different teachers were analysed from different theoretical perspectives to determine the key role they had to play in the process of conceptual change. A supermarket analogy for the classification of living things was described using the Posner et al. (1982) view of conceptual change as having the role of a sense maker. A car cooling system analogy for human temperature homeostasis was found to play the role of a memory aid and was best explained by considering Vosniadou's (1994) framework theory and mental models perspective of conceptual change. A fluid mosaic analogy for cell membranes was used by the teacher as a transformer and was best explained by Chi et al.'s (1994) ontological category perspective of conceptual change. Finally, a bucket and pump analogy used to teach the stucture and function of the heart was described as a motivator and was viewed through the motivational perspective of conceptual change of Pintrich et al. (1993). The paper concludes that learning in different situations can best be explained by different perspectives of conceptual change and that these perspectives have much to tell us about the normal shifts in conceptual understanding as well as radical conceptual change.